Just a sudden idea, but i think Dr Octopus from spiderverse would look great in your style. Oh! Or maybe the gems in the ancient roman era, idk it just came to mind.

Btw i love your style beacuse, its hard to explain, but the way you draw characters makes them feel "real" while they are still stylised, idk if that makes sense.

ALso no clue where you are from but you have an eastern european digital artist vibe to your stuff, would be crazy if i was right. I noticed something like this before, somethimes people can even have diferent styles but just the way they color and shade or something like that gives away that they are east asian for example. I wonder how this works. Maybe these broader areas have traditioanally diferent ways to teach art in school and even when students develop their own styles the foundations are still showing, idk.

she was definitely fun to draw! this reminded me how much i love liv actually so thank you

the roman era was a cool idea so i'll post it just separately cause i dont like posting multiple fandoms at once lol i think i get it wdym by "real" and its the biggest compliment ever fr fr

i indeed am eastern european and I AGREE WTF IS UP WITH THAT its true that certain groups have a similar vibe when it comes to their art

like us eastern europeans get this kinda dark, detailed, low exposure, vibe of despair or nostalgia (to me lol) that makes me think of post soviet living blocks on a cold evening??? i dont know if thats just me but you brought up an interesting point honestly.....

[ ECTOBERHAUNT 2023 BANNER ]

I'm doing the banner for this year's @ectoberhaunt event~ The theme is Science vs Magic

I had so much fun making this~ Sam get the fantasy AU fit while Tucker gets Cyber/futuristic style

Sketch Progress

I like the idea of Sam being a druid bc nature connection tm

And Tucker would vibe very well with fancy future stuffs. i was gonna draw him with a bigger puffer but I couldn't figured it out. I like the one we got here too so yay

Okay so I was a bit pressed on time while working on this so I couldn't do as much research and references as I should.

On Sam's part, the somewhat floating book was inspired on how genshin impact's catalysts have their books/weapon just floats and it looks fancy n magical n Sam deserve that honestly

Her glowing tattoo are highkey inspired of this beautiful Sam with tattoos art by @the-stove-is-on-fire Mine is nowhere close to that but that's my main inspiration for this

I was gonna give Tucker his usual orange sweater but I noticed a lot of neon or cyberpunk outfit relies on dark backdrop to pop.

And since the background color is gonna be bright yellow, I gotta put the dark color somewhere else. And his sweater would be the perfect spot to balance out all the brightness with a bit of darkness

And it matches with Sam too so it works out great uwu

The magic circles on their back were mostly there to balance out the composition bc it looks too empty as is, gotta spice it up a lil bit uwu But a direct halo would look.. too out there? I mean I can but like.. Sam is magic/fantasy based, why not lean on that n go for magic circles :D

Tucker's random bits on the background took the most out of me bc like.. its hard qwq I literally try to look up aesthetic bg to figure out how to work with his?? Eventually I just settle on less is more and added shadow under the bits to make em pops out against the orange

source

And for the color choices, I wanted the two of them to have purple, yellow, and green on them. The green color on to symbolize Danny bc I'm an Everlasting Trio shipper lmao

I wanted Sam to have some yellow and green on her magic, which kinda.. got covered with the whites honestly. But the greens stays with the vines so we'll go with that Tucker was harder to figure out, so I settle with him with blue and greens instead of purple qwq

In the end, only the green end up staying lmao It ends up unifying both sides so hell yea it all works out lol

Sexy Robots & Pinups

I opened the cards!

I do want to say that I really dig Hajime Sorayama's work and looked him up further. If you like his rendition of robots here, check out his website! I find the art super beautiful.

I did record myself opening them, but I haven't put the videos anywhere yet.

Highlights:

No repeats!

A mispack

2 cards I considered iffy

no chromium cards :(

So, onto the pictures!

These were the packs I opened. They're from 1993.

I'm not going to show all of the cards I got. Just the ones I liked.

First, the robot ladies:

Of the 30, 10 were robot ladies. (But there were plenty of other interesting ones!)

My favorite is this Venus/Aphrodite robot. Just a sucker for a mash-up of classical and modern/futuristic.

Here's a better picture of this one:

These two being landscape are pretty notable.

I love the pink/yellow dress combo.

I like the jacket on this one and the faint gold coloration on her hip. Almost like a faint tattoo. Also, visor eyes. <3

I like the intimacy of this one. There's a fire in the background, she has a drink. I don't know, just gives me cozy sexy vibes.

Gotta love the splash of red against the silver body. Also, this is one where her feet aren't heels. Oh, and she has visor-eyes!

But that's about all I got to say for the robot lady (ladies?)

They were pretty much what I expected. Beautiful art, but the same kind of robot in each iteration with small differences.

Here are the human pinups that I thought were notable:

This lady is all dressed up like she's in a post-apocalyptic hellscape, but her titties are syran wrapped? Why? lol

Maybe a distraction technique?

This one just looked like a creepy pasta. I think it's the way they chose to shade it, but made the whites of the eyes and teeth white.

This one is actually in a completely wrong pack. Still love the art, though!

For reference, the back of this one is on the left compared to the back of this Sexy Robots pack:

I forgot to include this one in the group shot, but her expression is very somber. I just didn't expect somberness from this pack.

These are additional ones that I wanted to add, upon re-perusal.

Love the Typical Tinder Guy With Fish pose here. Also getting lesbian vibes from her.

Some sort of cyber punk goth cowgirl?

I was just surprised to see a muscle lady in this pack.

And to top it off, I really liked this one. Her expression, the color of the background, her pose.

But, yeah, that's it!

Of the 30 cards, 10 were robots and 20 human(y) ladies. (I mean, you could make an argument about a few of them.)

1 card was from a totally different pack. lol

The art is beautiful, but - as I expected - definite male fantasies. The longer I stare at some of these, the more the anatomy mistakes/choices become evident.

|| Oliver & Minho ||

“I am so thankful to you for coming all the way to Ashmore for me! So sorry to trouble you, love! But, as you can see…�� Minho pointed to the, well, whole of himself which was now exposed in all its fae glory as he walked Oliver from the front door and deeper into his luxurious home located in the more affluent of areas of Opulence. The vast space of Minho’s home matched the outdoor futuristic design look, an aesthetic the interior designers may use a term like biophilic for. It was a perfectionist’s dream come true, if they could keep up with the maintenance, though it was hard to imagine anyone living comfortably in a space that large and… contradicting, glossy whites of the floors and greens of plants and flowers everywhere creating a stark contrast.

It was truly an impressive and very satisfying blend of modern architecture and nature, giving off the vibe of futuristic living that was adapted to sustain a highly eco-friendly environment powered by a smart home system. It was a wonder how a place this large could look so sterile, tidy and white while at the same time have trees, vines, flowers and grass incorporated all over it. Yet still, underneath all the technology and clean white floors, there was some magic breaking through, just like all the green and plants and patches of nature combined into the décor, the walls and the ceilings. Minho had always strived to become well-adapted to the human world, ever since he’d entered it. And perhaps he’d done it a bit too well, up to a point where it started to appear more like overcompensating rather than adapting.

The next room they walked in matched the overall aesthetics of the entire home and even had a recording of soft chirping sounds of songbirds in the morning played quietly in the background for the ambiance. Just your friendly in-home smart system setting up the mood. Minho motioned Ollie to take a seat on the huge L-shape sofa there. “Or would you prefer we go to the backyard, get some vitamin D from the sun?” Minho suggested, in case Ollie would rather they sat outside.

@oliver-sereno​

Anyone like to listen to score songs from Big Hero 6 (movie)?

Big Hero 6's music score is really underrated. I rarely see some people in the fandom talk about the music score.

I get really nostalgic when I go back to listening to it. I was brought back with the warmth of Baymax and Hiro while flying together in the skies of San Fransokyo. I'm back in 2015 where I was still really hype with Big Hero 6. I miss those days. I miss my old fandom.

Well, this is my favorites.

First Flight

I really like the concept of futuristic music. This song brings me back to flying in the sky of San Fransokyo with Baymax and Hiro. Follow the sea, move up to the top of the skyscrapers, and arrive at the evening sky with a dashing view of the city of San Fransokyo. I love it when Hiro sees his reflection on the glass wall of the Building and Baymax zigzags through the sky turbines *I don't know the name of lol*.

I'm sorry HTTYD's Flying theme, but this one really makes me melt.

Big Hero 6

The background music when Big Hero 6 is in action is amazing. Honey Lemon with her chemical explosion, Gogo with her iron wheel, wasabi with his laser, Fred with his flame burst, also not forgetting Baymax with his martial arts move when he finished off the microbots. Then I love the scene where Callaghan runs out of microbots and Baymax is getting ready to punch Callaghan. The music is very uplifting and passionate.

I'm Satisfied With My Care

This music brings me back to the sadness scene when Baymax sacrificed himself in portal. I really love to see the transition from the violin orchestra to a single piano beat when hiro starts crying and then says "I'm Satisfied With My Care" in a hoarse voice. So touching.

The Streets of San Fransokyo

I like cool rock music elements in it. The music is so perfect for the chase scene in the glitter of the city at night.

Hiro Hamada

Especially for the first part. San Fransokyo looks amazing. This song is perfect to listen to at night while looking at skyscrapers lol. By the way, in “Big Hero 6 Complete Score” album, the name of song is Tadashii Roboto No Tsukurinata and it’s more complete and better.

Upgrades

I like the uplifting music when Hiro first upgraded Baymax. Then the transition becomes sad when hiro sees the baymax chip made by his late brother. Tt looked as if Hiro promised to fight for his brother.

Microbots

I love to see the elements of electronic music in it. really feel the vibe. the appearance of the microbot from the barrel, then hiro presented his findings. 

Reboot

the ending scene makes me want to go back to the days when I was crazy about BH6. The situation returns to peace, Hiro begins to accept the situation but suddenly he finds hope to meet Baymax again and ends with the sentence "who are we" at the end of the movie.

Silent Sparrow and Family Union

Feelings of revenge, anger, disappointment and sadness are very strongly depicted here. Memory brings me back to Tadashi's tragedy. The feeling of loss as a result of being killed by other people makes the grudge run high. very strong feeling.

Huggable Detective

The music depicts the silliness and innocence of baymax being an impromptu detective and makes me have to chase the adorable white balloon creature to keep it from making noise in the city

So Much More

I like the part when the fail-flying scene (?) during the flight experiment. the music fits perfectly with Hiro's screams.

My WIPs

I have 3-ish WIPs atm:

Puppylove 1-2

The main active one is a sequel to my published 1st draft/novel, Puppylove. The first book is about the main characters Alejandro and Fetcher meeting and starting to date and Fetcher's family drama and how Ali helps him deal with (or rather, run away from) it. The sequel is about Ali taking Fetcher on a trip to a vampire party (he is a vampire, Fetcher is a werewolf) and meeting Ali's dad and essentially book 2 is about Fetcher helping Ali deal with his family issues, except this time they actually deal and don't run away instantly!

After I finish working on the outline of book2 I'm planning to go through book 1 and pretty much rewrite it to reflect my current skill level. The story itself won't change much, just wording and I will add depth to the characters if needed. That's it.

Spirits and Bleach

The project I was working on before this was Spirits and Bleach; my first attempt at dabbling in mystery novels. It's a story about Bleach, a witch/exorcist who gets roped into investigating a murder with a random ghost they find and who at first thinks he developed a crush on them, but they end up in a QPR by the end and travel the world together. I have an outline and I started writing it out but burned out, and I don't know atm if that is because the outline was lacking or if I just needed a break from the project. I can't wait to get back to it tho, I love Bleach and I can't wait to show their story to the world.

Dino People

My 3rd project is known as DinoPi, or Dino People. It's a mess. The general point is that it's a fantasy world, maybe or maybe not with futuristic technology, where people can turn into dinosaurs. That's all I know lol. Originally it was sci-fi and the dinos were a science thing, then it was magic. Originally the story was a romance taking place in a civil war, where a spy sneaks over the border and falls in love with a good Christian boy who arrests him for sneeking over said border. Now I'm thinking of changing the genre entirely to something else. I had written like 10k words of the original plot before I got stuck and had to scrap it bc I simply had no ideas for the story. I wanted the leads to kiss, but they hated each other. I don't do enemies to lovers, I'm not skilled enough yet to make it not sound abusive. Now I'm toying with the idea of the story starting with them married and about to get a kid. Yesterday a friend asked for an idea for a movie poster to draw and I wrote down this idea:

"Well since I'm kinda stuck on the dino theme, I had an idea of the vocal point being a dude either leaping through the air to catch a falling laughing baby or holding said laughing baby in one arm and holding a gun in the air with the other, a lil like that example with how he holds the lady, and in the background are dinosaurs fighting."

said example: true lies action movie poster

Concept: Bruce wants a baby and Joker ends up being the cool spy dad bodyguard protecting the baby from bad guys (the baby is special or something. The concept is silly already so just go with it, make it stupid)

If you want a taste of what their vibes are, I made a spinoff short story called Office Work

Rep

When it comes to representation, I want to do my best to bring in diversity. I mean, even if it weren't just the moral thing to do (which it is), it's just good writing to have more than one type of character and perspective. Hence, I have the following intentions/plans for these WIPs:

Puppylove: have ace rep through Ali and auDHD rep through Fetcher. Also, Ali is black and has lived for two centuries in a world with a history similar to ours. I want to have a realistic approach when it comes to his trauma from the shit he has had to see, but I'm not going to promise any specific themes. I'm as white as can be and a lot of this will be dependent on how willing of a sensitivity reader/person who will smack me if I do a stupid I can find. Applications are open btw.

Spirits and Bleach: have ace aro and nb rep with Bleach and I'm not yet sure what their friend might bring to the table, but I sure know he isn't straight lol.

DinoPi: As I said, the story is a mess, but I have for the longest time known Joker has some sort of a disability that causes chronic pain. My thought has been he is an ambulatory wheelchair user. I don't have personal experience with this, but I have a friend who is happy to help me with the chronic pain part at least.

General gay rep you can always expect since I seem to be incapable of writing anything that doesn't have at least one gay dude in it.

TOP 11 Most Expected Web Design Trends for 2023

It is easy to become numb with so many technologies hitting the market almost daily. Believe it or not, covid has changed the fundamentals of the game in many ways. But one thing that has not changed is empowering users with better solutions. Want to stay ahead in the game? Keep reading. Now IT field roles have become more active with a constant effort to learn, unlearn and relearn certain aspects. Let's talk about the expected web design trends for 2023.

Top Web Design Trends 2023:

01 Parallax Scrolling

One of the interesting web designers will see in 2023 is the boost of parallax scrolling. Well, it adds depth and dimension, making users' overall experience immersive and engaging. Parallax scrolling is a technique where it appears that elements are moving at different speeds to give the effect of 3D scrolling effect.

If explained in layman's terms, it gives the perception of driving a car where the closer objects pass the car very fast, and the distant objects pass slower. There are different types of parallax scrolling.

One of the beautiful examples of parallax scrolling is Crazy About Eggs. Here they have used subtle parallax scrolling effects for subheadings and small elements.

02 Custom Illustrations

Since the main focus of 2022 and 2023 is offering a rich user experience, especially offering a personal experience, stock images and graphics will soon be replaced by custom illustrations. It helps to bring the personal touch, especially that human touch. Colored and black & white illustrations, both are equally important. Animated and 3D illusions will definitely grab some limelight in the coming year.

It gives freedom to brands to express their unique personalities. One of the effective examples of custom illustration is the animated illustration on the homepage of Sony Music , imbibing carefree and happy vibes.

03 Visible Borders

Invisible borders are now a thing of the past as now visible borders are welcomed with open hearts. This helps to give a modern and futuristic touch as visible grid lines, borders, and frames help to stand out. Further, it helps to clearly distinguish between each section of the page and make it more appealing, aesthetic, and organized.

In 2023, you can expect the geometric grid to be the popular choice; however, gates are open for symmetric as well as asymmetric for the solid layout. One of the popular examples of visible borders and grids is Sar-studio. It is a product and interior design company, and they beautifully portray the use of border lines with the toned-down color theme. Here they have placed each piece of work in a separate section which gives enough space to each product.

04 Dark Mode

The dark mode is not a new trend, but it will keep accelerating even in 2023. It gained in popularity after 2019 when Apple introduced the iOS 13 update in dark mode. Even giant players like Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Meta were early movers in adopting dark mode interface.

It's not just the pretty face; several studies have even shown that dark mode soothes the eyes as it reduces the discomfort user experience after staring at websites with a light background. But here, the key to success lies in choosing the right typography and color to make things really stand out. Give a choice to the user where they can toggle their display from light mode to dark mode. Allow them to control their experience to a certain extent. One of the beautiful examples of the dark mode is Spotify.

05 Virtual Reality

Virtual reality has become an actual reality in the web design world. Big companies like Meta are pushing VR to the next level. With the progression in the VR field, eCommerce businesses can really stand out of the crowd. Using VR and AR, users can now see how the product will look in its place; this reduces users' confusion and helps them make prompt buying decisions.

06 Have Fun with Typography

Typography is a powerful element in website design, and that is why clients now prefer strong typographic layouts. Here the aim is to use bold fonts as the primary element to catch viewers' attention. Here you can expect:

Oversized typography: Adds a captivating look to your website with oversized typography. By doing this, typography will dominate the hero image and look impressive.

Kinetic typography: Also known as moving typography, this typography helps grab viewers' attention as it mainly focuses on functional design elements instead of ornamental ones.

Serif typography: Thanks to its elegance and classy look, it is back in business. It brings back memories of the print era.

07 Page Speed Counts

Yes, speed does count and matters the most. It's been a matter of utmost importance for SEO and web design for the past many years now. One of the truths of the digital era is that nobody wants to wait, and why should they? There are plenty of smart ways to increase page speed. In Spite of loading the entire website in one go, we suggest reducing loading time by changing loading the content as users get to it.

08 Advanced Micro Interactions

Micro animations are like small animations as they are meant to add playfulness to your website. Micro interaction is defined as enticing and tiny moments used in a website or application to stimulate a feeling of well-being. Slowly and gradually, micro animations are getting the recognition they deserve. With eCommerce implementing it to enhance the overall experience of users. The good news is that one can use it in various ways, including animated scrollbar, swipe animation, digital alarm, pull-to-refresh, and many more.

If you think about why one should use it, well, then there are a plethora of reasons to use it. Firstly it replaces the boring loading screen with fun, grabs the attention of users, keeps them engaged, and better communicates certain actions interestingly.

09 Hero Video Headers

There is no denying that visuals are more impactful than written words, which is why hero video headers are getting popular with each passing day. Video helps to convey emotions and products in fruitful ways, plus makes the entire experience lively and dynamic. Other benefits of having it on the website are capturing attention, reducing bounce rate, visually appealing, narrating the story through it, and many more.

10 Nostalgia

Y2K design is now everywhere, from the font, interface, fashion, colors, and whatnot. It is creating quite a buzz in the web design industry. Now designers are coming up with their unique interruption for nostalgia. Basically, it is about taking inspiration from the past; here, the idea of using nostalgia is connecting to the good, old and simpler time. The good news is that you can add nostalgic elements in many ways; it's totally up to you how you wish to implement it.

11 White Space

White space will continue to be among the favorites in the industry. With a less is more approach, neo-brutalism design and white space make the entire look pleasing and legible. White space not only promotes minimalism but adds harmony and better clarity, creates visual hierarchy, encourages people to take action, and boosts better navigation. Fun fact about white space need not be in white only. A beautiful example of white space in the website includes a landing page for the new MacBook Air.

12 3D Elements

If designers wish to stand out from the crowd, then we suggest going with 3D elements usage in websites. Using 3D elements helps to give a spurge presentation and grab the attention of users. Brands like Gucci are using 3D to show off high-end goods. It is the result of a combination of certain trends mixed together like parallax scrolling, animated visuals, glass morphism, and many more. Some examples of 3d websites include Uplinq, Peter Tarka, and Clou

Welcome 2023

Well, 2023 sounds like an exciting year for web design. Which web design trend do you like the most? Well, if you are planning to design a website for your business, then our web designer in Ahmedabad can support you in all aspects, from ideation to the final delivery of the website. We are emerging as a reliable web design company in Ahmedabad. We have an experienced and expert team who are ready to walk the extra mile to offer you flawless and valuable solutions to upscale your business to the next level.

Article Source: https://www.pixenite.com/top-11-most-expected-web-design-trends-for-2023/

Hues of Fall with Rugs from Portland & Mashael

The season of Fall is here; trees have begun shedding their viridescent leaves and are decorating the parks and streets of the city with autumn foliage. The serene chills of the autumn breeze enliven our surroundings and every aspect of our lives, including our home spaces. Rugs and Carpets are the undeniable decor items in charge of warming up the ambience of your rooms by keeping the floors balmy and your feet protected from the growing cold.

 The presence of a rug causes a home to encompass absolute beauty and style. So how about snuggling up to some winter-hued rugs, coupled with modern moderate designs?

 We’ve compiled a perfect list of rugs based on the hues of fall, to enhance your home with some seasonal glamour. We’ve cherry picked the Portland Collection and Mashael Collection of Rugs & Carpets especially curated for autumnal decor needs. The colours of these rugs vary from shades of burnt orange replicating the crispy leaves to the pure blue of November skies.

 Orange at play:  Apart from giving your home enticing wooden interiors akin to a scenic rural cottage or accentuating your vintage showcase, an orange-shaded rug naturally brightens any setting regardless of the colour scheme of that given place.  Consider the Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-02, whose patterns of warm mirage waves emanate throughout the surface of the rug, and the play of cream and brown compliment the burnt orange curvy stripes.

 Another friend to the colour orange, is the Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-03 adorned with plant motifs, and lightly veneered with a grey that helps deepen the maroon and rust of the orange leaf motifs. While the former carpet is perfect for those who prefer abstract patterns, if you wish for some symmetry over your floor, the latter rug is an ideal choice.

 Tune to some maroon: Closely associated with passion and mystery, maroon is exemplary for decor that demands stability and energy. Often, our pastel walls and mellow furniture stand out best when contrasted with a solid-coloured carpet whose designs aren’t loud but gently mesmerising.  A perfect fit for such rug types is the Mashael Carpet Area Rug MS-05 whose white intersecting lines are precisely drawn over the rich maroon surface.

 Similarly, Mashael Carpet Area Rug MS-07 contains beautiful octagonal beige shapes neatly placed, for a geometric effect. In case the dark background of maroon isn’t your type of autumn vibe, don’t shy away from the Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-07, where a cubic illusion can be achieved to give your home a more futuristic look.

 Choose your blue: Be it royal blue or soft teal, blue is an endearing colour whose hues dominate the sky and seas.  This ‘colour of trust’ in its darker shades like azure and navy blue naturally infuses your home with a comforting ambience, which is very much needed to prepare your home for the oncoming winter. Aligning with modern edgy patterns, Mashael Carpet Area Rug MS-02 skillfully plays with geometry over the Navy blue surface.

 If you choose blue for a botanical treat, then Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-06 with overlapping leaf motifs in monochromatic blue is what you’d want. Either way, blue on your rug is a perfect addition if you opt to have minimalist decor that can lightly influence your home with beauty.

 Grey has a say: A common neutral choice for flooring and carpets is the colour grey. Not only is it a great contrast colour, but it also provides the necessary proximity needed inside a room. If you want a dramatic centrepiece for your living room, we have a couple of rugs that balance grey with sleek black, as well as green and light blue, like Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-04 with its engaging triangular illusion effect.

 The Portland Carpet Area Rug PL-08 has its texture enhanced with the square sponge designs with an overall dash of grey. For a home that needs a combination of dark solid colours paired with light hues like beige, the Mashael Carpet Area Rug MS - 04 is the right rug for the role.

 Are you seeking carpets for your living room? Make the autumn season a memorable and stylish one with Sapana Carpet-Mat's exclusive range of Rugs and Carpets.

 To know more: https://sapanacarpetmats.com/blogs/news/hues-of-fall-with-rugs-from-portland-mashael

Hide and seek fortnite code

#Hide and seek fortnite code how to#

#Hide and seek fortnite code movie#

#Hide and seek fortnite code code#

One of the players turns himself invisible and has a harvesting and a revolver.

#Hide and seek fortnite code movie#

This Invisible Man inspired map goes for a spooky black and white horror movie vibe and pulls it off excellently. But one thing the creator does an excellent job at is making the map really pop and become a great background for your play. There’s nothing really different or new with the map. It features a spectacular castle with an outstanding courtyard fitted with water features and various exploration levels. There are some crazy and impressive creators on Reddit and this map is a product of one of them. In the map, one team defends two bomb points and another team breaks into the house – just like in the real Siege. There’s everything from auto-shotguns to mini0turrets. There are various operator playstyles and spawn points to choose from and you will be spoilt for choice on the weapons available to you. It’s an excellent recreation of the game’s house map and one that pulls all the stops not just the appealing face part of it.ĭespite the several walls that seem firmly locked in place, most of the other areas in the map are fair and you can easily enforce your scorched earth policy here. You will quickly identify this map from the famous Rainbow Six Siege. There are speed boost areas that dip into the ramps and paths that will make those single-shot kills a lot cooler.

#Hide and seek fortnite code code#

If you love speed-packed, maps that get your adrenalin going, this code has plenty of options for you. The Futuristic Factory gun game is a flowy kind of map that feels more like a skate park than a setting in the future. Beware of the checkpoint that might be a little too much to bear. There are tons of zombies and puzzles to keep you busy and scared at the same time, as you work your way around. Racoon City PD is a great map to try out on Fortnite. Now that you’re all set up, here are some great Fortnite Creative Codes that you can try. Click Accept and your island of choice will pop up. Proceed to find the portals with the console in front of them.Īt this point, you can select a code added to your favourites or pass a code that you recently came across. While here, look for featured portals that will put you in a custom portal area. Once the game is loaded, there’s an orange rift that takes you to islands with custom maps. To use creative codes, select the creative option, then click Play followed by Create. You have three options to choose from every time you load Fortnite: Save the World, Creative, or Battle Royale.

#Hide and seek fortnite code how to#

Why not also read: 10 Tips How to Get Better at Fortnite How to Use Creative Codes In the Creative Mode, you can focus on building battles or enhance specific skills. You can set up a less competitive situation to allow you to practice all thanks to the addition of the Creative Mode. The creative codes not only add aesthetic appeal to the game but also let you tweak the game to your preference. With Fortnite Creative Codes, you can recreate your environment to suit your style. However, after some tinkering, you may find your endless world a little boring. This is the perfect map for continuing the holiday spirit.Fortnite Creative presents an endless world of opportunities. This is not a standard approach to Hide & Seek because it makes the Props/Hiders seem more like the villains than the Hunters/Seekers. The hunters are simply Santa’s Workshop elves trying to make enough toys before Christmas. This map is a great Prop Hunt map and adds some flair to the genre. Screenshot by The Props that Stole Christmas If you want to spend more time enjoying the scenery and how it relates to the story, then change your costume so that you look more like Alice. Avoid being caught by the hunters and don’t get lost. The Red Queen’s garden hedge maze is a great place to run. It comes as no surprise that the Alice in Wonderland world serves as an excellent map to play Hide & Seek. Screenshot by Alice in Wonderland Hide & Seek Map See also How to destroy equipment on top of Abductors in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 Week 6?

I never believed in differences.

And I’ve had sex with

Men, women, people of different ethnicities

Socio economic backgrounds

Just different vibes in shit,

Vibes where I went surfing

With this white woman

I met by stumbling

Into the metaphysics store

Because the aesthetic was

On some futuristic sand shit

Her store

Had this ambient video playing on the tv

Of

A person walking through the Sahara desert,

I never believed in differences

Because I got to experience

Those moments

Where people reveal

How much fun they’re having

So they reveal who they really are to you,

And so yes there are differences

But the differences

Are in the performance of our experiences.

Favorite Books of 2020

I wanted to put together a list! I read 74 new books this year, and I keep track of that on Goodreads - feel free to add or follow me if you want to see everything! I’m going to focus on the highlights, and the books that stuck with me personally in one way or another, in approximate order. Also, all but two of them (#5 and #7 on the honorable mention list) are queer/trans in some way. Links are to Goodreads, but if you’re looking to get the books, I suggest your library, the Libby app using your library, your local bookstore, or Bookshop.

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, illus. by Ned Asta (originally published 1977). I had a hard beginning of the year and was in a work environment where my queerness was just not welcomed or wanted. I read this in the middle of all of that, and it helped me so much. I took this book with me everywhere. I read it on planes. I read it on the bus, and on trains, and at shul. I showed it to friends... sometimes at shul, or professional development conferences. It healed my soul. Now I can’t find it and might get a new copy. When I reviewed it, in February, I wrote: “I think we all need this book right now, but I really needed this book right now. Wow. This book is magic, and brings back a sense of magic and beauty to my relationship with the world.” Also I bought my copy last July, in a gay bookstore on Castro St. in SF, and that in itself is just beautiful to me. (Here’s a post I made with some excerpts)

Once & Future duology, especially the sequel, Sword in the Stars, by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy. Cis pansexual female King Arthur Ari Helix (she's the 42nd reincarnation and the first female one) in futuristic space with Arab ancestry (but like, from a planet where people from that area of earth migrated to because, futuristic space) works to end Future Evil Amazon.com Space Empire with her found family with a token straight cis man and token white person. Merlin is backwards-aging so he's a gay teenager with a crush and thousands of years of baggage. The book’s entire basis is found family, and it's got King Arthur in space. And the sequel hijacks the original myth and says “fuck you pop culture, it was whitewashed and straightwashed, there were queer and trans people of color and strong women there the whole time.” Which is like, my favorite thing to find in media, and a big part of why I love Xena so much. It’s like revisionist history to make it better except it’s actually probably true in ways. Anyway please read these books but also be prepared for an absolutely absurd and wild ride. Full disclosure though, I didn’t love the first book so much, it’s worth it for the sequel!

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum. This book hurt. It still hurts. But it was so good. It took me on a whole journey, and brought me to my destination just like it intended the whole time. The author’s note at the end made me cry! The sheer NEED from this book, the way the main relationship develops and shifts, and how you PERCEIVE the main relationship develops and shifts. I’m in awe of Ancrum’s writing. If you like your ships feral and needy and desperate and wanting and D/S vibes and lowkey super unhealthy but with the potential, with work, to become healthy and beautiful and right, read this book. This might be another one to check trigger warnings for though.

The Entirety of The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. I hadn’t heard of this series until this year, when a good friend recommended it to me. It filled the black hole in me left by Harry Potter. The political and mystical/fantasy world building is just *chef’s kiss* - the complexity! The morally grey, everyone’s-done-awful-things-but-some-people-are-still-trying-to-do-good tapestry! The ROMANCE oh my GOD the romance. If I’m absolutely fully invested in a heterosexual romance you know a book is good, but also this book had background (and then later less background) queer characters! And the DRAMA!!! The third book went in a direction that felt a little out of nowhere but honestly I loved the ride. I stayed up until 6am multiple times reading this series and I’d do it again.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. I loved this book so much that it’s the only book I reviewed on my basically abandoned attempt at a book blog. This book is haunting, horrifying, disturbing, dark, but so, so good. The character's voices were so specific and clear, the relationships so clearly affected by circumstance and yet loving in the ways they could be. This is my favorite portrayal of gender maybe ever, it’s just... I don’t even have the words but I saw a post @audible-smiles​ made about it that’s been rattling in my head since. And, “you gender-malcontent. You otherling,” as tender pillow talk??? Be still my heart. Be ready, though, this book has all the triggers.. it’s a .

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. This book called me out on my perspective on love. Also, it made me cry a lot. And it has two different interesting well-written romance storylines. And a realistic coming-into-identity narrative about a Black trans demiboy. And a nuanced discussion of college plans and what one might do after college. And some big beautiful romcom moments. I wish I had it in high school. I’m so glad I have it now! (trigger warning for transphobia & outing, but the people responsible are held accountable by the end, always treated as not okay by the narrative, and the MC’s friends, and like... this is ownvoices and it’s GOOD.)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. My Goodreads review says, “I have no idea what happened, and I loved it.” That’s not wrong, but to delve deeper, this book has an ethereal feeling that you get wrapped up in while reading. Nothing makes sense but that’s just as it should be. You’re hooked. It is so atmospheric, so meta, so fascinating. I’ve seen so many people say they interpreted this character or that part or the ending in all different ways and it all makes sense. And it’s all of this with a gay main character and romance and the central theme, the central pillar being a love of and devotion to stories. Of course I was going to love it.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom. “Because maybe what really matters isn’t whether something is true, or false. Maybe what matters is the story itself; what kinds of doors it opens, what kinds of dreams it brings.” This book was so good and paradigm shifting. It reminded me of #1 on this list in the way it turns real life experience and hard, tragic ones at that (in this case, of being a trans girl of color who leaves home and tries to make a life for herself in the city, with its violence), into a beautiful, haunting fable. Once upon a time.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. I need to reread this book, as I read it during my most tranceful time of 2020 and didn’t write a review, so I forgot a lot. What I do remember is beautiful and important nonbinary representation, a really cute romance, an interesting parental and familial/sibling dynamic that was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and an on-page therapy storyline. Also Mason Deaver just left twitter but was an absolutely hilarious troll on it before leaving and I appreciate that (and they just published a Christmas novella that I have but haven’t read yet!)

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos. It took a long time to trust this book but I’m so glad I did. It’s raw and real and full of grief and trauma (trigger warnings, that I remember, for grief, death (before beginning of book), and gun violence). The protagonist is flawed and gets to grow over the course of the book, and find her own place, and learn from the people around her, while they also learn to understand her and where she’s coming from. It’s got a gritty, harsh, and important portrayal of found family, messy queerness, and some breathtaking quotes. When I was 82% through this book I posted this update: “This book has addressed almost all of my initial hesitations, and managed to complicate itself beautifully.”

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro.  I wasn’t actually in the best mental health place to read this book when I did (didn’t quite understand what it was) but it definitely reminded me of what there is to fight against and to fight for, and broke my heart, and nudged me a bit closer to hope. The naturally diverse cast of characters was one of the best parts of this book. The romance is so sweet and tender and then so painful. This book is important and well-written but read it with caution and trigger warnings - it’s about grief and trauma and racism and police brutality, but also about love and community.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden.  This is a sci-fi/fantasy/specfic mashup that takes place in near-future South Africa and has world-building myths with gods and demigoddesses and a trip to the world of the dead but also a genetically altered hallucinogenic drug that turns people into giant animals and a robot uprising and a political campaign and a transgender pop star and a m/m couple and all of them are connected. It’s bonkers. Like, so, so absolutely mind-breaking weird. And I loved it.

Crier’s War and Iron Heart by Nina Varela.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED the amount of folktales they told each other with queer romances as integral to those stories, especially in Iron Heart. A conversation between the two leads where Crier says she wants to read Ayla like a book, and Ayla says she’s not a book, and Crier explains all the different ways she wants to know Ayla, like a person, and wants to deserve to know her like a person, made me weak. It lives in my head rent-free.

Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston @ekjohnston . I listened to this book on Libby and then immediately listened to it at least one more time, maybe twice, before my borrow time ran out. I love Padmé, and just always wish that female Star Wars characters got more focus and attention and this book gave me that!! And queer handmaidens! And the implication that Sabé is in love with Padmé and that’s just something that will always be true and she will always be devoted and also will make her own life anyway. And the Star Wars audiobooks being recorded the way they are with background sounds and music means it feels like watching a really long detailed beautiful Star Wars movie just about Padmé and her handmaidens.

Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia. I needed to read this. The way Tobia talks about their experience of gender within the contexts of college, college leadership, and career, hit home. I kept trying to highlight several pages in a row on my kindle so I could go back and read them after it got returned to the library (sadly it didn’t work - it cuts off highlights after a certain number of characters). The way they talk about TOKENISM they way they talk about the responsibilities of the interviewer when an interviewee holds marginalized identities especially when no one else in the room does!!! Ahhhh!!!

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie. Disclaimer for this one that the author was rightfully criticized for writing a Black main character as a white author (and how the story ended up playing into some fucked up stuff that I can’t really unpack without spoiling). But also, the author has been working to move forward knowing she can’t change the past, has donated her proceeds, and this book is really good? It has all the fanfic tropes, so much delicious tension, a totally unexpected plot twist that had me immediately rereading the book. This book was super fun and also kind of just really really good Star Wars fanfiction.

How To Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune. This book was so sweet, and cute, and hopeful, and both ridiculous and so real. I had some trouble getting used to Gus’ voice and internal monologue, but I got into it and then loved every bit after. The ace rep is something I’ve never seen like this before (and have barely read any ace books but still this was so fleshed out and well rounded and not just like, ‘they’re obsessed with swords not sex’ - looking at you, Once & Future - and leaving it there.) This all felt like a slice of life and I feel like I learned about people while reading it. Some of the moments are so, so funny, some are vaguely devastating. I have been personally victimized by TJ Klune for how he ends this book (a joke, you will know once you read it) but it also reminds me of the end of the “You Are There” episode of Xena and we all know what the answer to that question was.... and I choose to believe the answer here was similar.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. I wish I had this book when I was in high school. I honestly have complicated feelings about prom and haven’t really been seeking out contemporary YA so I was hesitant to read this but it was so good and so well-written, and had a lot of depth to it. The movie (and Broadway show) “The Prom” wants what this book has.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. I never read horror books, so this was a new thing for me. I loved the feeling of this book, the way I felt fully immersed. I loved how entirely queer it was. I was interested in the characters and the relationships, even though we didn’t have a full chance to go super deep into any one person but rather saw the connections between everyone and the way the stories matched up with each other. I just wanted a bit of a more satisfying ending.

Honorable Mention: reread in 2020 but read for the first time pre-2020

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I couldn’t make this post without mentioning this book. It got me through this year. I love this book so much; I think of this book all the time. This book made me want to find love for myself. You’ve all heard about it enough but if you haven’t read this book what are you DOING.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan @sarahreesbrennan​ . I reread this one over and over too, both as text and as an audiobook. I went for walks when I had lost my earbuds and had Elliott screaming about an elf brothel loudly playing and got weird looks from someone walking their dog. I love this book so much. It’s just so fun, and so healing to read a book reminiscent of all the fantasies I read as a kid, but with a bi main character and a deconstruction of patriarchy and making fun of the genre a bit. Also, idiots to lovers is a great trope and it’s definitely in this book.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book is forever so important to me. I am always drawn in by how tenderly Sáenz portrays his characters. These boys. These boys and their parents. I love them. I love them so much. This is another one where I don’t even know what to say. I have more than 30 pages in my tag for this book. I have “arda” set as a keyboard shortcut on my phone and laptop to turn into the full title. This book saved my life.

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book hurts to read - it’s a story about trauma, about working through that trauma, healing enough to be ready to hold the worst memories, healing enough to move through the pain and start to make a life. It’s about found family and love and pain and I love it. It’s cathartic. And it’s a little bit quietly queer in a beautiful way, but that’s not the focus. Look up trigger warnings (they kind of are spoilery so I won’t say them here but if you have the potential to be triggered please look them up or ask me before reading)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  When asked what my all time favorite book is, it’s usually this one. Gail Carson Levine has been doing live readings at 11am since the beginning of the pandemic shut down in the US, and the first book she read was Ella Enchanted. I’ve been slowly reading it to @mssarahpearl and am just so glad still that it has the ability to draw me in and calm me down and feels like home after all this time. This book is about agency. I love it.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman @chronicintrovert . I’ve had this on my all-time-faves list since I read it a few years ago and ended up rereading it this year before sending a gift copy to a friend, so I could write little notes in it. It felt a little different reading it this time - as I get further away from being a teenager myself, the character voice this book is written in takes a little longer to get used to, but it’s so authentic and earnest and I love it. I absolutely adore this book about platonic love and found family and fandom and mental illness and abuse and ace identity and queerness and self-determination, especially around college and career choices. Ahhh. Thank you Alice Oseman!!!

Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray @claudiagray​ . I have this one on audible and reread it several times this year. I love the fleshing out of Leia’s story before the original trilogy, I love her having had a relationship before Han, and the way it would have affected her perspective. I also am intrigued by the way it analyses the choices the early rebellion had to make... I just, I love all the female focused new Star Wars content and the complexity being brought to the rebellion.

didn't mean to make you cry (lee donghyuck)

Summary: when your design project partner’s joking criticism unintentionally makes you cry, how will he fix it? after all, you’re his crush...

Genre: hurt/comfort?, fluff

Pairing: donghyuck x artist!reader, high school!au

Word count: 1.5k

When you were paired up with the outgoing, edgy, purple-haired boy in class for your design assignment, you thought your final grade was done for. The purple-haired class clown, Lee Donghyuck, who wears leather jackets and looks like he plays with fire in his free time, but actually has a kind heart and warm aura. 

You thought Donghyuck would ditch you in the very beginning, dumping the entire assignment onto you and opting to hit up the local night market with his friends instead, but he had surprised you. Throughout the month, Donghyuck had stayed on task in classes and been very attentive to your vision and goals for the project. Together, you were assigned to create a design layout that would display students’ artwork and be printed in the school newspaper.

Though your peers in class all opted for a traditional newspaper design, with serif fonts and boxy modules, you wanted to break out of the norm and create a futuristic vibe, with circles and vivid motifs, to emanate a clean aura in your work. When you were paired with Donghyuck, you feared he would shut down your creative vision, but instead, he had been extremely supportive and helpful in the project, even offering insight to improve the layout and refine the modern look of the pages.

For fun, you had put some close-up photos of your old sketches and drawings in the background. You thought Donghyuck would have called you self-centered for putting your own personal works on the page, but he had proven you wrong by complimenting the design afterwards. Together, your smooth black pen lines and colored pencil textures created a personal, diary-like feeling to the design, while the minimalistic modules and white space kept the clean modern vibes. 

His willingness to cooperate and kindness to you and your ideas had truly shocked you, and erased the bad boy/lazy rebel image you had thought of him. He seemed like someone you wanted to get closer with, maybe.

“Donghyuck and Y/N, time for your evaluation.” the teacher called you two up.

“Hm, this corner of the page is a little crowded. It’s hard on the eyes,” Ms. Kang says. 

“It’s because y/n drew the picture there,” says Donghyuck. “It’s ugly, right?” He says it in a joking manner, and you know he doesn’t mean it like that, but the words stir up some insecurities you’ve suppressed for a long time.

Ms. Kang laughs along with him. “Donghyuck, don’t be mean. Her drawing looks fine…”

--

You know he was joking when he had called your drawing ugly, but you couldn’t help but think that maybe he truly meant it. People were always like that to you.

In elementary school, your parents had loved your art. Your scribbly golden retrievers, your painted landscapes, they had praised each one and hung them up on the refrigerator, and you were so proud to have a talent that they were proud of. 

In eighth grade, your hyper realistic self-portrait earned you a ticket to New York to have your art displayed at a museum’s exhibit highlighting children’s artworks. You began to think this talent could take off and become a career, but your parents disagreed.

“Art doesn’t make money, y/n. Do you want to starve when you grow up?”

As you grew older, your art got better but your parents’ support decreased. Though you could draw a golden retriever 100 times better than before, your parents weren’t praising you.

“It’s ok, y/n. It looks kind of ugly.”

“That’s supposed to be you? It’s ugly-”

“Why did you draw me so ugly-”

Ugly was such a short word. But why did it hurt so much? Whenever you saw your parents’ faces, you just thought about your ugly, meaningless passion: art.

--

The bell rang. 

“Ah, I barely noticed the time. We’ll finish grading your design next class.” says Ms. Kang.

“Cool, thanks seonsaengnim,” Donghyuck responds. “Y/n, what did you think? She really liked the-”

You stand up, grabbing your bag and leaving for the cafeteria. You couldn’t hear Donghyuck’s words over your parents’ criticisms ringing in your head.

“Are you dumb? You’re NOT going to art school.” “No more art, y/n. It’s meaningless.” It had been a while since the word “ugly” had come up when talking about your art, your hobby, your talent, no -- your sole passion in life that gave you a purpose. You didn’t even notice your eyes watering up.

“Y/n, didn’t you hear me?” Donghyuck catches up beside you. “Ms. Kang said -- wait, are you crying?”

You’re taken aback, looking up to the face on your left. Concern flashes through his eyes as a sense of embarrassment pierces your chest. He thinks I cried because of a dumb joke he made, you think to yourself. He thinks I’m too sensitive and weak like that.

“Don’t worry about it,” you tell him, taking a u-turn to seek refuge in the bathroom. 

At lunch, you plop your tray beside your friend Renjun, taking a seat.

“How was the project evaluation?” He asks. 

“Renjun, you’re gonna laugh when I say this. I cried for no reason in front of Donghyuck,” you reveal.

“Why? What happened?” He asks worriedly.

You explain the purple-haired kid in your class, the design project, the thoughts that had rushed through your mind after Donghyuck had jokingly called your art ugly. Renjun, who you had first met in art class and hoped to become an art student himself, was one of few people who truly understood your insecurities about your future in art. 

“He probably thinks I’m weird and too sensitive now,” you say.

“Maybe,” he says. Renjun was never one to lie, even if the truth hurt a little bit. “It’s okay though, you probably won’t see him ever again after this year.” He puts a hand on your shoulder, patting it comfortingly.

“You’re right,” you laugh, scooping up another spoonful of rice.

--

How can she be laughing so much after crying less than twenty minutes ago? Donghyuck asks himself from across the cafeteria. Did I do something wrong?

“Donghyuck, what’s on your mind?” pipes up Jeno. “What are you looking at?”

“Hm? Oh… Earlier in class, that girl over there cried after I said something but I’m not sure why.” Donghyuck answers.

Jeno raises his head to look over at the girl in question. “Oh! Y/n? She’s so nice though, how did you even make her cry?” “I don’t know! That’s what I want to know!” Donghyuck defends himself. “Who’s sitting next to her though? She was just crying last class, why is she laughing already?”

“Oh, that’s Renjun. Why don’t you just ask him? He seemed pretty chill in math class last year,” Jeno suggests. 

-- 

When Donghyuck sees Renjun turn into the boys’ bathroom before class, he follows.

“Renjun!” he calls out.

Renjun turns around to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice. 

“Why did y/n cry? Did I do something wrong?”

Tilting his head to process the sudden interrogation, Renjun notices Donghyuck’s bright purple hair and makes the connection.

“Oh, you’re Donghyuck,” he remarks.

“Please, Renjun, tell me if I did something wrong. I need to know.”

“Why do you care so much?” Renjun asks. “Don’t worry about it, she’s not mad at you.”

“No, please. Please tell me. I-” Donghyuck starts. How can he admit his crush on you to a stranger right now? He can’t miss his chance. “I-I like y/n. I need to know if I did something wrong. I want to fix it. Please, Renjun.” 

Donghyuck had loved your drawings. He had loved your designs too. And loved you too. He loved how concentrated you focused when designing the layout, how your fingers gracefully pushed hair behind your ears when it fell in your face. He loved how your passion and dedication shined through in everything you did, whether it was your voice in a presentation, or the speed and concentration of your fingers on a keyboard. You were his crush, but also his role model. He couldn’t live with himself if he had made you cry.

Renjun explained your situation, your art, your parents, your self-doubt to Donghyuck. “Shoot your shot, Donghyuck. I think maybe y/n likes you too,” he said before pushing the door open and leaving quickly to hide his growing smile.

Alone in the bathroom, Donghyuck breathes a sigh of relief.

--

The next day in class, Donghyuck slides his backpack on the desk beside you, instead of his usual seat in the back. 

You look up, unsure how to face him. Should you explain why you cried? Or pretend like it didn’t happen?

He slips a folded pink piece of paper onto your desk, nodding at you to open it. 

You unfold the paper to see a doodle of a girl and boy, painting the sky together under some clouds. Amongst the clouds read “Your art is amazing. And you are too.” in a neat script. On the bottom of the paper: “Wanna come with me to the night market on Saturday?”

You look up at Donghyuck, searching his eyes to see if this is some pitiful joke or attempt to amend. Instead, you just see a glazed, lovestruck gaze in his eyes.

“I promise I won’t make you cry this time,” he says.

Imagining The Future: Bastille's New Era Analysis

Hello all! The following is taken from the first of my new era update posts on r/Bastillecult. I highly reccomend reading all the posts on there!

Last time I had a few solid guesses with the whole Goosebumps EP transition period, so I figured I would try my luck with this new era. I've broken everything down into a few categories that should hopefully flesh out a sketch of possibilities

Aesthetic: The new logo has a very sleek design. This complete change in aesthetics is very noticable. Bad Blood was filled with literature references, a cozy and nerdy looking dan, and more earthy looking tones. Wild World focused on nihilism, movie references, and an all too realistic dystopian city aesthetic. Doom Days focused on escapism, partying, fucking, and a red and home-y vibes. The lack of color and the clean and sleek look points towards it being a more future oriented era.

Triangle: For a deeper background, I highly recommend reading u/casperwyomingrex 'spost.

The WW era triangle and this new triangle are technically called deltas. While I am by no means a geometry person, I’ve been told by a few math nerds that these triangles are technically not possible in certain plains and spaces, making them impossible. While it is likely that Bastille just needed to explore just slightly outside the normal definition of a triangle to match this aesthetic, the impossible triangle t-shirts hint that there is significance to having “impossible” triangles. This hints that there may be more in common between the WW Era and the Future Era, ie. a dystopian society.

Dystopia: Bastille created an entire dystopian corporation for WW. I remember them saying somewhere they hated the promo and touring process for this album, leading them to switch up the process for DD and the Goosebumps EP. With the record label change and covid shaking up the world, this opens up the opportunity for them to have a redo with this era, especially considering it is a fan favorite era. Many people have pointed out that hint has a vibe similar to black mirror, a sci-fi dystopian show, which would fully support a sci-fi dystopian aesthetic era.

Sound: Though the clip is only 8 seconds long, it gives us some hints about the new era. Bastille once again uses synths for sound, creating a reference to Sci Fi sound effects. The clip mirrors the effect of oscillators to create things like laser sound effects, teleportation, warping, and other “space” noises. I find the juxtaposition of Sci-fi interesting; it was most popular in the early 1900s, meaning Bastille is referencing the past, yet it focuses on the future, which in the lense of Sci-fi, would mean the 2000s and beyond.

In the lens of broadcasting, short interludes are used throughout advertising to the point where many people don’t even think about this. A lot of them are used to hook us in and signify a certain company or thing. In advertisements they are used to signify the company’s presence and to worm the product into our brain. In casinos they are used as a dopamine reward. News stations use them to signify the station. This especially could be relevant in a dystopian society. I’m mentioning this because the clip doesn’t sound full enough to be a song, rather an intro to a news station segment. I find this especially notable considering WW had a news anchor. Looking back, a few videos from wild world could hold significance. This video

has a sci-fi esc clip in the intro.

In Previous Context: In the context of ReOrchestrated, Bastille is no longer letting imposter syndrome or shitty opinions stop them from what they want to do. Meaning they are going full force into the future. There's one specific time during the ReOrch doc where the boys talk about how ReOrch made them realize they could try new shit, even if management thinks it will fail. Dan has spoken in a few interviews now about being excited about collabing (and mentioning relinquishing control to others in the ReOrch doc), a few artists have come forward about working with Dan. While it’s unlikely that every collab we’ve theorized about will go through, Dan Wilson and Ryan Tedder seem to be confirmed in the roster based off of their interviews

When considering the past, a lot of previous songs focus on nostalgia; for example, in Fake it “We can never go back / We can only do our best to recreate.” Post ReOrch and DD, Bastille has worked up enough confidence to push into making their own future, one unlimited by nostalgia and fear.

In the Context of the Goosebumps EP, Inception and Vanilla Sky are both referenced. Both of these movies mark the first time* (to my knowledge

) that futuristic sci-fi has been referenced in Bastille. There is significant overlap with dreaming and time travel, something that could definitely be applied to this era. While it could be coincidental, Bastille has been quite purposeful with using references to add to the era’s aesthetic (see Aesthetic section). Referencing them during a transition period points towards both the literal future (new era) and a new aesthetic.

*Cosmos: War of the Planets and twilight zone have both been referenced but fall into a different category of sci-fi than Vanilla Sky and Inception

In Regards to Distraction Tactics Space Week and WW, alot of it holds very similar aesthetics. This video

from WW also holds a similar aesthetic. Considering DT is linked through space and WW is linked through dystopian this might MIGHT be related.

Hints: It wouldn’t be a new Era without Dan “Soon” Smith teasing us a bit, so here are a few highlights. In this interview

, Dan says “I want to tell you but I can’t! We just want to reflect on the future…” The No Bad Days tweet and the #ToTheSky post likely plays a part in the new era, but the 8 second clip does not have any immediate hints. The art installation in the #ToTheSky post originally caught my interest when it was posted. James Turrel, the artist that created the installation, uses light as a medium to create art. The installation, called the Space That Sees, is described as an “allegory of light that we generate from inside and light that comes from outside: the emergence into space where light comes forth as in a dream." While I have no fucking clue how to interprete this allegory, I imagine space, light, and dreaming will become key players in the new era. A few other notable works of his are the Raethro Pink and Alta Pink, both of which are pinkish purplish white triangles light projections surrounded by inky blackness. The use of Bastille’s triangle logo and a flash of light purple light means there are likely deep ties between the new era and James Turrel’s creations; furthermore, he also acquired a dormant cinder cone volcano to turn into an a museum/observatory using light apertures to observe the solar system, adding further ties to the space and light themes.

Meaning: "You Don't Predict The Future. You Imagine It" I have purposely not used predict in this analysis so I don’t jinx this era. I’ve found a few variations of this saying (You Can’t Predict The Future. But You Can Create It), but all of them seem to point towards creating the future instead of guessing. I imagine not many of my predictions of this era will not be accurate because I am not the one imagining it. I feel like this might also point towards being conscious about what you want out of the future instead of merely guessing where the tides will take you. This could also be like that one story of a kid's drawings turning into real creatures because of the kid imagining it. I feel like “future” and “imagine” point deeply towards sci-fi because of the creative inventions that will take us there. This could also connect to the theory that the survivin’ coin is linked to A.A., and this statement being a motto to help someone escape addiction. Personally, I feel like this clip is the beginning of some sci-fi choose your own adventure video game, but that's my own opinion.

My Personal Crazy Conclusion: It wouldn’t be a post from me without me shooting out some crazy theories. A Light Cult Utopia. That's right. It would be the opposite of WW, meaning it would be new territory for Bastille and it would break a mold (ReOrch doc). It would also give Dan the ability to be more positive then he has been in the past, while also allowing for his normal cynical undertones. Bastille is purposeful with their references, meaning the Jonestown reference in DD might have a bit more purpose behind it. The lighter colors used in the clip would point to happiness. Considering utopias are “imagined” it would fit the phrase in the clip. Sci-fi would also fit into this as being imagined. Considering there are a few space references, I imagine that humans have imagined perfect spacecraft, further fitting sci-fi and a utopian society. Also, Dan collabed with Future Utopia on the track “What’s In A Name?” That's right, what’s in a name? The name being Future Utopia? An entire new era being the name? That right cultists, Dan ”Soon” Smith snuck this under our noses the entire time that bastard.

Summary Statement: This new era will likely bring collabs from an entirely new approach. A Sci-fi dystopian (or utopian) world, one focused on dreaming, light, and space will likely be the aesthetic for this era.

Loose ends: I am only one human, meaning I physically could not rewatch Inception and Vanilla Sky while also researching James Turrel, so there might be a few things I missed in my brief look at them. If anyone would like to read 1984 by George Orwell through the whole dystopian thing, there might be a few connections there.

Based on some things I’ve heard from a little birdy, expect some big non-album projects that tie in with this era and other things….

Special thanks to u/0verjoyed and @ ja9zimm on twitter

Album Review - The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe

THE ARCHANDROID - JANELLE MONÁE

Main Genres: Art Pop, Progressive Pop, Contemporary R&B

A decent sampling of: Psychedelic Pop, Jazz Pop, Neo-Soul, Rock N Roll, Synth Pop, Swing, Baroque Pop, Conscious Rap, Alternative R&B

It’s hard to think of an artist who arrived onto the scene with a more fully-formed vision than Janelle Monáe.

Creative minds of her caliber are few and far between. I bet a lot of artists wish that they could say that their debut LP was as bold, ambitious, and left as lasting an impression as The ArchAndroid.

The ArchAndroid is the most cinematic experience an album has ever given me by itself. Artists like Gorillaz and Beyoncé have dropped “album movies” where every song (or just about every song) gets a music video, and I admire those kinds of projects for all the effort that goes into them. But The ArchAndroid never needed a music video for every song - each song is already so vivid, so full of colour and life, that I can already picture clearly what the music and the story looks like inside my head. Of course, it helps that Janelle Monae did everything in her power to make the story behind this concept album as real and tangible as possible, between little details like the written lore in the liner notes to the real life persona she adopted at the time of its release. But what exactly is The ArchAndroid all about? Well, it’s a little complicated. Monáe refers to her debut EP Metropolis and her first two LPs as “suites”, with Metropolis representing suite 1, The Archandroid suites 2 and 3, and The Electric Lady suites 4 and 5. These suites tell the story of Cindi Mayweather, a prophetic, afrofuturistic android protagonist who was cloned from Janelle Monáe’s DNA, who falls in love with a human named Sir Anthony Greendown, and lives in a dystopian future where time travelling villains known as ‘The Great Divide’ are oppressing androids.

Essentially, the story of Cindi Mayweather serves as allegory for issues surrounding blackness, queerness, oppression, and interacial love in our own times. Furthermore, Cindi Mayweather’s character represents love itself as an opposing force to hatred. The ArchAndroid in particular very strongly represent’s Janelle Monae’s socio-political manifesto of love, protest, and peaceful rebellion in the face of societal injustices like racism. The whole thing is basically just really nerdy pop music meets sci-fi social justice, and I absolutely fell in love with the concept from the very first time I heard The ArchAndroid. Anyways, let’s talk about the music. Monáe’s pop fusion sound takes inspiration from all sorts of directions here - from good old rock and roll, classic psychedelia, and 60s girl groups, to modern hip hop and neo-soul. What really stands out however is a particular fondness for the classy sound of 1920s jazz, swing, and big band music, and the accompanying visual aesthetics for the album draw heavily from this influence. The production on this album is BIG. Part of what makes this album so cinematic is the crisp, clean mastering and the large orchestral arrangements that feature prominently throughout. Everything sounds meticulously placed and she clearly worked with a really great team on this project. I’d also say that this is the kind of album you definitely have to hear on vinyl to get the fullest experience possible. Monáe’s talents as a vocalist are also a key element. She’s got a fire in her soul and a very real stage presence, and her range is impeccable. She can rap on tracks like “Dance or Die” and “Tightrope”, she can serenade the listener so sweetly on tracks like “Say You’ll Go” and “Sir Greendown”, or she can belt out a song with sorrow in her chest on tracks like “Oh, Maker” and “Cold War”. At almost 70 minutes, it’s a very long album by pop standards so it’d be pretty difficult to pinpoint what all of my favourite tracks are on The ArchAndroid and why, but here’s a few highlights anyway. “Dance Or Die”, “Faster”, and “Locked Inside” start off the album with a three part musical chase scene where Cindi is fleeing her oppressors. I see a heavy rainy night, dark alleyways, flashing city lights, and futuristic floating cop cars when “Dance Or Die” kicks in with its incredibly infectious beat that gets my heart pumping every time I hear it. “Sir Greendown” is a wonderful little love song with mysterious undertones, and a warm throwback to the era of brill building. This song establishes one of the main conflicts of the ArchAndroid portion of Cindi’s story in particular; that is, choosing between her destiny to stay and fight for her people as the Archandroid, or escaping to the safe haven land of mushrooms and roses to live a life of peace with her lover. “Tightrope” is just a total banger from start to finish. This jazzy, swingy r&b rap track features Big Boi of Outkast, one of her clearest musical inspirations and it’s really cool to see both of them absolutely kill it alongside eachother. The breakdown with the record scratching is one of the very best musical moments on this LP and it really gives me the vibe of an android glitching on the dance floor from partying too hard. “Wondaland” is absolutely utopian, a lofty, mythical synth pop song that sounds like it came right out of a pixar movie with all kinds of weird little android voices in the background. “Say You’ll Go” is my personal favourite. This classy tune is mostly an exhibit for Monáe’s artistic tastes and her soothing vocals, but it’s done so incredibly well that I can’t help but wonder if this is what elevator music in the tallest skyscraper of an advanced society might sound like. The ending with its interpolation of “Clair de Lune” and a soulful choir in the background is a really nice touch. “BaBopByeYa” is a fantastic eight minute closing piece of soul jazz that represents the peak of the album’s cinematic qualities, with a progressive song structure that tells an entire story on its own. The fact that this wasn’t the biggest album of its decade is honestly sort of a crime. I can only think of one other album from the 2010s that I love just a little bit more than The ArchAndroid, but if we’re to assume that some element of music critique is objective (which is a whole other can of worms), then I have to point out just how put together this whole LP is, how much love and hard work clearly went into it, and how incredibly impressive this sounds even to this day. Speaking as ““““objectively”””” as I think I can, this is the most impressive thing I’ve heard that’s come out in the past 11 years. This could have come out yesterday and it still would have sounded so incredibly beyond what I thought was possible at the time. What’s more, the political issues tackled by The ArchAndroid are sadly just as relevant today as they were the day that it dropped. Speaking as a dumb privileged white guy who obviously isn’t an expert on the subject, I really did want to put out a review for Black History Month that would honour a great black artist, and Janelle Monáe is the first one that comes to mind. Monáe is obviously a very proud black woman, and her art definitely needs to be celebrated.

That being said, The ArchAndroid is really the kind of album that just about anybody should be able to enjoy regardless of their background. Either you love sci-fi, hate injustices, or just like listening to really fucking good music.

10/10

highlights: “Say You’ll Go”, “Wondaland”, “Tightrope”, “Dance Or Die”, “BaBopByeYa”, “Sir Greendown”, “Oh, Maker”, “Locked Inside”, “57821″, “Cold War”, “Mushrooms & Roses”, “Suite III Overture”, “Suite II Overture”, “Faster”, “Make the Bus”

DangoBuds Review 2021 – Are These New Earbuds Worth It?

 If you are someone who is insanely into music, you definitely need a pair of good-quality earbuds to enjoy music at its best. Today wireless earphones are trending, and that has led to the overcrowding of the market, which makes it tough to choose one from such a wide array.

But here in this post, we will be talking about one such brand out of such a saturated market of earbuds. The one we are talking about is the affordable pair of DangoBuds which is not just portable and lightweight, but you can also carry it with you whenever you are traveling and also recharge it.

DangoBuds is known for providing a top-tier audio experience with its excellent sound as well as completely blocking the sounds in the surrounding, which means that you will not have any interruption in whatever you will listen to. They are easy to wear, thanks to the three in-ear tips made of silicone that come in various sizes viz small, medium as well as large. This means that it can fit anyone with any ear size.

Here in this article, we will be giving a complete review about the Dangobuds that can help you know all that you want to know. So let us get started with knowing more about the DangoBuds.

What is DangoBuds Earbuds?

The DangoBuds come with a storage case which makes keeping them easy, and it can be used without cables. These highly efficient earbuds can be paired easily to any device with Bluetooth connectivity making them effortlessly portable. It is fully equipped with the current technology and delivers active noise cancellation along with complete stereo-quality sound. The in-built HD microphone makes sure that you can always make your calling hands-free and charge it with ease. 

You can connect it to various gadgets right at the same time, and it can fit in any bag. These earbuds can work great for everyone who wishes to listen to their favorite songs with incredible quality. The manufacturing company guarantees quick handling and a safe tone. DangoBuds has an incredibly unique design that ensures a perfect fit in your ear canal even when you are running, playing sports, or jogging. 

For connecting the earphones, you need to make sure that the host system has Bluetooth Connectivity. When the DangoBuds are scanned and found by the host device, you just need to click on the connect button for pairing up the devices. You can then keep on listening to music as long as the connection is maintained between the host device and DangoBuds.

You can charge it really quickly with the type-C port for charging, meaning an Android adapter can be used. If your DangoBuds are completely drained, it will take about 2 hours for the case to be completely charged. As soon as you take it out of the case, you need to connect it to the host device. You just need to toggle on the earbuds, and it gets connected in just a single press. It gets deactivated just as you put it back in the charging case. Overall it is hassle-free to use the DangoBuds.

Features Of DangoBuds

Long Battery Life – There is nothing more annoying than the earbuds that keep draining constantly, and this is the main reason why people prefer the wire alternatives despite the fact that the wireless ones are much more portable and comfortable. But this is not the case with the DangoBuds. These completely wireless earbuds have a really long battery life, and they can be used all day long. It can last for about 120 hours without charging them up.

Rapid Charging – Once the DangoBuds are discharged, you can completely charge it back to 100 percent in just a couple of hours. It has a Type-C port, and thus it can be charged with a normal Android adapter.

Compatible With Every Device With Bluetooth Connectivity – DangoBuds is compatible with all the iOS and Android devices because all it takes to link these earbuds to the host device is Bluetooth connectivity. It can sound the exact same crisp on all the devices.

Broad Networking Spectrum – The DangoBuds earbuds are known for the wide range of communication that can reach from 10 meters or 33 feet, and thus the user can walk to another room without worrying about the connection break. This ensures that the consumer is not bound to the host device and ease of movement.

Sleek And Beautiful Design – The DangoBuds have an innovative and elegant look on the charging case as well as the earbuds. These lightweight and portable earbuds are currently available in white and black, but their elegance will not disappoint you ever. Its charging case has the LED screen indicating the battery status of the earbuds. This adds a futuristic vibe as well as keeps the user updated.

Advanced-Level Noise Cancellation – The advanced-level technology of noise cancellation of DangoBuds can suppress unneeded noise as well as create a soundscape for every user. The ambient noises get detected by the dual microphones as well as produce the inverse waves that can cancel them. This basically means that the user just hears the sound coming from earbuds; may it be called on voice on the other end, podcast or music.

Just like any other gadgets, the DangoBuds have their own set of pros and cons. In the next section, we will be discussing the pros and cons of DangoBuds wireless earphones. This way, you will have a clear idea of whether you should get them or not.

Pros

Incredible Tone.

Compact design making it easy to carry it around wherever you go.

Outstanding quality and workmanship.

Easy to recharge even when you are traveling.

Operation on a single touch.

You do not need to be a techie to use it.

Compatibility for multiple installations.

Cons

You can get them only online.

Technical Facts About DangoBuds 

5.0 Bluetooth

Color: White or Black

With dual microphones

Active Canceling Noise (ANC)

Earbud batteries: 65mAh Li-polymer

Charging Case Battery: 5V/550mAh Li-polymer Li-polymer

Port Type-C for charging

6mm silicone replaceable in-ear tips (small, medium, and large)

Why Do I Need Earbuds?

Basically, the DangoBuds are manufactured for anyone who needs to listen to good songs at a high level. The age range is meaningless. It may also be assumed that they are appropriate for men and women alike. Whether you have already worked with a similar product before is not relevant. Without delay, these earbuds will easily be checked out. The company guarantees a safe tone and quick handling.

They have a nice match and suppress distracting sounds that have a detrimental effect on the music at the same time. The DangoBuds work well on the move, so the earphones will help virtually everyone making use of a cell phone or tablet.

Overall, it is also tough to precisely identify the goal category. For virtually anyone who likes to listen to good music and wants the listening experience to be compelling, the DangoBuds are of importance.

How will the DangoBuds wireless earbuds help me?

Very honestly, whatever you use them for, the DangoBuds inner ear headphones will give a superior audio experience. The sound quality is outstanding, and they have a full noise block, ensuring that whatever it is you are listening to will no longer be disturbed by the sound of traffic, crying children and your partner snoring in bed next to you. With three silicone in-ear tips, in sizes small, medium and big, they are easy to wear, so someone of any ear size will be able to wear them without fretting about them falling out and getting lost. Lastly, because they are wireless and operate up to ten meters from the device to which they are attached, you are not bound to one spot or wrapped up by irritating wires.

DangoBuds Benefits

You might be thinking why DangoBuds? Why not get something affordable? Well, let me tell you that DangoBuds are highly affordable for the features they provide. They come with multiple benefits that you generally do not get in basic ear buds.

Active Noise Cancelling: DangoBuds has active noise cancellation which means the ear pods make it so that you do not get to hear any noise in the background while only focusing on the tunes in your ear.

Quick and Effortless Pairing: Connecting DangoBuds to a variety of different devices is easy and effortless.

Ultra-Long Battery Life: Only charging DangoBuds for less than an hour can provide you with approximately a full days worth of charge.

10 Meter Connectivity: You can leave your paired phone with music playing on the DangoBuds and have the freedom to move around and do your daily tasks. The ear buds allow you a range of up to 10m or 33 feet.

Customizable Ear Tips: If you are worried about them fitting in your ears, don’t be. DangoBuds come with customizable ear tips that you can change according to your requirements.

Dual Microphones: It also comes with built-in microphone for a totally hand-free approach to calling.

Bluetooth 5.0: The latest in Bluetooth technology allows for an instant wireless pairing service which does not drop off so easily.

Type-C port: It comes with a type-C charger for easy and accessible charging.

Wireless charging: When placed in the dock, you can charge your DangoBuds on the go.

Does DangoBud Work?

Yeah, DangoBuds perform and act exceptionally well. The method is simple, as described above. To connect these earphones, all you have to do is to ensure that the host system has an open Bluetooth connection. Once your DangoBuds earbuds can be found by that device, simply click on the “connect” button and wait for all devices to pair up.

You can listen to music for hours on end, as long as the host device’s Bluetooth stays on and the link between the two is not broken.

It’s really quick to charge your DangoBuds too, and every DangoBuds review says this. Because it has in-built wireless charging functions mounted, the case that holds the earbuds automatically charges each bud.

Nevertheless, the case would still need to be prosecuted. There is a Type-C charging port in the device, which means you can also use any modern Android phone adapter for this. Just insert the adapter into a power socket and attach the case to the Type-C port of the charging case for the earbuds.

It takes approximately two hours for the case to achieve maximum performance if the battery is zero, i.e., 100 percent.

One of the best performing ones is the battery processing used in the case and earbuds. Rechargeable batteries based on lithium technology are Li-polymer batteries or lithium-ion batteries. They are considered to be used with nearly any modern wireless technology out there and have a lifetime of two to three years.

In addition, a hassle-free link and a wide compatibility range are also assured by the Bluetooth functionality to identify any host computer.

If you are going from one room to another, you do not need to have your host computer near you as long as you are within the given range. Therefore, the earbuds perform well and promise a top-quality user experience with integrated battery and Bluetooth technology.

Where to buy DangoBuds and how much are they?

You can get your very own pair of DangoBuds directly from the merchant website. Buying from them ensures you get to avail all the discounts and offers the company provides its new and returning customers.

You can get,

1 DangoBuds for $79.99

2 DangoBuds for $122.48

3 DangoBuds for $179.98

4 DangoBuds for $219.97

Wrapping It Up

The DangoBuds are one of the best performers when it comes to the wireless earbuds. These earbuds offer amazing perks like being super easy in usage, and you do not even need to have any technological expertise for using them. Because of its amazing compatibility, you can use it with any device having Bluetooth-Connectivity. The earbuds offer noise suppression that helps you in enjoying the music with great pitch. It is easily adjustable to fit in the ear.

All in all, it offers the same functionality as that of a leading brand. It also offers the IPX7 water resistance to dust as well as sweat. Hopefully, this article helped you in figuring out if DangoBuds can be your next pick or not.

Frequently Asked Question

Are The DangoBuds Compatible With The iPhone?

Yes, the DangoBuds are compatible with both Android as well as the iOS devices.

Does The DangoBuds Offer Water Resistance?

Yes, the DangoBuds are immune to sweat and water, thanks to the IPX7 water resistance offered by them. But it is not intended for being used in baths or water sports.

Can You Use The DagoBuds Individually?

Yes, especially when you are out in public and walking down a busy road, it is best to use a single bud so that you can also hear the noises coming from around.

How Long Does The Recharging Of The Buds Take?

It needs about 2 hours for complete charging, but even 5 minutes of charging can get you 1 hour of listening time.

Does The Battery Of Host Device Get Exhausted When Connected To The Earbuds?

No, the Dango Earbuds have a battery of their own, and thus the amount of energy consumption coming from the connection to the host device is pretty much limited.

Where Can You Purchase The DangoBuds?

You can purchase the DangoBuds wireless earbuds only from the official website.

FINAL IMAGE AND DEVELOPMENT BREAKDOWN.

I was initially aiming on creating a few looks so that I had a chance to pick the best one and the one that worked the best with everyone else’s work. I ended up only creating one look.

FINAL IMAGE

Background

For this image I had to set up a white backdrop which I later had to extend in photoshop. I used a large flower bucket and covered it in this vibrant/tropical printed scarf that looked like one of (the photographers) Ruth Ossai’s images. I ended up using this as a seat in the picture.

With the background I played around with lighting in photoshop to create a blue and red effect like Caitlyn’s work so that all the images flowed. I tried combinations of yellow and blue, red and blue and also added in the heart symbol from the Romeo and Juliet 1996 poster but to me the background looked messy and made the image look tacky and not as clean as it was with just the plain white background.

STYLING DETAILS

I aimed to create a look that was a modern version of the Montague boys had the film been shot in 2021. I wanted to go with the vibe of ‘youthful rebellion’ and ‘mishape and chaos’ whilst representing the blue water and religious themes we discussed as a group.

Pants

For the pants I wore, oversized wide leg blue joggers. These joggers reminded me of the baggy workwear that was mentioned in the article I read regarding the styling in the movie, but they also reminded me of some of the pants used in the KENZO fall 2021 ready to wear collection, which I found in my research. I bought the joggers in blue to stick to the blue water theme we researched into.

Shoes

For footwear I wore Puma RS - X Tech trainers in grey and blue. The reason I went for trainers was because they are very youthful and easy. A lot of the looks in the Kenzo, Raf Simons and D&G collections had trainers underneath so I knew they would work with the baggy workwear and also the street style stylist research I did.

Skirt

Over the joggers I tied this knitted ribbed jumper in the blue and white tie dye effect to layer what looked like a skirt. I ended up sewing together the ends of the jumper so it looked like an actual overhanging skirt and tied the arms around my waist. The jumper had lighter blue shades and broke up the look in a cool way. Skirts in street style looks were used in my stylist research and I thought this was very youthful and rebellious. Skirts on men were also used in the Ludovic de Saint Sernin fall 2021 collection I found in my research and it just looked cool.

Shirt

Under the funnel neck blue jumper was a skinny velvet floral shirt in blue. The shirt reminded me of the floral heart symbol in the Romeo and Juliet poster. I wanted to add an extra element to the top half of the look so I had one arm of the funnel neck and one of the shirt. This sleeve layering was used in the Raf Simons fall 2021 menswear show I found in my research. It looked cool to layer the top half in this way so that the look was balanced, it added some print to the look, like the Hawaiian and floral baggy shirts the Montague boys wore.

Funnel neck jumper

On top of the shirt I wore this oversized blue funnel neck jumper and took one arm out so that the floral shirt could show on one side. Funnel neck jumpers were used in the Most recent Dolce and Gabbana, Raf Simons, Prada and Stella McCartney collections that I found in my research. A few of those collections were by the same Italian brands that were used in the movie. The funnel neck jumper made the image and look more expensive, looking but also made the picture look hot and tropical. This idea of winter layering but making it look warm and passionate also represented that rebellious style of the Montague boys.

Accessory’s

For accessory’s I wore these Orange, Motorbike/ workwear style viser glasses which I photoshopped white to match the look better. Workwear was used in the styling for the movie and these kinds of sunglasses can look very modern, sleek and futuristic. I also wore a curve design Pearl & cross choker which ended up being covered by the funnel neck in this particular image. Pearl jewellery was one of the most recent jewellery trends but the cross was also meant to symbolise the religious themes in the movie. Also in the look I wore a white organic cotton bandana which had a black paisley print. With a black round dangly earring. The headwear was aimed to represent the paintings of Mary in the movie but was also inspired by the jacquemus show, Ruth Ossai’s photography and the Vietnam, Verona beach, hyper tropical vibe I wanted to reflect in the image.

The image represented everything I wanted to it had this ‘youthful rebellion’ look and embodied what you would see from the modern Montague boys. The look had this passion filled designer Italian feel combined with current fashion trends and a tropical Verona beach feel. The blue water theme, religious themes and the mythical Italianate country feel Baz Luhrmann aimed for in the movie were all subtly depicted in my final image and worked well with the group.

- Zidane