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#not entirely happy with the colours or background
sexybritishllama · 3 months
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strap in folks it's time for another neopets drama update
some background reading before we begin: back when neopets wanted to introduce customisation (i.e. dressing up your pet) in 2007, they decided to 'convert' all existing pet art to align with a rigid body structure, rather than all having unique poses. it was just not feasible to create new pieces of art for hundreds of different pet poses every single time they released a new clothing them
customisation had been highly requested up until this point. however, the conversion was NOT popular. in some cases, particularly for basic colours, the change wasn't huge, but in other cases.... uh....
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you get the idea. the more expensive colours like plushie, faerie, grey, royal and darigan got the worst of it because they had the more unique poses pre-conversion, and therefore it was largely agreed that the change to the stiff 'samey', frankly kinda goofy converted look did not look great
most users did not get a choice in having their neopet converted and it was done automatically, but if you had one of these colours where the change was huge, you were given the choice of converting or retaining the old pose (but not having the option to customise your pet). those pets that retained the old, pre-conversion poses are therefore referred to as 'unconverted', or UC for short
once a pet is converted, there's no returning to UC. you also couldn't create UC pets anymore, making UCs a limited resource that would only increase in value with time, particularly as people abandon their pets, leave the site, get frozen, etc.
i could write an entire dissertation on the drama that UC pets have caused for the pet trading economy, the neopet account black market, and general retention of the userbase, but to sum it up, people REALLY want UC pets. they are the single most coveted status symbol on the site
we skip forward now to 2023
the neopets team are planning to introduce UC pets back to the site, so that people will be able to create their own UC pets again for the first time post-converstion (legally at least)
they drip feed bits of information over the year about what this will look like. the main points are
changing a pet to UC will be done via some kind of item bought with neocash, the premium currency on neopets that you need to spend real money to get
putting this item on your pet will give it the UC art style appearance
so. not much really known. but expected release is set for january 2024
yesterday, they hosted an AMA focusing on the new UC pet system and how this was going to work. noticeably absent is any explanation of how much this is actually going to cost and whether it is going to involve any kind of gatcha mechanic, so that's causing our first lot of concern
second lot of drama is that the new UCs aren't actually going to be COMPLETELY the same as the old art, as they're making some small changes for style consistency, see below (old on top, new below):
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the biggest drama, however, comes from how they're dealing with the 'original' UC pets. ALL pets will be getting forcibly converted on the 23rd, with anyone who has a pet that is already an original UC immediately receiving the UC neocash item. there's mention of possibly some kind of trophy or badge recognition for particularly old pets, but it's vague, and generally seems like it won't be possible to distinguish between the original UCs and these new ones
the people who already have OCs are not happy about this
people are allegedly pounding their pets, cancelling their premium, and quitting the site in protest. the boards are flooded with people complaining about the changes and laughing at the downfall of the 'neo-elite' in equal measure
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it's t-minus 5 days until the second great conversion goes live. let's all pray for our souls
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confused-wanderer · 1 year
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We all know Damian’s not one for physical or verbal affection. So I raise you: drawings
Drawings and paintings are the easiest way inside Damian’s mind. The more angry or disturbed he is, the more details the drawing is and the palette depends on the emotion. Fear? Bright lights with one pitch black spot. Anxious? A mixture of dark and light colours.
No matter what he draws, the batfam always looks for how detailed it is. On days he’s happy or content the drawing looks a bit abstract, like too many ideas were flowing and he didn’t mind making a mess (not having a specific direction) of his drawing.
But it’s also how he shows affection.
On Dicks birthday he once painted the entire circus along with a little dick laughing and swinging on the trapeze with his parents with the crew doing their acts and the animals having fun.
That was the first indication Dick had of Damian’s change in behaviour that showed him he was willing to open up, to care and change…even if it took time.
Jason found a particularly striking portrait of his favourite scene from a book, painted with a magnificent splendour with every detail and symbolism present, with the characters drawn just as he’d imagined. It’s so beautiful he hangs it in one of his most visited safe houses, and it isn’t until later when he realises it could have been the reason Damian stole his favourite book which contained notes on each scene.
Alfred catches a glimpse of Damian painting something he insists is for Bruce’s eyes only, but the palette was a mixture of bright colours.
Only on his parents death anniversary, when all his siblings are in town and sitting in a room with Bruce when he taps on Dick, Jason and Steph’s shoulders and asks them to come with him. They’re hesitant at first but the vulnerability in his eyes finally wins them over.
Damian knows how to draw, but not how to present, especially when everyone’s watching and he doesn’t know how they’ll react, or rather how Bruce would.
So they help him figure out how he wants to show Bruce, and on his request together take the painting and unveil it in front of Bruce when they’re all standing on the Balcony.
It’s a picture of the entire family, with all the newest members and in the background homages of their superhero identities, along with Easter eggs for poison ivy, Harley, the justice league and so many others.
But in the centre was Bruce, standing in the centre of his parents and all the other members in order from oldest to youngest, surrounding him.
It was the first time Damian learnt that tears aren’t always a bad thing.
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deception-united · 21 days
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Let's talk about writing POC characters.
Diversity's important in writing. It reflects the reality of our world, where people of various backgrounds coexist and contribute to society. Including POC (people of colour) characters not only enriches narratives with authentic perspectives but also promotes empathy, understanding, and inclusivity among readers, fostering a more equitable and representative literary landscape.
When writing characters of color (POC), it's essential to approach the task with care, sensitivity, and awareness of the complexities of identity and representation. Here are some key considerations:
Avoid Stereotypes: Steer clear of relying on clichés or stereotypes when portraying POC characters. Instead, focus on creating well-rounded individuals with diverse personalities, motivations, and experiences.
Research: This is so, so important. Take the time to research the cultural background, history, and experiences of the specific racial or ethnic group your character belongs to. This will help you portray them authentically and respectfully.
Avoid Tokenism: POC characters should not be included simply to fulfill a diversity quota or as tokens. Ensure they have depth, agency, and contribute meaningfully to the story.
Consultation: If you're not from the same racial or ethnic background as your character, consider seeking input from individuals who are. Sensitivity readers or consultants can provide valuable insights and help you avoid unintentional biases or inaccuracies.
Complexity: Just like any other character, POC characters should be multidimensional. They can have flaws, strengths, ambitions, and fears that go beyond their racial identity.
Intersectionality: Recognize that POC characters may face intersecting forms of discrimination or privilege based on factors such as gender, sexuality, class, or ability. Explore these intersections in your character development.
Language and Dialogue: Be mindful of the language and dialogue you use for POC characters. Avoid dialects or speech patterns that could come across as caricatures or offensive stereotypes.
Avoid Monoliths: POC communities are incredibly diverse, with individuals from various backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. Avoid portraying them as a monolithic group with uniform characteristics or perspectives.
Cultural Sensitivity: Respect cultural traditions, customs, and practices when depicting POC characters. Avoid appropriating or misrepresenting aspects of their culture.
Authenticity: While it's important to research and be respectful of cultural differences, remember that no single individual can represent an entire race or ethnicity. Your character should feel authentic and true to their unique identity.
Character Agency: Ensure that POC characters have agency and are not merely passive participants in the story. They should drive the plot forward and make meaningful choices that impact the narrative.
Happy writing!
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mountainsandmayhem · 4 days
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Netflix & Chill
Marcus Pike x Female Reader
18+, MDNI
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Summary: You spend your fifth date with Marcus at his place watching Netflix.
Or
You might be in your thirties, but you can still Netflix and Chill.
Warnings: fluffy smut. Kissing. Little bit of dirty talk. Fully clothed. Marcus just being the love of my life the entire time.
AN: Don’t look at me. Don’t talk to me. I am too busy having my brain absolutely disintegrated by thoughts of Agent Pike. I am sick over him. Down bad. Wanting to rip off my arms and beat myself senseless with them over him. Leave me alone!! But also leave me nice comments because I’m a slut with a praise kink lol. Thank you so much for reading 🤎
Graphics and dividers by @saradika-graphics
Moodboard by me
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“Oh god,” you whimper, both of you are fully dressed. You’re caged under his strong body as he pushes his hips down on you. You can feel his cock through his grey sweats and your thin, black yoga pants. The credits of whatever movie you were watching rolled in the background.
“Is this ok?” He asks, kissing at your neck and earlobe. The soft, fuzzy brown blanket falls around both of you, encasing you in his earthy and citrus scent.
“Ya, please don’t stop.” You writhe under him, feeling that familiar tingly pressure building. He smiles into the crook of your neck.
It was your fifth date with Marcus Pike, FBI agent and potential man of your dreams. In his younger years, he probably would have already slept with you by now. But age has made him a man of patience and waiting. Only giving what he’s willing to let go of, what he can nurture and grow. And for the first time in a long time, he thinks that might be you.
“I won’t stop, baby.”
Baby, shit. He panics internally. He’s only called you by your name until now. He nervously looks over at you and you smile sleepily.
“I like that,” you mumble.
“Which part?” He asks his voice like warm oil along your skin. “Me grinding into what I’m sure is the most beautiful pussy in the world, or the kisses on your soft, slender, vanilla scented neck, or me calling you baby?”
Your legs start to shake around him as you pull him in to kiss him hard. You sweep your tongue along his bottom lip. He tastes like the popcorn and expensive Cabernet Sauvignon you were both drinking.
“All of it,” you say between kisses.
He pulls away, bringing his hands to your face and gently wiping the few loose hairs that stick to your skin, then drags the tip of his nose down yours before resting his forehead against yours.
“You’re truly so beautiful. I’m so happy I met you, baby.” He pushes his hips into you harder and a pornographic moan fills the room as the trailer for whatever Netflix is suggesting next plays. “Sound so pretty too.”
“Marcus,” you say wantonly.
“I know. I’m here.” He says, eyes still locked on yours, one thumb making sweet, soft circles on your cheek while his other slips behind your head.
Your hands bunch into his white t-shirt. “I’m gonna cum,” you moan, letting his coca-cola coloured eyes wash over you, and drench your whole body in carbonated pleasure. Sparkling, bubbling, fizzing over the edge.
“I’m right here, honey.” He whispers, pushing into you a little faster. Your body jolts into his as you suck in quick, shallow breaths.
“Ohgodohgod. Mar-Marcus,” your walls clench tightly around nothing as he hits at your puffy, sensitive clit through your pants at the perfect tempo and pressure.
“Relax, baby. I got you.” He encourages and then you fall apart for him. Your body twitches on its own accord as your orgasm rolls through you for what feels like an eternity.
“That’s it,” he whispers, stilling his hips. “Just take. That’s a good girl.”
You clamp your eyes shut as you reach the top of it. “No, look at me, baby. You’re so beautiful like this.”
Pink flushes your cheeks at his words and the blood that seems to not know where to go in your body. Everything feels like it’s being doused with warm water as you finally come over the edge and the fluttering of your pussy slows.
His eyes dance around your face before he kisses your forehead, and the tip of your nose. You smile into his lips as he places a light and lingering kiss on yours.
“Are you okay?” He says sweetly, pulling back slightly.
“Ya, that’s was…” you search his face for any hint of regret but all you see is admiration. You finish with, “…unexpected, but amazing.”
As he starts to respond, a whipping sound followed by a moan comes from the TV. Both of your heads turn towards it.
“Netflix is suggesting 50 Shades of Grey,” he laughs.
“That’s more of a seventh date thing for me,” you say flatly as his face whips back to you. You can’t help but laugh at his reaction. Both of you now laughing as you sort yourself back out, cuddling into him to find a new movie to “watch” next.
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Taglist:
@corazondebeskar @hiddenbabynyc @rainstorms-library @keylimebeag @pimosworld
@casa-boiardi @pedritoferg @paleidiot @lorilane33 @jessthebaker
@jasminedragoon @pedroswife69 @iloveenya @javierpena-inatacvest @pedroshotwifey
@mermaidgirl30 @littlevenicebitch69 @untamedheart81
Special tag for @survivingandenduring because I know you share my love of this man.
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clerk427 · 4 months
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An open love letter to the entire Faith the unholy trinity fandom off sorts. I present to you.....
John in the style of 9 different artist!
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(Keep in mind this is a style study. And although the whole thing was drawn by me, please please PLEASE check out the artists whose style I tried out. Thank you!)
This was SUCH a fun experience! I honestly love our fandom, and I adore how unique everyone's style and perception of John is. Says a lot about society or smth.
And even though I probably didn't do justice to all the art styles, I really hope they are recognizable.
Also, you might've noticed an empty spot in the end. Well, it's for you! Naturally, I wasn't able to include every artist, but I hope you will be interested in taking a spin at this yourself. Thank you and good luck!!!
A closer look, links and notes under the cut
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@trashprinceward
I adore how soft this version of John looks, he seems so trustworthy and kind, gah. The shading style is surprisingly difficult, but I hope I managed to pull it off:) I also adore Prince's AUs hehehe
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@rokiro99
A very unique colouring style!! I've seen a few versions of how this artist draws John, but decided to stop on this one. His face is so adorableeeee. I also LOVE the use of liturgical clothing and themes!!
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@karamielo
Eeeeep I love how they use colours in their works and how well they use composition??? Like omg. Such such pretty works, I hope they create even more art
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@justcommander
I lovvve how game-adjacent this artist's style is. I also love the way they (I'm so sorry, I'm not sure about the pronouns) draw hands and use body language. Also, the father and children AU??? Muah.
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@shu-bullshit
I'm not even pretending I managed to pull this one off, I bit so much more than I could chew. But I couldn't not try, I almost every time I see their use of coloured pencils and watercolours, I just can't. Love love love
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@zzoupz
So. As far as I can tell, Zoup doesn't use this style TOO often, but it wasn't leaving my head, I had to try. The artist did so much for the fandom, the Gary ask blog is such a treat. Yum
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@genesissaturna
Hee hee he's so shapes. The legs. Beautiful. I wasn't sure about the colouring style since I only saw lineart done by this artist, so I decided to use the in-game ones. I hope they do more art, it's so unique and makes me happy!:)
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@hammy-art
Wet cat John. Silly. A little pathetic, but in a nice way. I feel like I didn't make the lineart the way he does, it is usually more gentle, but I still hope it will suffice. Also my God he does amazing backgrounds, which I sadly can't portray here. (A personal thank you for giving me the courage for doing self-inserts)
Annnd that's it! I thank you for everything and I hope this whole thing will somehow inspire you. Keep doing art, let the world see your vision! Also go draw a pathetic blue priest /j
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cochineal-leviat · 4 months
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Act 5 of ISAT be like.
(Don't read further if you want to avoid spoilers)
I was thinking of this meme the entire time while everything went to shit. The house breaking apart was just the cherry on top.
I guess this is a what-if moment if Siffrin had taken a tiny break before continuing in the House. Which is unlikely, but whatever. Man's just wanted a tiny break and made it worse for himself.
I think the funniest part of making this is when I accidentally merged my sketch layer and lineart for the background, and it ended up making a glitching effect. Happy little accidents.
(PS, don't worry. Siff is not drinking alcohol. It's much worse than that!)
Also a screenshot I took during my work process.
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I accidentally turned off my colour layer during colouring, and this popped up. Spooky!
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eds6ngel · 8 months
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second idea: would just love something with a convo about alena calling reader her step-mom or mom, instead of ms. or maybe something with alena calling reader mom for the first time! just cute and fluffy💖
of course honey!! this one is short and sweet, but touching nonetheless ♡
warnings: dad!steve. mom!reader. fem!reader. 90s!au. swearing. food mentions. fluff. comfort. slight mentions of alena's trauma due to motherly neglect. lots of happy tears from alena and reader. this is just extremely cute and endearing really!! [1.3k].
full 'when i kissed the teacher' masterlist.
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With Steve having to take on a weekend shift at Target, you tackled the weekly Sunday grocery store trip with Alena. Before leaving that morning, Steve gave you an overflowing list of groceries, more than he definitely needed.
“Why does your dad put so much on the list, baby? Like, watermelon. When has your dad ever eaten watermelon?” You were holding onto Alena’s small, soft hand, guiding her with you as you pushed the shopping cart with your left, slowly filling it up with each aisle you pass.
“I like watermelon!” she beams with a smile, you laughing as you reply, “But, not a whole watermelon! If you ate an entire watermelon, your belly would be this big.” You demonstrated by holding your hand out far away from her stomach, her gasping and going, “I would not be that big!”
Tsking with a squint of your eyes, you reply, “Oh, but I think you would, sweetpea! You would have a massive watermelon belly! Big ‘ol belly.”
The conversation with the eight-year-old slowly drifted away as you arrived at the cake aisle. She lets go of your hand, running over and jumping up and down, pointing up and shouting, “Look! A Smurfs cake! A Smurfs cake!”
You look down at her and raise your eyebrows, smirking, “So, instead of a watermelon belly, you want a cake belly?”
“Cake belly sounds better! Can I have the Smurfs cake mubba?”
You delicately lift the box, Papa Smurf stood proudly next to his daughter Smurfette, two huts perched in the background, other Smurfs going about their daily activities presented in different-coloured icings. Turning the box over, it read: ‘A jam and cream sponge, completed with edible icing for decoration.’
“I think…” you stroke your chin, “If we buy this cake, you have to be a good girl to your dad for the rest of the week, okay?”
“And to you! I’ll be a good girl for you too!”
You chuckle, ruffling her hair, “And for me, obviously,” playfully rolling your eyes and placing the cake into the cart, “Smurfs cake it is!”
“Yes!” Alena cheeses, gripping her fist tight and pulling them towards her chest in celebration.
The two of you continue walking down the aisles, having to make a pit-stop for longer than expected at the bread section. Steve had written down ‘loaf of bread’ on the list, but the endless piles of different brands, sizes and types left you in slight confusion. You had recognised that the Harringtons liked their white bread, an easy ignorance to the brown loaves. However, the size of the loaf was something you were unsure on. Since there were only two of them, perhaps three if you stayed overnight and needed a slice of toast for breakfast, you agreed with yourself on the smaller loaf. It was no worry if he indeed did usually buy the bigger loaf, you could always make a stop on your way home from work and pass it over to them.
“All right, Pepperidge Farm’s Hearty White Bread is what we’re going for! Does that sound all right with you Ale—” But, as you look down, the little girl is nowhere to be found. You peer down the aisle, a flowery, yellow dress and brunette pigtails out of sight. Your internal panic begins to rise, deciding to quick power back to the aisle you just visited, wondering if she waltzed back to the chocolate section.
But, you don’t see her. “Shit,” you mumble to yourself, deciding your next safest bet was two aisles down, the one after the bread aisle. “Steve’s gonna fucking kill me,” you curse lowly, scared to death that you had lost his daughter. However, before you can make a turn to the right, the end of your cart collides directly into an older woman, her wearing a simple, long black dress, glasses neatly sat on the bridge of her nose.
“I am so sorry—” you begin to profusely apologise, however, the sight of Alena held tightly on her hip makes you let out a lengthy sigh. Thank God she was safe.
But, the word that comes out of her mouth shocks you to your core. “Mommy!”
Mommy. She called you mommy.
“Don’t apologise my dear, it’s okay!” the old woman calms your presence, “I’m assuming this one is yours. Poor baby was scared to death. Said she went around the corner and when she came back, you were gone.”
It’s then that you notice the tears rolling down her face, lips quivering and her holding her arms out, as if she wanted you to grab her. And that was the moment you knew: you were her mom.
The old woman lifts Alena up, you gripping her to your side as you cradle her head, her tears falling onto your bare shoulder. “It’s okay. Mommy’s got you. Mommy’s got you, baby.”
As you look up, the woman is smiling at the pair of you as she says, “Don’t beat yourself up over it. It was a simple mistake, you seem like a wonderful mother.”
You nod, mouthing a small “Thank you” as she bids farewell, attending back to her own grocery shopping around the corner. You cup the back of Alena’s head, stroking her hair as she stares at you with her beautiful, hazel orbs, just like her dad’s. God, they looked so much alike.
“Mommy,” she whispers out, almost as if she said nothing. You smile, letting a few tears fall yourself as you murmur back at the same volume, “Yeah, I’m your mommy, baby.”
And that’s when the waterworks burst for her. Even though she has no recollection or memories of her biological mom, you could tell it still had some heartbreaking effect on her subconsciously. It was a trauma she had no idea existed. You were the first ever figure in her life that resembled a mother, that cared for her like a mother, that supported her like a mother. So, that’s what you were. No, step-mom, no adoptive mom, just mom.
And even though she was eight years old, you cradled her in your arms as if you were caring for a newborn whose emotions were simply too big for their small body. You press a tender kiss to the side of her head, wiping the tears away from her face, making sure the salty liquid doesn’t fall into her mouth, infecting her taste buds.
She whimpers out, “I-I love you, mommy.”
You didn’t realise until that moment what an emotional impact those four words would hold on you. You’ve always wanted to be a mom, ever since you were a little girl. You think that maternal instinct you seemed to have inherited lead you to wanting to become a teacher in the first place. Something about raising kids to become healthy, human adults made you feel warm inside. But, no teaching position could ever come close to feeling the real thing.
“I love you too, baby girl,” you smile back, the pair of you wetly giggling, Alena using her small thumbs to wipe the tears that escaped from your eyes, collecting in a tiny puddle in the middle of your cheeks. “Want to stay on my hip?”
She nods in reply, “Yes, mommy.” God, you were gonna have to get used to that.
“Okay,” you quietly reply, the two of you continuing down the halls of the grocery store, filling the cart with the remaining items that Steve wished you collected for him.
But, what really was the absolute, top-notch tear-jerker was later that night when Steve returned home from his shift, Alena shouted to you from the living room, “Mommy! Daddy’s home!”
And to see the look on Steve’s face, the one that was of pure shock, made the tears fall all over again. You weren’t just looking after Steve’s daughter anymore, you were her mom, and that was the greatest gift you could’ve ever been given.
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i hope you enjoyed!! feel free to keep sending in asks for this series!! also, any general cute comments from my pretty af followers and readers is appreciated too!! ♡
taglist: @livsters @bakugouswh0r3 @nix-rose @ihatepeanutss @cats00089 @suitelif3 @clincallyonline17 @crowssixof @starkeylover @eris-rose-86 @frostandflamesfanfic
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replaycamera2 · 9 months
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Flowers I Associate With Redacted Characters
Davey - Honeysuckle The canon choice. His mom’s honeysuckle are a core memory for him. They mean “devoted affection” for the person you love. In addition, honeysuckle flowers are commonly planted near the home to evoke feelings of nostalgia and honor those who have gone before you, and draw happiness and positive energy into your life.
Ash - Daffodil Sunflower is a little too big for Asher’s character. Daffodils are smaller, but no less energetic with their bright orange and yellow colours. They symbolize hope, joy, good luck, and new beginnings. Daffodils are the March birth flower and are associated with the coming of spring, thus optimism, positivity, and vibrancy.
Milo - Rose I toyed with the idea of something more representative of self-sacrifice like poppies but they didn’t feel like they represented Milo’s entire character, that’s just one tiny facet of him. I went with rose because that’s absolutely how Casanova sees himself. Deep red roses in particular represent not only love and passion, but also deeply held commitment to a romantic partner.
Sam - Blue Hydrangea Blue hydrangeas specifically symbolize feelings of remorse and apologies. I thought that was fitting given Sam’s role in Frederick’s turning having not been paying attention that night. But they also signify feelings of deep understanding, gratitude, and sincere emotion which he’s found in Darlin’ in that they both have similar backgrounds of abusive partners and understand one another deeply on that level.
Vincent - Rain Lily These tiny, delicate flowers only bloom in the rain. Contrary to what one might expect, they can also survive periods of drought, though they won’t bloom until it rains. They represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth: they bloom, die, then come back with the rain. They also remind us that even in a storm, growth is possible.
Gavin - Iris In Greek, the word Iris means Rainbow. This has come to represent diversity, acceptance, tolerance, and inclusivity in modern times. Traditionally, the Iris also represents courage and faith.
Damien - Ixora A lesser known tropical flower with many tiny red flowers making a larger head, these flowers hold a meaning of burning passion (and that includes the bedroom). They’re also known as “the flame of the woods”.
Hux - Sunflower Tall and huge, these well-known flowers not only represent happiness, but red sunflowers specifically represent strength and positivity. Sunflowers are known to always look at the sun as it crosses the sky throughout the day.
Lasko - Pansy Ignoring the negative connotations of the word, pansies represent love, both romantic and platonic. The French word “pensee” means “to think” which Lasko does a lot of (a little too much at lighting speeds lol) and so pansies are also associated with thoughtfulness, consideration, and free-thinking. They are also linked to feelings of nostalgia and remembrance. Blue pansies specifically symbolize devotion, honesty and loyalty.
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joekeeryswife · 1 year
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Pedro? Pedro. Can I request where reader is mid 20’s and has been dating Pedro for a few months and she brings him home to meet her family at a family reunion? 👀😍 I LOVE me some Pedro 🤤
Family reunion - p.p
hello angels! i hope everyone is okay. this request is so cute. if anyone has any requests don’t be shy to put them in my inbox. i honestly hate this i might delete it tbh. anyway, enjoy loves🤍 ⚠️age gap couple⚠️ (i based this on my family, i hope that’s okay xx)
taglist (feel free to add yourself🤍) @1-john-4-19 @newtandminhoaretoocute @mavs101 @brilliantopposite187 @mimi-luvzyu @iloveshawn @jaydiann @one-sweet-gubler (if there’s a line through your name i can’t tag you for some reason x)
you and Pedro had been dating for 10 months and it had been the best 10 months of your life. he had been the best boyfriend in the entire world. you and Pedro had travelled to your home town as it was your family reunion tonight and you thought it was the perfect opportunity for Pedro to finally meet your family. you had met his family about two months ago but Pedro was always nervous to meet yours.
your family was always welcoming, no matter who they were or what their background was they never judged a person. it was set in stone that Pedro would meet practically all your close family tonight and you could tell the nerves were getting to him. "does this look okay? do you think they'll like it?" he was looking in the mirror at his outfit, he was wearing dress pants and a creamy coloured shirt.
you were sat on your shared bed and had just finished putting on your heels. you always thought Pedro look beautiful in anything he wore and this time was no different. you stood up and walked to him, wrapping your right arm around his waist and pressed a small kiss to his cheek, trying not to transfer your red lipstick "you look perfect baby. i promise they're gonna love you" you gave him a reassuring smile which was met with a nervous one from Pedro. it wasn't a formal event by any means so you didn't bother dressing up too much but you were wearing a light pink co-ord set which fit your body perfectly.
after a couple more minutes of you both looking over your outfits you laced your fingers with his and started making your way to the car. Pedro decided to drive so he could keep his mind occupied. he wanted to make a good impression. you always talked about how much your family meant to you and he wanted them to like him. he was quite a bit older than you, probably closer to your parents age (which seemed crazy) but he had no idea how they would react.
obviously you had told everyone that Pedro was older than you and they really didn't mind. they always wanted you to be happy and if it was with someone older than you so be it. it took you guys about 40 minutes to get to your grandparents house and that's when he felt his heart start beating faster. he saw quite a few cars outside meaning everyone was here, which also meant he was meeting everyone right now.
you could see the nervous look on his face as you unplugged your seatbelt and smiled as he took a deep breath before unplugging his. you both got out of the car and started making your way to the front door, hand in hand. "i promise you'll be fine. you have nothing to worry about" your thumb stroked over the back of his hand as he nodded his head.
you finally arrived at the door and knocked straight away, giving him no time to even think. you heard footsteps approaching the front door before you saw your nan standing there with a huge smile on her face. "y/n" she said, arms open as she pulled you in for a hug, making you let go of Pedro's hand. your nan was one of your favourite people and not seeing her for months was hard, face-times and calls were sometimes not enough.
she rubbed her hand up and down your back as you tightened the hug. "i missed you so much" you said as you felt a small kiss being placed on your forehead. "we all missed you" she pulled away from the hug and moved her attention to Pedro who had his hand out for her to shake. "so this is the famous Pedro we've all heard so much about" she smiled and swatted his hand away playfully and pulled him in for a hug.
"it's nice to meet you" he smiled and hugged her back. that put some of his nerves at ease to be welcomed with open arms. "it's nice to meet you Pedro. everyone's already here so you guys go inside." your nan moved out of the way so you could both go to the living room where you were sure everyone was. you were surprised to only see your niece, Olivia and cousin, Hannah. Hannah and Olivia were on the floor colouring in Olivia's colouring book, not focused on anything but making sure they kept the colours in the lines.
"hey guys" you said with a huge smile on your face. Olivia was 5 already and it felt like she was growing up to quickly from the last time you saw her. they both looked up from the colouring book and Olivia's face lit up with excitement. she squealed and got up from the floor, running to you with her arms raised hinting that she wanted you to pick her up. "auntie y/n. i've missed you" she said, wrapping her arms around your neck once you had picked her up.
you felt your heart swell as you hugged her. "i've missed you so much angel" you smiled and kissed her head. she pulled back from the hug and looked at Pedro with a confused expression on her face. "who's that?" she wrapped her arms around your neck again, her shyness showing making you smile. "that's Pedro. he's my boyfriend. are you gonna say hi?" you whispered to her before she pulled away yet again and looked at him. "hi" she said with a small wave of her small hand. "hi" he replied, smiling at her.
she smiled at him as she finally felt comfortable again and you let her down so you could greet your cousin. Hannah was a year younger than you and she was practically your sister, she walked to you and wrapped her arms around you. "i'm so glad you're here. i've missed you" you heard Hannah say as she rocked the hug slightly. "i've missed you too. it's so nice to be back home" you said, pulling away from her.
"Pedro this is Hannah, my cousin" you smiled at him as he once again stuck his hand out for Hannah to shake but she shook her head. "thank you for making my cousin happy. she doesn't stop talking about you so it's nice to finally meet the man" she hugged him as your cheeks flushed a bright red. "you're welcome. she makes me happy so i guess it's only fair i do the same" he joked, making her laugh loudly.
"i think we should go look for everyone else. mums probably dying from waiting" you laughed as they pulled away from the hug. "your mum has not shut up about you since she got here. she can't wait to see you" you laughed and Hannah smiled as you grabbed ahold of Pedro's hand and started making your way to the kitchen where you heard your mums voice. your mum didn't notice you at first but once she did she practically ran to you and pulled you into her. "my baby. i'm so happy you're home" she said, tears filling her eyes. you hadn't seen your family in almost a year, with everyone having different work schedules and different events happening this was the only time you had gotten a break.
she pulled back and put her hands on your face as she looked over you, taking in the moment that you were actually home. "you look beautiful sweetheart" she lent in and kissed your cheek before turning her attention to Pedro who she immediately hugged. you saw your grandad who had the biggest grin on his face and you couldn't wait for Pedro to finish introducing himself to your mum so you made your way over to your grandad who opened his arms wide for you to hug him.
"how've you been?" he whispered to you as he hugged you tightly. just hugging everyone made you realise how much you'd missed them over the last year. "i'm okay. i've missed everyone though. i hate being away" he nodded his head and kissed your cheek and turned to see Pedro and your mum making their way over to you.
now your grandad looked mean and scary to anyone who didn't know him but he wasn't, he was the kindest, most selfless man you'd ever met. you had been on face-time with your grandad when Pedro was over one time and had spoken to each other for 5 minutes before Pedro had to go to work but speaking on face-time was completely different to meeting him in person. "Pedro, it's nice to see you in person. how are you doing?" your grandad stuck out his hand for Pedro to shake, which he immediately did and nodded at him. "i'm doing great thank you. how are you?"
Pedro was more nervous to meet your dad and grandad more than anyone but seeing your grandad in person and being welcomed by everyone who he had met so far made him feel at ease. that was until your grandad offered to show Pedro around and meet the rest of your family without you. "are you sure? i can show him around grandad" you said, looking between Pedro and your grandad who just shook his head. "Olivia has been wanting to spend time with you and Stacey has just gone into the living room with the baby. you haven't met her yet, Pedro will be fine"
you looked at Pedro who nodded his head reassuringly and smiled when you gave him a small kiss on the cheek before scurrying off back to the living room where you awed loudly seeing your new niece in your cousins arms. "oh my goodness look how adorable you are" they heard you say as you took the baby from Stacey's arms making the two of them laugh at you.
"come on, her dads outside with everyone else" your grandad led Pedro to the back garden where your dad, brother and the rest of your cousins were. he saw everyone in a circle speaking but he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. “guys, this is Pedro, y/n’s boyfriend” your grandad announced making them all turn around to look at him. this was intimidating. 5 men staring at him intently, analysing him as he approached them.
after a few seconds of awkward silence they all smiled and hugged him at the same time a chorus of hellos. “welcome to the family mate. one rule is treat her well which it seems you are already doing so well done” your brother Adam said and Pedro nodded. of course he was treating you well, you were the best thing to happen to him and he loved you. “would you guys mind if you left us alone?” your dad said, sipping his drink before they all nodded.
“we will be inside” your brother said and it was now left with your dad. your dad could see the anxious look on Pedro’s face and sent him a small smile “you don’t have anything to worry about, i just wanna get to know the man who’s been making my daughter happy is all” your dad said, hoping to give him a little bit of reassurance.
“i’ve seen y/n hurt in the past. you’re her first boyfriend in five years i think and i would hate if something happened between the two of you. she looks happy in every photo i’ve seen of you both and the way she talks about you shows how much she loves you. i hope you aren’t one of those people who will hurt her. she doesn’t deserve it” it was true, your last boyfriend had crushed you and it took a lot for you to open up to Pedro.
“she told me about her ex and i’m nothing like that. i love her a lot and if i’m being honest she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, i wouldn’t dream of hurting her, she’s to special” your dad nodded and smiled again. his words seemed genuine. your dad patted him on the shoulder “thank you for making her happy. i’m glad she met you” with that the two of them made their way back inside the house. your brother and two of your cousins were in the kitchen and the rest of the family were in the living room.
the two of them walked in and saw you next to Hannah with the newest addition to your family in your arms, huge smiles on both of your faces as the baby cooed as she looked at you. “you are the cutest thing i’ve ever seen” you said making Olivia look up from her colouring book with a frown on her face. “excuse me auntie y/n but i am actually the cutest thing” she sassed, making everyone laugh loudly.
"i'm sorry Liv. i meant you are the cutest thing i've ever seen" you smiled at her and she nodded and went back to her colouring book, satisfied with your answer. once everyone had gone back to their own conversations Pedro came and sat next to you, wrapping his arm around the back of the sofa. you passed the baby to Hannah and turned to him. "everything okay?" you watched as he nodded and smiled. "i think your dad likes me" you felt relieved that your dad liked him, he hated your ex boyfriend so for him to make Pedro feel welcomed made you happy "i told you that you had nothing to worry about didn't i?" you lent in and pecked him "yeah you did"
"i'm sorry Liv. i meant you are the cutest thing i've ever seen" you smiled at her and she nodded and went back to her colouring book, satisfied with your answer. once everyone had gone back to their own conversations Pedro came and sat next to you, wrapping his arm around the back of the sofa. you passed the baby to Hannah and turned to him. "everything okay?" you watched as he nodded and smiled. "i think your dad likes me" you felt relieved that your dad liked him, he hated your ex boyfriend so for him to make Pedro feel welcomed made you happy "i told you that you had nothing to worry about didn't i?" you lent in and pecked him "yeah you did"
“i’m sorry Liv. i meant you are the cutest thing i’ve ever seen” you smiled at her and she nodded and went back to her colouring book, satisfied with your answer. once everyone had gone back to their own conversations Pedro came and sat next to you, wrapping his arm around the back of the sofa. you passed the baby to Hannah and turned to him. “everything okay?” you watched as he nodded and smiled. “i think your dad likes me” you felt relieved that your dad liked him, he hated your ex boyfriend so for him to make Pedro feel welcomed made you happy “i told you that you had nothing to worry about didn’t i?” you lent in and pecked him “yeah you did”
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sanhatipal · 10 months
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"Noble d'Apchier"
A little watercolor painting of Chloe,with the Zorn palette! I found out about this palette a while ago and I really wanted to try it out! (More on that below )
Chloe's hair is something I adore, it's gotta be one of my absolute favourite character designs ever,I love how swirly and fluffy it is,very fun to draw. I've drawn her normally before,I wanted to do one with her vampire eyes and fangs too. I decided to try to draw a white fuzzy rim around the foreground against the plain background,for a change,like in some of the VnC panels.
The Zorn palette,or Apelles Palette was a colour scheme used by Anders Zorn in the late Victorian/Early Edwardian era. It ,or something similar,might have been used by artists of old civilizations too, because it avoids the use of blue and green entirely: which would eliminate the need for rare pigments . It's essentially a colour mixing challenge,to draw the entire paintings with 4 pigments,2 basic colours: Ochre yellow, Vermillion,and Black and white,which can be mixed into different shades. It can be an excellent exercise and means for portrait painting
Modern artists use red instead of vermillion,but the essence is the same. So that's what I did too. I considered using vermillion,but I realised that it would introduce a lot of yellow tint, making the picture very warm. Which is usually something I prefer honestly,but not what I was going for here. Also,I need to consider the fact that I'm a watercolour artist,which is very different from the original intended palette. Zorn used oil paints,but other artists use it fine for gouache and acrylic too, however,that too is different from watercolor, because instead of mixing with white, I'll be diluting with water,which changes the composition of the palette considerably. So I went with these supplies: ochre yellow and red watercolor pencils (for me, basically watercolor pigments,I don't use them to draw,I grind and dissolve them in water),white and black watercolor tubes,and white ink. In addition: lineart with sepia,grey and black brush pens,which are well within the bounds of the palette
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To be honest,I ended up not using the white paint tube at all,water makes more sense to me. I didn't use anything else though,and stuck with the original materials.And the results:
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Does it work? Hell yeah. It's not perfect,but I'm happy with how she turned out
Was it restricting? That's kind of the point,to paint with some limitations
Was it hard? Honestly? No. Not at all. It's definitely very different from what I'm used to,I use a lot of colours both as is and mixed,but this was surprisingly easy. Perhaps because of my subject,which didn't have much colour to begin with
Do I recommend it? If you want a small challenge,or to experiment or practice colour mixing,definitely
Will I do it again ? Absolutely. I feel like I haven't utilised much of the potential of this palette. I ended up using mainly red and black, hardly any yellow at all. So I'd like to do something more colourful with this palette, perhaps a sunny painting of a gingerhead girl with flowers,and for this I'll probably use vermillion,not red
Anyways, that's all! If you read all this,thank you for your time!!
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velidewrites · 4 months
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Don’t Look Back
Five hundred years ago, the humans fought hard for their freedom in the Great War and won. Now, their former masters seek retribution in a rebellion that grows stronger year by year. When Elain Archeron finds out marrying Greysen Nolan might be the only solution to keep her family safe from the ancient, cruel Fae, she doesn't hesitate to fulfil her duty. What Elain doesn't know, though, is that the man with the fiery hair and russet eyes is not her fiancé, but his killer—and when she finally finds out, well…it will be far too late to turn back.
Rating: Explicit
Notes: Happy Holidays @rainbowdolphinrealm! I absolutely loved being your Secret Santa for the @acotargiftexchange and getting to know you over the past few weeks! My little elf has told me there may be some Azris angst in the background, and a surprise Azris treat is also sleighing your way soon 👀
Read on AO3 or continue for Chapter 1 below!
*Please note that for reasons beyond my control (insanity) I have given this fic way too much lore. Here is a map I've drawn!
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Chapter 1: The Visitor
Elain had never thought she would be dreading the spring. It was the season her gardens bloomed, the season that melted the lakes around the manor to reflect the fluffy clouds dotting the sky above. The flowers she’d planted over the harvest would sprout to life, their sleepy buds erupting into colours Elain would dream of all winter. Two years ago, her father had gifted her the most extraordinary tulips for her birthday, the intricate paintings over the pack of seeds promising shades of violet she’d never seen in New Prythian. He’d brought them right from the fields of the Montesere province far on the Continent with a vow to bring her along on his travels next year—so that she could see their beauty for herself.
Her mother died the spring after.
Father had gone anyway, but Elain—Elain stayed. She had lost all desire to travel, anyway, especially when the circumstances of the death had hardly been expected. The Continent had assured them the Fae rebellion was not a threat to be taken seriously, and that the Governor had everything under control. Out of the eight human clans looking after their world, Lord Nolan had perhaps been the only one Elain would put her trust in. If he claimed the scattered remains of the faeries of old were entirely harmless, then it must have been the truth.
Until a small group of them had broken into the Merchant’s manor and killed his wife in her sleep, with magic so corrupted and vile that not even a speck of blood had left a stain on her sheets. One moment, she was deep in a peaceful slumber, and the next, she was simply…gone.
Everything had happened very quickly after that. Orders had come in from wherever Father had sailed off to, and the manor had been fortified with ash-dipped iron from Vallahan—made by the Forge himself—and spells Father had acquired from his trades with the North. All entirely legal and ratified by the Governor—according to Father, at least. Elain knew better than to ever question the Merchant.
The manor, though fortified to the teeth, had not been enough to keep Elain or either of her sisters safe. The very last order came in with the Merchant himself, a rare smile on their father’s deep-creased face as he announced it to his daughters. Elain had never seen Nesta so horrified as her older sister had been in that moment—pale as the moon, whiter than the sheets their mother had died in. For Nesta Archeron, the eldest daughter of the feared Merchant of New Prythian, was to marry.
Somewhere along his usual search for old faerie artifacts, abandoned over the centuries after the Great War, Father had found his way into an alliance that would secure his territory’s position on the island. With Nesta’s marriage, there would be no Fae slipping past his borders, no other clan opposing him—no human ruler to ever deny him whatever faerie secrets they’d been holding in their keep. It was an alliance that rattled the seas all the way to the Governor’s seat in Rask—perhaps even crooked the crown on his greying head an inch.
Nesta, after all, had been promised to none other than Tomas Mandray. To the son of the Harvester.
Every human territory had a role to play in the new world order—after the Great War, order seemed to be exactly what the humans needed. Their freedom, won by bloodshed and sacrifice, broke them free as slaves of the Fae. Elain still dreamed of the horrid images her governess’s books taught her—of humans in chains, gleaming with white-hot magic, burning spells into their skin that made any chance of escape nearly impossible. Had it not been for the courage of the six ruling queens, all hope would have been lost. Five hundred years later, it would have been Elain in those chains, her sisters, her Father, even the all-powerful Governor. Even the Harvester.
His territory—the dark, somber island of Hybern—was one Elain would never so much as think of travelling to. Pretending the work the Harvester did there did not exist made everyone’s lives a lot easier. While the Merchant dealt with old Fae artifacts and traded them across borders, the Harvester’s work involved a lot more of getting one’s hands dirty. Enchanted faerie objects, after all, were not the only things believed to have valuable properties. High Fae hearts, for example, promised a long life, untainted by illness.
And the Harvester…well, the Harvester delivered them. Amongst many others.
The marriage had taken place shortly after the summer, and neither Elain nor her father had been invited to witness the nuptials. She had simply watched the ship sail off West as she lost yet another sister.
She would not think about that right now—not when spring had finally arrived again. Soon, her tulips would bloom again, flecks of pinks and violets shining softly under the young, shy rays of sunlight. Elain would not be there to witness it—right after Nesta’s marriage, Father had left for the Continent again, and this time, Elain expected the order.
She was to be married next.
My dearest Elain,
It is with a full heart that I bring you the joyous news of our latest triumph. I have successfully docked in Saetre, and the Governor has received me warmly—as expected. As I’m sure you have already guessed, he was most pleased with the offerings I have bestowed him. You’ve seen them yourself—the old Illyrian dagger seems to be his favourite as of right now, though I have not yet even shown him the rest of the treasure I have acquired from the Wildlands. I can already imagine his eyes light up as I hand him the pair of wings your sister had sent in from Hybern. I shall convince him to display it right above his throne, I think—a testament to Nesta’s success.
Our deliberations commenced shortly after dinner—a roast turkey and the most exquisite stew, if you’re interested. I have already sent a footman along with a separate letter containing the recipe—so that you may have the maid try it out in the weeks before my return. Winters in Rask are quite unforgivable, and I must admit a hearty meal like this was exactly what I needed. Rask rears its own livestock, you know—an impressive one, too, if I do say so myself. To not be dependent on Braemar for your dinner plans—imagine that! I am growing quite tired of the Huntsman raising his prices every harvest. Ridiculous.
Anyway, I digress. Rask has consumed my attention entirely, as I’m sure you can tell. I am confident you would enjoy it here, too. Winters are rough, yes—but I remember how much you’ve always wanted to visit the provinces in the West. Just imagine your beloved tulip fields, illuminated by golden sunlight—imagine being able to see them at your whim. What a life that would be, would it not?
My sweet Elain, I am writing to tell you that it could be. You know how dear our family has always been to me—but you, my beautiful daughter, have always been closest to my ageing heart. It is precisely why I had devoted all my efforts, all my resources, into this agreement. Elain, it is one for the pages of history. A union like no other.
You see, the Governor—Lord Nolan, our very ruler himself—was so impressed with your dowry, and concerned with the fate of our family in the past year—that he had offered his son, nay, his heir, as a candidate worthy of your hand. Your hand in marriage, Elain.
Indeed, the past year has brought our family hardship unlike ever before. I do mourn your mother still, and the loss of our young Feyre continues to be a fresh wound in my heart. It is only fair we honour them, would you not agree? Your sister, your brave, headstrong sister, has already taken that first step—and look how happy she is with the Harvester’s son. She holds power like no other human in our family ever had—right now, she is perhaps the most powerful woman in Prythian. Perhaps even more than the Siren herself. Elain, with your beauty, your grace, your heart—you could outshine them both.
I am sure you were too young to remember meeting Greysen Nolan—you were only five, after all, and he only twelve—but he has grown into a fine young man, and as heir to the Governor, he is the most eligible bachelor our world has to offer. A fine marriage like this would give us the protection we need—New Prythian would never have to deal with faerie filth again. Our people would be safe, Elain—and all because of you. My beautiful Princess.
I do hope this news brings some comfort to your healing heart. Lord Nolan has bestowed his son with a title prior to your official engagement. The Visitor, as your fiancé is now called, has taken on the role of supervising all clans and their work—of ensuring their role in our world guarantees our continued survival amid the growing rebellions in Old Prythian and Vallahan. Elain, as wife to the Visitor, your dream will finally come true—you shall accompany him on all his travels, see the world as you’ve always wished! It brings me joy to know I have assured you that fate.
I am to remain in Rask until the snow melts. The Visitor and I shall set sail for home with the coming of spring, and we shall host a celebration in your honour. An engagement ball envied in the eyes of any other young lady in Prythian, New and Old!
I am told Greysen (is it too soon to address him as such, do you think? He is to be my son-in-law) enjoys roses the most. Perhaps you could show some thought and consideration and embroider a pattern on your ball gown? I trust that this letter gives you enough time in advance. You’ve always been so skilled at crafts and other projects of creative character.
Be safe, my sweet Elain. Better times are coming—and sooner than you think!
With love,
The Merchant
Elain discarded the letter on her nightstand, thinking she might puke if she so much as tried glancing upon it again. From the neat, elegant cursive to the tone of the very words, the message reeked of her Father—of the Merchant . There were so many things wrong with its contents that the anger she’d been stifling in the pit of her stomach for the past few weeks had bubbled all over again, threatening to burn its way up her throat. Elain had never been any good at art—that was Feyre, the Merchant’s other daughter the Fae had only taken a few months ago. Taken and never returned. She was likely dead, her body discarded somewhere in the Wildlands. And Father didn’t even care.
He didn’t care that it was him Elain had always wanted to travel with, not Greysen Nolan, not anyone else. He’d promised to bring her along, at least once. Now, it was too late. He would lose his final daughter—for the safety of New Prythian. Naturally.
A new wave of guilt crashed into her with a sudden force, killing the fire inside her with little effort. She didn’t want the marriage, that much was true—but, her father’s personal agenda or not, the Fae rebellion was as real as the Visitor, no doubt already sailing her way. The Fae, though very few in number thanks to the work of the human clans, still posed a very real threat—her mother and sister were the prime example of how dangerous those creatures were. Five hundred years ago, they’d nearly won the War—had nearly rid the world of all humans and enslaved whoever remained. Until the humans turned their own magic against them—and took their freedom back. They have continued to preserve it ever since.
The clans of Old Prythian had always been successful in dwindling the numbers of whoever remained—the Fae, in all their mighty immortality, could hold out for centuries, using their magic to roam the lands in secret. Three hundred years ago, most of them had been pushed far north to the Wildlands, old faerie territories Elain had read about in her studies. There was little information on the former Solar Courts and their rulers—other than that the most powerful of them had a history of cruelty that could make the Harvester himself flinch in horror. Some part of her was glad the territory had been reduced to rubble—that, at the very least, the humans’ ancient killers could no longer rely on their fortresses to lock them all up.
She had seen the Huntsman’s reports on recent rebel activity in Braemar, though. The faeries may have been few, yes, but those foolish enough to crawl out of the Wildlands caused problems that would usually send shivers down Elain’s spine. The Huntsman’s own daughter, stationed in the North under the Guardian’s protection, had been slaughtered no more than six years ago when their outpost was attacked. Father had told her stories of fresh, crimson blood, gleaming on the thick, white coat of snow.
For what had to have been the hundredth time in the past few weeks, Elain debated that perhaps, an alliance with the Governor’s son would not be such a terrible thing. She may not have known him—let alone harboured any affection for him—but their marriage would strengthen the clans. If she married Greysen, perhaps no one else’s daughters would be slaughtered, no one else’s mothers killed in their sleep or sisters hunted in the forests surrounding their own homes. Elain could protect them—in whatever way she could.
Either way, she had no choice.
***
The forest rippled with the sound of teeth tearing into flesh. Over the centuries, they had grown longer— sharper , which was just as well. He needed as much protection as he could get these days, especially with weapons so difficult to come by. The camp was already growing unsettled, and he could feel the tension weighing on the air whenever he returned. The past few winters had been difficult enough.
The coming of spring was a welcome change. Spring meant they could hunt—the new year brought on as many animals as it had opportunities. The prey in his arms, grasped by the claws he’d sunk deep into its skin, just so happened to be both.
And what an opportunity it was. They’d been wishing for it for decades—centuries, even, or perhaps even more. Like many others, he found himself losing count of the passing years. They all seemed the same—eat, sleep, move, hide. Kill had only recently started to disrupt his routine. Yet another change he welcomed.
He spat out the blood, nose wrinkling with distaste as if on instinct, and watched as the liquid settled into the mossy earth. The body fell to the ground a moment after, leaving a heavy thud in its wake, heavy enough that he could have sworn it echoed between the trees. He would get an earful for not being careful later. The thought made his eyes roll as he wiped his nails clean on his crumpled shirt.
He pulled it over his arms, then, letting the fabric float away with the gentle spring breeze, and took a deep, steadying breath. The small, golden rays of sunlight peering through the budding leaves warmed his bare chest, and he tilted his head up to the sky, soaking up the sensation until the quiet gurgle at his feet inevitably commanded the return of his attention.
He sighed, kicking away the arm resting on his boot. The body rolled to the side, baring the unpleasant face to his sight yet again. For what must have been the fourth time in the past two minutes, he felt himself grimace. Something so ugly should not have been this finely dressed.
This, however, was a problem he could easily take care of. Holding his breath to avoid the stench of his prey’s spilling guts, he kneeled to free it from the immaculate, navy-blue jacket, dark, charcoal trousers and boots before its blood managed to stain them. The formerly pristine shirt was unfortunately already lost to him, though he supposed his own would do just fine.
For a split second, he wondered if the body should be buried. It would take little effort on his part, and he knew it had been travelling with a party before trailing off the carriage path to piss. It would be best to not leave any evidence behind, lest any of the man’s companions decided to follow their master and look for relief in the forest as well.
He sighed again, a sound he feared was starting to become a signature of his lately. With a flick of his hand, the dirt rustled quietly, and the ground parted, swallowing the body entirely.
Good. This was good. He only wished he’d taken a good look at the man’s face before letting the worms dig into the body he’d so benevolently left open for them. He needed the memory unscathed for the spell, and right now, he could not for the life of him remember the colour of his prey’s eyes. Oh, well.
He got dressed quickly, finding the fabric a little too tight in the shoulders. Come to think of it, the trousers also seemed to be a tight fit, his thighs unusually restrained by the silken threads. He would have to walk more slowly, he supposed. Ripping his seams open in front of dozens of humans was hardly the surprise he’d spent the past two months carefully devising.
Rising to his full height, he closed his eyes then as though for concentration. The tingling on his skin was hardly pleasant, but he endured it all the same until the memory in his mind finally faded away. There was no stream nearby to look over his reflection, but he knew the glamour had worked, anyway. It always did.
To those who knew the man he’d just murdered, he would appear as Greysen Nolan—the newly titled Visitor, hell, the Governor’s own firstborn son. He couldn’t help but smirk.
It seemed that Daddy was in for one hell of a disappointment.
***
Elain could not breathe in her gown.
“Just a few more minutes, Princess,” the seamstress repeated, the sound muffled through the needle she’d clenched between her teeth.
The nickname did little to ease her nerves. The Princess was hardly her official title, but her father insisted the staff—that everyone in New Prythian called his one remaining daughter as such. She used to adore it as a little girl, though upon further reflection, she had no doubt she’d earned a few spoiled brat ’s in those years. Still, the name seemed to have stuck, and, as she always did, Elain felt her cheeks flush furiously in response.
“I’m not a princess, Lavinia,” she reminded the seamstress, trying her best not to make her tone sound too pointed.
The woman scoffed. “You might as well be, Lady Archeron. The Visitor is a titled man, and if that wasn’t enough, he is the Governor’s heir.” She adjusted the ribbons adorning Elain’s sleeve. “Our royalty may be long gone, but everyone knows the throne resides at Rask.”
Elain hummed. “There is a reason we are no longer ruled by six queens. To anoint a new monarchy would be to dishonour their sacrifice.”
The seamstress scrambled quickly, “Of course, Lady Archeron. I only meant—the Governor holds a lot of power in the realm.”
Elain sighed and looked into the mirror. “I suppose that much is true.”
“You don’t seem very excited,” Lavinia remarked, meeting Elain’s gaze in her reflection. “Surely the Visitor is an excellent match?”
“Certainly,” Elain nodded. But excellent was not someone Elain was looking for. She wasn’t looking for anyone, truthfully, and yet here she stood, watching Lavinia touch up her gown for the final time before her engagement ball was to commence. “This is good, I think. You’ve done a wonderful job—as always.”
The seamstress offered her a smile. “Try to be happy, Princess.”
“Of course,” Elain lied.
It was clear enough that Lavinia had left her alone, quietly excusing herself out of the room. Elain could hear her mutter instructions to the guards at her door—she was to be escorted downstairs, whenever she was ready. Apparently, guests had already begun pouring in, and the Visitor was to make his grand entrance shortly.
Elain hadn’t even seen Father yet. Wherever he was, he clearly would make his appearance once the public had gathered in full.
It was to be expected, but Elain felt her heart sink nonetheless. She could use a few words of encouragement right now. Usually, it had been Feyre offering them without Elain even having to ask. But Feyre was gone. Had been gone for a while.
And she wasn’t coming back.
Exhaling shakily, Elain looked into her own eyes in the mirror, ignoring the tear welling up in one corner, her expression stern.
“You’re doing this for them ,” she told herself. “For Feyre, and for Mother, and for Nesta, so that no one else has to suffer like they had.”
Her reflection nodded, the pearls in her ears sparkling with the movement. She breathed out again, one last time, and braced herself for the three quiet knocks on her door.
“It’s time, Princess,” the order sounded shortly after. Elain, of course, obeyed.
The gown was a pain to walk in. It was beautiful, to be sure—she hadn’t lied when she’d complimented Lavinia’s work—though that hardly made it a comfortable garment to wear. Elain appreciated the way the corset hugged her curves, or the way it perked up her breasts, but she also appreciated being able to take a breath without immediately choking on it. She had never squeezed into a dress so impossibly tight. The flowers—roses—crafted by the ruffles of tulle rested attached at her hips, the ribbons of her sleeves caressing them as Elain made her way down the hall. The gown spilled down her body in petals of ivory and a dusty pink, making Elain herself look like a blossoming rose, floating with every step.
She almost enjoyed the thought until she remembered Father’s letter once again—until she remembered Greysen Nolan’s favourite flowers were, in fact, roses, and the gown’s very design served to appeal to his tastes instead of her own.
Had it not been for the guard’s heavy boots sounding behind her, Elain would have entertained the idea of turning back. Would Father drag her downstairs himself? Would he lock her up in Greysen’s carriage and ship her off without second thought? Elain had never once thought her own engagement ceremony would ever feel like an execution. And yet, here she was, followed closely by the Merchant’s personal guard, dressed up like a doll for a man she didn’t even know.
The somber thought accompanied her down the marble steps spiralling down to the ballroom, consuming her so thoroughly she could hardly feel the countless stares watching her every more. Father must have invited more people than she’d thought—dignitaries from all over the island, perhaps even the Continent itself.
Perhaps her seamstress was right—perhaps Rask was the closest they could get to royalty, and Elain truly could not have found a more advantageous match. She also could not have married at all.
But then she met her father’s gaze, and the guilt hit her with a familiarity that nearly swayed her off the stairs.
His eyes—brown, exactly the shade of her own—were shining with pride so unabashed she could not help but smile in his direction. She was doing all of this for him, too was she not? For her family—so that they may never see misfortune again. Nesta had been strong enough to proceed with her own match. Why should Elain be any different? She could do this—otherwise, watching that pride dim from her father’s gaze might just be the thing that killed her.
Slowly, she made her way up the dais to meet his extended hand. Behind them, two high chairs she supposed had been made to resemble thrones sat waiting for the Lord and Lady to be. Elain’s heart quickened in the constraints of her corset.
“This is real, Elain,” Father murmured over her shoulder, as though he could hear how loudly her heart thumped in her chest. If he did, he’d grossly misinterpreted the reason behind it. “This is truly happening.”
Elain swallowed something thick in her throat, and forced another smile as she turned to face him at last. “I know, Father.”
The white of his teeth nearly outmatched the chandeliers above. “You look absolutely spectacular,” he complimented, his smile wider as he noted the tulle roses. “Are you ready to meet your husband?”
She supposed there was no turning back now.
Father nodded to the guards. “Invite the Visitor in.”
Every single head in the ballroom turned as two, white-gloved hands turned the golden, ornate knobs and swung the doors open.
Elain held her breath—then counted to three. Four. Five.
On seven, he entered.
She’d spotted his jacket first—a deep navy-blue adorned with fine, silken thread. Fitted, charcoal trousers and boots, echoing quietly off the marble floor as the Visitor finally stepped into the light.
Elain’s breath caught in her throat.
He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
His long hair was like molten fire, a stark contrast against the depth of his jacket. Shades of red, auburn and orange, falling down his back in waves as the firelight danced on his golden brown skin—almost like greeting an old friend. There was something raw about his beauty—he was hardly one of the perfect, polished aristocrats she’d danced with at other balls. No, there was a cruelty about him—as if he’d been crafted by the same flame that gleamed playfully atop the chandeliers warming her skin, melting every guard she’d ensured to build up, every reason she could think of that made him the worst fate the world had in store for her.
Elain could have sworn that fire sizzled in his russet eyes as he reached the dais—as he stopped before her and bowed at the waist.
When he looked up again, their gazes locked and held. “It is an honour to make your acquaintance, Lady Archeron,” he greeted, his voice smooth and deep. “My name is Greysen Nolan.”
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arhvste · 2 years
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‘you’re kidding me…’ you thought as your stomach dropped as you held your finger down on your boyfriends instagram story. it was august first; national girlfriends day, and much to your excitement your boyfriend had a coloured circle around his profile picture which had meant he posted.
what you didn’t expect to see him post however was a compilation of photos of his self proclaimed ‘girl best friend’ littering the screen with max demarco’s ‘heart to heart’ attached to the story playing over the background. ‘happy national gf day to my favourite girl’ you read as your eyes grew heavy.
tapping off the story and tossing your phone aside, you stared up at the ceiling, tears twinkling under the soft room light and your heart feeling heavier than ever. you didn’t even have it in you to contact your boyfriend to question his social media antics, not right now anyway, not whilst the wound was still so fresh. you’d get back to that later on.
the natural light from outside slowly grew darker as the hours droned on by as your position never changed. fresh tears washed over dried ones until your head was pounding from the non stop crying yet you refused to do anything to ease the pain. your eyes slowly drooped down before closing entirely, exhaustion hitting you hard and stopping you from moving for the next ten minutes before your phone vibrated from the other side of the bed.
you left it there not wanting to look at the device figuring it was your friends checking up on you after seeing your boyfriends story. yet there was no continue spam of messages coming through unlike whenever your friends would text you. one notification came through before you were left in the heavy silence of your room once more.
giving in, you grabbed the phone and tapped the surface to check it. your eyes squinted as they adjusted to the light before widening upon the words across your screen.
‘@k.tetsu has tagged you in a story’
kuroo tetsurō; your academic rival and bane of your existence.
your heart pounded as you tapped on the story unsure of what to expect before your breath hitched as music reached your ears and candid photos of you from across the classroom and shots you frowning slightly you knew the boy had taken to tease you covered your screen. ‘national gf day <3’ was typed across the photos as well as giveon’s ‘like i want you’ played in the background of the post.
your jaw stayed ajar as you took in the post and fact someone that wasn’t your boyfriend had posted and appreciated you. sliding up the story you decided it was only right to thank the boy for the kind gesture despite your rivalry and half playful attitude you’d offer to each other each class.
‘thank you :,)’ you sent in reply as you rewatched the story still in awe.
not even two minutes passed by before your phone vibrated again as the boy replied.
‘no need to thank me. it’s only natural i post my girl on national gf day ;)’
you laughed airily as your heart fluttered against your chest. before you could type a reply, kuroo responded once more.
‘but please hurry and break up with him and let me be your bf to make this post legit, i’m not tryna come across as a home wrecker over here’
there was nothing to homewreck. your soon to be ex boyfriend had made it clear where his priorities laid and they weren’t with you.
august first would be the day your priories would begin to lay with someone who clearly put you first. and that someone would be kuroo tetsurō, your academic rival, bane of existence and future long term boyfriend.
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@kuroosecrets for u my love!
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riririnnnn · 2 months
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Low-key a continuation of this, but this post alone makes complete sense.
I'm well fed now, so my brain is churning again.
LESGOOOOOO 🌬️🤸🏻‍♀️🌪️
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So, we have this fella.
Let's start.
Theory — 1
Kaiser has a flower farming family business or a florist shop.
You see, Blue Rose isn't something you'll find growing in the wild on its own. It's an artificially produced product or a White Rose dyed with a blue colour.
I understand that there are many people out there who are passionate about growing flowers, but only as a hobby. However, for simplicity, let's ignore that.
So, I think he was more like a soft boy and you can easily imagine a soft boy with a flower background getting bullied by the tougher guys when he decided to join a soccer team, then someone from his family gave him an inspirational talk about Blue Rose. It explains his want to win the World Cup and also his want to push the soccer industry into despair.
Plot hole: This theory doesn't feel Blue Lock-esque, it feels rather lame for a character like Kaiser. It doesn't explain his weird, nearly obsessive behaviour in his rivalry with Isagi. It leaves no room for a deeper explanation about his hand tattoo.
Theory — 2
This is the more widely known and believed theory in the BLLK Fandom that Kaiser was poor growing up, and some might even go as far as to say that he was a trafficked child. It could be that the one who lend him a hand for help also had some association with Blue Rose, and then helped him pursue soccer further.
Plot hole: Quite similar to Lorenzo's story. Being poor has already been used many times as a trope in this Animanga. Doesn't explain his behaviour of inflicting pain on himself while being frustrated and that why he wants the soccer world to go into despair.
Theory — 3
This goes darker, so be warned.
Soccer, somehow, destroyed his loving and happy family. It could be that he used to be a crybaby, and he got inspired/used to look up to a figure in his house who used to play soccer.
Firstly, when he used to fail in soccer, that figure used to calmly soothe him and treat him nicely, but then things turned out to get worse and after that Kaiser got subjected to being physically abused which explains his knack to choke himself.
Plot hole: Feels like a scrapped idea from Itoshi brothers' backstory. Blue Rose tattoo's influence in the story gets diminished and the hand tattoo feels like something added just to make the character look cool.
Theory — 4
This theory solely based upon this panel:
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It makes me think like he got abandoned by a soccer partner or something.
Further, see this panel:
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Maybe this partner backstabbed Kaiser?
It could be that his older teammates got jealous of his "talent" and then bullied/physically or verbally harassed him? When in reality he actually had no talent and just worked really hard, like, we have been shown how he was practicing hard after Isagi one-up-ed him in the Ubers match or after the Manshine City match when he was watching everything in those multiple screens.
Feels like he is going to be the Oikawa of Blue Lock.
Plot hole: I actually don't find any kind of plot hole in this theory except the fact that Blue Rose low-key feels out of the blue.
Theory — 5
It could be called as a modified version of the above theory.
Maybe his family is filthy rich too. Having "Kaiser" as a last name could mean that he is from some sort of Royal family and he used to play soccer with his siblings or a family member, but as the time passed, he still dreamt of being a Pro soccer player, but the other person(s) refused and instead accepted their traditional roles.
Plot hole: Feels like Reo 2.0, and doesn't explain why he wants the soccer industry to go into despair.
Personally, I do think that we are going to get entirely something else, but it's pretty fun to think of such things.
.
.
.
Ness should never touch scissors again. He massacred Kaiser's hair.
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tzuu-died · 3 months
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braven and superbia theory :]
so my discord server allowed me to be stupid on main and rant about bravern at 11:30pm my time, so here’s just.. everything copy and pasted LMAO
also, posting this before ep4 drops, i can’t wait to see if any of my ramblings made sense
theory under the cut, spoilers for bang brave bang bravern ep. 1-3 and ep. 4 preview
the theory is this: bravern and superbia are the same species, possibly related to the deathdrives
firstly, in episode 1 and episode 3 we see bravern with a mask thing covering his face. and when you look at superbia, it seems as though they have something similar
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i wouldn’t say that part is superbia’s actual face, due to the purple highlights/crystal looking things on their body. bravern’s eyes are green, and he does have a green crystal or piece of glass on that gold part of his face
and also, bravern has a green background in his transformation sequences and when we first meet him.
there’s also a green trail left by him when he flies in the intro + uses his blade.
the show’s logo briefly flashes green in the op
and the green in bravern’s cockpit + the weird green liquid from ep3
and superbia’s eyes do flash purple in the op, so i’m willing to bet superbia wears a mask much like bravern when we first meet him
and now when you look at bravern and superbia, they do seem very much alike
plus, the opening hints at superbia being somewhat relevant at least, due to the fact that in most anime openings, the fight featured in it is at least somewhat relevant to the story
and also, bravern knows superbia
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the “you never change” implies that bravern’s fought against superbia before, or known them in the past
plus, the opening and show kind of confirmed lulu pilots superbia
1. lulu and isami have very similar outfits when piloting
2. this scene in the opening. the character does resemble lulu and the necklace looks like it was made to resemble superbia
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3. again, the weird liquid in the mechs’ cockpits
so in other words, bravern and superbia are definitely very similar
plus, we saw that bravern was losing to superbia without isami
without a pilot
and lulu magically appeared on a beach after superbia was defeated. and coincidentally, superbia was in the deep waters when we first see a hint of them.
and i just wanna point out that smith had no idea what lulu meant when she said her name, but bravern understood.
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and he didn’t look too happy about that
and in the preview for episode 4, we see a few scenes of bravern essentially being in a shitty mood. kind of looks like he’s lashing out here?
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and then at the end we see a scene of lulu looking confused, and we immediately cut to this?
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so to just tldr the point that bravern and superbia are part of the same species:
1. they share similar traits and visuals in the show (mainly the colours i talked about)
2. they both have pilots
3. they have a history together (we see superbia scoffing at bravern a few times, and bravern’s quote: “you never change”)
4. bravern shows a clear dislike for superbia and isn’t all too happy about lulu
and now, the other thing: bravern and superbia are some advanced form of the deathdrives, or are related to them
so first off, when the deathdrives are defeated, they go kaboom and explode into this weird cube shaped stuff
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and what happened to superbia after bravern and isami’s attack?
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additionally, when battling superbia, bravern attacked them with a punch, which they stopped with a purple shield
and what else uses a purple shield?
yup. the deathdrives
and in episode 2, bravern explains that they’re inorganic, metallic organisms that gained something like a conscience. and both bravern and superbia show to have that
bravern’s can be sean very clearly. he talks a lot.
superbia? all we hear from them are shrieky noises and scoffing. and what do we hear from lulu? also that
so to just tldr this entire rant/rambling:
bravern and superbia show signs of being from the same species. they both needing a pilot to achieve their true strength, without them they’re not as strong.
the deathdrives also show similarities to them; that being the similar way they “die” (we’re not sure if superbia actually died in ep3, so i’m putting the word in these “ ”guys), similar abilities (barriers/shields, flight, weaponry?).
so basically, to put all of this short: bravern and superbia are some advanced form of the deathdrives, probably existing to be something like commanders in an army, seeing how superbia kind of teamed up with the deathdrives?
anyway, hope this makes sense LMAO 😭
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loopeyfluff · 11 months
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Spiderman across the spiderverse thoughts and spoilers underneath read more. it's all just gushing, do not expect a proper review.
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That. Was. Fucking. Insane. That was the best movie I’ve watched. Literally captivated from start to finish. WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE INTRODUCTION?! with gwen stacey and her drums? Such powerful animated movements, in fact ALL THE ACTION SCENES carried SUCH GOOD WEIGHT, made SUCH GOOD USE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT, and were just generally so well choreographed! The first villain was just so visually stunning and animated, I LOVED his style. And the humour from the very start was just, on point. This entire movie WAS SOOOO FUNNY. IT WAS HILARIOUS! Hahaha the lego spiderman scene? How miguel was like, “you’re one of the best of us” XDDD. And omg the MAIN ANTOGNIST IS THE BAGEL GUY. I CANNOT. THATS SO HECKING FUNNY. HAHAHHWYWHAJABWHAJJAHAHAHAH.
Such a visually stunning movie man. Like the first one was amazing, but this somehow topped that. The ENVIRONMENTS AND WORLDS THAT WE EXPLORED WERE SOOOO BEAUTIFULLY CONSTRUCTED? Indian spiderman- just everything about him was hilarious- had such an amazing universe, just the layered upon layers of buildings and roads EVERYWHERE. omg HOBY??? I LOVE HOBY MAN. How earlier he was like, miles u gotta use ur palms too not just ur fingers, and then he was also very established to be an against capitalism and institution type man, AND OMG MY GUY AAAAAA HELPING MILES OUT!!!! WHEN NO ONE ELSE WAS DOING ANYTHING FOR HIM??? HOBY’S A REAL ONE GUYS I LOVE HIM.
MAYDAY WAS ADORABLE! Peter being such a doting father was so adorable and EVERYTHING. Like that sequence of him showing all the baby pictures to miles and gwen, and then when he told miles that he should HOLD THE BABY IT’LL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTTER!!!! And ofc it did XD THAT TRAIN FIGHT SCENE??? SO MANY MOVIES HAVE TRIED IT BEFORE, BUT THIS WAS THE ABSOLUTE SICKEST TRAIN FIGHT SCENE IVE EVER SEEN. Just the train BULLETING UPWARDS, and then the call back to the leap of faith?
AHHHH but also! So many wonderful computer screen background worthy shots within this film. I absolutely adored the way they kept having the spider people sit and hang upside down. It made so many visually stunning scenes! Like when they were going up the elevator,,, AND THEY WERE ALL UPSIDE DOWN!!! AARHEGEH SOOO COOOL!!!!
Oh man but that brief appearance of peni parker! SHE LOOKED SO TIRED :(!!! URGEGWHW WE GOT TO SEE SPIDERHAM AND SPIDERNOIR AT THE END BUT MAN I RLLY WISH I CUDA SEEN MORE OF THOSE GUYS WYHWHAHWUIAKjahauai!!1!1!?1!1!1 I was so happy when they finally appeared with gwens group of spider allies tho ; - ;!!!!!
Okay back to bagel guy, what a fun and hilarious opening and introduction? Hahaha trying to steal the atm machine and their whole banter, it was just so funny. Amazing introduction. I loved miles’ roommate too! I wish we got to see more of him haha.
Oh oh oh, I loved all of the impact frames in this movie, and also the speech bubbles and sound effects and other fun comic style things, but the glossary squares that kept appearing on screen??? AMAZING!!!! I would love to go through this movie again and just pause and read over everything! THE COLOURS WERE SOOOO GOOD IN THIS MOVIE??? THIS MOVIE REALLY STOOD OUT FOR ME IN IT’S PALETTES! SOME SCENES WERE JUST COMPOSED SO BEAUTIFULLY I JUST AYWHAHAHWUJAHAHAHAH!!!!
The plot twist at the end was so good. It was so well built up too, there were so many hints and what not but it only hit me when aaron showed up… the mom’s eyes being different, her not knowing who spiderman is,,, earlier when the screen got the WRONG DNA,,, and also just the different colour palette? So many good clues. I’m over here laughing at how anticlimactic the mom is taking the news, and then AARON SHOWS UP. And the revelation HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK MAN. IT WASN’T A JOKE.
can we talk about the amazing sound track and sound design for this movie??? I watched this in VMAX which is a cinema which had a larger screen and louder speakers, and wow, I WAS SOOO IMMERSED MAN. Not only does the music SLAP and match each new place so well, but it just adds so much to the viewing experience!!!!
This movie was an absolute masterpiece. Wow. Jesus. The first movie was like my favourite movie. But this somehow TOPPED THAT???? Insane.
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altschmerzes · 5 months
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happy hanukkah, chag sameach everyone!!! here's a clip from far, far ahead in wriggle up on dry land, my ted lasso au where jamie's 15 and the groundsman's assistant when the story begins. at this point of the story he is 17 and he lives with ted - for. reasons. - and ted and roy have essentially ended up co-parenting him, which has been a learning process for everyone. this is their first real holiday season together, and the first time roy has decided to celebrate hanukkah of his own initiative (not with phoebe and his sister) in a long time.
The mulish determination that had carried Roy all the way through talking to Sarah and going to the little judaica store she’d given him the address of and getting everything set up disappears as soon as there’s someone else in the house. He hovers awkwardly near the doorway and watches while Ted and Jamie shuck off their coats and Ted nudges the kid to remind him to take his shoes off inside. They’ve both been in his house before, more times than he can count by this point, but somehow the experience feels new and unpredictable. Neither Ted nor Jamie seem to notice, chattering to each other about whatever they’d been talking about before they got here, but Roy can’t escape it. The feeling is loud and cloying and he can’t turn it off.
Just as Roy is about to conclude this entire thing had been a mistake and he should call it off right now, he realizes that the new arrivals have left him behind in his own entryway, moving on into the dining room where-
Well. Roy hurries after them and comes to an abrupt stop in the doorway. Ted’s got his hands tucked into his pockets and he looks at Roy with a warm, knowing smile that Roy resents on principle. Jamie is staring at the table, stopped in place like he can’t quite comprehend what he’s seeing. It’s an understandable reaction. A menorah was to be expected. Three of them is… Three of them is something else.
They’re lined up in a neat little row on the table, candles already placed in the farthest corners and the middles, a lighter laying nearby in anticipation of what’s coming next. The one on the left end is simple and traditional, the first one that Roy had grabbed. It reminded him of the one his grandparents had, the one that is probably in the window at Sarah’s house right now, already lit. In the middle sits a short menorah, a flat row of silver candle holders with the shamash slightly raised at the centre of them, and a colourful pattern on a panel behind them. Red pomegranates are set against a blue background and the whole thing had reminded him of Richmond. The last, on the right, is elegantly shaped silver metal, a trunk and the reaching branches of a little tree. It had taken Roy a long time to choose it. Dissatisfied with the options, he’d been about to give up and choose one at random when he’d spotted it, tucked away at the back of the shelf. As soon as he’d seen it, he’d known it was the one he wanted - on the way out of the store he’d thought to himself Do they even have trees in fucking Kansas? And then he’d been so irritated at what an insane thing that was to worry about that he’d nearly tripped over a crack in the pavement.
Finally tearing his eyes away from the table, Jamie glances over this shoulder at Roy. He looks confused, a little uncertain, like he’s got a question but he doesn’t want to ask it. The story he’d told about spending Hanukkah with his friend Ash’s family pops into Roy’s mind and he wonders if this is a setup Jamie recognizes, if he’s counted the menorahs on the table and done the simple math and realized what that meant. Then again, this is Jamie. That kind of conclusion is not one he can be relied on to reach himself, and so Roy is going to have to explain.
“That’s what we did,” Roy forces out eventually. His voice sounds thick and stony even to his own ears and he stops, swallowing hard before he tries again. The last thing he wants is to sound resentful, or angry, or any of the other things he knows he sounds when he’s emotional - embarrassed, this time. Anxious for their reactions, for this display of the thinness of his own life, his lack of substance that he’d needed to go out and buy these new and Googled it three times before he was sure he’d put the candles in the right end.
“In my family,” he says, faintly pleased that it comes out softer than before, gentler and less intense. “And in a lot of families. Don’t know about your friend Ash, but… But that’s what we did, and a lot of people do. Have one for… For everyone in the…” Roy waves a hand around, a vague circle indicating the room. His cheeks feel hot and he doesn’t know why this is so fucking hard to say. “In the immediate family. So. Y’know. Three.”
There. He’s said it and he’s explained and he didn’t pass out or die and nobody immediately laughs either so that has to be some kind of a good sign. Roy stares resolutely at the grain of the kitchen table. He can feel the eyes of the other two people in the room on him but he can’t bring himself to look over at them. Not quite yet.
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