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cochineal-leviat · 9 months

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Kirby reference The Midnight Soirée chapter 1 & 2

This is Kirby in full! Usually, I would do a full rotation, but I'm too lazy. Unless the other side profile differs greatly, I will keep doing only one side profile for every reference I post.

Fluff 1-5

A warning for minor spoilers for The Midnight Soirée.

Colour Pallete:

Although saturated, Kirby's palette is colourful and uses all colours on the colour wheel except for purple and orange (well, the blue in his eyes is slightly purple and brown is desaturated orange). Kirby is a colourful character; I want to convey that in their colour palette. I had to use grey for the trousers to naturalise the other colours, but I'm pretty happy with it even though it took me a long time to find the right colours to use. Kirby's colour palette is more suited for the natural life on earth than Fluff's reference (which you can see in the preview I posted), as Fluff's colours are much more saturated and benefiting of a supernatural creature whose domain is in the void.

The boots and gloves are red to match each other, but also because I am a sucker for Kirby's iconic red shoe look, I wanted to keep that fun detail in his human form. The gloves/gauntlets were a gift from Meta Knight gift before they embarked on their journey. They are red because Meta Knight used Duke Dedede's favourite colour. As are the boots Bandana Dee gave to match the gloves as Meta Knight and Bandana Dee coordinated their gifts. Duke Dedede chose a blue cloak to represent both Meta Knight and Bandana Dee as they are associated with the colour blue (dark blue for Meta Knight and sky blue for Bandana Dee)

(*More on the cape in the next reference)

(**More on the tunic itself on the reference - sans cape)

Instead, like Meta Knight did by stamping his sigil on Kirby's gloves, Duke Dedede gave Kirby a belt buckle with his emblem. It is subtler than his original plan of emblazing his logo on the back of Kirby's cape. As cool as it would have been, as Kirby laments in Chapter 2 of MS - it would have been too eye-catching and drawn highwaymen to Kirby, who needs to keep a low cover if they want to explore the continent of Popstar without being bothered every turn.

Kirby's clothes are dirty, and doing upkeep on his clothes is difficult while travelling. But they are not super filthy, as Kirby has not travelled that far from Sunset Mountain Range. They are a week away on horseback from the infamous southern mountains of the country of Dreamland. Although Kirby has been taking the scenic route stopping by all the sights and staying at every village to get to know the world beyond the mountain he grew up in. (Well, he was born at the base and only started living at the summit with Dedede, Bandana and Meta after a good while of being friends)

Hood up! Kirby and * more information about the cape. The rabbit fur is missing some strands because of Kirby's rough travelling style and habit of getting into fights. The fur comes from the rabbits' Sunset Mountain is famous for as Dedede's dukedom handles livestock and its savoury cuisine. (They know how to throw a good potluck). It is customary in Southern Dreamland to sew a travelling gift with this rabbit fur for luck in one's travels. Duke Dedede personally caught the rabbit, skinned it and made a parting dinner with it to wish Kirby safe travels, as the gift would be moot if he did not prepare the rabbit himself.

You can see a subtle star design on Kirby's back with the hood up. The whole cloak represents Kirby's name and connection to the stars. Kirby's full name is Kirby From the Stars/de las Estrellas (the latter is a surname Meta Knight gifted Kirby to protect them from human society and from the Nightly Folk). A nickname that transformed from 'Kirby Godess gifted' to 'Kirby Godess's gift', 'Kirby Starbright' all the way to' child descended from the star' as Kirby's actions proceeded him. Dedede commissioned this cape in Kirby's honour to call back to their first meeting and the amount of effort and work it took for them to become friends/family. Kirby's greatest treasures are the three gifts from his friends (cloak, gloves and boots).

Dirtless! Kirby. This is after Kirby landed in Underhill. Fluff repaired his cape and polished his shoes and gloves. Other than that, there is not much to say. The patch to Kirby's trousers is left intact because Fluff thought it was a part of the outfit and not a literal patch-up job Kirby did because he tore his pants in the first week of travelling.

**As you can see, without the cloak, Kirby lacks the colour blue (aside from his eyes). The green sweater contrasts the red of the boots and gloves, and the yellow contrasts all the blue shades. As for why the tunic is split colour - it is because originally, the tunic was entirely yellow. But that didn't fit Kirby, plus I wanted Kirby to have pink on him as he wouldn't have pink hair as a human (yet). Since the cloak covers the tunic, it doesn't attract too much attention, and even then, a lot of peasant clothing had fun designs. As long as something doesn't look too fancy, Kirby won't be mistaken as a noble or servant of a noble.

I lovingly call this tunic the Strawberry Custard Tunic. Strawberry because pink for Kirby and the Custard for the yellow dye in relation to Keeby, with the original tunic colour being a reference to them. The tunic's design is inspired by the Hylian tunic from BOTW/TOTK. Which was probably obvious with the leather chest plate. The tassels bring out Kirby's playful side and help spread the pink/yellow across the whole tunic. One side is longer than the other simply to enhance the design a bit, as an even-cut hem is not Kirby's style. Even if I gave Kirby an even-hem, it would slit at the sides for more spatial movement. Kirby's earthen look isn't all that exciting, so the little details go a long way, like the sleeves of the outer tunic, which are flowy and stitched to create folds.

As Kirby bemoans, his tunic isn't very pretty or festive, so they were so tempted to wear the dresses in the closet in chapter one. It is a shame I never got to draw/write Kirby with a dress. Well, maybe next time. :)

And finally, at the end of chapter 1, Kirby with the blue rose behind his ear. A blue rose symbolises mystery or attaining the impossible. They are notorious for their 'love at first sight' meaning, and as Fluff gave Kirby one thornless rose, this meaning is amplified as gifting one rose means 'you are the one/you are still the one' and a thornless one also means 'love at first sight'. So it's 'love at first sight' message is doubled. It also adds Fluff's blues to Kirby's palette and nicely matches Kirby's blue cloak.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 sees two major differences to Kirby. His hair change, and the sash Fluff gives them. The sash was neither a gift nor a deal because Fluff's sash tied Kirby to Fluff. This way, Fluff knew where Kirby was throughout the whole night. Once Kirby discarded the sash later in the fic, Fluff lost his ability to locate Kirby.

Fluff changed Kirby's hair pink as a part of a mini deal. Interestingly enough, the pink used for Kirby's hair is not Fluff's brand of pink but the same pink as Kirby's split tunic. It also fits them more than the blonde hair did. Though I am sure many people in their world would disagree with this statement. (The pink also fits the blue rose better. Though that might be my bias showing)

(A closer look comparing Kirby with their natural blonde hair and the pink hair Marquis Fluff magicked without the blue rose.)

I made Kirby blonde because it's the brightest colour next to pink, as I could not make Kirby pink-haired from the start. Pink hair on a human would be really suspicious. If Kirby had been born with pink hair despite being fully human, he would have been tossed into the woods, never to be seen again. Either mauled to death, succumbing to starvation/dehydration or taken in by one of the elusive fae this story is centred around. Now, Fae! Kirby would be a very interesting character to write about. But that is not for this story...

Kirby's dirty blonde hair (or pudding blonde, as I like to call it) makes the blue of his cape stand out more. If I had chosen brown hair, which is closer to pink and easier to make a gradient out of, it would have blended too much with the fur on the cloak. This worked back when Kirby's cloak was more on the green/cyan side. But that was before I made Kirby's cape and Fluff's tights match. (Though Kirby's hair does appear brown in low light/the dark)

I can also geek out about Kirby's eye colour with this close-up. Kirby's eyes have violet shading in this AU to bring in the colour purple to their palette and accentuate the blues. But also to differentiate this Kirby from canon Kirby as I paint puffball Kirby and Gijnka Kirby with green-blue eyes. Kirby's undertunic woollen sweater is already green, so it would have been too much green. Plus, I couldn't have it contrast with the pinks Kirby uses/is going to use. Blue/violet is a nice compromise as it is analogous to purple.

And now the last touch - the flower crown Fluff weaved into Kirby's hair as Kirby took a nap. They are just a bunch of pink and white roses. Nothing sinister about it :) (I got a little lazy with them, but you get the gist)

Okay, but seriously. The meaning of white and pink roses is peculiar. On their own white roses represent loyalty, purity, and innocence. It is a popular wedding flower and can also mean: eternal love and a brand new start. Pink Roses mean grace and sweetness. Other interpretations include; gentleness, appreciation, joy, thankfulness, and elegance. Pink and white roses are used in anniversaries, graduations or as wedding gifts.

Combined, the Blue rose, pink and white roses mean: "Love at first sight, pure/gentle and graceful/elegant person - I attained the impossible/mystery, and I am thankful for this joy/new beginning you bestowed upon me."

And so, in the end, Fluff's magenta and blue shades have been added to Kirby's colour palette. More of Kirby's references follow after Fluff's turn with his early chapters appearances.

Thank you so much for making it to the end of my design notes. Until next time. ♪(^∇^*)ブ

(Don't be afraid to ask questions about this AU. I am all too happy to answer them)

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sonicasura · 3 years

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Balan Wonderworld Review - Favorite Costumes Part 1

I have officially beat the game with every single Gold Balan Statue in every level, got the Balan Costume, got all the main game costumes and the latest section of the Tower of Tims that I need to unlock being the sixth section.

I had quite a ball playing the game despite Square Enix being backstabbers to Balan Company and the game. Now, this huge ass review will split into different categories and will have their own page. These categories are:

Favorite Costumes

Level Design and Level Music

Boss and Boss Music

Now, these picks will be my personal opinion. I'm starting with costumes because it's probably the hardest out of these to choose from since every costume has incredible designs to them.

There will be two picks for each Chapter: a Common Costume and a Rare Costume.

Common Costumes are those you can easily find in each act. If you can find them in multiple spots in one act or they can seen im both acts then they count as common.

Rare Costumes are ones you have to go the extra length to find. Some are hidden while others require certain costumes to get.

The Balan Costume isn't being counted for obvious reasons. It is the only costume found on the Isle of Tims and it's requirements are staggering.

How To Get Balan Costume

First you need to feed the Tim Statue on the isle a certain amount of Rainbow Drops. Once it's full, you need to get a white Crowned Tim. This very Tim can be acquired by getting Tims with three badges.

A Tim can get a badge for consuming the equivalent of 30 Tim Drops(3 large drops) in either blue, pink or red colors. You need at least 2 Tims with all 3 badges and then breed them together. It is trial and error so I suggest getting multiple Tims with badges but also exit the game if ya fail to get a white Crowned Tim.

Once you have the Tim, do a level and it should be the proper size to pick up. Throw it at the statue and it will become the Father Tim. That big Tim will fly you up to the costume so you can get. If ya lose the costume, then give the Father Tim more Rainbow Drops. Rainbow Drops can be given by redoing stages, bosses or Tim Statues scattered about the levels.

Now let's get started.

Chapter 1

Common Costume: Tornado Wolf

An obvious choice for me. Wolves are one of my favorite animals and werewolves being one of my favorite mythological creatures. Tornado Wolf can be found in Act 1 and in the Boss Level. A simple jump engulfs the player in a mini tornado that can reflect wind projectiles and break blocks.

Powerful, agile and cute plus Tornado Wolf just gives me Werehog nostalgia since I'm a Sonic Unleashed fan.

Rare Costume: Jumping Jack

You can't just give me an adorable kangaroo and one of the better costumes when it's comes to movement. Jumping Jack can only be found in Act 1 so it's actually rare. This costume allows the player to do a flutter jump, great for getting extra air, reaching slightly far platforms and a decent recovery.

It's a costume I suggest stocking up on since you can't get the better mobility options until Chapter 6 Act 2. Also love there's a plushie in the pouch and the white patches of fur. Kangaroo are marsupials who do carry young in their pouches, and the silver tufts just add extra charm to the design.

Chapter 2

Common Costume: Jelly Jolt

Very useful! The Jelly Jolt is the perfect costume when it comes to electric resistance and make enemies stay five feet away while you shock them to hell. Can be found in Act 1 and the Boss Act. First time seeing an adorable jellyfish that actually doesn't mean harm.

Jellicent, Frillish, and Healslimes don't count considering the former have a habit of wrecking ships and the latter is a pain in the ass in boss fights or tough opponents. Also, all of these attack you! Case in point.

Rare Costume: Double Jumper

Definite pick for many reasons. This costume can only be found in Act 2 and requires the Fixer Upper Costume in Chapter 12 or the Frost Fairy Costume in Chapter 8(harder difficulty for reaching it).

It allows you to double jump, a godsend when it comes to reaching Balan Statues, costumes, recovery and careful platforming. You can get some major air with this costume and makes backtracking for certain levels easier.

I love the demonic imp design too. Imps are agile and mischievous creatures after all. Just like the basis, this costume is difficult to grab like the imp.

Chapter 3

Common Costume: Sickle Slicer

Slickle Slicer are one of your first go-to for fighting spiked enemies. This costume can be found in Act 2 and the Boss Act, it allows you to throw sickles that act like a boomerang. If you do a combo, these sickles can go farther than their already decent range.

The design is a very nice touch since the praying mantis can be considered a high level predator amongst insects. The costume is quite agile which helps in a pinch against fast opponents.

Rare Costume Itsy Bitsy Elf

A mini chinchilla perfect for tiny doors. Costume can only be found in Act 2 and takes some careful platforming to get. Suggest using the Jumping Jack costume if you don't want to wait for the better option in Chapter 6. This costume lets you enter tiny doors that often hold Balan Statues or Balan Bout inside. Very adorable, very fast (probably second fastest in the main story) and super fun.

Chapter 4

Common Costume: Aero Acrobat

Holy Balloon Popping Batman! This costume can be found in Act 1, Act 2 and the Boss Act. It allows you to pop balloons and even jump kick enemies caught in the crosshair. Balloons are scattered about in various levels and this guy is a great option of transport to reach these specific areas.

The aviator outfit makes it even better and I love bats. Probably my favorite flying mammal of the bunch since I often have a bat ally in games like Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, a Crobat for hunting escape happy Legendaries in Pokemon and Hidabat in Yokai Watch.

Rare Costume: Happy Horn

My first performing costume. It can be found in Act 2 and performs on special stage platforms scattered throughout chapters. A good way to gain some extra drops and hear a different version of stage clear. Not only is the costume charming, this is the first time I actually like listening to a marching band.

Chapter 5

Common Costume: Guardian Bird

The first costume to find in Act 1, can also be found in Act 2 and the Boss Act. The Guardian Bird costume lets you throw a mini whirlwind in midair. A nice costume to have for hitting far off opponents and counter wind projectiles.

I love the purple and yellow of the feathers and that orange mimics the bandana and ponytail of the costume's human equivalent. This costume is quite quick and good for dodging, the ability can act as a last second recovery should the need arrives.

Rare Costume: Sickle Slayer

A much stronger version of the Sickle Slicer that can be found in Act 2. One of the early options for breaking iron blocks or fighting iron coated opponents. The extra bulk does slow down the player but the payoff is worth it.

The larger size, serrated sickles and the color palette proves that this is a costume you rightfully earned. A sign that you can handle the much stronger costumes that can be found in the game. The general amongst the Sickle race.

Chapter 6

Common Costume: Pumpkin Puncher

The Fruity Boxer! A costume found in Act 1, 2 and the Boss! This costume lets you punch opponents from afar with straight Rayman equivalent punches. Doing a combo even extends the range. A faster hitter than the Sickle Costumes but also great at getting tons of Drops from Negati. If you take out tons of Negati in a single costume without changing or getting hit, the number of Drops they give increases.

I love the design since it's practically a scarecrow boxer. The outfit is cute, has a sort of fanciness you can only find in medieval periods in wealthy districts.

Rare Costume- Air Cat

The princess of platforming. This costume can only be found in Act 2 and allows the player to walk on air for a short amount of time. A perfect option for reaching far off areas, recovery and even avoiding ground hazards.

I've used this costume A LOT for most of my playthrough of the game. Even go back to Chapter 6 just to restock if I run out. This costume is that good. Very adorable too, just has this Artistocats nostalgia to it as well. Also I am a cat lover, literally got 5 cats at home and all are rescues as well.

That will be it for now. Part 2 of Favorite Costumes will be out sometime this week. I would've put the whole thing here but Tumblr limits how many pictures you can add to a post, 10 to be precise. Also, I don't want to make this too long for any fellow readers.

Until next time folks! See ya back in Wonderworld.

#balan company #balan wonderworld #balan wonderland #my personal opinion #costumes #balan wonderworld costumes #video game review #sonicasura #personal favorites #balan company's innocent #fuck square enix #fucksquareenix

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ignify-caligo · 3 years

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hello!! i’m loving all ur hcs for marceau SO much, maybe ☼ or ♒️ for him if u want to? <3

I’m so sorry for the wait, wasn’t quite sure about what direction I should go about these ;3; But nonetheless, I’m literally living for Marceau right now and his adoptive papa Roche! There’s some mention of darker stuff in this, but it’s not explicitly described or anything, but just a heads up! For those reasons I took the liberty to switch on the hc, hoe you don’t mind that! :D

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

☼ - appearance headcanon

tw: most likely suggestive content (minor description of abuse aftermath, non healthy relationships between “employer” & “employee” etc. - not explicitly described)

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

He has quite a complicated relationship with food in general. Being a “late bloomer” with consuming any kind of blood in the “vampire way”, while being extremely picky with human food. Marceau’s food choices while being under de Kaspar's care was either eating the dinners scraps put together in a stew-like fashion or vegetarian food. The family thought that cutting out any animal products in his diet would stop his development as a vampire and keep him “normal”.

When it comes to his time in Temeria… You can describe it as “like adoptive father/mentor like son”. He has never touched any cooking associated with things in his life, having the de Kaspars servants do all the necessary things besides eating the food themselves. So, he’s being thrown into this whole “you’re on your own” lifestyle, where he must help in the cooking department whenever the stripes are out of the castle’s walls. His assigned food making with Shorty, who’s basically the whole group's main cook out there, and Marceau is picked to assist with preparing the ingredients for the stew. Shorty ends up going to the wagon with the food rations because he forgot something, and that’s when Marceau fails miserably. He ends up creating a grease fire in the middle of the camp, in woods, 10 minutes from a nearby water source. It hasn’t been even 5 seconds before he managed to show his low cooking skills. Shorty’s favourite limited Mahakam edition pan, which he called Panalope and it just stopped existing because it melted. Roche was having a glitch right in the chaos because he either could comfort the only person able to cook something edible for miles or take care of the apprentice/adopted child of his that basically was on the verge of tears. The problem got solved when Ves took care of Marceau while Roche was being there for Shorty who was “saying his last goodbyes” with his favourite cooking pan. After they return to Vizima, Marceau uses his saved coins to buy a new pan as an apology gift for Shorty. He ends up giving the present, saying he apologize and vacating the premises out of embarrassment.

While the squad is staying at the castle, Marceau gets too frequently invited to Foltet’s quarters for a late supper. They are alone, all night, without any witnesses. Whatever happens behind those doors makes Marceau look and act as if he has seen the Wild Hunt right before his eyes, while Foltest is being too smug for it to be a simple “colleague lunch”. The squad is concerned whenever they see Marceau leaving right after breakfast and then witnessing him forcing himself into throwing up. They don’t directly question him about it, but it’s still something that doesn’t sit with them, especially those who are extremely close to him. Many just think it is something that isn’t necessarily happy during the mornings, but Ves is not believing in the theory that it’s just a “Marceau/Young kids thing”. She’s relentless about what is happening to her new little brother while Roche has his suspicions… alas who can question the king’s habits? Especially when it doesn’t concern the whole group.

Something that originated from chatting with (toss a coin) One thing he's absolute, not good with handling is the sugars. Whatever it be candy, cake or even a good number of fruits, he absolute loses it. He ends up with so-called “Marceau Zoomies”, which can be shortly described as a cat running around the house at 3 am. But in his case, it’s a giant Katakan running around without any way of stopping, because of the energy. Roche is completely tired whenever he needs to keep an eye on the energized humanoid bat, and he has had enough of weird shit happening to him thank you. So, he bans sugar from Marceau’s diet altogether and it’s heart-breaking. Because there were people dependent on that energy whenever there was something to do, for example, Dettlaff.

☼ - appearance headcanon

People think that he's constantly sick with the cold, because of his skin tone. The truth is though, that his leucistic – the only pigmentation he has of any kind shows through his eyes being golden. Many react to that with some Witcherphobia because they usually heard of monster killers with gold eyes. Marceau at first is confused, because what is a Witcher? And why are the people of the north so against them? At the start he was fearing that the townsfolk were talking about his “true identity” but when he joined the stripes, they quickly sat the whole situation straight. Even though it’s not that often now, but sometimes people tend to still give him the suspicious glance or even crude comments. Those stepping over the line, happen to be more personally known with one of the blue stripes, behind the tavern, in private where no one can intervene. Marceau tends to end up easily bruised, sunburned, or acquire any typical skin injuries because of his skin tone and how that effect everything. Sadly, he can’t get a tan to save his life, whatever if he stands outside for the whole day, his skin either ends up burned up or he’s still white as snow. Which in turn makes it easier to see his bruising shaped like someone’s hands whenever he’s gone for the night.

You can easily describe him as being a lanky tree, quite like Regis’ build as well. His eating habits have a big impact on his overall weight and body, I imagine a vampire in his class (Katakan) being more dependent on regular “human feedings” to keep a good form. Compared to Dettlaff who’s more flexible when it comes to blood-drinking, both Regis and Marceau are on the more malnourished side. Which probably is connected to the amount of “vampiric like diet” both are willing to do. Eating “human food” doesn’t necessarily help with weight loss but still, it quells the hunger they feel.

He doesn’t have any noticeable scarring on his face or any area near it. But if he takes off his fingerless gloves… when you’re going to see the welts on his palms. Whenever he was deemed to act “too vampiric” it would end in punishment, whatever it be being locked in his room or like I mentioned, being hit with any object good enough to leave a mark. Of course, our young Marceau didn’t have any ideas about why he’s being treated like this until he filled 16 years. Before that, his adoptive parents tried to do anything to prevent him from becoming a beast in human flesh. Each time he moves his jaw too quickly or is chewing something, you can hear a distinctive pop sound. He acquired this injury when he was around 10 years old when he got angry at one of his so-called siblings and out of frustration bit them. His jaw locked up around the child’s arm and the blood flooded his mouth, which in turn made him bite harder with his vampire teeth pocking further than a simple human could. The commotion created because of this situation alerted the father, who firstly forced his jaws to unluck. When he dislocated his jaw by punching his face. Supposedly it was because the father was scared that Marceau would do it again, but after that, it turned into “I was making sure you would learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable”.

In the clothing department, Marceau prefers his everyday stripes uniform to any more casual clothing. It acts as a security blanket, where simply farmers won’t directly look at him because he's one of the “Temerian human scoia’tael” as many refer to them behind their back. As it is expected, he upholds himself to the official blue-white-silver main palette, with all leather parts of his armour being brown. Something that disunites him from the other stripes, is the number of pockets and small satchels he carries on himself. He loves collecting stuff, whatever it be shiny rocks from a riverbank, or a bunch of hazelnuts freshly picked from a tree. Keeping those satchels with him is practical because he can store some important for the mission objects or small trinkets he finds during boring patrols. He’s a literal magpie, with so strong senses that he can find anything, which in turn makes Roche’s life more complicated with “Marceau, you can’t honestly keep all these things!”.

For his first birthday together with the stripes, he ends up getting a bandana from Roche. It’s a beautiful and soft thing, with the iconic blue stripes on a black background, with small embroidery fleur de lis in silver right on the edges. He tried to make it into a chaperone because, if Roche looks good in it, so surely will I! His dream ended with Ves kindly telling him: “You look like an absolute imbecile in a chaperone”. So instead, he simply wears it around his neck to save himself the embarrassment.

Lastly, here’s a little about his other form! Besides being a walking snowball with his leucism, he also is quite fluffier compared to the other Katakans. He has a bigger per cent of his body covered in cloud-soft fur. He's quite like the Honduran White Bat, the only difference is the ears and other parts colouration. In the real bats, their ears are yellowish in colour, while Marceau keeps his pinkish hues in those areas. In comparison to his 177 cm in human form, Katakan! Marceau stands at 220cm and is still in the growth spurt for his kind. Whatever form he is, he always is taller than Roche who’s at the majestic height of 175cm while Iorveth is around 185cm.

This is “human form” of Marceau:

Headcanon Meme Here

#marceau oc #vernon roche #ves witcher #king foltest #foltest #blue stripes #the witcher #the witcher series #the witcher games #the witcher headcanon #the witcher oc #caligo's post #caligo's headcanons #caligo's oc #caligo answers q.#Marceau is my emotional fuel right now 😭😩#and how doni thank him? trauma✨#thank you so much for asking about him because I love these fluffy vampy!!

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danwhobrowses · 3 years

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WWE Summerslam 2021 - Initial Reaction and Review

It's been a big week for wrestling in general, and now we have the Biggest Party of the Summer in the books, uncharacteristically airing on a Saturday.

It's been a while since I've run down a WWE PPV, time and apathy does have a bit to do with it, but since this is a big 4 and given what happened in Chicago there's definitely curiosity over how WWE would respond

Spoilers for Summerslam 2021 Below, I will be discussing the winners and moments so watch the PPV first

As usual I will indicate in the title who was the person I expected to win before the match started, but instead of Bold this time I'll put them in Italics with the whole match card being in bold

Kick-off

A long-ass kickoff was majority promo and interviews, not any contrarion drabble this time which was good. It was kinda sad to see Asuka on the packages but nowhere to be seen on the card.

I did like the sign guy of 'McAfee = Ratings' because he's kinda right, he has been great on commentary. I did not miss that dude in the Fiend Mask though, or the Lily Doll.

I will reiterate though that Sonya Deville is wasted right now, let her back in the goddamn ring, SD's Women's Division does need it and they make her look like a goof as Assistant GM.

Also apparently the Mysterios vs Usos aren't good enough for a promo package, not like it's a title match or anything... plus the disrespect still there, 'I wouldn't wanna work with my dad' they say like Rey isn't a multi time world champion with a huge wealth of experience.

The Miz and Morrison came in with a water truck to a mixed pop of cheers and boos, this moist gimmick ain't great but props for both guys being dedicated to it, it was short enough not to overstay its welcome too.

Ugh, Logan Paul is here...

Big E def. Baron Corbin (Pinfall via Big Ending) We had a new announcer from a Tiktok competition winner called Raine, and you know she was really good at it.

Corbin entered to boos hugging the MITB briefcase he stole, unable to afford entrance music it seems even though he's getting a PPV paycheck. To his credit he looks ultra disheveled, and when the ref had to pry the briefcase from him he looked super forlorn. I dunno why he's wrestling in a shirt though wouldn't that make it dirtier?

When the bell rings E does basically go right at Corbin, Corbin got a shoulder block in but then got caught in a belly to belly - despite protests - then a belly to backp. E missing the apron splash as Corbin senses a countout win, at 7 he leaves the ring to hit E against the ring post to try and eke out more time, demanding that the timekeeper keep the briefcase in his sights. E does return to the ring but his spear goes right is sidestepped into the ringpost, then thrown into them two more times, but only gets 2.

Corbin continues with some momentum with a sidewalk slam for 2, but his chokeslam is reversed into a rollup for 2 then a stretch muffler. He escapes and hits the Deep Six for 2, then 1.8, Corbin then stumbles to the briefcase, considering an exit before being hit with a lariat. E throws Corbin into the ring, but Corbin rolls right out, grabs the briefcase and tries to run around the ring only to be pounced into the barricade by Big E. The cat and mouse chase comes to an end, Corbin elbows E to get some room to roll to the other side of the ring but E catches him with that suicide spear he does, the briefcase is dropped and the straps are off: Big Ending for 3.

Shots of Logan Paul are hilariously met with huge boos as Big E finally reclaims his briefcase to a pop.

It was a nice little match, good palette cleanser and a nice and clean competition, Corbin had no chance in winning but it was a solid way to warm up the crowd for the main ppv.

Our final bit of the kick-off was discussing the UNI main event, though I feel like losing your job is a higher stake than winning your 17th world title. Also they had to force in the shucky ducky which was dumb.

Main Show

Raw Tag Team Championship: RK-Bro [Randy Orton & Riddle] def AJ Styles & Omos (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall on Styles by Orton via RKO) Starting the night with some fun as Riddle comes out in a garish snake print outfit with a cerise pink lining, Orton didn't get the fashion memo thankfully but his hologram snake was cheesy. Riddle interacted with the crowd and had the multicoloured holo-doves while Orton mainly kept to himself. AJ and Omos came out together, though Omos had no theatrics, looking like a bouncer being invited to dinner still.

Orton and AJ started the match, Orton with the early advantage and tagging Riddle in for an assisted backflip for a 1 count, AJ rolls out the ring frustrated then tags in Omos, who just ragdolls Riddle; Shoulder Block, big clubbing blow then a delayed powerslam - an interesting glance over to Orton as well as they smile at each other, almost like Orton approved. Omos tries to deadlift Riddle with a wristlock but Riddle scrambles into a sleeper, but is flipped off then flattened in the corner. AJ tags in, platforming Omos for a Tornado DDT for 2, Riddle tries to fight out but runs into a backbreaker as AJ tells Orton 'you're next'.

During the rest hold, the crowd rallies Riddle back into the fight, AJ looks to have reclaimed an advantage and throws Riddle to his corner, but Riddle turns it into a dropkick on Omos, then dumps AJ out the ring. Riddle tries to tag Orton but AJ grabs him, enzugiri by Riddle allows Orton to make the hot tag. Clotheslines on AJ, a forearm to Omos - but it only stuns him, doesn't even fall to the floor, backdrop and another forearm to Omos that again fails to drop him. Clothesline to corner and a powerslam, this time Orton drops Omos out the ring by dropkicking the knees, draping DDT gets Orton feeling the RKO, but Omos drags AJ out the ring, then catches Riddle's dive to chokeslam him onto the apron. AJ stuns Orton with a jawbreaker on the ropes and gestures Omos to finish Riddle, but Riddle escapes the lawn dart and pushes Omos into the ring post. AJ though catches Riddle with his backflip reverse DDT on the outside, he misses the Phenomenal Forearm, but stands his ground against the RKO attempt, he rolls up for 2 and then lands into an RKO for 3.

It didn't last long but it was a fun opener, it was time for a title change and RK-Bro was a good choice. It's a shame Styles has to be the weak link but you can't be surprised that WWE continue to protect Omos.

Alexa Bliss (w/Lily) def. Eva Marie (w/ Doudrop) (Pinfall via DDT) The Lily hologram was fucking horrifying as Bliss carries the doll and puts it on the corner turnbuckle. Bliss weaves Eva effortlessly, she tries a waistlock but gets elbowed off. Eva gets a punch and a hair yank then...poses. She grabs Lily and starts slapping the doll, then slapping Alexa with the doll. Alexa then goes on the attack, clotheslines then a senton for 2, she puts Lily back as Eva argues with Doudrop. Alexa misses the Twisted Bliss and Eva gets 2 twice, a kick to the gut and a DDT finishes off Eva.

Post-match, Doudrop only looks smugly at Eva and grabs a microphone, announcing Eva as the loser, stealing her gown and walking away as Eva insists she made Doudrop.

This match didn't need to happen, in fact it could've just been a segment, but at least WWE were sensible in not having Eva Marie win against a former women's champion. They also didn't do any spooky shit and put the narrative mainly on Doudrop being free to hopefully be Piper Niven again, once again it didn't overstay its welcome.

Mario Lopez (who?) interviews RK-Bro on their title win, Orton cuts his normal promo but gets stumbled by trying to fit 'Bro' into his '3 most deadly letters in wrestling' catchphrase.

US Championship: Damian Priest def. Sheamus (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall via Recknoning) Immediately after the interview Priest was already on the ramp, in blue gear with the USA and Puerto Rico flag on his tights, he did his archer pose to set off his tron. The Tron had a bit of an issue with Sheamus' opening, Sheamus wandered in with his face guard and coat. Sidebar, I still don't like the US Title design, it's better than the old one but not by much.

The two start by locking up, some solid chain wrestling shows that Sheamus has the power but Priest has the agility. After a pump kick, Priest hits a Falcon Arrow for 1, he has a bit of a nasty landing with his mid-rope flip senton out the ring, his heel clipped Sheamus' head but Priest's back had a hard landing on the floor, not easy to get distance when you step off the middle rope. Despite a flurry of kicks, Sheamus focuses on the back by throwing him into the ring post, belly to back and also an Irish Curse lead to a Camel Clutch, but Priest escapes that, Sheamus picks him up but Priest elbows out, so then he tries to powerbomb and Priest rana's out of that. Momentum is short though as Sheamus gets a powerslam for 2, a Dublin Smile and a Beats of the Bodhrán but he cuts the count short to slight the crowd's chant. His timewasting is punished by a Tornado DDT from Priest, they trade blows and a lariat floors Sheamus, a spinning leg lariat from the top rope only gets him 2.

Priest sets up the Reckoning, but is picked up for a rolling fireman's carry slam, Sheamus slowly climbs the turnbuckle, giving Priest time to look for a chokeslam, but Sheamus shimmies along the ropes and gets a massive rope-assisted jawbreaker, top turnbuckle clothesline and an Alabama Slam only gets 2. Sheamus angrily talks shit at Priest, Priest slaps him but Sheamus headbutts him back. He sets up the Brogue Kick but Priest gets the Big Boot and the South of Heaven, but it only gets 2. Priest tries the Reckoning but his back won't handle the weight, he tries a Disaster Kick but runs into a knee to the face, it's only a 2. After being furious with the ref Sheamus tries the Cloverleaf, but gets rolled up for 2, he catches Priest in a heel hook in the middle of the ring, with no ropes to reach, Priest reaches for the face guard, ripping it off of Sheamus. Madness in his eyes, Priest unloads on Sheamus' face, causing Sheamus to cover up and release the hold, a flapjack into the top turnbuckle stuns Sheamus for another spinning Leg Lariat and then a Recknoning for 3.

A nice technical match, had some creative spots in there and Priest winning was nice to see after the Miz/Morrison feud lasted forever. I do dislike that they said it was his first title 'in WWE' though, because he was NA Champion in NXT, which is still WWE Cole. I don't think I liked that the face guard is what undid Sheamus, the dude who likes to fight shouldn't really lose to insecurity. But third time's the charm with the Reckoning.

Afterwards we had a promo for NXT TakeOver. We got a backstage talk between Rey and Dom, Dom apologizing to Rey for the SD incident and Rey forgiving it immediately, noting to stay focused on the match right now.

SD Tag Championship: The Usos (c) def. The Mysterios (Pinfall on Rey by Jey via Splash) Immediately after the promo they left the curtain to their entrance, the yellow, white and pink was...a choice, kinda miss the comic book attires. The Usos came out with the Leis and their regular gear.

Rey and Jimmy started lightning quick, Rey setting up a 619 with a rana but Jimmy rolling out of the ring, eating a basement dropkick. Jey's intervening is stopped by Dom who drops him sluggishly into his brother before he's tagged in, Rey hits the baseball slide splash and Dom the crossbody. In the ring Dom's second crossbody gets 2, three amigos by Dom but he shifted Jimmy too close to Jey, who managed to tag a leg, meaning that Jey throws Dom off the turnbuckle when he tries a Frog Splash. Jey taunts Dom after hitting him into the ring post (who has had a lot of mileage already), gesturing him to try and tag his father before cinching a headlock, Dom tries to fight back but is thrown to the other corner, Jimmy is tagged in and they hit a Backbreaker/Ax Handle combo. Jimmy taunts Dom the same way, diving headbutt for 2, the Usos spend too much time taunting Dom in their corner as the younger Mysterio staggers the twins with elbows, his rush for his father is cut off by a very nonchalant uppercut by Jey (McAfee literally yelling HADOUKEN was amazing). Jey continues to posture after suplexes and more taunting, they look for the third suplex but Dom hooks his leg, reversing it into a twisting neckbeaker.

Rey gets the hot tag as Jey tags Jimmy, planting the Uso with a tornado DDT for 2. Seated Senton and a forearm to Jey on the Apron leads to Rey walking into a Superkick for 2. Both Usos stalk Rey, looking to do a pop-up Powerbomb, but Rey ranas Jimmy out the ring, Jey gets him with a superkick to the gut, then a superkick to counter Rey's springboard crossbody, he hits the Splash but it only gets 2. Jey looks frustrated and tags Jimmy to set up the double splash, but Dom cuts Jey off, he tries to suplex Jey onto the apron but Jey drops him with a front-facing suplex instead. The delay is sufficient though since Rey rolls away from Jimmy's splash, headscissors setup, 619 for a big pop, he goes for the Frog Splash but Jimmy gets the knees up. Superkick by Jimmy, tags in Jey, double Superkick, splash by Jey and 3.

*sigh* Can Rey stop being pinned? It's not like Dom doesn't know how to take a pin. It's, it's sucky really, I've said it enough times but Rey deserves more than this given his popularity and past title wins, WWE would not do this to the likes of Edge or Cena, Angle or Goldberg, hell they wouldn't even do this to Eddie and yet Rey gets this treatment as thanks for being full time. Granted, it took like 3 finishers to down him but come on, compare the light pop this match got when everyone knew the Usos were winning with the pop Rey's hot tag and his 619 got, he still has it and they won over the crowd, with more time and narrative to their match it could've been a classic. I'm just sick of seeing one of my faves lose so much you know, if the story is Dom's inexperience then surely he would be the reason for defeat, rather than Rey being ganged up on.

Tiffany Haddish (who??) interviews Priest on his title win, apparently Priest hates bullies and he's happy...not as cool as his NA title win in the hot tub though. Summerslam could've fit in a hot tub

Rick Boogs then shreds the guitar as he welcomes King Nakamura. McAfee is dancing like a goof again on the table and Nakamura's crown falls off, but he makes up for it by playing the IC title like a guitar with Pat. He's disappeared after the Belair/Sasha package though...kinda confusing why that was there.

SD Women's Championship: Bianca BelAir (c) vs Sasha Banks CANCELLED As Bianca enters with SD Women's Title prints on her gear, the announcer says that Sasha is unable to compete, so Carmella is fighting in her stead. A shame but obviously not intended.

Bianca BelAir (c) vs Carmella INTERRUPTED Props to McAfee for noting the collective disappointment. BelAir looks disappointed too and tells Carmella that she's gonna dish out her frustration on Carmella. The title is aloft but then

Becky Lynch is here

Cameras are not showing enough of her on her return as Bianca buzzes, the crowd is on their feet. Becky's got a thicker mane than I remember, maybe it's the curls, a new shirt of 'The Man's back in Vegas' is worn by Becky too as she soaks in her pop. When the cameras stop long enough to focus on Becky she is looking extra lean. She attacks Carmella and dumps her out of the ring, she tells Bianca she'll be right back and throws Carmella into the steps, before standing off with Bianca. She grabs a microphone and asks for a title match, BelAir mulls it, but eventually accepts.

Becky Lynch def. Bianca BelAir (c) [TITLE CHANGE] (Pinfall via Manhandle Slam) Both women are amped up, Lynch offers a handshake but the moment they touch, she socks Bianca, Manhandle Slam and 3. Becky celebrates as BelAir looks stunned and a little shafted, Becky does gesture no hard feelings but, BelAir does have hard feelings.

It's a big pop for Becky's return, though I would've rather seen you know, a match. I love Becky, she's been one of my favourite women's wrestlers in WWE before she was even The Man, and I am psyched she's back, but BelAir vs Becky could've been a good match. we didn't need the Carmella stuff either just have BelAir call an open challenge in Sasha's absence. Also as thin as the SD Women's Division was Becky probably would've fit more for the Raw Women's Title situation, since we last saw her vacating it and that shit's on heavy life support, plus I was kinda hoping that Bianca could beat Sasha but Sasha would win later down the line so we could build Liv Morgan for a title win, I guess October's draft could still open it up. But yeah, happy to see Becky back.

Wrestling Olympic Gold Medalists Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Gable Stevenson come out next, I know WWE have been hot on Gable but after the scripts' comments on Simone Biles it feels forced. Tamyra was at least happy to be here.

Extreme Rules promo is next.

Drew McIntyre def. Jinder Mahal (Pinfall via Claymore) Jinder comes out first, Veer and Shanky only able to stand at the ramp and go to the back. Drew comes with his sword to summon...smoke? You can see how dull that sword is too.

Drew starts the match strong by throwing Jinder in the corner, kicks and chops followed by throws, he motions for Claymore but Jinder rolls out the ring, cutting him at the legs. Jinder's attempt to regain momentum is countered with a belly to belly, so next he tries to appeal to their past friendship but Drew isn't having it. He tries the Futureshock but Jinder kicks him in the face, stunning him for 2. Knee drops and knee chokes are followed by clubs to Drew's head and a choke, but Drew powers out and hits a Glasgow Kiss (which they called a Glaz-gao kiss, it's not that hard to say Glasgow), some more Belly to Bellies leads to a Futureshock and a kip up, 3, 2, 1, Claymore, 1, 2, 3.

McIntyre stepped over Jinder as he celebrated, Veer and Shanky tended to Jinder and then Drew grabbed his sword and started swinging...like the face he is trying to murder these dudes for tending to their boss.

Okay. Easy pop having squashed Jinder, did this need to be on PPV? Probably not, this and Bliss/Eva could've been done on Raw, rather than steal time from Usos/Mysterios and a potential Becky/BelAir banger. Nobody really got over or elevated with this.

Raw Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair def. Nikki A.S.H. (c) and Rhea Ripley [TITLE CHANGE] (Submission on Nikki by Charlotte via Figure Eight) Uncharacteristically, Nikki came out first to nothing, not a pop or a boo, it kinda sounded like fake crowd noises when we had one pop. Rhea got a mini pop next, but loud woos for Charlotte? Don't buy that especially given how she's meant to be the heel. She's in kinda Thanos gear too. The pops were louder for Rhea when her name was announced, Nikki's was mixed and Charlotte had some boos.

The bell rings as Charlotte shoves Nikki, telling her to get out the ring. Rhea shoves Charlotte but Nikki dumps Rhea out the ring, a Monkey Flip to Charlotte then a Rollup on Rhea for 1. Charlotte dumps Rhea as the two tussle, Nikki coming back to boot Charlotte off the apron as part of a bulldog on Rhea. Rhea keeps trying to keep a hold of Nikki but Nikki keeps rolling her up. Charlotte throws Nikki into Rhea like a spear then lariats Rhea and exploder's Nikki. Rhea and Charlotte trade advantages around the turnbuckle, Charlotte fights off a Nikki crossbody and powerslams Nikki onto Rhea, she tries the moonsault but Rhea gets her feet up, Nikki rolls her up but Rhea pulls her off, tries the Riptide but Nikki shifts her weight to splash her. Nikki headscissors Charlotte but is booted by Rhea, Charlotte then boots Rhea and taunts her, Rhea then starts finding energy, a Northern Lights for 1 but Charlotte then regains momentum, a huge big boot to dump Rhea out the ring, but Nikki then tornado DDTs Charlotte for 2. Basement Dropkick to Rhea gives Charlotte time to catch Nikki but Rhea german's them both, Missile Dropkick to Charlotte by Rhea only gets 2 as Charlotte flees to the outside. The two trade blows on the outside, to be flattened by Nikki's crossbody.

Pulling Charlotte in the ring, Charlotte resists the suplex, but Rhea comes in to double up on Charlotte, only for Charlotte to reverse it to a double DDT, Flair chops are suppressed but Charlotte still manages to fend off Nikki and Rhea, Corkscrew Moonsault on the outside takes the two out. She drags Rhea in but Rhea gets a boot, Nikki tries to roll up Rhea but only gets 2. Rhea's limping a bit but still kicks Nikki and cinches in her Inverted Cloverleaf, she dodges the Big Boot from Charlotte (perhaps inadvertently) and locks it into Charlotte, but she rolls through and gets the Figure 8, which is broken by Nikki's knee drop. Nikki hits a Purge but it's broken up by Rhea, she sets another Riptide but again Nikki counters this time with a Reverse Tornado DDT, dumping Rhea out the ring. Nikki sees Charlotte prone, setting up the Crossbody, but she misses, Charlotte locks the Figure 8 and taps.

Abrupt finish, it was a really well-worked match selling the chaos of the triple threat. But I never felt like Charlotte was in danger of losing, Nikki wasn't working because they rushed her new character without getting her over, so of course WWE were gonna fall back to ye olde Charlotte title win. The narrative didn't help either, she seemed like the babyface and again, didn't feel threatened, I never saw the opening for Charlotte to lose. In a vacuum it was a good match, as a whole though, since Rhea won the title at mania nobody's gotten over, they made an absolute hash of the Charlotte feud to the point where we didn't even feel invested in Rhea getting a win back, then we fast tracked a cash in. The only one who profited here was Charlotte, who got to add 2 more title reigns to her name on paper, had Becky came here to make it a 4-Way and won, it'd probably have been more hopeful because now, who is next? Asuka's AWOL, Shayna's buried, Alexa's on spooky shits, Rhea's broken, Nikki isn't getting over, who can Charlotte face at this point?

Edge def. Seth Rollins (Submission via Crossface) Dressed like some aristocrat, Seth entered first half smug half focused, it may've dragged on a bit long. Edge didn't come out to Metalingus, but instead he came out in the fires of the Brood, with the dark sunglasses, fire and the elevated platform to boot, but then Metalingus came out to give the people what they want.

The bell rings but there's a long pause to soak in the crowd investment. Edge has the early advantage with a swift punch, every time Seth tries to lock in on Edge he hits back, annoying Seth as he mulls outside the ring. He tries the Pedigree but is again dumped out the ring, this time Edge follows and throws him around the barriaces, Rollins returns to the ring but is knee'd out, but gets some advantage by dodging the Baseball Slide and driving Edge into ye olde Ring Post, then against the steps. Neckbreaker only gets 2 as he continues to focus on the neck with chokes, stomps and slingblades, another neckbreaker leads to another 2 as Seth taunts Edge about it.

A diving knee by Rollins gets 2 as Seth kicks around Edge, he tries another neckbreaker but Edge reverses into a backslide for 2, Flapjack and a tackle into the turnbuckle, Seth fends off Edge at the turnbuckle though and hits the Frog Splash for 2 but for the second time Edge rolls into the corner to avoid the stomp. Rollins pulls Edge to the turnbuckle, but Edge hits him with a top turnbuckle spinning neckbreaker, Flapjack onto the top rope, Edgecution for 2, Rollins stuns Edge by driving him into the Turnbuckle, but he misses his knee strike into an Head Yank for 2. Edge goes up top but Rollins turns it into his Superplex/Falcon Arrow combo for 2, he sets up the Stomp but misses, tries the Pedigree but Edge wriggles out, Glam Slam by Edge for 2, nice homage for Beth there. Seth gets back the momentum though, Jawbreaker on the ropes then a neckbreaker on the ropes, Edge dodges the stomp on the apron though and throws Seth into the ring post (not ye olde ringpost though it's a different one) and then a spear through the ropes into the outside. A bulldog into the apron LED only gets 2, but now Edge is setting up the spear, but Rollins counters into a Pedigree (Pat mustn't have watched Roman vs Seth before because he said he has never seen that counter) but it only gets 2.

Rollins climbs up top looking for the Phoenix Splash, he lands on his feet and rolls away but walks into a spear, 1, 2, No. Edge now looking for the Killswitch but Rollins clubs then kicks Edge in the back of the head, he tries the Stomp but Edge rolls and catches the boot, turning it into an Edgecator, Seth reaches for the ropes so Edge tries to pull him back, but in releasing the hold he gets rolled up for 2. Edge then tries the Crossface, rolling to the center of the ring, but Edge slams his head into the mat and reapplies it for the tapout.

A nicely worked match again that managed to showcase a lot of Edge's past bag of tricks. The second I was wrong about too, I expected Seth to get some momentum to try and challenge Roman like he had been teasing before this feud (on that note, where's Cesaro? Miss that dude), but it was definitely something for the fans to cheer about. The narrative of avoiding the Stomp was also good for the storytelling, Seth doesn't lose anything in defeat either, he's took 2 spears, 2 crossfaces, Edgecator and the Edgecution.

MITB 22 is announced on 4th July at the Allegiant Stadium, Vegas (the same venue as tonight). Expect there to be a Murica match in there. In addition attendance today is 51k. We scope back around to Miz and Morrison's kickoff thing, mostly getting a jobber entrance. The moist jokes were worst this time around as they marketed the 'Drip Stick 2000' which neither had. Who did have it? A very wet and long-haired Xavier Woods with a cocktail stick in their mouth and a 'New Day Order' shirt. Woods convinces the crowd to rally into shooting them with a water gun, though it didn't really get a pop in the act, dumb shit really but whatever Woods' new look is I dig it.

WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) (c) def. Goldberg (via Ref Stoppage) Lashers out first...no sanctity it seems. He's walking into the ring with purpose, his pose has no pyro though, kinda a lukewarm smoke that'd make Revolution 2020's explosion smirk. Goldberg does his usual entrance, lots of quick camera switching again. Dude looks a bit top-heavy tbh, skipping those leg days. Lashley paces across Goldberg's periphery, it doesn't look like there'll be underestimation in this fight.

They lock up first, a bit of strength testing, Goldberg tanks a shoulder block, grounding Lashley with a flying shoulder block, then a body slam. Goldberg is keeping the advantage with corner attacks and clotheslines but Lashley clubs at the back. He sets up a Jackhammer for insult to injury, but Goldberg keeps his leg hooked, he tries to lift Lashley but can't follow through and gets hit with a flatliner. No sympathy from Lashley as he clubs at the back of the head before uncharacteristically going up top, which Goldberg punishes by throwing him down, Goldberg looks for the Spear but MVP yanks Lashley outside, only for Goldberg to spear him on the outside anyway.

Goldberg sets up a second spear, but as the ref focuses on Lashley rolling out the other side, MVP thwacks Goldberg's knee with his cane, distracting Goldberg long enough to be chop blocked. Chokeslam makes Lashley look for the Hurt Lock, but he can't connect the fingers, as Goldberg escapes though he gets chop blocked again, causing Goldberg to leave the ring. Lashley follows, lifting him up and charging him knee first into the ring post twice. Struggling to stand, the Ref throws the match.

The match is over but Lashley continues to attack the leg with a steel chair. Gage Goldberg attempts to jump but gets wrenched with a Hurt Lock. MVP tries to assure that Lashley wouldn't have known that he was attacking Goldberg's son but it means little, Goldberg insisting he's gonna kill Lashley, meaning this feud isn't over.

The heat was right, the delivery was wrong. We've seen people beat Goldberg clean, I don't see why Lashley, who has beaten people who have beaten Goldberg clean, couldn't do that himself? Needing MVP's help flattens the statement made.

Camera work got a bit wonky there when promoting the Main Event

Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) def. John Cena (Pinfall via Spear) Cena's the first to come out, sporting a Super Mario-esque shirt showing his 16 world title reigns, the reigns also shown on the tron, they actually mentioned Ric Flair this time. The Bronze Statue hologram for Roman is still tacky, but he comes out flanked with his cousins and Paul, smoke again instead of pyro - I wonder if they weren't allowed to pyro. Heyman whispers the Usos to leave Roman to walk the ramp. I spotted an 'Anyone but you Roman' sign in the crowd, before McAfee makes me smirk again by calling Roman an 'absolute stud'.

Roman's a little ginger about locking up with Cena, but is goaded into it, winning the shoulder block. A second lock up leads to a Cena roll up for 1, trying to call back to the go home smackdown, another schoolboy for 2 but Roman laughs it off. Roman doesn't lock up again, kicking and clubbing at Cena while mocking the crowd, a lariat is reversed into another rollup for 2 but gets him back with a reverse lariat (he used the back of his arm, like a chop lariat), a Suplex by Roman leads to a 2 count, then the rest hold. Cena tries to break but Roman smacks him, another suplex for 2 then he dumps Cena out the ring, Cena blocks the punch and tries to flurry back, but is whipped into the steel steps. After some posturing Roman smacks Cena headfirst into the steps again, then posing with the belt as he claims that the crowd needs him, he saunters to the ring but walks into another schoolboy for 2, leading to another punch.

Roman insists that Cena can't win like this, but in his gloating Cena almost lifts him for the AA, which Roman counters into a DDT for 2. Roman almost looks bored, telling the hard cam that he's not apologetic about hurting Cena, Cena once again tries the forearms but when he tries the flying shoulder block he runs into an uppercut. Roman mocks Cena for having only five moves, but again it's a rollup for 2, this time Roman counters with a sleeper, Cena tries to fight but Roman puts his body weight on him, he tries again and Roman uses his weight again, only this time Cena launches him into the corner and follows up with a clothesline. Then come the shoulder tackles, the twisting front drop, but as he tiredly goes for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, Roman snaps in the Guillotine, Cena tries the Jackknife pin for 2, the hold is broken but this time it's a Superman Punch. Roman wastes too much time though and his spear is countered with a kick, this time the 5 Knuckle Shuffle hits, AA, 1, 2, No. Heyman's having heart palpitations ringside but Cena's locked in the STF, Roman makes the rope to break the hold and leaves the ring, but as Cena looks to follow he's hit by a Drive By.

Roman looks to put Cena away with a Spear on the outside, but Cena counters it with an AA through the Announcer's Table, he drags Roman back into the ring but only gets the 2. Cena goes up top, looking for a dropkick maybe, but he's caught into a powerbomb for 2. Roman seems to be prepping his Superman Punch, but Cena rolls for 2, picks up for the AA but can't lift him all the way, allowing Roman to hit the Superman Punch for another 2. Roman is getting irritated now, Cena's been in his head after all, he goes for the Spear but meets ye olde ring post. Cena pulls Roman up for the Avalanche AA, he lands it, 1, 2, No! Cena taunts Roman this time, quoting his entrance theme then mocking the Oooowaaah, the Spear is cut off though, instead they trade blows, one Superman Punch, two Superman Punch, Roman declares he is WWE and lands the Spear, 1, 2, 3.

Roman stands over the prone Cena, but then the noise is heard. Brock Lesnar is in the building, and he still has the hipster look. Cameras lose control again as Heyman finds a conflict in interest, dude is absolutely jacked though. He approaches Roman in a staredown, but Roman just leaves the ring to close the night. Apparently off-air Lesnar then attacked Cena.

You know what would've made this match better? If the conclusion wasn't so forgone after Smackdown. Did anyone actually think that WWE would let Roman quit? At least before Roman's career was at stake there was a 10% chance Cena could leave as the winner, which would've made the nearfalls much more believable.

As for Lesnar, well, Vince always wanted Roman/Brock to be the main level feud and he's always getting his way. It'll draw, but it only puts paper over the submarine window that is the problem.

Conclusion

A good PPV though. I don't think there was any match that was awful. And that's kinda saying something with Eva Marie involved. Some segments and matches were, legless perhaps, stuff you could've be done with or even just put on Raw which is a shame because that took time from matches, as I said I would've liked to actually see Becky and Bianca wrestle and the Mysterios get more time.

The returns were good, I suppose Chicago definitely had nothing to do with that. But I'm not gonna be sad about seeing Becky Lynch again.

My main problem is probably how despite the big card, there was no doubt, I mean I got all but a couple of matches right on this card and it was because the matches were all built so obviously, those two frankly I predicted because I expected a bit more swerve. Part of it could be the fatigue of all the good wrestling we've seen so far but compared to other PPVs where I've felt on the edge of my seat or shaking in my ribs I just felt cosy, like it was a casual watch.

It was certainly not bad, definitely a good outing with good wrestling, but there is room still to improve on the narrative, and camera work like seriously learn to linger, immediate snap cuts throw people off. New directions are ahead to fulfill that so hopefully WWE can find a course to get back on.

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 years

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Ya know what these self-indulgent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow posts need? Self-indulgent banner art, that’s what.

Spoilers for issue #4!

Let’s start this off right with CREATOR CREDITS. Issue 4 of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is titled “Restraint, Endurance, and Passion.” Written by Tom King, Art by Bilquis Evely, Colors by Matheus Lopes, Letters by Clayton Cowles, and Edited by Brittany Holzherr. (w/ Assist. Editor: Bixie Mathieu & Senior Editor Mike Cotton)

THE STORY:

Right, so this? This issue? Best one yet.

Also the bleakest of the bunch thus far; even though we don’t always see the brutality of the space pirates that Kara and Ruthye are following, there’s...the suggestion of it. The aftermath. And how Kara responds to it.

Okay, getting a little ahead of myself. BASIC PLOT SUMMARY: Ruthye and Kara continue their pursuit of Krem, who has taken up with Barbond’s Brigands.

The Brigands basically just. Murder and terrorize people, for profit.

Each planet they visit brings new horrors, as well as people who need Supergirl’s help.

And help she does.

KARA-CTERIZATION:

I yell a lot about the art on this book, and have, in fact, openly admitted that I’m primarily here for Evely and Lopes.

Well, that wily son-of-a-gun King went and wrote some of the best ‘Super’ stuff I’ve ever read and dang it, dang it, now I gotta yell about the words too. XD

Specifically, I wanna yell (in a good way!) about some words that occur towards the very end of the book.

Kara and Ruthye have Seen Some Things; things like genocide and mass grave sites and horrible violence, and upon reaching a planet where peaceful monks were slaughtered, Kara’s had enough, and needs to leave because if she screams, she’ll destroy what little is left of the monks’ monastery.

Here’s the text in full, because my gosh. It’s so good:

“What I write next I write based on my observations in those long-ago days at the side of the greatest warrior in the history of this august reality we all call home. It is important to note that my assertions do not rely on anything Supergirl said. It was not a subject we ever discussed or even approached, but nonetheless I believe it to be as true as the turning of worlds. You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restraint, endurance, and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Ever moment of every day, she suppressed the forces churning inside of her. All of the energy of a dead world that strained against her many barriers, eternally demanded to be released. I believe this effort hurt her. I believe she lived her life in pain. But I reiterate again, for I think it important enough to repeat--These beliefs are based on my time at her side, watching her as she moved through strife and sorrow. If you were to have asked her, I have little doubt she would have claimed that such as assertion was absurd. She would say she felt fine and well and then she’d as you if you needed any help.”

A long chunk of words, I know (this comic is DENSE!) but like. This is it. This is one of the defining attributes of the Supers--all that raw power at their disposal and they choose to help people, to be kind, to suppress that power for the benefit and safety of others.

HNNNNNNNG.

Hope, Help, and Compassion for All.

Whole lotta folks claimed at the outset of this book that King did not understand Kara, that he was a bad fit. And that may be so, I suppose--there’s a whole other discussion about like. The violence and swearing and ‘does that belong in a Supergirl book?’ But the characterization? Getting that Kara and Clark are just good people?

King gets it. He got it in Superman: Up in the Sky and he gets it here, in Woman of Tomorrow.

Other things King gets! Kara is stubborn! Kara is passionate! Kara is going to fix things, even if the effort of doing so hurts her, physically, emotionally, and mentally!

(Fuuuuuuun fact for the crowd saying that Woman of Tomorrow is vastly superior to the CW show: TV Kara is ALSO all of those things! King isn’t pulling this stuff out of thin air. It’s almost like...gosh. I don’t know! Both the show and Tom King are pulling from the character’s comic history, or something!!!! HOW NOVEL.)

Like, seriously. There’s a lot of overlap. Stop pitting Karas against each other!

Anyways!

I promised art, so here is art!

Oh, right, forgot to mention, Kara literally THROWS HERSELF INTO THE SUN to express her grief and anger, so as to not cause that unnecessary destruction. She gives new meaning to the phrase: Set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.

More art yelling: GOTTDAMN, the way Evely draws Kara just colliding with the surface of the sun and then the way Kara’s hair like...becomes the flames...

I am FEELING FEELINGS. HOW DARE.

Also, props to King and Cowles; King for deciding to have that initial scream, Cowles for the way the letters burst forth from the point of impact on the sun, and then back to King who decided that it would just be...devastating silent screaming from Kara, for the remainder of the scene.

Back to the characterization, I just wanted to highlight something I mentioned...earlier on, I think? In these posts? But haven’t brought up recently, and that is how this book has not once brought up Zor-El, and I think Superman only got a quick mention in issue 2.

Honestly, I think that’s gotta be some kind of record.

It’s so refreshing. Not because I think there should never be mentions of Clark, or anything--I love that boy--but because so much of modern Supergirl comic drama is mined from the same like, angsting over her place compared to Clark, or her crazy sometimes-a-supervillain dad.

There is no Clark and Kara drama here, no manufactured friction, because it’s just. A cool Supergirl story!

Gonna keep going, but let’s do it with some more...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Once again, Mat Lopes is all over the dang place with his palettes, it’s marvelous.

Each new planet gives Evely the opportunity to go hog wild on the worldbuilding and design, and similarly! Each new locale is an opportunity for Lopes to set the tone with colors. Like, here, towards the beginning of the book, we’ve got a planet bathed in this warm, pale yellow/orange light.

(Quick note: “Sure, yeah, I get it. We all have our duties. And it’s mine as a neighbor to do what I can to help you with yours. Please.” A+ Kara content. We love to see it. And then locating the remains of the alien’s daughter, so that they can go visit the grave site and have some emotional closure???? It’s just. So. Touching.)

Anyways, back to colors.

Like!!!! LOOK AT THAT JUMP. From the soft, almost pastoral feel of the delicate oranges and yellows to HARD GREEN, PINK, AND PURPLE. (Difficult colors to pull off in print, I might add.)

(This is also an interesting scene, character-wise, because I think it helps re-contextualize some earlier stuff with Kara. Like, I’m mostly thinking that incident on the bus, where she was swearing at the passengers as the space dragon was about to destroy them. Here, we see Kara kind of...goad this alien woman into releasing her pent up emotions by yelling at her/getting her to fight, and you can clearly see at the end of it that Kara did not mean the things she said, because check this out:

She goes and gives her a hug once the woman is able to finally cry.

It’s not ‘Kara is being mean, Kara is swearing at her’, it’s, ‘Kara has an unorthodox solution to a problem, and she’s gonna FIX that problem, NO MATTER WHAT.’

Circling back to the bus thing--again, that could be an instance of ‘unorthodox approach to a weird situation that Kara is going to handle because lives are at stake.’)

But also, DIG THAT KIRBY KRACKLE, BAY-BEEEEE!

And a little Strange Adventures easter egg! The Pykkts!

(I think those guys are unique to the Black Label series, rather than deep Adam Strange lore, but don’t quote me on that.)

Moving on to YET ANOTHER PALETTE, one I’ve dubbed, ‘Treasure Planet Purple/Grey’

Love Ruthye’s snoozing against the door, waiting for Kara.

Also, just as striking as the colors of the environment, are the colors used on Kara.

If you compare this page with the previous one, Kara’s eyes are a paler shade of blue, and the red-rimmed look on her eyes here is not as intense as the red-rimmed look we saw back in issue one, when she was confronting Krem.

All of which to say! There’s a pale, haunted quality to both the linework and the colors. Like. We know Kara has Seen Some Things. But she’s shoving all that stuff down to protect Ruthye, to save Krypto, and to stop these monsters, and you get all of that WITH COLORS AND LINES ON A PAGE.

I love it, I love it so much.

OTHER BOOKS WISH THEY HAD THIS LEVEL OF CHARACTER ACTING, I TELL YA! THEY WISH THEY HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL ALCHEMY OF INKER, COLORIST, AND WRITER WORKING IN SUCH TIGHT TANDEM!

Ahem. XD

Alright, last bit of art, lest I just. Post the whole issue in here. (Which I’m honestly always tempted to do but Strong Feelings about Piracy hold me back.)

JUST HECKIN’ LOOK AT THAT BLUE, MAN. JUST LOOK AT IT. S’BEAUTIFUL.

And more stunning character acting from Evely. Like. Bottom middle panel. The expression, the tilt of her head and the shadows on her eyes...

*insert silent flailing here*

Oh, also, KRYPTO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVESSSS (for now).

I’m never right about these things, so I’m glad the one time I’ve correctly read a thing is when it involves Krypto not, ya know. Being dead. XD

Also absolutely love that Kara’s instinct is to send Ruthye home to protect her--once more leaning into that whole, ‘I’m going to protect you, even at great cost to myself’, though of course we know that she can’t send her home, not here, not now, just halfway through our journey.

ERRRRRRGH, so mad we’re not getting twelve issues of this! CURSE YOU, POOR SUPERGIRL TRADE SALES! CURSE YOOOOOOU!

That said, King’s pacing? Has been phenomenal. I feel like Strange Adventures and even Mr. Miracle kinda...I’m not gonna say dragged, that’s not quite right. But it is more build up, I guess. Takes a while to get to the payoff.

Here, I think King is pushing things steadily along as he doesn’t have the benefit of an additional four issues, so he has to get to the point, so to speak. Keeps everything moving.

SOME FINAL, MISC. STUFF:

I’ve sort of glossed over the darker stuff from this issue, and I just wanna note that like. This is a book that features a bad guy getting stoned (in the death sentence way, not the drug way) on panel. Like. I can’t recommend this to children.

I can’t even really recommend it to some other Supergirl fans, because I know that the King elements will be too off-putting.

It never feels like the book is going too far, though. At least in like an...exploitative way? If that makes sense?

The violence is handled with discretion, I guess is what I’m trying to convey. This could very easily tip over into like, gross shock factor territory, if not handled well, but I think the creative team pulls it off.

...Still wouldn’t hand this book to kids, though. XD

As mentioned, we’re halfway through this series! Can’t wait to see where it goes--every time I think I have this book figured out, it surprises me. So, like. Bring on the Dinosaur planet! With no sunlight! I wanna see how Lopes handles THAT. XD

(But Oh, OooooOOooh, we gotta wait until NOVEMBER.)

(Hhhnnnnng!)

(Then again, maybe that’s good; we’ve got the TV show in the meantime, and then once it ends we can pick right up with new Supergirl content just a few weeks later.)

(...Aw. Made myself a little sad, thinking about the TV show coming to an end.)

So as not to end on that sad note, here once again is tiny, smushed Kara:

Give ‘em the ol razzle dazzle.

#stranger speaks #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #supergirl: woman of tomorrow spoilers #dc comics #comics talk #comics opinions #comics thoughts #long post #are those the right tags? I can never remember #gif

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mangomochi-yn · 4 years

Text

unexpected lovers [simple, really]

shiratorizawa. ushijima wakatoshi x reader

g. the softest fluff, im weak

tw. just mad ushi lovin wc. 1.7k (holy das a lot..)

everything you do, i don’t know how, strikes a chord within me

on Wakatoshi

this one

this one is well known for having basically one (1) constant thoughts only really

and that is— volleyball

(maybe some farming and the necessary school work every now and then)

but everyone knew not to expect more than that from him

except Ushijima really is still human, isn’t he?

on the rare moments he thinks of the future and is not ridden with being a pro volleyball player, he does think about one thing that go hand in hand with a nice farm

a family

and this happens once in a blue moon for him

literally twice a year at most

((once was when he sees a lovely sister and baby brother walk up to their parents during a small hanabi festival Tendou took him to, the scene of them all in yukatas gleaming at each other hit a chord in him for just a split second))

no it wasn't the confessions he would receive by the girls in his school, none of those fazed him

instead—for the second time that year—it was when he went to their school’s annual art exhibition with the rest of the vbc

((cause you KNOW that school is fancy enough to have a grand one))

he mainly went because they had to give up the gym early for art clubs to set up their works there too

but once he sees the all kinds of works lining the halls of the gym and 1st & 2nd floors of their school he would be lying if he said wasn’t astonished

it was his first time to attend one of his school’s annual art exhibition (despite being a third year)

((Tendou told him that this year’s was held shorter so he might be able to use the gym after they clean up))

(Semi scolds the red head for lying to him later)

but as they see how Ushijima’s gaze gleams just a little bit brighter that afternoon—they deemed the lie worth it

at least their captain might have one beautiful memory of highschool that wasn’t the sport he was so dedicated to

the various paintings, sculptures, photography, and many more works kept catching his eyes in amazement— just like a shy kid brought to a candy store

but it was deemed even more worth it once they pass by this table— a little bit smaller than the others— stationed in the second floor

in front of the classroom at the very end of the hall, furthest from the stairway

there was a table filled with the randomest objects painted with different kinds of oil and water based paints

a pillow, glass cups, a broom and even a stop sign were colored vibrantly in display

while tendou and reon laugh at the painted broom, shirabu and semi stare at the stop sign, discussing about how it should have been illegal to take the government’s property off the streets

they were all loudly throwing comments and compliments at the bizarre trinkets but ushijima was the one silent— unwavering gaze at one object he was all too familiar with

“May I hold that one?”

the rest of the boys’ eyes finally snapped to the ace’s direction and all simultaneously their eyes widen comically, amazed by the object

“Holy crap how did they think of painting that?” Yamagata exclaims while Tendou was freaking out

“Wow... that is so cool.” Goshiki’s eyes sparkled as Semi and Shirabu nod in agreement

their captain was the quietest—and although that was common—even they could see how his eyes had a stunned look to it as he held the object in hand

a single painted volleyball

painted with all four seasons of the year angled in a way the colors lined with the ball’s stitching

in each patch were small silhouettes of people too— one was a lone man, then a couple playing walking hand in hand, a family of four by a swing set, then a couple again but with hunched backs and older looking statures this time

and at the last patch—a small pair of gravestones, with the wind blowing leaves on them

Ushijima hadn’t even noticed he was holding his breath as he gazed at each vibrant season

he only blinked again as Tendou rips the ball out of his grasp, fawning over it with the rest of the team

this was the second blue moon for him

the second time thoughts of love and family run across his head—and this time it wasn’t for a split second

his unexpected lover was a piece of art

—a piece of art that made something he held everyday seem so unfamiliar yet familiarly beautiful

as he scans the rest of the works laid on the table he finally notices the similar themes for each one of them too

the glass cups had wedding rings and white flowers painted delicately

the stop sign had two hands clasping on a car’s armrest, driving in a road at the side of a mountain

the pillow was painted like an ultrasound albeit having starking colors unlike the typical black and white—a vague silhouette of a baby was airily painted on it

and the broom

it was the simplest of them all

the broom had different sized hands plastered on it— one gruff and large, two pairs of dainty slim ones with one pair smaller, and the smallest one chubby and stout like a toddler’s

it reminded him of the family he saw on the hanabi festival he went to

and it was so fascinating

—how those few artworks had his heart beating a different pace and made his ears seem to hear clearer, more openly

he fell in love with them

and he couldn’t help but think of the person behind them as well— wanting to thank them for giving him this foreign but warm feeling

“Oh? You’re Ushijima-san from the volleyball club, right?”

a jolly voice snaps him out of his thoughts

matching the voice was you— with some paint stains on your face and a dirty apron tied to your front

you glanced around with a wide smile and see the rest of the vbc, making your smile even brighter

“Oh you guys are all here!”

the boys shift their attention to you as you drop your messy palette and brush on the chair behind you, bowing slightly as you tuck a hair behind your ear

“Ahh.. I see you guys saw what I stole from you.”

you point towards the volleyball

Ushijima’s eyes stuck to it again

“I’m really sorry for stealing it! One of my assignments was to paint on a round object and the basketball was too rough while the baseball was too small!”

you clasp your hands for forgiveness and in the back of his head Ushijima was fascinated by how your personality seemed to match the vibrant paintings so perfectly

it was as if you were one of the paintings as well— he thought

“I just borrowed it really! You can definitely take it back and I’ll wash it if you’d like.”

the thought of washing away the masterpiece on the ball made Ushijima’s brows furrow

(although he never liked when the volleyballs they used were dirty, it irked him to even think of washing the one Semi was holding)

“What?! Definitely not, it’d be such a waste!” Tendou conveys the club’s mutual thoughts, all of them nodding along

“And we have a whole cart of volleyballs to practice with yknow? You keeping this one wouldn’t hurt.”

“Here.” Semi shoves the ball back to your chest

((and secretly it displeases Ushijima how roughly the ball was handled))

“Eh? But really I didn’t even ask you guys first if I could have one before taking it...” —Tendou only shakes his head defiantly with his hands on his hips, not willing to take back the volleyball in your hands

“Really, you should keep it.. umm Painter-san. We could never take your artwork away from you.”—Goshiki says barely above a whisper

and although you’re in awe at the club’s thoughtfulness, the guilt was still gnawing in the back of your head— wanting to give the volleyball to its rightful owner

so you glance and notice how their tall captain was silent— eyes staring straight into the volleyball in your arms and an idea pops in your head

“Ushijima-san, would you like to keep it? Think of it as a makeshift trophy of sorts, by your guys’ new biggest fan, Y/N.”

and his eyes snap up to yours, scanning to see if there was any trace of hesitation in them

the answer was clear as day to the rest of his teammates really

ever since you held the volleyball, their captain’s gaze hasn’t torn away from it

again like a shy child, this time staring a the last piece of candy— waiting for the okay to have it

“Yes, I would love to keep it.”

immediately his large hands carefully reach out for it

—a soft smile mirroring your large and bright one as you hand it to him

“I’ll be sure to keep it in my trophy case...” he lingers for a little bit before continuing his sentence

“And if you could please teach me how to properly care for and clean it? I would appreciate it very much.”

your eyes bug out as Tendou snickers uncontrollably at the side

“ushijima you sly dog” he says under his breath

all you could think of was how blunt the captain was, a deep blush stark on your cheeks

“Umm, yeah definitely! I can show you um.. when?”

“Tomorrow after practice would be the best if you are available.”

“For sure, Ushijima-san! I can wait by the gym after class.”

in your head you were thinking— the volleyball was varnished just a wipedown with a wet rag would be enough to keep it really

but as you stare the larger man in front of gaze gingerly at the volleyball, as if it was made of glass—

maybe he didn’t need to know that fact right away…, you decided

“Okay.” the same warm feeling floods through as he caresses each patch, longingly lingering at each silhouette

—after that it wasn’t just in a blue moon would Ushijima have those thoughts he never gave attention to before

as often as he saw you and your paintings he would think of thoughts like love and family

and sometimes—he noticed— he saw you in them with it

bonus— but thoughts are just thoughts really, would Ushijima ever actually act on them?

a/n. when i say ushijima is the loml i mean USHIJIMA👏 IS THE LOVE 💖❤️💕 OF MY LIFE 🗣

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #ushijima wakatoshi imagines #haikyuu!!#haikyuu headcanons

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hermannsthumb · 4 years

Note

Could you possibly write a fic with Newt sending Hermann a sexy vid he’s thoroughly convinced is sexy but is in fact the worst piece of cinematography Hermann has ever seen...kthx 😘

i originally wrote this by hand in a notebook. can u believe it

no EXPLICIT onscreen shenanigans but heavily heavily alluded to so 18+/not safe for work below cut

----------------------------

Newt wouldn’t describe himself as needy, exactly, not all the time, not consistently, but he thinks–well–certain recent needy actions on his part can be forgiven on account of the current (and fucking tragic) circumstances he finds himself in. He and Hermann find themselves in together. It’s like–they already have a difficult enough go as it is finding time to, well, fool around, between work and mandatory meetings and the general boner-killing haze the whole “end of the world” thing has exuded upon them all, and now Hermann’s been shipped off across the ocean to goddamn Seattle to offer his expertise.

And Newt?

Newt’s horny.

The horny part is kind of his own fault. See, last Valentine’s Day, he managed to talk Hermann into taking sexy Polaroids with him (relatively tame stuff, though Newt does have a pretty saucy snapshot of Hermann’s exposed collarbone under his barely-unbuttoned shirt–the trollop!), and, feeling particularly lonely after another long day of having absolutely no one to argue with and throw bits of kaiju entrails at, Newt decided today was the day to crack the album open again. This, of course, led to recalling vividly how their parting sex had gone two months ago (Hermann had left awesome hickeys on Newt’s thighs that Newt swears he’s still sporting, and they got so loud someone actually pounded on their door to make them shut up), an single attempt at masturbation, and then a very botched attempt at phone sex.

(“I’m so hard,” Newt moaned. “What are you wearing?

A strange choking noise. “I’m in a conference, Newton!”

Right–time difference.)

Newt can just finish himself off and everything, and he’s planning on it, when he suddenly receives a neat and surreptitious little text from Hermann that makes his eyebrows jump.

I miss you too, darling

only a week, and then–

What follows is a wildly explicit list of activities Hermann plans to do with and to Newt when he gets home, requiring the use of everything from his tongue, to Newt’s tie, to the large purple dildo they keep in Newt’s bedside table and refer to (or, at least Newt does) as Hermann 2.

i love you, Newt replies.

This is when Newt gets an Idea. Inspiration really courtesy of the Polaroids, in fact. He should show Hermann how much he loves him, how much he misses him and how lonely he’s been without him. And, y’know, get off in the process. Then Hermann (who definitely misses Newt just as much) can get off too. Goddamn foolproof. He just needs to find his old webcam, and then…

———

Hermann doesn’t reply when Newt sends the video. At first, Newt thinks nothing of it–nothing beyond the obvious of “Hermann is just too overcome with lust and needs to jerk off immediately and can’t answer yet”–but when he still hasn’t brought it up by the end of the next day (long after his lust should have dissipated) Newt decides he needs to pry a little. For the sake of his ego.

only a few more days, he texts Hermann obscenely early. Or late. He never went to bed, technically; Hermann constitutes about seventy percent of his impulse control, and without anyone to shame him out of guzzling half a dozen Monster drinks and getting elbows-deep in kaiju guts all night, Newt has a tendency to do just that.

six–I can hardly contain myself

maybe i can reenact my video for you in person, huh? ;)

Hermann doesn’t respond for several hours.

sorry – I fell asleep

Newt politely doesn’t point out that he sent his query at what would’ve been noon Hermann’s time. Who knows--maybe the guy had a long night, too.

——

Six days winds down slowly, painfully, tortuously, and then finally, it’s one hour, then five minutes, and then Newt’s throwing his arms around Hermann outside the airport baggage claim and kissing the living daylights out of him. “Never again,” he sighs happily into the crook of Hermann’s shoulder.

“Next time–” Hermann starts.

“–won’t exist,” Newt says.

Hermann gives him a small, crooked smile. “Next time I’ll stow you away in my luggage. How does that sound?”

Newt thinks it sounds very good. He kisses Hermann again to let him know. “C’mon,” he says, taking the handle of Hermann’s massive wheely suitcase (because Hermann, for all that he wears the same three fucking pieces of clothing every day, packed his entire wardrobe and a half) “taxi’s waiting, and I’m like, hardcore blue-balled, dude.”

Hermann flushes and swats at Newt’s side in mortified admonishment, but doesn’t–to Newt’s immense pleasure–remove his hand afterwards.

Newt waits patiently until Hermann’s finished unloading all the souvenirs Newt’s asked for (mostly shitty American junk food he has trouble finding in Hong Kong) from his suitcase to seduce him, and then he waits until he’s got Hermann stripped down to his stupid tighty-whiteys and threadbare undershirt and splayed out on Newt’s bed like a beautiful skinny-knobbly buffet to bring up the video again. Because, truthfully, it’s been weighing heavily on his mind. “So?” he says, with a little kiss to one of those bony collarbones that so ignited his lust the other night. “What did you think?”

“Mm,” Hermann says. His eyelids are at a lusty half-mast; his glasses slip further down his nose with each little jerk his body gives when Newt’s mouth does something exciting. “Of what, darling?”

“Of the video, obviously,” Newt says.

There is a slight, but noticeable, downward twinge to Hermann’s wide lips. “Ah,” he says. He fixes the glasses, then slides them back down, then back up. He’s nervous. Not a good sign. “Well–” He coughs. “Frankly, Newton, I found it…lacking.”

Newt freezes. “What do you mean?”

“The video,” Hermann says. “It was–well, it was terribly out of focus, darling. A bit sideways. And badly lit.” He fiddles with his glasses again and adds, almost chastising, “And you really ought to have gone for a more interesting color palette, I think.”

Newt drops his hands from Hermann’s knees (where they’d been braced, for proper sexy kissing and seduction) and sits back on his heels. “My sexy video?”

“Yes,” Hermann says. He blinks at Newt. “That is what we’re talking about, is it not?”

“It’s not,” Newt tries, stumbling over the words and a sudden surge of affronted anger, “it’s not lacking, you dick! It’s sexy! It’s–”

He digs his phone out from the heap of his jeans and jacket on the carpet. Hermann’s wrong. He knows Hermann’s wrong. The video’s sexy, okay. Newt’s sexy. Hermann’s just being difficult for no good fucking reason.

He scrolls back in his texts to find the video and clicks play.

Okay, like, maybe he could have angled the camera better, he’ll give Hermann that: in his deliberation over whether to film his face (romantic) or his dick (sexy), he settled somewhere in the vicinity of his abdomen in the hopes that the camera would get a bit of both. It did not. It was also a little dark in his bunk when he filmed it. And the sound quality isn’t, like, great--it’s all muffled. “Hi honey,” on-screen Newt says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I miss you, and how bad I want you to just–”

The rest of the video consists of Newt’s loud grunts, the audible, wet slide of his hand on his dick, and a consistent shaky shot of his stomach and heaving chest. He jizzes in about two minutes flat with a little whimper of “Hermann–!”

The screen goes dark. Darker.

“Huh,” Newt says.

He flops onto his back on the bed.

“I wanted it to be a sexy thing for you to jerk off to,” he says, sadly.

“Well,” Hermann says, matter-of-fact, “naturally, I did masturbate to it anyway. Oh, Newton–” Newt turns away from him when he tries to lay a hand on his thigh. “Darling, I’m sorry, you mustn’t be upset. It was a lovely surprise. I’m just a daft old--”

“You don’t think I’m sexy,” Newt says, just as sadly as before.

“Of course I do!” Hermann plants a small kiss on his shoulder, right over a freckle Newt knows he’s fond of. It doesn’t cheer him up. “I think you’re devastatingly sexy. Not think--know.”

Newt rolls even further away. Nearly off the side of the bed. Hermann (sighing gently) follows with even more kisses to his shoulder, one at the nape of his neck that decidedly does not make Newt shiver. “Newton,” he murmurs. One of his hands ghosts down Newt’s bare chest and pauses to scratch over a nipple. “I would very much like to have sex with you right now.”

“Pity sex,” Newt says.

“Sex with my partner,” Hermann says, ignoring this, “whom I’ve not seen in two months and love very, very much. Because he is handsome--” Kiss. “--intelligent--” Kiss. “--thoughtful--” Kiss, kiss, kiss. “--mm, and very sweet.”

“Liar,” Newt mumbles, but finally concedes to Hermann’s bony, tender embrace and sappy, overblown compliments and rolls over to nuzzle against his chest.

“There we are,” Hermann coos. He slides his fingers through Newt’s hair; Newt makes a noise almost like a purr, to his embarrassment. “My sweet, handsome, sexy--”

"I’m gonna need a little more convincing than that,” Newt interrupts threateningly.

“Gladly,” Hermann says.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous

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smileykeijser · 5 years

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Skam NL Clip 1 Goedmorgen Analysis

This is crazy long so it’s under the cut, but it’s broken up into symbolism, the aesthetic, feelings, random stuff and things I want to see this season based on this clip.

Obviously this is speculation, I’m not truly trying to figure out their characters or stories with one clip, and some of this stuff probably wasn’t intentional, but it’s fun to imagine that it was.

Symbolism:

We see them both wearing metal necklaces, when I first saw them I thought of chain mail, and then armor. We don’t see Liv putting hers on, but we see Noah putting on his, Liv’s types of additions are more masks than armour. This makes me think that Noah has more recently begun using his playboy status and other parts of his life as protection against himself feeling some sort of trauma, vs Liv who may have this protection as more of a long time solidified sort of protection.

They both wear masks though, Liv puts on makeup, Noah covers up his shirt with 10x the personality of the one that covers it (which strikes me as odd because in so many ways he’s so outspoken with his personality and style)

The second type of symbolism I see is the idea of showing Liv and Noah are cut from the same cloth (this also includes the protection symbolism) but also giving us a way to see their differences. Noah’s rings are chunky and bold, Liv’s is delicate and dainty, Liv’s nails are done in a light colour, and very evenly applied, whereas Noah’s seem much more sloppy in application, he doesn’t paint them all the same colour, let alone paint all his nails in the first place. His nails are also much less manicured than hers. While he slides his sunglasses on as if he doesn’t particularly care, she carefully fluffs her hair and when he just throws on his shirt, we see Liv delicately putting on her bra and socks.

There’s also a section where Noah was rolling a joint and Liv is singing. They’re both at the end of getting ready, so they have their masks on, and then they both do something that everyone expects of them. Noah is known by the fandom as the guy who rolled a joint in the middle of the school, and Liv sang in her first appearance. I think that they’re playing into the whole mask thing by showing things that everyone would expect from them, they’re some of the base level, rudimentary basics about either of them, not like the patterned shirt hidden under Noah’s button down.

Lastly, and this is slightly different than the previous point, the clip is trying to show they are equals. The montage shows this, but there’s a great cross fade between Liv looking into the camera and Noah walking toward her apartment. It’s a long cross fade, and there’s a good five seconds where there’s overlap. As this is happening, it’s panning up on Noah so that by the time it’s entirely his screen, Liv’s head is as high as his, where as when the cross fade started, his head was far above hers.

Then when we get into the actual meat of the clip, the equality is plain and simple, they both give the other the middle finger, and at the point when they each do, they have the upper hand. Liv is behind the shutting doors, Noah is the one on the other side unable to get in. Then Noah is the one who’s surprises Liv by being on the ground level and then by disappearing.

The Aesthetic:

This clip reminded me of how Skamit uses colours to differentiate their seasons, peach for Eva, blue for Martino. In a similar vein, I think that Skam NL is trying to create an aesthetic palette for each of their seasons. The first half of the clip is basically a mood board, and the mood is one vastly different from Isa’s season. It has a cooler, or less violently colourful palette immediately. Isa’s season was full of warmth , especially in the first half of her season when it was still transitioning into Autumn from Summer. If I was to guess, we’re going to be seeing a lot of white and black, and a lot of colours like deep green, tan, burgundy and blues.

The tone is sensual, delicate, and intimate. Most of the shots are close ups, showing the intimacy of a spray of hairspray, or the couple of freckles near Noah’s nipple, or the sensuality of putting rings on or slipping a sock onto a foot. Beyond the act of getting ready to go, we’re watching two humans get dressed, which means that we get to see the curves of shoulders or a small hint of a lacy bra, or toned chest, and the intimacy is increased by having Liv facing away from us, creating a secret. This contrasts with Isa, because unless Isa was having sex, nothing was like this, because Isa crunched loudly on chips and licked dip off her phone screen. She never had one of these slow motion montages, because Isa wasn’t a slow motion montage type of gal, but Liv is.

We get an abrupt tone shift as soon as Noah arrives, the dreamy atmosphere is gone, and it’s immediate, with the woman hobbling past with her cart and her dog. From then on, the things she handles are treated with absolutely no fantasy, she’s in an elevator, has headphones shoved in her ears and then she fumbles with the key and bikes off on a battered up bike with a canvas bag over her shoulder.

Feelings:

One of my favourite moments is when Liv storms away from Noah and she doesn’t stop walking, but you see her take a steadying breath and close her eyes. Even in season 1 they were doing a great job showing Liv’s feelings via her facial expressions, and this is a step up. We also see at the other end, when Liv strides forward, completely determined to just ignore the absence of Noah, but you see that she can’t find the lock hole on the first try, and then she spends a good chunk of time just looking for him.

The whole middle finger thing is so effing cute, and it’s not the first couple on skamnl to do it, Kes and Isa did it sometimes too, alongside their animal game. And the idiot boy Noah, running down the stairs just to give the middle finger to his crush, what a lovable idiot art hoe.

Random things

- The first words Liv says (or mouths) are song lyrics, I think that shows how important music is going to be.

- There’s a moment when she flips her hair that she breaks the fourth wall and looks right into the camera. I’m not sure the meaning or purpose, but it’s a gorgeous scene.

- “Hello ma’am” is yet another thing to love about Noah

- Both the first clip of last season and this one have people going away on a bike/scooter nice parallel

Things I need from this season based on the clip:

- Noah calling Liv baby or vice versa

- Liv unbuttoning Noah’s shirt.

- Both of them riding off to school on the same, or two separate bikes.

- A parallel to the scene with Liv’s back facing the audience, except she drops her bra and Noah comes up behind her.

- Them painting each other’s nails and swapping rings duh.

- Liv helping Noah put on his necklace.

#skamnl #skam nl #liv reijners #skamdutch #skam dutch #skam netherlands #skamnetherlands #noah nolastname #isa keijser

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ryouverua · 5 years

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Trial 6 - Post-Execution (End)

And from the rubble....

Trial: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Pre-Execution

The crowd in the theater has dispersed, the lights are off, the cleaning crew has come and gone, and now that everything is quiet and all eyes are looking elsewhere, here they are.

K1-b0 smiled because he knew, damn it. How was he able to avoid hitting them? Or was it that he was shooting blindly (as guided by the outside world) and just had to ‘hope’ for their survival? And when he saw that they had somehow made it, he had the peace of heart and strength to open the dome for them?

Comic relief to the end, huh. Well, it’s probably nice to have someone to keep the mood a bit lighter! It’s interesting seeing them lined up like this, actually. A trio of introverts, and a red/black colour palette. Even if Shuichi’s hair does lean on the blue side, it’s still incredibly muted. There is no way that wasn’t a deliberate choice, but I wonder why....

Ah, and for that matter, Tsumugi and K1-b0 really did trend toward blue themselves. Red vs blue is a pretty classic colour clash in fiction, right? .... Ah, and Kaito’s shirt even had the red kabuki print/make-up representing the ‘hero’ character, right? While ‘blue’ was always the villainous make-up? Maybe I’m reaching a bit, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was deliberate. if I really want to continue down this rabbit hole, Kaede/Kaito/Kokichi being purple because they straddled the line between hero/villain in the game would therefore be the next logical leap hmm

don’t sound so upset about it sweetcheeks

In the wreckage, I suppose. So... what can we see? What is there to see?

It’s a bright light.... and very obviously not the ruined world from the escape tunnel. .... Right?

Closing ceremonies, complete with the original sprite for Shuichi....

So they can see.... something. But not enough. Nothing clear enough for them to know what they’re getting into.

And look at that... the starry sky, both morning and night. I think I mentioned previous how important ‘nighttime’ was in this game; how all the murders seemed happen chronologically (except Tenko’s, of course, but even that took place in complete darkness). From Kaede’s murder at nighttime, to Kokichi’s death near the end of the night - and then, of course, to the final trial, which took place at the crack of dawn, only for them to be brought down into an artificial darkness again - it just seems so fitting that after all of that, the false sky is both day and night. Dawn and dusk.

It’s a place full of promise, and also so, so much danger.

wouldn’t it technically be 52 if it finished on this one you know what I’m getting ahead of myself

The point is, Sweetcheeks is having a moment of reflection.

he’s a detective not a statistician damn it

The fact that you guys didn’t get crushed by rubble is, frankly, incredible. I’m not mad about it at all, but I’m just saying.

Did they have a way of getting food/water here? I guess if the show ends, there’s not going to be any of that anymore... whatever pathway they had would be entirely shut down.

K1-b0.... was supposed to be a survivor too damn it fhsdflk -

I get that he was acting as the eyes for the audience so him surviving would have been dangerous for their safety! And that his self-destruct button probably had the power they needed to get them out, even more than his lasers apparently!

But still - !

the impossible is possible

I want to hope that there was a little bit of K1-b0 let to save them, but... the idea of them wanting them to live, despite outliving their ‘usefulness’, is a nice thought too. It certainly means they’ll be in better shape to handle what comes at them when they cross over to the other side.

That is pretty awfully brave for someone with an uberfan like Sweetchi97 wanting to break your fingers, but yes! Right! With confidence!

That would probably be a nice change from what they had to go through, at this point... but god, how bitter would that make them, to know that they were created for that. I mean, we obviously saw it in the trial, but getting to live in that peaceful world after going through this would be a totally different experience.

YEAH! YEAH WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN -

I mean it implies that she was copying, potentially, maybe the real Junko - I mean, I’m pretty sure that’s the immediate thought we’re supposed to have, right?

Damn bootleg ronpas -

DON’T YOU LAUGH AT THAT SHUICHI

........ I’m listening.

Which... could work. But we need to account for the audience. There was clearly an audience that was able to affect K1-b0 in real time, and also react to the trial in real time, right? And that same audience was able to turn on Tsumugi, too...

we need to go deeper

THE WHOLE FICTION BIT WAS A SURPRISE ANYWAY HOW CAN YOU GO EVEN FARTHER AT THIS POINT

mother of god -

.... Oooooh, I see.

Yeah, because there are definitely.... weird things that I remember. The original opening versus what we saw here. There is probably a lot to unpack in that original game-opening chapter. The kidnapping they all remembered, for one thing...

They were definitely a lot more scared, right? And there wasn’t a weird gap between what we saw and the flashback light that followed, right? I mean, we did get an unreliable narrator in Kaede ala Chapter 1 - but it was there between the lines of the text. This would be a complete omission.

So only the players will ever have access to that memory - none of the survivors will ever ‘remember’ that. That’s quite the luxury we have, to be able to rewind and look over ‘forgotten scenes’ like that.

because that would be absolutely mind-boggling to throw yourself into a torture/killing game and erase your entire self so you don’t even get the side-benefit of enjoying it, even if you are so obsessively into it?

every time I see Kaito’s name, a single manly tear is shed

There may be records, though. But to us outside the game - they may as well not exist so, fair. unless the gopher project list was actually the repurposed academy list just sayin’

Fiction inside fiction? A world where this was a knock-off of the real Danganronpa? Something else entirely? The possibility for lies and fantasy are limitless. Until they see the truth themselves, there’s no way to know.

It’s pretty strange - they’ve been trapped in this bubble the entire time, with their reality being projected to everyone outside the walls. Normally the catbox would be inside of the sealed space - but this time, it’s everything outside.

.... If it’s anything like our world, then... yeah. It probably is.

This does sound a bit like the writing team’s way of saying, ‘Look, we actually care a lot for you guys playing, promise! Even if the idea of the previous two games being fictional within a fictional world was heart-breaking, just remember that it’s the feelings that they drew from you at the time and even now that really matter in the end!’

I think... to borrow from the vernacular of the game, the proper way to read this is to see lies as ‘stories’. Beautiful stories told to make the world a better place - or to even inspire the real world to become better. There are inventions and leaps in technology that only came about because they were inspired by fiction! Lies becoming truths... honestly, our current era is proof of that, for good or for ill.

And hell, stories are often a vehicle of delivering a message or certain truth to the audience, right?

Moving bravely forward. Good damn luck, kids. You’re going to need it... but you can handle it. I believe in you.

This... really is like the ending scene from the first game, complete with the ambiguity. We just have to hope that things will work out for them. I think... we can believe that things will turn out okay.

Aaah Himiko, I do like how you were able to slip one more quirk in for the road.

And then they... cross... the threshold.... from their side.... to ‘ours’. Is that it?

Oh, wow! Okay, we’re zooming out -

Farther than I thought -

Oh???? The logo, all over this sphere? An entirely sealed in sphere, where no one can get in, and no one can see in outside of the cameras? With their logo plastered on everything, because they weren’t afraid of it being seen or - ?

(Was this story able to change something?)

(Was this story able to change someone?)

(Was this story... able to change the world?)

.......... Hey, to everyone who made it this far? Thanks for sticking with me. <3

#Ryou plays drv3 #Shuichi Saihara #Maki Harukawa #Himiko Yumeno #spoilers #drv3 spoilers #THE STORY ISN'T OVER.... BECAUSE THERE'S POST-GAME BABY!

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jawbreakers2015 · 5 years

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Player Profile: Hang

avid modder, occasional TO and montage video producer from Germany top 12 in the Jawbreakers Stunfest Qualifier (artwork of Drop by Kagu)

What names do you go by?

I used to go by Troke for the entirety of April. Which was based on a dumb coincidence where I talked to Neer and had one of my usual mobile spelling errors and I wrote "I'm having ha troke" instead of "having a stroke".

I wanted to go away from "Hang Boy" since quite some time as I specifically wanted to get rid of the "Boy" and just "Hang" felt wrong and was still associated to Hang Boy anyway. But I guess I'm back to that now.

Reason to why I wanted to rid myself of "Boy" was as simple as me linking my online persona to my OC (By choosing her for profile pictures on basically any platform) which then of course lead people to believe she is a male based on the thought "Hey this is Hang Boy. So the profile picture must also be Hang Boy".

The name Hang Boy btw occurred just as I started my first step into the internet, when I was a big fan of the Binding of Isaac. So i needed an online name and I ventured through Isaac related things. Which was when I came across the Tarot card "Hanged Man". So I just took that and adjusted a bit.

How do you feel about your performance in this tournament?

Was pretty okay. I didn't expect to get far into it. Although I'm a bit sad I didn't make the Top 8 picture. Only needed one win more as well.

However I would have been disappointed in everyone else, if they allowed for me to reach Top 3. So good that didn't happen.

What was your strategy preparing for and competing in the tournament?

I haven't played Blaze in weeks. The only times I played recently was to get some recordings for a Toxic montage. Right before the tournament I was more worried to finish my Isaac run. Which I did win!

And during the tournament was pretty much just "Turn some nice music on, jam to it, play some Nitro, do some silly cuff shenanigans, do dumb parry grab down throws so the viewers can laugh over something".

I did "fly" with Nitro in one match but sadly it wasn't streamed so only Hellraiser was able to see the glory of Flying Cuff™.

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Which was your hardest match of the tournament?

Hellraiser I suppose. He did kick me out of it. I never really played him or saw him play and he didn't fall for my aggressive playstyle, so it was a tough time.

What surprised you most about the tournament?

Cherry's second place finish. I know he's good, I think he's underrated even.

But second place is a really good finish. Even more so beating JawDrop since, in my opinion, he has some of the craziest tech and can be really really confusing to play against.

(Yea he also has weird lag even tho he lives in France but whatever :p)

Is there anyone you didn’t face that you wish you did?

I would have wanted to play Defur if possible. To some degree I see his entrance as a sort of meme entry. But jokes aside and game aside, I can only take my hat off to this man and his effort for the tournament scene.

Sadly didn't get to play Daio. It feels like a tradition to face off against him in FellowsTV hosted tournaments. Which always goes the same way tbf. He counters my playstyle hard, I'm annoyed to play against him, don't bother changing my playstyle in order to win, get demolished. But the tradition counts!

I'd put Neer in the same boat. Hate playing against him but it just kinda has to be.

How did you get into Lethal League?

A friend bought it for me. We played a couple of games, he had to leave. I went into QM, found Garu, got absolutely demolished, he friended me and pulled me into it.

I specifically remember seeing his Latch corpse juggles and thinking "Man this is so cool, I want to be able to do this too". So right of the bat I started to play for the style, which is what I still go by.

Style > Efficiency

It feels bad not having paid for LL nor Blaze but I bought LL for a bunch of friends so guess that checks out.

What's your current Lethal League experience?

450+ hours in LL 340 hours in Blaze (As of now. 26.4.2019) And a giant bunch of hours of community interaction and modding.

I was very excited when asked to be beta testing and it fulfilled a childhood dream of being in video game credits.

Despite only getting into Beta a month before release, I stacked up 90 hours before the game came out. Lots of 9 hour playtime days. It was massive fun.

I bought almost all of the merch...got most signed by Tim & Dion too. I went to the Netherlands twice to meet TR. It was fun, they are cool people. Watching Dion doing a live dance off was pretty rad ngl.

I brought self made cheesecake the second time, but Tim had to get it into the building since they check your bags for normal visitors and it wasn't allowed to bring food.

I'll never forget the sight of Tim with his big bag looking like he's smuggling a bomb into a convention.

Who are your main/side/counter character picks?

Everything. So yes random, it's random.

However I most enjoy playing Nitro because of all the dumb things he can do. Especially flying, cuff storage (specifically for down angle on the ground, to just pull a little bit forward) and half pull.

Doombox is also very fun. Special>bunt>smash>parry>special>repeat can chain pretty often on some opponents and is hilarious.

The only characters I "despise" playing are Toxic and Sonata. But only because I'm really bad with them.

What are your favourite character outfits?

Dust and Ashes. Just their whole design.

For real tho. There's not really skins that stick out to me since I use my own modded ones.

Can you share your favourite/most used custom outfit?

Hm I missed that that's not "outfits"...well take a load of skins! In order

Mothyman Jeviman Spacetor Golden Switch Drop Palette Sonata Supercharged Latch PaDice-a the Rapper Skull Grunt Supercharged Grid Supercharged Doombox Dropbox FYouBox Nitro with a blue, white and mint color scheme I made for every character and lastly my Toxic skin with that same color scheme

What are your stage preferences?

Idc. I play random so who really cares. I guess insert the usual "Paradise field eclipse succs!!!"

What input method do you use?

PS4 Controller Dpad for movement L1 Bunt R1 Swing R2 Grab

I used to play LL on a cheap SNES controller using only face buttons. When I was over at Dutch Comic Con with Serchiot I played a couple games of Blaze with his PS4 controller and really liked his layout and the feel of the controller. So I just sneakily stole his layout and got myself a PS4 controller.

Coming from all face buttons, I needed some time to get used to it. But in my opinion it's just superior this way.

How do you make your character montage videos?

I have two ways of recording clips. Just consciously recording with OBS or putting Shadowplay on and saving every time something cool happens. I usually just boot up Blaze and jump into ranked to get some games in. With the Toxic montage it was a bit different since I now have a 4K monitor but 4K can hardly be recorded at 60fps and setting the output resolution in OBS to 1080p got me weird screen effects. So every time I went to record, I put the resolution of my monitor to 1080p in order to at least get that in good quality. Then I just cut all the good clips out of the recordings and mix ‘n’ match ‘em. What's usually the hardest decision is what music to use. There's been a couple of songs that I'd like to use, but they either don't fit over Blaze gameplay, don't fit my playstyle or were just the wrong length.

My two favourite Montages are definitely for Candyman and Nitro. Candyman took a long way to develop, because I just wanted to show off so much. It's one of the few montages where I actually asked higher skill players for games instead of jumping into ranked. Picking the song was really hard, I was only sure I wanted a Klaus Veen track, but OD V2 was too mainstream and most others were too short. So in the end I opted for two songs with a break in between the montage. Splitting the clips into two sets, each song one. With the second part containing what I considered the more hype bursts.

And for Nitro I actually had the montage pretty much done, but I wasn't too happy with it. Still planned to just upload it like that tho. However when I saw the Nitro voice actor interact with a community member in a way that could only be described as "incredibly wholesome", I was inspired to redo most, if not all, of the clips and do the best I could. For the first time actually going into training mode to lab some combos (mostly corpse juggles tbf) and eventually learning Flying Cuff™ too. Watching JawDrops Blazin' Combo video and taking a slice off the Nitro plays there. Which resulted in a montage I am very happy with.

youtube

What other games do you play?

It differs from time to time.

The only games I always come back to are retro games like SMW, CTR or something like Mario Kart 8D. Which I always enjoy playing at local tournaments and pretty successfully so even. People just can't handle it when someone plays with one hand.

Atm I also like playing TBoI Rebirth.

Will you come to Stunfest?

Probably not. Driving/Flying over to France is just very expensive. I would love to meet all my Baguettes (Lusked, Jawdrop, Aru and Lalou, who stated he can't make it due to exams, yes I know). But exams and the neer-ing end of my apprenticeship is leaving a lot of work to be done.

So it probably won't fit into my schedule. However never say no! Trips to Blaze events aren't uncommon for me.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the community?

Play the game for fun, not for glory.

Stop rubbing yourself for an imaginary title that doesn't mean anything as there's not even any competition for it.

I can't stress enough how great Soda City Funk by Tim Legend is. Go listen to it right now.

And for my last words. Be more like Kota. And remember, We love Ramkat <3

#Jawbreakers #Lethal League Blaze #Player Profile #Hang Boy #Hang #Europe #Jaw Breakers #Lethal League #Team Reptile

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castcharmperson · 5 years

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Taakitz: Crossover

What up!! It’s November!! Literally my only note to myself when writing this story was, and this is a direct copy-paste from my google doc, “For the love of god i gotta keep this one short or I’ll lose my mind.” AND NOW I HAVE 9k+ WORDS SO???

A thousand thank you’s to the folks behind @taakitzweek - participating was a joy and a privilege and gifted me this AU that I’m pretty sure will live in my heart forever. To be posted in six parts over the course of the next week. Please enjoy part one of Speed Trap, a b99 styled, white collar inspired, non-magical modern au where Taako does a crime and Kravitz absolutely does not get paid enough to deal with it. Warning for a paraphrase of the ‘tentacle your dick’ quote.

It wasn’t Taako’s fault that he got fired. The product was damaged, some kid was clumsy in the back of the shop, so the manager told Taako to throw out it. Sure, the eyeshadow palette was cracked, but other than that it was perfectly fine. Some pigment from the blue crossed into the green, but honestly, Taako had several outfits that would be amazing with that unique shade of teal. So the product was supposed to go in the trash, instead it ended up in Taako’s pocket. There was almost no difference between the two, especially when he changed out of his work uniform and into his black skinny jeans that were all but threadbare.

But then he was in the parking lot, sitting on the hood of his car and nowhere near the store, when his manager thought it’d be a great time to remind him that smoking would be the death of him. Seriously, Taako was off the clock and even if he wasn’t, his manager wasn’t his mom, don’t tell him what to do.

“Hey, why do you have one of our palettes in your pocket?”

So now Taako didn’t have a job. Again. He’d been lucky to score that easy gig, to have some sort of start at paying off his loans, but now he was blacklisted from the entire mall. And it wasn’t like he could work in any of the restaurants nearby because his asshole ex-boyfriend had literally soured every contact they had in the food industry.

Taako had three degrees to his name. He was an engineer and a chef, but even before his credibility was destroyed, the only thing his fancy education brought him was a bank account perpetually in the red.

“Hey Koko, you’re home early.” Lup shrugged off her uniform jacket and went directly to the fridge. Living with his sister was the best thing to happen to him since coming back from the nightmare Paris had turned into. She had a steady job, a dangerous one, but she was never late to pay rent like he always seemed to be. She was so patient with him, it almost felt unfair. She really should have kicked him out by now; instead, she constantly reminded him that his luck would change any day now. He’d catch his break, or there was always a job for him at the station.

He appreciated her offer, he really did, but Taako he knew he wouldn’t survive a day being a police officer. The idea of him being in uniform and competently saving lives was laughable. He barely managed to handle the stress of knowing his sister was putting her life on the line for this shitty city.

“Uh, yeah.” And he could not handle the stress of her knowing he got fired again.

“Everything okay? I know you’re manager’s a jerk but maybe-“

“They actually got fired today.” What? No, stop. He was not lying to his sister, she’d see right through him. Instead, Lup turned around grinning. “Yeah and um, I’m the new manager. Regional position, actually, pretty nice.”

“Taako!” She was hugging him and he felt sick. “That’s amazing! I told you things would turn around!” What happened to twin telepathy? Why did she believe him? Why was he lying to her??

She said something about a date with Barry, but Taako was barely listening. Now that he was thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising that she believed him; they didn’t keep things from each other, she had no reason to suspect anything.

Home alone again, the smart thing to do would be to tell her the truth. Text her. It would maybe ruin her date, but at least the fall out would be buffered until she got back home. Besides, date night with Barry meant the two of them were shopping for Mr. and Mrs. suitcase sets or some other gross couple-y nonsense. There wasn’t much to ruin. She’d be mad, but in time, everything would be fine.

Just sitting on the couch, phone in hand as he hovered over the digital keyboard, he was already nauseous from her imagined anger. Getting fired again was bad enough, but lying to her? Why did he say that?

The smart thing to do would be telling the truth. But the Taako thing to do would be to make the truth. He said he got promoted, new job, new hours, new money. All he had to do was find that job.

Next morning, he was out of the house before she even woke up. Note on the fridge, something vague about new hours for manager training and a breakfast pastry waiting for her, and she wouldn’t suspect a thing. Taako wasn’t sure where he was going to find this new truth of a job, but it had to be out there. The mall by the house wasn’t an option, but there were other malls and he had gas to burn after swiping that seemingly unlimited gift card off of some rich asshole a few months back.

Speeding down the highway, Taako forced himself to be hopeful. It was the tail end of fall, places would be hiring. The kids to help with the summer rush all had classes again and stores wanted to start preparing for the holiday rush. Lup was right, even if she didn’t know the whole picture. His luck was turning.

But maybe that luck was taking a smoke break as he heard sirens behind him. Glancing in the mirror, a cop car tailed him down the freeway. “Bullshit,” Taako cursed as he pulled over. Everyone sped down this stretch, why was he being pulled over?

He rolled down his window and was treated to someone glaring at him through a large pair of aviators. “Sir, do you know how fast you were going?” Ridiculous sunglasses matched with an equally ridiculous accent. No way that was real.

Taako couldn’t help himself, losing the fight against the grin taking over his face. “Blimey, officer, I ain’t sure.” It’d been over a decade since his and Lup’s high school stardom in a rather strange retelling of Oliver Twist but Taako’s accent was still more believable than the officer’s.

The officer’s brow twitched and then the glasses came off as though Taako’s joke might have somehow been a trick of his lenses. “Excuse me?” The accent was faltering worse now, but without the glasses, Taako was able to fully appreciate the man’s face.

“Oh wow, if all the cops were as handsome as you, I’d maybe be tempted to follow all the laws.”

The handsome man’s face twisted further in confusion. “What is wrong with you? I’m giving you a speeding ticket and you’re hitting on me?”

Taako just shrugged, but then the threat of a ticket finally sunk in. “Wait, shit, a ticket? Come on, I couldn’t have been going that fast.”

“I’ve certainly seen faster on this street, but eighty in a fifty five still isn’t great.”

Taako did the math real quick, facts and figures from Lup’s studying for the academy still fresh in his mind even though she’d graduated years ago. There was no way he could afford a ticket for going that high over the limit. “Okay hold on, hot stuff. Can’t you cut me a break? First time offense and all?”

“Not five seconds ago, you admitted to me that the lack of attractive police force was contribution to your history of crime.” His tone was turning amused now, seeming to enjoy the way the conversation had slipped back into his control. His smile was unfairly charming, even if the accent was still disastrous.

Taako couldn’t afford to be distracted though. “I’m not a criminal! Dude, come on, I will give you everything in my wallet if you don't ticket me.”

“Bribing an officer? I do not want to deal with the paperwork for that. Just stay here.” He started back to his squad car and Taako leaned out the window to holler after him.

“Come on, hot stuff, don’t be like this! At least lemme get that name, I’m about to suck your dick for free if I can’t do it to get out of a ticket!”

The officer ignored him, coming back to throw a slip of paper through Taako’s window. His sunglasses were back on, covering some of his face but not enough to hide the blush from what Taako had been shouting at him. “Do me a favor, Mr. Taako? Be a criminal in some other district because I would love to never ticket you again.”

At least the piece of paper gave Taako a name: K. Queen. Not that it meant anything with one of the most common last names in the city. Besides, Taako couldn’t exactly try to hook up with someone if he got arrested for overdue fines. Long after the officer drove off, Taako sat in his own car on the side of the highway. The price mocked him from the piece of paper, like it knew he’d never afford it and rent at the same time.

Another car zoomed past him, easily going over the eighty Taako had been caught for. If only he could pull over that guy, charge him in order to pay off his own ticket. It’d be fair- there were drunk drivers and reckless assholes all over this stupid city. They should be getting ticketed, not him!

Wait… That wasn’t a bad idea.

[Part Two]

Please come scream at me in my ask box about this AU because even after I post all of this fic I might write little bonuses for it. And thanks so much for reading! I know I am well past the taakitz week deadline for posting this. If you want to, check out my charmedwords tag for more taz fics!

#taz #The Adventure Zone #fanfic #taakitz #2taakitz2week #taz taako #taz kravitz #taz lup #mentions of barry #mentions of blupjeans #au #speed trap au #title subject to change if someone sends me a better idea #charmedwords #how did this turn into 9k??#and i still have to edit the other five parts AND YOU KNOW i'll add more words in the edit because i always do

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s3hun-ah · 7 years

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foreign affairs (sehun) - two

4.2k, part 2/?

part one

"Your attitude? Not that bad?" I barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, sorry hyung, but even I don't get the nicest vibe from you, gotta be blunt." Chan said, leaning onto the counter beside me and shooting Sehun a raised brow.

"Why's that, hyung?"Sehun replied, sneering at Chanyeol with his face contorted.

"Well, that tone is certainly a start." Ky said, frying veggies in a pan.

"The dark and brooding demeanour is another point on the list." Baek added.

"The whole 'lone dog' thing is a lot to deal with as well." I quipped, tucking my hair behind my ears and grinning.

"Oh, come on." Sehun said, a aggravated grin playing at his lips.

"Well seriously man, do you have any friends?" Chan said, smirking.

"I'm not interested in making friends."

"I think I've decided!" Back said triumphantly, throwing my door open with a wide grin.

Chan groaned from his nap on my bed. "Baekhyn-ah, it shouldn't be this hard to pick a fucking outfit."

"Come on Baekhyun, you made me lose my place!" Ky groaned, adjusting his glasses from his nose. Classes didn't start until tomorrow, and yet he was already waist deep in revision for his culinary history class. Such a good student.

Even I huffed. "Baek, this is the fourth time you've-" I raised my hands into quotation marks "-decided on your first-day-of-class ensemble."

Baek knitted his eyebrows at me. "Wha- what's this?" he said, imitating my quotation marks and pulling a nasty face. "You canadians and your stupid hand gestures. No, I'm serious this time!"

"Oh yeah? Well go on then, model it off to us." Chanyeol said, shooing Baek to the bathroom with a flick of his wrist. He rolled onto his side, sleepy eyes heavy lidded. "In the meantime, how long was I out?"

"Only since he had last 'decided'." I said, repeating my 'stupid canadian hand gesture' and glancing at the invisible watch on my wrist. "So, about ten minutes or so?"

"Ah, fuck this." Chanyeol said, a lopsided grin forming as he pushed himself into a sit. He rubbed his eyes wearily. "There's no point if this will keep happening all day."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you've kept trying for this long." Kyungsoo said, leaning back and stretching from the kitchen table. "I would have given up after he tried stealing your sweater to try on."

"Yeah, that almost pushed me to the edge." Chan chuckled. "He's lucky I'm so patient."

"Are you guys done bitching about me or should I leave?" Baekhyun yelled from behind the closed door of the bathroom, followed by a harsh thud. "Ah, fuck, almost slipped and broke my dick."

I closed my laptop with a soft thud. "Baek, can you not talk about your dick for like five minutes, please?" I asked, rubbing my temples in disdain.

"You love it!" he laughed, swinging open the door softly. He strutted out, in impossibly tight black skinny jeans, swinging his hips animatedly. His white tee shirt was crisp and clean, and he tousled his tawny hair softly with a smirk.

"Wow." Ky said dryly, leaving his head on his hands and giving Back an uninterested look. "You look amazing, hyung."

"Truly a gift from God himself." I said, with a sarcastic smirk playing on my lips.

"Holy, do you happen to be single? I'd like to take you out, hot stuff." Chan said through the open door to my room, grinning.

"Can you guys fuck off, for like, two seconds please. Is this too understated?" Baek asked, rolling his eyes and pressing his shirt with his hands.

"Honestly Baekhyun, anything will look fine. The profs aren't even going to notice -" I started.

"Well, this isn't for the professors!" Back whines, shoving his hands in his back pockets.

"Then who's it for?" Ky asked wearily, folding his glasses and setting them on the table.

"The ladies, obviously." Baekhyun grinned, sauntering over to join Ky and I at the table. He plopped down beside me with a soft thud. "Come on, now I'm reconsidering this whole thing."

"It looks fine!"

"Who cares you idiot!"

"Can you stop worrying about it already?" We all whined un unison.

Baekhyun shrugged. "If you tell me that its actually fine, then sure."

"It's fine!"

"Thank you." Baekhyun said with a smirk, folding his arms. "So, who wants lunch?"

"Ah, me!" Chanyeol said, rolling back to lay on my bed once again. "But not if you're making it."

"Don't worry, I need practice anyway." Kyungsoo said, signing and standing up. "Where's your pot again?"

"There." I said, pointing to the cupboards. The past few days, we had gotten into the habit of cooking for each other. Baek burnt ramen first time, and we haven't trusted him since.

"What are you thinking today, Kyungsoo?" I asked, folding my legs up on the chair. "Something spicy, I assume?"

"Is there any other way?" Ky said, turning and shooting me a grin. He loved his spicy meals, which worked out well for me, who also has a rather adventurous palette.

Suddenly, these was a soft rapping at the door, so quiet I almost missed it. Ky heard it as well, turning to face me with wide eyes.

"Ah, you have a guest?" he said, gesturing a soup ladle at the door while gathering supplies from my fridge.

"I guess so." I shrugged, rising from my creaky chair. "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are."

I grabbed the handle and opened the door softly, not wanting to scare off whoever was here to see me. I glanced out, but was surprised to have my view completely hidden by a broad chest.

"Eh? You?" Sehun said, his lips twisting into a frown. "I must have the wrong room."

I shot him a smirk. "Aw, you missed me that much already?"

Sehun ignored me, looking at my room number and chewing his lip in concentration. "Huh, one-oh-eight... the fucker must have given me the wrong - "

"Sehun?" Ky said, peering out from behind my shoulder. He looked just as confused as Sehun. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you."

"Well yeah, but why?"

"My keycard isn't working."

"What?!" Kyungsoo said, his eyes growing larger by the moment.

"Yeah, you told me you were coming here again... why on earth are you with her? Whose room is this?" Sehun asked, pointing to me. His brows knit together as though the fact that Ky and I being friends was the most difficult algorithm he had ever encountered.

"Hey, I'm standing right here you know. It is my room, after all." I quipped, shuffling aside so Kyungsoo could face Sehun. It was clear he wasn't here for me anyway.

"Whatever. Can I borrow your key?" Sehun huffed, holding out his hand and expecting Kyungsoo to hand it over promptly.

"Uh... my key's in the room." Ky said, his eyebrows raising.

"What?!" Sehun exclaimed, his voice growing louder by the moment. His hand raised to rub at his temples in annoyance. "Are you kidding me, DO?"

"Well, it's not like you ever leave the room anyway, I figured you would stay holed up until I came back."

"Well you thought wrong, you idiot."

"Hey, at least my keycard works though."

"Yeah, that would really be useful right now, wouldn't it."

"Well, maybe if you had left the room before you would have realized that your card was broken."

"Well, maybe if you weren't a stupid fucki-"

"Can you guys stop bickering for two seconds?" I said, rolling my eyes. I swear my ears were about to burst from listening to the two of them. "Are one of you going to call the supervisor and get this fixed, or will I have to take on the mother figure here?"

"I'll call, since apparently I'm responsible for the fucking mess." Ky sighed. "Chan, watch the rice. Don't let it boil over."

"Got it hyung!" Chan said, rolling off my bed and walking into the kitchen.

Ky slipped out into the hallway to make the call, leaving Chan, Baek, Sehun and I waiting in awkward silence. The tension was so thick, you could cut through it with a knife.

"So... you coming inside, or...?" Baekhyun asked, staring at Sehun with a raised eyebrow.

Sehun scoffed in response. "Polite pass on that offer."

"Why?" Chan asked, stirring the rice and glancing at him past my shoulder. "We don't bite, buddy. Come in, have lunch. I doubt you'll be getting into your room for a while."

"What makes you say that?" Sehun asked, now intrigued. Even though he was trying to hide it, I could tell he was glancing at Kyungsoo's culinary creation, now intrigued. He shifted to lean on my doorframe.

"Well, if the key doesn't work, they'll need to go through the paperwork and prove that you're you. Do you happen to have your wallet on you?"

"No." Sehun said sheepishly, hands starting to fiddle in front of him.

"So, you don't have any identification on you? They won't just unlock your room for some random without his Student ID." Chanyeol said, shooting Sehun a crooked grin. "Come on in, we're having lunch."

Sehun, seemingly torn, glanced between Chanyeol, the pot of rice, and me.

I shrugged. "Seems to me like you're out of luck buddy. May as well get comfortable."

Sehun tossed back his head and let out a groan, but his feet still carried him inside my doorway.

"Come sit here." Baekhyun said, patting the chair next to him. Sehun grumbled, yet did as he was told. He flopped into the chair roughly, like a five year old going to time out.

"Come on man, smile a little bit! Classes don't start until tomorrow, there's no reason to be this pissed off." Baek grinned at him. "What's your program?"

"You won't get it." Sehun sighed, picking invisible lint off his dark blue jeans.

"What's not to get?" Chan quipped. "Is it Astrophysics? Neurology? Biomedical toxicology?" He narrowed his gaze. "Mechanical engineering?"

"No, no." Sehun grimaced at the thought. "I'm going through the Hattoke Jeunmyeon branch, for Dance and Preforming Arts."

My eyebrows jumped up in surprise. "Wait, you're a dancer?" I asked in disbelief, my tone certainly giving away my stunned demeanour.

"Yes, what's it to you, jagi?" Sehun sneered at me, rolling his eyes at my response.

I shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. Just didn't see you as the dancing type."

Sehun glanced at me through his thick lashes. He ran a hand though his disheveled mop of a haircut. "Oh, yeah? And what did you see me as, then?"

I looked at the ceiling, pretending to be lost in thought. To add to the effect, I stroked my chin slowly. "Oh, I don't know... Gatekeeper to Hell?"

Baekhyun grinned at my response. "That's funny Chae, I was going to say the same thing!"

"I was thinking he's more 'Portal to the Underworld' kind of guy myself." Chanyeol smirked, stirring the rice absentmindedly.

"Either that or Lucifer's Apprentice, but those were off of our thrilling conversation on initiation night, so can you blame me?" I grinned at him, to which he rolled his eyes.

"I thought we agreed to forget that ever happened." he sighed. his fingers rubbing his eyes in disdain.

"Oh, but it did." I said, walking to the countertop beside Chanyeol and hopping up for a seat. "And after, I said I was going to force you to be my friend, and here are. Funny how the universe works out like this."

"I said no."

"You really don't understand what force means, do you?" I said, making Chan snicker quietly.

"Can you fuck off with the attitude, jagi? Not sure if you can tell, but I'm not exactly in the mood." Sehun said, rolling his head to face me. His dark eyes were burning holes into mine.

"Sure, sure, anything for a friend." I grinned right back, ignoring my heart pounding at his intense gaze.

"And, we're good." Kyungsoo said, coming back into the room and closing the door softly behind him. "You can stop fucking with my meal now, thanks." He shot a quick smirk at Chanyeol.

"I literally stirred the rice."

"You're not supposed to stir rice!"

"Well, I'm not the culinary major, am I?"

"Obviously not." Ky said, rushing to save his meal from total disaster.

"Wait, can I go now? Did they fix it?" Sehun asked, his voice lilting up in hopefulness.

"What? Oh, no. They said it'll take an hour or two to get all the paperwork in order and get a new key, but after that we should be good." Kyungsoo said, grabbing a cutting board to dice some eggplant.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Sehun asked, narrowing his gaze at Ky.

Kyungsoo sighed, falsifying a large, sickly sweet smile and turning to face Sehun. "Ha, yes! You got me! On that phone call, they actually managed to fix the door, tidied our room for us, and even gave me ten billion Won! Can you believe our luck?! " The smile dropped from his face and he returned to dicing vegetables. "No, I'm not fucking with you, why would I do that?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Sehun said, leaning back in the chair with a loud squeak.

"He's just giving you the attitude you always seem to give out, hyung." Baekhyun said, leaning his head on the wall behind him and giving Sehun a soft smirk.

"Come on, I'm not that bad." Sehun said, his cheeks flaring a bit.

My jaw simply dropped in response. "Your attitude? Not that bad?" I barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, sorry hyung, but even I don't get the nicest vibe from you, gotta be blunt." Chan said, leaning onto the counter beside me and shooting Sehun a raised brow.

"Why's that, hyung?"Sehun replied, sneering at Chanyeol with his face contorted.

"Well, that tone is certainly a start." Ky said, frying veggies in a pan.

"The dark and brooding demeanour is another point on the list." Baek added.

"The whole 'lone dog' thing is a lot to deal with as well." I quipped, tucking my hair behind my ears and grinning.

"Oh, come on." Sehun said, a aggravated grin playing at his lips.

"Well seriously man, do you have any friends?" Chan said, smirking.

"I'm not interested in making friends."

"Who's not interested in making friends?" Baek asked incredulously, his own heavily-social-oriented lifestyle obviously a stark contrast to Sehun's.

"You really do belong in the Underworld." I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Now I understand why you want to be his friend," Chan said, slapping my thigh with his large hand. "You feel bad for the guy!"

"Is it really that weird that I'd rather spend my time at uni, oh, I don't know, learning stuff?" Sehun asked, adjusting his seat in my chair. You could tell we were slowly working our way under his crusty shell, making him actually engage in the conversation. He tried to mask his discomfort with an extra layer of saucy attitude, but it was too obvious to bear.

"Well, obviously that's a factor of going to school." I said, smirking at him. "But do you want to remember all your classes, or hanging out with your new group of friends?"

"Classes." Sehun said, his lips pursing into a tight line.

"Uh oh, I think someone's in denial!" Chanyeol said, sing-singing to irritate him even more. It worked, Sehun rolling his eyes and crossing his arms with a huff.

"Aw, it's okay Sehun-ah, we'll take care of you." Baekgrinned, and clapped shun on both shoulders, roughing him around a little bit.

"Can I opt out of this experience?" Shun whined, glancing around at all of us with wide eyes.

"Nope! No return engagements, no refunds." I laughed, sliding off the countertop. "Sorry, hyung, there's nothing we can do now."

"And what's your ultimate plan then?" Shun asked, his eyes narrowing at me. "Cause if you're hanging with a bunch of boys to get laid, not exactly sure if you're doing it right."

"Hey, come on now." Ky said, taking the pan off the heat and moving it to the table. "She's like one of the guys."

"Yeah, she's like a brother, it's not like that." Chanyeol laughed, roughing up my hair playfully. "Could you imagine?"

I grimaced at the thought. While the trio were all attractive in their own way, I was certainly not interested in sleeping with them. "God, no!"

"Come on Chae, the option's always open with me, oppa!" Back chirped, shooting me a playful wink.

"If you're trying to put on the moves, I don't suggest calling her 'sister' while propositioning sex." Ky laughed, grabbing some bowls and setting them on the table. "In the meantime, lunch's ready."

"Thank god, I think I'm starving!" I grinned, grabbing a bowl and the soup ladle eagerly. "What do you call this?"

"Spicy eggplant wok with rice." Ky said, a smile playing on my lips as he watched my expression carefully. I heaped it into my bowl, making his smile grow wider. He was obviously thrilled at my excitement.

"Ah, spicy again, hyung?" Baek groaned, not having the fond love of spice that Ky and I shared.

"What's wrong with spice?" Sehun quipped, shifting again in his seat and eyeing the wok eagerly. "You a little bitch or something?"

Baek rolled his eyes at Sehun's cold observation. "Or something." he sneered, imitating Sehun's voice -- badly.

Chan, Ky and I ignored their quarrelling, simply eating our food in soft silence. The food was amazing, as it normally was when Kyungsoo made it, which made us all scarf it down even quicker. Quickly, the pot got emptier and emptier, until finally the food was all gone and the bowls around the table were also empty.

"Ah, outdid yourself again, hyung!" Chan sighed happily, patting his stomach.

"Thank you." Ky said, cheeks growing rosy at the compliment.

"I'm stuffed!" I yawned, slowly working my way up from my seat. "Now, I need a nap."

"Not before me!" Chan said with a grin, darting up and running into my room. Eyes widening, I broke into a wide grin and chased after him.

"Oppa, no!" I whined as he flung himself onto my bed. I jumped on as well, the bed frame creaking between the both of us. "Come on, you napped all morning!"

"Yes, and now it's mid-afternoon, and I'm tired again. Come on, we can both squeeze." Chan said, his eyes growing heavy through even touching a pillow and blanket. He pulled his hood up around his face and rolled over to face the wall with a soft grumble.

"Sleepy boy." I tsked quietly, but laying down beside his huge looming frame anyway. I snuggled my head further into my pillow, stomach full and contented, listening to the soft conversation still going on in the kitchen flowing through my doorway.

- - - - -

I rough shake at my shoulder jerked me awake. I groaned sleepily, wiping the hair out of my eyes and blinking slowly. "What?" I grumbled.

"Mwo?" a deep voice said, confused.

Ah, shit. Stupid English kicking in.

"Sorry, what?" I said again, correcting my language.

"We're leaving." Sehun said, crouching beside me. His hot breath fanned over my face, smelling strongly of spearmint gum. I grimaced. "Our door got fixed."

"Oh, okay. You didn't have to wake me, you know." I grumbled. Not exactly a morning person.

"Exactly, I figured it would piss you off." Sehun gave a lopsided smirk, his tone brazen and confident. He raised for his squatting position and went to stride confidently out of the room, before I stopped him.

"Hey, what time is it? Where did everyone go?" I asked quickly, before he had the chance to dart away.

He glanced at his watch and sighed, as though it was the biggest annoyance that I had even asked. He pushed the sleeve of his black shirt further up his arm. "Sixteen - thirty." he said, glancing back at he. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and he pushed it away and leaned on my doorframe. "Uh, Kyungsoo went to help the supervisor with the paperwork, and Baekhyun decided that he would rather nap in his own bed than on the floor I guess."

"Ah, gotcha." I groaned, head falling onto my pillow. "Sixteen-thirty already? Almost dinnertime then, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess." Sehun said, gaze falling to the floor. He adjusted his shoes awkwardly, and I could tell from his tense shoulders that he was uncomfortable.

I felt bad, this loner obviously not exactly feeling welcome in our little squad. Maybe we had teased him too much, or maybe he just wasn't used to having conversations with actual people instead of some weird online chatroom. His shoulders tight and tense, squared off, he positively loomed in the doorway. Even with his stature, you could really tell he was quite delicate, with his long legs and narrow waist.

His body was made to be a dancer.

His eyes caught my stare grazing his body, making me jump slightly. He shot me a arrogant smirk in response.

Refusing to let my cheeks redden, I quipped, "Are you wanting to come out with us? We'll probably go out tonight since Ky already cooked." I rested my head on my hands softly, brushing the scraggly hair out of my face.

"You guys all go together?" Sehun said, glancing between me and Chanyeol, who's still fast asleep.

"Yeah, at least we have the past couple days." I shrugged, my heart slowly returning to it's normal pace. "It's up to you."

"Eh, I'll think about it. Don't get your hopes up though, jagi." Sehun huffed, rolling his shoulders back. And, with a flick of his stupid hair, he walked out of my doorway.

"Wouldn't have in the first place!" I yelled after him, but only got my slamming door in response.

"'Don't get your hopes up, jagi' "Chanyeol grumbled, his voice gravelly with sleep.

"Eh, I thought you were asleep."I said, rolling over to face him.

His head fell to face me, one eye peeking open to look at me. "Nope, woke up somewhere around the time he got snippy again."

"So, you were awake the whole time?" I smirked.

"Yep, just didn't want to deal with his attitude. Have we officially signed on to try and tame that guy? Cause I don't know if I can deal with his snarky demeanour much longer." Chanyeol groaned, with a smile playing at his lips.

"Not sure. Hopefully if we did, we can reverse that decision before it's too late." I laughed, pushing myself to sit up.

"Well, you just invited him out for dinner with us, so good luck!" Chan grumbled, stretching his arms above his head with a groan. He opened his eyes wider, glancing out my window at the slowly sinking sun.

I stood, chuckling. "Yeah, and you really think he'd take up that offer? I don't think so."

"Let's hope not." Chanyeol said, moving to the edge of my bed. "In the meantime, I better go back to my room and shower before we leave."

"Yeah, I'll probably do the same." I sighed, stretching my arms above my head, and trying to crack my back. Hiking my leggings up further on my hips, I turned to face him and leaned against my desk. "What time will we go, do you think?"

Chan shrugged and stood. "Dunno, text the group chat. I'm gunna go, brainstorm where we should try tonight!" He shot me a lopsided grin. "See you soon, I guess?"

"Yeah, see you later Chan." I smiled back, to which he gave me a little wave and sauntered out off my room, pulling his hood over his head.

I, myself, headed into the bathroom, getting the shower running. Steam quickly filled the room

Why we had even invited Sehun into my room was rather beyond me. Yes, he was kind of screwed over with the door, but he was also very obviously a social pariah. Putting in the effort with him didn't seem to be exactly worth the effort when he was so obviously bent on pushing us away. Even though he had a very harsh exterior, simply forcing Sehun for more than a few minutes, you could tell he was a smart guy.

Maybe it was just because he didn't like anybody. Maybe it was because nobody took the time to like him.

Grabbing the shampoo and lathering up my sandy brown hair, my mind drifted beyond Sehun, to my class tomorrow. Obviously starting strong with a seven in the morning financial business intro class wasn't the smartest idea, however when I had signed up for it I was thinking that early mornings would be the perfect time to bond with other students. Now, I'm confident that I have a solid group of friends that I can lean back on if nothing works out.

I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, scrubbing at my scalp harshly. The warm, silky water flowed down my body, leaving raised goosebumps in it's wake. Soaked and silky, my hair hung down my back in a river of brown and copper hues.

Not sure if it's obvious, but I love showering.

I twisted off the knob with a quick yawn, stepping out of the shower onto the fluffy towel I had laid down previous. Wiping down the mirror with my hand, I stared at my unclothed body with detachment.

From what I've been told, I get all my looks from my biological father; long, lean body, gangly limbs, pale skin. My face was sharp and angular, petite nose, large blue-green eyes. All I knew was that my biological parents gave me a weird assortment of genetic code, resulting in in a jarring contrast of sharp and soft features that never seems to look quite right. The adoption agency had given me photos of both of my 'real' parents, but I was rather uninterested in them, seeing as my adoptive mother was the only mother I really needed.

God, I miss her.

Sighing, I grabbed another towel and dried myself off, done with picking myself apart and getting ready for the night ahead instead.

#sehun #SeHunnie #oh sehun #chanyeol #kyungsoo #baekhyun #exo #exo k #exo m #exo smut

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dailywritings · 7 years

Text

10/11 Prompt- Raccoon Dumpster Portals

(Or: An Exercise in First Person, Why Do I Hate Myself?)

Never grab a hold of a raccoon diving into your dumpster at three in the morning. "Well sure," you might say, "you never know what it has. It could be carrying rabies, or even something worse!" That is true, and it should have been enough to stop me. But it wasn't, and now here I was, on the other side of a dimensional portal that some dumpster-diving, trash-eating mammal apparently dove through on accident. Or so I thought. But as I watched, the fluffy gray critter wiggled his nose, stared straight at me, and disappeared. I swear it winked at me just before it left, too. An entire lifetime of yearning for magical powers, space travel, or literally anything more interesting than day-to-day life, and a god damn raccoon warps me to another dimension because I was foolish enough - brilliant enough?- to grab on as it dove. Well, now that I was here - wherever here happened to be - you could be damn sure I was going to make the most of it. I'd seen all the movies and TV shows, read all the books I could get my hands on about dimensional travel. I knew enough to be cautious, even if the place seemed harmless enough at the moment. Step one: investigate your surroundings. I glanced around for the first time since my sudden arrival. Whatever plane I had been warped to was very similar to Earth, so much so that I wondered for a moment if perhaps raccoons had teleportation rather than planar travel. What absurd thoughts were going through my mind today! But no, small details were wrong. The grass beneath my feet and the sky over my head were just slightly off; green-but-not-quite, blue-except-maybe-not. It occurred to me that while I could clearly perceive these colors, I did not have a name for them. At first glance I had believed the sky to be a shade of blue, but now I looked again and it seemed closer to purple, but not a shade I had ever seen in any artist's palette. I shook my head. A girl could drive herself crazy trying to come up with names for colors that she hadn't known existed until five minutes ago. Instead, I tried to focus on the larger picture. Despite being the wrong color, the grass here certainly behaved like grass. Every-so-often a light breeze would blow, bringing with it a pleasantly sweet scent as the blades rustled under its gentle caress. Kneeling, I splayed my fingers out, working them into the carpeting. The grass was soft under my hand, and I discovered to my delight that the sweet scent was coming from the grass itself. I caught myself yawning. It may have been day here, but my body was still on normal Earth-time, and Earth-time said it was getting close to four in the morning. Not the latest night I'd ever had, but the ground was so very welcoming. Succumbing to the temptation, I sought out the shade under a lone tree nearby. Despite lacking both a blanket and pillow, I found myself not at all uncomfortable. Under the grass the soil was springy, and the wind blew lazily over me, bringing more of the sweet aroma. A nagging feeling in the back of my mind gave a valiant attempt to keep me awake, but was soon forced to give up the fight as sleep overtook me.

It was still light when I awoke again. Stretching, I got to my feet, pleased to note that I wasn't nearly as sore as I would have expected from an impromptu dirt nap. I laughed aloud at my choice of phrasing. The nagging feeling was back, but I pointed out that I had slept fine and awoken unharmed, and it had nothing to say to that. For the first time, I noticed the sun. It was similar enough to our own, if slightly larger and with more of a reddish tint. It wasn't quite high overhead yet, but with no idea of the normal length of days here, I had no idea what that meant for me. I could have slept for a few minutes, hours, or for the equivalent of an entire day, and I would never know. Never? It seemed I had adjusted to the idea that I was stuck here forever incredibly quickly. To get back home, I assumed I would just have to find another dimension-hopping raccoon and hitch a ride. But that brought up more questions. How many dimensions did they travel through? Were specific locations on Earth linked to their parallels on other planes? If I moved too far from where I arrived, would I make it back to Earth only to find myself in another country altogether, with no passport, identification, or money? Panic reached its spindly fingers around my throat - well overdue, I thought in a dry tone. Had I been so malcontent with my life that I didn't care that I was alone on another world with nothing but the clothes I had planned to wear to bed that night? Did it matter to me at all that my roommate would come looking for me in the morning and find nothing out of place except for a phone still sitting on its charger? Would she find it strange that I went out without any means of contact? Not likely, actually; I was known to disconnect from social responsibilities for anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

She might not even suspect anything strange until a week or more had gone by. Would I find a way home by then? How would she react to a phone call from a strange number, possibly from a different country, from someone claiming to be her missing roommate? Sure, she might believe me and come to my rescue, but it was far more likely that she would dismiss it as a prank call and think nothing more of it. I stopped myself there, inhaling and exhaling deeply in an attempt to come back to reality. I could catastrophize until I was blue in the face - and likely would if I didn't get a handle on myself - but it wouldn't change a thing. Stick to the facts. What do you KNOW? Not much. From the frequency of raccoon sightings around my neighborhood and the lack of sightings here, I could guess that either not every raccoon had the ability to move through dimensions, that they only used it as an emergency escape method, or that they simply did not all go to the same plane when they traveled. Clearly you're a magical girl, and this is the beginning of your origin story. I dismissed the errant thought with a laugh, but the longing behind it remained. That settled it. I had spent my whole life praying for something like this to happen. Now that I was here, I wasn't going to let my anxiety corral me in one small corner of this world until I either got home or died of starvation/heat exposure/thirst/any one of a million things that could possibly cause me to meet my end in a completely unknown place. This is where I would adjust my backpack straps - if I had any - and stride off confidently, I joked silently. But I had nothing, not even the prerequisite coin to make the important decisions, like which direction to take off in. I could spin around in a circle until I fall down, then whichever direction my head pointed to would be where I would go. But I hated getting dizzy, and could do without throwing up all over the beautiful sweetgrass that had done nothing but be kind to me. Failing all other options I closed my eyes, stretched out a finger, and pointed in a random direction. That way. I opened my eyes. My finger was pointing past the tree, towards a mountain in the distance. With new resolve, I squared my shoulders, and stepped forward.

The End? Prompt obtained from @writing-prompt-s, thank you very much for the inspiration!

#my writing #prompt #NaNo practice #writing practice

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its-elissawoodsthe-student · 5 years

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5.4.1 Week 4 Mastery Reflection - Task 3: Reflection

During my four weeks of Design Research I was tasked with digging deeper into my research to explore and evaluate design options, investigate methods for text handling and layout, utilize critical thinking skills, and to translate the concepts into effective visual communications.

Reflection:

In week one I began by reading Basics Advertising 03: Ideation by Mahon and explored Riga, Latvia and the many facets of the city from culture to architecture. As I worked to develop the narrative as well as establish the voice and tone for Riga, I initially struggled to focus my narrative on what Riga’s personality as a brand needed to be as opposed to writing jumbled copy for a tourist brochure. Mahon 2011, suggests “However, some of the most creative ideas are generated by exploring different routes and directions that can't merely be logically explained” (Mahon 2011, p. 24). The more research I conducted on Riga the more the city’s personality became clear to me.

In week two it was time to delve into creating a style sheet that featured the necessary design elements for Riga’s burgeoning brand. With a polished and refined narrative, the three words that described Riga’s brand: Cultured, Well-Read, and Accomplished, as well as a color palette, textures/patterns, images, and a typography sampling I was laying the ground work for week three’s Vision Boards. Felton 2006 offers “Find the human story in your brand, tell it, and watch people gather around the fire” (Felton 2006, p. 80).

Style Sheet:

In week three it was time to dig even deeper into my research. As I explored layout and text handling in Basics Design 02: Layout (second edition) and The Fundamentals of Typography (second edition) by Ambrose & Harris as well as Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Applying Page Design Principles by Gavin & Jura, it was time to apply these concepts in two iterations of Vision Boards. The initial vision board showcases the Art Nouveau treatment and styling of the brand while my attempt at a revised vision board showcases applied concepts of text handling such as alignment and utilizing a baseline grid, but is styled in a more structured grid that is too contemporary and was sadly a departure from the visual tone of the brand. Ambrose & Haris 2011, suggests “Type and image are treated and arranged as separate elements, but the consistent approach unifies these elements into a coherent whole” (Ambrose & Harris 2011, p. 90). After receiving feedback and critique from Professor Argo, I knew that I needed to step up my game in week for, re-frame my thinking, and meld the best aspects of both iterations of my vision boards into my infographic.

The Initial Vision Board:

The “Revised” Vision Board:

In week four it was time to implement all the concepts I had learned and all the research I conducted to create an infographic on the brand identity I developed for Riga. Ambrose & Harris 2011 argues, “There are a number of axioms in design, for example that range left is easier to read than range right, or that range left is more `modern' than centered type” (Ambrose & Harris 2011, p. 110). With this brand I had a fine line to walk in balancing contemporary elements such as white text, flush left text alignment, and sans-serif typefaces, with more traditional elements such using a serif typeface for the sub-headings, ornate floral patterns and motifs, and dark blue that would bolster Riga’s reserved timeless elegance. After all, this brand aims to invite the intended target audience to explore the city’s abundance of culture, Art Nouveau architecture and to experience the epitome of worldly sophistication.

Infographic:

Degree Learning Outcomes:

Synthesizing:

Hierarchical Grid - The infographic needed to maintain flow lines yet adhere to the organic presentation that enhanced the visual hierarchy of my initial vision board. “These grids create specific alignments within the material as a method of developing a hierarchy of information. Because they rely on an intuitive placement based on specific content, an in-depth review of the materials and requirements at the outset of the project is crucial” (Graver & Jura 2012, p. 40). After critically reviewing both of my vision boards, and my style sheet it was time to plug in various elements.

Baseline Grid - For the infographic, the copy cross-aligns to accommodate for the varying sizes of the header, sub-heads, and body texts. “The use of cross alignment enables a designer to use different type sizes while maintaining a consistent baseline” (Ambrose & Harris 2011, p. 51). Since there is a plethora of information to be read, maintaining a consistent baseline is essential to making it easier for the target audience to read.

Problem Solving: Maintaining a Consistent Approach - Throughout the last four weeks I struggled to maintain consistency in my approach to this brand from the get-go. For example, my initial attempt at a theme was “Worldly citified”. I was suggesting “urbane”, but not only did the theme not make any sense, “citified” denotes and undercuts the worldly culture and sophistication of the brand as a whole. From there, my next struggle with consistency came in week three with my vision boards. I had reviewed too many contemporary pieces in my research and thus delivered a final vision board that was a complete departure from my brand. Felton 2006 suggests, “There’s a continual struggle between being on-strategy and being clever. Each wants to pull you away from the other. Your job as a thinker and problem solver is to keep both in mind, to spin the strategy without losing hold of it” (Felton 2006, p. 86). While Felton is referring specifically to writing headlines, this quote reminded me to keep a firm grasp on the concepts I had developed thus far and to return to the Art Nouveau style for my brand’s infographic.

Before:

After:

Innovative Thinking: Avoid “Templates”: Breaking away from the mistakes made in my revised vision board meant making a return to the original and diverse perspectives my Art Nouveau stylings had to offer. By moving away from a geometric grid so often seen in contemporary mood boards on Pinterest, I allowed myself to think outside the circles and force myself to dig deeper in reviewing Art Nouveau designs for architecture (and windows), posters, and vintage ads. By breaking away from the geometric grid, my brand moved away from the “template” trap and was bolstered by embracing the ornate and otherworldly motifs that makes this brand so unique. Graver & Jura 2012 advises “When attempting to unify content elements through the organizing principle implied by the grid itself, it is important to make sure there is visual balance between the items. Frequently, this is successfully achieved when the content areas seem to communicate with one another” (Graver & Jura 2012, p. 137). Rather than allow the grid itself to rule the page, I had to utilize the organizing principles of a hierarchical grid while allowing the brand’s elements to communicate effectively.

Common Practice: What to Avoid

Acquiring Competencies:

1. Baseline Grid - With a plethora of information it is important to keep the reader in mind and how maintaining a consistent baseline will enable the target audience to read with ease and thereby better understand the content on the page. Ambrose & Harris 2011 write ”The baseline grid provides a guide for positioning elements on the page with accuracy, which is difficult to achieve by eye alone” (Ambrose & Harris 2011, p. 54).

2. The Size & Shape of the Page - You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole just like you can’t squeeze design elements and throw them where they don’t belong. “Prose or materials focusing on the writing itself may be better served by a slightly wider format that encourages slow, deliberate reading. Similarly, content that is primarily defined by horizontal images should not be forced into a narrow vertical format” (Graver & Jura 2012, p. 94). Admittedly, I still need to work on this. The fine balance of negative space and placing the content in a manner that bolsters the viewers understanding of the content and maintains a consistent brand approach.

3. “Templates” Beware - In reviewing too many contemporary pieces that utilized more geometric forms and shapes, somewhere along the way I lost sight of the concepts I had worked to develop for this brand and the resulting “revised” vision board showed that. One of my biggest takeaways from this course is that I cannot loose sight of my originality and perspectives to crank out something similar to what hundreds of other people are doing. The challenge for myself is remember the DLO’s I have learned so far and to always dig deeper into research when I am stuck. Felton 2006 states, “As a creative person, you are dedicating yourself to transcending clichés” (Felton 2006, p. 263).

References:

Ambrose G. & Harris, P. (2011). Basics Design 02: Layout (second edition). Retrieved from: https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9782940447169

Ambrose G. & Harris, P. (2011). The Fundamentals of Typography (second edition). Retrieved from: https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9782940447244

Felton, G. (2006). Advertising Concept and Copy, Third Edition. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, (Originally Published by Pearson Education, Inc.).

Graver, A. & Jura, B. (2012). Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Applying Page Design Principles. Retrieved from: https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9781592537853

Lonely Planet. (n.d.). Welcome to Rīga. Retrieved from: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/latvia/riga

LIAALatvia. (2014, February 2). About Riga, Capital of Latvia [Video file]. Retrieved from: http://www.liaa.gov.lv/en/invest-latvia

Mahon, N. (2010). Basics Advertising 02: Art Direction Retrieved from: https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9782940439447

Mahon, N. (2011). Basics Advertising 03: Ideation. Retrieved from: https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/sales-and-marketing/9782940411504

#reflection

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