#2020 spring

[f-iligree]

Mame Kurogouchi / Spring 2020 RTW

[surefire-sketches]

4 arts i made for my boyfriend a year or so ago (oh maybe more like 2 years now that i think about it) each is inspired off of something we got into early on into our relationship together (minus the last which is just us in our rooms)

first is Minecraft, second is iZombie and Buffy, and third is aquabats

i’m still pretty happy with how all of these turned out uwu

[kingandqueenofillea]

"I just think that we'd be a good us."

He smiled slowly. "We'd be a wonderful us."

The Elite by Kiera Cass (pg 40)

[hubertspala]

#12 - Dragon’s Egg

Dragons are a rarity now. It is said that during the time of Magic they proliferated everywhere, the sky was littered with them and the shadows of their wings were numerous as the clouds. They were both used as noble steeds as well as couriers and haulers of goods for the mighty and the rich. Some were free, roaming the skies in search for a glorious battle or a treasure to relocate to their hoard. Ownership never was a strong suit of the dragons, unless we are talking about things they own. But the time passed – technology moved onward, magic was tamed and then ruined in some cataclysmic way, spent. Without it, they perished, vanished into the strange realm of scale and claw where they rest or they simply died off as some bones in the dunes can tell. They are rare now… But not gone. From time to time you will hear hushed stories amongst nomads about the dread in the heavens, a winged god-beast. Sometimes you’ll return to a village only to see it gone, a smouldering remnants standing in the village place. And so, as their mythical status grows, so does the merchandise of amulets, trinkets, weapons and gizmos made for and against dragons. A business for bold (and stupid) wanna be dragon slayers as well as for those, who are afraid of the dragon attack. And of course the rarest of them all, the ultimate item to trade, a fortune in relatively small form – a dragon’s egg – for the dream of having a dragon risen by yourself, to ride and to tame and to master, never ceased to twitch in minds of the dreamers.

[lovebbosong]

In Corona, but spring comes. Let's cheer up, everybody.

[iohourtime]

Yamada Ryosuke as Okita Souji (Pia Movie Special)

Pia Movie Special 2020 Spring

Yamada’s comments

Okita Souji is a very popular Shinsengumi character and at first, I felt uneasy playing him. After watching the performances of [many] Okita actors in past [Shinsengumi] projects, I [concluded that] Okita looked significantly younger than the other Shinsengumi members. That would probably be one of my weapons [in playing the role].

I think Shinsengumi is popular because they are cool, but that was not their only side - they were also very brutal; that was one gap between [our version] and the other Okitas and projects. A lot of people have an image of Okita as being “very strong”, he needed to look even stronger than Hijikata (Toshizo) san, so I remain highly inquisitive about that.

From his childhood spending time with the others in the countryside to his time in Kyoto serving as a member of the Shinsengumi, I think Okita was the only one whose personality had not changed and was an unwavering presence. Because of that, he was able to accept Kondo (Isami) san and Hijikata san the same way as before. I think it was important to show his unchanging “I like Kondo san and Hijikata san” nature and his cool [temperaments]. That’s why if you have to say who is the most cruel, he might be the cruelest of them all. Since he was cool, his outside [demeanor] was completely separated from his inside [feelings]; his comrades in the Shinsengumi were the most important to him. There was a scene where a member of the Shinsengumi, Yamanami (Keisuke) san defected and Hijikata ordered [Okita] to “pursue him”, he showed his defiant attitude and thought “Should I let him escape?”. Since it was the first time you will see him thinking “that was different from what I want”, I was especially careful with my acting in that scene. [T/N: I’m adding some context below the photo in case you are interested in spoilers.]

Didn’t the Shinsengumi members decide where they would die? They did that by choosing “how they wanted to live”, right? They did not follow the times but rather they forged their own path based on their own ideals. The way the Shinsengumi lived would be quite over the top for regular people, but the way they thought of their comrades or how they decided “I will die here” - I thought that was very manly and cool. It wasn’t about how old you lived but how you lived and how fulfilling you wanted your life to be.  I think that was those people’s values and that resonated with me. Similar to the sakura, it took time for the flowers to bloom but the petals soon fell away - it felt fleeting and beautiful at the same time.

[Spoiler] Remember, Moeyo Ken was historical fiction, so this was what Shima wrote in the book, which might not be factual!

Yamanami was part of the group that went to Kyoto from Hino and after they got rid of Serizawa Kamo, Yamanami was the General Secretary of the group until his defection. Although he was the same rank as Hijikata, he was essentially placed in a symbolic but powerless role by Hijikata’s design. Hijikata had the sole power to mobilize the team. So Yamanami got more jaded as time went by. When Ito Kashitaro and his faction joined the Shinsengumi, Yamanami felt more aligned with their values.

Okita was very close to Yamanami and looked at him like his older brother. One day, either because he was conspiring with Ito Kashitaro or he just had enough of this nonsense, Yamanami left a letter for Kondo, saying he was going home to Hino. Alas, leaving without permission = defection = death in the Shinsengumi.

Kondo kind of wanted to let Yamanami go, but Hijikata was insistent, so he told Okita to go after him and basically to execute him. Okita was shocked and unwilling and said “You want me to go kill him?” But after hesitating briefly, Okita made a decision to “cut his affections and regard for Yamanami” and went on the pursuit. That was Okita’s coolness and brutality, but did he really put aside his feelings just like that?

Okita got on the horse to start his pursuit. Maybe due to the cold air, he started coughing. He looked at his gloves and saw the blood. He thought plainly, “I guess I am going to die after all”. When he finally found Yamanami, who never bothered hiding his tracks and even greeted Okita himself, you could sense that maybe Okita didn’t really want to find him. He told Yamanami they could have a sword fight instead. There was a moment when I wondered if Okita was basically telling Yamanami that it was OK to kill him and escape (since he was going to die from TB anyway). 

In the end, Yamanami just went back to Kyoto with Okita peacefully. They didn’t hurry back and Yamanami never explained why he left and what he wanted to do. He just chatted with Okita about their hometown and reminisced about their past. When they got back to Kyoto, Yamanami chose to commit ritual suicide and Okita acted as his second*. This story took up one chapter but in the end, you still couldn’t get more than a glimpse inside Okita’s mind.

*Since it was very painful to commit ritual suicide the samurai way, the person usually appoint a “second” to chop his head off right after.

[meetmybadart]

[f-iligree]

Valentino / Spring 2020 RTW