#✰ — epigrams

[gayalienwilde]

It's cause you're always on that damn gay sex Oscar Wilde alien brooch!!!

[beforevenice]

lips of honey, eyes of fire.

// meleager, tr. by peter whigham, from greek anthology Epigrams

[feuilletonette]

Bridgerton S3, they could never make me hate you.

I had been consuming a lot of contents albeit very much revolves around these two darlings, Penelope and Colin. I just couldn't get enough. I was simply never the same after Polin. Never.

It had been pressing weeks when I felt the shed of my old skin upon the compounding insinuations of loss affection toward men of haunting past. In which with all their might would do everything to sabotage the relationship, to run screaming and crying and throwing up to absolutely defy these insurmountable feelings, one could label within the word, love. Until they are utterly consumed by these thoughts and overwhelming need to express such affections where the only way to ever cope results to angry, passionate confessions of love.

I am wild to witness the stark difference of how we see Colin did none of those things because in my conclusion, he wasn't as emotionally constipated and the first three leads and it is such a refreshing medium to see without ever actually stripping him flat. That is what I want: a tender, loving, down bad softboy declaring that if his purpose was to love a woman as great as me, then he shall be a very fulfilled man, indeed.

The argument that he didn't say the 'I love you' enough debate was, in surface, quite understandable but if you start to analyse closely, after the proposal, almost every interactions he's had revolved around finding an opportunity to express his love and admiration to/for Penelope, especially in his conversation with his siblings.

He didn't need to scream his confession, he'd been attuned and embracing it (enthusiastically so) once realised, that is why he was never repulsed of having to speak of it the first place! In fact, he even actively communicates it in the most beautiful way possible.

He sought advice from Violet, followed Anthony straight away when he told him that he should tell her he loves her. Listen to Kate's marital advice. He's open, he's receiving help, he's trying to process his hurt and overcoming his triggers. He's learning to do better but it wasn't perfect. He made mistakes along the way but eventually led him to the path of acceptance.

He wanted to love her better, despite of and in spite of. Colin had always been introspective so when he had discovered the root of his actions, he gathered up the courage to be vulnerable and admit it to Penelope. That he was feeling envious because he never truly felt good enough. But this was recieve to be affirmed of his inherent worth. The thing I love about this couple is that they felt so human and that propelled them to move past such damaging beliefs of themselves to do better.

Don't even get me started with Penelope, I could make dissertations of how well she was written for all anyone could care. Miss girl is ambitious, I love how her mental glow-up was able to comply how well her physical glow-up was executed also. In the end, she needn't to choose between herself and the man she loves.

She can be both independent and cherished by a man, a man who constantly worked on himself because she mattered more than his ego. She may have wavered after various discouragement and she had tried, so so hard to give up her success but she couldn't. Whistledown is something she wouldn't compromise as it would mean betraying a part of herself. So I was glad that upon fighting for it, the people around her soon realised that this is something they could not deny and something they should fight with her not off of her. I'm glad that the show was able to depict that Penelope could have both. Being a succesful, career-driven woman should not cost you your love, or at least the right one. And it's a powerful message to have.

I also love this passage of weilding her power into more productive causes such as giving voice to the voicless. I hope we see more of it for the upcoming season.

Though, of course it's not perfect, with pacing issues and subplots with purpose I had hard time figuring. But if there's one thing I couldn't stress enough, season 3 has so much depth and I was very glad to dive upon the narrowest trenches of it.

It was so beautifully done and that is why I also stand that Polin have the strongest foundation so far as they navigate their biggest block and be the best versions of themselves together, and occasionally, with the help of one another.

P.S I am only talking about the show Polin, I hated the book, but I suppose this would be for another post.

[stoicmike]

This was one of my first epigram collages, from before I even had a scanner. I started posting them on tumblr around twelve years ago. Really early iPhone & iPhoto was all. How many? I really don't know, but I've been working to inventory/archive them. Definitely more than 1,500, maybe more than 2,000.

[danskjavlarna]

Source details and larger version.

Some very weird vintage insects are collected here.

[whereipostnotes]

Even in a crowded room, I'll keep my loving eyes fixated at you. Maybe, because I am too much in love with you, to look at someone else.

[catilinas]

hey. what?????? what???????????? like the context of this poem is already pretty damn haunted and then it gets mislabelled as being about simonides (dead) while being by simonides (alive)????????????????????????

[lionofchaeronea]

An Epigram on Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

Anthologia Palatina XV.23, author unknown

If you wish to master grief, Open up this blessed book And come to it attentively-- Through it, you may easily see The richest way of thinking about What's to come, what is now, And what is past--how joy and pain Are no whit mightier than smoke.

εἰ λύπης κρατέειν ἐθέλεις, τήνδε μάκαιραν ἀναπτύσσων βίβλον ἐπέρχεο ἐνδυκέως, ἧς ὕπο γνώμην ὀλβίστην ῥεῖά κεν ὄψεαι ἐσσομένων, ὄντων ἠδὲ παροιχομένων, τερπωλὴν τ᾽ ἀνίην τε καπνοῦ μηδὲν ἀρειοτέρην.

[latin-literature-tourney]

Latin Literature Tournament - Round 1

Propaganda under the cut!

Cicero Propaganda:

This is literally the Cicero Website! You're gonna be on Classics Tumblr and not vote for him??

He saved the republic, you know

All kidding aside, he genuinely wrote some of the most marvelous prose in the Latin language

Martial Propaganda:

Dude basically invented the modern epigram

Was a Huge Bitch and could sling trash talk like no other. A funnier motherfucker you will never meet

Additional propaganda from his dear friend Pliny

[shayandas]

Writing love poems without being loved is perhaps one of the toughest things I do as a poet.

[gayalienwilde]

All the analyses I could write about why Velvet Goldmine is an amazing queer movie basically boil down to this

[azacez]

I love you, that means I’m not just here for the pretty parts. I’m here no matter what.

[pandora-books]

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Oscar Wilde, Lady Windmere's Fan

[000sleaze]

Octavia Butler, epigram for the never-published Parable of the Trickster.

[marietheran]

Mortal, of mortals hardly Earth Knew love or laughter more of worth; Immortal, join the immortals, find Laughter nor love thou left’st behind.

Charles Williams, Emigravit

[sivavakkiyar]

Mike Davis, Late Victiorian Holocausts