#(I am literature nerd)

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

jon val jon or something

[charbroiledchicken]

arcane season 2 introduction analysis incoming:

does anyone else find it really cool, but also very nerve-wracking, that the season 2 arcane introduction is referencing a bunch of well known tragic plays/musicals? we all know riot/fortiche isn’t one to put unnecessary details in, every single thing is either symbolic, a parallel or foreshadowing - especially in the introductions. so, could these chosen plays/performances foreshadow how the rest of the story could go?

i know that the caitlyn/macbeth poster parallels have been circulating a lot recently, and i think it provides a really good idea into how caitlyn’s arc might go. 

the events of act one positioned caitlyn in a perfect place to follow the storyline of macbeth. her current state (losing her mother, the trauma from jinx, etc) has made her predisposed to violence, much like macbeth. we can clearly see that in the caitvi betrayal scene, when she hits vi in the gut with a rifle, as well as in the fight before that, where she has no qualms with potentially killing innocents for the ‘greater good’. she was also thrust into a position of high power where she will be easily manipulated by ambessa. 

similar to this, macbeth is a story of a man thrust into a high position of power and unable to keep the blood off his hands, and he and his wife eventually go mad because of it. I think ambessa fits the role of lady macbeth here, and she has the potential to goad caitlyn (macbeth) into violent acts and atrocities while keeping the blood and blame off her hands. through caitlyn, ambessa now has significant influence and power over piltover and the fight with zaun. how will caitlyn, who is barely more than a pawn now, cope with this? macbeth slowly went insane in his attempt to maintain power - i fear for how caitlyn will fare. 

macbeth is a tragedy, by the way. 

i haven’t properly analysed the rest, but i think it’s interesting to know that the shot of jinx holding the flag is a reference to les mis (also a tragedy, as SPOILER ALERT all the characters die in their fight for freedom and fairness). the line is literally 'oh the misery'. if jinx rallies zaun to fight against piltover, is she leading them into a massacre?  

les mis is a tragedy. 

the shots of mel and ambessa lounging on the couch is a reference to julius caesar. it is a play of betrayal and caesar is betrayed by one of their companions. et tu, brute? brutus joins a conspiracy to assassinate caesar and prevent him from becoming a tyrant. does ambessa become a tyrant/bloodthirsty leader with her newfound power? will mel join the black rose and betray her mother in order to stop piltover’s destruction?

julius caesar is a tragedy.

one last thing. in all of these works, the main character of the story dies by the end.

so, safe to say, i am very nervous about what the introduction is foreshadowing. i have a feeling an important character is going to die.

arcane will be a tragedy. 

(viktor and the mask is also a reference to phantom of the opera but, as much as i love that musical, i haven’t analysed his shots yet so i haven’t included it)

[phantomskeep]

I woke up and chose art today

Design and scene is from the 5th chapter of my DCxDP Fic - basically where Danny becomes a thief to snag various ghostly artifacts. Hoping to have the next chapter out soon :)

Close-up and non-edited pics under the pagebreak VVV

anatomy is gross and I refuse to accept it into any art of mine B)

[inktasticmagic]

I get to do a Greek myth presentation for my exam. Hahah..Fear me. I wrote the whole thing down in a single lesson (This project was meant to take 4 lessons in total)

The whole time I don’t think I blinked

Only Zeus himself can smite me down. I call it ‘Godly hyperfixation’ others call it ‘Diagnosed Autism’

[nilesmoon]

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy / Alien Stage by VIVINOS

[possiblyawesometmblr]

"But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg."

[sevvrael]

More of the German philosophy blorbos... Ik the reason Demian calls Sinclair "little Sinclair" is probably that he is in fact a little taller than him, but I have a hc that he started calling him that while being taller as a child, but then Sinclair actually grows taller as an adult. Yet, Demian still continues to call him that and Sinclair just never says anything to correct him. It tickles my brain.

[blueautumngrave]

IS THIS WHY WILLIAM BECKET AND HIS VAMPIRES WERE CALLED THE DANDIES?!

[enjustakelover0269]

I just spent an hour or so reading I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison aloud to my friend who’s never read or seen it before. He’s not paying attention and has been trying to sleep. He needs to be awake at 6am. :)

[hyperpotamianarch]

Why is Hannukah eight days if the oil was sufficient for one day? Day 6.

Today, I chose to cheat.

But why? Why would I build a system of rules for writing those posts only to break them myself later? Well, it's because history left me no choice! A bunch of people who held manuscripts of Sefer Ha'Itim have lost parts of it, and now the world suffers! But, a little background:

Sefer Ha'Itim by Rabbi Yehuda ben Barzillai Albargeloni (the Barcelonian) is an old Halachic book. And by old I mean old. There are apparently indications that it was written when the RIF (Rabbi Yitzhak Alfassi) was still alive when it was written, since there's never an addition of z"l after his name - unlike other deceased rabbis. That places it at around the 11th century CE, the beginning of the Rishonim era. So it's not too surprising that not all the book survived, especially since many of it's rulings weren't accepted. I think. I'm basing it on one particular ruling, which I'll get to later.

The book itself is about Halachot for time-dependant things - I suppose that would make it a rough equivalent of Tur Orach Chaim in the Shulchan Aruch, though this is a very common topic for books. I mean, if you deal with the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly Halachot... Well, people kind of need such books for their lives. Unlike Tur 'Hoshen Mishpat, which is about Halachot related to court (mostly monetary conflicts) and no one wants them to be relevant to them. Anyway, like most books, the topic is in the name: 'Itim means "times" in Hebrew, more or less. Not to be confused with 'etim, which means pens.

What remains from Sefer Ha'Itim, though, is just the Halachot related to Shabbat. Which is great if you want to know whether or not you're allowed to say HaKol Yoducha (ypu aren't, and it's really not fine that everyone still does - at least, that's what Rabbi Albargeloni thinks), but it's not as helpful if you want to know why Hannukah is eight days and not, say, seven.

Or nine.

Yeah, yeah, it turns a bit weird now and I really should stop throwing those random hints. His very interesting answer to why Hannukah is eight days is somewhat reminiscent of the reasoning the book of Maccabees gives in that it has nothing to do with the oil cruse miracle and everything to do with another thing that takes 8 days. In the case of the 'Itim, it's Brit Milah.

You see, among the things that happened during the time of Antiochus IV Epimanes that really annoyed the Hasmoneans, he gave a decree of three things practiced in Judaism that he forbade: keeping the Shabbat, declaring the renewal of the moon (which is essential for the Hebrew calendar - or was, until about 5 centuries later at the time of Hillel the 2nd, but that's a story for another day), and circumcising their sons. And in Judaism, circumcision is done on the 8th day to the birth of a child - if he's healthy enough for it, there are clauses for keeping the baby alive, but that's (again) another story. Naturally, the Hasmoneans spited him in all three, and when they rededicated the Temple, according to Sefer Ha'Itim, they declared an 8 day holiday to commemorate the resistance. Also, due to this length there's always a Shabbat yo be kept in Hannukah, and due to its particular date there's always a renewal of the moon during the holiday. It's occuring around today or tomorrow, actually! This night is going to be moonless, remember and take care.

So I cheated. I did not find the original source, though I now have Sefer Ha'Itim downloaded to my phone. I could scour it just in case, but I don't think it'll bear fruit.

The nine days things is all kinds of weird in and of itself - it's based on Yom Tov Sheni Shel Galuyot, and the obvious answer is it's something that only exists for Yom Tov. And wow, that has been longer than usual. Sorry.

[aesthetictheology]

I finally finished reading "What Is Reformed Theology?" by R.C. Sproul last night and decided I'd share some of my unhinged margin notes. This was a super interesting read, and I really enjoy Sproul's style and tone.

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Just saw Les Mis for the first time (also the first time I heard it) and. My life is changed

[borgialucrezia]

these parts are from two different books (the first part is from the borgias: blood & beauty by sarah dunant, and the second part is from sins of the house of borgia sarah bower) and i gotta say, the babygirlification of juan borgia is so real!! he's an it girl and we love to see it 🙏

[lumioluna]

listening to the LOTR soundtrack on loop as i study my textbook on prosody and poetry is quite frankly a blast

[toubledrouble]

My biggest dilemma is that I have personality and physical traits fitting for both athena and apollo kids xd

[dudeshusband]

if anyone asks what my special interest is, it's not dean martin. it's history. i have been focused on the medieval period, colonial america, the victorian era, the 1920s, the 1940s, and now the 50s-70s.