#Claire says stuff

[darklydeliciousdesires]

My nan passed at 9pm tonight. We sadly didn’t make in time to be with her, but at least I got to kiss her goodbye.

My heart is broken. I worshipped the ground that woman walked on. I can’t believe I’ll never hear her beautiful voice ever again 💔

[shoomlah]

Friday was my last day at Valve.

Leaving a job full of people and projects you love is always hard, but I have a pretty good reason for it this time around:

Next Monday is my first day at Cyan.

Feels appropriate to announce this on Riven's anniversary, the game that is entirely to blame for who I am as a concept artist and Art Director. WHO WOULD I EVEN BE if I hadn't had my 11yo mind blown by the little wahrk gallows counting toy in the Rivenese schoolhouse??? It's a mystery.

I can’t talk about what's on the horizon just yet—short of helping to get Riven out the door—but I’m thrilled to finally be a part of this studio, officially, after thirty years of wistful pining. If my ancient Riven fanart is anything to go by, it's been a long time comin.'😎

[alcoholicweiwuxian]

quick sketch of claire

[shallowseeker]

It's true that we sometimes mimic people we admire, or we take on the style of someone we want to like us, or even that we get inspired to be better people by love interests who give us new things to hope for...

But in some case, we unconsciously mimic people we feel connected to, that we feel more alike.

Jack sensed Dean's raw fear, his primal emotions, and despite everything that was going on in his life (humans considering him a threat, angels trying to kidnap him, demons trying to kidnap him, Princes of Hell wanting to use him to open monster worlds)...

...Dean is who he chose to emulate.

While Jack modeled his "look" on Cas, I think he's subconsciously drawn to Dean because he IS like him (emotionally). It's not forced. It's not an act. It just is.

Dean senses this too. It's why the initial "you don't think I can be saved."

[domokunrainbowkinz]

You’re wasting all your faith on me

[theeio]

ToA Sketchbook PDF interest update:

Yep I'm locking in - lets do this.

Link to the original post / interest poll - There's still some days left to vote for how much you'd be willing to pay for the Sketchbook PDFs, but I settled on some things:

I'll be publishing the Sketchbook PDF on itch.io

I'll be splitting the sketchbook into different parts, in chronological order. This keeps it more accessible price-wise, and I'll still have an option for the full collection!

I do know that some folks wanted the PDFs to be arranged according to subject, so I could summarise the contents and summary of the art/subjects to expect in each PDF, so you know what you'll be getting.

I'm planning on giving each PDF a unique cover! If the scanning/cleanup process doesn't kill me, I'd love to do some exclusive artwork for this project as a thanks for the support and interest if you were to buy one of these!

If my health allows, I may even consider inserting some new sketches into each PDF 👀

As for updates: I have already done a quick mockup of a PDF, testing the quality, scanning, formatting and exporting process and I think I have a rough idea of the workflow! I'm going to be starting the scanning today, which is going to be a huge undertaking, wish me luck T-T ! I'm guessing that and cleanup may take the longest, and the timeline is unknown rn but I'll give as many frequent updates on this as I can.

And now for a very important question:

Would you like something more polished in this sketchbook PDF (stuff I already posted + "nicer" unseen sketches) ? or would you like me to also include the more raw, incomplete, and bad drawings too? When I say it's almost every art of ToA I did, I really do mean it.

Why I'm considering sharing the more raw stuff is because I feel like there is a lot of misconceptions/insecurities around the quality of a sketchbook, and the pressure of an individual to make every drawing-even in their own personal sketchbook-perfect. I thought I could include the good, the bad and especially the ugly to hopefully break that stereotype of every drawing needing to be perfect, and to show the very real process behind my art.

And why I'm also considering against that is because YOU guys are the ones paying for this PDF, and you may want to have something of more quality XD !!

I don't think I've seen many artists go for the TRULY vulnerable/raw/scrappy route in the sketchbook PDFs I've seen and bought, so its important that I throw this out there to see how y'all are feeling about this. So:

please only vote either the first two if you are planning on purchasing these, thank you!!

[m-aremagnum]

In 1983, geneticist Mary-Claire King (left) explains to Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo [Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo] Nélida Gómez de Navajas (middle) and Estela de Carlotto (right) the technique that will be used to identify their grandchildren stolen during the last civic-military dictatorship of Argentina (1974/6-1983) and prove their kinship in court, el Índice de Abuelidad [the Grandparentage Index]. It's estimated that between 400 and 500 children were taken throughout this time.

Estela was able to hug her grandson, Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, nieto #114 [grandchild #114], in 2014.

Nélida died in 2012 and did not get to meet her grandchild. It was announced two days ago, 28 July 2023, that his identity has been restored. 11 years after she died, 40 years after this photo was taken, and 46 years after his birth to a illegally detained and still disappeared mother, Cristina Navajas, he's been found. His father and brothers are here for him. It is still a victory.

Welcome to the truth, nieto #133, y abrazo al cielo Nélida.

Venceremos.

[swan2swan]

The biggest problem with Dominion is the dichotomy of Maisie's plotline with regards to motherhood, and the way both plots revolve around it from wholly opposite perspectives while never actually clashing.

Her plot starts off simply enough: she's angsting about not being a real person, Claire's trying to protect her, and Maisie spits at her with the "You're not my mother!" line right before she's kidnapped.

This is a classic Finding Nemo setup, which Claire takes to with gusto: she calls on favors, slips into seedy markets, fights a crime boss, eludes raptors, jumps out of a plane, and crawls through a forest to get the girl she calls her daughter back. Most stories would show this as a trial: ye olde "GASP! My parents love me!" story.

But the fact that Claire has no obligation to bring Maisie back is never challenged. Soyona doesn't bother with asking or playing the role of the tempting serpent instilling doubt; the closest the movie comes to that is Franklin giving her the "I told you this would happen" speech. It's all taken for granted, which is...okay, because we have already established who Claire is, but that's not the problem.

The problem comes with the other half of the story: Maisie mopes to Wu about how she's just a close, and Wu immediately points out how no, she was conceived and carried in a human womb just like everyone else! And he calls Charlotte "your mother".

And Maisie goes "Is that my mother?"

And when she meets Ellie, Dr. Sattler is somehow fully aware of who Maisie's REAL MOTHER, the one who created her and who she looks like, is, and gushes about how great of a eugen--person she was. Every single time Maisie talks about "her mother" with the people around her, the word is referring to Charlotte Lockwood, the woman who birthed her.

Meanwhile, that Claire woman is crawling into a slimy pond to get away from a twenty-foot-tall Kreugersaurus because she wants to get Maisie away from kidnappers.

Of course, Maisie runs back to her and yells "Those are my parents!", but there's still something missing there. Claire's side of the story is all about her powering through, risking her life time and time again to track down her daughter...but there's never really a moment between them later. Maisie even posits the "So I was just an experiment to her..." plotline that has been seen before, but even that's immediately refuted.

The movie's not wrong for avoiding the cliches and the oft-used tropes of foster motherhood, but it doesn't really break any new ground, either. Obviously, people can have more than one mom, but there's something of an imbalanced focus on Charlotte as Maisie's mother in the Maisie and Jurassic Park plotline, while Claire in the Jurassic World plotline is doing all the expected Mom Stuff.

I can't wholly express what's bothering me about it, maybe I'm overthinking it, but it...doesn't quite sit right with me.

[finalfantasyx]

只因你們叫我一聲大師兄 所以在我倒下之前 你們一個都不能死 Because you all call me your eldest martial brother...before I fall, none of you are allowed to die.

[clarablightt]

IM IN LOVE WITH THE VILLAINESS IS OVER NOOOOO

i need a season two there’s so much stuff that happens in volume 2 of the light novel that i NEED to see animated

but ugh this story is just so good and has genuinely changed the course of my life. Rae is just like me. but at least i still have the light novel to catch up on!!

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Last week, when I visited my nan in hospital, I whispered something to her. “If a fella with one eye and two ravens shows up, that’s Odin. Go with him.” Today, a week on from her passing and I’m sitting in the food court at our local supermarket, and incredibly, I saw a raven fly in, perching up on the high beams.

I guess she went with him. Thanks for sending me a sign that you’re okay, nan 🖤🖤

[noel-levine-fan]

this line has always baffled me genuinely what is she talking about. what book

edit: anon helped me with this one, apparently this an idiom...! oops lol. see, i have heard things like "you could write a book on x, you know so much about it...!" but never "you wrote a book on x," like, in the past tense, like you actually wrote it. perhaps this is common and i just don't know about it, but either way, i'm happy my question is finally answered...

i'm afraid i do look a little silly now... but that's alright

NOOOOO GUYS STOP LIKING THIS POST ITS EMBARASSSINGGGGG (not genuine go ahead I find it funny)

[hsslilly-blog]

huntclaire divorce au. everything is exactly the same but wait i was going to make a joke here but i’m actually very invested in this

[shouldntbearevolution]

Excuse me while I talk about how amazing my partner is because??? Omg???? They made the most thoughtful gifts for my birthday including the frog prince snow globe!! Like hello???

And also printed and cut out the Cards Against Hillerska game and made the box for it??

AND made a custom keychain of Every Night Fantasy that is also a NFC they coded themself that links directly to the ep on spotify???

[another-clive-blog]

When the whole team is losing it so you make an intervention about "People who are hurting hurt others", but one only understands the "People who are hurting" part and the other only cares about the "hurt others" part......

(Putting the pencil ones under the cut because I like them more tbh)

[kazz-brekker]

was chopping potatoes for dinner last night when i had the realization that it was extremely inevitable i would become an adar and galadriel enjoyer during season 2 of rings of power considering the number of books i like enough to have a permanent spot in my brain which contain the romance dynamic of "we are fundamentally opposed enemies who deeply distrust each other but we must set aside our differences to unite against a common enemy, develop a grudging respect for each other, and then fall in love." i am predictable in my tastes but at least i know myself!