#I really lost my muse

[dukeofthomas]

My understanding of Jason Todd's age;

Jason dies when he's 15, 4 months before his 16th birthday. He is dead for any number of time; it doesn't count towards his age.

He's resurrected; he is in a coma for 1 year, then catatonic for another. He is then put into a Lazarus Pit. (These 2 years are practically useless, as he doesn't remember them and they contribute very little to the story. They could be condensed to 2 months and it would change basically nothing.)

He trains for about a year. You can then give him 1-12 months of prep and planning time before his debut as the Red Hood, and the story of UT(R)H, at which point he would be mentally 16-17, physically 18-19, and it would be (--) years after his birth.

[gingermintpepper]

I spent something like six and a half hours in the hospital today so day 6 of my challenge is being further postponed but, in the lieu of not doing any drawing, I did end up rereading Ovid's Metamorphoses in between waiting and I just wanted to offer some of my favourite underrated bits.

Cadmus and Harmonia's twin transformations into snakes is so gentle? Cadmus goes first, transformed mid plea for his wife to caress him one last time before his face is completely covered in scales, then he rests gently between her boobs and wraps around her neck and shoulders like a big snake gorget. Harmonia follows him shortly and the two snakes intertwine with each other before gently slithering off into the bushes and I love that actually mwah mwah mwah (I also appreciate the sweet irony of Cadmus who slew a snake for his glory becoming a snake, toothless and gentle in the last of his days)

Everything about Perseus was hilarious. Like, I'm sorry - I've never done a lot of reading into Perseus but I did always remember the banquet massacre and the Andromeda rescuing and like, bro I know it's not meant to be funny but Perseus is funny. I think it's his politeness honestly? He goes up to Atlas and is like "hello kind sir, may I please stay a night in your lands? I've travelled an awful long way and I am weary and hungry. If you only accept noble guests, rest assured, I am of noblest birth and have completed the noblest of deeds. 🥺" and Atlas takes one look at him, has a That's So Raven vision about the one time Themis gave him a prophecy about a son of Jove stealing his apples and then told Perseus to kick rocks. So Perseus, like the well adjusted and noble individual that he is, turns Atlas into a mountain with Medusa's head. This is how a great many of Perseus' stories unfold. It is actually hysterical.

I am going to give a special shoutout to Athis and Lycabas who were two young lovers in attendance at Perseus and Andromeda's blood wedding. Athis died first - a skilled archer who never got to shoot and was burnt and bludgeoned across the face with a wedding brazier. When Lycabas saw that his dear friend's beauty was ruined, he picked up the fight against Perseus himself in Athis' name and was slashed to strips by Perseus' sword. Lycabas managed to drag himself over to Athis in his last moments and died beside him, so I thought that was a particularly touching bit of beauty in the otherwise extremely tragic blood wedding.

No one can ever make me feel bad for Niobe. In a lot of the Greek accounts I've read and heard, because they tend to be much shorter or references in a wider narrative, it's hard to really grasp how insanely disrespectful she was to Leto (not that her boasting she should be the goddess of motherhood to the actual goddess of motherhood isn't worthy of death and destruction enough) but Ovid really did go the extra mile to dig it home how far down her throat this lady put her foot because even at her sons' seven way funeral she did not stop boasting about how she was still glorious. I did find it interesting that the seemingly innocuous detail of Apollo killing off the boys first and then Artemis killing the girls was kept cross-culturally, I assume it's because boys were more auspicious than girls in both cultures.

The detail of Athena bonking Arachne constantly with a wooden box and her being transformed into a spider because she begged to not be bonked to death. Also very interestingly, in Ovid's account, it's not a clear victory for Athena against Arachne - she gets flustered at the depictions of her relatives' affairs and rips the tapestry up - the judges didn't actually get a chance to opine. This is in contrast to the contest the Muses sang about where their representative Calliope unilaterally won against the daughters of Pierus.

The account of Apollo and Marsyas was much shorter than I remember it being. I recall it being touted as one of the more vicious and visceral tales in Metamorphoses' collection but it included neither the details of Marsyas' contest against Apollo, nor Apollo's feelings (or even any dialogue from him!) throughout his peeling of Marsyas' skin. Instead it is wholly focused on Marsyas - on describing the physical gore of his exposed veins and contracting muscles and the grief of the rustic crowd as they mourned his loss - which is curious indeed since the entire theme of the poems of Book 6 is divine punishment and it is otherwise filled with rather full accounts of these contests and insults.

Byblis and Caunus made me want to reread Euripedes' Hippolytus for the twelve thousandth time. Caunus made the right call of course but I also very much hoped he would have a huge big speech about incest being bad instead of just smacking the messenger.

And lastly, for now, Jove's speech as Hercules lay burning atop his death pyre where he addresses the host of his gods and goes "Man, wasn't Hercules a great guy? Look, there goes all his mortal attributes burning away in the fire, now he is all my son and surely we are all in agreement that any divine son of mine deserves a place on Olympus :)" was very endearing. I always feel quite bad for Deianira because she truly didn't mean any harm by her gift and I've always wished for an account of Heracles/Hercules' death from her perspective. There could scarcely be a thing more awful, especially given how long and drawn out and incredibly painful Hercules' death was.

Lowkey, I want to take a day and compare Ovid and Euripedes' Medeas. They're both very different women and they both handle their situations very differently. Partially for my own vindication - I adore Medea and Jason equally and since popular fiction cannot speak about Medea without flattening her or making Jason completely monstrous, this is just one of those things I'll have to do myself sometime.

[persimminwrites]

thinking about the portrayal of grief in andor

thinking about cassian traveling to morlana one to search for his sister. his determination to find her even though deep down (i believe) he knows it's futile. even though he knows it's reckless to mention kenari and his connection to it. there's a dogged insistence to continue looking for her - a desperation to his actions that he may not be fully aware of because it would be so much harder to come to terms with her death than it is to put himself in danger.

thinking about a young Cassian getting on that crashed ship after one of his people is killed. his anger and frustration and grief spilling out as he begins destroying the thing that brought death to his life. he's confused and distraught and he lashes out physically.

thinking about bix chained to a wall as she's forced to stare at timm's body, unable to go to him - to hold him, forced to be at a distance from him, forced to grieve for him at the tail end of being angry with him for his actions.

thinking about cassian choosing 'clem' as his cover name when he joins the aldhani mission. he picks it on instinct even though he knows that a cover name isn't supposed to have a connection to your personal life. he can't help but reach for the comfort of his father's name when pushed into an uncertain situation.

thinking about lieutenant gorn aiding the rebel alliance. an imperial officer whose love was killed by the empire that he serves. he grieves his love and he grieves for the aldhani people. he carries the weight of his own past actions that played a part in the tragedies that have befallen the aldhani people and he becomes vengeful, knowing and not caring that his actions will likely lead to his death. he only cares about hurting the empire on his way down.

thinking about vel shouting a broken 'no' when taramyn dies in front of her. she never gets to go to him and is forced to leave his body there to finish the mission. she has to harden herself to the loss of the people around her because everyone is always at risk of dying. vel is always grieving. she grieves for her friends even when they are still alive and standing in front of her because she knows that death isn't a matter of if but when.

thinking about cassian and vel watching nemik be crushed by the weight of imperial credits they just stole. vel is forced to decide between the surety of mission success and potentially saving nemik - sweet, wonderful nemik who has more hope and faith than anyone else. Cassian making the decision for her to find the doctor because he told nemik he would sleep when it was over but not like this.

thinking about cassian sitting outside while the doctor tries to save nemik, unable to be at his side, to watch, but unwilling to abandon him even though the job is over.

thinking about vel staying by nemik's side until his death, being forced to listen to and carry his dying wish. her insistence in carrying it out. she holds out his manifesto to cassian and won't back down until he takes it even when there are other concerning things going on.

thinking about cassian immediately refusing nemik's manifesto. he doesn't want a reminder. he does not want to carry the weight of someone's dying wish with him, someone who was so bright and full of life and hope in the short time that he knew him. when vel insists, he takes it. and we see him carry it with him for the rest of the show. he carries that manifesto even when he runs away, seeking an escape. he returns for that manifesto after escaping prison. he listens to that manifesto the night before breaking bix out and it gives him purpose. it gives him comfort. it reminds him of a man who he only knew for a short time but who impacted him deeply. and even though cassian does not carry the physical manifesto again, he carries nemik's words with him for the rest of his life.

thinking about cassian returning to ferrix, his home, and being reminded of clem's death as he walks through the streets avoiding imperial troopers. he is helpless against the onslaught of memories just as he was helpless to do anything but watch all those years ago.

thinking about maarva being unable to walk through the main square where clem was hung. she walks the long way around. until aldhani. aldhani gives her hope and she is able to walk somewhere she wasn't able to before and she is able to face that street and think of clem and she is able to smile.

thinking about all of the prisoners on narkina 5. they are forced to come to terms with the fact that they're already dead, dead men walking. they grieve for themselves. they grieve for those around them. they are pushed to desperation, and they turn that grief into defiance. they fight for their freedom because there is only one way out and they're already dead so what does it hurt to fight to live.

thinking about cassian learning about maarva's death. he is quiet. he is unmoored. he was coming back for her.

thinking about B2EMO not wanting to be alone. he just wants maarva.

thinking about ferrix's funeral traditions, about a community surrounded by grief. it's in the walls that house them. the people of ferrix are surrounded by the dead and their memories become their strength.

thinking about the portrayal of grief in andor and how it shows so many reactions and coping mechanisms and journeys of healing and acceptance along with those who can't find acceptance.

grief is a weight and andor shows us that there are so many ways to carry it.

[sunnibits]

hello hello here is my legally obligated Art Vs. Artist for 2023!!

I struggled a bit more with inspiration and motivation this year, but I still managed to make some art that I’m proud of and enjoyed creating! I did a fair bit of OC art, contributed to Art Fight, had an unexpected amount of fun painting eggs, and of course still had time to squeeze in some slutty Izzy art <3 (albeit not nearly as much as last year).

all in all, a bit of a random mix this year, but I’m hoping to make more progress and regain some proper inspiration in 2024 :))

as always, thank you a million times to everyone who supports my art (especially to those who supported me opening my brand new inprnt shop!!) I truly mean it when I say every comment, every reblog, and every sweet message means the world to me <333 I’m eternally grateful :)

[patzweigz]

read the challengers screenplay and it almost feels like a novelization of the movie, in a way? spells out a lot of the themes and ideas explicitly through some of the dialogue, and i'm glad that a lot of it got conveyed visually in some form or fashion instead.

that said. some of my favorite bits:

this was just hilarious, kind of wish this was still in the movie

very interesting change from telling patrick to ask for help from his (rich) parents; on the one hand, it removes a bit of nuance from his and tashi's relationship (it's very clear tashi believes patrick should be listening to and taking orders from someone in some respect, but at the very least with respect to his tennis), but on the other it emphasizes the fact that patrick has just been coasting by on talent and likely has enough to teach (albeit not professionally) on some level and make a living just fine, but chooses not to... let alone actually get better as a player

i was discussing tashi's character with a friend i saw the movie with, and he didn't enjoy her; i argued that in how this exchange played out in the movie it was clear that art was asking for stakes beyond the match itself to give himself motivation to try and win, even if he doesn't verbalize it. he disagreed, but in the script this is explicit

this was also. so hilarious, but would undercut the mood of the scene so i get why it was altered

this is verbalized in other ways in the script (and only directly talked about in the applebees scene in the movie), but it didn't hit me until reading it that art and patrick both feel the outcome of their match was the eventual cause of tashi's injury. explains exactly why they each feel the way they do about tennis later on

and tashi in turn feels responsible for patrick playing so poorly as a result. but she doesn't allow herself to feel or express that, especially after being married to (and then cheating on) art, which is why she's been angry instead. and then to try and do by right by art asks patrick to throw the match anyway... my god

[hardrockshrimp]

Whuh

[lastmurianwarrior]

Even if you never look at the rest of the manga, just look - LOOK...

...at this one page of Tribe Shooting Star Rockman Battle Side Story...

It is literally the most insane of the 3 interpretations of Star Force 2 [game, anime, manga] that I've seen.

[snickerdoodlles]

there's a lot of things people blame for why fandoms feel like ghost towns these days, but no one's really talked about the way discord's contributing to it

[gu6chan]

ouaaaaaghhh i've been on a bit of a pokemon binge lately......... i should crack open my old pokemon games and take a peek at my teams :,) i wish i still had my old copy of conquest and black 2 though............ :(

[cuulprit]

.

[heartstout]

The campfire popped and crackled, embers and smoke swirling into the vastness of midnight.

A hushed, dulcet baritone accompanied the symphony of crickets and the wind whispering through the trees.

“Et Eärello

Endorenna utúlien

Sinomë maruvan

Ar Hildinyar

Tenn' Ambar-metta...”

Noticing @vicit-vim-virtus stirring, Nenya still in his grasp, the stranger by the Elvish garrison’s fireside raised a hand to remove his hood. Striking yet somehow familiar features, framed by dark curls, were illuminated by ethereal moonlight. The Ranger studied Elrond’s features with keen, yet tender, blue-grey eyes.

“Would that you were ever so,” the Man murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Rest. Morning and its troubles will come soon enough.”

[chipper-smol]

The Adventures of Trying to TNR the New Pack of Kittens That Showed Up On Our Street

We caught an opossum instead!

[snclrs]

— ENDLESS EDITS ft. Lian

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Said “forever” then he blew it up and that’s the tragic fabric of our dreaming

[anqelblccm]

I am absolutely IN LOVE with your profile, I think it is built impeccably, from the lore, to the character to the aesthetic point of view, really congratulations! Do you have any advice to give to have such an aesthetic oc profile like this? T-T

omg,  i'm  so  sorry  for  taking  forever  to  reply  to  this  !  life's  been  a  bitch  these  past  few  days  so  i  only  had  time  to  log  in  today!  but  i  just  want  you  to  know  that  this  is  one  of  the  sweetest  asks  i've  ever  received  <33  i  do  have  to  be  honest  with  you;  it  took  me  forever  to  find  my  own  aesthetic  when  it  comes  to  my  ocs,  and  even  now,  i  still  have  doubts  about  it-  i  think  graphics  are  one  of  the  most  important  things  for  your  oc,  whether  they're  already  pre-made  or  you're  making  them  from  scratch!  not  to  mention,  placing  a  psd  on  the  graphic  just  gives  it  that  kick  and  makes  it  blend  even  better!!  but  when  it  comes  to  actual  oc  profiles,  i  usually  write  out  his  whole  profile,  from  basics  to  personality  and  then  to  a  brief  background.  once  that's  done  /  placed,  i  start  looking  for  either  interesting  symbols  to  put  in  front  of  the  words  or  try  to  fit  it  more  to  my  oc's  theme.  

i  also  look  through  tumblr  or  pinterest  to  find  the  photos / aesthetic / quotes  that  would  fit  my  oc  even  more,  and  ngl,  tumblr  has  some  really  good  symbols  &  emoji  that  you  can  also  use!  i  guess  what  i'm  saying  is;  just  try  to  have  fun  with  your  posts,  even  if  it  looks  off-proportional  in  the  beginning,  simply  switch  a  symbol  or  two  out,  or  move  them  someplace  else,  and  it'll  just  click  in  your  brain  once  you  find  the  right  one!

also  +  there  is  so  many  good  oc  profiles  out  here  in  the  community  right  now,  so  it'll  help  to  check  them  out  to  see  what  important  things  you  need  to  put  in  your  oc's  profile  to  make  them  stand  out  more  <3

[toerrishumansodontbeone]

OK, Im gonna make a new blog to put my dumb oc drawings & posts on, so if thats been something you've at all been interested in, u can follow me over at @evilevilevilevilnotevilevilagain

I have GOT to get myself off of instagram, so im gonna TRY and make a commitment to post on the blog instead when the urge overtakes me.

Also maybe like, share writing & music inspo & just have somewhere to ramble abt ocs/story ideas cus I don't really have anyone to torment with it to such a degree. And unfortunately I just think abt it far too often,,,,

(also was wondering if maybe making a fresh blog would be better than bloating this one w all the super old followers n all that...... wud maybe make me less embarrassed v_v; its cringe when youre an almost 30yo adult doing this silly shit, n theres people seeing it who arent in the same boat,, but its also hard to make it into anything more substantial than just the sillies in my own void..... )

(...so maybe if its a specific space carved out just for that with similarly minded people, itd feel less discouraging...)