#account of our life

[dwuerch-blog]

The Big Picture

Ah! The big picture. Long term thinking. Those are reminders that life insurance agents share with their potential clients. As a matter of fact, my husband works with those who are purchasing life insurance to protect his/her family in the event of an early death.The insured must qualify primarily based on their health status. Someone who has maintained a healthy lifestyle, qualifies for a lower…

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

None of our hands are clean

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[spookythesillyfella]

remember when i had that dream where you [Y/N] have a sleepover with tumblr sexyman tony and sketchbook where you guys just end up in a polyamorous relationship ??? well . i tried to find a fanfic that would even slightly line up with the description. even if it was only vaguely

but uhhh ....

there were none . so i had to do it myself

[meluli]

Taika Waititi as Edward Teach as Jeff, the Accountant Our Flag Means Death | 1.05

[gingermintpepper]

As usual I read your tags always and so you said Apollo did not ask for resurrection of Asclepius and Hyacinthus so i just wanted to share this. About Asclepius death I read it on theoi.com, that earlier authors don't make him resurrect as a god but that's a later development mentioned only by Roman authors like Cicero, Hyginus and Ovid. But still Apollo has a role in Ovid's version

Ovid, Fasti 6. 735 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : Clymenus [Haides] and Clotho resent the threads of life respun and death's royal rights diminished. Jove [Zeus] feared the precedent and aimed his thunderbolt at the man who employed excessive art. Phoebus [Apollon], you whined. He is a god; smile at your father, who, for your sake, undoes his prohibitions [i.e. when he obtains immortality for Asklepios].

So here it is actually because of Apollo the decision was taken to resurrect him as god. And with Hyacinthus, I don't think I've read about Artemis playing the primary role. I know in Sparta there was a picture of Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite carrying Hyacinthus and his sister to heaven.

This is not on theoi.com but I saw on Tumblr it's from Dionysiaca by Nonnus

Second, my lord Oiagros wove a winding lay, as the father of Orpheus who has the Muse his boon companion. Only a couple of verses he sang, a ditty of Phoibos, clearspoken in few words after some Amyclaian style: Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

So since he is singing inspired by amyclean stories it probably means in that place it was believed Apollo was the one to bring back his lover to life.

Apollo as god of order was very important so i think it shows how special these people (and admetus too) were to him that he decided to go against the order for them 🥺

ANON!! Shakes you like a bottle of ramune!! BELOVED ANON!!!!! I'm littering your face with kisses, I'm anointing you with olive oil and honey - you absolutely made my night with this because, not only did I get the pure serotonin shot of having someone interact with my tags (yippee, wahoo!!) I also got to have that wonderful feeling of "oh wow, have I misunderstood something that was integral to my understanding of this myth/figure this whole time or is this a case of interpretational differences?" which is imo vital for my aims and interests as someone who enjoys mythological content and literature.

I'll preface my response with this: Hyacinthus is by far the hardest of these to get accounts for because his revival itself, as you very astutely point out, is generally accounted for in painting/ritual format which muddies the waters on who interceded for what. I wasn't actually familiar with that passage from the Argonautica - and certainly didn't remember it so thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

That said, what I've come to understand, both about Hyacinthus and about Asclepius is that in the accounts of their deaths, Apollo's position is startlingly clear.

For Hyacinthus, it is established time and again that Apollo would have sacrificed everything for him - his status, his power, his very own immortality and divinity. Ovid writes that Apollo would have installed him as a god if only he had the time:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book X. trans. Johnston)

Many other writers too speak of how Apollo abandoned his lyre and his seat at Delphi to spend his days with Hyacinthus, but they also all agree that when it came to his death - he was powerless. Ovid gives that graphic account of Apollo's desperation as he tries all his healing arts to save him to no avail:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book X. Apollo me boy, methinks him dead. trans Johnston)

Bion, in one of his fragments, writes that Apollo was "dumb" upon seeing Hyacinthus' agony:

(Bion, The Bucolic Poets. Fragment XI. trans Edmonds)

Even Nonnus in the Dionysiaca speaks constantly of Apollo's helplessness in the face of Hyacinthus' fate where he writes that the god still shivers if a westward wind blows upon an iris:

and when Zephyros breathed through the flowery garden, Apollo turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf...

(Nonnus, Dionysiaca, Book 3. trans Rouse)

And the point here is just that - Apollo, at least as far as I've read, cannot avert someone's death. He simply can't. Once they're already dead - once Fate has cut their string - all Apollo's power is gone and he can do nothing no matter how much he wants to. And this is, as far as I know, supported with the accounts of Asclepius as well!

Since you specifically brought up Ovid's account, I'll also stick only to Ovid's account but in Metamorphoses when we get Ovid's version of Coronis' demise, he writes that Apollo intensely and immediately regrets slaughtering Coronis. He regrets it so intensely that he, like he does with Hyacinthus, does his best to resuscitate her:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo's regret)

And like Hyacinthus, when it becomes clear that what has happened cannot be undone, Apollo wails:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo wept.)

Unlike his mother, Asclepius in her womb had not yet died and so, with the last of Apollo's strength, he does manage, at least, to save him.

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo puts the 'tearing out' in Asclepius.)

But it goes further than even that because Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, a prophetess who unduly gained the ability to directly proclaim the secrets of the Fates, upon seeing the baby Asclepius, immediately prophesies his glory, his inevitable death and then his fated ascension:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book Two. Ocyrhoe's prophecy. trans Johnston)

Before she too succumbs to her hubris and is transformed by the Fates into a horse so she can no longer speak secrets that aren't hers to share.

These things ultimately are important because it establishes two very important things: 1) Apollo can't do anything in the face of the ultimate Fate of mortals, which is, of course, death and 2) even when Apollo is Actively Devastated, regretful, yearning, mournful, guilty or some unholy combination of all of the above, when someone is dead, he accepts that they are gone. Even if he is devastated by it, even if he'll cry all the rest of his days about it - if they're dead? Apollo lets them go. In Fasti, when Zeus brings Asclepius back, he does not say Apollo asked him to - Zeus, or well, in this case Jove, brings Asclepius back because he wants Apollo to stop being mad at him.

(Ovid, Fasti VI. Apollo please come home your father misses you. trans. A.S Kline)

Even Boyle's translation which you used above in your findings hints that Zeus made Asclepius a god because he wanted Apollo to stop grieving. (i.e 'smile at your father', 'for your sake [he] undoes his prohibitions')

And like, Apollo was deeply upset by Asclepius' death - apart from killing the Cyclops in anger, in book 4 of the Argonautica, Apollonius writes that the Celts believe the stream of Eridanus to be the tears Apollo shed over the death of Asclepius when he left for Hyperborea after being chastised by Zeus for killing his Cyclops:

But the Celts have attached this story to them, that these are the tears of Leto's son, Apollo, that are borne along by the eddies, the countless tears that he shed aforetime when he came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans and left shining heaven at the chiding of his father, being in wrath concerning his son whom divine Coronis bare in bright Lacereia at the mouth of Amyrus.

It all paints a very clear picture to me. Apollo did not ask for either of them to be brought back. Though bringing them back certainly pleased and delighted him, they are actions of other gods who are moved by Apollo's grief and mourning and seek to mollify him. Him not asking doesn't mean he didn't want them back which I think is a very important distinction by the by, but it simply means that Apollo knows the natural order of things and, even if it hurts, he isn't going to press his luck about it.

Which, of course, brings us to Admetus. And I'm really not going to overcomplicate this, Admetus is different because, very vitally, Admetus is not dead. Apollo can't do a thing once Fate has been carried out and Death has claimed a mortal but you know what he absolutely can do? Bargain like hell with the Fates before that point of inevitability. And that's what he does, ultimately for Admetus and Alcestis. He sought to prolong Admetus' life, not revive him from death or absolve him from death altogether and even after getting the Fates drunk, he's still only able to organise a sacrifice - a life for a life - something completely contingent on whether some other mortal would be willing to die in Admetus' place and not at all controllable by Apollo's own power.

All of these things, I think come back to that point you made - that Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore these people are very special to him if it means he's willing to go against that order but, I also wish to challenge that opinion if you'd let me. Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore, I would argue, that it is even more important that it is shown that he does not break the divine order, especially for the people that mean the most to him. The original context of my comments which started this conversation were on this lovely, lovely post by @hyacinthusmemorial which contemplated upon Asclepius from the perspective of an Emergency Medical personnel and included, in their tags, the very poignant lines "there's something about Apollo letting go when Asclepius couldn't that eats my heart away" and "you do what you can, you do your best, but you don't ever reach too far" and I think that's perfectly embodied with the Apollo-Asclepius dichotomy. Apollo grieves. He wails, he cries, he does his best each and every time to save that which is precious to him but he does not curse their nature, he does not resent that they are human and ultimately, he accepts that that which is mortal must inevitably die. There is nothing that so saliently proves that those who uphold rules are also their most staunch followers - if Apollo wants to delight in his place as Fate's mouthpiece, he cannot undo Fate. And, if even the god of healing and order himself cannot undo death, what right does Asclepius, mortal as he is, talented as he is, have to disrespect it?

The beauty of these stories isn't that Apollo loved them enough to bring them back. The beauty is that Apollo loved them enough to let them go.

[0xeyedaisy]

It seems I have lost all of my art on my computer. Very unfortunate

[mwagneto]

here's the showcase trailer since it's private on vimeo

[thelastwalkingsoul]

Totally forgot to post these! My friend and I dressed up as Chloe (him) and Rachel (me!) for Oz Comic Con last weekend. Imagine my friggin surprise when they put out a new Life is Strange trailer TWO DAYS LATER.

Anyway, ENJOY!

ALSO MY FRIEND MADE HIS SHIRT WITH POSCA PAINT PENS AND DOTTING IT ON. WHICH IS SICKKKKK

[justalittlelilac]

See, you guys don't understand. I was an older teenager during the timeline of OLNF. A year older than Baxter (the same age as Elizabeth in OLBA I think??? this dates me but oh well). If I don't see one reference to a certain blogging platform for angsty content and an indie grunge aesthetic with pastel hair option in Step 2/3, I will riot.

[jakeperalta]

every time I remember I'll never be a student again

[idyllcy]

happy 2.5k but it’s come to my attention that one of you shitheads have been sending hate asks to another creator while namedropping me please get a fucking life

[helluvabunch]

"it's a trauma response" and "it's a shitty way to treat someone" are not mutually exclusive btw ✨

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

_____ used Destiny Bond! _____ is hoping to take his attacker down with him!

-

(Belatedly) celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 'Destiny Bond' comic with a rare, fully-illustrated piece. A bit of extra context and rambly thoughts under the cut 🫶💖💕

A little over a year ago, I posted the first part of the Destiny Bond comic, originally intended to be a one-off doodle exploring the consequences of Morty's prophetic abilities on his relationship with Eusine.

That sketchy doodle of mine ended up being a whole narrative project spanning across a few months, before I eventually took a pause on it to focus on my mental health (having reached a low earlier in the year).

It was a daring enough project in and of itself, especially with how I had spontaneously taken it on when I was still recovering from a years-long burnout with 2D art. Though (temporarily) stopping sooner than I had hoped, I can confidently say that this little comic project of mine had helped to rekindle my love for drawing as a whole, and had further lead me to meeting some of the most wonderful people and friends in this small corner of the Pokémon fandom (whom also happen to be obsessed with these two silly guys from the GSC/HGSS games). It's a project I hold dearly to my heart, and one that I hope to revisit and continue once I feel ready to do so; as the story has yet to truly kick off (I'm not even joking we're still in the prologue technically I'm yelling /lh).

I hope to be able to share the rest of this story with you all one day, in whatever new form it'll take as. For now, I want to say thank you, from the deepest parts of my heart, for supporting this passion project of mine - and to assure you to tune in for the future of this title. 👀✨

[uncanny-tranny]

For TST

I just finished listening to Elliot Page's book and I have to say it was an interesting piece of literature. I highly highly recommend it.

I have never read a book that is so closely aligned with myself as a trans man and my upbringing. I never thought I would read book that defines what it means to be a trans man in the public eye. I do not want to be as famous as him but I would like to make a change to the world as he has.

I am comfortable in who I am and who I love and how I choose to express my gender. Things really can and often do get better with time. And I hope that any person that sees this knows that they are not trapped in the shoes that society has put them in and they can actively choose a different pair.

I would love to read Pageboy soon; these memoirs and other art and literature are our history, part of our lifeblood as a community, and it's vital that we read each other's lives and understand that we truly are here in this world💛

It's great to read such a glowing review from you, and I'm so happy that his words lit your soul like it has

[differenteagletragedy]

Hey not the same anon but I saw the Cliff HCS and was curious if you had any more thoughts on the possible little sibling for cove you mentioned in the first ones. I’d imagine it would definitely be an unplanned ordeal with how I see Cliff at least(obviously okay if you see differently! But the guy just had his own little guy grow up and leave the nest so I can’t see baby 2: electric bungaloo being planned) but I just have this image in my head of both Cliff and (his ofc)MC freaking out because they think MC is dying, rushing to the hospital and getting back a “not dying, just pregnant” and both of them going “oh. OH!” (1/2)

This was a two-parter! Here's the rest:

But yeah! Plus only-child-turned-big-brother Cove is such a fun concept to because while there’s probably a lot of emotions™️ there, I just know he cries the first time he holds the nugget. (Also Canon!MC whether dating Cove or not is honorary big sibling as well). But to wrap it up whether you have any ideas or hcs for this idea yourself(absolutely okay if you don’t ofc!) I love the whole dynamic of Cliff’s MC and I hope you have super fun with writing whatever it is you do next!

-- Thank you friend, I will have so much fun! And I have so many thoughts about Cliff doing all the things!

-- So honestly I could see it going either way. By the time Cove turns 18 and moves out, Cliff isn't even 40 yet, he's active and healthy and being a dad is his favorite thing ever, so I could see him planning a second child with you, after he's sure Cove wouldn't be upset by the idea.

-- Some parents would be like "My child is grown now, I am living my own life and if they don't like it then that is sad but I have to live for myself, even if it upsets them." And that is just not Cliff.

-- But Cove wouldn't mind either, it wouldn't have to be some big ordeal. He loves his dad and wants him to be happy, and he knows you make him happy, and it might be fun to have a little sibling, even if they're going to be a very very little to him.

-- Cliff is going to really like the process of trying for a baby. Sorry but it's true, do whatever you want with that.

-- He'd be really active in tracking your ovulation, mapping out the best times to try, all that. And boy does he have a can-do attitude!

-- When you do get pregnant, what a gift you have given him. He is going to be over the moon. He already takes care you you like nobody's business, but you haven't seen anything yet.

-- But a surprise pregnancy is always fun (in fiction lol, be safe out there)! Once he figured out where you were with it, he would also be on cloud nine, pleased as punch, so on and so forth. Because sure, it is a little wild to raise a whole entire person from the time they are born until the time they are an adult then turn around and repeat the process entirely like that, but he's more than up for it.

-- He knows the baby is going to be their own person, and he'd never try to use them as some sort of redemption for himself. But he is still determined to not repeat his old mistakes. He will communicate with you about everything, you will make every important decision together, a team 100%.

-- Cliff is an absolute dreamboat and it's a shame that we don't talk about it more. We're a small enough fandom that we could be having regular meetings to address issues like this.

-- He goes with you to an ultrasound and you're told that the baby is measuring weeks ahead and is going to be a big baby! Cliff is smug. Also hopeful that this one won't outgrow him like Cove did. He likes being a big boy.

-- And then what if the baby comes out tan with blonde hair looking just like him, what about that.

-- Cliff with a newborn is crazy. He is running on fumes but you'd never know it because he's just so damn happy. You know those dads who never change a diaper or insist on not waking up in the night because they need their rest for work. Could NEVER be Cliff.

-- Cove comes to visit at the hospital after the baby is born, he's not really sure how it will feel and he's been a little detached during the pregnancy, not out of any kind of meanness, just because he can't really grasp at that point what this means for his life, you know? But when he meets the baby for the first time, maybe they have a feature or two of his, some kind of familial resemblance, and THAT'S HIS LITTLE BROTHER/SISTER. He's a big brother. Thoughts racing, tears flowing, utter joy unlocked.

-- He is going to be the best big brother the world has ever seen, he is determined. He asks Derek for advice. He researches how to take care of babies. He wants to babysit! So many presents for the baby. So many plans made for every stage of baby's life. Cove is talking to his MC about them renewing their wedding vows one day and if he should ask Cliff to be his best man again or ask the new baby, and MC is like "........"

-- Kyra is involved, that's her baby's baby sibling and she is so happy for Cliff she can't stand it. You have to be cool with Kyra to be with Cliff too, that's a rule, but it's not like it'll be hard.

-- I said this in another one, but it's going to be really important for Cliff to keep the house in Sunset Bird if at all possible. That's where Cove did most of his growing up, and he knows it would be hard on him to lose it. Cove would be totally fine with giving up his old room that he's not ever going to use again for his new baby sibling.

-- Living by the beach, his best friends across the street, his oldest child living nearby and his baby safe in his arms, and you, the love of his life, by his side through all of it. What a life Cliff has.

[soulinkpoetry]

Taking accountability for our mistakes is the first step to healing and moving forward.

.

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