#aspera virtus

[erinhime83]

Happy Birthday, @callistochan87!

This is totally not me literally waiting until the last second to do anything like I do every year. To be fair, her birthday is right after NaNo, so it takes me a moment to get any sort of motivation to do just about anything creative in time for her birthday, lol. This year, I actually knew what I wanted to do for her, it was just as matter of that - striking up the motivation to do something about it.

So...since she never posted any design pictures for this story - mostly just concept pictures of the one character I cannot stand - I figured I'd go off of the <a href="https://callistochan87.tumblr.com/post/729571027565297664/portrait-of-prince-amir-of-roshad-and-grand">one picture</a> she did do of Coral (real name Ayde, I believe?) before the start of November. Now, I understand that this is, like, post story Coral, but eh, it was the closest thing I could get, so I ran with it.

I sort of had to fudge the bottom half, but I like it! Obviously, I didn't get as detailed as @callistochan87 did, since she's way more detailed oriented than I am. But I like what I ended up with. It's nice and elegant and most importantly, blue. I was shocked that the pose I had in mind I was actually able to pull off very well, since that typically doesn't happen with pictures like these.

(Also, I have a beef with this character now, seeing as @callistochan87 stole Dylan's two-toned eye thing, right down to the color and position!)

As usual, it's a rather simple picture, but I like it, in any case. I hope you do as well, @callistochan871 Have a great birthday!

[callistochan87]

A collaboration with @erinhime83, her Odessa Wilson (left, in red) and her dragon Regalis (dragon) with my Aria Laken (right, in blue corset). Erin did the lines and I did the background and colouring.

This was originally for an old HP roleplay in 2003, but they've both since evolved into original characters (and I, for one, am happy about that.)

If you think the 2003 original looks small, it's because it is really that small, haha. I'm currently unable to access my old art backups (and those are on their last legs) but even if I managed to pull the original...that's it. That's how big it is. 😂

I didn't think I'd changed my colouring methods that much over the last decade, but I managed to prove myself wrong. It looks great! Odessa turned out better, because she has a clear light source, and by the time I got to Aria I just started screaming and saying "how do light source" over and over, but she doesn't look bad. I managed to give her some all-important rim light in there (very important).

It originally was going to be them both by firelight, and I was liking the look of a grey sky or starry night, before I realized it'd look weird if they were drinking coffee or whatever in the evening. So instead I switched it to a morning look and we can pretend they've just pulled an all-nighter. In which case, they look great.

I'm trying not to think how it's been 20 years. Where has the time gone?

[nathanielbuildsatesseract]

Ended up taking a bit of an accidental Tumblr hiatus because I wanted to keep up the tradition of doing a big post upon hitting a big round number, and was too busy/preoccupied with work and more interesting hobbies to get around to it. The result was enlightening. I had suspected lots of other people I liked left Tumblr (and other social media sites) because they got lives, and now that I’m finally getting some vague semblance of a life, I find myself doing the same. Underrated experience, honestly.

I’m still wasting a large amount of time online (mostly on Twitter, though if current trends continue it’ll finally die and we’ll be free of that particular source of inanity), but the dopamine hit addiction cycle seems to be breaking down a bit. Not fast enough for my liking, mind you, but it is happening. Having work I can do is a very different dynamic than being in school or a job I dislike. Making a few meatspace friends and having coworkers who talk also changes things. A big factor in my social media usage (and that of plenty of others) is trying to get the benefits of socialization without the costs we’ve incurred before. I don’t think this is an effective strategy anymore. It worked once, but died for me around the time everything else started going to hell (i.e., Q3 2016). I’d do better to focus on other avenues.

Some of this is just the passage of time. I’m not getting any younger. I suspect a great many of our social pathologies stem simply from the fact that human lives are so damn short. If we can slay the dragon, maybe we’ll get over our collective trauma from it, but it’ll be a slow process. Maybe I should write a science fiction story about it. Immortality would actually be very nice, but in the meantime, we have to content with the conditionality of our existence. If a strategy isn’t working, it’s time to drop it and try something else.

No, I’m not going anywhere. I still get value from this site. There’s fandom content and interesting discussions and friends I want to keep in touch with. But having basically dropped it for a fortnight with very little internal resistance, it seems much easier to just...not log in, for days at a time. I find I enjoy the site better that way, anyway. Coming back after a hiatus, or using it in moderation while accomplishing things elsewhere, has reliably proven itself the most rewarding strategy.

In related news, I’m making strides editing my 2021 NaNoWriMo story and finally got unstuck on my thesis. That’s on top of getting trained up at work, where I’m finally making the engineering contributions I’ve dreamed of making for literally two decades now. This year I learned that I’m just not cut out to be an astronaut (the APD is enough to effectively disqualify me), but designing spacecraft is more fun to me than operating them. Someday, probably soon, more regular people than supermen will be going to space. I’m contributing to that, in my own small way, and that makes me happy.

Getting out of bed in the morning is still a challenge—I do hate the experience of waking up—but I’m no longer totally fighting against facing the day. I guess the story here is about incremental recovery from depression. It’s been a long nine years. I don’t have a magic solution, and the mechanistic solutions that worked for me would have worked a hell of a lot sooner if our culture was more rational. But if the sanity waterline were high, I probably never would have fallen into depression in the first place.

Ad astra per aspera. We’ll get there eventually, one step at a time, as long as we don’t destroy ourselves first. I’m worried about that, worried as hell, but there’s not much I can do besides more of the same. Spread truth and virtue, create a better world, and squeeze very drop of potential and joy from these hairless apes. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s far more pleasant than the alternatives.

[pen-observing]

request: satan helping a gn!reader who has dyslexia with their RAD language exam.

warnings: satan goes on rants about language but they’re endearing word count: 1.1k

You’ve always claimed to hate studying for exams because the human world had such a dumb school system. And granted, perhaps you’ve been a bit naïve to imagine that a magical world would bring a magic change. A world without exams? No. A world where exams were even worse? Sadly, yes.

It is wrong that intelligence becomes a numbers game whenever exam time comes around. It is wrong that suddenly those scores determine all your value and if you do not manage to succeed; you did not just simply fail – you are a failure in their eyes. That is how the self-entitled educational systems work and if you could burn them to the ground, you would gladly do so with everlasting flames.  

To you, especially, they are the biggest enemy. And while the world is certainly not fair in that regard you still have to go to the extra lengths because failing RAD classes means not seeing the brothers anymore. Failing RAD classes means willingly admitting defeat because...they’ve always said that the only reason students don’t succeed is a lack of effort.  

But you have tried! And you have done so well in all the subjects that do not deal with language explicitly! RAD, the world of immortal demons that actually know every language as soon as they are born, just has no idea how limited humans are nor do they know what dyslexia is.  

If you wanted to exceed in language classes at RAD you knew you had to ask Satan for help. Rather, he offered it himself on multiple occasions. ‘If you ever struggle be sure to come to me.’ Why shouldn’t you take him up on that offer?  

Satan did not know what dyslexia was either but he did not ask you invasive questions like unsympathetic fools did back in the human world. He was simply just there to help you because you were your own person and nothing else. Satan is focused on you.

A localized weakness within the phonologic module of the brain means that you are frustrated while looking at Latin right now.  

“I just don’t understand the point of this Satan! I really don’t get it!” “Have patience.” “Why do I have to study a dead language anyway? Makes absolutely no sense.”

Emotional fluctuations are inevitable while studying for exams so Satan is not surprised at all. He just closes his book and leans against the chair to look at you.

“Well, passing Latin is a pre-requisite to take infernal next semester. And once you take that class you will know what ‘oep mgl ao wglsnepi’ [1] means.” “See, that is my point exactly! Demons use infernal right? Why is Latin a pre-requisite? Is it just so it can torture me with the conjugations?”

Satan chuckled at your tone and put his book down on the table choosing to sit in the chair next to you.  

“I will explain.” He placed his hands on your arm rests and turned the chair around so that you are facing him. Satan seemed to have a fascination that caused him to look into your eyes every time he wanted to explain something. It made you more focused because how could you resist gazing at him?

“We say that humans have always been rather weird creatures. Infernal is the demonic language yes but how are humans supposed to know it? How are they supposed to learn infernal? They know about our existence and have a general idea about our powers even today but in the past, they knew even less. So, somehow through their train of thought, they came to the idea to use the holy language – Latin – for unholy purposes. Your kind really is rather silly sometimes. However, it worked. Some texts still describe us using Latin and we are called forth in that language too.”

You knew when Satan wanted to continue talking in that smooth voice so, instead of interrupting, you nodded your head for him to continue.

“I am going to ask you something now. I know that you believe in souls but do you believe that languages themselves have souls too?”

Do you believe that languages have souls? What kind of a question is that? It certainly sounds like something only Satan and those alike to him would ask.

“I have...never really thought about it if I am being honest...”  

“I believe that they have souls. Beautiful ones at that. You see, you call Latin a dead language but that is the primary way humans call to us. How could it be dead then? Well, I understand why you humans rush to claim so. The power it once had, the status it once had and the overwhelming use of it certainly have died but... I think the soul of the Latin language hides in all other languages. You will find a Latin form in any, you will find a Latin prophecy or saying. You repeat the roots in the languages you use today even if you are unaware of them. Latin was the language from which multiple others have been born. You see, I believe that the soul of the Latin language still lives through that. I believe that it sleeps but that it is still alive. Even when it comes to your own pursuit of Latin: Ad Astra per aspera.[2] I will continue to help you until you reach the stars.”

And he does. He reads everything that you need. He repeats them, he writes them down for you and makes sure to explain why there is regular Latin and Latin using the demonic spelling. He looks at how your hand does it and he smiles at you throughout it all. Even when you make a mistake in pronunciation - he remains gentle. 

Others like to say that Satan is quick to anger and that while he knows the dictionary definition of patience, he never shows that virtue. They’re wrong. Having Satan help you has made you realize that. He holds an overwhelming amount of patience and knowledge only reserved for you. Because of this you get a 91 on the Latin final and run to tell him. As you do, halfway down the hallway, you hear his voice coming from behind the door.  

“I find it incredibly difficult to understand why RAD takes in exchange students, why we claim to be the best in the field of education yet the teaching techniques we use are being forgotten by the human realm let alone the angels. Should we not be ashamed that we haven’t modernized anything?

The school system sucks but Satan clearly wants to make it better. He would never say it is because he realized it while helping you and you would never dare ask. It does matter. The only thing that matters which you are well aware of is: Satan will help you as long as you are willing to come to him and ask him for help.

-

[1] - it means - you are my precious. [2] - it means - to the stars through difficulties 

[onshrike]

to the stars through difficulty

speedpaint:

(image caption:)

An illustration of Phi from Virtue's Last Reward from the hips up. She has short white hair with a large black flower hairpiece on the left side, a grey-blue sleeveless trenchcoat, a white tanktop with a black tanktop underneath, a necklace with 4 black teardrop shaped charms, and a bulky watch-like bracelet on her left wrist that depicts a red skull on the face. She is looking at the viewer and her eyes have diamonds instead of pupils. The illustration is rendered in reds, pinks, and blues. She is holding her left hand up to her neck, displaying the back of her hand to the viewer. A stitch-like line of red is following from the right side of the screen to touch her left thumb, which is positioned at her throat. The background is black with stars that circle and wrap around a pixelated red moon. At the top of the image is handwritten red text reading "AD ASTRA PER ASPERA" (the Latin phrase "to the stars through difficulties").

(end caption)

[classicaliberalism]

“Be strong, young man. Through this way you get to the stars.”

Per aspera ad astra

Homecoming by Hans Adolf Bühler

Source: The Symphony of Virtue

[grimdarkandhandsome]

USA State Mottos, Ranked

Epistemic status: Silly post.

Yesterday i realized the 50 states of the US had eclectic and delightful mottos. I’ve ranked them for you from coolest to uncoolest.

1: Ad astra per aspera - Kansas

To the stars through difficulties. This is beautiful and it looks great written out. I am confident Kansas will be the state closest to the stars (after resolving difficulties).

2: Salus populi suprema lex esto - Missouri

Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law. It sounds great, it’s grand, it’s bold, and it’s a wonderful priority.

3: Regnat populus - Arkansas

The people rule. I imagine a time traveler approaching Emperor Nero and saying, ‘I have two words for you....’

4: Labor omnia vincit - Oklahoma

Labor conquers all things. It’s a great attitude towards self-improvement, and i think more phrases should end in omnia vincit.

5: Sic semper tyrannis - Virginia

Thus always to tyrants. The flag clarifies the situation by showing a emperor being stabbed. This is delightfully overaggressive when placed next to Washington’s motto.

6: Excelsior - New York

Ever upward. A nice-sounding word. Definitely sounds like a sword.

7: Esse quam videri - North Carolina

To be, rather than to seem. A pretty cool choice of priority. Not like those videri states with their big gold cufflinks.

8: Dum spiro spero - South Carolina

While I breathe, I hope. A harmonious phrase that celebrates the indefatigable human potential for improvement.

9: Equality before the law - Nebraska

Choosing English instead of a stylish foreign language is a missed opportunity to show off. But this phrase gets better the more you repeat it. I like to imagine that when Nebraskans are cornered by journalists they just bark ‘Equality before the law!’ and close ranks.

10: Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono - Hawaii

The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. It’s in a local language, it’s very beautiful written out, it outlines a plan to benefit the entire ecosystem, and it’s just generally quite radiant.

11: Alis volat propriis - Oregon

She flies with her own wings. Very cool sentiment. Only marked down because the words don’t look quite as cool as omnia does.

12: Dirigo - Maine

I lead. It’s terse, it’s taut, it’s claiming victory out of nowhere, it’s Maine.

13: Live Free or Die - New Hampshire

Penalty for using boring English, but bonus for being the only state to realize you can append ‘or Die’ to any motto.

14: Audemus jura nostra defendere - Alabama

We dare defend our rights! Bonus for being the only state to realize you can prepend Audemus to any motto.

15: Serit ut alteri saeclo prosit - North Dakota

One sows for the benefit of another age. Yes, i know, it kindof sounds like ‘Search for the altered sequin among the prosaic’, but the meaning is quite cool. Radical long-game altruism.

16: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice - Michigan

If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you. What??

17: Eureka - California

I have found it. A counterpoint to Maine’s Dirigo, and a geographical counterpoint as well.

18: Equal Rights - Wyoming

A wonderful priority, and charmingly bald phrasing.

19: Alki - Washington

By and by. This is Chinook, apparently. Washington is apparently the opposite of Alabama, who dares to defend.

20: Crescit eundo - New Mexico

It grows as it goes. I don’t like it as much as Ad astra per aspera, but i decided to rank all improvement mottos evenhandedly to avoid bias from the order i read them in.

21: Esto perpetua - Idaho

Let it be perpetual. It is quite verbally beautiful and it captures what we were all thinking - Let Idaho be the same forever!

22: Friendship - Texas

Could be phrased more stylishly, but it really is a rather nice motto.

23: Under God the people rule - South Dakota

I imagine a South Dakotan time traveler in 1300 CE pulling her hair and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s not that hard, how many times to i have to explain the hierarchy?’

24: Montani semper liberi - West Virginia

Mountaineers are always free. Cheeky!

25: Deo gratiam habeamus - Kentucky

Let us be grateful to God. Very resonant words. Less focused on improvement and more remarking on the fact we made it this far.

26: State sovereignty, national union - Illinois

I know it’s confusing, but we put it in the motto and eventually you’ll get used to the concept. What a nerdy motto!

27: Nil sine numine - Colorado

Nothing without Providence. What beautiful and assonant words. A theme of several states is ‘The big thing is totally paramount, but the small thing is also cool just in a secondary sort of way.’

28: Forward - Wisconsin

In its troughs and at new peaks, Wisconsin always wants to do better :)

29: Industry - Utah

I didn’t know that. But it is a cool attitude. They say that most domains of human endeavor require hard work first of all.

30: Wisdom, Justice, Moderation - Georgia

I just think it’s a little boring. But i like prioritizing wisdom.

31: Virtue, liberty, and independence - Pennsylvania

The last two are, like, the same thing.

32: Qui transtulit sustinet - Connecticut

He who transplanted sustains. Apparently this is a phrase from the Vulgate Bible. I’m guessing the Europeans are the ones who transplanted. I like the sonics but i’m not convinced on the sentiment.

33: Fatti maschii, parole femine - Maryland

Strong deeds, gentle words. Note: I found that translation on Wikipedia and i don’t speak Latin so i don’t know if it’s the best one. I think this motto sounds like a humorously awkward compromise and probably seemed offensive from a 1800s-gender perspective as well as from a modern gender perspective.

34: With God, all things are possible - Ohio

Ohions are optimists whereas Coloradons are pessimists.

35: Liberty and prosperity - New Jersey

Tedious ‘list of nice things’ format, but i kindof like looking at New Jersey as a Utopian El Dorado.

36: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem - Massachusetts

By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty. Sir, can you lower your sword and read me those criteria again?

37: Hope - Rhode Island

Inferior version of Dum spiro spero, but pleasantly minimal.

38: All For Our Country - Nevada

Typical Nevadan slogan, a people known for their radical push for big government and federal power.

39: Agriculture & Commerce - Tennessee

Not really cool enough for a crowd to shout in unison with their hands over their hearts. But at least it celebrates feeding the people i guess.

40: Ditat Deus - Arizona

God enriches. A weird mix of 100% religious and very lukewarm. God is a plus. Never turn down God when you don’t have to pay extra for Him. But the words do sound nice.

41: Stella quarta decima fulgeat - Vermont

May the fourteenth star shine bright. I hope the fourteenth state is a good one. This one has a impressively high style-to-substance ratio.

42: L’etoile du Nord - Minnesota

The star of the North. I’m not that impressed. If Oregon, Texas, and New York had joined in and chosen L’etoile du Ouest, Sud, & Est respectively, then this would have been cool. Pleasantly unique choice of language tho.

43: Virtute et armis - Mississippi

By valor and arms. Suddenly, we are amoral & fighting! Mississippi is apparently the most weapon-themed state.

44: North to the Future - Alaska

It was wise to clarify why North is good. Minnesota would have chosen A star featuring Anchorage.

45: Our liberties we prize & our rights we will maintain - Iowa

I don’t know, it’s just not exciting phrasing. Our lives are of utmost importance, & our safety will be protected. We have wonderful dogs, & we love our cats. Iowa is being maintained. Needs work.

46: Union, justice, confidence - Louisiana

Are these the top 3? Do political attack ads here accuse candidates of being secessionist, lax, and meek?

47: Liberty & Independence - Delaware

Freedom & Self-Direction. Free Will & Autonomy. Adulthood & Unpredictability. Wild & Unleashed.

48: Oro y plata - Montana

Gold & silver. Why should you live in Montana? Cash cash money. Autos deportivos y bling.

49: The Crossroads of America - Indiana

Next.

50: In God We Trust - Florida

Perhaps in Florida, bad things do not happen to good people.

Honorable mentions:

- Justitia Omnibus - Washington DC

Excellent!

- Samoa, Muamua Le Atua - American Samoa

Translation: Samoa, let God be first. (Samoa, imma let you finish...)

- Joannes Est Nomen Ejus - Puerto Rico

Translation: John is his name. Enough said.

(Honestly i changed my mind about the order partway thru typing this but didnt bother to reorder them.)

I think the messy inconsistency of these mottos is fairly beautiful. Despite having no style guide and apparently quite scattered priorities, these 50 governments share open borders and pretty excellent harmony by international standards.

Source: Wikipedia

[dominatrixeditrix]

Chchchchchchanges...

Many of them! Hubby just signed a contract for a temp job for a year (YAY!), starting 1 June, so he’s got to move before that, so time to pull a 1800-mile move together in about a month (yes we moved in July). We also signed a contract to get new siding and windows for our house, installation of which should start after 1 June, so I get to hang out with the cats in the destruction zone while he starts a new job. Then I’ll get to move with the cats 1800 miles to join him...good times, oh yeah!

I’m still waiting to change job duties at work, and am not allowed to help transition a new permanent person to my (almost) previous position. I am literally training a temp who will then train the next person in something like a week or two who I KNOW IS ALREADY HIRED. This is SO. FUCKING. STUPID. 

BUT!!! I am doing what I’ve been told to do, and it’s NOT GOING TO MY PROBLEM ANY MORE. 

Moving up! Moving on! Upwards! Excelsior! Ad astra per aspera! Battle Born! Alis volat propriis! Sic semper tyrannis!

[rashfordxbruno]

2018 WORLD CUP PREDICTION CONTEST RULES AND REGULATIONS (KNOCKOUT STAGES) 

ATTN: @reddevilscorner @uncampoverde @per-aspera-ad-astra1899 @takemehomeunitedroad @chilling-at-bobs-burgers @cuterone @lesbleusthroughandthrough @cristianomufc @reddevils @david--de--gea @degea-drama-llama @m-carrick @danimufc @ander-redsgomarching @jdebrusks @eafay70

The World Cup prediction contest is not yet over!!! There’s still knockout stages.

There will be changes for the scoring system which will allow more competition among ourselves:

5 points for correct prediction (additional 1 point if you get the scoreline right)

1 bonus point if you predicted the game will go to extra time (There will be another bonus point if you predicted the game will be decided via penalty shootout)

2 points if you predicted the game will go to extra time but your favoured team loses

1 point if you predicted the game will be decided via penalties but your favoured team loses too

For example, Brazil vs Mexico (Mexico to win 1-0 at extra time). If you get all that correct, you’ll be awarded 7 points. Why? Because you got the right outcome, scoreline, and the virtue of play (i.e. winning at extra time). If you got it incorrect, you’ll be awarded 3 points for saying the match will be at extra time but your favoured team lost.

Example #2, France vs Argentina (1-1 AET. France win via penalties). If it happens, you’ll get 8 points - correct prediction, scoreline, via extra time + penalty shootout.

For normal time matches (read the first bullet above) ^

Please make sure you understand the rules. If you have clarifications / concerns, just PM me and I will elaborate the rules in depth.

In case you forgot the Round of 16 fixtures, take a look at the picture below.

Also make sure to submit your predictions to me via message. Remember, it’s same thing as the group stage predictions - it can be either handwritten or computerised (screenshot). Deadline of submission is tomorrow an hour before the France vs Argentina match (the match is @ 15:00 BST / 17:00 Moscow time / 22:00 Philippines time - my time)

I am looking forward for your great effort. Thank you and best of luck to us!

Yours,

Angie

[erinhime83]

Don't let the dates fool you - it's only been four and a half years, not five. :P

(Granted, I though we did this later than we actually did, so nearly five years is surprising, yeesh.)

So anyway, here's the comparison between the Duja and Tara pieces. (You can find the actual pictures here and here.) Duja and Tara are deities in each of our stories whom we decided were actually siblings at some point as a way to connect our stories together. Tara was originally from the AV world and traveled to the AD world just for the hell of it, met her would-be husband, and decided to settle there. But she still comes and visits her home from time to time in order to spend time with her brother.

And mess with him constantly, apparently. :P

I don't think I really improved on my coloring in the past five years, but @callistochan87 definitely improved on her art! Wow! I also didn't realize until I was looking at these two that I had darkened Tara's skin at some point (and @callistochan87 modeled Duja's skin off Tara's, so his gets darker and browner as well), but I think it works well! I think this look more appropriately Middle Eastern now, idk.

Overall, everything looks better in the newer one, and I'm glad she suggested that we do this. :D

[callistochan87]

it has been a hot minute since I did designs (or anything) for this. I know they're not super important but it's nice to have a quick and easy reference.

There's more planned but these are the main four and the others are supporting roles, so they will be...later.

Amir

look...I see you vaguely Italian Renaissance designs...I feel you...shoutout to my original inspiration, Lucas Cranach and the German princesses...but we going full on Elizabethan ruff and doublet now

sadly i have bsed a background for these that would render a codpiece unnecessary, but man. It should make an appearance. Maybe a couple decades down the road when everyone has loosened up, because no way is this not going to be canon in some way

None of this has anything to do with Amir, but there isn't much to say about Amir. He took the throne at 16 and that would be rough on anyone, because, you know, a 16 year old probably doesn't have the maturity to lead an entire country, let alone one that has historically been the powerhouse of the region. and that's not even getting into the deep and serious issues dividing the court. They're loyal to his mother (she's dead), they tolerated his father, symbol of their oppressors, so long as he changed absolutely nothing. Amir has inherited a musty old house with no ability to do anything without causing a stink, and unfortunately those stinks can get violent and messy.

what? you think they'd listen to him because, if nothing else, he can put them in jail? lol. lmao. the fact that a revolution hasn't happened yet is nothing short of a miracle

not that Amir believes in miracles or anything, but we just...don't talk about that. we all just pretend really really hard that he didn't disengage himself from the obvious religious duties required of him. it's fine (doesn't he get his authority from the chief god?) I SAID IT'S FINE

frankly retreating to hang out with his friends and neglect most of his duties is probably the only thing he can do that doesn't cause issue. which is a shame because he's an intelligent man who has some idea that things are bad and they should change society somewhat but good luck

Honestly, he's a nice kid who is just getting very frustrated with life. I think I described him once as "wants to be a knight in shining armour so BADLY" but somehow fails at that

He's in red, as he was before. I wasn't about to change that.

The other one is court robes. Since Cerlan is technically, technically occupied by the Dushebese Empire to the south, he uses Dushebese robes. Except, you know, you're not supposed to throw them over your street clothes. It's made of cloth of gold and the robe itself is pretty heavy. You're supposed to wear a light, loose robe underneath that but lol, lmao, Amir considers himself Cerlan and doesn't see why he has to wear stupid robes anyway, but FINE, if they're going to BITCH ABOUT IT he'll put it on

why is he so cranky on court days? probably because he's dying under there

Aoide/Coral

I remember first writing this in 2013 and having Coral be a mermaid was gonna be this huge surprise...which it was, but I don't feel like hiding it now. there are other things I am hiding, like how she becomes human and what that second design means but there's a design sheet at least

It wasn't that I don't like the original description of mermaids, I just see them more mammal like now, and this design fits nicely. I'd played around with using the grey from the hair as a splash of colour along the back, but I like the pure white look here. They were based off belugas and Aoide specifically is from the far north so it works.

Mermaids in general are a funny mix of biological differences and just 'they're magic'. case in point: they don't have visible breasts unless breastfeeding (biological), but they can also turn themselves human with many years of study (magic). They can also live for hundreds of years, so by their standards, age and size, Aoide is Baby

I already drew her with the kirtle before but I liked it enough to keep it with some minor variations I'm going to call regional differences

And then later on she gets sleeves! good for you baby you can afford some nice sleeves that are the same shade of red as Amir's sleeves Also her hair is up because lol, turns out your hair gets dirty and tangled and snarled if you just wear it down, and maybe all those women wearing a cap are on to something

Duja

Gonna be honest here, the way I write Duja now, doing a design is a bit pointless in the sense that he can look like anyone or anything, judging by how he disguised himself as an average person in the NaNo draft. Plus given how Dusheba has rolled up and down the continent labelling every local god as 'Duja' for decades, things tend to get muddled. Still, there are a couple "key" forms of his that would be easily recognized by most people, and this is one of those, the Wanderer or classic form: in the vein of all classical gods, a beautiful youthful figure, veiled to disguise himself from the malevolent Creator that created humans.

He also has associations with the sky and storms (storms which bring life-giving rain occasionally), which I'm sure weren't actually carried over from an more ancient form of the same god in a polytheistic pantheon, nope. there is only one god and a bunch of demons we do NOT worship. there's only Duja and the assholes trying to capture him, and they're not gods. we don't worship them

The ancient version had a bit more of a trickster streak than modern iterations, but they both have the same concept of being constantly on the run from the malevolent forces trying to punish them for giving humanity free will. The outer package only changed with the times, taking on the appearance of nomadic peoples that the people of Dusheba would've seen roaming their streets and in the desert.

Really, if you showed either one to someone from Dusheba, they'd say both were the same god, he just covers up more nowadays i wonder if that's connected to the extreme emotional repression in the Dusheba court

I'm actually mad I drew a pretty good face and then covered it all up lol. I saved a copy of the body before I added drapery thankfully. Now watch me never use it again

Michel

Michel is renowned for seeing the divine. No, not a god. Anyone can see a god if they're unlucky enough, although Michel has spent more time, willingly and knowingly, with the god Duja than anyone else.

See, Duja is just a teeny tiny part of the divine essence that actually freed humanity (sometimes called Duja the Divine, although it doesn't have a particularly physical form). It's like taking a pitcher and pouring the water in it into a cup so it can walk among the humans without issue (the humans are cups in this scenario). Duja is connected to and a part of that essence, so yes, he is divine, but the divine is bigger than him.

you might be noticing similarities to the story of the malevolent Creator that created messengers to walk among the humans it created, one of whom gave humans free will and has been on the run ever since and I tell you NO. >:[ It has absolutely nothing to do with that, this is not shifting religious beliefs over millennia, this has always been like this. >:[ The Creator? That would be like a million divines all at once, you'd be vaporized instantly. The divine, singular, is a lot easier to tolerate.

It still fucks you up though. Michel didn't get those rad white streaks because he aged. Really, I see him as in his thirties, but giving him the streaks automatically aged him. also being out in the desert and not using sunscreen, that'll age you too

anyway divine powers are great if you want to help people but a couple hundred years of people not listening to you and also horrible prophetic visions of the future that you don't dare tell anyone for fear of making them come true and it. grates on a person's nerves

frankly it's a wonder he has any nerves left

also the market for divine cures and divination isn't what it used to be but he's always done shit for free (this should be shared) so people really get huffy about giving him any sort of payment these days

also also he managed to eke out a decent living in the tail end of his glory years because Princess Marguerite, Amir's mother, hired him as a translator and go-between when Dusheba was attempting to butt their nose in again and that paid well. well enough to eat

except he got fired by Prince Amir. you know. the prince he saw as a baby being held in his mother's arms. unfortunately he's in pure survival mode so he can't really be pissed because that would take valuable energy away from finding food which is...kinda scarce these days tbh

he has absolutely punched extra holes in that belt to keep it from falling down is what I'm saying

The first image with the veil is how he's known. It's not him at his height, there the robes would be down to the floor and he'd have a fancier belt, but times are hard these days. A lot more schlepping around. Got to keep those robes somewhat clean, they're expensive. No one else wears robes these days, some 300 years later, but he finds them comfortable and can't afford anything else

The middle outfit was mostly to show off the length of his hair. In the NaNo draft he was gifted a set of travelling clothes that he decided to wear because he might be able to blend in better (I took the veil down so you could see his face but often he's wearing it covering his mouth and nose), because really, people don't look that hard. They're hunting down Michel Benoit, they're going to look for the sky blue veil because that's his thing. They're not going to spend too much time squinting at faces, and by the time they do, he's gone

The last one is what he looked like before getting his powers, back when he was a prince. The similarities between him and Amir are quite something (both Cerlandese and Dushebese ancestry, both princes, both intelligent young men who are stymied by their respective courts). I really love parallels like that. I'm writing a prequel right now about this--it kept gnawing at my mind so I wanted to write it, even if I'm not sure it's necessary. But I have a clear path for it as opposed to the actual story where I didn't, so I'm gonna go with it.

Also the pains of historical costuming (pictures). I know what I wanted it to look like, but could I find a pattern that matched? I spent way too long piecing together a not seamless pattern to look somewhat seamless just for the sake of this robe. Clip Studio doesn't have a lot of good options; whatever pattern I used for this (the bottom one) is more like what I intended, but I think that's only for Photoshop, if I could even find it now >:[ It's not even that important, I just wanted to get the general shape down and give the sense that the outer robe was luxuriously patterned but damn it, it didn't look right with a solid colour. I do this to myself ;-;

[littlecommonwealthcourier]

1, 16 , 8 with your favourite songs :) xx

1. One of my OCs is a railroad courier (like Drummer Boy) that wanted to be a heavy but is is too clumsy. Its a self insert lololol

16. Toss-up between Inglourious Basterds, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Princess Mononoke, and Birdman/the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (I lie about this very often and have many many favs)

8:

Muther - letlive.

Trophy - Bat for Lashes

Diplomat's Son - Vampire Weekend

Grace - Jeff Buckley (all-time #1 fav)

Per Aspera Ad Inferi - Ghost

❤

[callistochan87]

Writing practice

In the beginning...wait, no, that’s not the right spot at all. One would have to go through millennia watching the grand explosion that is the birth of a planet and its cooling; the boiling hot seas and the dark ash clouds; the bacteria and single-celled organisms that clustered and grew into multi-celled organisms that grew into Things such as mushrooms and plankton and fish and all sorts of life; the evolution of those Things into bigger and more complicated Things, and no one has any time for that.

One could choose a different path: first there was Nothing, and then there was Something, and from there it all fell into pieces, but even that would waste valuable breath. All one needs to know is that there are humans and there are mermaids, and that is all you need to know.

If one were to question the mermaids, they would have an entire different taxonomy: that of Land People and Sea People. Land People were, as the name implies, forever stuck on land, and could only glimpse fractions of the depths; Sea People, as they were, were the superior form because they could experience both land and sea. Not that there was much to see on land beyond rolling wheat fields, cows, and a number of small biting things that served to irritate them as much as they did humans, but they could do both. Every time humans tried to explore the sea for too long, they tended to die, so they must not have been very good at it.

In fact, there was a mermaid alchemist who had initially posited that humans could become mermaids. Mer-alchemy is altogether a different beast than the traditional land alchemy; it divides the world into things that are Water and things that are Not Water, and everything is made up of varying ratios of both. Mermaids? Mostly Water, some Not Water, as they are capable of breathing air. Humans? Mostly Not Water and some Water, as they do bleed and urinate and other things that would suggest they are capable of retaining water, but in a lesser ratio. Most everything on Land was Not Water, although some had enough Water in them to survive underwater, such as rocks. Rocks had a good amount of Water.

The alchemist’s name was Meliore, and her experiments consisted of finding a spare Human, who was not otherwise engaged, and submerging them in the hopes that enough Water would saturate them and then, she surmised, their bodies would naturally acclimate. The first couple of attempts were disastrous, as they flailed and fell asleep before Meliore could teach them how to swim. By the third attempt she decided they needed more time to acclimatize, so she attempted to bring down some Not Water for them first, but once they went deep enough, the Not Water burst and the same thing happened.

Ultimately, she concluded, that there was no way to change this ratio and so it was pointless to try. Her timing was good, as the humans were good and angry at her, and the lesson one should learn from this is that sometimes being wrong is important. You learn from your mistakes as well as your successes, and Meliore did a number of other things that made modern mermaids’ lives so much more comfortable, so it wasn’t a complete failure.

Not that Aoide paid much attention to that. Aoide didn’t pay much attention to school, period, and could have no more told you about Meliore’s experiments than she could have told you about prime numbers. This wasn’t for lack of trying; the teachers and her mother tried everything to engage her interest, from using her skill at harvesting coral to teach her about fractions to trying to teach her history through her great-great grandmother’s bones. The end result was that Aoide had an abacus made of coral beads and a necklace made from her ancestors’ teeth (that was only for special occasions), but still doing poorly in school.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do well at math or history: she had the aptitude, but not the interest. What did interest her was collecting coral and making it into jewellery, a thing she could only do when the tribe wintered in the warmer waters down south. In the summertime she amused herself by mussel husbandry and cultivating freshwater pearls. She could tell you the best way to get a mussel to open its shell so one could both put the initial bit of sand in and extract it when the pearls were ready; she could tell you approximately how many pearls one could get from a healthy mussel; she could even, once the mussel had exhausted itself, cook it a little under underwater thermal vents, although the taste left something to be desired.

She could weave webs of beads, do some knotwork, and was generally very good at the decorative arts, such that even her own mother called her Coral when she was in a good mood, on account of the copious amounts of jewellery she had. It was a skill, and a needed one: the mermaids’ primary adornment was jewellery and they took much pride in their skill, but Aoide’s mother was convinced she could do other things too, if only she put her mind to it.

[callistochan87]

Portrait of Prince Amir of Roshad and Grand Princess Ayde (“the Moonlight Portrait”)

By unknown Cerlandese artist

Oil on panel, circa 1520-1525

8 in x 7 in (212 x 180 mm)

CNPG 2527

More information on this portrait

While this portrait was painted to celebrate the union of the principality Cerlan and the kingdom Innsmä to become one kingdom, it primary served as an anniversary portrait for the couple’s tenth anniversary. Contrasted to the couple’s wedding portrait (‘the Sunrise Portrait”) depicting the pair in bright colours under a sunny sky, here the painting is set at night, with moonlight illuminating the village and large central lake of Merenjärvi, the birthplace of Ayde. Both monarchs are adorned with coral beads famous to the region.

Only a few portraits of Ayde are known to have been painted from life. Famed for her beauty and charisma, a popular rumour around court was that she was secretly a sea spirit, or mermaid, made flesh. Likely it arose due to the scarcity of information about her early years and the court’s then-unfamiliarity with Innsmä.

[callistochan87]

LOOK AY MY BABY AGAIN 😭

She is pale but shading does help her stand out a little..unfortunately I think it’s one of those things that just happen when you’re like that. Paleness and snow is not a good combo.

I love it so much, thank you 🥰

Okay, look, I decided to redo the Christmas picture I had done for @callistochan87 ten years ago after giving her the idea to do the same for me. Now, I'm obviously not sure at the moment if she actually went through with it, but I figure, hey, why not? I mean, she did a computer colored piece for me for m birthday, so I figured it was okay for me to do one for her for Christmas.

The problem was that, well, I basically sketched it out and inked it before she put up the official design sheet of the character, so now it's not really accurate. I took the parts I liked from each of her designs (the one from when she first turns human and then a year later), and sort of made ti a transitionary thing? IDK.

I didn't want to make this a straight redraw. I had already drawn Aoide/Coral in her fancy dress, so that was out. So I figured I'd make it, you know, less dumb? Yes, she's still out in the snow with bare arms, but eh - I might not have drawn her with the correct body type, but she does have extra protection going for her. :P

I know she's probably experienced snow before - I kinda get the impress that where she was from originally was a lot colder than the main kingdom. But this is the first time she's experiencing snow as a human. (But at the same time, if she's anything like the Coral of the past, it wouldn't matter - she'd be excited to see snow every time it happens. :P)

I do plan to further the present by streaming it's completion. Just need to figure out when I can, lol.

Hope you enjoy this!

[erinhime83]

Me: I want to do some design pictures, but I can't really do anything with Angelus Dei because all the designs I have are perfection.

Me: I know, I'll do @anijeltaventry's characters, because God knows they need some shining up. But only the two mains, because those are the only ones we care about.

Me: *draws up some very pretty design pictures, stares at them all day giddy at their prettiness*

Me: *precedes to get sad over the fact that there'll never be more to their story, having gotten invested in their story since it was the longest @anijeltaventry had written*

That's...pretty accurate with how I decided to do this, lol. Like, I have shiny, updated design pictures. Aspera Virtus has shiny new design pictures. Casus Belli has...crappy ten year old design pictures that made me cringe. Sure, she'll never do anything with these, never have a story, but it's the principle of the thing, damn it.

I kept, for the most part, her original designs for them. I have Rydan some nice fancy boots for his every day wear just because I thought it would look nice, and then...well, I'm not entirely sure if I have his hair right? In her design picture, it's all curly and poofy, but when i drew him, I just gave him wavy hair? IDK, I just sort of did this and it doesn't look half bad. ^^;

(Honestly, him smiling is throwing me off, but eh. Couldn't have a love interest design with him sulking, after all.)

I had forgotten how much black he was actually wearing in his normal wear - I thought it was mainly black with some grey, but nope. All black. But it's fine, he looks good. And the doublet in his fancy picture is supposed to be 'black with silver design embroidered', but IMO, just having the hatching on it somehow makes it look more fancy? I like how it turned out, whatever.

I also discovered I had been coloring Anijel's princess dress wrong for ten years, OMG. I had it darker with lighter inserts to the skirt when it was this way the entire time *dead*. At least it's fixed now!

These looks so good, and I'm glad I can at least say they exist in the world now. :D