#but I can't love it entirely either

[my-name-is-apollo]

I really hate how Apollo is usually portrayed in books and movies, etc. How do you think Apollo would react to the representations of him? poor guy xdd

I read "the trials of Apollo" or something like that by Rick and well, I don't know if I'm very picky, but I didn't like it at all :(

Tbh I don't think any of the gods would have the time to read these modern adaptations of them XD that said I do enjoy those shitposts people make about gods reacting to media inspired by Greek myths.

And ah, Trials of Apollo. Started out great, and it's still great wrt to how they develop Apollo's character but I just don't like how much RR vilified Zeus, neither do I like some of the creative liberties in the story (like Harpocrates...just...why.)

[ruporas]

need to exist in your warmth (id in alt)

[benevolenterrancy]

("Always. Continuously. With increasing apprehension, and decreasing hope. I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you every Tuesday. I will love you as a corpse loves the beak of the vulture. I will love you no matter what happens to you, and no matter how I discover what happens to you, and no matter what happens to me as I discover this." -- paraphrased from The Beatrice Letters, Lemony Snicket)

[dazzelmethat]

Some messy Mushishi fanart. Ginko could be a microbiologist.

I'm still sad that 'journey to the microcosmos' the youtube channel is ending. If you are a mushishi fan of the surreal mushi I recommend watching their hd videos on microbes.

[they-didnt-last]

anyone interested in talking about the iconic 2000's middle-grade-bordering-on-ya book series gallagher girls??

[gingermintpepper]

hi, i haven't read the iliad and the odyssey but want to - do u have a specific translation you recommend? the emily wilson one has been going around bc, y'know, first female translator of the iliad and odyssey into english, but i was wondering on if you had Thoughts

Hi anon! Sorry for the somewhat late response and I'm glad you trust me with recommendations! Full, disclosure, I am somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to translations of the source text of the Iliad + Odyssey combo wombo, which means I tend to prefer closeness in literal verbiage over interpretation of the poetic form of these epics - for that reason, my personal preferred versions of the Odyssey and Iliad both are Robert Fitzgerald's. Because both of these translations (and his Aeneid!) were done some 50+ years ago (63 for his original Odyssey tl, 50 flat for his Iliad and 40 for his Aeneid) the English itself can be a bit difficult to read and the syntax can get confusing in a lot of places, so despite my personal preferences, I wouldn't recommend it for someone who is looking to experience the Iliad + Odyssey for the very first time.

For an absolute beginner, someone who has tried to read one or both of these epics but couldn't get into it or someone who has a lot of difficulty with concentrating on poetry or long, winding bits of prose, I fully and wholeheartedly recommend Wilson's translation! See, the genius of Emily Wilson's Iliad + Odyssey isn't that she's a woman who's translated these classics, it's that she's a poet who's adapted the greek traditional poetic form of dactylic hexameter into the english traditional poetic form of iambic pentameter. That alone goes a very very long way to making these poems feel more digestible and approachable - iambic pentameter is simply extremely comfortable and natural for native english speakers' brains and the general briskness of her verbiage helps a lot in getting through a lot of the problem books that people usually drop the Iliad or Odyssey in like Book 2 of the Iliad or Book 4 of the Odyssey. I think it's a wonderful starting point that allows people to familiarise themselves with the source text before deciding if they want to dig deeper - personally, researching Wilson's translation choices alone is a massive rabbit hole that is worth getting into LOL.

The happy medium between Fitzgerald's somewhat archaic but precise syntax and Wilson's comfortable meter but occasionally less detailled account is Robert Fagles' Iliad + Odyssey. Now, full disclosure, I detest how Fagles handles epithets in both of his versions, I think they're far too subtle which is something he himself has talked at length about in his translation notes, but for everything else - I'd consider his translations the most well rounded of english adaptations of this text in recent memory. They're accurate but written in plain English, they're descriptive and detailled without sacrificing a comfortable meter and, perhaps most importantly, they're very accessible for native english speaking audiences to approach and interact with. I've annotated my Fagles' volumes of these books to heaven and back because I'm deeply interested in a lot of the translation decisions made, but I also have to specifically compliment his ability to capture nuance in the characters' of these poems in a way I don't often see. He managed to adapt the ambivalence of ancient greek morality in a way I scarcely see and that probably has a hand in why I keep coming back to his translations.

Now, I know this wasn't much of a direct recommendation but as I do not know you personally, dear anon, I can't much make a direct recommendation to a version that would best appeal to your style of reading. Ideally, I'd recommend that you read and enjoy all three! But, presuming that you are a normal person, I suggest picking which one is most applicable for you. I hope this helps! 🥰

[adahlenan]

        “ what you are, I was; what I am, you will be ”

[genderqueerpond]

pretty funny how every time someone tries to give Tegan a male love interest in an audio drama it somehow turns into a story about how much Tegan isn't interested at all

--- it's a curse why don't they stop trying ----

it's actually great. do the writers even know they're doing this??? my theory is that they're actually earnestly trying to write it at face value…. and then Janet Fielding delivers it ….like that….

and. well.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

I know this may sound crazy but remember how in No Way Out, Sonic told Nine that he still considered him to be a friend while getting down on one knee and Nine calmed down? Later in Nine’s Lives, Nine says “Typical” when seeing Sonic run to the others and accused Sonic of betraying him when Sonic called the others his friends.

Nine was sort of acting like Sonic proposed to him and then cheated on him by being friends with the others.

Okay so first of all, I don't think you're crazy. During S3 there's actually plenty of evidence that Nine is jealous, both of the Tails variants and Sonic considering everyone else his friends.

One example that presents his specific kind of jealousy is during Episode 2 of Season 3, when Nine first appears to Sonic in New Yoke.

"Everything is collapsing... This is terrible!"

"Is it? That seems odd coming from you. As far as I can tell you only care about your own home."

Essentially what I'm getting at is this. I do believe that pre betrayal, Nine admittedly considered Sonic to be the most important person to him, and thought Sonic may have felt the same way. And the "betrayal" at the end of S2 hurt Nine very deeply. He had this image of Sonic in his head that was shattered by the finale, so he sort of instinctively switches to thinking the worst about Sonic because he can't trust that anything he thought before wasn't a lie. This is one of the reasons that he can't fathom Sonic caring about shatterspaces other than his own home.

But it's not just that he can't fathom it, it's that due to this deep hurt, Nine cannot allow himself to believe it.

Because if Sonic genuinely cares about the shatterverse as a whole, if he genuinely cares about saving all of these people, then to Nine, what made him the exception?

Sure, we the audience can see Sonic’s journey in Prime. We can see that by the end of S2, Sonic wanted to keep the shatterverse safe just as much as he wanted to bring back Green Hill. He wanted everyone to be alive and happy. But from Nine's pov here, he's just learned that Sonic lied to him, spoke honeyed words and manipulated him just to get to the prism. None of that is true, but he doesn't feel like Sonic actually cares for him or wants him. So at this point, for Sonic to put saving all of these people over saving his own home or genuinely worrying about their home makes Nine feel like the exception or that his feelings about Sonic must be wrong. Either one of those ideas he'd understandably like to avoid (because one means that Sonic is genuine with everyone except for him, and the other would mean to him that his feeling of betrayal and hurt feelings post S2 finale are misplaced and not allowed to be had, though he feels justified feeling hurt)

And that scene in S3 E3 No Escape is actually another big exemplifier of Nine's brand of jealousy and just how hurt he is.

"Don't worry. Beneath the surface, my new friends are far simpler than the flawed creatures you knew and loved. And all the more loyal for it."

Starting out strong, Nine takes a not so subtle shot at Sonic's friends while taking subtler shot at Sonic's loyalty, since Sonic had been his first and only friend.

"Ever wonder where we'd be if things had gone differently between us?"

"...Not anymore."

"I do. All the time."

"Not anymore." Implying that post the S2 finale he really had dwelled (at least for a time) on thoughts of how things could have been different. How he wished things could have gone differently.

And Nine gets visibly angry/frustrated when Sonic confesses he's always thinking about how things could have been different. Perhaps because it feels like a slap to the face, or feels hard to believe.

"Tch. You had your chance."

"...Right back at ya, bud."

And then, despite his anger, despite how he's been trying to get Sonic all along so he can drain his energy and save his home, Nine ignores Sonic's "should we get this over with". He puts on another one of those faces, similar to earlier when Sonic arrived and Nine talked about his "new friends". Perhaps to cover up exactly the way he's feeling in this moment with a veneer of superiority (he always did something similar when talking up Sonic to the Chaos Council).

"You know...after all this time...I think I finally understand you, Sonic."

...

"You wanna save everyone. Friends. Foes. Total strangers! You say it's because you're a hero and that's what heroes do, but deep down... After what you did—destroying your own home—it's the only way you can ever live with yourself. Even if that means you won't live at all."

And while I think Nine isn't incorrect—that there is a part of Prime!Sonic who's been acting out of selfishness, caring more about feeling like a good person than actually being one—these are still words from someone who feels betrayed by Sonic. I think there's a level to which Nine is seeing a part of Sonic no one else did, and also to a level which Nine is trying to recontextualize Sonic's more heroic/selfless seeming actions so he can reconcile them with how he feels about Sonic and sees him at this moment. In other words, while he's seeing a facet of Sonic he didn't see before, this is not all encompassing of who Prime Sonic is. It's just that perhaps by believing that Sonic's every seemingly selfless action is disingenuine, that all those nice words and intent to save people is just so Sonic can feel good rather that actually caring about anyone, then Nine doesn’t have to feel like the exception. Then he can see Sonic as someone who is pretending to care about all of this, and Sonic's other friends as fools who don't see what he (Nine) has seen.

But as I said, it's more complicated than that. Perhaps Nine is seeing a facet of Sonic that other people don't see or don't want to see, but Prime!Sonic is multifaceted. Perhaps he does want to hurry up and sacrifice himself in this scene because then he can finally feel like he's atoned for what he's done and he's absolved of/paid for his crimes, but that also doesn't mean he doesn't genuinely care about the lives of people in the shatterverse.

"If I don't make it, and you do, how do I know you'll keep your promise."

"Don't worry. Your 'friends' are safe. Once I have your energy, I can restore everything. They can have their silly lives in their silly spaces, as long as they leave me alone."

"Fair enough."

...

"And for what it's worth...I wouldda done the same for you."

"Don't lie to me..."

"I'm not–"

"DON'T!"

"Think whatever you want, but it's true. Even after everything you've done, everything we've been through. Together. Against each other. You're still my friend, Nine."

I really couldn't express more just how hurt Nine feels. That he doesn't believe Sonic would give anything up for him, even if he were to accept that Sonic would do that for everyone else. When he tells Sonic not to lie to him, frustrated, angry, voice wavering, I think it's because he can't take this again. If Sonic is lying just to manipulate him, if this isn't genuine, if he's just using him again, he can't take it again.

This is an incredibly intimate scene. With Sonic, standing face to face to Nine, inside Nine's safe space, his home that no one else has been into, behind the physical representation of the walls surrounding Nine's heart post betrayal, this is his first time all season really being allowed to speak to Nine directly. Here there's no one to perform to aside from each other.

But you can see that despite everything, Sonic still reaches Nine in this scene. It's not easy, but he reaches Nine's heart, leading Nine to start to believe in him again.

And that's why it's a pity the other variants show up when they do, using Sonic to breach Nine's walls. With the way Nine reacts after this happens, Sonic may as well have made Nine believe in that image of him again. Sonic may as well have made Nine believe that Sonic does care about him, that he'd do anything for him (or, at least, would give his life for him like he would for the others if it meant they could live), only to be the trojan horse that allowed the enemy™ to breach his safe space. The pretty lie.

At the beginning of S3 E4 Nine's Lives, Nine says "Predictable" when Sonic runs over to his friends. And, as anon mentioned, Nine says that Sonic has betrayed him for the last time, calling the deal off.

I wouldn't necessarily say here that Nine feels as if Sonic had cheated on him so to speak, but I would say that even if Nine doesn't see Sonic as a willing "trojan horse" here, Nine still feels like a fool for "falling for it again", for believing in Sonic. I think it's enough betrayal to Nine that Sonic would convince him that he cares about him and wants him to have a future too, only to then side with a bunch of people who want to beat Nine down and who would not let Nine be happy if Nine surrendered to them (from Nine's pov at least).

So in short, anon, I think you are seeing Nine's jealousy here. Even if he also has to believe Sonic is secretly fooling the others, to him this is a scene where Sonic is not only choosing them over him, but another example of Sonic (from Nine's pov) proving that he's a liar who doesn't care for Nine or his future/safety at all.

[imagoddamnonionmason]

What are these amazing women talking about? Your variants?👀🧡

If Jodie met Jess - what will her first impression of her be?

Could they become friends and, for example, meet again in Black Ops 6?👀🧡

I know you already saw this render, but i wanted to share it with you here <3

ANN! Yes, I absolutely love this render 😭 of course, Jess looks amazing but you caught Jodie so well and damn! I'm so happy ;u;

To answer your questions, though, I can see this conversation having a light-hearted tone. Maybe they're chatting about how they passed the time over the past couple days or maybe discussing how glad they are a mission went successful!

I wonder if Jodie is begging to tell Jess about Frank's mannequin shenanigan lmao 🤣 (Jodie is good at keeping secrets, but that's one that would have her bursting at the seems-)

I think I answered a first impression question before, but now that it's been a little while and Jodie has grown a little bit, I can revisit this; Jodie's first impression of Jess wouldn't be negative, but I don't think there'd be anything overly ecstatic there either. It's a pretty balanced judgement of character; she'd acknowledge that this woman seems like a decent comrade, clearly has a good skillset that can be useful, and conducts herself in a trustworthy way. She would be happy to work with her and would find Jess easier to talk to that others within the safe house (I think I mentioned before that it might take a little bit for their conversations to move entirely from being work-orientated and into the more chatty vibes - then mentioned about Jodie asking about Jess' hairstyle).

I do believe that after everything, when Jodie learns who she can trust again, Jess would be one of those people (after all, Jess hasn't wronged her).

As I'm still very much unsure of what will occur in Black Ops 6, I'll answer this a little more vaguely; I imagine that if they meet again, it would be under very tense, stressful circumstances - they're both watching over their shoulders, the CIA breathing down Jodie's neck (I'm in two minds as to whether she would stay with them or go rogue, we'll see what happens when I come to play the campaign lol). BUT, despite the stressful situations that I know they'll come across in that narrative, seeing a familiar face, one that isn't going to stab her or the people she cares about in the back, Jodie would be thankful to see Jess again.

[neganium]

I love how, even with how goofy and silly and immature MK can sometimes be, he's still a really clever character that's good at putting things together, especially in ways that the others might not think about. Being a little unserious and jocular and excitable are not inherently bad things, and they are not things that automatically mean that someone is stupid, no matter how distractable or fun-loving they might seem.

He's also very aware of his shortcomings, and is learning how to cope with his problems. I do like how they have it so far to where MK isn't getting over his problems right away, and acknowledging that sometimes things are just gonna... stick. It's a part of you, and it may stay that way for a long time. But it's livable, once you figure out how. You can even make it work for you. Take that same energy, turn it on its head, and put it towards something else. Not just coping with a problem, but learning ways to redirect it. It's really nice that this is out there, and that kids can see it. Whether or not all of them will pick up on the lessons is another matter; but I think that that some of them can, and have the opportunity to, is important.

[hecatesbroom]

As a writer, why is it so hard to write an appreciative letter to a friend :') I'm supposed to be good with words!!

[tricoufamily]

once again thinking about how easy it would be for me to be in a relationship if i was cis

[dnangelic]

its simple if u cant handle daisuke at his dark then u'll never be able to handle dark at his daisuke. ppl better not be catching on the idea that only daisuke doesn't want to expose dark. dark doesn't want to expose daisuke either in most cases. it's mutual. their feelings, their secret(s) are shared, and the way that dai doesn't believe anybody could like him after realizing his true self (dark, his criminal status or his being a literal 'monster') is only the reverse side of dark believing nobody would actually like him after realizing his true self (daisuke, his very own human flaws and inferiority that are completely separate from his suave phantom thief image.)

people assume daisuke's without flaw or sin and dark's without inferiority but that's entirely what it's about. it's about people being deeper than you'd expect, the sides of a single person being complex, to the point that as you learn new things sometimes the perceived differences between expectation and reality can surprise, even scare you. daisuke and dark are always acutely aware they can disappoint so many people. they're acutely aware they ALREADY ARE disappointing so many people. which is also why they only ever want to bring themselves forward with someone, the kind of muse who's going to be their forever, and i don't mean that just in a romantic sense. it has to be someone they can wholly and absolutely trust (after some time and bonding,) or suddenly have to due to circumstances.

once they show you their 'secret' you become theirs and they become yours. until then, dark and daisuke are going to avoid and not find any comfort in anybody who can only love them in halves, any sentiment that rings with condition; i love you but not actually as you are. these deeper feelings about their self-perceived flaws, dark having pathetic aspects that break his arrogant and capable image, daisuke having 'sinful' ones that break his innocent or harmless image, are TRUTHS about themselves. they should be taken seriously for anything positive because dark and daisuke themselves feel seriously about it. if u can't be trusted to handle daisuke at his dark then u can't b trusted to handle dark at his daisuke. even if one or the other is asleep during an interaction, the both of them are still always there.

[essenceofarda]

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[iniziare]

Tag drop: Dorian Pavus