#except it's not an epic

[heartofspells]

I love some good prongsfoot (yes it summoned me)! Is there anything you'd like to share from or about your story?

Oh, I'm getting better at that whole summoning thing. Hello, welcome to my ritual!

I would love to share everything about this story, but you know, I'm not actually sure how many people are going to like it. It's a very...let's explore the toxic codependency present in their relationship even when they're fooling themselves sort of thing, but in like a good way? Also, oblivious James who's not as oblivious as he's pretending to be, bless him.

But since you asked (and because i simply cannot help myself and need constant validation), I'll leave you with this piece as it makes me laugh.

James Potter, for all his faults and merits and whatever may rest in the greyness of his soul in between those two points, is not a violent person unless necessary. He will defend those he loves that are threatened through the use of spells or physical means without one thought on the matter, without hesitation, reflexes quicker than lightning. And it's true that in his younger years, before he grew up and experienced the truth of the world, that he'd been more than a bit of a brutish bully. Numerous people will attest to that, but the point remains that James had evolved, stepped out of his childishness for most things, seen some of the errors of his ways, leading him into the life closely resembling that of a pacifist.

Except, for whatever reason, when it comes to Sirius.

"Ah – shit!" shouts Sirius, stumbling backwards under the force of the impact. His vision blurs for several seconds, stance unsteady, his hand coming up to his tender nose and pulling away in a stream of crimson. He can taste the blood on his lips and tongue when he swipes it outwards. "What the fuck, Potter?"

And really, the same can mostly be said about Sirius as well.

He surges forward with a loud snarl, arms outstretched towards James, only Remus stepping between them and hauling Sirius backwards saving him from the oncoming mauling. Sirius spits his rage past Remus' head to no avail, succeeding in absolutely nothing.

"Nine months, Black!" yells James, his fist held tightly at his side as though he's waiting to swing it again. "Nine! And you're asking me what the fuck? What's wrong with you, disappearing on me like that?"

"I would've stayed gone longer if I knew you were going to smash my face in the first chance you got!" blasts Sirius in a fit.

"Fuck off!"

"You fuck off!"

"Nice to see you two never change," mutters Remus, close enough to Sirius' ear that he can hear him. "Hold still," he orders once Sirius has stopped struggling quite as much, Remus pulling back, eyes narrowed as he inspects his nose. "I'm going to heal you."

"Leave it," calls James rancidly, arms crossed over his chest. "He looks better that way."

"I'll give you a face to match if you'll come closer."

"You'd have to do a lot more than whomp me in the face to make me that ugly."

"Twat!"

"Prick!"

"Muppet!"

"Arse-licker!"

"Takes one to know one!"

[yelsapo]

Deadpool when:

[justvea18]

Siblings!

[polvsketchbook]

Leto's twins

[fuckingdeadinsidetm]

something something Eury notices Ody’s hair has grown since troy and realizes that Ody looks almost identical to Ctimene now

[nomotivationrn]

Doing English homework when I realise it looks like ares…….hold up

Ok, it’s either look like Odysseus monster thingy or Ares

[jarondont]

odysseus appreciation post

thank you for your time

[doctorsiren]

Art of Patroclus wearing Achilles’s armour that I did while writing an essay for my Greek and Roman Lit class last week

[lyraofthestarsss]

I love how Calypso’s instruments (steel pan and also sometimes acoustic guitar) are SO prominent in love in paradise, and when Odysseus is standing on the ledge. But as SOON as she says “open arms”, as SOON as Odysseus starts thinking about the people he loves, a viola starts playing

[seyaryminamoto]

My latest completed commission may have been a bit ambitious... because I went wild with it. But I certainly relished in doing so :') Combining my favorite ship with my favorite-ever Disney movie is, uh... a dangerous concoction :'D

The commissioner specifically requested for Azula as Mulan, Sokka as Shang, and Xin Long (my OC dragon from Gladiator) as Mushu. The rest of the cast was up to me to choose, and I pretty much went wild rewatching this movie and picking out some of my favorite moments to recreate them in my style, with these characters. I came up with a lot of correlating characters between both ATLA and 1998's Mulan, but I couldn't hope to draw EVERYTHING, unfortunately. Still, if you want my reasoning for the cast correlation... check out the Read More! Beyond that, feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to commission me, or if you want to join my Patreon!

The Herbalist as Mulan's grandmother might feel arbitrary but she honestly felt like the ATLA elderly lady with the most similar personality to Grandma Fa. Fickle, with a unique connection with a seemingly perfectly ordinary animal, old and sassy? Figured it fit! So for once, the Herbalist is Azula's grandma! xD strange notion, I know, Azulon/Herbalist is not a ship I ever thought I'd accidentally put out in the world but there have been wilder ships than that in this fandom...

Momo became Cri-Kee, I wasn't 100% sold on it but when I considered that Avatar features soooo many hybrid animals... I figured he could be a hybrid cricket-lemur. Weird, I know, but eh? Better than nothing xD

Aang as Chien-Po was a no-brainer. He's the only character I settled on instantly, never even considered anyone else for the role. Their personalities line up really well, and Chien-Po's tendency to be OP and resolve things that are outside of other people's reach sounded like he was prime Avatar material! So, while their dietary preferences are an obvious difference between them, I decided to go for it nonetheless considering all their other similarities!

Kino (another Gladiator OC) is Ling, and he actually did give me a ton of trouble to choose. I considered many characters for the role right up until I realized that Kino's personality actually lines up fairly well with Ling's, down to being a class clown type (who ABSOLUTELY would have cut gym class!) and breaking out in song about the hypothetical woman he'd like to fight for? Yeeeeah that's right up his alley xD but there's another reason why I picked Kino...

... And that is my likely unexpected choice for Yao:

ZUKO.

ZUKO IS YAO.

YES.

I'M NOT EVEN SORRY.

(For the uninitiated, Aang, Zuko and Kino are best friends in Gladiator, very often together, and they make a really good team, so that's the extra reason why Kino became the obvious choice for Ling aside from having really similar personalities, definitely closer personalities than, say, Jet, for instance.)

People have likened Zuko to Shang a LOT since ATLA aired. This is the main reason why I'm even making this huge note! I suspect it's primarily because of the aesthetic, let's be real here, and because he becomes Aang's teacher, but people have exaggerated Zuko's alleged similarities with Shang, or taken them out of proportion, in many ways. I actually remember an AMV ages ago with "Be a Man" and it was Zuko "training the Gaang"?? It... didn't feel right to me. Obviously, someone might rebuff with "well, how does Sokka make MORE sense than that, though?" And believe it or not, I have arguments for that... (when do I not...?)

Not only is this what the commissioner specifically requested (and it obviously lines up with the ship we love!), but let's examine the actual reasons why Sokka as Shang adds up:

Sokka actually had to train a bunch of toddlers who weren't paying any attention to him. You know. Kind of how Shang had to train the unruly soldiers who weren't getting anything right. Sokka has a positive relationship with his dad (Zuko, ofc, does not). Shang also has a positive relationship with his dad! And not only this, but there's a military component to both relationships, specifically with Shang wanting to follow on his father's footsteps and aid him in the war... so much like someone else I know, who jumped at every opportunity to rejoin his father in the war, even wishing to join him as a child until Hakoda tasked him with protecting their Tribe instead (kinda like Shang is tasked with training soldiers rather than joining a battlefield).

And the final cherry-on-top that I'd loooove to hear Zuko fans try to argue against... is sexism :') didn't Sokka get characterized as a sexist guy for four episodes, which made people decide that this was his main character trait even if it went away that quickly? Um, yes, that happened. Shang literally sings the memorable song that's a crazy ode to masculinity, including the rather sexist line of "did they send me daughters when I asked for sons". Shang outright abandons Mulan once they discover that she was a woman all along (while, admittedly, choosing to abandon her rather than KILL HER, which as we saw from Chi-Fu, he was NOT supposed to spare her!)...

So, is this REALLY what Zuko fans, who willfully believe their boy is a feminist king (... why? beats me...) are trying to compare their unproblematic blorbo to? :'D Me? I have no problem linking Sokka with Shang due to Sokka's beginnings and due to the fact that both Shang and Sokka have similar growth when it comes to accepting femininity is as valid as masculinity, and as they both learn to respect women as fighters and potential heroes! (I simply do not believe Sokka's ENTIRE tenure in ATLA was about that, though, and that's what I continue to clash with the fandom over...) So... all this is why I've reasoned that Sokka is a VERY solid choice for Shang, in fact, better than Zuko could hope to be.

... but this isn't all.

Maybe some might accept my arguments for Sokka-Shang. And then, they might ask:

WHY ZUKO AS YAO, THO??

... And the truth is it took me long to see it, myself, but HOLY SHIT, DOES IT FIT!

What is the primary thing we remember about Yao in Mulan? This guy is constantly itching for a fight, to prove himself, surely riddled with insecurities that he exteriorizes through overcompensation of masculinity. He's funny as fuck, but he's taking himself 100% seriously as a manly man all the time, and he's always ready for violence. But there's one more thing...

He treats Mulan as his RIVAL.

And more often than not? SHE SCREWS HIM OVER. Intentionally or not.

What does that sound like? Why, yes, it sounds a LOT like Azula and Zuko's sibling relationship!

The fact that Yao is a temperamental dude who lashes out easily at things (oh, something he has in common with Zuko!), that he specifically resents Mulan (in this case, Azula, just as Zuko does!) and is either constantly looking to defeat her and prove his superiority over her (... wait, just as Zuko with Azula??), that he has a black eye perpetually across the movie, and it's his LEFT EYE (just as Zuko's scar is on his left eye! :'D), that he's friends with a pacifist he has basically nothing in common with, personality-wise (just like Zuko and Aang!), and that he pretty much has a REDEMPTION ARC in which he goes from a bitter, asshole rival to Mulan to treating her as a friend and ally, to the point where he was disappointed to leave her behind and THEN joined her at once when she says she has a plan? :') I have always been critical of Zuko's redemption arc, goes without saying. But if ANY of these characters redeemed himself in any significant way, it certainly seems to be Yao to me, and with people gushing NON-STOP about Zuko's redemption? Why, he ought to be the character who goes from bitter rival to loyal friend, right?

So. I'm not even sorry. Zuko is Yao. And I'd dare say that he should be flattered by the comparison, even, because Yao ends up being cool as FUCK!

I don't really talk about this much nowadays, but Mulan was my favorite Disney movie growing up, it ABSOLUTELY had a formative influence on me as a little girl, and Mulan was my favorite female character for a looooong time. Thus, any excuse to rewatch this movie makes me happy as heck. With the wisdom of age I know, of course, that it's not perfect, it's not what China wants, it's not the most thoughtful depiction of Chinese culture or the most faithful adaptation of Mulan's poem (... but I'd also dare bring up that the 2009 Chinese adaptation ISN'T all that faithful either...), but it has a kind of magic in it, a solid storytelling flow, so many memorable moments one after the next, that I could hardly choose which scenes to depict... Disney has never again seen the storytelling heights it reached with Mulan in 1998. I don't even care if that's a controversial opinion in any way... this is their best animated feature for me, and nobody can change my mind.

So... depicting Azula, my beloved, in all these scenarios as this character I adored and idolized as a child, was so damn fulfilling for me. While some might think that, personality-wise, these two ladies don't have much in common, the fact that Mulan is sent to a matchmaker who basically tells her she looks good but is going to be the worst wife ever...? Our girl Azula, with all those insecurities about being unloveable and a monster, probably would relate big time to that.

Mulan is also an INTELLIGENT soldier rather than a brawny one, which is how she starts to make progress in the army, it's how she manages to overcome the huns with that avalanche... and Azula's primary difference with most other antagonists in ATLA is that she's smart as fuck. She is very strong, no doubt, but a LOT of that strength comes from her intelligence, from assessing situations in unique ways, from planning and strategizing. The way Mulan finds the most unexpected solutions that still pay off reminds me a lot of how Azula achieves unexpected feats through rather unorthodox means, capable of taking over a city with basically no bloodshed while her nation has spent 100 years trying and failing to do so through major army incursions and who knows how much senseless violence. Obviously, I'm not saying what Azula did is GOOD and it's kind of dumb that we always have to point that out... I'm merely comparing the magnitude of the feats, and the fact that they both come from ladies who use strategy and intelligence to achieve their goals rather than muscle and physical power.

And while anyone would rage at me for the comparison between Fa Zhou (her dad) and Ozai, the truth is the dynamic between them CAN be compared, if loosely: Mulan literally goes to war to keep her father safe. Azula goes to war under her father's orders. Hell, she makes herself BAIT in the Eclipse to make sure the Gaang won't get to her dad?? While it's very much possible to say that both characters have different personalities and attitudes in life... I'd also bring up that their contexts are evidently completely different. I wouldn't say for certain that Azula, had she been raised outside a Royal Family, would be EXACTLY like Mulan... but they might have more similar traits than one might expect. Ultimately, though... I love them both. And this opportunity to swap their places was pretty much a dream come true!

Alright, that was plenty of rambling xD ultimately, I had a blast doing this commission, as I'm sure is obvious by now. So! If anyone wants to commission me, feel free to check out my prices right here and hit me up if you're interested!

[i-really-like-phrogs]

Hi, Phrog!! I love your art so much, thank you for opening up your asks!!

Could I request a Beetlejuice x Miss Argentina fluff drawing? Thank you, have a great day/night! <3

You absolutely may!!! Sorry it’s been so long in the making, here’s a lil pixelley doodle I came up with:

[buubonita]

Oughhhhhhhhhh Cream...

Cross being the only one able to see Dream as the broken and imperfect being that he is and decide to love him even more for it is OH MY GOD to me. But it was a really slow process. I think Cross had a little crush on Dream before they were friends, as an adverse effect of his aura but the experiences that push them closer to each other.

[iroissleepdeprived]

"Hello, my name is Odysseus, I have found myself in the Underworld and I am now contemplating how I'm going to get out of this situation."

[daily-xisuma]

[132] Reign of Terror

[gdn7-dollopole]

Arthur’s expression of pure delight and realisation, and soft voice filled with awe, at the “inside joke” he and Merlin have of his ‘funny feelings’, and how he doesn’t elaborate to Mordred what they mean, because Arthur wants to keep them as his and Merlin’s thing (feelings that also prove to be true, and in which Arthur believes, even without an explanation from Merlin):

As a bonus, Merlin’s thunderous and disgusted glare to Mordred, simply because he laughed at Arthur’s joke about Merlin. Arthur can make fun of him, but only Merlin can laugh about it (even better if Merlin is angry because only he can listen to Arthur laugh and make jokes. Peak jealousy moment):

[dorothywonderland]

"She had us in just two words"