#favorite book couples

[0039pf-third-blog-hooray]

[jccatstudios]

crow profiles

[egophiliac]

this chapter has been so absolutely nuts that I actually low-key forgot that I had a couple of new UM posters to do! wild! anyway, I gotta think about Lilia's some more, so here is my beautiful electric crocodile son in the meantime. god I hope this reads properly

(I went with Volt to go with his name, but there's a Bolt version too in the print-size folder!)

[junobugs]

I'm sure someone as done this already

[emjee]

I’m dipping my toes into bookbinding/fanbinding so here’s a project I finished last week! I’m very pleased with how it’s turned out and now I have an edition of Revelations of Divine Love in barely edited Middle English, which is how I prefer to read it! Cat shown for scale.

[nerdynuala]

I bought The Sun and the Star, still have to read it but I suddenly needed to draw Solangelo after buying it? Lol

Here they are, my precious ☀️⭐

[youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal]

So monster high g1 put Clawdeen and Toralei together in time for a Pride comic… they got together off page… and now new stuff is released where they’ve broken up, again off page. Like 2 months after it was announced they were together at all.

[bayetea]

I'm gonna froth at the mouth over this in the tags so bear with me but reason #1278038 why the way rick went about breaking up jiper was bad: rereading her povs in hoo where she gushes over jason feels like even more of an unreliable narrator queer girl comphet psychological horror story

[moonstruckdraws]

Aphrodite & Antheia

yep, going down this rabbit whole on my blog

Aphrodite is, I would say, the goddess I know the most about (even though I'm still learning new things). I literally did all my mythology projects on her when younger lmao

Stars it's been so long since I've drawn people-

Anyway time to yap

The way I first learned (and preferred) of Aphrodite's birth was emerging from seafoam. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and was so so SO happy to see people incorporate the ocean in their designs of her. I felt it only appropriate to do the same (I am worried I made her too ocean based- so it's the reason she's got those wings lol)

however, sticking with her origins, I gave her stretchmarks (that I'll likely edit later to detail better) that look loosely like waves. I thought they were cute. Her hair is based on jellyfish frills, and made the underside yellow to be kinda-not-really like scallop shells. The ends of her lashes have little pearls because they are also a symbol of hers

Her animal is the dove, sometimes swan though I see that more with Eros, so I put these utterly useless wings in the back of her head like a hair ornament. They are folded to be in the shape of a heart.

The other lady is Antheia, one of the Graces or Charites, Aphrodite's attendant and the Goddess of flowers (& gardens & other stuff). Her and Aphrodite have a close relationship, and as a kid when first learning about her I thought she was another lover of Aphrodite. She's not, but I consider her Aphrodite's best friend. Her only symbols are flowers, usually roses & blossoms. And for fun, I have her hair loop back into the snake on her head. She's not associated with snakes, but I thought it'd be fun to give her a Garden Snake (though again I'll have to edit that for its patterns).

[falconfate]

Hello ranger’s apprentice fandom can we talk real quick about the stupidest thing Flanagan ever wrote

It’s about the bows. Yanno, the rangers’ Iconique™️ main weapon. That one. You know the one.

Flanagan. Flanagan why are your rangers using longbows.

“uh well recurve arrows drop faster” BUT DO THEY. FLANAGAN. DO THEY.

the answer is no they don’t. Compared to a MODERN, COMPOUND (aka cheating) bow, yes, but compared to a longbow? Y’know, what the rangers use in canon? Yeah no a recurve actually has a FLATTER trajectory. It drops LATER.

This from an article comparing the two:

“Both a longbow and a recurve bow, when equipped with the right arrow and broadhead combination, are capable of taking down big game animals. Afterall, hunters have been doing it for centuries with both types of bows.

However, generally speaking and all things equal, a recurve bow will offer more arrow speed, creating a flatter flight trajectory and retain more kinetic energy at impact.

The archers draw length, along with the weight of the arrow also affect speed and kinetic energy. However, the curved design of the limbs on a recurve adds to its output of force.”

It doesn’t actually mention ANY distance in range! And this is from a resource for bow hunting, which, presumably, WOULD CARE ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING!

Okay so that’s just. That’s just the first thing.

The MAIN thing is that even accounting for “hur dur recurves drop faster” LONGBOWS ARE STILL THE STUPID OPTION.

Longbows, particularly and especially ENGLISH longbows, are—as their name suggests—very long. English longbows in particular are often as tall or taller than their wielder even while strung, but especially when unstrung. An unstrung longbow is a very long and expensive stick, one that will GLADLY entangle itself in nearby trees, other people’s clothes, and any doorway you’re passing through.

And yes, there are shorter longbows, but at that point if you’re shortening your longbow, just get a goddamn recurve. And Flanagan makes a point to compare his rangers’ bows to the Very Long English Longbow.

Oh, do you know how the Very Long English Longbow was mostly historically militarily used? BY ON-FOOT ARCHER UNITS. Do you know what they’re TERRIBLE for? MOUNTED ARCHERY.

Trust me. Go look up right now “mounted archery longbow.” You’ll find MAYBE one or two pictures of some guy on a horse struggling with a big stick; mostly you will actually see either mounted archers with RECURVES, or comparisons of Roman longbow archers to Mongolian horse archers (which are neat, can’t lie, I love comparing archery styles like that).

Anyway. Why are longbows terrible for mounted archery? Because they’re so damn long. Think about it: imagine you’re on a horse. You’re straddling a beast that can think for itself and moves at your command, but ultimately independently of you; if you’re both well-trained enough, you’re barely paying attention to your horse except to give it commands. And you have a bow in your hands. If your target is close enough to you that you know, from years of shooting experience, you will need to actually angle your bow down to hit it because of your equine height advantage, guess what? If you have a longbow, YOU CAN’T! YOUR HORSE IS IN THE WAY BECAUSE YOUR BOW IS TOO LONG! Worse, it’s probably going to get in the general area of your horse’s shoulder or legs, aka moving parts, which WILL injure your horse AND your bow and leave you fresh out of both a getaway vehicle and a ranged weapon. It’s stupid. Don’t do it.

A recurve, on the other hand, is short. It was literally made for horse archers. You have SO much range of motion with a recurve on horseback; and if you’re REALLY good, you know how to give yourself even more, with techniques like Jamarkee, a Turkish technique where you LITERALLY CAN AIM BACKWARDS.

For your viewing enjoyment, Serena Lynn of Texas demonstrating Jamarkee:

Yes, that’s real! This type of draw style is INCREDIBLY versatile: you can shoot backwards on horseback, straight down from a parapet or sally port without exposing yourself as a target, or from low to the ground to keep stealthy without banging your bow against the ground. And, while I’m sure you could attempt it with a longbow, I wouldn’t recommend it: a recurve’s smaller size makes it far more maneuverable up and over your head to actually get it into position for a Jamarkee shot.

A recurve just makes so much more SENSE. It’s not a baby bow! It’s not the longbow’s lesser cousin! It’s a COMPLETELY different instrument made to be used in a completely different context! For the rangers of Araluen, who put soooo much stock in being stealthy and their strong bonds with their horses, a recurve is the perfect fit! It’s small and easily transportable, it’s more maneuverable in combat and especially on horseback, it offers more power than a longbow of the same draw weight—really, truly, the only advantage in this case that a longbow has over the recurve is that longbows are quicker and easier to make. But we KNOW the rangers don’t care about that, their KNIVES use a forging technique (folding) that takes several times as long as standard Araluen forging practices at the time!

Okay.

Okay I think I’m done. For now.

[the1northlanderprincess]

A Man's Longing

Okay, listen up, guys. We need to discuss about Sauron in that scene from Episode 5, and its implications going forward.

Now, Sauron is being the manipulative, charming villain we all know him to be in this scene. However, there is a moment where you see this smile on his face.

Now, as @eleyras pointed out, you see his humanity for a second. But it's so much more than that. You can see a warmth in his face; crinkles by his eyes, which are closed. He's not just reliving a nice memory, he's immersing himself. And, yet, it's not just a memory. No, Annatar is thinking of her in the present. All of these physical features are representative of his true self. Well, not the evil self, but, the man beneath all of that. He is a man in love; smitten. I mean, you can even argue it's a bashful look as if he's talking to Galadriel herself.

That said, what does this all mean for his eventual meeting with Gal later on? First we must acknowledge the possibility he doesn't like to be touched. He wants to be the one to control that facet of a relationship. Would he allow Galadriel to touch him? Maybe. But, considering the current nature of their relationship, I don't think he'd expect her to. Sure, he's delusional about a lot of things concerning her, but not that delusional. It's clear to me how much he wants to have physical contact with her. That leads me to the prospect of a kiss...

We all have heard by now of Galadriel being on the receiving end of a kiss, courtesy of Morfydd. With every separate scene we've been privy to, where they are on one another's mind, something tangible will happen between them...besides their epic fight. I've referenced this before, but we know she shows him Nenya (seemingly after the fight), and I can see him cautiously taking her hand, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. Then he lifts it, and kisses it. Could this be THE kiss? It's a possibility.

What if it's more, though? Though I'm struggling to picture it happening after their altercation, I have a clear vision in my mind's eye of how I can see it going down: At some point, he has her in a vulnerable spot, maybe he's cornered her. He brushes her hair back, perhaps rubs his hand on her arm. He whispers a plea, and leans in to kiss her gently on her lips. She's likely shocked at first, but finds she wants to taste him, too.

Okay, now I sound like the delusional one, hahaha! But that truly feels like what it's building towards, and if not, well, I would be amazed that I obviously can't interpret creative media (not to mention absolutely PO'd)

[fightingwithallreality]

Blaze and Thunderbolt (1955) written and illustrated by Clarence William Anderson

[ogwriter22]

I wish...

I wish I was my mother's son

Provide her without a fear

Give a warm shoulder for her tears

Make her proud and wear

Her proudest smile

[saphira-approves]

Alright buckle up y’all, I’ve got a book series recommendation and propaganda under the cut for any fans of the Inheritance Cycle.

If you read our beloved farmboy-turned-dragon-rider books and had a particular fondness for: the idea of an order of individuals chosen to be both partner and rider to powerful and beautiful magical creatures; Snowfire; an immortal evil that resurfaces in disguised and unexpected forms (specifically referencing the Draumar cult which we now know had influence in Galbatorix’s rise to power); and/or the juicy juicy drama of complicated parent-child relationships, then oh boy do I have a recommendation for you.

Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series, comprising of many, MANY individuals novels, trilogies, and short story anthologies. I don’t currently have a count for the exact total of published books, as I’ve been getting most of these from my local secondhand bookstore, but she’s been publishing these books since 1987 and is still writing them today in 2024.

Since this is such a huge collection, it can be hard to know where to start, so first of all I’d like to assure you that you can start pretty much anywhere, with any of the individual novels or series, so long as you make sure to find the first installment of that series. Personally I started with The Black Gryphon, which seems to be one of the chronologically earliest books; Arrows of the Queen of the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy would also be a good place to start, being the first published Valdemar book, though I haven’t actually read it yet—I only just got my copy today, actually!

At any rate, wherever you start, there’s a lot to look forward to. Lackey has a knack for writing characters with depth and complexity, giving them flaws that are so well balanced by endearments that even at their worst, you can still understand and empathize with them; she absolutely refuses to write idiot-plots, allowing her characters not only to remain consistent with their established characterizations, but also to communicate with each other and allow their relationships to evolve as the characters do. Characters are allowed to make mistakes, be vain and stubborn and prideful, get angry, get jealous, get scared, and yet afterward still be received with love and forgiveness when they apologize. The magic is beautifully described and, at least for me, easy to understand; the schemes are clever, diabolical, and exciting to watch unfold. There is true, pure evil in the villains, and satisfaction in their endings.

There’s also a decent amount of diversity, which may or may not be surprising, depending on what you’ve read of 80s/90s SFF. Of the handful of books I’ve read so far, here are my observations: Lackey writes fantastic and complex women full of depth, emotion, and ingenuity, each as different from each other as their backgrounds would demand. There are several canonically queer characters across the timeline, including a main protagonist. Lackey’s worldbuilding establishes several unique and disparate cultures, drawing clear influence from many non-European real life sources, with featured characters of those cultures given, in my opinion, respectful and appreciative spotlights. There are characters with disabilities, respected both by the narrative and the characters around them. There are also non-human cultures, characters, and protagonists!

As fantastic as I have been finding these books, it would be remiss of me not to add that these books will not be for everyone. They are firmly adult fantasy, and Lackey does not pull her punches when she wants her characters to suffer. There is torture, sexual assault, suicide. Not all of this is graphically described, but some certainly is; most of the graphic stuff I have so far read is of about the same intensity as the torture scenes of Inheritance, but some of the abstractions are much more intense, and I get the sense that some of what I haven’t yet read may be both graphic and visceral. That being said, if you could handle Game of Thrones’ graphic violence and assault but disliked the persistent pessimism of that series, this one might be right up your alley!

Anyway. That’s all from me for now. I’m off to go read about characters bonding with magical creatures somewhat beyond mortal ken and going on fantastic and harrowing magical adventures. :)

[asexualsimonsnow]

A few people in the tags on my Agatha romance plot line poll are voicing the same sorts of thoughts I had. I did not like her romance plot line because she had all these lines in the two previous books that, to me and many others, were implying her aromanticism. To have a chapter from her POV where she expresses feeling broken due to a suspected inability to feel that type of attraction only to later have this “resolved” by her finding the right person was extremely frustrating and disappointing.

Even beyond an aro reading of the character, it’s disappointing to see her coupled up at the end of the third book. So much of the first book was about subverting the expectations that come from these types of stories. One of these expectations seemed to me to be not just that the chosen one gets the perfect girl, but that all the characters are neatly coupled up by the end and have romance as a part of their story. In the first book not only is Agatha not with Simon, the chosen one, her supposed destiny, she’s not interested in coupling up and fulfilling that expectation placed on her by the world in which she lives and by the type of story she inhabits, at all. It feels like backtracking on her character growth to watch a romance play out for her in the third book.