#long time no post huh

[inkskinned]

the thing about art is that it was always supposed to be about us, about the human-ness of us, the impossible and beautiful reality that we (for centuries) have stood still, transfixed by music. that we can close our eyes and cry about the same book passage; the events of which aren't real and never happened. theatre in shakespeare's time was as real as it is now; we all laugh at the same cue (pursued by bear), separated hundreds of years apart.

three years ago my housemates were jamming outdoors, just messing around with their instruments, mostly just making noise. our neighbors - shy, cautious, a little sheepish - sat down and started playing. i don't really know how it happened; i was somehow in charge of dancing, barefoot and laughing - but i looked up, and our yard was full of people. kids stacked on the shoulders of parents. old couples holding hands. someone had brought sidewalk chalk; our front walk became a riot of color. someone ran in with a flute and played the most astounding solo i've ever heard in my life, upright and wiggling, skipping as she did so. she only paused because the violin player was kicking his heels up and she was laughing too hard to continue.

two weeks ago my friend and i met in the basement of her apartment complex so she could work out a piece of choreography. we have a language barrier - i'm not as good at ASL as i'd like to be (i'm still learning!) so we communicate mostly through the notes app and this strange secret language of dancers - we have the same movement vocabulary. the two of us cracking jokes at each other, giggling. there were kids in the basement too, who had been playing soccer until we took up the far corner of the room. one by one they made their slow way over like feral cats - they laid down, belly-flat against the floor, just watching. my friend and i were not in tutus - we were in slouchy shirts and leggings and socks. nothing fancy. but when i asked the kids would you like to dance too? they were immediately on their feet and spinning. i love when people dance with abandon, the wild and leggy fervor of childhood. i think it is gorgeous.

their adults showed up eventually, and a few of them said hey, let's not bother the nice ladies. but they weren't bothering us, they were just having fun - so. a few of the adults started dancing awkwardly along, and then most of the adults. someone brought down a better sound system. someone opened a watermelon and started handing out slices. it was 8 PM on a tuesday and nothing about that day was particularly special; we might as well party.

one time i hosted a free "paint along party" and about 20 adults worked quietly while i taught them how to paint nessie. one time i taught community dance classes and so many people showed up we had to move the whole thing outside. we used chairs and coatracks to balance. one time i showed up to a random band playing in a random location, and the whole thing got packed so quickly we had to open every door and window in the place.

i don't think i can tell you how much people want to be making art and engaging with art. they want to, desperately. so many people would be stunning artists, but they are lied to and told from a very young age that art only matters if it is planned, purposeful, beautiful. that if you have an idea, you need to be able to express it perfectly. this is not true. you don't get only 1 chance to communicate. you can spend a lifetime trying to display exactly 1 thing you can never quite language. you can just express the "!!??!!!"-ing-ness of being alive; that is something none of us really have a full grasp on creating. and even when we can't make what we want - god, it feels fucking good to try. and even just enjoying other artists - art inherently rewards the act of participating.

i wasn't raised wealthy. whenever i make a post about art, someone inevitably says something along the lines of well some of us aren't that lucky. i am not lucky; i am dedicated. i have a chronic condition, my hands are constantly in pain. i am not neurotypical, nor was i raised safe. i worked 5-7 jobs while some of these memories happened. i chose art because it mattered to me more than anything on this fucking planet - i would work 80 hours a week just so i could afford to write in 3 of them.

and i am still telling you - if you are called to make art, you are called to the part of you that is human. you do not have to be good at it. you do not have to have enormous amounts of privilege. you can just... give yourself permission. you can just say i'm going to make something now and then - go out and make it. raquel it won't be good though that is okay, i don't make good things every time either. besides. who decides what good even is?

you weren't called to make something because you wanted it to be good, you were called to make something because it is a basic instinct. you were taught to judge its worth and over-value perfection. you are doing something impossible. a god's ability: from nothing springs creation.

a few months ago i found a piece of sidewalk chalk and started drawing. within an hour i had somehow collected a small classroom of young children. their adults often brought their own chalk. i looked up and about fifteen families had joined me from around the block. we drew scrangly unicorns and messed up flowers and one girl asked me to draw charizard. i am not good at drawing. i basically drew an orb with wings. you would have thought i drew her the mona lisa. she dragged her mother over and pointed and said look! look what she drew for me and, in the moment, i admit i flinched (sorry, i don't -). but the mother just grinned at me. he's beautiful. and then she sat down and started drawing.

someone took a picture of it. it was in the local newspaper. the summary underneath said joyful and spontaneous artwork from local artists springs up in public gallery. in the picture, a little girl covered in chalk dust has her head thrown back, delighted. laughing.

[totallynotcensorship]

tags update: rafah is 8th on trending

edit: it is now at 7th

FOR CONTEXT:

israel has launched an invasion and heavy bombing of rafah(a.k.a the "safe zone" 1.7 million Palestinians were forced into) after the UN approved a ceasefire resolution for the rest of ramadan... all 2 weeks of it. results were 14 votes for YESes. 0 NOs. and 1 didn't vote(take a guess who it was) the resolution called for an unconditional release of all hostages on both sides. so yes, mr "i am totally just doing this to get my hostages back whom i totally care about and totally didn't kill" Israel is launching harder attacks even after being promised all hostages release. just in case anyone was still questioning if Israel was using hostages as just an excuse for colonialism

russia tried to turn it into a permanent ceasefire but the US vetoed it. i guess vetoing a ceasefire looks less bad when russia is the one proposing it

DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE

[heartorbit]

find another role, carry on the show

[pencilscratchins]

whats more powerful, the metaphysical force of all space time or two besties with one braincell [ID in alt]

[shepscapades]

🎤 so what exactly do you think Xisuma's subconscious is trying to tell him exactly........... it couldn't have ANYTHING to do with a certain doctor would it.........

I cannot believe someone on the internet would send me this message

[hplonesomeart]

@scimagic Uhhh made this because I just think they’re dynamic is neat. Also completely agree with the Puzzle headcanon super fun silly and very on point. As we speak he is clinging for his dear life :))

I really enjoy seeing the illustrated storyline you have unfolding between the two and figured it would be nice to see this motorcycle sequence in motion. So tadaa here it is! In animated form! Now your obligated to make a full length written novel in-depth about their relationship /j

Sincerely though thanks for the creative inspiration and keep on being a swagger artist 👍✨

[front-facing-pokemon]

[spectralarrovv]

danganronpa posting in 2024 i need to be taken out back and shot

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

Do you remember before? We stood facing each other on opposite sides of that door. Now we stand side-by-side. Let's go home together this time.

[duskerot]

i disappear inside myself / my friends don't know it can't be helped

[Pure You - Nothing But Thieves]

[aamaryst]

"The night has a scent...my mouth remembers... Yato."

it's been over two years since i last did a manga coloring but i had to do this one to celebrate noragami's final chapter. thank you again Adachitoka for such a special series 🤍

[howlingday]

Finally...

Jaune: Pyrrha!

Pyrrha: Jaune?

Jaune: I want to keep you safe, and watch your back!

Pyrrha: !

Jaune: I... I love you! And I'm in love with you!

Jaune: I LOVE YOU, PYRRHA NIKOS!

Pyrrha:

Jaune: !

Pyrrha: N-No! It's not- I'm not... I'm just... I'm just so happy. (Sniffles) You're the only one who saw me for me, and- (Hiccups) I've been waiting for this moment for so long... And I never had it in me to ask you first. So, I'm... I'm happy you were the first one to say it. Because I... I never...

Jaune: So... You... Is it okay for me to assume that?

Pyrrha: (Smiles, Nods) Jaune Arc... I love you. And I'm in love with you more than anyone else could ever be in love with you.

Jaune: (Leans close) Pyrrha...

Pyrrha: (Leans close) Jaune...

THUD!

Ren: (On the floor) Ow...

Jaune: R-Ren?! Nora?! Team RWBY?! Professor Goodwitch?!

Ruby: (Giddily claps) Congratulations, you two~! This is just like in my comics, except better~!

Weiss: I guess this means it's okay for us to tell Jaune, too.

Yang: (Chuckles) It's official that we're cheating on each other now, huh~?

Nora: You guys were about to do it, huh~?

Ren: Forgive me. I was also spying on you.

Blake: This is so touching.

Goodwitch: I was just passing by, so I'll let this slide just this once.

Jaune: Would you guys get out of here already?!

Pyrrha: This is the greatest moment of my life and you guys are ruining it~!

Jaune/Pyrrha: (Look at each other)

Jaune: ...

Pyrrha: ...Th-This is your fault, too... I'm all flustered because you confessed to me...

Jaune: Huh?! My fault?!

RWBYNRG: YEAH, THAT WORKS.

Jaune: HEY!

Blake/Yang: (Shove Arkos together) Back to it, you two~!

RWBYNRG: (Scatter out, Shut the door)

Jaune: ...

Pyrrha: ...

Jaune: (Smiles) Pyrrha...

Pyrrha: (Smiles) Jaune...

THE END...?

[jellydragons]

tetra is having a Day

[hauntingofhouses]

the meaning behind the kanji of mizu and taigen's names is literally not ever gonna leave my mind.

like are you kidding me. mizu is 水 ("water"), we all know that. but what drives me insane is that taigen is 泰源 ("peaceful origin").

so when you put them together ("tai" 泰 + "mizu" 水), you literally get "peaceful water."

MIZU ALONE IS JUST MIZU, BUT PUT TAIGEN NEXT TO HER AND IT'S MIZU, BUT AT PEACE.

ALSO, both "tai" 泰 and "gen" 源 contain the "mizu" 水 character as a radical. for those unfamiliar with japanese or even chinese, a radical basically means a building block for another character; so in this case, the kanji for "tai" and "gen" both use the kanji for "mizu" as one of their building blocks.

this is also why, while "gen" 源 can refer to any general type of origin or source, it also specifically refers to a fountainhead: a source of water, or the origin of a river or stream.

and like yeah okay i know that it's a 99.9% chance that the creators didn't even think about any of this. but STILL. the brainworms have fully taken over and i am going CRAZY.

[sybisti]

“The missions... the nightmares... they’re... finally... over.”

ARC TROOPER FIVES in The Clone Wars 6.04 — Orders

[cocoa-rococo]

without giving away spoilers for the new vengeance saga from epic: the musical --

man, the second half of "six hundred strike" sure fits percy de rolo against orthax or sylas briarwood a little too well