#stylized beauty mark

[sw5w]

Amidala in Her Jubilation Dress

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 02:09:40

[alstroemerian-dragon]

okay i think this design is set now. tattoo reference! these specifically are the tattoos fuyuhiko gets done during the tragedy, the ones done the traditional way but inspired by despair. so not the best stuff to have on your skin! he gets them covered with better stuff later but it takes a while

explanation of symbolism under the cut

the flowers on the right side of his chest (which dont read super well my bad) are orange and tiger lillies, which in hanakotoba (japanese flower language) represent hatred/revenge and wealth, respectively

the flowers on the right side of his chest (which dont read super well my bad) are orange and tiger lillies, which in hanakotoba (japanese flower language) represent hatred/revenge and wealth, respectively

his right shoulder features the stylized silhouette of a bear (specifically modeled after a grizzly) with monokuma’s eye and color split

on his right elbow is a hand cut off below the wrist, gripping his arm. there are cuts in the skin, and on the back of the hand is the symbol of the kuzuryū clan. this is meant to represent his mother, specifically her act of grasping his elbow during the initial massacre of his clan after he succumbed to despair at the end of the parade; whether she was trying to beg him for mercy or attempt an act of revenge he doesnt know. he cut her hand off and slaughtered her along with the rest, and then put a reminder on his body

below his mothers hand are various human bodies burning in an inferno. between the hand and the bear are a series of chains. these are just fun awful despair things

around his neck is a stylized depiction of split skin, muscle and blood showing beneath, with blood dripping down onto his other tattoos. above that, around his actual throat, is a viper skeleton. venomous snake right by his jugular

his left shoulder features more flowers, specifically edelweiss, which in hanakotoba mean power (though they can also represent courage)

his left bicep features a specific number of disembodied eyeballs, representing fhe number of people who were members of his clan that he killed in the initial massacre (the one in which he killed his parents) (do not ask me what that number is i dont know and it honestly probably doesnt matter)

below the eyes are waves, and below that, a band around his left wrist, featuring the kanji/kana for the phrase “my lady.” this is meant to represent his ties to junko

on his back are a pair of wings, along with flames. these are connected to how he presented himself during the tragedy, specifically the name and titles he took on as the yakuza leader: his syndicate was called the Hakasatsu-kai, and the name he took was Tsubasa-kei Hakasatsu (the translation of which is essentially ‘winged leader with a killing sword of flame’). he styled himself as a vengeful angel cleansing the world in fire, and his titles ranged from simply ‘the boss’ to ‘the burning angel’ depending on what he wanted in any given situation

in the second image, his syndicate’s symbol has been burnt off of his skin — this is because when the plan to turn themselves into the Foundation came into focus, he realized it would be incredibly obvious who he was if he kept it there. if he just had tattoos, they would probably think he used to be yakuza, or maybe was for a time a member of the Hakasatsu-kai, but the symbol featured so prominently would suggest loyalty and a higher rank in it, which. was actually the purpose. so he burnt it off completely before allowing them to take him in, in order to conceal his identity

also, just for fun, hes got two stab wounds in his lower back, a bullet wound in the left side of his abdomen, and another bullet graze above his left eyebrow. because i love causing damage to my favorite characters.

[thesummerestsolstice]

When people say that Melian looks like an elf, they're mostly just being charitable. It's clear, of course, that she tried very hard to make herself a proper elvish form– pointed ears, long, graceful limbs, flowing hair. But it's just... a little off. Like an artist's stylization of an elf, rather than the actual thing. Her ears are too long, set at the wrong angle, and they often move as though they have a mind of their own. The way she moves is graceful, certainly, but it is the grace of the wind or the waves, not of an elf. And no one can ever render her hair right in pictures– it has a volume and shine to it that it really shouldn't.

It is these features which Melian passes, with very little contribution from Thingol, on to her daughter. Luthien is beautiful, yes, but no less strange than her mother. And so it goes with Dior, with Elwing, with Elros and Elrond– Melian's own attempts to feign at elvishness mark them all with eeriely similar faces and forms. It takes a couple dozen generation of Numenorian kings before her features really disappear from the line.

Elrond, in particular, is not sure how to feel about this. Particularly on the days he looks in the mirror and sees his mother, but can't see himself.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Ian McDonald's "The Wilding"

I'll be in TUCSON, AZ from November 8-10: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

Ian McDonald is one of those absurdly brilliant novelists that just leave me wondering the actual fuck he manages it. How does he cover so much ground, think up so many compelling characters, find so many gracenotes, conjure up so many complicated emotions?

McDonald burst on the scene in the late 1980s, with the 1988 novel Desolation Road and then his 1989 Out On Blue Six, a slick, stylized cyberpunk-meets-Orwell tale that overflowed with beautiful prose, technomysticism, and sly jokes that hid sneaky truths that hid even more sly jokes:

https://memex.craphound.com/2014/01/20/out-on-blue-six-ian-mcdonalds-brilliant-novel-is-back/

By my count, McDonald has now published twenty books – mostly novels, but a couple short story collections (and the most amazingly demented, Tom-Waits-inflected teddybear murder comic imaginable, 1994's Kling Klang Klatch):

https://irishcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Kling_Klang_Klatch

McDonald's work is truly globespanning. While he's made his mark on the Martian soil, and overtaken the moon with the Luna trilogy (his definitive rebuttal to Heinlein's Moon Is a Harsh Mistress) he is widely adored and much-awarded for the glittering, futuristic versions of Brazil (Brasyl), Tanzania (the Chaga series), and India (River of Gods).

Indeed, McDonald's imagination has roamed so far over the Earth and the solar system that it's possible to overlook his fantastic reimaginings of Ireland, the land where he was raised. There's his Philip K Dick Award-winning 1991 novel King of Morning, Queen of Day, a swirling, mythopoeic novel of Celtic mysticism:

https://www.baen.com/king-of-morning-queen-of-day.html

And then there's 1992's Hearts, Hands and Voices, which is lowkey one of the best novels I have ever, ever read – a scorching science fictional allegory for The Troubles, but with the gnarliest biotech weirdness you can possibly imagine:

https://archive.org/details/heartshandsvoice0000ianm/mode/2up

McDonald's books cover so much goddamned ground, but one feature they all share is a prose styling wherein every sentence is at least 20% poetry, a fraction that somehow, impossibly, rises to as much as 150% in certain especially shiny passages.

Like this passage, which opens The Wilding, McDonald's new horror novel that marks his first return to Ireland since 1992:

Autumn lay on the great bog in silvers and tans, late purples and duns.

The sun rose above the tall ash saplings and feral sycamore. It called the birds into full voice. Stabbing shrills, tumbles of notes, the flutes of dove-call, frantic ticking hisses, song upon song. In hedgerows and copses, among the pale foliage of the birches, in the weave of deep willow and the bramble fastnesses, each bird called and was heard. In this season the peatland held the day's warmth through the night and on the bright, clear mornings rivers of mist formed, filling the subtle hollow places in the exposed cuttings, the bogs and fields. High sun would dispel it but at this hour half of Lough Carrow lay mist-bound. Each blade of grass hung heavy with dew, the clumps of sedges were already browning, the bracken curling and crisping.

A pair of horns lifted above the willow scrub and out-grown ash hedges of the Wilding. Polished tips caught the low sun and kindled as bright and keen as spears.

https://www.gollancz.co.uk/titles/ian-mcdonald/the-wilding/9781399611503/

Oof.

I would drop everything to read Ian McDonald's grocery lists but after that opening, I wasn't going to put this one down, and I didn't, reading the whole thing on yesterday's flight home from my gigs in Atlanta this week.

The Wilding is (I'm pretty sure?) McDonald's first horror novel, and it's fucking terrifying. It's set in a rural Irish peat bog that has been acquired by a conservation authority that is rewilding it after a century of industrial peat mining that stripped it back nearly to the bedrock. This rewilding process has been greatly accelerated by the covid lockdowns, which reduced the human footprint in the conservation area to nearly zero.

The story's protagonist is Lisa, a hard-case Dubliner who came to the bog to do community service after a career as a crime syndicate driver for hire, a woman who never met a car she couldn't boost and pilot in or out of any tight situation. After years in the bog, she's ready to start a new life, studying Yeats at university, indulging a late-discovered love of poetry that has as much to do with her redemption as her years in the wild.

Lisa's last duty before she leaves the bog and goes home to Dublin is leading a school group on a wild campout in one of the bog's deep clearings. It's a routine assignment, and while it's not her favorite duty, it's also not a serious hardship.

But as the group hikes out to the campsite, one of her fellow guides is killed, without warning, by a mysterious beast that moves so quickly they can barely make out its monstrous form. Thus begins a tense, mysterious, spooky as hell story of survival in a haunted woods, written in the kind of poesy that has defined McDonald's career, and which – when deployed in service of terror – has the power to raise literal goosebumps.

There's a lot of fantasy that deals with Celtic mythology, including McDonald's own King of Morning, Queen of Day, but the vibe of that stuff tends to the heroic and romantic – sure, there's the odd banshee, but in the main, it's mischievous wee people, pookas, and leprechauns. More fey than fear.

But Irish mythology in its raw form is terrifying. The monsters of Irish storytelling are grotesque, mean, remorseless, and come in every shape and size. Some authors have done well by going back to the bestiary for the deep cuts. When I was a kid, I must have read John Coyne's Hobgoblin fifty times (mostly because it was about D&D, which I was obsessed with). I haven't read this one since I was about 12, and I have no idea if it'd hold up today, but it left me with a deep appreciation of the spooky multifariousness of monsters who dwell in Ireland's bogs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobgoblin_(novel)

The Wilding is a suspense novel, which means there's no way to really sum up the plot without spoiling a lot of the affect, but suffice to say that McDonald brings large swathes of deep Irish lore to the surface, and it had me reading as fast as I could and wanting to put the book down and hide.

What a writer McDonald is! The fact that this is the same guy who wrote last year's stunning secret-history/solarpunk/uncategorizable wonder that was Hopeland beggars belief:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/30/electromancy/#the-grace

Read you some Ian McDonald novels, is what I'm trying to say. This one is only available in the UK, if that's not where you are, consider mail-ordering it. Looks like they've got stock at Forbidden Planet for £19 plus £18 shipping to the US. Worth every penny:

https://forbiddenplanet.com/424306-the-wilding-hardcover/

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/25/bogman/#erin-go-aaaaaaargh

[johnwickb1tsch]

Sympathy for the Devil ~ Part 6

A Donaka Mark x housekeeper!Reader fic, based on @discoscoob 's concept & bot! Warnings: Donaka Mark is a bad man with a soft spot for you. dark romance, possessive behavior, nonconsensual voyeurism, red flag red flag girl!🔺, psychological games, power imbalance, eventual dubcon/nsfw.

one. two. three. four. five.

Six. 六

Your dark mood lasts for days. You do not shirk your duties, but you definitely brood, hating everything, most of all yourself. A part of you hopes that Donaka decides you’re not worth the trouble after a glimpse of this other side of you. He does not prod you further, seemingly steering clear of you. He had his fun taking you down a peg–what more could he want with you? Surely he has better things to do… The more time goes on, the more certain you are that his proposition was mostly in your head.

Amusingly, it’s little Mrs. Wong who gets you out of your funk, yelling at you in Cantonese and smacking you with a wooden spoon when (maybe?) you didn’t move out of her way fast enough in the kitchen. You are determined that someday she’s going to let you call her Auntie, but apparently you still have some distance to cover. Her temper is like a firecracker, loud but shortlived. She’s adorable and terrifying, and it’s all so ridiculous that you cannot stop laughing as you flee, and the shroud of your depression lifts again like the sun penetrating through the clouds.

The absurdity of life has always saved you in times like this. What do you have to be sad about, anyway? You are healthy, you are housed, and you are fed in this beautiful place. You are having an adventure. So what, if your diabolically handsome employer does not approve of you? You’re just here to clean his floors, for fuck’s sake. 

Maybe Donaka Mark is rich, but that doesn’t mean he has all the answers to the mysteries of life. You find your mental state improves, when it seems like he’s ignoring you. 

Flirting with the cute gardener’s assistant doesn’t hurt your state of mind either. His name is Jun, he has an infectious laugh, and he offers to show you around the city on your next day off. Thinking some down time with someone your age will do you good, you are set to meet him at the bus stop down the hill from Mr. Mark’s house. 

However, he never shows. You try not to take it too hard, but it still bums you out. 

He does not return with the gardener the next week either, and then you start to worry. The kind old man who tends Donaka Mark’s plants just shrugged at your inquiry and said, “He quit.” 

It seems odd, but you brush it off. You suppose you’ll just have to explore the city on your own. You ask for the day off for your birthday, wanting to go do the touristy things, like ride the historic ferry and take the tram up to Victoria Peak. Maybe visit a temple, do some shopping at the Night Market, and definitely indulge in some local eats. Something about living in Hong Kong has you dreaming about noodles. It’s an affliction. You want to try them all. 

On your day there is a little carved wooden box on the table where you usually partake your breakfast in the common area of the servants’ quarters. You’re not sure why your heart falls to your feet with something like dread, but somehow you just know that Mr. Mark has not forgotten about you after all. 

With a forbidden thrill you flip the lid carefully, finding a domed-link silver filigree and enamel bracelet set with dreamy jade cabochons. The little details are exquisite, and you’re instantly enchanted. When you look carefully at the bauble, you realize the stylized blue designs aren’t flowers–they’re bats.

He remembered that conversation you’d had, that very first day. It warms you to your toes, and maybe scares you too. He's good to the staff, but you don't think he usually buys them jewelry.

Goddammit.

You just know, deep down, that you shouldn’t accept it. You even set it back down in the box again, just looking at it with hands on your hips. 

But therein lies the crux of temptation: you want it. It’s pretty and well made, not cheap tourist junk, and…he’d put thought into this gift for you. 

This bait for you, you remind yourself. It’s still hard for you to believe that he’s propositioning you, if for anything, because a man like him could have a supermodel on each arm if he wanted. What the fuck would he want with a girl like you?

Maybe…it’s just an apology?

Not likely, but surely he’s not going to expect you to sleep with him for a silver bracelet??

You have a problem, and possibly, a screw loose. You know this is a flame you should not play with. You are toeing the line, dangerously close to falling in.

What if…you just wear it today, then give it back? It’s not like he’ll know. You doubt you’ll even see him today.

It feels like a guilty secret, as you pick it up again, clasp it on your wrist, and set out for your big day. You like the weight of the heavy silver on your skin–worse yet, you like knowing that Mr. Mark selected this bauble just for you. It feels…like a badge of honor, and you know it’s stupid, to feel proud of yourself for catching the attention of a man like him–but you can’t help it.

You are smart, but sometimes? Your heart is really really stupid.

You do not return to the house until well past after dusk, nearly midnight. You made a day of it, actually able to enjoy the city since Mr. Mark pays so well. You will remember the hand pulled noodles with beef you had for dinner in the Night Market for the rest of your life, they were so delicious. Watching the chef stretch them out from a lump of dough was like a religious experience. 

Having your fortune told in the Night Market was memorable too, but maybe a little unsettling. Squatted on a stool in the older woman’s stall, you paid 100HK dollars for her to look at your right hand and frown. She told you that money would never be a problem for you, but the men in your life would always cause you difficulty. Looking at your relationship with your father and every man after that, you reckon she was probably right. You know you should take it with a grain of salt, but you can’t quite shake the hum of unease in the back of your mind.

On tired feet you walk through the garden, around to the entrance to the servant’s quarters. 

"Did you have a nice day?" asks a voice from the shadows. You start, then realize Mr. Mark is sitting on the carved stone bench, on the path to the servants' wing of the house, tucked back in the manicured trees. 

Fuck.

Immediately you tuck your wrist behind your back.

“Mr. Mark?”

“Come here.”

His voice is deliberately neutral–you can’t quite gauge his mood as you approach, feeling like a teenager caught staying out past her curfew. You have no way of knowing he has been waiting for hours, growing more and more annoyed that you are away from him, not under his watchful gaze, where you belong.

He knows where you were, if not exactly what you did. Unbeknownst to you, there is a tiny tracker inserted in your new bracelet you wear with such foolish avarice. 

“Well?”

“Yes, I had a wonderful day,” you confirm, coming to stand before him, committed now even if you are walking into the lion’s den. You find it odd he’s waiting up for you, but it is a beautiful night to be out in the garden. A cool breeze is coming off the water, lifting your hair.

“Let’s see it then.” He points at your hand so casually held behind you, and you know you are caught out.

Almost guiltily, you extend your arm to show off your new acquisition in situ. 

He props your hand with just the tips of his fingers, his touch maddeningly light on your sensitive palm as he turns your wrist to inspect the bracelet, sending a thrill down your arm. He likes seeing the gift that he selected upon you.

“It suits you,” he finally assesses, though you still can’t tell if he’s displeased. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” you answer, barely above a whisper, feeling as though you are sealing something between you as you admit it. 

“Well, that’s convincing.”

Your heart feels like a sea urchin lodging in your throat. You’re not sure what it is about this man that makes you want to please him–and tell him to fuck off–all in the same breath. 

Then he gets to the fun part–for him. “You shouldn’t have stayed out so late alone,” he scolds you. 

You cant your head and press your lips, holding in the smart remark that burns on your tongue as his coal-black eyes bore into you, settling for, "I didn't mean to worry you…but it is my day off. I think I'm free to do what I want." You just can't stop yourself from adding the last bit, and you wonder from his darkening expression if it will be your undoing.

He imagines in that moment what it would be like to reach out and put you over his knee. Instead, he stands abruptly, startling you into taking a step backwards. 

He likes that. 

It irks him, that you dare defy him, like he doesn’t know what’s best for you. If you insist on acting so tough, he’s tempted to throw you over his shoulder and show you just how little it would take to actually break you. 

"Were you drinking?" he asks darkly, hating the thought of you out in a bar, with other men, enjoying yourself. Laughing, like you were with the young gardener not so long ago. The moment he saw that on his camera feed that he constantly watches of you, Donaka saw red. You should not give your joy to others so freely. You sprinkle it around everywhere you go, and he covets it all for himself.

That boy had to go.

"No," you defend, and you’re telling the truth. "I just...walked around." There was plenty to see in Kowloon district. 

Donaka takes another step closer, his body almost pressing against yours, the heat of it warming you. He watches your reaction as he speaks, his voice low and firm. “You should have let me arrange a driver for you.”

This again. It feels as though he wants to cloister you away from experiencing the world, by shoving you in a car. "Donaka..." you sigh, slipping into using his first name for the first time ever, because you’re tired, and your feet hurt, and he is standing very close, talking to you like he has a say in what you do…

It’s maddening and arousing all at once, rubbing with a velvet touch against some long long cavewoman instinct in your brain, and if you’re not careful this just might be the night he outmaneuvers you. 

Donaka’s eyes narrow at hearing you dare to be so familiar with him, even if deep down he secretly loves it. He takes another step into you, crowding you against the stone wall, caging you in with an arm. He’s blocking your path to a quick exit into the servants’ quarters, you can’t help but notice. Your heart pounds in your ears–but you’re not half as afraid as you should be of this man. 

“Hong Kong is pretty safe, as it goes…” you continue to protest around the sound of your heart drumming in your ears, earning a scoff. 

“You have no idea, the sorts of things that could happen to a girl like you in this city.”

You can’t help but think you’re not sure if you feel safe here at home now. 

“If something happened…I would have called you,” you offer up, appealing to his ego as protector, the role he’s apparently decided to take on for himself without asking you. 

However, he sees right through you, rolling those beautiful dark eyes. “You should have let me take you out,” he suggests in a low tone that curls your toes in your sandals. He says it like it had been some option on your menu that you’d rejected. Never in a million years would it have even occurred to you to ask. 

You find yourself doing your best impression of a fish out of water, like the ones you’d seen stacked like cord wood in the market. His other hand lifts to touch your chin lightly, closing your mouth. “Would you have liked that?” 

You honestly don't know the answer to that. 

This man fascinates you and repulses you. He's handsome and commanding and oh so forbidding. He scares you, but he draws you like a moth to a flame. Having these little flirtatious interactions around the house are one thing. Going out with him would be...something else entirely. The thought of what it could mean to socialize with a man like him, where you are so far from being equals, makes you uneasy. It's much safer to just...write about what might have been in your journal, later. 

"I'm not sure that would be appropriate," you finally answer breathily.

His smile for you is nothing less than the wolf baring its teeth. “Why not?”

"You're my boss..." you try to defend. You scare the shit out of me is the real answer you don't dare say aloud.

Donaka can’t help the dark laugh that falls from his lips at your answer, the way you flounder as you grasp for a defense, utterly drowning. A part of him wants to claim you right here and now, for being such a sweet, soft, naive little thing in his claws. 

He leans down closer to you, his head dipping down to your ear, his breath hot against your skin. “Is that the best excuse you’ve got?”

For a moment, you think your soul might evacuate from your body. 

"Pretty sure it's a good one," you barely manage to reply above a whisper.

“You still don’t understand what I’m offering you, do you?” he asks, his voice deceptively gentle, a dagger clothed in velvet.

You love it how he makes you out to be the obtuse one, when he is the one who has spoken so cryptically.

“I…might,” you answer. You’re not a complete innocent, or a total philistine.

What would a VIP experience on the arm of Donaka Mark be like? Although he can be charming when he wants to be, it makes you feel more anxious than intrigued. You imagine a dinner at some high-end restaurant you could never afford. Somewhere people go to be seen, more than to eat, though the food would undoubtedly be amazing. Somewhere you would feel incredibly out of place. Then what? A ride in one of his ugly but wicked fast sports cars? A night of hedonism at some exclusive club for millionaires only? And what would he expect as payment for all this? You can’t even say you wouldn’t be willing to give it. You want this man with a voracity that is–frankly–terrifying to you. 

You’ve never felt anything like it. 

What you wouldn’t like is the inevitable aftermath of later: he's offering you the opportunity to give yourself up–then get thrown away, with the enjoyment of some perks in between. You could repeat your mother’s history all over again, a thing you always swore up, down, and sideways you would never do.

Donaka watches all these thoughts play across your face, without a word aloud to accompany them. You just stare, unable to speak, and he narrows his eyes at you.

“Say one sentence of the novel you just wrote in your head out loud,” he challenges.

You open your mouth to try, but nothing comes out. All you can do is look up at him with what you are sure is a pathetic expression on your face, paralyzed. He is so close, and your eyes fixate for a long, damning moment on his mouth. In the end you have to close your eyes against that laser-like stare, shaking your head.

“You know something I find interesting about you,” he goes on. You open your eyes, though your tongue is still tied. “I think if I made you choose between an Hermès purse or that cheap bauble on your wrist this morning, you still would have chosen the bracelet, wouldn't you?”

“Yes,” you answer immediately, maybe not to your advantage. Then you feel a little relieved, glad it didn’t cost a fortune.

“Comparatively cheap,” he clarifies, as though he doesn't want you to feel too at ease. How did he know? 

You narrow your eyes, lifting your wrist towards him. “Maybe…you should take it back.”

You think you might die of a heart attack, when he folds your smaller hand in his, and kisses your knuckles lightly. “It’s too late for that.”

You’re not sure what that means, but as he strokes your thumb lightly with his, you start to tremble.

“Sir…” 

He pins you with his stare, looming over you, but makes no move, waiting. 

“It’s getting late…and I have to work tomorrow.”

He lifts an eyebrow, smirking down at you. “And whose fault is that?”

“Mine…though it’s starting to be yours.”

He snorts. “Then ask me for the day off again,” he dares you. When you answer him with yet more paralyzed silence he gets frustrated, tilting your face up with his huge hand engulfing your jaw. For a man who works in tech…his fingers are calloused, and strong, and your legs just might go out from underneath you.  “Ask me. Say it out loud, y/n. Tell me what’s going on, behind those big eyes.”

You, however, just shake your head against his masterful grip. “You don’t want to know.” 

“I like secrets, y/n. I want to know everything.” You suppose that is his bread and butter, with his security business and all his cameras…you don’t know why it never occurred to you before now, that it could be a personal obsession, as much as professional. 

You’re tempted. God, are you tempted, with this beast of a man looming over you, touching you, looking through you with those piercing dark eyes. Like he wants to eat you as much as he wants to fuck you… 

Somehow you know if you dare go down that path…there will be no turning back. 

You choose the coward’s road.

“Please…I think…it would be best…to call it a night.”

He weighs you with a heavy gaze for so long that you start to doubt he will let you go–in the darkest dungeon of your heart, you know that a part of you doesn’t want him to. It would be convenient, if he would make the choice for you. Let you taste the forbidden fruit with none of the blame…

You are losing your goddamned mind over this man. You need to stop.  

You never really know why in the end he releases you, pushing back from the wall to give you space. You side-step towards the door of the servant’s quarters, afraid for the predatory look he’s paying you, that he might change his mind.

 "Good night, Mr. Mark," you say quietly, before disappearing into the little building where you sleep. A rush of frustration flares inside him as you scamper away–again. He narrowly resists the urge to kick down your door and show you who you belong to.

“Good night,” he answers back through gritted teeth, only the crickets left to hear him. He’ll have your secrets, one way or another. He can genuinely say he tried–a first, in so long he can’t remember when. For what happens next…you will only have yourself to blame.

[cringefaecompilation]

okay since i have felt i've been really negative i am going to be positive and talk about something near and dear to my heart. fanart redesigns!

this design of braius by @phi-guy is delightful, including the mustache variant. i'm not a big fan of him as a character, but this is a great compromise with the holstein patterns on his humanoid face that previously left a few furries disappointed.

fcg is a very tough character to stylize, given the whole... aeormaton of it all and that they're so intricately designed that any attempts to move any part of their body around tend to make things they do in-game not make sense. the blades of grass emblem being revealed as bloody fingerstreaks, for one. but this design by hugo cardenas strikes a good balance between canon and fanon where you don't have to sacrifice accuracy for imagination or vice versa

imogen sadly doesn't receive a lot of redesigns in fandom and even got hate (?!) for people putting glasses on her. but for the people that do a little more than that, i would have to give my favorite design to @rokiie! it's subtle, but i love that she's musclechubby and mixed, and her curly hair and ponytail is adorable. @jadequarze also has a nice looking mog, though theirs is more angular than bulky.

ashton is another character hard to redesign... because his original design is so damned complex it feels like a downgrade to change it. so not a lot of people do and focus more on his outfit and body type. so that's why these two, by @magscherer and @ladysantos are so great! little tweaks that make him fat or simplify him are so nice

@lyadrielle has the most complex chet redesign i've ever seen. i love how in-depth it is, and even if full head of hair chet isn't canon, i still adore the fluffiness of it. also quick shout out to @colealexart giving chetney a mustache because i love it.

conversely from her girlfriend, people love to redesign laudna, if not just to pump up her creepy factor over her "bizzarely beautiful" factor. @astoriacolumnstaircase and @paragonraptors do this in a fun-scary way! i love how spindly they make her, like a praying mantis. for a more scary-scary way, @cpprcoyote's laudnas are stunningly creepy and lovely. @galacticjonah's take on her is also very cute with her billowing fabrics surrounding her like a security blanket. good stuff!

being the mixed orym truther guy, naturally i love art that makes him a man of color, and this art by @therosecleric hits the mark for how i see him in my head. i love his curls, his jaw, and his strong nose, and it's always good to give him muscles in a way that don't make him look like a tween who powerlifts. the previously mentioned @magscherer's art of him is a bit more hobbit-y but still scratches the same itch. love me a brown eyed orym. @jennydolfen also gets points for her terrific hobbit/halfling proportions

@jam-etc's critical role redesigns might not be for everyone, but i love 'em all. dorian here looks so friendly and seeing his native culture depicted so overtly in his outfit is awesome! no whitewashed dorians allowed. on the same token, here's a repeat of @therosecleric's dorian art because it also is great to see him with curly hair and a wide nose. this design by @caitmayart with dark cloudy speckles on his body is incredibly nice as well.

and of goddamn course fearne gets the most art. it's fearne! there are so many good pieces of her i could not choose one. i love ones that play up her goat-y nature, like @willowbirds, @rainbow-roll-art, and @phi-guy again. and i love fat fearnes, like these two by @marmadelin and @countslimeula. this one by @maluspumilaa is so beautiful, making her a little more fey and extremely animalistic. all fearnes is good fearnes

[adobe-outdesign]

a review of faerie petpets? as in ones painted faerie, not just ones from faerie land

Faerie-painted petpets more or less function exactly the same as faerie-painted Neopets, and thus there isn't a lot to say about the colour that I didn't already say in that review. The only things I can really note is that while most Neopets received unique poses pre-customization, petpets are much more hit or miss with this and only get redrawn on occasion. In general they also tend to feel more plain, though that might just be due to the extremely tiny 90px image sizes.

Favorite Species:

Ghostkerchief: I just love the expression on this one, which is much more friendly and lively than the regular Ghostkerchief. I also really like how the body itself gains a feathered look in addition to the wings, almost like a feather duster, and how the little light(?) on the head is longer and swirled now. It, like all of the other favorites on this list, also has been completely redrawn in a new pose.

Seece: Yes, there are non-Spooky Petpets on this list. The Faerie Seece was just released earlier this year, and it looks pretty darn good. The smaller head and bigger ears combined with the teal, pink, and cream palette really comes together in a lovely way, making it significantly more appealing than the regular Seece. I also like the markings. I just wish we got the full-sized art released somewhere, as it's hard to see all the nice details at this size.

Kazeriu: Kazerius are already pretty petpets, but the beautiful flowing pose of this one combined with the white, pink, purple and blue palette is just stunning. I love the way the wings are stylized to fit the sort of ancient Japanese art aesthetic the Kazeriu has, and how the wings mimic the flowing fur of the original's tail.

BONUS: There's nothing all that special about the Faerie Goople technically speaking, but I really like it due to the way it integrates wings and antennae-like features into its body in a way that feels very natural. Sometimes faerie petpets just get wings tacked on and that's it, so having the wings be goopy too really makes this one feel complete. I also like the dull pink and purple color palette.

Least Favorite Species:

Chatter: That's just a regular Chatter mirrored with terrible out-of-place wings attached. 0/10 I don't think you tried at all.

[hee-blee-art]

some jons and martins...

[image ID: eight graphite portrait drawings of jonathan sims and martin blackwood from the magnus archives. jon is drawing as thin man with medium light, an angular face, a prominent aquiline nose, a scruffy beard, and long curly hair. martion is drawn as a fat man with light skin, several beauty marks, a prominent nose, dark hair dyed light, and square glasses. the first two drawings are of jon, both looking down in different outfits, the second with stylized floating eyes around his head. the third and fourth are contrasting portraits of martin, one younger with longer hair and a more worried look, the other older with shorter hair and a more stern expression. the fifth and sixth are of jon, showing him with his hand over his eyes and a pleading teary expression respectively. the seventh is of martin with his eyes completely white looking mildly surprised as he says jon’s name and smoke swirls around him. the eighth is of jon, shown from a low angle, his eyes wild and his brow furrowed as he gazes down with a ring of eyes floating like a halo around his head, with the text “heavy is the head that wears the crown.” end ID]

[morganeactually]

How Björk's avant-gardism breaks the fetichization of music genres beautifully

Hi everyone ! For this week's post, I would like to introduce you to my favorite female artist : Björk. Her genre-melding approach is the reason why I find her musical identity particularly remarkable. In constant evolution, the latter is marked by a fearless exploration of the new and the unfamiliar. Indeed, she refuses to be confined by only one style or tradition and chooses instead to continually redefine her music. Björk's unique sound embodies both cultural fluidity and artistic freedom. Her albums embrace diverse influences such as the British electronica movement of the 1990s, pop music, jazz, classical music, folk and traditional Iceland music, world music, etc.

For instance, in "Homogenic" (1997), she creates, through the mix of orchestral strings with industrial beats, a soundscape that opposes easy categorization. Furthermore, both Asian culture and Björk's Icelandic roots served as inspirations for the album and its cover. They underscore the themes of identity and self-reinvention. On the one hand, her stylized hair and kimono-like dress remind of the traditional attire of a geisha. On the other hand, the minimalist aesthetic echoes the unembellished beauty of Icelandic landscapes : the cold and metallic tones of the color palette resemble its glaciers and volcanic rocks. The futuristic vibe is connected to Iceland's reputation as a land of myth and mystery.

Björk is also known for her experimental approach, breaking new ground with new technologies and unconventional sounds. In the album "Biophilia" (2011), she blends organic and digital elements by integrating nature sounds and interactive apps. She displays her engagement for both nature and technology in a holistic way. Additionally, the artist combines a wide range of global influences (Icelandic folklore, British multimedia apps, Asian and African percussions, European classical music and American electronic music). She doesn't reduce them to stereotypes but celebrates their complexity. Thus, the artist creates a rich and multifaceted album that defies borders and genres at the same time. Björk's dress on the album cover bridges the gap between the natural and the artificial just like her music. Her voluminous flame-like hair gives a visual representation of the album's boundary-pushing and innovative spirit.

Björk's music videos and stage performances are genre-defying as well because they incorporate avant-garde fashion, digital art and theatrical elements like surrealism and performance art. In this way, they connect high art with pop culture. To illustrate, her song "All Is Full of Love" mixes high-tech visuals with a classical string arrangement. It challenges the elitism associated with classical music, making it accessible and relatable. The clip blending robotic imagery with sensual themes proves that technology and emotions can coexist. The lyrics were inspired by love in spring. According to Björk, “The song, in essence, is actually about believing in love. Love isn't just about two persons, it's everywhere around you. Even if you're not getting love from Person A, it doesn't mean there's not love there.“ The video depicts Björk as a robot being assembled in a factory, who kisses another robot passionately. The robots are humanized : they have a heart and are able to fall in love and to express their desires. The clip is considered as one of the milestone of computer animation.

[iron-rose-art]

I'm not much of a writer but I have ideas and I need to put them down somewhere so here ya go Tumblr!

DCA x y/n soulmate AUs drabble/idea under cut

✨✨✨

I'm a sucker for soulmate AUs, specifically those where your soul mark shows once you've developed mutual feelings for that person. Soul marks are more common than uncommon, not entirely universal but it's a known phenomena

If I were to write something based on this, I think it would be very cute to have Y/N wake up with a soul mark and be like:

"Huh, that's new." You mumble to yourself as you look at your upper arm in the bathroom mirror.

Where there had been blank skin before now had a bright red ribbon wrapping around your bicep area with the edges curled into little hearts. The ribbon was decorated with white and golden stars, you were unsure if it was a sunrise or a sunset or a stylized outer space. Either way, it was very beautiful. It was your soul mark though, and simply because it's yours did you fall in love with it.

"That explains why it was feeling itchy last night." You trace the way the ribbon flows with your finger, enthralled in the way it feels like it's been there forever.

Your phone buzzes on the bathroom counter, making you startle and pull your hand away. Shit shit, your alarm! You needed to leave now if you wanted to get to work on time!

The extra pay better be worth waking up early, though the idea of spending more time with Sun and Moon sounds like a good enough bonus. Ugh focus, brush your teeth, put on your work clothes and go!

---

Meanwhile Sun and Moon are freaking out over finding their soul mark. They know what it is and what it means, but they never ever thought it would happen to them!

They look at the mark again, their fingers lingering over the mark. It's beautiful. It's theirs. The more they look at it, the more it reminds them of you. It has hints of you that aren't obvious, but they don't know anyone else that would fit with the mark.

But

But you've said you've never had a soul mark before.

Do you have one now too? Does it match theirs? Yours is probably prettier, no it's definitely prettier. Not because it's their mark, no- well- maybe.

Their internal clock rings that it's close to opening time.

They can get through the day, it's okay, they're totally not going to keep hoping that you have a soul mark now and it matches theirs

[mildlylesbian]

Picrew Masterpost

So uh... I use picrew a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Because of this I have a lot of funky picrews in my catalog, some are really popular some less so - figured I'd make a master list with as many as I physically can. I'll try to list pros and cons* for each picrew - unfortunately, due to the image limit I can't include examples** *pros and cons are my personal opinion, I am not trying to insult any picrew on this list nor am I saying my opinion is the be-all or end-all. I will not be commenting negatively on any art styles in my con list, I will simply focus on what it does well and what I think could be better **If you have a maker you think should be added send me an ask with the link and lmk it's for this post For the sake of actually browsing this post, we're gonna have sections. Under these sections will be all the picrews relating to it. The sections, in the order listed, are:

Modern - has a majority modern clothing options

Fantasy - has a majority fantasy clothing options

Historic - clothing options or artstyle reflect a specific time period

Full Body - shows knees up of the characters or more

Group - more than one character in the image

Animals - any non-humanoid

Misc - makers that don't include a character or that work better for icons than character design

I will also put emojis next to picrews that include certain things, 🧕 for picrews with hijabs, 🌈 that include LGBT backgrounds or pins, 🎉for picrews with vitiligo, ♿ for disability options (wheelchairs, feeding tubes, etc) and ✨ for my personal favourite picrews. If there's another thing you want me to mark for let me know.

makowka character maker II🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Great for avatars, multiple body shapes, diverse hair, lots of skin tones, hijabi options, pleasing art style, wrinkles! Cons: only plain colour backgrounds and pride flags, clothes all feel very samey, would like to see more vitiligo placement options, hates don't fit properly half the time, beards can look a bit flat

PotatoLord’s Persona Creator🧕🌈🎉♿

Pros: Very nicely stylized, lots of nose options, visually pleasing, hijabi options, lots of facial hair options, wheelchair options, wings Cons: only preset hair is available meaning you can't mix and match, not a ton of clothing options, vitiligo options look a bit flat

Ultimate friend's face maker ✨🌈🎉

Pros: So many vitiligo options, scar variety, three face detail slots, options to mix and match hair or have pre-selected, cool glasses, background variety Cons: not a ton of noses, only preselected hair has dye options, only one hat option, only one prescription glasses

뒤를 보는 픽크루

Pros: Dynamic posing, hat variety, beautiful backgrounds Cons: Lack of skin options, lack of noses, overall lack of variety

Nuggts character maker! ✨🧕🎉

Pros: Lots of skin tones, expressive eyes, stylized, hijabi options, funky hats, eyebrow options Cons: Vitligo looks painted on, eyes are all black, can only select from pre-chosen hair options, lack of clothing variety

KZ's dolls🧕

Pros: Skin tone variety, funky eyebrows, nose variety, makeup, caters to more alt/punk/goth styles, hijabi options, clothing variety Cons: Hair isn't very customizable, would like to see more layering options given the style it seems to pander to

rawravera's icon maker🧕🌈🎉♿

Pros: Skin tone variety, customizable eyes, customizable hair, beautiful backgrounds Cons: Lack of facial hair options

piney's icon maker! 🌈♿

Pros: Face shape variety, skin tone variety, hearing aids, nose shape variety, heterochromia, facial hair variety Cons: Body options only change neck size, not a lot of clothing colour variety

vonnegratci Honolulu maker

Pros: Skin tone variety, tattoos, clothing variety, aesthetic af backgrounds Cons: Lack of hair texture variety, lack of glasses variety

Black Centered Picrew✨🧕🎉♿

Pros: Skin tone variety, ear variety, heterochromia, freckle variety, vitiligo variety, scar variety, lots of hair variety, hair jewelry, facial hair variety, hat variety, Hijabi options Cons: Clothes feel very samey, only one background option

ElenaA's Little Guy Maker✨🧕🌈🎉♿

Pros: Decent skin variety, multiple sets of eyes, horn variety, hair texture variety, lots of earring options, kippah, many many hats, many holdable items, pets, weapons, super customizable background Cons: Lacking colour options across the board

mimzies picrew #2✨🌈🎉♿

Pros: Decent skin variety, can choose how the face is shaded, braces, feeding tube, self harm scars, split dye hair, Cons: No eyebrow variety, only one curly hair bangs option,

キラキラ鱈メーカー3

Pros: Heterochromia, cool hair options, hair accessories, pets Cons: Only one skin tone, only straight hair, lack of clothing variety

Character maker✨🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, multi-eye options, heterochromia, eye shine variety, split dye hair, hair variety, mushroom hat :) Cons: Would love to see more mouth variety, would love some more afro hair, I would commit crimes for more clothing options and variety

skyeslovenotes🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, face shape options, hair texture variety, clothing layering, Cons: There's a bit around the fact that stays white regardless of skin tone, can't change blush colour so some blushes only work for certain skins without looking odd, lack of eye shape variety,

ElenaA's Windswept Oc Maker✨🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Dynamic posing, lots of skin tones, the green skin actually looks nice, eyes are very customizable, nose variety, Hijabi options, hair variety, facial hair looks good, rings, background variety, base is androgynous so you can actually make masculine men, there is a very fat toad you can hold Cons: Only 2 vitiligo placements, compared to the rest of the picrew facial hair lacks variety

Dragon Age Elf/Human maker

Pros: Skin tone variety, cool face paint, hair is quite customizable, Cons: The outlines stay the same regardless of skin tone so on darker tones the nose outline is lighter then the skin, can't layer clothes, would like to see more elf ear options since it's an elf maker

Tiefling Maker✨

Pros: Skin tone variety, green skin tone looks nice, a lot of variety overall in body shapes, hair, clothing, etc, customizable nose, Cons: Only one eyebrow shape

[BAYDEWS' avatar maker!!] V2🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, nose variety, heterochromia, androgynous enough to make masc characters, hair texture variety Cons: Only one facial hair option, would love to see more clothing options

Fantasy OC Creator ✨🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, ear variety, nose variety, ok hair texture variety, beard variety, clothing style variety, nice wing selection Cons: Some of the wing colours do not match, the left monster hand skin tones do not match the other skin tones

Nothing here yet! There are some I have in mind, just need to find them - will be added eventually :)

TOON ME! ⟪ A ⟫ ⟪ B ⟫ ✨🧕🎉♿

Pros: Two body shapes that can use all the same items, expressive eyes, options for heterochromia, tattoos, lots of prosthetic options, so many hair options, variety of clothing, lots of hair accessories, beautiful backgrounds Cons: Would like to see more facial vitiligo, the hats don't fit on top of the hair half the time, would like some necklace and bracelet options independent from one another, glasses are a bit bulky

Magicdoll*Maker

Pros: Eyeshine variety, great hair options, detailed dresses and skirts, shoe variety, unique concept Cons: lack of skin options, lack of mouth options

Nyx character creator✨🌈

Pros: Lots of ear options, all eye shapes have a lashless option, 5 clothes layers, the animal ears on this maker are to die for Cons: Not as many skin options as other makers, can't change scar colours so they're hard to see on some skin tones

criador de drips insanos ✨

Pros: Skin tone variety, cute af clothes, Cons: Only preset hairs available, not a ton of clothing or colour variety

Baby Carrot outfit maker🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, two body shapes, top surgery scars, stretch marks, everything available for the thin body is also available for the larger body, lots of clothes layers, clothing variety, Cons: Only one vitiligo placement, wish there was more facial hair, the bags do not fit the larger body type, only one glasses option

Alli’s OC Creator!🧕🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, heterochromia, hair variety, clothing layers, style variety, many many shoes Cons: Would love to see more accessories like bracelets

Something about them 🧕🎉

Pros: Skin tone variety, lots of animal features, decent hair texture variety, heterochromia Cons: Lack of clothing options/variety, would love if the animal ears and tails were separate pieces

Cryptid Spotters

Pros: variety of hair textures, skin colour choices are decent, hairs have fun colours, lots of noses Cons: Wish there was more hair, wish there were more body types

なさや式CPメーカー

Pros: Nice variety of outfit styles, versatile, heterochromia Cons: Lack of skin tones, no hair texture variety, lack of choice

보슬비가 내려요

Pros: Good hair options, very cute, unique concept, phrog Cons: Lack of skin ton variety, lack of hair texture variety, can't change clothes

元気ゴリゴリ🦍

Pros: Characters are very androdynous, heterochromia, pupil variety, decent clothing options, animal ears, Cons: Lack of skin tone variety, lack of hair texture variety,

ラットメーカー | Rat maker!

Pros: rats, markings variety, tail decorations, expressive Cons: lack of colour variety, only two shirts

My Froggie✨🌈

Pros: Frogs, four frogs to choose from, froggie hats, froggie weapons Cons: None :)

ロリータがつくれるやつ

Pros: lots of skirt options, lots of accents and accessories Cons: Lack of colour variety, colours come across washed out

Wervty's Obscured Icon Maker✨🧕🌈🎉

Pros: Great for icons, fun artstyle, eye shape variety, eyebrows look fantastic, nose variety, the variety of things you can cover the face with is amazing and they all look good, facial hair looks good, Hijabi option Cons: Not great for character making, not a ton of facial hair variety

Heart Hold Character🧕

Pros: Cute concept, skin tone variety, expressive, hijabi options, hair variety Cons: only two eye options

grumbot maker

Pros: Grumbot, variety of screen options, lots of mustaches, mumbo and grian Cons: None :)

ぽやぽやばぶちゃんメーカー

Pros: Heterochromia, decent hair colour variety, cute clothes, Cons: Zero skin tone variety, only straight hair available, not a lot of clothing colour variety,

◆ PROFILE MAKER ◆🧕🌈♿

Pros: An insane amount of skin tones, different undertones for all skin tones, hair texture variety, facial hair variety, wrinkles, hearing aids, Cons: Would love more hair options, shirt variety is lacking

[sw5w]

Enter the Bureaucrats, the True Rulers of the Republic

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:28:15

[lomappreciationblog]

All the spirit art from Children of Mana!

The lead character designer for both Dawn of Mana and Children of Mana is Nao Ikeda, who also designed the NPCs for Legend of Mana. Her work is very beautiful and detailed, and I think it shows especially with the Elemental Spirits in Children of Mana, especially if you compare them to how they look in other Mana titles.

Not that any of the other Spirit art is bad (in fact they're really charming!) but I think Ikeda drew them the most detailed. Say, Wisp isn't just a simple fireball, but also has a facial marking and this two crystalline "arms" in this title. Also, I just adore the way she stylizes fire differently for Salamander and Wisp, Salamander looks more rounded and puffy, Wisp's has these whorls and sharper peaks. And just the way her art flows for Undine! Ah, I'm in love.

Personally, I always went with Wisp, I played this game solo and healing is always good to have on hand.

I find Children to be a very underrated title, in fact I was looking for the sprites and such but the only ones I could see uploaded were the enemy and boss sprites. Which is too bad, it would be nice to have a database of all the art in this game.

[highfantasy-soul]

Quick list of things I particularly loved from NATLA Episode 3 - Omashu before my in-depth overview

The whole rebellion inside the Fire Nation - love seeing EVERYONE fighting back

"I think that's what they said - I never listened." ^_^

"What makes you think we're outsiders?"

"We ARE Fire Nation, even out here"

"Irrigation, am I right?" :D

Aang darting through a crowd messing up everyone's day - just straight from the animated!

And the first tease of the cabbage merchant!!!

Our Gaang wasting NO time after the explosion to run in and help

Bloodthirsty Teo ready to recruit Aang to carpet bombing the Fire Nation - yet another example of children's morals and sense of self being warped by this war

How proud Teo is of his father!!

Sokka being able to show his interest in tinkering and engineering!!!

And did I spy some ECLIPSE glasses????

Aang's "no, I'm not going to just leave people in trouble, I'm going to stay and help them any way I can" moment

"He's done the impossible" in the most mocking voice imaginable! XD Adore that Azula isn't afraid to mock her father

And Mai and Tylee cameos!!!!

And the Yuyan archers! So many hints to the future here

Katara practicing her waterbending forms even in the background - really showing that she's taking every opportunity to hone her skills - she's not just perfect immediately

JEEEEETTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Honestly first thought cart-boy might have been Haru, but once he caught the Mechanist meeting with the spy, my Jet senses started tingling

Jet's combat - perfect! Katara's skills - growing!!

LOVE how there's such a marked upgrade in Katara's control from her single ball of water and big splash of last episode to her controlled twin water ball attacks

Jet's bird-whistle signal

I started giggling maniacally, knowing what was coming!!

And that DAMN piece of straw XD

Sokka saying 'No, my role is to be a warrior and protect the village' with the most heartbreaking look on his face as he sees the skills he truly loves being devalued (or the perception that their devalued) and then Sai reassuring him and his frown turning into a hopeful look on the verge of a smile. Seriously, my heart, guys

Chills every time Smellerbee throws up her hand and shouts "Freedom Fighters!" and the whole camp cheers - really you see how they're a family, a community, healing together the best way they know how

Honestly, everything with Jet is great - him actually giving GOOD advice to Katara, making him a real person rather than someone who only cares about himself - I believe this Jet actually cares about Katara the person, not just Katara the weapon

Also the fact that there's only the small hand-brush as a romantic gesture, the rest of Katara and Jet's interactions keep strictly platonic - nowhere near as charged as all Sokka's interactions with Suki and Yue

Katara's mom smiling in the sunrise D;

Zuko's annoyance at Iroh loving the city XD

And Lotus tile reference!!

Sokka's paper bird!!!

And oooohhh here comes the fighting!

Such a great choice to pit the Mechanist (Sokka) against Jet (Katara) where they're BOTH bad! This isn't a one sibling is right scenario - both their new allies are doing bad stuff! Very juicy and great plot thread/theme weaving

"To prove you're a jerk!" "Oh yeah, well I don't need proof of that!!"

Cabbage merchant tease #2!!

SSCCAARRRFF ZUUUTTAARRRAAAAAAAAAAA

"This guy - again?" *rolly eyes*

Sokka's first mad plan!! Riding the crates to the palace!!

The Zuko/Aang fight - beautiful, stunning, stylized, classic

Zuko being beaten by a woman furious that he's hitting a child

"YOU READ MY DIARY!!!!!!!!" sorry, "YOU HAVE MY NOTEBOOK!!"

MY CABBAGEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!

Water HAWHIP!!!!

Iroh's first firebending in the show is him using it to draw attention to him so Zuko can escape :( not to harm anyone, but to protect

Aang's little "Uh oh o.o"

This was the first episode where it ended and I thought "I HAVE to watch the next one RIGHT NOW"

Damn you cliffhangers

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

[theadaptableeducator]

An ‘Ism’ Overview - Art Nouveau vs. Art Deco

The history of art is a vast and complex tapestry that weaves together multiple strands of stylistic movements and aesthetic visions. Two such movements that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and have left an indelible mark on the visual arts are Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Both these movements reflect the changing social and cultural conditions of their time, and yet they are vastly different in terms of their stylistic characteristics and artistic goals. In this essay, I shall attempt to compare and contrast Art Nouveau and Art Deco, elucidating their unique features and analyzing their broader cultural significance.

Art Nouveau, which emerged in the 1890s, was a highly decorative and ornamental style that sought to break away from the rigidity and sterility of academic art. It was characterized by sinuous, flowing lines, asymmetrical forms, and intricate floral and organic motifs. Art Nouveau designers, such as Alphonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt, emphasized the use of natural forms and materials, including glass, metal, and ceramic, to create visually stunning objects that combined functionality with beauty. Art Nouveau was also closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, which rejected industrialization and mass production in favor of handcrafted objects.

Art Deco, on the other hand, emerged in the 1920s and 30s, and was a highly stylized, geometric and angular style that sought to celebrate modernity, technology and urban life. It was characterized by the use of bold, geometric shapes, streamlined forms, and highly polished surfaces. Art Deco designers, such as Eileen Gray and Raymond Templier, emphasized the use of new materials such as chrome, steel and Bakelite, and incorporated motifs from the machine age, such as airplanes, cars, and skyscrapers, into their designs. Art Deco was also closely associated with the modernist movement, which celebrated the technological advances of the time and sought to create a new aesthetic vocabulary for the machine age.

While Art Nouveau and Art Deco may seem like diametrically opposed styles, they do share some commonalities. Both these movements sought to break away from the academic tradition and embrace new materials, techniques, and forms. Both also sought to combine functionality with beauty, creating objects that were not only visually appealing but also useful in everyday life. However, the stylistic differences between Art Nouveau and Art Deco are far more pronounced than their similarities.

One of the key differences between Art Nouveau and Art Deco is their approach to ornamentation. Art Nouveau placed a great emphasis on ornamentation, using it as a means of expressing a sense of organic unity between the object and its surroundings. Art Nouveau objects were often highly decorative and ornamental, featuring flowing lines, intricate patterns, and elaborate motifs. In contrast, Art Deco placed a greater emphasis on simplicity and geometric forms, seeking to express the modernist ideals of functionality, efficiency and progress. Art Deco objects were often characterized by their streamlined, angular shapes, polished surfaces, and bold, graphic designs.

Another key difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco is their relationship to the natural world. Art Nouveau celebrated the beauty of nature, and sought to incorporate its forms and motifs into the design of objects. Art Nouveau designers often used floral and organic motifs, such as vines, leaves, and flowers, to create objects that appeared to be in harmony with the natural world. In contrast, Art Deco was more interested in the artificial and the man-made, and sought to celebrate the achievements of modern technology and industrial design. Art Deco designers often used materials such as chrome, steel, and Bakelite to create objects that had a distinctly modern and urban feel.

In conclusion, Art Nouveau and Art Deco represent two distinct phases in the history of modern art, each with its own unique visual language and cultural significance. While Art Nouveau emphasized the decorative and the spiritual, Art Deco was more focused on functionality and modernity. Both styles, however, have left an indelible mark on the history of art and design, and continue to inspire and influence artists and designers around the world.

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The Berlin Cleopatra, a Roman sculpture of Cleopatra wearing a royal diadem, mid-1st century BC, now in the Altes Museum, Germany

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The Enigma of Cleopatra: Modern Reconstructions and the Quest for Her True Appearance

If one thing is clear from various accounts and reconstructions of Cleopatra, it's that her allure went far beyond her physical appearance.

Cleopatra VII (70/69 BC – 10 August 30 BC), the last queen of Egypt, has been a character of fascination and intrigue for centuries.

Known for her intelligence, charm and political acumen, she was a woman who made a significant mark in a world dominated by men.

She was fluent in multiple languages, well-versed in politics, and an astute diplomat — traits that made her a formidable leader.

However, the question of her physical appearance, specifically her beauty, has always been a topic of debate.

Her true power lay in her intellect, her charm, and her political acumen.

Cleopatra’s ability to captivate and influence others was central to her rule.

She managed to form alliances with two of the most powerful Romans of the time — Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, which were crucial for the maintenance of her power in Egypt.

These alliances and the relationships she forged speak volumes about her charisma and ability to persuade.

One of most enduring portrayals of Cleopatra is that of a woman of unparalleled beauty.

This is a narrative that has been perpetuated by countless plays, movies and novels, most notably William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

However, the historical texts present a somewhat different picture.

Plutarch (c. AD 46 – after AD 119), a Greek biographer and essayist, made the earliest surviving description of Cleopatra in his work "Parallel Lives."

Interestingly, he doesn't dwell on her physical appearance but emphasizes her charismatic persona and intellectual prowess.

He notes that "her actual beauty, it is said, was not in itself so remarkable, but the attraction of her person and the character that attended all she said or did were something bewitching."

Cassius Dio (c. 165 – c. 23), another Roman historian, also focused more on Cleopatra's persuasive abilities and personal charm than her physical attractiveness.

These descriptions suggest that Cleopatra’s allure was not based solely, or even primarily, on her looks.

In contrast to the romanticized portrayals of Cleopatra, the extant artistic depictions and coinage of her profile provide a more realistic, albeit stylized, representation of her appearance.

Coins minted during Cleopatra's reign depict her with a prominent nose, a strong chin, and deep-set eyes.

Some historians believe that these coins were a deliberate political statement, indicating Cleopatra's desire to be seen as equal to her male counterparts.

Similarly, the few surviving statues and carvings of Cleopatra from the ancient world do not present an image of classical beauty.

The Berlin Cleopatra, a painted limestone statue from 1st century BC, shows her with a hooked nose and a stern expression.

© The Archaeologist