#we have something similar in czech

[kari-go]

You said that lion first called gato "gatito" for thinking that is spanish,so i think that his new nickname after knowing is portuguese should be "gatinho",which in literal way means kitty,but the slang mean something like attractive,pretty,beautiful and hot

Yes, I know the Portuguese version which is what Chris would call him after that. But i didn't know about the slang 😳 well it still matches Chris' thoughts lol

[bogkeep]

i Genuinely find goncharov (1973) to be a really profound piece of collaborative storytelling and mythmaking and not just A Meme - like it is that, but it follows all these threads that have been human tradition for as long as we can remember, i think.

from mythologies about local pantheons and how the stories have evolved through geography, oral storytelling, and cultural drift over centuries and millennia - there is no One Right Version of the story, because every story is right Somewhere. from, whatever is going on with arthuriana and similar collections of Characters and their arcs. from the entirety of the czech republic playing into the cimrman bit, and kids having to learn that he's not real like he's santa or the tooth fairy. from the way actual historical figures get shrouded in propaganda to a point where what we learn about them is not the real story of what actually happened. from fandom shenanigans with homestuck's squiddles, and, uh, didn't voltron fandom invent a bootleg klance? from superwholock gif collections to the way podcast fandoms seem to soldify character designs for characters who have no canon visual appearance beyond a few precious clues.

i think stories can be Real without being Canon, because where DO any of these lines go? at what point does a character go from being an OC to a Fictional Character? are we not telling a story together? scorsese and license plate matteo didn't make this movie but you've made the movie now, or at the very least the experience of one. and you made something beautiful! you could have made a spiteful and irony poisoned dig at the movie industry and instead you decided to create something beautiful and meaningful.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Punctuation Marks

In speaking, we use pauses and the pitch of the voice to make what we say clear. Punctuation plays a similar role in writing, making it easier to read.

Punctuation consists of both rules and conventions. There are rules of punctuation that have to be followed; but there are also punctuation conventions that give writers greater choice.

The standard English punctuation is as follows: period/full stop, comma, apostrophe, quotation, question, exclamation, brackets, braces, parenthesis, dash, hyphen, ellipsis, colon, semicolon.

. PERIOD/FULL STOP

Use a period/full stop to mark the end of a sentence:

We went to France last summer.

We were really surprised that it was so easy to travel on the motorways.

In addition to closing sentences, we also use full stops in initials for personal names:

G. W. Dwyer

David A. Johnston, Accountant

Full stops are also used after abbreviations, although this practice is becoming less common:

Arr. (arrival)

etc. (etcetera)

Dr. (doctor)

, COMMA

We use commas to separate a list of similar words or phrases:

It’s important to write in clear, simple, accurate words.

We do not normally use a comma before and at the end of a list of single words:

They travelled through Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

American English does use a comma in lists before and:

We took bread, cheese, and fruit with us.

Note: the Oxford comma, also known as a serial comma, is placed immediately before the conjunction—usually “and,”. “or,” or “nor”—in a series of three or more terms.

We use commas to separate words or phrases that mark where the voice would pause slightly:

I can’t tell you now. However, all will be revealed tomorrow at midday.

We had, in fact, lost all of our money.

James, our guide, will accompany you on the boat across to the island.

' APOSTROPHE

Apostrophes are used to mark possession and to mark contractions. They are also used to denote a quotation mark in material that is already being quoted.

It was James’ car that the drunk driver hit.

“James said, ‘If you come any closer I’ll call the police.’”

'...' or "..." QUOTATION MARKS

Quotation marks in English are ‘…’ or “…”. In direct speech, we enclose what is said within a pair of single or double quotation marks, although single quotation marks are becoming more common.

Lydia said, “Is this my prom dress?”

Quotation marks are used to inform a reader either of something that was spoken or something that is being directly copied from another work. Quotes should also be placed around a word if it is used in a specific context or otherwise bears special attention. In informal applications, quotations can also be used to denote something that is ironic.

? QUESTION MARK

Use question marks to make clear that what is said is a question. When we use a question mark, we do not use a period/full stop:

Why do they make so many mistakes?

! EXCLAMATION POINT/MARK

Use an exclamation point/mark after a command or other expression that expresses strong feeling or deserves special emphasis:

For the last time, stop distracting me!

Fire! Fire!

We use exclamation points/marks to indicate an exclamative clause or expression in informal writing. When we want to emphasise something in informal writing, we sometimes use more than one exclamation point/mark:

Listen!!

Use exclamation points sparingly. Overuse dilutes their impact.

( ) [ ] { } PARENTHESIS, BRACKET, BRACES

Parentheses note non-essential information that could be skipped without altering the meaning of a sentence. Brackets are most commonly employed in academic writing within a quotation where the writer is omitting or explaining something. In either case, the writer places a bracket within the quote [explains or places an ellipsis and] closes the bracket to continue the quote. Braces are used quite rarely and are employed to essentially make a list within a list.

Cora (the woman who lives down the street from Jane) works as a paralegal.

Professor Brown claims, “She [the novel’s central character] is an example of a strong African-American woman.”

Before I go on vacation I need to pack my bags {clothes, toiletries and shoes}, unplug the TV, and close all of the windows.

more on: ( ) PARENTHESES

Use parentheses to enclose information that is helpful or informative but not essential:

When you get to that big farmhouse (three miles from I-270), turn left.

If parentheses enclose a question or exclamation, keep the question mark or exclamation point inside the parentheses:

Shema received Omar’s text (when did he get an iPhone 6s?) and replied yesterday.

However, capitalize or include periods only if the parenthetical sentence is not enclosed within another complete sentence:

I told my partner (we had been married only five days) that I missed her desperately.

I told my partner that I missed her desperately. (We had been married only five days.)

more on: [ ] BRACKETS

Use brackets to add an explanation or comment to a direct quote:

Berta wondered aloud, “Why did it [Joker] end that way?”

“This poem [“We Real Cool”] made Brooks famous,” explained Professor Choi.

Use brackets to enclose text that is already in parentheses:

According to this chart (Temperature Extremes [Fig. 4]), we've had a record-setting winter.

Put the Latin word “sic” in brackets to indicate that a mistake in a word or phrase appeared in the original source:

Their fundraising letter began, “Dear Fiends [sic].”

— DASH

Dashes are generally not in common use but denote a tangent within a thought. There are two kinds of dashes, an “en” dash and an “em” dash.

En dashes essentially are the same glyph as hyphens but fill a different purpose. Em dashes are longer, an easy way to remember is that an en dash is the length of an “n” and an Em dash is the length of an “m”.

I think that my dog is a genius — but doesn’t everybody think their pet is?

Dashes are able to substitute for commas and semicolons in the right situation. They can replace commas to note non-essential information or semicolon to note an example. Despite, and because of this versatility dashes should not be frequently employed in your writing.

The multitude of applications make dashes easy to overuse taking away from, rather than adding to clarity in your writing.

Note: Dashes can either connect to the surrounding words or be separated by a space, it is an issue of style, be sure to ask your professors if they have a preference.

more on: — EM DASH

Formed by two hyphens, dashes mark an abrupt break in a sentence. Less formal than either parentheses or commas, a dash—highlighting whatever is set apart—also creates a dramatic pause.

Use a dash (instead of parentheses) when a parenthetic expression is lengthy, contains commas, or deserves special emphasis:

My grandmother's house—the apartment in the city, not the clapboard cottage on the beach—has been sold.

Daynel told me—and don’t breathe a word of this to anyone—that he was fired Wednesday.

Use a dash to emphasize or to set off a single word, an appositive, or a summary:

There’s one way in which to succeed—hard work.

I cannot believe what she puts on her hamburger—sauerkraut.

They graduated, married, and divorced—all this change in just six months.

Use a dash to show an abrupt change in thought:

You are NOT dragging me to that movie—oh, what the heck, start the car.

Use a dash to mark an interruption or pause in dialogue:

“Would—would you mind terribly?”

- HYPHEN

Hyphenate multiple words acting as a single adjective before a noun:

state-of-the-art design

greenish-blue eyes

Hyphenate compound numbers:

twenty-eight

ninety-three

Hyphenate certain prefixes and suffixes:

all-school assembly

self-esteem

Hyphenate words to avoid ambiguity:

Since Sylvia auctioned all my records, I’ll have to re-collect them.

Hyphenate some compound words to avoid awkward double or triple letters:

anti-inflammatory

cross-stitch

Use a dictionary to check standard usage of hyphenated words, e.g., whistle blower, whistleblower, or whistle-blower.

Never use a hyphen between an adverb ending in “ly” and the adjective it modifies.

. . . ELLIPSIS

Use three spaced periods (ellipsis) to indicate the omission of one or more words in a direct quote. Beginning a quotation with an ellipsis is unnecessary. End a quotation with an ellipsis only if words have been omitted from the end of the final quoted sentence:

“Now, as a nation . . . we were founded on the idea that everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed.”

“brilliant . . . an amazingly insightful film”

If the ellipsis represents the omission of a complete sentence or more, use four periods instead of three:

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person. . . . We are the change that we seek.”

: COLON

Use a colon to introduce ideas or a series of details that explain the preceding independent clause. A colon may call attention to an appositive, example, list, or a quotation:

Only one thing was important to her: the truth.

The reasons for divorce are many: money, infidelity, children, or boredom.

The sense of unity with nature is vividly shown in Zen Buddhist poetry: “An old pine tree preaches wisdom.”

Use a colon when required by convention:

Biblical references: Genesis 1:1

Business letter salutations: Dear Professor Devall:

Certain titles and subtitles: Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Periodical Volume and Number: Harper’s 203:16

Periodical Volume and Page Number: Harper’s 203:98–101

Time: 12:15 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

; SEMI-COLON

We use semi-colons instead of full stops to separate two main clauses. In such cases, the clauses are related in meaning but are separated grammatically:

Spanish is spoken throughout South America; in Brazil the main language is Portuguese.

/ SLASH

The slash indicates contrasting terms or paired items:

Durand took Advanced Astrophysics on a pass/fail basis.

Although the player/manager committed eight errors in three innings, he still wouldn't take himself out of the game.

When quoting a poem, use a slash to indicate the end of a line, adding a space before and after the slash:

“The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”

Sources and other related articles: 1 2 3 4 5

[operafantomet]

Is Christine's Elissa costume mimicking that of Carlotta's Elissa costume? Very much so, kinda, not really, or not at all?

HUNGARY: Kinda

POLAND: Not at all

REPLICA AND RESTAGED TOUR: Very much so

ESTONIA: Kinda

CZECH REPUBLIC: Very much so

FINLAND / SWEDEN: Very much so

ORIGINAL ROMANIA: Not really

NORWAY / GREECE / TOUR: Kinda / not really

SERBIA: Very much so

BULGARIA: Very much so

SWEDEN: Very much so

SYDNEY HARBOUR: Very much so / kinda

NEW ROMANIAN PRODUCTION: Not at all

MEDITERRANEAN: Very much so

Wether Carlotta and Christine use identical / fairly similar costumes or totally different ones depends on the interpretation of Christine's take-over. We see Carlotta rehearse for a full-scale production, but we are told Christine performs at a gala. Is it a gala for the full production, or a gala with individual song numbers?

I guess you could also debate whether they'd have a spare costume for Christine, or having time to remodel or make a costume for her, or if they would make her wear whatever was at hand and seemed appropriate for the role. It would furthermore be an era where many performers were responsible for buying their own costumes, and some leads had their costumes especially made by favourite couturiers. Carlotta would likely be one of those. In these cases her costumes would not be up for grabs!

In other words, there's nothing dictating that Christine MUST wear the same as Carlotta. That said, I personally prefer it when she does. There's something about the continuinity and a sense of successful take-over. She really could replace Carlotta.

[eurothug4000]

INTERVIEW WITH TOMM HULETT - SENIOR ASSOCIATE PRODUCER ON SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR

As part of my video on Silent Hill Downpour, Tomm kindly agreed to be interviewed! A big thank you to him for providing insight on the making of this title :)

Q1 - What led to deciding that open world aspects would be included in Downpour? Was it the trend of games at the time or was there something else that influenced this?

I had several aspects of the original SH games that I kept championing for the new ones, and one aspect was how much of SH1 was exploring the town itself. It was (relatively) huge! SH2 had a smaller more focused set of “town” areas, and then SH3 reused those. Origins brought it back to a degree but there wasn’t very much to do beyond the main quest.

Another thing I loved was how the notes in the original games would often mention characters or side stories that were not part of the main quest but definitely contributed to the atmosphere and creepiness. Lastly, as you said, open world games like GTA3 were cropping up all over. So these three factors all coalesced to become Downpour’s big explorable town filled with optional side quests that told little mini stories. But to be clear – we were not asked “can you put in something modern like Open World?” It’s more like what we wanted to accomplish with the town and sidequests made sense in an open world context, and then that created an exciting bullet point for marketing organically.

Q2 - Was there ever supposed to be a UFO ending? If yes, was there a rough outline for it?

We were not planning a specific “UFO” ending and I don’t actually recall why. We did plan for a joke ending, which turned into the happy birthday surprise. Or, it’s possible we planned for a UFO ending but someone came up with that instead and we just went with it, due to the nice escaping prison aspect of it.

I do know we wanted a wide variety of ending types, like the original games had, which is how we ended up with cool twists like the Anne/Murphy prison swap, etc.

Q3 - How did you get Korn on board for the theme?

When we got the unfortunate news we could not involve Akira Yamaoka, we knew that finding a worthy replacement for the game’s score was job # 1, and we were fortunate enough to be connected with Daniel Licht who did an amazing job matching the mood of Silent Hill with his own style.

But another big aspect of the SH music is the attract mode video, along with a rock song. Of course Yamaoka-san had always handled this as well, along with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. Since this was kind of up in the air, our licensing department wanted to find a good licensing partner that might extend the awareness of Silent Hill beyond its core audience, but still sounded brand-appropriate.

A lot of different artists were discussed, but in the end, Korn made the most sense due to a variety of factors I can’t really get into. However one key factor was tailoring the lyrics to Silent Hill Downpour, rather than just being given an unreleased B-side as-is.

Q4 - The architecture (more so interior) style in Downpour feels very unique compared to the other SH games. Slightly gothic, almost like fancy buildings in New York - especially those apartments and office buildings! Although once I learned that the development team was based in the Czech Republic, I felt like maybe that was a big influence. What was the thought process behind going for this different style of environment?

I think a lot of this is, as you said, the Czech influence. Western Europe and North America have enough common threads I think it’s probably more similar than we realize if that is our whole sphere of reference. And obviously game players are familiar with Japan through games (Yakuza and Persona of course, among others) but Eastern Europe is far less represented. I think that Vatra “making what they know” had a positive effect on the games visuals and ambiance. It is the most unique and interesting of the Western SH games.

I think it’s generally accepted that as a whole, western gamers prefer the original SH games, made in Japan. And it turns out, there are a lot of Japanese fans who love the Western games most (going so far as to import Homecoming!), which was an interesting thing to discover. It tells me that an important part of Silent Hill’s creepiness is that sense that something is just OFF that you can’t put your finger on, and maybe it’s a result of unconscious cultural influences creeping into the design of the town itself, then being perceived through a different cultural lens.

Q5 - What were some of the most difficult parts of developing Downpour?

A minor challenge was the fact that fear is so subjective. Between two people sure, but let alone 2 teams in different cultures. So at times there was a lot of heated discussion about what the important parts of a scare or intense moment were, and what the audience would respond to.

The biggest difficulty though was external, just knowing the feelings and expectations of the fanbase at the time. The other Western Silent Hills had their fans of course, but nothing had made a huge splash like Silent Hill 2 (which itself wasn’t popular immediately but that’s a different story entirely!) We were very proud of Shattered Memories, but that was an unconventional entry and we just really wanted Downpour to be the “HD Silent Hill” that fans deserved. We all put a lot of pressure on ourselves. However even taking a quick peek at any forum there was so much cynicism it made the work challenging. And then at some point during the final year or so of development, an infamous series of videos released and sucked up a lot of air in the room as it were.

It also ended a lot of the spirited debate that Silent Hill fans enjoyed, as there were a lot of declarations of the “true” canon or “here’s what the game is REALLY about”. Those debates were always what kept the fanbase alive and vibrant, and it was rough seeing that go away. I don’t really feel like Downpour was given its fair shake in the indepth analysis department, which I was really looking forward to seeing, during development!

Q6 - What were some of the reasons behind the enemy designs of the game? Are their appearances all stemming from Murphy’s mind and experiences? Or Anne’s too? The prisoner types felt like they could be both, but the Dolls in particular made me wonder since they feel more related to her backstory!

It is kept purposefully vague. Obviously at first you’re supposed to assume this is Murphy’s Silent Hill, and the enemies need to support that. But then when you realize this is perhaps Anne’s story that Murphy is caught up in, they can’t betray that idea either. Fortunately the two characters have a lot in common. Murphy is a father willing to do anything to avenge his child. Anne is a child willing to do anything to avenge her father. Both have failed marriages because of their trauma, and so on.

Honestly this is one of the things I was hoping to see more debate about among the fanbase!

Q7 - For the Anne’s Story comics, was that originally supposed to be the basis for DLC for the game? I saw a mention of this online but wasn’t sure how true it was! Were there plans for other DLCs too?

In the very beginning, Anne and Murphy were conceived to be a 2-player experience, so each player could see situations from a different perspective, and we could play with that idea a lot. However after a very short time we realized that idea was a bit ahead of its time, and we focused on making a solid single-player horror game, but the overall story themes remained – but obviously you see less of what Anne is actually doing moment to moment.

As we were wrapping up the game for release, there were conversations about DLC and what form that might take, and Devin and I knew instantly it would be Anne’s side of the story. I wrote up a general structure of it for internal discussions. DJ Ricks had also had a more detailed story originally, so I tried to get some of those details back in as well (when this DLC fell through, I added his story in the Book of Memories DLC – if anybody still has a Vita and wants to delve into that!)

Right around the time I was leaving Konami, there were early discussions with IDW to release a companion comic to Downpour, since Tom Waltz was their SH guy (and has gone on to write their TMNT books and many other great things. Congrats Tom!) and had also written Downpour for us. I gave him a breakdown of my ideas for key moments in Anne’s story; things like Murphy and Anne operating in different chronologies (Murphy sees Anne in the clocktower otherworld BEFORE seeing Ricks, but Anne traverses that otherworld AFTERWARD), or a drowning Anne desperately reaching out for Ricks’s hand, only to find it’s a severed hand tied to his boat.

It took a few years for that deal to come together with the right artist, but thankfully it did! It’s a great companion piece to the game – there are some new details in there that weren’t in my treatment, but it was no longer my story to tell – I experienced it as a fan.

Q8 - What is something you’ve seen players rarely notice in the game which you think is a cool detail? Can be found in the world, story, gameplay or anything!

A tangible detail might be the road signs. I spent a long time figuring out where the other districts of Silent Hill would be, as well as Ashfield, and made sure they were properly charted on the large road signs. I made a map and measured distance and everything.

Story wise, I think Murphy’s role in the story is a bit misunderstood. Many players see it as a standard tale of the town punishing our protagonist but it’s a lot more nuanced than that. Anne, I feel, is being punished, because she is out for revenge right now. Murphy already got his revenge, and dealt with the consequences, and “did his time” as it were. Yes, he has to deal with the consequences of his actions – but those are consequences caused by Sewell, and they were already in motion outside of Silent Hill.

Murphy’s journey is more akin to “Born from a Wish”, or even Eileen’s role in SH4. While most of Walter’s victims did something wrong, Eileen was marked because she was kind to him. It’s basically circumstantial. The Orphanage level is meant to be something different from a standard Silent Hill construct. The town is almost rewarding Murphy for passing a test. It gives him a key that says “Freedom" and everything we weren’t being subtle. And if you watch during the boat scene, there are clear skies ahead of Murphy (and dark storm behind Anne).

And then of course the Silent Hill ambiguity – we all know the only thing on the other side of Toluca Lake is more Silent Hill, so that’s up for debate. Again I was really excited to see how the fans dissected our story and there was never a big discourse about it.

Q9 - There’s a big stretched face with a monocle at the end of the rollercoaster section in Devil’s Pit, I couldn’t wrap my head around it (ha) but who is that/what’s their backstory? I saw somewhere mention it was supposed to be a boss which appeared in a trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSSoIWJPL-4) but wanted to confirm what the deal was!

Originally there was a boss encounter with JP Sater which took the form of this hideous train man creature. The goal was to have characters such as Howard and Sater, who have both accepted their places in Silent Hill, but with drastically different results.  This would be something for players to ponder and explore.

For various reasons we needed to cut this encounter, and it isn’t exactly key to the story, but we didn’t want to waste the creepy model. So we extended the mine train sequence so it could end with the reveal and taunting by Sater. I guess Murphy can be thankful that he wasn’t part of Sater’s story, so he didn’t have to overcome an enormous steamengine behemoth.

Q10 - Always love hearing about any strong memories you have working on the game, feel free to share anything that comes to mind!

Devin and I both spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic during development, both together and alone. I think a lot "clicked" for both of us early on, when Andy Pang (Producer) took us on a trip to some of the sights around Brno, which included the Punkva Caverns – the inspiration behind the Devil’s Pit.

At the bottom of the caves is a river, and your group of maybe 20 tourists board a small boat and a guide navigates you through these dimly-lit caverns. The guide was discussing that this journey changes based on rainfall, as the water level in the caves may be too high to be safe, and as he said this, we noticed the ceiling was coming AWFULLY low. Especially on the left side of the boat, where we were. In fact, we had to lean over on our neighbors to avoid it. In fact, we scraped our shoulders a bit on the rock.

Afterward we both noted that in America, they would NEVER have sailed at that water level. In fact, there would be signs and barriers preventing you from touching the rock, and the boat might even be on a track or guide of some kind, to ensure maximum safety.

We understood a lot more about Downpour’s Silent Hill after that excursion.

[hella1975]

it’s so cool that you’re going backpacking I’ve always wanted to do that! do you have any pictures or tips for ppl who want to go?

giving an early twenties gap year girlie a free pass to talk about when she backpacked europe is a DANGEROUS thing yes i will gladly talk in detail at length about it thank you so much. hold my hand. you're not going anywhere. stop struggling.

my europe trip!!!

so we did 11 cities in 9 countries in 28 days (france, belgium, germany, netherlands, czech, slovenia, hungary, austria, italy) staying at least one night in all of them except germany because THAT COUNTRY WANTS ME DEAD. here are some tips for people wanting to do something similar:

the official interrail pass is a LIFESAVER we literally paid ~£240 for a global 7 day pass and it meant we got over a dozen trains that individually would have all been £100+ like you save a STUPID amount of money

you don't have to book all your accom in advance. we booked for the first 2 weeks which was good bc we were still finding our feet and it made it less stressful, but for the last 2 weeks we would book accom literally as we got the train to the place in question and it made it much more flexible bc if we liked a place we'd just stay there another night

hostelworld is a really good app for this, very affordable while still being legit

BUY YOUR OWN PADLOCK! a lot of hostels have lockers to put your things in but will charge extra for a padlock to keep it secure

imo seat reservations on trains are generally a waste of money. take this tip w a pinch of salt bc i travelled in the non-tourist season, but we always managed to get seats on trains no matter how busy it was and booking seat reservations (the single time we did it) led to us wasting about 15 euros each to sit in different carriages, and then we were delayed and missed the 2nd train so didn't even get our booked seats AT ALL and we decided from then on to just firm it and not reserve any and honestly we were totally fine

look into the public transport of the specific place you're in beforehand. it is 100% better to utilise the public transport over getting taxis or walking everywhere but a lot of people get intimidated and waste the fact that most european countries have amazing public transport. the only thing i will say is to just check how people get tickets, if it's tap-on tap-off (a majority are), if it's paper tickets then where to validate them etc etc

if you're a female or female presenting solo traveller then at all times of year this is a VERY COMMON THING and is generally very safe. every hostel offers female only dorms and a lot of other travellers are very chatty, so it's easy to make friends or at least make sure people Know You're There. i had a couple instances of being the only girl in a 12 bed mixed dorm which made me very very antsy, but i was travelling with a man and i always made an effort to seek out any other girls in a hostel and ensure we all checked on each other

don't leave anything out in a hostel unless you're okay with losing it 😭 i thought i'd be okay bc im so paranoid i refused to leave ANYTHING out when i wasn't in the room and some fucker STILL took my goddamn sliders of all things

portable chargers, making sure you have the right adapter, charging your phone at any opportunity etc etc. the last thing you want is a dead phone. it's my mantra when travelling ANYWHERE that as long as i still had my passport and my phone then everything else could work itself out and that's coming from someone whose CARD GOT SHREDDED IN VIENNA AND GENERALLY HAS CARTOONISHLY ROTTEN LUCK WHEN ABROAD. ALWAYS be vigilant about these two things

do the tourist things! go to the famous sights! i mean this so seriously! but also try find little hole in the wall spots too! my highlights of the trip are very traditional things like the colosseum and the eiffel tower and lake bled etc etc we even did a couple big bus tours that were really fun but then i also have the time we went drinking w locals in zaandam and wound up dancing in this really random bar we never would have found otherwise or the restaurant we found in paris hidden behind a whole other building where they sat strangers on the same table and we got a 3 course meal and a bottle of wine for 20 euros like try get a good mix of Known Sights and Hidden Gems

skincare products will be a godsend after one 11 hour train journey too many fr keep some moisturiser on you at all times 😭

on that note also, you'll figure this out as you go but try pack your bag tactically bc there's nothing worse than being 5 hours deep into a train ride and realising you Desperately Want something that you know is right at the bottom of your massive fuck off backpack

i know i said i swear by hostelworld but SOMETIMES hostels work out more expensive than some shitty hotel or an airbnb so make sure to check ALL accomodation options. our last stop of the trip was 4 nights in rome and it wound up being significantly cheaper for us to stay in a 2* hotel right in the middle of the city than it was to get any of the hostels that would have put us on the outskirts

final tip is if this is truly something you want to do then START PLANNING!!! backpacking is a super affordable way of seeing a lot of beautiful countries in one go. it really didn't take me as long as i thought it would to save for this and i'd say if you're being really disciplined you can do the whole thing (the WHOLE thing like travel, accom and spending) for just £1k. i also think staying in hostels and getting trains and lugging a big bag around is actually much more rewarding than doing it a fancy way. like it forces you to interact with the country you're in and that doesn't always happen if you just get fancy hotels. go go go!

here are some of my fav pics!!! tho i am not good at taking pics so bear with also 10 pic limit so ill reblog with more bc i took hundreds

paris:

brussels:

köln:

prague:

[stromuprisahat]

Hey,

Could you do a meta on the similarities between Labyrinth (1986) and the Shadow and Bone Trilogy? I read through that one scene (Alina and Darkling Interactions on your blog) between Alina and the Darkling after her and Mal get captured and Alina has to bargain for his life and they speak about fairness and the way the public views them both (Chapter 21 of the first book, I believe). I vaguely remembered this type of conversation from another piece of media, and saw in your tags that you attributed it to Labyrinth. Honestly wondering how much the movie influenced the trilogy, as I feel like Alina was supposed to be a Sarah Williams type of character but got her character development strangled by the narrative. Honestly wondering if this makes Mal Toby (romance aside), because Alina fought hard for this man and chose him over the ‘glamorous’ life she could have lived with the guy with powers (Darkling/Jareth). Genya might be Hoggle (works for the bad guy before becoming loyal to the protagonist). Maybe this is all a stretch?

Sorry if this is weirdly formatted. Thank you so much!

No anon! Why?!

I've watched Labyrinth once, and didn't enjoy it, so I was considering passing this on someone else, but since you've delved into details, I just HAD TO rewatch it, because I can't stand not knowing what's going on! So, I'll type as a watch and this will get veeeeeery long.

First of all- I hate those ugly-ass puppets and scenes. I find them creepy, and not in the good way. I totally don't get the ?US? obsession with them, and yes- I've hated Sesame Street, when it got imported here, and I've always hated Czech attempts at copying such production (Táhni, Františku z Fanfárie a Jůheláci taky, když už jsme u toho.).

I feel like Labyrinth is one of those movies, where fanon became widely-accepted canon, because I just can't see plenty of stuff allegedly present.

Alina and Sarah certainly have two things in common- they live in their own version of the world, and they're unbearably immature spoiled brats, even though you'd expect more from them their age considered. Yet somehow, Sarah's so unreasonably whiny, she almost makes me love Alina. Perhaps if we'd age her up a little and gave her potentially world-saving powers, she could've taken the S02show!psycho's place. They seem more alike than the book girl.

I mean... I don't like children, and I wouldn't be such a bitch to a ?one? year old...

The baby was a spoiled child and wanted everything for himself…

The baby can barely stand and certainly doesn't seem able to talk. It doesn't have mental capacity to imagine "everything", sure as hell not want it.

…and the young girl was practically a slave.

Sorry, but a scene earlier I saw her room. I watch her father respect her privacy. Her evil step mother being nothing but polite and non-threatening. I come from a loving family, and I've been keeping eye on my eight-years-younger brother since he was born. To an extent- yes, but they just want her to make sure he doesn't burn down the house on accident or something. He's even fed for fuck's sake! That's hardly slavery. And no, she doesn't get a pass as a moody teenager. This is a spoiled brat behaviour.

Sarah's straight up lying to make herself the victim. That's very Alina. Or more precisely- it's very Alina's new mommy Ol' Bags, but then again it's been said before Alina would grow into Baghra in time.

Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be… …take this child of mine far away from me!

We have a better Czech ballad about children-stealing demon punishing short-tempered mother:

"Pojď si proň, ty Polednice, pojď, vem si ho, zlostníka!“ – A hle, tu kdos u světnice dvéře zlehka odmyká.

Kytice- Polednice (Karel Jaromír Erben)

“Come and get him, noon witch, come take him! I can bear no more!” And look, someone’s outside �� a thumb is stealthily working the lock at the door.

A Bouquet: of Czech Folktales (transl. by Marcela Malek Sulak)

I went through it quickly, and the translation doesn't look bad, so it's available on libgen if you're interested.

Alina had her immortality and complementary powers, but what does Jareth see in Sarah is beyond me.

Sarah says she wants her brother back, but honestly- it sounds more like she doesn't want to get in trouble because of him. I don't know if it's only the acting, or if it's intentionally portrayed so, but she doesn't look like someone, who just realized they care about someone else.

It might be the whiny undertone in her voice. Irritating, if anything.

Yeah, a pissing puppet is exactly what I needed to see...

Genya is certainly prettier than Hoggle.

And doesn't piss in public.

The walls of the Labyrinth look like Terezín before reconstruction.

Sarah gets an advice and doesn't bother to delve into it. Another tiny similarity with Alina. Except Alina had her half-a-thought of doubt, and her advisor is a malevolent cunt with her own interests. The freaky worm seemed genuine in its desire to help.

Obligatory song and dancing. *shoot me, please*

The only way out of here is to try one of these doors. One of them leads to the castle at the centre of the labyrinth. And the other one leads to… …certain death.

Please, pick the death one...

"Helping hands"... every creep's wet dream...

Yeah, the evil hot accent isn't enough to make me like this villain. Fucking 80s...

Those depressive warning faces are probably the only thing I might even ~like~.

Okay, NOW he was hot.

Jareth and Sarah have the fairness conversation, when he shortens her time to punish her for her defiance. Aleksander and Alina's take place, when he wants her to face consequences of her own actions and accept responsibility. He's the wronged one there, because she didn't consider anyone or anything, when she chose to trust Baghra and ran off.

Sarah gets Hoggle to follow her by stealing his stuff. She gets the doorknockers to let her in by tricking the mumbling one into taking the unpleasant ring back into his mouth and doesn't even try to pull it out again, or knock without it attached. She's rather cruel in her thoughtlessness, isn't she?

Aleksander never shames Genya for wanting to be Alina's friend. He never blackmails her to help him. She's the one, who provokes his rightful wrath for no good reason.

I think Jareth might be what LB (sometimes) wants us to see in Aleksander. Except it's hardly what she shows by his actions, only what her characters describe.

Another difference- Aleksander doesn't only want Alina, he needs her for his plan to save his people. Jareth merely has the worst possible taste in women.

Okay, the dog making hoof-clopping noises also isn't the worst idea.

I'm kinda sorry Aleksander never tried to poison/drug Alina. That might be fun. Even the collaring couldn't really make her compliant, so he's technically nicer even in this aspect. I can see antis claiming he tried to woo her by showing her the splendor of Little Palace and giving her the centre role in Winter Fete, but the former wasn't different from Grisha in officer training, the later was the Crown's doing. He's even said to despise such events.

Sarah is a modern teenager. Alina's considered adult in her world. I got to the ball scene, where it's painfully obvious Sarah is a child in adult's clothes and make-up. I'm a bit surprised she was played by an actual teenager.

Alina starts off willing to do anything for Malyen, and ends up becoming just what he wants. Sarah starts off selfishly bullying a baby, only to turn 180° as soon as he's stolen, so excuse I'm not persuaded she means it. She doesn't manage it in next hour and half.

~ I have to face him alone. - But why? ~ Because that's the way it's done.

The logic is very Alina, but she never insists on facing the Darkling alone, except that one time she attempts murder/suicide.

Oh no, Aleksander would never wear something this teAsticleless

And no, I truly don't mean the colour.

I ask for so little. Just let me rule you… …and you can have everything that you want. Just fear me, love me, do as I say… …and I will be your slave.

Again, that's no Aleksander at all. He didn't want to rule Alina, he wanted to rule alongside her. He only tried to force her once she endangered his plans for his country and people.

He never promised her everything she's want, because the only thing she seems to want is to be left alone to live in obscurity with no expectations placed on her.

He doesn't want her to fear him and she never does. He doesn't even crave people's fear. He uses it as a tool, when there's no better option.

He doesn't mind Alina defying him, finds it attractive actually, as long as it doesn't ruin- once again- his plans for Ravka and Grisha protection.

The slave line actually reminds me of much better representation of book!Aleksander- I Wanna Be Your Slave by Måneskin.

I was pretty sure I've seen Cinema Therapy episode on Labyrinth I deeply agreed with, but can't find it, so... :(

[daydaydayrk420]

hello

just gonna say something little about me and the blog

about me: I'm trans, Czech, bi, he/him, English is not my first language and I don't know grammar in any of the languages I use.... so I apologize in advance.

about the blog: 18+ CONTENT, if you're a minor do not interact, then again I don't know if the age in your bio is true or not. MINOR DON'T INTERACT PLEASE, I get if you have the urge to do it I used to do it too, but don't interact with my blog if you do. I researched sexual content at a young age so my mind is NASTY, expect very nasty fics or not depending on my motivation

pros

I am open to anything, if you have any questions please ask.

I do have my boundaries

we can talk about any nsfw topic, you can ask about my thoughts towards any nsfw topic, joking flirting is open, share/ask about any characters, I will write for any fandoms I'm a part of... it not many so it might be a tight squeeze for requests

I only wire for : male, gn, ftm readers!!

cons

DO NOT interact sexually with me. Including, dirty talk, sexting, roleplay, or any similar inappropriate stuff

I DO NOT write for: Fem readers!! She/her, She/they, corruption kinks, age play, forced feminization, scat kink, incest, stepcest, actual noncon, rape play

that's all I can think of at the moment

If you're a fem reader get out of here you have your own section!!! Leave us alone!! If you do read then DON'T INTERACT

in the meantime stay hard

buh bye

if I don't have any fics you're interested in or if you're waiting for a request I'm yet to respond to check these kings out: @marksbear2 @rodolfoparras !!!! most of my fic will more likely be inspired by them cus I love them sm

More kinks here

Fandoms

also I am not good at dirty talk so most of these won't have much talking going on

[fantomette22]

The Dogs in Bloodborne!

So @bobbyzombiegg you wanted some headcanons on the dogs right? Following this post. Alright I will, but first i’m gonna recap all the dogs we can see in Bloodborne!

No I'm not talking about the weird beasts. Even the ones we're not sure if they have animal or human origins, I will stay focused on dogs only.

Rabid dog (Yharnam and found in most of the locations of the game)

They seems to be cream coloured but I saw people said it could be brown. It's the dog ennemies we encounter the most often. The chimera in the Nightmare of Mensis are made with them too.

Grey Rabid dog (grey/silver version found in Yaha'rgul & chalice dungeons)

Same breed as the light coloured ones but they have darker fur (grey/silver)

Some might already know but for the ones who don't know this dog highly ressemble the Irish Wolfhound Breed

It's one of the biggest dog in the world. Typically used to hunt wolves (that's how all the wolf in Ireland disappear), deers and big animals.

The breed almost disappear in the 19th century but it was restored into the one we know today with mixing the last ones with the Great Dane, Scottish deerhound, borzoi and even Tibetan dog.

It also highly ressemble the Scottish deerhound, the too breed being very similar and link.

I personally call the ones in Bloodborne just wolfhound because there's no guarantee it's a real breed and again Bloodborne, like dark souls is not our world so I don't think Irish and England exist XD there's equivalent maybe. (And Yharnam would be closer to this universe version or Poland or Czech).

If you are attentive they aren't presented in the hunter's nightmare (see below the old hunter's hound) With the scourge of the beasts becoming worst and huge beasts appearing more frequently the hunters and citizens turn themself to bigger dogs to hunt bigger prey.

Hunting dog (Hemwick Charnel lane & chalice dungeons)

Don't ask me what breed it is I have 0 idea. Greyhound? A mixt breed? Idk. They are principally found in Hemwick too. They have been equip of weapons to hurt beast better I supposed. A hardcore version of the collar of some shepherd dog 😅 The ones left almost in completely autonomy with a herd and half collars with spike to not get hurt by wolves.

Keeper's hunting dogs

Found in the chalice dungeons and are weird mutated fire dogs. They follow their master, the keepers. I suppose they were normal dogs before.

Watchdog of the Old Lords

Idk if that was a dog before. Could be a keeper who transformed or something for all we know. But well it's literally called a "watchdog" so-

The corpses of dead dogs in the chalice dungeons

(I know it looks great but please imagined it's a dog 💀 it's the only screenshot I found)

Sometimes you can see corpses in the chalice dungeons and sometimes there's dogs ones as well. They seem rather "normal". And not really the breeds we already see.

Old hunter hound /rabid dog (Hunter's Nightmare-Yharnam/ The Old Hunters dlc)

So those are probably Dobermann. Used as guard dogs and for protections. During old hunter's era, most beasts were beast patients / human size not huge scourge beasts. So this type of dogs was ideal. With the beast growing bigger having more scourge beasts around the poor dogs become too insufficient. And that's why Yharnam adopt bigger bred like the wolfhounds.

Dobermanns are born with long falling ears and a tail. The tails was cut so they don't got hurt into fight or hunting and the ears because they often got affections. Many countries have forbidden it because with modern standard of life it donees't have any real use now. Contrary to what people think "attack dogs" are not born agressive. It's just that if they aren't trained well and develop comportement issues and agression it's going to be a bit more of a problem than a chihuahua who would have the same issues.

Fish dogs (Hunter's nightmare-Fishing hamlet/ The Old hunters dlc)

Don't ask me please. there's no idea of knowing what they were before. But their fish's head apparently ressemble a viperfish's head, also called a chauliodus, deep sea fish from the Stomiidae family. Not putting pictures here for people who are sensible, I put a link above. Their body as slimed and long (30cm), they lived between 200 and 4000m of depth (3300-13000ft). Those types of fishes (their genus) were discovered in the very early XIX/19th century.

Now my headcanons on why most of wolfhounds in Yharnam have light fur and why the one in Yahar’gul have dark colored ones.

Objectively the most possible answer is simply that the dog’s population of this two area weren’t mixted together. When you have a small portions of individual who don’t mixt with more exterior individuals they tend to end up with similar traits because of dominant & rececive genes (and if it last a LONG time, that’s how new species appears. But it take thousands if not millions of years and generations).

Well my headcanons is much simpler than that and basically for fic purposes. I just thought it would make sense that Yahar’gul hunters kept the darker ones because they need to stay discreet (they themselves have black clothes) etc. And the other would have kept the lighter ones because they are easier to see and recognize at night.

At the beginning of the introduction of the wolfhound races in Yharnam it was probably mixed individuals of different fur coats. With a bit with time, selection and breeding they would end up with most of the dogs being light light colored for the hunters/citizens and church. And Yahar’gul doing the same would ended up with the darker ones.

And bonus headcanons:

I imagined a younger Paarl possibly taking care of the first generation of wolfhound in Yharnam (they were introduced to replace the dobermanns because beasts grew bigger). And i like imagining Gehrman to had help with training and had one of his own :3 a white one (yes I draw it I should do that again) (because you see, to have survived that long and have will to live after Maria passed away and the old hunters dying one by one i imagined it would have been nice for him to have a companion for a time).

[fractualized]

Alright, I wanna say more about Joker: The World other than flagging misprints (only one I saw, fyi), so here's a little round-up!

🃏 United States: "Epilogue is Prologue" Writer: Geoff Johns Art: Jason Fabok

Of course we kick off with a Three Jokers epilogue like oh my god why are you doing this to me stop trying to make three Jokers happen Johns what did we ever do to you

For a 6-page story, I could bitch a lot about it, but maybe in a separate post. Generally, it got an eyeroll from me because I am out of patience, but if you're into Three Jokers and/or really love Fabok's art, maybe it'll be one of your reasons to pick this book up.

Anyway, onto something new and engaging!

🃏 Spain: "Spring Break" Writer and Artist: David Rubín

Spain features Joker on a little vacation, with the narration being from a postcard he's writing to Batman. He talks about the corruption of this city, and how it makes him homesick, but not for the reason you'd first expect.

I liked this one! Put it in the plus column!

🃏 Germany: "No Jazz" Writer: Torsten Sträter Artist: Ingo Römling

This is my favorite art! Colorful lil Joker managing his big thugs and throwing them out windows. I had a hard time picking one panel. But besides that, it has a fun story that credits Joker for the conditions at Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal music festival, in 2023. The music is not to his taste. :(

Another plus!

🃏 Italy: "Strategy of Tension" Writer: Enrico Brizzi Artist: Paolo Bacilieri

This one is similar to the Spain story in that we have Joker on a vacation of sorts in Bologna, where he teaches a class on storytelling. His students protest against the government, and after one bloody day, Joker decides the authorities deserve "the fruits of their madness."

More on the philosophical end, had me pondering, another good one.

🃏 Brazil: "City of the Mad, Cemetery of the Living" Writer: Felipe Castilho Artist: Tainan Rocha

Arkham Asylum is franchising, and to prove they can handle the inmates, "Colônia Arkham" in Santana da Mantiqueira is accepting a transfer of the Joker. While there is sentiment against the facility, comparing it to the horrors of Hospital Colônia de Barbacena, there are also crowds outside the new facility to welcome Joker. Joker is basking in his fandom until his barber relates how the old Colônia manufactured madness instead of resolving it.

This is the third story with Joker contemplating horrors and corruption outside himself, and it's refreshing against all the stories where he personally is The Worst Thing Ever. Thumbs up.

🃏 Mexico: "The Wrestler" Writer: Alvaro Fong Varela Artist: Oscar Pinto

In Mexico, we're dropped in the middle of a festival, but the story revolves more around Joker's beef with a local wrestler, Ocelotl. Ocelotl was unable to complete a job for Joker, it seems, and Joker is offended that he sent his son to report the failure instead of appearing himself. And you know things end badly when you've irked Joker.

I'm kind of neutral on this one. I like the art, but the story is middling and drops in a "lesson" for Ocelotl at the end. The Batman stinger gave me a chuckle, though.

[7] Czech Republic: "Kafka, Beer, Semtex" Writer: Štěpán Kopřiva Artist: Michal Suchánek

This is a contender for my favorite story. Candidates for the Czech Joker (shown above) are interviewed by a panel overseen by the original, and each one explains their philosophy behind their crimes. Joker's choice in the end isn't particularly surprising, but the candidate's stories are fun and the art is dynamic.

Plus column!

🃏 Turkey: "Fool's Bootblack" Writer: Metin Akdülger Artist: Ethem Onur Bilgiç

In Istanbul we go back hundreds of years, when Ezekiel Arkham is among the Europeans visiting the city to take pieces of it back home. Like many westerners, he's been invited to a theater performance that night, and the Jester is encouraging his squad of shoe shiners to polish the shoes of all the patrons. The Mad Bat knows he's up to something and sweeps him away for interrogation.

Another neutral. I like the scheme, and I had to laugh when the Mad Bat's attempt to interrogate without a beating fails fast, but the story feels drawn out and the ending didn't really land for me.

🃏 South Korea: "Copycat" Writer: Inpyo Jeon Artist: Jaekwang Park

The Czech Republic tale introduced others taking on Joker's mantle, but this is the first story where other Jokers are fully center stage for a copycat spree in Busan. (And the original Joker does not make a showing.) Our protagonist is a cop who tries and tries to talk them down, but eventually the copycats become familiar with him, turning him into a target.

I'm on the fence about this one. The art is great, but it treats Jokerism like virus which… eh.

🃏 Argentina: "Funeral" Writer: Matías Timarchi Artist: Germán Peralta

In Buenos Aires, the story is also not about Joker. We follow a boy who grows up as part of his father's hooligan gang. He tries to take his father's position, but he's beaten down and not taken seriously— until he finds inspiration in stories of a homicidal clown in Gotham City.

On the fence about this one too. It's interesting how the protag's story isn't so different than the variations we've seen of Joker getting involved in crime early in life, before the vat, but it also leans into the issue of defining Joker more by outlandishness than by humor. You could see Joker himself remarking on that difference, but the story ends before that opportunity.

🃏 Cameroon: "Black Therapy" Writer: Dr. Ejob Gaius Artist: Bertrand Mbozo'o Zeh

In Cameroon, the protagonist already works as a clown, and he's frustrated by the lack of respect he receive in his community. But he's guided by a book, ominously titled Breaking the Chains of the Mind, into searching for the moment he can claim his salvation.

I had trouble connecting the dots on some details in this one. It's also another "spreading Jokerism" story that leaves me with more questions than the South Korea story. Joker is actually involved in this case, so it's part of a plan and not a virus, but… what is the plan? I don't think any of these stories are slotted for continuation, so it's just a case where it ends and you're like, well OK, I guess those answers are never coming.

🃏 Poland: "The Royal Jester" Writer: Tomasz Kołodziejczak Artist: Jacek Michalski

In Wawel Castle, Joker admires the painting of Stańczyk, from one of those memes you kids like. After the tour guide explains the painting's significance, Joker lingers behind to steal it, but he's foiled by Zawisza, a Black Knight with less patience for the clown than the Dark Knight.

It was nice to dig back into Joker himself as the book nears its close. His reasoning for why he finds the painting so attractive that he traveled to Poland is as lofty as you'd expect for him. There's more scene setting than necessary at the start, but by the end, I really liked this one.

🃏 Japan: "The Unfunny Joke" (Chapter 1 of Joker: One Operation Joker) Writer: Satoshi Miyagawa Artist: Keisuke Gotou

It's disappointing that this anthology closes with a reprint instead of a new story. And I've read all of One Operation Joker! I had a good time! But come oonnnnnn.

That said, look, you got Joker trying to care for Baby Batman. What better silliness and unexpected heartwarmth could you want?

🃏

Unevenness aside, I liked seeing these takes on Joker from writers across the world, whether they were about the character himself or the way his influence may reach far beyond Gotham City. (Except for the Three Jokers thing. Stop it. Stop it.) If you're a Joker fan, I say pick this book up.

And maybe I'll finally read the entirety of Batman: The World now! After I finish going through the Duke Thomas comics. And finally get back to Batman RIP. Ohhh and I still gotta start Knightfall! And

[cathalbravecog]

Hi! I'm kinda shy but I love your vintage finish on your work. Would you consider offering pointers for how to achieve that vibe?

oh, absolutely!! i love that sort of style and i think more people should be able to achieve it if they want!! shouldn't gatekeep art stuff ^^ i don't really do vintage style stuff a lot, and i take more comic book/print/retro inspo than anything. but, these go hand in hand!! please know i am still learning, too! this is just how i do it.

also, there's a lot of guides for this online and tools... that you have to purchase. i can assure you everything listed here is free! (including my pirated SAI2 copy!) some things have donations available towards the artists that made them, so you can do that if you want to support an artist :D

i'll go over basically everything i know, so this WILL get long! i also spent hours going over several days searching for resources, so i'll list everything so you don't have to ^^

(PART 1/2 BECAUSE OF IMAGE LIMITATIONS!!! PART 2 SHOULD BE WRITTEN SOON AFTER THIS ONE!! reblog THAT once it's done!)

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THE ART ITSELF / INSPIRATIONS:

for the ARTSTYLE and WHAT you draw: you can just draw whatever!! really, do your own thing! twist this style in your own way, it doesn't have to be a 100% accurate!! i literally used these same vintage look effects in a drawing drawn in my usual style of high roller. you can draw anything you want and you don't need to copy comicbook styles or all that!!

or - you CAN take inspo from vintage comic books / artwork or other printed comics! (for me tom and jerry comes to mind as something with a toony style, since it's what i read as a kid. also donald duck comics! no need to follow this but if you wanna be extra you can! ^^ looking at inspo is good.)

however you will need to look at examples aside from just the Artstyle, to achieve the actual Look!!

here's some examples pics i took of some comics i own laying around in a shelf. these are mixed ages, the asterix and ducktales comics being older and the tom and jerry comic being newer. i have some oldies since i got them passed down! czech text + asterix jumpscare, sorry.

to move on from the artstyle talk fully and more to the general style/look part - notice how the tom and jerry has brighter colors, less dirt, and an overall better quality!!

one thing i want you to note, in older prints there's obvious color misprinting and imperfections! you may chose to do this, or don't! depends what kind of era or printing you wanna reference. of course, also keep in mind the veeery limited CYMK colors they had Back In The Day. also note the dirt!!! how some parts are lighter and more chipped and how it isn't a full block of color!!

a lot of this does parrot posessedpasm's own guide, which i HIGHLY recommend! it's where i got a jump-start on things. there's other things listed on their post, which you should give a read! goes over history of some things that will let you have a better understanding of stuff.

speaking of inspo and on the topic of posessedpasm, before we move on - they're one of my biggest inspirations for this! their art is incredible and i think it's important to look at other artists' take on these styles. go out there and look at other artists who draw in a similar style achieving the same retro look!!! (no but genuinely i could look at posessedpasm's art forever... i love just looking at it and studying it!! i want what they have... but i'm not gonna gush now!)

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ACTUAL TECHNICALITIES / HOW THE FUCK DO I DO IT ???:

FIRST, LINEART!!: i choose a brush that's somewhat fluttery and resembles ink at least a little bit, instead of a basic round brush. here's the brush i used, for any sai2 users. i'll show my krita faves after!!

(note brush size, gets fuzzier the bigger it is)

and the krita alternatives! i don't do inking / lineart in krita in 99.9% of my art unless i'm experimenting. but there's some great brushes you can find online to use! here's links to the ones on screen

tomb of null

buck a. brush

ramonm inktober (he just presents it but since it's his post i named it that) (download link is on the video!)

that alone already gets the lineart look just a bit. but it's not all! krita is especially useful for this, as sai doesn't have this function. (but i find my way around it

here's a WIP screenshot i took while drawing that piece VS the final piece!

you may notice the lineart is "chipped" away in some spots. printing always wasn't perfect and created some imperfections, that may smudge and chip away as time goes on.

HERE'S A GUIDE FOR IMITATING THAT!!!!

what i do, is simply create a clipping layer on the lineart. (typically i do the lineart, then color, THEN do lineart effects, but this is just for show) (i also usually have a set, typically orange/yellow background color picked already, but i haven't done that here for Whatever Reason)

set it to "erase" layer mode... (and click the little "a" to actually clip it to the layer. you could also just make a quick clipping group that does it for you!)

and draw over the lineart! (preferably with a highly textured "dirty" brush!) the erase clipping layer will only erase the lineart, and nothing underneath it. you can change the opacity up and down to adjust the erasing... you can add more erase layers to play with the effect a little!

what i then do (sometimes), i ctrl+e the lineart group to one layer. i copy it. i ctrl+z to go back to keep the group if needed. i paste the copied lineart underneath it. i add a blur filter, shift it to be slightly off from the lineart by a few pixels, and set it to "burn". i may change the color to be a very dark orange-ish brownish color. gives an effect of the lineart bleeding a little!

COLORING!!:

color: okay so for this part i just kinda bullshit it and either pick whatever colors i want, or i color pick them from this image below then slightly alter if i need a different color. i do not have the patience to do my own cymk layer management digitally, just adding my effects can take OVER an hour and i have a way that looks nice Without It. i either fake my color misprints later or i just don't do it. still stuff to consider!

(taken from posessedpasm's guide! this is how i colored my sticky lou drawing. usually i will just pick my own colors and yellow them/dim them slightly.)

how do i do it: i color in sai using my usual brush or the one i showed previously. if i color on krita i use a different fuzzy kind of brush...

some colors i do on different layers and i move them slightly to make the misprinted effect. then i may erase small bits of it to make it look a bit better if i want.

if you really want the funky color mixing that may not be Extra Accurate anyway - draw using different colors on different layers. the layer overlapping with the bottom layer... set it to "multiply" and eyedrop the color where the two colors overlap. set the layer effect back to "normal". lock your opacity so you draw only on the Already Colored Parts and color the overlapping area using the eyedropped color! neato !

ONE THING TO NOTE!!! if something is white, you should leave it uncolored/transparent. unless you stylize it to be a different color entirely, if so... go ahead! but if it's WHITE white - just don't color it at all!!!

and now, to my Favorite part - the halftone overlay effect!!! here's where things can get fairly convincing already - plus, i use this effect / similar even in my normal art!

before ANYTHING!! at least, for krita - to achieve the best look i use the newspaper plugin!

newspaper plugin for krita

FIRST, i merge the color layer into one layer and then add it into a clipping group. i then copy the color layer and paste it OUTSIDE the clipping group.

then, select your PASTED color layer (named on the screenshot so u know what i mean) and go to tools>scripts>newspaper (once you install the plugin!)

i then play with the settings a bit. i typically don't touch everything - i just change the mode to Four color (CMY+K Pictures) or Four color (CMYK - Pictures) (this one usually looks better imo)

i also change the size to be smaller, usually around 4.00px.

click OK! it'll generate cymk halftone layers IN a clipping group! don't worry about the black, you can rid of it easily ;]

just close the group and move it to be inside of your color group below! clip the whole cmyk group over the color layer... and BOOM!

but that's not it! set the newspaper group's layer effect to luminosity (or whatever you find works best...!) adjust the opacity to around 50%-30% and BOOM!!

though, that's not all! do the same things we did to erase up the lineart earlier to the coloring, too. same steps! in the same clipping group! just make sure it's above the cmyk newspaper group.

you can then group both lineart groups and color groups into ANOTHER group that will contain them both. with that you can then make an erase layer over them both so they both get affected by it and make it look like both got chipped away, and not like they're separate entities. ^^

you can then use this for backgrounds... text... other things!

one important thing is also getting those papery, dirty effects... which i'll cover in a reblog! (image limit :,]) alongside that, i'll list all my resources for download there!!!

[post-leffert]

Anarchist Zines and Pamphlets Published in July 2023

Welcome to our mostly monthly round-up of new zines published in the anarchist space. We aim to highlight a broad range of anarchist thought. Inclusion here doesn't imply endorsement.

You can view past round-ups if you want more reading material. If you have something you want us to include next month, contact us. For a curated collection of zines, view our catalog.

Beyond what you can find here, we also recommend you support anarchist print media. Two recently released print projects include Plastic in Utero: a journal of anti-civ anarchy reborn from the compost of wasteland modernity #1 and Rupture Mag #1

The image accompanying this post is memorial mural in Lyon, France for Carlo Giuliani, a 23 year-old anarchist who was shot dead by police on July 20, 2001 during the anti-G8 protests in Genoa, Italy (source)

Against Capitalist Wars, Against Capitalist Peace

"In Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the UK, Italy, Syria, France etc… All over the world there is a voice against capitalist wars and also against capitalist peace. Only class war can end this terror and that is what we mean when we say No War but the Class War!

The new pamphlet contains 14 texts by various groups and individuals. The aim is to explain and affirm the meaning of antimilitarism, internationalism and revolutionary defeatism."

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Animal Bodies, Colonial Subjects: (Re)Locating Animality in Decolonial Thought

"Similar to the ways in which Indigenous peoples can undergo a violent process through which we rid our colonial mentalities, I argue that animals can be liberated from their colonized subjecthood through an aided 'process of desubjectification'. That is, thinking through animality as an infrastructure of decolonization re-positions animal bodies as agents of anti-colonial resurgence.They can consequently engender 'forms of energy that are capable of engaging the forces that keep [Indigenous people and animals] tied to [a] colonial mentality and reality'. Settler colonialism has therefore required the normalization of speciesism within Indigenous communities to obfuscate the radicality of Indigenous-animal relations. In that sense, recalling the representation of animals in Indigenous cosmologies/oral traditions and unsettling speciesism as a 'colonial mentality' must be prioritized in decolonial thought..."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Black Flag Vol. 3, No. 2

This issue features a lenghty essay titled "Anarchy in the USA: The International Working People's Association (IWPA)". The IWPA is famous for its association with the Haymarket anarchists. Alongside this, there are several writings published by members including Albert Parsons and Lizzie Swank. It also includes a selection of writings by Marie Goldsmith, Rudolf Rocker, and Max Baginski. Most of the material here covers the historical anarchist space, with the exception of a review of a more recent book.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Breaking Ranks: Subverting the Hierarchy and Manipulation Behind Earth Uprisings

This zine contains three critiques from anti-authoritarians in France critical of the Tiqqunists and their actions in post-ZAD struggles. These texts focus on manipulative and vanguardist practices, the spectacularization of the struggle, and the use of radicals as shock-troops. The goal of these texts, and our translation effort, is to increase familiarity with these deceptive practices and strategies, an essential first step towards sabotaging the influence and control of any similar attempts in our own neck of the woods.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Dissent From Within: The Hidden Story of the Anti-Whaling Members of the Makah Tribe

This zine was put together not only to honor the memory of Mahak whale protector Alberta Nora Thomspson, but also to commemorate the story of resistance surrounding the Makah anti-whaling warriors whose very existence has been (intentionally) hidden from the world. Their dissenting voices silenced by the powers of intimidation, patriarchy, and a capitalist pursuit disguised as "traditional hunting". For many outside of the situation, the narrative most widely accepted is one that reduces the situation to mere identity politics; White animal rights activists vs Indigenous people. Indigenous writer Linda Hogan and Seattle writer Brenda Peterson journeyed to Neah Bay to interview Makah elders who were breaking the silence about this narrative and speaking out against their tribe’s return to whaling.

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

How to Set Up a Burner Phone

This zine is a step-by-step guide to setting up a burner phone, from purchasing the phone to installing recommended apps -- all without a Google account! If you are interested in using a temporary phone to avoid surveillance or hinder a police investigation, this zine will give you some best practices to consider.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Kaimangatanga: Māori Perspectives on Veganism and Plant-based Kai

"To adopt a form of veganism -- a plant-based lifestyle and ethics -- that acknowledges, is based upon, and celebrates Te Ao Maori, is a break from the dominant and from the status quo and but also an act of decolonialism. It is a way to reclaim sovereignty and exercise individual choice.

And finally, it is a means by which collective power and community may be built; this is evident in the existence of online forums and comment threads on Maori-based vegan and plant- based social media accounts."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Living in an Earthquake: The Fight Against Cop City Confronts Unprecedented Repression

"In the following account and analysis, participants in the movement in Atlanta trace its trajectory from the fifth Week of Action that began on March 4, 2023 through the City Council vote of June 5.

At first, it appeared to be an ordinary forest defense campaign aimed at discouraging Atlanta city government from pouring money into an unpopular police training facility. But over the past two years, the fight against Cop City has escalated into one of the fiercest struggles of the Biden era, pitting a wide range of courageous people against a united front of politicians, prosecutors, and police.

In setting out to stop the militarization of police, activists have discovered that they are challenging the state on a point that all of its representatives consider non-negotiable. Police and prosecutors have pressed trumped-up domestic terrorism charges against almost every defendant arrested since last December; they have killed one forest defender; they have charged those engaged in legal support for the arrestees."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Of Diets and Morality: A Vegan Egoist Perspective

The title summarizes this well. It's a vegan egoist text that argues for seeing animals as having inherent value. A quote:

"Animals can offer me many things that other "humans" can not; new ways of communicating, of perceiving the world around me; the unique, aesthetic pleasure of their appearance, especially the details that one only notices with familiarity, and the mystery, intrigue and exciting unexpectedness of beings so morphologically and genetically different from myself! Just as a plate with greater variety is far more delicious, relationships with a greater diversity of beings is far more delectable for me and I will not limit myself to consuming only relations with Man!"

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Security Culture: Building Relationships of Trust and Care

These zine provides an accessible introduction to security culture and its place in social movements. Beyond the basics, it explores how security culture can be informed by kinship, an Indigenous value system based on responsibility, vulnerability, trust, and reciprocity. The zine also offers tips and examples on how to apply critical thinking, relationship building, communication, and feedback to security culture. It uses elephants as a motif (complete with illustrations) to reinforce the concepts presented.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

The People and the Library

"An oral history of the coalition that united Philadelphia to challenge the logic of austerity, protect public goods and save eleven branch libraries, as well as a series of reflections on the importance of the commons, the enduring legacy of movement victories and the ongoing struggles to protect and expand access to non-commercialized public space, accompanied by a series of freely reproducible cut paper graphics by Erik Ruin.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

The War in Front of Us: An anonymous, afro-pessimist militant’s challenge to the Stop Cop City movement

"There is a tension stewing right now, not simply between differing tactics but with the outright acceptance of the position we are currently in, that of a social war. The third day-long descent on the Atlanta City Council has again hammered home that legalistic attacks and appeals to the political machine are going to keep failing. Despite that being so overwhelmingly evident, the more progressive-inclined elements of the struggle continue to insist upon a peaceful endurance, one that refuses escalation and actual conflict for their safe, faux-rad- ical abolitionism. We have been locked in this social war since the rebellion and the terrain needs to be read as such."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Veganism and Mi'kmaw Legends

"This text proposes a postcolonial ecofeminist reading of Mi'kmaw legends as the basis for a vegan diet rooted in Indigenous culture. I refer primarily to veganism throughout this work because unlike vegetarianism, it is not only a diet but a lifestyle that, for ethical reasons, eschews the use of animal products. Constructing an Indigenous veganism faces two significant barriers--the first being the association of veganism with whiteness... ...A second barrier to Indigenous veganism is the portrayal of veganism as a product of class privilege."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Veganism as Anti-Colonial-Praxis: A Collection of Indigenous Vegan Perspectives

"Despite the absorption of veganism by the capitalist market – a process that admittingly reinforces pre-existing divisions across class and racial lines -- a vegan lifestyle taken to its logical conclusion is fundamentally anti-capitalist and anti-colonial. By (re)acknowledging sentience and personalities within the bodies of colonized (animal) subjects, a vegan lifestyle rejects authoritarian relationships based on disrespect for the bodily autonomy of those whose lives have been re-purposed for human supremacist consumption."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

[bogkeep]

the post i intended to write:

[flirting] hey wanna watch princess mononoke with me

what i intended to write in the tags but is long enough to become its own essay:

howls moving castle is a transgender comfort movie for sure and spirited away is absolutely a classic but princess mononoke is My ghibli movie. i saw it for the first time as a single digit age child when the czech dub played on TV and i was probably too young for it, but because Animated Movie = Kid's Movie i ended up absorbing the most violent animated movie i had ever seen and i think it permanently changed my brain chemistry and i regret nothing, i was so deeply enamored with the large forest and its godly beasts, i was entrenched in the narrative of the curse that slowly swallows you up, and of course san was the coolest character i had ever seen in my entire short life and i had several OCs inspired by her vibe and design and several others ended up with similar face markings, like who out there is immune to feral wolfgirl with Knives? not me that's for certain. none of my friends had seen this movie and over the years i was starting to feel like maybe it didn't exist? how could something that left such a huge impact on me not make a dent in the world around me? does nobody remember the giant wolves and the moss covered forest and all the wriggly curse worms?? BUT THEN i found the dvd in a norwegian cd shop and the norwegian dub was out of sync and it didn't have a norwegian subtitle track so i'd have to watch it with swedish subtitles, which i did many many times, and one time some czech guys were visiting while i was watching and went heeeey it's princess mononoke! good movie!! and i felt tethered to reality again. i keep coming back to this movie and every time i understand it a little more, because of course a small child such as myself wouldn't understand much of the plot beyond Angy Wolf Girl Go Grrrrrr, and the more i watch it the more i find myself relating to ashitaka even though he didn't make as much of an impression on me as Cool Wolf Princess did the first time, and the world is cursed but we find reasons to keep living, and i know the "i'll slit your throat" "you're beautiful" scene is Iconic but almost every screenshot or redraw or gifset leaves out how san drops the knife and recoils as if the vulnerability of the confession will burn her, and maybe it's just very easy to Get me with two outcasts who can't fit in fully anywhere anymore find eachother storyline but yeah anyway i rewatched this movie the other day and it's still really good

[b4rren]

easier to read text under the cut

A 911 call was made at 3:47 on Thursday morning, detailing an attack that happened outside of Jumbo Kitchen. Dafydd Oneal said they made the call from the across the street after witnessing the beginning of a violent assault.

“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” they told 9 News, two days after the attack. “Something must have snapped, or she just finally let go or something, and then just went absolutely berserk on the guy. It happened so fast and I can’t believe he’s alive, but thank God. He’s really lucky because I don’t think he was dealing with anything human at that point.”

The victim is in stable condition at the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, despite the severity of the injuries he sustained.

The suspect has not yet been identified outside of her PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) presentation.

“It’s unlike anything we would expect to see from a typical fight between two people on the street,” Sonia Koch, a lead physician in the emergency department of the local hospital said. “Because of the nature of the injuries a lot of our first thoughts were, Was this a mauling? How would a wild animal be this far into the city?"

Attacks of a similar nature have been reported across the globe, the first confirmed earlier this year on March 22nd in Al Mansura, Egypt.

In Naples, Italy on April 3rd, the first attack resulting in a fatality occurred. The Italian government responded by placing stringent regulations on PDS registered individuals, both domestic and non.

Countries like Portugal, Bosnia, Cambodia, and Czech Republic have adopted similar policies, with many neighboring countries expected to follow suit.

see LAW on page 5B

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the comics: Going Home.

Moon Knight, Issue #14: Stained Glass Scarlet

OH BOY OH BOY. 

Just…Take a minute to appreciate this art: 

Damn that’s beautiful! 

Okay everyone! 

Here's a bit of rogue history for you! Especially since Scarlet showed up in a recent run! 

Her story is a sad one. 

The story starts in an abandoned church. A story of forgotten worship, run down and empty pews, infested sanctuary, and empty promises of atonement. 

"But high above the corruption, just under the church's vaulted roof in what was once the attic, there is a place of melancholy comfort... If not sanctuary.

It is here that Scarlet-- Stained Glass Scarlet-- has lived for the past three years, quiet as languid smoke, unknown by the crumbling world outside." 

Damn fine narration as always, Moench. 

And damn fine art. 

She carries out a lonely routine. Playing on the silent ruined Organ, gazing at the vast empty space and far away stars, playing pre-recorded chess games, and at last looking through her old photo album. 

"And each piece of the past is like a shard of stained glass... But all of them, even glimpsed together never adding up to a window with a clear view." 

She looks at pictures of her first communion. Her wedding. Her baby. 

The album ends in a newspaper clipping "Joe 'Mad Dog' Fasinera escapes prison. Guard killed in break." 

Cut to a vastly different location. "A fortress of wealth and security...Sanctuary." 

We are at Grant Mansion. 

Here we see Steven and Marlene sharing a moment. 

Marelene remarks that they really are lucky. 

"[...] Referring to you, to the change you've accomplished. Going from a conscienceless mercenary to a man like Moon Knight is no light-"

"Yes... well, if it's the miraculous redemption of my spirit we're talking about-"

They sit together and look at a collected work of "Alphonse Mucha." 

You have to understand something about comics. When they show you a book with a title or author, it has a purpose. 

You are supposed to recognize the name or title and understand that it will have an impact on the story later. 

So... 

Alphonse Mucha. Who is that? 

He's a Czech painter/illustrator/graphic artist from the art Nouveau period. 

He did this: 

Yeah. THAT. You've seen his work. You'll also notice that the second cover image has a similar style.

He also did this stained glass art piece in the : 

He loved his country of Czechoslovakia and did many works celebrating the slavic people and the independence of his country... in 1920s-1930. 

Yeah... You see where this is going if you know your history. 

When Hitler invaded and took over Czechoslovakia, Mucha was captured as a nationalist and severely interrogated for many days. When he was released, he was in poor health. He contracted pneumonia and died a month before the outbreak of WWII. 

Check out his art, it's beautiful. 

You should also keep in mind that The Spectors are also from Czechoslovakia. 

"The clerk in Rizzoli's said he's seen the originals of these--ten feet tall, almost like stained glass windows--hanging in belgium." 

So Steven bought this book. 

Why? Sure, he's about being rich and living the high light. In earlier issues (particularly the one with Mogart) he had shown an interest in art. 

But why this one? 

Marlene goes to the piano and starts to play "In My Life" by the Beatles. 

Wait, when did this comic come out? 

December 1981. 

Ahhhh. The one year anniversary of the death of John Lennon. 

Sometimes comics cover world events and note how they affect others. 

We see them cry and hug. 

"The dream is over. John Lennon is dead. [....] Guns. And guilt." 

We cut to Scarlet, listening to the news on the radio. 

It talks about gunfire in the Bronx attributed to the 'Mad Dog' Fasinera, the escaped convict. 

The radio goes on about Mad Dog going on a murder spree. 

Scarlet sheds some tears. 

Back at the mansion, Steven also hears about the shootings. He runs to get ready as Moon Knight. 

We cut to Mad Dog in a shoot out. He talks about revenge for his father and getting his father's money. He's going ot 'cut the old neighborhood to ribbons'. 

We see Moon Knight on the roof getting into the chopper. 

"Don't worry about it, Lady- Grant'll be back." 

"Who will be back, Steven?" 

"Okay, Already. I'LL be back." 

Again, we see the push by Marlene to have them all be Steven and the push back and frustration. 

Marlene still at this point thinks they are pretending to be someone else and she wants them all to just be Steven. 

Scarlet also cloaks up in her signature red outfit and heads out into the night. 

Moon Knight fights the Mad Dog and his gang shooting up a store. He busts in and breaks it up, taking down a few while the others get away. 

He follows them to an abandoned grocery store and sees Scarlet standing outside. 

She goes inside and finds the rest of Mad Dog's gang, but no Mad Dog. She demands to know where Joe 'Mad Dog' is. 

She tells them that when they see Joe to tell him 'What he's looking for is in the church." She then leaves. 

Moon Knight follows her back to the church and confronts her. 

She tells him her story. 

Joe is her son!

"I was young, Moon Knight, in love with the idea of being in love..." 

She talks about how Joe was the result and consequence of her love. Now, she means to 'salvage' the consequences and save Joe. 

When she was much younger, she wanted to be an actress or a nun. She chose the role of being a nun. 

Once she was a nun, she realized that she was only acting and regretted her choice. 

She realized this when she met a man named "Vince". Vine had just stolen a lot of money and run to the church out of guilt. 

She helped him and 6 months later she married him and left the church. 

"Instead, I devoted myself to my husband, hoping I could help him change, hoping I could use my own failure to redeem him... The baby came and I named him Joseph... But Vince never came to the hospital once. I had to take a cab home." 

After 15 years, she realized that this too was just a 'role'. Vince robbed a bank and killed the guard. He stashed the money and got in a shoot out with the police, who killed him in front of the church. 

When Joe heard his father was killed, he 'declared war on law and order." 

By 19 he had killed someone and left home. He went to jail for life. 

When her son went to jail, she moved to the church. "Jut to play another role, the fallen woman turned mad hemit." 

Moon Knight asks her why the church. 

"Just before the police caught up to him, Vince told a friend that he was going to hide the bank money in a special place where he 'pulled an angel straight down from heaven'." 

She moved to the church knowing that her son would eventually come looking for the money. 

Joe makes a draatic entrance and demands to know where the money is. 

She begs him to stop. To give up and turn himself in. 

Moon Knight gets shot in a scuffel and Scarlet shoots Joe. 

Joe staggers and accidentally grabs the church bell rope. As he falls, all the hidden money falls down with him. 

Scarlet stands over her dead son. 

"Thomas Wolfe's Maudlin line is true, Moon Knight... You never can go home again. Once you've turned your back on it... It's gone. Forever." 

(A very hard and true statement. I wonder if it hit home for Marc too. A man that ran from home and turned his back on everything. Had he ever tried to go home? Or was he still running?) 

Scarlet disappears into the night. Moon Knight stands over the discarded gun. “Guns…” Lamenting on how easily they take and destroy. Much like the death of John Lennon. An idea that is killed. 

Moon Knight returns back to the mansion, wounded but alive. 

"Some succeed in their chosen mission. Others fail, no matter how hard they try." 

That is the end of the issue, but not the last time we will see Stained Glass Scarlet. 

I’ll cover each of her appearances, but this is a Moon Knight Villain that I always did enjoy. 

So what about the artist? Alphonse Mucha is best known for his Art Nouveau period, but it wasn’t what he wanted to be known for. 

For him, he loved his home. He loved his little country that had fought and struggled to become whole. One of his final pieces was about his own people. “History of the Slav”. It depicted his people’s struggles to survive and build their country. 

It was put in a museum for a bit then rolled up and put into storage. 

Now and then it is pulled out and shown in Prague, but not for long or often. His country was then invaded and torn apart over and over again. He died as it was on the brink. 

Again, we have to remember that the Spectors are from Czech. While Mucha was devoutly Catholic and did a lot of work that went to the churches, he wasn’t openly recognized for a lot of it. He was most famous for the work he did in Paris. 

Scarlet tried to find herself and found herself in role after role, pretending to be happy and not finding herself. Her legacy becomes her failure to save her husband and then her son, born from her misguided attempt to find her purpose. She then kills that legacy. 

It’s odd in this comic how Moon Knight really doesn’t have much of a role in it. We focus on Mucha, John Lennon, and Scarlet. 

The bits we do see of Moon Knight are him looking into an artist from Czech who left a legacy he didn’t want. Him lamenting over the senseless killing of a man that meant so much to a lot of people. And him hearing the story of a woman trapped in finding her meaning and her past. 

It’s one of those issues that leaves you feeling like you are taking a peak behind a curtain but can’t quite see the full picture. It also leaves you wondering. 

And later, much later, in recent issues, when we see the remains of Scarlet, there is a sadness there. A bit of the past that Moon Knight could never let go of. And we’ll see more of that later when she shows up again. 

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Hi! I'm trying to research slavic mythology, especially the afterlife, and I've come across a place called Prav but i haven't found much information on it as a whole, i was wondering if you had any information on it

Hello!

To the best of my knowledge the idea that the cosmos separates into Prav, Yav and Nav comes from The Book of Veles, a famous forgery pretending to describe pre-Christian Slavic history and religious customs.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Prav (or Yav) discussed more broadly outside of that context. However the word Nav/Navia does have real cultural background as a term used to describe spirits of the dead.

Linguistic evidence implies that the early medieval Slavs may have shared a belief in some form of spirit or soul. In discussing these notions, various scholars point towards the word nav/nawie. This term is sometimes seen as being of pre-Slavic origin, and it is derived from Pre-Indo-European cultural heritage and refers to ‘death’ or ‘corpse’. It holds similar meaning in some of the contemporary Slavic languages, although in various (but not all) languages of the Slavs one may observe a shift in its meaning, whereby it refers to the sphere of demonology. For example, in eastern Polish dialects there are various names for rusałki, forest or water demons: mawki, mauki, nawki, miawki, mauki, mavky, niavky, majki. Another term for the spirits of the ancestors, which is also attributed an ancient origin, is lalka (lelka, łątka). It is noteworthy that after death the human soul went to the land of the dead, whose name is reconstructed as Nawia or Lala. (…) We know very little about the Slavic land of the dead. I have already mentioned that the words nav/nawie, known from textual accounts, referred to dead people or their ghosts and occasionally (in later times) malevolent spirits. The late medieval textual accounts from the Czech area confirm that Navia was the name of the land of the dead among the Western Slavs. ‘To go to Navia’ meant to die and ‘to prepare someone for Nav’, meant to kill

- Slavic Journeys to the Otherworld. Remarks on the Eschatology of Early Medieval Pomeranians by Kamil Kajkowski

A mention of navias can even be found in the Tale of Bygone years, where they serve as a personification of the plague that fell on the town of Polotsk in 1092.

Something very strange occurred in Polotsk, a hallucination: there was a noise during the night: demons were running through the street like people. If anyone came out of their house to look, they were immediately and invisibly wounded by the demons, and died of it, and they did not dare leave their houses. Then they began to appear during the day on horseback, and they themselves could not be seen, but only their horses’ hooves were visible. And this is how they wounded the people of Polotsk and of the region. And this is why the people said: “Navias (навие) are slaying the people of Polotsk”.

- Tale of Bygone Years as found in Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion, red. Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa

Andrzej Szyjewski in Religia Słowian explores some more cases of navias appearing as malevolent spirits in Slavic folklore, citing bulgarian „twelve nawi”, evil spirits that suck the blood of lying-in women and bring diseases as well as broader Southern Slavic belief in navije/navje, bird-shaped spirits harassing women during pregnancy and in childbirth.

Overall, as you probably can guess I highly recommend reading „Slavic Journeys to the Otherworld. Remarks on the Eschatology of Early Medieval Pomeranians” and then continuing your search from there.