#'You are not a philosopher you are a shit'

[entropyvoid]

Honestly with all the overlap between sci-fi and fantasy fans, I’m really surprised that “high fantasy in space” isn’t more of a thing.

There are some things generally assumed by most to be sci-fi that I’d personally label space fantasy, like Star Wars, where the high tech is just there as a backdrop to a classic heroic story of good guys vs. bad guys, who are definitely doing magic (by using the force). The point of Star Wars isn’t the tech or anything, it just happens to be a tale told in space. It contrasts pretty starkly with something like Star Trek, where the vast majority of episodes revolve around exploring whatever scientific or philosophical concept the writers thought would be kinda neat that week, using established characters as a vehicle for said exploration.

I think one of my favorite things about Honkai Star Rail is that it freely and unabashedly mixes sci-fi and fantasy. It just goes “You are a walking neutron bomb. Also turns out your bestie is from a self-reincarnating race of dragon people with powerful water and illusion magic. They live on this big, planet-sized ship that’s dedicated to hunting down this one cosmic horror that cursed all the ship’s inhabitants with immortality, under the banner of this other cosmic horror that exists solely to kill the first cosmic horror. Let’s go on vacation to the theme park planet, the actual resort is technically an Alice-in-Wonderland style dream triggered by the same kinda cosmic-horror-gifted bomb as you. Your new friend is a meme. By the way, did we tell you about the one time this super-genius harnessed the power of *imagination* to build a death ray that instantly obliterated a bunch of planets? That was kinda fucked up, huh.” Sometimes Star Rail tries to give explanations for its tech in a way that seems believably sciencey. Sometimes shit’s just straight up called magic or it’s from some deity or another and none of the characters present have a good understanding of why, so you all just go about your bullshit. It makes it work within the context of its established universe.

Cosmic horror in general is often (but not always) found in sci-fi, but where the point of sci-fi is to expand on and detail a concept in a believably scientific way or explore the impacts of a scientific thing, the point of cosmic horror is that there is a Thing that is beyond human understanding or comprehension. Sci-fi is a fun thing to insert it into, because the more scientifically sensible and well-understood elements of the world you have, the more jarring that becomes.

Then you’ve got things like Dungeon Meshi, which exists in an inverse of something like Star Rail: it takes a very Tolkien-inspired Dungeons and Dragons-esque setting, and then details it in a very scientifically sensible way. There is magic, and there are these fantastical monsters, yes, but the monsters are parts of their own delicate and intricate ecosystems, they are edible, and they have very particular nutritional values and ways you can cook them! The protag’s biggest strength lies in him being a nerd about monster biology. Magic, too, by the end of it, ends up with a plausible enough explanation as well. And the explanation is a cosmic horror! In this way, Dungeon Meshi, despite being built entirely off of very easily recognizable and classic fantasy tropes, is probably more accurately classed as sci-fi.

I just love all of it. Can I get like 50 more of these fucked up lil mixtures of science and magic please?

[yvehattan]

Mitya Karamazov did not murder his father, he actually murdered Rakitin when he told him: ‘All real Russian people are philosophers, but you, though you’ve done some studying, are not a philosopher, you are a shit.’

[hanakihan]

an anecdote about a philosopher who asked a conqueror to move away and stop blocking sunlight

listen I spend too much effort on this shit which is basically a scene from a fanfic that I just wrote in my head I sure am doing things in wrong order ain’t I

ANYWAY for those unaware it’s based on Ancient Greece anecdote about Alexander the Great meeting with Diogenes and later completely disrespecting the great conqueror himself without actually offending him

Diogenes’ philosophy honestly gives me such strong Ratio vibes (or more like other way around) AND I encourage people to create more AUs involving Ratio and Ancient Greece stuff

[the-anime-man]

Hey just a trigger warning for the latest episode of game changer that there's existential horror, analog horror, unreality and multiple auditory and visual glitches for those it affects, especially towards the latter half of the episode

[mayasaura]

When it comes to John, I have zero interest in condemning him. First of all, it's boring. You mean destroying the world and lying to your friends about it is bad? Shocking. Groundbreaking character work.

Second of all, I'm just not all that comfortable with condemnation in general, not when it comes to whole-ass people. Actions, for sure. I am ready to wholeheartedly condemn pretty much every decision this man has ever made, but I'm only comfortable doing that with a side of compassion for the man himself. Tamsyn said once in an interview that some of the discussion she's seen about Harrow is unintentionally very cruel to people with mental illnesses, and I feel similarly seeing a lot of the discussion around John. If I'm going to try to figure out where he's coming from, why he did the things he did, and what he thought he was accomplishing by doing them, I'm not at all interested in coming at those questions with contempt or disgust.

To me, the main question when it comes to John is: What do you do when you feel that you're unforgivable? That you've fucked up so completely no one will ever love you again, unless you lie and trick them into it? How do you deal with shame? And while part of the answer is definitely "Holy shit, not like that," what I'm most interested in is: what should he have done instead? At what points in his narrative could he have changed his course? And at what point, if ever, did he become right about it being impossible for him to dial it back and turn around?

[july-19th-club]

the knights who are nemeses and in love in nimona are played by WHO

[filibusterfrog]

i’m curious, what do you dread drawing? like fabric folds, hands, etc.

love anything organic because you can just fudge it, dont really Dread anything but im really bad at large quantities of buildings in one pic, can never get the perspective straight

[anto-pops]

I've been thinking for a long time about what Mc's and Seb's boggarts could be.

I think or my Mc's boggart is herself. Only evil and power-obsessed. With her old magic she inflicts pain on others and enjoys it. Boggart-MC taunts MC that she is weak and not enough, that she is to blame for Fig's death (and that she couldn't save Sebastian in time fom getting lost in the dark arts.)

Seb's boggart might be Anne, MC (and Ominis), writhing on the floor and screaming in pain while he can't do anything.

Oh and Omini's boggart is probably how he hurts others like he was forced to do as a kid :(

What do you think about it? That would really interest me. I wouldn't mind if you wrote a fic about it either. (but you don't have to.)

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TAKE, I LOVE IT ! I halfway brainstormed something a little similar a while back and never wound up writing anything for it, but you might have convinced me to with this

I had a similar thought in regards to my MC since she ended up taking the power from the Repository. I like to imagine it corrupts her to some degree and the new version of herself scares the hell out of her. Mix that together with literally everything you've included and yeah, I agree MC would be seeing herself as her boggart, much to her horror.

Sebastian and Ominis' boggarts make perfect sense as well; Sebastian only ever wanted to protect the people he loves, so to be forced to sit back and watch them in agony is his own personal hell. I also read a super interesting and frankly kinda dark take on Soloman potentially being Sebastian's boggart. There was a lot of animosity between them leading up to his death, so I wonder what their home life was like or if Soloman was ever a particularly nice guardian to him at any point (I'm watering down my thoughts heavily with this)

Then I feel like there's a lot to think about in regards to Ominis. Like how would he experience his boggart when it came down to it? Would everyone else see a small, 8 or 9 year old version of Ominis casting the Cruciatus curse ? Would Ominis hear the screams of the Muggle he'd been forced to torture ringing in his ears ? Or maybe it wouldn't even be him- maybe it would be his father commanding him to use the curse, or the animated corpse of his Aunt Noctua whispering that he failed her and let her die alone.

So so many possibilities, I love the unbridled angst it brings with it. I think I'll explore this prompt a little more, you got the gears in my brain turning now. I need a cork board to connect all these ideas brewing jfc

[havenotwillnotreadthebooks]

Feanor & Finarfin both seek freedom but in different ways, though.

Feanor and Fingolfon are similar in determination and execution, but Finarfin is not the odd one out he seems to be at first glance.

Like, I have this quote from a fic that goes “”That, Tommy, is freedom to. Freedom to do what you want, set whatever goals you set, whatever,” Dream answers. “But there is also freedom from. Freedom from despair, or pain, or fear. Freedom from the wrongs people who misinterpret what freedom to really is can visit upon you.” (Airrec (Raichett), Definition of Freedom, Archive of Our Own, March 3, 2022,). That first definition, Freedom To, is similar to Feanor’s ideal of rigid individualism and lack of consideration towards others' choices (Finwë & his remarriage, Fingolfin & his loyalty, Maedhros & the Ships Burning).

Meanwhile, Finarfin seems to actively be seeking Freedom From, he wants freedom from his brother’s conflicts, freedom from his birth station’s responsibilities, and freedom from his family’s drama. Like Lalwen & Findis the notoriously absent Finwean siblings, he is painted either as a ghost in his family amongst the giants of his brothers, or he is characterized as the mediator stuck between them.

In addition to that, neither Finarfin nor Feanor achieves the freedom they are seeking. Feanor dies trying to grasp that freedom to do and have what he wants (having the Freedom To do something without the Valar’s approval, doing his father justice by getting revenge). While Finarfin is stuck for Ages being the king and having to mediate conflicts and diplomatically clean up after Feanor & Fingolfin’s actions (Flight of The Noldor, Aqualondë,).

As far as we know, canonically Finarfin was stuck as King of The Valinor Noldar until the Second Singing, which is a terrible fate for someone thats been stuck in a conflicted family situation since birth. All these years later, he is still catering to his family and what they built, what they left behind, and what they’re doing on the other side of that damn ocean.

Feanor is still in Mandos, unable to achieve his Freedom To because almost everyone else wants Freedom From him.

Feanor and Fingolfin are different but strikingly similar. Whilst Feanor and Finarfin are direct opposites on the same scale.

[dieanywhereelseart]

I’ve been drawing with dip pens lately so I did a nib study using my ghost trick redesigns.

for anyone that’s interested here’s some notes on the nibs under the cut.

Leonardt 33 - Easily the one of the most flexible pen nibs I have. Technically this is designed for calligraphy, specifically spencerian, so the sideways movement isn’t great and there’s little control when doing hatching. Really dramatic swoops with high pressure that aren’t entirely appropriate for character portraits but I kinda dig what it did to Sissel’s hair. Will probably use it for special effects like fire and smoke and stuff.

Leondardt 33 - This one is actually intended for drawing so naturally it has a fairly consistent line weight with a low flex. The hatching marks are kinda scratchy but not in a bad way. Would probably work really well for continuous contour and styles of lineart that are more sketchy, loose, and dynamic than my normal character art style. Would prob use for larger pieces or figures closer to the camera cause the line weight is generally a bit too thick for the usual size I work with.

Tachikawa G - This is a nib made for drawing manga specifically and it’s really easy to use for drawing. Some of the calligraphy nibs really take some thought and careful motor control to look good but this one was forgiving. I see myself using this a lot for really casual art. It was kinda hard to do hatching or filling with this one tho, which was kinda surprising. Very gentle line variance, makes really clear shapes. You can see in the other characters than too high flexibility can make it hard for the brain to turn lines into form so this really mellows it out. Prob best to use this nib to block out the lineart then hatch/fill/detail with others.

Hunt 102 - this is a speedball job made for mapping and oh my god do I love this nib. It’s just so 👌👌👌 on the details??? the line variance perfectly matches the brushes I use on photoshop and it’s just. mwah. it holds onto literally so much ink despite being so tiny. interestingly hatching is unstable but two or three lines together seem to be just fine. Kinda sad that jowd’s hair is a little hard to focus on cause of the variance but with a little practice I can prob find ways around that cause I already know I’m gonna love using this nib for heads and faces. Filling is a bit patchy but otherwise I think this is gonna be my go-to detail nib. (also no jowd isn’t in overalls that’s supposed to be an art apron but with only like the top portion showing it’s hard to tell.)

Hunt 108 - ok this is Supposed to be a drawing nib as well as a calligraphy nib and it does mimic brush strokes but I’m pretty heavy handed so it’s hard Not to make those super thick lines. Not bad with details and has enough control to make thickening up the outline super easy, but really easy to mess up. This nib did Cabanela dirty by flexing a bit too much when I was doing his mouth so I had to correct it with a white pen. Spreads the ink too thin in areas for solid filling. I can see this working really well with mixed media, like with watercolor, and once I get some more colored ink I’ll use it for coloring.

Hunt 100 - idiot stupid rat bastard of a pen nib. ok the art looks fine right? can’t be that bad, right? it took me so long to make that because the ink just. wouldn’t come out. so this nib is another mapping nib and it’s super delicate so it breaks really easily. I broke my first one bc I’m heavy handed, so I ordered another like ‘ok I’ll be more careful with this one’. it broke again. I don’t even know how. Ideally I’d use it for small spaces or reeeally fine details but I can’t even get it to work long enough to try. speedball can meet me in the pits.

Hunt 512 - A calligraphy nib that’s actually really easygoing to draw with. There’s not much line variance, so the hairlines have a lot of control. Makes for really good hatching. Also does really great long, thin lines. Sideways movement is kinda meh but it does the job. Definitely the cleanest looking of all them, tho the lack of variance makes it a bit boring to look at. Gonna use this one for shading and textures or for drawing on really rough paper.

Hunt 99 - like the first nib this one is really dramatic, and it’s supposed to be a calligraphy nib, but it has a lot more weight control than the hunt 108. Also the fine lines are easier to control. A lot of ink comes out so it might not be great on paper with risk of bleeding, and it takes a while to dry compared to others, but it would be good for filling since it can cover a large opaque space while having good control over the shape and points. Could also use for different warping/texture techniques.

Other notes:

I used smooth illustration Bristol for the paper, since ink looks more vibrant and swooshy on it and also some of these nibs can Only be used on smooth paper.

Also used terracotta India ink, which is kinda on the thick end but still looks good. matches with the colored lineart in Ghost Trick lol

got all of my pen nibs from Paper & Ink Arts cause u can order a nib for like less than a dollar fifty each. You can also get paper, nib holders, and ink for a good price too.

if u wanna start with dip pens PLEASE prepare your nibs before drawing. stick them in a potato for like 10 minutes. please trust me on this you will have a bad time otherwise.

ok thanks for reading through my Very Indulgent experiment.

[dazais-guardian-angel]

I just wanna say that. there’s something incredibly morbid and gross about the fact that bones took away literally the only thing Sigma had to his name before the casino: his past. And not only his past itself, but his right to narrate his own past. Instead, the TWO lines they do keep about it (about him naming himself Sigma, and finally finding his one place to call home, the casino).... are given to Fyodor to say. Fyodor, his most recent manipulator in a long, long line of manipulators.

And not even just his past, but by extension so many of his strong, strong emotions about himself and what he’s been through and how they’ve made him into the person he is now: his fear, his sorrow, his desperation, his determination, his righteous indignation. His pain. The majority of that is all gone from the anime.

Sigma barely has a story of his own; his past, his suffering, and his emotions are the only things he has claim to, that make him who he is. And bones took even those away from him. Flattening him into an empty piece of paper, ironically, just like he was born from and as.

[localgardenweed]

Im like staring at the ceiling at 12:30 AM wanting some more hetalia friends cause like im lonely and bored and i need to rant about hetalia cause i never get to anymore these days and its no fun when im just talking to myself i already did alot of that in my youth and now i need someone on the other side and just JXNNDNXNC I DONT KNOW ANYMORE IM LIKE HICCUPING AND CRYING INSIDE MY HEART RN I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE I WANNA APPROACH AND BE FRIENDS WITH BUT IM TOO MUCH OF A PUSSY TO SAY ANYTHING AND EVEN THE PEOPLE IM JUTALS WITH NOW SORRY I NEVER TALK TO YALL IM SCARED AND I FREEZE UP WHEN WE DO TALK CAUSE IM LIKE “i need to be normal first before i can be weird” like im luring you in. At this point i nee to start becoming a alcoholic and hope i drunkenly text someone to be my friend and listen to me talk about my aus and exchange art of our favorites

[talokanda-forever]

INCOMING!!

Tenoch Nation, looks like we've got more content coming our way. He looks like he's being all serious and deep, which ups his sexiness level. 🥵 Dear, Lord, let the whole interview be posted to YouTube right away. 🙏🏽

[numetalpuppygirl]

i love that people on my dash are just reblogging straight up unaltered calvin and hobbes strips now. deserved.

[expecto-kedavra]

As the sun rises and falls in the heavens, so too rises the opportunity to make choices. Make new choices. Perhaps a denied request, perchance. I hold no rage, no wrath towards you for your denial. Yet now, I must ask once more.

Write a fic about Sebastian getting railed by a hippogriff

God dammit

[daincrediblegg]

You know the older I get, the less star power means to me. Give me shows where the leads aren’t played by a true A-lister, who actually cares about the part they’re playing and why they’re playing it and the nuances they want to convey with that over some hollywood darling any day and THEN I’ll pay attention