#AND ALSO DEATH AND SHADOW... <- i really do think theres a parallel here

[extravalgant]

(leans in your askbox like someone leaning around the corner)

Excuse me but did I hear correctly that uhm... .. . . you wrote something about Duncan? Duncan GruncanWuncan? And that you might post that? (holds out both of my palms like a starving child) Could you perhaps.. . . .. maybe spare me a glance? Just a silly willy little peak? Bit of aaaaaa preview?

(nah I'm just playing you don't got to if you don't want to LMAAAOOOOO but if you ever do post that thing about Duncan I would LOVE to consume that 👀 because I love Duncan and I love other people's writing a normal healthy amount)

ITS ALRIGHT BAHAHA I WAS GOING TO POST IT EVENTUALLY!!! nothing too long or big since it was just a couple musings i did about the necromancers in game when i was on my break at work >_^

i have written about him here and a bit here if u do wanna see more heehee hoohoo

since its so short i can share it right here and right now but some parts of the responses (particularly morganthes) might be wrong or i misremembered something just on the basis that i was too lazy to go back and double check LOL

necromancers always have something to prove

malistaire drake, who sets out to prove that the dead can return — that love would conquer all, that he could make deities older than him, older than the current spiral, bend to his whims and wishes. 

morganthe, who sets out to prove that she can master astral magic, that if she can't, then she'll force it to. to prove to merle ambrose that she's still the capable young wizard that was proud of her, once upon a time. that she didn't deserve to be casted out by her peers and stripped of the magic she loved so dearly. that she could spin a better spiral, weave a better world. 

duncan grimwater, who sets out to prove that he is useful. that it's not just the wizard (now savior of the spiral, now arcanum scholar, now arcanum liaison) who has the potential to take their magic to new, greater heights. that he is loyal, that everyone deserves second chances – that he wants someone, anyone, to look at him and see the potential for something more brimming underneath. that he is worth all the effort.

malorn ashthorn, who sets out to prove that if there is no one else to turn to, then he is there. to prove that his stay at the end of the path, where the old death school used to be, was purposeful. to guide and shepherd new and fresh novices, to become the gentle hand that nurtures the knowledge of death and the way it is taught. to stay as a constant, in everyone’s life.

and you... what were you trying to prove? it seems that everywhere you turned, someone was always doubting your intentions. shadow and necromancy were two sides of the same coin, parallels in the way they demonstrated their magic. shadow took and took and took, and all necromancy wants is for you to feel safe, to feel secure. even if it means taking it from something else.

[basslinegrave]

living up to my blog name or something. william rant. long.

in my personal william lore i think he was initially huge and tall and fat and strong in the way that a big man is, not necessarily muscle but enough to take down a person (and especially a small kid) however as time went on he started getting weaker and weaker, both with age and mental health, and this resulted in him relying on machines more (see sister location animatronics) to do the job for him but during all of this he also finds comfort and strenght in his bonnie suit, becoming springtrap is as much a prison as it is freedom, as the suit controls him just as he controls the suit but it definitely is an added strenght, and he fears death more than ever so even if he becomes the weakest, he remains, and he does still, even after death, idc im grasping at straws here, he is too, and he will be around until he is nothing. pizzasim ending was of course really good, (aside from the fact that henry showed up out of nowhere, only making sense if he was locked up until now, but people take him as a hero when he absolutely is not. he isnt a good man, he is morally grey at best imo) but with parts of william obviously lingering in later games, this doesnt have to be his last ending (as it wasnt his first) and seeing the books where he becomes agony, his body literally exploding but allowing the story to continue by his ghost coming back and im holding onto that. fazfrights arent to be taken as canon, but sb ruin changed that for me.. but before that - glitchtrap isnt fully him but a piece or memory of him, how the process was so long and he wasnt truly human for many years even before becoming springtrap, to me he was both a monster in a metaphorical sense but also, if he was injecting remnant to himself, wouldnt it slowly replace him? and finally, i saw someone mention a theory that he did die during the past springlocking accident/s but literally kept posessing his remnant powered constantly regenerating body which is metal af, a bit too out there but, he literally becomes an animatronic and is able to live after being taken out of the suit so how out there is it really. posessing your own corpse of a body is like the coolest thing ever, and even cooler is reshaping it to take the form of a humanoid rabbit.. i think his corpse, him as agony is an existence based on feeling rather than rational thinking, but it keeps bringing me to the entity in ruin. was the beta design scrapped for being too similar to william? or was it actually meant to be him? i choose the second option for obvious reasons, and here i think that that form is more animalistic and evil looking where the new one looks like a much calmer one that is capable of having rational thoughts... so if it means anything, if theres a ghost of william within, he is probably being held in it like a prison again, but is more conscious now that his consciousness left a mortal body (but a fucked up remnant filled posessed one), left the mimic ai, basically its in a standalone program now but i dont think the entity is just a program its more of a vessel? at least the mxes computer is? i want to see more and where this goes. probably steelwool scrapping it again if theres a new dlc, just going to be mxes-less... im also still curious if theres a connection to shadow bonnie... a black or purple glitchy rabbit? seems like a clear connection idk. the code to get into the stage 1 minigame is the number on the faz wrench too... and you get to the minigame thru shadow bonnie in the glitched version.. theres so many parallels also with cassie using the vanni mask to "glitch" through places and such

aside from that, heres an oldie i stumbled upon today through a meme, and yes this is just fun and reaching but... his wording with glitchtrap and then mentioning william as an entity is something that caught me off guard. like holy shit yeah, without even mentioning mimic (since this is old) and with using a completely unrelated story! he puts it into words perfectly

and finally, i wonder how much we will go into fredbears lore one day and how much of william there can be... trying to not have any expectations and high hopes because i do like this open to interpretation approach, where i can take from games and tiny bits i like from books, but i also feel like a full on showcase of fredbears would heal me. it would feed me for 3 months. but just a mere mention will make me happy (thats more than just posters or cutouts that is)

[seoafin]

jjk & tower of god chapter on the same day,,, i spent all of my brainjuice talking abt tog w some friends + working on my wip so this one might be incoherent LMAO but nsjdhfjd this my 2 cents for the chp (1) - 🐱

first of all, the zenins shld just eat shit 🥰 the bar is just nonexistant now 😭😭😭

also maki’s mother said sth that hits way too close to home for me too🥴

the maki & mai, megumi & tsumiki "make a place where they are happy” parallels...mai,, maki wanted a place where u'd be happy!!! 😭😭😭 good points abt any interesting nuances the original jpn might have had though

ALSO MUSCLE MAKI IS HERE

and lmao megumi's "ew no" face ,,, i didn't think he could make a face like that JDJJDJD ,, once again i think his outsider-insider status is interesting but the amount of ppl counting on him/leaning on him bc of strategic position is a lot. ig this is what kamo meant by supporting the 3 families,,,, gojou indeed is playing the long game. megumi in the meantime, very persistent in not getting more involved in clan politics, not using power that is offered to him, or leveraging it - in a way it is good, and it also makes sense with "stress is other ppl" but is interesting from a structural pov. megumi may not rly give a shit abt the rest of the jujutsu world. if the ppl close to him are affected, then he cares. otherwise, forget it.

also im interested in power implications here bcs it sound a little like there’s a slight split b/w leadership and everyday zenins and im curious what it's like if u have no connection to the top of the clan,, and again higher ups being unaffiliated with the 3 clans so they have to appeal to them. curious what other talents the gojou clan have and what they're known for bc clearly it's not just gojou, they still have power without him and still have a stake in the shifting power structure. kamo must be busy too...

MAKIIIIII ,,, honestly my heart hurts a little seeing her getting beat up in recent chapters. but i’m rly happy,, shes FINALLY getting the focus she deserves and i’m confident she will make a recovery and she IS in fact the one leading efforts on the zenin side. im rly hopeful she can take over the clan one day and no longer say she's not good enough

that stomach wound is bad news though so im wondering how she will come back from that,, that she didn't know her own father's abilities says a lot, too. i wonder if she could see the extension of his blade, or if she hasn't been able to see/understand many ppl abilities

im hopeful for next chp now. u can do it maki!!!!

flashing back on these bits, it makes more sense now why megumi wasn't melting down post-shibuya,, seems most information came to him in a sort of timely and calm way? also i rly have to wonder if gojou did not spend a decade plotting in front him bcs he's done it before,,,, like the whole clan head scene in megumi's middle school years....in a way i imagine he wouldve seen that gojou come out of the high school and watch him get more serious as he acquired even more skin in the game

all the time though i wonder abt megumi's tendency toward inertia and nonaction to things that would seemingly give him power and trying to understand it and that IS him being selfish and that IS,, imo the biggest indication of what he actually does or doesn't want. he wants it, he will act and work on it immediately himself. he doesn't like it? act like it doesn't exist. it make me want to shake him around like NO!! megumi pay attention!!! But his reaction to this clan stuff is a contrast to his behavior in recent chapters imo

and more mahjong references,,, between this and yuuji’s pachinko,, i wonder abt the undercurrent of gambling haha. a gamble for the shaman world and who will come out on top? a contrast to the flowy ocean imagery that connects shaman stuff out to the rest of the world

also this ,,,, there's that one jp tweet (i cant find it again😞) that talks about how toji, as the point of distortion, created megumi, who is currently playing a potential convergence/healing/uniting role (if he actually takes it on as a responsibility lol) and connects this back to the medicine buddha,,, whose mudra (hand sign) is used for chimera shadow garden. with the commentary abt ppl with heavenly restriction needing to know what to throw away in order to become strong or tap into their full strength and toji’s commentary at the end of fight with gojou,,  i actually always felt that toji died not having been entirely resolved with himself bc he talks abt going against the self that decided to forget abt self-respect, to live without thinking abt himself or others,,, in a way, living selfishly, for himself, by ignoring anything immediate and i think he succeeded for a while bc he didnt even remember megumi's name. he remembers it when he talks to getou abt him being thankful for toji not killing him bc of potential drawbacks

and at the very end he thinks of megumi again and that last act does think of someone else, like a "life before your eyes" moment where toji thinks about how the zenin's treatment of him led him there or how his return to shibuya ends with him remembering how he gave megumi back to the zenin,,, i think atm of his death he was starting to think he did want to care, in a different way, or that he needed a different paradigm. or,, maybe he was just starting to realize how far the zenin thinking had set into him

so we dont rly talk abt that being an enlightenment moment for toji but i kind of think it was. that megumi has the potential to become a pivotal piece as a legacy of distortion is interesting. i dont actually think toji set up everything intentionally bc he didnt know megumi's ability, and i dont think he wouldve thought that far. i think a lot of the heir and inheritance stuff is sth naobito set in after seeing megumi's development under gojou. it's clear now everyone has been keeping eyes on everyone else

at some point there's some interesting discussion to be had abt megumi and privilege - i'm surprised the canon characters dont hate him more for having stuff just fall into his lap, and so i liked that maki pointed this out that he could use this and he shld bc theres a frustration there - and yet at the same time megumi himself seemingly feels very little attachment to the zenin and the shaman world still. he just cares abt his little circle of people, and it's a very intentional choice, based on his good/bad ppl thing

u cant really affect the entire world, but u can assert urself on the environment around u and decide what u do and dont act on. this part of megumi is more teenage boy and kind of toji-like, i think,,, hence the emphasis on action

u express ur effect and existence through action, who u kill or who u save. toji having very little, while so much falls into megumi's lap while he doesn't want it, doesn't want to acknowledge it, likely doesn't want to take part in a system he doesn't like or, having been raised under gojou's wing, resents or finds corrupt or useless, or doesn't even think on bc he thinks its above his pay grade and gojou's there - this is also megumi's moment to solidify his own direction and commit to working in the system or out of it

the "not caring" is a defensive measure in a way too, i think. i dont think megumi is Big Good and wants to save everyone and everything and the world to be good and pure, i tend to think of him as a resigned chaotic neutral, who wishes he could be good orz

ANYWAY i think there's some interesting juxtapositions with the whole toji > megumi thing, that someone who is born without, restricted, births and creates someone full of blessings. its very shaman-like, action then reaction

AND i wish u luck on ur final paper (bless ur eyes to see incels bc i’ll just log off for the day when i saw one (1) of them on the net) AND DONT FORGET TO TAKE A REST,, the self care is much needed me thinks <333 (2) - 🐱

i love u 🥺🥺😭😭😭 you take care of yourself too!!!

also ur right...all this political intrigue im so curious i need to know how the jujutsu world is structured in terms of the higher ups and the clans. like i assumed that the three clan elders WERE to some extent also part of the higher ups???? but now it seems that the higher ups are a separate entity altogether, so like checks and balances i suppose. except both the higher ups and the clans are corrupt so no balance there 😭

the chapter implied the zenins are losing when it comes to the power struggle between the three clans. im interested. i want to see them all rot!!! like i also said though it’s going to be interesting to see the state of the kamo clan though, considering “noritoshi kamo.” like what do you even say to that???? im going to be surprised if it doesn’t affect their standing in the jujutsu world but then again the kamo clan IS one of the big three.

megumi really is a character that was blessed in all regards but like. doesn’t want anything to do with it LOL he really said ‘this is a pain no thanks.’ like gojo like megumi i suppose. i agree with u the whole toji and megumi set up....genius....i also love their juxtaposition. it’s so interesting and another source of irony.

[crewhonk]

Henderson To The Rescue

Summary: In which Y/N Henderson saves a drunk Billy Hargrove from certain death. 

Words: 2,263

AN: I dont know if im a fan of this yet, but i hope you guys like my return from hiatus! I’m planning a few things right now and i have a week off from school so its lit. 

Pairing: Billy X Henderson!reader (slow burn, third person)

The first time Y/N Henderson met Billy Hargrove, it was on a cold April night. The cold air whipped through the front door when she opened it, and the hair on her legs stood on end in response. The wind blew her thick brown hair over her shoulders and suddenly the thick University of Toronto sweater she wore was no competition from the biting wind.

“Um, hello. Can I help you?” She smiled, showing as many white teeth as she could— her mother and her brother had always told her that her smile was a winning quality. And as far as she knew, this boy was something she wanted to win.

At her smile, he brought out his own smile, showing off sharp canine teeth and a tongue that swiped across his bottom lip. “I’m here for my baby sister. Maxine Mayfield? Goes by Max.”

Immediately, her smile dropped from her face and her posture grew rigid and straight-backed. Dustin had told her things about this man and she knew he was a time-bomb ready to go off. “Billy Hargrove,” she said. She watched his smile drop from his face and a look of frustration flashed in his eyes. “I’ve been told a lot about you. You can wait out here, I’ll go get Max.”

She turned and slammed the door in his face.

Later that summer, Y/N felt as if she should have stayed in Toronto. At least in Toronto, there were good sports, and cityscapes to explore forever and expensive coffee to drink. In Toronto, there was more to life than farming, and police stations and liquor.

There was also more than fighting God Damned Demogorgons.

“Steven! Get back to the car! They’re gone for now, but we don’t know when they’ll be back, and we are all out of ammo.” She screamed, running parallel to him in the forest. The rifle was gripped so tightly in her fist she felt as if the barrel of the gun would crumple under the pressure.

“What did I say about calling me Steven, Y/N?” He yelled back, his bat bouncing off his back. He jumped over a log and pressed himself against the tree, the side of the pistol barrel to his nose and breathing heavily. She was pressed against the tree adjacent to him and closed her eyes, shaking lightly.

“I will call you what I want, Steven. Now, go to the car. I’ll meet you at the Byers. I just need to get a walkie set from The Castle, and I’ll be there in ten minutes flat. Make sure those kids are safe.” You heard a growl from somewhere behind both of them and Y/N squeezed her eyes tightly, willing the fear that bubbled in her stomach away.

“Tell Dustin I’ll see him in ten minutes, and that I love him.”

“I’m not going to tell him that you love him, Y/N. You can do that yourself.” The growls were growing closer, and Y/N pressed herself harder into the bark.

“Steve. I’m going to need you to listen to me, for once.” You laughed, nervousness creeping into it. “Go to the car.” He hesitated before nodding once and sprinting East. She took a deep breath, cocked your rifle, and sprinted in the opposite direction.

She ran through the woods, and for some reason, the only thing she could think about was how impressed her high school gym coach would have been. She was never the athletic type. Y/N took after her mother, identical curls, and identical full figure. Sure, the gym membership at her UNI was paid through her tuition, but when a small town girl is let loose in a big city alone food will be eaten, and drinks will be consumed. So, long story short, Y/N was built like a Brick Shit House.

She sprinted down the forest path and leaped over rocks and fallen trees. She was on a roll, and if she knew there weren’t any demo dogs behind her, she would have stopped to pat herself on the back. That was until she ran headlong into a wall of flesh. She had tackled someone in the middle of the forest and what was even going on anymore. She was straddled on their lap, and the body underneath her had been knocked out of him.

She rolled off of him and finally looked at the person she had tackled, and the sight she was greeted with made her want to turn around and fight the dogs. It was Billy Hargrove, and he was very very drunk.

“Woah. An angel just came out of nowhere and tackled me. Is this a sign from God Himself?” He laughed, reaching for the still-lit cigarette and the empty bottle of beer on the forest floor. He swore when he discovered that it was empty and rolled around to rest his face on a moss-covered rock. There was another growl following his jumbled words, and this time it was so much closer than she would have liked.

“Hargrove. Dude. We need to skedaddle like, right now.” You urged, slinging your rifle over your shoulder and pulling at him to stand up.

“Skedaddle. Skedaddle. That’s a good one Princess.” He laughed, and it rumbled from deep within his chest. It had suddenly gone very quiet in the woods, and the silence that surrounded the both of you made you want to run.

“Billy. You need to get up.” You growled and pulled harder. He finally lifted his head from the rock and looked up at you.

“Hey! It’s the hot Henderson!” He crowed happily. The laughter was cut off when you slung the rifle around your torso. “Woah Woah Woah! Okay! I’ll get up okay?!”

“Stay down!” She whisper-yelled, aiming the rifle and firing at one of the monsters that had appeared from the shadows. She nailed it right in the snout and it flew through the air away from her. When she heard a howl from behind her, she spun and shot her gun three times, not being able to shoot it in the head, but hitting it instead several times in the muscle on its shoulder. When it had slowed down, and eventually retreated you flicked the safety on your gun so it wouldn’t accidentally shoot anyone and turned once more to Billy.

“Okay, we’re running now!” She yelled, not bothering to try to pull him up with her but instead jumping over his intoxicated body and sprinting for dear life. When she heard him crashing through the bushes behind her, she only pushed herself further and harder. She had completely abandoned the idea of getting her brother's walkie-talkies from the Castle and instead made a beeline for the house.

“Where are we going?” Billy yelled, trying his hardest to keep up with her. She certainly didn’t look like it, but Y/N Henderson was fast. When she didn’t respond, he put his head down and pushed his legs harder, feeling the familiar burn in his chest and the taste of copper on his tongue.

Once they had been running for quite some time, they finally broke through the tree line. Y/N was already facing the way they had come, and she reloaded the large gun quickly— Billy assumed she had done this before— and motioned her head for him to get into the shack-house behind her.

“Get in the house. You’re going to need to knock on the door twice, once and three times. It’s the password that’s going to get you in and safe. I’m right behind you.” Y/N yelled at him, shooting the remaining monsters that had been brave enough to continue chasing them.

“You saved my life, and I’m not leaving you.” He growled, grabbing her bicep and pulling her towards the house. Instead of protesting (“don't be a dumbass, Billy.”), she decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to listen to him. They sprinted up onto the porch and locked on the door six times, waiting patiently for someone to come to the door. “Why isn’t anyone answering?” He whispered, shooting an anxious look over his shoulder.

“I don’t know— Hello? Dustin? Steve? Eleven?” She yelled, banging on the door with her palm.

“Eleven? Like the number?” He asked, dropping all tension from his shoulders in raw confusion. Y/N simply shrugged in response and knocked the secret knock once more.

“Come on guys!” She yelled once more, praying to whatever God was out there that the door in front of them would unlock and open for them.

As if he was listening to her thoughts the locks clicked and the door swung open. When there was nobody on the other side, Billy let out a nervous squeak (‘theres nobody behind the door!” “It’s fine, Hargrove- you’ll get used to it.”). Y/N rushed the pair of them in the house and the door shut behind her, the locks already clicking and the chair shoved under the doorknob by the time she had managed to put her gun on the floor and take her jacket off. She motioned for Billy to follow her deeper into the house, ignoring his hesitation. She knew the last time he had been here, it had not been pleasant for anyone involved. Y/N followed the voices through the house to one of the rooms near the back. She turned the corner, and almost immediately was assaulted by a horde of tiny people.

“Y/N! Shithead, why did you take so long?” Dustin yelled, punching her in the arm once he pulled away from her embrace. She pulled him in closer and kissed his head, holding him to her chest and hugging him tightly.

“I love you so much, Dusty.”

“I love you too, can you get off of me now?”

“Nope.”

“Y/N. Please.”

“Nope.”

“Y/N. Please.”

“Sure.”

“Really?”

“Nope.”

It had been an hour since Billy and Y/N showed up to the Byers home, and after much screaming, and much explaining, the kids had finally fallen asleep in Will’s room, Steve had taken Jonathan’s old bed (Nancy and Jonathan had long since left for New York with no intention of returning), Joyce had retreated to the kitchen and was chain-smoking, and Jim was out doing whatever Jim did best. This left Billy and Y/N to there own devices, and they found themselves sitting on the front porch sitting side by side and staring out across the driveway in silence.

“Steve took my showing up pretty well, huh?” Billy whispered voice raw from yelling and defending himself. He lifted a cigarette to his cut lips and cracked his bloody and bruised knuckles. Steve had immediately dove for Billy, and after several minutes of fighting and swearing, Jim and Eleven had managed to tear the two Alpha males from each other. After they had been patched up (Billy needed more medical care than Steve did for once), they had sat down, drank a beer and shook hands.

Y/N took the cigarette from between his fingers and took a long drag. “Don’t tell Dustin I did that, he would kill me.” She coughed.

“Yeah,” she continued. “Boys are really fucking weird. You throw hands and suddenly you’re friends? Can you explain that to me?”

Billy chuckled and leaned forward on his knees. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but the beer was a peace offering. Girls are the weird ones. Why do you call each other names behind there backs and then act all sweet and shit to each other's faces? With men—“ He was cut off by a loud laugh from Y/N. “With men— shut up, Y/N— with us, we have everything on the table. Everyone knows how everyone feels.”

“Yeah, and once they all know how everyone feels you guys whip out your dicks and measure them side by side.” Y/N laughed. She looked over to Billy who was already looking back at her smiling. She hummed, and rested her cheek on her hand, not breaking eye contact with the mullet-clad boy.

“You changed my life within twenty-four hours, you know. You showed me that I’m part of something far bigger than myself.” He said, stubbing out the cigarette on the toe of his boot and lighting another one.

“Don’t be so cheesy, Hargrove.” She said, leaning into him and nudging her shoulder hard against his.

“How could a dame like you know how to shoot a gun and life knowing that there are demons on this planet.”

“Well, my senior year was a mess— with all the happenings with the Upside Down and all. Jim taught me how to shoot, I protected Dustin and Nancy and Steve and Jonathan. Then I left home and never looked back. Now I’m here, right back where I started.”

“I mean, I can totally tell my friends that a college girl from Canada saved my life when I was drunk in the woods.” He laughed, letting you take the fag from his fingers and claiming it for your own.

“Now that’s a story, Hargrove. And for the record, I’m a university student.” Y/N’s eyes drifted back over to the driveway, and Billy watched as her eyes traced over every constellation in the sky. Billy never thought he would be attracted to someone who was such a brick-house-gunslinger-Canadian, but here he was nevertheless— fighting monsters and smoking with pretty girls.

[16thcenturyart]

Hans Holbein

http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=59671

Hans Holbein has claims to be the greatest portrait painter who ever wielded a brush. A central figure in the spread of the Renaissance in northern Europe, whose deftness and pinpoint accuracy captured the spirit and the faces of his age, an artist whose roots were Continental, but he became the father of English painting.

Hans Holbein the Younger was born in Germany in the imperial capital of Augsburg in 1498. He came from an artistic family.

His father, Hans Holbein the Elder, was one of the leading artists of his generation in southern Germany. And his elder brother, Ambrosius, was already showing a precocious talent for drawing.So as soon as the two boys could be made use of, they joined their father's workshop.

But Augsburg was a lot more limited artistically. But further afield, particularly along the Rhine, to the south, things looked a lot more promising.And so in 1515, Hans, together with his elder brother, came here to the city that he effectively put on the European artistic map, Basel.

It was an attractive place for a young artist on the make, a thriving commercial city on the Rhine. It boasted a newly established university and a flourishing collection of printing presses. Books, pamphlets, and title pages all need illustration, which Holbein was eager to supply.

He was quickly accepted into Basel's intellectualcircles, led by the humanist scholar DesideriusErasmus. And it was a version of Erasmus' is InPraise of Folly, which gave the young artist anopportunity to show his skills with thecommission to provide illustrations in the marginof the celebrated satirical text, which analyzedhuman behavior and weakness.

When he was 18, Holbein got his first, illustriousportrait commission to do a picture of the newlyelected mayor of Basel, Jakob Meyer von Hasen,and his wife, Dorothea. Now this is a veryinventive picture. For a start, it's official. He's justbeen elected mayor. But the two figures are dressed relatively informally.

But also, it's a double portrait that has twodistinct images, who are separated and yet they're bound together by the same architecturaldetail in the background and a consistent lightsource that casts a shadow, in here, from theright, that cast shadows on the architecturaldetail, there and there.

So what we have is two figures, who are unifiedbut, at the same time, their own individuality isproclaimed. With Holbein, even from this stage,the detailing is extraordinary. And you look at therings, numerous rings on the mayor's fingers. Itlooks like a knuckle duster to our eyes. Butactually, it's a sign of his own prosperity.

He's a financier. He clutches a coin as a symbol ofthat but also symbolizing the fact that Basel hasjust been given permission to mint coins. He alsopoints towards his wife in a gesture of love.

In a way, it's a rather unglamorous portrait. Thebackground and the detailing is lavish. But thesetwo figures are certainly not made to lookparticularly attractive. It's as if Holbein haspainted them as they are or as they were. ButHolbein's also making his own mark.

And for the first time, he signs his work, hisinitials, HH, and the date, 1560, and a shield or ascroll surrounded by acanthus leaves as if he'sthrowing off the shackles of his apprenticeshipand emerging for the first time as a fully fledgedartist.

And in fact, from this moment on, his career takesoff. He gets a commission from the mayor todecorate the Basel council chamber, which issubsequently destroyed. But from then on in,other portrait commissions also roll in, includingthis one, of Boniface Amerbach, a professor of lawat Basel University.

This was an important commission for Holbein,for not only was Amerbach a close friend ofErasmus, but he became an important collector ofHolbein's works. Here it's clear that his approachwas evolving, a rare, square format, with alandscape adding depth to the image, and thepainting containing an inscribed panelproclaiming its own merits.

It reads, "I may be painted, unreal, but I'm notinferior to life. I am my master's true likeness ashe was at eight times three years."

Holbein's growing confidence stemmed in partfrom his growing acceptance in Basel, where he was made a master of the guild of painters. Hewas also granted citizenship, two years later, afterhis marriage to a local woman, Elsbeth Schmid,with whom we would have four children.

Holbein also began to turn his attention toreligious images, both for public and privatedevotion. This altarpiece, showing eight episodesof Christ's Passion, was begun by Holbein in 1524,some 7 years after an Augustinian monk andscholar, called Martin Luther, nailed his 95 Thesesto the door of the castle church in Wittenberg,railing against the sale of indulgences, or pardonsfrom sin, by the Catholic Church and triggering amovement, which began with the proposedreform of the papacy and ended up splitting theChurch, otherwise known as the ProtestantReformation, whose impact, throughout Europe,was huge.

One of the most eloquent examples of paintinginspired by the ideas of the Reformation, as wellas being one of the most powerful works in theentire history of religious art, is this one, Holbein'simage of the dead Christ, painted 1521.

What he does is a paradox. Because, in a way, he'strying to affirm the idea of the Bible and Christ'slife as a living force, by painting it as graphically aspossible, but through showing an image of Christat his lowest ebb, when he's died and his flesh isbeginning to rot and decay.

There's all sorts of speculation about the fact thatHolbein might have had a body, that he found inthe Rhine, put in his studio and used directly as amodel for this work. But whether that's true ornot, dead bodies were much more in evidence inlate medieval or early modern Europe. And unlikeour world, theirs was not sanitized from the ideaand the image of death.

What we see is something that's very curious and had art historians speculating for the last fewcenturies. Is this a commission? Is it the bottompart of an altarpiece? Well, there's no evidence tosuggest that it is. And in the end, no records provethat the work was commissioned at all.

And what we're left now is the thought that thismay be a personal image of private devotion byHolbein. It's a painting that almost smells as youget close up to is, such is its power as a trigger for the imagination.

Look at the eyes, how the sockets have becomerigid. Rigor mortis is setting in. And what Holbein,I think, is trying to say-- and I think achieves-- isby showing Christ in this putrefied form-- Christ,remember is the word made flesh-- he's alsoemphasizing the miracle of the Resurrection.

He's showing Christ, as no artist has done before,at his lowest ebb. And in a way, it's an affirmationof Holbein's own personal faith. It's also a workwhich establishes him as one of the great talentsof 16th century European painting.

Of all Holbein's patrons in Basel during his earlyyears, by far and away the most important for hissubsequent career was Erasmus, one of the mostcelebrated scholars of the time.

Erasmus' studies in Latin and Greek enabled himto translate the New Testament, which waseventually published in Basel in 1516, where hefirst came into contact with Holbein, whoseintense scrutiny of his subjects seemed to strike achord with the equally thorough scholar, whocommissioned Holbein to produce half a dozen or so portraits of him over the next decade or so.

I love these portraits that Holbein does of Erasmus. They have a detachment in their scrutiny and in their intense observation. But they're also so intimate. And it's as if Holbein, and by extension us, the viewer, has somehow crept into Erasmus' study. And he's peeking over the shoulder of the great scholar as he's wrapped up in his fur-lined cloak to keep the drafts away.

And we're watching as he writes his commentary  to St. Mark's gospel, that we can read there. But we've caught him unawares. And in a way, there's a parallel between what the young artist is tryingto do and what his intellectual mentor is doing.

As Erasmus scrawls away, so Holbein has this intense control. And in a way, he's trying to produce some kind of parallel in a visual form to what Erasmus is doing in intellectual and written form.

But the intellectual and religious turmoil in middle Europe had certain negative spin offs for artists, not least because religious commissions were suddenly frowned upon. And in addition,Holbein's portrait business, here in Basel, had allbut dried up.

So he look further afield, starting in 1524, by tripto France, where he tried to get work at the courtof Francis I. But that was unsuccessful. And then,two years later, probably with a recommendationfrom Erasmus himself, he set sail for TudorEngland to try and get work at the court of HenryVIII.

It was during the early part of Henry VIII's reignthat the renaissance was established in England.Architects, craftsmen, sculptors, painters, andpoets were all encouraged to make the journeyacross the Chanel, so that the king and hisministers might harness their talents to proclaimthe power and sophistication of the Tudormonarchy.

It was Erasmus' links with England that providedHolbein with his first introduction to the Englishcourt. Chief amongst Erasmus' friends, and thefirst port of call for Holbein, was Thomas More, afellow scholar and soon to become LordChancellor of England.

More welcomed Holbein to his Chelsea home andcommissioned him to paint a number of portraitsof his household. Most of these no longer survive.But we have this delicate study for an elaboratefamily portrait.

What does survive, however, is one of Holbein'smost direct and precise portraits, that of SirThomas More, himself, painted in 1527. More starsoff into space, a man whose thoughts were on thisworld and the next, wearing the rich gold chain ofa privy counselor.

What really grabs the viewer's attention, though,and perhaps makes the hairs stand up on theback of your neck, are the hairs on More's chinand the extraordinary detail rendered throughhundreds, maybe thousands of tiny brush strokes,which creates an image that seems almostphotographic.

In spite of his success here in England, Holbeinhad to return to Basel in 1528, because he was indanger of losing his citizenship. And over the nextfew years, in both Switzerland and then again,here, in England, he was to witness the fullonslaught of the Reformation and its politicalconsequences.

During Holbein's absence, the Reformation hadbegun to take serious root here in Basel. And theimplications were political as well as religious,with the small Catholic oligarchy beingthreatened by a Protestant democracy.

But things turned ugly at the beginning of 1529,on Shrove Tuesday, when the whole city wassupposed to be celebrating and suddenly anangry mob came up the hill, here, to thecathedral, broke in, tore down statues, smashedstained glass windows, and triggered off a wave oficonoclasm throughout the city.

It's difficult to know what Holbein's religiousviews were at the time. He was born and broughtup a Catholic. And he painted many religiousworks for Catholic patrons and churches. It'salmost certain that many of Holbein's works weredestroyed in the rioting, as very few still survive.

But what he did out of economic necessity andwhat he did from conviction, we'll never fullyknow. There's a clue, though, to his developingreligious inclinations during the turbulent decadeof the '20s in this woodcut, "Christ is the TrueLight," which shows Christ pointing to a candle,which illuminates the entire image and shows theway to the poor and the ordinary on the left,whilst, to the right, the pope and other churchdignitaries follow Plato and Aristotle, thephilosophers of the ancient, classical, paganworld, into the abyss. An image of clear andstrong Protestant sentiment challenging theauthority of the Catholic Church and its arcaneteachings.

During his time back in Basel, Holbein found timeto paint a portrait that wasn't a commission and,in fact, for many, was the most intimate work ofhis life. It shows his wife, Elsbeth, and two of hisfour children, Philipp, who is about six, andKatherina, who is two. In fact, Elsbeth is pregnantwith the third child when this was made.

And it's very curious work, not least because thebackground seems so bleak. It's black. Itenhances the figures. It makes them stand out inrelief. And it also emphasizes the fact that thecomposition mirrors the traditional image of themother and child, or, in fact, Leonardo's image ofSt. Anne, the Madonna, and child.

But in fact, there's something more practical here, or impractical. Because somewhere down theline, after Holbein finished this work-- and he didthe portraits on paper-- they've been cut out andthen mounted on a panel. And so this isn't quitehow they were intended to be seen.

But it's a very, very sad work. His son looks up, I think, more in hope than in expectation. And thedaughter, the young Katherina, doesn't seem toknow the figure that's painting her. But look at theface of the wife. She's red-eyed. Her face looksslightly puffy. And it's almost as if she knows thatHolbein is not going to be around for much longer.

And in fact, he isn't. He can't find work in Basel.And so in the end, in 1532, he goes back toEngland and never returns, leaving the family,effectively, to fend for themselves.

But the England of 1532 was dramaticallydifferent from the country that Holbein had left in1528. In fact, it was on the edge of revolution, withHenry VII in the middle of trying to secure adivorce from Catherine of Aragon.

The divorce scandalized Europe and lead to a splitwith the papacy, with Henry VII proclaiminghimself head of the Church of England. Hobein'spatron, Sir Thomas More, opposed the divorce,resigned, and was eventually executed.

But it doesn't seem to have had a detrimentaleffect on the painter's prospects, because, verysoon, he was moving in the circle surrounding thefuture queen, Ann Boleyn, including More's rivaland later Chancellor of the Exchequer, ThomasCromwell.

Cromwell became the architect of the EnglishReformation, supporting the break with Rome,and cementing it through the dissolution of themonasteries. He was depicted, in both oil paintand, even more tellingly, in this preparatorydrawing by Holbein, as man of ruthless, single-minded ambition.

And in the midst of all these troubles, and directlyconnected to them, Holbein is commissioned topaint what becomes his most celebrated, famous,and complex work, this one "The Ambassadors."Painted in 1533, showing two men, a rareexample, a very early example in European art ofa double, full length portrait.

Jean de Dinteville, he's the ambassador from theFrench court in London. And Georges de Selve,he's the Bishop of Lavaur, who comes overbecause his friend, Jean, is having problemsnegotiating with Henry VIII on behalf of the Kingof France, because Henry is antagonisticallyinvolved in an argument with the pope.

Now, Jean de Dinteville commissions the portrait.And that might explain why he seems to be themost prominent figure. He dominates, certainly interms of surface area. As always with Holbein, thedetails give us a much greater sense of knowledgeof these two men and their world.

For a start, Jean clutches an elaborate daggersheath that has on it his age, 29. Georges leans ona book that gives us his age, 25. And then werealize that, in the center the picture, between thetwo men, is a celebration of the renaissance worldand scholarship that the two of them practice.

So starting at the top, Holbein gives us a celestialglobe of the stars and the heavens and alsorecently invented navigational tools. And thendown below, there's a terrestrial globe, withFrance clearly visible. Then there's an oddtextbook. Next to it is a hymn book, open on thepage of a hymn written by Martin Luther, of allpeople. And then some musical instruments, alute and a collection of flutes.

So what do we make of all this? Well, certainscholars have put forward the view-- and it seemsperfectly credible to me-- that this mathematicalbook is about the process of division. And thatLuther, himself, as well as being a reformer, is alsoa divider of the Church. And that the lute, with isbroken string, is a symbol of frailty, but also itmeans that the hymn can't be fully realized.

And so what is happening here is that there's acomment by Holbein on the religious situation,specifically in England and also, more broadly, inEurope. But I think the key to these paintings arein two details that are not here in the center.

But they're found, first of all, in the top, left-handcorner, which is the crucifix, which is barely inview. But it's making its presence felt. Forsecondly, and much more curious, is this form,here, in the foreground, that you can only seewhen you start to walk and look from anotherperspective. And then you see, clearly, from thisangle, that it's a skull, through a process known asanamorphosis or stretching or distorting theimage.

And it's clear that there's this great symbol, thrustacross the surface of the painting, that it's amemento mori, a reminder of death and thefrailty of human life. And I think the broader pointis being made, by Holbein here, that, in fact,conflict obscures the truth.

The truth is up there, in the top, left-hand cornerof the painting for Holbein. Christ, himself,crucified on the cross, that's the redemptive hopefor mankind. But I think also, Holbein is makingand even more interesting point with this work.And it's to do with the whole process of painting,what Holbein is devoted his life to.

Because no one in European art, up to this point,has scrutinized the natural world as closely asHolbein and rendered it with such extraordinarycare and attention and detail. And what he'smanaging to show us, in this painting, is that youcan have scholarship, you can have diplomacy,you can have an expanded, new culture oflearning. But that you will never grasp the biggerpicture. You will never understand the worldtotally from one, fixed viewpoint. And that youhave to see the world from a number of differentperspectives. And that, I think, is a very profoundpoint.

Within three years of painting "The Ambassadors,"Holbein got the position he really wanted, painterto the king, and began a series of portraits thathave defined how that most familiar of Englishmonarchs has been seen down the ages.

This is the quintessential image of an overbearingand tyrannical monarch. Holbein depicts the Kingseemingly at face value, emphasizing the small,humorless eyes and mouth, the curiously flatcheeks and chin. But his authority is clear,formidable even, amplified by opulent jewelry,depicted in real gold leaf, and helping to create adomineering presence, even though the work,itself, is small.

Consequently, Henry approved of the painting, asdid Thomas Cromwell, who was cleverlyencouraging the use of the painter to promote thepower of the monarch. And idea which wasreinforced when Holbein was commissioned topaint a group portrait of the Tudor dynasty forHenry's Whitehall Palace. The picture,subsequently destroyed in the palace fire of 1698,showed Henry and his now third wife, JaneSeymour, together with his parents, Elizabeth ofYork and Henry VII.

The image of the two Henry's, which survive inthis preparatory drawing, affirms the idea ofdynastic progression and increasing power, fromlean father to vast son. But the Queen JaneSeymour was to die giving birth to Henry's long-awaited heir. But the King didn't spend much timemourning.

Together with the assistance was chancellorCromwell, he decided to try and find a new wife,preferably one who would combine politicaladvantage with the physical beauty that Henrysought. And so Holbein was dispatched to Europeto paint suitable candidates from which Henrycould then make his matrimonial choice.

Holbein's first port of call is to Brussels to paintthis young woman, Christina of Denmark, theDuchess of Milan. Now she's the youngerdaughter of the King of Denmark, who's aLutheran, and who's been deposed. She's alsomarried to the Duke of Milan but is a widow by theage of 12. 4 years later, when she's 16, she's readyto sit for this portrait, because the King of Englandwants to marry her.

Now Holbein gets three hours with her in the datein March. And he sketches her face and her handsand makes intricate studies, which is reflected inthe finished oil. And when Henry sees the results,rumor has it that he falls in love. Certainly, hewants to marry her. He sees, if not a ravishingbeauty, someone who's young and will give himmore heirs, perhaps a healthy heir.

But politically, there are machinations. She's verywell connected. She's also the niece of theEmperor Charles V, who doesn't want anyconnection with Henry VIII. And so the weddingdoesn't take place. Her response, though, is a bitmore diplomatic. She says, if I had two heads, I'dhappily place one at the disposal of the King ofEngland.

Henry finally settled on marrying Anne of Cleves.But Holbein was placed in an impossible position.He was dispatched to the Rhineland, with ordersto produce an instant likeness of Henry's nextintended, but be needed to exercise diplomacyand tact.

Anne's dress seems to have fascinated Holbeinmore than the strangely lifeless symmetry of herfeatures. And Henry's displeasure, at finding Anne of Cleves more, as he put it, like a flat Flander'smare when she arrived for the marriage ceremonyin January, 1540, cost Holbein dear in prestige.

In fact, he received no further significant workfrom Henry. Three years later, having completedhis last portrait, that of himself, Holbein fellseriously ill and died, probably the victim of theplague, which had spread through London 1543.He was 45 years old.

Holbein's influence on British painting isenormous. He made the human individual seemmore real and more exposed than any artistbefore him and is the father of a tradition ofportraiture which continues to this day.

But he also created images of a king and his courtwhich has lived on in the popular imagination,bringing to life one of the most dramatic periodsin English history.