#Testing and preparation

[mumblesplash]

(teaching my art class)

me: and what’s the number one rule when designing characters with wings? …well?

a handful of students, sighing reluctantly: no good fa-

me (interrupting them): NO good-faith attempts at realism, EVER. you want all the bird dweebs and physicists jumping ship as EARLY AS POSSIBLE so they’re not around to cinemasins your ass when you get to the cool parts of your story, and…ugh, what now, gerald

gerald (my least favorite student): why not just do some minimal research instead of-

me: listen you little shit i can and will singlehandedly tank your 4.0 gpa

[catmewniverse]

my sweet sons

[kickingcat]

my cuties<333

kinda late ngl also i can’t draw on only one layer so uh😔

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Apollo/Hyacinthus and the god - mortal power imbalance (and how they have little to none of it)

A common argument against god/mortal relationships in Greek mythology is the uncomfortable power dynamic, that the god will always have a glaring power leverage over the mortal. Even if the god is fond of their lover, just one wrong move and still put the mortal in danger, intentionally or not. And I don't discard that.

Zeus and Poseidon's conquests didn't always consider the consent of the women they bedded. Aphrodite threatened her lover Anchises that if he were to reveal her as the mother of his son, he would be punished. Circe was fond of Odysseus, but their coupling was very coercive and Odysseus didn't feel safe around her; and if you're still adamant that Odysseus willingly became Calypso's bedmate, I will assume you're projecting your CNC fetish to the myth. Even Apollo, the god we'll be talking about, had intentionally or unintentionally had his lover Coronis killed in a fit of jealous rage.

And now we have Apollo and Hyacinthus, an Olympian god and a Spartan prince in a relationship with pederastic nature. Right off the bat, it's easy to call them problematic because of the age gap and power balance like the previous couples, and I've written a debunking post about the age gap allegation before. Now I want to talk a bit about the power imbalance between them.

While we didn't really know if all of Zeus and Poseidon's mortal love loved them back and knew for sure that Odysseus was terrified of the goddesses that held him captive, it was recorded that Hyacinthus was just as in love and openly chose Apollo:

Zeus himself told Eros that Hyacinthus was fond of Apollo.

Then why are Branchus and Hyacinth so fond of Apollo? (Dialogues of the Gods 6, Lucian)

Hyacinthus was also admired by Zephyrus, but he turned the god away for Apollo.

He [Zephyrus] had long been in love with Hyakinthos, though Hyakinthos would have nothing to say to him. (Dialogues of the Gods 16, Lucian)

Hyacinthus rejoiced at Apollo's sweet promises of love and companionship.

The son of Leto for love of the youth promises to give him all he possesses for permission to associate with him [...] The youth keeps his eyes steadfastly on the ground, and they are very thoughtful, for he rejoices at what he hears and tempers with modesty the confidence that is yet to come. (Imagines 14, Philostratus the Younger)

In the same scene in Philostratus' book, after giving the promises, it was also suggested that Apollo waited for Hyacinthus to answer. For all we know, Apollo could have just taken Hyacinthus away for his own pleasure, but no, he still gave him a choice.

Here is the god, painted as usual with unshorn locks; he lifts a radiant forehead above eyes that shine like rays of light, and with a sweet smile he encourages Hyakinthos, extending his right hand with the same purpose. (Imagines 14, Philostratus the Younger)

Remember the previous excerpt were Hyacinthus rejoiced at Apollo's promises? He was also filled with confidence when facing the god. Even though he's a powerful deity, Apollo didn't make Hyacinthus feel fear or inferior.

For comparison, this is how Hyacinthus behaved when he was with Apollo...

[Hyacinthus] stands there [...] and he supports his right hand on a spear, the hip being thrown forward and the right side exposed to view, and this bare arm permits us to describe what is visible [...] his neck is moderately erect [...] (Imagines 14, Philostratus the Younger)

Then, when the youth and Phoebus were well stripped, and gleaming with rich olive oil, they tried a friendly contest with the discus. [...] Heedless of danger Hyacinthus rushed for eager glory of the game, resolved to get the discus. (Metamorphoses 10, Ovid)

... and this is how Odysseus behaved when he was with Circe (quotes were taken from the Odysseus post)

[...] just approaching the halls of Circe, my heart a heaving storm at every step, paused at her doors, the nymph with lovely braids— I stood and shouted to her there. She heard my voice, she opened the gleaming doors at once and stepped forth, inviting me in, and in I went, all anguish now… (The Odyssey 10, Homer)

[...] but I went up to that luxurious bed of Circe, hugged her by the knees and the goddess heard my winging supplication: "Circe, now make good a promise you gave me once— it’s time to help me home [...]" (The Odyssey 10, Homer)

While Odysseus was frightful when approaching Circe and had to beg her for favors, Hyacinthus was seen to be very open when he was around Apollo. Although I don't know why Hyacinthus was depicted to be holding his spear when talking with Apollo, I don't think he was being defensive against him. I interpreted it as Hyacinthus feeling comfortable enough with Apollo that he didn't feel the need to discard his weapon and grovel at the god's presence, he can keep it as he like because Apollo wouldn't mind his attitude.

Aside from the mutual attraction and consent, Apollo also humbled himself for Hyacinthus and not minding in displaying acts of service even as a god (though to be fair, he took care and spoiled a lot of his lovers in the same way)

And the love my father had for you was deeper than he felt for others. Delphi center of the world, had no presiding guardian, while the God frequented the Eurotas and the land of Sparta, never fortified with walls. His zither and his bow no longer fill his eager mind and now without a thought of dignity, he carried nets and held the dogs in leash, and did not hesitate to go with Hyacinthus on the rough, steep mountain ridges; and by all of such associations, his love was increased. (Metamorphoses 10, Ovid)

Another addition I'd like to add is the fragments of a supposedly lost work that described Apollo placing his bow or lyre at Hyacinthus' feet as a suppliant, which you can check out its post here.

In conclusion, despite being a god/mortal couple with a pederastic relationship, the myths had shown that Apollo and Hyacinthus had insignificant power imbalance in their dynamic. There's no denying that they both loved and respected each other very much, trying to make things work despite the difference in nature between them. And now you understand why I'm so not normal about this OTP.

Thank you for reading, and you can go home now.

[bambiraptorx]

[I.D. Digital comic with three panels using TMNT characters. The first shows Rise Casey Jr, wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants, standing next to 03 Bishop with his hands behind his back. Bishop says "Alright men, for tonight's mission blah blah blah", standing with one hand behind his back and gesturing with the other. In the second panel Bishop says "yada yada strategy blah blah-". As he continues gesturing, Casey Jr slips a rock into Bishop's hand. In the third panel, Bishop stares at rock now sitting in his palm and says "...why did you just give me a rock?" Casey replies "Why did you accept it?" End I.D.]

BISD au Casey deserves some psychological warfare as a treat, and Bishop being Bishop the more mild forms of messing with him are probably more effective lol

[mutenisnotcool]

YURI

[tickletime405]

i’ve been obsessed with @uriekukistan ‘s hockey au recently so i had to draw them

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Tfp can be so funny sometimes. Megatron's biggest problem with his team is that everyone (excluding Soundwave and i think Shockwave) sooner or later wants to betray his ass, while Optimus's biggest problem with his team is that every now and then atleast one team member decides that they want to go fuck feral at all costs

[yasbeych]

gasp! my memory circuits were shocked into remembering Plato’s allegory of the cave!

[amarguerite]

I think all US employers should institute Friday Laying On The Floor Processing Time these days

[adhdandcomics]

you ever fuck a menial task up so monumentally that you have to sit there for a moment wondering how you graduated college, or, more accurately, how you’re even smart enough to be alive

[cmentarek]

A collage I made for one of the characters from my newest story. His name is Kundel by the way hes an absolute manfail and a menace

[punksnarl]

ah!

[studyandsteep]

ultimate test prep checklist: the day before

a few years back, i made a checklist to help keep me on track for major testing days. it helped a lot, so just decided to share it!

☐ get at least 7 hours of sleep before your test. for teenagers, get at least 8-9 hours. make sure you don't oversleep, though; you can end up groggy on testing day. i've said this once and i'll say it again: good sleep is crucial for test scores. avoid stupid mistakes as much as possible.

☐ eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast. go for fruits, oats, eggs- whatever can keep you awake & alert throughout the day without making you crash from a sugar high.

☐ don't continue cramming on the night before. it sounds counterintuitive, but anything you do the night before will only make you more agitated the next day + won't even matter, since one day of studying doesn't make much difference. instead, focus on getting a good night's sleep.

☐ stay hydrated. don't underestimate how much hydration can affect your concentration. a general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces.

☐ organize your materials. no one wants to show up on testing day and realize their calculator died. make sure you pack everything you need and might need (better be safe than sorry), including chargers, extra pencils, and your notes.

☐ always arrive five minutes early. you want to have time to set your materials up and have advance notice in case anything goes wrong. start your test on a good note.

☐ do a light review a few hours before. do not cram. just review your notes, go over the concepts in your brain. now is not the time to ask questions about concepts you're confused about.

☐ stay confident & calm. you got this! one test won't be the end of everything. remain calm throughout the test and DO NOT PANIC. panicking will make everything worse- stay calm and skip questions you don't understand. you can always go back to them afterwards.

and that's a wrap! hopefully you all found this useful.

i've also created a google docs you can print out, which can be accessed here:

test-taking strategies, part 4 - full series here!

[jamieroyjamieroy]

I just need them back. On my screen. Kissing the hell out of each other.

Or just being dorks. I don’t care! I NEED them back