#managing yourself

[mumblesplash]

comics as an art form make me insane. they’re so difficult to do well. there’s so many different ways to make sequential art work and most of them are deeply unintuitive. onomatopoeia that feels completely ridiculous to put down often reads seamlessly. panels on a page become a fractally nested image composition challenge that’s only possible to lose because if you do a good job no one will notice. you have to direct the readers’ eyes on a specific path across the page but also account for the fact that they won’t follow it. comic time isn’t linear. if the order of events isn’t crystal clear the story becomes incomprehensible. sometimes you need to do this on purpose. all this for a medium almost universally considered less effective than animation and less respectable than plain text. even its own name doesn’t take it seriously

[originalartblog]

Dazai, do you know about Pétrus? That night you left the organization, I opened an '89 bottle of it to celebrate. That's how fed up with you I was.

I've been thinking about this scene, and about how Chuuya in Storm Bringer seemed to consider himself beyond saving while simultaneously yearning for someone to do save him, and about his eventual resolve and commitment to the Port Mafia, and about how his fate ultimately opposes Dazai's.

[harmonysanreads]

Something tells me mydei's written by a woman, HE'S THE DREAM GUY FRFR😭🙏

Now that you mention it, that makes a lot of sense. So, Mydei —

Knows how to cook (most important)

Is good with kids (very important)

Adds milk to his pomegranate juice to make it pink (shows he doesn't care about nonsense like ‘girly colors’)

Is a History nerd (probably because he lived through a lot of it... I joke)

Doesn't like alcohol and almost never drinks (we love a sober man)

Is very handsome, hot and attractive and hot. Did I mention hot —

Can tear things to shreds with his bare hands (no one will dare mess with you if they know you're affiliated with him)

Not good at Math (but that's where we bring up the calculator)

Is the Crown Prince.

A cat person (?)

Is very patient (go tug at his hair and poke at his cheeks... if you dare :3)

Is not constrained by tradition and is willing to embrace new views. Very open-minded, even if it doesn't seem like it.

You'll just have to figure out a way around the immortality bit, don't lose this guy. But even if you're forced to, he'll wait for you. Because did I mention he's a patient man?

[vaguely-concerned]

My two cents on how much of Mind!Varric is Rook’s mind trying to fill the blank space and how much is Solas actively talking through a convenient blood magic paper doll of the mind: I think it's a mix of both, a truly collaborative psychosocial horrorshow if you would, but waaaay more towards the second. It feels too directed and tactical at times to be anything else. Rook's mind is willing to go along with the denial phase as far as it can fucking carry them to not have to face the grief and regret and does its part in papering over details that don’t make any sense, the way brains will strive to create coherent meaning even out of deeply confusing input, but to my understanding it's a collaborateur in how that plays out, not the instigator or control center. Solas is using it as a path to agency and to gather insight into Rook as a person unguarded as he can't count on in his own guise. (That stoic option that leads to him being like 'oh I see you're cautiously denying me access to your inner life. well. at least you still have Varric to talk to. y'know as an outlet :)'. You absolute BITCH Solas! That alone convinced me that he HAS to have an active hand in it on some level.)

My guess is that it takes considerable effort on Solas’ part to make Mind!Varric do anything more involved or complicated than seeming to sit up in bed and give casual commentary, and that’s why he keeps having eerie five minute shallow pep talks with you before he announces he conveniently needs a nap aaanyway good luck kid you got this haha. When he’s just spouting NPC lines from his bedrest, I’m ready to believe that could be Rook’s mind being allowed to improv lines for him more freely because it’s less about Solas trying to get something out of them or working an angle and more ‘Still here! Still totally alive and fine and the mentor figure you know and love and trust :) don’t even worry about it! Thankfully there is no war in Ba Sing Sei, as we all know’ upkeep work lol. Rook’s mind is allowed to set the tone of Varric, the outlines, but not always the content. 

AND, on a (beautifully fucked up) character psychology level, I feel like Solas is indulging in actually getting to be the good supportive mentor figure to Rook with one hand to assuage the guilt he feels about what he's done -- and what he's going to do -- to them with the other. Same internal logic as he uses in Trespasser about the Qun. ‘Almost everyone is going to die from the course of action I’m doggedly pursuing eventually. But at least I can make their last years happier and freer and kinder than they would have been otherwise. and that kind of makes up for it right. a little bit. doesn't it. doesn't that make it better at least. I need that to make it better)'. Did I really take your beloved mentor and friend from you if you don’t know yet that I did? Some philosophers would argue not really! So it’s probably almost ok actually. Isn’t it even a little noble that I’m taking all this grief and guilt on myself and shielding you for now. With undertones that I’m not sure he would realize himself (and might be mortified by if he did) that he is so incredibly lonely, and even a dishonest and indirect emotional connection is more than nothing when you’re that desperate. In this setup he gets idk. Both the control he craves so incredibly badly in relationships and over himself, and the scraps, the fading afterimages, of intimacy and warmth and companionship, even second hand. The one thing Solas and Rook agree on deep deep down is that they really wish Varric weren't gone. They're handshake memeing this in the saddest and most creepy way possible.

I think an important element too is that Solas needs Rook and their team to *succeed* —  up to a certain point. He needs someone to hold the two other elven mean girls off until he can get out of here. Ideally, in a perfect world, even do all the hard work of killing them so he can swoop in at the end and do his thing when both sides are exhausted and out of resources to stop him, and then Bob’s your uncle! Same logic as he was using with Corypheus, and after that worked out so well, too! King of choosing to never learn from a single solitary mistake he’s ever made even though i fully believe he could have the capacity to Fen’Harel <3 The underlying idea isn’t flawed, you see, it was just unforeseen circumstances getting in the way. This time for sure it’ll all work out the way I cleverly imagined it in my head beforehand. Cue By Talos this can’t be happening etc. in the form of a statue almost crushing him like a bug. 

So he's providing guidance and forging Rook into a leader from two angles: one Rook might not trust, and one they probably will. Shaping them into what he needs slowly and carefully. He’s helping you hone your team into their most effective state, as he might have done with his own agents back in the day, setting up his chess pieces even if he has to squint through two glimpsed realities to do it haha. Pincer maneuver of an insidious stealth mentor you never asked for. Also… at one point mind Varric gives you a whole little monologue about how Solas' problem is that he’s always seen his interpersonal connections as flaws and see where it’s landed him, all alone and the worst part? it hasn’t even worked. it’s all been for nothing he’s back where he began with nothing to show for it but his mistakes. Like...that has such strong 'uh okay happy to play your therapist from two rooms away here what the fuck kind of traumadump is this' energy to me, I’m not sure Rook like. Thinks that much about Solas as a private person. So much of Solas' self-loathing and futile insights into his own flaws seem to shine through in Mind!Varric's dialogue all the time — I just can't believe that there's no guiding hand behind it as it were. 

Most of all. I feel like people underestimate the degree to which Solas is incredibly funny. As in, he has a very consistent and recognizable sense of humour. It’s one of my very favourite things about him. We must remember — it is crucial that we always keep in mind — Orlesian accent and wig Solas from May The Dread Wolf Take You (my beloved, the explanation for why I love this dude even with the. All of the everything else. No one does it quite like him). He is not at all above doing things or adding little flourishes for his own obscure amusement, in fact that seems to me to be one of his most consistent traits. The Randy Dowager Quarterly comment Varric has? The ‘Maybe this is the Dread Wolf’s revenge. Forcing us to house sit for him’ thing? To Me this is 100% Solas amusing himself in his boring Fade jail surrounded by the screaming hellscape of all his regrets. Source: it came to me as divine revelation through pure vibes trust me bro 

If nothing else I find it much more narratively interesting personally if the connection between Rook and Solas really is that defenselessly intimate and entwined (and so unbalanced!), and the sense of violation and invasion and betrayal afterwards consequently all the more nauseatingly intense. Even if you kept him at arm’s length in the open, he’s been under your skin the whole time, looking around, gathering what he needs to destroy you, wearing the face of a friend. Regretfully, probably, but choosing to do it every step of the way anyway. (Sound familiar, Inquisitor? Solas doesn’t have that many tricks when you actually look at it, he keeps returning to old tried and true ones like a dog with a bone haha.) Maybe he even genuinely meant some of it as mercy, which only makes it so much worse. It makes his sin against his own core principles of autonomy and the freedom of all beings in mind, spirit and body so much more juicily grave if it’s something he pursues actively and consistently, rather than it half-falling into his lap as a happy accident mainly orchestrated by Rook’s own subconscious. Solas, too, is at his very lowest point, the closest to giving in and becoming his own antithesis fully that he’s ever been, and it makes the choice of whether you still reach out your hand to him one last time or not all the more impactful and difficult.

[saessenach]

dear fellow traveller

I know they're in their divorce era rn, but I'm still on S1 and they will not let me rest

Galadriel & SauronHalbrand in Númenor, in a moment of peace between arrests

[finifugue]

Lando sees a man a half inch taller than him and immediately becomes a pick me girl from high school. 'omg you're so tall. How tall are you? Oh I'm just so tiny. I'm not cuuuuuuuuuuute guys stoppppppp omg >:) nooooo literally fight me guyssss stooop I'm not tiny and fragile and little and cute stop saying that :((((((' If he didn't have massive bear paws I'm so sure that we'd see him start comparing hand sizes with every man he meets

[petite-anni]

How can I loose weight?

I got you.

💗weightloss, diets and healthy habits💗

1. healthy habits

before we start, you want longterm process. So form habits. Become disciplined.

No crash-diet means no jojo-effect. No crash-diet means actual progress that doesnt go to waste.

2. diet

No matter how much you move, if your diet is not sitting right, you wont slim down. Over time you have to include healthy and nutritious options into your diet.

~small bowl of veggies, before breakfast

(such as cucumber, bell pepper, carotts, tomatos. That way your bloodsugar levels wont come crushing down midday)

~breakfast should include something that keeps you full. Dont skip it. People who eat breakfast tend to loose more weight and be slimmer.

(Porride, Eggs, Avocado, etc)

I usually include: Oatmeal, Chia sees, Berries and one Banana

~try not to snack, keep going for three meals a day

~eat whole foods, eat clean and make sure to dont neglect your protein-intake

(protein keeps us full and satisfied. Also, you want to loose fat, not muscle)

~cut out sodas and liquid calories!!!

such a waste. go for the light options with 0-2kcal. They taste the same, if not better.

Also, drink enough water.

3. workout

Normally, I work out every day in some way.

Cardio, strenght, pilates or just a walk outside.

Moving your body, keeping it toned and flexible, helps your mood, your health and your overall life.

On top, it burns calories.

Build some muscle and loose some fat. Thats how you get your dream body.

Here are my favorite channels, that I workout to daily:

MIZI (cardio mainly, full body workouts and burning calories)

Lidia Mera (pilates full body, toning and strenghtenig, legs, arms, abs)

Shirlyn Kim (specific parts, weightloss, strenghtening/toning,thigh gap)

Yuuka Sagawa (posture, arms and upper body)

Nina Dapper (arms, legs and abs)

4. Beauty Secrets

~ginger/curcuma shots

I tend to have ginger shots to boost my immune system and overall health. They are also very good for your skin and can give you a natural glow.

~probiotics

Your gut health is a game changer. You get less break outs and you can loose weight faster.

You can heal your gut through your diet and order some probiotics.

~castor oil

I live and breathe castor oil.

Usually I apply it before bed on my lashes, hair and skin. It helps with hair growth, skin protection and hydration. Its also very good for debloating and detox, if you put it into your belly button.

~green tea

This magic tea can help you loose weight, reduce the risk of several diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease,

It reduces anxiety and lowers your cholesterol level.

[scribefindegil]

Thinking again about how many disabled people end up getting shunted into art/craft work because like. You can technically do it. Sometimes. Yeah you make a pittance at best and are almost certainly going to make your physical health worse by pushing yourself to get things done, but what else are you gonna do? You're too sick for anyone to hire you. You're "not sick enough" to qualify for benefits. Just devote every scrap of time and energy you have to a chronically underpaid, low-prestige, incredibly labor-intensive industry. A few people manage to make it work with luck and help and the right skills. Many people don't. Everyone gets pressured to monetize their hobbies, but it's especially insidious if you're disabled because any tiny thing you manage to accomplish to bring yourself joy gets twisted into proof that you should somehow be able to work.

[nova-moon13]

[tastelikechili]

Team 55 post Qualifying 📻

Gaetan: "Okay, P6, P6. That was a bit challenging in a lap for you. P7 Alex, P6 for you."

Carlos: "Yeah, you know there was potential for more there, but with compromise lap and compromise tyres. What was the possibility today, maybe P5?"

James: "Carlos, I was just gonna say, yeah, it would have P5, but really well done under the circumstances. Really impressive laps. And the lap that you did in Q2 it will stay with us all year. And, yeah, really, really impressive driving. Let's go get it far."

Carlos: "Thank you, James, and it was my call to go late, so I took the risk, so I'm not..."

James: "We're doing this together. We're doing this together. It's all about that. Let's talk like that."

[sunlight-shunlight]

as a solas enjoyer i did feel a bit bummed out that they flopped so badly and basically rewrote half his personality and motivations for vg. but imo the real unfortunate part is how they also did even worse to flemythal and morrigan... they were both such cool characters with so much buildup, and there's an interesting conflict between them. flemythal especially, is i think very unique, to have an older woman be in this type of cryptic, ominous, sometimes sympathetic, puppetmaster type of role. and they'd been building her up for 3 games as about to do Something! reckonings and revenge and the betrayal of the world, etc.

and then.... nope. she dies offscreen, has no schemes or plans, the dialogue at her scene is retconned to increase solas' manpain, and morrigan is now completely happy to take on her soul after spending decades desperately trying Not To Do That.

like it seems as if they made a cold sort of calculation that playing up the solas romance angle would guarantee sales (even if it's. badly written and quite misogynistic imo.) but i guess flemythal didn't get that type of treatment so they just Forgot Her entirely? sad.

[zedif-y]

see, impulse accidentally blowing up the ENTIRE MAGIC MOUNTAIN would've been more believable if i didn't know he would actually gnaw off an arm before doing something that would risk damaging anyone else like that

[uncanny-tranny]

I think it would really benefit people to internalize that mental illnesses are often chronic and not acute. Some of us will never be able to jump the hurdle of managing illness, much less sustaining a sense of normalcy. Many of us will never "recover," will never manage symptoms, will never even come close to appearing normal - and this is for any condition, even the ones labeled as "simple" disorders or "easy-to-manage" disorders.

It isn't a failure if you cannot manage your symptoms. It isn't a moral failure, and you aren't an awful person. You are human. There's only so much you can do before recognizing that you cannot lift the world. Give yourself the space to be ill because, functionally, you are.

[halorvic]

[canisalbus]

uh hi hello!! first i wanted to say i am deeply in love with your art (god those shapes, these lines, texture, anatomy, expression, EVERYTHING) and your latest drawing just moved something in me i cant quite grasp it, been thinking about it for a couple days. sooo i felt inspired and made myself a smol little machete out of uh wild clay so i could kiss him on the forehead before going to sleep, i hope you're ok with that? (also sorry he's kinda wonky, me and acrylics hate each other haha)

.

[bef0re-i-sleep]

I saw a TikTok comment that said the Manager acts like someone who's zoinked out of his mind but trying to act sober and I'm laughing so hard cuz i can absolutely see it