#proud of the ravens

[tunamuffiin]

I don’t think that’s how you ask girls out Apple

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

vil won for once/j

Did you know? May 9 is considered “Makeup Day” in Japan. This is because Japan has various pseudo-holidays based on date puns. In this case. “May 9” is said like “Mei-ku”, where “ku” is 9. “Mei-ku” also sounds like how you’d say “makeup” with Japanese phonetics. Hence, May 9 is “Makeup Day”!

In honor of that, I feel compelled to inform you that Vil ranked #1 in a poll asking “which characters do you think look good in makeup?” The responses were collected from numan (a digital magazine primarily reporting otaku girl media) readers.

He’s out here destroying gender norms as per usual 💅

Eat your heart out, Neige—

[lovingdabeessss]

SPOILERS FOR RWBY FINAL

“She lied- she left with Raven”

YALL THINK RUBY’S GONNA TELL YANG

THAT SUMMER L E F T THEM

DIDNT JUST LEAVE FOR A MISSION AND NEVER COME BACK SHE L E F T THEM KNOWINGLY AND SHE LEFT W I T H R A V E N

THAT SHE LIED

THATS GONNA F U C K YANG UP

[90s-2000s-barbie]

Disney Adventures Magazine October 2003

[lily-s-world]

When Andrew was on the rooftop giving his rant about how he wants nothing for his life and that what they have is nothing, and then Neil (sweet and big mouthed Neil) just goes "Then is good I'm nothing if you want nothing", causing Andrew to go speechless for the first time; gotta be my favorite reverse uno card moment in any type of media.

[1driedpersimmon]

*incomprehensible noises* I’m fine :) happy Lucius day

[silveryinkystar]

We begin in the waking world, which humanity insists on calling the "real world". As if your dreams have no effect upon the choices you make. You mortals go about your works, your loves, your wars, as if your waking lives are all that matter. But there is another life which awaits you when you close your eyes, and enter my realm. For I am the King of Dreams, and Nightmares.

Dream of the Endless in The Sandman (2022-)

@usergif 1 year celebration: shuffle challenge day 3: free choice | overlay | character/person profile

[ID in alt text]

[squash1]

in an attempt to become gansey, i did extensive research into ley lines for my art school research project & made this textile piece based off the research ! i wanted to share the art & notes (in my gansey journal that my best friend got me) bc trc was the initial inspiration for the idea <3

if you read all that i love you the most

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Nevermore is a gothic tragedy. Part I: The Tragedy

This essay assumes that you've read the first season of Nevermore. If you haven't, you'll be eating spoilers.

First of all, a disclaimer: you won't find the term "Gothic tragedy" in theory books, because I just pulled it out of my sleeve. But it seemed appropriate to put it in those terms because, hey, beyond theoretical structuring, genres are also used as a guide to content, and that's kind of what I want to express with this.

Partly because I've noticed that I've called this comic a tragedy on more than one occasion, and talked at length about Lenore and Annabel as gothic characters, but never bothered to delve into these matters, and with the hiatus until (possibly) October, I think it's time to rectify that situation.

But also because I think there are a lot of things in this story that fall into place if you read it under the logic of those genres.

Originally, this was going to be a single essay, but it turns out it took over 2000 fucking words just to explain why it's a fucking tragedy, so I'm going to split this shit in two because I don't want to burn anyone's eyes out.

Tragedy and Types of Tragedy

This is the ridiculously abridged version because this is a really long story, if you want more information on the subject I highly recommend reading Aristotle's Poetics, Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy or watching this OSP video for a more proper introduction. If you're interested in Shakespearean tragedy, The Cambridge Shakespeare is a amazing compilation, and here's the essay that talks specifically about what the hell Shakespearean tragedy is.

Tragedy has been linked to the origins of theater as such, found in the festivals dedicated to Dionysus (if you want to know more about the cult of Dionysus, you can watch this video to start), where poetry contests were held, specifically of dithyrambs: lyric compositions dedicated specifically to Dionysus. This later led to the inclusion of an increasingly sophisticated chorus using masks. This was no longer poetry, but the first expressions of theater as we understand it in modern times, at least for Europe and the countries colonized by Europeans.

Nietzsche also points out that tragedy condenses within itself two opposing impulses represented in the gods Apollo and Dionysus, expressed in the terms "Apollonian" and "Dionysian": order, mathematics and music (understood by the Greeks as science) vs. party, debauchery and chaos. The clash between the beautiful and the grotesque (understanding that the "beautiful" can be disturbing and the "grotesque" can be strangely beautiful). This description is not entirely literal, of course, but it must be kept in mind that in order to have the fundamentals of a tragedy, one must have these two elements: order and chaos. A synchronized waltz between the rigid structures and the rupturing.

Yes, those two are enough.

Step by step, I think it is important to point out what are the transversal elements to tragedy - classical or Shakespearean - that are present in the comic.

The first important concept that appears on this page is Amarthia. The tragic mistake, the first domino that topples the whole stack, is the specific event that sets tragedy in motion, and we spectators of tragedy can only stare in horror at the situation, knowing that everything that follows will go terribly wrong.

At least as far as its protagonists are concerned, Annabel and Lenore's Amarthia has been said but not seen: the dinner party where Annabel will wear pearls, indicating to Lenore that she is in on the charade. From then on, every step they take will bring them closer to the fate we know: the arrival of both of them in Nevermore. This story ends with them both dead.

And if I had to point out the Amarthia of the comic's topicality, I would dare to say that this is it:

And this:

Annabel refuses to explain to Lenore why the plan has to be the way it is, while Lenore agrees to be part of it (the fact that she disagrees with the whole situation is a plus).

The interesting thing about this is that the roles are reversed: before, Annabel sealed the tragic fate of both of them by accepting Lenore's proposal, while in Nevermore, Lenore sealed the tragic fate of both of them by accepting Annabel's plan.

Another important term that comes up here is hybris. While it is true that hybris represents ego, this does not necessarily mean that the hero is self-centered in a personality sense; hybris is the tragic hero's (misguided, of course) belief that they can turn their terrible situation around. And, well…

That ends badly in tragedies. Very, very badly.

At this point, it is necessary to start pointing out the elements of each type of tragedy, because something interesting is happening: within the ancient walls of the purgatory that is Nevermore, a classical tragedy is taking place, while in the past, Annabel and Lenore were the protagonists of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Classical Tragedy

One thing to understand about classical tragedy is that these are stories of humanity versus divinity. The predestined fate that comes upon mortals at the hands of beings superior to them, even if those beings do not appear directly. The external forces superior to the characters do not intervene directly (at least not in most cases), but they put all the pieces in place for the tragic hero to fall headlong into his terrible fate "by their own hand". Yeah, that shit is so unfair.

In Nevermore, fate is represented by these two bastards: The Deans act as the ominous shadow of divinity that sets the rules of this battle royale. For all intents and purposes, this pair of bastards represents the tragic fate of the characters: only one will survive to have a second life. And there is (theoretically) no way to escape.

This is where we start to get into thorny issues. If I had to point out the classical tragedy that Nevermore most resembles, I think I'd get a smile out of Hadestown fans: Orpheo and Eurydice.

Okay, let's review: Orpheo is a highly talented musician who, after losing his beloved, goes to the underworld to find her. Hades and Persephone give him a chance to get her back if he doesn't turn around to see her until they leave the place, he does so at the last second, she returns to the underworld, and Orpheus spends the rest of his life in misery mourning her.

That's the thing, the story of Orpheo and Euridice is a tragedy for the most depressing reason of all: love. What seems like a generous gift from Hades and Persephone is actually a condemnation, because they ask Orpheus to do the one thing he could never do: stop looking at his beloved. In some versions of the story, he can't even hear her as they walk; will she really be her, or has he been tricked? Will she be frightened on this journey and he will not be there to comfort her? What if she has trouble on the road or an accident and Orpheus has left her behind? Orpheus loves Eurydice so much that he cannot save her under these circumstances because he cannot stop watching over her long enough to get her out of here.

Now let's go to Annabel and Lenore, the same thing is happening here, these two idiots love each other. It's probably the only thing they know for sure in this bullshit game. And for Annabel and Lenore, to love is to protect, it's to be the shield that will be there to defend their beloved in the face of adversity, she's been hurt in a terrible way and they will do anything to stop anyone from hurting her again.

But tragic fate, represented by the Deans, has set things in motion for this to quickly go to hell:

For Lenore to understand Annabel's actions, she would have to tell her that's why she's so afraid, why they shouldn't get attached to anyone, why she thinks it's necessary to pretend they don't remember each other. But Lenore can't be okay with Annabel carrying everything alone, because she sees how it hurts her, because Annabel is clearly hurting. She goes to great lengths to confide in Annabel, but she can't come up with a plausible explanation for all this crap either.

For Annabel, becoming a villain and enduring all this pain is slightly less horrible than dragging Lenore into the Deans' psychotic game. But Lenore just loves her too much to let her do that. Lenore could protect her if Annabel were by her side, so why does she keep leaving? She was hurt the first time, why do it to her a second time?

The feeling of not being heard, the frustration that the other just won't listen to her pleas and won't stop what she's doing to allow her to be cared for, runs through both of them because it's the exact same situation, "Why won't you let me do this for you?"

The answer is that Annabel and Lenore are asking the other to do the one thing she could never stop doing: stop trying to protect her. That's why they fight.

This relationship has become a power game that neither can win because they are both exactly the same. A tug-of-war that will only be resolved when something breaks. Hopefully not irreparably.

And speaking of the P-word, let's talk Shakespeare, people.

Shakespearean Tragedy

The good Bard took classical tragedy and brought it back, but changed enough elements of it that it had to be renamed because some of its fundamentals were rewritten. The most notorious of these is that while Shakespeare does not ignore the presence of higher forces or supernatural entities, the fundamental basis of Shakespearean tragedy is not the conflict between humanity and the Fates/Gods.

It is power.

Those who wield power, those who are corrupted by it, and those who crave it. These tragedies speak of moral corruption, the victims of power, and those who sink under the responsibility that power brings.

This is the reason why Shakespeare's tragic heroes belong to the nobility, come from opulent families, or hold important positions. In this case, we have as protagonists two women who were born in a cradle of gold: Lenore apparently comes from a family of old money, and while we do not know if Annabel also comes from a family of old money, we do know that there is no shortage of coins around here.

But status cannot protect Shakespeare's protagonists from the society in which they live, whose agency is sometimes literally represented by people with power. This puts them in a situation from which they cannot escape and which screws them from the start (in other cases the Shakespearean protagonist is the figure of power and seals his own fate). Here, the odds are stacked against them from the start because they are women and, as if that were not enough, lesbians.

I think it's no surprise to anyone that the Shakespearean tragedy most similar to Nevermore is Romeo and Juliet.

Let's review: Romeo and Juliet are two young people who meet at a party and fall madly in love. Their families hate each other, so they cannot be together. The two secretly marry, but after an argument Romeo kills a man and is banished, despite a plan hatched by a priest friend so they can run away together, things go terribly wrong and they both end up committing suicide.

This follows a similar logic to Orpheus and Eurydice: the tragedy here is that these two are in love. But where classical tragedy says, "They love each other so much they can't save themselves," Romeo and Juliet, like Annabel and Lenore, works with two layers of conflict.

The first is the social and political. These young people's families hate each other, so they can't be together. In the same way, Annabel and Lenore can't be together because they're both women.

This is also a reference to one of the central themes of Romeo and Juliet: the clash between tradition and modernity. I think if you squint hard enough, you can see the relationship between these two as Victorian conservatism and homophobia screwing up their lives in the same way that tradition screws up Romeo and Juliet's.

The other layer of the problem is the one that has to do with love: Romeo and Juliet love each other so much that they cannot live without each other. This is what drives them both to suicide, even when they are given the opportunity to continue their lives separately. They love each other so much that they cannot live without each other. Just as Annabel and Lenore desperately want to be together, this is what starts the engine of tragedy when circumstances prevent them from doing so.

Another thing it takes from Romeo and Juliet is the role of the parents as a representation of the power that oppresses the characters. In Romeo and Juliet, the Montague and Capulet lords pull the strings of their children's lives, and it is their resentment that creates the barrier between the lovers. In the case of Nevermore, Ira and Thaddeus are the personal jailers of their respective daughters: Ira wants to get Annabel into an arranged marriage by hook or by crook, and Thaddeus first gets Lenore a fiancé and then keeps her locked up in the fucking attic.

Finally, a tragedy that can be read as a reference to Nevermore, though more subtly, is Macbeth.

The plot is simple: a trio of witches tell Duke Macbeth that he and his descendants will one day be kings. This leads him to murder his cousin, King Duncan, and everything goes downhill from there, because Duncan's murder didn't even amuse the prince.

Yes, at first glance it doesn't seem to make much sense, but that's because it's referring to a specific moment. Specifically, the most discussed and controversial scene in the play: the dialog where Lady Macbeth and Macbeth discuss killing Duncan.

This scene has kept the Bard's fans arguing for centuries: is she manipulating her husband so that she can be queen, or is she just verbalizing Macbeth's wishes that he be allowed to commit the crime, and saying that she will support him in it? Impossible to know unless someone gets a working Ouija board.

This is the same logic that follows the flashback scene where Lenore talks to Annabel about the plan. The important thing here is that the comic decides that the answer is: it depends on who you ask.

Given Annabel's attitude toward Lenore, we can interpret that she does not think she was manipulated or anything. Lenore is not a devious woman who put things in her head, it was her knight in shining armor who came to save her from a marriage she didn't want. Yes, she may have had her doubts, but she definitely liked her chances, enough to accept them.

On the other hand, what this tells me is that Lenore thinks the opposite: that she convinced Annabel to be part of this hoax that ended with both of them dead. A crazy woman who dragged the only person she cared about into a dangerous game that cost them their lives, she considers herself as guilty as the perpetrating hand of the crime.

Conclusion

I think the first time I decided to do a review under this particular lens was when I started to notice where Annabel and Lenore's arcs seemed to be going.

On the one hand, given how things are going, it seems that Lenore has to start taking off the blindfold to realize that things aren't as simple as she thinks, and stop letting others make the hard decisions for her because it hurts everyone.

On Annabel's side, you have a character arc that seems to be aimed at being honest with other people, not letting her fears stop her from making risky decisions, and not dealing with all the bullshit herself.

If what I just said leaves a bad taste in your mouth, that's normal. Because it's fucking unfair.

That Lenore should be the one to stand firm - not out of guilt, but out of responsibility - for her actions feels like shit after everything the poor girl has been through. The same thing happens on Annabel's side, that she has to give in to a situation where it makes so much sense for her to shut down, where it makes sense, even without her background, for her to behave that way.

But that sense of injustice is one of the foundations of tragedies. The feeling that, in her situation, it is practically impossible to think that anything different could be done is the basis of catharsis: the pity felt for the character, the fear generated by identifying with their terrible situation.

The expiation of these emotions, which are produced in the spectator by the fall of the tragic hero.

Now, it is interesting to ask how the fall of Annabel and Lenore will be. The simple answer from a tragic point of view is death, a thing we know has already happened once, why not a second time? After all, that's what awaits tragic heroes. Unless you're Medea.

It's impossible to know how the comic will develop, but it seems to me that this is as far as the tragedy goes. For the next part, I want to talk about gothic novels, female vampires, the female writers of the period, and the last gothic. Believe me, buddies, there is no more obsessive romantic bond than that between a Poe protagonist and their dead bride.

[palilious]

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting.

[honeystarcamper]

﹙☆﹚Teddy ; Punishing: Gray Raven Graphics request by anon!

f2u! credit appreciated but not needed + don't forget your daily click!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The upcoming Stitch event feels like those trailers of Lilo and Stitch where Stitch intrudes disney films. Stitch has intruded in Disney movies, now he has intruded in Twisted Wonderland too

[Referencing this post!]

NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT

Yes!! There were commercials and teasers for the Lilo and Stitch movie where Stitch is shown invading other worlds, such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc.

I also remember that the Lilo and Stitch animated series had a ton of crossover episodes with other Disney Channel original cartoons. There was American Dragon Jake Long, Recess, The Proud Family, and Kim Possible!

So Twisted Wonderland is just another universe/time period/part of the world Stitch is invading… Honestly, such a natural evolution 🤡 I, for one, happily welcome our new fluffy blue alien overlord—

[sass-squat]

Part 3 of the Linked Universe Winged Au! As requested, this time around we got our favorite wolf man, Twilight!

<<< Previous Next >>>

Did you know that Ravens are actually oftentimes called Wolf Birds? This is because Ravens are known for their symbiotic relationship with wolves! Ravens typically help guide wolves to meals and get to eat as well in return. They are also known to "adopt" wolves and even play with them as they grow up.

Anyways, it should be pretty obvious why Twilight is a Raven in my headcanon. Mainly because of the irony of the wolf man now being a wolf bird, but also because I believe that the typical Raven behaviors and characteristics fit his character as a whole.

Throughout Twilight Princess, he is shown to be very good with children to the point where the people in Ordon Village all practically adopt him and he becomes a big brother figure for their children in return. In the Linked Universe, he often looks out for all of his fellow Links in a big brother-like fashion regardless of if they are older or younger than him. So while Twilight may or may not be able to turn into a wolf in this au, I headcanon that everyone he connects and forms bonds with become his "wolves" that he watches over just as any other Raven would.

As far as physical characteristics and flying abilities, I believe that Twilight is pretty decent! Ravens are known to be excellent acrobatic flyers and are actually deceptively fast compared to other birds. On top of that, Ravens are known for being able to fly about 100 miles a day! So while Twilight isn't as talented in the sky as well...Sky, he is still a very good flier and is definitely one of the best in the group.

Anyways, that was a short summary of Twilight's lore for this Winged Au! Kudos to those who read it all! As requested, coming up next will be our favorite little shorty, Four!

As always, let me know if you have any requests for who or what you would like to see! Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!

[arklayraven]

progress...lol

[mystycalypso]

Being pulled down the rabbit-hole

"I'd thought it'd be over that night. Seeing him in cuffs. I thought I was safe, that our friends would be safe. But now? ...I think we're getting pulled into something much deeper"

(Click on image for high quality version)

[superiorsturgeon]

Family Pictures

Pyrrha: *at a mission briefing* …and here she is at a month old, being held by Jaune! Doesn’t she have his eyes? We were a bit surprised when we found out about her before Jaune and I even graduated, but I wouldn’t trade our family for the world! 🥰

Ozpin: *looking around baby pictures being held in his face* …very cute, miss Nikos, but if we can get back to the mission…

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *holding more photos* Oh! And this is her first birthday! She may have Jaune’s eyes, but she definitely has the Nikos redhead! See her trying to blow on the candle with her father’s help? 🥰

Lisa Lavender: Oh, how cute! Can we get a camera close-up?

Talk Show Audience: AWWWWWW!!!!😍

Lisa Lavender: …but seriously, can we talk about your combat career? That’s what this show was supposed to be about.

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *going through a photo album* Here’s another one of my daughter meeting her new brother for the first time! She didn’t quite understand how the process worked, but when she saw him she just demanded to hold him too! Isn’t that the cutest?

Cordovin: Yes, but if we could please focus on the topic at hand? The Branwen tribe has resurfaced and Argus is under threat!

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: *scrolling through gallery*…she was so nervous at first about the water, but here she is just a month later in her little swim team uniform! She was so proud! 😁

Raven: *disheveled and bruised after furious battle with RWBYJNPR* …my kid was cuter…!

Yang: Mom, can you just not?

——————————————————————

Pyrrha: *holding up her scroll with video playing*…and they just climbed right onto Jaune the second he got home! Here’s my son holding up his little toy sword like he’s a knight and he’s slain his daddy! 🥰

Tyrian: *beaten up and at zero aura* ????

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: …and my son decided swim team wasn’t for him after all, but he’s interested in how our weapons transform, so we’re trying to get him to try out some basic engineering clubs!

Mantle Moms: Aww!/So adorable!/My son tried the same thing!

Jaune: *waiting with the Mantle kids* Pyrrha, I can’t hold up traffic any longer! Can we do this later?

———————————————————————

Pyrrha: …so my daughter is starting next week at Beacon, and my son just got awarded a scholarship to an engineering school where he’s going to specialize in robotics! *points at photo* He’s the blonde on the left without the beard! The other one is actually my husband! Don’t they look alike?

Salem: *impaled and beginning to evaporate at the end of a climactic battle* Such an adorable family! Let me get my album out and show you my girls!