one line in trimax that's always stuck with me is from chapter 65, right after wolfwood's death. when vash is sticking the punisher by his grave and he says "it was part of his life". that phrasing is so interesting to me. the neutrality of it is one thing that gets me, i think. it was part of his life. for better or worse, whatever it was, the punisher was wolfwood's.

It's pretty easy to think that the punisher might represent violence, the eye of michael, the role of assassin that was forced onto wolfwood, the loss of childhood. but it's not really presented that way, not overtly anyways. we never see wolfwood shun the punisher, he's not conflicted by his use of it. he never considers abandoning it for some other weapon. it's his weapon. he doesn't discard it when he eventually decides to take a more vash-like approach and actually let people live. he pretty easily accepts it as his own, a tool he can use. (to be fair, at least part of that is probably because the punisher is a very good gun.)

the punisher can still represent the harsher aspects of wolfwood's character, the violence he's committed, that he's capable of. that's an important part of his life! and the idea of it as representative of his violent adolescence, childhood that was stripped away, goes along with this - it's literally a cross to bear. but besides showing his past as a burden, i think of the punisher as being a cross of responsibility. when you have a gun you have power, agency - you have a responsibility to make a choice. that's what wolfwood tells vash in chapter 4.

the ability to take a life, the burden of it, is literally his cross to bear. that ability - and that responsibility - was given to him by the eom, literally in terms of the gun, and in terms of his skills. but the eye doesn't think twice about killing people. for them it's not really a choice, a responsibility, it's just a given. but wolfwood can't accept that. he's constantly considering the choices he makes.

so the punisher isn't only a symbol of the eye of michael, of the path that he was forced onto. it's also a way of expressing autonomy. the eye gave wolfwood the gun, but he decides how to use it and what it means. for much of the story wolfwood struggles to decide what to do, he's a very conflicted character. but eventually he resolves to use it against chapel, against knives, to help vash, and protect the orphanage. the gun gives him agency.

so the punisher was part of his life. it was the tool that he used to commit acts of violence, acts that he was forced into, but also the tool he used to break free.

it's heavy for vash, too. he's not exempt from that idea, the idea of responsibility. as wolfwood said much earlier in the story, vash has always been able to sidestep the question of "what do i choose?", because he's only ever given himself one option - everybody lives. and he's always succeeded. but as wolfwood says, "the day will come when you'll have to choose". one day, it's not going to work.

and of course the story progresses, the stakes ramp up, and vash learns more, goes through more, and is pushed to his limits. i think by this point, by wolfwood's death, and maybe because of it, vash has realized that he might have to make that difficult choice in the near future. that's one reason why he wants to "do him proud". he has a lot of reasons to say this of course - to not let wolfwood's sacrifice go to waste, for example. but if we're thinking of the cross as responsibility, then vash is saying he doesn't want to forget the lessons he learned because of wolfwood. wolfwood has always grappled with responsibility, with what the right thing to do is. and the right thing is often not easy. vash hopes that when the times comes for him to make a choice, he'll make a good one, one that does right by wolfwood's memory.

Scuttling into ur askbox like a little beetle

i think i recall you reblogging/posting things about geography and culture + human effect on it - I vaguely recall a piece of art where it showed a blurred out, cropped piece of people fighting, and focused instead on the flora in the scene.

ANYWAY! getting back on track. seeing that piece inspired me to take a course this semester called "people and the land: cultural geography". and the whole reason I came to your askbox was to ask if you had any suggested reading materials? We'll get stuff in class ofc, but I am curious to see if there's any bias of materials on the prof's side vs someone else.

Phew that was a long ask. thank you o/!

That sounds like Liz Anna Kozik’s piece : D So happy it stuck with you! I love her work!!

As for your ask, what an awesome class! Land-human relationships are my bullshit, and I really enjoyed my own cultural geography class.

Thinking back on my schooling, I would say about 70% of my classes fell in with the “everything is awful and humans are the worst” narrative, and the other 30% made time for land-human relationships other than the extractive hellscape that most people currently live under. So, full disclosure, when I think of “bias,” that’s what I think of. You grow up in the miasma, it’s hard to imagine that there’s any other way of living. It’s also hard to say without knowing the professor, but I think, in general, it’s good to be mindful of who is or isn’t telling the story.

ANYWAY. All that in mind, here’s some articles about people-land relations that I think are neat:

The Environment and Society portal - I like their digital exhibits especially. I remember enjoying Oceans in Three Paradoxes and The Northwest Passage. Great place to wander around and pick a random article that catches your eye.

Of Deserts and Decolonization: Dispelling Myths About Drylands – obligatory desert propaganda. An article looking at how colonial mindsets about deserts disrupt existing relationships and hurt both people and land, and also how those attitudes shape environmentalism/conservation/etc. still today.

The Miracle of the Commons – lovingly challenging the Tragedy of the Commons with a creative solution to poaching and human-animal conflict in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Great article to sit in discomfort about (productively!)

Biodiversity: The Variety of Life that Sustains Our Own – Contains one of my go-to examples when explaining how humans can be good for land and biodiversity, the story of Quitobaquito Springs (and its sister spring Ki:towak, though the author doesn’t mention it here.)

The Environmental History Timeline - just fun to look at, especially the further you go back. It’s funny to spot where a young branch of history is trying *really hard* to reframe how academia thinks about the past, by bringing the invisible landscape forward:

2700 BCE —  Epic of Gilgamesh describes vast tracts of cedar forests in what is now southern Iraq. Gilgamesh defies the gods and cuts down the forest, and in return the gods say they will curse Sumeria with fire (or possibly drought). By 2100 BCE, soil erosion and salt buildup have devastated agriculture. One Sumerian wrote that the “earth turned white.” Civilization moved north to Babylonia and Assyria. Again, deforestation becomes a factor in the rise and subsequent fall of these civilizations. (Perlin, 1991). 2700 BC — Some of the first laws protecting the remaining forests are decreed in Ur, Messopotamia. (Grove, 1995).

^^^ fucking around and finding out forever and ever and ever.

Gravity Falls School-Related Headcanons

Both Dipper and Mabel are good students, although Mabel does occasionally get in trouble for getting distracted/not sitting still/talking in class, however, they're both generally considered to be good kids.

Dipper generally excels in all of his academic subjects, however his favourite subjects are biology and ancient history. He's usually pretty quiet in class, except every now and again he says either the most unhinged or most badass thing ever and everyone is freshly reminded that yes, Dipper Pines is, in fact, in this class (this is heavily inspired by my best friend who is exactly like that). Dipper doesn't hate PhysEd as much as he used to pre-Gravity Falls, however he's still not a huge fan of it.

Mabel's best subjects are the artistic ones, and she is instantly beloved by all the art teachers. She does a ton of extracurriculars, partially because she has a bunch of interests, and also because she has a tendency to join clubs and such because her friends/guys she's interested in are in them, and she has participated to some degree in every school musical she's had the chance to take part in. The only class she really struggles with a lot is maths, because it's 'too boring and logic-y' for her to stay focused on, particularly if Dipper isn't there to help her. She's also a cheerleader, because of course she is.

Friendgroup wise, Mabel has a lot of friendgroups. She has friends from all of her various classes and extracurriculars, friends she knows from elementary school (I had a long mindblank whereupon I forgot the word for 'primary school' in the USA, just thought I should let you know), and of course, she has extrovert-adopted Dipper and his friends. Despite this whole army of friends, she doesn't have any particularly close friends in Piedmont, and if she's asked who her best friend is, she'll respond with Candy and Grenda, who remain the only people who can quite match her energy.

Dipper, meanwhile, has pretty much had the same one best friend, named Ethan DiMarcos, forever. The two of them have very similar interests (although Ethan can't quite match Dipper's enthusiasm for all things paranormal), and tend to keep to themselves much of the time, and have pretty much had each other's back. While I'm not a huge fan of the idea that Dipper has been relentlessly bullied his entire school career and has no friends, it is canon that he has been victim of some bullying, and he's certainly not popular. Post-Gravity Falls, I think he's actually able to stand up to the bullies a little better, and generally he and Ethan have each other's backs. They do have a third friend, Paige Li, who they only met at the beginning of high school, because she was trying to find other DD&MD fans. Paige has had a crush on Dipper for ages, but despite Ethan and Mabel trying to pull strings, nothing is likely ever to come from it. Speaking of Ethan and Mabel, they did date for about a month in ninth grade, which horrified Dipper, especially since he was put in the middle of it when they broke up, thankfully amicably.

Now, I have said plenty about the Pineses, let's talk about what the other characters are like in school:

Candy's best subjects are chemistry, physics and music, and manages to be an impressively good student, despite reading fanfiction in class.

Grenda isn't necessarily the greatest student in most classes, however, she's BRILLIANT at English. For all she lacks in verbally diplomatic skills, she's incredibly smooth on paper. Grenda also, unsurprisingly, is also very good at PhysEd.

Pacifica's best subject is mathematics, and unsurprisingly she excels particularly at any finance-related maths. She's also the star of the school's debate team, because she has the power to crush people in the grip of logic. She also refuses point-blank to join the cheer team, even though they really want her.

Gideon's true calling is the stage, so drama class is his best class, although he's a brilliant student at most subjects.

Wendy and her friends are decidedly not good students, as they're all more interested in having fun and causing trouble than doing work (except Thompson, of course). This results in them being decidedly not the teacher's favourites.

I think that's all I got for now, thanks for reading!

Hello! Firstly, your art style is so adorable and warm. It's such a delight every time you post (especially Foggy, be still my heart). Thank you for the time and effort you put into creating them!

Secondly, I've been inspired by your art among others and decided to ask artists their tips for starting digital art. I have zero experience with art as a whole. I'm armed with a tablet and pen but have no idea how to teach myself to actually draw. I welcome any advice you may have, but don't feel pressured to answer! I hope it isn't rude to ask artists for advice, but if it is, please let me know!

Hi! It makes me so happy to know that there are people who like what I do! I'm so grateful that my drawings inspire you.

Especially Foggy. I have no idea when I'll stop drawing him. I love what I do and I believe that's the magic.

I'm honored that you asked me for artistic advice, I really am. But I'm sure that countless qualified artists can help you learn drawing techniques that will be extremely useful.

So feel free to ignore everything I'm going to say here.

I took art classes when I was younger; I studied techniques and I studied art history, etc. I forgot most of the technical part and will possibly never use it in an illustration. But those little pieces of advice, that human and simple part I never forgot, and that's what I'm going to tell you about.

First of all, have fun 💚

If you are making a happy and colorful drawing, imagine yourself there. Or if you are drawing something sad, feel the pain of what you are doing. Be it a sad character or even a dark and lifeless scene.

Be there. Your drawing is an extension of you. Your drawing is your friend.

Smile with them, Be afraid with them. You are there; this helps you visualize facial expressions and gestures.

Be generous 💚

Draw people you love. Gift people with your drawings. This helps you improve your art skills and besides, you will feel great making someone happy.

Don't be embarrassed if your drawing doesn't turn out as good as you'd like. Sometimes the simplest drawings are the ones that people like the most.

Draw every day💚

Even if just a few minutes a day. Make it your goal to learn how to draw hands, eyes, trees, etc... things you might find difficult to recreate. And every now and then redraw old drawings, so you can see where you've made progress or need to improve.

You can find lots of drawing tips and poses on Pinterest

Don't be afraid to try new things 💚

There are lots of tutorials on YouTube for beginner artists, check them out.

Procreate it's a great drawing program. There are many tutorials on YouTube teaching how to use it too. But always use your imagination. Be yourself, put your personality in your drawings. Don't be afraid to use colors that don't match each other. And again, have fun.

I wish you good luck and hope to see a lot of your art out there. (Especially Foggys, lots and lots of Foggys)

Hi! I'm a big fan of your blog, I always enjoy reading your text posts as they're very informative. And I was just wondering since you seem very intelligent and well-informed on a number of topics, what do you do for a living? If you don't mind sharing of course - even broadly speaking like do you work in STEM, business, etc.? Just curious as to what someone with that level of intellect does :) Anyway have a good day!

I haven't taken a math class since high school 😂

First, I tried being in a metal band. Then, I tried being a Japanese translator. And now, I'm an illustrator. I'm planning to get involved with some local climate groups to use art as a communication, inspiration, and motivation tool.

I don't believe in career specialization. I think our world at this point in history is far too complicated for that. Our limited cultural idea of success is holding us back. We see success as doing one thing, rising to the top of that field, and making more money than others. But that is such a risky way to invest your time in this modern world.

You could specialize in one thing your whole life and become an Olympic champion. And then one day, while you're commuting to work, you might get kidnapped by the Russian government. And then what?

You could get one of the top MCAT scores in the country. You could be the smartest medical student in your class with the brightest future. And then you might get a disabling chronic illness that makes it impossible for you to complete medical school. And then what?

As a sports fan, I follow many highly successful women. And on a personal level, I know many highly successful people. And our traditional idea of success is not a paradise. It's not a guarantee of happiness or safety.

In a sentimental way, I believe in big dreams. I believe in that inner fire that drives my favorite female athletes to success and glory. I believe in that deep curiosity and altruism that drove my brother to become such a promising medical student. But I've also seen over and over that our society's definition of success is based on luck. Luck doesn't make the ball go through the hoop and it won't help you pass an exam. That part is your responsibility. But injuries, health, geopolitical chaos, crime, natural disasters, grief, trauma, systemic prejudice, that's out of your control. That's where luck can turn on you. And then what?

I've always had big dreams. But I'm at a point in my life now where I realize the traditional definition of success isn't serving me. And it isn't serving most people. It's not even serving traditionally successful people. We need to redefine success.

Success is not a destination for an individual. Success is not one person doing more and more and getting better and better. That's talent, dedication, devotion, motivation, passion. Those are all good things. But that's not success.

Success is a circle of people helping each other daily in a variety of different ways. If we all aimed for this definition of success, the world would become a better place with each generation. It would become safer and more stable. Those of us driven to be specialists would be supported by the rest of us who are generalists. As Robin Wall Kimmerer says, all flourishing is mutual.

What art program do you use and can you tell us a little about your art journey? If you don't mind me asking.

I use Clip Studio Paint and love it! The 3D models are great, it's so helpful not only for pose references and the like, but i also have custom models saved of the characters i draw the most so i have consistent body type + height reference (this is especially helpful wrt ivan lol), also clip studio assets is just. a fantastic resource to have

i was always an artsy kid, i took art all 4 years in high school which at my school meant taking ap 2D studio art senior year (got a 4/5 on my portfolio which i'm still pretty proud of ngl). at my first college, i minored in studio art (it was actually taking an art history survey class for this minor that resulted in me switching from studying graphic design to studying art history which is a whole other story lmao) so i got to continue taking art classes in college. i won't post my favorite pieces on tumblr directly bc they're from a life drawing class lmao so they feature explicit (artistic) nudity, but here's a tweet i made sharing them if you're curious

i fell out of art a bit when i dropped out back in early 2019, because i suddenly lost any motivation or inspiration to do anything in general (this was easily the lowest point in my life and that's including when my mom died in 2015 lmao), and then later felt only inspired to do fanart but traditionally drawn fanart has never been popular unless you're really good lmao so i was intimidated. then a couple years ago i broke down and got an ipad and i love drawing on it tbh, i'm so glad that i did. (it's also great if you like mobile stardew valley btw).

very very slowly i've been trying to get back into traditional art too, because for one i like it, but for another thing, i very firmly believe you should have hobbies that don't require looking at a screen. i actually have plans for doing a little drawtober kind of thing though we'll see if it actually pans out lmao, in general i am hoping that moving to berlin will help reignite some more inspiration even if it's just in the form of going around making sketches of buildings lol

your tags for the golden kamuy post were beautiful; i have no knowledge of the series but your analysis is so so compelling

Thank you! I was half asleep writing it I was worried it’d just be a ramble. Golden Kamuy is such a great historical adventure. It’s set just after the Russo-Japanese war and the majority of the male characters are soldiers. It features the Ainu people of Hokkaido too. It’s got a great adventure to take readers through the history and even problems around the preservation of cultural heritage, especially intangible culture which is so wonderful to see in a manga that a lot of people are reading! (I’m about to start my Masters in archive and library sciences so this makes me especially happy lol)

In my tags, I was rambling about Golden Kamuy’s use of the “Soldiers Adopting Children” trope. It got popular in the mid-1800s with Charles Dickens, an opera called Le Fille de Regiment (based off a painting called Le Enfant de Regimant) and a handful of other popular books. In them we see soldiers adopting children, most often little girls. They found them on the battlefield or these girls are without parents as a result of the war and the soldiers take them in. This trope was intended to reimagine the soldier into this gentleman who embodies domestic, bourgeois family values. It was meant to show these middle class men that being a soldier would win you merit in society. However, the little girls they adopt are symbols of purity, innocence and they have a way of bringing soldiers back into the home after the war. Think of the “angel in the house” ideology used in Victorian literature to encourage women to be “good” supportive wives in the private spheres of society. These girls lost autonomy in order act as a way for these soldiers to be brought back into society after being on the battlefield and make them gentle again. The trope went out of popularity in the late 1800s, I think because the draft started being used and it wasn’t a necessity to create art that convinced middle class people to join the army.

Golden Kamuy fully uses this trope and in a lot of ways, it’s still very much like how it appears in the mid-1800’s literature. Sugimoto “adopts” Asirpa, a young Ainu girl and throughout the story we see how she “saves” him from his trauma and the war. She domesticates him in the sense that she involves him in the making of food and other chores necessary for life, something he did not do in the war. There is also a whole thing about her innocence which is my biggest critique since it’s reinforcing the trope’s original goals. However, I think it’s also doing new things with the trope too. As much as there is a theme/concern around Asirpa’s innocence, she is still fully respected by Sugimoto. She can make hard choices. Also, in regards to food, we see that Sugimoto was always hungry, before the war, during and after. When he meets Asirpa, he is not hungry anymore. Secondly, the trope is not used to convince people that joining the military is a gentlemanly thing to do. It uses absurdity (another very common element in anti-war literature) and even Sugimoto blatantly criticizing military hierarchy at one point to establish this anti-war lens on the history it’s focusing on. The third thing I find interesting is that almost every biological father is represented as a horrible person or absent but every chosen father is represented as someone full of love and kindness. It doesn’t associate fatherhood with gentleman qualities in the sense of class but in the modern sense of kind, physically gentle qualities. I’m still working through this point but it’s really fascinating.

All this is why I argued the way I did about the ending (spoilers a little bit im sorry) but it’s a good thing he lives because in a lot of the literature about soldiers who adopted children, notably Dicken’s “His Boots”, the soldiers die. They die protecting the children they saved or doing this valiant, self-sacrificing act. It inspires the people around him to be more like him, to embody the gentlemanly, militaristic values that drove him to do that fatal, heroic act. So by having Sugimoto survive, Noda rejects that final self-sacrificing act (which lets be honest Sugimoto is constantly self-sacrificing throughout the story). In doing so, Sugimoto is given something these Victorian soldiers were not and that is the opportunity to actually begin to heal, and spend his life with his new family. Asirpa doesn’t make him better till a certain point when he sacrifices himself to save her. The whole point of the story is that they make each other better. If the story ended tragically it would ruin that vital theme. (I know there is a lot of talk about the ending idc you can’t change my mind im very happy it did not end in tragedy, though it did feel rushed I do agree with that)

I apologize for the ramble, I have a whole essay I’ve been working on that really delves into all the points and it’s nice to talk about what I’ve been writing lol

Nature Interpretation & History

As we continue to work through the topics and themes of the course, I’m finding my own understanding of what nature interpretation is and what it looks to be constantly evolving and expanding. At the start, I’m almost embarrassed to say, but I had a very rigid and unoriginal view of what nature interpretation looks like out in the field. It may be due to my own job experiences, but guided hikes, overnight field centre trips, environmental education programs, was the extent of what I associated with the topic. After working through Unit 4’s topic of  Nature Interpretation through Art and now this week's topics of Nature Interpretation through History and Writing, I’ve been reflecting on my own practice in the role of nature interpreter and have come to the conclusion that I’ve been greatly lacking in harnessing cross curricular interpreter skills. 

Creating effective nature interpreter skills can only be enhanced by understanding and incorporating the methods for planning and learning that are successful in other subjects such as art, writing, and history. From now on, I’m planning on making a conscientious effort to remove myself from viewing my programming strictly from a science based lens when creating new lessons. I often find myself going through waves of “writer's block” after creating what feels like the 100th lesson on an environmental topic, and I’m hoping this new perspective is a breakthrough in offering some new inspiration. 

When exploring the topic of the importance of History and how it relates specifically to Nature Interpretation, it almost seems like the perfect fit. As mentioned by Beck et. al (2018), History and interpretation as well as the written word is meant to elicit an emotional response, by allowing the reader to relate their life to a story of the past. I think that History often gets a bad rep as being boring and dry due to the limited exposure with the subject in the intermediate senior years, focusing more on politics, ancient civilizations, and world wars. I actually loved my experiences with History classes thanks to an amazing animated teacher I had in high-school, who did a fantastic job of using methods from the arts to spark an interest and connection between us the students and the time periods we learnt about. He would get on all fours to enact as best he could what trench warfare looked like. Unfortunately, the curriculum for intermediate/senior grades (at least in Ontario) only exposes us to this narrow version of what History learning is, and I believe that for many students who did not get lucky with a passionate history teacher, the interest in History as a topic ended there. But as we know, History is a broad overarching topic that can be applied across all others including music, science, politics, art , food etc, and in order to gain a better understanding of the present state of a topic, any topic, we must understand the whole story. 

Rock outcrop in Killarney Provincial Park, where the rocks are between 1-3 billion years old. Geological history, mind blowing (to me).

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. …. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.” 

(Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation)

One of the ways Miriam Webster defines Integrity is “The quality or state of being complete or undivided : synonym - Completeness. I found the quote by Edward Hymans to relate extremely well to a theme I’ve discussed a few times throughout my blog posts: my goal for nature interpretation: inspiring environmental stewardship and ultimately caring for nature. Creating experiences for learners that only allows them to interpret what’s in front of them in the moment, the now, is limiting in the potential for eliciting an emotional response and connection to the program. I believe that taking the strategies of writing and history interpretation, where one uses the past to foster a connection to the present, can only enhance the quality and overall goal of nature interpretation. Rather than observing a 200 year old maple tree for its sheer size and sap production, let’s take ourselves back through time to when that maple seed first helicoptered down to the forest floor. What events has this tree lived through? Was was happening in each of them? After which experience are learners more likely to feel a connection and understanding of the importance of that tree? A completed story is one of integrity. "It  is  critical  to  preserve  and  interpret memories so those memories can inspire action today” (Beck et. al, 2018, p.327).

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Challenge tagged to me by @elphabaoftheopera I typically listen to audiobooks these days, having to delivery drive but I've got a fair amount of tree books too so here we go.

#10 Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in the Art Institute of Chicago

- "Impressionism emerged in nineteenth-century France against a background of Romanticism and Realism."

Dry, straight to the point, the pictures are the hook.

#9 Van Gogh and the Olive Groves

- "Van Gogh's paintings of olive groves originated during a turbulent period of his life."

Again, more like a magazine where the words are meant to bring weight to the pictures featured.

#8 Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges

- "A son of the British Empire, Alan Turing's social origins lay just on the borderline between the landed gentry and the commercial classes."

This book is an absolute brick and I appreciate an attempt to bring more flowery language and a hook to any biography. Alan Turing was a real person and his life was complex and fascinating.

#7 Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao @xiranjayzhao

- "The Hunduns were coming."

Sets the scene with a sense of urgency and lets the reader know right off the bat they have a whole new world to learn about.

#6 Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath

- "Staring at you from the opposite page is none other than Khutulun, princess of 10,000 horses, the pride and glory of the Mongol Horde."

Makes me want to know more about Princess Khutulun, the wrestling princess, princess of 10,000 horses. A book that is greatly enhanced by its drawings and an excellent read.

#5 Sin and Syntax | How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale

- "The French mime Etienne Decroux used to remind his students, 'One pearl is better than a whole necklace of potatoes."

Smack dab in the middle for it's unexpected mention of mimes and potatoes.

#4

by Gahan Wilson (A short story within Unnatural Creatures | stories selected by @neil-gaiman ) - "The first time Reginald Archer saw the thing, it was, in its simplicity absolute."

Fairly simple on it's own but paired with the very noticeable title, it already brings on a sense of "oh no, what's going on here?"

#3 Cartier and Islamic Art in Search of Modernity

- "'Knowledge acquired in a foreign country can be like a motherland, and ignorance can be an exile experienced in one's own land.' These words by Averroes still resonate with us today, nearly nine centuries after the birth of this Muslim philosopher and jurist from Córdoba."

I saw the exhibit and had to buy the book and I really love that they picked this quote to be the first one you read. These specific Islamic pieces that inspired one of the most famous jewelers will be explored thoroughly and their history delved into.

#2 It by Stephen King

- "The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years—if it ever did end—began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain."

Tells you outright that the end of this story is not definite and starts with something simple and innocuous to draw you in and find out why exactly a paper boat caused so much terror. (I know it wasn't the boat but it sure does give that impression).

and finally

#1 The Martian by Andy Weir

- "I'm pretty much fucked."

Self-explanatory.

Those are some of my books, I have quite a few biographies and non-fiction, but also a lot of fantasy. Not really much in between. And I tag @willowlark369 , @jetainia , @ayadiefair , @ironicomet , and anyone else who wants to jump in with their own list. And here's the stack of books as proof. Some of them are chonky bois.

HISTORIC ART STUFF WOO

In true procrastination fashion, I have picked up drawing historical Hetalia in the midst of deadlines- but take some images anyway? I've got another 4 waiting to be finished, but I'm posting these now in the hopes that I'll switch focus to better things before I pick up the remaining images... (hopefully)

If you're interested in my process through creating these, I have more information on my thoughts, references, etc under the cut! :)

So first (and ironically the most recently completed one): America. I was going to draw this lad in more masculine clothing, but I was flipping through one of my reference books and found a look I thought was absolutely stunning, so ofc I had to use it. My justification is the hc that he crossdressed to hide from British forces/representatives (depsite the image used being dated to the 1710s). Speaking of...

This is taken from a book in the World of Art series by James Laver: "Costume and Fashion". This specific image can be found on page 129 and is captioned (visible at top of image) "Studies of three women, Jean-Antoine Watteau c. 1716-17". The lady on the left has the outfit that caught my eye, while the one in the middle is who I took inspiration from in regards to hairstyle. I found it fascinating to see the differences in fashion between classes- the same basic structures, but the left woman's stays are on full display, held in place by a simple ribbon. And her stays don't show a hint of decoration, unlike many from the time. Certainly not something the other two would be caught dead wearing, but I quite like it.

Since the image has little colour, I was free to play with my own ideas (though I likely would have anyway). Since my excuse was that this is during the revolution, I figured linking back to the American flag would be a neat touch- hence the blue skirt and white ribbon (not exactly the shades used, but I didn't think of that at the time). You might notice that red's missing from the equation, which I decided on due to the famous redcoats of the British army at the time. I thought about using a red-brown for the stays, but I liked the brown I settled on and figured that probably wouldn't have been the most common colour on the cheap anyway. However, the white of the ribbons is ever-so-slightly red, and I used a grey-red colour to shade it. That detail is meant to be rather subtle however, as I imagine America wouldn't have wanted to use anything red as a disguise at the time. The green top might seem a bit out of place following that logic, however I had a different idea when it came to that. Originally I thought of green because of how it worked well with blue and brown, but a recent (ongoing) project involved me researching meaning by the colour, so its association with growth and renewal seemed fitting for the whole revolution plot. Though, it could also like to the green fields and rolling hills you can find in the east coast- the ground on which the revolution was fought.

The background colour isn't so thought out- I just picked one that didn't take away from the main image.

Now next we have Prussia, who's dressed in a formal suit from the 1820s- specifically, 1829- as seen in the reference photo I used:

This is from "A History of Fashion: From Loincloths to Lycra", written by Jacqueline Moray, created and designed by David Salariya- with a small team backing them up. It's incredibly detailed, and each page features small images of people across each time period discussed (one of which I've used for my reference) which helps with variety of dress. I do have to note, however, its lack of poc representation- with figures of any skin colour other than white only displayed in the Ancient Egyptian section and from the 1920s onwards. Furthermore, a crayon-like texture is apparent on darker skin tones- for no apparent reason. I'm not normally one to call attention to limited representation in these sorts of books- it's incredibly frustrating, but I get the thought process of "European/western fashion, European [looking] people" but the fact that they begin to appear after a time and the weird texture is... highly suspect.

But none of that relates to Prussia! This figure (the middle one, in the turquoise coat) can be found on page 24 of the book, and I've taken the outfit practically verbatim- minus some changes in colouring. I kept the shoes, under suit (under under suit?) and socks, with my changes originally going to be a grey/red colour theme... before I remembered that Prussian Blue exists. My whole idea I had going into this drawing was the sort of obnoxious peacocking that feels very on-brand for Prussia, and using a colour literally named after him sounded perfect. I decided to make that the overcoat's main colour, with a smidge of red around the vest collar to contrast it. Apart from that, I kept the grey and detailed with various buttons, primarily gold in colouring (with an exception for the larger ones on the overcoat, which are a darker blue).

Additionally, you may notice that he is blushing in the drawing I've done. There is no special meaning to this, other than that I'd noticed- while browsing images of him in order to reference features- images that appeared to be official/from the manga (I was just scrolling, and so didn't double-check) often depicted him with a bit of blush along the edge of his cheeks. Frankly, that's adorable and I had to include it.

And the last we have is New Zealand- or, my interpretation (one of). As I've stated previously (buried in the tags of an earlier post, good luck finding it) I have always thought of feminine/female, in part due to the lack of such representation in the Hetalia canon. Admittedly, though, my decision is influenced by my own gender identity and a want to relate to the character that represents my country. I alter the appearance of my country from their canon counterpart mainly due to a lack of satisfaction with what there is in canon for Aotearoa (and this is not something that just applies to my country, but it is the strongest in this instance) and the feeling that the character I see for my country doesn't represent the one I know. Though it's important to mention that how I choose to represent my country isn't static- it often changes, and you'll likely not see the same two NZs ever in my art, (unless it's an instance like my oc Kima, who was originally an interpretation of my country but was roped into another project and became individual in her own right. I draw her a lot, and her appearance is static, though I doubt she'll appear often on this blog.)

With that out of the way... I had two main reference images for Aotearoa, both taken from "Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910" by Claire Regnault which, by the way, is the best resource I have ever come across for early NZ fashion, and- while approaching the topic largely from the perspective of colonists- details how both Pākehā and Māori clothing evolved.

Both are illustrations by George Angus, the former (page 27) is taken from his book "The New Zealanders Illustrated" which covers how Māori dress changed due to colonisation, which was published in 1847. The latter (page 49) is a painting by him of Toenga (a hine of Ngāti Maru), depicting her in a traditional (though, slightly modernised) harakeke kākahu (flax cloak) as well as a European-style hat he describes as very fashionable among the Māori women of Auckland at the time. While I haven't incorporated the hat into my illustration, I have taken the cloak and red balls of fabric used- a detail Māori weavers began to incorporate upon trade with Europeans- though not the further red lines, since I have limited experience with illustrating this sort of garment. I've taken inspiration from Toenga's pose as well, particularly with how she holds her kākahu to slightly disguise her face (though NZ barely does). As for the other reference, I focused mostly on the hair textures and skin tones depicted to gain an idea of what I wanted this NZ to look like. While Māori hair remains most commonly black or very dark in colour (in my personal experience), I went for a very clear brown tone to call into her Pākehā links. I also initially went for a darker skin tone, but ended up choosing a lighter one for this reason. I additionally considered making her eye colour more noticeably European (e.g. blue, green) instead of brown, but ultimately decided against it, limiting myself to a lighter brown colour. At this point in her history I headcanon her as being primarily linked with her indigenous population, but she isn't absent of European heritage. As colonists begin to take more from her, I can see her becoming more westernised- but that is not yet something she has largely faced (key word being largely).

For similar reasons, I wanted her to have a tā moko tattoo. I am no expert in this art- my knowledge is limited primarily to the placing of the tā moko on the body in different instances and some of the common patterns- so I also sought out a reference for this. I used the book "Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History" by Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, and Aroha Harris. It is a goldmine of Māori history (as the title may suggest) and features many depictions of Māori people and events- this time from a primarily Māori perspective. The individual whose moko I referenced is pictured on the front cover, but is discussed in more detail on page 483:

Since I've taken taken my depiction from an actual person's moko, I cannot apply any special meaning relative to NZ apart from the cultural significance of the tattoo: the passage into adulthood, traditionally, though it can differ in the modern age. Internally, I warred with myself over distancing the design I have used from my reference more- after all, every moko is unique to the individual and the last thing I want to do is step on someone's cultural identity- but I am hesitant to do so. I am not greatly knowledgeable about tā moko and I can't help but feel as though I may be making a greater misstep in altering the design myself.

I did, initally, have another image to add here- I'd drawn an image of Canada in the following outfit (page 21 of the same book I referenced for Prussia):

But I wasn't fond (at all) of the pose I used upon finishing it, nor my attempts at the intricate detailing. But if you're interested, the idea behind the image was a bit different to the others. This is the sort of suit a French nobleman might wear in the 1790s- quite a while after Canada became British territory, though I'd been interested in the thought of him looking quite out of place dressed so fancily. So my idea ended up being France (kidnapping him?) deciding to loop Canada into a day of "nostalgia", bringing out old outfits and convincing his old colony to put one of them on. As such, I added a few more modern details to hint at this reality- painted fingernails, for one, and Canada's hair wasn't a wig, but his own styled in a small ponytail (with the ribbon). I may redo it eventually seeing as I was fond of the premise, but I had another idea for a Canada image that will be released whenever I finish the second set. This one was originally a vague notion of Nyo!Canada (her design is adorable) but I wanted this one to draw more from Inuit roots, and so her design will reflect that. Not really recognisable as canon Canada, but a Canada nonetheless.

Apart from that Canada, the other designs I have sketched but on hold are the following:

France, in the clothes of a Norman nobleman from the 1150s- looking slightly older than the young France depicted in Hetalia canon but with a noticeably innocent expression

Germany, looking very unimpressed in a wedding dress dated to 1878 (modern Germany, old wedding dress)

A joint depiction of Nyo!North Italy and Nyo!Germany with slight GerIta, which can be dated to sometime from 1910 to the 1920s, though more likely the 20s than the 10s (look, I had two dresses slightly different time periods, and an idea)

And if you've made it this far through my very long-winded explanation about these drawings that each hold a little bit of my soul, I applaud you and am very (very) thankful. Please feel open to discuss further with if you'd like- I value every second you spend entertaining my thoughts :))

Hi :) . I’m going to try keep this short. I know you fandom post too but I thought I’d share this.

Two years ago I found your blog amongst others, posting about Sámi culture and also information on land + environment, as well as issues with the government and public. I thought hey I should keeping looking and also look this stuff up and research, so I did, and tried to educate myself on the things you guys would post about. I’m not Sámi, but I wanted to understand and also some stuff was interesting generally.

A year later, then, I got an assignment in a class for a response to write in an exam and we had to pick a discrimination/hr issue within a list, and I chose ‘Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ and was thinking of which group/peoples to talk about (we had to limit the response to one group/area in the world and were encouraged to maybe not do our own country) and I remembered your posts and was like ‘Okay, I’ll talk about the Sámi people.’. Cue like ten or more full pages of research with links to articles and statistics and everything. Your and others (who I sadly can’t remember the blogs of) posts really inspired me to spread the knowledge of the discrimination faced and I wanted to be accurate as possible so I did a lot of research through Sámi blogs which lead me to more online including reports and even pubmed studies. I got to learn a lot, and at least two teachers then went and did research and read up on the rights and environmental issues as well.

So, basically I wanted to say thank you for making me aware of both your culture and the human and environmental rights things going on. I credit my work and the fact that it lead others to educate themselves towards you and the other bloggers that I got my information from and whom inspired the response.

I hope things begin to improve soon. I hope they begin to listen to your people. Also hope/would like to wish you that outside of all that stuff that you’re having a genuinely good day. :)

(Also an extra little thanks because your reblogs of art and also movies have introduced me to some incredible artists and films I might watch soon. :) )

Hello! This is the most beautiful message I have received on this page but I need to make one thing clear. I am NOT Sámi. At least as far as I know. I have felt connection to Sámi people ever since I learned about their existence, because we share similar history of language and cultural suppression. I feel connected to the way they see nature and our place in it (something that is the connecting link between most indigenous people). I love their music, because songs from people like Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman remind me of our folk songs and warm my heart when I listen to them. Even some parts of their traditional clothing remind me of my granny and what she used to wear. And since I moved to a country where there are Sámi people recently, now more than ever I want to help them with the little I can do. I am very happy to hear that my blog inspired you :) you have no idea how much it means to me. There are many days when my fight for the better world, one without hatred and prejudice, seems futile. So many people in our world feel like dehumanising other people or whole groups is normal and okay. So few realise that we are all one people. We are all children of our Grandmother Earth and we all ought to protect her and each other. So it gave me a lot of hope to read that not only my blog inspired you but also your teachers to research a topic that is close to my heart.

Thank you and I hope you too will have a great day :)

So here's the story of how I met Captain Aeribella. I was writing a paper in music history class about the "legend" of said captain, how there are multiple accounts of this person, but the dates are so far apart that it has always been assumed that it was but another impersonator taking on the name and persona of Captain Aeribella as a way to ride on the coattails of the original famous singing pirate. That's what led me to the Boston Museum of Fine Art, where I had heard they had a scale model of her ship. I love that kind of thing, so I just had to go see. Anyway, there I was kneeling in front of the glass case, admiring the gaff rigging, and then turning my head to get a clearer view of the keel, when I caught the eye of someone on the other side, parallel with me as if she had been doing the same. We both laughed and I said "oh hello!". "You like ships?" She asked. "Yes! But this one in particular, I've been writing a school paper about her captain." She took a deep breathe and smiled. "I've studied her life a lot" she said, "Let's connect via email". I was surprised by this openness from a stranger, but I agreed, and we kept in contact... or rather, I was emailed by her assistant, which I thought was strange. They scheduled a time to meet at a seafood truck downtown by the docks. By this time, I was equally interested in learning more about my new friend, (who went by Bella), as I was in completing the music history class assignment. So one Saturday we met up at our agreed upon location and enjoyed some crab cakes, although squeezed under a beach umbrella to escape the rain... which stopped after a few minutes, thankfully. When the sun came out, she asked if I wanted to see her sailing yacht, and obviously I was all about that. It was a sleek, double masted, gaff rigged wooden schooner. I don't know when exactly I finally realized who I was really talking to, I just knew I was utterly swept away by her energy, her wise quips, the way her schooner gracefully sliced through the water under her steady hand on the helm, with the sound of her laughter and her occasional songs drifting on the breeze. We sailed along the coast all afternoon, and it felt like we had known each other forever. While saying our goodbyes, I wanted to be sure, so I looked at her and asked "So... Aeribella?" "Captain" she replied, nodding slightly. I still can't believe I got to meet her. She said I could post these, but I won't tag her cause she's against the whole social media thing and prefers to remain the stuff of legends. Maybe I'll see her again someday, and she'll tell me how she's been alive for so long. Regardless, her music, ambition, carefree spirit, and sense of adventure will forever inspire me. So, I made some stuff up for my music history paper and got a B-.

Blog Post 7 ♥

This semester was super fun and I learned a lot. I was nervous coming into the class because I did not really like the prerequisite, but I enjoyed this one a whole lot more. It was a lot of taking photos, which is not my strong suit, but it taught me a lot about taking inspiration from our physical surroundings and putting that into our art. As a new Art History major, it was also super fun to learn about more modern artists and artists that are currently making art today instead of the dusty Renaissance men from art history class. I do not know if I will have to take another art class, but if I do I hope it's as fun as this one was. I also liked seeing other people's projects and thought processes in their art. I thrive on bouncing ideas across multiple people so this was very beneficial. My favorite project that we did was the Typography collage. I was so worried about it because I had missed the whole week before the project was due but the feedback I received at the critique made me more confident in my art. I also really enjoyed taking pictures with the color gels for the Color Identity project. The picture I put above this post is one of the ones I considered for my final but ended up not making it. I was really struggling with the gels until I found the red one and realized that putting the edge of it right against my phone's camera could make the skyline red. I had so much fun messing with that effect.

This class has definitely enhanced my confidence in my art. I do not do a lot of art on my own, even though I love it. The reason I didn’t pursue it more in high school and initially into college is because of my low confidence in my ideas and my art. I’m not trained in a lot of skills but I take to them easily. I will definitely be doing more art on my own if not in a class as a result of this class.

Blog #3 DVF Field Trip

Diane von Furstenberg is a Belgian-American fashion designer who gained popularity in 1969 when she married the German Prince Egon von Furstenberg.  Diane von Furstenburg is known for creating the iconic wrap dress, her wrap dress comes in vibrant and fun patterns that she and her team design.  We have seen many designers take inspiration from Diane von Furstenbuerg and make their own version of the wrap dress. We see this being done at all levels within the fashion industry.  

On wednesday February 22nd my creative fashion presentations class took a field trip to visit the Diane von Furstenburg store in the meatpacking industry.  I really enjoyed this field trip because one of the workers gave us a whole run down and brief history lesson on Diane von Furstenberg and the store.  I learned a lot more about Diane von Furstenberg and her brand from this field trip.  I also loved the store layout and design itself, it was very fun, colorful and interesting.  I loved how on the stairs and in that one side room there were Diane’s designs on the floors and walls of the room and on the steps of the stairs.  Personally I tend to wear more muted and less printed clothes because that’s what looks good, but I really love Diane’s brand. It is so fun and different from what I am used to.  

I have included some images I took around the store during the class field trip below.  Although we aren’t entirely the target market Diane von Furstenberg is trying to reach because the price point is out of our range, I do think Diane von Furstenberg did a great job to get generation z to be aware of her brand.  The store is very fun and decorated with art making the store an instagrammable place.  Generation z is all about taking “aesthetic” pictures and looking for the next backdrop for their instagram posts and I think Diane’s store would be a great place for that.  In the store there is also a photobooth which has become a trend towards the end of 2022, but still continues to be trendy.  Even though generation z doesn’t have the money to buy Diane von Furstenberg, the store being a beautiful place for people to take pictures will attract the younger audience and make them know the brand so when they do have the money they can shop it. 

Some of My Favorite Songs :3

Disaster Tourism by mewithoutYou: "When I've satisfied each need invented by my eye; I was the nest by a foxhole; the dirt underneath your boot sole." In general I really love mewithoutYou. This just happens to be the song I like the soundscape and imagery of the best. I don't identify with any organized, labeled religion, but the G-d that mwY sings of, I feel in my own heart. They come from a background including Sufi Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, which creates a very interesting landscape of inspirations, sounds, lyrics, and emotions. This is my favorite band.

Crywank Are for Posers (Blastbeats) by Crywank: "A waste of time is hearing what's on my mind; mind, active trapped inside a stationary body." This is my favorite version of the song (normally called Crywank Are Posers). Though the song is about wasting your time arguing with people on the internet, I instead relate to it as a disabled person experiencing tons of ableism both internalized in myself and externalized in other people and society as a whole. Feeling trapped, feeling unheard, feeling like a burden.

I Wanna Be Your Dog 2 by AJJ: "I wanna be the pebble that gets stuck inside your shoe; I wanna be the thing that gets attached to you; I wanna be your fucking dog" This is one of my favorite love songs. I love the devotion and yearning of it. That's really all.

Post FOMO Life by Truth Club: "Oh god, it's like hand you the gravestone; and say, you've gotta set it and etch it, honey; quick and hurry, with an epigraph that reads like your legacy; leaves no room to wiggle" Sorry, no Spotify link for this one (though you SHOULD listen to the Truth Club that is on Spotify, they're really good). Something about this song is so magnetic and human and vulnerable to me. First time I heard it was coming off the speakers of this guy who was practicing ollies on his skateboard outside my Art History class. I asked him for the song and he told me, and I never saw him again. Felt like fate.

Thank you for joining the campaign to bring the arts to future generations, ANDRE JONES the brother of Mercedes Jones, we’re happy to have you! If you want a refresher on what to do next, feel free to look at the WELCOME CHECKLIST. Please send your account in within the next 48 hours so that you can get started.    

ooc information 

NAME: C

AGE: 28+

PRONOUNS: she/her

SHIPS: Andre & Chemistry

ANTI-SHIPS: Andre & No Chemistry

basic ic information NAME: Andre Jones

BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: December 5 + Sagittarius

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Emergency Doctor @ New York-Presbyterian

CURRENT LOCATION: NYC

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Divorced

FC:

twitter post 

@DOCTORJONES: You don't have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great. #WORDSOFWISDOM #FOODFORTHOUGHT

in character questions Answer these in character, and feel free to add gifs into your answers.

1.) What did you want to do with your life when you were younger? What would the child version of yourself think about the path you paved for yourself?

I have always wanted to be a doctor. Or, at the very least, involved in the medical field. I had no concept of which department or in what capacity until I had already begun college, but I was blessed to figure things out rather quickly. I have no doubt that my younger self would be quite proud of where I took myself.

2.) What is your proudest accomplishment? Don’t be afraid to talk about what it took to achieve it and how you feel about it as well.

Graduating Medical School is at the top of the list. It took exactly what you might expect, and then some. Countless hours, even more sleepless nights, hundreds of pens, pencils, highlighters, index cards, and paper. And, so much more emotionally and physically. It was all worth it, though.

3.) If you could do anything you wanted for one whole day, what would it be and why?

I would love to spend the day at the Louvre. The history, the beauty, I have always thought it would be awe-inspiring.

where are they now?

Andre is Mercedes' brother. The two were close growing up, and he took the role of brother very seriously, always protecting, looking out for, and covering for Mercedes when it was needed. Even as a young child, Andre was intelligent. It became obvious very early on that academics was an area in which he would excel. An avid reader, Andre always seemed to prefer nonfiction books over the fantasies and tales his peers were reading. In high school, he took to every single science class he took like a fish to water, and early on he set his sights on becoming a Doctor. It was a goal he was able to achieve easily, graduating from high school a year and a half early, advancing to Ohio State University where he once again graduating top of his class, and a year early. Following his Bachelors program, Andre was accepted into Yale Medical School, where he attended for the completion of his program. Once his residency and internship had been completed, he decided to move to New York, having always wanted to live in the city, and expecting that one way or another, Mercedes would find herself there several times per year.

During Medical School, Andre met his wife, Evelyn. As someone who hadn't ever paid much attention to relationships and feelings of that nature during the bulk of his schooling, Andre felt as though he wasn't sure what love truly was. But, he found Evelyn attractive, thought she had a good personality, and she was intelligent. So, naturally, he married her. A short six months into their marriage, they had a child together- a daughter, Ariel. It was around that time that Andre began having thoughts of exploring and breaking away from his marriage. Though Evelyn was lovely, something just never seemed to sit correctly with Andre. It wasn't until after one of his coworkers convinced him to play wingman one weekend at the local gay bar that Andre realized why it was that his marriage hadn't ever felt like what he'd been told it was meant to feel. He was gay. Confused, nervous, and scared for what was probably the first real time in his life, he panicked about how to proceed. At first, he did was he believed would be best- prioritized his family. Andre took the revelation, balled it up, and shoved it to the furthest corner of his mind, determined to focus on his wife and marriage. The weight of doing so, however, brought an amount of insecurity and doubt unlike anything he had ever experienced. Andre was totally unequipped to handle anything he was experiencing, and having just begun his residency, he found himself struggling for the first time.

In order to cope, he began to drink, something he hadn't ever really participated in. Before he knew it, he found himself spiraling into a tidal wave of functioning alcoholism. It wasn't until he found himself hospitalized for alcohol poisoning, and very nearly on the brink of losing his residency and everything he had ever worked for. Luckily, the Doctor he was training under recognized what was occurring, having been through the same thing himself in his younger years. Giving Andre a chance, he helped him get into a program, discreetly, and worked with and around him to allow the young man to complete his Residency.

By the end of things, Andre came out happier and healthier than he really ever had been, and ready to tell Evelyn the truth about himself. The divorce was hard, but filled with love and friendship, and the two remain close to this day. Andre moved into his own apartment in NYC, remains sober, and has joint custody of his daughter Ariel.