Tindalostalbot

Tomorrow, at least in the time and space where these words will be found, is rather important. Perhaps in the story that follows the meaning will be found; perhaps it will not be, save for one that will know. For this is a story that is meant for my …

Dearest
By TeraS

For Elliot …

It is said that time is an illusion, a spectre of thought which mortals use to mark out the moments which appear and recede or can be just seen over the horizon which exists in the dimension where they reside. There are moments within time where we suddenly realize how much of that has passed by. We mark out milestones in those moments, events when we recall how things began and where they are in the here and now.

On this particular speck of dust within a larger universe, a companion turns about its mate, forever showing the same side to the souls below as they go about the trials and tribulations of their times. During the brightness of day, it fades into the background–occasionally noticed, but the bringer of light holds sway of these times. It is when the world turns, the geometry changes, and day gives way to dusk and then night that the companion takes over the bringing of light. The light reflected from its ashen grey surface gives the companion its place in the dark skies above, casting its influence upon the world below with more presence than what otherwise is noted by most.

Counting the time, it is a baker’s dozen times ten from the moment begun to the moment which approaches. In another means of counting, the time marks the completion of one circle of this speck, marking the point where a soul notes the moment of another’s progression as a result. Still a further means calculates the event as the roughly five thousandth, five hundredth and forty-second point from which something began which made the moment possible.

For a particular ebon-maned woman, who occasionally can be found with red horns and tail, but always with a bemused smile, this is all true and more. But beyond this comes the focus of all of these calculations, reflections, and realizations. She recalls the times before, the notes passed through the ether, the words spoken between souls with an understanding. One particular word has been present since the first hello, echoing through the ages to the present time.

It can be the beginning of a letter from one to the other, a simple word to open the dialogue from before and begin the transition towards the reply and thoughts to be shared before moving onto the discussion of what is and what each hopes will be. Further, the word expresses a friendship cast from time past to times to be, a hint of the adoration she has for him, knowing that he holds for her, and the place in which their understanding comes from. Being called Dearest, after all, is more than the word itself.

It is a word that for these two souls has meaning which cannot quite be expressed fully. The notes made here give a hint, but don’t quite express the relationship they have found in the simple expression of the word with each time it is spoken. Perhaps the word is akin to something more, which only two dear friends can hold within the friendship they cherish beyond the word given.

She looks out the window to find the moon peeking over the horizon and casts her thoughts above. She wonders if he is well, if something good came today for him. She recalls the stories about sending thoughts to the silvery moon and how they might find their way to the one being thought about. She considers this, how the moon is so very central to them both in name and existence. The clock on her desk gains her attention and she finds that in this moment the moon connects them by its position, the curvature of the Earth, and the instant in time.

The thought comes easily, the words are heartfelt and true as they have always been. She passes them in her voice to put them out in the world, to be carried by the moonlight above across the distance towards the one they are meant for. They will never be heard by his ears, but he carries the knowledge of them from the first hello onwards.

The two words have meant something more which is wrapped around the words themselves. The words that have carried on through, holding a promise made. The words which follow are the expression of a friendship, an understanding, and–most cherished of all–the sharing of the moonlight between them.

Hello, Dearest …

Morrigan Aensland by 深瀬 四季(noie)

As found at:

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/82489952

You can see the old (2014) version of this comic here.

The post Thanks for being thoughtful. appeared first on Indexed.

Don’t know the story of Orpheus? Read this older comic first!

The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice:

Read more about the artist in the accompanying post – click here!

I’m ecstatic to bring you this guest post, which introduces the beautiful and haunting work of illustrator Tyler Miles Lockett in his new works based on Ancient Greek Mythology.

See the full series of illustrations in the image post – click here!

Tyler Miles Lockett is an award-winning illustrator who studied Illustration at Parsons school of design in NYC. Having worked in video game art he now pursues his personal passion projects while living around the world as a ‘digital nomad’. He is currently working on a series of Greek Mythology illustrations that will be compiled as a book – one to look out for!  

Tyler in his own words:

I’ve always been passionate about art, growing up drawing warriors and fantasy landscapes, growing up watching 80’s movies like ‘The Neverending Story”, and “The Dark Crystal,” and playing tons of video games and watching tons of 90’s Japanese cyberpunk OVA’s Animation.  After studying Illustration… I worked as a senior concept artist on American Mcgee’s “Alice: Madness Returns” video game… Now I’m embarking on a whole new chapter, diving deep into something I’m really passionate about; Greek Mythology!  Come along for the ride! I’m happy to have you aboard, and I look forward to hearing from you on Instagram or Discord!

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Jenks says:

Tyler’s work appeared on Twitter and smacked me in the face with its colour, texture and overall impact. The shapes he uses are so natural, layered and layered over textures and brushwork that make it appear alive, whilst immediately creating a recognisable scene from mythology and telling a story within a single frame – like Ancient Greek pottery or the single-panel frescos from Pompeii. And yet these beautiful, beautiful renditions of the gods and mythical creatures have the most haunting horror-film eyes. It’s a relatively simple detail but I am obsessed with this portrayal: no, they are not mortal. Yes, they will do what they want with you and not care afterward. It’s a brave and original way of picturing these divine beings as more supernatural and distinctly superior to us mere mortals, rather as you might think they were originally imagined.

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You can find out more about Tyler’s work, see his other finished works and behind-the-scenes videos on his Twitter and Instagram, buy prints of his work, or join him on his Discord server, all accessible here: https://linktr.ee/tylermileslockett

See the main image post with the complete Orpheus series here: https://greekmythcomix.com/comic/guest-post-tyler-miles-locketts-orpheus-series

 

This is a pairing that I have been meaning to get to for years, and what better day to do so than today? I hope all of my USA visitors have a great holiday today, enjoying time with family and friends! For those outside the USA, I hope you have an awesome day too!

Ale and I have been working on a new project. Over the last ten months, we've been working on Side Quested. It's a medieval fantasy romance comedy for young adult and adult audiences. The world is a rough place right now, and we are cramming as much cuteness into these pixels as humanly possible. It's heavily inspired by Ranma 1/2 and other old-school manga, and if you want magic, dragons, and 19-year-olds making really terrible mistakes which anger the very gods themselves, Side Quested is for you.

This doesn't endanger AGAHF or its update schedule. We've waited to make sure we can meet all of our obligations on this comic before we started on the second. But we also wanted to do something fun, something joyous...something with monsters that can be defeated with courage and magic.

Side Quested starts on July 7.
It's mirrored on Tapas.

It goes without saying, but we wouldn't have been able to do this at all if it wasn't for our Patreon supporters. Thank you all so much!

A Girl and Her Fed's Patreon is here.
Side Quested's Patreon is here.

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I’m hoping to return to Morgane’s story next week, though I will admit that I’ve been saying that for a few weeks now. Still, the time will come and I’ll get there. As for this week, something for Father’s Day for my Eternal, something in which there is …

Wonder
By TeraS

A long time ago, before the Realm, before horns and tails, my Eternal made something very clear to me: the only thing that mattered to him was me. I should have known that explaining what would never be for us wouldn’t matter. He made it very clear that being together mattered more than anything that had been taken away from us.

Love, you see, comes in all sorts of forms. There is eternal love shared between souls, the love of family, love in ways that don’t fit into a specific explanation. They are all forms of love in which we find the wonder of being held in that presence and what comes from that love.

In a place called the Realm there live two Eternals who found each other and in doing so made their dreams real, all save one. Except that wasn’t exactly true; the universe works in mysterious ways after all.

In time, the red-tailed couple discovered two blue-tailed daughters to love and be loved in return. A dream made real in this universe, a hope brought to life, and a wonder never expected to be true. Said to be impossible, faith managed to make the dream possible.

In this universe, a woman watches her Eternal with their daughters. She’s captivated by the sight before her. She marvels at his love, how complete it is; there’s no hesitation or concern to be seen. She watches the two blue-tails hug their father and wish him love on this day, not that they don’t every day, of course. But today has special meaning, after all.

In another place, a human realm, two Eternals note the date on the calendar. It’s somewhat melancholy, much like another day in May. She looks at her Eternal and sees in her mind the father he would be. She sees the two daughters in that other universe, knows she wishes she could have given him such children.

She wonders what might be if the impossible comes to pass. Goddess, after all, had made the impossible happen once, giving a path for a mother to prove to everyone that they were wrong three times over. Goddess had given this universe her Eternal and made the dream of eternal love their reality.

It’s a wonder what they have. But she still wonders, muses, and tells stories of that other realm where two blue-tailed daughters have a father and mother to love. The wonder of that world still has many stories to be told, but one thing will always be: the wonder of her Eternal’s love wherever they are together.

I'm sure it will be fine

Oh hi

ichigoyt:

Astronomical Events June 2022

June 10 - Daytime Arietid Meteor Shower. This meteor shower is active from 14 April to 24 June, producing its peak rate of meteors around 10 June. Over this period, there will be a better chance of seeing meteors whenever the shower’s radiant point – in the constellation Aries – is above the horizon. The radiant point may culminate after dawn and so the shower is likely to produce its best displays shortly before dawn. At its peak, the shower is expected to produce a nominal rate of around 50 meteors per hour.

June 14 - Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This is the first of three supermoons for 2022. The Moon will reach perigee, the lowest point of its orbit, on June 15 and may look very slightly larger and brighter than usual.

June 16 - Mercury at Greatest Elongation West. Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 23.2 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

June 21 - June Solstice. This event occurs at 09:05 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.

June 21~30 - Planets Parade. Shortly before dawn, a “Planetary Marathon” will be possible. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune will be observable at the same time. Most will be bright enough for the unaided eye while Uranus & Neptune will require an instrument. The Moon will also form multiple conjunctions with the planets over this period. Make sure to plan your observing session to find the best opportunities for your location, as this event lasts for multiple days.

Moon Phases

- First Quarter: 07 June / 14:49 UTC

- Full Moon: 14 June / 11:51 UTC

- Last Quarter: 21 June / 03:11 UTC

- New Moon: 29 June / 02:53 UTC

Clear skies and remember, This is your friend!

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Before you email me, try to write out a proof!

Today's News:

In case you missed it, I have a new Kickstarter launch going for my new (and very colourful!) ABC book for children, and the companion Colouring book, full of Ancient Greek Mythical creatures!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laurajenkinsonbrown/ancient-greek-mythical-creatures-abc-book-and-colouring-book

The launch went extremely well, with the initial order amount being reached in a matter of hours! It is now 475% funded, with 10 days still left to go! Around 50 of each book have been ordered, which to me, just doing this myself, is amazing! Thank you so much if you have ordered a copy of either book already!

The ABC book has an ancient-artwork-inspired illustrated image of a mythical creature alongside the letters of the English alphabet and a two-word legend on each page to introduce the letter and character. The Colouring book version has line-art versions of all the creatures and more, plus a brief outline of the creature’s mythology and art notes for where the inspiration for the image came from. 

Both books are available as a bundle, along with a free set of five colourful vinyl stickers of my favourite creatures (thanks to the stretch goal!) Or, you can order a copy of either book individually, or PDF printable versions of the Colouring books, to make colouring pages for yourself or your school classes. 

If you like the look of these and haven’t ordered yet, come and have a look at the whole campaign! 

All the best, 

Jenks.

The post Another wingman appeared first on Evil Inc.

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Come. Join me in this lovely world where it's all just been a misunderstanding.

Today's News:

I have a theory about writers, which is they reach peak expansiveness around age 50 or so. Not necessarily peak quality or peak beauty - peak likeliness to concern themselves with big questions about things like sex, death, meaning, their place in the universe, and so on.

I got to thinking about this reading Jan Morris’ recent book of published daily reflections, Thinking Again. She wrote it when she was 91 and 92, and it was published in 2020. It is almost entirely trivial, and hardly even reflective. I would say it’s almost startlingly in the moment for someone who anticipates dying at almost any time. Much of it is about that day’s weather, favorite trees, how she talks to people in the neighborhood, being Welsh, current politics, and so on. Even the subject of her wife’s dementia - surely a spur to thoughts on the nature of being - is mentioned with something close to dispassion. Almost like a description of the decor of her life. Contrast with her earlier book Condundrum (1974), which is all reflection and deep thoughts on just about everything. Love, beauty, the nature of attachment, ideas of femininity and masculinity, childrearing, depression - everything. In middle age, she is at her most reflective. In old age, her most frivolous.

I wonder why this is. A literary comparison springs to mind - Nevil Shute. Shute is a beloved author of mine, whose entire corpus I’ve read. I find he tracks me theory of middle age expansiveness pretty well. Born in 1899, his early books are horrible 1920s spy thrillers. I can’t remember which, but as I recall if you read his books in order, around the third or fourth book there’s a moment when the mediocre characters in a mediocre plot find themselves sharing a quiet moment poking at some coals in a small fire. After that the books get better. It’s as if Shute got the thriller stuff out of his system, and was ready to write life as it was. And I find his two best books, Pied Piper and Requiem for a Wren were both written in his 40s and 50s, as was his more famous book On the Beach. Pied Piper is about an old man finding himself in the position of getting a large number of orphaned children to safety in World War II. Requiem for a Wren is complex, but I think of it as being fundamentally about people who were young and vibrant during that war finding that life afterward is unbearably hard and complicated and lonely and purposeless. And On the Beach is proper brooding melancholy about a post-nuclear war world where everyone is dying. But then we get to his very last book, written just past the age of 60, Trustee from the Toolroom, which is a light mildly comedic mystery story, which literally concerns an old man who likes building tiny things. 

It occurred to me as I wrote this that I literally cannot think of an author who became more reflective in old age. Some (CS Lewis is perhaps the ultimate example) write essays that don’t seem to change in style or tone, whose period in his life are only detectable from biographical knowledge. Some, like Orwell, never get past middle age, and never got properly trivial. EB white, as I recall is talking about world government and the nature of democracy in middle age, but his later essays are more apt to be about dogs and barns and grandchildren.

I’m about at the beginning of middle age, I suppose, and I don’t know why the above should be true. In fact, I don’t quite know why I have the stereotype that the elderly should be especially engaged in the Big Questions. I suspect if you want to meet a literary old man who’s battling these things, you ought to read an old man character written by a 45 year old. The actual old authors I can think of seem to be more in the moment.

I have a guess about why this should be, but it’s only a guess. Let’s take for granted my theory that peak reflectiveness comes with middle age. An interesting correlation is that the statistical peak of misery is around 40 to 50. It varies by country, but my understanding is that in developed countries this finding is pretty robust: peak happiness is around 20, the bottom is around 40, and then ever after, on average, happiness grows, even into very old age. There are different theories on why this should be, but I’ll give three I like.

One is an argument from evolution. Middle age is a time when in our species you are naturally somewhat on the wane, and so you grow more status conscious. Status consciousness being the royal road to immiseration, you soon find yourself writing existentialist literature.

A second idea is about responsibility. From age 0 to 25, at least for many of us, you keep getting more power in life with little added responsibility. You get to vote, to drink, to drive, to go out all night and not tell anyone. Maybe you make a little money, people start to respect your competence, you feel positively adult. But you don’t have kids to look after or a mortgage. Your is at its peak. The things that keep you up at night are interesting or sexy - not scary or bleak. But then things reverse - the privileges stay, but few or new ones are added. And meanwhile more and more people come to depend on you just as you begin to fear more for your own health. In short, you become weighed down with worries, and these are not especially offset by the novelties of aging in the way the movement from 18 to 25 was.

A third idea, which I’m very sympathetic to because I think it better explains the late-in-life uptick, is that this is all just about expectation. You probably expect 30 or 40 or so to be pretty amazing when younger. And then it turns out its quite hectic, and you really don’t have anything figured out. Meanwhile you didn’t become a movie star or a famous athlete or a sex god or whatever it was. Those years simply cannot live up to the hope you once held. But the recompense is that you expected old age to be miserable, and in fact it isn’t. You’re Jan Morris strolling the Welsh countryside, enjoying accosting young joggers with jokes, having homemade marmalade from the neighbor, watching young people and vicariously feeling their happiness. Objectively your worries are more legitimate and real than 40 years earlier, but you never expected to even by alive this long in the first place. All expectations have been surpassed.

So maybe that explains it. I think the searching that produces good literature, or at least literature dealing with Big Stuff, is often spurred by sadness, or better still by the need to see things as they are while fitting them into a picture that makes sense. This is a kind of cosmic improv game humans inflict on themselves when things are going poorly - take what has happened so far and justify it.

I live on an old farm. Out my office window a white fence follows a road down the slope of a valley where hay is grown. When I am having a good day, the hills are just hills. On a bad day, I require them to explain the universe. Perhaps the older authors simply feel less need, or perhaps just less inclination to make reality cough up a reason.

The post Lightning Lady is a good wingman appeared first on Evil Inc.

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Unfortunately, God's habitat keeps shrinking.

Today's News:

Something happened this week which I shan’t go into here deeply … at least not for now. But it had a bearing on things that a soul can …

Recall
By TeraS

I recall many things as I look back on the past.

This isn’t to say that they are all good or bad, of course. Perhaps it’s kinder to think of them all as shades of grey. Even that isn’t quite right; the moments of brilliance that burned the grey away like the morning fog coming under the gaze of the sun which moves it aside. Similarly, the deepest, darkest depths of emotion that take over fall like a blanket over one’s thoughts and emotions.

There are points at which the best of who we can be aims to move to the forefront of thought, to express in our voices and actions that we are better souls than we give ourselves credit for. Even a certain ebon-maned soul, regardless of her self-depreciation and legendary view of herself, might be able to see a glimmer of what good she’s done. Still, that’s not her way, as so many that know her are very well aware. There’s nothing special about love and care, nothing unique about a thought given to make someone’s day better however that might be. It’s in these moments, though they be few of late, that she finds herself in a place where she can recall things.

On a recent morning, she would have been found by a park bench outside of a monolithic structure she’d been visiting a lot of late. At this point in the day, there were few that would have noticed her there. The hour was early, after all. Her attention was fixed on the silver aluminum can rolling between her palms, the cold touch her companion.

She saw the can, but it didn’t register on the thoughts that passed by in this moment. Images, sounds, voices, and things that can’t quite be fully explained held her: moments of laughter and tears, recollections of things taught, advise given, truths reminded of that didn’t need to be, but nonetheless were.

From afar, she heard him and looked up, the thoughts passing into the breeze that danced around her. They’d been here before, together. Not the same place, but the same emotions, the same thoughts of what was and might have been and what they both knew would be.

She knew that look. Her Eternal wasn’t one to hide what he thought, that being just one of a myriad reasons she loved him. She waited for him to pass over the crosswalk, knowing what he’d say. The can found itself left on the bench as she stood, their eyes meeting across the distance that closed swiftly. It didn’t matter how long they held each other, it mattered that they did so. The breeze covered up his words and her replies; they weren’t meant for anyone else, after all. There were always tears in moments like these, better to be shared than held within or shed alone.

They ran out of words eventually. More would come in time, when the moment was right or one of them recalled something else to be said in passing. He noticed the can and considered it. Whether it be half empty or half full felt like a reflection of themselves in this moment they held together. It was a point in their lives where the question seemed apt. Her thoughts were of him, what the future would be. She worried about many things: some he knew, some she’d never reveal.

Time passed a little more, the sun rising above the tree line, the breeze tossing about her mane, the hem of her red dress, his black jacket. They could remain there, apart from the world a bit longer, hidden away, at least for a time. She managed a small smile as he mused about breakfast. The idea was offered of a certain small place nearby. She recalled the many times in the past they’d passed time there in better moments than these.

They started to walk towards the parking lot. He took a look behind once, a thought passed before returning his attention to his Eternal love, holding her hand. She gave a small squeeze in return. She knew what he was recalling. She’d been there while waiting, she recalled the can she held in her free hand as they walked together. Recalling memories brought a fuller soul, remembering together brought far more.

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The Face of God(dess)

take your pick

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Today is one of those days where memories come along with tears, a day when my Eternal pauses and remembers what happened then, what’s happened since, and what might happen. Sometimes the memories bring us to see that flowers will always …
Bloom
By TeraS
She loved flowers … be they flowers in a garden or depicted on a card, professionally drawn or by her children’s hands, she loved to see them.…

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Becoming – Part V by TeraS

At last we return to the story of Morgane today. As much as I want to get to the point of things, there’s a sort of interlude that I feel needs to be touched on. If you are sure what you want, you wouldn’t question your …
Becoming
Part V
By TeraS
For Morgane
She’s testing me, there’s no other explanation.
The halls pass by as I rush towards the next class, knowing that it matters in some sense,…

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Morrigan Aensland by 그림 저장용

As found at:

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/81612640