[Thorin] is cantankerous and often cross. I found this characteristic interesting and, at the beginning, it was a bit hard for me to determine where it sprang from. I’d say this surly and aggressive side is something all the warrior dwarves share, but Thorin, on top of that, cant stand the thought that he’s been stripped of his kingdom in such a violent way. In addition, he’s suffered the loss of his rank in the dwarf society, going from the privileged status of a royal family member to that of a wandering warrior. He’s ashamed of such a decline..
Each one of the characters demonstrates their personality perfectly.
Sheppard is the first to move forwards, Ronon a moment later grabs his sword and joins him. Teyla takes measured, thoughtful steps to John’s side. Weir and Beckett stand still, then Carson turns to Elizabeth – not as profound, admittedly, but telling non the less.
But I really want to talk about Rodney. These few seconds are the entire plot of Hide and Seek or, in fact, his character arc through the series.
He can’t help his first instinct, a half step back. Self preservation has been his modus operandi his entire life, it’s a hard habit to break. He then steps sideways, probably contemplating the myriad ways he could die in the next few minutes. BUT THEN, HE STEPS UP. This is why he is not the same man he was in sg-1. He may be scared out of his wits, he may be a pretty rubbish fighter but he WILL step up with his team because he knows he must and, dammit, it’s the right thing to do.
I know that DHewlett often says that the writers are what made McKay but, whether this was an actor’s choice or a director’s choice, it is this sort of non-verbal characterisation that makes McKay live. The same can be said for everybody in the scene, all of whom so obviously understood what was going on inside their character’s heads.
Trace them. Or use a ruler. Don’t fuck around. Like. I could write you a book about angles and proportions but there are so many books, and you can get a book if you want, but faces in perspective are hard as hell. Even if you know what’s supposed to happen, it can take a long time to get the hang of it, and it can take a long time to train your eyes how to see it, so give yourself some training wheels. That kind of thing… the skills won’t come from knowing what to do but by repetition and getting used to seeing what happens.
For practice, you could draw yourself in the mirror. Or get a bunch of screen caps of a character from a single scene where his face angle changes. Trace them. Compare them so you learn to see the differences.
To worried youths in my inbox: Tracing is a tool. It’s not cheating. That’s a bullshit notion perpetuated by little boys who can’t draw Batman.
Art is not a magic trick that comes from the sky and infuses your hands with divine powers. Inspiration is a lie. Natural talent is an even bigger lie.
Nobody expects a surgeon to be able to do brain surgery without a chart, a scan, a ruler, the right tools, an entire team, a hospital, and practice.
Trace the damn thing. Use the tools you need to make the art you want to make. Even Michelangelo traced.
I think a lot of people who don’t make art and therefore don’t know how art gets made insist on having opinions anyway about how art should be made
And that’s garbage
You can’t replace skill. That’s why we say tracing is a tool, because it’s ONLY a tool. You can’t trace and end up with this:
Trace to help you see. Trace to get from here to there. Don’t waste your time waiting to be a magician.
I forgot camera obscura is a thing. I remember being shocked and–not knowing better at the time–slightly disappointed when my art teacher pointed out that one piece I was admiring was done with camera obscura. Even now, years later, I still feel like I’m cheating when I trace. The truth is, tracing is not easy either, and it helps tremendously. Thank you op for addressing this. We should not have to feel guilty or explain ourselves to anyone regarding the techniques we use to create art.
Anti-anything in art is almost totally guaranteed to be the product of elitism in art. It’s one group of people wanting to control what stories get told, and you do that by elevating and mystifying storytelling, allowing it to be seen as a divine skill that only a select few have been chosen to have, while at the same time invalidating all other methods as vulgar or dishonest.
In the Renaissance, it was the Church doing the controlling, and that body has changed over the years, but it’s still white men, and it’s still the patriarchy or the wealthy, it’s still colonialism. It’s still hetero and cis. It’s still able bodied and able minded. It’s still the belief that one person can be more valuable than another.
You are the sovereign of your story and how it gets told. Gatekeeping is bullshit.
I love that this is basically the same as the “We have a Hulk” scene in Avengers (and came out before it) but that in terms of the Leverage Crew, the Hulk, who you’d think would be Elliot (rage, not good with talking out his emotions, Mr. Punchy) is actually Hardison (that cheerful grin, the sass, the neverending well of love and joy). Because the truth is, Elliot can’t do that always angry thing. He can’t sustain his anger, he can only sustain his pain. He can’t simmer for ages, he has to get in there and Do Something when he gets mad. He’s Steve, to be honest. But Hardison? Hardison who hacked a foreign bank on prom night to pay back his Nana for all the good she did her foster kids? Hardison who buries himself in games and toys and gummy frogs and orange soda because that’s what people expect of the “geek”? Hardison who grew up poor, and orphaned, and black, and oh so incredibly smart? Hardison who is so constantly afraid, of dust, of small spaces, of high places, who loves a vent-crawling building jumping thief like she’s the sun? Who had to hold Parker’s hand as she panicked about foster kids in Eastern Europe somehow ending up broken like her?
The final installment of the “Far From Their Bones” trilogy, which reimagines #StarTrekVoyager with an ex-Maquis who becomes the ship’s mental health counselor.
Rated: M
Summary: They know that Voyager was brought to the Delta Quadrant for a reason. They know it is the will of the Prophets for them to play a role in defeating the Borg. Still, what they want most is to go home. When a series of dreams reveal to Talia just how important their involvement truly is, it becomes clear that simply getting Voyager home will ultimately damn them all.
Talia’s dreams continue to unfold the story of a future cold war with the Borg. Bad news comes from Starfleet’s war with the Dominion. B’Elanna asks for counseling.
I’m really kind of a dumpster-fire of a human being, but it’s kind of you to say so. ❤
Ohhhhh huh. Yeah. Overstimulated is a complicated thing, especially since you can be overstimulated by sound, overstimulated by sight, overstimulated by sensation, by vibration, by too many people even if they’re otherwise silent/not touching you, by emotions, by thoughts… or you can be overstimulated by all of those at the same time, which is usually when it’s time to just find a nice dark closet to hide in for a little while like a vampire with a love of having their entire wardrobe in bed with them.
Some ways to tell:
Overstimulated by sound: Usually pretty easy to figure out, because suddenly you want it quiet. You have to have quiet. Right then. Right now. You would punch your way through a dragon to have silence. If this one sounds familiar, noise-canceling headphones are your friend. If you can’t afford those, then ear-buds and very good white-noise tracks (and good white noise tracks are different for everyone, too) are also helpful. So are fans. I often can’t sleep without a fan providing white noise because otherwise I. Hear. Everything. Which is another form of overstimulation, as it’s sound dropping into otherwise intense quiet and it’s like it pings the fucking sonar of WAKE UP ALL THE THINGS NOW.
Overstimulation by vision: You want it dark. Fuck Narnia, you just want a wardrobe with a lock on the inside. Or you want the neutralist of neutral neutrals to stare at. Or you want to stare at your most favorite color and NOTHING ELSE. Your brain’s visual center is overloaded and needs chill time.
Overstimulation by touch: fabric is usually the guilty one here. If you don’t like the feel of clothing while it’s still on the rack in the store? Don’t buy it. You will be miserable wearing it. I don’t care how pretty it is. You will want to claw your skin off. Like trying to wear cheap panyhose/tights. This one is soothed by compression fabrics or by loose, soft fabrics (it varies). If you like being touched by people, soothing platonic touchies are a godsend. If you don’t like being touched by people but pets are okay, find a pet that likes pettings because that’s soothing on multiple levels.
Overstimulation by people: Know when to get the fuck away from them. If you start to get jittery/nervous/anxious and you have no idea why? Your people-tolerating batteries are dry. Go find that closet. Take chocolate and water with you. Maybe a laptop with some pre-loaded t.v. shows and movies if you really need people to fuck off for a while.
Overstimulation by vibration: You’ll usually know because you just want the vibraty bullshit to stop. Fuck, but I hope you don’t live next to active train tracks. If you don’t own a sensory deprivation tank like Ben Afleck’s Daredevil, fill a tub with water or go hang out alone in a pool in water that is utterly still but for you. It helps.
Overstimulation by emotion: Usually also self-explanatory, but you can experiment with these methods to figure out if it’s a thing. Find utterly mundane shit to do, or find a different emotion to beat the one that’s overloading you back with a stick. A big stick. If you feel numb? Sad music that means something to you because of the story behind it. If you feel like you’re going to explode? Quiet time and something that will make you use up all of your brainpower on fiddling thinky bullshit stuff that isn’t emotionally derived.
Overstimulation by thoughts: Drugs. (I’d like to be joking.) I need prescribed Neurontin (gabapentin, the neurotransmitter GABA) to make my fucking brain shut up long enough for me to get any kind of sleep. Without the Neurontin, I am one of the worst sorts of chronic insomniacs because the hamsters never get off the wheel and it spinnnnnnns to the point of not really getting anything done except destroying my alarm clocks with the power of my mind. (Yes, Nizar’s version of not-sleeping is a bit of personal experience, but it’s also canon, so thanks for that I guess, JKR.)
If anyone else has suggestions on overstimulation for anon, feel free to chime in.
Also, if when you’re overstimulated, things taste or smell off, having somewhere that is kept free of artificial scents, and can be kept separated from any food prep/eating areas at least by having a door is a good thing. And relatively bland foods or foods that are comfort foods for eating, ‘cause anything new is going to be some level of nope, and it’s better not to attempt new foods when you’re overstimulated and less likely to enjoy the experience.
(When I get overstimulated, smells often get stronger, because my brain says fuckity nope about filtering input, and it’s already pretty crap about filtering smells unless I’ve got a headcold or oncoming sinus headache.)
bears have absolutely no right to be as cute as they are. i want to hug them and pet them. big fluffy dogs, supersized
this thing is one of the most dangerous predators in north america, is bulletproof, and could kill me in milliseconds without breaking a sweat and just. look at his big ole paws and his big ole nose. his wittle ears. i wuv him
There's a Mirror on the Wall 