Blackwood(Rivers) Siblings Together. Mya, Brynden And Gwenys.

Self reblog for obvious reasons.

Happy birthday on the other side.

Also: propaganda for one of my favorite live album.

Small oil study of David Bowie in his thin White Duke era.

I've been a fan of his music since my mum made me listen to Space Oddity when I was ten and obsessed with space stuff. Occasionally I am reminded of how pretty he was (this time I blame Pinterest for showing me the photo this was based on) and I Just have to paint him.

Fëanor Lives AU

Inspired by comment-tags on my poll about whether Fëanor or his sons were worse, I’m going to try to theorize what would have happened if Fëanor hadn’t died within a few weeks[1] of landing in Beleriand.

First, there’s the question of whether, even if he had survived Dagor-nuin-Giliath, he would have survived until Fingolfin arrived. There’s a decent case to be made for no. His sons are fairly rudderless and inactive after he dies and Maedhros is captured, and don’t do a lot between that point and Fingolfin’s arrival; that would not have been the case if Fëanor had lived. (Setting aside the possibility of “he lives but is too severely injured to do anything,” just because it’s not what I’m interested in here.)

I don’t see him just sitting in Hithlum (even if Maedhros was captured, and I don’t see that happening either if Fëanor had lived; it feels like another product ofhis sons’ disorientation in the wake of his death). And considering his mindset from his speech in Tirion and Oath through to the point where he dies in canon, I can see him throwing his army against Angband until a large part of them are dead, and potentially until he himself is dead. Given that they successfully take out pretty well the entire orc-army in Dagor-nuin-Giliath (“Ten days that battle lasted, and from it returned of all the hosts that [Morgoth] had prepared for the conquest of Beleriand no more than a handful of leaves.”), they might have even made it into Angband. This isn’t Morgoth as of the Dagor Bragollach or Nirnaeth Arnoediad, when he’s got dragons and the accumulated armies of 400 years; at this point he’s got balrogs and Sauron and some other Maiar and a fortress and some kind of reserve forces. Morgoth may be best off retreating enough to lure them into into Angband, and then capturing or killing them when they’re in the dark, disoriented, separated, in mazelike tunnels.

So that’s one possibility: that by the time Fingolfin arrives, Fëanor and much of his forces are dead or captured. The ‘captured’ possibility lends itself to interesting AUs by itself.

In any possibility where Fëanor does survive until Fingolfin arrives, but has realized he can’t defeat Angband on his own, I feel like there’s an extremely high likelihood of another Kinslaying then and there. Not primarily because the elves who crossed the Helcaraxë are angry with him, though they certainly are, but because we’ve seen Fëanor in this position before: with a determined sense of what he wants to do, without the resources to do it, and with someone else denying him those resources. That was Alqualondë. Given the mindset Fëanor has displayed all through the Return, he would see it as Fingolfin’s usurpation standing between Fëanor and the forces he needs to conquer Angband (and would not recognize that the other elves’ total unwillingness to accept him as king is associated with him stranding them at the far end of an icy wasteland, more than with Fingolfin specifically, and that killing Fingolfin is not going to get them on-side). This battle would be fairly brutal, with a lot of bad blood on both sides; it would be very amusing to Morgoth, and pretty well put an end to any chance of an equivalent to the Siege of Angband ever coming to pass.

(I know there are plenty of fanfics where Fëanor survives and Fingolfin recognizes him as king. I just can’t see this happening; not only because of the very justified resentment, but because Fëanor’s decisions have been uniformly terrible, and not abandoning his people to that kind of terrible leadership was the main thing motivating Fingolfin to join in the Return at the start. In the extremely unlikely event that Fingolfin did, I don’t see most of the Noldor who crossed the Helcaraxë following him rather than breaking off under Turgon or someone. The reason why Maedhros’ abdication is so crucial in canon is because it’s the only thing that’s ever going to enable the Noldor to form a united front.)

So yeah, I have to agree with the people on the poll who said it’s probably for the best that Fëanor didn’t survive longer. What he would have done if he had been alive during the later parts of the Silm feels like a moot point because I can’t imagine a scenario where he survived but events were otherwise similar to canon. He’s a force of nature; he makes the narrative different, it’s what he does. It’s why him setting everything off and then suddenly dying makes for such a great story.

[1]: I’m making an educated guess.The Fëanoreans travel up the Firth of Drengist and into Hithlum, start setting up camp by Lake Mithrim, and are attacked by orcs before they can finish making camp; the battle against the orcs, Dagor-nuin-Giliath, lasts 10 days, and Fëanor diesat the end of it.

Update on the Twin Peaks obsession : the Diane sketch morphed into a future full piece. Also I started another painting because I have the attention span of a goldfish and typewriters are HARD to draw.

Gordon Cole with the evanescent Phillip Jeffries from a happier (? ) time before the Twin Peaks debacle. I don't like the boring beige color of Jeffries coat but I can't decide on a fun, stylish one that won't look out of place. Any ideas are welcome.

So I've been binge watching twin peaks and I can't believe I waited so long. It has everything. Beautiful imagery, creepy and unsettling vibes, owls that are not what they seem, my crush Audrey Horne (a goddess who deserves better), A LOT of fan theories and lore, the whole Blue Rose thing ... I am in love.

Also Phillip Jeffries the Teapot from Mars.

Here's a sketch of Diane, inspired by a scene in this fic.

My first attempt at going from greyscale to color... I think it's kind of decent? If anyone has any tips on this technique for me they'd make me happy. Really happy.

Captains James Clark Ross and Francis R.M. Crozier posing for a portrait after their return from Antarctica.

(Featuring: JCR's extra fur from that other portrait and FRMC's other best friend, a dip circle)

The original idea was to leave it black and white to give it a daguerrotype feeling, but I am quite tempted to try and colorize it.

You said Corlys in the show doesn’t do well at politics. Care to elaborate? Because I do agree. Something seems off about the show portrayal but I don't know how to describe it. Been a while since I read Fire and Blood but I recall Corlys being a scheming character always at the heart of the politics in the war.

Yeah, Corlys’ characterization in HOTD has been heavily changed from F&B. The show portrays him as more of a rough warrior type whereas the book had him as an intelligent politician. Back when the show first aired, I tried viewing it as a mixed canon because Ryan Condal was saying that HOTD is the true telling of the Dance of the Dragons. But then GRRM came through with his two separate canons statement. Saved me a lot of headache trying to reconcile show!Corlys’ actions with that of book!Corlys. They are just two very different characters at this point. I would say that HOTD has very purposely altered the characterization in order to use Corlys to prop up other characters.

Season two barely gave Corlys any screentime, so I'll just focus on season one moments that I remember off the top of my head.

A statement like “history does not remember blood; it remembers names” is show only. Its purpose is to depict the character as ambitious at the cost of family. But book!Corlys is repeatedly portrayed as a person willing to sacrifice his ambition for the sake of family. As a result, the show gave us a character with great ambition but none of the cunning of his book counterpart.

This scene from episode 5 is a prime example. Season one has a couple different scenes where it looks like the characters around him are talking down to Corlys, and this is one of them. The show makes it look like Corlys has a real say in this matter, but if you watch how the scene is presented (the characters’ mannerisms), it’s Viserys who controls the topic. Whereas, Corlys appears humbled and at a loss.

F&B does have instances where the naming of the grandsons is decided (it’s first name discussed there not last name like in the show). It’s a very subtle change but it sends a very different message. The book presents Corlys as the one who holds the authority of deciding the names of his grandsons.

The fireside conversation between Corlys and Rhaenys in episode 7 has both of them not understanding politics. There’s talk of making Laena’s daughter heirs, but since Laena was younger in the show, the only way this could be done is by disinheriting the older brother, Laenor. Somehow, neither of them think of just betrothing the children to each other (even though that’s often the solution to 80% of these Westerosi nobles’ problems). We get the line about Corlys saying “history does not remember blood; it remembers names” in reference to the succession of the Driftwood Throne. But previously in episode 5, it was discussed that Jace would change his name to Targaryen instead of Velaryon upon becoming King. So it’s not even the ‘Velaryon’ name that will be remembered (and no the first name being Velaryon doesn’t count/eg. Daeron the Young Dragon has a Velaryon first name from his Velaryon grandfather but he is still viewed as a Targaryen because of his last name). In Westeros, there are examples of characters changing their last name to that of the ruling family if they come into a leading position but were part of a different family originally. So Corlys’ granddaughters would simply use the Velaryon last name upon ascension to the Driftwood Throne. Knowing something basic like this would probably be part of highborn’s education. Even the relatively lowborn Littlefinger in the main series knows this, as evidence by his suggestion of Harrold Hardyng changing his name to Harrold Arryn upon becoming Lord of the Eyrie. In the show, Corlys apparently doesn’t know this.

This specific scene between Luke & Corlys in episode in 7 is based off a book scene between Jace & Viserys.

While show!Corlys can be considered a person acting in order to protect the children, so was book!Corlys and he was very politically competent about it too. This change is not too terrible because Corlys does eventually come around to the idea of Luke as heir, but his acceptance was not so openhanded that he's left with nothing. The context in book vs show is very different. Since the grandchildren are not betrothed to each other until much later in the show canon, it does make you wonder "what is Corlys getting out of this?" His name won't succeed him on the Iron Throne. His blood won't follow him on the Driftwood Throne. What even is it all for??? "History does not remember blood; it remembers names" is actually a very empty phrase. It's almost as if the HOTD writers coined it as a catchy saying to put on sweaters and mugs. It has no deeper meaning beyond that. Also, the betrothal in the book wasn't even a full solution apparently since we get no acknowledgement of Luke as heir when he was younger.

Episode 8 is peak for this show erasing Corlys' political role. There's a whole petition happening behind Corlys' back to alter the Driftmark succession. F&B had Corlys bedridden, nearly at death's door, but he still remained the authority figure in his family. Rhaenyra turned to her father-in-law, Corlys, in order to have Luke formally named heir (he was 11 years old at the time yet never formally acknowledged which says a lot about Corlys' feelings on the matter). HOTD changed this to Rhaenyra begging her father for support.

It seems to be a very carefully done change that makes Corlys appear like a very different character in the show than he was in the book. His influential role in his own family is reduced to a great extent. HOTD writers know exactly what they're doing.

Then in episode 10, Corlys shows up at Dragonstone, informs Rhaenyra that he has sent his fleet forth to secure the Gullet and also starts making battle plans for her. She has not offered him anything for his support. He also believes she killed his son. I know I say this every time so I'm basically beating a dead horse at this point, but when book!Corlys was angered with Rhaenyra for INDIRECTLY causing his wife's death, he was only brought around after political concessions were made in his favor. Show!Corlys DIRECTLY blames Rhaenyra for his son's death, grumbles about it, and then bends over backwards for her. In the second season, he quietly accepts the position of Hand without voicing a single complaint to Rhaenyra's face as his book counterpart would have done. At this point, I can't see HOTD writers ever allowing Corlys to air out his grievances against Rhaenyra to her face, unless they were trying to double down on the "men are evil, women are victims" central theme of the show.

Quick paintings on infinite painter. In the second version I added some giant lovecraftian jellyfish just for fun. I guess that the lighthouse keeper will like them.

Ereinion Gil-Galad, son of Fingon, Idril and Earendil in the Havens of Sirion. First meeting.

“My name is Elsa Sánchez de Oesterheld, and I am the wife of Héctor Germán Oesterheld, world-famous for writing the comic strip El Eternauta. During this country’s tragic era, my four daughters, my husband, my two sons-in-law, another son-in-law I never met, and two unborn grandchildren disappeared. Ten people disappeared in my family. But I prefer to remember the years when I was happy.”

Elsa Sánchez de Oesterheld - "Los Oesterheld" (2016) A Biography.

In the picture, the four Oesterheld daughters, ages between 14 and 19 years old. They were part of the "Unión de estudiantes secundarios" (High school students union).

Argentina's last civic-military dictatorship that took place from 1976 to 1983, supported and financed by the C.I.A. from the United States through the so-called "Operation Condor"; kidnapped thousands of people, took them to clandestine camps, tortured them mercilessly, stole their children and disappeared them by extrajudicial executions disposing their bodies secretly.

excuse me but I am aggressively interested in your Tales of the Dreamer project. Is there anything more u can say about it at this time? Is it a comic or a story? (Also as a former med student who also occasionally draws or writes I would like to express medschool artist solidarity because it makes a lot of us take up either smoking or drawing. Your work is awesome!)

Thank you! I am so glad someone likes my crazy ideas! Tales of the Dreamer should be the illustrated story of Arual, the Dreamer, as she travels the multiverse, trying to remember who she was before the Great Old Ones snatched her from her reality. I imagined it as a tribute to all the pieces of media, books and music that inspired me to make art.

It is mainly inspired by Lovecraft's Dream Cycle,expecially the Dream quest of Unknown Kadath, but with some twists.

I must say that the whole thing was born from what was left of my brain after my Anatomy exam, so I feel like the weirdness is justified.

This Is my favorite discovery of the week. It's a delightful horror mockumentary set in a small town in Arizona. 1000% would recommend.