thistle Apologist

20+ | tragic elf enjoyer | pfp by flawlessflesh

[fleshmesh]

hello! I like Thistle. I want to talk about him. If you’re a Thistle fan, I want to talk to you because I think you’re cool even if we disagree on some interpretations or whatever. Discussing different interpretations of creative works is fun for me. I talk a lot and in big paragraphs sometimes. I’m an adult

I’m talkative and will talk to anyone, especially if it’s about Thistle. send me asks about Thistle yes please! don’t be afraid to approach me 👍

I love love love it when people draw or write about Thistle yes yes yes show meeee.

I also like it when people project themselves onto him with headcanons and stuff. processing stuff by making a character have it is the best ❤️

I interpret Thistle as a minor when he stopped aging because of the earmuffs page in the extra materials so I think him being a minor is more canonically accurate (and adds to his themes of parentification and adultification)

I don’t really care that much if people headcanon him as an adult or age him up (it’s not super obvious he’s a minor, especially in the anime where they took out the line of Marcille calling him a child) as long as you don’t claim people who see him as a kid are ‘infantilising’ him. there’s strong canonical evidence that suggests he’s a minor, to the point it’s almost confirmation. we’re not just calling him a kid because he’s cute and short.

#adult thistle <— tag I use when talking to people about adult thistle. Otherwise I am talking about him being a kid by default. Might forget to tag with adult thistle occasionally but like if I’m talking to a someone that ships him with an adult then l’m talking about adult thistle lol

Some posts I made about Thistle:

Why I think Thistle is a minor

Why I think Thistle is an sa victim

Why I think Thistle would not get sent to prison

if i suddenly start deleting stuff out of nowhere it’s a compulsion don’t take it personally haha

I saw some poc thistle fans say thistle is a slave so if you see me refer to him as a slave that’s why

i hate generative ai

[valtsv]

i appreciate your hesitancy on sharing 'bad' fanfiction . obviously i would like the things im reading to be good but i fear a lot of even popular blogs on here have gotten too comfortable publicly bashing things that are just like, something mildly annoying someone wrote to get off . i would HOPE what i write is good but this kind of attitude has put me off of sharing things publicly

i was already bullied and ostracised in high school when i made the mistake of sharing my teenage fanfiction and writing in general with someone who was nice to me and showed interest. they thanked me for trusting them enough to let myself be vulnerable and sharing my art, however clumsy and unflattering, with them by spreading it around the rest of the school, leading to me being publicly humiliated and shamed more intensely and unable to bring myself to create anything for years, and feeling bitterly jealous of anyone who dared to try.

i still struggle to show people my work unless i feel that it's unimpeachably good enough to "make up" for the fact that i made it, and grapple with feelings of impotence and guilty self-loathing when interacting with the other people's creations, no matter how much i love them and/or the people who made them, more than a decade after the event. i watch people day after day publicly shame each other for the thoughtless, temporary relief of being able to say "i'm glad that that's not happening to me". i learned the hard way just how devastating it is to have something you created carelessly tossed around for anyone to use as a cudgel to bludgeon you with shame, even if you shared it publicly in the first place with the understanding that it would be seen and judged by other people. it's not something i intend to put anyone else through for the utterly harmless act of making something that fails to impress me personally. it's cruel and pointless, and i know better. and if i really passionately need to complain and vent some frustration using some trivial source or irritation as a conduit, as we all do sometimes, i have private community spaces like group chats and hangouts with friends where i can express my feelings and we can all have a good laugh about it without anyone needing to get hurt.

so yeah, i don't share "bad art" just to make fun of it. even if it would be hilarious and easy to do.

[fleshmesh]

During Nazi Germany, they used to have museums that compiled “bad” (they called it ‘un German’ and ‘degenerate’) art. It was art by Jewish people and communists and any art they thought was bad and did not fit into their ideology. Every time I see a cringe compilation I think of that

[icbrothers]

Just a close-up from my Agott piece. It was really fun to incorporate some of the manga's etching style into my work

[this-is-trans-joy]

so if phm is set in 2032 and ryland grace is supposedly 29 when the hail mary launches, that means he is firmly within gen Z… he knows about undertale AUs and watched Fred on YouTube at like 9 years old. He had a tumblr blog. this genuinely explains everything

[this-is-trans-joy]

poor guy was around during the ace discourse days. i hope he was lethal with the block button

[this-is-trans-joy]

i want someone to make a roleplay blog but it’s literally just ryland grace’s actual blog and then the last post is like “guys oh my godddd never become important at work i’m so serious you’ll never fucking guess where they’re sending me #and during pride month???”

[ki11ustr4tions]

moon reaper adopt up on my toyhouse ^^ check it outtt

i loveee rendering dark skin tones

[realsocialskills]

Manipulative fake apologies

Some apologies amount to someone asking for permission to keep doing something bad.

These apologies generally shouldn’t be accepted.

(But it can be really hard not to, because who want permission to do bad things tend to lash out when they don’t get it.)

(If you have to accept a bad apology to protect yourself, it’s not your fault.)

Eg:

Moe: “I’m sorry, I know this is my privileged male opinion talking but…”

Or, Moe: “I’m sorry, I know I’m kind of a creeper…” or “I’m sorry, I know I’m standing too close but…”

At this point, Sarah may feel pressured to say “It’s ok.”

If Sarah says, “Actually, it’s not ok. Please back off” or “Yes, you’re mansplaining, please knock it off”, Moe is likely to get angry.

The thing is, it’s not ok, and Moe has no intention of stopping. 

Moe is just apologizing in order to feel ok about doing something he knows is wrong.

Another example:

Sam is a wheelchair user. He’s trying to get through a door.

Mary sees him and decides that he needs help.

Mary rushes to open the door. As she does so, she says “Oh, sorry, I know I’m supposed to ask first”, with an expectant pause. 

At this point, Sam may feel pressured to say “It’s ok”, even if the ‘help’ is unwanted and unhelpful. 

If Sam says, “Yes, you should have asked first. You’re in my way. Please move”, Mary is likely to get angry and say “I was just trying to help!”.

In this situation, Mary wasn’t really apologizing. She was asking Sam to give her permission to do something she knows is wrong.

More generally:

Fake Apologizer: *does something they know the other person will object to*.

Fake Apologizer: “Oh, I’m sorry. I know I’m doing The Bad Thing…” or “I guess you’re going to be mad if I…”

Fake Apologizer: *expectant pause*

The Target is then supposed to feel pressured to say something like “That’s ok”, or “I know you mean well”, or “You’re a good person, so it’s ok for you to do The Bad Thing.”

If the Target doesn’t respond by giving the Fake Apologizer permission/validation, the Fake Apologizer will often lash out. This sometimes escalates in stages, along the lines of:

Fake Apologizer: I *said* I was sorry!

Fake Apologizer: *expectant pause*

The Target is then supposed to feel pressure to be grateful to the Fake Apologizer for apologizing, and then as a reward, give them permission to do The Bad Thing. (Or apologize for not letting them do The Bad Thing.)

If the Target doesn’t respond in the way the Fake Apologizer wants, they will often escalate to intense personal insults, or even overt threats, eg:

Fake Apologizer: I guess you’re just too bitter and broken inside to accept my good intentions. I hope you get the help you need. And/or:

Fake Apologizer: Ok, fine. I’ll never try to do anything for you ever again. And/or

Fake Apologizer: *storms off, and slams the door in a way that causes the person who refused their intrusive help to fall over*.

Tl;dr Sometimes what looks like an apology is really a manipulative demand for validation and permission to do something bad.

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

45,500-Year-Old Painting of a Warty Pig from the Island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia: this is one of the world's oldest examples of figurative art, and one of the earliest known depictions of an animal

This painting was found at Leang Tedongnge, which is a limestone cave located on the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. It was created at least 45,500 years ago, but it's still remarkably well-preserved.

Above: a close-up of the pig's face, showing a pair of "spiky" head crests and preorbital facial warts, which are characteristic features of the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis), a species that still inhabits the forests of Sulawesi

The painting was created using dark red mineral pigments; it measures 136cm long (about 4.5 feet) from tail-to-snout, and two hand stencils mark the wall just above the pig's haunches. Partial figures from at least two other pigs are visible on the wall several meters away.

Above: two additional paintings are located toward the right side of the wall, but only fragments of the pigs' faces and shoulders remain

The caves of Sulawesi contain the world's oldest known examples of figurative art (i.e. artwork that depicts real or recognizable subjects, like animals and human beings); the oldest figurative painting in the world is a 51,200-year-old depiction of a warty pig with three human-like figures, from the cave of Leang Karampuang. Unfortunately, that painting is much more faded and more badly damaged.

Above: this 51,200-year-old painting from Leang Karampuang is faded and badly damaged, but it depicts another pig interacting with several anthropomorphic figures; this is currently recognized as the world's oldest surviving example of figurative art

Warty pigs appear in over 87% of the prehistoric animal paintings that have been documented in Sulawesi. Many of the other paintings depict a small, buffalo-like creature called an anoa (Bubalus sp.), which is a type of wild bovid that is also endemic to Indonesia. Both animals can still be found on the island of Sulawesi.

Above: anoas depicted in the cave paintings of Leang Timpuseng (top) and Leang Bulu' Sipong (bottom); the painting from Leang Bulu' Sipong dates back to at least 48,000 years ago, making it the second-oldest figurative painting in the world

Archaeologists have been aware of Sulawesi's cave art since the 1950's, but dating techniques were not used on the paintings until 2014. For decades, it was assumed that the artwork was less than 10,000 years old, but when animal paintings and hand stencils from seven different caves were finally analyzed in 2014, researchers were shocked to discover that some of the artwork was created more than 39,000 years ago. Since then, archaeologists have discovered and/or dated many other cave paintings from Sulawesi (and some from the neighboring island of Borneo) that date back to between 35,000 and 51,200 years ago.

Above: the painting from Leang Tedongnge

When this particular painting was discovered in 2017, it briefly qualified as the world's oldest example of figurative art and the oldest known depiction of an animal, but it has since been surpassed by two other cave paintings from other sites in Sulawesi. This is still the third-oldest figurative painting in the world.

These discoveries firmly contradict the traditional (and deeply eurocentric) assumptions that were once made regarding the origins of artistic expression, as this article explains:

Previously, the oldest known cave art was thought to have first appeared in Europe 40,000 years ago, showcasing abstract symbols. By 35,000 years ago, the art became more sophisticated, showing horses and other animals.

These latest finds in Indonesia have challenged a long-standing belief that artistic expression – and the cognitive leap that may have accompanied it – began in Europe.

It’s now thought that the capability to create figurative art either emerged before Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa and headed for Europe and Asia more than 60,000 years ago, or that it emerged more than once as humans spread around the globe.

And this article adds:

The geographic location of the painting is significant. Although experts have long recognized that humans originated in Africa, “Europe was once thought of as a ‘finishing school’ for humanity,” says archaeologist April Nowell of the University of Victoria in Canada, because all the oldest known examples of art and other sophisticated behaviors were found there. But in reality, the pattern of discoveries just reflected the disproportionate amount of archaeological research that was being carried out in Europe, especially in France.

“This new discovery adds to an already rich record of early and varied rock art from [Indonesia and Australia] and underscores the importance of conducting research outside Europe,” Nowell says.

Unfortunately, many of the cave paintings in Sulawesi and other parts of Indonesia are now rapidly crumbling away as a result of climate change. The limestone surfaces of the cave walls are peeling away at an alarming rate, erasing large sections of the paintings in the process; in some caves, patches of artwork measuring 2-3cm wide vanish every few months.

Sources & More Info:

Science Advances: Oldest Cave Art Found in Sulawesi

CNN: A Warty Pig Painted on a Cave Wall 45,500 Years Ago is the World's Oldest Depiction of an Animal

Smithsonian Magazine: A Journey to the Oldest Cave Paintings in the World

Nature: Narrative Cave Art in Indonesia by 51,200 Years Ago

Nature: Pleistocene Cave Art from Sulawesi, Indonesia

Art Net: Archaeologists Have Discovered a Pristine 45,000-Year-Old Cave Painting of a Pig that May be the Oldest Artwork in the World

Art Net: Some of the Oldest and Most Revered Cave Paintings in the World Are Under Extreme Threat Due to Climate Change

[pocketsizedcrab]

what really gets me about the dunmeshi ending is how very hopeful it is like hands down one of the best things i’ve read it got me going outside smiling at the sky and shit when i first finished it. like okayyy so the big hungry demon will hurt you. it will manipulate you and harm both you and the people you love most and it’ll bet on the idea that you will take the easy way out and let it happen… but you will live through it and you can only keep on living because you, at your core, care about people despite how much it sometimes hurts to do so… okayyyyy and you mean to tell me you can have any and all desire to do anything stolen from you and at the end of everything sit down to wait for death and still get up when asked… because there are people who expect you to keep trying and to keep living… okay…….. okay okay………. you’re telling me that no matter what the world throws at you there will always be someone to share a meal with at the end of the day… okayyyyyyy okay okay okay okay ok okay……… that everyone gets what they deserve in the end and what they deserve is the non-choice to keep going………………. because this life is all we’ve got………………… okay

[skyblob]

Hes like 130cm and I’m scared of him bc what if he suddenly bites me leg

[fleshmesh]

13.65 apples tall

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

Best Facial Expression in the Series Tournament, Round 4 Part 1

Thistle 34

Thistle 46

Voting ended onJun 3

Masterpost

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

Best Facial Expression in the Series Tournament, Round 4 Part 1

Thistle 20

Thistle 26

Voting ended onJun 3

Masterpost

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

Best Facial Expression in the Series Tournament, Round 4 Part 1

Thistle 5

Thistle 16

Voting ended onJun 3

Masterpost

[hanviito]

no more room at the table

[fleshmesh]

BEAUTIFUL!! Amazing rendering of the table and plates and stfd and yay THISTLEEE

[tuherrus]

you don't even have a dog

[positivelyqueer]

[ID: digital illustration of Ryland Grace from film Project Hail Mary. Is only his lower half. He is sitting on beach, knees up, arms around knees loosely. Waves lapping around his shoes. Socks aroace (aromantic asexual) pride flag stripes. /end ID]

[ilovethistle]

Did he think this pose was tough or something

[fleshmesh]

He was casting with EMPHASIS and he was indeed tough

[ilovethistle]

Cunty spells for dramatic effect was a must have in the powers he got from the Golden Lion

[fleshmesh]

Exactly

[fleshmesh]

Manyof them…. I want to put my face in there. Soft elf babies awwww swaddle them