first you have to know that antony and cleopatra had known each other at this point for like…. shit almost 15 years? and had had a correspondence on and off throughout that time. they’d known each other through her exile, through his campaigns, through her first child, through his (failed) interim consulship. it’s conjectural to say they were on good terms but… i don’t know why they wouldn’t be.
so when antony found out that cleopatra had funded cassius and brutus during the civil war? he was like, what the fuck. what theFUCK! (yells out window) OCTAVIAN DID YOU HEAR THIS! WHAT THE FUCK!
so antony issues a summons: cleopatra is to come to him so she can Explain Her Self. to this cleopatra replies: what the fuck did you just say to me?
(and you might be like, wait, why is that an issue? and i’ll tell you why, it’s because cleopatra, despite essentially being a (very tenuous) client king to rome at this point, vulnerable to invasion and just barely out of the woods re her connection with caesar, was a macedonian through and through: from language to looks to, you guessed it, ego. and she was fucking. insulted. HOW DARE HE! she probably yelled to charmian. I AM BLOOD! OF! PTOLEMY! NOBODY SUMMONS ME! charmian: i understand that your majesty can you please eat your dinner now)
antony summons her twice more. finally cleopatra, personification of the upside down smile emoji, says, okay! i’ll come. see you soon!! (:
now. cleopatra knew two things:
One: that she was richer than antony, and antony wouldn’t be able to afford a reciprocal feast if she went all out, which would be hugely embarrassing for him
and Two: that a lot of people liked to say antony was a dumb hoe, impressed only by material goods and lavishness, and that he didn’t like when people said this.
so naturally cleopatra proceeds to sail up the river to tarsus in an huge fuck-off ship, plus her entire waitstaff, 12 dining tables, a feast that was lavish beyond belief, entertainment, probably some peacocks or whatever, all decked out in pearls and jewels.
antony: wtf! why are you being so mean rn! cleopatra: mocking baby voice: why are you being so mean rn??? (normal voice) FUCK you
antony didn’t ask her why she had supported cassius ever again. and that was the beginning of the most famous love affair in history
reward art for @myrastuff of her Eclipse Captain Juliet Harrow. I loved her grace-shaped coat that was like a hole in space, and I’ve wanted to draw it all along.
thank you again for donating to my fund for top surgery! ❤
Admiral Juliet “It’s not a throne, just a large chair I happen to have placed near the middle of the room” Harrow.
I love it!
I am made incredibly happy by reading posts about people’s own body positivity.
It makes me happy to know you love something about yourself; to know that you can find something to look at and smile.
I’m really, really hoping my computer will be back mid this week, so I can scan things and/or draw them on the computer again, but until then here’s some recent Harrow sketches.
it is SO much easier for teachers to be like “hey we’re going to be talking about *sensitive topic* tomorrow so be prepared” and a student who knows that topic is one of their traumas can mentally prepare themselves, or decide “hey i’d rather not risk having an anxiety attack today, i think i’ll just stay home” instead of springing it on them last second and making a student feel like shit
thats literally all a “trigger warning” is in the context of schools. being like “hey we’re discussing this, take and precautions you need to prepare” not completely banning sensitive material. is it so hard to just try to be sensitive and caring to other people’s needs
Speaking from experience, this is correct!
In Middle School, after the release of 13 Reasons Why it was put on our required reading list for my class. We were expected to read chapters and be able to come into class to discuss sections of the book.
HOWEVER
On the spectrum of victims that are produced through suicide, (and I phrase it this way because one who dies is not the only victim) I struggled with being able to comfortably talk in a group about the events in the book. Knowing that was a major theme of the story meant it was easier to read, but there were some chapters that were too difficult for me to discuss in a group.
My teacher, recognizing this, allowed me to bypass discussion in a group in favor of a small write up. I was also allowed to spend class time in the library rather than in discussion for those particular sections.
So: it’s important for teachers to be up front about material that might cause triggered reactions in students. It’s also important for students to be up front about topics that are triggering (difficult as that may be).
The only reason this teacher knew about the issues I had is because I had talked to her about them prior. I’ve written every memoir ever assigned to me on that horrible experience; I’m not saying you have to do that, I’m just saying it makes it easier if you can say: “I’m not comfortable with the material because of personal issues involving X”
A Quiet Respite 