#An Excellent Oil
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An Excellent Oil
Psalm 141:3-5. Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their…
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#An Excellent Oil#besetting sin#cutting humor#danger in misuse of words#harmful and self-serving#healing oils#making a living with words#Psalm 141:3-5#sarcasm#telling people off#won&039;t break my head#words
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William Edouard Scott Full Moon, Haitian Rhythm. 1931. Oil on canvas: 76×61 cm (30×24 in).
#william edouard scott#art history#black excellence#haiti#culture#moon#dancing#black tumblr#oil painting#black stories#art#1930s#dance#oil on canvas#people#history#beauty#black history#black art#20th century#🌜
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11 for the fic game ask!
11. Bonus: recommend your favorite fic
Okay, you're getting two answers for this one because my real answer isn't a D20 fic, and seeing as that's my fandom at the moment, I'd be remiss to not rec something from it.
For the past... Jesus, four years, my favorite fic has been The Prestige by black_feather_fiction (also @black-feather-fiction) No contest. I don't do MCU fic or fandom anymore, but this is the one exception. It's just. It's so good. It's demonstrates the best use of the medium of fanfiction I've ever seen (yes, I'm of the opinion that fanfiction is its own distinct medium, but I'm not going to get into it now.)
Now the conceit of The Prestige is similar to a lot of MCU long fics: what if the plot was... good? Between the California-in-the-1840's/50's amount of untapped gold in the movies and whatever any given writer wanted to pull from the comics, there are so many elements to play with when rewriting a truly epic version of the story presented in the Infinity Saga, or even just a small segment of it. There are a lot of these, and I've read a lot of these. It's exactly my kind of thing, I love a good Plot.
The thing that's special about The Prestige is the way it incorporates the conventions of storytelling in its worldbuilding. To put it simply, an all-powerful God does exist in this universe, and he's three old women who terrorize innkeepers. The Norns/the Fates/other Mother-Maiden-Crone mythological archetypes, are real, and they control the threads of fate, so to speak. The entire universe exists as their plaything, and given the chaos and entropy of the universe, they pull stories from it. The laws of storytelling are just as influential, immutable, and important as the laws of physics in this universe. And just like the laws of physics, they can be manipulated towards a particular use.
This is how the fic opens: with Loki attempting to tell the universe a story so perfect and beautiful that the Norns cannot help but let the tale play out in real life. He doesn't quite succeed. However, the rules of storytelling are never forgotten, by the characters and by the author. Having the conventions of storytelling being a part of story's universe is a brilliant move that I have not gotten over after three years. Obviously, real life doesn't play out like a story, so when telling a story there's always some suspension of disbelief involved, because real life isn't that neat. Having an in-world explanation for the existence of story structure is something I'd never seen before and it's brilliant. And it's perfect for a story about two liars, image-crafters, storytellers, whatever you want to call them.
The story structure being built into the world is incredible, but so is the way the characters attempt to manipulate it in their favor. Even beyond the opening tableau, characters work to push the narrative in directions that will serve them. And the narrative pushes back. Every time I think about how the Fall of the Giant plot beat plays out, I fall more and more in love with it. It's the perfect blend of expectation subversion, expectation fulfillment, and effective character beats. It's fucking incredible.
Besides the rules of storytelling, The Prestige also makes reference to a lot of stories in the cultural zeitgeist in a way that's as delightful as it is earnest. The primary benefit of fic as a storytelling medium is that the audience already has a shared set of knowledge. We know who the characters are. We know how canon goes, and authors already have prepackaged tools to tell their stories with. Less needs to be established in fanfic compared to other kinds of fiction because the audience has a shared knowledge base. The Prestige takes this intertextuality further by pulling from more than just the MCU canon, but from works as varied as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Gremlins, and Alice in Wonderland. These cultural touchstones are in meaningful conversation with the contents of The Prestige and efficiently add depth in a really interesting and engaging way. Hel, even the title is taken from a Nolan movie. This fic is so deeply tied to the culture it's a part of, and I adore it.
Beyond the elements of the story that are inseparably tied to its in-universe use of narrative, the plot is very well put together. I find the bit with Ozymandias (yes, like the Percy Shelly poem) particularly clever, but it's all very good. Despite it's length, I find The Prestige compulsively readable, its writing is excellent. The characterization is excellent, the worldbuilding is engaging, the character dynamics are delightful to read about and devastating for the characters involved. I think this fic may genuinely have everything: Plot, romance, action, adventure, whump, angst, parent/child relationships, (explored from both sides) familial trauma, sexual trauma, self-destruction, sibling relationships, eating disorders--I'm really just listing tags here, but there's So Much, and I love every bit of it. I have loved every bit of it for years, and I don't care how long updates take, I Will Read It. It's the only MCU fic I've been able to read in years, and honestly? I'm not that mad about it, it's fucking incredible.
Now with all that being said, my favorite D20 fic is a lot harder to pick. I've not been in the fandom that long, I haven't read a ton of fic, and my tastes skew towards the Epic, Plot-focused, and Looooooong. Which is a bit difficult to come by (as is time to read.) There are, however, a lot of excellent fics, out there, though I think I have the most to say about The Properties of Adaine by Tangerine_Blast (also @20dimensionsoftangerine) (and by extension its predecessor, but we don't need to get into it.)
The conceit is that because of Oracle reasons, Adaine gets kidnapped by Kalvaxus as a kid and grows older thinking of him as a great paternal figure even though he sucks because her only points of comparison are Arianwen & Angywn. The interesting part is only really discussed and addressed in The Properties of Adaine, which is that she's technically an object! Legally, magically, an object--a dragon's thrall to be more specific. It's a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of DnD worldbuilding, as well as an exploration of identity, security, trauma, etc. It's a bit of a thorny subject to tackle, but so far as I can tell, it's handled with grace and sensitivity. It's doing a lot of very interesting things with the Themes, plus Aelwyn is absolutely insane (she's adopted/kidnapped by Aguefort.) which I get a kick out of. Overall, a striking story (and also one that's still being updated, which is probably why it sticks with me.)
#fuck this ended up long#i'm sorry i like storytelling as a craft and these are projects i don't just like because they're fun to read#but because i find them Interesting in terms of what they're doing with the Themes and the Craft#plus their unfinishedness compels me#it makes them stick in my brain more#anyway i'll admit that the conceited. not incorrect answer to this question is Midnight Oil#and obviously I liked 'i have a little shadow that goes in and out with me' enough to yoink the premise#but that fic doesn't live in my brain as much because Midnight Oil evicted it#i have reread it several times though. it's truly excellent.#there's a lot of good ones. i don't really have a favorite but i do find Properties to be doing some especially interesting things.
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HERO AND LEANDER ON THE ROCKS IN MOONLIGHT Jean-Baptiste Regnault | 1812
#jean-baptiste regnault#jean baptise regnault#painting#oil painting#oil on canvas#art#the title sounds like an excellent name for an exotic cocktail#france#18th century#18th century art
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desperately need more worlds beyond number episodes right now pls
#seeing brennan stretch his legs and settle into a long campaign is such a gift#the overwhelming coziness and atmosphere with the excellent audio editing is just. perfection#and lets the episodes stretch out lazily and catch on every pc whim and thorn without rushing#but also with brennan's now trademark sense of pacing that keeps everything going at a nice clip#it's like watching someone who's only ever been able to release sketches and flat coloring start showing off his massive oil painting#(not to say anything bad about d20 just that the scale is different)#you can see the imprint of d20 in the immediate richness of the world and the strong sense of pacing and rails#but it just has this lovely languishing effect bc they don't need to go anywhere anytime soon#so the world is full of fairy lights and soft rain and wildflowers and comedy can come and go easily#perfect trust between the pcs#I just. need more of it#wbn#worlds beyond number
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#oil painting#black girl art#soft black girls#braided hair#portrait#regal#bridgerton#regal black girl#Black Girl Magic#Melanin Art#Beautiful Black Women#Melanin Queen#Afro Art#Black Excellence#Digital Illustration#Vintage Inspired#Dark Skin Beauty#Black Artists#Soft Colors#Cute Melanin#Artistic Soul#Fifties Style#Black Creatives#Portrait Art#Bold and Beautiful#Women of Color Art#Diverse Artists#Retro Vibes#Soft Brown Girls
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bro you were in another one of my dreams last night
i was drinking motor oil out of a bucket w/ a straw (tasted like peanut butter) and you just spawned next to me and took the bucket??? and then you disappeared??
did I at least look cute in your dream?
#shitpost#quil's queries#dizzeners#even in dreams gotta keep others from doing stupid shit </3 (teasing)#you know what? you do give the vibe of someone who would drink peanut butter tasting motor oil through a straw from a bucket#very on brand dream for the both of us excellent characterization really loyal to our respective arcs
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Henry Ossawa Turner The Banjo Lesson. 1893. Oil on canvas: 124 × 90 cm (49 × 35 in).
#black stories#henry ossawa tanner#art history#black excellence#art#people#musicians#black tumblr#oil on canvas#black history#jazz#blues#music#1890s#history#19th century#vintage#beauty#oil painting#black art#🎨 📚
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2 MONTHS WOW❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I recolored the ends, wash day of course (every 4 wks) and retwist!!! All by myself. GO ME!!! I created a new spray for my hair and oil...
ROSEMARY Oil added a bit of tea tree oil and Jamaican black castor oil... plus I created some lavender water from lavender to spray... and now I'm headed to the store for more rosemary to infuse with the lavender❤️❤️
LAVENDER Water
#wash day#black tumblr#black twitter#black culture#black excellence#black hair#black people#hair journey#locdup#dreadlocs#dreadjourney#dreads#dreadhead#dreadlocks#dreadlove#black history#lavender spray#lavender water#rosemary oil for hair growth#rosemary
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Surfactant Manufacturer in India | imperialchem
Imperial Oilfield Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (ICPL) is a renowned surfactant manufacturer based in Vadodara, Gujarat, serving industries nationwide with excellence. With a strong reputation as a trusted surfactant supplier in India, ICPL delivers top-quality products tailored to meet diverse industrial needs. Count on ICPL for exceptional surfactants crafted with precision and expertise, setting the benchmark for excellence in the industry.
Trust ICPL to provide reliable surfactant solutions that enhance the performance and efficiency of your processes, backed by our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
#Surfactant Manufacturer in India#Renowned Surfactant manufacturer in Vadodara#Excellent Surfactant manufacturer in Gujarat#Trusted Surfactant supplier in India#Oilfield chemicals manufacturer in India#Oilfield chemicals exporter in India#Best Oilfield chemicals company in vadodara#Best Oilfield chemicals company in Gujarat#petrochemical companies#petrochemical industries#India#exploration and production#upstream oil and gas segment
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On my period…feeling both ghastly and powerful
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one thing i admire abt city is how well managed they are
#their social media team is excellent and churns out engaging content#they have respectable journos on their payroll who aren't clout chasing twitch streamers#their youth academy seems to be doing pretty well recently#the brands they're associated with are classy as hell (have you SEEN their photoshoots?)#and their kits. whew. thing of beauty#it's genuinely no wonder pep is not moving from his seat as he so eloquently put it lmao#they use their oil money so wisely it's enviable#it's no prime barça in terms of football and values but they're a classy institution as far as english clubs go
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#black excellence#model#me#black women#black woman#nyx#make up#NYX fat oil#photo shoot#black girl#lips#lashes#makeup tutorial#black girl magic#black girls#black girls rock#self#reblog#African#lesotho
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[JUST FOR THE ACT OF SCIENCE. OKAY, THE ACT OF SCIENCE. THAT'S PHENOMENAL. EXCELLENT. SO THAT SITS THERE AND WORKS TOGETHER A LITTLE BIT, AND YOU HIT IT WITH A LITTLE BIT OF OIL? A LITTLE WATER, ACTUALLY.]
#s01e08 retro#guy fieri#guyfieri#diners drive-ins and dives#little bit#little water#just#the#act#science#okay#phenomenal#excellent#oil
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my only qualm about the writers' strike is that I wish it had somehow been able to happen even sooner because AI has exploded in the cultural conversation these past few months, I want it beaten away from creative jobs with sticks, and I'm concerned it's already at the point studios will never come to a good term there and will in fact use this period to up their AI-writing explorations
#everybody's so sure they're not creating Skynet right up until you have Skynet on your hands#with publishing already using AI for cover art#(which - esp in contrast with that cool article about how the og Baby-Sitters' Club covers were oil paintings! - just saddens me)#i have concerns#not about AI outpacing human creativity hell no#but about what our quick-fix culture will use it for#the making of art?? one of the things that makes life meaningful and provides most joy?? this is what we outsource to the machines??#no i want them to do my Excel tasks so I have more time to write this is the opposite!#we are all John Henry#every time someone tells me how ChatGPT is being incorporated in their job#or my one friend sends something she's had it produce or write (and she's in an artist!)#i am sitting here like the clenched teeth emoji#this is going to be a watershed cultural moment anyway#let's go WGA#never give up never surrender
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#oil painting#black girl art#soft black girls#black girl luxury#south sudan#elegant#Black Girl Magic#Melanin Art#Beautiful Black Women#Melanin Queen#Afro Art#Black Excellence#Digital Illustration#african women#Dark Skin Beauty#Black Artists#Soft Colors#Cute Melanin#Artistic Soul#Fifties Style#Black Creatives#Portrait Art#Bold and Beautiful#Women of Color Art#Diverse Artists#Retro Vibes#Soft Brown Girls
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