#Be a Good Ancestor

[marzipanandminutiae]

"hey why are all the barrier garments like linen shirts or chemises or combinations going away?"

"oh we have more washable fabrics now! you don't need to worry about sweat reaching your outer clothing when you can just chuck it in the washing machine!"

"cool!"

[100 years later]

"so uh all of those new washable fabrics are leaching microplastics into our water, and the constant machine-washing wears garments out faster. they're also not really sturdy enough to be mended, so we keep having to throw them out and now the planet is covered in plastic fabric waste that will never break down. also it turns out that the new washable fabrics hold odor-causing bacteria VERY well. so could we get those barrier garments back please?"

"sorry babe linen now costs $100000/yard and since it's been so long without them, nobody knows how to adapt barrier garments to the current styles anyway"

"..."

"maybe try this new $50 undershirt made of Special Sweat-Wicking Plastic Fabric! :) :) :)"

[ancestorsalive]

(via Ancestors Alive!™ ~ What is Remembered Lives...)

“When a Good Mother Sails From This World...”

Time passes… and what is remembered, lives…

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

Cnetizens: 'OMG TV shows in the 90's were much better than today''We were so well fed in the past'

[radiance1]

When Danny was told Vlad was coming over, he didn't care, much. After all, being told that he's lost all romantic interest in his mother, is trying to keep thoughts of murdering his father to just thoughts, and genuinely trying to be better than he was before.

Danny decided to give him at least a portion of leeway. You know, to see if he's holding up to his word.

But this, this is not it.

He dragged Vlad out of the room, shooting out an excuse that he just needed Vlad's help with something and just wanted to talk for a bit. Then brought him down to his level-via pulling on his collar- with a scowl.

"You trade my mother for that thing!?"

The thing in question, was some British guy by the name of John Constantine. Who smelled like smoke, alcohol and genuinely seemed to be questioning how exactly he ended up in this situation.

Vlad, to Danny's displeasure and increasing horror.

Is smitten.

Why did it seem that when Vlad turned good his intelligence just seemed to take a nosedive. Enough so that he settled for that and he is happy he isn't going after his mom but, like.

C'mon dude.

You can do better.

[nowlander]

Joecool29: why wouldn't I call my own children stupid and tell them they just aren't good enough??? What if they come to think that they might be good enough and not stupid? 😡😤

if you tell your kids you love them they WILL use pronouns

[zillychu]

Consider this: ghosts are actually exactly what the Fentons think they are.

They're snapshots of a longing so strong, unfinished business so deep it reaches out beyond life. Lingers just a bit longer. And if it happens to meet a dense cloud of ectoplasm (invisible to the naked eye, but omnipresent even in the mortal realm), it coalesces. The ectoplasm fits into the shape of it. Which, when the desire is strong enough, it's got a rough idea of its self-image. This tends to mean a more humanoid figure, though it's more often warped in some way–a self-reflection, skewed by said desire. The warping varies on the dead soul’s perception of themselves, the intensity of their desire, how much time passed after death, and how much ectoplasm was present.

In short… no matter how “normal" a ghost looks or acts, it really, truly isn't human. It's animated ectoplasm with a single goal: an obsession. Nothing else. They're more akin to plants than animals, following a single drive with no emotion. They react to stimuli, recognize threats (including other ghosts), and can even imitate human speech and mannerisms to obtain fulfillment of their obsession.

Not “evil" by any stretch, but they're entirely driven by instinct. A tree doesn't pause to consider the rocks it breaks with its roots. A cordyceps doesn't torture its host for fun, or kill with malice. It just does. It follows code in its DNA to survive and multiply–And ghosts just follow the code in its ectoplasm to fulfill its obsession. The more powerful a ghost, the better it's able to overcome obstacles preventing this–whether through brute force, or manipulation. This power is always directly proportional to the amount of ectoplasm present at the time of formation, and how much time passed since death.

What then, does this mean for Danny? Danny, who's previously come to the conclusion that he's only half-ghost, which surely explains how he retained his mind? His independent thoughts and emotions?

What does this mean for Phantom, who experienced an entire world’s worth of ectoplasm condensed as a singularity, at the exact time of his death? Whose strength only grows and begins to exceed every limit they previously thought possible?

If a ghost was as strong as him… could it mimic a human perfectly? Down to a molecular level?

Could it, in its desire to fill an obsession… trick its own fake mind into thinking it was still human? Or half-ghost?

[lizzybeeee]

Eluvians, Pre-DATV ->

A mystical relic of the past, inaccessible unless if you have the 'key' to it - knowledge or power. A device that allows you to enter the Crossroads, a place between the Fade and the physical world, allowing you to travel between these spaces that breadth the length of the ancient elven empire. So few people actually knowing it's name or purpose. The few working mirrors surviving in the most desolate locations of Thedas, the Deep Roads or Ancient Elven Ruins, long since claimed by the ravages of time and cut off from present day Thedas.

Merrill, spending a near decade pushing her knowledge of her people's craftsmanship and magic to the brink - seeking out the aid of a powerful demon, Audacity, bound to the Sundermount, to help her cleanse and reforge her small part of history. Giving up her home and position within her clan in the hopes of restoring some small part of their past. Turning to magic perceived as 'forbidden', earning the scorn of her own clan and the rest of the world, being branded as a 'monster' by the people she loved so dearly. Assembling the shattered shards and forging them together, using her clans Arulin'Holm that has been passed through the ages and guarded by them.

Eluvians in DATV ->

Two for one sale - in working condition - some minor scratching on the frame.

Come down to your local dock / semi-abandoned forest / emo underpass / temu crestwood / BEACH / fight club / assassins creed 2 hidden level for more information.

Our handy Veil Jumpers can fix your faulty eluvians in 30 minutes or less.

[phoenixcatch7]

The One Fact Pact

I want to see a fic where the chain is rigorously keeping their secrets and stories hidden, but they've all learned to trust one another. Like, it's past time they should probably be sharing things because it's beginning to get annoying, they all agree, but it's sorta become a habit by now? They kept those secrets and now no one really wants to share first?

So, to keep things interesting and get some momentum going, they make a deal.

Whenever they come across something that reminds them of their travels, their quest - be it an item, a familiar name, a location - they've got to share ONE fact or story about it.

But only! When they're in other people's time, because otherwise it'll just be a staged tour and one person infodumping and that's exactly what they're trying to avoid (and it won't be a fun competition they can make bets about).

And then either they go through worlds slowly building trust and understanding of each other through a long drawn out and incidental series of tidbits....

Or they immediately get stuck in wild's hyrule for ages.

Everyone's arguing over who the latest ruin belongs to. Time and wind are getting into an argument about the kokiri. No one can agree on the zonai. Wars is taking immense pleasure in pointing out anything someone else might have missed. Legend is resolutely ignoring eventide. Twilight claims the entire faron woods until they step into the hot and humid jungle for the first time.

Wild thinks he's immune because it's his world so he legally can't answer questions, but everywhere they visit there's a piece of his own story in the rubble or on the wind.

Wild: *happily making tea and checking his slate with the other hand* okay, looks like tomorrow we can reach the breach of demise and to new serenne stable. Just past that- Sky: *choking on his drink* the what?? Wild: the breach? Sky, weakly: Why's it uh, called that? Wild: oh, it's an old story. Apparently eons ago it's where a demon godking came up from underground to the surface world... *suspiciously* Why? Sky: gimme the slate. *squinting at the shape on the map*... I can neither confirm nor deny. Wild:... What do you mean? Sky, remembering the One Fact Pact: I can neither confirm nor deny. What's important is that I killed him. The entire chain, variously: YOU KILLED A DEMON GOD?!!? Sky *recalling the hardest fight of his life*: what, like it's hard?

And then he just refuses to elaborate.

[bashzzey]

Nothing special, just my sky kid Delta hissing at lil jellyfish x3c

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

Anthesteria Invocation of Dionysos

I know Anthesteria isn't for another few weeks, but might as well start the prepping early, right? :) Anyways, even though Anthesteria also focuses on death as one of its main aspects, I do think there's a lot of joy involved in calling upon ancestors, especially queer ones. And this year of all years, I think there's something particularly radical and important about rejoicing with our ancestors.

I call upon the thrice-born, holy Bakkhic Lord Dionysos, Who roars through the heights of Mount Olympos, Cries out among the land of the living, And dances through the depths of the Underworld. I call upon the God who comes decked in grapes, Ever-blossoming, ever-youthful, Who brings the sun and stars and moon to the depths. I call upon Dionysos whose hands reach forth from frozen dirt, Who speaks with the voices of night-birds and small frogs, Who glints off of frozen ice with the light of summers yet to come, Whose dark eyes glitter like the ever-later night, Who thaws frozen lands and frozen hearts, Who drives the living to dance and the dead to joy. If ever I have broken open bottles of wine with friends, And drank of that sweetness which You have given to the mortals whom you love, If ever I have whispered your praises among beds of flowers, If ever I have seen You in the thin space between day and night, sky and earth, life and death, I pray You roar into my space, And light my winter-wearied heart to dance once again.

[puppppppppy]

oooh wait so the plot hole of “why doesnt a spirit medium just channel the victims spirit” is literally bc the DL-6 spirit channeling cant be repeated huh

[robertogreco]

Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.

Longing - Czesław Miłosz

[sluttygallavich]

If I see one more person say its hard to find good Gallavich art and artists it's gonna be on sight.

[chuuyadelune]

(BSD 113 SPOILERS) the fyodor jesus imagery is driving me insane, so here are a couple of things i noticed from this chapter (all translations from @/nineofscans).

1. fyodor’s position

so the first thing that was most obvious was fyodor’s positioning here. he may not be on a cross, but this is very intentional i would say! he is still in the position of christ on the cross.

2. fyodor’s outfit

i could be reaching, and this is less to do with jesus, but his outfit to me resembles a monk’s habit somewhat—perhaps signifying his position as a man of god.

3. stabbing with spears as the rooster crows

two things are standing out to me here:

first of all, stabbing fyodor with spears as a means of execution is interesting to me considering how jesus also was stabbed by a spears before being taken down from the cross after he gives up his life (following the “my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?” line—which was quoted in the last chapter!)

i cannot remember if jesus is also stabbed before then, but that is the one i remember the most.

the second thing that jumped out to me about this line was the part about the rooster crowing.

in the new testament, when jesus is betrayed by judas, he warns peter that before the cock crows, he (peter) will have betrayed him (jesus) three times.

what are the implications of that? i can’t really say, maybe it has something to do with why bram later gets stabbed with the holy cross sword and why he later works under fukuchi/fyodor. but it felt like an intentional nod to this part of the passion of christ.

4. bram as the devil

this is perhaps another reach, but i’m including it anyways.

before jesus re-enters jerusalem and the events of the passion of christ, he fasts for 40 days in the desert, where he is tempted from the devil (each of the gospels talks about this differently).

but anyway, this does say something. if bram is the devil, and considering all of fyodor’s positioning and religious imagery surrounding him—i feel the jesus references are very intentional. fyodor is deliberately positioned as— if not jesus, then definitely at least a disciple, or a messenger of god, almost supernatural in energy and appearance.

and with all the buddhist references to angels scattered throughout this arc—i think there’s a lot to be unveiled about fyodor yet. we definitely haven’t seen the last of him. but i’m excited to find this all out later!

[anghraine]

I just read another good Atlantic article, "Kamala Harris and the Rise of Neobitherism," by Adam Serwer. I got it via a gift link on Bluesky, so the paywall hell described by the last Atlantic article I linked would be in effect for any direct link, but you should be able to find it.

Anyway, an excerpt [CW for various racisms, slavery, rape]:

[marfian]

What is it with Lannisters and blond, tall, strong women, I agree with them but there is a pattern there.