#Pretty little vessels (aesthetic)

[thefirstvessel]

I wasn't even high yesterday and I was thinking about how humans have such a massive magpie gene that we just decided to give worth and value to certain special rocks because we found them pretty or shiny and then we put holes in our own bodies so we could hang those rocks to make ourselves shiny? We're just a bunch of silly lil guys who want to be shiny and we've gotten so comfy over the millennia that we've all developed a million different ways to be shiny and pretty.

[niteshade925]

April 13, Xi'an, China, Shaanxi Archaeology Museum/陕西考古博物馆 (Part 2 - Shang and Zhou dynasty):

A 1:1 replica of a Warring States period (476 - 221 BC) horse chariot that was unearthed in an ancient tomb in Gansu province. The original artifact was made of lacquered wood, decorated with gold, silver, bronze, turquoise, and other semi-precious stones; it's basically the "Lamborghini" of its time. This replica was just sitting in the hallway in between exhibition halls, and it's very big:

Another one of my favorites, which is also one of the stars of the museum. These are called xizun/牺尊, which are animal-shaped bronze wine vessels (notice the lid on its back). This particular pair is "deer-shaped", but also has patterns on the sides that look like bird wings and paws that look like those of predators. Ugh they are so cute...🥺

A Western Zhou dynasty (1046 - 771 BC) "lunch box" made of bronze, called a luxu/录盨. It was found inside of a Western Han dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD) tomb, indicating that even Chinese people from 2000 years ago had an interest in collecting artifacts from earlier times

More bronze food/wine vessels from Shang dynasty (1600 - 1046 BC) and Zhou dynasty (1046 - 256 BC). Top one is called a gui/簋, bottom left is a gu/觚, and bottom right is a jue/爵. The tall-footed wine vessels can be used to warm up wine before drinking, by heating it with a small flame placed between the feet.

This is what a complete set of bronze vessels from Shang/Zhou dynasties looks like. This particular set, called "fanjin and thirteen vessels"/柉禁十三器 (translated as "Altar Set") is currently at the Met. This diagram below gives the name of each vessel:

Bronze chariot decorations with turquoise inlays. The bronze would have looked golden back then

A little bronze dragon. Cute.

Late Western Zhou dynasty pendant made of jade and agate beads called a yupei/玉佩, and from what I can gather, this one should be part of a necklace, which would be one heavy necklace indeed. I feel like a lighter modern replica might go well with sweaters though:

Left: necklaces, bracelets, and armlets from Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BC). Right: another jade and agate yupei from Spring and Autumn period, but this one was probably supposed to be hung from the waist.

This one is known as the Rui Gong ding/芮公鼎 or "Cauldron of Duke Rui", which is a bronze tripod ritual vessel (known as ding/鼎). It is inscribed with the text "内(芮)公乍(作)铸口宫宝鼎，万年子孙永宝用", which roughly translates as "Duke Rui cast this treasured ding, may his descendants use it for ten thousand years to come".

More bronze vessels. The top two are ding/鼎 vessels. Sidenote: notice the right one......does it look familiar? I'm pretty sure the rectangular ding is one of the inspirations for the design of TotK's temple of time. Also note the design patterns...I'm fairly certain these are the inspiration for TotK's aesthetics. TotK's Zonai script is also clearly inspired by Seal script/篆书 (I do want to make a post on this but my hands are pretty full atm)

Gold decorations on accessories:

An (incomplete?) bianzhong/编钟 (bronze bell set) and bianqing/编磬 set. The pentagonal stone chimes on the bottom are part of the bianqing.

A paper that studied the oldest face cream found in China (link to the article on Nature for those who have access).

Wadang/瓦当 (decorative roof edges) from Warring States period featuring various animals and mythical creatures, and their moulds:

[comfortless]

syl. *grabs you and shakes you* syl. i woke up in a cold sweat thinking of like… könig. already off to a great start ik. but space opera könig. (not like star wars or anything) but think like 70s aesthetics all bright and colorful. he’s a bandit in a stolen ship, formerly part of a military group making peace with other planets but something went awry and he’s just having fun now!

reader is part of a small research group that has landed on a planet he’s camped out on and he’s just like “ok” followed by “i want that”. steals all of her supplies and then her. doesn’t care how much she protests when he just hauls her over his shoulder, pats her butt bc he thinks THATS going to calm her down and throws her into his ship.

she’s happy he’s not some creepy alien but at the same time who really knows what’s under that hood anyway hmmmm and she wants to hate him but also all that’s playing in her head is that one rah band song. messages from the stars lmao please. there is something in the way you write that is so special to me and if you were to come up with a full blown story for my dumb idea i think i would scream for 20 hours straight.

lil wisp….. you have no idea what this has done to me. i am going to be thinking about this for an eternity. let’s cook.. i see your vision and i would love nothing more than this too!!

content/warnings: implied violence, abduction, dubcon groping?

König’s been on his own, drifting through the stars for so long. Only raiding the ships he comes across for food, supplies, and when he stumbles across a mechanic he puts them to work with a silly laser rifle pointed right at their head (because let’s face it— when you’re a wanted space pirate who in the universe is going to fix your ship for you??). He’s put all of human etiquette far behind him, and now his life is quite literally just one relentless adventure. He wouldn’t have it any other way!

That is, until his ship is fucked up again, displaying about thirty bright red warnings on its silly hologram screens that he just can not make sense of. The thing is old, has been shot at more times than even he can count, and it’s finally failing him if the loud sputtering and incessant orbital beeps are anything to go by. He considers his luck has run out when he lands the damned thing on some hunk of rock out on the outskirts of a galaxy most don’t even bother with, because there’s nothing out here.

Thankfully, his frustration is short-lived because a smaller ship lands only a few days later; painted in the bright, pearlescent blues and pinks of your standard peace-keeping, research vessel. It’s the perfect craft to steal and it wouldn’t even be difficult… the three humans that exit are so much smaller than him and entirely unguarded. They’re just here to study a few minerals, maybe haul some back to their little camp a few worlds over for fuel and research. He won’t even get into too much trouble for it, he thinks, because even his trashed ship could take them back home. See!! He isn’t all that bad…

At least, until he notices her, bent over admiring some silly, little cluster of crystals in her skin-tight jumpsuit that makes him see stars. The heavy boots that rise up to her knees making her look like little more than a fauness, and she’s so pretty he just can’t help but get a closer look while her teammates are off chittering away and exploring the nothing planet.

She isn’t even afraid of him when he approaches. Just straightens up with her hands clasped in front of her and a smile on her face. She hasn’t seen the holograms of him, displaying a sizable bounty for his veiled head, doesn’t take a wary note of the massive rifle he has slung over his shoulder; she just sees another person. He hasn’t been looked at like that since long before he left home!!

This sweet woman has no sense of self-preservation either, because she immediately asks him if he needs food or water; gestures over to her brightly colored ship with that pretty smile ever-present on her face, and that’s all it takes for him to decide that not only is he taking the craft, he’s taking her too.

He doesn’t say a word when he lifts her up over his shoulder, and the poor thing must be shocked because it takes her a moment before she starts squirming in his grip. König does well to remove the little radio strapped to her hip, giving her ass a firm squeeze in the process before tossing it in the dust behind him. That’s all it takes to shut his little prinzessin up before he hauls her back into her ship and demands she turn off any tracking systems. Her knees are a bit weak when she fumbles with the control panels, and he’s unashamed of his own erection when he slides in behind her to lean over the console as the ship starts up.

She whines about leaving her friends stranded, of course, but he’s in a world of his own when he grabs her by the hips and seats her in his lap while she pilots. Never mind the others, he’ll take good care of her, honest!!

[truwaifu]

Heartstrings Entangled

Chiyori has never been smooth. Clumsy? Yes. And her clumsiness is exactly what gets her into a very precarious situation with Mr. Arctic himself. Chiyori isn’t getting any closer to facing Satoru but she knows more than anything, she can’t push her feelings for Nanmai away either. 

Chapter three in this series.

Chapter 1 here

Chapter 2 here

Pairing: Nanami Kento x Chiyori (fxreader)

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: None, please free to leave your thoughts and comments. I would love to know how you feel about the series so far; .xx

After what happened with Nanami at the welcome meeting, Chiyori refused to leave her office. She unpacked her office belongings, making sure to hang up the framed photo of her and Satoru. Will he hate me? Does he love him? She worked until it was time for lunch, so engrossed in her work, she hadn’t noticed Ellie at her office door wanting to invite her to lunch. Chiyori came to learn Ellie was in the office right next to hers. She dressed pretty modestly for a woman who was only two years older than her. Her nails were neatly manicured and the pearls around her neck and a certain gleam to them that Chiyori had half a mind to ask her if she polishes her pearls before she puts them on. 

“Believe it or not, the men here aren’t total pricks.” The way Ellie spoke did not match her aesthetic in the slightest. “John is kind, Adam is a little weird, I would stay away from him actually. Joey, well I don’t know much about Joey but Reggie loves him.” 

ChiyoriI was honestly grateful for Ellie and all her insight. “And Reggie is the husband right?” “Yes! He’s that handsome specimen right over there!” Chiyori wasn’t too sure what to expect when looking at Ellie’s husband but he seemed like the perfect match for her. The way they were giving each other flirty eyes across the office lunch room said “you know nothing of our relationship.” They’re cute. As Chiyori watched them she found her mind wandering back to Mr. Arctic and she thought a little harmless digging wouldn’t hurt. Was “work Nanami” different from the Nanami that Satoru knows? 

“What about him, what’s his deal?” She asked, toying with her food trying to remain aloof while she nudged her head towards Nanami.

“Ah, Nanami san. An enigma to most. I’ve seen both men and women throw themselves at him and he wouldn’t even bat an eye. Total gentlemen though and pulls his weight around the office, not to mention the group projects.” Of course he’d be perfect.

 “We’re adults here, we’re still subjected to group projects?”

 “Nothing says teamwork like late hours in the office to close a deal.”

“I guess that’s fair. Is he married?”

“Nope, I’ve only ever seen a white haired man, equally as appealing to the eye, show up once or twice and each time I swear I thought Nanami was going to pop a blood vessel.” A white haired man? Could it be Satoru? Why do I even care? Chiyori knew she should’ve dropped it but curiosity was eating at her. She pulled out her phone and looked to see if she had a picture of her sorcerer easily accessible. 

“Hey Ellie, the white haired man you mentioned, any chance it was him?” Ellie examined the photo in awe. Her expression told Chiyori her suspicions were correct. 

“Is that your husband?”

“Ew, no, that’s my best friend. I may or may not have already met Nanami but I didn’t make the best impression.” 

“You saw Nanami Kento outside?! A rarity indeed.” 

“I don’t think he likes me very much. I tried to make up for it by the end of the night but judging by the look he gave me at my welcome meeting, not only does he remember me, he very much feels disdain towards me.” 

“Wait, what happened?”

“That story is for another time, I have to get back to work.”

“Alright fine, but are you sure it was disdain? The man keeps to himself, but he just doesn’t seem the type.”

“If not disdain, then what? Trust me, he hates me.” 

Chiyori grabbed her garbage and forgotten coffee to head towards the trash. Not noticing her surroundings, she turned and hit a wall, that wall being Nanami Kento. Her coffee spilt all over his chest.

“I am so sorry, Nanami.”

“You forget your formalities.” He doesn’t seem at all bothered by the coffee and more annoyed that Chiyori didn’t address him properly. Hearing his voice clearly in the light of day sent shivers down her spine.

“Huh? We should grab a towel or it'll stain.” 

“It’ll be fine, excuse me.”

“Don’t do that, let me help.” Chiyori grabbed Nanami’s arm and dragged him to the office kitchen area and got to work on finding a towel. She searched through several cabinets and drawers before she found what she was looking for. 

“Perfect! Now, if you have another shirt, you can change into it but this will look worse before it looks better. I used to work in a kitchen and doubled as a server when I was in school and I learned all sorts of cool tricks.” She was rambling and couldn’t find the will to stop. Being this close to Namani made her nervous. She couldn’t look him in the eye. 

“I’m really sorry. I should’ve been paying attention to where I was going.” Namami doesn’t speak. Instead he grunts.

“What did you mean before? About formalities?”

“You should refer to me as Nanami San.” This man seriously hates me.

“Right, of course, I’m sorry.”

“You apologize a lot.”

“Do I? Well now I want to say it again because of how many times I’ve already said it.” Chiyori laughed hoping he’d join in but it’s silent. It’s silent and Chiyori can’t look at him. It’s silent and she can’t look at him and she’s rubbing his chest with a wet towel. She could feel his steel gaze burning a hole through her skull. Insufferable.

“Should be good now, you know, once it dries.”

Without another word Chiyori turned and practically ran back to her office. She stayed there far past normal work hours. She was mortified and was hoping she didn’t run into anyone from the office. If she was lucky, she’d make it to her apartment in one piece. Chiyori had made such a fool of herself in front of Nanami. She couldn’t shake why she cared so much to begin with. He’s gay for heaven's sake! Trying to rid her mind of these intrusive thoughts she locked up and headed for the train. 

Once she made it home, Chiyori tried to focus on anything other than her guilt but she felt as though the universe was hell bent on making her face feelings. Satoru had called twice and twice she ignored his call. When he called for a third time she knew he wasn’t going to stop until he spoke to her. She had no choice but to pick up his call.

“Hey you.” She spoke softly into the phone.

“Tough first day?” There wasn’t a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Something like that.”

“How welcoming was Kento? I told him if he didn’t take care of you I would kick his ass.” Chiyori stiffened.

“You knew he worked there?”

“Of course I knew.”

“And you didn’t think that was something I should know?”

“Why does that piece of information matter, Chi?” There it is, the amusement is back in his tone.

“Don’t fuck with me right now, Satoru.” 

“Okay, crabby. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, you need some rest.” Chiyori winced. How dare she speak to him like that when he wasn’t the one in the wrong.

“I’m sorry, Toru. You didn’t deserve that. I’m such a bitch.” 

“Seriously, you’re good. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll ease into your job in no time, We all know you’re the best thing for this company. Get some rest, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The line goes dead before Chiyori could say anything else. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Satoru was as supportive as ever. He’d always been the one there for her through all of her troubles and yet she felt like a fraud. I’m the fucking worst. She didn’t know what the future looked like working alongside Nanami. She knew she couldn’t keep this up but she didn’t have it in her to talk to Satoru about it either. Coward. I’m such a fucking coward.

Chapter 4

[baileythebean]

Analysis post about: Ako! 🦋

⚠️WARNING⚠️ Trigger Warnings: brief mentions of kidnapping, threats, death threats, human experimentation, violence, blood/gore?? (Not heavy), trauma, transphobia

General Warning: Ako is an OC for Jujutsu Kaisen. He is also a relatively new OC and I have the ability to alter him as I consume more of the plot to make him more plot-accurate. I have only seen the 2 animated seasons of JJK as well as the movie and have only read a limited amount of the manga after that. That being said, this OC’s WHOLE EXISTENCE does not revolve around being plot-accurate OR what YOU think would be plot-accurate. I do take suggestions and ideas for lore and design since he is still under development, but keep in mind that he is MY OC and that gives ME the right to alter him as I see fit. Thanks for reading, OC analysis below the cut! ⬇️

BASIC FACTS: Name: Ako Komaniya

Birthday: October 12th (Libra)

Age: 13 - 23 throughout his appearances in the plot

Gender: Male - Transmasc - FtM

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Sexuality: Demisexual - Abrosexual

Romantic Orientation: Demiromantic

Height: 5’5 - 165 cm

Conditions/Illnesses?: Vitiligo

Favorite food: Strawberry Shortcake

Favorite animal: Raccoons - Cats

AFFILIATIONS / RELATIONSHIPS TO CANON (what they are to him)

Mahito - Captor (negative)

Choso Kamo - Lover/Crush (positive)

Satoru Gojo - Acquaintance (positive)

Hanami / Kenjaku / Dagon - Friends (?) (neutral)

Jogo - acquaintance (negative)

Eso / Kechizu / Yuji Itadori - Little brothers (positive)

He isn’t familiar with the rest of the cast, or just doesn’t know them personally!

DESCRIPTION

A young man of average height, with fluffy black and white hair. He has brown skin which is pale-splotched by vitiligo, and thick black and white streaked lashes. His eyes are pale blue-grey and pupil-less. He has his ears pierced in numerous places, and his nails are painted black most of the time. He has a trad goth/soft goth aesthetic. His clothing varies. He has undergone top surgery, and is on testosterone, but no bottom surgery.

DRAWING REFS (so far)

Clothes are very plain in these refs but I promise you he’s more interesting than this

LORE SUMMARY (by timeline of actual time, not in order the episodes/seasons are in.)

Ako first appears briefly in the choir practice room, in the arc where Gojo and Geto are trying to rescue the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko. They are in an all-girls school when Gojo barges in and everyone starts to fawn over him (except Riko and Ako.) Ako still presents as female and is 12 at this time.

The next time he appears, he presents as male and is 19 years old. This is when Mahito is about to use him as an experiment, but refrains from killing him because he’d ’make better as an art piece than a corpse.’ Because of his skin and his inumanly high pain tolerance. Mahito spares him in exchange for his silent compliance to his every command, his looks on display, and basic chores done around the place all the curses are staying. He still ends up hurt, like a LOT, but never dead. Mahito pretty much just sees what works and disfigures him before rearranging him again. His ‘art’ qualities are his only reassurance when Mahito places a hand on his body and he tells himself that he wouldn’t end up a disfigured, bloody mess like all Mahito’s other toys.

He eventually learns how to live alongside curses and avoid conflict with the wrong one. He quite likes making conversation with Kenjaku and Hanami, who makes him little flowers occasionally. He gets away with being passive-aggressive towards Jogo because Mahito thinks it’s funny. Dagon is on the receiving end of pats from him all the time because he finds the little octopus-blob cute. He’s still terrified of Mahito, but learns to live with that.

Enter, Choso. Choso stays with the curses for a bit, being one to thank Ako for his work. Ako admires how fiercely he cares for his brothers and was hurt to hear when Eso and Kechizu had died. To Ako, Choso was the most human contact (even if only half-human) he’d had in years, and he somehow felt safer to be around than everyone else. Ako was under his protection at Shibuya until his fight with Yuji. Ako found him breaking down after the fight, and immediately got Choso back on his feet and towards the battlefield. He ultimately made his loyalty clear to Choso over Kenjaku in the end, and just tried not to die. (He has no cursed techniques.)

AFTER THAT I’M JUST PRETENDING THEY LIVED A NORMAL HAPPY LIFE TOGETHER LALALALA IDK WHAT UR TALKING ABOUT, EVERYONE IS ALIVE AND HAPPY WHAT JJK ARE YALL READING???

I’m kidding, Ako never got to tell Choso he loved him. And he regretted it. BADLY. (Angst whoop-dee-doo)

CHOSOAKO FLUFF / SILLY ART TO MAKE UP FOR THE ANGSTY BIT

(The pen drawings were done by @ask-sora-aguilar! My internet dad, check his blog out!)

I would also like to note, for artistic purposes, that Ako has like, no muscles. Choso is like huge and angular and muscular, but Ako is just kinda all soft curves and smooth edges and I’m here for that

[popatochisssp]

Apparently I haven't been checking here enough because there's so many new boys I didn't recognize in the sibling post!!! And they all sound so cool and interesting!!

Thank you! But you’re probably not as out of the loop as you think—I’ve been a little shy about sharing my stuff lately, so I actually haven’t posted about any of those guys before!

If you want a quick rundown…

Transcendtale: The result of a never-ending cycle of RESETs with a No Mercy sort of human. Monsters gradually became aware and eventually resorted to extremes to put an end to the cycle, sacrificing themselves to create one single vessel powerful enough to kill the human for good. In the aftermath, most of monsterkind is gone…physically, but still persist as consciousnesses recorded digitally instead. (Sort of a cyberpunk aesthetic answer to Dusttale.)

Spectr (Transcendtale Sans): The unlucky bastard who got tapped to pilot the ultra-powerful human-killing vessel and one of only a few physical monsters remaining. His new body is entirely robotic but similar to what he had before—the only thing missing is a soul. He’s coping in the aftermath of Everything about as well as could be expected, but pretty heavily dysphoric and doubting his identity and his personhood as…whatever he is now.

PapAIrus (Transcendtale Papyrus): A virtual consciousness, a snapshot of the previous ‘original’ Papyrus, his thoughts, his feelings, his memories, his entire sense of self… AKA, Papyrus, just detached from a physical body and soul. He considers it a major upgrade, really—he’s eternal, everywhere, everything… Maybe a slight god-complex about it, but can you blame him? He can interact with the world directly via hard-light projections of himself if he chooses, so it’s hard for him to see a downside to his new state of being.

Ascendswap: Another never-ending cycle of RESETs with No Mercy to be found, but after a bargain is struck with an entity beyond mortal ken, a small inner-circle of monsters is granted awareness of the cycle, and access to deeper, older, more powerful magic in order to put a stop to the human’s reign of terror. Most of monsterkind is only peripherally aware of all that happened, but a select few have been Elevated beyond what they once were.

Xanth (Ascendswap Sans): He’s the one who struck the eldritch bargain and consequently gained power and magic, as well as the ability to share it with anyone he chooses. It’s come at a significant cost and large swathes of him have been lost, dissolved into pure magic. He’s also now one who’s seen beyond the veil, the ant who has perceived the circuit board so to speak, and he’ll never be quite who he was. Still, he’s happy, and far more attuned to souls and magic and energy than he ever was before, so he’s not complaining.

Piper (Ascendswap Papyrus): One of the beneficiaries of his brother’s meddling, a newly-minted boss monster with full awareness of RESETs and much stronger magic—including an ability to push intent into his words as he speaks them, making their influence stronger. Due to the nature of its source, there’s only so far that little trick can go, but between being far more persuasive than he ever hoped he could be, his increased power, and more than a few timelines of experience, his confidence is through the roof and stress over what people think of him is a thing of the past.

Underfell Fruition: The Royal Scientist is never erased from reality. He continues his work as planned, without interruption and continues experiments which produce marvelous innovations for monsterkind’s eventual conquest of humanity. Two of his most impressive achievements are a device which allows the user to produce magic seemingly limitlessly, from thin air without drawing on one’s own energy, and a war machine that attacks on command—both of which are frequently lent out to the Emperor and the Royal Guard to serve the crown’s purposes. …Until a bit of poking around uncovers some…moderately…alarming monster rights violations, amongst other charges, which lead to the Royal Scientist’s conviction and execution.

Carmine (Underfell Fruition Sans): Captured during his attempt to escape from Gaster with his brother, and due to a consistent pattern of disobedience, locked away—permanently. Altered to produce magic at a significantly higher rate and used as a magic battery, he’s got plenty of energy and a whole lot of living to catch up on now that he’s out of the (barely metaphorical) box. What he lacks in worldly experience, he makes up for in luck, intuition, and a cocky can-do attitude, all too ready to make up for lost time.

Tank (Underfell Fruition Papyrus): ‘Raised’ alone by a cruel ‘father’ whose only use for him was as the pinnacle of his project to create a perfect living weapon for the war against humanity, he is extremely new to a lot of concepts—making decisions, having opinions, being a person… None of that was allowed while he was being developed…er, growing up, so in spite of being tall, intimidating, and built like a truck, he’s hesitant around new people and situations where he needs to do any more than just follow orders. Tentatively starting to branch out and discover what being a monster (instead of a monster-shaped weapon) is all about now that his creator is out of the picture and the brother he thought he’d only imagined is back in it.

Swapfell Fruition: The Royal Scientist is never erased from reality. He continues his work as planned, without interruption and continues experiments which lead to the development of a black ops division for the Empress, a secret service of sorts to serve the interests of the crown and to do the unsavory dirty work involved in maintaining an empire whose citizens are prone to corruption and violence. Espionage, blackmail, and quite a few assassinations are carried out by the unknown team managed, equipped, trained, and modified by the Royal Scientist. …Until one day, he happens to turn up dead and it’s uncovered that the ‘volunteers’ for the program were less willing participants and more lab-grown experiments who were given no choice otherwise. Bearing in mind what’s come to light about the circumstances, the black ops program is disbanded.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans): Stopped during his attempt to murder Gaster and escape with his brother, and because of his clearly duplicitous nature, far more tightly controlled and observed and forced into obedience to his creator after. Used primarily as a handler to debrief, control, and monitor the real asset, he developed a keen eye for detail and skill in fact-finding, being secretive, and lying…which was probably a tactical error because he devoted himself wholly to playing the long con and waiting for the perfect opportunity for another attempt to free himself and his brother. A little late…maybe too late…but better than never.

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus): The asset and field agent, a thoroughly trained and heavily mentally conditioned assassin, operant on a small library of trigger words and phrases which compel him to follow directives and alter the functioning of his mind and body. He’s extremely competent when working, charming and ruthless and efficient, but off the leash, impertinent, impulsive, and impossible. He does as he pleases whenever possible which, now that his boss/creator/dad is dead, seems like it’ll be all the time. On some weird footing now with his erstwhile handler—his brother—who was apparently less complicit in said boss/creator/dad’s bullshit than he’d thought, but y’know. He’s out of the cage either way and can chase his whims wherever they take him.

Descendtale: A Horrortale variant, a human’s passage through the Underground has left monsterkind without their king, without any of the human souls they’d gathered to break the Barrier, and without a handful of citizens. The long-lost queen returns to lead her people and pivots toward survival, weathering the long-haul trapped Underground with dwindling hope and resources. An alternate food source is the highest priority as monsters are already starting to go hungry in the wake of the chaos, and one is found…though not without its…side-effects. Light sensitivity, slowed metabolism, darkening of extremities, thorn-like growths on the body, and some mental changes and personality drift among other metamorphoses. The Underground takes on a deep-sea quality—slow, cold, dark—monsters subsisting on what they have and waiting patiently for the next whalefall to swarm.

Kohl (Descendtale Sans): The human’s disappearance has left him more than a little bitter (betrayed, though he’ll never admit that). His opinion of humans (or anyone new) is quite low after what the last one did to them all and he’s not keen on trusting or believing in any, anytime soon. He’s chilly, selfish, and reluctant to engage—though he does have a slight mean-spirited streak, and is greatly amused by creeping out or otherwise agitating humans by his presence. Coping with the changes they’ve all gone through and settling in to his new normal, but very stubbornly digging in to the small pleasures that his altered biology makes more difficult. Determined to live much in the manner of a cockroach: through just about anything and regardless of the opinion of those who’d prefer him not to.

Bram (Descendtale Papyrus): The human’s disappearance has left him confused and hurt. He’d thought they were friends, but well…then they did all that and left, never to return. There’s…a lot of conflicting emotions in there and he probably shouldn’t try to unpack it all—he’s just focusing on being the best friend possible from here on out! He’s a little bit clingy with new friends and people he’d like to become new friends but as much as possible, a perfect gentleman, host, and conversationalist. Some strong emotional outbursts from time to time, and his tendency towards unintentionally unnerving statements do make that a bit difficult but he’s very amicable and unlike his brother, only creepy on accident, so…he can still be popular, right? …Right?

If anybody’s interested in a full lore dump for anything, I can draft something up, but that’s the gist of all the brand new ones!

Sorry for all the words! 😅

[rappaccini]

just read spider-man reign 2 and sitting in a tree now takes second place in the Worst Gwiles Story Olympics because oh. my. god. how did this world just one-up earth-8.

and man. i hate being right.

i hate being right that gwiles 2 was going to happen. didn't expect it to happen literally this year.

i hate being right that gwen would be used to give miles a super-daughter. kid i predicted, daughter specifically? huh. unwelcome back charlotte morales-stacy. (also uh. why does she look like that. where’s the melanin. did the colorist forget or are we saying the quiet part about what people want miles’s kids to look like out loud too. or hey maybe gwen cheated. good for her he deserves it.)

i hate being right that gwen's role would consist of standing on the sidelines, holding that Beloved Child and looking Worried, as miles gets the big hero moments and swings by for a condescending little kiss for good luck. couldn't have predicted her being completely correct about the situation miles is impulsively dashing into, and being ignored, and deciding to ~trust miles~ even though he's obviously wrong and her intuition was right all along, and that causing her death but oh my god is it accurate. what kind of disaster movie misogyny bullshit.

i hate being right that gwen would be fridged to be that daughter's origin story and miles's widower angst, and that her death would be about them and not her. couldn't have predicted that her death would be being blown to pieces in front of that kid. or that they never bother naming gwen. she’s just Katherine’s Mom.

i haaate being right that this ship is fundamentally misogynistic. this is it. this is the end result of pushing for them to get together. this is what she becomes. spider-gwen in appearance only-- she's still got the pink hair and the converse and white hoodie-- but devoid of any personality or agency, a vessel for miles's kid, and miles's pain, and an angsty dad-daughter storyline. he doesn't listen to her, he doesn't include her (but he is going to include his preteen kid???), he doesn't take her feelings or desires seriously, he doesn't treat her like an equal or a teammate. she's just his pretty dip-dyed babymaker who dies as soon as she's given him that baby because that's all she's good for.

and that is what you are asking for when you ask for them to end up together. because you don't want miles to fall in love with spider-gwen. you want miles to fall in love with a supportive, passive woman with the visual aesthetic of spider-gwen and none of her actual personality, agency, or power. you want a blank slate with a familiar face that's easy to project onto, because you don't want gwen to live a happy, full life with someone who loves, respects and understands her. you don't even want miles to be with his equal. you want miles to have a blonde white wife with a cool alt aesthetic who does what he says and never competes with him for the spotlight, and who can give him an ambiguous-looking kid. that is what this ship is and has always been and will always be.

it just happened in one crappy alternate continuity. it's on it's way in others. congrats.

on a bitterly happy note: oh look. hard proof that gwiles/ghostflower isn't magically perfect, and they aren't cosmically destined to be soulmates and miles isn't ~the spider-man who's going to save gwen, because he truly sees her.~

it may not be being said intentionally, but it is being said out loud: miles is just as bad for gwen as peter is. he will treat her like a trophy and an incubator and a comfort object, he will never truly respect her as an equal and expect her to cater to him even when it puts her in danger. the only difference between miles and peter is miles will keep gwen alive long enough to get a kid or two out of her before she’s discarded violently and horrifically when the kid's old enough to go on adventures with him.

(and to be completely honest? miles might even be worse, because at least peter doesn’t take the version of gwen who’s meant to be empowered, queer and free of objectification, strip those things from her, and turn her into a disposable babymaker before she dies. there are levels of sexism there that even peter hasn’t reached)

it won't happen but i am rooting for katherine to kill him.

[cugzarui]

before i watch the introduction of kevin levin i just wana get a review out of the way

so ive watched up to episode six so far and i think i know why ben 10 is as good and successful and long lasting as it is. i know what this show is really about, and its not aliens. its not about being able to transform. its not about fighting bad guys or solving mysteries or world building.

its a compilation

ben 10, from what ive rewatched so far and what i remember, is a series made by pulling ideas and aesthetics from various mythos and cultural phenomenon, writing a story about each one in an episodic format. a real stranger walks into town kinda show (literally, as the tennysons are on a field trip going to a new place each episode). and as i rewatch this series i keep finding myself wishing we got to see more of the side characters. each. and. every. episode. the actual main cast isn't actually that compelling or interesting. well they are, but enough for multiple series over two decades? no. the tennysons are a vessel through which we get to see other stories.

even the main character isnt so much one character who turns into ten aliens, as ten characters who are also a little kid called ben tennyson. each one of them could probably star in their own series, but dont. instead they are all bunched up together into one series, making them a much more flexible writing tool.

id even argue ben 10 isnt actually a science fiction show. it just needed some common umbrella to put a bunch of disparate stories under, and in true ben 10 fashion, just borrowed an umbrella that happened to be popular and worth exploring at the time.

this format naturally lends itself well to merchandising as well, undoubtedly helping the show to stay on the air. but its far from the only show to be written like this and not all of them are successful. generator rex and the secret saturdays come to mind. so why did ben 10 succeed where these other shows failed?

we could chalk it up to just bad luck - nanobots and criptids just never got as popular as aliens and magic - and while that's definitely part of it i also think these shows were probably just a lot harder to merchandise. with ben 10 you can literally add a new alien every time you wana sell new merch. with the secret saturdays though while you can add more criptids theyre never really part of the main cast iirc, making them a harder sell. and with generator rex...look you can give that boy as many body parts as you want but in the end its the same doll. theres only so much you can do with that.

this becomes more apparent when you look at some other similar franchises that managed to stay successful and popular like adventure time and avatar. both of those are series that are largely episodic (avatar does have an overarching plot but its just vaguely guiding the characters along really), bringing the characters to a new adventure with its own rules and world building (and typically location) each time. these shows also have a way of making even the side characters significant and feel more like part of the main cast, at least for an episode, making them easier to merchandise.

i dont remember much from the secret saturdays but generator rex i know was a pretty serious and plot driven show. and while this doesn't mean its a bad show or that kids wouldn't like it, i do think its easier to sell merchandise and captivate an audience with something that isnt just serious, but fun as well. and besides? i think these shows just kinda lacked color...like literal color. if your goal is to make something that people wana buy and get excited for, then muted browns and greys probably arnt the way to go.

i might have to rewatch these shows as well (they are on my list which only grows and never shrinks) in order to give a better analysis but this based on my memory was the difference that made or broke a show.

and this kinda...i dont know how to feel about this. about ben 10 i mean. in the end its less of a coherent show and more of a...a...a mash up...an amalgamation...a compilation of other stories. like...do i actually like ben 10? or do i just like the writers taste in stories and aesthetic. could i replace ben 10 with a tumblr mutual who recommends me new stories? do i actually wana see more of the side characters? they're probably not much more developed than what we see on screen, and while they could probably have their own story - probably do somewhere - im not sure if ben 10 can make them interesting enough to carry more than one episode each.

there is another show like this - steven universe. it keeps telling you just enough that you know theres something there. you dont know what it is but you can sorta figure it out but you don't actually know. and you know you dont know. and you wana know and that keeps you engaged. but in steven universe that comes from actual world building. it originates from the show. in ben 10? it comes from somewhere else. and idk how to feel about that.

[spasticspaceshp]

Idk who's going to bother to read this rant but maybe someone will and relate to some parts of it so here goes.

The asexual and aromantic experience is wild when you have nothing but love to give.

For context, I generally don't use any specific labels because it's just a lot of work to explain, but using the more generic ones, I know a few things about myself.

I'm non-binary, polyamorous, and land *somewhere* on the ace and aro spectrums. I only use pangender as a term cuz I'm biased to the flag. It looks pretty, and it's close enough. I've debated if I'm trans, but I'm not uncomfortable in my body so I haven't bothered to pursue anything, and I'm only ace/aro because there is just a complete lack of drive/attraction/instinct whatever it can be called, in my body and psyche. I am a soul in a vessel here to experience things, but attraction is not one of them, apparently.

I'm a sex positive ace though. And I know all the technical terms I fall into but it's just complicated. I don't really use any kind of term for sexual preference, but I know I like men, and can develop sexual attraction under the right circumstances, and I like women aesthetically, but I can't say I'm NOT sexually attracted because I've never been with one. And the weird fear about trying is exactly the same fear I had about men. So ya know.

But I want to love. To be loved and especially to give love in return. I don't make a lot of friends cuz I don't get attached, with the exception of getting adopted, and my best friend who I chose all the way back in 2nd grade. I'm in my early 20s now and her and I live together, so you can see that it means something.

I've also recently started dating this guy who is exactly in the perfect sweet spot of everything I am attracted to, and not just visually. (Who actually cares about appearances anyway?) He's very sweet and kind to me, has a perfect balance of similarities and differences to myself, highly values communication and listens to what I have to say, understands my needs and how I function, and overall matches my energy. (He's very mellow but I'm working to bring out the crazy side I know is in there, lol.) To be honest it's damn near one of those too good to be true things. He's also poly, not entirely cis, and completely embraces my gender identity, or lack thereof. He's devoted and healthily obsessive and possessive and it's mutual. We also completely agree on our stances about kids and marriage, which is that we want neither. (At least not getting married on paper, he absolutely wants to wife me and I'm not mad about it.)

What makes me feel almost guilty, or honestly more like I'm defective, is that he's had all these realizations and transcendent moments that you would expect out of finding the person you're meant to be with. But I haven't. Don't get me wrong, I completely share the sentiments, I want him just as much as he wants me, and the devotion is mutual, I just haven't felt it. I know I love him, I know that I'm happy, I know that what we have is extremely promising and healthy. I just feel like I'm missing what everyone else gets to experience. I've talked about it with him too and he's so very understanding. Maybe I'm just terrified of myself. That I'll ruin it without even knowing, simply because I'm not designed to have this. I also know that thinking that is bad for manifesting.

Like just listen. (I'm also into witchcraft and astrology,) And my literal human design works against some of the things I want. I want to sleep next to him, all the time, but I have genuine trouble sleeping next to another person even just in the same bed as me, let alone within elbow distance. Sometimes it's hard if they're even in the same room. And that fact was literally stated in one of my readings. There's something in my autistic little brain that can't seem to let my breathing match theirs, and it's a natural thing for humans to do, but it somehow drives me crazy. I want to kiss and hold and have sex and all those things, but I'm difficult. Finding satisfaction in intimacy is a literal challenge, even with help from toys or other stimulus. He's been so patient and understanding with that too and it's done wonders for the shame trauma I grew up with, but it's also just frustrating, because I feel constantly inadequate or like I'll accidentally give off the impression that he's not enough. And that's not true. (Even if there's some things he could stand to learn.) It's all just that typical asexual "I feel broken" kind of angst. But it's still a very real experience that haunts me. I'd love to believe that going on T would fix me, but I know it's not true.

Honestly I kinda lost where I meant to go with this. It's very TMI, but he says I feel like home to him, and while I don't think I feel the same thing, wording wise, we both agree that even though it's been almost 3 months, it feels like we've known each other for forever. Please excuse me for being a sap but genuinely I'm like, yah I found it. Cliché romance novel shit and everything. It's been very soft and comfortable so far. I still have to egg him into actually biting me like he means it, but at least I know I'm safe with him. He lets me show a bit of dominance too, so there's not any kind of power imbalance, and I'm so very excited for whatever future we get to have.

Idk. I think I had a lot of other sappy poetic shit to say that I forgot about, but I guess the overall message is that when you know what you want, it doesn't matter if you're ace, aro, anything in between, or nothing at all, you can find the love you're looking for. Have some faith in yourself. You're not broken, you're not missing anything. Whatever kinds of relationships you have, platonic or romantic or anything else, the right people do exist. You just have to first be sure of yourself, and sure of what you're looking for.

Yada yada yada, I'm gonna go take a nap.

[rosie-kairi]

I just want to say that it's really cruel (Genius) to give Ven a baby pokemon that evolves through friendship and is considered a 'weak' pokemon at the start, that most people box.

I know you said you wouldn't explain, but maybe a small ramble of the choices on their teams?

Hi!! Hello!! I'd be very happy to explain some of the teams for you!! Me saying "I will not explain" really just means that I won't explain unless prompted. So It's really just an invitation to ask me about stuff lol.

Ok, let's start with Ven's team.

For the more straight forward/less thematic ones, I chose Archeops because it's a fossil pokemon and Ventus is like a thousand years old, and Altaria because it's a more cutesy bird pokemon that I think he'd enjoy :))

Togekiss is pretty much the reason you said. Togepi starts out all but useless, but becomes stronger through the bond it forms with it's trainer. Ven has a very negative self-image of himself and only overcomes that once he forms bonds with actual people and not with intangible beings of darkness.

The three ghosts- Mimikyu, Zorua, and Banette- were chosen for about the same reasons. Banette was chosen due to the themes of abandonment prevelent in all of it's dex entries, as well as the toy vibes reminding me of a vessel and how Ven was essentially Darkness's own little puppet. Mimikyu and Zorua go hand in hand together- they're both not what they appear to be initially. Mimikyu wears it's disguise to get people to like it because of a desperation for companionship. Zorua is an illusionist who disguises itself to get revenge on those who wronged it- and I think Ven should get to go a little ham, as a treat.

The others don't really have as in-depth explanations so they'll go under the cut:

Ephemer:

Galarian Rapidash and Clefable were chosen for the fairytale vibes, and how the chi saga takes place in the Age of Fairytales.

Arcanine, Audino, and Goodra are all very loyal and friendly pokemon- just like Ephemer himself! Also, I had an Arcanine in my Black 2 playthrough that I named Ephemer, he was my mvp, so I'm a bit biased towrads that relation lol.

Then, Aegislash is a mix of both reasons, AND because Aegislash is said to have chosen kings and rulers in the ancient past, and Ephemer founded Scala!

Skuld:

These were all chosen almost entirely on vibes. Corviknight and Staraptor are both cool looking birds that I thing Skuld would greatly appreciate (also, similar to Ephemer, I named them after Skuld in two separate playthroughs lol).

Gothitelle and Absol can both predict the future/disasters, and Skuld in Norse mythos is a norn- in the most simply of ways, the norse equivalent of the Greek fates. Froslass and Tinkaton are mostly there for aesthetic reasons, also I think they're cool sue me.

Brain:

The most straightforward. Computer/sci-fi related. Cool hats. Intimidating vibes. His Chirithy.

Lauriam:

Pretty plant pokemon, all heavily associated with gracefulness and the like. Scolipede is there because it's kinda like Marluxia to me, I can't really explain that any better than that though. So do with it what you will.

Strelitzia:

Cute fairy types!! A Whimsicott to match her brother! Floragato to represent her Chirithy. Musharna's there to kinda represent her dreams of helping Player, it just fits her imo.

And then there's Trevenant. Who evolves from Phantump, a pokemon said to be created from the souls of children who got lost in the forest and died. Yeah.

Elrena:

Electric types (duh), Boss-ass bitches, and general coolness.

[taylormarieee]

I just wanted to announce a few things...

For one: I'M BACK!!!! I mean I was slightly active but I rarely interacted with my moots, I miss you guys.

Two: I would like to say that I miss all my wives now let's make another list about my wives since Valentine's day was a few days ago and I didn't get to do this.

@dollyfl1rt : I love her so much, she is so cute and I was so sad when her first account got terminated, I thought I lost her forever. I was gonna cry. She's so sweet and a very open and down to earth person. She's someone you can get along with and is so kind. She is someone I feel like I could always talk to about literally anything and I wish her nothing but the best in life. She's amazing. I love you and Happy Late Valentines Day!❤️

@dustbunniess : I love her because she's funny, amazing, very peaceful and just so cute! I love how we have the same interests and can talk whenever, she's obvi a very busy woman but she's someone I look up to and someone I adore very much so Happy late Valentines day baby ;)💕

@sinsandsweetness : My first wife. I love her because she's number one and she's so wise and well spoken. She cares about the people in her life and she reminds me of the goddess Athena smm because she's so wise and just and incredibly smart and wonderful person. I love her with all my heart so as well Happy Late Valentines day babe💋

@liliesdiary : Straight up i'm gonna say it, SHE REMINDS ME OF APHRODITE!!!! Like she's so cute and her aesthetic is so cute and adorable! I love her so much even though I haven't talked to her in so long, she's so sweet and I miss talking to her, I hope everything is good and well for her. I love you my little daughter of aphrodite🎀 Happy Late Valentines Day!

@cherryredstars : This is my little gossip bestie! We literally gossip so much! She's amazing and her fics are just as amazing and she's also so well spoken and adorable. She reminds me of a golden retriever but yet a sophisticated black cat. She's so sweet and an incredible person overall! I wish her nothing but the best in life, and someone better love her just as much as I do. Happy late valentines day baby!💝

@writella : THIS IS MOTHER RIGHT HERE AND I LOVE HER! She is so kind and fun to talk to and I really enjoy talking to her and getting praise from her cuz yk, it's mother were talking about here. I love her and miss her! have not talked to her in a while so I hope she's ok, I love you and Happy Late Valentine's day babes!❣️

@hutchersonsgurl : THIS IS TWINN RIGHT HERE! I LOVE THIS GIRL SMM CUZ SHE'S SOOO FUNNY AND ENERGETIC! I love how we relate to the same things and I love how she is so cool and fun! Love you and Happy Late Valentines day twinn!💜

@luvrxbunny : I love her, we haven't talked in a while but she's just so fun and cool. I feel for her when she has sad daysd and goes through a lot of hard times but I hope she gets through it and I love her so much I hope she feels better and can finally be happy! I love you and Happy Late Valentines Day pretty girl!❤️‍🩹❤️

Saved the best for last... @versatilehater I LOVE THIS GIRL WITH EVERYTHING IN ME EVERY CELL, EVERY FIBER, EVERY ORGANISM AND FUNCTIONING VESSEL! She is my love and my best friend! I love her like no other and I love how she treats me, she is so cute and so sweet and I love her the absolute most! She's so kind and funny and freaky (my favourite part) Shes so amazing and I love her. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MAMA!💓💞💖

I LOVE YOU ALL! HAPPY LATE VALENTINES DAY TO THOSE WHO DIDN'T HAVE ONE! HAPPY LATE VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL THE LADIES THAT WERE ALONE!

❤️

XOXO, Londyn<333

[madsciencepottery]

Hi!!!

I've recently been wanting to get into clay ✨stuff✨ for funsies, and I have absolutely no idea where to start and I spent a good chunk of time googling and learned pretty much nothing because I got overwhelmed!! What a day.

Anyways I've been asking around and I have a few questions and you seem to know what you're doing, so -

-what are the differences between clays? I understand some need to be fired in a kiln (which I do not casually have laying around my house unfortunately), some need to be baked, and some can just air dry??? But that's really about as far as I got before getting lost.

- which clay is usually best for what kind of projects??? I'm thinking I want to do just some Small Things like key trays or pencil/pen holders or etc etc.

- are there any specific tips/tricks I should be using to make it slightly easier to work with, or any specific care instructions?

thank you!!!

Hi there! I don't claim to be an expert but hopefully I can help you get started?

Now clays: ceramic clays need to be fired in a kiln and are the most durable. For your heavy-duty projects (vessels that need to hold water/be in contact with heat) this is your best bet.

Air-dry clay can mimic the look and feel of ceramic clay if you just want the aesthetic, but are usually paper-based and not nearly as durable. Flammable, and not waterproof unless you coat it with something. Can be good for decorative projects.

Polymer clay: plastic-based and mimics a lot of different materials, this is the kind you bake in your oven. Comes in many colors, semi-durable when baked, so this may be the clay for you! Each brand comes with its own set of drawbacks/advantages, so my recommendation is to get an idea of what you want to make first and then see which brand fits best (some might bake harder but are harder to condition, etc.) I mostly work with sculpey so I can't speak to every kind, but probably the best advice I can give is to get a little and just play around with it. Learning the feel of a material is not something you can read over the internet, and the way I have learned the most is to jump in and make mistakes as I go.

I hope this has helped in some small way, I'm always nervous about giving advice, lol

[lushandlamb]

Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism

Kazimir Malevich was an artist born in 1879. His birth time is unknown, but he was a Shatabhisha Sun with a Mars AK in Purva Ashadha. Shatabhisha is a Rahu ruled nakshatra located in Sidereal Aquarius. Purva Ashadha is a Venus ruled nakshatra located in Sidereal Sagittarius.

Malevich is known as one of the fathers of abstract art. To give a fairly brief explanation, Malevich believed that in a society that was rapidly industrializing with the invention of cars, radio, and machine guns, art ought to reflect this culture of movement and speed. Therefore, the classical traditions of aesthetic human form and naturalism were crude to him and not “real art.” Malevich established two major shapes of the circle and the square, organizing them to express their motion and weight. This created the movement of Suprematism which valued artistic feeling over reason. Essentially, he wanted to focus on form and the painterly aspects, unburdened from the weight of meaning and high culture. Unfortunately, Malevich’s avant-garde, pre-film views were not favored in the Soviet Union, most of his work was put into storage, and he died at the age of 57. Either way, he stands as an iconoclast and an innovator in the field of art.

This reflects the nature of Apas, Purva Ashadha’s lord, who is the goddess of water, the purifying and cleansing element. Malevich writes,

“In repeating or tracing the forms of nature, we have nurtured our consciousness with a false conception of art. The work of the primitives was taken for creation… The classics also… Between the art of creating and the art of repeating there is a great difference. To create means to live forever creating newer and newer things. And however much we arrange furniture about rooms, we will not extend or create a new form for them. And however many moonlit landscapes the artist paints, however many grazing cows and pretty sunsets, they will remain the same dear little cows and sunsets. Only in a much worse form. ” 

This excerpt highlights a desire to make art pure and remove what was false, through innovation, rather than burdened reproduction. I also find the distinction between the primitives, which is very, very common in his manifesto, as Purva Ashadha-esque considering another symbol of the Purva Ashadha is the winnowing basket which separates wheat from the chaff. Malevich wants to separate the weak repetitors from the strong creators. 

Lastly, Malevich often refers to the idea of transforming himself in the “zero of form”. The 0, or empty circle which is Shatabhisha’s symbol, represents the full range of possibilities. 0 is the precipice between the negative past and the positive future. The circle is encircled (ha.) by its boundaries, made in the past, that cut it off; the empty circle is ... empty, waiting to be the vessel that can carry endless objects in the future. Shatabhisha is known to break down and incite social change as it has the range to observe and then critique. Malevich, as a Shatabhisha Sun, had the ability to critique the world of painting and in the confines of painting, established an art movement that reflected the sheer weight, speed, and movement of a society in the midst of industrialization. Fin.

[sleepanonymous]

(Only after I transcribed the entire thing did I find an online source here 🤦‍♀️)

ALL GOOD IN THE HOOD…

Mysterious masked entity Sleep Token allow a peek into their dark world on debut album…

With the hidden identities behind bands like Poland’s Slavonic metallers Batushka and Sweden’s Ghost being unveiled to a curious public in recent times, it means that the similarly secretive Sleep Token might just be the most compelling group with their masks still in place. And, as they’ve already proven, the band are more than capable of playing up to this role of intrigue. When the anonymous collective emerged just over two years ago, dressed in Death eater-style robes and looking ready to sacrifice your pet goat, their leader, known only as Vessel, told of an age-old deity called ‘Sleep’— a name chosen as no proper translation exists in any modern tongue. They also came bearing allusions to ancient civilisations, with early songs named Calcutta, Nazareth, and Jericho.

This weaving of the occult into the band’s tapestry has grown smarter as they’ve journeyed towards this, their debut full-length. With the album named after the syndrome associated with dementia, where patients can become further confused and agitated as dusk sett;es in, its first single The Night Does Not Belong to God was unveiled upon summer solstice in June. Subsequent tracks have been ritualistically released every two weeks since, always at the time of sundown according to Greenwich Mean Time (perhaps a clue towards the group’s Earthly origins).

And yet for all this dark mystery and carefully constructed enigma, perhaps what surprises most about Sleep Token is the way they sound. Despite a supremely witchy aesthetic that hints at the gloomiest doom unearthed from some rotting catacomb, the main fabric of their debut is a mix of chilling electronics and otherworldly pop, with a sinister heaviness only intruding on the fringes. These are songs that share less with the metal of the similarly-robed Sunn O))), and more with, say, Deaf Havana’s slower, more pensive and thoughtful moments.

It begins with the aforementioned The Night Does Not Belong to God, a song that’s as strange and sparse as it is spellbinding. With little more than a ringing digital tone and a muscular, crooning voice, the band conjure a dense mood that hangs heavy with longing, before bantamweight drumming and Deftones-like guitars inject a jolt of power. The song’s lasting impression is one of immense feeling, and it’s this rich atmosphere that cloaks almost the entirety of Sundowning.

At times, it’s captivating. The Offering provides gasping melodrama, while Dark Signs projects EDM lightness onto evil chugs. The extremely minimal Drag Me Under, meanwhile, doesn’t even sound human. The band’s lyrics also go a long way in helping to construct this ethereal world, as they collide images of divinity with flashes of what seems to be their own lives. And while convention may have taught us that emotions mean more when pinned to a personality or some real-life flesh, the facelessness of these private sermons can make them feel shared and empathetic, or perhaps like being inside a confession booth.

Admittedly, save for Gods— the record’s only true out-and-out metalcore song— the continuous nature of this dark mood entwined with the group’s slow-burning, listless pace does begin to drag across Sundowner’s 50-minute runtime. But there are moments here to truly savour, and ideas and experiences that feel unique. The band have shown they can create vast episodes that exist primarily within their ancient universe, while also feeling very vulnerable and human at their core. That alone should be reason enough to hope that Sleep Token’s secretive allure stays intact for a long time to come. TOM SHEPHERD

Q&A: A SERVANT (MOUTHPIECE FOR THE VESSEL)

Sleep Token have become pretty big already, without any details of the members’ identities coming out. Why is there so much secrecy around the musicians in the band? “It matters not who they are. It matters not what they say.”

Where did the name Vessel for your singer come from? “ ‘Vessel’ is no name. It is merely a descriptive term, one that may indeed be applied to us all. He is no different in this regard.”

The album is very eclectic, drawing upon various different styles that are often not found in rock. Where do these influences come from? “Death. Power. Desire. Anguish.”

“OUR IDENTITY MATTERS NOT TO BELIEVERS…” A SERVANT

Are you pleased that nobody has figured out the identities of the people behind the music yet? “The entity is the music. There is nothing further to discover.”

Would you say that there’s an element of actual, occult magic to Sleep Token? Is that part of the reason why you’re so secretive, like Jimmy Page in the ‘70s? “Such boasts are not His to make. Should a wild animal be considered ‘secretive’ if it does not tell us its name?”

You’ve supported BABYMETAL at big shows, as well as your own headlining gigs, which have sold out almost immediately. Does appearing live in frog of people make it harder to stay anonymous? Or does it simply prove the strength of what you’re doing, in that the anonymity stands up to such things? “The gathering of Followers only further exemplifies the truth, that the identity of the creators matters not to those who believe.”

Is Sleep Token a band, or a larger entity, with no beginning or end? “Nothing lasts forever.”

Any final thoughts? “Worship.”

[paragonrobits]

so for a while I've had a recurring on again-off again concept for a group of antagonistic characters based on the worst aspects of the powerscaling community; the general concept being a team (at least 5 members, with each having their own combat forces or territory, given the focus on empire building and large scale conflict in my story ideas) of extremely powerful, ruthless and smug powerhouses whose abilities are usually based on a mix of characters overhyped by powerscalers (SPECIFICALLY to the extent of badly mischaracterizing them), the worst extremes of the 'isekai power fantasy' self insert protagonist

and very crucially, the attitudes of the people who make these arguments so unbearable; the One Piece fans who endlessly complain about Luffy's devil fruit being silly and not badass, that constantly argue against a series they hate and only want curbstomp attacks and not clever strategies, as an example, or the Dragon Ball fans that depict Goku as a bloodthirsty brute who kills everyone he encounters for the sheer joy of feeling them die

But i've never really gone anywhere with it for two reasons; firstly, I tend to base these character concepts on deliberately edgy vibes, and that winds up giving them a surprising charm. I really value sincerity, lack of irony and genuine enthusiasm, so characters that are unironically sincere about their aesthetics and tone, even if they're malicious and deliberately edgy about it, feel GENUINE. The second is that my main characters tend to occupy somewhat similar grounds; their aesthetics are heavily inspired by heavy metal and punk sub-cultures, and they're usually contrasted against more prim and proper or cutesy and innocent groups as the 'tough and scary weirdos from the Garbage Realms', because of their monstrous powers and often brutal fights, but they're just so GOOFY and cheerfully weird that there's very little actual spookiness about them.

And since 'deliberately edgy', with the visual aesthetics that implies (so things like Overwatch's Reaper , in the sense of a massively over the top edgelord who treats his visual design with absolute seriousness), that makes them quite close to my characters, and they come off not as much as foils as I might like in this case.

So, as I was doing some creative thoughts earlier, I had an epiphany. The main issue is that my examples and inspirations are actually pretty bland and I don't really have that much to work with. On a certain level this could be a good thing and allow me to make these antagonists a fundamentally shallow group of recurring antagonists who are deliberately lacking in character, but I don't know if I find that appealing. But it made me think about a possible missing piece.

There's a kind of person in paleoart communities, I hear, called awesomebros; they're the sort of people who get really hateful and intense about discoveries and theories about dinosaurs that seem to soften them or 'de-badass'-ify them. The ones who complain REALLY loudly about theropods in general being feathered, birds being surviving dinosaurs (they're the ones that make rants about 'HOW ARE BIRDS SUPPOSED TO BE SCARY') or having evidence of complex social structures; in short, people who resent dinosaurs for apparently not being 'badass' or mindlessly violent movie monsters, but actual animals.

There's a big focus on visual design above all else, a contempt for anything except superficial badass-ness, or acting as if scientific investigation is a personal blight on their childhoods, and this synchs up well enough with certain aspects of powerscaling to give me an idea.

Specifically, this antagonist group being mirrored by both awesomebros and the worst of powerscalers; for the latter, SPECIFICALLY the ones that don't want clever fights or complex characters, they just want a continuous series of brutal curbstomps and painfully one sided fights. They want their favorites to be limitlessly powerful destroyers with no real character, just a vessel of destructive power. So combine that with the awesomebro fixation on badass designs and ferocity over anything else, with a bias against anything soft or complex (both politically and in terms of their actual goals), and you have a possible idea for a group of antagonists.

So, based on this, this suggests a group of antagonists and violently minded conquerors, who excel at combat and mainly use overwhelming power and incredibly brutal attacks, and they just want to win fights as brutally and ferociously as possible, always outdoing their previous records. (So a bit of speedrunner aspects in there, possibly with a similar sense of elitism you can see from time to time.)

They don't conquer territory because they actually want it; some of the other factions may be trying to rebuild civilization after a great collapse, unite existing societies together, or build a home for themselves, but these guys have no real interest in it. They conquer so they have a reason to crush and kill, and they pay very little attention to the results, with their subordinates (less powerful but more world wise) doing the actual management. As such they often serve as antagonists because they want to fight and a given situation and provide that fight, regardless of context; they're powerful and not to be underestimated, but their hostility towards clever plans means that basic strategies are effective against them, and they do HORRIBLY against characters with 'puzzle boss' mechanics or loopholes that must be exploited to penetrate their defenses. All they want is overwhelming power and to make a spectacle of applying it, so a situation where it is inapplicable completely leaves them useless.

They also have a fixation on awesome; baroque designs, monstrous appearances, powerful military capability, and a deliberate emphasis on coolness always gets their respect, even if the recipient isn't happy about it.

They may also be virtual ghosts of a kind; the ones you see when fighting them aren't the 'real' ones; all the members of this team have a power or technique of some kind that allows them to astrally project, manifest an avatar to act through, generate a secondary body through ambient energies, and otherwise their real bodies are somewhere else, directing the ones you see as a very literal metaphor about being shallow characters. (This may also indicate a weakness as well as indicating that this group of characters are entitled bullies who don't have the stomach for actual risk or injury; their projections are functionally balloons. They hit hard and they're tough, but are relatively easy to pop once you get past their defenses, and they REALLY hate this, having frail egos.)

As my main character squad are heavily depicted as incredibly stubborn who have a lot of powers based around increasingly high returns for greater effort and weaponizing injuries to motivate them to pull off victories they objectively shouldn't get, it also makes them an excellent contrast.

[alonelystargazer]

6 12 & 14 for choso :D

yess thank you I love choso!

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Me and Choso are both the eldest child and protective of our younger siblings, and we're both a little reserved in character with a little goofy side. Plus, we both like dark makeup, baggy clothes, and combat boots haha (also beautiful tall women 😳)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

A cute headcanon I have for Choso is that I think he would give his brothers the best birthday parties. He bakes them a cake in their favorite flavor, decorates the whole place, and gets all of their friends to surprise them.

A sad/angsty headcanon is that Choso sometimes wonders about the man who became his vessel, what his life was like, if he had a family, etc., since he said he doesn't have any of his memories (and soul?).

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Since his canon outfit is pretty baggy, I would like to see him wearing Japanese street style, something like this, maybe without the hat though bc of his hair: