#REVERSE WARRIOR POSE

[its-not-a-pen]

according to the historian Ban Gu: "when I heard about Zhang Liang's bravery I thought he would be a macho man but he actually looks super girly. Well, serves me right for judging a book by it's cover! As Confucious said 'when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.'" <- slightly paraphrased.

in the words of Emperor Gaozu himself, "Zhang Liang's strategy from the tent could decide the outcome of a battle 1000 miles away." in light of this, i decided to draw him in a pose similar to L from Deathnote, since he's a modern incarnation of the East Asian Genius Twink Strategist. it's all come full circle.

Note: this twink is 40 years old

the hairdo was reverse engineered from this Han dynasty mural. like i said before, not all mens hairstyles from this time had that signature "high and tight" look and it's something i'd like to see more of! the microbangs are a little fanciful so i'll probably be ditching it later, but i want to at least show it here. i think it adds something to the look.

this mural could have been made as late as 100 years after his death so i wont vouch for the accuracy, but i do like to pay homage to the earliest known art of these people.

there are several ways to get a loose bun, so i just picked one from the terracotta warriors that i liked (bottom left).

bonus fact! he's a member of the "tried and failed to assassinate Qin Shi Huang club" population: 3

his assassination technique was equally shitty but he made it out alive and avoided the nation-wide manhunt so that counts for something at least.

[copiummaximum]

Upside-down Diaries AU: KIND of a role reversal au? Or kind of more like a 'morals reversal' au. Basically, bad guys are good guys and vice versa. I have more written out for this but it's late so, here's this for now.

Aphmau: Unlike the courageous and confident natural leader that Aphmau normally is, this version of Aphmau is apprehensive and cowardly, seeking to avoid conflict by hiding behind higher powers. In this version of events she has been made to be the figurehead lord of Phoenix Drop while the likes of Garroth, Zoey, and Laurance run the real show. She is aware of her magic capabilities but struggles to use them due to light-based magic requiring confidence as an energy source. While she was convinced to be the figurehead of Phoenix Drop for free food and shelter, she's quickly come to regret the decision as O'khasis prepares for a war and she struggles to pose as the charismatic leader she's supposed to be. She tries to run away several times, but finds herself trapped by all the people trying to use her for their own self interest. If given the opportunity, she'd likely sell everyone out if it meant she wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.

Garroth: In contrast to Garroth’s canon status of a runaway prince in hiding because he hates the idea of being a ruler in any capacity, this version of Garroth is a power hungry disgraced prince who was banished from O’Khasis for his vision of O'khasis conquering the entire Ru'an region and creating an empire. He was not welcome anywhere but Phoenix Drop, which was too small of a town to catch wind of the news of his true character. Garroth murdered the old lord (and later framed Zenix for it) in an attempt to take control over Phoenix Drop as part of his larger revenge plan, but once Aphmau came into Phoenix Drop he decided that nurturing a nobody with no reputation into a pawn would be better than trying to fix his own reputation.

Laurance: Unlike his charismatic and loyal counterpart, this version of Laurance is a selfish and antagonistic mercenary and petty criminal that is a living pest in Meteli. While he has a soft spot for Aphmau, money and material items speak to him above all other things. In this version of events, Laurance only went to the Nether to retrieve Aphmau and Castor because he was paid to ensure their safe return. He only became trapped inside the Nether during a confrontation with Shad's spirit going south. ((which only Aphmau was meant to confront, if you watch the OG episode,,,)) Laurance is still saved by Ungrth, but with no Lord or anyone he truly cares about, Laurance finds himself stuck in his premature Shadow Knight state. Laurance only joins the Phoenix Alliance because Garroth and Zoey promised that they would help him reach maturity in exchange for his use as a Shadow Knight.

Zoey: Similar to her original counterpart, Zoey was exiled from Ygraddsil, but for meddling with the dark side of her barrier magicks and causing a massive patch of Void Infection in the forest. Initially this Zoey was like OG Zoey, but the tragic and sudden passing of husband and son made her obsessed with finding a way to resurrect them. Not phased by her exile, Zoey used the opportunity to travel the world in her efforts to continue her research and studies of dark magic. Eventually she wound up in Phoenix Drop, where she could sense the dark magic used by Garroth from a mile away. Fascinated by his knowledge of the Divine Warriors and the makeshift dark magic he's had to generate with the limited information on dark magic in Ru'an, Zoey becomes Garroth’s black magick mentor under the condition that once he acquires the relics, that he helps Zoey bring her family back to life.

[virethele]

Chapter 115

according to vivi, the reason the the weather is especially crazy at the start of the grandline is because of the seven magnetic fields coming from reverse mountain.

we've arrived at our second island on the grandline, little garden which seem to be an island filled with prehistoric fauna and flora.

i love how excited luffy gets about the prospect of an adventure. he is quite literally shaking in anticipation.

and zoro and sanji's rivalry continues.

according to vivi due to the nature of the grandline it makes it hard to travel around so the islands are mostly isolated, which made them develop their own unique cultures, while some of these islands advanced some of the other islands stayed unchanged for thousands of years.

we find out an explorer named this place 'little garden' due to the fact that to its inhabitants the island may as well appear to be a little garden.

Chapter 116

we are introduced to broggy a giant. apparently the dinosaurs aren't the only big things living on this island.

he calls himself 'the mightiest warrior of elbaph', probably where he's from.

luffy has barely been on the island and he has already been eaten by a dinosaur. thankfully he was saved by the other giant who live here, dorry who is apparently also 'the mightiest warrior of elbaph'.

poor usopp and nami thinking the giant wants to eat them.

we find out that it takes a whole year for the log pose to reset on this island.

we also learn that the reason dorry and broggy are on this island is because they follow a specific code in their homeland regarding disputes, so they have to have a duel to solve it and whoever wins is the one who gets to live and go home. they've been at it for 100 years.

we learn that giants lifespans are three times to those of humans.

the fact that they don't even remember why they're dueling anymore is crazy. i guess that it just shows how much they pride themselves on honor.

-☆

[pinazee]

Psy vs. Psy

I genuinely think that if they were going to bring back any psych villian, Lindsay Leikin would pose the biggest threat. She knows Shawn isn’t psychic, she has adequate motivation to target him personally, and has the skills to prove he’s a fraud and do it slyly as she is also highly skilled in deductive reasoning (she did manage to get them to the counterfeiter to begin with so she has legitimate talent). She could even orchestrate it from prison. Maybe her parole was denied again so, like, what else is she going to do? Plus, she’s kind of nuts. Faking being a psychic with the FBI is a whole other level of bold compared to a local precinct, then she met a counterfeiter and was like yes please, more crime, then killed him when he tried to run, slept with Shawn that same night, then tried to take him hostage when she got caught. Its just a shame she wasn’t a bit more charismatic or eccentric. They had her play it as a very normal girl swept into a life of crime because of a guy (probably because she was a “love interest” for Shawn) when the receipts show she was an absolute lunatic (look at her face after they found the guy she killed. This bitch is smiling).

Also, she just kinda gave up when she was caught. I wish she’d have been screaming “he’s a fraud!” as she was taken to the car or even had a heart to heart moment with Lou Diamond Phillips because she did betray him after all. Idk, i just wanted more. (But i think maybe the writers recognized this and thats how we get Declan later??)

Gus is basically siri at this point. Between the archeology, safes, online poker, the law, tennis players, space, comic books, of course pharmaceuticals, and now studies tender from all over the world- its a smaller list of what Gus doesn’t know. Gus clearly likes learning. I’m surprised he never thought of becoming a teacher or college professor, to try to pass that love of learning to the next generation. Though i guess we see he’s not that great with people surprisingly, considering he’s a successful salesman. (OH MY GOD WHAT IF THIS WHOLE TIME GUS ACTUALLY HAD LIVED UP TO HIS POTENTIAL AND BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL SPY. He knows all these things because of his job, psychs only been able to stay open because Gus can fund it from his spy job, joining psych was a good front but he was also lonely from never getting to be himself. I kid, i kid, but its a fun idea for me haha)

No fucking way shawn doesn’t know what a drill is. Henry definitely would have beat that kind of man stuff into him. The military time too. I just felt the need to point this out. its like the show itself is dissing my boy and i have to defend him lol

I love when Gus is proud and smarmy over shawns talent. Look at his face here. My boy about to prove you wrong.

And do you think Shawn is actually afraid of competition or do you think he learned at an early age from his father that he didn’t have value unless he was the best? Huh Henry, huh???(Weekend warriors “you don’t want to be a loser” comes to mind)

Henry trying some reverse psychology here. I can’t tell if its because Henry is actually concerned for Shawns safety like he said he wasn’t in the previous episode, or if he’s still taking it personally that Shawns using the gifts he “gave” him to be psychic. Probably both. We know he was really bothered by his motorcycle accident, so i wonder if he’s been kind of spiraling, and adding up all the crazy situations he’s been in. (Which, i don’t think Shawn tells him about. i think Gus calls him like a weekly report haha) I think the fact that shawns cases are becoming more dangerous he suddenly doesn’t like the idea of him being a detective, well a detective this way at least, because i think in his mind he’d be safer if he was an actual cop where he had a partner with a gun, and back up, and rules, and training. I mean we know he wouldn’t be, (look at what happens to Lassie and Juliet)

I just wanted to gif this because it’s one of my fave jokes in the episode!

Mildred to the rescue! Im not entirely sure how this worked but it did and thats what matters haha

*Appropriate reaction is appropriate*

[indigos-stardust]

Four Keys: Buwe (Blue)

(reblogs appreciated)

This is Buwe! (pronounced similarly to Dew), he's this au's Blue! Buwe's people, Selkie Folk, live in different communities on arctic Islands that rely on fishing seasons to survive.

Unfortunately, a horrible sea ice witch threatened them. She threatened to freeze all the sea, the sea that gave them their fish and their life, unless they paid. With wealth or manpower. Their tribes are like brother and sisters.

Paying her, it would have debilitated them until there was nothing left. It would kill them. Going against the other tribes would kill their souls. It was a trap to let her get more power. With the walls of ice surrounding them, and air so frigid no messenger bird could be sent, there would be no help to free them.

Buwe decided, that if she wanted a warrior, he would give her one. One that would take the breath from her lungs as he strangled her. No sick child of his home, his tribe of Kunae, would die again, because of her. Coughing blood and becoming brittle.

He found a weak spot in her ice walls and after nights of hard work in secret, he left. Filled with rage, knowing he'd never survive making it to the other tribes, he decided to go straight to the mouth of the beast. Her little hideout, hidden in the ice, under the freezing water.

He's never seen a place so beautifully sculpted, yet so revolting. Patterns of swirling ice with windows to the wide ocean outside, columns fashioned with utmost care. Icy statues of figures posed beautifully appear along the walls. The bones of children as adornments. Red stained fabrics, draping down the entrances.

It's nothing like the castles he's learned about from books, its far too small and the design itself is far too close to home. But he knows that's just now, she wants to expand this. She wants more. She'll build it out of pearly white bones if she has to.

He catches her by surprise, while she's tinkering with some sort of map. Planning for the attacks she'll lead them in, when they all crack and serve her in their grief. When they let her take control of their very minds with a binding oath made of pure dark magic.

She's amused at first. She knew how great of a warrior, and determined a man he was. She reminds him of her offer. To be hers. Only the finest would be hers, after all. He's sick. This monster, the way she talks, the way she watches him. It's nothing but a freaking game.

"No? Pity, Kunae man, but I don't want to kill you ,you know... Such a wasteful thing, yes?"

He stands in silent fury. He's ready to fight, to end this.

"Fine then, you can be, another one of my... perfect sculptures. My favorite one, in fact. That way, you could stay by my side forever, hm?"

She steps to him, closer and closer. He will not be afraid.

"Even back then... So brash and brave, when I came, I just adore you..." her hand caresses his face, he's tense, " That's the face I want to keep for myself forever."

His dagger lurches into her gut, but not before a thin blast of ice blasts off forcing them apart. Buwe moves, the end is near. The end of suffering, or the end of any chance of hope. The end of her, or the end of him.

Buwe nearly dies in that fight. He was fighting, on her terf, already weakened, with his own ability already diminished from the hunger. But the rage fuels him on, and he knows he will End Her even if it only happens during his last dying breath.

She gives a final attack of defense, he got too close, his grand tactical mistake made out of desperation. Her eyes say the words he can't hear. It's the blessing of a curse. He can feel his legs freezing over, the ice in his bones spreading and paralyzing reaching itself tendrils outward. The sound of her cracking neck is nearly mute in the water, an endless abyss of the dark. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard. The light leaves her eyes.

He tries, Buwe really does, to transform again into a selkie, to let him swim to the surface, and maybe reverse her curse just long enough to see his home again. Just the walls and the glistening shining snow, that the children would soon play on again. He manages to transform, but it's too late. Every thought slows, muffled and pained. He will be lost, but he won, for them. That's all that matters. The world is deafening, as he sees the blackening ocean turn icy white. The world is dark again.

@slaingelo @vamqiredove @shadylink enjoy lol, it gets worse probably

[astrogirlythings]

5 Best yoga poses for beginners:

Personal favorites.

Tips:

Try holding each pose for at least 20 seconds or more if you can. ⌛

Each pose - 3 times × ( 20 seconds + ).

Shift from one pose to the other slowly.

Theirs no shame in using the yoga block for assistance. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Be mindful of your breathing. 🫁

If you're not feeling the stretch, you're doing it all wrong.

Goddess Pose:

Strengthens inner thighs, calves, core & quadriceps.

Stretches hips & groin.

Pregnancy friendly pose.

Warrior poses:

Do in the exact same order as shown above.

Warrior 1 , Warrior 2 & Reverse Warrior.

Shift gradually after holding each pose for 20 seconds for 3 times.

Gives you a good stretch in the morning.

Improves balance, mobility and stability.

Strengthens arms, shoulders and legs.

Pregnancy friendly pose.

Plank poses:

Strengthens core, wrists and arms.

Improves balance & concentration.

Boat pose:

Strengthens core.

Improves balance & digestion.

Bridge pose:

People forget to lift their chest when doing this pose.

Strengthens spine, thighs and buttocks.

Relieve spine's stress.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Brian Stelter at CNN Business:

New YorkCNN —  President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, wasted no time in stating his priorities on Sunday night. Just one hour after thanking the president for the appointment, Carr wrote on X, “We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.” Carr and Trump’s powerful ally Elon Musk immediately replied with one word of affirmation: “Based.” The comments from Carr, who wrote the chapter on the FCC in the conservative blueprint Project 2025, signaled that it won’t be business-as-usual at the country’s communications regulatory agency. Past chairs of the agency, both Republicans and Democrats, have emphasized broadband internet deployment and wireless spectrum policy. Carr didn’t mention those issues on Sunday night.

Instead, he took aim at technology companies for “censorship;” promised to hold broadcast TV and radio stations accountable; and pledged to end the FCC’s promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Carr was very clearly channeling the president-elect, who raised all three topics on the campaign trail, often in misleading ways. Trump appointed Carr to the FCC in 2017. Carr is now the senior Republican at the agency, which meant he was widely expected to get the chairman appointment. He also has a close relationship with Musk (some of it has been visible in their interactions on X) and has accused Democrats of waging “regulatory lawfare” against Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.

As chairman, Carr may be able to steer generous federal subsidies to Starlink. When Politico published a story titled “the DC bureaucrat who could deliver billions to Elon Musk” last month, Carr told the outlet that he would be an even-handed regulator. Musk celebrated Carr’s appointment on X on Sunday night. Both men talk in much the same way about free speech rights, reflecting widespread concerns on the right about online censorship. (Trump called Carr “a warrior for Free Speech” in the press release about his appointment.) Claims of conservative censorship erupted several years ago as a result of content moderation decisions by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Officials at the platforms said they were acting in good faith to reduce some of the toxicity – like election lies and Covid pandemic conspiracy theories – that turned off many users. Conservatives charged that the platforms were unfairly silencing their views – factoring into Musk’s decision to buy Twitter and turn it into X.

[...]

In his Project 2025 chapter, Carr laid out an agenda for the federal agency under a future Trump administration. The agency’s top priorities, he wrote, should be “reining in Big Tech, promoting national security, unleashing economic prosperity, and ensuring FCC accountability and good governance.”

In the chapter, Carr also asserted that the Chinese social media platform TikTok “poses a serious and unacceptable risk to America’s national security” and should be banned. Carr’s years-long crusade against TikTok paralleled Trump’s calls, although Trump reversed his position on TikTok earlier this year. Carr has also supported the rollback of net neutrality rules and called for “legislation that scraps” Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives immunity to tech platforms that moderate user-generated content. “Congress should do so by ensuring that Internet companies no longer have carte blanche to censor protected speech while maintaining their Section 230 protections,” he wrote in Project 2025. The FCC does have jurisdiction over local TV and radio licenses. During his reelection campaign, Trump called for every major American TV news network to be punished, often because of interview questions he disliked or programming he detested. He repeatedly said that certain licenses should be revoked – usually while misstating how the licensing process actually works.

The FCC grants eight-year license terms and hasn’t denied any license renewal in decades. But Carr indicated earlier this month that he would take Trump’s complaints seriously. And he wrote on X Sunday night that “broadcast media have had the privilege of using a scarce and valuable public resource — our airwaves. In turn, they are required by law to operate in the public interest.” As chairman, he added, “the FCC will enforce this public interest obligation.”

Donald Trump taps Project 2025 co-writer Brendan Carr to head the FCC for his 2nd term.

The FCC under Carr’s leadership will be a clearinghouse for far-right items, such as protecting far-right misinformation and disinformation from “censorship”, revoke broadcasting licenses from anti-Trump outlets, and more.

See Also:

Mother Jones: Trump’s FCC Pick Wants to Intimidate Broadcasters and Enrich Trump Allies

[paragonrobits]

an SU thought but one almost constant recurring thing I've heard from literally everyone who watched Steven Universe is that not only do we see Rose Quartz's story in reverse (the seemingly perfect heroine who secretly grappled with a lot of personal self-hatred who was created as a fundamentally destructive being who chose to defy her function), just about every single person initially thought of her as an afterthought, mostly regarding her as a presence towards the cast without much thoughts on her as a person, and we only gradually realize anything about her, and the most stand out example is how its initially not clear just how big she is.

Early episodes make it clear how important Rose was to the cast, and how much they miss her and the grief that has scarred them, but we get very little information on Rose herself. We see that Greg is (at first glance, before we see how emotionally intelligent and kind he is) a wreck destroyed by her death, and we get hints of everyone else, and Steven's own fears about being unable to live up to her legacy, but her legacy is the entirety of her early character.

She's functionally a ghost. We hear things ATTRIBUTED to her; her kindness, her power, that the gems mourn her, but we don't hear much about her, and we specifically never see Rose clearly. We see her painting, and photos of her, but she always has her eyes closed with a gentle, distant smile. She's never looking straight at us, and we never really see her around other characters in a way that would tell us her general look, just hints about it. We hear things she did, and what people think about her, but Rose herself is a complete mystery.

The relevant bit is this; at the time, Garnet is the biggest and strongest Gem, and at the time it wasn't clear that she was a fusion, just a particularly big and strong Gem. She was an absolute powerhouse who singlehandedly was the most overwhelmingly powerful of the Gems, especially at a point when Steven's power was unpredictable and his true nature as a defensive protector had yet to be displayed. Garnet was so big that she visibly struggles to fit into doors, and much like the shadow Rose later casts, her size reflects her significance as the team leader.

Then we see Lion 3, which is the FIRST time the show ever clearly shows Rose at all, has her actually speak and directly address anyone at all. Before this point, we hear opinions and hearsay from others, but never see her speak for herself, and crucially, in comparison to others.

And Rose Quartz is goddamn humongous. In her first true on-screen appearance in a video she made for a son she knew she'd never meet, she is the single largest non-fusion Gem in the show; she's even larger than Garnet, towering over Greg. As big and powerful as Garnet is (And at the time, while it was speculated she was a fusion, it wasn't confirmed until later), Rose is even larger and, we hear very strongly implied, even more powerful than Garnet.

And its interesting that before this point, we never see Rose clearly. In photos and paintings, she is either posed by herself or in a way that her actual stature relative to others is obfuscated, and this is the first time we see her in person, both in personality and size, and this seems relevant.

It's a few episodes later we see Jasper, whom is broadly the same type of gem as Rose (a quartz), and not only is her sheer power a stark reveal that puts Garnet's seemingly limitless power into perspective, and by proxy implies how strong Rose must have been, this also gives us a hint on how powerful Rose was, because a ferocious warrior like Jasper comes to Earth SPECIFICALLY for the chance to fight her; in sudden short order we're given a lot of retrospectively REALLY big hints about Rose's character, after having spent the entirety of the first season as virtually a non-entity that most people barely thought about, and we get a LOT of context for her, REAL FAST.

[sisterdivinium]

It’s the questions that keep us going, that taunt us so we’ll come back again and again, whether we’re given any “definitive” answers which we might each interpret differently or left to wonder and imagine possibilities all on our own.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, warrior nun.” Doesn’t this line invite us to ask who Adriel might be talking to, exactly?

Of course Ava currently occupies the rank of warrior nun that gives the show its name… But we also know Ava is not a nun and that her qualification as a warrior is recent (setting aside the psychological fortitude she surely possesses as a survivor of the traumas that have shaped her past, to be sure). Even from his prison, Adriel was aware of the happenings in the outside world, be it from his connection to the divinium once used in his armour, be it thanks to informants such as Vincent in whatever modes of communication they might have had between them — so Adriel knows this, he knows of how unconventional it is for Ava to be the warrior nun. Isn’t it possible that, in this moment, he’s not talking to her, at least not as Ava Silva, the individual?

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, warrior nun.” Only a couple of months have elapsed since Adriel has been freed of his tomb and made Ava’s direct acquaintance. Why would he make a reference to the millennium spent beneath the Vatican to her while calling her by her title rather than her name? It certainly cannot be a mention of those two months, as those are negligible in the conscience of an immortal being who has already waited a thousand years for reckoning.

He isn’t hinting at a vengeance against Ava Silva, as herself, even if she is the one standing in front of him in flesh and blood; he’s orchestrating a vengeance against “the warrior nun”, the abstract class of those responsible for his captivity in the first place.

It’s hard to say he necessarily sees Areala in Ava when he says “warrior nun”. Perhaps so, perhaps not. But he does seem to see in the current halo bearer an avatar of someone (or multiple “someones”) he intends to defeat, the echoes of the past embodied in a single woman, a vessel through which their voices may yet ring after they are long gone. Perhaps he can see more than any of us can — just as he sees the wraith demons and passes the ability on to Lilith, might it not be possible for him to see something else when he looks at Ava or, at least, in the direction of the halo?

Could the halo, as once suggested to me by @ghostofcatscradle, carry some of its previous bearers’ “essence” — providing one explanation to Ava’s “meetings” with Shannon or Areala in season one — preserving some portion of them even as it inhabits another woman’s flesh? Could that be readily visible to a being of Adriel’s species and provenance, as the wraiths are?

Or could he think he saw something? Adriel is posed as a much more powerful creature than a human, with much more knowledge at his disposal. He mentions how no human can carry the halo for long before becoming somehow twisted — but what if there is truth in the reversed idea as well and his own long stay on Earth has warped him? Sometimes we find that those deemed “mad” are the most lucid, but would it be such a strange inversion to consider that this amazing being who boasts of his greater lucidity might be the greatest madman himself? He barely attempts to solve the contradictions so clear to Ava when she points out how his discourse of wanting to save the world from Reya's oppression is unaligned with his own forceful, violent methods of combat which cause suffering to the same creatures he claims to champion. Perhaps he comes from a pre- or post- logic realm. Perhaps he is insane. Maybe he is just a power-hungry sophist who will use whatever justification is at hand to legitimate his own selfish cause.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, warrior nun.” Vindication, yes, but in what form? At the end of season one, Adriel sought to seize the halo, yank it out of Ava and be done with it. In season two, he wants a fight instead of just trying to reach for it and accomplish his goals. Yes, his plans concerning Reya had just been spoiled… But if he had been “waiting a long time”, then this battle is not about what just happened in regards to Reya and the ark. It’s ancient, it’s personal. It’s not just the halo anymore — was it ever?

When Ava resurrects, is that the halo’s doing? When Mother Superion is brought back to life, is that the halo’s handiwork? Could it be sentient as some like to hypothesise it is? Or, as an object said to have been stolen from Reya, is it accomplishing her mysterious will by manifesting such powers? Or could it be that the equivalence between Reya and God made by Michael after a lifetime under the former’s spell is not as true as he was led to believe and there might be another, grander, perhaps even will-less entity pulling the strings?

Or could it be that the miracle is not divine, but Ava’s? Perhaps not even just hers, but something available only to humans, that Suzanne might carry as well, something that recognised her as it recognised Ava while she was brought back. There are no records of the halo resurrecting people…

… But it is said to give different bearers different powers. How or when does a bearer develop a new ability? Is there a limit to how many she can find and use? Might they not overlap sometimes?

Moreover, in an environment that firmly believes the halo is a weapon against its enemies, did anyone ever bother to ask whether it could do the opposite of slaughter, if it could be used for purposes unrelated to war against so-called Hell? It takes Jillian, an outsider to the Order, to voice that curiosity.

For each possibility listed above as far as who is behind performing miracles, what accompanying conclusions might there be?

The halo as a sentient object seems to open less interesting consequences than a world where a higher force has confusing aims or is truly neutral and both favours and hampers the living; or one where even common people, even “freaks”, as Ava calls herself more than once, are capable of miracles, of changing their world given the right support and tools.

We don’t actually need hard, official answers.

It’s the suggestions, the maybes, the could bes that really hook us in — is it any wonder that the more dedicated avatrice shippers are so focused on the potential for that time period spent in Switzerland, off-camera, which we did not witness?

The questions are inexhaustible — even with just eighteen total episodes, even when there was yet so much to see. If we can keep asking questions, if we see the beauty in them and how much more enticing they can be compared to a creator’s answers or incomplete plans (Mary taking vows and replacing Superion, really?!), we’ll have perhaps even more on our plates than another season would have given us. Which isn’t to say we shouldn’t mourn the loss of a continuation but merely to duly cherish what we have effectively received and give it its due attention.

It’s what’s left unsaid or unexplained, it’s what even creators might say isn’t set in stone and still open for debate (such as the halo being sentient or not); the blanks, the doubts and possibilities are where we come in with our understanding or our own stories. Why? How? What if?

Keep finding questions to ask... And Warrior Nun lives on.

[angelic-loveerr]

My workout 🧘‍♀️🫶🏾

Meditate (5 mins)

Warm up

upward dog (30 secs)

camel pose (30 secs)

butterfly hold (30 secs)

supine twist (30 secs)

downward dog (30 secs)

plank(30 secs)

work out

fire hydrants ( 15 ×2)

sumo squats ( 5×5)

squats (5×3)

reverse lunges ( 5×5)

push ups (10)

heel touches (50)

bicycles (50)

bicycle twist (10×2))

chill out

butterfly hold (30 secs)

happy baby (30 secs)

child pose (30 secs)

warrior 2 (30 secs)

warrior 1 (30 secs)

bridge (30 secs)

camel (30 secs)

cow/cat (30 secs)

moutian pose (30 secs)

corpse (30 secs)

Meditate (5 mins)

(P.s second version will come out soon when I make it 😋)

[beardedmrbean]

Hey zoomer Huey, oh my god ac red is going to be HELL when they finally revealed Yasuke is going to be the second playable character

https://x.com/oliverjia1014/status/1768104847071719880?s=46

My thing with Yasuke for the upcoming game that they acknowledge he a OUTSIDER. Hell I did some dna research in Southeast Asia and it stated many communities are East African descent so they can say post main story Yasuke settled down and retired to one of those places

Also I saw people said Japan achieved more than those 54 countries….sigh….

People forget that modern Japan is HEAVILY westernized due to American military there (mainly because we don’t want more batshit crazy soldiers like imperial Japanese ones)

And we took care of most of military might because we all know how fucked Japan would be after China got it shit together right?

So Japan was able to rebuilt faster than most countries

We just didn’t pull a British Raj and let Japan keep most of their culture. Okay okay it more complicated

Not to mention our knowledge of japan is due to american occupation there thus the culture exchange for 80 years.

Like my Yoruba thing, yes I want to show more Africans stories. But I swallow the hard pill that I can set the foundation for more better and accurate African stories. But will die before seeing African warriors be treated the same way as Samurai warriors

Also the inferiority complex, look yes African cultures are still shit on

But just grow the fuck up and stop acting like Twitter discourse is everything

I mean I recently bought the Ramayana after finding a mutual who like a naughty character Twitter see as the devil.

Just saying there are good African AND African Americans stories we can tell.

Actually have fleshing out the chimera republic in mind. I think I started to realize an issues with the knights and samurai shit. Wanna read in an another anon?

Did a reverse search on the image here, nice to see most everyone is on the same page, which is Yasuke was real and the only black samurai that's known

Fellow from Japan suggested checking this site if you're looking for dark skinned people, not sure if he means African or not, Spain and Portugal did lots of trading might have had some African slaves or something like that with them. I dunno.

My thing with Yasuke for the upcoming game that they acknowledge he a OUTSIDER. Hell I did some dna research in Southeast Asia and it stated many communities are East African descent so they can say post main story Yasuke settled down and retired to one of those places

I can believe the East African bit, these are the "bad guys" from 300 from India to Ethiopia and they were big on moving people from one place to another in order to keep them from creating a large enough community to pose a threat.

They've become pretty westernized over there in Japan ya, not all the way the commercial with the company apologizing for raising the price of a ice cream after like 25 years is not a western thing at all, we'd say fuck you and then increase it again.

Arizona Ice Tea is a outlier there.

And we took care of most of military might because we all know how fucked Japan would be after China got it shit together right?

We took care of military for the same reason we did with Germany, don't want to have to deal with that shit again so you can have a very limited military that's geared for self defense, someone attacks we'll come running and cover you.

Like my Yoruba thing, yes I want to show more Africans stories. But I swallow the hard pill that I can set the foundation for more better and accurate African stories. But will die before seeing African warriors be treated the same way as Samurai warriors

See if you can find the Shaka Zulu series they made, man literally changed warfare in that part of Africa.

Big issue with sub Saharan Africa is I don't think there was any groups that could field a 10,000 man army, not many at least, not till after islam showed up and gave a unifying identity to different groups. This is just from what I know I may be wrong though.

Just saying there are good African AND African Americans stories we can tell. Actually have fleshing out the chimera republic in mind. I think I started to realize an issues with the knights and samurai shit. Wanna read in an another anon?

True dat, and ya that could be a fun read feel free.

[writingsbychlo]

Could you please post about yoga & pilates? That would be lovely❣️

IM SO SORRY THIS GOT BURIED IN MY ASKS

below the cut are a couple of gentle full-body routines to start with!

yoga!

for exercises with * next to them, hold the pose/action for about the length of five deep breaths. make sure to focus on your breathing, an mind-muscle connection!

roll your head side-to-side, your ankles, your wrists, your elbows and shoulders. get a little movement in your joints before you begin.

touch your toes and raise your hands above your head in large circles (5 times)

oblique stretches (3 per side, alternate each time)

side-to-side twists (10 in total, that means each side. go slow.)

warrior lunge* (both sides, 3 times)

ragdoll hang* (3 times, stand up straight between sets for a few seconds.)

inchworm (5 times)

downward dog*

cobra* (3 times)

downward dog ankle taps (5 per ankle)

child's pose* (3 times)

cat-cow (10 full reps)

puppy pose* (no repeats, this one is hard, don't stress if you can't do it)

spine twist* (no repeats, but do each side)

pilates!

other than the first two bullets and the last one, repeat everything twice! if it's per leg/arm, then do each twice! weights are optional, make a judgement on each exercise for yourself! make sure you focus on your form, and which muscles you're engaging. for core engagement, don't suck your tummy in, clench like you're going to be punched.

roll your head side-to-side, your ankles, your wrists, your elbows and shoulders. get a little movement in your joints before you begin.

touch your toes, some downward dogs, some lunges, some marching. warm up those muscles a little.

toe taps to overhead reach (10)

around-the-worlds (10)

alternating reverse lunges (10 per leg)

squat pulse (15 of any variation you like)

inchworm (5)

side-plank dips (10 each side, start on yrou knees before doing full-body ones! these are tough.)

bird-dog (20 total, so 10 per leg)

sit-up with overhead reach (10)

bicycle crunch (20 total)

push-ups (10 any variation you can manage)

jumping jacks/star jumps (30)

marching (1 min, make sure to engage your core. for an added challenge, hold a weight over your head as you do.)

now do some cool-down stretches

[justanothersterekficgirl]

Posing Problems by ravingrevolution 

3 works | 482k total

Salutations or Something | Downward Dogs of War | Reversible Warriors 

[globalhoocart]

Discover Your Inner Yogi: 31 Essential Poses for Beginners to Practice at Home

Embarking on the path of yoga is a fantastic decision for numerous reasons.

Beyond the physical benefits of increased strength, flexibility, and balance, yoga serves as a powerful tool for stress reduction through specialized breathing techniques known as pranayama.

Yoga is diverse, offering various poses to cater to different needs.

Now, let's delve into the joy of yoga with a focus on 31 essential poses for beginners to practice at home. These foundational poses not only serve as a physical workout but also contribute to mental well-being.

1. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): A classic yoga pose that can be tricky for beginners, emphasizing weight distribution and heel stretching.

2. Mountain Pose (Tadasana): Equally important as Downward Facing Dog, it focuses on alignment, grounding, and spine lengthening.

3. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I): A standing pose emphasizing forward-facing hips, crucial for building strength.

4. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): Similar to Warrior I but with hips facing the side, promoting openness and strength.

5. Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parvakonasana): Involving a modification for beginners, it offers a gentle stretch with forearm support.

6. Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana): Another essential pose, engaging leg strength and enhancing flexibility in multiple areas.

7. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana): An easy pose for beginners, promoting spine flexibility and relaxation.

8. Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana): Combining a stance similar to Warrior I with a gentle side bend or backbend.

9. Garland Pose (Malasana): A squatting pose that stretches muscles around the pelvis, beneficial for hip flexibility.

10. Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana): Also known as Flat-Back Forward Bend, it contributes to improving overall body awareness.

11. Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana): A standing forward bend made more accessible for beginners with the use of yoga blocks.

12. Raised Hands Pose (Urdhva Hastasana): Starting from Mountain pose, it offers a full-body stretch, ideal for beginning your practice.

13. Low Lunge: A standing pose emphasizing proper alignment for a beneficial stretch, with modification options for support.

14. Tree Pose (Vrksasana): An excellent introduction to balancing postures, encouraging stability and mindfulness.

15. Downward Facing Dog Split: A basic yoga pose for beginners focusing on core strength and balance.

16. Plank Pose: Not just a balancing pose but a fundamental exercise for building core strength and stability.

17. Cat-Cow Stretch (Chakravakasana): A gentle backbend sequence enhancing body awareness, especially beneficial for beginners or those with back pain.

18. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): A gentle backbend for beginners, enhancing spine extension and countering the effects of prolonged sitting.

19. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): A fundamental backbend that strengthens back muscles and promotes flexibility.

20. Knees, Chest, and Chin (Ashtanga Namaskara): An essential part of the sun salutation series, serving as an alternative to Chaturanga Dandasana.

21. Staff Pose (Dandasana): A seated version of Mountain pose, offering alignment guidance for various seated poses.

22. Cobbler's Pose (Baddha Konasana): A comfortable stretch for inner thighs, often using props for support.

23. Easy Pose (Sukhasana): A cross-legged sit made more comfortable with props, promoting flexibility and undoing the effects of prolonged chair sitting.

24. Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana): A seated twist benefiting spinal mobility and aiding digestion.

25. Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana): Easier than traditional forward bends, offering a gentle stretch one leg at a time.

26. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana): A fantastic hamstring stretch targeting the entire back of the body.

27. Seated Wide Angle Straddle (Upavistha Konasana): A wide-legged forward bend providing a unique stretch and focusing on proper form.

28. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana): Balancing effort and ease, this delightful pose offers a gentle stretch for the back, hips, thighs, and ankles.

29. Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana): A passive twist promoting flexibility, relaxation, and a sense of completion to your practice.

30. Child's Pose (Balasana): A resting pose that allows you to take a break whenever needed, promoting a gentle stretch and relaxation.

31. Corpse Pose (Savasana): A serene conclusion to your session, allowing a smooth transition from the yoga mat to the rest of your day.

In conclusion, these 31 basic yoga poses for beginners at home offer a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the joy of yoga. Remember, yoga is for everyone, and the journey is as important as the destination. Enjoy the practice, embrace self-awareness, and savor the harmonious blend of effort and relaxation that yoga brings to your life.

[clonemedickix]

So this was a commission done for me by a fellow artist on Twitter (I added the words at the bottom when I made this my IPhone Lock Screen) She brought my OC Lara to life for me. Absolutely in love with this artwork. Can give her reference if anybody wants it.

OC General Lara Lin (Telperion Laurelin) and ARC Trooper Fives

Rating: Explicit/ Adult Content/ NSFW - over 18 only!

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence,

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon)Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media TypesThe Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. TolkienGame of Thrones (TV)Star Wars - All Media Types

Relationship: CT-7567 | Rex/Original Female Character(s)

Characters: CT-7567 | Rex | CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo | CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives | Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Wrecker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Crosshair (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | CC-2224 | Cody|Obi-Wan Kenobi | Mace Windu | Clone Troopers (Star Wars) | CT-5597 | JesseCT-6116 | Kix | Clone Trooper Hardcase (Star Wars) | Cut Lawquane | Suu Lawquane | Yoda (Star Wars) | Plo KoonCC-3636 | Wolffe | Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious | Padmé Amidala | Ahsoka Tano

EXCERPT:

Fives and Echo were out in front of Rex and Anakin, leading the group with guns drawn. Fives was quick to notice the warrior was female; her armor was shaped to her body. She wore gleaming white enameled plate of some light metal, with pauldrons, and an ornate breastplate over a fine silver chain mail shirt that reached to her knees. Her biceps were covered by golden guards engraved in some runic language inscribed in silver. Her gauntlets were the same, with more runes detailing something they could not decider. Her breastplate was inlaid with fine jewels, the emblem of two graceful trees, one gold, one silver, with the face and head of a dragon above them, and three stars shining above all. She wore a pair of white breeches beneath the chain mail skirt, with brown patches at the inner thigh and just below the knees, and a pair of well worn brown knee high riding boots with small silver spurs. At her waist was a sword belt, holding the short sword and a stunning, ornate dagger. She had a shoulder scabbard for her great sword and over her left shoulder, a quiver of arrows, with a bow slung across her chest. The two clones stared in admiration of the beautiful armor and how the warrior was loaded for battle with weapons. Clearly she was deadly and prepared for just about anything thrown at her. Her face was half covered by a helmet that covered her temples and the sides of her face. Across her brow there were three white stones that shone like diamonds, glittering and sparkling in the light, but with a glow behind them that was ethereal, like star shine. There was a near opaque visor over her eyes, and they could make out the outline of them behind the glass. Her mouth was sensitive, with a slightly pouty lower lip that they could swear was ready for a laughing smile at any time. Neither clone needed to see anything more to know she was beautiful. Her head turned slightly to check the progress of her mount and a long, thick braid of brown hair shot through with gold and silver highlights fell over her shoulder. The highlights sparkled in the sun, much like the glitter of her armor, but it was the stones on her brow that really radiated power and light; Fives and Echo could not look directly at them without feeling blinded by their light.

The warrior was standing in a ready pose with her great sword in her right hand. As the group of clones and General Skywalker approached, she moved her weight back to her rear foot and drew her short sword in a reverse grip, raising her great sword over her head in a stance Anakin wasn’t familiar with. The clones all raised their blasters, and Captain Rex said in a flat tone, “I’d put away your swords if I were you.”

Without a sound, above them, the dragon lowered its massive head and gave a deep menacing growl towards the clones. They had forgotten it while studying the woman, and with Rex’s threat the beast decided to remind them of its looming presence. The men all looked up into teeth, and a glowing red furnace of a throat. The woman smirked a bit and said, without changing her pose “I think perhaps YOU would do better to lower your guns.”

Skywalker looked at Rex and nodded, saying “Go ahead. Lower your blasters.”

The clones holstered their guns and stepped back the smallest fraction, giving her room. The woman stood up, relaxing her posture. She put her short sword back in its sheath, then sheathed the great sword as well. She raised her visor on her helmet and Fives and Rex both gasped internally. Her eyes were gray blue, but shone with a light from within that radiated like star light. The color reminded them of the sea and sky of Kamino, and both were drawn into them like deep pools of sparkling water. Her beauty gave even General Skywalker pause, and he hesitated for a brief second before introducing himself. She beat him to the first word, resting her arms across her chest and asking “You’re their superior, I presume?”

“I’m General Anakin Skywalker of the Jedi Order and the Grand Army of the Republic. This is Captain Rex, my first in command. The man to your immediate left is Lieutenant Fives and to your right, Corporal Echo. We appreciate your help with this battle today, but I’m not sure we’ve ever heard of someone like you before….”

“Well, since we are going with impressive titles, I am Telperion Laurelin, Guardian of the Balance and Guide of Souls. I heard a cry for help in this galaxy, and I have answered the call. It’s what I do.” She gestured to the giant beast standing watchfully behind and above her. “This is Baiulus the Black Dread. He is my dragon, a friend of many ages and my greatest ally in any fight. He is rather protective of me, and not above eating those who threaten my person.” She said this with a small apologetic smile, but looked at the clones significantly in warning. “I’d hate for our first meeting to go south over a misunderstanding of intentions.” She opened her hands to show she meant no harm. “I’m here to help you in this fight. There is no need for the worry about me or B.”

[aduelbetweenkingdomsafreshstart]

ADBK: Jinzo

Epithet: The Mad Machinist

Voice Actor: Crispin Freeman

Tribe: The Machinations

Biography: Before Exodia sealed himself off from the rest of the Duelscape, one of his students was a master mechanic named Jinzo. He was benevolent, gifted, and tried to improve his kingdom's way of life with his creation of robotic monsters. The first was a golem-like defender we now know as the Perfect Machine King, who in time rebelled and created five generals to destroy the once-protected kingdom.

Jinzo tried to protect the forgotten kingdom he lived in, but was slaughtered by Launcher Spider's Shock Rocket attack. His corpse was taken by PMK himself upon discovering his death, and turned the corpse into a cyborg loyal only to him.

Now simply called Jinzo, the cyborg was brainwashed along with his younger brother (also named Jinzo to keep things confusing) into making more robots to destroy the Machinations' enemies. However, not every plan ended successfully; Metal Dragon, Rocket Warrior, and others were reformed and reprogrammed by other Tribes, such as the Kindred and Dragon Republic.

Not only that, but the Jinzo Brothers have some connections with the Spellbinder named Ancient Sorcerer. He and Trap Master hope to reverse the mind control on the two, and perhaps gain information on PMK's overall structure. But until then, Jinzo is still a force to be reckoned with, and his psychic attacks pose a great threat to all trap attack users in the Duelscape.