#The metal triangles or loops...

[femmefaggot]

If you look up "IASTM tool" those are close enough, however the ones we have had used on Us are not metal. There is a silicone one and a... plastic one perhaps. They also use the tools meant for carving clay sometimes.

The first picture is a relative approximation. I could find a proper picture of the latter, actually.

[bvtbxtch]

You Don't Scare Me | Eddie Munson

Day Fourteen of Kinktober

Summary: Eddie is used to scaring most of the people who walk through the Haunted House in the old Starcourt Mall. He's determined to make you squirm after you walk through and show no signs of being scared by him.

Pairings: Scare Actor!Eddie x Grumpy!Fem!Reader

wc: ~2.8k

Warnings: This is porn with some fluff so as always 18+!!! MDNI!! Sexual themes, fooling around with a stranger, fingering, oral (f receiving), public sex acts, choking and domination (if you squint)

Thank you all for sticking with me, it is literally almost the end of November, so I am thankful that y'all are still around to read! And to my lovely friend @darknesseddiem for inspiring me!

You hated Halloween more than anything. You couldn’t understand your peers' desperation to get black out drunk in someone’s basement, dressed up in the smallest garments of clothing they could find (and excuse it as some sort of costume). But, you were new to town, so when the girl you met through the Hawkin’s high journalism club, Nancy, you remembered her name to be, invited you to the haunted house that went up on the edge of town, you hesitantly agreed to join her and her group of friends. This might be your way to meet some new people. If opportunity knocks, you suppose you better answer. 

-

A nervous shiver trickled down your spine as you and Nancy leaned against the Wheeler station wagon, engaging in small talk about your move from Nevada, and about the new friends you were about to meet. You were told of a girl your age with short strawberry blonde hair, and a personality almost as eclectic as her fashion sense. And of a boy that people called the hair, a charmer in all ways women, but that he had been warned not to pursue you. You flashed Nancy a devilish smile.

“What if I want him to pursue me, Nance?”

“He’s a serial dater, Y/N. And I can say from experience, a much better friend than a conquest.” If Nancy’s response wasn’t enough to deter you, her history with Steve Harrington was. You presumed fucking around with your only friend’s ex isn’t a great way to stay friends. 

You formed your group with warm smiles and welcomes; you absorbed the three of your new friends’ banter. You felt out of the loop, but not unwelcome. The addition to Robin and Steve made you feel hopeful for the future of your friendships.

The four of you made your way through the painted asphalt of the abandoned Starcourt mall that hosted the Halloween festivities. The once shiny new sliding doors were pried open and painted black to welcome the bravest teens into the makeshift haunted house in the west wing of the mall. Robin and Nancy had already jumped at the few scare actors positioned around the entrance, Steve flinching every so often. You stood stone cold, unphased by the kids that were paid far too little money and wore far too much fake blood for their own good.

You bravely volunteered to go through the foggy entrance first; Steve followed behind you with Robin and Nancy hiding into each other’s shoulders. The fog opened up to a desolate looking carnival with old rusted rides festooned around the large room. You sauntered around the space, taking awestruck gazes at the crumpled metal and grim lights looming over you. You found the narrow corridor that led you to the next room. 

Suddenly, a tall figure popped out in front of you, eliciting shrill shrieks from your party behind you. You felt your heart jump into your chest, but not out of fear.

The figure that stood in front of you donned a ripped striped shirt and tight black jeans. You had a perfect view of his long arms and the tattoos that danced across them. You looked up to the figure’s face and were met with beautiful brown eyes glinting with an unreadable shine. His pale skin had been made even paler with white face paint, and his eyes were bracketed around black smudged triangles. You could tell how plump the boy’s lips were even when camouflaged under a black painted frown. His visage was framed with dark curls. He looked more majestic than frightening. But as much as your heart thumped, you weren’t scared, so you pretended not to be impressed with the person blocking your path. He put his muscular arm up on the wall, further blocking you in. As your friends panicked behind you, you simply flashed your bright eyes up at him and you slipped under his outstretched arm. You continued on without giving so much as a slight glance back, encouraging Steve to do the same to pass the stranger. The man dropped his hand from the wall and pressed himself back into the hallway, his eyes never leaving your figure. 

You were going to be the death of him, he could tell already.

“Holy fuck, Y/N! That was kind of badass!” Robin exclaimed, her and Nancy trotting back to rejoin you and Steve. “That fucking freaked me out.”

“What is so scary about a guy in clown makeup?” You shrugged. Little did you know the very person that you were talking about, the guy that had made your heart jump to your throat, was following closely behind you, separated only by the prop walls he had helped build days earlier. 

-

“Eddie, you can’t abandon your spot!” His skeevy boss yelled to him when he caught him trawling through the small walkways. “You gotta be the first scare, man! There’s nothing else in that corridor!” Eddie didn’t look back at the pudgy man with the combover shaking his fist. 

“Fuck off, Brad. I gotta do something” Eddie murmured. He needed to find you. He was willing to give up this shitty side gig and go back to solely dealing again. 

Eddie was overwhelmed with confusion. He was enchanted by you, but your lack of reaction in a haunted house of all things… But the way you looked at him. There was something different in your eyes. You were bored. But you looked at him with an invitation to cause trouble. You terrified the hell out of Eddie Munson, but he couldn’t get enough. 

-

You wandered aimlessly through the shabby makeshift walls. Eddie watched as you stood stoic scare after scare that normally made anyone jump. His eyes trained on your figure. Eddie needed to see more of you. The boy tapped a small boy dressed up like a gremlin waiting to pop out of the corridor you were walking through. 

“What are you doing, Eddie?” the boy hissed. 

“Just move, man. I need your spot” Eddie used his hidden strength to move the boy. His eyes stayed peeled, waiting to see your curly hair to come into his vision. 

-

You strolled through the crowded corridor, giggling quietly at Steve and Robin’s third argument of the night.

“I’m telling you, Buckley. You couldn’t be a scare actor because you would literally scare yourself.”

“Umm, says the guy who literally jumped into my arms when that demon animatronic went off back there. And like, aren’t you scared of clowns? You were made for beauty pageants, Steve.”

“Let me tell you someth-”

Steve’s words were stolen from his mouth as Eddie dashed out of his hiding spot. His sleek form lunged towards you, pushing you back towards the back wall. His hands caged your head, leaving you nowhere to look but his hypnotizing eyes. They looked aflame with passion and frustration. For the first time of the night, your breath hitched. Your chest heaved softly, waiting, wondering, hoping for what the boy was going to do (to you) next.

A small smile flashed across the curly haired boy’s painted face. He slammed his hands against the wall beside you, eliciting a short gasp from your plump lips. You didn’t ignore the glance that Eddie took at your lips before he pushed himself away from you, and onto the wall across from you. He bowed and gestured your friends foreward, leaving you to the back. You could barely peel your eyes away from the figure in front of you, but you pulled yourself from the wall and his punishing stare. You shook him out of your thoughts as you strode towards your friends, now far down the hallway. You felt a hand on your wrist and you were pulled away and into the darkness. 

Suddenly, you were met face to face with the mystery that had been following you, crammed into a small corridor. His body loomed over yours, too close, but somehow not close enough. His breath fanned over you and you couldn’t help but feel faint. He was even more beautiful now that you had all the time in the world to examine him. He licked his lips and you couldn’t help but mirror him with a gulp.

“Why aren’t you scared of me, doll?” his low voice rasped. You couldn’t speak, your throat closing. You tried your best to open your mouth, but Eddie’s thumb running across your lower lip shut it. You mustered up all of your energy.

“I’m not one to scare easily,” you sighed. You felt small underneath him, like he could devour you whole.

“You seem scared now, sweetheart. Do I scare you?” Eddie stepped closer to you, his hand finding his way to your hip. His eyes were dark, but there was a tenderness there. He silently told you that you could leave at any point and he would still thank you. “Or, do you feel exactly what I’m feeling?” Eddie didn’t need to wait for a response, your eyes were glowing with want-need. 

Eddie pressed his painted lips to yours, pressing his chest against yours. His hand ran up your side, and to your neck. His skin burned against yours and you wished you could wear his hand like a locket for the rest of time. You kissed him back feverishly, hoping that with every move of your lips, Eddie fell more enchanted with you, like you had with him. Lucky for you, Eddie had jumped off the deep end and was ready to drown in everything that is you.

Eddie pulled away and let out a small giggle. A sound that made your heart stop. 

“You have paint all over your face now.”

“I don’t give a fuck” you breathed as you pulled Eddie’s face to yours. The kisses grew from explorative to heated. Your hands snaked up to wrap around the nape of the beautiful boy’s neck. His tongue traced your bottom lip in a desperate plea to explore your mouth further. You opened your mouth in permission and his tongue met yours with a moan. Eddie slotted his jean clad thigh between your legs and pushed into you further. You felt the heat radiating off of your core between both of your jean clad bodies. You huffed into Eddie’s mouth, begging for more. 

“You want more, darling? You don’t even know me.” Eddie teased. “Plus… I’m at work! What would my boss think?” you wouldn’t let the boy’s words get to you. You couldn’t think about your situation too much. 

“Well, seeing as you’re the one that pulled me in here, it sounds like this whole ‘stranger’ and ‘at your job’ are your problems not mine… plus, I could go, if you want me to?” You attempted to push Eddie off you, but his grip on your neck and hip became desperate. You smirked at his reaction.

Eddie let go of you in favor of fiddling with your jeans. He let out a low chuckle that rumbled through your whole body. 

“So, you’re a brat, hey? I should have fucking known. Too bad for you, I’m too curious to see what you sound like when you fall apart under me.” You moaned at his words and you pulled him back into a searing kiss. His hands found their way through your jeans and panties. You let out another breathy moan into Eddie’s mouth. Eddie’s hands and mouth paused and he detached his lips from yours.

“But, you gotta be quiet doll. Can’t have anyone find us, and someone’s gonna be back here in like 5 minutes to kick my ass so…”

His slender fingers slipped through your folds, you can’t help but shudder. Eddie bit his lip to suppress his baritone moans. “So wet already… and just for me?” he praised, making your pussy flutter.  He pushed one finger into your waiting entrance, leaving you no time to adjust. Your knees buckled in sheer pleasure. You bit your lip hard, trying to suppress any moans threatening to spill out. Your hands moved up from Eddie’s neck to his luscious locks and you pulled on them to bring his mouth back to yours. He braced against you with a small ‘tsk’.

“I wanna watch you, doll. I wanna see how good you look when I finger fuck you.” His hand flew to your mouth to prevent the groan that was paired with your eyes rolling back. 

Eddie was talented. His pace was unrelenting and he knew the right angle to bully your quivering cunt at. He spread you open further by adding another finger. You shook, feeling so satisfied, so full. You could barely keep your cool that you had been desperately clinging to. The waves of heat flooding your system.

“P-please-”

“Eddie”

“Eddie.please.” You cried.

“Hmmm, I love it when you say my name.” The boy cooed. His words hurled you closer and closer to your climax. Your legs began to shake around Eddie’s hand. A frustrated gasp wracked your body as Eddie removed his fingers from your desperate pussy. 

“Eddie-” You were hushed by the tall boy’s frame dipping down so his head was at your waist. You looked into his beautiful brown eyes quizzically, and he returned your look with a mischievous smile. He pulled your jeans and soaked panties to your knees and pulled his face into you. 

“I need to taste you, please?” You were on the edge, overstimulated and desperate to cum. You shook your head violently and without a second to lose, Eddie’s mouth was on your sensitive core. You yelped at the sensation of his perfect lips sucking against your clit. A large hand snaked from your wait to your mouth. The lack of air sent lightning bolts through your body. Eddie hummed into you and you collapsed over him. 

“Taste so good-”

“Y/N” You answered for him. He hummed into you again, sending shock waves through your legs. Your breath hitched and Eddie could feel you tense around where his fingers once were. He stared up at you as he gave one last suck onto your sensitive bud. 

You saw white, your head felt like it was full of cotton. The waves of pleasure were too much for you to comprehend. Your pussy clenched around nothing and you cried into Eddie’s hand. You could feel the vibrations of him moaning as he licked up your essence. He expertly worked you through your climax, to the point where you were deliciously overstimulated. He waited for you to pull him off of you, licking you clean in the process.

You couldn’t help but giggle when his presence loomed over you again, a large spot around his mouth and chin bare of face paint. He wiped his mouth and you could finally see the plump pink lips grinning back at you. 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N”  You couldn’t help the blush that grew across your cheeks. 

“Nice to meet you, Eddie.” 

Eddie picked up the bottom hem of his shirt and wiped your mouth clean of the black smudges of paint. He grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it. 

“Can I maybe get your number, so I can eat- I mean take you out on a proper date?”

You smiled up at the gorgeous boy. He had rooted through his back pocket and held a sharpie in his hand triumphantly. You took it from him, and wrote your phone number on your arm in your neat writing. You blew on his arm, sending goosebumps straight through his heart. 

“You better call me after that, Eddie. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if you didn’t” 

“Well, lucky for you, I have no intention of leaving you alone.”

With a smile, Eddie grabbed your hand and led you through the back corridors and gave you a sweet peck. He pushed you through a small entrance so you were back by Robin’s side. 

-

With a scream,  you reunited with Robin.

“Holy fuck! Where the hell did you go?!”

“I got lost. I took some wrong turns and ended up in the back corridors somehow.” You were thankful that the room was dark so you were able to hide your red hot cheeks. Maybe Halloween wasn’t so bad… and you might just have a change of heart about Hawkins after all.

-

Eddie sauntered back through the narrow maze of staff hallways, a shit eating grin plastered on his smudged face. It faltered slightly as he entered the male dressing rooms. Brad stood to greet the teen. His sweaty brow furrowed and his fatty chin wobbled in anger.

“Munson you’re-”

“Fired.. Yeah, I got it.” the metalhead chuckled. 

Eddie grabbed his bag with a smile and a bow to the chubby man, who was now furiously flattening his greasy comb over. He wiped his face with an old bandana tucked into his back pocket. He slammed out the shabby doors that lead to the abandoned mall, blowing carefully on his newest tattoo that you had given him. If it were up to him, he would drive himself to his friend’s tattoo parlor and get it inked permanently on his arm, like you had been tattooed on his heart.

taglist: @eddies-acousticguitar @mmunson86 @sadbitchfangirl @hideoutside @anxiousobserver @ali-r3n @brinleighsstuff @@filth-fiction-archive @vintagehellfire @kirstinjayjay @poofyloofy @sluggzillaa @aol19 @dark-angel-is-back @keikoraven @emxxblog @adrenalineeerevolver @crybabyddl @lovemegood @cherry-pop3547 @cherry-pop3547 @cozmiccass If you would like to be on my taglist, please consider following and fill out this form!

[cleaverqueer]

DIY How-To; Aluminum Can Spikes

Preface; This will work with any kind of can as long as its metal. (soda, monster, ect) You can make them in colors depending on which side you trace your stencil on but im gonna teach you how to make them silver

And i cannot stress this enough,

BE CAREFUL WITH THE RAW CUT EDGES OF THE CANS, THEY ARE SHARP ENOUGH TO CUT BADLY

Material needed;

Empty clean aluminum can(s)

Sharp scissors (maybe a stitch ripper for attaching them but scissors work too)

A sharpie or permanent marker

Superglue if you want them perfect

An abundance of patience and caution

1 Gather your aluminum

First step is to turn those cans into flat sheets of metal. Start by making a small cut near the rounded edge of the top or bottom, about this distance

Then cut around the top to connect back where you started and take the ends off.

Next you cut a line straight down the side to interrupt the loop of aluminum.

What I do next is kinda just flatten it the best I can? Press it against a flat surface, make tiny bends against the curve, just to make it easier to work with, always being careful of the sharp edges

2 Make a stencil

So the general shape youre gonna wanna make it is like this

The big point will be the tip of your spike, and the little nubby ones will hold it on

imo it helps to have an extra can to experiment with what works best for what youre going for, but once you figure it out, have one flat cut out piece to trace for the rest, to make sure they all come out the same!

3 Trace a bunch and cut them out!

Sounds easier than it is. if you work with it, you can get more spikes sometimes by drawing them close together, but then theyre harder to cut out. Again, be careful of edges. If you want silver, trace on the printed on sign so you dont get sharpie on your spike (or dont, mistakes are punk)

4 Roll them up

This takes a little practice, but what you wanna do is roll up the wider end of the triangle, one edge over the other, into a pyramid, forming a spike with the point of the big triangle at the end. (this ones harder to draw)

Sometimes theyll stay curled tight on their own, sometimes they need a little help (superglue) i havent figured out how to make em curl perfect every time yet. You can also fill them with hot glue to make them sturdier ( BEING CAREFUL OF THE SPIKES WHEN THEY HEAT UP FROM THE GLUE) But the good news is your spikes are done!

4 Affixing them to your shit

Once you figure out where you want them, hold the bottom triangles on the first spike up to the spot it goes like you mean to put it in, mark where they touch the fabric, and then take your scissors or stitch ripper and cut four little tears that DO NOT connect at those points.

It should look like this, with the center dot representing where the spike point is centered!

You should also give each spike enough room that the tears dont run into each other. I usually do them one at a time but i dont think it matters.

After the tears are cut, you carefully insert the bottom triangles into the rips

flip it over, and fold the triangles in over themselves like a staple

Repeat until youve added on all your spikes and your piece looks sick as fuck

5 Bonus; patching over the studs

So when you do this, like a staple, theres the little pointy bits sticking in, and if its a wearble item, it'll prick your skin. If youre autistic like me thats a big drawback, but you can remedy this by sewing a patch of a thicker material (i use denim) over the place where these spikes are holding on.

[amphiptere-art]

Here we have Ralph! Ralph the repair dragon!

From mechanical medic.

There's a lot on this page to go through. Given that Ralph is an intriguing character. There's a whole lore dump right here. But you don't have to read that all the way.

I shall explain everything on the page. I am probably going to over explain

First of all you have wonderful Ralph. I have loved this character to death, but his colors were an idea. I am super happy with how he came out. Big metal dragon with a couple of medical symbols on them. They were not created by fazco. Or well their body and model weren't. That came from another company it was making animatronics for non-entertainment. Ralph's body was originally a large hazard medical unit. Acting as an ambulance that could walk through rubble. Fasco though bought out the body and modified it for animatronic needs. Making a mechanical medic.

There of course was a half done spray job. Painting around the medical symbols to try and make Ralph look more dragonish. Adding horns and such. This also include a fabric membrane and metal rod that formed with some wings. Hazardly putting them on the large industrial arms. Once used for moving rubble. The inside medical stretcher / caring unit was somewhat hollowed out and replaced with a smaller DREAD unit. Now optimized for repairs. They're also was to cable attachment points placed on Ralph. At first they were placed in as a way to make their dragon fly. Of which a unique separate cable system was made. Having a gearbox attached to two loops that allowed for Ralph to tilt in midair.

Ralph also has small mechanical spider-like things called their hands. Pizza Plex attendees call them baby dragons though. Many of them were given googly eyes to draw attention away from the fact that they were not autonomous. There are a lot of these guys. For the most part they are stored within Ralph's repair area. They're able to give an electric shock that can down any animatronic. Able to use there Numbers to drag animatronics out of spaces that Ralph cannot go into.

The original company of course did not have AI in their robots. This was changed. Fazco adding their own AI into the system. Although they were too lazy to actually get mechanical coding for the robot. Instead scanning in some mechanics notebooks from the pizza plex itself. Which now makes up Ralph's mechanical knowledge. This is where the little souls come in.

Ralph's AI was generated to feel like a standard worker. Basically he's tired all the time. He only was supposed to have one AI. But the mechanics notebooks that were scanned in were of dead mechanics. All of them dying within the pizza plex. These formed the red, blue, and hazel spirits. The souls are fractured. Given that they are only the lingering of what was written in the mechanics notebooks. When Ralph first noticed the spirits inhabiting his body he classified them as an error and an extra AI that formed due to the notebooks. This of course was not the case but being very mechanic sounding That is what Ralph believed.

You can often tell it is Ralph in control due to how monotone and bored they sound. Ralphs known for being unnaturally cold and logistical. Not making for a fun conversation. Ralph does know how to dance though. And has enough compassion to drag the daycare attendance out of the daycare when their hours close.

The red soul is known for his outgoing, angry nature. Usually known for being rough and truthful. Later on when Ralph and the spirits start to meld, Ralph's eyes will change to a red triangle when angry or purposely possessed by the spirit.

The blue soul is known for being soft and caring. Often sad or fearful of how events will go. Later on when Ralph and the spirits start to meld, Ralph's eyes will change to a blue circle when calm or sad or purposely possessed by the spirit.

The Hazel spirit is known for being loud and joking. Often very humorous and happy. Later on when Ralph and the spirits start to meld, Ralph's eyes will change to a blue square when happy or humorous or purposely possessed by the spirit.

[robotic-remission-pkmn]

for both

∆ what do you miss. even if you don't know why or what it is exactly what do you have a feeling of missing.

or is there anything you feel like you should miss but you don't

I...

I miss Mobius.

I only have vague memories of it before I was sent out to look for Metal, other than anything I was given or got to keep for training purposes. I hope I'll have a chance to properly enjoy what it's like rather then being stuck with only bits from fights I didn't have a choice in.

[This rating has been added automatically! 7/10]

... TRIANGLE AGAIN.

... I ALSO MISS MOBIUS.

I MISS THE LOOPS. I MISS THE FRESH AIR THROUGH MY VENTS. I MISS THE LACK OF POLLUTION.

...

[This rating has been added automatically! 8/10]

[yozakurabae]

i forgot to post this in here >.<

point is…

i drew my boruto faves, deciding to give them a more high-end look to them since for some reason their time skip designs seems to look more like modern outfits compared to the outfits in naruto

HAUNT COUTURE CODE AND SARADA !!!!

- a stylish take to code’s vampiric fashion and a ghastly look for sarada’s haunting beauty

do not repost !!

it was really fun drawing and designing them !!

under the cut i included the details for each of their outfits in case anyone is curious :3

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷

Code

- dress shirt - a sheer (see through) dress shirt with one sleeve since he’s always covered up, thought we could have something different for a change

- sleeveless crop top - covering his chest so not everything is shown due to the sheer shirt but cropped so it’s still seen

- tie - tied into a large bow for a more dressy look

- belt - around his torso to replicate a corset [was gonna give him a corset but thought it’d be too similar to Sarada] and ties at the back

- metal chains - herringbone chains hanging off his belt loops. his original triangle earrings are used as charms to decorate

- pants - a unique take to men’s pants by incorporating lace in a pattern of spiderwebs to keep the gothic elements

- shoes - anti gravity (heel-less) dress shoes inspired by his claw marks

- earrings - mismatched earrings. his left earring has a skull hanging to represent his goal in carrying out Isshiki’s will resulting in the worst possible future, his right earring was inspired by the claw-like shape his hands take during battle

- glove - gave him a short glove on his left hand to add an extra accessory

- metal armor with cape - the armor’s chain has a diamond shape to represent his karma. a lot of code’s canon look appears to be heavily inspired by Dracula so i took it for a more modern take. the armor has a shape inspired by a bat’s wings. it wraps around his back and covers the left side of his chest to protect the heart (vampire’s are killed with a stake through the heart). a cape was added since Dracula is depicted with one and for a more regal appearance as Isshiki’s heir, giving the impression of being the “Kara Prince”

Sarada

- dress - long sheer dress to replicate a ghastly appearance

- bodysuit - worn under her dress to preserve her modesty

- corset - added to accessorize and accentuate her slim waist

- cape - a sheer cape with laced trimming. the lace pattern replicates the Sharingan. as the Uchiha Princess, it was added to give her a more princess-y look and feel

- choker with chain necklace - a choker to keep an element of her original time skip design and the herringbone chains that go down her are done in a way to replicate a skeleton’s torso

- garter - a thorn garter to hold her kunai knife. in the shape of thorns to keep the spooky factor

- shoes - heeled boots with skull platforms. a skeletal forearm and hand act as the heel. the Uchiha Clan are dead, so this is done to show that. has chains for decor and hanging off each are her original earrings from her time skip design

- earrings - heart shaped spiderwebbed earrings since Uchihas are the clan who treasure love the most

- handbag - in the shape of a tombstone with the Uchiha crest on it to pay homage to the Uchiha Clan Massacre

- headpiece - is around her head and veil hangs over her face in place of her glasses. Sarada is often seen accessorized with a camellia flower, so it was included to add a touch of cuteness to her gothic look

[xfictionx0]

The Meaning of the Symbols: An Exploration of Occult and Cultural Icons

I was studying today, but couldn’t really focus. I keep thinking about the symbols i saw and what their meanings are.

So I have researched it, and this is what i have found. 

Inverted Pentagram:

More than just a star, the inverted pentagram, characterized by two points projecting upwards, is often interpreted as a symbol of evil and darkness. This configuration is believed to overturn the proper order of things, symbolizing the triumph of the material over the spiritual.

It also represents the goat of lust, its horns attacking the heavens, mirrored by the two upward points. Encircled, the pentagram becomes a pentacle, which holds central importance in the evocation of spirits within various esoteric traditions. Typically, a ritual involving a pentacle includes a series of conjurations, each increasing in potency.

Celtic Knots:

The Pentagram was made out of Celtic knots, They represent Infinity, eternity and interconnectedness.

Celtic knots are distinguished by their endless, interwoven lines that have no clear start or finish. This continuous loop design symbolizes eternity, eternal life, the nature of the soul or love's enduring bond. The designs vary from simple loops to complex interlacings.

Ouroboros:

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. Originating from ancient Egyptian iconography and later adopted into Greek alchemical symbolism, it represents a range of themes such as cyclicality, self-reflection, renewal, and the eternal nature of the universe.

Ouroboros comes from the Greek words "oura" (tail) and "boros" (eating), meaning "he who eats the tail."

The ouroboros, with its rich and diverse historical lineage and deep symbolic significance, continues to be a powerful and enduring symbol representing the perpetual cycles of life and the universe's inherent complexity and unity.

The Ankh:

In the middle of the pentagram was an Ankh. The ankh is one of the most recognizable symbols from ancient Egypt, often referred to as the "key of life" or "cross of life." This symbol resembles a cross with a loop at the top.

The enduring appeal of the ankh lies in its simple yet powerful design, encapsulating essential aspects of Egyptian thought, including the union of opposites, the importance of life and the afterlife, and the interaction between the divine and the mortal.

Alchemical Solar Symbol:

The alchemical solar symbol is a classic emblem in alchemical traditions, representing the sun and typically depicted as a circle with a dot in the center.

The symbol is one of the most recognizable across various cultural, spiritual, and alchemical contexts. In alchemy, it holds deep symbolic meanings related to the metal gold, philosophical and spiritual enlightenment, and the concept of perfection.

Sri Yantra:

The Sri Yantra, also known as Sri Chakra, is a complex and ancient symbol used in Hinduism, representing both the cosmic and the spiritual universe. 

The design of the Sri Yantra is highly intricate and consists of nine interlocking triangles that surround and radiate out from a central point(bindu). These triangles are formed by the intersection of five downward-pointing triangles, representing Shakti; the female principle, and four upward-pointing triangles, representing Shiva; the male principle. This mix produces a total of 43 smaller triangles in a web symbolic of the entire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation.

Cross of Saint Peter:

The inverted cross is associated with Saint Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, who, according to early Christian tradition and writings, was martyred by being crucified upside-down. The inverted cross is often associated with satanism and anti-Christian sentiment in popular culture.

Frequently linked to satanism and anti-Christian sentiment, the inverted cross has been appropriated by those seeking to subvert or defy traditional religious norms. Despite attempts to repurpose it as a symbol of rebellion, its origins remain rooted in Christian tradition and symbolism, serving as a haunting reminder of the darker aspects of faith and martyrdom.

Sigil of Lucifer

The Sigil of Lucifer, also known as the Seal of Satan, is a symbol used predominantly in the occult to represent Lucifer. For Luciferians and satanists, the sigil holds more spiritually significant connotations. It is seen as a symbol of the quest for true knowledge, enlightenment, personal power, and the embrace of self-determination.

The Sigil of Lucifer is a complex symbol with historical roots in grimoires and magical texts, enriched by its use in various modern spiritual contexts. It stands as a representation of knowledge, enlightenment, and the metaphysical journey.

I’itoi

The I'itoi symbol, often associated with the Tohono O'odham deity I'itoi, is known as the "Man in the Maze." This emblem is a significant cultural symbol for the Tohono O'odham people and other indigenous groups in the American Southwest. The symbol depicts a labyrinth with a man positioned at the entrance, poised to navigate through its complex paths.

The I'itoi symbol, with its deep cultural roots and profound symbolism, continues to be a powerful representation of the human experience, resonating with diverse groups and individuals seeking meaning in the labyrinth of life.

Conclusion:

The eclectic amalgamation of symbols used in the described ritual—spanning from Christian, Egyptian, Hindu, alchemical, to indigenous origins—suggests a complex layering of meanings and intentions. The inversion of the pentagram, traditionally a symbol of spiritual dominance over material elements, points instead towards the alchemical sun, hinting at an esoteric focus on material perfection and enlightenment.

This syncretism could be intended to harness the collective powers and associations of these symbols, thereby amplifying the ritual's effectiveness or tailoring it to specific metaphysical outcomes. The presence of both unifying symbols like the Ouroboros and the inverted pentagram invites a reflection on the nature of the forces being invoked. Potentially balancing creation with destruction, order with chaos.

Speculating on the creators and their motivations, one might see this as an attempt by a modern-day esoteric group to bridge various mystical traditions, possibly seeking a universal language of mystical and spiritual symbolism. Alternatively, it could represent a more personal or localized spiritual practice, reflecting the individual creator’s journey through different spiritual landscapes.

Such a ritual underscores the enduring human fascination with the mystical and the arcane, prompting further inquiry into how and why disparate cultural elements are woven together in contemporary spiritual practices. It also invites us to reflect on the broader implications of such syncretism in the context of global cultural interactions and the evolving nature of belief systems in the modern world.

By delving into these symbols and their juxtapositions, we not only uncover layers of meaning in the ritual itself but also engage with the broader dialogue about the role of ancient symbols in modern spirituality. Further exploration into other symbols and rituals might reveal additional insights into the ways spiritual practices continue to evolve and adapt in a continuously interconnecting world.

[melonthesprigatito]

Melon Ranks Sprigatito Plushies (But Only The Ones I Own Sorry)

BOOTLEG SPRIGATITO

Face Leaf Pattern Thing: Embroidered Edges

Eyes: Fully Embroidered

Neck Leafs: Two Strips of Fabric

Cheek Fluff: Strips of Fabric

:D or :3 Face: :D

Ears: Flat and floppy

Huggability Rating: 2/10 (This thing is stuffed like a rock, man.)

Overall rating: 3/10

Overview: Probably the worst plush you could get. The colour is too... radioactive, the tail is sewn on upside down in a way???? (that little tuft is supposed to be pointing upwards), the legs are weird., it's head is very flat. This plush is very obviously based on the official art and was made long before we ever saw Sprigatito in 3D (I got mine in May 2022) so it's flat out missing things that aren't visible in the official art like the paw pads and the leaf on the back of Sprigatito's neck. But this one is the OG Melon and my profile pic and I took it on vacation with me so I can't fault it too hard. :)

JAZZWARES/ WICKED COOL TOYS SPRIGATITO

Face Leaf Pattern Thing: Embroidered Edges

Eyes: Fully Embroidered

Neck Leafs: Strip of fabric on top of stuffed thing

Cheek Fluff: Strips of Fabric

:D or :3 Face: :3

Ears: Flat but stuffed with plastic card

Huggability Rating: 3/10 (Stuffed like a brick and the ears are firm and pokey. I'm sad :c )

Overall rating: 5/10

Overview: The dime a dozen Sprigatito plush found in pretty much every single toy store and supermarket that sells toys. No need to order online which is a plus. Got a nice subtle snoot to boop. Because the front neck leaf is stuffed, it sticks out. They don't let you see the back of it in the toy store website reference images, which I thought was weird until I bought it. The back is where it all falls apart. The back neck leaf isn't a single piece, it's too halves sewn together for some reason???? Which causes the seam allowance to make it crinkle up. The tail is the worst I've ever seen on a Sprigatito, at least the bootleg made AN ATTEMPT to look like the official art. The tail is a very narrow carrot shape with a tiny, barely noticeable single fabric triangle for the tuft. Yikes. Though it is made by a third party plush company so I guess the quality not being perfect is to be expected. Jazzwares does other Pokémon that look a whole lot better.

OFFICAL POKÉMON CENTER KEYRING SPRIGATITO

Face Leaf Pattern Thing: Printed on

Eyes: Fully Embroidered

Neck Leafs: Strip of fabric on top of very loosely stuffed thing

Cheek Fluff: Strips of Fabric

:D or :3 Face: :3

Ears: Firmly stuffed with embroidered inside detail

Huggability Rating: No/10 (Good luck hugging something that can fits snugly into the palm of your hand. Maybe hold it like an ice cream)

Overall rating: 7/10

Overview: So smol. 🥺 Perfect for slipping it into your pocket and carrying it everywhere. You're better off not using it as an actual keyring though. Just keep it as a cheaper, minature version of the standard Pokémon Center Sprigatito. The plastic loop is awful, it opens too easily so your Sprig could get lost in the wilderness without you knowing if it actually was put on your backpack. I just cut the keyring off and by that I mean I spent 20 minutes persistently sawing through plastic with fabric scissors so I could attach a normal metal key ring to the loop. Also the back neck leaf is LITERALLY handing on by a thread. It's held on by a single stitch. I get its a small plush, but come on, really????

OFFICIAL POKÉMON CENTER POKÉDOLL SPRIGATITO

Face Leaf Pattern Thing: Printed on

Eyes: Fully Embroidered

Neck Leafs: Strip of fabric on top of very loosely stuffed thing

Cheek Fluff: Not felt! Sewn piece

:D or :3 Face: :3

Ears: Firmly stuffed

Huggability Rating: 7/10 (SQUISHYYYYYYYYY)

Overview: Gonna come right out of the gate and say I really hate this trend of the Pokémon Center just printing on details (i.e the face leaf) instead of embroidery or different coloured fabric stitched on. It reminds me of that £2 Judy Hopps plush my mom bought for me years ago that had the clothes printed on instead of fabric pieces. And that plush was a bargain bin thing that was SUPPOSED to be lower quality. Not a fan of spending £10-15 plus £5 shipping on a plushie with printed details. I just think it looks cheap and I wish they put a little more effort into some of their plushies. It looks like it could be washed away if you put it in a washing machine.

Other than that, BABYYYY!!!!!!!! KITTY!!!!!!!! A BEAN!!!!!!!!!!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟIT'S SO FUCKING CUTE LOOK AT THAT FACE OH MY FUCKING GOD. Doesn't have paw pads though. :c BUT IT'S A TOO PURE FOR THIS SINFUL EARTH I WANNA GENTLY HOLD IT FOREVER 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

BUILD A BEAR SPRIGATITO

Face Leaf Pattern Thing: Embroidered Edges

Eyes: Fabric with embroidered edges.

Neck Leafs: ALL LIGHTLY STUFFED

Cheek Fluff: STUFFED

:D or :3 Face: :D

Ears: Stuffed but not too blocky. Very close to ingame model

Huggability Rating: 1000/10 (HELP I'VE BEEN STUCK HERE HUGGING THIS PLUSHIE, I HAVEN'T SEEN MY FAMILY IN TEN YEARS)

Overall rating; 9/10

Overview: Some may hate Build a Bear Pokémon for their chubby proportions but I think this is fucking PERFECTION. No more strips of fabric, every single part is stuffed, the nose is some sort of plastic thing with a fuzzy texture, maybe the muzzle it's on is sticking out a little too much but for once the head ISN'T crammed full of too much stuffing! I think it's close to life size too? Probably. I haven't compared it with Sprigatito's official height yet. AND ITS GOT PAJAMAS. AND A CAPE. THAT FITS ONTO MY EEVEE AND GLACEON BUILD A BEARS TOO. Truly it must be Arceus' gift to the world. If you're willing to give your wallet a sucker punch to the stomach,

BUY IT, GOD DAMN IT, BUY IT

If you want to

[punkslovepoints]

June 13th, 1992

Pride was being held at University Park, the biggest change to the festival since it had become a public event in 1990. They'd attended Pride in Monument Circle the year before, but it was to be Eddie's first as he'd been out of town the previous year visiting his uncle.

Steve had a little trepidation about the whole thing. Pride was a beautiful thing, but it was still dangerous. The previous year, protesters had stormed the stage as the Gay Men’s Chorus had been due to go on. Violence had only been avoided by some quick thinking from the chorus to sing the National Anthem. The protestors had stopped to pay their respects to the anthem and the tension was deescalated like something out of a morality tale. 

It had been affirming and terrifying in equal measure and reminded Steve that even in moments of celebration, there was still risk. Something the rest of his roommates never forgot.

On the day, they’d arranged to meet up with friends at the fountain before wandering the park to check out the stalls and speeches.

Nancy had found a cute dress in Sears covered in discrete pink and blue triangles that she wore with a white belt. Eddie had painted two triangles on her cheek.

Robin had on a pair of cuffed cargo shorts. Her white t-shirt had a rainbow trim around the edges and a small rainbow embroidered on the chest. She had a rainbow on her cheek to match Nancy's triangles. Her and Steve had matching rainbow feather boas around their necks.

Eddie had scoffed when they tried to add color to his outfit, a Smashing Pumpkins shirt, his usual leather jacket and ripped black jeans with a few extra chains added. He did accept a small rainbow pin from Steve's collection to pin to his jacket though.

Eddie had painted a rainbow across Steve's chest and Steve had thrown on a tanktop and his tightest pair of jeans. He knew by the time he'd get there, he'd have removed his shirt anyway, so he didn't put much thought into the top half, pulling a rainbow belt through his belt loops and wrapping the boa around his neck.

When they arrived Nancy immediately saw some women from her book group and grabbed Robin’s hand to go over to introduce her to them. Eddie asked Steve if he wanted to join them, but Steve shrugged and suggested they walk the park. It was still an hour or so before they were due to meet the rest of their friends. He’d already removed his shirt, the weather was hot and he wondered how Eddie was doing under all that leather.

As they walked, they were approached by both friends (Steve) and hookups (Eddie), hugs and kisses were shared, full of joy and solidarity. Steve stopped by the PFLAG stall to say hello to the other members. They'd given them both hugs and joked that they made a cute couple. Eddie ginned at them as Steve rolled his eyes.

Eddie hooked his arm in Steve’s as they reached the edge of the park where a number of protestors were gathered behind a metal fence. Steve felt Eddie tense, and turned ready to head back to the fountain. Instead Eddie stood still, watching the braying crowd. The number of people in the group were far outnumbered by the attendees of the festival, but it wasn’t a small amount. They were holding placards and yelling about them going to hell.

“God hates fags, real original.” Eddie spat.

“Come on man, we don’t need this today,” Steve moved his hand down, taking Eddie’s wrist instead of his arm. He tugged again but Eddie still wasn’t moving.

He stood watching the group and reading every placard. His body was still, but Steve could feel his hand shaking. He leaned in, “Look, ignore them. Let’s go back.”

Eddie sighed, his thumb stroked the side of Steve’s hand, “It just makes me feel so helpless. Makes me want to do something.”

Steve watched him. His mouth was set in a tight line, anger, upset and frustration clear on his face, but holding back. Steve looked over at the group again. There were a lot of them, but it wasn’t only protestors. The press were there too, a few video cameras and a photographer.

Something they could do.

"Kiss me," he said.

"What?"

"Kiss me," Steve repeated, signaling towards the cameras.

Eddie put both hands in his face and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were soft and he felt Eddie's tongue swipe his top lip. Steve spun them slightly so that the cameras would catch them both in front of the crowd as he opened his lips slightly. Eddie hummed in surprise but deepened the kiss in response. Steve opened his eyes to catch the flash of the camera. In a moment of inspiration, he dipped Eddie low, keeping their mouths pressed together. He felt Eddie smile against his lips, his thumb gently caressed Steve's cheek as he pulled them both back up and broke the kiss.

The crowd were yelling louder, but they didn't care. They stayed staring at each other for a beat, both a little flushed and panting before Eddie grinned, hitting Steve lightly on the chest two times, he turned to the crowd and flipped them the bird. Steve stepped forward, grabbing Eddie round the waist from behind and joining him by sticking two fingers up at the crowd. They both started laughing.

"Fuck you," Eddie crowed.

"Yeah, fuck you." Steve yelled too, pulling Eddie towards him again and planting a wet kiss on his cheek. The camera flashed again and Steve wasn't sure when he'd ever been happier.

>> Read the full fic on AO3 <<

[therealnotta]

SUDDENLY AND ABRUPTLY REMEMBERING THIS EDGY WIZARD OF OZ SHORT TV SERIES???? it was like five episodes??????? it had famous actors in it, but like, the kinda famous actors where you see them and go "oh!! oh, what were they in? i know them!" and i think zoey deschanel? or the actress that looks like her??? i have a slight problem with faces, like not huge, but enough that i get confused sometimes. you know the people im talking about tho

anyway i remember that the plot was that oz had become something of a tourist attraction, mc was dorothy's many-times-great grandchild, and everything was this like... dystopian future and guys the books COVERED this, glinda was like "whoa. ok. dorothy was fine, and the three or four other people who showed up were ok, and like... i can tolerate uncle henry and aunty em, but if we don't do something then this is going to become a dystopian tourist trap" and made oz the bermuda triangle. so.

but this was an edgy thing, so acceptable, but the tin man was the cop?? like he was this cool cop going up against this evil government?? and he was A Dude, not even tin. they called him tin man because they locked him in some freaking box and forced him to watch his wife and child die on loop???? it was an insult???? i remember pretty much nothing else about this series it was at least ten years ago and i was but a child what was that all about. he wouldn't be a cop. the second evil people showed up no they wouldn't, he has an axe and he's immortal and made of metal. go ahead, shoot him. try. he's literally just going to get back up and he's ONE guy, you think Ozma is going to lose???? HELLO?????? you enter the court of the fay now!! you're gonna WISH you were just up against the axe guy. man. an army invaded oz in the books and she made them want water and then. got them to drink from the fountain that totally and completely wipes your mind. dystopian tourist trap. smh.

[wafflebloggies]

14. between two thieves

back - next It was only murder. Really, it wasn’t even that. Murder was something humans did to each other.

The body seemed to fall for a long time. The natural flow of the world stretched and twisted gently out in a terminal loop as Antonio stood watching, leaning over the triangle of dead air.

When it occurred to him that he could do other things again, he looked down. There was Mark, somewhere by his shins, with one hand still locked to the railing, huddled on the first of the fire escape’s slimy steps. Not exactly sitting, he looked tensed like a trap set to go off, shivery, gazing with fixed attention at a brick just under the windowsill they’d climbed over. His free hand was at his mouth, worrying his nails, or more accurately, his three nails and two Band-Aids with little cartoon ducks on.

It was starting to rain again, harder, ticking on the wet metal and dripping from the steps below. Antonio touched his own face and sniffed, found nothing any worse than had been there to start with. Glad that his own frayed edges were in order, so to speak, he sat himself cautiously down alongside Mark, his right shoulder almost touching Mark’s left. Somehow, it kept coming back to this.

“Hey,” he tried, gently. “How’re we doing, bud? Are we good?”

Mark made a sharp gasping noise, as if he had been away somewhere and had just re-entered the Mark-shaped thing that crouched against the steps, and didn’t find it a very fun tenancy to come back to. He looked through Antonio and away, into the grey void that had swallowed up the new Carl, where the rain dripped and trickled from step to step.

“I don’t know.” His voice sounded like a worn-out tape, thin and about to snap. His fingers shook as they faltered at his lip, dry with the darker marks of his teeth. “I don’t know.”

*

They went to a Waffle House.

Inwardly, Antonio was selfishly relieved that there were still things that he was useful for, things that he could do to help. Mark, having a bit of a time, his head clearly full up with big, difficult Mark-thoughts about everything that had just happened, was not in a state to pay much attention to smaller details- trivial little things, like where he was in physical space and time. In the same way that it had been up to Antonio to point him at a place to sleep, it was more or less up to Antonio to point him down a rainy street or two and through a door into a warm cloud of condensation and the mingled scents of fried food and coffee, and into a booth by the window where if anybody was headed their way, Antonio would see them first.

He liked to be helpful, but he didn’t like to see Mark, the sharp nitpicky brilliant thing that lived behind the rain-freckled glasses, going away like this, even for a short time. Even though he knew now that the blank, dull eyes and limp body that had frightened him so badly back in that dusty little cell the second time had been a trick, just a clever lie, it made him cold to think about, how it could have been- how it had almost been true. He liked it much more when signs of life started to return, and Mark began to look up and be present in this quiet cocoon of a diner, with the big TV playing in the corner and the black-and-white prints of skyscraper workmen balanced on girders, and looked at the food in front of him as if it at least existed in the same universe as he did, even if he made no movement to actually pick up a fork and eat it. He looked a bit crumpled still, drizzle-damp and tumbled, bringing to mind a small heap of laundry someone had forgotten in the bright leather curve of the booth, but at least he looked awake.

“Come on, buddy, lighten up,” said Antonio, brightly. He’d pulled his mask down to eat and talk, aware that he could still laugh off the livid black slash as a Magic Marker accident or some ill-advised film-school makeup, if it came to it. “It’s not all yikes on bikes, right? We killed your new dad, and now we’re having, like, a cute brunch moment! I’d say we’re doing pretty good.”

Mark looked at him for what felt like a long time, then slowly returned to staring at his food.

“You are going to eat those, aren’cha?” Antonio tried. “Or, if you’re not feeling pancakes, we could totally swap, these waffles are the business. You… should really try to eat something.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Mark told his plate, sharply.

“Okay! Jeez. It’s just pancakes, Mark.”

Mark swallowed. Then, finally, in a series of uneasy chunks that came out poorly-assembled, like a flatpacked piece of furniture, he said, “Do we… need to worry? About people finding… it?”

“I don’t think so?” There were maybe half a dozen blueberries in the handful of fruit on the side of Antonio’s plate, and he hunted them out as he thought, spearing them with his fork. Pop, pop, pop. “I don’t think we really hang around, you know… after. I’m not sure, but I think we probably just, um…”

He shrugged, and pressed a blueberry flat under his fork. Pop.

“No bones,” said Mark. He sounded like he was adding to a list in his head, filling in a hypothesis. “Nothing that stays.”

There was a silence. The hypothesis must have broken down partway through, because Mark moved suddenly, knocking his plate with a bony elbow as he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyesockets. When he spoke, it was a strange, half-guarded, half-helpless cadence, as if he didn’t want to talk but had to, or wanted to so badly but could hardly bring himself to speak.

“I can’t- forgive him.” A long silence, a series of hard, harsh breaths. “But I know what it did to me- the shit it made me do- and if it was like that for him I can’t- I can’t blame him either. And… and he was my dad.”

He gave his face a final savage downwards scrub with both palms, and dropped his hands.

“He was my dad.”

His eyes, sore and hot and too bright, looked away through the diner’s window, the misty glass smeared with grey condensation and the faint faded marks of a hundred swiping hands. His thin fingers found the edge of the table and gripped, like someone trying to ride out a wave of pain. He looked as if he was waiting, braced, daring Antonio to say something, to smile and say something happy and calm and cruel that would strike deep into the open wound he’d presented.

Antonio felt terribly lost. His face ached, the long dark line throbbing in a dull angry way that suggested it wasn’t ready to get any smaller yet, no matter how hard he willed it to.

“Can you understand… anything about this?” said Mark, to the window. “Can you even think- are you even thinking? Can you even know anything- about how this feels? Do you even have any-”

He stopped himself, his mouth thinning to a hard, clamped line as he shut up and stared through the bleary glass. But Antonio couldn’t let it go. Not this time, not now.

“Mark, I... know how you must feel about me. But… I just want you to know I… I’m sorry.”

Feeling Mark’s eyes turn sharply towards him, he swallowed hard. His cheek felt cold- tickled- and he put up a hand and found a little wet dark stuff creeping from the corner of his eye. He thumbed it away.

“I am. I...”

And then, in slow, groping words, in a low, uncertain voice that didn’t sound much like him at all, chasing the thread of something he couldn’t quite grasp as hard as he tried but could sense, could almost touch, Antonio started to tell Mark about that first, empty home. That there had been not much left. That there had been a few- a very few- signs of a struggle. The cold rooms, the stale air, the faded traces of lazy gold glimmering in that tiny windowless laundry room where- to human eyes- the floor and walls and ceiling were uniform with strange dark stains. The shreds of paper, the shattered laptop, the discs and drives and data sticks crushed and snapped and scratched over and over by a frantic hand, piled in grey water in the kitchen sink.

The scarf.

Mark, who had been listening with his eyes down, fiddling aimlessly with the cutlery rolled into the napkin by his plate, stirred restlessly at this juncture.

“I never met him,” said Antonio. “I don’t even know what he was like, I just know he was like you, he was a host, and he probably thought everything that happened to him was his fault, because that’s… kind of how we do, Mark. You probably have it figured by now, it’s- it’s called Project Nightmare for a reason.” He laughed, nervously, and immediately felt that laughing wasn’t the greatest idea. Mark had graduated to playing with a fork, and Antonio wasn’t sure how they could avoid a scene if he were to decide to stab him with it.

“I’m sorry for everything.” He splayed his hands out on either side of his plate, palms down, pressing them on the cool woodgrain. Broad hands, strong steady hands, no sign in them now of the dark venous threading that had been so livid and damning just a few hours ago. Hands that could get things done; hands that had done enough already, more than enough unkind things.

“I know- I know it can’t mean much, coming from me, but it’s just… I feel like someone should tell you. I want you to hear… your dad was right. What he said, in the tape, I... I know you blame yourself, but… none of this was really your fault.” As he paused, he felt a thought solidify, stronger and more complete than any of these fumbling fragments had been so far. Half-afraid of it, unsure if it should be said or if he was even the right person to try to say it, he paused and looked up across the table at Mark.

Mark was playing with his food, shredding his pancakes to an unrecognizable scramble of pale chunks and crumbs with the tines of his fork. He hadn’t eaten a bite. To Antonio’s knowledge he hadn’t eaten anything since the cookie, what felt like a lifetime ago. He’d gulped down a few handfuls of water from the faucet at the motel, and now he was mechanically destroying a plate of good food. Someone who didn’t know Mark so well might have been confused, but for Antonio the clue was the deliberate, woodenly destructive way he kept poking and dragging at it, lip hitched in unconscious distaste. Months ago, he’d looked the same way at the Tupperware of soup and the Almanac, when Antonio had pulled them out of the trash. There was something miserably resolute in Mark when it came to things like this, the knifepoint of his own stubbornness turned and driving inwards.

No matter how hard he’d fought his Muse’s cruel mind-games, responded to every not-so-subtle taunt and jab at the roots of his guilt with the same sullen surface, he had never been able to hide how this vicious, hurting little part of him agreed with it absolutely. If it was small and hidden it was also loud, and it spoke volumes in Mark’s behaviour, and it did not think he should have home-made soup or gifts from a kind neighbour, or cinnamon cookies, or pancakes, or other things which were less material but meant the same, like a letter that told him not to blame himself, or even just the chance to talk with someone who might understand. It did not want Mark to have these things- warm things, comforting things. Human things.

And why? The reasons that Mark acted or thought the way he did were a lot less clear to Antonio than they used to be, but he felt pretty sure it had something to do with that small dent in the stair bannisters, three steps from the bottom.

“Mark... if you can’t blame your dad, you shouldn’t blame yourself, either.”

Mark’s fork stopped moving.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but you need to. You- you should.”

Dangerous ground again, dangerous territory for Antonio to step into, when for the last ten months his gentle suggestions had always held an underlying threat that negated their kindness entirely, an unspoken threat that both of them understood perfectly well.

You should sleep, Mark. You should eat something. You should work on your channel. You should do that grocery order, that Publix order, you should check you have food. You should probably take a shower before we film, Mark. You should check your messages, you need to answer some comments, you need to network. You should have a snack, Mark. You should edit, we need that video done. You should sleep. You should eat something, Mark. You really should.

Before I make you.

It was another kind of ache, deep and dull, wishing he’d known better, that he’d been able to know. Ten months, and they’d never talked like this. They’d never done anything like this, and every exchange they’d ever had had been a fight, even if it had seemed like nothing on the surface. Everything Antonio had ever said to Mark had been in the service of something he’d wanted to take from him, for the Muse. Everything Mark had ever said to him had been an attempt to hold back, defend, keep shreds of himself to himself, for as long as he could. Antonio couldn’t help his memory turning back to the videos hidden on Mark’s laptop, those two eager voices mingling together, full of interest, warmth, lively affection. Both giving everything, getting everything in return.

“Antonio...”

At the sound of Mark’s voice in the here and now, Antonio’s train of thought fell sharply off the tracks, stuttered to a halt. Small wonder; it was the first time Mark had ever said his name, outside of a script that had forced him to.

“I’m going to kill that thing in my house,” said Mark. “I’m going to kill my Muse.”

He looked up.

“Are you going to help me?”

Antonio smiled. It was a sad, faltering kind of smile, and it looked better on him, although he couldn’t have understood how, even if he’d been able to see it for himself. It looked quite different, from his usual uncanny grin.

“If you’ll take those pancakes to go.”

[arctic-hands]

A few people have asked me about my SillyPunk vest that I put that patch on yesterday. I don't have any recent photos of me wearing it because my apartment hasn't had hot water for like three weeks and sponge bathing with cold water has left my hair a wreck, but here's the front as it is on the back of my computer chair. The whole vest can be seen here in the post where I bought it (image also captioned)

[Image Description: a tan suede (unsure of real or faux) vest with goldish flowery embroidery holding it together. The buttons are likewise goldish embroidery, as well as the button holes. There is netting as the bottom in the same goldish thred. The vest is covered in buttons and pins. There is some unintentional lens flare coming up the top of the vest, from a TV in the background. End I.D.]

[Image Description: on the right shoulder is a small enamel pin of the Progress Pride flag (horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, with a right-pointing triangle composing of black and brown stripes, followed by stripes of the trans pride flag (blue, pink, and white). The pin is facing triangle-down, as if a military rank. End I.D.]

A lil Chevron to show my allegiance

[Image Description: on the right breast of the vest, a pin button that has the trans flag on it, with the words "trans men are men" on it, with the smaller words "Baltimore Transgender Alliance" up top. Beneath that pin and to the right is a tarnished-looking metal brooch of the Sock an Buskin (the Greek theater comedy/drama masks, one mask laughing manically and the other one weeping). End I.D.]

The trans closet was out of "Trans Women Are Women" pins when I was there last. I'll get one eventually. Also, a lil bipolar rep.

[Image Description: slightly lower, a pin made of a black, circular sticker that says "End Covid I Got Vaccinated" with the outline of a needle and syringe and a checkmark. Thee sticker is coated in something glossy, and is affixed by a safety pin. Also affixed by a safety pin to the left is a weird, flat key with no teeth. End I.D.]

That's the sticker Maryland gave out with the first round of vaccinations. I wanted to keep it for posterity, so I stuck it to some cardstock, sealed it all with Mod Podge, went over the image part with some Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, and then stuck a safety pin on with some strong duct tape. The key is something I found on the top of my door frame in my old place. I just noticed something shiny on the corner of the door frame, reached up, and found it. Neither tumblr nor reddit could figure out what it was a key to. Mine now.

[Image Description: further down, an enamel pin in the shape of a painter's palette, with paintbrushes in the hole. The palette says "study art" and in a box beneath it it says "for fun or fame". End I.D.]

A pin by John Waters that I got from the Baltimore Museum of Art last time I was there.

[Image Description: above the right abdomen, roughly where it would rest over the ileum, is a gold-colored brooch of the small and large intestines. The small intestine is studded with tiny faux diamonds. End I.D.]

I saw this pin online like two years ago and new I MUST have it for Crohn's-punk reasons, and then a few months ago I found it on walmarts site when I had a giftcard to blow.

[Image Description: at the bottom, a lil metal octopus affixed by a safety pin through the loop made by one of the tentacles. End I.D.]

A lil gift from a friend 🥰

[Image Description: beneath the last two pins, showing off the bottom of the vest. In addition to the netting at the bottom, there is also a panel cut out of the lower side of the vest an filled in with that netting. Dangling from the edge of of the netting like a punk pocket chain is a string of small black rocks, affixed at both ends by safety pins. End I.D.]

Found strings of volcanic rocks on the site Unclaimed Baggage (where they sell lost luggage that hasn't been claimed after a long period of time). No idea where it was sourced from, hope it's not Hawai'i, don't need that kind of karma.

We can only do ten images a post right? I'm gonna run out soon so I'll immediately reblog with the left side.

[mach-speed-spin]

Since Burst has finally ended for both TT and Hasbro (I had this sitting in my drafts ever since we speculated Sparking was the last season), and Hasbro’s been bad since Turbo, I decided to do a “what if?” Specifically, “what if Hasbro exclusives were released by TT and had gimmicks?” (note this is the irl equivalent of headcanons and nothing I say is factually true)

Putting the rest under the cut because it’s long (it’s every Hasbro-exclusive in all of Burst plus images)

Diomedes D2 Triple Accel: Dire Diomedes Triple Accel. Triple and Accel are parts TT has already released and the only exclusive part is the layer. Other than using a semi-transparent green (like with Kerbeus or Yggdrasil), TT’s version is basically unchanged since it’s a dual layer

Hyrus H2 Yell Needle: Horn Hyrus Yell Needle. Again, the disc and driver already exist. Being a dual layer, it doesn’t have many changes made to it other than the center being transparent (like all TT dual layers minus Xcalibur). The green parts that stick out are metal, meant to add weight to the layer like Lost Longinus

Istros I2 Upper Survive: Island Istros Upper Survive. The layer layer only has slight color changes (like all dual layers). Like most dual layers, it doesn’t have a complex gimmick that Hasbro would remove (plus Hasbro didn’t really change the dual layers). Upper and Survive already exist in TT

Orpheus O2 Armed Defense: Orchestra Orpheus Armed Defense has 2 circles on the bottom corners that are rollers (like Kreis Satan but their positioning is different)

Surtr S2 Spread Quake: Scorch Surtr Spread Quake. It doesn’t have a gimmick (other than Quake) so the only other changes are to the coloring, like the flames being gradients instead of solid colors

Tyros T2 Infinity Zephyr: Thunder Tyros Infinity Zephyr has slightly different coloring. Like most dual layers, no major changes

Asteroid Zeutron Z3 4Meteor Revolve: Asteroid Zeus 4Meteor Revolve. The 3 dots in the center are metal (being a Cho-Z bey). The level chip slot is in one of the black triangles. TT keeps the rest of the parts the same. Other than that, slight coloring changes

Tide Treptune T3 8Bump Edge: Tide Trident 8Bump Edge (alliterative names didn’t go away after dual layers, like Judgement Joker). The gimmick is virtually the same as Screw Trident and the level chip slot is at the hilt of the trident. Being a Cho-Z bey, it has metal on the trident (specifically the red middle part)

Balar B4 6 Spiral-S: Rush Balar 6 Spiral features metal on the silver horns (not the ram face in the center). The rest of the parts stay the same (other than it using a regular Spiral’ instead of Spiral-S)

Cyclops C4 5 Flugel-S: Savage Cyclops 5 Flugel. The gold on the outer section is metal (but the gold on the face isn’t)

Dullahan D4 7 Tower-S: Riding Dullahan 7 Tower’ features metal on the 4 blades (where Hasbro used metallic paint)

Gargoyle G4 8 Massive-S: Demon Gargoyle 8 Massive features metal on both silver wings and on the central G

Kraken K4 11 Prevail-S: Ocean Kraken 11 Prevail has metal on the 2 anchors on the layer. The driver is unique though, as it is the first Hasbro-exclusive part in this post to not be a layer. The Prevail driver is a free-spinning sharp tip (akin to Gyro) with a free-spinning ring around it (like Never or Destroy). Essentially, it’s 2 free-spinning parts in one. The whole driver is similar to Universe, but sharp instead of round and with a smaller ring

Morrigna M4 2 Loop-S: Night Morrigna 2 Loop has metal on the layer. Specifically, the silver crow in the center

Ogre O4 1 Jaggy-S: Cave Ogre 1 Jaggy’ has metal on the silver parts of the layer

Rudr R4 12 Fusion-S: Arrow Rudr 12 Fusion’ features metal on the layer, as well as a bound gimmick. Each of the arrows is on top of a blue wings is metal. Each blue wing is spring-loaded and will be pushed back when hit, cushioning the attack

Sphinx S2 6 Accel-S: Desert Sphinx 6 Accel’ features metal on the layer and an expanding gimmick similar to Shelter Regulus. At high speeds, the wings pop out like in the image, but when its spin starts to lower, they retract slightly revealing the metal contact points

Typhon T4 4 Defense-S: Deep Typhon 4 Defense features metal on the layer and a partial free-spin gimmick. The outer ring can rotate 90 degrees in each direction, giving it a total of 180 degrees of movement. This allows for it to act like a free-spinning layer at parts of the match, and like a solid layer at other points

Poison Cyclops C5 Knuckle Guardian-H: Poison Cyclops Knuckle Guard Zan uses the poison base from Poison Cobra (with the rubber shock-absorption gimmick). The Cyclops chip has average teeth

Viper Hydrax H5 Python Coil-H: Viper Typhon Python Coil Ten is an evolution to Deep Typhon (Hasbro confirmed it was originally meant to be Viper Typhon). This bey features several gimmicks. The Typhon chip is left-spin. The Viper base has rubber on 2 of its blades (the ones without the gold). The rubber allows it to spin steal or act like offensive blades (akin to Judgement) depending on the opponent’s spin direction. The blades with gold are plastic, but the gold itself is metal. The Python disc features a metal center, with a rubber coating and the rubber is surrounded by plastic. This allows for shock absorption like Screw Trident or the Poison base. The Coil driver is spring-loaded, just like Nothing and Absorb, albeit with a ball shape. However, it also had a spring-loaded outer ring, like Kick

Shield Kerbeus K5 Infinity Linear-H: Shield Kerbeus Infinity Liner’ Ten has metal on the base (the chains) and a bound gimmick. The bound gimmick is in the green plastic blades between the fixed metal chains, and each blade can be pushed inwards like Hazard Kerbeus’s chains. The Kerbeus chip has the same teeth as the Kaiser Kerbeus layer. The Infinity disc, Liner driver, and Ten weight are all reused parts (but Liner now has a stronger spring)

Cosmic Kraken K5 Lore Valor-H: Cosmo Kraken Lore Valor Ten uses the standard Cosmo base and Ten weight. The Kraken chip has teeth comparable to that of Ashura. The Lore disc features a mode change like Convert. In 6 blade mode the weight is evenly distributed amongst 6 points. In 2 blade mode, the 6 points are shifted so 3 are stacked together, causing the weight to be evenly distributed amongst 2 points. The Valor driver is a free-spinning flat tip, of similar size to Blow

Tact Leviathan L5 7 Zephyrus-H: Tact Leviathan 7 Zephyr’ Sou. The only Hasbro-exclusive part is the Leviathan chip, which has similar teeth to Achilles but is left spin

Monster Ogre O5 Outer Octave-H: Monster Ogre Outer Octa Retsu features metal on the chip (the red ogres) and rubber on the base (the green parts)

Inferno Salamander S5 Wing Jagged-H: Infernal Salamander Wing Jaggy’ Sou. Infernal (because Inferno Ifrit already exists) has metal and can switch from 5 to 10 blades just like Hell Salamander. The Salamander chip’s teeth are the same as on the Hell Salamander layer

Solar Sphinx S5 6 Jagged-H: Solar Sphinx 6 Jaggy’ Zan features a gimmick similar to Cho-Z Valkyrie and Tempest Dragon. When hard launched, the wings extend, increasing attack power. When the wings are hit, they can retract giving it a more defensive shape. The Sphinx chip has teeth similar to Diabolos I

Morrigna M5 11 Banshee-H: Night Morrigna 11 Banshee is a Cho-Z bey released during the GT series, featuring a new driver (like Naked Diabolos having Wave). The Banshee driver is a small rubber ball tip, of a similar size to Defense. It’s like a smaller, non free-spinning Keep

Spear Dullahan D6 Boost Fusional-SP: Spear Dullahan Fusion’ 1A features metal on the ring (the 4 metallic-painted blades). The Dullahan chip has a metal chip core

Gilded Balderov B7 Diaqron-Q Zephyr-Q+Press-G08: Gilded Baldur Diaqron High Press’-6’. The Baldur core has similar teeth to Fafnir. The Gilded blade has metal on the silver portions to add weight. The 6’ armor is a slightly modified version of 6, which distributes weight similarly, but is slightly heavier. Diaqron has a similar shape to Variant Lucifer’s layer. High Press’ is self explanatory. It’s Press but taller and with a stronger spring

Magma Ifritor I7 Ciquex-Q Jaggy-Q+Wave-G03: Magma Ifrit Ciquex High Wave’-12. Everything except the armor and driver are the same as in the anime. Since the anime Magma Ifrit is a QD bey (instead of TT’s DB system), the anime gives it a QD driver. The closest a TT driver gets to it is High Wave (it uses the Wave attachment but because it’s QD it’s taller). It uses High Wave’ instead of just High Wave because Wave was already mediocre and without being dash the driver would be pointless. The 12 armor has a shape similar to 10, but with more points

Berserk Linwyrm L7 Fq-Q Fusion-Q+Hunter-G05: Berserk Linwyrm Fyquor Hunter’-2’. For differences in the TT version, mainly just more detail on the core and blade. The disc is less hollowed out while keeping the same shape and 2’is a slightly modified 2. The Linwyrm core has teeth similar to Belial I

Wrath Cobra C7 Aquilon-Q Spiral-Q+Defense-G07: Wrath Hydra Aquilon Defense Metal’-12’ is a left spin defense type, being the only bey since Left Apollos to completely switch spin direction from its predecessor (in this case, Poison Hydra) The silver parts on the Wrath blade are metal. Aquillon keeps its square shape but is thicker and heavier. 12’ is a modified version of 12. Defense Metal’ has the shape of defense, but with a metal ball and a dash spring

Stone Nemesis N7 Ciquex-Q Needle-Q+A03-G06: Stone Nemesis Ciquex Blow’-3’. The Stone blade has a mode change, allowing it to be in either attack mode (shown in the picture), or stamina mode (the blade has 2 oval layers, in stamina mode they’re perpendicular to each other, like Flash Saggitario from MFB). 3’ is a slightly modified 3

Katana Muramasa M7 Qq-Q Mobius-Q+Rise-G12: Katana Muramasa Quacchu Metal Rise-10’. The Katana Blade has metal on the swords, giving it outward weight distribution and better stamina. The Quacchu disc is similar to Tapered, but heavier and less smooth, improving weight at the cost of LAD

Ambush Nyddhog N8 Tapered-Q Eternal-Q+D08-7: Ambush Nidhogg Tapered Rumble-7 is a dual spin defense type. The Ambush blade consists of 6 spring-loaded sections that can be pushed in (like Hazard Kerbeus). The Rumble driver is like Eternal but with rubber instead of POM. This sacrifices stamina for defense

Hydra Poseidon P8 Nexus-Q Bite-Q+B06-G05: Hydro Poseidon Nexus Billow-2’ is a right spin balance type. The core has metal on the tip of the trident, making it unbalanced. It also has a bound ability like Dragon. The Hydro blade is coated entirely in rubber, and has 2 individual bound sections, one on each side (like Gatling). The Billow driver features a spring-loaded ring like Kick, but the tip is round instead of sharp

Fierce Bazilisk B8 Qq-Q TA25-Q+S08-G03: Fierce Basilisk Quacchu Flap-12 is a left spin stamina type. The green wings flail out slightly, like Ragnaruk’s stamina wings. The Basilisk core features a small amount of metal towards its center. The Flap driver is a sharp plastic tip surrounded by a free-spinning plate, giving it a similar shape to Rise

Lightning Pandora Endless P8 Tq-Q Fusion-Q+S10-G16: Lightning Pandora Twist Still-7’. The Lightning blade has rollers similar to the Satan beys, and the pointier edges expand outwards at high speed like Archer Hercules. 7’ is just a slightly modified 7. The Twist disc is very similar to Infinity, but compatible with DB low mode. Still is a free-spinning sharp tip. It’s essentially a cross between Gyro and Just

Tidal Pandora Epic P8 Nexus-Q Just-Q+A10-G08: Tidal Pandora Nexus Stormy-6’ is a right spin attack type. The Tidal blade has rubber on the blades. The Stormy driver is a rubber driver with a similar shape to Jaggy

Twister Pandora Evasive P8 Qq-Q Edge-Q+D08-G03: Twister Pandora Quacchu Rumble-12 is a right spin defense type. The Twister blade has a downforce gimmick similar to Wind

Flame Pandora Everlasting P8 Aquilon-Q Jolt-Q+B10-G12: Flame Pandora Aquilon Flexible-10′. The Flame blade has a bound ability similar to Tempest on its 4 wings, but they do not lock in place (so they have no awakened state like Tempest). The Flexible driver is like a reverse Unite, having a sharp rubber tip coming out of a flat plastic tip

Ruin Pandemonium P8 Karma-Q Spiral-Q+Lucent-4′: Ruin Pandemonium Karma Lucent-4’. The Pandemonium core has a burst stopper that extends at high speeds and retracts when the bey slows down (similar to Orichalcum). The Ruin blade has metal on the underside (not unlike Guilty). Lucent is a reverse Ultimate Reboot, being a flat rubber driver that transitions into a plastic sharp when it loses spin

[spndhsmony]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: SOLD KJL Avon Bib Cabochon Necklace & Earrings Set Multicolor Gripoix Jelly.

[k00291991]

Movement - Ceramics Cont.

Today I continued from the idea I explored earlier of thin, long clay shapes wrapping around and taking over other clay forms. I wanted to jump off the clay slab piece I had already made but translate it into a more 3-D visual to create a more interesting experience for the viewer.

I practiced first using a leftover slab of clay and leftover strings of clay to create a cylinder and wrap the strings around it to create a look of vines or ivy moving around the cylinder and taking it over. This was only a mock-up but it helped me understand how I wanted to form the clay around the cylinder.

With guidance from Elaine and Mary, I learned how to use both the small and large clay extruder. I used the small extruder and attached a die with six triangle ends to create thick long pieces of clay. I then used the large extruder to create three large tubes. I used all of these and strategically wrapped the thin pieces of clay around the tubes to create a visual of nature aggressively moving and taking over. The third tube I worked on came out curved out the bottom of the extruder which made it look like a metal pipe which captured my attention as it really fit with my theme for this project. I poked holes using a pencil through the tube and looped the clay around it to explore both the external and internal parts of the ceramic pieces.

I found these processes both enriching and helpful to expand on my ceramics elective and continue progressing with my theme of the movement of nature over time.

[nitrosodiumequilibriumproject]

Ulterior Ideas

Being autistic, my brain works exceptionally strangely. And during specific times of year; the end of December and the start of May, I get incredibly into the work of H.P. Lovecraft. So I'm thinking, as a possible stand-in for the satyr game, I make some sort of Lovecraftian ocean horror game. Now one idea I had last year, in the bleak midwinter of 2022, was a game where you hunt for salvage while avoiding horrible sea monstrosities. The working title was "Oubliette", referring to the type of medieval dungeon that consisted of an inescapable pit filled with water. I could realistically do that. But, one potential issue, how can I crowbar the S-C-T into it? Well, it wouldn't hurt to go back to look at the Satyr Game.

Originally, I took 'equilibrium' to be a symbiosis between humans and nature, as shown at the Apex where I saw such riveting gameplay as building a tree while rain noises play on loop - I mean, it wasn't even a tree! It was a silhouette of a tree! You call that a game??? Ludicrous! After Overdeath, I'm well aware of how disappointing a game is when it doesn't have gameplay. So, doing what I know, which is basic 2D platformers, I was gonna make a fantasy game where you must use animals to traverse the environment. Then I realised it needs shapes. That's fine; each shape can be interpreted as an element which the player must move through; now the animals each represent one of those shapes. It fit very nicely, and the trick, I think, is to read deeper. Always read deeper into whatever you're doing.

So, three shapes. Each one can represent some resource, perhaps, that you need to collect to build your boat. Then there are goblins, of course, so I assume they'll kill you or take your resources. This is getting a little tight. The theming isn't the tough part anymore, it's the gameplay. One idea I have is to make a horror sidescroller. Like, no real fancy mechanics or anything like that; all in the hallmarks of Mario and Sonic, but flipped on its head and thrown into the sea, before being dredged up, covered in barnacles. So, you platform on stuff, swim - yes, I'm going to try my hand at water physics, while collecting loot and avoiding goblins. To make it more arcade-y, I'll make it so you have to collect a certain amount of stuff before the water level rises; at which point you must take your boat and escape. However many resources you got in the first level will increase/decrease your time in the next one, meaning that the game caters to people on winning streaks. This encourages replayability and quick one-shots, meaning it's perfect for the arcade. Satyr Game was good too, but more as something you play in your own time. There was no drive, in that sense, to push forward and get to the finish line.

One thought; the resources could be Scrap, Flotsam and Oil. Scrap will be the triangle, representing jagged bits of metal fished up from the black waters. Flotsam will be the square, like a waterlogged plank. Oil will be the circle, since it is a liquid. Not sure about how goblins will act or anything like that, but I might have goblin fish too.