#and definitely not mixed and influenced by other cultures

[bassia-bassensis]

No cause why do Egyptians trying to "reconnect with ancient Egypt" seem so performative? It feels like they are wearing a Halloween costume.

[laegolas]

unironically i think more people super deep into online fandom need to get into a team sport.

not like, actually playing. but supporting someone in a sport and experiencing the utter loathing of the opposition side during a match. For a very specific period of time you can fucking hate the people playing up against your blorbos and its normal!! and your team is the greatest and can do no wrong!

but after the final whistle is blown, whether you win or lose, you see them all shaking hands. they respect each other as fellow athletes. just because they play for a different team, it doesn't mean they represent a different moral faction. and there's definitely something to be learned from this for those who are so online they forget that the words on a screen are attached to a real life person.

[harmoonix]

🦚 Honest Astrology Observations 🦚

🦚 - Malefic Planets such as Mars and Saturn can act differently in the sign of Cancer, usually because they don't feel as comfortable in this sign as much as in the others, although they're very karmic placements

🦚 - 8H placements/stelliums prefer to keep things private, you won't see them sharing much of their lives

🦚 - Moon conjuct/trine/sextile Jupiter natives have a kind aura, they tend to be optimistic and open-minded and that helps them being better with themselves

🦚 - 6H placements don't like to complain, they rather like to get the hard work in their hands than complain about how hard it is

🦚 - Sagittarius in the 12H is such a beautiful sign for the 12H!! It shows a mix of cultural background, definitely check your ancestryyyy

🦚 - Neptune can make you addicted. The house and sign can tell you things you're addicted to ex: 6H to a job, 7H to relationship etc

🦚 - Pluto Dominant & Saturn Dominant natives usually have a difficult childhood in order to evolve into better people when they're older

🦚 - I think you guys got tired of me writing soooo many times about Pisces Venus, but I literally can't help it. It's such a beautiful place for Venus

🦚 - Gemini's and Virgo's beauty is so underrated since their ruler Mercury rules over the youth, also their skinnnnnn

🦚 - Aries Moons and Moons in the 1H are the ones to raise the energy up in a room, I love their energy so much! Just keep it up

🦚 - Sagittarius Moons and Mercuries are brutal honest, if you want someone to tell you the hard truth go to them

🦚 - Libra Placements have a good sense of dressing up, you can always see them getting good clothes on them

🦚 - 2H Venus/Mercury/Moon has a soft voice, they can also not talk as loud as other, more shy voices

🦚 - Playing with Aries Placements feelings is like you play with the devil because they won't accept such treatment

🦚 - Since 9H represents school/learning what's your 9H sign and what was/is your favorite subject in school/high-school/etc.??

🦚 - Water Placements especially water Moons can heal when they're in a water place, for example my sis is a Cancer Moon and she loves to go at the sea to heal/meditate

🦚 - Where Capricorn sits in your chart. That's the house you'll work the most in this life for ex:4H family, 10H career, 7H relationships

🦚 - Leo Moon/Moon in the 5H can make you discover what you're talented at since your childhood/young age

🦚 - Cancer/Libra/Pisces/Taurus Placements can have a sweet tooth, meaning they like to eat lots of sweats/candy type

🦚 - Leo Placements like to be in the spotlight which is not bad at all because afterall they deserve the recognition!

🦚 - Mercury is a fairy planet (fairycore) in Aquarius/11th can indicate you are good at socializing/even in online

🦚 - You'll never know what someone with Lilith in the 6H/12H thinks at, Lilith has such a shadow energy in those houses

🦚 - Lilith and Pluto both in the 7h can attract toxic people in a relationship or people that will change them forever

🦚 - Pluto in the 10H or 11H gives you the power to influence others, you can just have an impact in the world

🦚 - Venus/Mars in the 5H are such hotties, we love them and we appreciate them. They just have a specific type of lure

🦚 - Mercury aspecting Pluto can indicate you can tell when people lie to you, in the same time can also make you a good liar

🦚 - If someone has their Neptune in the same house as your Mercury they can manipulate you through talking/manipulation ex: Your ex has Neptune in the 8H and you have Mercury in the 8H

🦚 - Saturn aspecting your North Node especially in harsh aspects, can make you stronger with the time I can confirm that as someone with Saturn square NN

🦚 - Air Placements especially Risings will always remind me about the 90's somehow, it was their era, I think the 20's are more of a Fire Risings era

🦚 - Mars/Sun/Venus/Uranus in the 1H can make you an athlete, like a good body for the gym, and they have that good motivation

🦚 - Mars in Sagittarius/9H can have foreign names, same for Mars in Pisces/12H

🦚 - Are there ppl with Moon - Pluto aspects attracted to paranormal things? Like seeing entities, hearing whispers etc...

🦚 - Jupiter aspecting Venus are really meant to be a charming prince/princess, is the energy they have, such a powerful energy

🦚 - 2H placements/stelliums can also be talented at cooking. It can be their love language

🦚 - 9H/12H Lilith can come from a religious background with trauma, like religious trauma. Trust me Lilith got enough give her a peace

🦚 - 2H/Taurus Lilith can be a bit insecure about their bodies. They have attracted bodies, but they can also be insecure about it. At the same time, if it makes sense

🦚 - Mercury in harsh aspects can have some troubles with understanding,maybe even with writing, maybe even dyslexia at some point (Not for everybody)

🦚 - Gemini and Sagittarius Placements like to write a lot. Their secret diaries have more than 200 pages for sure and I love that

🦚 - Sagittarius Venus ppl have that humor combined with flirt, I adore their energy, they're usually flirting 24/7

🦚 - Virgo Placements can be vegetarian, and I mean not everyone, but since they love to eat healthy, I have a sidereal Virgo Moon, and I love vegetables much more than meat, ofc this is just a preference

🦚 - Jupiter in Scoprio are able to attract wealth in their lives if they manifest that! Is a powerful placement for manifestation

🦚 - Taurus Moons/Suns/Venus and Rising have the mosttttt peaceful energy!! They're like a breeze of fresh air in someone's life

🦚 - Moon in Scoprio/Moon in the 8H can be very secretive people. It can be because of their private life and they give that vibe of people wanting to know more about them

🦚 - Moon aspecting Sun can indicate the native has more personalities/behaviors/moods, and it really depends on how behave

🦚 - Venus aspecting Saturn can sometimes indicate being rejected in love relationships, like you keep falling in love but with the wrong ppl

🦚 - Moon in Gemini/Moon in the 3H ppl radiate such a good vibe, I love their social skills but for real they communicate with everyone in the room

🦚 - Virgo Venus/Mars/Moons are the best supporters in a relationship, they'll support you with everything they can

🦚 - Mars aspected Jupiter ppl tend to be more sexual, this is such an unholy energy but so attractive in the same time

🦚 - Pluto aspecting Venus natives have such crazy love stories, the drama, the popcorn, the obsessive energy everything is on point

💚 Hope you enjoyed the post!! Have a blessed week!!💚💚💚

H a r m o o n i x 💚

[mellosdrawings]

With how Rook stalks Leona and Vil (is it really stalking with Vil if Vil is very much aware and consents enough for rook to be in the open?) if both of them date Jamil, would he also be stalked?

He's already hyper aware of his surroundings so adding rook into the mix feels like he should just get more time to sleep.

Thank you SO MUCH for asking! Lemme introduce you to Vil/Rook/Leona shipping, the sheer potential of Rook-Jamil, and my Rook metamour theory!

First, I'm a big Vil/Rook/Leona shipper. I call Rook/Leona the Hunter/Hunted ship. Who's the hunter? Who's the hunted? Who knows. As @aria-faye (THE Rook connoisseur who made me love Rook too lol) said, they both come from the same place, have the same culture, and are both somewhat outsiders in their own way. Rook doesn't really fit the Sunset Savanah stereotype or the Savanaclaw mentality in full. Leona doesn't fit the ideal of a prince and gets ostracized by his own people. Both of them work really well as a ship with Vil and it makes this funny Pomefiore-to-Savanaclaw pipeline with Rook in the middle, having been in both dorms.

For Jamil, once more quoting V "I feel like Rook kind of already keeps an eye on Jamil, a bit. He watches things he finds beautiful, and Jamil is definitely beautiful." Plus there didn't seem to be any adverse reaction from Jamil toward Rook for the entirety of book 5. And Rook is so desperately honest and true to himself that it contrasts completely with Jamil who still struggles to find himself after a lifetime of lying. He'd be a good push for Jamil to be more honest too, a good influence.

In relation to the N2 squad, here's my answer : METAMOUR. I'm already polyshipping 24/7, it might not yet be completely obvious in my blog but I ship more OT3 than actual couples. I work better with 3+ characters relationships than regular couples. So since Vil, Leona, and Jamil are already dating, why couldn't I add Rook too? He's not part of the N2 squad, but he's such a constant shadow to Vil that it's hard to imagine them away from each other. Leona and Jamil would start dating him fully knowing Rook is there and not leaving. Really, Rook would probably be Vil's first boyfriend before Leona and Jamil become a thing.

That doesn't mean Leona and Jamil would necessarily start dating Rook though, and that's where the metamour happens. They all share Vil, but whether there is a relationship between Leona and Rook, or Jamil and Rook is up to... my mood, mostly xD Or reader's interpretation I guess. Maybe they just get comfortable simply sharing Vil, maybe they have a sort of queer platonic relationship, maybe they're all dating.

I tend to treat Rook as a bonus when it comes to N2, because he doesn't fit the group, but it's hard to imagine him away, and he's so stupidly supportive that he'd probably be a good influence on forever-depressed-Leona and desperately-confused-Jamil.

Tldr : Jamil and Leona would start dating Vil knowing Rook would be there anyway, so if they ever feel uncomfortable about it they can only blame themselves.

(Who'd you think held the camera in those illus?)

[yaseraphinee]

astro observations 4 / random edition 1.

TW : virgo roast (sorry guys lmao), slight 18+ stuff and hot women lol

is it me or...?? #1

Is it me or do people that are born in late november / early december of 2005 (basically sagittariuses lmaoo) are often left handed or ambidextrous ?

Is it me or are Venus in Aquarius people really clingy ??? i thought my sister and I were the only ones who saw that but I've seen other people on here say the same thing.

Is it me or are women with Scorpio on the ascendant often really underestimated and labeled as airheads ?

Venus in Scorpio women and men's beauty + mix of libra and scorpio personal planets

a lot of women with scorpio venus tend to grow up chubby and the ugly duckling and then have this huge glow up and everyone is SHOOK

 women with Venus in Scorpio and Libra placements are literally the embodiment of beauty like they are the reincarnation of aphrodite. (It can also be applied to Venus in libra with other scorpio placements in the personal planets)

Their beauty is magnetic. I know it's overtly said in the astro community but there is a reason for that. They are not just pretty, no, they have striking features. They don't have to fit the beauty standards of their cultures or of an algorithm, they just have that je ne sais quoi.

example here : Adèle Castillon, Sun at 0 degree and Rising in Scorpio, Venus and Mercury in Libra.

(i actually have sooo many real life examples such as a few of my friends or acquaintances as well as my sister but I sadly can't post them on here...they would make such good and more realistic examples but it's okay lol)

Maybe It is up to everyone's taste, but, personally I find them so breathtaking. They're NOT just instagram model good looking NO a lot of women with this astro combo that i've met were genuinely so magnetic, their energy spoke for themselves

They also look so good with darker makeup and goth looks.

Men with Venus in the 8th house / Scorpio

Men with Venus in Scorpio or Venus in the 8th house tend to have really captivating eyes, and beautiful thick eyelashes like this :

On the left : Slimane, Venus in the 8th house / On the right : Imurgency, Venus in Scorpio

The humor of people with a mix of sagittarius and aquarius placements :

 People with a mix of sagittarius and Aquarius energies with some mercurial influence are so cringy but not in a bad way. They are just being themselves and they do it unapologetically.

They either have a really brainrot type of humor or redneck type of humor mixed with a dirty mind and a certain vulgarity that is meant to be funny but it usually makes people uncomfortable (which is why they're cringe BUT funny at the same time )

Mercurial moons being freaky +18

sorry but why are moon in virgos actual freaks (in the sense that they are freaky and h*rny and think about freaky ah stuff 24/7) and why are moon in geminis so dirty minded ? i swear mercurials don’t get enough credit for the freaks they are. In my experience, they're definitely the most dirty minded signs of the zodiac. They're the type to see innuendos EVERYWHERE and die inside when you say stuff like "I'm coming".

North node/ south node in pisces-virgo /12th house - 6th house node axis

Women I know with a north node in pisces/south node in virgo / 12th -6th house always have their nails painted in a simple color that goes well with their outfits for the week. They usually always look clean. Their nails are never dirty, always clipped and well groomed.

7th house observations on my chart and my "romantic" (BIG words right there lmaoo) life :

The two guys I've been "romantically" involved with both had Venus in Gemini. (one had it in the 9th house, the other one in the 11th house). I am Sagittarius rising with a 9th house south node, as well as a Gemini 7th house. Us being involved "romantically" makes a lot of sense. It was probably somewhat fated.

Both had a different ethnicity than me.

It's quite common to have a crush on people with whom you share a 1st house synastry with and as a Sagittarius rising, I know one guy who had a huge crush on me and he had a Sagittarius stellium, including his Venus.

Generational placements

 Generational placements do exist. A huge part of my family, including my parents and my sister, have 6th house placements/stelliums. They also have a significant earth placement either in Taurus or Capricornn and /or are Saturn dominant. There is also a big theme with the 6th house/12th house axis.

I am literally the only one (as far as I know) who has no placements in any earth signs or in the 6th house.

• Growing up, my parents were always working, even during weekends and the only vacations they got. They worked so hard and non stop, and often came late from work. I was really isolated growing up, despite having a sibling. I would sometimes cook myself dinner at like 8  (4th house in Aries at 22nd degrees and 3rd house in Pisces with Mars in Aries in it)

TW : that's where the virgo roast begins (it's mostly about unevolved ones)

• I second what Zeldas notes says about Virgos..the most obnoxious sign of the zodiac for sure. I can't stand their negative energies and how they constantly justify their bitter critiques behind a "I am just being realistic" mindset like go s*ck your d*ck, respectfully. I don't want your unsolicited advices, especially when your life is just you being stuck in karmic cycles, living in a lack mindset and b*tching about people all day. No thanks.

Aquarius and avoiding confrontation 

No matter what people say, the sign that avoids confrontation the most is hands down Aquarius. Libras are commonly known for that for obvious reasons, since they care too much about keeping the peace and the harmony no matter what. But, at least, Libras are passive-agressive, so you end up kind of knowing that they have a problem with you. Aquarius placements, on the other hand, have a really unpredictable, hard to read, and somewhat stoic energy, which makes it hard for people to know where they stand with them. The ones that I've met are NEXT level when it comes to avoid confronting things. Like Pisces, as they are the last signs in the zodiac wheel, they have a really hightened sensitivity, which makes them prone to seek ways to avoid reality more than other signs. This "avoiding reality" trait manifests itself so strongly in Aquarius placements, especially when it's placed in Mars from my personal experience.

This energy in one of my Solar Return charts: The year I had an Aquarius rising, with a Mars in Aquarius and a 11th house stellium, I avoided confrontation for a whole ass year. I ghosted everyone consistently. I was weirdly self-centered and felt so different (literally the "i'm weird i'm a weirdo" meme from that riverdale scene..help-). I felt out of place in the friend group I was in but never directly confronted them and dealt with the problem. I was just suffering in silence, pretending not to be as uncomfortable as I really was. By the end of the year, I just straight up avoided them without giving any type of explanation. At that time, i did not directly explained myself. I only did it through other people who were sent by this ex-friend group, and I did it really cryptically.

i have the biggest crush on her y'all just don't understand i am down bad she's drop dead gorgeous a godess thee reincarnation of aphrodite allegory of beauty i love her my jaw drops on the floor whenever i see her i believe in scorpio women supremacy period.

remember guys : stay blessed.

[gemsofgreece]

Hello! Do you (and other Greeks) find "Hellenic polytheism" an acceptable term for the religion worshipping the ancient Greek gods? If not, what would you want people to call it instead? I feel strongly that I would not be able to change my belief itself, but I definitely want to be respectful in what I call it and my other actions

Hellenic Polytheism should be fine. You can introduce yourself as a Hellenic Polytheist.

People have a bit of a hard time with this hell of terms (get it? he he), so I am gonna create a mini-lexicon. It's not targeted to you in specific to use all these, it's just for whoever is interested to clear this up in their minds.

A very hellenic lexicon

Hellás = 1) the official term for Greece and the only one ever used by Greeks themselves (there is no equivalent of "Greece" in Greek), 2) a historical ancient region in central mainland Greece where southeast Epirus and southwestern Thessaly meet and where a lot of Achilles' soldiers supposedly originated from, 3) the administrative region of central mainland Greece during the Byzantine Empire

Hellenic = anything Greek (like you may say "this is an american movie", that's why you can use hellenic polytheism, because it means "greek religion of many gods"). And by anything Greek, we mean ANYTHING. Care to know what the "Greek Orthodox Church" is called in Greek?

You guessed it! Hellenic Orthodox Church...! So you see, how when foreigners say some things like "i'm hellenic, hellene, hellenist" like "what hellenic are you? coffee? bank? Christian?" You know?

Hellen = the mythological progenitor of the Greeks according to Hesiod. Not to be confused with Helen.

Héllene = a Greek by descent, nationality and / or ethnicity. And if we are being totally accurate, it's a Greek male. I don't actually know how it is pronounced in English but ideally keep the last e silent. (By the way we do not pronounce that h in the beginning in all these words for the last 1500 years or so.... just saying.)

Héllenes = the Greeks, just men or mixed. The last e is NOT silent.

English does not have gendered nouns but Greek does so technically there is a seperate word for Greek women but I don't know if this is transferable to English. If we could do it in theory and by following the trasliteration style of the Hellene, it should be something like:

*Hellenís / Hellenidae or Hellenides = Greek woman / women*

Hopefully this explains why random foreigners identifying as "Hellenes" is exremely problematic.

Helladic = pertaining to the geography and territory of Hellas and whatever happens strictly within its borders

Hellenisation = spread of Greek influence and culture, it is also used for cases of Greek assimilation in ancient times

Hellenistic = 1) something being characterized by particular Greek influence, 2) referring to the era after the Classical period and before the Roman period

Hellenicá = 1) the Greek language, 2) (infrequent) Greek matters, documented topics about the Greeks

Hellenism = The complete Greek culture, civilization and nationhood, the essence of being Greek.

Hellenist = 1) a specialist in the study of Greek language, literature, culture, or history, or an admirer of the Greek culture and civilization, 2) a person who adopted the Greek customs, language and culture during the Hellenistic period, 3) now, the English Wiktionary also adds the "a follower and practitioner of Hellenic religion" <- which one of the two??? XD, clearly following the trend of western classicist circles. In the Greek Wiktionary for the same exact term (Ελληνιστής) that last interpretation does not exist and I can guarantee you it is officially rejected. Here's why: the suffixes -ist and -ism (as well as all suffixes here) are suffixes of Greek origin and they signify that someone is something or is passionate and dedicated to something on the superlative or very very earnestly, essentially. So when someone says they are a hellenist, they are supposed to be dedicated or charmed by anything that makes something hellenic, not to be professional cherry pickers. Of course, everyone is allowed their preferences, however you can't be interested in a super specific / niche thing like a religion mostly practiced 2000-3500 years ago and simultaneously show complete disregard and ignorance on literally everything else about this civilization, history and its living people and call yourself a hellenist. It tears the word apart. By the way this is not targeted at you. You are here asking about it, wanting to do the right thing. I am referring to this thing happening in this forum that @alatismeni-theitsa 's Anon was complaining about; they obsess over the ancient religion and they hate everything Greek post the AD mark. That's not being a Hellenist. That's not a Hellenism forum. That's the exact opposite in fact. Very few people can correctly claim the term "hellenist".

BONUS: Philhellene is kind of synonym to "hellenist" and it means "friend / lover of the Hellenes and all things hellenic". But again it can surely be misused. Not all self-proclaimed Philhellenes were ones indeed. Some, like Lord Byron, were Philhellenes through and through, on the other hand.

Of course, one definitely does not have to go through what Lord Byron and other great Philhellenes of the 19th century went through to prove they are a Hellenist or a Philhellene! My point is that very very few people can correctly claim the identity of a Philhellene or a Hellenist.

Therefore, "Hellenic polytheist" is just fine.

[ziseviolet]

Please can you explain the difference of meaning between hanfu and huafu ? Sorry if you already got the question

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (hanfu photo via)

The term “hanfu” (traditional Chinese: 漢服, simplified Chinese: 汉服) literally means “Han clothing”, and refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese people. “Han” (漢/汉) here refers to the Han Chinese ethnic group (not the Han dynasty), and “fu” (服) means “clothing”. As I explained in this post, the modern meaning of “hanfu” is defined by the hanfu revival movement and community. As such, there is a lot of gatekeeping by the community around what is or isn’t hanfu (based on historical circumstances, cultural influences, tailoring & construction, etc). This isn’t a bad thing - in fact, I think gatekeeping to a certain extent is helpful and necessary when it comes to reviving and defining historical/traditional clothing. However, this also led to the need for a similarly short, catchy term that would include all Chinese clothing that didn’t fit the modern definition of hanfu -- enter huafu.

The term “huafu” (traditional Chinese: 華服, simplified Chinese: 华服) as it is used today has a broader definition than hanfu. “Hua” (華/华) refers to the Chinese people (中华民族/zhonghua minzu), and again “fu” (服) means “clothing”. It is an umbrella term for all clothing that is related to Chinese history and/or culture. Thus all hanfu is huafu, but not all huafu is hanfu. Below are examples of Chinese clothing that are generally not considered hanfu by the hanfu community for various reasons, but are considered huafu:

1. Most fashions that originated during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), especially late Qing, including the Qing aoqun & aoku for women, and the Qing changshan and magua for men. I wrote about whether Qing dynasty clothing can be considered hanfu here. Tangzhuang, which is an updated form of the Qing magua popularized in 2001, can also fit into this category. Below - garments in the style of Han women’s clothing during the Qing dynasty (清汉女装) from 秦綿衣莊 (1, 2).

2. Fashions that originated during the Republican era/minguo (1912-1949), including the minguo aoqun & aoku and qipao/cheongsam for women, and the minguo changshan for men (the male equivalent of the women’s qipao). I wrote about why qipao isn’t considered hanfu here. Below - minguo aoqun (left) & qipao (right) from 嬉姷.

Below - Xiangsheng (crosstalk) performers Zhang Yunlei (left) & Guo Qilin (right) in minguo-style men’s changshan (x). Changshan is also known as changpao and dagua.

3. Qungua/裙褂 and xiuhefu/秀禾服, two types of Chinese wedding garments for brides that are commonly worn today. Qungua originated in the 18th century during the Qing dynasty, and xiuhefu is a modern recreation of Qing wedding dress popularized in 2001 (x). Below - left: qungua (x), right: xiuhefu (x).

4. Modified hanfu (改良汉服/gailiang hanfu) and hanyuansu/汉元素 (hanfu-inspired fashion), which do not fit in the orthodox view of hanfu. Hanfu mixed with sartorial elements of other cultures also fit into this category (e.g. hanfu lolita). From the very start of the hanfu movement, there’s been debate between hanfu “traditionalists” and “reformists”, with most members being somewhere in the middle, and this discussion continues today. Below - hanyuansu outfits from 川黛 (left) and 远山乔 (right).

5. Performance costumes, such as Chinese opera costumes (��服/xifu) and Chinese dance costumes. These costumes may or may not be considered hanfu depending on the specific style. Dance costumes, in particular, may have non-traditional alterations to make the garment easier to dance in. Dunhuang-style feitian (apsara) costumes, which I wrote about here, can also fit into this category. Below - left: Chinese opera costume (x), right: Chinese dance costume (x).

6. Period drama costumes and fantasy costumes in popular media (live-action & animation, games, etc.), commonly referred to as guzhuang/古装 (lit. “ancient costumes”). Chinese period drama costumes are of course based on hanfu, and may be considered hanfu if they are historically accurate enough. However, as I wrote about here, a lot of the time there are stylistic inaccuracies (some accidental, some intentional) that have become popularized and standardized over time (though this does seem to be improving in recent years). This is especially prevalent in the wuxia and xianxia genres. Similarly, animated shows & games often have characters dressed in “fantasy hanfu” that are essentially hanfu with stylistic modifications. Below - left: Princess Taiping in historical cdrama 大明宫词/Palace of Desire (x), right: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in wuxia/xianxia cdrama 陈情令/The Untamed (x). 

7. Any clothing in general that purposefully utilizes Chinese style elements (embroidery, fabrics, patterns, motifs, etc). Chinese fashion brand Heaven Gaia is a well-known example of this. Below - Chinese-inspired designs by Heaven Gaia (x).

8. Technically, the clothing of China’s ethnic minorities also fit under the broad definition of huafu, but it’s rarely ever used in this way.

From personal observation, the term “huafu” is mainly used in the following situations:

1. Some large-scale events to promote Chinese clothing, such as the annual “华服日/Huafu Day”, will use “huafu” in their name for inclusivity.

2. For the same reason as above, Chinese clothing including hanfu will often be referred to as “huafu” on network television programs (ex: variety shows).

3. A few Chinese clothing shops on Taobao use “huafu” in their shop name. Two examples:

明镜华服/Mingjing Huafu - sells hanfu & hanyuansu. 

花神妙华服/Huashenmiao Huafu - sells Qing dynasty-style clothing.

With the exception of the above, “huafu” is still very rarely used, especially compared to “hanfu”. It has such a broad definition that it’s just not needed in situations for which a more precise term already exists. However, I do think it’s useful as a short catch-all term for Chinese clothing that isn’t limited to the currently accepted definition of hanfu.

If anyone wants to add on or correct something, please feel free to do so! ^^ 

Hope this helps!

[forestdeath1]

The Black family as representatives of ancient "Anglo-Saxon elite"

To me Blacks were never partially French. I'm not saying the headcanon "Blacks are partially French" isn't valid, it's just not as interesting to me and it strips away nuances from their history. Here's why.

(It’s just my fantasies mixed with historical facts! Don’t take it too seriously)

Firstly, their choice of surname.

I've noticed that two main Death Eater families bear surnames of French and Norman origin. Lestrange and Malfoy (fictional, but the "origin" is clear). And then there's Rosier and Avery. Rosier – definitely French, and Avery – from the Middle English and Anglo-Norman French personal name Aevery, a Norman form of Alfred. There are no other surnames like this in Harry Potter, except for Peverell (correct me if I'm wrong).

Clearly, this is a reference to the Norman Conquest of 1066. These Death Eaters could be associated with aristocratic and influential families who came to England after the Norman Conquest. This is a nod to the historical division in English society between Normans and Anglo-Saxons, where Normans represented the upper echelon of society, while Anglo-Saxons were less privileged.

Yes, I'm Captain Obvious here. So let's move on to the Blacks.

The surname Black is typically Anglo-Saxon. It could have derived from the Old English word 'blæc,' meaning 'black' or 'dark,' and may have been used to describe someone who wore black clothing or had dark hair.

(Old English emerged around the 5th-6th centuries and was used in England for about 600 years, until the 11th century. This period ended after the Norman Conquest in 1066).

Hogwarts, canonically, appeared over 1000 years ago. That is, before the Norman Conquest. (But Hogwarts Castle couldn't exist yet, because castle technology was brought by the Normans). The Blacks call themselves "the noble and most ancient house of Black." That is, the oldest family, and also the noblest. Maybe they were "noble" in the sense that they belonged to the elite of Anglo-Saxon society (which was fragmented into small kingdoms). But they consider themselves the oldest family among those who trace their lineage and uphold the nobility (purity) of their blood. Considering that "Hogwarts" appeared before the Norman Conquest, I fantasize that such families already existed back then. A lot of families are extinct. Except the Blacks.

So the Blacks are a reflection of "Anglo-Saxon aristocracy." And here I headcanon that the Blacks still considered themselves more entitled than everyone else, mocked the Malfoys and Rosiers, and generally looked down on anything French. Fanatics to the bone and lovers of elevating themselves above all.

Why the motto in French – in the Middle Ages, the use of Latin and French languages was common among European aristocracy (despite the fact that there is NO aristocracy among wizards, but they could have been part of the aristocracy before the introduction of the Statute of Secrecy). The French language was often considered the language of diplomacy and culture, and its use in mottos and coats of arms was a common phenomenon. Here I just headcanon that one of the Blacks either had a strange sense of humour, or wanted to put an end to the ancient feud of the Blacks with all things French and start the family on some new beginnings. Maybe they married someone with French roots to expand their influence.

Of course, all this can be explained differently. The headcanon that the Blacks have some French part also makes sense. But for me personally, that's not so interesting, considering the obvious connections of the Lestranges and Rosiers with France (Vinda Rosier, Lestrange family Mausoleum in Paris). I prefer the Blacks who are so arrogant that they even consider themselves "true English wizards," not "like those Malfoys." And I headcanon that this was not a real confrontation, but rather a pretext for jokes and fuel for greater kindling of their vanity.

[rs-hawk]

Kinda gross you're sexualizing your culture. Literally playing into colonist fantasies about the "sexy savage Indian"

I have been trying to find a way to respond to this because I think this brings up the debate of cultural appreciation versus cultural appropriation. This is my personal take, and if any other Indigenous people disagree with me, that is their opinion, and they are right to have it.

Here's the thing, you're talking about my culture. My heritage. My ancestorial beliefs. I have talked a few times about how growing up I didn't have much positive representation for that part of myself, and how hard it was for me. That is a large part of why I write about Indigenous coded characters or about Indigenous creatures. Before I began writing my own stories, I had never read a single romance novel with any Indigenous main character (if you know any, definitely let me know!), aside from Cowboys and Indians novels, which for me is not included in "positive representation" (but if other Indigenous people want to, that is up to them).

If you were to bring this up about say the Straggele, I would understand more because just because I have studied folklore and culture from around the world, doesn't make it mine. If someone who was Swiss reached out to me and said something, I could understand where that came from. However, allowing parts of my history to influence my writing, getting to create characters that I see myself in, reading more into the history of my nations and our cousin and sister nations, amongst so many other things, is not sexualizing my culture. I am not appropriating myself or playing into stereotypes by writing what makes me happy.

I also want to add that the colonist fantasy includes a lot of racist stereotypes, which I don't put in my writing. There are no Indigenous women who use their body to get what they want or trick European men into helping them. There are no damsels in distress Indigenous women who just blink their big brown eyes and sling their braids over their shoulders as they ask for help. They're not naked and flaunting themselves or anything like that. Also, how are any of my characters "savages"? All of my stories are written in roughly this day and age aside from an ongoing commission.

It is not playing into colonist fantasies to write about Indigenous people. It is not playing into colonist fantasies for me to want to write about creatures from my own culture. Just like it would not be playing into colonist fantasies to sexualize a Kelpie as I'm also mixed with Celtic, or a Babau as I'm also mixed with Italian.

I am allowed to celebrate and use aspects of my culture and history, any and all of it from any part of my culture from any part of my family.

[zombieclown16]

Going back to an ask I had gotten about my ancestor designs, I’ve decided to do a deep dive into my process for making them and just my thoughts/inferences on their themes. I plan on doing more designs, so I may add more to this thread later!

Mosura Briati (The SuperNova)

Mosura is definitely my most straight forward design. With the little amount of info we have on her, I mostly dedicated my time to making her look like her namesake, Mothra. Her coat is meant to mimic moth wings and her pant design is supposed to be reminiscent of not just moth legs, but specifically moth Jentha’s appearance in WDYDTT.

Her radiation coloring is more saturated and intense than Jentha’s pastel pinks and blues, more close to the warm colors you’d find on a Geiger counter (I did want to keep that neon blue though!) Originally, I wanted to give Mosura more techy apparatus’, something like what Jentha had when she was younger that could potentially reign in her powers, and I still just might in an alt outfit! But for the natural approach, this is what she looks like when she’s able to chill out and not worry about exploding everything around her. Mosura is a treat to me, because even though she is surely the most powerful being the planet had to offer, her biology is what makes her so strong. Not magic or tech or anything, but just her body as it was made. I feel like that is an important factor to how the VE ancestors function, within an unnatural or a natural. Mosura especially was an attempt to bring back order to a terrible place, like when a volcano erupts and the land around it starts anew. Love her for that.

Fortmistress Deadlock

For the Fortmistress, my most controversial designs, I wanted her to be dramatic as hell with a sharp silhouette and a spiky appearance. Deadlock has her own semi canon design lost to the sands of VE time, so her leotard and face paint is a call back to those parts of her old look (I don’t want to post it if VE isn’t comfortable with that, so if you find it you’ll see what I mean!) However, my main inspiration for her was punk fashion mixed with the clowny wrestler appearance that would be inherit to her design. I find that the Fortmistress gets a strange rep within VE, as canonically during her time her caste and specifically purple bloods with psyops (including her) were fighting against the Fuchsia Bureaucracy who were attempting to use them as militia assets. The Mirths were confirmed as a cultural religion formed during a time of oppression, to gain community and commonality between people who had gone through the same as them while also standing up to a suffocating governmental system. That’s punk as fuck!!!!! To include this, I made her jacket a repurposed violet military vest, decorated and all, with the system she was fighting against! She’s big and intimidating and her psyops are a main focus of this piece because they really influenced her path in life and how she was likely treated by others. Cultural religions like this are not bad and Vilcus had very lovingly described a time period in which the Fortmistress would’ve been present where the Mirths were normal trolls finding community. (If you come in here with “the Fortmistress made them suck! She’s crazy!” I’m gunna do something drastic CHARACTERIZING AN OPPRESSED INDIVIDUAL AS WRONG FOR FIGHTING BACK AGAINST A BAD SYSTEM ISN’T VERY COOL there is no perfect minority and I’m not gunna pretend Deadlock was some amazing figure wronged by time, but someone who we don’t know all of the facts on)

I’m not going to dig too hard into my thoughts about Fortmistress Deadlock, (nor am I saying VE is intentionally doing her wrong because a very big theme for the ancestors is that they are mischaracterized by modern day Reptions cause it’s a huge game of historical telephone) so all I ask is for us to think very critically about her and the placement of making her a blood purist when it seems like she was fighting for people who didn’t have a voice at the time. Like why would I believe that fucking loser Pozzol Boyer has the best takes on her? Come on guys.

outside of that, that funny little key choker is canon and passed on to Taz, I wonder what it could be for?

Acerigger Switchem

So I was like “what if a casino hall was a person?” And that’s how I made Aceriggers design. If a building could manipulate someone it would be a Casino in Vegas so obviously the guy named ACE takes a lot of that in. Seriously though, this guy is chalk-full of card suits, casino motifs and GOLD. Gold is a Turkin ore just as much as it is for a Kerian(I mean Murrit’s weapon is literally gold too) because of how it acts with TIME. Gold never ages or erodes, it is permanently shiny and beautiful, always captivating to the eye. Acerigger is chronically vain, he’s hot, he’s young, and he likes it that way. Gold would be his forte, as it is everlasting beauty that persuades you to think it’s actually worth something. His design is supposed to exhibit these traits!

I want to talk about his big bright coat specifically, as it is directly inspired by an article I saw titled “Ugly Vegas Carpets Want You to Keep Playing”saying that Casinos make their carpets so ugly cause they want you to focus more on playing games and not hesitate to see them by looking around at all the gaudy patterns. For Ace, it’s meant to mimic those ugly Vegas carpets that want you to focus on his pretty face telling you everything you want to hear instead of letting you look at all of the blaring red flags. The neon vomit pattern is like the classic animal kingdom warning sign screaming TOXIC STAY AWAY! (Murrits outfit is just as important to his bit characterization so Ace is the same. It’s all for the act, babes) Alongside all of that is the color red, associated with promiscuity and passion. The promiscuity is obvious, but Aces use of red is also a time player callback just as much as it represents a passionate display. He’s less so wearing red for himself as he is wearing it for others, displaying himself “bare” in way of a color associated with heavy emotions (specifically love) on his chest. This is also why I deigned to not give him shades, playing the opposite to Murrits party shade appearance. Aces act wants to coax people into him, make them feel comfortable and secure with an open face smile while Murrit means to create distance and close himself off, hiding away behind a face of disconnection.

Tbh also Murrits Twelfth Night design was a big inspiration. She’s like really gay and slutty for some reason there, so I made Ace gayer and sluttier to counterbalance.

Anyways, my personal characterization(made over several years of hyper fixation on the ancestors. Like I’m sorry I’ve been here a while, the lore is deep) for Ace is a pretty big influence into why I designed him the way I did, so I’ll include some analysis to explain myself in a really round about way. A lot of what Ace does is meant to draw people to him, to captivate an audience of individuals with smoke and mirrors. We know he is the opposite to Murrit, a character who cares greatly about others but hides it under a facade of combative and annoying traits to stave off the scent of her having genuine feelings(therefore the chance to be vulnerable with those feelings). The opposite to that is a person who is outwardly kind and compassionate, so wonderful in fact it’s hard to not be captivated(and even fall in love) with him. Ace is the antithesis of true love and genuine feelings while that’s exactly what Murrit needs to accept about herself, that she isn’t all of her facades and can form real relationships. Ace doesn’t do that, Ace is fake love and fake relationships and there is nothing under his lies, though he doesn’t act with the petty insecurities that Murrit harbors, he is all around heartless. It’s interesting because it is a contrast between two connected characters who though are oppositional, compliment each other nonetheless. All of the ancestors are like that with their descendants! It just sucks for Murrit that he got such a bad card draw. Oops this became a Murrit analysis I FUCKING LOVE FISH

That’s all I got, remember all of what I’ve said is subject to change because the ancestors probably have a page of accurate info on them BARELY. These interpretations I’ve made are based on what we’ve been provided already, which is not a lot! So if you have any questions I’d love to dive even more into my thoughts.

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Do you think Vox or Velvette have any employees they "favour", like Valentino with Angel Dust?

(Also, we know they're horrible bosses, but in what way do you think they abuse their employees? Is it more verbal, physical or a mix of both?)

In what way do you think they abuse their employees? is such a Vees' Stan question to ask. Not if, just how sksksks /lh

I think that Valentino and Angel's thing is super unique, it's not just workplace abuse. They've got history, like decades worth. Angel isn't just another employee; he's Valentino's former partner. I really don't think Vox and Velvette have anything like that going on with anyone else.

That said, I'm pretty convinced Vox bangs the Eel Assistant now and then, thanks to Twitter convincing me (I'm not really shipping it because it screams dubious consent, but I do think it's a thing). Talking about Vox, I've mentioned before how he's all about gaslighting his staff. He's slick with it, especially using it to cover up his own fuck ups. Yes, he's competent but but let's be real, he's also a bit of a chaotic mess and kinda delusional. So, he probably makes some questionable decisions but than puts the blame on others. Also, I have this idea that key VoxTek staff—his personal entourage, managers, engineers, and other pivotal figures—are implanted with microchips (you see this thing on the guy's head???). This not only speaks to Vox's obsession with control, enabling him to monitor and evaluate their performance (with chips linked to VoxTek servers functioning as security keys), but also to electrocute them remotely as a form of discipline or to his own entertainment.

Velvette has a more progressive approach to running her company. You know, like those corporations that have a "People and Culture" department instead of "Human Resources". Her top employees, notably models and content creators, remain untouchable due to their public visibility, necessitating a different management style. She's harsh, and definitely not above manipulation and verbal abuse, but she keeps her favorites happy, in a state of dependent satisfaction. It's all about that influencer magic, isn't it? People tune in to live vicariously through these glossy, picture-perfect lives, dropping cash on anything influencers sell, just to feel a fraction of their happiness. So, the folks at Vitch (don't @ me, I had to came up with some brand name) are all in, trying to hit the mark and bask in the glory Velvette dishes out to her faves. But Velvette's expectations are impossibly high, fostering an environment where her subordinates are perpetually striving for an approval that's always just out of reach.

[crow-aeris]

So i’ve been thinking (shocking, really) about the world building for my reverse robins wingfic.

ike, sure, it’s a little fic and ppl prolly won’t notice, but i just cant help but speculate.

in this au, everyone is born with wings unless afflicted with a certain illness, disease, or genetic defect that leaves you with no avian traits (which is the excuse the kents use).

but how would having wings influence the infrastructure? well, i’m glad you asked! cities are more compact because there isn’t really as big a need for transportation unless you’re an aves that’s just not built for long-distance travels like various passeriformes birds.

planes still exist, but they’re utilized by the avians who aren’t able to fly long distances. avians who have wings like albatrosses or terns or other soaring birds would probably require licenses to do their annual migrations and travels- same applies to regualr migritory species like ducks and geese- where the instinct remains despite not needing to migrate.

of course, with the constant migration through countries, i think there would be more mixing of races and ethnicities especially within the migratory bird communities, so there would probably be less overall hostilities.

now, there will still be discriminatory and hateful ideals, and some are shown in my fics. For example, Gotham’s elites are mostly made up of raptors and birds of prey like eagles, kites, kestrels, hawks, falcons, ospreys, owls, etc- birds who actively hunt down mammalian or lizards for prey (in the real world i mean), that is because of displays of powers. Scavengers like condors, vultures, buzzards, are regarded lower on the social ladder but not as low as perching birds and song birds simply because of their ability to have sustained flight.

like i mentioned briefly, songbirds and perching birds (passerines) are regarded lowly in general due to their “weak demeanor” and overall flashiness, which gives them the reputation of being only suitable to work in brothels and such regardless of gender (but especially dudes where the aves species exhibits sexual dimorphism, eg. cardinals, peacocks, golden pheasants, etc.)

there are definitely some exceptions, being corvids. some cultures have corvids as villans, whereas others may portray corvids as intelligent and charming.

now, we arrive to genetics. im still not 100% sure how i want the phenotype of an avian to be passed down. so far, it’s mainly just sons are the same aves as their fathers (like thomas wayne, bruce, and damian are all harpy eagles, but martha wayne was a kingfisher and talia is an imperial eagle), but im not sure abt daughters. genetics is messy, but i think i’ve managed to sertle on a 50/50 chance of being born either the same aves as their mother, or their paternal grandmother. like if damian had been born with xx instead of xy chromosomes, then he’d either have been an imperial eagle like talia, or a kingfisher like martha wayne. intersex people exist too, and i think their wings would be a blend between both their mother and father’s.

now for the the supers and the other metas:

as mentioned previously, the kents claim that their adopted son had a genetic disorder that basically prevented him from growing wings (or just left him in a state similar to humans before they were all “cursed” by a diety to have wings, or whatever. in the dcu, that probably woulnd’t even be too far fetched), so clark lacked a major social component to his childhood. without wings and a tail, others would have a harder time reading his emotions, seeing as these appendages are crucial in nonverbal communication between avians, and that gives clark a leg up in reading other people, but having them not understanding what he’s thinking.

now with jon and kon, they have two VERY different situations. for jon, since his paternal side is wings-free, i just gave him lois’s ave- western kingbird- instead of making him no-winged. kon, on the other hand was a test-tube baby, so it was a toss-up on whether he’d get lex luthor’s purple martin wings, or clark’s no-wings since they’re both guys. I think kon would’ve enjoyed wings, so i gave him the purple martin wings. Plus, they’re pretty much invulnerable, and their wings are no different.

diana and the other ppl from themyscira wouldn’t have wings since they aren’t human, and same applies to the other jl members who aren’t humans.

on a wholly separate note: the lazarus pits. here, not only does it give you white streaks in your hair, it’ll bleach out your feathers. so liek if a peacock was thrown into the pit, not only would they die and come back manic, their feathers would make them look like piebald, or have different markings or white ticking.

anyways, that’s the end of my long post, and i hope yall enjoyed listening to me speculate and talk about birds and my silly little guys!!

[serpentface]

Can we see more about pyliod....he's so silly. ♥️ kissing him on the head.

I'm obsessed with how khait mimic real world bulls but also goats in their behaviors. are there any other behaviors/traits they mimic from IRL animals?

Which leads me to the question: what separates livestock from pets?

Esp for brakul, I'm assuming the animals he lived around when he was younger were livestock and meant for eating - but what if you had a favorite? Was it different for janeys? Hibrides?

Also leads me to another question: fish keeping - is it a hobby? Are fish just seen as food or can they be considered decorative?

(please forgive any spelling errors it's 1 in the morning for meeee)

Don't know if you saw this post but this gives a good rundown of khait behavior. They're based on wildebeests and most of the descriptions of their social behavior are accurate to them, other aspects of their behavior is pulled mostly from other bovids (other antelopes mostly. l swear I saw urine self-anointing+wallowing by topi or hartebeest or smth in a documentary once, but in terms of bovids that might just be a goat thing. Cervids also do that). Not much of their behavior is actually based on cattle, besides using cattle as a model to inform the concept of a hypothetical domesticated antelope. There's also some horse influence, though in that case it's pretty much exclusively to inform the concept of a non-horse domestic ungulate used Primarily for riding, and their interactions with humans.

The like, general definition of distinction between livestock/pets would be a venn diagram between 'livestock' 'working animals' and 'pets', with livestock being animals raised for production (meat, wool, fur, leather, eggs, milk, etc), working animals being used for physical labor or otherwise performing utilitarian 'jobs' (plow animals, riding animals, ratters, herders, guardians, etc), and pure pets having no directly 'productive' role and exist for companionship, ornamentation, etc (though the definition of a pet can be pretty nebulous, especially if you're framing it around emotional attachment instead of the lack of a productive angle). These categories can heavily overlap.

This is just a generalized answer (not even in-universe). How a culture defines these concepts separately (if it does at all) is going to vary extensively.

Brakul grew up surrounded by livestock/working animals and virtually no animals kept EXCLUSIVELY for companionship. The core subsistence method is a mix of settled agriculture (producing primarily grain) and seasonal pastoralism of cattle and horses (producing primarily dairy and wool), occasionally supplemented by hunting and fishing of wild game. The diet revolved around dairy and grain with meat being eaten irregularly, especially for people who aren't rich (which in this particular context is primarily measured in the quality and quantity of livestock- someone wealthy in cattle can afford to slaughter more frequently). Slaughtering a cow is a special occasion. Brakul's clan was on the lower end of the livestock wealth scale, so he ate meat infrequently and almost never his Own livestock (mostly eating hunted/fished game, meat given as gifts or in trade, meat provided by the ruling clan by social obligation).

(This is also broadly true of animal husbandry in Real Life across history prior to industrialized farming- most livestock is more valuable alive as a continuously replenishing resource (milk, wool, eggs, pulling plows, etc) and thus would be slaughtered for personal use infrequently. In class stratified societies, the majority of animals raised for meat would often feed upper classes rather than the people actively involved in rearing them. Some pastoralist societies will rarely or virtually never slaughter their animals for meat, as they are wholly relied on for products they produce while alive.)

So Brakul existed in a context where it was very possible to get attached to livestock and working animals. A lot of basic survival revolved around the dairy and wool the livestock provide, there are high emotional stakes in their survival and well-being, so personal attachment to these animals (even those likely destined for slaughter) can come naturally and be beneficial. The concept that's more alien to him is pure companion animals that don't really do anything directly productive. House dogs kind of freak him out because they're SO different from the dogs he was used to (extremely independent livestock guardians that don't really bond with people, and herding dogs that bond readily with their owners but are notably intelligent and self-sufficient). Encountering dogs that are utterly dependent on their owners and desperate for human attention was like 'what the fuck is wrong with that thing? sad'.

Pretty much the exact reverse situation for the characters from noble families. They would rarely be in close contact with livestock or subsistence level working animals (if anything, they/their families own land and livestock that is entirely raised by peasant workers), and instead would have most contact with pets/ornamental animals/leisure type working animals (hunting dogs, sport khait), and animals used in transportation (cart khait and oxen). They have VERY clear, clean-cut delineations between 'pet' and 'food' (though still not as much as is common in industrialized societies where most people are completely and utterly disconnected from the sources of their food. They're still Connected to the process, seeing animals being slaughtered is a part of daily life). They also would have eaten meat on a much more regular basis, while having little to no personal involvement in its production.

Wardi culture as a whole is not big on companion dogs (there are a few companion dog 'breeds' within the region, but most are hunting or herding dogs). Polecats are by far the most common companion animal in this cultural sphere (they technically fill working functions as ratters, but are mostly kept as housepets). Other animals kept purely as pets are mainly ornamental fowl and ducks. There's also a kind of pygmy horse breed that is kept as a companion animal (reminder that horses in this setting share the size range of goats).

Faiza, Couya, Janeys and Hibrides all grew up with pet polecats and hunting dogs, and sport khait owned by their families. Hibrides had pygmy horses as a kid. In the present day, Janeys' household has two hunting dogs that he doesn't like all that much, he also got two polecats for his children (one of which died tragically after being thrown from a window by his eldest), and has 14 total khait (12 of which are Brakul's) (technically owns another herd and a herd of cattle, but has nothing to do with them. It's an investment). Faiza likes dogs quite a bit and owns three bred hunting dogs and one feral dog she took off the street, also two khait (she owns land and the animals are kept there).

Re: fishkeeping. There's going to be plenty of variation in a global context, but broadly speaking keeping fish as a hobby/for display/other non-meat purposes is going to be on the rarer side in this setting. This is a limited practice in Imperial Wardin (you'll get the occasional wealthy home keeping fish in a courtyard pool but there's no traditions built around it). In terms of nearby civilizations, it's a much more significant practice in Bur, where water gardens with ornamental plants and fish are integrated into temples, city layouts, and wealthy homes.

[thrashkink-coven]

OKAY

I think we need to discuss something that I’ve literally never heard any other practitioners talk about but I think it’ll immediately clear up A LOT of confusion! This is obviously my own upg so take it with as much validity as you please.

When doing any kind of work with any kind of deity, you really need to understand the concepts of archetypes and syncretism.

Religion, faith, and mythology, it’s all a big mess. Our clumsy archaic human language and our tendency to destroy and distort information means that the ancient world is really, to our modern understanding, A LOT (and I mean a LOT) of hypothesizing.

We often use the same words to describe different concepts, mix up names, combine names, and misunderstand each other. Such is the nature of humanity.

Theology is always fluid. Different entities have different cultural associations, some major entities or characters are even shared among multiple groups of people. Syncretism means that groups of people develop their ideas with the influence of other groups of people, though shifted to make sense for their personal experience.

My favourite thing in the world is when different religions share stories- viewing history from totally different perspectives- Retelling the same events through the scope of their theology.

This is why we have archetypes. There are many goddesses of love and sex that are associated with the planet that is commonly known as Venus. Why these archetypes emerge in the way they do? That’s up for you to debate with yourself.

The question of whether Aphrodite is Astarte or Ishtar or Lucifer or Helel or Eosphoros or Hesperus is not a question that can be answered entirely objectively. It can never be proven and it can never be disproven. Because sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is definitely no, and sometimes it’s really hard to tell.

The way that we all experience the energy that is “Venus” is going to be different. If she definitely feels like the same energy as Astarte to you, then that could be the case. There’s no objective authority on reality or faith. There is no reason why the findings of 1000 year old magis are more legitimate than yours. Study, learn, experiment.

I like to imagine it similar to colors. We all agree that wavelengths between 620 to 750 nm are red. We have silly little cones in our eyes that work with our brains to turn information into color. But we all understand that there are thousands of shades of red, and some people can’t even see red. Do you see where I’m going? I hope this makes sense.

Because of the way that we interact with reality, there are as many Aphrodite as there are people who believed in Aphrodite- and this is true for every God (at least in my silly little opinion).

There are as many variations in her energy as there are variations of people who follow her.

I try to scope this around what Jophiel told me once. YHWH created him, sometimes. But not at the moment when I was talking to him. When I asked him if Lucifer was the Satan of Christianity he said “sometimes” as well. It depends. It all depends. That’s the beauty of this weird wacky thing that we do.

Anyways,

I don’t know how else to write this but to say some people aren’t compatible with every archetype lol. This is totally okay though, it’s not anyone’s fault! It’s just like … spiritual chemistry. Alchemy? Stay with me!

Nature has laws. If you try to push against these laws you will experience difficulty and suffering. ☹️

Nature creates certain compounds. Stable compounds thrive 🙂 and unstable compounds explode ☹️. Interactions create products and outputs. When two or more elements that are not compatible are introduced they may have a volatile reaction.

I will not claim to know how divinities operate. This is all just my silly billy pondering. But I do know for fact, that at least in my experience, certain entities that share the same address interact with different people in different ways- and some entities will only respond to you under a specific face. Some entities will share faces, and some won’t even respond to you at all.

I’ll use a couple personal examples for reference.

When I first started working with Prince Cerberus, I addressed him using his Goetic name Naberius, as recorded in the Lesser Key of Solomon. I used his sigil and addressed that name.

One of the first things that came through crystal clear was his request to not be called Naberius. He made it very clear to me that he wanted to he called Cerbere or Cerberus, or that I could make up a personal name, but never should I use Naberius. He did not give a reason but he was firm on it.

Now, does this mean that we all can’t use the name Naberius and that we should all blacklist the name? NO! and this doesn’t mean that anyone who works with Naberius is disrespecting Cerberus!!!

For whatever reasons, I don’t know why, my Naberius is Cerberus. I don’t know if Naberius and Cerberus are the same entity or not, I just know that when I think of Naberius I get forwarded to Cerbere. I’m still able to use Naberius’ sigil, but I always get Cerberus.

That might not be true for you. That might not even be logical. That’s just the way that my spirit interacts with that spirit.

I’ve been a long time admirer of Lord Hermes. I approached him and tried desperately to gain his favor, but he refused 💔💔. He made it pretty clear that it wasn’t going to happen through a few ways, and since then he’s repeatedly rejected me…

lol 🥲

I was confused about that for a while, until I started getting hints towards Lord Mercury.

I can’t explain why, I have no idea what the real reason behind this is, but I feel extremely compatible with Mercury, but not with Hermes, like at all. Their energy feels quite separate and different to me. My Mercury isn’t quick like silver, he’s actually quite slow and contemplative.

I was bummed to not be able to establish a “work” relationship with Hermes but it’s probably for the best. Mercury is an excellent teacher.

What I mean to say through all of this rambling is that these things are not concrete. My Astaroth is only Astarte sometimes. Sometimes they feel very similar, sometimes they feel very distinct.

It’s important to remember that the Gods are not one thing, but many things at once. The answers to these questions are all variable. Only you can find the answers for yourself.

If you read this far you’re a real one 🫡

[queenofallimagines]

Hiori yo x black reader

(A/N): was literally complaining bc like how is he black but there’s NO black readers??? But I found out who’s clogging up the blue lock tag😒And then I realized I can do it my fucking self lmao. HC him as Nigerian bc like we’re never gunna get any cultural background info on him bc they never tell us about the parents(unless it’s central to their backstory and even then they’re the main characters not their parents.) so I’m making up my own lore✨ his dad is Nigerian who immigrated to Japan and hiori very rarely sees his dads side of the family bc they live elsewhere and his parents don’t care about him knowing family he’s supposed to be their trophy

Hiori yo:

- okay so boom

- This happens in his blue lock era obviously

- His parents rarely let him play w kids bc he was always training if you peep in the manga

- Only has some idea of some form of cultural heritage

- He was blessed cursed with only his mothers genetics so looking more like her has him skirt around a lot of that racism

- He probably makes friends with all the other mixed kids but gets viscerally uncomfortable when he sees them getting micro-aggressed

- Makes him think twice about showing up to school with his hair not styled like his mom

- Spends 90% of his time gaming anyway so like he doesn’t have to go outside

- When he runs away to blue lock life starts to have color

- I think post U-20 arc he spends those two weeks at home hanging out with karasu because he’s not gunna let him sit inside and rot around his shitty parents for two weeks

- Karasu definitely introduces you to him

- You were one of his friends from school he used to chill with and he’s like you would be good for hiori

- Karasu 100% condones your bad influence like lmao he wants to see hiori be a MENACE to society

- He’s smirking in the background as you bring his inner ultra sadist out

- He messes up your hair and will laugh when you get mad

- “stoooop iiiiit you’re messing up my hair!”

- “aww does the princess not like their hair being touched?”

- “Not when I took a long time to do it this morning!”

- Will immediately get flustered if you say you like his hair

- hide the flat iron from him!!

- I feel like he’s lowkey insecure about usually being like the only black kid in the room

- And he speaks in a different accent than a lot of them?

- Yeah pack it up!

- *he doesn’t really think much of his appearance. he thinks he looks okay and he isn’t really confident about his skin complexion. he isn’t dark skin but he isn’t light skin either.*

- His chat Ai gave me that unprompted so it’s canon now sorry :/

- Yknow how boys will say the most traumatic shit out of nowhere?

- “do you really think that I’m pretty? even my skin complexion and everything?”

- “I sure do! Anyone who says differently is a colorist racist loser . There’s nothing wrong with you or your completion. Like you’re one of the only people who made me feel welcomed here are you fr?”

- Karasu is glaring at you though for having him make pale people jokes.

- He’s very lowkey about how snake like he is so he’s the “you can’t say that shit in public!” Friend, while you don’t care about getting cancelled😭

- “but please don’t let anyone the shade of printer paper make you feel bad about your melanin beloved.”

- “The snow roaches are usually too scared to try something because I’m tall:/“

- “WE ARE IN A CONNIVENCE STORE PEOPLE CAN HEAR YALL”

- he’s trying his best really but he’s just one crow😔

- Don’t let tea about his parents make it back to your ears bc it’s really on sight for that man AND that snow bunny 😡

- “Does your dad ever like talk to you about his culture?? does he say anything outside of trying to make you into some star striker??”

- Mf just shrugs his shoulders.

- “not really. my parents don’t care about anything other than my success. they don’t care about my happiness or how i feel..”

- “Yo, baby ….. imma beat your parents ass😐 is your dad Nigerian? Bc that feels like textbook immigrant parent behavior.“

- “……. I REALLY don’t like how you knew that.”

- “My next guess would have been Guyanese.”

- Hes giggling tho bc I don’t think he really talked shit about his parents w nobody like REALLY really

- Just watching them fight 24/7 as a kid took a toll on my poor baby soul IK

- Spoiler for his backstory but I mean not really??

- His parents saying that if he didn’t become the best they would get a divorce made my jaw hit the stairs of hell

- ““you really know a lot about this kinda stuff?,,,,but yeah, nigerian parents are hella strict. they expect high grades from us and if we don’t reach those high grades, we’re basically disowned..”

- See me personally I have tattoos, colored hair and piercings and my mom fresh off the banana boat carribean

- “Like Dr umar said “you will be never get freedom unless you take it” It’s like a hostage situation!”

- “Is that how you have them long ass acrylics?”

- “….I took it😙”

- He will never bring you home bc you’re always 5 mins from punching his mom in the mouth and he really cannot handle that especially when he’s gone 24/7 in blue lock and can’t talk to you

- They don’t know you but know you’re a bad influence so they hate you from afar

- Very pro “traumatize your parents back” and karasu right there w you

- He’ll he can even scoop up yukumiya to be on demon time👀

- “hit em with the “what if I stop soccer?” And they have nowhere to run but just sit there seething because they need you.”

- “Right the cards are in your hands.”

- “…..Respectfully love, you’re a whole ass delinquent and karasu you’re a scammer. I’m not taking advice from people with active warrants😐”

- Now back on my bullshit

- He be so fine when he use metavision

- Like he knows that if he glances over at you during one of his games he’s gunna find you squirming in your seat

- Looks at you after he scores a goal every time and flashes you that shit eating grin

- Win or loose he’s getting his dick wet!!

- Have a safe word

- He’s never gunna try to push you past your limits in a way that will hurt you

- Buuuuut he is pretty mean

- Imagine that cute innocent looking face smiling down at you with his round doe eyes

- Calling you a dumb slut

- Man is a menace and probably gets a higher sex drive the more he fucks

- Not even out of like lust overtaking him he just will be randomly thinking about how he had you on your knees in this very locker room before

- And now feels the strong urge to split you open on his cock

- It’s fun for him like a game

- And he always wins

- Only way you can get him is to outsmart him but like that’s once in a blue moon so good luck Charlie😅

- Mans is 6”1 so he’s effortlessly manhandling you and giggling at how much your body is screaming for him

- “Shit, ya keep squeezing me like that and I won’t be able to pull out.”

- Again because he dosent have a high libido as a carnal thing certain NORMAL shit will set him off

- Like you was talking about the weather now he has you bent over the couch??

- Nicknames would be one

- You call him blueberry and he’s ready to go

- The cute look on your face and the smile he can see that’s reserved for him

- The way he can same the hearts in your eyes when you look at him

- He wants to ruin you and make you cry

- Edging is his go too thing

- Will do it until your grabbing at his hands begging him to let you come and he’s laughing his ass off

- “Why? ‘S real funny seeing you this pathetic.”

- He’s very mean in that soft sweet condescending way that pisses you off

- “Ow! Yo that hurt!”

- “Mmm, don’t care.”

- Bites you all over like you’re a chew toy

- Feel like he’s tied with rin and shidou for leaving marks

- He’s a cheeky little bastard so he will have you in public looking like a mess and he couldn’t be more innocent standing right next to you

- “You good?”

- “Yeah,karasu I’m fine.”

- “You sure because you’re limping right now.”

- And this fucker is there like ☺️☺️☺️

- Weakness is distracting him while gaming

- He’s very whiney if you suck him off while he’s gaming and has vc on

- Like he’s barely holding back his whimpers and wines as you’re head is buried between his thighs

- (Rin , nagi and him def game like I know they play Minecraft together)

- “Oi, hiori you okay? You’ve been pretty quiet.”

- “M good.”

- He is fighting for his sanity!!

- Has locked the door a few times to keep you out

- Accidentally left the mic on when he thought the coast was clear and came HARD

- Rin will never EVER bring that shit up and is taking that secret to the grave

- Does get flustered when he sees you and hiori not-so-subtly sneaking off to have your hands all over each other

- Keeps that memory square in the back of his head to jack off to

- Hiori Yo is a very sadistic man with a lot of confidence

- So he has absolutely no qualms about fucking you in front of his teammates in the locker room

- Oh, the team walked in on him blowing your back out? Nothing is stoping them from showering and changing

- Shares you with isagi like that’s just what happens

- He wants to see the egoist be mean to you

- This has happened more than once and bastard München straight up knows if he’s nowhere to be found when they are heading back to the locker rooms

- He’s in there making you cry on his cock

- “Cmon, tell em how much you like creaming around my cock dollface.”

- Particularly of Kaiser is kicking attitude he’ll glare at him while you’re on your knees and dare him to try something

- Oh he don’t care about doing it in the pxg locker rooms either

- Shidou has unfortunately walked in on him sitting beside you on the ground pushing your head down so you can take Rin’s cock even deeper

- “Ne, Rin-Chan. Look at how I can see you in their throat.”

- Hiori if anything isn’t going to play by the rules or be fair about it

[applesauce42069]

Genuinely talk about cultural christianity, while I 100% acknowledge that I'm one there are still different forms of it like for example I was raised as a catholic in Latin America so lots of our traditions are very different from other cristians because they were mixed with the native population traditions and I do like those traditions because they are part of our cultural identity. I acknowledge the colonial source of them and I now all the christian denominations are build in antisemitism but those traditions are rooted so deep into me I don't think I will ever not be a cultural catholic.

Hello. My girlfriend was raised Catholic in Brazil, and her family is Catholic. I've learned how much Catholicism has influenced Brazilian culture and learned a lot about the traditions and I think it's so cool!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being culturally Christian. It is completely neutral. and Christianity has definitely had a massive impact on a wide variety of beautiful and interesting cultures.

Christianity is built on supersessionism and that sucks! At the same time, that doesn't mean that every Christian is bad or that Christianity needs to be destroyed. What would be nice if:

more people recognized that Cultural Christianity is a thing

many people deny this, especially in North America, because Christianity and its traditions are SO "neutral" to people. then, when we try to describe our experiences in the society we live in, to describe our oppression, they shut us down because in their mind: if they don't go to church, they have nothing to do with christianity. but the reality is that religion is so deeply ingrained in our cultures.

2. more christians recognized that supersessionism is a problem and learned to recognize Jews as worth of respect, not for any reason but that we're human and we deserve to be respected and considered in our own right

it would also be nice if more christians recognized that some of their texts are literally just appropriated. but i feel like that creates a deeper theological problem, idk.

my point is: cultural christianity isn't bad. it just is. but people have to decide how they are going to approach this dimension of privilege that most don't even recognize yet.