#french horn suffering

[rockchatterbox]

i have a school band concert tonight and the french horns just sit there resting for 25 measures straight in one of the songs. theres more rests after that that last about 4 measures each. the five of us also have to sit behind the clarinets while they play the cool part and we hold a high c.

[yowyowyaoi]

*At the newly rebuilt Uchiha compound*

Sasuke: So today’s the day, eh, old man? Are you nervous?

Obito, standing in front of a mirror: N-no! Why would I be nervous??

Madara, from his easy chair: You’ve only re-adjusted that tie about fifteen times now, boy. Tsk; all of this preparation for that eye-stealing son of a —

Itachi: Okay, “gramps”, we talked about this. You know it’s only by virtue of Kakashi Hatake’s compassion and mercy that you and Obito were allowed to remain free after the war. Be grateful.

Madara, grumbling: “Mercy”, indeed. He only pardoned us so that the Hokage wouldn’t be getting engaged to a war criminal.

Sasuke: All things considered, Kakashi has been great to all of us, Obito or no Obito. Look, he’s even going to go through this silly clan tradition of “performing” for your intended fiance’s Clan Elder in order to get permission to marry Obito.

Madara: The “clan elder” who SHOULD be me.

Obito, turning from the mirror: C’mon, gramps, we all voted on the wisest and fairest one here being Itachi. He beat you out fair and square; get over it already.

Itachi: I can’t wait to see what kind of act he’s going to put on for us. Does he even have any creative talents?

Obito: I’m not really sure, but I think he mentioned something about singing.

Sasuke: … Singing? I’ve never heard him —

*in the distance there’s a loud commotion coming up the road towards the house*

Madara: *sighs* Sounds like it’s starting; perhaps we should take our places outside.

*all of them go out into the courtyard, where there are prearranged chairs. Obito is the only one not in a chair; he takes a veil and uses it to cover his face, sitting on Itachi’s right side on the ground by his feet*

*A small parade marches up the road towards the house. Kakashi is in the center, dressed all in white. Naruto is on his right, playing a small drum ((slightly off-beat)), Gai is to Kakashi’s left, crying and playing a french horn, and Sakura is to Naruto’s right, skillfully playing a small keyboard strapped to her shoulders*

*they come to a stop directly in front of Itachi, and Kakashi kneels in the grass at Itachi’s feet*

Kakashi: Itachi Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan. I come before you this morning to receive your blessing to marry Obito Uchiha. As per the traditions of your clan, I have prepared a song that expresses my feelings for him.

Itachi, trying to keep the smile from his face: Proceed.

Kakashi: *stands and beckons to the group, who start to play a gentle-sounding melody*

Kakashi, opening his mouth and letting out a startling horrible singing voice: Obitooooo! I love you sooooo! Since we were little boys, and you would steal all of my toys —

*the Uchiha’s immediately go into telepathically communicating with each other*

Sasuke: Oh my God …

Madara: *laughing hysterically inside of all their minds* I KNEW it!! I knew this union wasn’t meant to be!

Obito: Shut up, Madara! Can’t you tell how heartfelt this is??

Madara: Heartfelt, or meant to make me feel like clawing my heart out of my chest so that I’m not here to suffer this anymore?

Itachi: He’s trying … it’s not so bad …

Kakashi: … and even though I’m not worthy of your claaaaan, I still want you, Obito, to be my maaaaaaan, so come on please, Itachi, give me his haaaaaand —

Sasuke: For God’s sake, even that tone-deaf dumbass Naruto is cringing! Big brother, please, just give him permission and end this! My ears can’t take much more!

Kakashi: And now for the second part of my song, I want to —

Itachi, out-loud: NO! N-no need for any more. You’ve convinced me; there is nobody more worthy of Obito Uchiha’s hand than you. *stands and takes Obito by the arm, lifting him to his feet, before placing his hand in Kakashi’s* Emgagement granted. Come back tomorrow and we shall dine together and discuss plans for a wedding.

*cheers erupt as Kakashi moves Obito’s veil back from his face, and the two kiss*

Sasuke, to Sakura: I’m glad that’s over. I can’t imagine having had to sit through a second verse.

Sakura, grinning: Oh if you thought THAT was bad, wait until you hear the act that Naruto’s got planned for when he comes to ask Itachi for your hand. Lets just say I’ve got my medical team working on hearing aids and prosthetic ears for everyone as we speak.

Sasuke:

[book-of-forbidden-knowledge]

What is Baphomet?

Baphomet is simultaneously one of the most iconic and enigmatic occult symbols, practically synonymous with occultism itself. Most people don’t know what it means or where it comes from, they just know that it’s the goat-headed thing.

The name “Baphomet” comes from a conspiracy involving the Knights Templar in the eleventh century. I’m not going to go through the whole history of the Templars here — the short version is that they were an independent Catholic military that was getting too rich and too powerful, so they were accused of heresy and shut down. Specifically, they were accused of idolatry, of worshipping a figure called “Baphomet.” Baphomet was not a goat-headed figure, not yet. “Baphomet” was originally a corruption of “Mahamut,” Mohammed. The Templars were accused of being Muslims. To medieval Catholics, there wasn’t a meaningful difference between being Muslim and worshipping Satan, so, it amounted to the same thing.

Fast forward to the nineteenth century, and a French occultist named Alphonse Constant, using the pen name Eliphas Levi, wrote a book called The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic. This was one of the most influential occult books of the nineteenth century. For this book, Levi designed the goat-headed figure that most of us associate with the name Baphomet:

It’s a striking, disquieting image, and I believe that Levi intended for people to misinterpret it. Most people think it’s supposed to represent Satan, because of the goat’s head (and because the Satanic Temple has adopted it as a mascot). And that’s sort of true? Levi did base his picture in part on XV The Devil from the Tarot de Marseille (and the Rider-Waite card was, in turn, based on Baphomet), and he begins Chapter 15 of Ritual by saying that the frontispiece to the book (i.e. the image above) depicts the Devil: “the exact figure of the terrible emperor of the night.” But he seems to have interpreted The Devil itself not in the traditional way, but as a personification of raw magical force.

According to Levi himself, in the book that originated the image, here’s what it’s supposed to represent:

The goat which is represented in our frontispiece bears upon its forehead the Sign of the Pentagram with one point in the ascendant, which is sufficient to distinguish it as a symbol of the light. Moreover, the sign of occultism is made with both hands, pointing upward to the white moon of Chesed, and downward to the black moon of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect concord between mercy and justice. One of the arms is feminine and the other masculine, as in the androgyne of Khunrath, those attributes we have combined with those of our goat, since they are one and the same symbol. The torch of intelligence burning between the horns is the magical light of universal equilibrium; it is also the type of the soul, exalted above matter, even while cleaving to matter, as the flame cleaves to the torch. The monstrous head of the animal expresses horror of sin, for which the material agent, alone responsible, must alone and for ever bear the penalty, because the soul is impassible in its nature and can suffer only by materializing. The caduceus, which, replaces the generative organ, represents eternal life; the scale-covered belly typifies water; the circle above it is the atmosphere, the feathers still higher up signify the volatile; lastly, humanity is depicted by the two breasts and the androgyne arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences. Behold the shadows of the infernal sanctuary dissipated! Behold the sphinx of mediaeval terrors unveiled and cast from his throne! Quomodo cedidisti, Lucifer! —The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic, chapter 15

Let’s break this down:

Baphomet has an upright pentagram on its forehead. It was Levi himself who first identified the upright pentagram as divine and the inverted pentagram as Satanic — a single point up represents spirit over matter, and two points up represents matter over spirit. So, by putting an upright pentagram on its head, he identifies Baphomet as a divine being.

It makes the gesture of benediction with its hands. (I found a question on this site asking if the gesture of benediction was Satanic because Baphomet was making it. *sigh*) One hand is pointing up, and one is pointing down, signifying “as above, so below.” The “above” is the macrocosm, either the literal universe at large or the divine realms. The “below” is the microcosm, life on earth or the human body itself. If you affect one, you affect the other. (Rider-Waite’s “The Magician” card makes a similar above/below gesture.)

The moons represent Chesed and Gevurah, Mercy and Severity (respectively). These are two of the Sephiroth on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, dual aspects of God. The white/black could also stand in for the pillars of the temple of Solomon, which are also represented in the Rider-Waite High Priestess card and the Chariot card (as the black and white sphinxes), and also appear in a lot of Masonic imagery. Unification of opposites is a generally important idea in occultism.

Baphomet is an androgyne, with female breasts and a very phallic caduceus, reiterating the theme of unification of opposites. In alchemical art, the Philosopher’s Stone is often represented by an equally weird image called a rebis, which is half-male and half-female, and often has dragon-like wings.

The words on its arms, “solve” and “coagula,” mean “to separate” and “to bring together.” They summarize the alchemical Great Work, which is a cyclical process of constantly dissolving and combining matter in order to refine it. The process of spiritual advancement works the same way.

The torch on its head represents intelligence, divine knowledge, and enlightenment, the soul over the body. The wings represent spirituality and the ascension of the soul (i.e. the volatile), while the goat’s head and other animal features represent materiality and corporeality, the sinfulness or heaviness that binds one to the earth during life (i.e. the fixed).

All four elements and all types of beings are represented by its body: The torch represents fire, the wings represent air and birds, the goat’s head and feet represent earth and mammals, the scales on its belly represent water and fish, and the human torso represents mankind.

The caduceus in its lap, in addition to being a phallic symbol, is representative of magical power, healing, and bringing together of opposites. (Apparently also “eternal life,” which is probably an extension of the phallic ability to beget life.) The circle behind it also resembles an ouroboros, which has a range of important meanings — pantheism (all the universe is in the mind of God), the primordial darkness before creation (prima materia), eternity, cyclical generation and destruction.

TL;DR: Baphomet is a symbol of all significant occult principles, and the entire Great Work of alchemy.

According to Raven Digitalis, you could also see the entire Kabbalistic Tree of Life in this image (the torch is Kether, the horns Binah and Chokmah, the pentagram Da’ath, the hands/moons Chesed and Gevurah, the breasts Tiphereth, the legs Hod and Netzach, the caduceus Yesod, and the feet Malkuth). In chapter six of Ritual, Levi says that Baphomet or the Devil is one of many forms of the “Great Magical Agent,” the force behind magic itself. Other symbols of it include the primordial serpent that appears throughout world mythology, and the Gnostic Abrasax. (Carl Jung called it Atmaviktu.). It is a powerful, primeval force that must be in service of the magician, rather than the magician in service of it. To Levi, the Devil of the Witches’ Sabbath is one form of an ancient god, whom he identifies with Pan and Banebdjedet (Khnum). Personally, I identify the Baphomet image as a form of Mercurius, since the alchemical tradition uses Hermes to represent all of the stuff in the above list. Baphomet is a personification of Magic, both its force and its process.

In short, it’s genius. Levi manages to communicate so much through this one image, but all people seem to remember is the goat’s head.

People are repulsed by Baphomet, and that’s part of the point. The idea is that the uninitiated will look at this image and see merely the Devil, missing all of the intricate magical symbolism within it, no matter how blatantly obvious it is. The image acts like one of those alchemical emblems — a cryptic and maybe disturbing image, the real meaning of which will only be understood by a few. The Latin at the end of Levi’s explanation means, roughly, “How you have fallen, Lucifer!” We’ve revealed the secrets of Baphomet, so, we’ve mastered and disempowered him. But for the average person looking at that image, it’s still an arcane idol that reigns on its throne. That makes it an ideal tool for the Satanic Temple to use in order to troll ignorant Christians who want the Ten Commandments in government buildings.

I’m the sort of person who wants all the Mysteries to be made public. That’s why I write stuff like this, to explain what all this stuff means. So, I want people to understand what Baphomet is actually supposed to be, instead of just assuming it’s Satan. Is Baphomet Satan? Yes, and no. Levi does not believe in Satan as an actual entity representing metaphysical evil — he believes that Satan is a “misdirected” projection of all of our own sins, shortcomings, and instincts (what Jung called the Shadow). If God is pure Being, then Satan is necessarily Nonbeing. Levi writes, “No one has ever blasphemed God. The insults and mockeries addressed to His disfigured images attain Him not.” If Baphomet is the Shadow of God, then the Shadow aspect of God is the one that attends upon magicians. The mystical God, the god of magic, is much more terrifying and off-putting than the vanilla version. But part of being an occultist is being able to stare down the dark God, and come away with mystical insight, a better understanding of the spiritual world than everyone else has. Baphomet is God at its most obscure and its most revealing.

[hazbinsponsoredbyvee]

My brain would not shut the fuck up for 2 seconds, so to satisfy it, have a compilation of out of context questions and shitty takes:

1. So I sold my soul to Alastor for jambalaya (would've done it for free frfr), what do i call you now? Sir? Boss? Daddy? AHEM, what do your souls even do? Will I just join the hotel? Cuz I'm fine with that.

2. Can Angel shoot webs out of his ass? (I don't know where the fuck this came from)

3. Husk, do you blink slowly at the people you trust and love? Cuz cats do that.

4. Charlie do you bleat like a goat?

5. Does Alastor taste like venison? Experience rut? Also, can you make different calls besides squeaks and bleats? Do your horns get stuck on shit? Ever broke Vox's screen with a 'love tap'? Also did you know there's a ship with you and your mom? That shit is vile

6. Do y'all know Lilith is just in heaven, drinking a slushie on the beach while y'all are out here suffering?

7. Luci what's your opinion on the other sins? (All of em)

8. Vox what your best 'Alastor got drunk and cuddly story?' Also did you ever convinced him to wear a dress? (I'm not talking about the bets, talking about you actually managing to convince him yourself, no strings attached, to wear a dress.) Is your dick a cable? Do you eat batteries? And are you aware of how creative your simps are? (ESPECIALLY ON PINTEREST ISTG PEOPLE ARE NOT WELL)

9. Vaggie, did you ever watch Encanto and notice that Mirabel sounds like you? Also, you're Spanish, right? (Yay, like me, matchy), what's your fave dish?

10. Val what was the fucking point of trying to drug Vox? Like? Even if it worked, Alastor would've fucked you up so hard your dick would come out of your mouth. Did you just think he'd be mad at Vox for getting fucking raped? Idiot.

11. Husk, did you ever perform in front of a crowd? Because if I'd have your voice, I'd never shut up.

12. Niffty, have you heard of Vox's employee, Baxter? He's like Sir. Pentios but a way better bad boy, about your height, and a mad scientist. Bet he could make experiments on your bugs and find new ways to kill em or sum.

13. Velvette, my fucking queen, on my knees for you, ugh, it's your voice or your personality, idk what, but I want it. Give it. I love u queen. What's your fave dress you ever made?

14. If Vox would be a princess, he'd be a greedy princess. I scouted the internet for anything, and after being reminded that El Dorado exists, I think the best I found is Chel. She's smart and greedy, and wants more gold. That's the best i found. Or just fuck it and you're Ariel but a shark. Now I have to draw that.

15. Angel did you discover you were gay back when you were alive or in hell? Also, how was it Italy? I plan on visiting and maybe going to a concert at it, cause the language sounds so fucking pretty and idk how to describe it, just beauty.

16. So, Alastor, is Niffty in a contract with you afterall, or did she just exist in your house one day and you just adopted her? Also, Charlie can now technically call you dad, cause your her mom's boyfriend, so maybe stepdad? Second dad?

17. Charlie girl, you did it! You fixed your mommy issues with your dad, your new mom, and your mom's boyfriend.

18. Hazbing hotel should be renamed issues hotel, cuz we got Daddy issues (Angel, Alastor, Husk I think?), Mommy issues (Charlie ((she kinda solved them)), Pentios maybe), parent issues (Husk ig, Vox, maybe velvette? Cuz if she was just 19 ((young kween, we stan u girl)), I imagine her parents sucked ((boo, tomato tomato))), uh, just straight up issues (Luci, Vaggie, I recon Val had a shitty life) and a shitton of trauma.

19. Alastor did you wear cattle shoes back when you were alive? Also, how is New Orleans? I think it looks really pretty and has a beautiful beautiful culture. Maybe if I have money, I'll visit! See where my fave serial killer murderer came from. Also, is French hard to learn? I'd like to give it a shot. Last thing: drop that lash care girllll, why do men have such pretty lashes? Scratch that, why are men like you so pretty?

20. Be gay, do crime, eat boys up, idk, peace ✌️

—a very sleep deprived bird anon

1. So I sold my soul to Alastor for jambalaya (would've done it for free frfr), what do i call you now? Sir? Boss? Daddy? AHEM, what do your souls even do? Will I just join the hotel? Cuz I'm fine with that.

"Boss will do just fine. And you can do as you please - I'm not like some, who require their souls to tirelessly work for them. I'll call on you if I have need."

2. Can Angel shoot webs out of his ass? (I don't know where the fuck this came from)

"Uh, no."

3. Husk, do you blink slowly at the people you trust and love? Cuz cats do that.

"Not that I'm aware of."

4. Charlie do you bleat like a goat?

"Um, no, I'm... not a goat."

5. Does Alastor taste like venison? Experience rut? Also, can you make different calls besides squeaks and bleats? Do your horns get stuck on shit? Ever broke Vox's screen with a 'love tap'? Also did you know there's a ship with you and your mom? That shit is vile

"I suppose my flavor profile might bear some similarities to venison, but I imagine I do taste rather different. I don't experience rut, I can make different sounds, and no, my horns do not get stuck - I can shrink them easily. I have broken Vox's screen while fighting and when he's attempted to wake me up, but I wouldn't qualify either as a 'love tap'. And I do wish you hadn't shared that."

6. Do y'all know Lilith is just in heaven, drinking a slushie on the beach while y'all are out here suffering?

"Yeah, you're not the first person to share that. But Charlie doesn't know, and I'm keeping it that way until I get more answers. It would crush her."

7. Luci what's your opinion on the other sins? (All of em)

"They're like family, and like most families, I get along with some more than others. Ozzie is definitely who I'm closest to, Bee's always fun, Levy's cool, Bel's great, Satan and I butt heads sometimes, and Mammon... can admittedly get on my nerves."

8. Vox what your best 'Alastor got drunk and cuddly story?' Also did you ever convinced him to wear a dress? (I'm not talking about the bets, talking about you actually managing to convince him yourself, no strings attached, to wear a dress.) Is your dick a cable? Do you eat batteries? And are you aware of how creative your simps are? (ESPECIALLY ON PINTEREST ISTG PEOPLE ARE NOT WELL)

"I'm not telling you a whole story when you asked so fucking much. No, I haven't gotten him in a dress outside of the bet. Do you have any idea how much he hates deviating from his look? And no, my dick is not a cable, and I don't eat batteries. But yes, of course my simps are very creative. Right, Mel?"

9. Vaggie, did you ever watch Encanto and notice that Mirabel sounds like you? Also, you're Spanish, right? (Yay, like me, matchy), what's your fave dish?

"I haven't noticed that, and um... as I've mentioned before, I don't really have any memories before joining Adam's army. I used to think I was Heavenborn, but I get these flashes, and... I think I might be from Central America? I don't know. I do love tamales, I know that."

10. Val what was the fucking point of trying to drug Vox? Like? Even if it worked, Alastor would've fucked you up so hard your dick would come out of your mouth. Did you just think he'd be mad at Vox for getting fucking raped? Idiot.

"They weren't even together yet. Alastor wouldn't have even known anything happened, if you idiotas hadn't gotten involved. Voxxy just would have chosen to stay with me, and their little budding romance would have fizzled out as it should have."

11. Husk, did you ever perform in front of a crowd? Because if I'd have your voice, I'd never shut up.

"I mean, I used to be a stage magician, so... yeah."

12. Niffty, have you heard of Vox's employee, Baxter? He's like Sir. Pentios but a way better bad boy, about your height, and a mad scientist. Bet he could make experiments on your bugs and find new ways to kill em or sum.

"Ooooh, Vox, I want to meet Baxter!"

13. Velvette, my fucking queen, on my knees for you, ugh, it's your voice or your personality, idk what, but I want it. Give it. I love u queen. What's your fave dress you ever made?

"Everything I make is the best - how the fuck can I pick one favorite?"

14. If Vox would be a princess, he'd be a greedy princess. I scouted the internet for anything, and after being reminded that El Dorado exists, I think the best I found is Chel. She's smart and greedy, and wants more gold. That's the best i found. Or just fuck it and you're Ariel but a shark. Now I have to draw that.

"Haven't seen it, so I'll take your word for it."

15. Angel did you discover you were gay back when you were alive or in hell? Also, how was it Italy? I plan on visiting and maybe going to a concert at it, cause the language sounds so fucking pretty and idk how to describe it, just beauty.

"When I was alive, and uh... yeah, my family's Italian, but I'm from New York. Lived there my whole life. Neva' been to Italy."

16. So, Alastor, is Niffty in a contract with you afterall, or did she just exist in your house one day and you just adopted her? Also, Charlie can now technically call you dad, cause your her mom's boyfriend, so maybe stepdad? Second dad?

"Niffty is my friend - of course I don't own her soul! And I was already a father-figure to Charlie, but I never seriously meant that she should call me dad."

17. Charlie girl, you did it! You fixed your mommy issues with your dad, your new mom, and your mom's boyfriend.

"Uh... I don't think that's how that works..."

18. Hazbing hotel should be renamed issues hotel, cuz we got Daddy issues (Angel, Alastor, Husk I think?), Mommy issues (Charlie ((she kinda solved them)), Pentios maybe), parent issues (Husk ig, Vox, maybe velvette? Cuz if she was just 19 ((young kween, we stan u girl)), I imagine her parents sucked ((boo, tomato tomato))), uh, just straight up issues (Luci, Vaggie, I recon Val had a shitty life) and a shitton of trauma.

"Fuck off, my dad was awesome."

"And for the last time, I don't have 'daddy issues'. My mother did just fine on her own."

19. Alastor did you wear cattle shoes back when you were alive? Also, how is New Orleans? I think it looks really pretty and has a beautiful beautiful culture. Maybe if I have money, I'll visit! See where my fave serial killer murderer came from. Also, is French hard to learn? I'd like to give it a shot. Last thing: drop that lash care girllll, why do men have such pretty lashes? Scratch that, why are men like you so pretty?

"I did, and New Orleans is indeed beautiful. I strongly recommend a visit! And I must admit, I don't speak fluent French. I can speak some Creole French that I picked up throughout my life. It was never something I studied, though. As for your last question, I'm afraid I don't quite know how to answer that."

Note from Mel: Please only send one or two asks at a time. This was a bit overwhelming, and it makes tagging complicated.

[a-roguish-gambit]

Idea Morph or Kevin Sydney use to be Warren favorite actor secret crush maybe seeing them at the mansion would completely brighten him up a bit?

Fun fact: one of the early "cures" (i.e. methods of bringing one out of a PTSD episode) after PTSD was initially discovered was having performers come in and sing and entertain the soldiers suffering from it. So that would probably be their go to. Warren's family being a big donor of the Xavier institute might ask to have him visit every so often as a form of treatment. Morph is happy to get to do some show tune performances again, and some of the kids who have been practicing instruments join in too for various recitals of what they have been practicing. (Evan has been learning the French horn, Gambit can play guitar, rogue has violin training she's picking up again, and Kitty can play piano, and jean plays harpsicord, and Kurt is very happy he found out about mallet instruments like marimba and has been learning several at once) it becomes a weekly therapy session for him. Warren starts leaving a generous donation to the institute himself for the help. Charles insists it's not necessary, but Warren always replies "if nothing else use it as a gift to the kids to let them have some fun."

Coney Island and ocean city trips become a regular thing as a result.

[ymeisli]

pursing my marching band codywan au so here’s my lineup

obi-wan

Euphonium player

THERES A METHOD TO MY MADNESS

he feels low brassy to me but not low brass enough for like the boring parts

that’s why euphonium is perfect for him because it’s low brass but you get interesting parts

Cody

trumpet

he’s the only normal one there

Anakin

soooo drumline

cymbals in freshmen year, switches to tenors, and ends up a loud ass snare player

he just likes making noise bro

Ahsoka

ALTO SAX

ALTO SAX

ALTO SAX

Padme

Mellophone/French horn

no explanation

i love her

obi wan and cody are the drum majors obi wan the head dm and cody assistant dm. yoda plays bari sax and is the bd. obi wan kenobi suffers everyday because he is forced to sit next to quinlan vos (trombone)

i don’t know what what to do with anyone else send help i need ideas!! scenarios!!! people and their instruments!!! 😭😭

[roachymochi]

Got an idea impossible to coalesce about fingers and horns in the Land of Shadow.

finger ruins being properly ancients and the inhabitants of the land at the time, seeing the divine in them, trying to commune with them to become fingers themselves.

The way the finger mushroom grow in cluster like a seven fingered hand (like Rykards')

The fingercreepers being called "finger-grubs" in french version

Hornsents worshipping horns cluster as a true manifestation of the divine

The inquisitors of the ruling class having two clusters of horns on each side of the head

The way hornsents horns looks like fat grubs bursting out of flesh.

The duality imagery being both an hornsent and two fingers trademark

How the hornsent suffer from a bug transformation disease

The presence of Metyr, and her wound, and her hatred, and the formless mother craving wound and violence against the golden order, granting her blessing to the omens.

How there are so many aspects of the Crucible but the Hornsent are solely focused on horns as a blessing.

The existence of the wormface, and their codename being Déracinée. Like people who lost their land. and how their worm covered face look similar to the horns growing down on the hornsent grandma

The Hornsent (NPC) stone grub Mask being used in rituals and somehow having the highest focus stat of the game.

How worms are growing in the pots and make food for the prisonners, all that linked to an hallowing ritual

Like. Are divine horns just a manifestation of the fingers in human (and animal) flesh. How would that work. Horns as Worms as Fingers.

[karolane-lewizz]

HORRID HENRY OC??? YES. (REMEMBER I'M STILL SCARED OF CHILDRENS UUUH IT'S CALLED AN OC FOR A REASON) <3

MERRY CHRISTMAS AS WELL!!

Name: Kooky Karolane

Aliases: Karo, Karolane, Idiot (by Horrid Henry)

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: Unknown, possibly same as Henry's age (IT'S NOT ME REMEMBER THAT :/)

Height: 3'8 (111 cm)

Species: Human/Demon

Sexuality: Pansexual

Appearence: Karolane is a young girl with pale skin, long brown hair with small ponytails along with pink ribbons, and black pins on her bangs. She has freckles on her cheeks, blue eyes along with small fangs, a tooth gap between her front teeth, and a missing tooth. She has a black ribbon as a choker. She wears a rainbow oversized sweater, with the kanji "夢" (meaning "dream" in Japanese) written on it. She wears a blue skirt, along with white socks and black shoes. She also has black painted nails and is a bit chubby.

Demon from:

Her clothes are the same, but she has purple skin, red eyes, small black horns with big black wings, a demon tail and sharped teeth.

Personnality:

Karolane is a kooky, mean, clumsy and a big troublemaker who loves to prank people, but is still mentally unstable.

Mental disorders: Karolane suffers from ADHD, PTSD, arachnophobia, depression, athazagoraphobia, social anxiety, school phobia, obsessive love disorder, schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder , insomnia, dissociative syndrome, Peter Pan syndrome, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, hyperventilation, Balint syndrome and dementia due to a trauma when she was in a foster care, before living with Moody Margaret's family, she feels better and expresses her frustration and loneliness by being a troublemaker.

Karolane's interests:

Likes: Pranking, anime, ribbons, and Japanese culture. She finds solace in watching anime and mimics some of her favorite characters in her behavior.

Dislikes: Her mental disorders, being neglected/left out, jewelry, good manners, authority, and anything that seems "too perfect."

Relationships (REMEMBER IT'S AN OC NOT MY REAL SELF I LOVE SUNEKICHI NOT HENRY):

- Horrid Henry: Crush (OC)

- Perfect Peter: Friend (sometimes)/Target (for pranks)

- Moody Margaret: Adoptive Sister/Frenemy

- Aerobic Al: Frenemy

- Rude Ralph: Best Friend/Close Friend

- Brainy Brian: Frenemy

- Sour Susan: Enemy

- Gorgeous Gurinder: Enemy

- Singing Soraya: Unknown/Possible Friend

- Weepy William: Best Friend/Crush (OC)

Trivia:

◾ Karolane is the shortest of the class.

◾ Her birthday is the 4th of September.

◾ She's a borderline sugar addict.

◾ She has a soft spot for kittens, Weepy William and anything Japanese related.

◾ She sometimes uses Japanese words, sometimes calling Mrs. Battle-Axe a "baka" ("idiot" in Japanese).

◾ She can easily be picked up.

◾ She's a cosplayer.

◾ She's dumb, but pretends to be innocent as well.

◾ She feels bad for Weepy William, and would sometimes comfort him.

◾ She doesn't like being with girls at all.

◾ Her French name is "Karolane Cancane".

◾ She can sing any heavy and dark metal song.

◾ She sometimes wants to do concerts after school.

◾ She can't swim.

Hey, why not do a small comic of my Horrid Henry OC and the characters by the wayy. x3

Bye byeee

[cottoncandiescupcakes]

Weirdest Dutch words when literally translated.

Peanut butter = pindakaas = peanut cheese

Ladybug = lieveheersbeestje = sweet ruling small beast

Other word for lady bug = kapoentje = a word also used for a small rooster

Sandwich = boterham = butter ham

Hippo = nijlpaard = horse of the nile

Some weird cuss words:

mierenneuker = ant fucker

kloothommel = ball sack bumblebee

Pissebed = isopod. 'Pee in bed'

Oorwurm = ear worm or earwig

ijsberen = polar bearing aka pacing back and forth

pannekoek = pancake, also used to call someone an idiot.

The word 'gadverdamme' which basically means disgusting or ew, also shortened into 'gadver'

is a word taken from the cuss word 'godverdomme' which means god damn me, also shortened into 'godver'.

Pestlijer = plague sufferer. Other used with tyfus (typhus) and kanker (cancer)

Val dood = fall to your death

Ga naar de hel = go to hell

More word random words

Eekhoorn = squirrel aka old word for oak tree horn

Eenhoorn = unicorn aka one horn

Neushoorn = rhino aka nose horn

Patatje oorlog = war fries. French fries with peanut sauce, mayonaise and raw chopped onions. Way better than it sounds.

Hollandse nieuwe = Dutch new, the first caught young herring of the season to be eaten raw

Klok house = apple core aka clock house

Handschoenen = hand shoes, gloves.

Spijkerbroek = iron nail pants. Jeans.

@ is called an apenstaartje or monkey's tail

Schildpad aka turtle = shielded toad

Slachtoffer = slaughter sacrifice which is the Dutch word for ANY victim. Could be murder could be like, you got scammed.

The Dutch word for gums is tandvlees aka TOOTH MEAT

We are on crack

Slakken = snails

Naaktslakken = ‘naked snails’ (slug)

Mushroom is a paddestoel aka a chair for toads.

Vogelbekdier is platypus but it means literally bird beak animal

Huppelkut - skipping c*nt, a ditzy girl

Bakvis - baking fish, a teenage girl

Zeehond - sea dog aka seal LOL

[littleeyesofpallas]

SUEZOU[スエゾー] ...i swear i used to know some kind of trivia about what Suezo meant but now I can't for the life of me remember it...

MELONBO[メロンボ]the MELON part is obvious but I'm not exactly sure what the -BO bit is meant to scan as... Just a goofy sounding little suffix? Monster Rancher does seem to do that not infrequently.. MELON BALL[メロンボール]? MELON BOY[メロンボーイ]? MELON-BOU[坊] like "Melon Monk" in reference to a monk's bald head? Who knows... If it wasn't clear the scale pattern it gets from its Dino/Zuum subtype is supposed to look like the pattern of a Japanese musk melon.

IWAZOU[イワゾー] from IWA[岩]: "Boulder/rock" and SUEZO. (I do appreciate that the new LINE monster farm mobile game made the rocky texture more apparent than the original games, where it was just kinda gray and veiny)

TSUNOMARU[ツノマル] from TSUNO[角]: "Horn" and -MARU[丸] which is both a common namifying suffix for boys' names, and can literally mean "round." Incidentally the phrase Tsunomaru[角丸] is also a term referring to "rounded corners" like in graphic design. (Oddly MR2 opted to remove the horn, although it got put back later.)

PINKY[ピンキー] nothing complicated here name-wise. (It had kind of unique design in MR1, but they took its little ear/wing/fin thingies. Then when they brought it back it had the awful lipstick and like homer simpson/sonic the hedgehog muzzle. I miss when the Suezos had unique eye textures.)

MUSHI-ME[ムシメ] from MUSHI[虫]: "bug" and ME[目]: "eye" (oddly japanese doesn't seem to have a phrased similar to the english, "bug-eyed" so that's not a play on that, just literal.)

EYES-BEE[アイズビー] skipping ahead a bit, just so we can have worm and /beaclon together. It's just EYES and BEE from Beaclon, but itself from BEETLE.

SUKEZOU[スケゾー] from SUKERO[透ける]: "see through/transparent" and SUEZO. (MR4 and on opted out of the horrifying teeth version and just made it more obviously a jell texture; i like that they added the core but im suprised they didnt just make it the eyeball itself.)

GAMBA[ガンバ] from GANBA[頑張]: "effort/endurance/struggle" the root of things like gambatte[頑張って] and gambaru[頑張る] and gambare[頑張れ] meaning variously things like "keep going"/"persist"/"don't give up"/"try hard" etc... (There is an older anime called GAMBA-no-Bouken[ガンバの冒険]: "Gamba's Adventure" starring a little mouse, so kind of adjacent to Ham's lost hamster theme?) (also boy the suezo family really kinda suffers from oversimplifying their gimmicks as the games wen on huh? The original had its neat little nubbin ears sorta halfway between the original suezo's head fins (which never came back) and Hare's ears, but the MR2 design went full caveman with it, just being a hairy suezo. But MR4 and on went super literal with the fusion and just slapped rabbit ears on it.)

ORION[オリオン] like the constellation. Funny enough the actual mythological hunter Orion doesn't seem to factor into the choice of constellation this one is named after, just a link to the broader stary theme. (Kinda shocking this one never made a come back. It was one of the cooler suezo combos)

AKA-ME[アカメ] from AKA[赤]:"red" and ME[目]" "eye"

NORIZOU[ノリゾー] is this supposed to be a reference to the color and texture of NORI[海苔]: "seaweed"? Generally that's considered either green or black, but there are some that are definitely a kind of reddish purple tint.

PLUMLER[プラムラー] so my instinct was the assume the PURA-[プラ] was from PLANT[プラント] but it looks like it might be from PLUM[プラム] after all... my main hangup was that the coloration is not recognizably like a plum at all, but the LINE special skin makes it very obvious. Which retroactively seems to suggest that it's supposed to have been like an unripe plum this whole time???? That seems a weirdly obtuse way to go about that

AESTHETICIAN[エステシャン] or possibly the french ESTHÉTICIEN since in English it'd probably be more commonly referred to as "Beautician." Anyway it's a term for a skincare professional.

WAKUSEI[ワクセイ] from WAKUSEI[惑星]; "planet"

ANKOU[アンコウ] from ANKOU[鮟鱇] japanese name for the "monkfish"/"goosefish"/"seadevil" all different types of angler fish

KINZOU[キンゾー] from KIN[金]: "Gold" and SUEZO

GINZOU[ギンゾー] from GIN[銀]: "Silver" and SUEZO

BRONZEZOU[ブロンズゾー] BRONZE SUEZO

BETAPIN[ベタピン] apparently a japanese golfing term for a ball that lands on the green and close enough to the hole that it's more or less a guaranteed sink on the next putt.

Sueki Suezou[すえきすえぞー] Seems to be a play on SUEKI[末生]: "End (of) Life" having the same SU-E syllables as SUEZO, which seems like it would suggest SUEZO also means SUE-[末-]: "End..." something, but I can't make a guess as to what.

USAZOU[ウサゾー]from USAGI[兎]: "Rabbit" and SUEZO

FUKAZOU[フカゾー] from FUKA[鱶]: "(large) shark" and SUEZO

MONZOU[モンゾー] MONKEY SUEZO

TANUZOU[タヌゾー] presumably TANUKI[狸] and SUEZO but it's drawn almost more like a racoon?? The problem is it's impossible to tell because apart from the tail the most distinguishing feature is the difference in their little face markings over the eyes, which you can't see with only one eye...

SUECHIYO[スエチヨ] I have no idea what this one is... It seems to be similarly themed to Ghost's Chonmage, with the exaggerated makeup, topknot, and folding fan; I feel like it's a type of staged comedy performance that I've definitely seen before, but I don't know how to pinpoint a name for it

AKAMARU[アカマル] from AKA[赤]:"red" and -MARU[丸] the namefying suffix, that can also be read as "round" in reference to Suezo's head shape.

EBIZOU[エビゾー] from EBI[海老]: "shrimp/prawn" and SEUZO. a fun play on Arrowhead's shellfish and Suezo having a bodyshape like a shrimp

TSUKAREME[ツカレメ]from TSUKAREME[疲れ目]: "eyestrain"

TAKO-NO-ME[タコノメ] from the TAKO[蛸]:"octopus" in Takopii, and -no-me[の目] alltogether reading as "Eye of octopus." (shame it's a GBA exclusive so it doesnt actually have a unique design, it would be really cool to have a suezo with an octopus pupil)

HAJIKE-DAMA[ハジケダマ] from HAJIKERU[弾ける]: "to burst(open)/to pop" or "to bounce" and TAMA[玉]: 'ball"

METAL-SUE[メタルスエ] METAL SUEZO

AKU-DAMA[アクダマ] from AKU[悪]: "evil" and TAMA[玉]: 'ball"

BROWN-EYE[ブラウンアイ]

GIRIMEKHALA[ギリメカラ] a mythic figure in buddhist lore; a monstrous elephant that marches in the demon Mara's army of evil. I've seen it depicted as blue and with one eye, despite the fact that I don't know if that's accurate to its religious origins or just a popculture thing. Anyway it seems like this is meant as a play on the way Suezo's headon view makes its tail look like it could be an elephant trunk. Kinda misses the effect when it doesnt have an elephant's iconic ears...

JYAGAN-JI[ジャガンジ] JYAGAN[邪眼]: "evil eye" and I assume JII[ジー] the sound effect used in manga for silently staring or glaring.

NEKO-ME[ネコメ] from NEKOME[猫目]: "cat eye"

CHERRY[チェリー]

LUNA-BALL[ルナボール]

NIGHT-VISION[ナイトビジョン]

EARTH-EYE[アースアイ]

ZANZOU[ザンゾー] ZAN and SUEZO

TORI-ME[トリメ] TORI[鳥]: "bird" and ME[目]: "eye"

YAKYUU-KOZOU[ヤキューコゾウ] from YAKYUU[野球]: "baseball" and KOZOU[小僧]: "youngster/kid/boy"

SUE-SEIJIN[スエセイジン] SUEZO SEIJIN[星人] which ends up reading like, "Suezo-Planet Person"/"Person (from) Planet-Suezo"

TOROZOU[トロゾー]

SHIROZOU[シロゾー] from SHIRO[白]: "white" and SUEZO

MOCHIMARU[モチマル] MOCCHI and -MARU[丸] the namefying suffix, that can also be read as "round" in reference to Suezo's head shape.

MIMIZOU[ミミゾー] from MIMI[耳]: "Ear(s)" and SUEZO

TENTENZOU[テンテンゾー] I assume from TENSHI[天使]: "angel" lit."heaven+messenger"

HELMZOU[ヘルムゾー] supposedly a Suezo/Durahan in the 1MillionMan Monster Farm app, it doesn't appear in any English language records of the English language My Monster Rancher version though...

And added in LINE Monster Farm the mobile game for the first time,

HIGANBANA[ヒガンバナ] a Suezo/Phonexi. Japanese name for the red spiderlily, HIGANBANA[彼岸花] lit. "(the)other-shore flower" references the River Sanzu, that divides the world of the living and the dead, "the other shore" being the land of the dead.

[dustedmagazine]

Cloud Cult — Alchemy Creek (Earthology)

Alchemy Creek is Cloud Cult’s 12th album. During the late 2010s, the band had taken a hiatus. Their return in 2022 with the album Metamorphosis was an excellent release, leaning into a chamber pop aesthetic with an enlarged cohort of musicians, some playing classical instruments. The same lineup returns for Alchemy Creek: Craig Minowa, singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist, is joined by violinist Shannon Frid-Rubin, drummer Jeremy Harvey, Shawn Neary playing bass, banjo and trombone, Sarah Perbix, playing keyboard, French horn and trumpet and Daniel Zamzow, playing cello and mandola. An unorthodox contributor to their shows and videos is the live painter Scott West. Together they make music that extols environmental causes, compassion for fellow humans, and catharsis for emotional suffering in the post-pandemic era.

“I Am a Forcefield” is a song that reminds us that our inner child can be a protective force, a reminder of our sense of self. Christopher Robin, leading a band of imaginary friends, battles it out with the demons of aversion in a lyric ripe with metaphor, encouraging those in similar circumstances. Minowa sings full on emo here with Harvey’s strong support on the drums. The rest of the group engages in a repetitive harmonic progression that grows to a roar by the song’s climax, only to slowly recede to give the floor to a final vocal chorus. “Vision in a Field” is a message to a friend carrying similar burdens. The narrator’s suggestion, “lay it down and run like hell.” A similar trope that I particularly liked, “It’s not about the easy days, it’s how you run through the fire.”  Here the band ebbs and flows in intensity, affording Minowa plenty of room to sing but interesting textures to support him.

“As Beautiful As It Hurts” is probably my favorite song on the recording. The video shows Minowa accompanying himself at a well-used, worn upright piano. Strings and French horn also surround his singing, which is distressed with delay. “I Need to Think it's Going to Be Alright” goes the world-weary refrain, and vivid emotional distress assaults the song’s narrator nearly throughout. Finding beauty and hope in the midst of pain, an aforementioned album theme, coalesces in this moving song.

Alchemy Creek is remarkable in that most bands do not find nearly as much songwriting inspiration on their twelfth album. Dare we hope for baker’s dozen?

Christian Carey

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 23

1876 – Manuel De Falla, Spanish composer, born (d.1946); Pablo Picasso is quoted as saying that he considered de Falla the shyest man he had ever met, "even smaller than myself, and as modest and withdrawn as an oyster shell ..." He was said to have been involved in a ménage á trois with composer Maurice Ravel and pianist Ricardo Viñes.

De Falla became close friends with Diaghalev and Massine, with whom he collaborated on The Three-Cornered Hat. It was, incidentally, immediately after the first performance of this ballet, that Massine announced his engagement to Lydia Sokolova, who had just performed the leading role, and was then dismissed from the Ballet Russes by the enraged Diaghelev.

1924 – The famed British-American anthropologist Colin Turnbull was born on this date (d.1994). Best known for this groundbreaking books The Forest People & The Mountain People, Turnbull was also one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.

Turnbull was an unconventional scholar who rejected neutrality. He idealized the BaMbuti and reviled the Ik, and described the latter as lacking any sense of altruism, in that they force their children out of their homes at the age of three, and gorge on whatever occasional excesses of food they might find until they became sick, rather than save or share. However, several anthropologists have since argued that a particularly serious famine suffered by the Ik during the period of Turnbull's visit may have distorted their normal behavior and customs, and some passages in his book make it clear that the behavior and customs of the Ik during the period he describes were drastically different from what was normal for them before they were uprooted from their original way of life.

Turnbull with MButi children.

In the US, he lived with his professional collaborator and partner of 30 years, the African American Dr. Joseph Towles, as an openly gay, interracial couple in one of the most conservative areas of the 1960s - rural Virginia.

During this time he also took up the political cause of death row inmates. After his partner's death in 1988, Turnbull, strongly affected, gave all his belongings to the United Negro College Fund. In 1989, he moved to Bloomington, Indiana to participate to the building of Tibetan Cultural Center with his friend Thupten Jigme Norbu, elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1991 - 1992, he moved to Dharamsala, India where he took the monks' vow of Tibetan Buddhism, given to him by the Dalai Lama. He was then given a buddhist name.

He died in Virginia in 1994, aged 69. Both Towles and Turnbull died from complications of AIDS.

1926 – Roger Englander (d.2021) was an American director and producer. He won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for five more in the category Outstanding Directing.

Born in Clevelend, Ohio, Englander attended Cleveland Heights High School where he studied piano, trumpet and French horn; he also conducted the school orchestra. He studied drama, composition and theory at the University of Chicago and graduated in 1945.

Englander produced all 53 episodes for Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts at CBS from 1958 until 1972. Earlier, he was the prop manager for Bernstein's production of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes at Tanglewood in 1946. He staged several of Gian Carlo Menotti's operas, including The Telephone and The Medium for WPTZ (Philadelphia).

Englander wrote Opera, What's All the Screaming About? in 1983. He also directed several episodes of Omnibus and produced episodes of The Bell Telephone Hour which earned him a Peabody Award in 1959.

Englander died in February 2021, of pneumonia at the hospital in Newport, Rhode Island, at the age of 94. He was survived by his long-time companion Michael Dupré.

1933 – The New York tabloid Broadway Brevities, under the headline "Fags Tickle Nudes," published an article warning that "Pansy men of the nation" were invading steam baths and turning them into replicas of the orgy houses in Rome at the time of Nero.

Joe Zee (R) and husband Rob Younkers

1968 – Joe Zee is a Hong Kong-born Canadian fashion stylist, journalist, and producer, known for Entertainment Tonight (1981), FABLife (2015) and Celebrity Style Story (2012). Zee served as creative director of Elle for seven years. He became editor-in-chief and executive creative officer of Yahoo! Style in April 2014. He resigned from Yahoo in June 2017.

Zee was born in Hong Kong and at the age of one, moved to Toronto where he grew up. He began working in fashion in 1990, at age 22, and ultimately moved to New York City enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

In the mid-1990s, Zee met stylist Lori Goldstein at an Allure party, and soon became her assistant.

He was described in a New York Times profile as a leader in the mass market and digital transformation of fashion: "a chatty and approachable ambassador of fashion who has aggressively thrust himself in front of hoi polloi using Twitter, blogs, v-logs and—most visibly—television."

Zee was a recurring character as boss of the reality series The City. He has also appeared on episodes of Ugly Betty, Mistresses, and General Hospital as himself. He was one of the co-hosts of the ABC daytime talk show The Fab Life.

In 2010, he made an appearance on Gossip Girl as himself.In 2015, he released his book That's What Fashion Is: Lessons and Stories from My Nonstop, Mostly Glamorous Life in Style. Zee is married to Rob Younkers, host of Logo TV's Secret Guide to Fabulous

1989 – On this date the Natural Bears Classification System was unveiled on a Usenet group. The NBCS or "bear code" is a set of symbols using letters, numbers and other characters commonly found on modern, Western computer keyboards, and used for the self-identification of those who self-identify as "bears" in the sense of a mature gay or bisexual man with facial or substantial body hair. This classification scheme was created by Bob Donahue and Jeff Stoner, and was based on the way in which star and galaxy classification systems used characteristics of an object to derive a classifying identifier.

The format of the NBCS is a sequence of space-separated descriptions that each take the form, "XMme" where X is a letter indicating some trait; M is an optional magnitude indicated by either a number or a sequence of + or - characters (the former are used for rankings that have a broad, but discrete range while the latter is used for more comparative measurements); m is an optional modifier such as "v" which indicates variability of the trait; and e is any extra (such as a parenthesized magnitude that indicates a range from the magnitude outside the parentheses to the magnitude inside).

The format includes physical traits such as "B" for beard density/length, "f" for body hair (or "fur"), "t" for height (or "tallness"), and "w" for weight. It also includes personality traits such as "d" for "the daddy factor" and sexual preferences such as "k" for "the kinky factor."

A sample bear code is: B4 d+c e+ f+ g++ k+ m w t+ r (+?)

Translation: Reasonably thick beard, definite Daddy, cub tendencies, (endowment) gets attention, above average fur, loves groping/pawing/touching, (Kinkiness) loves most things, (Muscle) some definition, Blue collar, average weight, tall, (sex) plays under special circumstances.

1998 – The Georgia Supreme Court voted 6-1 to overturn the state's sodomy law. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Robert Benham wrote, "We cannot think of any other activity that reasonable persons would rank as more private and more deserving of protection from governmental interference than consensual, private, adult sexual activity." Since the decision was based on the Georgia constitution rather than the US constitution, the decision could not be appealed.

2009 – On this date the city council of Charleston, South Carolina passed ordinances expanding the city's existing policy prohibiting discrimination in housing to include age, sexual orientation and gender identity. How important is this? In American history there is probably no other conservative city than Charleston. The Civil War was virtually born in Charleston and it is a city that was founded on the slave trade and the institutionalization of the most conservative, landowning families.

But that was then and this is now. Although the state is still a conservative hotbed, Charleston is a more cosmopolitan and urbane city. It also has a spirit of liberalism and openness. So this can only be seen as a sign of how far we have come.

The council also passed a public accommodations ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability, age or sexual orientation. Charleston joins a number of other cities in the south with comprehensive anti-discrimination ordinances including Charleston WV, New Orleans LA, Atlanta GA, Covington KY and Columbia SC.

2014 – In Brazil, the world's first largest same-sex wedding with 160 couples takes place in Rio de Janeiro. It was the fifth time mass same-sex weddings were held in Brazil. (The following year 185 couples married.) Claudio Nascimento of Rio Sem Homophobia (Rio without Homophobia) says, "It is an affirmative action to call attention to all of the achievements and challenges in the area of civil and human rights of the LGBT community." Brazil broke the Guinness World Record for the largest pride parade in 2009 with 4 million attendees. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since May 16, 2013, though it had already been legally recognized since 2004.

[thegrinningghost]

VENT DE FOLIE

Prompt: use the “it was a dark and stormy night” beginning for a story of any transformer you choose

Characters: Vente (Seeker) and Ciel (Kid)

Setting: France 19XX

Alt Form: 1909 Bleriot XI

Extra Information: Ciel’s father is in the French Airforce

Credit: both are OCs of mine, the moodboard is as well

— •

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets, rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. “Vent de folie,” as it was often called; wind of madness. The locals spoke its name under hushed breaths, scampering away after, as though to avoid its ire after hearing their vulgar epithets. Its shivering howls brought mortal wounds, and its fiery roars wrought a soul with vehement frenzy. There were no gentle, kind embraces, only harsh blows overshadowing, haunting evenings.

Dark city lights and calls of hesitant car horns; the dark sea swirled, and the cliffs awaited, forlorn. The world sat at unease, flickering lamplights fogged by the ghostly hands of the mist. A child, a wily wanderer; a Seeker, a misled martyr.

“Why do we stand in waylay?”

The tiny spec shone in the lamp’s golden light. The mechanical beast shifted, rust freezing as the wind whistled past. “We stand with purpose. Do you not find it eventful?”

They stared up, then back down. Their feet dangling over the cliffedge, their breathing wrestling the salty air. “No. I do not,” they spoke at once, casting a wary glance towards the towering figure. “Ah. Why so?”

“The ones we search for roam farther away than it appears you can comprehend. I understand your heart is burdened, your mind tormented, but let me offer this reassurance: let the wind torment you no more. Forget, and let the rain wash your worries away. This incessant seeking will only cause recklessness and suffering. Leave it behind and forget. Why, pray tell, do you still bother to seek?”

“There’s a restless storm in my spark.”

“Is it not easy to ignore?”

They shake their head, slowly standing. The child follows. “The wind is blowing.”

“Does it not always,” inquired the Seeker. The child laughed. “I do suppose it does.”

With a warming smile that contrasted the chilling air, the child extended their hand.

“Fly with me?”

The bot grew a slow smile. “You always know how much I adore a challenge.”

[the-loveliest-lotus]

Kloktober 2023: Day 3 - Mordhaus Costume Ball

I have had the intrusive thought of Vater Orlaag dressed as Black Beard loosely based off of the version of Black Beard from Our Flag Means Death for two or three weeks now. This is probably rated about Teen and as usual includes my OC Lucy. 1,711 words below the cut. <3 Also wanted to mention that Charles' costume description was inspired by this post by @chordsykat

“Master, you’re certain that I’m the best choice for this?”

“Out of anyone here, you’re the best at masking yourself.” At least, he was the best at it other than Salacia, but Salacia couldn't exactly go to the Ball even disguised, the Dead Man would recognize him immediately.

Vater Orlaag nodded, but internally he felt the equivalent of a long-suffering sigh.

~~~~~

The Mordhaus Costume Ball was, in a word, opulent. The room that the band typically used to put on performances for new Klokateers was cleared out and decorated with Victorian Gothic décor, and they were calling it the “Mask of the Red Deth” Costume Ball. It was mostly other celebrities who had been invited, metal musicians and musicians that the band had simply met with throughout the years, but there were also some actors milling about and a few high-ranking Klokateers who were in attendance as guests, a reward for their service to the band.

Everyone in the band was dressed to the nines: Nathan was wearing a black ruffled shirt and leather pants that tied rather than buttoned up. His mask was a leather skull in metallic gold. Murderface wore something more period accurate for nobility that had actually made him feel attractive when he looked in the mirror, a black and red mask complimenting the outfit. Toki wore something that looked almost like a dark Viking outfit in blacks and greens with a mask that had long golden horns as part of it. Skwisgaar looked elf-like, opting for a more androgynous costume in whites and golds, and accented with silver elf ear jewelry combined with a wire wrapped mask.

Pickles looked, in a word, stunning. His dreads were up, and he was wearing tight leather pants, knee high boots, and a black shirt underneath a black and red leather trench coat with pointed shoulders. His mask looked like a black and red skull, emphasizing the theme of the Ball. Lucy was in a corseted black and blood red ball gown with spider web mesh sleeves and a traditional French style corset top, straight lined at the top allowing for what most would consider a minor wardrobe malfunction, something that she had convinced Charles to allow her to get away with because she was “in her own damned ‘haus and the French used to do this as a fashion statement.” He had only agreed because the look genuinely was elegant, if not distracting. The front of the skirt only just covered her, showing off the same spider print mesh on her legs, and the back of the gown trailed slightly. She held a fan in her hand all night, and her leather mask was an intricate black cat with red, silver and gold detailing, matching the elegant collar that she was wearing with rose details tooled into the leather. Her hair was down, but there were two braids that started near her forehead and met and the back of her head like a crown, her bright rainbow hair juxtaposed with her outfit, yet somehow meshing with it perfectly.

Dick was wearing something that could be better characterized as steampunk than anything else, playing up his cybernetic eyes almost as though they were part of his mask. Even Charles was dressed up, his outfit featuring a sleek black corset that emphasized his form and a mask that looked oddly like a darker version of Facebones.

The party was in full swing, and everyone was in bright spirits, mingling, dancing, and socializing. Lucy was having a relatively in-depth conversation with Pickles, when he walked into the room. Lucy happened to glance over at the door just as he was coming in, her hand stopping mid-fan. She lost any semblance of what her best friend was saying in that moment, her eyes drinking the man in. His mask was simple black leather, only covering around his piercing blue eyes that looked like they had thick black eyeliner around them. His long, flowing wavy hair and beard were midnight black, almost as though he had dyed it just for the event, and it looked as though there was smoke coming out of the intricate braids on his beard that were curled outward. The outfit that he wore was entirely made of leather, tight leather pants hugging thick, strong thighs that left nothing to the imagination, a leather jacket that was missing one arm revealing an arm that was toned and strong, leather half gloves, and several belts, one of which had a holster with a dagger in it. He must have stood at almost 7 feet tall and he was buzzing with an intense energy.

Lucy was so busy ogling the man that she hadn’t noticed that Pickles had followed her gaze and had gone silent, now ogling him himself. “Holy shit, dood. Look, I know ya gaht first dibs, but if ya strike out er if he’s down fer a little Double Trouble, come get me, ahlreet? Fuck.”

Lucy nodded, not taking her eyes off of him. “Yeah. Gods, that’d be hot… Who the fuck is he?”

“I don’t know, but if ya don’t get over there, someone else will.”

She was already turning to start walking over to him, “You sure you don’t mind if-“

“Luce, that someone else is gahnna be me in about 5 seconds, go.”

Pickles did not need to tell Lucy twice. She was walking at a speed that indicated any semblance of dignity and restraint had already gone out the window. When she got closer, she made sure to walk with a confident stride, walking right up to him with a wicked little grin on her face.

Vater had seen her walk over, and was currently doing his absolute best not to openly stare at her chest. It didn't help in the slightest that he had an irritating attraction to this woman since the first day that she popped up on the Tribunal's giant screen during a meeting. He didn’t want to allow himself to get distracted, but part of the success of his mission of getting the information that Salacia had wanted was blending in, and that meant social pleasantries. Even still, he was hoping that she wouldn’t prove to be too much of a distraction.

Lucy stopped in front of him, her eyes full of Devilish promise and offering her hand to shake his. “I couldn’t help but notice you coming in from across the room and I had to come over to compliment your costume and introduce myself.”

He didn’t get where he was without knowing how to be charming, so when she offered her hand, Vater took it and brought it to his lips, kissing it and nibbling the knuckle slightly all while looking her in the eyes with a gaze that could have been hypnotic. Lucy bit her lip and visibly shivered, her pupils dilating from the sheer intensity of the moment, making him grin at her reaction. “Your costume choice is rather stunning as well.”

"Holy sweet Jesus, his voice." She had the thought that he could read her the period table of elements and she'd still listen without complaint. Lucy blushed and stepped in a little closer to him, reaching out and running her hand slowly and deliberately down his exposed forearm, “Why don’t we go get a drink and chat, maybe get to know each other before I inevitably drag you out of here with me?”

He chuckled darkly. She was wonderfully brazen. Perhaps he could find all the information that Salacia had needed from her. There was some distant part of his mind telling him that he was lying to himself and not to allow himself to get distracted by the slip of a woman, but that part was being loudly drowned out by the warmth of her body now very close to him and the sound of her sultry laughter.

The two of them talked for a while, Vater finding out absolutely nothing that Salacia needed and forgetting about the mission entirely after about two minutes of being in her presence.

When she finally officially invited him back to her room, Lucy raised a playful eyebrow at him, “What’s the chance you swing both ways?”

He looked at her inquisitively, and then saw her look over at Pickles, following her gaze. The Drummer was in rare form tonight, the man cleaned up well. It certainly wouldn’t be Vater’s first time with a man. There was a predatory smile on his face that made Lucy’s pupils dilate and her body shiver. From across the room, Pickles glanced up at the two of them, and seeing the look on the tall man’s face it was a wonder that he didn’t bolt across the room at them.

Pickles had a cocky smirk on his face as he approached them, walking straight up to Vater with an unholy amount of confidence, “Well, hey d’ere, tall, dark, an’ dangerous. Yah ready fer a little Double Trouble?”

There was a dark little chuckle that had Lucy and Pickles weak in the knees as the three of them walked out, one of them to each of his arms, barely making it to Lucy’s room and not coming out until sometime the next afternoon. Lucy and Pickles practically limped down to the kitchen, using each other to keep themselves upright, grinning like idiots, and Vater left with two phone numbers and very insistent “call me’s” and “get home safe’s” from the two of them.

~~~~~

When Vater arrived back at the bunker, he went immediately to see Salacia, knowing that he was hours late for the previously planned private debriefing. He was still in costume and looked as though he had got no sleep.

“What did you manage to find out?” Salacia asked him, already having the needling feeling that the mission had been a failure.

Vater looked at him, wondering if he could bullshit his way through the fact that the mission itself had failed before it started. “I was able to determine that the band can be… very persuasive… when they want to be Master.” He kept the fact that he now had two of their phone numbers to himself.

Salacia eyed the love bites on his servant’s neck and scowled.

Bonus vibe:

[crodur]

Ancient and distant dragons (part II)

Last time we saw what the Chinese, Sumerian and Slavic civilizations understood by ''dragon'', along with other groups related to those. So, let's see other examples of this idea, close coincidences and divergences!

I would talk in depth about the European dragon itself. However, and oddly enough, such mythical being is not entirely original, like the examples we're trying to gather, more like a very baroque conglomerate of influences that eventually came to be the winged lizard we all know. So let's talk, instead, about the roots behind it.

However, it's inspirations are quite curious. The European or Conventional Dragon, is a mixture of two different ''dragonlike beings'', both unaware of each other, as far as we know!

The first influence is, surprisingly the Sumerian Mušḫuššu we previously looked at. Told you that the idea of an animal with reptilian traits would stick around!

Second one is more obscure. It is believed the Dacian Drakon could be a major player. This creature has a very confusing genealogy, being on it's own the result of a lot of artistic depictions of beasts, streetching as far as the 8th century BCE, and for over a thousand years it suffered a great amount of changes, being consistently depicted as a mixture of a snake and another, different animal.

By the time the Roman Empire assimilated the Dacians (located where modern Romania is) at 2th c. AD and incorporated the creature into their own mythos, it was mostly a wolf headed, thick snake. It was quite important for the native Dacians, represented as a protecting spirit in both millitary vexilloids and wind instruments such as horns.

A ferocious Dacian Drako, engraved in the Roman Tracian column.

Those two creatures (Drakon and Mušḫuššu) loosely permeated, along with other influences such as local, folklore beasts of many sorts, and depictions of snakes as the root of evil (a consistent avatar of the Christian Devil, as soon as in the Genesis book of the Bible, but in many other occasions, such as Isaiah book [14:29]).

All those influences, after centuries of obscurity, were gradually sewn together during the Middle Ages (remember, most classical knowledge and folklore was reduced to residual traces during this historial period) into the big, bad dragon that the forces of good must defeat.

A winged snake, a somewhat popular heraldic symbol (this one in particular is from 17th century, though). A possible additional influence in this dense melting pot?

The slavic dragons we saw in the previous post most likely were a direct influence of this trend, one of the many types created by mixing chimeras and local beasts alike.

What we can safely say, is that the european dragons are a byproduct of many ideas of different ages and places colliding together. We all influence each other through the time!

Of course, there were many differing interpretations under the umbrella of dragonhood, here's a french one that incorporates particular body proportions, and devilish goat horns (from the 1410 manuscript The Crucifixion by a follower of Egerton Master). What an awe inspiring fiend!

But let's put the european ones aside, and take another loooong leap. How about... you guessed it...

Mesoamerica!

Mayas, Toltecs, and others do have, too, a remote tradition of dragonlike monsters who weren't mere beasts, but even reached the status of godhood!

The cosmology of many different groups in upper central america has in common the reverence of a being called ''the feathered snake'', adored since XV century BCE, and until the arrival of the Castillian crown, some 3000 years later. Wow!

The first peoples that depicted such a being were the Olmecs, considered as one of the first greater cultural identities in the Americas. Here's the first known feathered snake, in La Venta settlement:

A feather crested, giant snake with a man (who wears a fanged helmet), considered by some as his alter-ego. The bag the man holds appears to represent a ritual of sorts, and his earpiece implies high ranking status.

The Olmecs left, as we said, a long lasting legacy that affected cultures far away from their territories.

The serpent would later be adopted into the maya God Kꞌuꞌukꞌul Kaan (lit. Feathered Snake), represented in many royal steels (as we saw here) as the being that allows an ajaw (lord) to see his ancestors, and win their favor to be crowned. In the case of the Toltecs, it was named Quetzacoatl (both names sound vaguely similar)

A feathered serpent, found among the ruins of the maya Poqomam kingdom, with a human head pecking out, as per usual with maya iconography.

The Toltec, and later on Aztec Quetzacoatl, God of light, life, civilization and knowledge. Notice how this version was more birdlike, totally covered by feathers, but also with a mouth whose jaw contracted into a spiral, almost resembling a pair of twirled whiskers (not intended, but still curious).

That's some long lasting impression, to say the least!

In the following post, we'll see some more dragonlikes, also created fortuitously and with no connection with the rest of this really extended family. Remember that I only write small pieces of info, and usually I do skim over a lot when covering these topics, so if you want to know more, I encourage you to keep researching on ANYTHING that has caught your attention. (Or, well, ask me for an indepth post apart, which I would gladly investigate and redact).

Until next time!

[burlveneer-music]

Yael Nachshon Levin - Tigers and Hummingbirds - vocal chamber jazz

"Tigers and Hummingbirds" is a musical illustration of my personal healing process. Thank god for music. Music is a loyal and truthful friend. I feel absolutely blessed for being able to participate in the process of creating it. Dealing with CPTSD (complex post trauma) is a lifetime journey one can’t handle alone. I have been isolating my suffering for many years. About 2 years ago, after facing my personal ‘dead end’, I made a vow to dedicate myself to my own healing. This was the most significant step forward. That was the beginning of a long and winding road (still on that road) of searching the source of suffering in me, searching for ways to heal and practicing my way through life, hoping to find some light in the darkness that took hold of me for so long. Along this road I have found incredible humans who have guided me in their own way and knowledge with compassion and dedication. I might not have survived without the help of these wonderful people. With this album I hope to encourage the listener to trust your gut feeling, to acknowledge your pain, and to know you are not alone. There are ways to heal. There is light, and above all there is love. “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” (Leonard Cohen). All songs by Yael Nachshon Levin Except 'Feel at home' - Lyrics by Yael Nachshon Levin & Aviv Noiman. Music by Aviv Noiman. Musicians: Yael Nachshon Levin - Lead Vocals Haggai Cohen Milo - Bass Tomer Moked Blum - Guitars / Viola /Bouzouki /Backing Vocals Earl Harvin - Drums Justin Stanton - Hammond / Piano / wurlitzer /Rhodes Guy Sternberg - Moog Synthesizer Gili Schwarzman - Flute Sarah Young - Oboe James Scannell - Clarinet / Bass Clarinet/ Bass Flute Mor Biron - Bassoon Merav Goldman - French horn Sebastian Studnizki - Trumpet Choir: Mika Harri Peggy Marmuth Avia Shoshani Clarissa Farran Anastasia Maschkowski Matthias Lück Erik Lautenschläger Avshalom Caspi Tomer Moked Blum Tomer Maschkowski