#genera painting

[museum-archives]

Perseus and Andromeda

Giambattista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696-1770)

DATE: ca. 1730-31

MEDIUM: Oil on canvas

[frostbitebakery]

WILL YOU PLEASE RING IN YOUR DESTRUCTION

surrender au

“Genera—“

Obi-Wan is already on his feet and running before a sickening crack cuts off the trooper’s warning.

Cody is hot on his heels, does not let the red lightning rumbling down from the sky freeze his movements even if his thoughts blank for the slice of a second.

He skids to a halt, blaster already drawn, ozone burning through his senses. He registers Obi-Wan lowering his hand—

“Cody, I want every man to back away fifty feet. Close the perimeter but don’t interfere unless I say so.”

That’s not Obi-Wan. Washed out and grey, veins prominent and red and broken. But it’s the same face, underneath it all. The not Obi-Wan sighs in disappointment at— fuck- fuck, that’s Wooley’s paint, Wooley’s body lying on its stomach, visor staring up at the sky.

“Are you alright?” There’s a soldier, back towards them, heavily armed, and voice too, too familiar for comfort.

The facsimile smiles ruefully. “I’m fine,” he reassures as if he hasn’t just killed— “He was so loud.”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan, his one, says and he remembers his orders.

The soldier sighs, gently takes one of the not Obi-Wan’s - precisely scarred, what happened - hand in his own gloved one and squeezes.

Activating the battalion frequency is second nature by now. “Perimeter 50 feet from hostiles. Do not engage. Wait on the General’s orders. I repeat, do not engage until further notice.”

“You’re starting negotiations somewhat abruptly,” the soldier scolds with a smile in his voice.

His Obi-Wan takes a step forward, hands vanishing in his robes.

“He’s trying to find the difference,” the— the wrong— yellow eyes flick over the soldier’s shoulder at his General, a bright smile blooming on dry lips - the utterly wrong Obi-Wan— “Oh…”

The soldier turns around like an afterthought, like there aren’t dozens of blasters and a Jedi Master focused on him. A cybernetic eye whirrs, scar tissue tight and just as familiar as the voice’s cadence. An unimpressed look washes over Cody and he can feel his hackles rise despite himself, swallowing up the fear of what-ifs turning all too real.

With a twist and turn the wrong Obi-Wan, the Sith, is around Cody’s doppelgänger, the cane sharply digging into the ground.

“General, behind me,” the soldier orders, is promptly ignored in favor mad yellow eyes digging into Obi-Wan.

“You’re so Light,” the Sith whispers to himself, taking another step forward to Cody’s General.

The soldier - Cody will deal with the implications of it all, but later - snags an arm around the Sith’s waist and pushes him behind the bulk of his body, careful and practiced. He musters Obi-Wan noncommittally. “Is he what you’re looking for?”

“Cody, they’re all so Light.”

The soldier nods, hand drifting towards - Obi-Wan’s, what the hells - the lightsaber clipped to his chestplate.

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan, Cody’s, says with a polite incline of his head, “we do try not to succumb to the Dark Side around here. It’s splendid for my youthful looks, evidently.”

The Sith smiles in cracked stretches, takes a step forward like a moth to a flame until he bumps into the soldier’s outstretched arm. “Would you like to discuss your surrender, General Kenobi?”

Obi-Wan folds his hands behind his back, his own smile going tight, and Cody sees the hand signals. “Over a cup of tea, perhaps?”

[theamberplumbob]

My Thoughts on Inzoi

I figured since my post about the whole Inzoi terms of service debacle blew up in a way that I never would have predicted, I should probably give a more nuanced explanation of my stance on the game and the discourse around it in general.

First off, I will just say right off the bat that I am not a fan of Inzoi, and unless some very big changes are made to the game, I am not interested in playing it.

I also want to make clear that my dislike of Inzoi is NOT motivated by any sort of love or loyalty to EA or The Sims. If there's one good thing to come out of Inzoi its breaking the monopoly that EA has over the life sim genera and giving The Sims competition. I also want to say that I despise EA for what it has done to the Sims franchise, and while I have played an absurd amount of hours in The Sims 4, I think it is objectively a bad product.

My biggest problem with Inzoi, first and foremost, is it's the use of AI. Inzoi allows players to use generative AI to make custom textures, designs, and paintings within the game. You may not agree with me on this but I am fully of the opinion that real artists should have been hired and paid to create all of the textures/paintings/designs for this game. Allowing players to upload their own photos and videos is one thing, but Krafton, a multi billion dollar company, chose to not support real, professional artists so they could save what is essentially pennies to them. All this results in, frankly, ugly and uncanny looking generated designs plastered all over the furniture and decor. For this reason alone I do not support Inzoi, but there's so much more to it than that.

There's also the fact that we have no idea how their AI is trained. Krafton apparently has an "AI Ethics Committee," but we have no clue what their actual code of ethics are. While it's bad faith to assume, they could be using stolen artwork for their AI. It is also very likely that whatever images you upload into the game, as well as any use of their facial scanning feature, could also be used as material to train their AI. This could lead to all sorts of ethical and legal issues I don't even know where to begin.

Secondly, I have to say, looking at the early access footage from youtubers and everything else I've heard about the game, it feels like its only going to repeat most of TS4's mistakes. In youtuber NotMalcolm's most recent video he discusses Inzoi's overly sanitized approach to various aspects of life, most notably that you can't try for a baby unless you are already married (source). Just like TS4, Inzoi is appealing to a younger demographic and sanding down the rougher aspects of life in order to cater to them. I fear that Krafton is likely taking it a step further and not only watering down the game for the sake of potential child players, but also using them as an excuse to enforcing extremely traditional values on its players. I have no interest in playing a life sim that only allows me to play out a single, socially acceptable way of living.

It also, like TS4, feels like a Young Adult Wish Fulfillment Sim™. The gameplay looks shallow, and it feels like it exists more to make aesthetic screenshots than it does to be an actual game.

I think when people say that Inzoi is missing the "quirky weirdness" of the Sims, what they actually mean is that Inzoi is devoid of personality. One thing that stuck out to me immediately is that the animations are so stiff, robotic, and lifeless. Again, everything is made to be ~*Aesthetic*~ with no regard to an actual sense of identity or personality.

I know people will say that its only in early access, but given how close public early access is to release, I highly doubt any significant changes are going to be made to improve what will be given to us when the time comes.

On a similar note, there's the fact that Krafton has never made a game before now that hasn't been riddled with micro transactions. I personally predict that Inzoi's monetization strategy will be just as, if not more predatory than TS4's is. The fact that we are drawing so close to public early access and have not heard a single word on their method of monetization speaks volumes. I simply do not trust it.

Now, of course, I need to elaborate on the whole Terms of Service Situation. I understand fully that Krafton's terms of service is industry standard and not too dissimilar to EAs, however, this post highlights that whats really concerning about Krafton's ToS is how difficult and confusing it is for players to access and review it. I find it understandable that Krafton's proud use of AI makes people a lot more nervous as to what their data could potentially be used for, and are going to be a lot more weary of Inzoi's ToS. Though I understand that it is only speculation, many have made the assumption that Krafton may use user's personal data to train AI.

I did not expect my post on the subject to make so much traction, and I now regret how impulsively I made the post. I feel I've contributed to fear mongering, even though I feel my concerns at the time were valid and I felt like people had the right to know. I could have done more research and given more of an explanation for what my concerns were instead of basically saying "Yikes..." and leaving it at that.

I was also told through an anonymous ask that the auto accepting of the ToS on closing the game was a bug that had apparently been fixed the first day the character creation trial was available. I of course cannot verify this myself, but I will take them on good faith.

I would also like to touch on two other talking points that have been very prevalent in the Inzoi discourse:

Diversity - I think this links back to my previous point about the game's goal of being as ~*aesthetic*~ (and marketable) as possible at the detriment of everything else. The game is clearly catering to a very specific, very pale and thin standard of Korean beauty, and I think that everything that doesn't conform to that standard was sidelined as a result. I will be fair and say that the Inzoi team still has ample opportunity to fix this and add more options over time. TS4 was also severely lacking on release, but over the years has made great strides in regards to representation. However I would have hoped that Inzoi, a game planning to release in early access in 2024, would do a lot better than a game that was initially released in 2014.

Partnership with Curseforge - I've seen many people accuse critics of Inzoi's partnership with Curseforge of being hypocritical, since TS4 also has a partnership with them. Of course, one would have to ignore the massive, community wide boycott of Curseforge, and the pressure the community has put on CC creators to stop using the platform for that claim to hold any water. I also think there is a notable difference in EA choosing to partner with Curseforge before the Israel/Palestine conflict began, and Krafton actively choosing to partner with Curseforge now, during an active genocide taking place, in which Curseforge's parent company, Overwolf, actively advocates for and donates to those committing said genocide.

In conclusion, there are a lot of valid reasons to not like/be suspicious of Inzoi. Of course I can't tell you what to do or what games you play, nor can I force you to agree with me, but don't be so quick to write off or demonize those who are simply trying to raise awareness or drawing boundaries regarding Inzoi and those who choose to make content with it.

I also encourage you to consider the points I've made and maybe think twice before investing yourself in yet another game that will very likely exploit your attachment to it in the very same way that EA and the Sims has. You need to make them deserve your time and money, which is why I'm encouraging you to advocate for a better and more ethical game.

You deserve better. We all do.

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Warring States period(475–221 BC) Traditional Clothing Hanfu-Life of Qu Yuan(屈原）

【Historical Artifact Reference】:

China Warring States period (475-221 BC):Silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon (人物御龍帛畫)

it was discovered in the Zidanku Tomb no. 1 in Changsha, Hunan Province in 1973. Now in the Hunan Museum

A man with a sword is riding a dragon by holding the rein. The dragon's body was given the shape of a boat. A little egret is standing at the tail of the dragon. A carp under the dragon is leading the way. The umbrella in the top middle of the picture shows the owner's nobility. The work has become associated with the Chu poet Qu Yuan’s famous verse from his poem Shejiang (涉江, Setting foot in the river), ‘Carrying a long sword with weird colour; Wearing a qieyun–styled high cap.” (帶長鋏之陸離兮, 冠切雲之崔嵬)

Western Zhou Dynasty seven-huang jade pendant with linked beads/西周七璜联珠组玉佩

About Qu Yuan(屈原）

Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC – 278 BC)was a Chinese poet and aristocrat in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the Chu Ci anthology (also known as The Songs of the South or Songs of Chu): a volume of poems attributed to or considered to be inspired by his verse writing. Together with the Shi Jing, the Chu Ci is one of the two greatest collections of ancient Chinese verse. He is also remembered in connection to the supposed origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Historical details about Qu Yuan's life are few, and his authorship of many Chu Ci poems has been questioned at length.[4] However, he is widely accepted to have written "The Lament," a Chu Ci poem. The first known reference to Qu Yuan appears in a poem written in 174 BC by Jia Yi, an official from Luoyang who was slandered by jealous officials and banished to Changsha by Emperor Wen of Han. While traveling, he wrote a poem describing the similar fate of a previous "Qu Yuan."Eighty years later, the first known biography of Qu Yuan's life appeared in Han dynasty historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, though it contains a number of contradictory details.

Life of Qu Yuan(屈原）

The only surviving source of information on Qu Yuan's life is Sima Qian's biography of him in Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), although the biography is circumstantial and probably influenced greatly by Sima's own identification with Qu.Sima wrote that Qu was a member of the Chu royal clan and served as an official under King Huai of Chu (reigned 328–299 BC).

During the early days of King Huai's reign, Qu Yuan was serving the State of Chu as its Left Minister. However, King Huai exiled Qu Yuan to the region north of the Han River, because corrupt ministers slandered him and influenced the king.Eventually, Qu Yuan was reinstated and sent on a diplomatic mission to the State of Qi. He tried to resume relations between Chu and Qi, which King Huai had broken under the false pretense of King Hui of Qin to cede territory near Shangyu.

During King Qingxiang's reign, Prime Minister Zilan slandered Qu Yuan.[9] This caused Qu Yuan's exile to the regions south of the Yangtze River. It is said that Qu Yuan returned first to his home town. In his exile, he spent much of this time collecting legends and rearranging folk odes while traveling the countryside. Furthermore, he wrote some of the greatest poetry in Chinese literature and expressed deep concerns about his state. According to legend, his anxiety brought him to an increasingly troubled state of health. During his depression, he would often take walks near a certain well to look upon his thin and gaunt reflection in the water. This well became known as the "Face Reflection Well." On a hillside in Xiangluping (at present-day Zigui County, Hubei Province), there is a well that is considered to be the original well from the time of Qu Yuan.

In 278 BC, learning of the capture of his country's capital, Ying, by General Bai Qi of the state of Qin, Qu Yuan is said to have collected folktales and written the lengthy poem of lamentation called "Lament for Ying". Eventually, he committed suicide by wading into the Miluo River in today's Hunan Province while holding a rock. The reason why he took his life remained controversial and was argued by Chinese scholars for centuries. Typical explanations including martyrdom for his deeply beloved but falling motherland, which was suggested by the philosopher Zhu Xi of the Song dynasty, or feeling extreme despair to the situation of the politics in Chu while his lifelong political dream would never be realized. But according to "Yu Fu," widely considered to be written by Qu himself or at least, a person who was very familiar with Qu, his suicide was an ultimate way to protect his innocence and life principles.[citation needed]

Qu Yuan is said to have expressed his love for the ruling monarch, King Huai of Chu, through several of this works, including "The Lament" and "Longing for Beauty".

Dragon Boat Festival/端午节

Popular legend has it that villagers carried their dumplings and boats to the middle of the river and desperately tried to save Qu Yuan after he immersed himself in the Miluo but were too late to do so. However, in order to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body, they beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles, and they also threw rice into the water both as a food offering to Qu Yuan's spirit and also to distract the fish away from his body. However, the legend continues, that late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that he died because he had taken himself under the river. Then, he asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages to ward off the dragon.

These packages became a traditional food known as zongzi, although the lumps of rice are now wrapped in leaves instead of silk. The act of racing to search for his body in boats gradually became the cultural tradition of dragon boat racing, held on the anniversary of his death every year. Today, people still eat zongzi and participate in dragon boat races to commemorate Qu Yuan's sacrifice on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.

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Recreation Work by : @晴南

Xiaohongshu🔗：http://xhslink.com/CU2x9J

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[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Porifera

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Phylum Porifera includes the sponges, also called sea sponges.

These animals are filter feeders that are bound to the sea bed in their adult forms, though some have free-swimming larva. Many species are important for building reefs. Their bodies consist of a mass of collagen jelly (called mesohyl) sandwiched between two main layers of cells. But they are not soft! Most sponges’ bodies are full of sharpened structural elements called spicules, which are made of either silica or calcium carbonate, so any predator biting into a sponge would get the same sensation as biting into shards of glass. Some sponges also have exoskeletons. Most sponges filter food particles via water flowing through their barrels and pores, but some sponges are carnivorous, using either sticky threads or barbed spicules to catch prey. Sponges may have been the first animals, and fossils of them date back to the Cambrian.

Propaganda under the cut:

Sponges could teach us how life began on earth.

As filter-feeding omnivores that feed on detritus, plankton, bacteria, and in some cases crustaceans and other small animals, sponges are an important part of the nutrient cycle in the ocean. Some are also symbiotic to other organisms, like algae, and provide homes for many reef animals.

Glass sponges, with skeletons of six-pointed siliceous spicules, are one of the longest lived animals on earth, with a possible maximum age of around 15,000 years!

While the spicules of most sponges render them too rough for human use, species in the genera Hippospongia and Spongia have soft, fibrous skeletons. Early Europeans used these dried out skeletons for many purposes, including cleaning, padding helmets, filtering water, painting, and even as contraceptives. The sponge industry almost brought these species to extinction, so nowadays most kitchen sponges are made of synthetic or plant-based material.

As revealed in the stage musical, the beloved cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants is an Aplysina fistularis (common name: yellow tube sponge), seen in the first image of this post.

spunch

[acourtofthought]

And as a side note, my own theory is that you want to connect Lucien to Gwydion because you realise how important Truth-Teller and Gwydion/Starsword (and the prophecy) will be in future ACOTAR books, including Elain’s.

Especially knowing that the weapons likely tie into the Dusk Court, which Elain herself is connected to. There are three sister peaks in Prythian: UTM, which Feyre conquered, Ramiel, which Nesta conquered, and the Prison Island mountain… left for Elain. As I’m sure you know, the Prison Island mountain is the Dusk Court.

Then let’s recall how SJM described the scene where Azriel gives Elain Truth-Teller:

“Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.”

Light and dark… is dusk.

Elain and Azriel are the two characters most connected to the Dusk Court (aside from Bryce)… not Gwyn or Lucien.

Sure, that could change, but with CC3 dropping soon… I doubt it 🤭

And here it is, if it's not a Bryce and Az shipper it's an Elriel.

You realize what SJM is saying with that scene right?

Elain is Spring and blooming LIFE, Az is Death and the ONLY thing connecting them is that knife in that moment, which she then gave back and didn't look back. They have nothing in common, that is what the author is telling us. Why would Elain have ANYTHING to do with a sword when SJM made it clear she doesn't like weapons and cruelty bothers her? YOU are rewriting her character completely and that's so extremely strange to me. I'm guessing you only like Elain if she becomes the K-Mart version of her already warrior sisters and Nesta's already warrior friends. There's a reason neither Nesta or Elain showed interest in learning to fight in ACOWAR yet only one sister agreed to wear the leathers and took a weapon without convincing. That my friend, was a clue. Did you read TOG? Did you take note how Yrene was able to remain a healer without becoming a sword wielding warrior?

It's extremely funny how in your last post you went hard-core on me taking the sword away from Bryce for Lucien while you're fine with it if it ends up with Elain and Az 🤔

Your version of Elain in Dusk with a sword / dagger to be Az's match is proof she doesn't match Az as she is, she'd have to sacrifice parts of herself. You're turning her into the one who is already hinted at being his mate.

Words, what are you doing in my mouth?! (ahhh, you put them there).

Gwydion is not hugely important aside from what it represents to the fae and their history, I'm not sure why you're assuming I think it's the key to the future of the series. Truth be told, I rarely think much about Gwydion because it's one sword out of many and SJM never makes a single weapon the savior of all (most of my theories were about Az giving TT to Bryce though I'm not sure I see that happening anymore).

To me, Gwydion is still just a sword just as Ataraxia is still just a sword.

Nesta is not powerful because of the sword she has just like Bryce is not powerful whether or not she keeps Gwydion just like the one who gets Gwydion isn't going to be the most special of all.

Sure these are Made weapons and yes they will be important in battle, just like if they call Narben from the sea but do they really and truly need them when they all have magic and can just destroy people with blasts of magic? When they have the mask and the crown?

Lucien doesn't necessarily need Gwydion to be powerful, he commanded Cassian with a single word (just like Az doesn't need TT and TT alone to save anyone). Not to mention Lucien already has a pretty fancy collection of weapons (remember the jeweled one? I wonder where he got it... hmmmm, maybe family heirlooms? Ones not stolen by a certain queen and general?)

These weapons are simply relics of their history and while they are meaningful because they were weapons that are what their ancestors used long ago, I doubt SJM will write it so her heros and heroines are worthless without them. That only the people with made swords are the important ones. SJM typically gives even the unlikeliest of her characters big roles in the war (Yrene anyone?).

Fionn didn't win the war single handedly with Gwydion. Also, Ataraxia is made as Gwydion was made. So based on your logic that Gwydion is the key to everything...... Why? Gwydion is almost redundant at this point. It's not really about it being one of its kind anymore so much as what it represented to the fae in Prythian millennia ago.

The big difference is that Gwydion does not have the dark history of Narben or even the fact that Ataraxia was made with Nesta's death powers, it's a saviors light and I'm sorry but if you think that means Az deserves it or your dark version of Elain deserves it ..... 😬

Gwydion, "savior's light", and fun fact, Lucien's name means "light" and SJM has made it a point to reference Lucien's "goodness" on a few occasions.

Az not caring whether he kills an ally doesn't really strike me as someone who would be granted a sword dubbed "savior's light".

That's once again assigning characteristics to characters who don't fit the profile.

I'm sure all these made weapons will eventually be used in battle, that Narben will also make a reappearance but I think you're putting way too much on Gwydion being the most important thing ever.

Just like Captain America's shield isn't the main thing that makes him him, it just completes the imagery.

Just like Thors hammer wasn't the source of his power but a way to channel it which he learned how to do without it.

I wasn't desperate to connect Lucien to Gwydion because I strongly feel Lucien is going to be High King during the war with or without it, I've always thought that.

I don't think Lucien is going to rule over all the courts, simply unite them during war.

This all came about a few days ago when I was chatting with a friend and had a random thought which is what spun my wheels:

I was messing around and joking with someone and I turned it into a "crazy theory" which I admitted.

And Lucien is actually more connected to dusk than Elain considering Helions connection to the Mask, and the fact that he owns the Pegasus which are originally from the Dusk Court. Helion is his father so.....

Considering Elain's scent is a promise of Spring and Spring had been MADE for someone like her, I'd say you are the one trying to fit the square peg into the round hole with Elain now being connected to the Dusk Court in any way that means she belongs there.

And the Dusk Court is THE PRISON. WHY OH WHY are people convinced there's going to be homes and a city suddenly built up on this land in the very next book?! Something like that would take time. 😂. And Az can't even talk to people outside the IC, he would honestly be the worst ruler ever and that's no shade to Az, he's got his strengths. But let's be for real. He likes his space and his shadows and he doesn't play well with others.

P.s. To your other post, I'm not sure why you keep choosing to ignore that Fionn is known for his heroic deeds. Again, any connection to leading the wild hunt in his lore (where he wasn't even the bad guy) is not something that makes him a monster in acotar just like Rhys isn't actually Hades kidnapping a bride of spring. SJM is using the imagery and loose ideas, not everything is a perfect match. You have to know that by now instead of acting like all pieces line up as a perfect match.

"Mythological HEROS"

Heros are the good guys, just in case you're confused

In Blodeuwedd, the guy that would be Az's character ends up murdered for what he did wrong to Lleu (Lucien). Does that make Az the bad guy in ACOTAR?

And once again:

“I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”

Lanthys told us he rode at the head of the Hunt and Fae bowed before him

You have a nice day now! Really looking forward to seeing your reaction after CC3 and the next ACOTAR book 😁

[johbeil]

An expressionist painting of a parrot sitting on a pear-shaped lounge chair

An AI painting generaed by dall.e from a text description generated by me based on a suggestion by the program. Now the question is who is supposed to get the credit for this work of artificial art.

This is one of four variants created, and I must admit that I quite like it - even though the chair lacks the requested pear shape.

[shingekinomyfeelings]

So, periodically I get annoyed by how scientists publish research articles and these articles are read by non-scientists who don't fully understand them because they don't know enough background about the subject, but nevertheless write their own articles BASED on the research papers, now through the lens of someone with a poorer understanding, and usually worded to sound more 'attention getting' or frankly click-baity to reach more readers --

Thus resulting in a big game of Telephone whereby the information from actual research papers is turned into a massively oversimplified, single sentence idea that is actually not at all what the original researchers said! And soon it enters the realm of 'common knowledge' that other people with no scientific background, but a casual interest in the subject, and then everyone's favorite animal fact is suddenly 'hyenas are actually cats!!!' Annoys the fuck out of me.

So now I'm going to annoy the fuck out of you.

Yesterday I saw a headline declaring that the first hybrid between domestic dog and fox has been discovered in Brazil! I immediately read it, thinking 'uh woah that shouldn't be possible.'

And...... it's not!

Without getting too far into the confusing world of taxonomy, we currently divide the Dog Family, or Canidae, into two major "tribes" that split apart from a common ancestor long ago: Canini, the True Dogs, and Vulpini, the True Foxes. The branches of Canini and Vulpini split from each other long, long, long ago. Long story short, it all comes down to skull shape.

Canini includes Canis (wolves, coyotes, golden jackals, and domestic dogs), as well as several other genera, encompassing things like true jackals, dholes, African painted dogs, maned wolves, and the confusingly named South American Foxes, or Lycalopex.

Vulpini includes the well-known Vulpes and several others.

Now, Lycalopex species do resemble foxes, and as such many of their common names include the word 'fox,' but this is because of convergent evolution - they're actually very different from foxes! But due to their superficial resemblance, and the difficult nature of trying to change an 'official' common name, the genus contains dogs named things like Andean Fox, Hoary Fox, and the Pampas Fox.

The hybrid creature captured in Brazil was shown to be a cross between domestic dog and Pampas Fox - still a surprising hybrid and the first known of its kind, but not as massively unexpected and improbable as a mix of Dog and Fox. Sadly the creature, being colloquially called a 'dogxim,' didn't survive long, having suffered injuries from a car strike, but is now the subject of SO DAMN MANY flippant click baity, 3-minute curiosity reads stating that now dogs and foxes can hybridize, and not a one of them stating the very real distinction between Lycalopex and the True Foxes.

[milostate-art]

I've been working on this piece for many years, just as I do with most of my work. It is never finished and always evolving. The plan is to work it to death.

"Hybrid Abstraction" is an old, ever transforming piece crafted from deep layers of resin and oil paint. I like to think that it transcends the traditional boundaries of artistic expression, much like the biological phenomenon of hybridization transcends the boundaries of species and genera. In biology, a hybrid emerges as a unique entity, synthesizing the distinct characteristics of its diverse parentage, often resulting in an organism that possesses hybrid vigour--exhibiting traits that are more pronounced than either of its progenitors.

This artwork embodies a similar concept, where the fluidity and translucence of resin intermingle with the rich, tactile depth of oil paint. Each stroke and layer in convergence and divergence mirrors the genetic complexity found in biological hybrids. The work does not merely blend colours and materials; it fuses disparate techniques and philosophies, challenging the observer to reconsider the very essence of abstraction. Just as a hybrid in nature is not a mere intermediary but a robust, distinct entity, this artwork is an artistic synthesis, a tangible representation of the conceptual interplay between the physical and the abstract, the known and the unknowable.

As the resin gradually engulfs the composition, each layer adds not only to the visual depth but also to the physical heft of the piece. This progressive encapsulation transforms the artwork into a dense block, where the weight of the material echoes the profoundness of its conceptual nothingness. It becomes a tangible manifestation of the void, a heavy embodiment of the elusive and often intangible nature of abstraction itself. A form that visually and metaphorically represents an ethereal absence.

[existentialflirt]

Head Canons Crowley

Just a small list to get them out there. Some devised with @v0litioncheck.

** Crowley does eat but very rarely. It falls under a fairly common theme in some of my head canons for him as "snake tendencies". He tends toward larger meals, after which he will take a lengthy nap. Usually around two days otherwise he's extremely cranky.

** In continuing with that theme, Crowley runs fairly cold. He greatly enjoys summer and may be found on top of high buildings in London basking in the sun (beaches are too crowded and people stare too much).

** Modern times (the 20th and 21th century) have been kind for Crowley, who really isn't too interested in doing his job. At least in the way Hell likes it done. He prefers a bit of chaos and bad vibes to murder and mayhem. Oh he'll inadvertently cause a death without too much of a twinge of guilt, but being directly involved just isn't his style. Anyway, humans do quite enough atrocities on their own, and all it takes is for a clever demon to keep abreast of the news and take the credit for inspiring the nastier bits.

** When Crowley was cast from heaven, his original name was stripped from him and he had to rename himself. Astonishingly, he was very bad at this. (Sorry, it never ceases to amaze me that in the same book/tv series we have a demon creative and with a powerful enough will to keep a burning car running to his destination yet calls himself Crawley and later changes it to Crowley which is barely more than an intonation change. That's just so funny to me. Definitely from Terry ahem.)

** A large portion of classical paintings and statues of Lucifer are actually modeled off Crowley, who did it all for a laugh after frequently being mistaken for him. Obviously he got in very big trouble down below when the big boss found out, but Lucifer let him off with a warning when Crowley explained how they sewed the seed of doubt and/or lust in the hearts of the devout (because you see, many paintings and statues of Lucifer, even ones in churches, are very sexy and very nude).

** While both demons and angels have the ability to shapeshift, there is some bureaucratic nonsense involved dependent on rank and severity of the change. When Aziraphale and Crowley posed as Brother Francis and Nanny Ashtoreth they were trying to fly under the radar of both Heaven and Hell and instead fashioned costumes (mostly Aziraphale's idea and design because he's dabbled in a bit of stagecraft). During that time, they co-habitate in a boathouse on the Dowlings' property aside from on days off, when they go to London to be themselves for awhile.

** After long consideration and a careful bit of picking through Christian study, secular, and woo (New Age) pages (not fun! I swear Google has gotten fucking worse when it comes to research), and having been given one last clue in a late episode in series two, I've settled on Crowley having been a Seraph before he fell. Most of this decision is to due to snake imagery used in how they're described and it's a pretty good reason why he's stupid powerful. Seraphs are the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy and depending on who you ask, Lucifer was a Seraph before he fell (other sources claim him as Cherub, so idek. Judeo-Christian mythology is a fucking mess). Also a very good theory about why Hell lets him fuck around and do whatever he pleases for the most part. He has been punished for doing too ostentatious acts of kindness, but apparently not so much that he is ever demoted out of temptations. Perhaps having been the snake to corrupt Eve is too big of a gold star in his file to truly justify a demotion. Or he's just such a massive, willful pain in the ass that no one likes to deal with him for much more than a decade or two.

** So...Crowley's human identity appears to be vaguely criminal and definitely dodgy hard bastard. Because all roads lead me to Hellblazer eventually, yes Crowley does know John Constantine and they DO NOT like each other. Generally the idea is that they're bullshit artists that can smell the shit on one another. However they do have an understanding not to fuck around in each other's business.

** Crowley is single handedly keeping several record shops open around London because sometimes he needs to listen to something other than Queen.

[feral-childs-word]

Blog information

Welcome to my blog y'all are now my cockroaches 👹

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-

-> I'm a Minor

-> I love drawing an painting

-> Reading is my top favorite so any book recommendations will be greatly appreciated (fanfiction, non fanfiction, manga, and webtoon stories are my favorite)

-> music is my jam (old rock like AC/DC are my favorite)

-> love talking about things that I love to people

-> terrible social anxiety

-> suck ass at math

-> favorite color is purple and green (mostly a soft color looking green or a forest green)

-> Likes making new friends

-> Doubts myself when I write or do work and draw/ paint

-> taco and sausage tickler 🌝

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-

-> Adults I recommend you don't interact if you don't feel comfortable with a minor basing their options and writing stories on this blog.

-> Request can go both ways due to me not having so much motivation and really lazy when responding to the requests

-> Asks are a big yes since I like talking about topics

≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫

-> Requesting smut is big NO

Wish I can do it 😭😭

But be fr them adults gonna come at me 💀

-> any nasty dirty shit you send that makes me uncomfortable or anybody you will get BLOCKED and REPORTED

-> Venting to me about your problems when I barely or don't know you is a big NO

I am not your therapist

-> Do NOT spam my DM's or inbox

Annoying and rude

-> Lying about your age

I am not really a fan about who lies about thier age bit hey we minors lie about their age a shit tone but it's really weird when an adult lies about their age

-> Kid diddlers get tf away from this blog

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

-> requests list will be added soon.

-You are allowed of course to request you want the genera to be.

-> Fluff, angst or both is allowed I don't care what you want your plot to be

-> Yandere, obsessive, lovesick, etc. is a big yes, yes for me of course minors who don't like this type of content don't worry I'll add it to reminders when I make a chapter.

-> Platonic and romantic is fine with me

-> Male, female, and gender neutral reader is fine with me.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The reason why I made a blog (again but I won't talk abt that) is because I seen some blogs allot actually woth minors do not interact and I know most minors use this app but others use different apps and I want minors like myself to enjoy things that I love without knowing were not supposed to read it.

I also want minors to have their own space to read without adults reading their requests and ideas without getting judged (Adults i know your reading this so I know yall went on apps your not supposed to when you were minors so don't lie) and I just want no adults just minors like myself.

♤♡◇♧☆♤♡◇♧☆

Ps: when I turn 18 this blog will be allowed for bother minors and adults but for now no adults :3

I do hope you will enjoy this blog when I post random stories!

Have a wonderful day!

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Request list

Series list

[flownintothesun]

            ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── a plot, a ploy, a starter for @dutyworn .

       𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓... 𝐈𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 — not that she’s entirely too familiar with the concept of gravity, for all the good that does her. Because wherever she is, gravity matters, and so does a sudden lack thereof that leaves her weightless and bumping into the ceiling. She can’t even compare it to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — because unlike most little girls, she’d never had a copy when she was young. Dominik has never really left her without — there are other books, and music, and paints and canvasses — though oftentimes Dominik takes them when she’s done, and they disappear to wherever he disappears to when he’s not with her, and she’s on her own again.

     Except now, the controlled doors are open and Dominik’s not on the other side of them and there is a siren and bright red flashing lights illuminating the frame of the studio-like space she’s spent nearly all of her life in. Something tells her that’s not supposed to be happening — because for one thing, it never has in all of her twenty-four years of existence. Yes, she may very well fancy herself Alice, topsy-turvy and in a strange new world — were she to have ever made the fictional acquaintance of the lass. It’s definitely an experience — being jammed up on the ceiling with odds and ends of varying size and shape. Her hair is flyaway, and so is her dress, which she bunches into one hand, pulling tight around her for modesty’s sake as she swims along the ceiling with one hand toward something called ‘freedom’ that she can’t fathom — either because it’s too good to be true, or because it’s a concept she could never understand.

       She barely remembers life before Dominik. She’d only been four years old, after all. Even the things she believes to be true are most likely not. The only keepsake she has from a time before is a necklace with a flower woven into a heart shape — according to a botany book that she’s read cover to cover — it’s called a thistle. She can quote the entry back to herself for how many times she’s looked it over.

     Thistle. A weedy species of Cirsium, Carduus, Echinops, Sonchus, and other plant genera of the family Asteraceae. The word thistle most often refers to prickly leaved species of Carduus and Cirsium, which have dense heads of small, usually pink or purple flowers. Plants of the genus Carduus, sometimes called plumeless thistles, have spiny stems and flower heads without ray flowers. Canadian thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a troublesome weed in agricultural areas of North America, and more than 10 species of sow thistle (Sonchus) are widespread throughout Europe. Some species of globe thistle (Echinops) are cultivated as ornamentals. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland.

     So few of the words mean anything to her. She sees things on television, she hears them sung about in song, and reads about them in her books — but they are things meant for someone else, never for her. What is Scotland? Was it once a home to her?

     Breaching the door frame makes her heart flutter and pound, or maybe that’s the weightlessness — everything rushing to her head all at once. She finds herself at the end of a long, rounded hallway. To her right is a wall with a few doors scattered about, and to her left is the vast enormity of everything — space, as far as the eye can see along a wall almost completely made up of windows. “Woah!” she gasps, and tries to step back, which of course doesn’t do her a lick of good. Her heart’s ratcheting now, in full-blown panic. Where on Earth is she? Or rather....where...not on Earth...is she?

[rebeccawangart]

Psychedelic Pangolin (2020)

A colorful painting of a pangolin in bright rainbow colors! This is based off of the African ground pangolin, also known as the Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin. They are found in eastern and southern Africa.

Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, consist of 8 species in three genera: 4 species are found in Africa and 4 in Asia. They eat ants and termites using their powerful claws to dig into their mounds. They are covered in thick scales made of keratin, the same protein that makes up human fingernails, rhino horns, and the horns of cattle, goats, and sheep. When threatened, they can curl up into a ball, and they resemble a large pine cone. Some species of pangolins have long thin prehensile tails, and live in the trees; while other species have broad flat tails and live on the ground.

All 8 species are endangered, with three of those species critically endangered. Pangolins face extinction due to forest destruction, and poaching for their meat and scales. Their scales especially are considered valuable in traditional Chinese medicine. The scales are, of course, just made of keratin, similar to rhino horn, and have no actual medicinal value. Pangolins are the most trafficked animal, accounting for up to 20% of all illegal wildlife trade.

Art Prints · Redbubble · Etsy · Facebook · Instagram

[kilar]

CAS - service - Radio Roža

Last Thursday, January 26th, I, with the companionship of my two dear friends Kaja and Vita, went to Radio Roža situated close to PRHG, in an ally-way street called Palach. Radio Roža is a community based internet radio created from the need to follow and keep up with the cultural acts of Rijeka as well as promoting underground genera’s, you can read more on the following link to their website - https://www.radio-roza.org/o-nama – you can find useful information about the Radio Roža there, as well as find a way to listen to them. I visited Radio Roža (RR) with my two friends to promote, spread awareness, benefit and expand our Kult community. My friends and I talked about how Kult came to be what it is today, the process of making the magazine as well as our thoughts about it. It was very interesting, RR is a small project and not a lot of people know about it, to be honest, neither did I until last week, but I always noticed their sign while walking through Palach. I was nervous because I had never talked into a radio microphone before, or like, been in a studio, or like, been featured on a radio show before. So I think you can imagine the stress that I was overflown with. But, never the less, I collected myself with the help of my friends and the supportive environment there. I thought to myself I would sound more natural if I just took a deep breath and realized this is nothing scary, and it worked!

I thought about posting this to my CAS experience portfolio, but is this considered CAS in any way? Well, I did my research beforehand and I assure you it is. I found a photograph from a website which explains it:

As we can read from the photo describing service acts as: ‘Experiences that involve interactions with individuals or groups, which provide benefits from the community. These experiences should not only involve contributions to others, but also with others, while developing a deep commitment’ so there you have it. It is CAS.

Back to what I was saying. I loved it. Truly, deeply, amazingly loved it. It's as simple as that. I liked the idea of my voice talking about something I am so proud of while also promoting it and sharing the news about something very cultural and important not only to PRHG but to Rijeka itself. I also loved the atmosphere of the studio, very nice people, amazing vibes, beautiful colors and space, I was so intrigued by the artwork that was surrounding me, it was like I was inside a painting or an artwork. The only problem I encountered was collecting my words and making reasonable sentences, I bluffed so much we had to do multiple takes, so in conclusion, I think I could work on my vocabulary and public speaking a bit more if I want to continue public speaking and promoting other works. I also feel like I contributed to the community because I helped spread the word of something that's not really heard of, a lot of other student's work will be promoted this way, as well as our school PRHG and community. I would love to repeat something like this again! The radio feature will soon be available on their website so be sure to check it out, when they upload it I will attach a link here! Enjoy!

From the 37th minute on the link below you can listen to the interview!

[1] http://ibtucker.weebly.com/cas.html

[silverxcristal]

What made you choose Splatoon ? I know you love it now but what made you decide to buy it ?

Splatoon caught my interest (I remember working the day it launched, on a mall, so I saw a bunch of people with game in hand as we closed the cinema at midnight) but I didn't had the console to play it so it slip off, never looked much into it since it would frustrate me how is another game i cant just grt bc i want to.

Then years later my half sister got Splatoon 2 and I got to play it on my dad's house [before online service was an extra paid service (evil)] and I had a lot of fun; the whole premise of "paint the most to win" rather than kill the most to win is super interesting and fun and takes away a heaviness of the genera of gameplay

However, it was on a console I didn't had and with how fast Splatoon 2 came after 1 with a new console, and how FAST the WiiU died, I was always afraid to buy the new console and become obsolete,so I played as much as I could whenever I had the minimal chance when I went there until switch online happened and wasn't possible anymore

Octo expansion was awesome, Final Splatfest of 2 brought the "even if i get the console now the game just ended" and Splatoon 3 being announced showed a bit of hope that the console wasn't getting replaced anytime soon... but the fear still there, always there (even now)

What make me finally suck it up and sell a kidney for a Switch is my trip to see my girlfriend, how little games we have to play as I don't have any consoles or my pc cannot run heavy games, and she offered to let me play her games on her switch and even let me shinyhunt in pokemon games, something I enjoy to do until I crash and fall at sleep

So I thought... it would be more fun if we BOTH have a switch to play. So I bought mine, luckily on a cybermonday deal, and she offered to give me one of the two new pokemon games since she got a package with both and she only needed one. And with a new console with a game incoming in the mail... I finally went and got the new Splatoon 3 game, who just had their first Splatfest (Gear/Grub/Fun) and promised years of content before a DLC.

And here I am~

TL;DR: Always liked the gameplay and concept of splatoon, finally bought a switch to play it because I'm gay

[soundsystemcultureblog]

Sound System Culture Mini Festival

Sunday 15 September 2024

Review by Gopal Dutta

It’s a rainy September afternoon in the centre of Huddersfield, and I’m on Wood Street for the Sound System Culture Mini Festival, part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days programme.

The street transforms into a vibrant, colourful space where everyone is welcome. Gazebos shelter the Zion Inna-Vision Sound System, alongside several stalls catering to the daytime crowd who have braved the showers. There’s face-painting, vegan food and cakes, cards, and books on offer. Rainbow-coloured bunting flutters in the wind, the whole scene giving me that “festival” vibe despite the poor weather.

In the glowing, cave-like atmosphere of the Northern Quarter bar, a steady stream of people take their seats around the large pull-down screen that has been especially set up, and an air of expectancy pervades the air. “Filling up nicely,” says Professor Julian Henriques, visiting from London to present a programme of documentaries commissioned by his research unit, Sonic Street Technologies, at Goldsmiths University. Every seat is soon occupied, and more attendees line the walls or sit on the steps, eager to share in this collective experience. The distant siren from the outdoor sound system blends into the indoor atmosphere, merging the worlds of film and reality.

Introducing the first film, a fascinating documentary about Gabre Selassie and the formation of the Kingston Dub Club, Julian acknowledges the importance of Huddersfield in reggae history, mentioning the legendary Venn Street nightclub and declaring that “Huddersfield in the 80s was the epicentre of reggae in the UK.”

The film programme is an excellent whistle-stop tour of the current landscape of sound systems around the world, taking in Jamaica, India, Colombia, Brazil, Australia, and finishing, with a poetic circularity, in South Africa. All of the films highlight reggae music’s power as a force for self-empowerment, community building, and as a social safety valve.

Throughout the screening, more people continue to file into the venue. Each time the door opens and closes, you can hear the outdoor sound system’s siren and the lively Brazilian drums performance by Grupo de Gringos Percussion.

As the films end to a warm applause from the audience, we are at standing room only, with a diverse mix of young and old, a wide range of races and cultures represented—Huddersfield’s diversity in all its glory.

The scene inside mirrors what’s depicted on screen inside: a dimly lit, atmospheric room with a diverse crowd, food, and drink being served. The team have done a great job recreating the vibe of a dub club.

As the energy from the films flows out into the street, the same heavy bassline fills the air, with people chatting, dancing, laughing, eating, and drinking, with DJ Andi G on the decks and Marshall on mic duties.

Eventually, the sun makes an appearance, and over the next few hours, more people arrive, swaying to reggae bassline. The free entry means many passersby pop in, drawn by the sweet music and vibrant atmosphere. Conversations flow, with strangers bonding over their shared love for the music, their faces lighting up as familiar tracks play. There is a collective cheer as Marshall exclaims, “We don’t want no rain no more,” echoing the crowd’s mood.

Riddim Master from Ras Ambassador Sound System then takes control of the decks, delivering an all-vinyl set that opens with Rod Taylor’s unmistakable "His Imperial Majesty" and the warm crackle of dub. Next up is Bigga Puss from Shakatone Esquire Sound System, warming up the crowd with a seamless selection of ska, rocksteady, and roots. As the familiar tones of “Kunta Kinte Dub” by The Revolutionaries fade in, a moment of recognition sweeps through the crowd. Finally, the legendary Papa Burkey, pioneer of the Earth Rocker Sound System from the 80s, takes over, keeping the energy high as the dancing continues, alongside Ras Sis Highness and Dee Bo General on the mic.

Well done to the event team for creating such a vibrant festival, much-needed entertainment in the heart of Huddersfield.