#referencing side order btw

[flaame]

I need to stay awake for 22 hours today this should be fun let’s hope the lesbian cephalopod wedding dlc will keep me awake long enough

[aventurineswife]

Dan heng, Aventurine, Dr Ratio, Jiaoqiu and Moze X a meek s/o (university au btw) when they get put into a group project with incompetent people who are wrong with confidence but reader can't correct them as they either ignore or get angry at them. I wanna see some protective smart men saving their one and only with intelligence

Requesting this as I have finally finished a group presentation and there always seems to be atleast one annoying person that drains me TwT.

My lonesome self needs comfort and assurance from 2d mennn

Guided by Wisdom, Unheard but Present

Tags: Dan Heng x Reader, Aventurine x Reader, Ratio x Reader, Jiaoqiu x Reader, Moze x Reader, University AU, Protective Characters, Intelligent Characters, Slow Burn, Angst, Soft Moments, Comfort, Group Project Drama, Reader with Low Self-Confidence, Mild Tension, Gentle Humor.

Warnings: Mild conflict, Incompetent groupmates, Slight manipulation of group dynamics, Emotional distress for the Reader, Potential misunderstandings, Protective behaviors from partners.

A/N: So sorry to hear that, anon, I hope this cheers you up! 🫂💖

It was the third week into the semester, and the looming weight of group projects hung over your head. You weren’t exactly thrilled to be working with this particular group. Two of your teammates were clearly overconfident, but you knew they didn’t have a firm grasp on the material. And you, the quiet, reserved student who preferred to keep to yourself, couldn’t bring yourself to speak up when they made mistake after mistake, arguing with each other in the most misguided ways.

Dan Heng sat beside you, his expression unreadable as he observed the chaos unfolding. He’d noticed how the loud voices of the others ignored your hesitant attempts at pointing out inconsistencies, brushing off your input as if you were invisible.

At first, you tried to stay silent, hoping they’d eventually come to their senses. But when one of your teammates confidently but inaccurately explained a concept you knew was wrong, you felt a tight knot in your chest.

You didn’t want to speak up. You were never good at making waves, and every time you’d tried, the others had either ignored you or worse, snapped at you for challenging them. But seeing how they all struggled, and knowing you had the knowledge to help, made you feel sick with frustration.

Before you could even formulate a way to gently intervene, Dan Heng, who had been watching quietly, straightened in his chair, his voice steady and calm, but carrying an unspoken authority. "Actually, that’s incorrect," he said, his words cutting through the heated discussion like a sharp blade. "The formula you’re referencing is incomplete. Here’s the correct way to approach it."

There was no anger in his tone, only the quiet confidence of someone who had learned to carry their wisdom with a calm demeanor. The others looked at him, startled by the correction, and quickly began to take notes.

Dan Heng turned to you, his usual stoic expression softening just a fraction. "If you ever feel the need to speak up, you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure they listen."

His calmness was both reassuring and somehow protective. You gave him a small, grateful smile, feeling a little lighter. For the first time in a long while, you didn’t feel alone in the group. With Dan Heng by your side, you knew the chaos would be brought into order.

It was another dreaded group project day, and you could feel your anxiety bubbling up as you looked around at your fellow students. Your group was… a disaster waiting to happen. One member was already rambling on about things they clearly didn’t understand, and the others were just nodding along in fake confidence. You had the answers—of course, you always did—but no one ever took you seriously.

Your soft voice and passive demeanor made it easy for them to ignore you, and even when you tried to correct them, they just dismissed you. It wasn’t your fault that they couldn’t accept that they were wrong. You couldn’t even bring yourself to insist—they were far too convinced of their own brilliance.

Then, you heard the unmistakable sound of Aventurine’s voice. "Well, it seems we're all taking a rather dramatic gamble on these assumptions," he said with that signature, playful smile of his. There was a teasing tone to his words, but there was no mistaking the sharpness that lay beneath. "Let me offer a suggestion: Instead of trying to force the problem into an answer we want, how about we let the facts guide us, hmm?"

His voice had a magnetic quality, drawing the others’ attention with ease. The others quieted, looking at him like he had the answers to everything. And, in a sense, he did. His sharp intellect and masterful manipulation of situations made him impossible to ignore.

"Let me reframe this for you," he continued, effortlessly redirecting the conversation back onto the correct track. "This concept is built on a foundation of logic and balance, not guesswork. If you do it this way..." He paused, glancing at you as if to make sure you agreed. You nodded silently, watching as the group began to shift, their previous certainty faltering under the weight of his intelligence.

Aventurine leaned in just a little closer to you, his eyes flickering with a hint of warmth. "Next time, don’t hesitate to speak up, darling. If they won’t listen, I’ll make sure they do." His wink was subtle, but it was enough to leave you feeling protected in his clever hands.

It was almost a joke how clueless your group was. Everyone had their own version of the material, and you could barely keep up with their rambling, confident errors. It was hard not to feel frustrated; you knew the facts, but no one would listen to your corrections.

Your gaze briefly met Ratio's, and he raised an eyebrow. His presence alone seemed to have the effect of calming everyone down, and he stepped forward, crossing his arms with a look of exasperation. "It’s truly fascinating," he began, his voice calm yet cutting. "How certain people can misinterpret something so basic. But perhaps it’s not surprising when the knowledge in question is so clearly… beneath you."

The others faltered under the weight of his gaze, and you could see their confidence begin to crack. Ratio didn’t mince words. "Let’s correct this once and for all," he said, taking the lead in guiding the discussion with his usual brilliance. He walked them through the proper steps with sharp, precise explanations, effortlessly dismantling their flawed understanding.

"Listen closely," he said to the group, but his eyes were directed at you, softening ever so slightly. "You, dear, should not be afraid to speak. Next time, we’ll do this properly, without the circus." His words were confident and commanding, leaving no room for dispute.

With Ratio, you felt the reassurance of a true genius guiding you through the chaos. He was intimidating, but you could tell, deep down, that he wouldn’t let you be swallowed by the ignorance of others.

Group projects had always been a source of anxiety for you, but this one was different. You could tell from the start that your team was full of people who had no idea what they were doing. And though you knew you should step in, you were too timid to correct them. They weren’t outright malicious, but they seemed so confident in their wrongness that it made you freeze.

That’s when you noticed Jiaoqiu. His calm demeanor and thoughtful expressions always seemed to bring a sense of balance to the chaos. He was sitting across from you, and you could see how he observed the group quietly, never raising his voice, yet always in control. When someone spoke out of turn, saying something completely incorrect, Jiaoqiu leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting with quiet authority.

"Actually, the theory here is based on an assumption that doesn’t hold up," he said gently, his voice soothing but firm. "If we shift our approach slightly and reframe the context, we’ll be able to arrive at a more accurate solution."

He spoke with the wisdom and calm of someone who had seen the effects of care and understanding, even in the most chaotic of situations. He didn’t embarrass the others; instead, he guided them towards the right answers, offering an insight that left no room for argument.

As the others began to take his advice, you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. Jiaoqiu looked at you with a soft smile, his usual composed nature carrying a hint of reassurance. "Don’t worry," he said quietly, "when it gets too overwhelming, just let me handle it. You’re not alone in this."

You were trapped in a group of students who were far too confident for their own good. Their mistakes piled up, and though you knew you should correct them, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak up. Every time you tried, your voice faltered, and they either ignored you or snapped at you. It was hard to fight that anxiety, especially when the wrong answers were so confidently delivered.

Moze, who had been quiet throughout the session, finally spoke. His voice was low and calculated, and for the first time, the room seemed to settle as the others turned their attention to him.

"You're going about this the wrong way," Moze said, his tone devoid of emotion, but carrying a quiet authority that commanded attention. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, scanned the group as he methodically explained the correct approach. He didn’t raise his voice or make a spectacle of it; he simply corrected their mistakes with calm precision, his focus unwavering.

The others, though initially resistant, began to fall into line, their earlier confidence now shattered by his quiet strength. Moze’s gaze flicked over to you, his expression unreadable but reassuring. "You don’t have to be afraid to speak. If they ignore you again, I’ll take care of it," he said, his words sharp and protective, like a silent promise.

With Moze’s presence, you didn’t have to fear the group anymore. His silent confidence shielded you, and for the first time, you felt safe in his quiet strength.

[guardian5tiger3]

Paranormal / psychic read whatever comes out.

Groups

1 2

3 4

Group one

You guys seem to be respected by spirits or at least the ones that have the dignity to show the right beings respect. It seems like you guys are closed off to a lot of spiritual activity especially low vibing.you guys might subconsciously or even consciously somehow help spirits in conflict perhaps humans using advice from spirit.it seems like you guys aren't aware of what activity does take place surrounding you because you're used to it and it just seems normal. It might be more in the daytime too. I do see you guys helping lower vibing situations spirits and or people somehow someway. Something about snoopy and something about awareness. Maybe also something about ice cream.

Group two

You guys might be or have a history of fighting against lower vibing entities at night. Like most likely not that bad just random ghosts and stuff. This seems like it could manifest in tons of ways but I'm seeing for some it could be insomnia or general stress with seemingly no source. You guys might want some type of pretty lights and all around make your rooms and or homes a good vibe especially at night. I'm seeing some of you need sage or something to burn. The brighter you glow the less the negative stuff will show up and be around. I'm getting something about something in the background.

It might be a good idea to focus on your subconscious mind maybe you need background noise or decorations or lights in order to help your subconscious.

Group three

Looks like there are spirits helping you and trying to take part in controlling certain situations going on in the 3d plane of existence. Earth. Whatever you want to refer to it as ok.i see someone smiling so maybe that's significant somehow.im seeing you guys being sort of lifted up or protected somehow by an or multiple entities. I see this entity or the multiple of them view you as a child I want to say kind of like how cats do. To be honest I am getting something about aliens. I'm seeing some spirit or spirits or somebody like that trying to offer you something positive specifically when you're upset in some way so my advice is if you will just sit or lay back close your eyes and let your imagination take you wherever ok.

Group four

Ngl I'm getting something about a morgue. I'm seeing an elder and a youth that are related somehow or just similar. I also see kind of a dickish peer coming to try to take over or something. If you somehow know what I'm talking about then spirit is just confirming that they see this and they're acting accordingly. I keep getting a reference to the dynamic of ash and the kid Gary I think and professor oak. This could somehow be referencing the importance of perspective.

If you feel vulnerable or lonely somehow you should rely on spirit at this time. Is this group scared of ghosts btw? Like I used to be scared of ghosts but still was interested type of thing haha. Some are good some are bad, like people. You definitely have some good ones by your side. So no worries. You just have to have faith in them and lean on the good ones. Something about a pig like a pet pig for someone or some of you. Something about a statue of a woman figure for somebody. This could even actually be the statue of liberty or a lady with a torch similarly. Or a bell maybe. You guys need to learn to reject the negative entities then it won't be so scary ok.

☮️

[cressidascowper]

I would love if you could give some tips on making blended gifs with two dominant colors - for example your friends cheesecake set. I would love to make like that but I have no idea were I’m going wrong

friends cheesecake set

hi!! blending is honestly so hard to give tips on bc it's so dependent on the scenes but i can try! below, i link some tutorials that i have used and try to explain the methods i personally use :)

btw this is very image heavy with gifs as visuals to try and explain my processes!

the tips i give assume you have basic giffing knowledge and at least some knowledge and experiencing of both blending and coloring. if you have any questions on anything i explain, please don't hesitate to come ask!

firstly, here are some very very helpful general blending tutorials that i have used in the past: this one and this one go pretty in depth (both by the lovely @yenvengerberg.

secondly, here are some coloring/color manipulation tutorials that i love:

general color manipulation (different methods) again by @yenvengerberg

manipulating the background by @fionagallaqher

coloring gifs for rainbow sets! by @rhodeys

now, as for combining the two techniques, i use trial and error. again, both blending and coloring are very fickle and the methods can change based on the scene i'm using.

there are two ways that i blend gifs with two dominant colors:

color the gifs separately and then blend

or blend the gifs together and then color the whole gif

first method: color first and then blend —

i usually use this method for gifs with little movement and where the colors can be easily manipulated (see the coloring tutorials i referenced above).

an easy way to tell what colors are dominant in a gif, go to the hue/saturation adjustment and turn saturation all the way up to 100.

for instance, this gif of anakin has little movement and i can see the background has hints of blue.

this gif will be easy to manually color on its own, seeing as i can use selective color and brushes to color the background. here is the same gif but now i have colored the background, and i used the method outlined in this tutorial:

NOW, moving onto the second gif. the second gif/scene i chose also has little movement and a background that can be easily manipulated:

using the same method as the first gif, i'll now color this padme gif on its own.

TIME TO BLEND!!! after converting the two gifs to smart object and putting one on top of the other, i set the top object to screen. for this example, i put the padme gif on top of the anakin one. this is what the blended gif and my layers panel looks like:

now, i'll create a layer mask on the padme gif and get rid of any parts i do not want or expose any areas of the anakin gif i want to see.

next, as you can see, the left side of padme's face is purple and pretty transparent. so in order to make it more visible, i will add a blank layer in between the two smart object and use a black brush to paint the areas i want to see (see this tutorial!!)

and here is the final blended gif:

now, you can totally stop here, but for me, it's pretty purple-heavy and i'd like to see some more orange. so i simply take an orange brush and color some areas i'd like to add more orange, and then set the layer's blending mode to color.

and HERE IS THE FINAL PRODUCT!

second method: blend first and then color —

i usually use this method when at least one of the gifs/scenes i want to use has colors or a background that is difficult to manipulate. or sometimes i do this because i just don't know what i want my coloring to look like and blending first gifs me a better sense of the whole gif.

there are two different ways you can blend first and then color. using the brush tool or the gradient tool.

brush tool:

using the brush tool is the best method when there is little movement and when you have distinct subjects to color around.

for instance, this gif of rhaenyra. while there is little movement, the background is a similar tone to her skin so it would be difficult for me to use selective color.

i could possibly use a brush to color the background, but i do not know how that will blend with my other gif and i don't know what coloring will work best overall. this is why i want to blend first!

and now for my second gif. similarly to the rhaenyra shot, the background of this alicent shot has very similar tone to alicent's skin color, so selective color would not work:

TIME TO BLEND!! i do the same thing as the last method (placing one smart object on top of the other) and this is what it looks like:

following the same steps as last time, i erase what i don't want and paint over areas i want to be more visible. this is what i came up with:

because there is that orange light on the left hand side of the gif (on rhaenyra's side), i decided to play into that and go with orange as one of the colors. sometimes the color scheme i go with depends on the colors i find in the gif bc that's just easiest!

now is when i use a brush to color the background! i color the left side with an orange brush and set the blending mode to 'color':

for the second color, the background on alicent's side is kind of neutral so i'm going to pick any color i want! i decide to go with green bc that is her color lol, and i do the same method, coloring with a green brush and setting the blend more to 'color'.

this is what i came up with:

you can totally stop here, but i like adding colors to the bottom, orange on the right and green on the left, so it kind of ties it all together.

HERE IS THE FINAL PRODUCT! (notice how in the bottom left corner, there is some hints of green. similarly for hints of orange in the right corner)

gradient tool:

another tool i use is the gradient tool (not to be confused by an adjustment layer).

this tool is really good for blended gifs that have lots of movement or where there are subjects that are difficult to draw around with a brush.

for example, this blended gif of yennefer has lots of movement so the brush tool may not be the best method.

here is where the gradient tool comes in! i add a new layer and draw a gradient in the direction i want. this is what my gif and layer panel looks like:

next, i change the blending mode. this heavily depends on the scene and also what looks good to your eye, but i usually alternate between 'overlay', 'soft light', or 'color'.

for this gif i chose 'overlay' and this is what it looks like:

again, you can stop here...BUT i want to go back in and intensify the pink/purple color at the top in the white areas. to do this, i am going to use a large soft brush and paint areas, setting the layer's blending mode to 'color.'

HERE IS THE FINAL PRODUCT:

and those are my methods!! if you made it this far, thank you for reading and following along. i hope that this was at least somewhat helpful and huge shout out to @yenvengerberg who's coloring and blending tutorials basically taught me everything i know.

if you still have any questions at all pls feel free to hope in my inbox :D

[sideordertheories]

10 days until side order releases!!!

^ this was heavily referenced from an image of the spire btw. just felt like making that clear

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

So, I'm new to the fandom and ur blog has been a massive help. Thank you so much for your hard work!! I wanted to ask, what's the relationship between the abilities of the characters and the authors? Like, No Longer Human is BSD Dazai's ability coz of Dazai-sensei's book, but how does that make the ability a nullifier? What's the connection? Asking in general for all abilities, btw. If u already answered this b4 in someone else's question, sorry I couldnt find it.

I'm so glad that my blog has been helpful! It's hard to find information about Japanese literature on the English side of the internet, so most of the information I've gathered comes from physical books (I have a big bookshelf full of just Japanese literature now!). I hope my collection of quotes and facts can continue to be helpful for you.

I have a list of where the titles of the abilities came from you can find here, but it doesn't go into any detail about why the ability does what it does.

Japanese audiences are much more familiar with the authors and literary works referenced in BSD, so the abilities are usually more symbolic. Dazai's ability No Longer Human might be easier to understand with the Japanese title, Ningen Shikkaku. The word ningen means "human" and the word shikkaku means "disqualification, elimination, or incapacity" so the title translates to "disqualified from being human." BSD Dazai's ability is based on the word "disqualified" because he negates, or disqualifies, other abilities. Or you could think about it like he makes their abilities fail. Here is the definition if you want to check it out:

For most of the BSD Japanese authors' abilities you would have to read the work their ability is named after, know a famous line from it, or understand the author's life in order to know what the ability is referencing. Like how Fukuzawa Yukichi's ability "All Men Are Equal" comes from the opening line in his collection of essays An Encouragement of Learning: "It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man. This means that when men are born from heaven they all are equal." Or to understand Akutagawa's ability Rashomon you'd have to read the short story and pick up on little details in it, like when the main character steals an old woman's clothes, in order to understand where Asagiri Kafka and Harukawa35 might have gotten the inspiration for BSD Akutagawa's ability.

The abilities for Western authors in BSD are pretty straightforward in comparison. Like John Steinbeck's ability Grapes of Wrath is literal grapevines growing from his body, or Fitzgerald using money to become more powerful like Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, or Herman Melville controlling a gigantic whale named Moby Dick. I've wondered if the abilities for the characters based on Western authors are more obvious because Japanese readers aren't as familiar with the authors' lives or the time and culture they lived in; kind of like how understanding the Japanese authors' lives and works isn't something most of us were familiar with until watching BSD.

[dragongutsixofficial]

THOUGHTS ON EPISODES 7 AND 8:

Episode 7:

RICHELIEU MY POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW

A Richelieu-centric episode ??? Sign me THE FUCK IN (seriously though he may be my favorite character in the book i'll take any crumbs I can)

Also loved to see him and Milady interacting more !!! Super nice 🖤⚜️

GO APESHIT RICHELIEU

FUCK THE POPE RICHELIEU

In the book (SPOILER ALERT) Milady tells a story very similar to the false testimony she gives in court in order to make Buckingham's right-hand man believe he abducted and raped her and turn him against him- it's really nice to see that referenced in the show

Like to see Louis actually having a personnality

Liked Ninon ! But why would you fall for Athos when ARAMIS IS RIGHT HERE

Also I do think they didn't need her to romance anyone to make her interesting in that episode ? I understand it's the usual plot device but ah well

Love how the last shot of the episode is Constance pining d'Artagnan against a shelf. We all know who's the top in the relationship

To conclude: great episode, did I mention i loved to see more of Richelieu ?

RICHELIEU MY POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW

Episode 8:

MILADY MY POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW

Love how the skirt-chasing for money is exactly how it works in the book

Alice (Porthos' love interest) is a pretty good reference to his mistress in the book and a very nice lady but I think the hilarity of Porthos having to deal with her original version would've been amazing (an older woman married to a cupid man who won't spend a dime while they're both just desperately waiting for him to pass to inherit his fortune)

Love how (in the French version at least) d'Artagnan is barely portrayed as actually caring for his farmers' lives, only his cash xD

De Tréville is a good dad

Love d'Artagnan just walking into Richelieu's office like he owns the place

Richelieu is having a mental breakdown

GOOD FOR HIM MY POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW

But don't be mean to Milady >=(

Milady and Athos being like: love in the air ? Wrong ! Gas leak =D

Mr. Bonacieux is very nice with Constance though. Like I would not have reacted that well

Also nice to see him working for Richelieu. The people who made this show clearly dearly care for the book

d'Artagnan getting promoted !!! Yeah =D now he's got the cool shoulder pad

d'Artagnan in the book 5000000000% wants Milady and does still a dude's identity for the second time in order to essentially rape her though so it's nice to see d'artagnan having a moral backbone more solid than that of a chocolate éclair

So uh. I do think Aramis took his own sword back from his ex's grave

Btw in French at least right before they start the duel d'artagnan says something like "speaking from personal experience, never trust in love" and Athos gives him a dramatic side eye. This can be explained in two ways: 1- he relates 2- d'artagnan YOU'RE SAYING THAT IN FRONT OF YOUR POLYCULE

Also once Alice dumps Porthos in the French version him and Aramis have an exchange that's like "So you're not gonna marry her" "Who would take care of you if I did" and I love them

Before he gets dumped, Porthos also says something to the effect of "there's a life after being a musketeer" to shut Aramis' criticism down. Boy don't give him ideas. If this was book! Aramis he'd take it to heart have an existential crisis lock himself in a room for weeks and whip himself crying about how he's gonna become a cleric

Edit: fixed a typo from Milady and Porthos to Milady and Athos

[inkopolis-news-official]

btw i will be tagging all my side order posts with either "side order" (for things so removed of context they can't really spoil more than a trailer) or "side order spoilers" for anything referencing gameplay/plot. i wont post any major story spoilers either, not that there seems to be anything huge so far!!

[skenpiel]

ok so that erm impromptu birthday celebration was fun but also. maybe some of the weirdest shit thats happened 2 me in awhile im gonna have to go through it all in order. first off it was at an irish pub and my uncles friend was like. a friend of the owners and he was irish so everyone was switching between languages all the time..... then i met my uncles mom (not the same as my grandma for the record) who IMMEDIATELY went "oh my god is your liver okay?????" and i was like ????? what do u mean. she was like all those painkillers you swallowed!!!! and i thought she was referencing an incident from a couple years ago and was like oh that was a long time ago im fine now haha. turns out she was talking about sometime when she babysat me when i was a TODDLER and i guess i somehow swallowed pain meds???? and she was like. still super worried about that even though it wasnt even a dangerous amount of medicine so like. lol. but then we got to talking and she asked about what i wanna be when i grow up.. i was like ohh i dunno im mostly just trying to finish school first and foremost. then we SOMEHOW got into talking about astrophysics (subject i love very much) and she got more excited than anyone i have EVER MET about that. she was squealing and stomping her feet and clapping her hands and rushing over the table to hug me and THANKING GOD i was like ???OK!!!!!!!!!??. and she leaned over to her friend and whispered, completely serious, "we need to bring her to the woods. satima, dont you think we need to bring her with us to the woods???" and Erm i guess it turns out they have hippie ass drum sessions in the woods and im apparently invited. she went on a whole spiel about how i needed to open my third eye like completely fully serious too. "your brain and intellect has invaded your third eye, you need to learn how to balance them..... here have some more wine btw". on the way back i found a dead mouse on the ground and then it turned out it WASNT DEAD and was STILL MOVING but seemingly near death and everyone gathered around and was like ohhh it feels so horrible to just leave him to die slowly like this :( and i was like. well does anyone have like a big rock or something then. i scooped it up in some box i found on the ground and moved it to the side of the road and this drunk ass irishman started talking about all the various animals thatd bitten him and how he was lucky to be alive after having been bitten by a rat. i was like. ok big pat (his name. also everything we ordered literally went to his tab, it was unreal) im sorry to hear about all your animal mishaps. he just went "ahhh they dont mean to bite ya they get scared but you shouldnt touch em" like yeah bro way ahead of you 👍. anyway this is a long ass post but everyone was SO WEIRD it was funny to watch. oh and by the way my uncles mom (the shaman lady because she apparently also works as a shaman) told a story about how she got in trouble while babysittig me once to the point where HER DAUGHTER had to scold her because she BIT MY HANDS. as she talked about it she was holding my hands and was like i just couldnt help myself they were so small and cute ^__^ i just wanted to GOBBLE THEM UP!!!!! at which point she brought my hands to her mouth and imitated gnawing sounds. like. ok so um. this lady BIT ME when i was a baby.....? and now she wants to bring me to the woods so i can open my third eye...??????? shes sami btw but she seems to be Erm sort of all over the place in terms of culture and religion. lmfao. annnnnd now im going 2 bed Bye 4ever

[bluerabbittarot]

Black Moon in Lilith: Natal Chart Placement & Shadow Work

The position of this mathematical point on your birth chart is an indicator of what you may have to face in shadow work should you have the spiritual foundation & mental/emotional wherewithal to take on such a task. I decided an actual blog post was probably in order since I don't tend to share that way here. Black Moon in Lilith & shadow work in general deals with facing the pain, trauma, shame, etc. from the past. I don't recommend shadow work for everyone: sometimes the best thing you can do is not to "walk through a trauma." In fact, in order to heal, sometimes you just acknowledge it happened, & move on. There isn't any "integrating" or "feel it to heal it" in some situations. It can actually hurt people MORE deeply by forcing them to re-visit a traumatic experience/event. That's not healthy! As such, please only consider shadow work if that is a burden you are at a place in life to bear for yourself, & please know that there is nothing wrong with you if you aren't. It's not the best path for everyone! Healing is not linear & there is no one right way to heal. There are paths. Choose yours according to your best interests mentally/physically/emotionally/spiritually. Thank you.

That being said if you're still here, I deal with shadow work as the basis of my own healing journey so it will be referenced sometimes. Shadow work is a psychological practice that involves exploring & accepting the repressed/wounded parts of ourselves so that we stop acting subconsciously from them. It falls under the umbrella of self-reflection/introspection & involves looking at our pasts to understand our present consciously. The concept was first developed in western practice by the psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Shadow work can lead to greater authenticity, creativity, & emotional freedom as we can more clearly see ourselves, "warts & all." It can also help to heal trauma & resentment as we learn to see what we went through in terms of what it can teach us about others/ourselves. The more we understand why we are the way we are, the more we can choose to be authentically who we are. The more we understand why others are the way they are, the easier it is to move through the pain of what they did, or at the very least acknowledge that everyone acts according to their wounds first before they (if ever) do according to their healing.

I'm not a proponent of forgiveness…I've lived through unforgiveable things & I am an unforgiving soul by nature (Scorpio Stellium). But I do think that we can release people & things. We don't have to carry the weight of the experiences negatively if we learn to transmute the pain from open wound to scar. Everything can be a lesson if we choose to look at it like one. If we're able to come through the other side saying "This broke me, but I didn't stay broken. This hurt me, but I didn't stay hurt.", then we've done the work. Forgiveness isn't a necessary step for everyone: scars are evidence we survived. Shadow work is about more than survival though. It's about making evident our personal growth in tangible ways, even if we will always carry the scars: we don't have to carry the pain negatively. We can transmute it into our strength. Shadow work can be done using various tools, methods, & practices. I choose to do mine through tarot & the use of shamanic ritual. I don't claim to be a teacher of either; they've just been what I've found in my journey to be the most helpful in terms of processing my trauma & integrating the lessons I've lived as an Indigenous person along the way. I'm MIXED, btw, so don't come at me with the "You don't look Native." I'm sorry I came out like raw bannock, that's not my fault. I'm still brown enough to matter, & if I'm not then that's some work for you to do on your own time because I've already done it.

Since it's Halloween this week & we had a major lunar event (partial lunar eclipse), I wanted to touch a little on the Black Moon in Lilith placement on the natal chart since it deals primarily with the shadow self & how our unhealed wounds can show up in our lives. The eclipse closed out the past 2 years of things (going back to November 2021!) Black Moon Lilith translates to "Dark Side Of The Moon" essentially (not exactly), the untamed aspects of the feminine archetype. Untamed in this context means atypical, socially speaking "unacceptable." It doesn't necessarily mean "bad!" Just wild & raw.

As an example we'll look at my Black Moon in Lilith, which is in the sign of Aries in the 4th House. I was made to feel a lot of shame for displaying assertive traits, for taking the lead without asking, or for making "self"-centered choices. A.K.A: the not-ok feminine in a lot of religious people's eyes. I harbored fear because of that shame for a lot of years over taking the lead, asserting myself, or making executive decisions. And because of the fear I acted out in many ways with the raw & wild side of these traits: I was alternately either shy or domineering, wildly disorganized or perfectionistic. Learning to accept my fiery Aries traits & integrating them healthily required me to learn boundaries, conflict resolution, when/how to use my voice, & that it was ok to take up space, in order to turn what was always seen as something to reject into something that is empowering. I can still be hard headed & I'm not the greatest team player, but I have also become self-confident & lost the fear of speaking up. Still a little wild & still a little rough around the edges, but tempered by wisdom from experiences & consequences. I no longer feel the need to people please, or alternatively, to disrupt things unnecessarily. I have learned to discern the timing of my assertiveness & to be firm, but kind. How others interpret that is up to them. A lot of insecure people take assertiveness as aggression because they're reacting to you out of their own fear.

4th House in a natal chart is two fold: private (your subconscious/the you only known to your closest people) & the public: family & home. It describes where you come from in terms of your biological beginnings, generational baggage (especially maternal), the atmosphere you grew up in, the kind of parent you are, etc. It's a karmic house as well: not only dealing with beginnings, but endings. You have the opportunity to work through these root challenges & end things well in this house: didn't have a good childhood? Integrate the lessons & reap the rewards in old age/your last years on this planet. Personally I had a shit childhood & most of my young adulthood was as a consequence full of the fallout of unhealed crap. I'm on track to have a great senior citizenship because I am in the process of learning & have learned a lot about the wounds I carry here. Such as feeling rejected in my birth family, being the black sheep, having a chaotic relationship with my boundary challenged mother, etc.

4th House Lilith people often feel unsafe in the world with a lot of anxiety because of the rejection & chaos in their childhood, which often is a direct result of generational traumas/baggage being passed down to them. I chose to say it stops with me as much as possible. I have been no contact with my mother for 2 years, after 5 years of constantly trying to establish healthy boundaries & it not being respected. I can say it was the BEST decision I ever made for myself.

I don't recommend no contact for everyone, but it was the decision for the well-being of my family & my own healing that was best for us. You can't change how you were parented, but you can change the relationship you have with your parents if they're still around. I don't believe in the whole "They're still your family" bullshit, just like forgiveness. I can't choose my biological roots, but I can damn sure choose my future. And I choose to not be the same kind of person that hurt me, or to continue to be an unhealed person who hurts others because I can't see my own shit. Personal accountability in shadow work, when you're dealing with generational things, is huge. There's a lot of feelings that come up that need to be held & worked through; that I'm still working through. It's not a fast process or quick Band-Aid. It's a whole ass quest. We don't get the strength & steel here easily: we have to face the inner demons so to speak.

In light of the eclipse being one that closes out the past 2 years, moving through them discovering how to be in my strong-willed feminine without being passive aggressive or domineering, has been the second greatest learning curve in my own shadow work journey. I am so happy to be closing this out knowing that I'm a better parent, a better friend, a better partner, because of the choices I make to protect the peace in my soul & in my home.

So, what's your Black Moon Lilith placement? The sign will tell you the traits that will challenge you the most & the house will tell you where to focus those traits! At least, that's been my interpretation. As always, you're on your own path.

10.31.23

[aqg-arts]

So how's the campaign for helping people who would rape and behead you? And how is it knowing you took the side of a rapist and his screenshots.

Oh and you spelled his name wrong btw. You better show the screenshots to your discord AQG. Or I'll do it for you.

You never cared about him, I saw the "It's not my business" I guess you were never his friend because your true friends are the queers who talk to 14 year old boys who trans them. Pretty sad but hey that says more about you since you didn't care about what Faber did.

So, you're threatening to dox me? Well, we can share the screenshots on here, I'm more than happy to, but that's up to you :)

Oh, and thanks for letting me live in your head rent free, it's nice to know someone is going through the effort of getting me UwU.

Alrighty, let's go over this shit I order, hm?

Yes. I am fighting for the Palestinians. No, they wouldn't rape and behead me, but keep dreaming, asshole.

Also, go for! Truth be told, I don't even know what screenshots you're on about (i have a lot cas of all the types of assholes I've ran into), so you will have to elaborate on the specifics. Do you want the ones of mine and Lucky's last convo? Chat's with his burner? Literally, you need to tell me, I suck at guessing games, so I'm more than happy to go over it in dms.

I want to help you, babes, so come on! Let's not go public with our affairs, you flirt ;)

Also, I did care for him. We were mates for 3 or so years. I tried to help him, I loved him like a brother, and he did this shit. He hurt a lot of people, me included. It broke my heart when I found out what he did. I could go into detail, but someone else (x2) already knows about my anguish (hint, it's probably you, Lucky).

Look, if he's dead, as I've stated, I'm sorry for his family's loss. However, if he's alive, it's not my problem anymore.

Truth be told, I've moved on as best I can. I made my peace, you should too. Because your goal, whatever it may be, doesn't have anything to do with me. I didn't go out and say he was a pedo, I just told him never to talk to me again. I never told him to do stupid shit, I just blocked him and told him never to talk to me again.

Finally, I don't even know who you're referencing in the last line, but I will say this:

You can't 'Trans' kids, you dense cabbage.

Sincerely,

Go fuck yourself, you pussy-ass bitch.

Edit:

Oh, I forgot to add; I did care about what Faber did. They went after people I cared about, as well as minors. If I could have said something about them, I would have, but it wasn't my place to do so, especially because I was asked (not told) not to.

Once again, go fuck yourself:)

[rainbowolfe]

Ah-hah... a wedding veil you say... I'll have to link back to this when I finish writing what I'm cooking up. Critical supporting evidence.

But in the meantime, while I was reading, I started thinking. What if the numbers are meant to align with the in-game tarot deck instead? Amazing connection to make btw.

Narinder Ichor Earned (22)

Who dares draw the blood of Gods?

In hindsight I should've reversed the order on these, but it's too late now. Regardless.

I would think this card was about the Bishop's betrayal and slaying of Narinder, but it's Gods plural. So this must be referencing the God purge the Bishops went on. (Which might mean Aym and Baal were a gift before they sealed Narinder away)

"Bond forged by the spilling of blood" after all.

This particular skull seems to be the one from The Burning Dead, which references "Death's Door" and/or "The Deal" in the background. "Service, even in death" is actually one of the doctrine decisions you get to make. It's the Funeral Ritual vs the Ritual of Resurrection.

Also there's a movie called The Burning Dead that's about cannibals being brought back to life.

Shamura was the one leading the charge on this war, so this (cracked) skull and crossbones just might represent them.

Side Tangent: Being that the Bishops aren't truly/fully immortal, when Shamura said they participated in the "experiments", did they mean that they had Narinder resurrect them?

Aym and Baal Shield of Faith (20)

Take refuge in your devotion.

This card visually parallels Master of the Art, which places the Red Crown in between the sun and the moon (with a line of blood connecting them all). The lore text for this card implies this is about a particular fighting philosophy. To put it shortly, to be ruthless.

Don't hesitate, offer no mercy, and don't relent.

It's about the dynamic between the All-Seeing Sun, the Red Crown, and the Weeping Moon. On a grand scale, that'd be the cosmic interplay between these three forces of nature/First Gods. The blue/sun deity, the red/eye deity, and the purple/moon deity.

But if we bump that down to a mid-range scale, it's about Kallamar, Narinder, and Shamura. So flipping that back to Aym and Baal...

The Red Crown (Narinder) is trapped within a container of its own, but the relationship has switched from his siblings to the twins. There's also nothing connecting the three things now.

Kudaai says that one "must find comfort and power where they can". He fulfills that need using his weapons. Narinder would fulfill that need using Aym and Baal. Literally finding comfort in (taking refuge in) his source of devotion.

He may not see them as family, but he does appreciate them/their loyalty/both. The twins entire existence has been their relationship with TOWW, so it makes sense for this to be the thing to represent them.

((and if you flip it back around again, it would make Shamura and Kallamar the Masters (of combat) that Narinder learned from/relief on))

Klunko (and Bop?) All Seeing Sun (8)

Destruction wastes at noonday.

This is just straight up a verse from the bible. Psalm 91:6 to be exact. "Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday."

This seems to be a reference to the day Jesus died. Looking to Mark 15, they crucified him at 9am and at noon there was a total eclipse that lasted three hours. This sudden darkness is theorized to be the first sign of judgment day.

(In the context of Psalms, this is effectively a promise that even when judgement is cast on the rest of the land, those under God will still be safe)

Thus. The "destruction" that's forseen are the creatures that usually operate under the cover of night/darkness suddenly and unexpectedly being empowered midday.

Considering how heavily associated with the moon the Old Faith is, all these references to darkness are probably them. I noticed at some point that the moon phases associated with the OF aren't showing a proper moon cycle. Because of the placement of the two crescent moons, they're phases of an eclipse.

But at the very least, it's referring to the Night, aka The Teeth in Darkness, aka The Fox.

To me, this card reads as instructions. "this is happening, so be ready". While Weeping Moon is about protection from danger, maybe All-Seeing Sun is the danger. The aforementioned judgement.

Crows aren't night creatures. But worms are. :3c And Bop did ditch his family to become a cult leader.

Flinky The Lovers I (6)

A heart offered, a vow made.

Well. That makes Flinky two for two on Lover cards so there must be something here. I couldn't tell ya what, though. Since Shrumy and Klunko's cards are about a particular subject, I'll assume Flinky's is the same. Which leads me to: Luke 6:38.

"Give, and you will receive." [close enough] "Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

I've singled out this passage mostly because I can relate what it's describing back to Gift From Below. An empty heart canister is a dead entity, so all that can be offered on this card is half a heart. He gave half his soul, and 30 cards later he got it back.

(or maybe the three empty canisters offered up the still-living heart, who's to say)

Shrumy Weeping Moon (4)

Fear not the terror of night.

This line is also a bible verse, Psalms 91:5. Riiight before Klunko's. "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,"

Essentially, because he's under a God's (TOWWs?) protection, he doesn't need to worry about being attacked/killed day or night. Whether by wild animals or his fellow man/Beast. In COTL's context, the Teeth in Darkness (presently the Fox, but formerly wolves) seems to be the nighttime threat.

On a mid-size scale, the 'terror' here may be Shamura and/or their worshippers. As the only God we know of with a cracked open head, this statue of a literal weeping moon can only be them with the info we have now.

On a grander scale, the 'terror' could be the force that empowers their Crown (i.e. the Moon god, whatever that may be here).

This tarot card parallels the icon for the Blood Moon Ritual, and the special Steam banners related to this event suggest that the Bishops perform some sort of sacrifice for the Blood Moon.

Maybe Shrumy was meant to be that sacrifice.

Perhaps these tarot cards are marked because they represent the individual's past. What brought them to their present circumstance.

Narinder's Veil - An Analysis

A quick overview.

With the addition of the Bishop's of the old faith DLC, it was reveals Narinder's robes are actual a uniform of sorts denoting him as a death god. And once the Lamb has rescued all the bishops, they receive a version of these robes in fleece form. This made me wonder if TOWW's veil had any deeper meaning?

What is a Veil?

"A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance."

TOWW wears a black veil that partially obscures his face. Similar ones can be seen on his attendants, Baal and Aym, and former members of his old cult, Klunko, Flinky, and Shrumy. They seemingly serve no pratical use as before initiating combat Aym and Baal rip the veils off, possibly for increased visibility and keep the stands out of their eyes. Because these veils are only seen worn by TOWW and those in association with him or his cult, I assume these veils are exclusive to him and the veils we see worn by others are derivatives of his.

After some research, I was able to find an irl veil that most resembled the one TOWW wears:

A Sehra

"In some parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, men wear a sehra on their wedding day. This is a male veil covering the whole face and neck. The sehra is made from either flowers or beads."

Similar to veils worn by women, a sehra was worn to ward off the evil eye and to keep the bride and groom from seeing see each other before their wedding ceremony. While the reason for wearing the sehra is different, TOWW's veil very much resembles one.

Irl there are many cultural that require participants to adorn face veils or for sacred objects to be veiled. The most common practice that is familiar to most would be the wearing veils by brides on their wedding day. Interestingly the act of wearing a veil was prominently done by women and there are few cultures where men are expected to veil instead. In these cultrures, boys begin wearing veils after puberty and is considered a mark of manhood. It's interesting to note that everyone that wears a veil in COTL is male or male presenting.

Veils aren't always used for religious purposes.

Now that we have a better understanding of what veils are and why they are used let's move on to the next part of this analysis.

In-universe cultural meaning?

What could TOWW's veil mean to him and his servants?

Because all the information I've collected thus far, l'll break them down into seperate theories.

1.

As a mortal, Narinder died before or on his wedding day and was buried in his grooms clothes. Once he became a god, his wedding veil was one of the things he kept, either as a sentimental or cultural memento.

When the lamb usurps TOWW as death god, they don't recieve a veil, only his robes. This led me to assume TOWW veil is unique to him. For those that don't know, TOWW's name, Narinder, is of Indian origin. Because this and his face veil resembling a Sehra headdress, I like to image TOWW was originally from the COTL equivalent of India. Given how long TOWW has been a god, this place may no longer exist, with TOWW being the last 'living' member of this long lost culture. Only he would know the cultural meaning behind the veil. Others may have begun wearing them in association with TOWW.

11.

Given TOWW's station, being the patron of a cult and a literal god, it's plausible that his veil could be worn as a way of creating a barrier between himself and his followers. With the each number of strands denoting a rank amongst his servants. While Ratau's gang don't worship TOWW anymore, if at all given their dedication to Ratau, they may still wear the uniform of their ranks before the dissolution of TOWW's old cult.

"One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to honor a person, object or space. The actual sociocultural, psychological, and sociosexual functions of veils have not been studied extensively but most likely include the maintenance of social distance and the communication of social status and cultural identity."

The reason his servants are wearing them could be for a similar purpose. To seperate themselves from low level followers and layman. What is a cult if not a religion in it's infancy? Even still there seems to be a hierarchy amongst veiled servants of TOWW. Aym and Baal, likely due to their proximity to TOWW and having directly trained by him, have the most strands second only to TOWW himself. Ratau's gang each have different numbers of strands, possibly implying they were each at different level of their ordainment. Within TOWW's cult veiled members may have been the equivalent of enforcers

111.

TOWW's veil is a mourning veil of sorts.

"The mourning veil was commonly seen as a means of shielding the mourner and hiding her grief, and, on the contrary, seen by some women as a means of publicly expressing their emotions."

We don't know the deeper psychology behind what it takes to be a death god, to see hundred of thousands of millions of people die for all eternity. Granted TOWW seems quite psychopathic and is probably able to rationalize away his role as a death god, so maybe the veil is more for the souls that he reaps. A faux display of grief by an impersonal grim reaper. From a superstitious aspect, I'm sure looking directly into the face of death would be held as a very bad thing to do. TOWW also seems emotional constipated enough to wear something to show the emotions he won't let himself express.

A Deeper Look...

Something I noticed about the veils. Including TOWW, each character has a different number of strands/garlands:

Narinder = 22

Aym and Baal = 20

Klunko = 8

Flink = 6

Shrumy = 4

It's up to speculation as to why they each have a different number but that's what I'm here for. After a bit of searching I came to the realization that the amount of strands might correspond to the Major Arcana. While a pack contains 78 cards the first 22 are referred to as such and are considered more important than the rest. This is because they were meant to represent the spirtual journey through life. With that knowledge we can attribute each number of stands to a card in the Major Arcana:

Note the first card of the deck, The Fool, is not numbered.

If I match the number of veil strands to a card in the major arcana this is what we get:

Narinder (22) = The World (XXI)

Aym and Baal (20) = The Sun (XIX) or Judgment (XX)

Klunko (8) = Justice/Strength (VII/XI)

Flinky (6) = The Lovers (VI)

Shrumy (4) = The Emperor (IV)

The Arcana of the Lamb

Starting with TOWW, this what each correlation of veil strands to a card could mean.

Narinder The World (XXI)

"THE WORLD - Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place.

Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence."

The World card is said to represent the end of life. It makes sense that Narinder wears this number.

"The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool."

The "nexus between what was and what was not" in TOWW's own words. It's says alot that the number of TOWW's veil strands corresponds with this card and not the literal death card (XIII). That could be because the death tarot does not actually represent death but change. Paradigm shifts, changes in beliefs and philosophies.

The reverse of this card also represents TOWW's situation. "Stagnation" & "permanence". As death, TOWW was a permanent fixture within the world of COTL. Even with his fascination with the new and novel, his siblings, or atleast Shamura, expected TOWW to remain unchanged and stagnant in his existence.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_(tarot_card)

Aym and Baal The Sun (XIX) or Judgment (XX)

Judgment : self-evaluation, awakening, renewal, purpose, reflection, reckoning

Reversed: self-doubt, lack of self-awareness, failure to learn lessons, self-loathing

Per google, the word judgement has two definitions:

1. the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.

2. a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment.

It can be assumed that the meaning of their corresponding tarot is the second definition. Within the story of COTL, they are fought after declining to return the red crown. Their battle could be interpreted as divine punishment, as they say as much. Within the game, they act as the precursor to TOWW's battle. Their fight could be considered a test of sorts for the player, as many of their attacks are diminutive versions of their master's.

Or

"THE SUN - Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment.

Reversed: The same in a lesser sense."

Considering their fate within COTL's story, I doubt this is the real interpretation of the number they wear. It is the actual 20th card of the Major Arcana but it can be assumed the devs meant the technical 20th card, The Judgement. Granted, depending on the players, the two can be reunited with their mother which makes them happy and content, that was retroactively added in the DLC and might not have been something the devs originally meant to add.

Klunko (and Bop) Justice/Strength (VII/XI)

Within the major arcana, the order of the Justice/Strength is switched or changed depending on the deck. So I decided to give the meaning of both.

FORTITUDE - Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours.

Reversed: Despotism, abuse of power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace."

And

JUSTICE - Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law.

Reversed: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity."

Within the game, Klunko, and Bop by extension, will give The Lamb the Strength from Without Tarot Card if they beat them.

Flinky The Lovers (VI)

THE LOVERS - Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome.

Reversed: Failure, foolish designs. Another account speaks of marriage frustration and contrarieties of all kinds.

"In some traditions, the Lovers represent relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners. Often an aspect of the Querent's life will have to be sacrificed; a bachelor(ette)'s lifestyle may be sacrificed and a relationship gained (or vice versa), or one potential partner may be chosen while another is turned down. Whatever the choice, it should not be made lightly, as the ramifications will be lasting."

While the numbers may align, I personally don't feel the card really applies to Flinky, unless the devs are implying some hidden relationship between Flinky and another character. This card better suits Ratau and Ratoo, given they give the in-game version of the Lovers card. They could also be twins, the Lovers cards us also associated with the star sign Gemini, known as the Twins. But I digress..

But Flinky's number of veil strands corresponding to the lovers card could have more to do with the imagery depicted on the Lover's card:

"In the Rider Waite deck, the imagery for this card is changed significantly from the traditional depiction. Instead of a couple receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric, the Rider–Waite deck depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By reducing the number of human beings depicted in the card from three to two, Waite was able to reinforce its correspondence with Gemini. The Rider–Waite card also includes the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil with a serpent wrapped around its trunk. The symbolism of no return from making bad decisions, and the consequences of innocence lost, would be more widely understood from this imagery."

Flinky could be an homage to the serpent that tempted Eve to eat the apple of Eden. Maybe his consul is what influenced Ratau that leaving their old cult was an option.

Shrumy The Emperor (IV)

UPRIGHT: Authority, establishment, structure, a father figure

REVERSED: Domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility

"The Emperor sits on a ram-adorned throne, a symbol of Mars. Another ram head can be seen on his cloak. His long white beard bears the symbol of "wisdom". He holds an Ankh scepter in his right hand, and a globe, symbol of domination, in his left. The Emperor sits atop a stark, barren mountain, a sign of "sterility of regulation, and unyielding power." He symbolizes the top of the secular hierarchy, the ultimate male ego. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world."

"In Astrology, the Emperor is associated with the masculine, cardinal-fire sign of Aries, the domicile sign of Mars which is symbolized by the ram."

Shrumy behavior toward the Lamb fits alot with this card, in my opinion. When they first meet he's quick to assert his dominance as a non-follower of the lamb. Shrumy also makes it clear that he has no care or respect for crown bearers, as the power they wielded seemed to change them.

"What are you looking at? Hmf. That's right. You crown bearers are all the same. Nothing without your adoring Followers. Ratau wasn't like that. He stayed true to who he was. You'll NEVER live up to him. Get out of my way, I've got Knucklebones to play and money to win. Come and play me if you want a real challenge."

- Shrumy to the Lamb

Shrumy falls more into the reversed position of this card. But I did notice a striking similarity to the Emperor Tarot and TOWW's role within the plot of COTL.

"The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world."

Whatever TOWW'S gospel was the end result of killing his siblings would have made him the only god remaining and the De facto ruler.

After millennia, all may bask in my glory once more.

"Vessel, do you not worship me? Do you not give offerings in hopes of gaining my favor?

Soon I shall be freed, and the world remade in my image. All will pledge themselves to the Cult. All will bow to my name."

The words of a man(cat?) with enough ego to choke a horse lol. While not explicitly stated to be Baal and Aym's father TOWW does fill a father figure role to them. Having essentially raised and mentored them. Similar to Ratau's relationship with the Lamb, TOWW could also be considered a father/mentor to the Lamb too.

Conclusion

Initally I was only going to include the tarot card bit, but I couldn't keep my love of anthropology at bay so I added some cultural theories too.

I'm entirely sure the inclusion of these characters wearing veils doesn't actually mean anything but I'm just zooted off my gourd on caffeine so I'm gonna theorize anyway lol. Either way I had fun researching info for this rabbit hole I dug and I hope anyone who actually takes time to read this enjoys it too.

[swaglord-3000]

haey gang btw im not back i think idk i just remembered tumble existed so that's fun1! i have autism . in love w . mushroomhead its a big giant hyperfixation for me actually i am a numetal blaster yep NUMETAL NATION RISE UP official new special interest added to my list : slipknot . also maybe mushroomhead not going to lie because its kinda crazy how obsessed i am bcos why im out here doing deep dives on facebook. FACEBOOK. AND MYSPCACE. MY . SPACE. (using wayback machine) every other day bro. like im not kidding. im out here listening to side project bands i can now flex that i listen to and am a fan of a handful of bands that have under 100 monthly listeners on spotify .

my priv twt on my private twitter all my mooties day in day out just see me talking about mushroomhead n none of them know what i am talking about to them i am now their mushroomhead moot i am probably now the biggest fan of mushroomhead in Australia lowkey it makes me want to kill myself

ive discovered the excess of yaoi faggotry that hides behind the scenes of mushroomhead and its a little crazy how they are all gay for each other like fym they all go out on boy dates w each other fym jmann n dr f have almost kissed fym jmann n church have almost kissed fym shmotz n rick had sex (real ones know haha just a little funny thing im referencing for any mushroomhead fans out there haha the little jokes i make haha!!) like FYM SCOTT CALLS STEVE STEVIE... WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN

the list goes on btw i have so many pictures so many videos of so much fagginess its actually insane like what the fuck why r all these (mostly) midwestern (mostly) 40-50 yr old men doing being GAY with each other why why why why are they doing that!!!!!!

by the way i am so desperately in love with rick stitch thomas its actually not okay its also lowkey like worsening my bpd and my autism like its actually kind of scary the depths i have gone to learn more ab this man its ok guys im so silly and whimsical!!

anyways if anyone care to know my fave mrhers are . rick , scott, steve, church, shmotz, diablo, ryan, dan, tommy, benis, gravy, waylon, jmann, joe (gaal)

i was going to like do my main favies but i felt bad leaving some people out so its like. KIND OF? IN ORDER hang on let me order them actualy

rick, scott, shmotz, steve, dan, tommy, church, ryan, gravy, benis, diablo, waylon, j, joe

ok order still a bit scuffed but just know that like . all those guys r my fave ok. but esp like . rick n scott n shmotz n steve n dan n tommy n church i love those guys a lot the most too

any other mrh fans out there followed diablo n then he followed u back or was that just me and i had a main character moment also does anyone know why scott is fucking counting down on his facebook bcos week or smth ago he was like.. 30 days!!!!!! n then a couple days ago he was like 20 days!!!!!! and i don't know what he means by that but then like October last year he was like on his facebook he was like be patient... its all coming together.... N I WAS LIKE HUH1?!?!!?!!? WHAT ....

idk if its a new album because i feel like w j quitting touring n rick doing his nightmare Cleveland (ALSO YES. J IS NOT COMING BACK SHUT THE FUCK UP HOLY SHIT. he quit touring. that's that. he's not on hiatus not coming back he quit touring. . but i think rick is coming back because he's been very adamant in saying that he hasn't quit he still very much wants to come back n misses the band) . anyways i just feel like its too soon n whatnot but idk MAYBE IM WRONG.

i know that there IS. or HAS. been new music made because rick has said like last year or something that he heard some of the new music eventho he's been out of the loop which btw is worrying bcos i love rick and i don't want him to lose his footing in the band and suddenly he's just out of it eventho he is kind of very much in skinnys pocket and is like skinnys #1 goon in mrh sorry any delusional people but its kinda canon .

bt man whenever the album comes out im just so excited for it because i love scott so much and i hope he stays for a really long time because i love him and steve together on vocals i think tey sound so great together and play off each other so well and im so excited to hear scott on an mrh album because he's so great in ventana and I've been listening to a lot of resist lately and he also sounds so good in that too and idk i love scott im very excited to see more of him in mushroomhead!!

also does anyone have any ida if the entirety of the vol 2 dvd is on the internet because I've been searching high and low but i cant find any vol 2 rips except for the mushroomhead fooling around vids on youtube but that is of course not the whole movie and . I NEED. THE WHOLE MOVIE. PLEASE GOD PLEASE DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND IT ON THE INTERNET PLEASE GOD PLEAAASSEEEE

anyways thank u nad oodbye !!! mushroomhead fans please talk to me on twitter @/_swaglord3000 or on my priv which im way more active on and i actually talk ab mrh exclusively on there LAWL anyways my priv is @/auggie_swaglord

[doodlingbot]

When you say 432 passes along whatever we want to give them, I just imagine an arm extending slowly from a computer screen to reveal… a handful of seeds. Or like, check under the pencil sharpener on 432’s desk to find the latest offerings. How does he pass things along?

Oh my, just want you to know, I got absolutely giddy when I saw this pop up in my inbox. Because that means I finally have an excuse to explain in more detail :) I do have an ask in my inbox that has been sitting there for a while that's asking for The Narrator to "give a pencil to the guy in the box (it's 432, tumblr is making it a bit hard for me to find my own posts for some reason, but here's the post that ask is referencing to.)" And I've had the basic script written out for... also a while now... that I haven't actually drawn yet. (I'll hopefully get to it! When I, you know, stop getting as side tracked.)

For now though I can use this moment to talk about and explain in much more detail what I had planned to briefly showcase in that, hopefully eventual, comic. Be prepared for a wall of text.

I made it a point to mention that The Narrator doesn't actually know where these items are coming from, he's only seen 432 that one time with that box, it gave him an existential crisis and I don't think he wants to think about it. Another important point is that The Narrator isn't supposed to know about 432's existence, not in these comics at least.

While my interpretation of The Narrator is NOT omnipresent, not fully, he still has a VERY good view of whatever room he's looking into. (I like to imagine it as a room by room-ish(?) basis as it allows him to be surprised by Stanley, who he normally follows, entering into rooms with weird shit in them. instead of him being surprised at weird things being across the map as soon as an odd run starts. Example would be the confusion ending.)

This very good view of whatever room he's looking into at any given time makes it difficult to sneak up on him unless he is distracted. (In the last part of the Googly Eye Arc he was too preoccupied with trying to pry off the google eyes stuck to his model's screen that he didn't notice Stanley was already making his way to the cargo lift.)

However my version of 432 is the very fabric of the universe, and I heavily associate him with time, hence the clock eyes and constant ticking noise when he makes an appearance. So in order to be able to sneak around in areas that The Narrator is currently looking at, He freezes time, pops in, places whatever object or note down, skedaddles, and then resumes time.

That only applies to areas that The Narrator is looking into however. When he wants to give a note and/or object to Stanley, and he just happens to be in an area that The Narrator can't touch or even see into, like the museum. He pops in without meddling with time :)

(btw I wouldn't say he fully manifest in the office in either occurrence (not usually atleast.) I imagine both instances he makes a rip in space time just big enough to put an arm or his upper torso through. And then seals it like nothing ever happened afterwards.)

[littleeyesofpallas]

Karakuri Benihime Kaikuguri[絡繰紅姫攫い潜り]

Karakuri[絡繰]: Mechanical Doll

Benihime[紅姫]: CrimsonPrincess

Kai[攫い]: Abduction/Kidnapping

kuguri[潜り]: Side door/gate

Karakuri isn't a general term, btw. It's a specific kind of traditional Japanese puppet that became popular in Japan in the 1600s. Some were utilized as curiosities that could preform singular and at times complex tasks like serving tea, or writing simple calligraphy, or shooting a bow and arrow at a target. But more relevantly they were used in theater and in parades to act out mythic or other dramatic scenes.

More colloquially it can also refer to a general string puppetry as well, which seems to be what the design here is more referencing. This and the actual bankai both draw on Japanese balljointdolls as an aesthetic, but it should be noted that the more important aspect tying these two types of puppets together is the aspect of control, and not the doll quality itself.

The kuguri bit is also a specific reference to a kind of Japanese architecture, and not just anything fitting the the literal description. The actual etymological root is the character for "concealed"/"hidden"/"quiet" rather than "side." It's probably meant as a play on Urahara's tendency throughout the series to backdoor his way into places he's not supposed to be.

Sakae Madowashi Senkohou[逆廻惑閃光砲]

Sakae[逆廻]: Reverse + Rotation

Madowashi[惑閃]: to bewilder/perplex/puzzle/delude/ mislead/deceive (but also derived from Klesha*) + Flash

Senkohou[光砲]: Light + Cannon

Not that it's been uncommon for Bankai to change names, but it seems odd that this is now the third time from Sakanade[逆撫]: "Reverse+Pet(Irritate)", to Sakashima[逆様]: "Reverse Order," now to Sakae[逆廻]: "Reverse Rotation."

Anyway... this one's a little more straight forward...

*I was gonna try and summarize this myself but the wiki page covers it concisely enough:

Kleshas, in Buddhism, are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. Kleshas include states of mind such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire, depression, etc. Contemporary translators use a variety of English words to translate the term kleshas, such as: afflictions, defilements, destructive emotions, disturbing emotions, negative emotions, mind poisons, neurosis etc.

So, a flash of emotional or mental or spiritual disruption inflicted by a cannon blast of literal light. (Not as if it isn't commonly used in other kidou, but it's the same [閃]:"flash" Kubo uses for Cero[虚閃] which feels like it might be relevant to Shinji having his mask on for this. And visually the attack in the game looks like a variation on a Cero.) I totally forgot! Even though Kubo wrote Cero as [虚閃] he wrote Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero as [王虚の閃光]. I wonder if this wasn't a simple reference error... The last time a Cero was referenced in a new BBS character was the special Resurreccion zombie Luppi, which was another Gran Rey Cero, specifically. I wonder if when checking for how Cero was written just assumed Gran Rey Cero's was the same as the regular and went with it. The "cannon" bit seems a little redundant though... "Disruption Cero Cannon"

On the one hand the more literal take on this is that it's a blast of light that confuses the opponent, but given the rotational motif and directional reversal, in conjunction with the buddhist themes this seems to imply reversing the progress one makes toward enlightenment; a kind of regression of development. And technically that's kind of what the whole hollowization process is, a conflict with the inner self, the opposite of enlightenment. Almost like it's a hollowization beam...

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[television--addict]

and now I’ll be replying to the current reblogs for no reason lmao

“One of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen done with the color grey” I love that. Thats like. The coolest compliment i ever got. It’s interesting to me bc i didnt actually ever use grey in this drawing. I had a color pallate. And i stuck to it.

The greyest color in that is actually Arthur’s skin tone. I think the insane amount of layers i did added that greyish look to the background (Reblog from @trenstrenats btw)

“The style the pose the smoke the john” the pose. I actually referenced a pose. Fun fact searching “ballerina” on Pinterest gives you tons of awesome pose refs! Here’s mine:

So Arthur’s pose was NOT my idea! Thanks though!! (Reblog from @prototypelq btw)

The composition… okay i tried to watch the Timelapse replay of this art on procreate but its so long it fucking glitched out and crashed procreate lmao

Okay update i just exported it. Allow me to infodump abt compositions >:)

its almost split into 2 halves. The right half is Arthur and the left half is john (that was an accident btw)

anyways compositions help when broken up into sections. Arthur is the focus. This almost balances out the piece bc people tend to put more weight on the top left side of a piece (in America at least. Cuz we read LEFT to right) but Arthur is a more notable figure in this drawing. He adds weight to the bottom right area. Also, when focus of a composition isn’t perfectly in the middle, it’s usually perceived more “messy” or “human” in a way. A perfectly centered composition almost looks “perfect”. Could be used to show balance, order, etc

heh. Art class did a unit on composition recently lol (reblog by @tiredmilkshake btw)

I dont usually do this but i genuinely love the reblog comments here…. I had to

shoutout to my partner @college-knockout for existing

I hate the rendering on this but i spent 5 and a half hours on it so fuck it

anyways i listened to malevolent while drawing this as well. Fucking cried.