#seven eyes of God

[watchyourbuck]

Lmao Tommy saw the Buckley Parents watching their son’s lips covered in gay soot and simply did a hard nod before moving onto other guests the MAN that you are

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price as The Magic Mirror 🪞

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1984)

[serpentface]

The pelatoche, an apotropaic visual motif widely used in contemporary imperial Wardin.

Belief in curses and attachments by evil spirits is a significant part of the cultural schema. This includes a variant of 'evil eye' beliefs- the gaze has great symbolic power and is known to inflict a state of metaphysical vulnerability, in which the body or soul is susceptible to change and transformation. Though metaphysical vulnerability itself is neutral (it can result in both positive and negative change), most attempt to avoid this state of being as it leaves one vulnerable to curses and spiritual pollution. Because it is impossible to avoid a sinister gaze altogether, many wear clothing and jewelry with this motif to neutralize ill effects.

The core motif consists of a vertical humanoid eye. If given only one distinct tear duct, it faces upwards. If the iris is colored, it is most commonly blue, gray, or white. Blue and gray eyes are considered most potent at inflicting curses (and thus can be potent at deflecting them), and white pelatoche are usually made with inlaid pearl (a substance believed in of itself to have a shielding nature). Mirrored surfaces for the iris, pupil, or entire eye are also common as a means of reflecting curses.

There is great variety in how the pelatoche is depicted. The above representation is a clasp for a cloak, made of gold with inlaid blue glass, and on the relatively ornate and realistic end of the spectrum. If multiple pelatoche are depicted together it is almost always in sets of seven, and in this case may be referred to as odatochent, which roughly means 'the eyes of God'. Odatochent are believed to be particularly potent against evil spirits (rather than just evil gazes) and tend to be worn as jewelry, often very gaudy with each eye containing different inlaid jewels (which themselves may each have significance).

The eye being turned on its side in of itself is a form of deflection. The distinctly yonic look of many variants isn't an accident either, as depictions of genitalia are also believed to have apotropaic qualities.

The common name itself - pelatoche - partly derives from and refers to Pelennaumache (one of the seven faces of God, this one presiding over the sea and heavily associated with luck, curses and fortune). The other key Imperial Wardi apotropaic symbol is the skimmer-woman, which is related to Pelennaumache and depicted as a woman with blue eyes, albatross wings (or the body of an albatross) and exaggerated genitalia. The pelatoche is a syncretic fusion between preexisting traditions of apotropaic eye symbols brought to the region by the former Burri empire and the regionally native skimmer-woman motif.

A sketch of the apotropaic skimmer-woman as it might appear on an amulet

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Our new Dunk and Egg!

Dexter Sol Ansell, playing Egg (the future King Aegon V Targaryen), is best known for playing the (very) young Coriolanus Snow in the opening scene for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

I think Dexter is a perfect choice for Egg! He looks very HBO-Targaryen, and IMO has a strong resemblance to Leo Ashton (young Aemond in HOTD S1), as well as Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra). Of course he'll be shaving his head (poor kid), and with those light eyebrows, I'm sure he will be very very egg, lol.

Our new Dunk, Peter Claffey, from Portumma, Ireland, used to be a rugby player (he's 1.96m, 6'5"), but left the sport in 2018 and got into acting. Here's a clip from his agent's site, and for more videos see here.

I personally think this clip is highly convincing of Peter's potential in this role. "We could use a man-mountain like you", indeed.

[starleska]

brain is still so scrambled from watching The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death in cinemas yesterday but...all i can say is. that felt too easy. far too easy. are we willing to bet that Ruby's story is not entirely over, and when she returns in the next season we will be unearthing that? or am i coping?

[that1notetaker]

Have some Future! Doodles. Raph's not here but he's fine, don't worry about it.

[nelc]

Jannell Jaquays, portraits for TSR's Lankhmar: City of Adventure

[hooned]

i can’t believe i took these photos oh my god i luckily had a great view of the entire concert and wow, again, had thee absolute time of my life. ❤️‍🩹 enhypen, you will always be loved by me.

[seventh-district]

Could've left me just the way you found me, but you came and put your wings around me. You went out of your way, to fix what you didn't break.

This song is so incredibly Sam & Darlin' coded and no one can tell me otherwise.

[lots of lyrical analysis below the cut] [there's also a short little fanfic blurb of them stargazing down there too (this post got really out of hand lmao)]

For those not fully caught up, note that the following commentary contains various spoilers for Sam and Darlin's stories.

Note: Unfortunately this song is gendered, using the word 'girl' several times. Which sucks a little bit for immersion purposes, not only for keeping Darlin' gender-neutral, but also because I see this song as a duet between them, and Darlin' obviously wouldn't be addressing Sam with the word 'girl' either. So! As with most songs on their playlist, we're just gonna mentally omit any gendered terms we come across.

Side note: Frustratingly, this is one of those songs that didn't really even need to gender the subject in the first place. No part of the story or message is lost without it. But alas, many songs are like that, and so the playlist-makers of the world shall continue to suffer. [/lh]

Anyways, preamble's over. It's lyric time now yay!

Sam's Part

I was a ten-year train wreck

Technically for Sam I suppose it was 13 years, but ten is close enough (and 'ten' admittedly flows a lot better in the rhythm of the song than 'thirteen' would.) Anyways, we're not here to split hairs, (I have to remind myself), we're just here to point out similarities.

In Sam's Dec. '22 HBW, he says "For the last 13 years or so I haven't had to care too much about how I look. Seemed a little redundant after turnin', considerin' I didn't wanna be around much'a anybody anyway."

I think he's mentioned or alluded to that roughly 13 year period of time more than once, but that's the one I remember best so it's the example I'm using. There's still about 4 Sam audios I've yet to listen to as of making this post, so if I'm missing some Key Lore I'll edit this later. But for now, I don't think Sam has given many specifics on exactly how bad things got during that time. Luckily, 'train wreck' is a pretty broad and subjective term, so it easily covers any degree to which he may have fallen apart during those years.

It also feels like a very 'him' way of quickly brushing over the details of his past/his hurt, as he seems to tend to do with Darlin', (not all the time ofc but it's still something I've noticed) putting his own hurt on the backburner to prioritize and attend to theirs. Even outside of his dynamic with them, I think as a healer, it's something he learned to do. And now he does it with everyone. Put on a brave face, compartmentalize things and unpack them later, etc. I could go on and on but there'll be time for that in other posts I'm sure. For now, lets get back to the song at hand.

With a last-call longneck

Due to personal reasons, I've yet to decide if I want to HC him as having used alcohol as a coping mechanism during that time. I don't recall him having mentioned alcohol much, if at all, (maybe one mention of whiskey that I don't have time to find right now) so I don't think it's necessarily canon that he did, but it's certainly possible. My personal preferences aside, I'll admit it makes for some good additional angst. (And- self-indulgently- it makes some other songs on my playlist for them more fitting.) So, for the sake of this song, let's imagine that he did.

I was searchin', I'd been hurt real bad

This one feels pretty self-explanatory given what Alexis did, (and, if you wanna get even angstier with it, whatever his family did earlier on in his life) so there isn't much commentary to add on my end.

I HC that in spite of 'not wanting to be around anybody', he- like Darlin- still had a tiny part of himself buried deep down that was, in a way, 'searching' for someone to find solace in. (No this isn't me projecting onto them both haha what are you talking about-)

Movin' on, gettin' sidetracked One step forward and five back

This is generally applicable enough that I don't feel the need to give too much of a specific example. Anyone who's recovered or is recovering from trauma knows this non-linear, back-and-forth struggle well already, and I'm sure he was no stranger to it.

If I were to give some examples though, I could point to Darlin's (and subsequently, Sam's) encounter with Alexis at the summit, or the shit that Quinn dredged up about Fredrick and threw at Sam in the interrogation room. Those are both more recent examples and I imagine these lines of the song to be coming from a place of him prior to meeting Darlin', but still, they're some instances where I'm sure he felt like the past was pulling him back in. I'm sure that there's been many throughout those 13 years that we were never witness to.

Not your fault, I was scared to fall

This line reminds me of their 'Cuddles and Confessions' audio. I don't think he ever explicitly said he was 'scared' per se, so afaik there's no specific line I can quote, but in that and every audio prior, he was obviously hesitant to admit, perhaps even to himself, that he was gradually falling for them. Even after the initial confession, there's certain limits of his (e.g. biting) that he carries for far longer, and some that I (and others) HC that he'll carry forever. So this line feels to me like him reassuring Darlin' that his reluctance isn't the fault of them, but his past.

Darlin's Part

You were the star in the pitch black Shine the way on the way back

We don't have any canon instances of them comparing Sam to a star, but I can see it being something they'd say (perhaps less poetically, but the sentiment would be there) one night while laying up on their roof watching the stars with him. Maybe they're dead-tired, talking nonsense with lidded eyes at the end of a long day, fighting sleep in favor of more time spent with him.

"What- what're you pointin' at Darlin'?"

Their hazy focus is trained on the brightest star visible in their line of sight, arm stretched out to the sky above them. "That really bright one, to the... to the left."

Sam does his best to follow their less-than-specific directions of 'to the left', their pointed finger doing little to help given the difference in perspective. Luckily, after all these years, he knows this stretch of night sky like the back of his hand, so it isn't hard to locate the brightest one. Ghosting his fingers up along their arm, he takes their hand in his and brings it back down to earth. "Okay, yeah, I see it now. What about it though?"

"That's you." They say, matter-of-factly.

"That's me?" He questions, humor in his tone.

"Mhm." They nod with finality, blinking slow.

Sam considers the odd statement for a moment before gently correcting them. "I'm uh, I'm pretty sure that's Sirius, actually."

They scoff. "I am being serious."

Sam stifles a laugh into their hair. "No- no I mean- like... what's another name for it... Oh! It's also called the Dog Star."

"C'mon Sam, at least call it the Wolf Star if you're trying to turn this around on me..."

He shakes his head and readies himself to explain further, but they cut him off before he can start. "But no- no, this one isn't about me. That's you."

He decides to play along, finding something endearing in their overtired nonsense. "Okay... then would'ja be so kind as to explain to this confused old man just how, or why that star is me?"

Their frown is audible in their voice as they latch onto the wrong part of his sentence. "You're not old, Sam. ...Do I need to tell Asher to kick the jokes down a notch?"

He smiles at their over-protectivity. "There'll be no need for that, now. Was just a joke, darlin', I promise."

They huff, but thankfully shift focus back to the prior topic. "It's... I dunno. It's just you, Sam. It's... bright. Light. Something warm, out there in the cold dark. Standing out amongst all the rest. Calling to me, stealing my attention. I... I didn't come out here looking for it, but there it is. ...There you were. In the dark. The only bright thing I'd seen in... fuck, in years. Years of chasing fleeting warmth, tripping over myself in the pitch black, falling into... places 'n people I shouldn't have. You were the light in that darkness. Even there, surrounded by the ghost of him. You outshone it. Your warmth didn't hurt. I didn't have to squint when I looked at you. You weren't the blinding sun. You were the brightest star I'd ever seen. You guided me back home."

In the back of their mind, they recall something they once heard, something about light, and time, and distance. Space. Something about... how you can see a star that's already burnt out, because it's light hasn't reached earth yet. The ghost of a star that's already died. Only still perceptible thanks to time, and distance.

They remember Sam's words, once whispered to them on this very roof.

"Whatever your choice is... I'm not gonna live forever. I made that decision a long time ago."

They think about dead stars.

They think about time.

"...-lin'? Darlin'?" Sam's calloused hand slides up their forearm, pulling them out of their thoughts. "There you are. Think I lost ya' for a minute there... you good?"

They look up at Sam, concern creasing his features, shadows cast across his face from the light of the dying stars above him.

They reach out, pulling him down into them. Burying their face into his collar, Sam's concern grows when he feels it saturate with tears. A human might struggle to hear their words, muffled against the thick fabric, but his hearing catches it just fine.

"Don't burn out too quick. Please. I still need you here. I don't- I don't wanna be left in the dark again. Please, please Sam. Don't leave me here. I'm not selfish enough to ask you for forever, but please. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet."

.......Whoopsies! Really, genuinely didn't mean to improv an entire scene there, good god. Also didn't mean to swerve hard into angst at the end but uh. that's what came out! so I'm rolling with it lmao. Aaanyways let's move on, it's getting late and this is a song analysis post, not a fic.

Out of nowhere, answered all my prayers

'Out of nowhere' reminds me of Sam's words from the same HBW video I referenced earlier. "You came into my life like a damn wreckin' ball. There was no preparing for that, clothing or otherwise." While those were Sam's words, not Darlin's, I still feel like they feel similarly to how suddenly Sam came into their life as well. (Not in a bad way, mind you!)

[the significance of 'answered all my prayers' edges into my own personal more headcanon-y/personal/OC-ified Darlin' territory, so we can just gloss over this one for the sake of at least attempting to keep this more universally applicable]

Picked up the towel that I threw in Took in a heart that was ruined

Again, largely self-explanatory I feel. (*proceeds to explain anyways*) I imagine that Darlin' was at the point of throwing in the towel, hellbent on a solo-mission to find Quinn regardless of the danger it posed to them. I doubt they were looking toward the future anymore, (to reference Sam,) fully willing to throw themself at their problems until they really did break.

The specific use of 'ruined' hits hard here, because after everything they went through with Quinn, and especially after he recounted it all to Sam in that interrogation room, I imagine that they really, truly did feel ruined.

Showed me the past ain't a tattoo Loved me even when you didn't have to

These lines in particular make me sick with emotion every time I hear this song, because I feel like they hit the nail on the head for how Darlin' feels.

I'll be here citing various quotes all night that I feel showcase that sentiment, but we don't have time for that! So instead I'm just pointing to the entirety of 'Quinn's Aftermath' video, and leaving you with this single quote from it.

"Everything that he said reflects nothin' on you, and everything on him."

Equally Applicable Lines

And I don't know why Why you saw something in me, baby But you saw right through All the pain, and you came and saved me Yeah, I know you didn't leave me lonely Weren't the one that put the heartbreak on me Picked up the pieces It wasn't the mess that you made Could've left me just the way you found me But you came and put your wings around me You went out of your way To fix what you didn't break

Again, I think these lines are all pretty self-explanatory, and are just as accurate coming from either one of them. To me, at least, their entire dynamic is that they saved each other, in their own ways.

(But I will admit, the final verses about 'going out of your way to fix what you didn't break' are definitely conjuring up memories of Sam in the early days, literally going out of his way to visit and heal Darlin' after their fight with the two vamps. In general, his continued/repeated healing of them after they once again hurt themselves is the very literal definition of fixing what he didn't break.

But! While we may have more blatant examples of Sam being 'the fixer' so to speak, I think he'd argue that Darlin' has done plenty fixing of their own. Physical wounds aren't the only things that need healing, after all.)

-------

[shameless self-promo of my Sam & Darlin' playlist for those few of u interested enough to make it to the very end of this wall of text. if u liked this then u might like some of the other songs on there soooo maybe go check it out and maybe perhaps give it a follow so i can get a little serotonin boost or dopamine or whatever the chemical is that's released when Number Go Up. ...okay that's it i hope u enjoyed my fixation-induced ramblings! thank u and goodnight]

[novasjaneway]

At the end of 11:59 janeway is having heavy feelings of disappointment about her ancestor shannon and all it takes is seven to remind her that the history is irrelevant because she inspired janeway and thats what counts and then janeway is all smiles again. The love between these two, just ughhhhfgh ohmyfuckingod

[an-unanonymous-messenger]

We now go through the seven things God hates, according to Proverbs 6:16-19. The first thing we number is exalted eyes. It is in the look, that it can be visible how a person sees himself as surpassing all around him. God hates it when people fall into pride, exalting themselves by looking down on others as if on commoners. This is where people forget that they are common as well, in comparison to God. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, hence there is nothing we can do to fix it. But God gave His only-begotten Son Jesus to take upon Himself the wrath of God and the curse of sin, giving His life and blood in order to redeem us to the Father. This is what we usually forget, when given the privilege of being accepted by God, and act as if we are better than others, just because we are Christian. We should not let that get to us, but look upon others with love and humility. Whereas the devil promotes pride and arrogance, God teaches us to be as humble as possible.

[littencloud9]

‘tsugemina is such a bad ship their age gap is so problematic!!!!!’ whole time minato is 23 and tsuge is 30.

[desceros]

re: last post i. i dont want to give autistics a bad name. but.

i once went to dinner and a movie with this guy. he complimented my outfit. looked shocked when i bought my own movie ticket. tried to hold my hand. leaned in and got his face close to mine before we split up. got super mega mad when i didn't text him the next day.

because it. it turns out. that it was a date. and. he tried to kiss me. and wanted to buy my ticket. and. and i had. NO IDEA. I HAD NO IDEA

[valleyof-goldenlilies]

NOBODY MOVE 🚨🚨🚨🚨

THEY ALL LOOK SAUR GOOD MY BOOTY HOLE IS PRACTICALLY BURSTING AT THE SEAMS 😩😩😩 wardrobe fr going to eat this time (no more potato sack dresses for my girl Rhaenyra)

(don’t really like how they’re still making it Alicent and Rhaenyra feud centered, i hope it devolves more into an Aegon vs Rhaenyra thing cuz yk, they’re the rival claimants. BUT AEMOND 🥵🥵🥵🥵 DAEMON 🥵🥵🥵 RHAENYRA 🥵🥵🥵 ALICENT 🥵🥵🥵)

small note I really love all the details like the seven pointed star window in Alicent’s panel, the dragon shadows in the window of Aegon + Criston’s panel (wonder if it’s Sunfyre or Vhagar, from the throat, it looks like it’s Vhagar but it’s quite small) and in Corlys’ and Rhaenys’ panel (not sure which dragon is that honestly. Caraxes, maybe? foreshadowing 👀)

also the sword stabbing through the Greens’ banner on Aegon’s panel!

AJNJCNJNKNCKJQNKJNEDNQLKJ SO EXCITED

[ozzyfromthecafeteria]

being plural is all fun and games until you all have things you want to purchase but all have little to no money of our own to spend…

[butmakeitgayblog]

happy mother's day to milf, i mean, student clarke 😌🫶🏻 thank you for being so hot 💐

Oh she's such a smokeshow it's insane. Like honestly who could blame poor professor elbow patches for putting her whole pussy career on the line?

The still just friends selfies she shared in the few weeks at the beginning of the semester

Being in full on mom mode, vacillating between shutting down whatever dramatics Madi is laying on thick and actively embarrassing her teenager at any given moment on a dime, respectively

Awkward Mom Clarke trying and failing to be smooth and impressive with her many half-learned skills on their first few "dates" but more just giving into the "being a total dweeb" hell she's trapped in whenever her and Lexa are alone (Lexa says it's cute so is fine.... she thinks....🤞)

And then finally, actually nailing that sexy seductress vibe she's always felt she had inside perfectly 😏 (once she... actually figures out the whole sexting/video sex thing 😳)

Student Clarke. There's gonna be a learning curve but damn, she looks good just trying 🔥