#sky rama

[dinofigureoftheday]

Dinosaur figure of the day: Field Museum Mold-A-Rama Quetzalcoatlus (2021)

(Not technically a dinosaur, I know, but we love all prehistoric creatures here)

A bit of background info on Mold-A-Rama below the cut!

Mold-A-Rama machines are coin-operated injection-molding machines that have been around since 1964. (The ones at the Field Museum at least have been retrofitted with card readers, so you don't actually need coins to get a figure from them!)

The Field Museum in Chicago occasionally designs new molds for them to go with their exhibits! This Quetzalcoatlus is a new design made in 2021 to commemorate the updated Evolving Planet exhibit with the giant life-sized Quetzalcoatlus statue:

(They also have other machines with original vintage molds, which I may also feature!)

[lagrimas-de-desamor]

Pinares al amanecer

[sigalrm]

Kein Vogel singt mehr by Pascal Volk

[ernestdescalsartwok]

LONDON-ART-TRAFALGAR SQUARE-LONDRES-PINTURA-ADMIRAL BEATTY MEMORIAL-FOUNTAIN-MONUMENTOS-PAISAJES-PINTOR-ERNEST DESCALS por Ernest Descals Por Flickr: LONDON-ART-TRAFALGAR SQUARE-LONDRES-PINTURA-ADMIRAL BEATTY MEMORIAL-FOUNTAIN-MONUMENTOS-PAISAJES-PINTOR-ERNEST DESCALS- Días grises en LONDRES, cielo plomizo en TRAFALGAR SQUARE, la fuente de ADMIRAL BEATTY MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN recoge la gris luz y la Columna de Nelson se recorta entre los edificios y la nubosa masa celeste, atmósfera poética en el paisaje urbano, mientras algunas ramas de los árboles invernales se introducen en la escena. Pintura del artista pintor Ernest Descals sobre papel de50 x 70 centímetros.

[melikedraw]

Gaolang Wongsawat

Species: harpy (based on a red kite)

- Omnivorous, diet similar to humans, perhaps more raw meat but other than that

- enjoys hunting for the thrill of it, especially animals around his size who put up a fight

- from neck down, hair does not grow and is instead replaced with feather

- believed to be a sign of good fortune, common practice to make a wish if one sees him in the sky

- has loyalties towards Thailand's king Rama

- is often given offerings by human worshippers in exchange for requests as he is believed to be a godly symbol

- however, he refuses to take them, finding it irritating

- refrains from human contact in general, excluding Rama, whom he considers family

- enjoys basking in the sun

[woundgallery]

I don't submit many poems for publication, but I am truly delighted that this old piece found a home in a beautiful volume of Prairie Schooner. I wrote this in April 2016, when I was re-emerging from the most deadening period of my life. As much as this poem, on the surface, is about heartbreak, it is much more about the gift of opening myself once again to communion with others and communion with the mystery of our fragile, interconnected world. The person I wrote this for took me by the hand and--with gentleness and understanding--helped me put aside weariness and remember that the world was a place that could still surprise me with a beauty that surpasses explanation, that cannot be neatly explained and shut away. Though it's been years since we have spoken, I am forever grateful for him.

And, as spring quickens in New York City, I am grateful once more to reflect on all I would have missed if I had not made it through the gauntlet of 2015. I would never have met my cat (and love of my life) Willa who wakes me each morning by wildly purring, head butting me like a baby goat, and nibbling my cheeks and nose because she’s just so happy to see me; hiked on Orcas Island with Michael and found a surprise lake which we named Lake Ineffable (because no name was beautiful enough for it) where we stripped off our clothes and swam and embraced each other, blissfully alone and dazed by superfluous beauty; found out that George Washington National Forest may have more fireflies than anywhere in the world; grown into my vocation as a social worker and been blessed to sit in communion with my clients for eight years; built a beautiful relationship with my parents based on mutual respect, affinity, and humor; seen my friends’ babies discover the world; slept beneath a meteor shower sky on a NYC beach in the arms of a man I was suddenly and entirely falling in love with; discovered Eric Rohmer; discovered Wim Wenders;  moved to Laramie, Wyoming where everything looks like the abandoned set of a Western film where the paint has flaked off but he extras are still wandering around despondently; moved to Montana where I remembered that I am part of the whole, not just a body in passing; woke in Missoula to the cold air seeping through my window—still half in a dream of Oregon in October—and stirred, deliciously alert beside the boy I loved, craning toward his sleepy, freckled back, to clutch him closer, the brisk quickening of fall making my body a new thing—wild and tender and alive; swam naked in the ocean; had the chance to work with my best friends and fall even more in love with the people they are based off the kindness they showed our clients; had my best friends, in turn, respect and love me more based of what they saw me showing clients; sat by a lake at night and felt an earthquake swell like a heartbeat beneath my body; drove from Missoula to Washington, Ryan’s van weaving through a forest fire zone until we reached the pure, amnesiac sweep of the Pacific; discovered Simone Weil; been, not only forgiven, but embraced by the person I most wronged after six years of estrangement; made up a silly-serious shared mythology with Steven about a vulture God named Hamm who watches over us with a severe equanimity; backpacked through Olympic National Park with Michael and seen and been seen by the strange shaggy haired deer and rabbits who looked at us without fear; discovered Agnes Martin; read poetry with my sage & strange Mara; discovered Olivier Messiaen; discovered Mary Ruefle; discovered Ana Mendieta; realized that I like the color yellow; moved to New York City; discovered Carol Rama; learned how to enjoy dancing to music other than punk rock; seen a moose in the wild; spent a summer in that yellow shotgun house with the overgrown yard and the porch overlooking the river where we made dinner each night listening to recordings of bird calls; experienced the delights of solitary sunbathing on Brooklyn roofs; encountered places named Hellgate, Bitterroot, and Rattlesnake; recited The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock at 3 AM, wading in the waters of the Long Island Sound; realized I am capable of keeping houseplants alive; heard the thrumming ecstasy of the grouse's wings; learned the name of those clustered, mustard-colored flowers that grow on the Oregon coast; grew grateful for beauty again, remembering the world is not a place I can neatly explain, cannot fold in linen and shut in a drawer; and, most of all, remembered the daily ways we concede—plainly, without theatrics—to live.

Today I am thankful for those who love me and those who allow me to love them.

[ya-zz]

It Has to End - It Will End

Ramattra x Reader

!! sa r/pe warning !! A/N: I am fairly open about my experience, having written about it in the past with a character from a different fandom. What is written below from the readers POV is what happened to me back in 2018. Some of you may ask or have wondered why I'm comfortable in writing r/pe, and this is why - I have been through it. If this helps even one person, then I have done something right... Also don't ask about word count I did this here and not in a doc-

Something had been off with you for awhile but the omnic couldn't place it. The distant stares, vacant eyes and shaky hands were anything but normal. He ruled it down to the nightmare you recently had, it was still eating away at you, he thought.

One night, when the two of you were seated on the balcony to watch the meteor shower that was supposedly happening, he figured that it was the right time to ask.

"Is everything okay? You have not been yourself recently." His head tilts to the side, optics glancing over at you.

Ramattra notices the hesitation before you peel your eyes away from the night sky. "Yeah. Suppose I'm just on edge."

"We have time-"

"I don't want to ruin the mood." You half smile at him.

"Your health and feelings are more important than some balls of dust falling from the atmosphere." He states, turning his entire body to face you. "Talk to me. Please."

You can hear the desperation in his voice as you follow suit, turning your body to sit in front of his. A shaky sigh escapes you as you look down at your hands resting on your lap.

"I can't forget what happened to me." You start, not wanting to look up at the omnic before you. "It happened so long ago but it still feels recent."

Ramattra stays silent, the only noise coming from him was his inner workings, the soft hum of his fans against the cool night time wind.

"It took me so long, no, too long, to realise what had happened to me. The way his hands grabbed my body. I can still feel them on my sides, my hips; the bruises from how tight he held me." Closing your eyes, you try to dismiss the scene, but it replays. A constant, torturous loop that never seemed to end. "He pushed himself inside of me… I was screaming, shouting at him to stop, but he didn’t, no matter how loud I cried… It felt like glass being dragged back and forth. After he… After he had finished, he just cleaned himself up, leaving me bent over his bed trying to collect myself."

The next sentence that leaves your mouth hits the omnic like a brick.

"He was a friend, Rama... Someone I trusted. Someone I knew for years and he did this to me." It was hard to hold back the tears that started falling down your cheeks. "It took me so long to realise what had happened, but by that point it was too late. I have to live with the fact that I was raped and there is no justice."

Ramattra freezes, hands tightly gripping the cloth around his thighs.

"He's out there living life as if nothing happened, and the worst part about it all?" You look up at the omnic as you wipe away the tear on your cheek. "I still had to see him."

The silence rings loud before being broken by the passing chilly wind. Ramattra goes to speak but nothing comes out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing; all this time, the anxiety, the flinching, the nightmares... You snap him out of his thoughts by continuing to speak.

"We had the same friend group. I avoided him as much as I could when I realised what happened, but nobody believed me when I finally said something... If they didn't believe me, why should anyone else?"

"You have the worst friends." Ramattra chimes in.

"I'm no longer friends with any of them." You laugh awkwardly. "I cut them off soon after."

"That does not change anything." He wants to lean forward, to hold you close, but your body language says otherwise - stiff, ready to push back.

You manage a half smile before continuing. "It comes back every now and then. I'll be having a good day and then it gets ruined by that... I want to it end."

"You have come far already. Opening up to me is the first step. You are holding on to it for what reason? You do not need to relive that moment anymore." Ramattra finally takes that leap and takes your hand in his.

You shrug, taking a moment to think as you watch his thumb smooth over your knuckles. "It's hard to let go of something so traumatic. I can't just snap my fingers and forget it. Something will trigger it and I go back to that isolated state."

"You have thought about different outcomes, yes?" Ramattra asks with a firm tone.

"Too many times." You breathe deeply. "I should've left or I should've fought back. I should've realised what had happened at that moment and gone to the police-"

"Does it make you feel better?"

"No. Worse. It makes me feel weak."

Ramattra hums and nods. "Then why do you keep doing it?"

You stutter when trying to come up with a response. "I suppose it made me feel better for a moment before it made me feel like shit."

"Perhaps you should try a different approach. Yes, it happened and no, you cannot change the past, but you are still here. You are living your life despite the event holding you back in some aspects. It does not make you weak. You are strong." Ramattra speaks softly. "You are stronger because of that."

You smile softly at his words but it quickly fades.

"You are not weak, [y/n]." He reiterates as he squeezes your hand. "Should I ever see this particular individual, I will make sure you have justice."

You couldn't help but laugh at his threat as you wipe away the remaining tears. "You are like a guard dog, you know that?"

"A very good one, no?" Ramattra shuffles closer to you, letting you lean your weight on him. "You deserve closure, to be free from that nightmare."

"One day..."

He keeps his optics on you for a moment longer, your heartbeat had slowed and you seemed more relaxed than before. There was a twinkle in your eyes as they widen, your body shifting forward as you point out a falling star.

"Rama, look!"

Though, he doesn't. His optics were still on you. Admiring you. He brings his head down, resting on the side of your neck. A soft buzzing, a kiss, is felt before he speaks.

"I am proud of you and how far you have come. Do not let this hold you back. You deserve the happiness and you are worthy of love. I am here each and every step of the way, no matter what comes your way. I have you, now and forever."

[talonabraxas]

Solar Diety

A solar deity (also sun god(dess)) is a deity who represents the sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. Hence, many beliefs have formed around this worship, such as the "missing sun" found in many cultures.

Solar deities throughout cultures

In different religions solarised supreme deities carry different names and are associated with different aspects of the cultural universe of the society, but for the most part its raw image remains identical.

The Neolithic concept of a solar barge, the sun as traversing the sky in a boat, is found in the later myths of ancient Egypt, with Ra and Horus. Earlier Egyptian myths imply that the sun is within the lioness, Sekhmet, at night and can be seen reflected in her eyes or that it is within the cow, Hathor during the night, being reborn each morning as her son (bull). Proto-Indo-European religion has a solar chariot, the sun as traversing the sky in a chariot.

During the Roman Empire, a festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun (or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) was celebrated on the winter solstice — the "rebirth" of the sun. In Germanic mythology this is Sol, in Vedic Surya, and in Greek Helios (occasionally referred to as Titan) and (sometimes) as Apollo. Mesopotamian Shamash plays an important role during the Bronze Age, and "my Sun" is eventually used as an address to royalty. Similarly, South American cultures have emphatic Sun worship, see Inti.

During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a “solar monotheism.” Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on December 25 was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.[1]

Hinduism

The Ādityas are one of the principal deities of the Vedic classical Hinduism belonging to Solar class. In the Vedas, numerous hymns are dedicated to Mitra, Varuna and Savitr.

Even the Gayatri mantra, which is regarded as one of the most sacred of the Vedic hymns is dedicated to Savitr, one of the principal Ādityas. The Adityas are a group of solar deities, from the Brahmana period numbering twelve. The ritual of sandhyavandanam, performed by Hindus, is an elaborate set of hand gestures and body movements, designed to greet and revere the sun.

The sun god in Hinduism is an ancient and revered deity. In later Hindu usage, all the Vedic Ādityas lost identity and metamorphosed into one composite deity, Surya, the sun. The attributes of all other Ādityas merged into that of Surya and the names of all other Ādityas became synonymous with or epithets of Surya.

The Ramayana has Lord Rama as a descendant of the Surya, thus belonging to the Surya Vansh or the clan of the Sun. The Mahabharata describes one of its warrior heroes Karna as being the son of the Pandava mother Kunti and Surya.

The sun god is said to married to the goddess Ranaadeh, also known as Sanjnya. She is depicted in dual form, being both sunlight and shadow, personified. The goddess is revered in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The charioteer of Surya is Aruna, who is also personified as the redness that accompanies the sunlight in dawn and dusk. The Sun God is driven by a seven-horsed Chariot depicting the seven days of the week.

In India, at Konark, in the state of Orissa, a temple is dedicated to Surya. The Konark temple has also been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Surya is the most prominent of the navagrahas or nine celestial objects of the Hindus. Navagrahas can be found in almost all Hindu temples. There are further temples dedicated to Surya, one in Arasavilli, Srikakulam District in AndhraPradesh, one in Gujarat and another in Rajasthan. The temple at Arasavilli was constructed in such a way that on the day of Radhasaptami, the sun's rays directly fall on the feet of the Sri Suryanarayana Swami, the deity at the temple.

Chhath (Hindi: छठ, also called Dala Chhath) is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity, unique to Bihar, Jharkhand and the Terai. This major festival is also celebrated in the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Chhattisgarh.Hymns praying to the sun can be found in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. Practiced in different parts of India, the worship of the sun has been described in the Rigveda.

Ancient Egypt

Sun worship was exceptionally prevalent in ancient Egyptian religion. The earliest deities associated with the sun are Wadjet, Sekhmet, Hathor, Nut, Bastet, Bat, and Menhit. First Hathor, and then Isis, give birth to and nurse Horus and Ra. Hathor the horned-cow is one of the twelve daughters of Ra, gifted with joy and is a wet-nurse to Horus.

The sun's movement across the sky represents a struggle between the Pharaoh's soul and an avatar of Osiris. Ra travels across the sky in his solar-boat; at dawn he drives away the demon apep of darkness. The "solarisation" of several local gods (Hnum-Re, Min-Re, Amon-Re) reaches its peak in the period of the fifth dynasty.

In the eighteenth dynasty, Akhenaten changed the polytheistic religion of Egypt to a monotheistic one, Atenism of the solar-disk and is the first recorded state monotheism. All other deities were replaced by the Aten, including, Amun-Ra, the reigning sun god of Akhenaten's own region. Unlike other deities, the Aten did not have multiple forms. His only image was a disk—a symbol of the sun.

Soon after Akhenaten's death, worship of the traditional deities was reestablished by the religious leaders (Ay the High-Priest of Amen-Ra, mentor of Tutankhaten/Tutankhamen) who had adopted the Aten during the reign of Akhenaten.

Chinese mythology

In Chinese mythological cosmology, there were originally ten suns in the sky, who were all brothers. They were supposed to emerge one at a time as commanded by the Jade Emperor. They were all very young and loved to fool around. Once they decided to all go into the sky to play, all at once. This made the world too hot and nothing grew. A hero named Hou Yi shot down nine of them with a bow and arrow to save the people of the earth. He is still honored to this day. In another myth, the solar eclipse was caused by the magical dog of heaven biting off a piece of the sun. The referenced event is said to have occurred around 2,160BCE. There was a tradition in China to make lots of loud celebratory sounds during a solar eclipse to scare the sacred "dog" away. The Deity of the Sun in Chinese mythology is Ri Gong Tai Yang Xing Jun (Tai Yang Gong / Grandfather Sun) or Star Lord of the Solar Palace, Lord of the Sun. In some mythologies, Tai Yang Xing Jun is believed to be Hou Yi. Tai Yang Xing Jun is usually decipted with the Star Lord of the Lunar Palace, Lord of the Moon, Yue Gong Tai Yin Xing Jun (Tai Yin Niang Niang / Lady Tai Yin).

Buddhism

In Buddhist cosmology, the bodhisattva of the sun is known as Ri Gong Ri Guang Pu Sa (The Bright Solar Boddhisattva of the Solar Palace) / Ri Gong Ri Guang Tian Zi (The Bright Solar Prince of the Solar Palace) / Ri Gong Ri Guang Zun Tian Pu Sa (The Greatly Revered Bright Solar Prince of the Solar Palace / one of the 20 or 24 guardian devas). In Sanskrit, He is known as Suryaprabha. He is usually decipted with Yue Gong Yue Guang Pu Sa (The Bright Lunar Boddhisattva of the Lunar Palace) / Yue Gong Yue Guang Tian Zi ( The Bright Lunar Prince of the Lunar Palace) / Yue Gong Yue Guang Zun Tian Pu Sa (The Greatly Revered Bright Lunar Prince of the Lunar Palace / one of the 20 or 24 guardian devas) or known as Candraprabha in Sanskrit. With Yao Shi Fo / Bhaisajyaguru Buddha (Medicine Buddha), these two boddhisattvas create the Dong Fang San Sheng or the Three Holy Sages of the East.

Africa

The Munshi tribe considers the sun to be the son of the supreme being Awondo and the moon is Awondo's daughter. The Barotse tribe believes that the Sun is inhabited by the sky god Nyambi and the Moon is his wife. Even where the sun god is equated with the supreme being, in some African mythologies he or she does not have any special functions or privileges as compared to other deities.

Aztec mythology

In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh (Nahuatl:Ollin Tonatiuh "Movement of the Sun") was the sun god. The Aztec people considered him the leader of Tollan, heaven. He was also known as the fifth sun, because the Aztecs believed that he was the sun that took over when the fourth sun was expelled from the sky. According to their cosmology, each sun was a god with its own cosmic era. According to the Aztecs, they were still in Tonatiuh's era. According to the Aztec creation myth, the god demanded human sacrifice as tribute and without it would refuse to move through the sky. It is said that 20,000 people were sacrificed each year to Tonatiuh and other gods, though this number is thought to be inflated either by the Aztecs, who wanted to inspire fear in their enemies, or the Spaniards, who wanted to vilify the Aztecs. The Aztecs were fascinated by the sun and carefully observed it, and had a solar calendar second only in accuracy to the Mayan's. Many of today's remaining Aztec monuments have structures aligned with the sun.

In the Aztec calendar, Tonatiuh is the lord of the thirteen days from 1 Death to 13 Flint. The preceding thirteen days are ruled over by Chalchiuhtlicue, and the following thirteen by Tlaloc.

Indonesian mythology

The same swapping process is seen in Indonesia. The solar gods have a stronger presence in Indonesia's religious life and myth. In some cases the sun is revered as a "father" or "founder" of the tribe. This may apply for the whole tribe or only for the royal and ruling families. This practise is more common in Australia and on the island of Timor, where the tribal leaders are seen as direct heirs to the sun god.

Some of the initiation rites include the second reincarnation of the rite's subject as a "son of the sun", through a symbolic death and a rebirth in the form of a sun. These rituals hint that the Sun may have an important role in the sphere of funerary beliefs. Watching the un's path has given birth to the idea in some societies that the deity of the Sun descends in to the underworld without dying and is capable of returning afterward. This is the reason for the Sun being associated with functions such as guide of the deceased tribe members to the underworld, as well as with revival of perished. The sun is a mediator between the planes of the living and the dead.

Theosophy The primary local deity in Theosophy is the Solar Logos, i.e., the consciousness of the sun.

[natalyarose]

𝓕𝓾𝓵𝓵 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓢𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓲 - 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸

🤍 Tonight/today greets us with a beautiful, vibrant Full Moon in Swati. I want to shed a little light about one of the mythologies associated with Swati and how it pertains to natives & transits under this Lunar Mansion.

The Vedic story of Hanuman, the cosmic son of Vayu (God of the wind & lord of Swati) lends us a wealth of knowledge about Swati's nature & message. It goes like this (I've tried my best to put it into my own wording): When Hanuman was a young boy, he thought the Sun was a big fruit, so he jumped into the sky to try to eat it. The Sun god felt intimidated by young Hanuman coming towards him, and asked he asked Indra (King of the Gods) to bring the child back down to Earth with his weapon/powers. Indra struck Hanuman in his jaw with his weapon: Vajra, the thunderbolt. Impressed by the child’s bravery & resistance, the deities blessed Hanuman with various powers. Hanuman used his powers to play pranks upon others, and for this, the rishis (sages, seers) cursed him to forget his gifts and powers. The boy then apologized for his mistake, so the rishis told him that his powers would come back to him if someone reminded him of them. Later on, while Hanuman was on a quest searching for Sita, Lord Rama’s wife, he was reminded of his powers by Jambavan, the bear headed being. Of the curse and his past. Upon hearing this, Hanuman's confidence is reignited. He ended up playing out multiple roles: a messenger to Sita, a diplomat to Vibhishana, and a soldier against Ravan.

🤍 This story gave me so much context as to why Swati natives are the way they are: A lot of the Swati natives I've met in my life are brilliantly talented in some field, or even multitalented, but are often very (overly) humble and self-doubting or easily discouraged by others'.

🤍 Swati is known to be perhaps the most energetically receptive of all the Nakshatras (some consider it to be the 'most feminine', which it is very much so but I think Swati's energy is very ethereal so it kinda transcends traditional feminine/masculine archetypes). This energetic receptivity gives endless potential for just about anything that can be dreamed of- there is a vast potential for just about any skill, talent or reality to be manifested in Swati. However, as the mythology implies, Swati's infinite powers and potential can be limited by the natives 'forgetting' their abilities or others attempting to bring them down.

🦋 It is said that Swati natives, like in the story, need to be surrounded by people who remind them of their abilities, beauty & talents in order to thrive. This makes sense in the context of Swati being very Yin and passive- endless potential, but needs that external Yang in order to flourish. It needs somebody to be objective with them and tell them exactly what they're good at.

🌱This potential is seen with Swati's symbolism being a plant shoot/sapling standing strong against the wind: there is a talent, a gift in Swati natives that needs to be nurtured to grow. Not that Swati's natives should depend on others- part of Swati's path may be related to learning to do what it takes to nurture those abilities yourself; but even still having positive affirmation and strong, Solar energies around is very important for Swati.

🍃 The Sun is debilitated in Swati, meaning the ego is very fragile. This can of course go many different ways- it can manifest as somebody who is very overly humble, self sacrificial, weak boundaries, lets emotions and empathy govern their life, 'too nice', lacking a healthy ego, struggles with criticism. Sometimes I see Swati manifested poorly as someone who feels down on themselves, so then deflects and rip down others, but typically there is another placement involved to cause this behaviour.

🌬 Not that Swati can't have a dark side, it certainly can and does as all Nakshatras do (Swati's other symbol is a sword & is butcher caste- it can be ruthless in achieving their goals, like Hanuman reaching up to the Sun)- but still remember that Swati resides in the middle of Sidereal Libra. Libra is balance, peace, the middle ground. Swati is the very middle of the middle lol. It is the ultimate 'go with the flow' 'neither here nor there' embodiment. Much like the wind.

🌌 This is partially why Tropical Scorpios are known to have the mesmerising stare & amazing ability to read people & situations: Swati acts as almost like this cosmic vacuum for knowledge, able to absorb it all but often too 'off with the fairies' and in their own world to verbalize it or always remember it. The natives can be misunderstood as ditzy and 'airheaded'.

🖤The 'dark side' of Swati would probably be staying quiet, not taking a stand 'for' or 'against' anything & letting life pass you by, or being bystanders in witnessing bad things due to the extreme energetic neutrality/passivity. Perhaps even snapping from the burden of always being doubted and passive. This neutrality can also be a gateway to fostering profound wisdom- access to the intuitive stream of knowledge available to us all is blocked by judgement & absolutes.

🎨 This leads me to Swati's association with the Goddess Saraswati; the Goddess of knowledge, wisdom, art, music & learning. The extreme potential to accumulate knowledge in Swati is a wonder, but it's almost as if sometimes the only way for Swati to verbalize & relay the knowledge to the world, is through art & music. A lot of spiritual truths are just too profound to put into plain words and even if you manage to, there's the risk of being misunderstood- through artistic creation, this wisdom can be more easily FELT.

🥀 I think that the theme of 'forgetting your powers' in Swati, reminds me of how when we come to this Earth and are born (Bharani, opposite to Swati represents birth), we for the most part forget our potential. We forget our divinity, we forget spiritual information such as our past lives.

🌸 It is said that on the way to success, Swati natives will often encounter a person or situation where people will try to bring them down/block their path at all costs, like Indra striking down the boy who reached for the Sun.

🌹One last thing- I recently watched the movie 'Pearl' which was a weird thing for me because I veer away from watching horrific movies, but the actress (Mia Goth) is Swati ascendant. Butcher caste. Symbolised by the sword/blade. Well, let's just say that the character lives up to this association lol- but I was thinking and I realised that the overall story and what lead the girl to this point is very Swati. Not that being a murderer is typical of Swati natives lol, but the plot:

🍒🌬 Pearl grows up on a farm, isolated from the world and held back from her freedom and enjoyment of her youth by her responsibilities taking care of her ill & immobilised father; and living with her abusive yet well meaning mother (not that abuse is ever okay but in the context of it being a very scary time for society amidst the Spanish flu and the father being crippled, I think the mum was very scared to death of more tragedy occuring). She dreams of being a star on the silver screens, a dancer (Swati being very ambitious & typically talented) but feels, once again, held back by the weight of the responsibility and burden of her dark home life. Eventually, she cracks and ends up killing anyone who she perceives to have doubted her or blocked her path (including her parents). Anyway, very Swati themes. Also very Rahu, Rahu nakshatras can have themes of being very sweet, polite and conforming- but eventually emotionally cracking, and all of the built up anger, rage and frustration from being mistreated or walked all over in their passive state comes out.

🌷🌸 Also, I just randomly thought of Barbie and the Three Musketeers lol- Barbie is often considered to be a Swati character (the femininity association, Rahuvian illusion, the way she can play all these characters and enter all of these different fantasy worlds). In Barbie and the Three Musketeers, we see Corinne (interestingly, again a girl who lives fair away from the city, somewhat isolated on a farm with her mother. Both movies play into the trope of the sweet, naive yet underestimated farm girl) who dreams of becoming a musketeer like her father was, in a time where girls could never be considered for this noble position. She confidently made her way on horseback all the way to Paris. When she told people of her dreams and ambitions of becoming a musketeer, everyone laughed in her face seeing as she was a girl. Even though she was extremely skilled and had been practicing for years. In the story, she discovers of this bad dude's plans to kill the prince to steal his inheritance to the throne, and her and her friends plan to take action.

Once the bad dude catches on that they know what he's up to and are trying to stop him, he of course tries to destroy them (there is a scene of a classic sword fight on the roof of the castle, Swati being associated with high places as well).

After demonstrating their immense bravery and skill, the girls all become musketeers and are apologised to for being underestimated (if I remember correctly).

It's really interesting because both of these movies include a scene early in the movie where the main character performs in a barn to the animals lol- Corinne practicing her musketeer skills, and Pearl practicing her dancing (and uh... killing a goose?).

🌫These movies also highlight Swati's themes of being underestimated, seen as very sweet and passive or naively sheltered, harmless girls but shocking the world with what they're capable of. 'Doing it in a dress' or doing it in lipstick & heels' vibes. Obviously, the two movies & characters go in entirely different directions though, lol.

🌸 In a way, society at large underestimates Barbie in general- deeming her airheaded or vapid & shallow just because of her associations with beauty & femininity, when most of the Barbie movies and stories actually depict Barbie as an immensely brave, courageous character who's positivity, kindness, strength and determination transcends evil every time.

Anyway, this ended up being much longer than intended lol, but I hope this was enjoyed by someone and sheds some light on the power of Swati Nakshatra this Full Moon <3🤍🌚

[blackknight-100]

I'm absolutely obsessed with how mythology portrays parent-child relationships, especially when at least one divine party is involved. I've talked about Karna and Arjuna's relationship with their fathers, and how it might tie up to their characters and situations, and the Mahabharata as a whole, but they're not the only ones! Speaking exclusively about father-son dynamics in this post, and we have a lot of them!

You have Yudhisthira, whose father Yama/Dharma shows up in his son's mortal life twice (iirc), gives him a 20 min quiz each time and then tells him that no son, we don't allow dogs in heaven (which, how dare, but we all have that one parent). This is so in line with Yudhisthira's arc, poor man that he is, having to spend his whole life finding answers to questions about righteousness and honour, losing his friends, brothers, wife and children in the process.

Rama-Dasharatha and Ganesha-Shiva are pretty straightforward - there's plenty of mutual love and respect despite the horrors ™️ , but then there is Rama and Luv-Kush. If you're counting the Uttar Kand, then these boys literally saw their mother die because there father could not stop questioning her honour. That has to mess with your head. There's no way it's a happily ever after story.

Another man who interests me greatly is Yayati. Like sir... what were you doing. Who grows old and thinks, "You know what would be great? Me borrowing my son's youth" and then curses them when they refuse? What were you thinking. What were your kids thinking. I need to take your heads apart with a scalpel, this is so incredibly insane. A father should give to his children - the only thing this man "gave" was to spare Puru from his curse.

You have Bhishma and Shantanu, another wild story. I understand that Bhishma chose to give up his birthright to make Shantanu happy, but can you actually tell me Shantanu wasn't at least somewhat interested in the plan? Shantanu is Bhishma's father, it's his job to stop him from doing things like this. I feel like pulling my hair out everytime I think of this. You can tell that Bhishma was afraid for his father's well-being when he made this decision, and that so... unfair.

On the other end of the spectrum are Krishna and Vasudeva, who are wholesome to the point of despair. Vasudeva giving up his everything just to get his boy out of prison?? Waiting years and years for him, but never lamenting or cursing Krishna for not coming fast enough??? That's peak fatherhood (Shantanu take lessons). And Krishna honours that sacrifice!! He comes from idyllic Vrindavan, slays the tormentor of his parents and rips the bars of their prison!!! And that old married couple trapped within those dank, dreary walls, with no one except the other for company, watches their godly son turn up to free them and show them the sky for the first time in more than a decade - the thought of it brings me to tears. Possibly the only part I like about the change from baby!Krishna to adult!Krishna is his reunion with Vasudeva and Devaki!

Oh, and last but not least, our favourite problematic pair: Jamadagni and sons. I'm slightly terrified by how Jamadagni was like "kill your mother for me she's sinful >:(" and when four sons refused, he actually killed them. HIS OWN SONS! Admittedly, in some versions he asks Parashuram to do the killing but like... those are his brothers. Who probably swaddled him and rocked him and fed him and played with him. And all this is presumably happening right in front of Renuka. And then Parashuram has to kill his mother as well, unless he wants to be a heap of ashes.

(In some versions, including the one I've always heard as a child, Parashuram is said to be "aware of" his father's immense power, which just seems to me a really polite way to say that Parashuram knew disobeying his father had consequences ™️ that weren't always right or rational)

Worse, after the killing is done, Jamadagni is so pleased he offers Parashuram a boon, presumably with the remains of the rest of his family still nearby, and when Parashuram asks for his mother and brother to be revived, Jamadagni is all like "ooh actually I got really angry, I think I'm going to renounce rage forever. Dw btw your brothers and mother forgot you killed them you're welcome <3"

Sir??? This is what you got out of the whole issue???? No wonder Parashuram killed a whole bunch of kings, this couldn't have been healthy.

[kengan-daddies]

I Love You So Kaolan Wongsawat

Anime : Kengan Ashura Character : Kaolan Wongsawat Warning : Mention of bruises, fluff

I Love You So Kaolan Wongsawat

I Love You So Kaolan Wongsawat

The sun was setting, casting an orange hue over everything it shined upon, dark shadows could be seen, and pink, purple, and yellow clouds drifted across the sky slowly. The inside of your shared room, was also covered in an orange hue with deep dark shadows, the lamp next to your bed was on, helping to even out the lighting. You were sitting up on Kaolan's back dressed in your golden silky robe, while Kaolan wore matching silky pants. You had a vase of warm oil on the bed next to you, your hands covered in oil, smoothing it over his toned back, pressing on his tense muscles, you can feel where the knots were, pressing into them, making Kaolan give a satisfied moan.

It's been like this for a few minutes now, silent with the occasional groan and moan from Kaolan while you'd sometimes giggle in response. His arms were folded under his pillow, his eyes closed as he seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep. He's been extra busy lately, traveling with Prince Rama to and fro from business deals to meetings. He's even had to get into a few fights along the way, all in the name of Prince Rama, earlier that day, you saw the stress in his eyes and his tense shoulders, so you put it upon yourself to get some of the finest oils you could purchase, specifically for tight muscles, something that'll soothe him.

Being his wife also had some perks, since Kaolan was the Village's strongest warrior and the Prince's right-hand man, he was treated like royalty, meaning you got that same treatment, so it didn't take long for you to find the items you needed to help aid your husband in relaxing. You just had to wait until he finally was able to come to bed, it's been months since you both been in the same room together, traveling from Country to Country while you stayed at home, it was lonely but it wasn't something you weren't used to. Once he came home, and you saw his tense shoulders and stressed stare, you knew you had done right by gathering those items.

Giving Kaolan a massage was just as enjoyable for you as it was for him, you loved doing the act, knowing that it was helping him to relax, helping him to calm down from a stressful week or in this case, months. The feeling of his toned muscles under your palms, as you'd trace the contours of his muscles, following his light scars, remembering some of them as you did. He was such a warrior, it's like he was born to do so, a guardian of sorts. You always told him that he'd make a great father someday, but he'd always shake it off with a small smile. His excuse? 'I don't think so, I don't nearly have the proper emotions to take care of a child, I'm too harsh and cold, I'm distant and I'm not the most emotional.' He'd always say, you could see his points, however you had faith that he'd make an amazing father, call it intuition if you will.

Your hands curved over his shoulders, the back of his neck, and down his sides, slowly coming towards the middle where you'd go up and down, pressing down hard on the knots in his tense back, you were sure that he was asleep by now, he wasn't making as many groans and moans as he was at first when you found a knot, it was more like a muffled grunt at most now. You smiled tenderly, happy that he drifted off to sleep. You stopped your hands, bending down until your lips were next to his ear. "Kao?... Are you sleeping?" You asked in a low voice. He grumbled in response, not saying anything but enough to confirm that he was drifting in and out of slumber. You softly chuckled as you sat back up, reaching over as you gathered more oil into your hands.

You drizzled it over the middle of his back, making a small puddle in the center. You smoothed your hand through the puddle, going up to his shoulders and over his arms, stopping short of the pillow before you went back to the middle of his back, doing it all over again. Your hands went down his sides, pressing down a little harder, looking for any knots, he gave a hard twitch, making you jump in shock as you pulled back, he gave a grunt, his brows twitching as he cracked his eyes open. "Are you hurt?" You asked him, and he nodded his head. "Yes, I took a pretty nasty blow to my side a while back, He had one hell of a kick force." He explained, you looked down at his sides in worry, your eyes scanning until you found it.

It was faded, but you could still slightly see the red of his bruising. You gently rubbed over it, you saw when his muscle tensed from your gentle touch and you pulled back from it. You stared down at it sadly. "I'm sorry, Kao... I didn't know." You apologized, you didn't mean to hurt him. "What are you apologizing for? You weren't the one to hit me, you were helping me, I should've warned you beforehand, but I guess it slipped my mind." He said softly. You sighed as you gently rubbed his back. "I know, I just wish I was more aware of it, but that's okay, as long as you're relaxed, that's all that matters." You said. He gave a half-hearted chuckle as he shifted till he was on his back. "KAO!!! THE SHEETS!!" You cried, he sighed, as he placed his hands on your hips, keeping you in place.

"It's fine, I'll have them replaced." He said tiredly as he rubbed circles on your hips with his thumbs, you gave a defeated sigh, knowing he was right. "You could've at least let me rub off some of the oil before you decided to turn over like that, Kao." You said, as you lay your head down on his chest. He gave a "Hmm" in reply to your words as he wrapped his arms around you. He could hear you fuss at him all day, he just wants to hear your voice, have you in his arms, where he knows you're safe. Your body relaxed against his, as you got comfortable, his heart giving steady beats, calming you. You missed him, you missed having him in bed, having his arms around you, where you know he's relaxed. 'Kao does so much for everyone, he deserves to rest.' You thought, as you snuggled into him.

He opened his eyes, one last time, as he reached over, clicking off the lamp, before he gave a relaxed sigh, you both slowly drifted off to sleep, the room slowly going dark, as the sun completely set over the horizon.

[colourme-feral]

The less glamorous siblings of the cable stayed bridges of the Chao Phraya River as seen in Thai qls, specifically in Bangkok and slightly north of Bangkok.

(I have left out bridges that have not made any appearances thus far)

Nonthaburi Bridge (in Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi Provinces) My Ride, Siew Sum Noi

Maha Chesadabodindranusorn Bridge (in Nonthaburi Province) The Luminous Solution, Not Me, Enigma, Be Mine Superstar

Krung Thon Bridge Absolute Zero, My Dear Gangster Oppa, You and My Stars, Moments of Love

Memorial Bridge Low Frequency Pilot Trailer, 'Cause You're My Boy / My Tee, Last Twilight

Phra Pok Klao Bridge (and Chao Phraya Sky Park) Low Frequency Pilot Trailer, 'Cause You're My Boy / My Tee, Last Twilight, Cherry Magic Thailand

Taksin Bridge (King Taksin the Great Bridge) Our Skyy x Dark Blue Kiss

Rama III Bridge and Krungthep Bridge (all appearances have included both bridges together) KinnPorsche, Cutie Pie, He's Coming to Me, Tell the World I Love You

References:

@absolutebl's BL Visual Trope Du Jour: Boys on bridges post

@virtualtadpole's The Rama VIII Bridge in Bangkok post

5 cable-stayed bridges that cross the Chao Phraya River

[lagrimas-de-desamor]

Soledad

[sigalrm]

Twigs and clouds by Pascal Volk

[rambheem-is-real]

Roll For Seduction (via Beheading)

pairing: varadeva

What if the entirety of Salaar was just a DnD campaign between a group of friends in their basement?

A reimagining of the Naarang beheading scene, inspired by a convo from the server a few months ago

-

Smug faces greeted Devaratha from the circular balcony as they watched Naarang advance on Varadharaja. He hated them all, would make sure they burned for even entertaining the thought of Varadharaja’s death. Devaratha tried once again, pleading with Naarang to take his life instead, but to no avail. Naarang brushed him aside once more, this time grasping at Varadharaja’s collar. The air was crisp with anticipation, like the dark clouds appearing before a devastating storm. Devaratha’s blood boiled as soon as he sensed-

“Dude.”

“What?”

“‘The air was crisp with anticipation’?”

“I’m trying to set the mood, idiot, it’s not even your turn right now.”

Baachi scoffs. “Sure, continue on with your Wattpad fanfic. You’ve been going on about how much Devaratha wants to kill Naarang for twenty minutes now. ”

“Fine,” Aadhya interjects, “I’m gonna need Deva to roll a dexterity check.” Varadha and Rama let out whoops of excitement as Deva picks up his dice. 

“Finally we’re getting somewhere,” Rudra says. “I hope the old man kicks you in the nuts, and Varadharaja drops you back at your mom’s place for being incompetent.” Deva flips him off with one hand as he rolls a die onto the wooden table with his other hand. 16. Rudra fake groans.

“Aadhya!” Deva calls, and Aadhya looks up from typing through the rest of the story. “So obviously I rolled well on that one, but can I roll for something else?”

Sure, why the fuck not, she thinks. “Go ahead." 

“Alright.” Deva smirks over the table at Varadha, who has been passionately pleading with Naarang to kill his character instead of Devaratha his last few turns. “Rolling to seduce Varadha with however I kill Naarang.” 

Rama starts, “That’s not how the game works-”

“That is how the game works, actually, or at least a better version-” Varadha responds, clearly excited over where the scene was going, and Deva beams at him. 

Rama looks at Aadhya, who just shrugs helplessly. Those two had been getting their characters to flirt with each other the entire campaign, often to the detriment of the other players’ missions. 

Deva rolls again, after fiddling with the die for a few seconds. It crawls towards the center of the table, finally stopping as it hits Baachi’s energy drink, and the group all stare in disbelief at the 20 displayed on the top side of the die.

Baachi sits up straight. “I call BULLSHIT. It hit my can!” He points out the clearly visible can, in the center of the table, to Aadhya. “External manipulation and interference.”

“Oh, but your constitution roll hitting Aadhya’s laptop counted?” Deva fires back. 

“Technically, it shouldn’t have,” Rama starts. 

As Baachi, Rama, and Deva snipe at each other, Aadhya puts her head in her hands and sighs. She loves her friends, and loves being a DM as well, but sometimes those two… don’t mix.

“Devaratha beheads Naarang with his own sword,” Aadhya tells Deva, who cheers, and immediately launches into his story. 

Devaratha’s blood boiled as he sensed where Naarang had put his hands. He wouldn’t stand for this. How dare he touch his Varadharaja? His beautiful, lovely, Varadharaja, whose face rivaled that of the moon, whose eyes were as deep and dark as the night sky, whose shoulder muscles were-  

“Oh my GOD, SHUT UP! GET TO IT!” 

“Baachi!” Varadha admonishes.

Well, fine. Point is, Devaratha was not happy that Naarang had touched his man. He turned, grabbing a soldier’s sword and using it to slice through Naarang’s hand. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch him?” He bellowed at Naarang, slicing his own chains off. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch my Varadharaja!” 

“Aww,” Varadha coos. “That’s so sweet, your character loves mine so much.” 

The group, minus Varadha, look at Deva in an awkward silence, and in the background, the Dark Medieval Fantasy instrumental Rudra selected for this scene plays on. Deva opens his mouth, and then closes it. Aadhya sighs again. So much flirting, yet so much obliviousness. Rama continues with the scene, saving them all. 

“What are you all doing?” Rama yelled at her soldiers, indignant that such a crime would be committed in Kotagadi of all places. Did the newcomer not have any manners? “Shoot that bastard!” She ordered. “And on that note, let me go get a refill on these chips,” Rama says, standing up from her chair and making her way up the stairs of the basement. 

Devaratha did love Varadha- Varadharaja sorry, very much. Deva coughs. As he watched Naarang scream in fear and pain, he still didn’t feel satisfied. Death was the only option for that man. “No one should touch him,” Devaratha now addressed the entire court. “Please. I. Kindly. Request.”

Baachi groans, throwing back his head. 

“Oh my god, fine,” Deva grumbles. “I’m speeding up.”

Devaratha sliced off Naarang’s head in one clean stroke. The head fell to the ground, blood spurting from the gash in its neck. 

“Rey, I have an idea. Remember when he told me to put my head at his feet earlier?” Varadha asks, and Deva nods, realizing where his friend was going with this. He gestures at Varadha to continue.

The head rolled along, coming to a stop directly at Varadharaja’s feet. The eyes looked up at Varadharaja, lifeless, and all Varadharaja could think about… was how hot that was.

Rudra wakes up from his mini nap, giving Varadha The Eyebrow. 

“Hey, he’s the one that rolled a nat 20 for seduction.” 

Rama, coming back down the stairs, chuckles. “Now I wonder if the seduction is because Devaratha is hot or if Varadharaja just secretly has a gore fetish.”

Varadha frowns. “Akka, what the hell. Well now I have to step up my game.”

Devaratha stood there, sweaty from the heat, shaking from the adrenaline of begging for his lover’s life. His figure lit a fire within Varadharaja, the height and the muscles combined made him want to peel off Devaratha’s clothes right then and there, gett-

Aadhya sighs once more, this time joined by Baachi. Why did she have to exist, only to suffer like this? Those idiots keep ignoring her, writing their own story, flirting all the time. Was she useless as a DM?

…An idea forms in her mind. She looks across at Baachi, who’s just as miserable as her as Varadha describes in detail what his character wanted to do to a flustered but enthusiastic Deva’s character. They kept being gross in front of her? She would show them. Aadhya doesn’t have to think for more than a few seconds before a plan starts forming in her mind. Baachi would have to sacrifice his character, but he probably wouldn’t mind given the end goal. 

She’ll see how they flirt their way out of wanting to kill each other. 

-

[sepulcher-of-the-light]

© Lucas Garcete, La rama pensativa (The thoughtful branch)

Otras miradas buscándote en el cielo en noches como ésta, no las hay en la vida; acaso un hombre único descubre en tu belleza el ardiente artificio y extrema soledad.

Other looks looking for you in the sky on nights like this, there are none in life; perhaps a unique man discovers in your beauty the burning artifice and extreme loneliness.