#symbolism lite

[ominouspuff]

Alone in the galaxy with the only things that matter (Anakin POV)

[undercoverangell]

t4t odysseus and penelope im not taking feedback at this time.

[rverave]

my mother and i had a discussion

how bleak is the human existence

she instructed me to find god

so i went and searched and searched,

until i found him right within me and all round me

in every crease of a leaf crumpled

by the soles of a god

when i reached the cities,

i could hear him roaring in pain

exhaust fume sighs and hardly peaceful horns

he was god and he was living amongst himself

he was just as broken as any preacher on a sunday

i kept pushing to find his spark

stumbling onto the devil

found crying and wailing

as if he too had lost his light

wasted and withering

i could only offer

a lengthy puff of time

[uwmspeccoll]

The author, Angela Hovak Johnston.

Johnston and Marjorie Tungwenuk Tahbone, traditional tattoo artist.

Catherine Niptanatiak: "I designed my own, something that represents me and who I am, something that I would be proud to wear and show off, and something that would make me feel confident and beautiful. . . . I have daughters and I would like to teach them what I know. I would like for them to want to practice our traditions and keep our culture alive."

Cecile Nelvana Lyall: "On my hand tattoos, from the top down, the triangles represent the mountains. . . . The Ys are the tools used in seal hunting. . . . The dots are my ancestors. . . . I am so excited to be able to truly call myself and Inuk woman."

Colleen Nivingalok: "The tattoos on my face represent my family and me. The lines on my chin are my four children -- my two older boys on the outside protecting my daughters. The lines on my cheeks represent the two boys and the two girls on either side. The one on my forehead represents their father and me. Together, we live for our children."

Doreen Ayalikyoak Evyagotailak: "I have thought about getting traditional tattoos since I was a teenager. . . . When I asked the elders if I could have my own meaning for my tattoos, they said it wouldn't matter. My tattoos symbolize my kids."

Mary Angele Takletok: "I always wanted traditional tattoos like the women in the old days. I wanted them on my wrists and my fingers so I could show I'm Inuk."

Melissa MacDonald Hinanik: "As a part of celebrating my heritage and revitalizing important traditional customs that form my identity, I believe I have earned my tattoos. I am a beautiful, strong young woman. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and an active community member. I reclaim the traditional customs as mine, I re-own them as a part of who I am."

Star Westwood: "We still have some of our culture, but some things are slowly dying. Having tattoos helps us keep our culture alive. . . . . My tattoos represent my dad and my dad's dad. The ones closest to my wrists represent my sisters."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Tattoo Day

July 17 is National Tattoo Day. To celebrate, we present some images from Reawakening Our Ancestors' Lines: Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing, compiled by Angela Hovak Johnston, co-founder with Marjorie Tahbone of the Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project, with photographs by Inuit photographer Cora DeVos, and published in Iqaluit, Nunavut by Inhabit Media Inc. in 2017.

For thousands of years, Inuit have practiced the traditional art of tattooing. Created the ancient way, with bone needles and caribou sinew soaked in seal oil, sod, or soot, these tattoos were an important tradition for many Inuit women, symbols etched on their skin that connected them to their families and communities. But with the rise of missionaries and residential schools in the North, the tradition of tattooing was almost lost. In 2005, when Angela Hovak Johnston heard that the last Inuk woman tattooed in the old way had died, she set out to tattoo herself in tribute to this ancient custom and learn how to tattoo others. What was at first a personal quest became a project to bring the art of traditional tattooing back to Inuit women across Nunavut.

Collected in this book are photos and stories from more than two dozen women who participated in Johnston's project. Together, these women have united to bring to life an ancient tradition, reawakening their ancestors' lines and sharing this knowledge with future generations. Hovak Johnston writes: "Never again will these Inuit traditions be close to extinction, or only a part of history you read about in books. This is my mission."

Reawakening Our Ancestors' Lines forms part of our Indigenous America Literature Collection.

Angela Hovak Johnston (right) with her cousin Janelle Angulalik and her aunt Millie Navalik Angulalik.

View other posts from our Indigenous America Literature Collection.

[atyourmerci]

Gold wing, angel

meanloser!ellie X classpresident!r

CW: smut, MDNI, dom!ellie, sub!reader, v angsty, slight bondage, cunt slapping, fingering, cunnilingus, edging, orgasm denial, ruined orgasms, lite angel symbolism, no y/n, no pdor

A/N: actually surprised I finished a req (you all applaud me) this is inspired by “GOLDWING” by billie.

Ellie was a sick drug. Something not to be desired. She was the epitome of the allure of indulging in something you shouldn’t have, shouldn’t know, try at very least.

How did she get this way- who made her like this? Anger taken out through bodies of admission in an act of revenge. Taking back what was taken from her. Her pride regained by your submission.

You could have never fathomed the aggression the loser from AP American literature could obtain. You thought she’d beg on her knees for you. Worship your every move, starstruck by even getting the chance to touch you.

But she didn’t. She reveled in taking you off your high horse, got off on watching the student body president, proper and witty, utterly depraved by getting her cunt abused by a fucking moron.

-

98- A fucking 98, you did not deserve a 98 on the midterm paper. Your work was frankly sloppy, lacked comprehension. It made you ill knowing you were turning in something so lackluster with your name slapped across the front so proudly. The only thing that made you sicker was the thought of receiving special treatment- you had an image to uphold. You got to your position in this society from your own intellect, blood, sweat, tears and all. Kissing ass for a fucking 98 wasn’t in the cards.

The class began filing out as usual, like wild animals in a pack, shiny white teeth like daggers. Meshing together in their navy steam-pressed blazers, hair like defining fur, the only indication of individuality.

Except for her, sticking out like a sore thumb, the great big elephant in the room. Breaking many rulebook codes with her black nail polish, unkept hair to the standard policy, her white polo unbuttoned at the top two buttons that revealed her freckled chest. Despite her all around degenerate persona, she was irritatingly smart. Maybe if she had an ounce of charm she’d take your place.

With the rest of the class out of sight she stares at you. Not cutting off eye contact you both rise from your chairs you practically run to Mr. Stevens desk. The slap of two papers hit his desk, a 98 and a 90 shining in red sharpie ink on the white papers.

“I don’t deserve this,” comes out in unison, the sincerity in your voice cut open by the harshness in Ellies.

“Please one at a time, ladies.”

Before the words can even escape your lips Ellie rages, “I worked my ass off on this. I deserve better than a 90,” she spits out. “I know you can do better than this Ms.Williams, I expect more from you.” Ellie scoffs back at him, “this is bullshit,” she muffles but continues standing at his desk.

Mr.Stevens nods his head in your direction for your speech, you glance at Ellie with her arms now crossed, awaiting your protest. You brush off her insistence on staying and begin, “Mr.Stevens, I appreciate your grading and understanding my agenda for the midterm, but objectively this is sub-pare work. I think you may have given me someone else’s grade… maybe you mixed up my grade with Ms.Williams.”

He doesn’t skip a beat, “I don’t mix up grades, you earned it. Now if you two will excuse me,” Mr.Stevens directs you both to the now empty hallway.

Ellie storms out with rage, cheeks flushed and lips pressed closely, you follow behind. “‘ms Williams’? the fuck was that?” Ellie presses in a scowl, words echoed in a bare hallway.

“Look I read your paper, I think you deserved better,” you retort in an attempt to soothe her. You cant seem to keep your eyes off her cupids bow, the contrast of soft pink lips against her tired skin.

“Oh thats fucking rich coming from ‘ms I don’t deserve my grade’ you’re pathetic,” she points, eyes thinning.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a bitch more people would like you,” you attempt, heat rising in your own cheeks, heart thumping roughly in your chest.

Ellies cruel disposition contorts into a grin, inching closer to your body, “you’re fucking him aren’t you? Ms. perfect sucking off the teach so she can stay on top?”

A power so foreign comes before you, using force to push your wrist into her chest, though she doesn’t budge, “shut up.”

She returns your aggression, pushing your bodies flesh up against the brick wall behind you, ripping the breath from your lungs. Your hands instinctively grip into her shirt. Her eyes are wild, as if she was surprised she’d taken it this far, or rather puzzled by the fact you haven’t broken your grasp.

You both pant from the intrusion, glaring, waiting- waiting for someone to cave.

Like a dog on a leash you dragged her in, pulling her by her fabric until her lips met your own. A depraved act, met with open mouths and wandering tongues. Hatred in its finest form, digging into her as if you’d ever thought of it. A subconscious desire pulled from the depths of your cravings.

Before true indulgence she pushes you off, taking a moment to look at your hazy disposition, drunk on delinquency, “don’t ever do that again,” she pants out. Taking her thumb she wipes the saliva from your bottom lip and takes off without your response.

-

Time after time you went back. You told yourself you’d stop, never talk to her again. Yet there the keys were in the ignition, a path that you knew like the back of your hand. Leading, controlling your own fate of defacement.

“Can you please just open the door,” you plead on her doorsteps, mind and body corrupted- to only be pleased by the mental games, the destruction in forms of submitting to her.

Strung up like an old doll long forgotten in the attic, bound wrist behind your back and ankles tied to the head of her bed, vulnerable and needy.

“What now? Use your fucking words,” Ellie remarks before spitting on your neglected cunt. Your body winces at the sensation of the hot liquid dripping down the pulsing flesh, “please I promise I’ll do whatever you ask.”

She hovers over your squirming body, carful to not give you the satisfaction. Gripping your jaw in her hand, “do you ever pay attention to what I tell you? You don’t deserve to come,” cocking her free hand back to lay a purposeful slap to your slick folds causing you to scream out from the blissful pain.

She lays another one into the already beat red skin, a cruel grin growing on her lips as she hears you enjoying it. “You’d let me do anything, wouldn’t you?” she asks glaring at your tucked in lip, eyes glossy. You nod back at her, signaling your approval for using your body as her personal vessel.

Somehow it was good enough for her, dropping down to your perked nipples and sucking it into her teeth as she uses her hand to cover your eyes. You’d learn very early on that you weren’t allowed to watch her use her mouth on you. In the odd occasion she’d let you have your cunt in her mouth shed have your face shoved in the sheets while she took you from behind. She never told you why- and you didn’t dare ask.

Your wrist wriggle behind your back as your chest arches into her mouth, hot and wet. You obsess over what it would feel like on your mouth again, most nights were spent only thinking of her mouth- foreign, an impenetrable fortress. You began to chase the chance of the feeling her again.

You feel as her mouth comes off of the swollen bud as she removes the hand on your eyes, “don’t look,” she says with no threat in her tone, but you don’t risk crossing her.

You shut your exhausted eyes, dropping your head back as you feel her wrap her arms around the meat of your thighs. She drags an antagonizing strip up your slit, jolting your body into the mouth.

She goes as slow as possible, providing as little pressure she can muster up to the swell of your clit, but from her slaps it wouldn’t take much. Your body akin to a fish gasping for air out of water, squirming under her touch. She digs her fingers deep into the flesh as a warning.

“If you ever want to come again Id advise you behave.”

“P-please,” you plead to her, legs shaking as you whimper her name over and over like a prayer.

“I said no, i swear to god I’ll ruin every fucking orgasm,” sliding her two fingers into your clenching hole she drives slow pumps as she returns her mouth to your clit.

Your face contorts in concentration, attempting to hold yourself back but you could only be held off for so long.

“Ellie- Ellie!” bursting at the seams, your body detesting her rules, letting the hot white cum coat her fingers. She only fucks you harder, faster through your orgasm. This is a game you weren’t to win, rather to allow herself to revel in your pain. She got off on destroying your mind, making it to where you can only be pleased by her punishment.

Ellie kept her word, working you up on the edge of finishing and stopping completely, laughing at your pathetic state, crying and begging to come.

Clipping your wings, she hung them on her walls as a trophy. Pleas echoing her room, come splattering her sheets, your lips chapped and neglected.

[yanderedrabbles]

Yandere Movie Week [review]

Day 1 - Fear (1996)

Yandere Scale: 8/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Fear does exactly what it's supposed to. Not perfectly by any means, but well enough that I don't mind spending an hour and a half in its world.

A very fun world too - cute fashion, a great score, pleasing cinematography and a male lead who slowly becomes more despicable the longer the film goes on. Alyssa Milano, Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon look incredible the entire movie. And I guess their acting isn't bad either.

We start off with a man out on a jog. And we know it's going to be a thriller because a) shaky cam and b) very dramatic music just two minutes in. Great start. After that, we're introduced to Nicole (Reese Witherspoon), a high schooler with a slightly strained relationship with her dad and teenage angst lite.

She's cute. The girl next door with a daddy's girl bracelet and a kid brother who loves her. If she didn't have the bad luck of running into a bad man, I'd say things would have worked out just dandy.

But no such luck. Not for you kid.

Enter David.

He walks on screen to audible screams from the audience (me). He's hot. And the way he's introduced is hot. Shady bar, music in the background, leather jacket delinquents playing pool. From the get go, he screams bad boy. Rubbing (read: jerking off) his pool cue - at hip height - while looking at our female lead? C'mon, that's too easy.

I won't go into detail, but they obviously end up in a relationship. And it's hot stuff. At one point, he has his hand up her her skirt while they're on a rollercoaster. Yeah, we all see the symbolism. Coming (down) must be pretty fun on a ride like that, huh Nic?

It's not great the entire movie - their first conversation is stilted and awkward, filled with clichés. But the build up in tension is what does it for me.

There are plenty of little things that tip you off from the get go. David isn't as nice as he seems, not by a long shot.

It starts with a few tense looks between him and Nicole's dad. Just a father being a bit picky, right? Nope. He turns back the office clock so he can have a little more time with Nicole before curfew. He flirts with her best friend. He tells Nicole to, "Get me a coke." Bossy. Commanding.

I'll be honest, if I didn't know the synopsis of the film, I'd say dear old dad was being overly protective. Nope. Those red flags are about as red as they can get.

When things start going off the rails, the movie handles it pretty well. The scenes are decently tense, even though they're missing that little bit of careful handling that would make them terrifying.

As a yandere, David does everything you'd expect. He's manipulative. He's violent. He doesn't know where to draw the line in anything. Oh, and he's hot. Did I mention that already?

He's a Levi's and t-shirt kind of guy, with a great car, a nice voice, and biceps you want to sink your teeth into. When it comes to deranged stalkers, you can do a LOT worse.

The third act is a ball of a time. There's room for it to have been a bit more tense - it suffers from being a little too short, the twists not having enough time to breathe. The pace doesn't feel quick in the so much happening, I'm at the edge of my seat sort of way, but in the oh no, we only have the budget for thirty more minutes of run time sort of way.

Still, it's very enjoyable. David says and does plenty of very yandere things. I'm absolutely stealing some of his lines.

In terms of style, the movie is a knockout. I think it's a big part of what carries my recommendation. The cinematography is really pleasing, with lots of reds and dark greens. Very 'Seattle on a rainy day.' The sound track is totally 90's, with a nice mix of rock, pop and indie. It gives the movie a sense of place and time that exponentially improves the story.

How does it hold up as a piece of yandere media? It doesn't do anything radical or new, but the classics it sticks to are done well enough that it's worth the watch.

Oh, and David is very hot. I don't know if I mentioned that. 

Day 1 - Fear (1996)

Day 2 - Secret Obsession (2019)

Day 3 - Hush (2016)

Day 4 - The Perfect Guy (2015)

Day 5 - The Boy Next Door (2015)

Day 6 - The Invisible Man (2020)

Day 7 - Til Death Do Us Part (2017)

[conflictofthemind]

Stranger Things Season 5 will take the perspective of multiple "Alices"

and also me proving that Will Byers is so fem-coded.

I've noticed a pattern that has stuck out to me for a little while. Why is it that every one of Vecna's victims, and I mean personal victims that he knows and interacts with - not just the people that he's killed offhandedly for sport- all female?

Nancy, with Vecna delivering a personal message to her out of everyone in that group. Max, who has faced him multiple times and is now stuck in his mind. His sister Alice and his mother Virginia. El, of course. And now he's struck up a relationship with his newest target Holly. The one exception being Will -- known to be the most gender non conforming of the boys.

And nearly all of them have rabbit symbolism. He seems to have a particular affinity for seeking out these 'Alices'.

El's/Jane's nursery room. Nancy's old stuffed rabbit.

Holly's rabbit lite-brite, Alice finding the dead rabbit.

Another defining feature of 'Alice'ness: Waking up in an unknown world that Vecna controls. Whether it's the Upside Down or the new 50s Henry Mindscape, outfitted to look like Wonderland, that we're seeing in these previews (which by the way - Max and El are said to be inside at one point).

Especially when you fall into it like this...

El's S5 mission: most likely bringing Max out of her coma. Nancy's: unknown so far, but probably related to making sure the 'future' Vecna showed her doesn't come true. Will's: my prediction is attempting to rescue Holly.

I think each of them lead their own story-line, which is typical already for El and Nancy, and almost a given for Will in Season Five. All of them possibly converging into the Wonderland-like space that is now the Creel House vision.

I think even Erica might be involved at some point, considering the kids being kidnapped this season and her costume design in this picture foreshadowing a 50s vibe that hearkens to poodle skirts and at the time very common shape of collar and bow.

One last note on my Alice thoughts for today: I think there's a distinct possibility that the 'Upside Down' got it's name from Alice in Wonderland. AIW might be one of the bigger inspirations for the entire show.

Wonderland is an, "upside down" realm. Alice falls through the rabbit hole and the gravity switches the other way 'round, same as the scene when the teens are using the rope to get to the Upside Down in Eddie's trailer.

The original book references with specific words being upside down. There's a 1949 live action musical adaptation whose main song is 'I'm Upside Down'. The 2010s live action film mentions (again specifically) being upside down.

(a final shout-out to the 15th anniversary of Alice by Avril Lavigne, which made me want to post this today).

[nabi-unveiled]

A Bit About Nabi

In general, I tend to post a mixed bag of live reactions, joke posts, and meta. Additional head canons and fmvs could be added in the future. So far, I have mainly posted about BLs. However, that might evolve over time to include other stuff I enjoy. I make no promises.

I started my Asian media journey with subtitled movies that came in the mail over 20 years ago. This moved into het kdramas, jdoramas, lakorn, anime, etc. I still partake in all of those if the mood or a particular show grips me.

I started watching BLs in 2017 with the I Hear the Sunspot movie and Together with Me. I watch based on vibe, and I obsess over details.

Below the cut is a list of some of my meta (or meta lite) posts.

Boy Next World

(Ep 6) A Tale of Two Brothers

(Ep 7) Opening, phone, market, and NC scene

(Ep 7) Red lamps and Follow Up

(Ep 8) The colors of Phu's pajamas

(Ep 8) Sepia Phu (not really meta)

(Ep 8) The Reason Cir is Obsessed (not really meta)

Flirt Milk

The Characters of Flirt Milk (more of a joke than meta)

Perfect 10 Liners

(Ep 15) When dialogue misses the mark

ThamePo

Drinking game and the drinking game continues (not really meta)

I'm an outsider (short post)

The suit shop (short post)

The Heart Killers

(Ep 9) Bison's statement just hurts

(Ep 9) Highlighting skills

(Ep 9) Bison vs. Fadel (not really meta/short)

(Ep 9) Kant's Plan

(Ep 9) The problems with this episode

(Ep 10) White Rabbit

(Ep 10) Waiting is torture for Style

(Ep 10) Fadel: The Why Edition

(Ep 10) Why Didn't He Search for the Ex?

(Ep 10) PSA: Ghosting is Cruel

(Ep 11) Fadel gave his gun to Style (short post)

(Ep 12) Style & his dad (not really meta/short)

(Ep 12) Head Canon: Tattoo, Wedding Fashion, and Honeymoon

Your Sky

I felt for you Mama Rak (Not really meta)

When It Rains, It Pours

Note: This show has been a journey. My thoughts and interpretations evolved and changed as the show progressed. Some points in earlier posts do not hold up to the test of time. Since I've wrote so much about this show, I've tried to focus on the meatier ones.

(Ep 3) Aesthetics

(Ep 3) Character outlook

(Ep 4) Flipping the characters

(Ep 4) Symbols Abound

(Ep 4)I must apologize to Sei & Hagiwara

(Ep 5) Meeting in the middle. (Meta lite)

(Ep 5) The desire to be a good man

(Ep 5) People on the Periphery

(Ep 5) Hearing the Rain

(Ep 5) Sizzling Sounds

(Ep 5) How did I miss it?

(Ep 5) Let's talk about Kaori

(Ep 5) Rice and Yogurt

(Ep 6) People on the Periphery, Take 2

(Ep 6) Hagiwara isn't off the hook

(Ep 6) The broken SIM card broke me

(Ep 6) Fujisawa vs. Hagiwara's work (short post)

(Ep 6) Coffee Connections

(Ep 6) Who Owns the Phone?

(Ep 6) It didn't start at the museum for Hagiwara.

(Ep 6) Eating together.

(Ep 6) The smelly storm glass

(Ep 6) Breadcrumbs From a Flashback

(Ep 7) Sticking the Landing is Hard

(Ep 7) What the Finale Got Right

[zeninsama]

zen'in naoya, as seen by silas. these are some of my naoya headcanons so you can better understand how i see this man.

cw for general jjk manga spoilers (don't read if you're actively wanting to avoid), misogyny, sexual abuse, cousin incest, discussions of trans identity, etc. this is also incredibly long lol so don't feel obligated to read. starts off intense and then goes into silly things.

naoya's first love was toji.

naoya never knew his mother. it's my headcanon that naoya and his brothers come from different mothers, with his brothers coming from naobito's first wife. naobito is fifty years older than naoya, his age doesn't hinder his ability to impregnate someone, but i think it's very unlikely a fifty year old woman delivered a baby.

naoya's mother was a young woman from within the zen'in clan (18-20) chosen specifically to bear naoya for a variety of reasons, like fertility or technique (or lack of one) that would give naoya the highest chance of inheriting his father's projection sorcery. she was allowed to mother naoya until the manifestation of his technique, probably around age four, before she was either killed off by the zen'in clan or banished to the far outskirts of the estate.

despite being young and incredibly scared, naoya's mother loved him very much. she felt bonded to him the first time she held him in her arms, this impossibly small bundle with the cutest little ears and nose. naoya was also an incredibly sweet and sensitive little boy.

before being banished from naoya's life, his mother left behind her most beautiful furisode so that naoya would remember her. one of naoya's closest kept secrets is that occasionally he will wear them, along with some very subtle makeup, only in the privacy of his room.

naoya abused mai as a placeholder for maki because even though he refused to acknowledge it, maki was the closest to toji in physicality and in strength – this circles back to toji being his first love, also because naoya canonically measures everyone's strength by comparing them to toji. this absolutely doesn't excuse anything that happened to mai because it gets more fucked up the more you think about it. poor mai.

everyone diagnoses naoya with an incredibly modern type of misogyny, like he's a podcast bro that doesn't eat pussy, but i think that's kind of a bastardization of his character and the zen'in clan as an institution. naoya's misogyny is a result of centuries of deeply-rooted patriarchal and traditionalist values. he's old-fashioned, baby.

naoya has a fetish for the female body. this is also where i disagree with the misogyny-lite commonly associated with him, his view of the female body isn't rotted by pornography. because of this fetish, i think he's also studied the female body to an almost insane degree. it's about viewing the female body in its most unaltered form. it's about having complete dominance and ownership over your body. not only does he know your body better than you do, he knows how to use it against you.

this is also because naoya, deep down, is a woman in my head. that is something he will never process or come to terms with in this lifetime, but his character is canonically associated with female symbolism. this manifests in his fascination and obsession over the female body, his strict ideals of how women should behave, intense feelings of envy towards toji's wife (because he thinks that should've been him), etc. again, this doesn't excuse the misogyny or justify it, it just makes naoya more complex.

so naoya came back as a curse in the culling games arc and it's most notably because he's a sorcerer that wasn't killed using cursed energy, but the reason is a lot more complex and tragic in my head. another reason people come back as curses is because of feeling unsatisfied with their lives on earth, or like they have unfinished business (ex. rika)

we know through toji that life in the zen'in clan is brutal even for men, so i think naoya is sitting on a lot of childhood trauma that helped contribute to making him the way he is.

naoya practices shibari as an art form. this is related to his fetish for the female body and isn't always sexual. sometimes after rigging and suspending you, he will sit back and make charcoal drawings of your body, studying it.

naoya doesn't wear cologne and smells like everything that makes up his day – sun-soaked linens, the leaves of his favorite tea, and incense. he's also vegan, mostly because not consuming animals or their byproducts gives you less notable body odor. this is a benefit for combat.

naoya is not a big fan of sweets and prefers more earthy flavors like red bean, black sesame, etc.

naoya is incredibly vain and has a strict self-care regimen, his diet is even super clean to prevent ruining his skin or physique. he also has access to all the ancient beauty secrets from the zen'in grannies.

[ominouspuff]

Reflection / Reflecting

Completed request for this

Requested by @blackat-t7t - palette #5 - Savage & Maul - Nature Settings to Rouse the Spirit

Thank you for the request, @blackat-t7t ! When you put in Maul as an option for this palette I got so excited, this was such an interesting one. Enjoy!

Taking my time with these, still planning to finish them all.

[c0rrupt4]

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘆 •︎ Il Dottore x Male Reader

This is Chapter 1. You can read the prologue here. Or the full book here.

"What this is magnificent..." was all Dottore could utter as he wandered around in the forsaken temple. The temple was in pristine shape, considering it was abandoned and deep underneath Sumeru's golden sands you'd think the sacred place would be damaged. Yet it was in perfect shape. Dottore could not help but touch the pillars of the entrance. Between the pointed arches, flying buttresses, and the ribbed vaults. Dottore was left in awe. He took in the sheer majesty of these marble walls and pillars.

"Lord Dottore? Shall we move on?" Interrupted the Fatui captain.

"Give me a minute, woman."

"A-apologies I-"

"Stop your buffoonery, Viva. Let us move on." Dottore huffed as he began walking down the grey marble halls. The walls were dripping with secrets and power, and Dottore was planning to get to the bottom of it.

Every step the two took made them tremble, maybe it was the excitement, or maybe it was the feeling of such a strong presence in the temple. Whatever it was, it made them shiver with anticipation.

With great anticipation, Dottore walked up to the stone doors and stopped to admire them. The stone doors had a garden carved into them and were in pristine shape. Dottore ran his fingers against the doors before clearing his throat and pushing the doors open.

As Dottore walked into what looked like a sanctuary, it was dark and dimly lit, the only thing providing light was two candlesticks that held purple flames. The candlesticks were on the sides of a 10ft statue of an elven woman. The statue looked so real as if an elven woman had turned to stone amidst her dance. In one hand she held an empty lantern while in the other hand held a blade. The elven woman was beautiful, with long hair that touched the ground, and tattoos that covered her body.

Said tattoos looked like markings or more like a foreign language to Dottore. Or maybe he was reading too far into this.

Dottore, as he moved to approach the statue, something on the floor of the sanctuary caught his eye. A purple chalk circle, that is behind the statue.

Dottore moved the candlestick on the left side to the chalk circle so it would form an 'L' with the statue and other candle. As soon as it happened the two candles blazed a hundred times brighter and every other candle that was in the temple became lit. The temple looked stunning, due to the proper lighting, and Dottore could not help but feel like a kid in the candy aisle as he moved away from the statue to inspect the lit-up temple.

Viva had suddenly gasped, "Lord, Dottore, the statue!" She said with awe.

Dottore swiftly turned around to see the statue of the elven woman, the tattoos that covered her body had glowed a bright vibrant color. Suddenly the stone lantern became lit, holding a firey purple blaze that rivals any of the flames that came from any other candlestick.

Suddenly the ground began to shake, as the flooring underneath the shadow of the lantern began to crack. Something began to emerge out of the ground. A Gateway that was similar to that of the Spiral Abyss, but instead of holding that familiar Khaenri'ah symbol atop, it was an image of a tiara that was ablaze.

"Lite the fire now this day, or turn thy gaze down in shame.

After all thy burden is heavy, but thy reward shall be great."

A voice cried out before the temple stopped shaking. The portal now sat just a few mere inches underneath the statue's lantern, as the bright flame went out in the lantern.

Dottore soon stood up as he dusted off his clothes,  "Viva get up won't you, we have work to do, don't you see!?" Dottore snapped at the frightened Fatui captain as she bounced to her feet.

"Right! Apologies Lord Dottore!"

After hours of inspecting every nook and cranny of this temple, Dottore came to a sure conclusion. The candlesticks on the walls move, there are exactly 12 in the temple, every time one of the candlesticks is rotated, Dottore can hear a mechanism move. It's just a matter of getting the right order.

"Alright Viva, I've figured out your errors.

Move 7 two clicks to the right,

Then rotate 2 a complete 170 degrees,

11 and 12 four clicks to the left,

and 4 and 9 one click right."

Viva sighed as she stood to her feet, tired and exhausted from a long day, but that's what you get for choosing to work under Il Dottore number 2 of the fatui harbingers, but a good portion of the time she wishes she took her chance with Pantalone or Arlecchino. And she would be damned if she were to point out that she had been following Dottore's instructions this entire time and these were actually his errors, but only a fool would do such a thing.

With a heavy heart and sore feet, Viva swiftly got to work rotating the candles. After rotating the candles to Dottore's instructions, the stone statue's lantern relit and the portal opened.

"Thank you for your deeds, our Mistress will greatly reward you." a man's voice called out from the other side of the portal.

A butterfly first flew out of the portal and flew right over to Dottore and gently landed on Dottore's gloved hands. The butterfly was beautiful with a blue and white color pattern, reminding Dottore of the Icy snow back in Snezhnaya. The creature was oddly just as cold as the snow, or maybe it was Dottore's mind playing tricks on him. The butterfly was oddly alluring, calling to him, pleading with him to come... to what he couldn't figure out. Or for much less why.

Dottore's thoughts were cut short as the butterfly was murdered right before his eyes. A man wearing a long robe took the butterfly from Dottore and burned it.

"Why did you-"

"You will thank me later if you allow me to explain." The priest said cutting off Dottore.

The elven priest has long blond hair with bright red eyes to go with it. The man held a blooming gold staff. It was embedded with rubies and had budding and blooming roses all over it, With the top of the staff holding a large rose with a flame coming from it, yet it was perfectly fine. He wore a long black robe, the ends, and the sleeves were laced with a golden lining to match a few gold laces and jewels.

"My name is Feno, I am the head priest who runs the temple on the other side of the portal. What you were holding was one of his parasites. We had an invasion of them swarming the temple, we didn't know why until now."

"I see, was the parasite trying to take blood from me?"

"Lord Dottore should we even trust this man, I mean for all we know-"

"Quiet Viva, and know your place. I'm having an important conversation right now, make yourself useful and go pack up our stuff." Dottore snapped angrily at the Fatui agent for interrupting him.

"Yes, Lord Dottore," Viva said with a bow as she walked off.

"Should you be so harsh to your subordinates?" Feno questioned as his heart couldn't help but weep at the harsh treatment he had just witnessed.

"Please get to the point of this conversation, or step aside so I can explore your world."

"Ah- yes! Dottore was it? I hope you didn't interact with it for long the parasite could have done a number of things to you: infect you, poison you, kill you. Did you feel like the parasite was pulling you in? Giving a sort of familiarity with a certain place? Well, it could have been going through your memories stealing information from you. I have no idea why he would be interested in this planet." Feno rambled on.

"Yes, sorry to interrupt, but who is 'he'?"

【︎ᴜᴘ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɪ...】︎

「彼」✽

║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █║▌│█│║▌║║▌│█║▌│ █

[the-trans-folk-witch]

A Mini Rant on The Catholic Pentagram

The pentagram much like myself walks two paths. One holy, and one infernal. It is not just a symbol of wicca, witches, satan, or the elements, but one of heaven.

Amien's Cathedral is popular for its inversed pentagram. In old [folk] catholicism the inverse pentagram represented the holy spirit coming down upon christians. It was seen as ethereal fire and the spirit of god himself. Today many folk catholics make this sign over things to bless them as well as the sign of the cross. Just as the crucifix was on many home altars, the inversed pentagram was too! Do not let the New-Agers and wiccan-lites ruin this symbol for you.

The pentagram as stated earlier was used to represent the five elements in occultism. However there was a time it represented the five wounds of christ. (image from @daught3rsofcain)

Along with the five wounds, it was believed to be a symbol of the five senses of man. Smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. to place the pentagram at the foot of the cross was representative of god giving us life and of god becoming flesh.

As a folk catholic, I enjoy these older mystical ideas of this symbol. but as a trad witch, I enjoy the satanic aspects of the pentagram too. why cant I have both? In my tradition Jesus and The Devil are treated as yin and yang. As Gemini. As Apollo and Artemis. Both have a place at my altar.

As the inverse pentagram represents divinity it is also the devils horns stirring the heavens.

You can have both. Because they both exist.

rant over.

[anemonepalustris]

so the new episode, huh? having read a few of the things people smarter than i have said about the episode brings me to an interesting thought: whenever the doctor isn’t there the companion is not there either, not in doctor who; having a whole episode from the exclusive pov of the companion, the doctor marking the beginning and the end of the episode, both moments being the same with minor changes.

the one episode that was doctor-lite that i kept thinking about was ‘Don’t Blink’. one of the more prominent, cult episodes not involving the main actors due to budget and scheduling reasons constraining it to what it was.

throughout the episode we get the pre-recorded, one-sided conversation from the doctor in the past arguing with one of the main characters in the present, the bumping of the doctor and martha into one of the people who will be taken by the angels and martha receiving the script written by one of the main characters for the aforementioned convo. martha is never on her own for long, and neither is the doctor; they’re in a sort of symbiosis, where one goes the other can be inferred.

73 yards is all about ruby getting constantly abandoned because of the thing that follows her at exactly 73 yards distance, with a lot of very clever piecing of details together, from 2049, to Mad Jack, the welsh, the fairy circle, all coming together to form a coherent narrative, even though there was none.

in the same way the doctor likes to sprinkle in facts from their various off-screen adventures, fifteen mentions the prime minister. the mad jack bit was all about the locals taking what ruby read and adding it to their fucking with her, wherein factor in the welsh and the fairy circle. all of these tidbits that are on their own isolated incidents get linked together, by ruby, who is our pov character for the episode with the doctor… gone.

the episode nudges the idea that the doctor is hiding out in the tardis, having ran from ruby in the same way we see happen later on in the episode, but we don’t necessarily get confirmation. the part that is most interesting to me is the tardis staying there, instead of it going away. it’s the ‘time and relative dimension in space’ box, so why not leave? sure, it’s symbolic, symbols are reserved for fairytales and fiction, doctor who admittedly is that, but without the knowledge of what happened to the doctor, the leap from ‘the tardis is locked, where is the doctor?’ to ‘of course the doctor abandoned me and changed the locks’ seems a bit extreme.

the doctor would not leave their tardis just getting eaten away at by moss there if they where inside, so where is the doctor? one user pointed out that ‘the lack of an intro’ seemed wrong, like the doctor simply got plucked out of the reality in which him and ruby where in wales and now 73 yards is almost… not an episode? of course it is, we all watched it, but without the doctor, with ruby aging and getting abandoned, with the clear supernatural element that never gets explained away in a very tenth era ‘but it was aliens all along!’; the switch to something other slowly seeping in until the whole thing is over. it’s all alright now, and then the intro comes in. except it’s the outro. we’re done. tune in next week for a fresh serving of— hey, what was that all about?

another user on here pointed out that there is a ‘bad dream logic’ about the episode, which is reminiscent of the concept of bad luck machinery and the language of knots in the ‘Church on Ruby Road’, except there is no doctor to have studied ruby and figured out what happens. ruby has to make it work.

the way the doctor is forcibly removed from the premises of wales, so the story can happen in the way it does, is so jarring: it’s doctor who, where’s the doctor? we don’t know. on my first watch, i slotted the tardis staying there into one of those ‘oh, the tardis doesn’t work this episode, so the main conflict can’t be solved in 0.2 seconds’ and waited for the doctor to come in and explain all that. to the audience surrogate. who’s stranded there, without answers, making up her own as she goes along from all of the things that seem relevant. kind of like fan theories, now that i think about it. no doctor, no tardis, unresolved conflict.

we know how this goes: locals help out, like in ‘The Fires of Pompeii’— no, wait a second, they’re really unhelpful. alright, then the parents/friends help out, like mickey in the ‘Aliens of London’, wherever and however they can; see! carol is about to confront the woman following ruby and— cold, hateful eyes look back at ruby from her mother’s face, forcing ruby out of her life. ah, UNIT, surely…well, fuck, we’re really in it now.

sure, ruby saves the world, becoming the doctor in a sort of clara oswald way, only to then… age. aging, in a show all about a virtually immortal alien running about, is daunting. seeing ruby next to the tardis, having lived an unremarkable enough life, a lonely life, changed so fully from who she was at the beginning of the episode, next to an aged tardis is horrible; in the way that death is horrible, with grief and longing as the coating of the feeling of something being wrong.

an episode that comes to mind in a world where the doctor dies is ‘Turn Left’, but it’s incomparable. we knew what happened, why it happened and who benefitted from all of it. here it’s just… it’s nothing like doctor who. all of these episodes i mentioned are cornerstones of the first RTD run of the show, when doctor who was at a peak, arguably the most recognisable era of the show: when all they taught us is turned on its head in such a manner, doctor who indeed feels wrong because all of our data tells us it is.

this season is making very deliberate, fourth-wall breaking jabs at the audience, and this is by far one of the most elaborate ones yet: ‘we know you know our tricks, but we’ve got more things in store’. it’s an episode that is packed full of subversion of expectations and is less sci-fi and more magic, barely doctor who, or rather a new kind.

[ari-zonia]

Decided to revamp my Sinner Slugcats so they're not all just multicolored scugs.

I did look into some of the symbols and stuff of the game, so the writing is more or less "Outlaw, Number", since I wasn't sure how to make a "Sinner" symbol in the RW language, so I just used Outlaw since it has the lowest Karma symbol anyway.

Intricacies under the readmore

Yi Sang: Inspired by daszombes' Deadlands video, he is a "Flying Slugcat", like a sugar glider or flying squirrel. He has no true flight, but it works

Faust: Some sort of Echo or associated. Has her own citizen ID drone of an unknown Iterator, and it also acts as a little scanner (inspired by @astragatwo's take on scug Faust). She still maintains Gourmand's crafting ability, but it might be more taxing with her smaller frame.

Don Quixote: A special breed of Slugcat meant to go fast, her legs are quite powerful, letting her make longer pounces or generally run faster than most other scugs. Obviously, her lack of weight makes her weak to poleplants/worm grass, but y'know.

Ryoshu: Similar to Spearmaster, but by way of King Vulture, she only has one spear directly connected to her that she can recall (it does not act like SM's feeding needles). Also, a subtle detail is that her ears are absolutely massive compared to most scugs, giving her enhanced hearing.

Meursault: (Perhaps a Purposed Being?) He has face armor not unlike a lizard, in fact he's about the same size as a blue lizard. His bite is quite powerful, and he's certainly the best to have in front going through pipes, as his face will deflect spears (should the scavs be aggro or something). He might also have better climbing ability, able to get on walls and such, but he's very heavy so idk

Hong Lu: Bioluminescent, like a fun mix of lantern mice and cyan lizards, he can "turn it off" as it were. His tail also can be used as a small flashbang, but obviously only once (per cycle). Of course, this helps with coalescipedes, but makes him a damn beacon otherwise.

Heathcliff: Still Artificer based, where explosions and such just don't really bother him and he's able to maul enemies (though obviously his bite is weaker than Meur's). He also has a pearl hanging around his neck of unknown use, but clearly given to him by someone special.

Ishmael: Rivulet, but even closer to salamander where she actually has fins, her ability to swim is obviously a cut above everyone else's. She's probably had a bad run in or two with Leviathans. Her cloak is probably a gift from whatever version of Queequeg this world has

Rodion: Also inspired by astragatwo, she's mega fluffy making her very warm. Though, this does make it annoying for her to swim if the area is cold because she'll freeze faster. I still like the idea she can carry more scugs on her, but idk. (She does look more like a fox, but such is the price of floof)

Sinclair: Saint-lite, and still pup-sized (he's an adult, just tiny like Don) so long as he's not at lowest Karma, he has limited ability to incapacitate enemies (not quite enough to ascend) and fly a bit with said ability. I basically wanted to reference his Mark of Cain somehow.

Outis: Ironically, just your average Slugcat. She probably has stuff going on with reputation or maybe she allows Echos to appear on first visit, or convinces Pebbles to not murder everyone immediately

Gregor: Definitely a creature that has been fucked with too much. Originally just a Slugcat that had been spliced with a centiwing (sorta like how the Miros Vultures are hybrids), he seemed to have got infected by the Rot, most likely when whatever Iterator structure he was hanging out around pulled a Pebbles

[neon-witch-ritual]

Okay so my thoughts so far

Mell - she being psychologically profiled by Black rose and not having a good time at all, also she truly has some magicky bullshit/awareness going on I like it

Cait - she started fucking fast holy shit, trained by Ambessa both physically and in leadership but still disagrees on some points, fucking schemes behind her back I love my dictator lite

Vi - wtf is her friend at ? After that montage I don't think we see him again right?, also jinx following her and throwing a bomb on her that vander is back baby, but in general she seems to be healing especially after reuniting with W/V

Jinx - she be going through it , doesn't want to be a symbol just play with her little sister/daughter and ignore the world , when she decides to do smth, she encounters the fucking beast that is her father , has to inform Vi of this and she does not believe her at all, risk Ishas life and her sisters to prove it, go to a commune with no weapons to try and heal him and in the end has to see the kid she sees like Powder fucking sacrifice herself at the tf

Isha - love the kid, how dare you Fortiche fucking kill her off, esp in a way that will add even more trauma and irony to Jinx

Warwick - I love what they did for him, from the design to the behaviour, but what fucking punched me in the gut is that goddamn flashback -Silco is fucking hot and sane, oh no , Vander has known Vi and Jinx mother , they both did , they were basically uncles(or at least vander was) omg the heartstrings were fucking cut with a rusted knife

Ambessa - she's being a bad bitch that's slowly trying to gain ground against Black rose, while a complication is brewing under her nose and then it implodes, killing her good aid/friend (have no other notes I'm just excited what will happen next with her)

Jayce - my boi is fucking goin through it, killing Salo Bc he knows something we don't, he's definitely seen some shit / is being corrupted, bc seeing shit and it being really painful is not a good sign at all - also seeing the people in the commune as a fucked up void being???, hearing himself, repeating a mantra ( Yeah Jayce really isn't in his right mind) AND even more if what he's seeing the peopl like void beings WHAT is Viktor like to him??? (Also also the hammer? Corrupted in the shape of a butterfly, the magic crystal embedded in his flesh?? The fuck did he experience when he was gone)

Viktor - my guy has a peaceful commune, talks with Singed, understands his soul, says the fucking line, tries to heal Warwick/vander, succeeds but then gets fucking offed by Jayce and is all like well shit the things we do for love is truly sometimes the path to hell / destruction

NO HEIMERDINGER OR EKKO??? - the crowning crime arcane has done so far

[strawbubbysugar]

If you've answered this and I am repeating something I am so sorry. I'm also high so...I hope this makes sense and is taken as the lite teasing it was meant to be

Does colorblindness work differently in your au? There's only one type of colorblindness that is actual black and white and effects, "...1 in 100,000 people worldwide." (Color Vision Deficiency, 2015). And that is shades of gray. I'm confused how the soul string, words, artistic symbols, etc. are completely invisible to y/n. You've described every soul mark having colors from Sun's perspective.

So! If those marks have colors they should still be visible as shades of gray, lighter or darker than y/n's skin tone. The string has 2 distinct colors representing Sun and Moon. Even if one color faded into the background the other would be a darker color and thus visible.

Why does y/ngineer NOT see these things? Hmmm?? 🔍🧐

Makes you think

I have answered before! :) Colourblindness in this universe works a bit differently than colourblindness in the real world! In this universe, the specific pigments missing in your eyes that usually see colour are also responsible for showing you the things nobody else can see! ie) soulmate related markings & visuals. This means that being some variation of red/green or other kind of colourblind still allows you the ability to faintly see the marks, whereas full colourblindness (like with the Y/N) means its entirely invisible to you. However, youd still have a soulmate and be able to feel the effects such as the string. The Y/Ngineer was very firm about their soulmate not being an issue because youre not just colourblind.