#the lustrous dialectic

[socialpoison]

Doodles of Ren's leader of opposition, the Grand Negator

He's silly with it, but like her, he's a bit more dangerous than the front he puts on

Two Inverfeim praetors! Ren Arinox, Praetor of The Lustrous Dialectic, the Legislative body of the Empire of Inverfeim, a bicameral arena that ensures that all imperial policy is tested in rhetorical battle, with debates between the chamber of the Praetor and that of her leader of opposition. and Skoltresh, General of the Burnished Onslaught, the army of the Empire, expanding across the isles and overseas for the glory of Phyrexia.

[fiddlepot]

Mmmmmmm I'm in a very venus mood.

Planet of love

She grew up on a mineral rich island at a time where demons had to scatter so as to not go extinct, because hunts at the hands of angels and humans were prominent

Always had and still does have a pessimistic disposition about her. She's observant and aloof.

Okay fuck it, let me write my paragraphs. Bullet points are boring as shit.

I don't want to spoil too much because I like to keep my oc information confidential for writing, so I'll just do the same thing I did with solon—an overview that is in depth but not so much that you know everything about this character.

Venus is honestly one of my favorites for how confused (and confusing) she is. Also, since my lore is flexible, she works for most AUs so long as I find plausible and historically accurate reasons for crossovers etc without changing the content itself. Because to be honest, if you have to change a character in their entirety for another universe, it probably doesn't work out for them in the end at all.

She is a succubus. I really love land of the lustrous, so part of my lore branches off of the idea of pseudohumans as displayed in the manga and anime. Succubi are particularly known for having rarer compositions, and Venus is particularly made of poudretteite. There's no meaning behind it, but I do find it pretty.

The banner above was done by me. But the filters don't align with the coldness of the pink as displayed here—it's intended to be warmer, because I consider her pretty serene in her own right.

Succubi have rarer constitutions to lure in prey—they feed off of the minerals of living things, while normal demons feed off of minerals produced on mineral rich islands, caves, and even crystal forests.

I decided to make her pink because it's often associated with eroticism and femininity, both of which are elements of her character and how she carries herself. Moreover, I think the coldness of her colors when depicted in images play a role in juxtaposing her personality. Sometimes serene and simple at a glance, and other times melancholic and, well. Frigid. Rough around the edges. In this case, I wanted to go for the former because of the piece I was writing. (I since dropped it, but now that I think about it the pairing has enough chemistry to work. If not for the fact I don't have many ideas, I probably would've started working on it.)

The name Venus is also inspired by the Roman god Venus. Or I guess she's better known in Greek as Aphrodite. Pre-amnesia, she was given a human alias because languages spoken by divines are impossible for humans to understand. Too complex and often metaphorical. Not to mention other elements like symbols, and the fact demon dialect particularly can't be traced because they live in secrecy away from humans. There's little evidence to support their existence because they make it that way.

That's not to say there aren't demons that interact with humans though. Venus is one of them—as a prostitute and succubus, she has to in order to maintain her vitality and strength. Although many like her are humanized. Unable to tell anything about their culture, or even the clan they originate from. That's what makes them an easy target for hunters, a large faction of angels (that may as well be a race at this point because there are so many branches—and they've even adapted to optimize success biologically. That's kinda wild.) That use their gem parts for a variety of things. Medicine, personal strength by absorption, potions, among other things.

I intend to write a whole story on my lore—that's why my ao3 exists. In spite of all the crazy things I see in my fandoms, I intend to make a magnum opus on a site that is usually badly regarded outside of platforms like this for its content.

[m3loria]

 . ﹙ . . . ✦ ﹚ i am homesick for a place i am not even sure exists. one where my heart is full. my body is loved. and my soul is understood. ── member 006

ぅ( FILE ONE ) ## BASIC INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ birth name : yeo jihwan. ( 여지환 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ english name : julian yeo.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ preferred name : hwan. ( 환 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ name meaning : jihwan. ( of korean origin, "지" meaning "will, purpose" or "ambition" and "환" meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous". )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ nicknames : jiji, jwi, hwanie, jiyeo, yeoji, jules, lian, lili ( everyone , his close friends. ) mousey ( his aunt. ) mr. honey, beehwan, kkulji ( his fans. ) son of the wicked, meliora's strange guy, nonhuman ( his fans. ) unofficial leader, meliora's co-leader, co-captain, second in command ( his fans. ) the crazy mafia guy ( maknaez. ) sleeping beauty, sleeping princess ( his fans. )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ date of birth : may 23, 2001.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ legal age : 23 years old.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ zodiac sign : taurus-gemini cusp.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ lunar zodiac sign : snake.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ place of birth : daegu, south korea.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ hometown : daegu, south korea.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ nationality : south korean.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ ethnicity : korean.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ residences : daegu, south korea. ( 2001 —— 2015 ). toronto, ontario, canada. ( 2015 —— 2017 ). seoul, south korea. ( 2017 —— present ).

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ spoken languages : korean ( 100% , gyeongsang dialect ). english ( 100% , standard canadian english ). french ( 54% , canadian french ). japanese ( 30% , basic japanese ).

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ gender identity : cisgender male.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ pronouns : he / him.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ romantic orientation : demiromantic.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ sexual orientation : asexual.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ relationship status : single.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ height : 179 cm ( 5'10 ).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ weight : undisclosed.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ blood type : a+.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ natural eye color : dark brown.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ natural hair color : black.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ current hair color : black.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ body modifications : 2 piercings ( left ear ). 2 piercings ( right ear ). 3 tattoos.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ face claim : son 'xion' dongju (oneus).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ speaking claim : son 'xion' dongju (oneus).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ vocal claim : jeong jaehyun (nct).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ dance claim : jeong jaehyun (nct).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ rap claim : jeong jaehyun (nct).

ぅ( FILE TWO ) ## CAREER INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ stage name : hwan. ( 환 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ explanation : to be fair, he wasted so much of his other creativity on album names, song titles and concept films, he forgot to come up with any cool stage names, he simply chopped off the first half of his name and boom, hwan. it's simple, it's easy.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ agencies : louvix audio (2017 —— present). sonata media (2020 —— present).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ former agencies : n/a.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ training period : 3 years and 8 months.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ years active : 2020 —— present.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ occupation : singer-songwriter. composer. dancer. kpop idol.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ group : meliora (2020 —— present).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut date : may 1, 2020.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut age : 18 years old.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ position : main vocalist, lead dancer, center, visual.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ representative color : dark purple ( #301934 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ representative emoji : 🐝  ̟ ˖ ⁺ individual fandom name : kkul ( 꿀 — kkul is the korean word for "honey", and since hwan has a huge interest in bees, he made this his personal fandom name, even if he doesn't like honey that much )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ instagram : _kkuljinz ( personal , 387 posts , 2m followers , 12 following )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ known for : being the groups center. the distinguishing between his on and off stage personalities. being the least talkative member of the group. having solo music recorded and stuck in the basement. his fairy like vocals. choosing the members of the group himself. rarely talking but also being very well spoken. literally never knowing what to do with his hair. winning mafia dance by doing NOTHING. being the groups sleeping beauty. having his solo debut canceled. participating a lot in the groups musical projects. his insane amount of songwriting credits.

ぅ( FILE THREE ) ## PERSONAL INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ analyzing the mbti : isfp // adventurer. is someone with the introverted, observant, feeling, and prospecting personality traits. they tend to have open minds, approaching life, new experiences, and people with grounded warmth. their ability to stay in the moment helps them uncover exciting potentials.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ strengths : charming, empathetic, devoted, principled, imaginative, passionate.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ weaknesses : withdrawn, impulsive, easily stressed, stubborn, fluctuating self-esteem, fiercely independent.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ family : father. mother. aunt. younger brother.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ family dynamics : hwan's family is.. dysfunctional, he's often afraid that everyone might hate each other. his parents are workaholics who practically raised their children into becoming the same thing, the only adult in his family he's ever found himself safe around is his aunt.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ household history : hwan was born in late may of 2001 to two very busy parents. considering they were both in psychology, they had no time to really devote to giving attention to him. he was raised in a very fast moving household where he followed a strict day to day schedule crafted for him by his parents so that he could get through his day without him having to bother them, which is pretty ironic because they're the ones who brought him into the world, but they were so keen on not being in his life besides showing up to school events. even two years later, when they had a second son, he was put to the same grueling schedule his older brother was facing. their way of raising them was strict, no room for love or affection, simply "tough love" and yelling if disappointment was even perceived. it seemed after a while, they got tired of having two kids in the house, so they sent him to canada to live with his aunt, where he'd attend school for a good two years before he got homesick. his aunt was practically his sense of daft ye growing up, a trustworthy adult who actually saw him as a human being. still, he wasn't keen on staying a whole ocean away from home, he moved back to korea in 2017, still in contact with his parents for the sake of his brother. he'd only stay for a year than move out, successfully getting his brother out of there as well.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ father : yeo jongdae, born may 8 1973 in ulsan, south korea, resides in daegu, south korea, employed as a clinical psychologist, father of 2.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ mother : han eunjeong, born december 9 1973 in daegu, south korea, resides in daegu, south korea, employed as a health psychologist, mother of 2.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ aunt : han boram, born august 27 1982 in daegu, south korea, resides in toronto, ontario, canada, employed as a interior designer.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ younger brother : yeo juyeon, born june 29 2003 in daegu, south korea, resides in seoul, south korea, university student.

ぅ( FILE FOUR ) ## TRIVIAL INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ habits & mannerisms : randomly scrunching his nose, always apologizing, having to repeat his words over and over so that people can hear him, mumbling, avoiding eye contact, always having a book on him, not being able to smile on cue, checking locks multiple times, excessively staring down others unconsciously, sucking his teeth out of habit more than irritation.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ hobbies and skills : reading, singing, writing extensively, sewing, listening to other people talk, cooking, painting, drawing, jewelry making, coffee making, buying things that remind him of others, guitar, piano, collecting manga, figurines, and games, organizing his room, following the same exact schedule from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ likes : ergo proxy, old mangas, science fiction, horror, haunted houses, sewing, charms, baking, chocolate chip cookies, long sweaters, looking after his members, creative freedom, music, dahlia's, bees, yellow and orange roses, peace, night drives, cooking, psychology, having a very organized and specific schedule.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ dislikes : loud noises, hospitals, bright lights, bright colors, sudden affection, swallowing pills, meeting his parents, fighting, being in the middle of arguments, being made to speak up, talking too much, loud chewing, revealing clothes, netizens, disorganization, not having a schedule in place, having no privacy, artificial blueberry flavoring.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ phobias : n/a.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite colors : dark purple, black.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite seasons : spring.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite animals : bees, bears, snakes.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite numbers : 47.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ playlist : save your tears, the weeknd. genesis, grimes. static, steve lacy. love machine, tv girl. rewind, wonder girls. talk to me, girls generation. when memories snow, mitski. fool, tiffany young. eternal love, s.e.s. depend on you, ayumi hamasaki. ex-factor, lauryn hill. guilty, marina and the diamonds.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ close friends : bae sumin, stayc. son hyeju, loosemble. kim junseo, wei.

ぅ( FILE FIVE ) ## FACTUAL INFORMATION

001 ▬▬ hwan does not enjoy talking much, which makes you question his place in a group with twelve other men but he prefers his own company. of course, he doesn't stray away from outings with the other members, they just always tire him quickly.

002 ▬▬ hwan is technically the reason meliora exists in a weird sort of way? he was originally meant to debut as a soloist but then his plans kept interfering with plans to debut a new boy group so the company scrapped their old boy group concept and chose hwan as their first member, which then corresponded in him picking the next members of the group.

003 ▬▬ he is the only member with recorded, written, and produced solo music that's hiding somewhere on his composter files. after his solo debut was canceled he uploaded the first few songs to soundcloud, and they're the only hint of original meliora solo music that isn't a cover or a dug up melody project. he occasional uploads more of his original songs to soundcloud when he has creative streaks.

004 ▬▬ his english name "julian" was given to him by his aunt when he moved to canada as a sort of placeholder name. he doesn't mind the name but it also isn't a legal name of any sort so he doesn't really care about it.

005 ▬▬ due to him being raised with a very specific and timed schedule, hwan still conditions himself to follow very specific schedules and traditions to this day. he feels like he can't exist without following a schedule and it really messes with his brain sometimes.

006 ▬▬ hwan is often jokingly called meliora's "second leader" because the members follow his older in a similar way to how they do yohan. he practically took over the position of leader when yohan was on hiatus in 2021.

007 ▬▬ because hwan doesn't talk much, he usually shows his love for his members through gestures like baking, handmade gifts, trinkets, sewing them specific fabrics, all that stuff.

008 ▬▬ hwan is an amazing listener, even if he's looking in another direction he will pick up on everything you're saying, and he will remember everything your saying. it goes hand in hand with his good memory, he will remember something someone said even if they themself don't remember. he often uses this against z, who notoriously forgets everything.

009 ▬▬ hwan made all of the members their own specific bracelets with charms that all represent character traits of theirs. the bracelets are a show of his appreciation, and since he usually doesn't show his appreciation verbally, he decided to make jewelry to display it. the charms are representative of each of them individually, and even include their initials.

010 ▬▬ he recently got a maltese puppy named vinh, who the members affectionately call "vinnie". the name vinh means glory in vietnamese, he got her as a birthday gift from haneul.

[caratbeeblogs]

The Allure of a 5-Carat Oval Diamond Ring: More than Just a Sparkling Stone

Diamonds have long been revered for their properties. They do hold particular notability as a symbol of love and the pinnacle in jewelry, often finding a place in the heart of significant life events. But perhaps none is more evocative than the 5-carat oval, revered for its unique brilliance and surprising versatility.

An Ode to Unmatched Elegance

In the world of high-end jewelry, the 5-carat oval diamond ring is an emblem of taste, refinement, and an inherent understanding of timeless elegance. Its shape, delicate curvature, and substantial weight on the hand evoke an air of sophistication that is almost poetic in its beauty and grace.

The Personal Connection

Every diamond has a story, but what is it that makes the 5-carat oval diamond ring so unforgettable? For many, it's the personal connection—the narrative of heritage, a story of love, or even a tale of self-celebration. Few other objects serve as a marker of such deeply personal moments. They’re not merely accessories, but repositories of memory.

Beyond the Bling

The allure of the 5-carat oval diamond is not confined to the decorative. It symbolizes a richness of soul, a life well-lived, and the pleasure of the finer things appreciated by those who understand the depth of quality over quantity.

The Ethical Facet

However, before indulging fully in the diamond's glint and shimmer, it is pivotal to acknowledge the ethical considerations that come with it. The '5 Carat Oval' speaks not only of wealth but also whispers a narrative of social responsibility. The more we indulge in luxury, the keener we should be to ensure it is a luxury of ethical origin.

The Broader Picture

It is at the intersection of allure and conscience that true wisdom lies. We are at a juncture where personal values and global concerns meld—where the allure of a 5-carat diamond indeed shines brightest when it is backed by the story of equitable trade, sustainability, and the ethical procurement of such treasures.

Reflecting on the Lustrous Equation

It might be easy to view the 5-carat oval ring as the zenith of material possession. Yet, if we removed the facets one by one, considering the ecosystem of luxury, its creation and significance, we'd realize that its luster is far more than a sum of its glamorous parts.

Alternatives and Alignments

Engaging with luxury does not preclude ethical choices. The allure of a 5-carat diamond can be rivaled by the story of an artisanal bespoke piece, or perhaps a vintage gem with its own dignified history. It is about finding the best luster for your story and honoring it with mindful consumption.

The Proposal of Mindfulness

In our pursuit of adornment, we can lead the industry, setting new trends of mindfulness, ethics, and sustainability. The dawn of a new era, one where luxury resonates with the clink of conscience alongside its visible brilliance, is not far-fetched. It is within reach, within every conscious consumer's grasp.

The Afterglow of Choice

Ultimately, the allure of luxury is as much about aspiration as it is about the choices we make. Our diamonds do not define us—we define them by the value we place upon their acquisition and their role in this world. The afterglow of a conscious decision, the radiance of an informed purchase, can outshine any stone, no matter how many carats, cut, or clarity.

The Ring and the Reckoning

In concluding this ode to the 5-carat oval diamond, we are left with a resounding truth—we are drawn to the gleam and grandeur of luxury for the stories they allow us to tell. Each piece speaks its own language, a dialect of the heart and the hand. The 5-carat diamond, especially in its oval form, is a fluent speaker, articulating our most cherished narratives in a vocabulary that spans the widest spectrum.

All That Glitters

Yet, in a world where the allure of luxury can blind, we must learn to appreciate the sparkle with eyes wide open. It is no longer acceptable to be bedazzled by the shine alone; the story of origin, the impact on humanity, and the legacy we leave behind with each purchase—these should add depth to the sparkle, not diminish it.

Carrying the Carat's Weight

The carat's worth is not just about a price tag; it's about the narratives we choose to perpetuate. It's about the weight of responsibility we accept with its possession. The 5-carat oval diamond ring is more than just a fashion statement—it is a statement of values, a commitment to cherish, not just the stone, but the world from where it came. we have different size of diamonds like 2-carat diamond ring.

In our fleeting moments of admiration for this lustrous world, we must also take time for reckoning. The 5-carat oval diamond ring is but one facet of a larger conversation on luxury, love, and life's tapestry. By engaging thoughtfully, we not only elevate our style but also our standing as conscientious custodians of the beauty we so ardently pursue. Click here to know more.

[baichuancao]

The Eight Dialectics of the Universe

by XueFeng

Taiji thinking teaches us that everything in the universe comes from the unity of opposites and the symmetry of Yin and Yang. Opposing sides exist in the same unity; one is the condition for the other and disappears when the other does. Within a certain range, one flourishes as the other declines. Extremes meet and things develop in opposite directions when they become extreme; for example:

There are eight dialectics in the universe:

Form is emptiness and emptiness is Form

The three elements of the universe are consciousness, structure, and energy; they are all nonmaterial. The existence of any single element is emptiness.

Once the three join together though, there is lustrous and dazzling form, changing countlessly and into a myriad of images. Therefore, form comes from emptiness and emptiness is form. When emptiness comes, there is form, because form is emptiness.

If a mind abides in form, it is in emptiness; if a mind abides in emptiness, it is in form. You pursue form, but form is never there; you pursue emptiness, and you get form. Pursuing form results in emptiness; pursuing emptiness results in form.

When things exhaust, they revive; when they end, they begin anew

“Extremes meet; things develop in opposite directions when they become extreme". When you reach your peak, you go downhill. Extreme happiness leads to sorrow and extreme sorrow leads to happiness. Extreme Yin is Yang and extreme Yang is Yin. The softest becomes the hardest and the hardest becomes the softest. There is a time to rise and a time to fall. When a thing reaches its the prime, it will be old and will revive. The end of the infinitely big is the infinitesimally small and the end of infinitesimally small is the infinitely big. When something saturates, it turns bad. Things change at critical points. Extreme beauty leads to ugliness and extreme ugliness leads to beauty. Extreme goodness forms evil and extreme evil forms goodness. That is, "Great Virtue is no virtue and Great Benevolence is heartless.”

Haste makes waste. “One who understands Tao appears dull of comprehension and one who advances in Tao appears to slip backwards”. To pursue happiness, you must avoid extremes. To revive, go for the extreme.

The small can grow big; details Matter

Matter is composed of molecules, composed of atoms. "A tree with a full span's girth begins from a tiny sprout; a nine-storied terrace begins with a clod of earth”. From small beginnings, one can see how things will develop and grow. “Difficulties are over come by easy things; great things are accomplished by the details.”

Details matter: "Deal with the big while it is yet small; deal with the difficult while it is yet easy". Start from the beginning and start from the small but do not lose track of the big picture; molehills make mountains; do not neglect small things or you will never accomplish big things.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. Any future success depends on the present. Small details and tiny things lead to grand achievements.

  Life and death are the roots of each other; Yin flourishes when Yang declines 

Life is the root of death and death is the root of life. No life, no death; no death, no life. Life and death alternate and each follows the other.

Yang flourishes when Yin declines and Yin flourishes when Yang declines

Every moment of every day has birth and death

One dies here but is born there

Hard is born as soft dies

Good is born as evil dies

One departs from the mortal world and is born into the celestial world; a human heart dies and the heart of a Celestial Being is born

If you keep the old, you will get nothing new

If you are selfish, you will never reach the Elysium world.

Out of life, death enters. Those who are not afraid of death will live. The created universe carries Yin at its back and Yang in front, and vice versa. Seek life, and you will die; seek death, and you will live.

  To have nothing is to have everything; to have everything is to have nothing

Out of nothing, there is something. The less you possess, the more you have; the more you possess, the less you have. When you possess nothing, you can have everything; when you have everything, you can possess nothing. The more you have the more emptiness you feel, the more illusory it is, and the more real it is. Walk into the spiritual pure land, and you will see a wonderful world; pursue wealth, power, and lust, and you will have endless troubles. Being and non-being interconnect in growth. If you want to have something in heaven, give it up in the mortal world. To have nothing is to have everything.

By the existence of things, we profit, and by the non-existence of things, we are served; work on non-existence for existence.

Where the mind abides nowhere, nature prevails; where the mind abides somewhere, nature recedes

Nature is the quality of origin, which is Buddha. The reason that people cannot attain Buddhahood is that their minds abide somewhere. If their minds abided nowhere, they would attain Buddhahood. When one’s mind abides nowhere, nature shows; when their mind abides somewhere, nature recedes. This is dialectical; one advances as the other retreats. Different forms give birth to different souls. When minds abide somewhere, trouble comes. Therefore, “If your mind abides somewhere, it will be in falsehood; it should not abide in form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; it should abide nowhere”. When the mind abides nowhere, it can abide everywhere, and when the soul can transcend over all forms and show the nature, one can reach the Elysium world.

“He who focuses too much on the specific, cannot see the genera”l; a mind that abides somewhere, cannot go to the Elysium world; one who acquire enlightenment can perceive nature, one who lack mind can show nature.

Stillness and motion coexist; light and dark are interdependent

Stillness is the source of motion, it cannot be dynamic if it is not static; motion is the root of stillness, it cannot be static if it is not dynamic. Stillness and motion co-exist and come from each other; strong motion comes from great stillness; great stillness comes from strong motion.

All things derive from stillness but are accomplished in motion: without stillness, there is no motion; without motion, there are no accomplishments.

Light comes out of darkness and darkness comes from light; heaven and hell, one light and the other dark; extreme darkness is light and extreme light is darkness.Fortune and adversity go together; out of waste, grows grass; bliss is unfelt until after it leaves. Good fortune lies within bad; bad fortune lurks within good. There are times to act and times to not act; those who act at the wrong times, spoil things. One should never fear the dark; out of extreme darkness comes light. Knowing the dialectic of the universe, one can enjoy the light cautiously, for from extreme light comes darkness.

   Positive and negative are symmetrical, but proportion restrains

Conform to nature and give up inordinate ambitions; understand that everything has two sides, and that perfection is unattainable. Rivers run into the sea, so you can never drink them all.

Tao is the theory of Yin and Yang; maintaining a balance between the two is rational. Knowing the dialectic principle is wise, and complying with the laws of nature can be regarded as virtue.

[desiree-machine]

Part I (The 10 Gods of Désirée)

Welcome to the desire-garden of Rhizopus. This garden is inhabited by ten trees and a lustrous collection of fantastical creatures and beings, each living in a biblical state of harmony. Each of the ten trees represents one of ten virtues: The Olive Tree exemplifies peace, while the Fig Tree is a symbol of fertility. The Pomegranate is the plant of rebirth and the Almond Tree alludes to hope. The Grapevines' figurative form is life-affirming, while the Cypress is in a state of mourning. The Bitter Orange Trees' perfectly formed fruits exude luxury and opulence, while the humble Aloe Vera is said to be healing. The Carob Tree is protective of those around it, while finally the small and unassuming Myrtle is loving. This garden is no ordinary garden, the secret of its ten trees lies not in each one’s individual form but in their shared nature, for the roots of the trees are bound together, forming a dense network of moral disposition below the earth. The bud disappears when the blossom breaks through, and we might say that the former is refuted by the latter. (Hegel) The boundaries of its grasses are walled not by brick and stone, but by the limits of their collective expression – for their beings form not just leaves and fruit, but mark a symbolic language of moral nature.

Those who enter the garden wish to be proclaimed virtuous, but all must beware that the language the trees speak is foreign to those not enmeshed in its roots. A young squirrel named Désirée arrives in the garden. She wishes to be blessed by the trees and asks the simple question: “May I have a biscuit?” The trees contemplate but ultimately refuse Désirée’s wish. Recognition is the spirit of spirits and the immediate, unmediated truth. (Hegel). “Biscuits are given only to those whose desires and virtues match our own.” 

Désirée is frustrated by their answer and decides to venture forth from the garden in search of a biscuit from another garden where the rules of moral virtue matched her own. Her first stop was the Labyrinth of Essentialism, a garden brimming with flowers, each petal arranged in perfect relationship to the next. (Helen) Once she entered the garden and greeted the flowers, Désirée asked once again for a biscuit. But the flowers, in their gentle way, responded, "Your desire is valid, but your reason for it might not be. Our symmetry is complete, and your presence creates a dissonance foreign to our arrangement. Tradition makes us all peers, provided we know how to translate energetically from one language to another.” (Serres) Confused, Désirée moved on to the next garden.

Next was the Plaza of Dialectics, a garden where roses red and white balanced each other in colour and stance. Désirée, feeling bold, sought her biscuit again. The roses, however, responded, "Desire and virtue are always in tension. Have you reconciled them within yourself?" (Hegel)

Désirée journeyed onwards, her paths crossing many gardens, each one more fabulous than the last. One sunny afternoon, she found herself amidst the Canopy of Earthly Delights.(Bosch) Here, every leaf and petal painted a vivid tableau of pleasure and vice. Creatures of fantasy roamed, celebrating the vast spectrum of their conflicting desires. Eagerly, Désirée put forth her simple request. The garden, ever playful and unpredictable, responded, "Desires in this realm are ever-changing. Can you dance to the rhythm of our shifting predilections?" (Deleuze)

She travelled through many gardens of different natures, but in every one, the answer was the same: While her request for a biscuit was warranted, her reasoning and being did not justify the gift. Disheartened, Désirée returned to the original garden of Rhizopus. There, she sat down on a mossy stone and buried her head in her paws. "What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence." (Wittgenstein). It was in this moment of despair that she realised that the true quest wasn’t for a biscuit but for understanding her place within the gardens and to travel within herself to realise that she, like the trees, was a part of a whole. Rhizopus, witnessing her transformation, whispered, “You now know that all you trusted was untrue. You are the garden, and the garden is you.” And it was then that Désirée truly saw – the trees, the creatures, and even herself returning from her journey. Rhizopus spoke to her: “The quest for Truth is more precious than its possession. (Farid ud-Din Attar) A line of flight neither comes nor goes: it's always in the middle, between things, a line of variation, immanent to a plateau of continuous intensities” (Deleuze/Guattari). As she spoke to Rhizopus and the trees, she realised that language delineates the boundaries of our gardens and she had learned to speak with it. (Wittgenstein) There are only multiplicities of multiplicities forming a single assemblage, operating in the same assemblage: packs in masses and masses in packs. (Deleuze/Guattari) In this epiphanic moment, the Olive tree dropped a biscuit at Désirée’s feet. And she knew then that it was no longer about the biscuit. It was about becoming the garden.

Main References in Text:

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. "Phenomenology of Spirit" Deleuze, Gilles, and Guattari, Félix. "A Thousand Plateaus" Serres, Michel. "The Natural Contract" Wittgenstein, Ludwig. "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" Farid ud-Din Attar. "The Conference of the Birds" Deleuze, Gilles. "Difference and Repetition" Bosch, Hieronymus. "Garden of Earthly Delights"

Other References: 

Humphrey, Paul. "Epistemic Emergence" Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. "The Social Contract" Laboria Cuboniks, Xenofeminism. "Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation"

[art-seer]

RELATIONSHIP

WITH NATURE

Artist and art writer Shrikant Vishwakarma reviews the sculptural embellishments of Dr Uttam Pacharne presented at the Jehangir Art Gallery in the month of November 2019.

The current Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi and sculptor Dr Uttam Pacharne once again breathes life into bronze sculptures exploring the concept of co-existence between man and nature in his latest exhibition. In his towering career of multiple decades’ constant engagement in creating thought provoking works of art is evident. He embellishes the halls of Jehangir Art Gallery in a show organized by the Akademi titled ‘Relationship with Nature,’ one can’t help but notice the overwhelming presence of the voluminous sculptures with their peculiar colours. They combine a variety of elements from birds and bulls to human forms unlocking the imagination of the viewer waking them up to the endless possibilities by surrealistically manipulating life- like beings pivoting a cultural movement ardently touching upon themes like humanity, need, sacrifice and survival. His works are intuitive and emerge from his own personal experiences stimulating narratives like mythology, directly connected to the awe, beauty, joy and mystery of daily existence and personhood.

The sculptures emblematize the strong bond living beings inherited with the process of evolution. A human-being is incomplete without nature as every being that nature has to offer is a companion, without it the universe is nothing but void. Each sculpture expounds this journey of creation; the visual experience of which strikes a connection of relation between man and nature to the relation shared by Lord Shiva and Parvati with Nandi as their carrier. Analogizing this relationship further Pacharne presents farmers as Nandi for the rest of the world, a carrier on whom the world survives. The lustrous bronze sculptures revisit the sentiments latched onto the universal doctrine of oneness. His works re-connects the viewer to the simple pleasures of life and childhood memories like bird-watching for the first time with parents; the delight in recognizing correctly the species of animals as a toddler, he represents that disconnect between man and nature in a contemporary setting based on his observations.

Man and nature interact dialectically in such a way that, as society develops, man tends to become less dependent on nature directly, while indirectly his dependence grows. This is understandable. While he is getting to know more and more about nature, and on this basis transforming it, man's power over nature progressively increases, but in the same process, man comes into more and more extensive and profound contact with nature, bringing into the sphere of his activity growing quantities of matter, energy and information. Nature is the whole of the physical world; it is also what exists outside of any human action. Man is in nature but he acts upon it, thereby emancipating himself of it. He is part and apart of nature. Our environment, although outside us, has within us not only its image, as something both actually and imaginatively reflected, but also its material energy and information channels and processes. This presence of nature in an ideal, materialised, energy and information form in man's Self is so organic that when these external natural principles disappear, man, himself disappears from life. If we lose nature's image, we lose our life.

The subtlety and effortlessness with which the birds are moulded demonstrates his enchanting wizardry with bronze and presents his enduring legacy as a sculptor. Pacharne believes in the representation of the culture in the art form, which he evaluates to be the responsibility of the artist. This belief resonates in his own works which bestow a relentless voice to the very basic human nature. Need for survival. Along with this he also raises questions about humanity. The virtue of humanity must be practised through acts of love, kindness and social intelligence by all towards our fellow humans as it is held in the highest regard. Humanity means extending unconditional love to each and every living being on Earth.

-Shrikant Vishwakarma

[armvredfate]

Ravenna Caron

Nothing to see here, bio under construction

— ABOUT

full name :  Ravenna Caron

alias / nickname : none 

age & date of birth : 

place of birth :  nightsong, the stormlands, westeros. 

gender and pronouns :  ciswoman and she/her. 

orientation : bisexual, biromantic. 

title / occupation : lady of highgarden ; lady-in-waiting to Princess Vasila

father : Davos Caron

mother : Falia Caron

siblings : Wyllas Caron ; Aurore Caron (sister-in-law); Talia Caron ; Jeyne Caron 

Relationship status : single

significant other :  none

offspring : None 

religion : faith of the seven; but only technically

languages : the common tongue, knows some pieces of different bastard valyrian dialects and the old tongue

faceclaim :  Summer Bishil

height  : 160 cm / 5′3″ 

hair : dark brown, lustrous, falling just above the elbow

eyes: deep brown, appear constantly trained on something or someone even if she’s actually staring off into the distance

positive : charismatic, adaptable, vivacious, clever

negative :  tempestuous, sly, reticent, impulsive

character alignment : chaotic neutral

inspirations :  Margo Hanson (The Magicians) ; Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean) ; Thea Queen (Arrow) ; Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer) ; Ciri (The Witcher) ; Tyra Colette (Friday Night Lights) ; Santana Lopez (Glee) ; Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) ; Marion Ravenwood (Indiana Jones) ; Donna Paulsen (Suits) ; Beth Dutton (Yellowstone)

— BACKGROUND

tw: 

wip wip wip

— TIDBITS

wip wip wip

— WANTED CONNECTIONS

wip wip wip : wip wip wip

[endless-symphonia]

Noriaki Kakyoin Analysis + Appreciation Post

Warning: Unmarked spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

Heya, it’s your girl here. Kakyoin’s been my favourite JJBA character for a while and I was thinking about him this morning, so I figured I should write something on him to spread my love and complete admiration for this man. This might be a pretty long post since I plan to write a detailed breakdown on him and how he was portrayed in the story but either way I hope you Kakyoin kinnies enjoy this one. :)

Appearance

Kakyoin is definitely one of the most attractive men I have ever seen. His features are absolutely dazzling and don’t fail to amaze me. My favourite is probably his lustrous purple eyes and cherry red locks, both of which are natural. His looks are absolutely stunning and add more reason as to why I fell for this man.

His overall bodily structure is generally more feminine then masculine, having a slim waistline, large chest and hips and slender legs. I often like imagining an alternate universe where Kakyoin is portrayed as female.

The way he communicates is also generally more effeminate then masculine. It has been said that Kakyoin utilises ‘gendered language’ and utilises a softer Japanese dialect and speech patterns more typically associated with women, which is commonly referred to as ‘onna kotoba’ (女言葉, “women’s words”).

Analysis

Kakyoin was a quiet, introverted individual who usually kept to himself, though this is obviously prior to him meeting Jotaro and the rest of the Crusaders, which is when he began opening up to others after experiencing love and friendship for the first time. Kakyoin generally maintains a polite and formal behavior, which fits his status as an honor student.

Kakyoin believed only respectable individuals were able to become friends of him, with the Crusaders being the only group he attached himself to. Having distanced himself from people his whole life for being ‘different,’ Kakyoin was truly able to experience true joy with the Crusaders, and those 50 days proved to be the happiest days of his life.

Despite being in isolation his whole life, Kakyoin was able to build a strong bond with the Crusaders, most particularly Jotaro. We are able to see that friendship is something that Kakyoin values very much. Having looked back on his past actions, Kakyoin vowed to change into someone who could protect the people he cared for and become someone who people could look up to.

Kakyoin was a kind soul, willing to put others before himself. He was willing to do all he could to protect his friends whom he loved so dearly. In Chapter 55 of Stardust Crusaders (episode 19 in the anime), Kakyoin was faced with Death 13, and from there we were able to see that Kakyoin was willing to go as far as make a fool of himself just to protect his friends from harm.

Later on, in Chapter 254 of SC (episode 46 in the anime), Kakyoin loses his life at the hands of DIO, and during his final moments, he chose to use the last embers of his strength to inform his friends of DIO’s stand ability to prevent them from being killed, with him eventually dying due to blood loss, not knowing whether or not his friends would survive. Personally I believe that though his death was heartbreaking, Kakyoin had really played his part as a member of the Crusaders well. Throughout the duration of the series he remained a strong and confident figure even in moments of despair.

It has always amazed me how much Kakyoin grew as a character as the story progressed. He was such an important part of the Crusaders and I can’t imagine the group without him. Kakyoin deserved so much more then what he was given, and he definitely deserved to see another day instead of spending his last few breaths dying at the hands of DIO.

When Kakyoin first appears, he is under control by DIO’s flesh bud, and after being saved from death by Jotaro, he begins to see everything in a new light, after which he joins the Crusaders on their journey to Egypt, remaining a loyal, kind and compassionate friend throughout the journey.

During his first fight with Tower of Grey, we already see that Kakyoin is a confident and merciless fighter. Kakyoin is shown to be violent and ruthless when faced with enemy Stand users, shown when he remorselessly kills all of his opponents (with the exception of Mannish Boy), his reasoning being that they are evil beyond redemption. We also see that he is the most quick-thinking out of the entire group, shown when he effectively takes out both Tower of Grey and later on, Death 13. 

Kakyoin is a righteous though blunt individual, being extremely loyal to his companions and ruthless to his opponents. Kakyoin has also displayed himself to be manipulatively charismatic around opponents, shown with his fight with Jotaro. He can also be quite cold and prideful, and is also noted to be stern and blunt. 

Kakyoin states his reasons for joining the Crusaders is due to fighting evil, but also as a way of thanking Jotaro for saving his life. From this we see Kakyoin is a fearless individual, being able to stand strong even in the most dire of situations, even when DIO’s stand, The World had willingly punched through his abdomen.

Appreciation Post

Kakyoin is definitely a character that deserved way more than what he was given. I would have loved to see what Araki would do with him if he had survived his fight with DIO. A fair amount of people I’ve met appreciate Kakyoin, but personally I think that appreciation isn’t enough. Part 3 really wouldn’t be the same without him, and Kakyoin deserves to be more widely recognised for his actions.

A lot of people have claimed that they see themselves in Kakyoin, and I have to admit that I myself do too. A lot of aspects surrounding Kakyoin are things I have personally experienced and relate to, and that’s one of the many reasons why I love him and think he’s amazing.

Kakyoin is the kindest soul I have ever come across. He was willing to throw his life away just to protect someone he barely even knew, and went on that journey to Egypt with the people he loved the most. With the people who truly accepted him for who he was. He died without any regrets, and during those last moments he didn’t think of himself, or about his life back at home. Instead, he thought about the people he went on this journey with and swore to protect, and that’s something I truly find respectable and admirable.

Kakyoin spent so many years wondering the meaning of his life. He spent so long refusing to reach out to anyone, living his life in isolation. It’s satisfying to think that during his final days he finally found the meaning to his life, and it melts my heart to know that along with that discovery he found happiness.

All he ever wanted was to make his friends happy. All he ever wanted was to make them proud, and he did. He fought with all he had, not knowing whether or not he would survive. But he knew that important people were waiting for him to return, and that’s what pushed him forward. He fought for his friends harder than anyone would have ever fought for anything. 

17 years of loneliness and 50 days of friendship. And if you were to ask him, ‘Was it worth it?’

I'm pretty sure he’d say yes.

- izzy

[houseki-no-suffering]

What language do you think the three main HNK species speak and how do they understand each other, given how they developed as separate from each other as possible (land/sea/moon) except for maybe the newer Admirabilis on the moon (but native Admirabilis speaking latin still gives me life)

Ohhh this  is such a cool question. So, going from my post about the Lustrous Writing System (and some more ideas about their language):

Lustrous Language

as far as we know, newborn gems cannot use language as we mean it: Sensei has to teach them how to talk

Sensei is a machine made by humans, so he probably speaks a human language. It could be a language that exists even today, a descendant of one, or just a new language, it would depend on when exactly humanity was wiped out 

Sensei and the Professor probably spoke the same language. The Professor built Sensei to look like a Buddhist monk so her cultural (and linguistic) background might be Central-East Asian

because of this and the way the Lustrous’ script looks, Sensei (and the gems) probably speak an Asian language. That is: an Asian language we know (Mongolian, Tibetan, Brahui, Tagalog etc); a descendant of a known Asian language; a new language isolate/artificial language spoken in Asia before humanity went extinct. Yes, I know this is still super broad

Now, does Sensei (and the gems) still speak that same language? Cause languages change with time and Sensei has been around for quite a few years.

There are a lot of reasons languages change and some will not apply to the way the gems live, like:

contact with other languages

geographic separation: people who speak the same language move away from each other until they speak two different languages

migration, colonization etc

But there are also other things that maybe made the language Phos speaks very different from the one Red Diamond used:

the principle of least effort: languages naturally evolve toward efficiency and effectiveness. Complex sounds/rules become less complex

analogy: reducing the number and length of words by linking different words together

culture: gem culture isn’t great at changing, but for example Red Diamond didn’t have to worry about Lunarians at first. When the moon people started attacking, the gems created a whole new set of words to indicate weapons, enemies, strategy etc. Even gem names count as new words (like Cairngorm)

mistakes: mispronounced words and wrong sentences are said over and over until they’re accepted as norm

My question is: Sensei is a machine, can he keep up with language changes? Cause if he can’t, then maybe the Lustrous language didn’t change that much over the years. But if it did, then there definitely are books in the library that are written in an old-fashioned way, maybe books no one (except Sensei) can understand anymore. 

Maybe Yellow Diamond, Padparadscha, Alexandrite and Euclase know a lot of old slang terms that the new kids never heard before! How cool’d that be?

Lunarian Language

Lunarians are basically human souls, so they probably speak a human language too. Still, there’s a lot of stuff we don’t know:

they can communicate with Phos and Sensei, so they know the Lustrous’ language

yet, how many are the Lunarians? And from how many cultures? Was their world like in Star Trek, where there’s a common global language? Or did different people speak different languages?

do some Lunarians still speak different languages? Or can they if they want?

did those languages change too during the centuries?

The only thing we know is that the Lunarians use a different writing system because Phos can’t read it. But what about this script?

Judging from the pamphlet and the way it’s folded, the Lunarians’ script is written horizontally (while the Lustrous’ script is vertical) and left to right (Lustrous’ script goes right to left). So is it just a modified/improved version of the Lustrous’ script? If the Lunarians and the Lustrous speak the same language, shouldn’t they use the same script too?

One explanation is that the Lustrous’ script was invented by Sensei or by the Lustrous (which is super cool if you ask me). Or, since these script are so dramatically different, the Lunarians can speak more than one language. 

Maybe the Lustrous’ language isn’t even their ‘native’ language: they just use it to communicate with the gems. 

Admirabilis Language

Now, I really, really want to write “Latin” and call it a day. I love that HC, but once again, things might be more complicated:

the Admirabilis have different physical forms, and not all of them are apt for speaking a language as we intend it (how can those slugs have vocal cords?)

which means the Admirabilis could speak different languages: one ‘human-like’ language and (at least) another that’s completely different

for example they could communicate in whistles and clicks (like cetaceans), sign language, pigmentation, or specific behaviors. Something that can work underwater and/or when they turn into slugs. This may also vary from species to species (if there’s different species of Admirabilis) 

The gems cannot understand the Admirabilis, but maybe they just can’t hear them. What if the Admirabilis’ voices are normally very high or low pitched, so the Lustrous’ ear just can’t detect them? 

Yet, the Lunarians can understand the Admirabilis in their human form (Ventricosus negotiates for her brother’s life). And of course, the usual questions apply here too:

do the Admirabilis still speak the same language of the Lustrous (and/or of the Lunarians)?

Variegatus says there’s still not many of them, but do the Admirabilis speak different dialects and languages? Did they at some point?

are these languages human-based/of human descent or are they just plain new and work in amazingly different ways?

And, finally: CAN THE ADMIRABILIS SPEAK LATIN??

after all what do we know? it’s not like Ichikawa will ever tell us.

[asfaltics]

unindations

  ane n inon un           1

—

enable unable   unénable enúnable   unúnable           2

at last, however, being ununable

unc. unca, unco           3

—

unck uncked ununcked           4

uncome uncomes come

uncomes           5

—

unda undula           6

inúndula uníndula uníndulata inúndulata           7

inundate unindate           8

vast mazy, unindating flood liable to unindation, and cut sometimes the unindation is so sudden the Unindation; or by unindation from           8a-e

indelible undelable unindelable           9

—

undern           10

undone undones           11

undex           12

—

undern days undones done quyk erthe among undure as lie is made

undure           13 unjure           14

—

unscape on the wish

nunscape anunscape ununskup           15

únsula únsular unwater           16

—

unwatered           17 unthing

unthis unthat unthis that thut thing

unsome unwhat

—

unsum unsong           18

eene verkorting von perhaps unsong is the name of the new art. unsong there were very few

undersome unsion unsions           19

unstruct unward

unhere unwhere

unward unwards           20

unword unwords these           21 unders

—

ununder   únununder unúnunder           22

un o n inen an           23

un  

sources and asides

1 "la ordenación silábica," ex Enrique de Vedia, El Arte de Leer Buenos Aires, 1905) : 31 as for an en in on un, numerous instances in grammars, shorthand and phonographic texts, and in Alexander Melville Bell, his Letters and sounds: an intr. to English reading, on an entirely new plan (London, 1855) : 77 2 ˈɛnable (initial emphasis, short "e") at last, however, being ununable from "Analyse de Bayle" in The Monthly Review (December 1756), and from James Lynd his The First Book of Etymology 1853 and — enénable — from Francis O. J. Smith his The Secret Corresponding Vocabulary 1845 3 unknown, strange, foreign Wright, English Dialect Dictionary previously encountered 4 ex Latin, lock, locked 5 an ulcerous swelling; unarrived (as of yet) uncomes come here, before 1999 6 Latin, wave. Ian Hamilton Finlay, UNDA (1987) undula, diminutive of unda 7 Bertholdia inundulata Rawlins (species of butterfly) * (Field Museum, Zoological Collections) 8 forms of unindate — typographical errors all — 8a vast mazy, unindating flood from A. Sanderson ("daughter of the late Robert Stephenson, Esq., Captain of the Northumberland Regiment of Militia"), "On the absence of friendship," in her Poems, on various subjects (North Shields, 1819) : 33 8b liable to unindation, and cut from T. Fraser, "Some Notes on Military Engineering Incidents, in the War of 1877-8," in Professional Papers of the Corps of Royal Engineers (Occasional Papers, v. 4, 1880; London, 1881) : 69-70 8c sometimes the unindation is so sudden, from "Hollanders' Care for their Cattle," The Farmers' Review (May 10, 1893) : 293 8d "The Unindation; or, Peace and Pardon," title of an illustration listed in an auction sales catalogue, The Anderson Galleries (1917) : 30 8e "by unindation by the Feather, but" in Thomas R. Jones, comp., "California, A Half-Century Back" in The Grizzly Bear (November 1915) : 2 9 his undelable due ex Walter Scott, his Anne of Geierstein (1829; an 1868 printing) here 10 O.E. undern, third hour, nine in the morning; morning; also, the forenoon; the period between noon and sunset; the evening. (in OE, ME, dialect.) undern days and, obs., OE ca 1225, "not hidden, open" (all OED) 11 "dones" and "undones," John Ruskin's discussion of, in letter of 1872 included in Arrows of the Chase (1880) : 208 — "...they will find it well, throughout life, never to trouble themselves about what they ought not to do, but about what they ought to do..." and "...the Undones are now the greatest Family in England, (thank this blessed Parliament...) I know no honest Man but is a Kin to the Undones; no Trade but is undone, no City but is undone; none but the knavish Committee-Men, Parliament-Men, Excise-Men, and their Vermin, the Soldiers, thrive in these days; they get, and grow rich, whosoever looses..." ex The Parliament Arraigned, Convicted; Wants nothing but Execution... Written in the Year of Wonders, being the Eighth Year of the Lords and Commons dissembled at Westminster; by Tom Tyranno-Mastix; alias, Mercurius Melancholicus... Printed for the Public View of all His Majesty's faithful Subjects; and are to be sold at the old Sign of You may go Look (1648) : 23 12 undexical index, pointing unwhere; and und ex und 1895, and elsewhere. to unsay, to make unknown 13 undure : unhard, i.e., soft, crumbled "quyk erth" ex Palladius on husbandrie (Barton Lodge, ed., 1879) to impart artificial flavours, ca. 1420 14 from Latin iniūria (“injustice; wrong; offense”), from in- (“not”) + iūs, iūris (“right, law”) unjure, what, to de-legalize? to un-law something? unright it? 15 to be anunscape is to be in a fidgety, uneasy state... Lit., it means "on the wish," i.e., very eager or desirous about a thing; cf. Dan önske, to wish. ex C. Clough Robinson, A Glossary of Words Pertaining to the Dialect of Mid-Yorkshire; with others peculiar to Lower Nidderdale... (London, 1876) : 93. 16 sular water, waters, of waters, to waters ex J. Dyneley Prince, "Tatar Materials in Old Russian," in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (1919) unwater : to free a mine of water, to drain of water, to carry off water from OED that reports the word to have appeared as a mistranslation in a1300 E.E. Psalter — and watres outran, and scaldand and unwatred... 17 unwatered : not so watered OED, see water, vb. 9 to produce a moiré or wavy lustrous finish on (silk or other textile fabrics) by sprinkling them with water and passing them through a calendar. 1708 No two pieces were ever water'd alike OED the term came up (25 October 2018) in Jennifer Roberts her talk on "The Moiré Effect: Robert Rauschenberg, Print, and Interference" 18 unsum, an OCR misread here and there, among them a passage in what appears (from imperfect scan) to be "Aanmerkingen op de Javaansche spraakkunst" in Tijdschrift voor Nederlands Indië 6 (Batavia, 1844) : 22 unsong : Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964 *) on opera soprano Mary Garden (1874-1967 *), in The Merry-go-round (1918) : 115 (there's a Gertrude Stein connection to Garden and Van Vechten) unsong there were very few ex B. C. De Lissa, "British North Borneo" in Proceedings of the Geographical Society of Australasia (1884) here 19 unsion an OCR misread for unction that I would pass over in silence (or delete entirely), save that it occurs in Joseph Bellamy, his True Religion Delineated; Or, Experimental Religion, Distinguished from Formality on the one hand, and Enthusiasm on the other, set in a Scriptural and Rational Light, in Two Discourses. With a preface by Mr. [Jonathan] Edwards (Second Edition, London, 1788) : 73 why? a detour into experimental reading led to experimental preaching and religion, and — for the latter — a brief intersection with experimental science. a long-ago asfaltics post — comfortlesse, swimming notions — provides a hint of (and entrance point to) some diversions on experimental religion and experimental reading. 20 unwards most frequently found as OCR misread for "upwards" 21 unwordy, a dialect form of unworthy (Wright, English Dialect Dictionary; unword, obs., rare, to make speechless (OED) 22 ...the un—un—under, no, the un—under—un—no... ex "Harry’s Secret." Two Scenes. Four Characters: One Boy and Three Girls. in Robert St. John Corbet, his Uncle Grumpy : And Other plays for juvenile actors and actresses (London, 1880) : 26 23 un on in en on is several-wheres, including Bastiaan Cramer, his De geheel vernieuwde en verbeterde Trap der jeugd... Spel-Lees-Schrift en Taal-Kunst... (1804; 1862) :5

—

method — initially, extrapolate from existing forms, to others; without euphony, nothing; no attempt at completion; started with sound, in fact... but got waylaid (by sourcings); sound remains.

among sources or, more often, looks to see if a particular form existed, were — the OED, the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, and — most importantly — Joseph Wright his English Dialect Dictionary Volume VI. T-Z (1905), where the prefixed un doesn't always mean "back" or to "undo" a thing or action.

—

...a bad linguist, tangling my words at will. — Jessica J. Lee, turning, a swimming memoir (2017) : 212

—

all tagged un all tagged excess  

[sejersenyork4-blog]

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[dustysculptures]

BronyCon Report 2018

With the last lingering bits of BronyCon still slithering in my system. I’m finally able to get back to business.

First off, I have less than a dozen Starlight Glimmer charms left from the con. I’m considering putting it up on my Etsy Store as the one & only item for sale this weekend. They will only be on sale for a week so be sure ‘em before they’re out~

Also, due to time constraints, I didn’t post an official 'Featured at Bronycon’ in time for the convention, so here it is posted above!

In case you missed it on my Twitter, here’s the Poniko () & Gari Adventures from Bronycon. (w/ a sketch of Limestone pie waking up): 

Let me start off by saying, thankyou thankyou thankyou to everyone who stopped by the booth & offered kind words to me. Even if I don’t seem like it, I’m forever & always a bundle of nerves & panic when it comes to BronyCon. There’s always so much to do & so many points of failure, it makes me go nuts for a couple weeks!

But all of that is laid to rest once the set goes up, the lights come on, and guests ushered in. We got prints & pins, sculptures & plushies. T-shirt designs that go as high as the ceiling.  Lets not forget the dakis. Oh god nvm lets forget those. Its a show! About adorable ponies! What’s not to like?

@ubros - Hotdiggitydang was it a blast meeting you! It was a year in the making as I’d skipped last year but I finally got to see you in your full European glory! We laughed, celebrated with pizza & oddities! Then you dumped 8 pounds of Swedish candy on me D: Wouldn’t trade it for the world! I WILL see you next year yes? You’d better come!!

@asksweetcream - Fancy seeing you here? (…) Moi? Oh nothing just seeing how many hugs I could get out from you~ (It was close to a dozen) (…)  Don’t tire yourself & Boiler3 out too much sweetie there’s so much more cons left to go ^^  

@earthsong9405 EEEEEEEE! Can you believe? 4 years its been since we shared that fateful booth? I’m sooo happy to see you there, flying solo too! Goodness! Next time we gotta do the aquarium or that Dick’s Last Resort! You’d get a kick outta it!

@dojerodesigns Listen. Forget what I said. I had a wonderful time with you & yours and would do it again in a heart beat. I’m very appreciative you thought to invite me to your shindig ^^

HoneySweetStudios - Honestly one of the sweeties & coolest booth neighbors I’ve had. Keeping each other company through the con lulls was a good way to keep up the spirit when the gates came flooding with patrons. Also, BEES?!?

@fisherpon - I wish you the bestest of luck on your trip to SEAsia~! I hope you enjoyed my sketch! it was done quick but Derpy is always my go to for that sort of thing ^3^

WandererD Gosh dang it man! I missed your panel & from what I hear, it sounds great. So glad I could take you to the new Shake Shack & I need to tell you about Land of the Lustrous & more Steven Universe! HUUUUUUUR! 

This is one of those moments where if you could rewind & do it again, I would do it & hang more with you. So much to talk & so little time. Why isn’t there a DVR for life yet?

@fleebites & RainyPaints - As some patron passed my booth, they had this gorgeous Queen Chrysalis print in their possession. It was love at first site: I had to have it. As it turns out, I had to have about half the posters from your booth as well. I was very happy to talk to you about Asian dialects & wish you the best of luck on your game developing venture! The art already looks beautiful, I know you can do it!

@askstalkerloo & @noodlefreak88 - I was finally able to get you that Stalkerloo that was meant to be yours oh so many years ago! Quest complete! I’m very excited for what you have planned for the future!

Cadmiumcrab -  Having the minister hold the Elements of Harmony book painted by you certainly adds that apropos touch to a brony wedding. I’d never thought to contribute to a wedding in such a manner. Hopefully see you around soon!

@joeyh3 & @deadparrot222 - Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by & chat for a spell. It does my soul well to see your faces every year & touch base with you guys. I’ll be seeing you next year right?

@ithry - I don’t know what psychic powers you possess to know I did sketch commissions but somehow you got two of them! Honestly, it was kinda cool to see you on the vendor side of things. I hope that’s been working out for you!

Graphic-Lee - Super cool meeting you to talk sculpting! I hope to hear more from you soon! Btw who was your booth mate? I believe it was Spirit but idk. Point me to them if you can!

@aleximusprime - One) Great to see you vending. Two) Hilarious to see all our meme merch sell out so fast! So glad you’re doing well~

Notable absentees: Chipperpony - I saw the name but the booth empty! I was so saaaad~! Maybe see you next year? Maybe?

@whitediamondsltd - There was a small bustle about where you were but upon hearing the info, I know you’re doing far more important things. Don’t let BronyCon distract you, you do what you need to.

BronyCon has always been a tentpole for dustysculptures. Being about half way through the year its a good gauge to see how I’m doing as a sculptor & how you guys are doing as well. There are also the milestones only achieved thanks to BronyCon: My first vendor opportunity, my first panel hosting, even my one time daily deviation was me putting together all the BronyCon ponies. So to see it leave next year will be a hard pill to swallow for sure. But like all good things are bound to end eventually. We’d joked about it from the beginning, the tenuous balance this community had in the beginning won through sheer exuberance & fraternity. Its hard to see the event go.

But I know we’ll make its send off a good one. We’re a community. Some would say the best one! Out lasting Homestuck & striving past Undertale, we’ve got a lot left in us. I know that should BronyCon go, there will be others. Should those go to then we will have each other & the memories we shared.

So until Next year Baltimore! Until next year BronyCon! For forever and a day~

~dusty

[salamandersofftheclock]

Fredwulfa reached out a stubby arm, and, meeting no resistance, carefully stroked Eli’s smooth chin. “My beard is lustrous,” she announced, “and yet to go undercover as humans, we must trade.” The hair mage stood back uncertainly, having never used his gifts for important council missions before. “Or,” the elven man piped up, “we could just go in drag. I’ve got feminine enough hips and lips, and I was the Made of Honor in my sister’s wedding.” The dwarven woman laughed. “And how do you propose to hide my tits?” The magical barber finally piped up. “I can turn them into mounds of hair for 24 hours. It’s a bit tricky, though, and I’d recommend borrowing a joint or two from the hobbits for the pain when it wears off.” 

Eli grimaced, but Fredwulfa stomped her dominant foot on the tile. “Dwarves are above the need for remedies to pains, we are warriors, smiths and builders. I have birthed from my womb eleven children, I think I can handle a little magical pain.”

“Suit yourself,“ said the mage, but he handed Eli a can of beard moisturizer anyway. “Keep close to her,“ he spoke in the old Sindarin dialect. The can was, of course, filled with weed.

[bloodrosebriars]

sanctumofeld​:

“The greed of man is a starving abyss, my son.” Ignatius combed his hair, twining the lustrous, heavy strands into a braid that he secured with a slip of silver ribbon. Wolfgang’s brow furrowed, head turning to watch his father’s face over his shoulder. That night, he told him more stories of what he was. Who he was. They filled his chest with rage, with grief, with joy…

He was made to bring joy.

His body smashed into the floor, the twisting briar piercing not his muscles, shredding not his veins, but gouging into the recesses of his soul. He lost the grip on his sword, chest heaving, and choking as his wound pulsed and burned. But then it comes, it all wells forth and snaps -

He sat in Jungo’s lap. He took up not even half of one of his great thighs, feet dangling between them, and he stared up into his jagged face with wide, mismatched eyes. Ignatius told him that prejudice was taught. He didn’t know what that meant, not when he stared with fascination and happiness at the face of the Omen, who was hopeless but to indulge him. One of his huge, gnarled knuckles stroked his cheek, barely grazing, and he grabbed hold with both tiny hands to clasp it to his face. Jungo had chuckled, his whole, small body rocking with the vibrations of the sound cascading through him.

“Is love taught too, father?” Ignatius had blinked down at him, shock fading into half-lidded eyes, and a smile that possessed no happiness.

“No, unfortunately not, my son.” Was that why some of them enslaved the Omen? With an empty vow? He swore he would never do that. He would never -

Wolfgang’s lashes parted. Darkness surrounded him in a halo, his blood dripping forth, surrounding him in a honey-sweet circle. A blue so deep it had turned black. His fingers scraped through it, dragging the thick, sticky strands. He slipped in it, unable to support himself. He could not even move his wrist, his arm, only his fingers trembled.

Wolfgang turned his head, helm scraping through the stone and his rich, vicious vitality. Perhaps, if the Omen looked close, through his veil of feathers and the broken edge of his visor, he might find a ring of lightning. The Tarnished warrior took a deep breath, lips twitching. He had broken so many vows in these lands… what was one more? He pooled his remaining strength, the shard of blazing blue glowing brighter.

“Do not save me.” Something in the air trembled, wavering with promise as his thick, rasping voice arose with his sweet scent in a tidal wave. His body had already begun to ripple, to break apart into the jagged stars of ivory that would return him to that golden glow.

So there’s no more words to be said — no more answers to give, no more questions to be sated. No, there is only blood, and only death, and only one’s final moments before disappearing as ash into the ether.

He’ll be forced to live on curious.

Mohg watches the man for a few short seconds, trying to read whatever light he can in his eyes, but unable to discern the dialect. It’s a foreign voice, despite sounding so familiar — like a grandparent you never knew, singing you a lullaby in a forgotten tongue. Something haunting, familial, but lost to time. Something he will never, ever know.

And if that be the case, so be it.

“As thou wish, my lamb.”

He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t skip a beat. The very second the last syllable is spoken, he flips his trident teeth-side down, and he stabs forth with all the force of a spearman’s killing blow. Metal crumples, splits beneath the gold. Flesh is torn, bones splintered, innards pierced like meat upon a butcher’s hooks.

There is no recovery. Already, the ashes of death surround the Tarnished’s form.

“If thou returnest again, perhaps we may speak with our tongues, not blades,” the Omen says before the man disappears into nothingness — a request in disguise. “Carry these words into thy next life: thou’rt loved, still, my lamb.”

Then all falls silent on the mausoleum grounds.

[stillellensibley]

EXPERIMENTS OF THE ORDINARY: GIORGIO MORANDI AT THE CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART

All accounts suggest that the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964) enjoyed a life of uninterrupted calm and isolation. Introverted by nature, Morandi spent his entire lifetime in Bologna, in the same apartment no less, and was dubbed il Monaco due to his almost monastic reclusiveness. He tended to paint at home, either in his bedroom or an adjoining studio, committing himself almost exclusively to the natura morta, or still life. Seemingly obsessed with the interplay between form, negative space, and color, Morandi executed upwards of 1,000 paintings and etchings within the genre, and today his oeuvre tends to be seen as an endless parade of bottles, vases, jugs, jars, tea kettles, and cookie tins inching towards—but never quite reaching—abstraction.

GIORGIO MORANDI, NATURA MORTA, 1963. OIL ON CANVAS, 26 X 26 CM, 10 3/16 X 10 3/16 IN. PRIVATE COLLECTION. © 2015 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/SIAE, ROME.

In the United States, we have been most frequently treated to Morandi’s later paintings from the 1950s and early 1960s. Small canvases adorned with thin strokes of paint depict densely stacked bottles jockeying for a spot at the front of the line; geometric landscapes push the boundaries of representation, looking more like the clusters of objects in his still lifes the longer we stare. Because of their looser technique, comparatively diminutive size, and inclusion of fewer objects, Morandi’s paintings from this period are more common than those from any other stretch of his career. Yet while they, like the majority of his preceding works, center around the variability of optical reality, to focus on the later paintings alone is to miss the breadth of Morandi’s lifelong pursuit of a personal visual dialect, like picking at the remnants of a creative explosion while failing to examine what led up to it.

Like most lives, Morandi’s was colored by paradox. Despite his eventual commitment to the still life, his early years were marked by exuberant experimentation and an inclination towards the avant-garde. Though his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna exposed him to the Early Italian Renaissance, the young Morandi became attracted to the otherworldly work of Giorgio de Chirico and the rest of the scuola metafisica movement, and he began covering his canvases with lustrous textures and fractured representations. By the mid-1920s Morandi had moved on, alighting on a more ethereal, naturalistic style that earned him the admiration of the Fascist Strapaese movement, which championed Italy’s agrarian roots. Curiously enough, Morandi had developed this approach out of admiration for Paul Cézanne, whose individualistic experimentation would have shocked the state-driven Strapaese. (Due to the brevity of this association, as well as Morandi’s own independent nature, he is presently viewed as the modern Italian artist least tainted by Fascism.)

It is partially thanks to Cézanne that Morandi became so wholly engrossed in the still life. The vigor of Cézanne’s weighty brushstrokes and the way his compositions elicit a tension between geometric forms proved that the natura morta—literally translated as “dead nature”—could indeed hum with fluctuating energy. From the 18th century master Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Morandi learned that the mode could either reflect or obscure the chaos of the outside world. Either way, each composition would need to be considered with unflinching deliberation, possessing its own inimitable visual dynamic.

GIORGIO MORANDI, NATURA MORTA, 1931. OIL ON CANVAS, 42 X 42 CM, 16 ½ X 16 ½ IN. PRIVATE COLLECTION. © 2015 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/SIAE, ROME.

Though it contains wide-ranging examples of Morandi’s output, the illuminating exhibit currently on view at the Center for Italian Modern Art pointedly focuses on this era of discovery, giving viewers an unprecedented opportunity to grapple with the curiosities driving his art. During the 1930s, after securing a post teaching printmaking at his alma mater, Morandi began relentlessly depicting his unremarkable cast of bottles, vases, jugs, and jars in both paintings and etchings. While he worked at an unusually slow pace, executing an average of one painting each month, it was during this decade that he focused his aesthetic vision and established the parameters that would advance it.

No matter what style they employ, each of these still lifes depicts an arrangement painstakingly labored over. Every object was specially chosen for its ordinary nature; if a bottle possessed too much flair it would find its label removed and its glossy surface muted by paint. In other instances, Morandi would reconstruct certain objects to his liking, employing the ready-made in a far subtler manner than Duchamp. For weeks Morandi would mull over the placement of each item, examining his assemblage at different times of day in order to choose the most visually intriguing option. He would often wait several months to begin painting, after each item had accumulated a sufficient layer of dust.

GIORGIO MORANDI, NATURA MORTA, 1931. OIL ON CANVAS, 36 X 56 CM. MUSEO D’ARTE MODERNA E CONTEMPORANEA DI TRENTO E ROVERETO (MART), COLLEZIONE AUGUSTO E FRANCESCA GIOVANARDI. © MART-ARCHIVO FOTOGRAFICO E MEDIATECA. © 2015 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/SIAE, ROME.

Though seemingly impersonal, these arrangements often allude to the monumental quality of medieval Italian architecture, reminding us that even at his most abstract, Morandi pursued the interchange between the world outside and worlds constructed. In this defining period, he created a personal universe from varying shades of brown, frequently depicting the same tableaux using several different approaches. Occasionally he would apply his brushstrokes evenly, though more often they would leave thick globules in their wake; sometimes objects are graced with dramatic shading on one edge but not another; or they are stretched to add drama. In other instances, two objects, for example a vase and a candlestick, will overlap to create an unreal amalgamation that could never actually exist but could be concocted by the fallible human eye. Even more frequently, negative space will outshine physical actuality, with untamed swatches of paint leaping from the encircled boundaries of a tea kettle’s handle. Whether veering towards realism or surrealism, or instead implementing a childlike brushiness, every canvas is adorned with Morandi’s contemplative fervor, his boundless passion for each object pushing him towards unending variability.

While some may get bogged down in the apparent repetition of Morandi’s paintings, most viewers will find themselves invigorated by the astonishingly diverse visual languages he used to communicate. Even his etchings, three of which are on display at CIMA, reflect a persistent desire to convey the protean nature of visual authenticity. One of them, its arrangement seemingly cloaked in darkness, contains cross-hatching so dense and so fine that it resembles woven cloth, an illusion furthered by an irregular edge that evokes an unsewn hem. Its next-door neighbor portrays the same cluster in a thinly veiled brightness, shifting the focus back to contours and textures instead of the specific quality of light. The third print features a more sparsely populated gathering and combines the two techniques, using a chiseled background to emphasize the dynamism of its subjects, several of which contain delicately erased highlights.

GIORGIO MORANDI, NATURA MORTA A GRANDI SEGNI, 1931. ETCHING, 24 ½ X 34 CM. PRIVATE COLLECTION. © 2015 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/SIAE, ROME.

In such a comprehensive context, Morandi’s narrow band of subject matter communicates his own dogged commitment to receptive observation as well as the equally high demands he placed on his audience. By repeatedly returning to a visual theme, Morandi instilled each attempt with a distinct optical truth. His intensity continually led him towards variation, ensuring that students of his catalog would need to maintain a similar level of dedication in order to develop any sort of literacy. To truly see a Morandi we must look upon it with the same pliability and fervor that he was able to summon time and time again.

With our minds thus focused, previously opaque works suddenly spring to life. Certain arrangements take on the monumentality of looming cityscapes, while others bring to mind a troupe of performers enacting a particularly harmonious collaboration. Aligned on Morandi’s humble stage, we recognize specific objects—a carafe, or a sea shell, perhaps—that we have seen before, in another impossibly different portrayal. While our cherished carafe may have starred in one especially striking depiction, across the room it fills a minor role, gladly submitting to Morandi’s interchange between individuality and group dynamics.

GIORGIO MORANDI, NATURA MORTA, 1938. OIL ON CANVAS, 31 X 46 CM. © ALBERTO BORTOLUZZI. FONDO AMBIENTE ITALIANO, COLLEZIONE CLAUDIA GIAN FERRARI. © 2015 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/SIAE, ROME.

As it unravels in a series of dips and dives, knotting itself here and there, history—more accurately termed “time” until it can be fully parsed and dissected—is marked by untidy variations. The artist, whether choosing to comment on this state of flux explicitly or not, finds his or her work transmuted by it all the same, entire novels, sculptures, or performances eternally backlit by impermanence. Over the course of the 1930s, Italy’s mounting vulnerability triggered a concurrently increasing volatility. Not surprisingly, Giorgio Morandi changed during this period as well, and so did his work. Still enthralled by his objects, by the end of the decade he had drifted towards heightened clarity and had added the reds and blues of medieval texts to his earth-tinted palette. With the inevitable outbreak of the war, Morandi quickly shifted back to a mud-colored and increasingly unsettling world of near abstraction, nodding towards the chaos at large by reminding his audience to stay nimble.

Seeking safety and a reclamation of the monastic calm he is so commonly remembered for, Morandi spent a great deal of World War II in Grizzana, a mountainous village about twenty miles southwest of Bologna. Forced to leave his precious belongings behind, he turned the focus of his continual visual interrogation upon the land itself. These telescopic imaginings are completely void of intelligible horizon lines, and they use trees, ravines, plains, and mountains to create shapes and negative spaces much as Morandi’s still lifes do. Though able to return to his assemblages in time, Morandi used this hiatus to deepen his exploration of the fertile middle ground between consistency and variation. Thanks to his vast oeuvre, and CIMA’s skillful display of such a vital swath of it, we also realize that volatility, exhilaration, and vitality can grace the canvases of one of modernism’s most reclusive and reflective masters.

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