#and i think that's probably to do with the religious aspect. i think the reason a symbolic monarchy was able to build an army like what the

[blueskittlesart]

I get the impression from your posts that you don’t think there’s a future where Zelda would end up queen of hyrule (I can see where her becoming queen would undermine her entire arc of getting freedom from the painful expectations of princess/chosen etc), but how do you think that hyrules government will work beyond that? Is the population recovered enough for that to even be something established within their lifetime?

honestly, based on what we see in other games, hyrule was never REALLY a proper monarchy. I think it's pretty likely that the hylian monarchy was functionally a symbolic one, especially by the time that botw rolls around. in most games in the franchise, hyrule is largely made up of sort of mini single-race societies that function by defaulting to whatever small tribal government they happen to have. With a kingdom technically made up of multiple different species, each with their own differing cultures, customs, and even lifespans, it makes much more sense to have small governments united in name alone. i think any genuine attempt at true united government of such widely varied and relatively isolated races would not end well for hyrule (can you imagine being a hundred-year-old zora and being told that you have to listen to laws made by hylians who have been alive for a fraction of the time you have?? no way.) But by having a technical alliance under the symbolic hyrulian royal family, all of these races reap the benefits of alliance amongst each other while maintaining their relative independance. This is why most of the villages in hyrule are race-isolated and have their own governing bodies--the zora have a king, the rito, gorons, and gerudo have chiefs, and several of the hylian/sheikah villages have mayors or other governing bodies. these are the actual, functional governments of hyrule. the royal family serves both symbolic and practical purposes as a symbol of the kingdom's allyship and as an entity that can build, maintain, and direct a widespread military force (and i think there's also definitely a religious element to their rule over hyrule, as literal descendants of god in-universe,) but other than that it isn't doing a whole lot of actual governing. (the exception to this rule is MAYBE post-wind-waker on the new continent, and maybe immediately post-sksw, specifically because in both those cases the hyrulian royals would have needed to take a more active governing role in order to rebuild the country.) so with that in mind, I think botw and totk make it pretty clear that this method of small government works pretty well for hyrule. I think the most zelda would EVER be is a sort of ambassador between villages and races, especially as hyrule becomes more intermingled in the aftermath of the calamity. small democratic government largely appears to be working for hyrule and for zelda in totk, so i think that's the road she would choose to continue down rather than attempting to reinstate a monarchy that never actually did that much in the first place.

#hyrule's government is fascinating to me bc like obviously the hylian monarchy isnt REAL bc not a single other race in the country actually #defaults to their governance. even the sheikah have their own village governments in most games #the zora literally have their own secondary monarchy despite also supposedly being under hyrulian governance #so like it's fairly obvious that the hyrulian royals are symbolic/religious leadership and nothing more #EXCEPT for when they're building an army. that's the only true power they seem to have #and i think that's probably to do with the religious aspect. i think the reason a symbolic monarchy was able to build an army like what the #did in botw is because they were functionally fighting a religious war against. the devil. lmao #anyway. yeah #asks #zelda analysis

[evaglass]

Speculation about Mizu's parents pt. 1

I don't like usually posting much online, but I do enjoy this series very much, and I would like to discuss possible directions it could go

I think about this moment a lot

A decent amount, actually

Mizu has had to hide her entire life of being a mixed-race girl for her safety, but there's an implication that it's not just because of that reason alone

There's a big assumption that one of the four white men put the bounty on Mizu, and as terrible as they are, there's reasons they probably aren't the ones that placed the bounty on Mizu. I don't think the four white men really care about any bastards they could have produced; I will explain.

Yes, Fowler neglected his offsprings to the point of starvation, but I don't think he was actively hunting them down, and here are the reasons why:

Fowler doesn't really seem to care to put too much effort into caring if the children he profduced in Japan lived or not. It just seemed more like he didn't want to be bothered with any children he had fathered.

If Fowler really cared about having all his children dead, he wouldn't have let Heiji Shindo give Mizu the option to be a Lord in order to leave Fowler alone in exchange

He just really didn't seem too bothered to deal with the situation. He didn't understand why Mizu went through all the effort to killing him (probably because he's not responsible for the bounty).

Also, Violet is already very much dead. I assume Routley and Skeffington have been away from Japan for a few years now, so why would they still keep the bounty up? It feels like it would be a bit counterproductive.

So why is there a bounty specifically for Mizu?

Is it for the "selling the unwanted daughters of Japan" aspect that Fowler pointed towards Routley and Skeffington of being responsible for? Do they want to sell Mizu abroad for profit? No, I don't think that's the reason.

When Mizu asked the bounty hunters, "Which white devil do you work for?" They respond by saying she's the only white devil they see, and then call to kill her.

When Mizu asked who told them where she was, they responded with "the bounty is a sum few could resist."

This says a lot:

The bounty is for sure specifically for her (a mixed-raced girl with blue eyes)

They're looking to only kill Mizu, as if to erase her from existence

The bounty is a high bounty

And the bounty hunters are probably not being sent by any of the four white men

So, who is responsible for putting a bounty on Mizu's head? Well, I want to dive into Mizu's parentage for this because I don't think any of the four white men are Mizu's father. I don't think her father was white at all.

I think there might be subtle evidence to suggest the contrary; that Mizu's mother was European, while her father was Japanese.

I'll dive into this. Remember the play about the Ronin and the Bride in episode 5?

Remember how people pointed out how both the Ronin and Bride represent Mizu, which I agree with. However, I think they're also supposed to represent her parents, and the child is also supposed to represent Mizu.

Before I keep talking about the Ronin and the Bride, I want to talk about the show's influences. I promise this has a point.

Two of the biggest influences are Kill Bill and Yentl. I'm not gonna get into Yentl too much, I have never seen it. I'm just gonna loosely retell a synopsis I found; Yentl is about a woman who dresses as a male in order to study religious scripture forbidden to women to learn. You can see some of the connections there.

I want to focus on Kill Bill more. Specifically more in pt. 2 as tumblr is only letting me use ten pictures per post.

Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6

#blue eye samurai #bes #mizu #blue eye samurai theory

[lailoken]

hi there, i always enjoy reading your posts. i saw an ask you answered about offerings to deceased animal spirits, and am wondering how one is able to tell if an animal's bones are still inhabited (so to speak)

This is a deceptively complex question to answer, and I am not someone who feels comfortable saying I'm certain about much of anything concerning the time after death to begin with. Even so, I can do my best to share personal beliefs and leanings that I've picked up over the years through a mixture of traditional wisdom I grew up with, comparative religious observation, and experiences I've had. But there's too much for me to really get into it here comprehensively, so please keep in mind that this is more of an awkward overview of my views than anything else. I also think I should probably briefly explain my understanding of the soul to begin with.

Based on tradition and gnosis, I view the soul as being essentially tripartite in nature. These three parts are separate, and could even be thought of as multiple souls in some way, and yet, they also make up one broader and more comprehensive spirit. Without getting into that too much, these three aspects serve different roles. There are the Fetch (an aspect that most closely aligns with concepts like the Daemon), the Shade (an aspect that essentially represents a person's self-awareness and sense of identity), and the Spark (what can be thought of as the seed of Divine Will that all living things possess, and which ties them to both each other and to the Divine Wellspring.)

As I learned it, a specter is still directly and physically tied to their bones for three days following death. I believe that this number represents more of an average than a strict and static rule, but it seems worth noting, all the same. During this time, the soul is "just below" the boundary of "physical reality," and the deceased is often sensed, seen, or present in important dreams or omens. After that, the soul generally moves on to the Otherworld, where it proceeds through the Three Realms of the Gloaming and reaches the Quietus (the place where a soul is "embraced by and rejoined with" the Divine Wellspring.) This katabatic process of spiritual purification is traditionally held to last for a year and a day, though, again, I think this is more of a generalized approximation. During this time, the spirit is not as "present," but some might continue to experience periodic visitation or guidance. Following this period, a soul can generally be thought to have "moved on", since the Shade will have mostly dissipated by now (however, so long as there are living individuals invoking the remembrance of someone, some semblence of their Shade will abide.)

As for making offerings to an animal spirit, you can do this even when that spirit has moved on. As I touched on earlier, the paradigm of my tradition holds that a specter may be in multiple "places" after having moved on from its body, but regardless of "where" a spirit is, it remains connected to any body which it has inhabited. For this reason, we can commune with and call on even those specters who are currently rejoined with the Wellspring or reincarnated. As I understand it, the spirit of a deceased creature can only truly be conjured in full if the specter is in the Otherworld (or during those three days immediately following death). However, when a spirit has rejoined with the Wellspring, it can still "self-differentiate" and make itself known when that 'cord of recognition' is pulled on by a living person who upholds remembrance of their living identity. And even when embodied and assimilated into a new ego/consciousness, I believe the part of one's spirit that doesn't fade (the Spark) can "feel the pull" of those who remember a previous incarnation it took, and accordingly reach out unconsciously in some way too—I assume during sleep, for the most part. I realize how confusing and strange that is, and it doesn't help that I struggle to verbalize it, but it's based largely on strong intuitions I've had ever since preschool, which were affirmed and refined for me by other beliefs and experiences I was exposed to over time.

I apologise for what a rambling answer this has proven to be, but I hope it can help some. A very short answer would be that if remains are a year old or less, they should prove rather easier to necromantically ensoul than otherwise. However, offerings can be made to a deceased being, regardless of "where" their soul is in its journey.

#anonymous #ask #soul #bones #necromancy

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

It all comes down to this

Carmy and Syd have much more in common than their passion for food.

They both grew up without one of their parent figures and regardless of the reason why that happened, the end result was the same for both: an absent parent and having to learn to live with that deep wound at a very young age. Pivotal.

Both had alcoholic parents (this is my educated guess about Mr. Adamu seeing as he drinks soda, the other option is that he doesn't drink alcohol because of religious reasons, which I don't think is the case). Only Emmanuel is a recovered alcoholic and Donna, well... she's Donna. Also pivotal.

The catch/difference is that these factors caused trauma in Carmy, however in Syd's case, since she was raised by a loving parent who has overcome his addiction (probably because of her) she didn't develop a trauma response like Carmy did. She did develop a G-Woman complex though, but that is something I will probably address in a later post because this one is about certain Sydcarmy parallelisms not solely about her.

They both developed another trait (by compensation) they have in common: A need to take care of other people, thus they both work in the hospitality and service industry. And they both developed a coping mechanism: Creativity. Whether that is through drawings or through coming up with recipes. The culinary arts are all about creativity as well, but not just about that, also about service and about KEEPING THINGS UNDER CONTROL, which is also another thing they have in common, they both want that, chase that. But they act differently when they don't get it and act the same way when they lose it. Aka: Review 1x7.

Their paths meet in more ways than one.

They understand each other and speak the same language. And even though none is a master in communication skills, they can definitely manage to understand each other without using words. Even so, as their relationship evolves, that should change.

Should be really interesting to see them both overcome their shadow aspects together, through working together and growing together, not just professionally.

If they didn't wanna do that, Braciole 1x8 would have ended differently.

If they didn't wanna help each other, they wouldn't have said this, because we all know it wasn't easy for them to admit it:

That's why, as I mentioned here and here, the show is about the FOUND FAMILY concept and about overcoming loneliness. No one achieves the level of growth the main characters have to achieve, alone.

#sydcarmy #the bear #the bear hulu #syd x carmen #carmy x sydney #the bear fx #sydney adamu #chef kiss #chefs kiss #donna #GINGERPOVS

[ghouljams]

Gnnh. Mii brainrot intensifies.

I am in love with your Viking!AU, because I’ve always been fascinated by this civilisation. This is probably why I’ve been having thoughts about a völva!reader (völur for men), a prophetess in Germanic paganism, the kind of woman who was told to be feared and revered by both mortals and gods alike because of their inextricable link to Fate. Even Odin was said to consult them. They had a powerful role in politics, as well as in everything spiritual and magical in their society. From what I’ve read, women already had a high status in the societies of the North (I like this name, for some reason - it gives them a mystical and powerful aspect in my eyes), and those northern witches were thought to be descendants of the Jötun. Their stories are really interesting ; if you haven’t read about them already, I think you would really like them.

So, to come back to the Viking!AU, I could really see one of the guys with a völva as a darling. For some reason, I immediately picture Price or Ghost ; maybe because I am biased and love them so much, but probably also because of the fact that I could see them to be almost « worshipping » their darlings. It would probably be challenging for them to try and get the attention of such a powerful and mystical being, but I could see the end result to be worth all the efforts and frustration (and the whole « I’m so needy for her » part too).

Perhaps they would stumble upon her as she is praying the gods (Freyja, Odin and Sif were apparently the deities dedicated to the völva/völur, mainly the first one as she is deeply associated with all kinds of magic). It could be a beautiful, mesmerising scene filled with things bringing all 5 senses (and maybe more ?) to attention. Since those priestesses were threatened by the rise of Christianity, the warriors would probably feel the need to protect such a sacred being. I could see this character getting close to the Healer!reader, discussing herbs and magical recipes.

I hope I’m not being too overwhelming. I just love paganism and magic so much, everything about it is so interesting.

As always, lots of love on you Friend. You may not be too well, but know that I’m not really either, and that your writing always makes things better for my little head. Please, take care and stay safe <3

As usual y'all find ways to engage me special interests and also

Mii, you're putting Witch in the Viking au. You're giving me another opportunity to use my favorite special little girl who I am insanely brain rotten for. Obviously I'm going to put her with Price, obviously. Although I do love Ghost as a worshiper.

I will disclaimer, the viking au is not magical. There's no "real" magic that the völva!reader could perform, like Witch does. But from a religious standpoint I do fucking love it.

Price obviously is heading, captaining, the expedition Soap is on. Big scary viking man who sits around pissed because he's gotta be away from home and out from under the blessed eyes of his lovely völva. He's good at his job, he loves his job, loves his boys, but he misses the pretty priestess back home. Of course you never give him the time of day, too busy communing with the gods and doing your religious duties, managing politics and all that. You probably don't even notice him lingering around the temple, trying to find the right words to ask if you'd like to share a meal with him. Have you noticed that he always brings you something from his trips? Do you pet the soft furs he brings you and think of him? Do you run your fingers along the ridges of the shells he gives you? Do you know him? Do you want to?

Oof lots of pining in this au. The viking au is for pining.

#ghoul speaks #cod x reader #x reader #x oc #cod x oc #oc: witch #hey friends I'm sorry that I have made price and witch my otp #but really you can't offer me a witch and mention that price could be her lover #and expect me to be normal about it #viking au #völva!witch

[pixiecaps]

hm okay so these are all federation owned islands. the purgatory one USED to be something known as an egg island. however it has clearly changed. this explains why the federation cucurucho cinematic referred to it as a chill place that would be heaven and paradise.

the watcher refers to them being sent there as “they were so kind to send you this way.” clearly the they is the federation. which insinuates the federation/cucurucho had some established conversation with whoever runs this island to send them here. or at least that the watcher somehow KNEW they were being sent here. but here’s the one important thing the federation knew what they were doing to the islanders because elq knew. he was aware of where he was going when he took qq’s ticket, he knew. so the federation very purposefully sent them to this godawful place while they do “maintenance” to the dark matter.

i also am taking note of the religious imagery. cucurucho calling this new island heaven and then the watcher calling them sinners and saying egg island was to be a cute place that they would have loved and specifically “People LIKE YOU do not deserve a pleasant little break from the stresses of your previous island island. so I’VE taken the liberty of changing this place.” so outright stating it knew they were coming relocated AND THEN purposefully changed the calm nature of what this island was into a hellscape as a form of punishment for the islanders because it HATES them. for whatever reason it seems to have it feels like a very passionate form of hate. it called them VERMIN. it fully leads me to believe the watcher knows a lot of information about the islanders and their pasts. or has been fed some information to believe they deserve this cruelty.

the direct contrast of this island compared to their own really strikes me as interesting because obviously they’re imprisoned on quesadilla island but purgatory truly is PURGATORY. in the lore they’ve never had to worry about dehydration, food rotting, etc. all aspects of their lives that they took blissfully for granted. almost as if the federation WANTED them to realize how good they have it. or seem to have it compared to purgatory. and as a reminder purgatory is a place to cleanse your sins so in a way the federation sending the islanders there is a way for them to get them reformed. show them true punishment for all the rule breaking. and get them to a mental state where they’re more likely to obey when they return. to be happy.

this part of what the watcher said was interesting, “i’m sure you’re already hungering and dehydrating. good. whatever makes it harder for you to live.” so again literally stating the whole point of the trials and tribulations is to make them suffer MORE.

the element of a cursed team is the most interesting because that does directly impact the attempt of working together. someone has to lose. someone will lose. “What team is that? Can you figure that out? No.” this felt interesting to me because with the whole thought of a cursed team it seems like you could figure it out easily. i’d say the majority of the audience already has their guesses. but i was thinking about taking this sentence very LITERALLY. they can’t figure it out. because it’s not decided yet. it’ll be decided at the end. perhaps. maybe. who fucking knows. but obviously the threat of all their lives and the eggs is an interesting aspect because that means if theres one cursed team the other two won’t have that punishment if they lose. whichever of the three teams wins gets a “big prize” but the main focus is on this supposed cursed team. because if THEY lose then the eggs are all dead. the probability is very interesting to me. i really wonder why that team cursed specifically and how its chosen.

anyways that was interesting

#qsmp analysis

[randomblack-girl]

Astro notes 🧜🏾‍♀️

I noticed Saturn in the 9th house might show signs of religious issues like maybe religious beliefs were pushed onto them when they were young and this made them dislike religion or feel uncomfortable with it. I have this placement and I hate when people start talking to me about religion. Especially to fix my problems like girl God isn't gonna fix my crippling depression...enough

This could also show signs of going to college late or not wanting to. Maybe being conservative? But I haven't seen that, quite the opposite surprisingly.

Jupiter in the first house come off as nerdy or like they know a lot or very ditzy maybe both.

I've noticed sag risings, degrees, or jupiter rising have eye problems.

Saturn in the 6th house like to go on diets or they just do for some reason. And they stick to it they take their health seriously probably work out often too.

Pisces venus/5th house love anything with romance, fantasy, magic and spiritual stuff like Crystals. Here's some recommendations for yall 😍

Caraval by Stephanie Garber I love this book SO MUCH just read all 3 books and her other series once upon a broken heart eats too

Idc imma put it here...The Selection series and I don't wanna hear no slander 🙅🏾‍♀️

Now you see me- the movie I just watched it and omg why is it so good !?

I think the 5th house talks about music taste along with venus. My sister has a sag venus and listens to music in Spanish she also has Uranus in her 5th house and listens to pop. And I'd say music that isn't mainstream she loves Rina Sawayama and Rosalia.

I have pisces venus in my 5th house and I listen to mostly pop-indie music. I'm a pop and rnb girlie. I don't listen to mainstream music really and I kinda write mainstream artists off sometimes. My favorite artists are probably tyler the creator and willow. I also don't really "stan" anyone I really just listen to whatever is good. I rarely stick to an artist or have a favorite. I listen to one or two songs by one artist usually then move on its rare for me to like most of their music. I noticed something similar with my sister.

I have lilith in the 11th house and tell me why damn near my whole grade hated me 😻🤭. It was mostly guys too and I also experienced cyber bullying.

Lilith in the 6th house might show issues with their health or body. I knew someone who has this placement and they have diabetes. But it could just mean being insecure about their body.

Lilith in the 11th house are the ones sending and getting n*des too like unsolicited pictures or sexual comments. Maybe they do s*x work online or thought of it. Anything negative or sexual that includes the internet. Omg this placement reminds me of Kat from Euphoria!! Damn no wonder I related to her 💀

Chiron in the 9th house might show religious trauma. This is the placement for people who grew up in the black church...iykyk.

Venus in the 2nd house have nice lips like plump and little with a prominent cupids bow. My sister has this placement and she has such cute lips!

Capricorn rising and Saturn aspects to the asc tend to be skinny the type to eat whatever and never gain weight. It could be an insecurity I have Saturn square my asc and I've always been insecure about being skinny. I've also noticed they can be tall or look tall. Basically the tall and lanky type.

8th house neptune/pisces idk but something with drugs. May become addicted to substances, die from them, die in mysterious ways.

I knew someone with their sun in the 12th house and they talked about not knowing themself and being a different person to fit in.

Gemini moons love to read but they might struggle to actually read because of their other interests.

Moon in the 8th house might be like their mom. They might look like their mom or just be similar. Just a theory but maybe it would be like that with other planets like sun in the 8th house might be like the father, venus might be like their partner, mercury like their sibling. But I'm not sure.

Leo, 5th house placements, or sun dominant might love yellow, gold, and stuff with the sun. I'm sun dominant and love gold and sun jewelry I kinda refuse to wear silver unless I have to 🤭.

Moon people might love silver I know a guy who had moon in his first house who loved silver.

Capricorn rising/Saturn rising might have something with their bones. I know a guy who is cancer rising with Saturn in his first house who talked about getting silver grills. He also had pointy knees 😭 and his teeth were sharp, fang like? And he talked about hating them. He was also tall (he was so fine chile 😩) but we must stay focused!

Gemini men will tell you anything chile...I was dating (this was middle school so I don't really claim him but anyway) this guy with a gemini venus. He told me he was into black girls (whole time he's racist) and ended up cheating on me with a white girl 😭. Now again this was middle school so take it with a grain of salt ig.

Idc what planets but having a lot of planets in the 4th house is usually not a good thing 😬. Most people with this I've noticed had a traumatic childhood.

#astro observations #zodiac signs #saturn placements #jupiter in the first house #4th house #astrology #Capricorn #leo #5th house #chiron #Lilith

[hotdogdynamitezzz]

Tough Placements that Indicate a Hard Life | 1

Disclaimer: having these placements does not automatically make your life hard, these are common placement patterns dedicated to each SPECIFIC area of life. The Financial and Identity sections are now available in PART 2!

MASTERLIST

These are split into two sections! In part two there will be more sections :) Enjoy.

1. Home life and Emotions.

2. Enemies.

Family Life & Emotionality:

Sun in 8th House: Usually these people have a strained relationship with their dad or the father figure in the family. Often times the dad is powerful and has gained mounts of success and respect, however, the dad usually has moments where he loses himself, can’t remain reliable, is mean towards the family, and is an indicator of a dad who wastes the families income yet they are seen as a hero or alpha by other males due to the sun’s glorious or even famous disposition. However, the 8th house hides the dad’s problems through a heroic image and gives the child trust issues because their dad is nothing like people claim to know. It’s also an indicator of health problems and the death of the father early on in the child's life.

Moon in the 6th House: This one I ignored before until I dug deeper. The effects of the moon here can grant a turbulent daily life full of emotional ups and downs, yet they are trained to hide it just as well as 8th house moons because their mother figures were insanely critical of them and didn’t accept any sign of emotions or expression. I feel bad for those who are neurodivergent and have this placement because the maternal figure probably expected perfection and conformity in how the child acts and thinks. Or else, I've seen these moms act like they don’t even know their kids unless they achieved an outstanding goal. Basically, a lot of internalized pain with this placement, and often you encounter emotionally unstable people in public or have faced a painful animal death in your family. Watch out for health problems and depression as Mercury rules over Virgo/6th house, and the moon combined with mercurial energy tends to suffer a lot with their mental health. 

Moon in Scorpio: A classic hard family life placement. I’ve never met a Scorpio moon who didn’t suffer from family problems, specifically the mother figure. Their mother tried to gaslight, compete, or even withhold these moon signs from their friends or hobbies simply because the mother never viewed these things of worth or would become suspicious of new people. Blackmail is common, and so are some financial issues within the family. You’re probably the detective in your family and have a natural talent to locate hidden items. These people just want to feel accepted by their mom or family no matter how much they rebel or fight it. They crave true family love and stability.

Moon opposite/conjunct Neptune: I’ve met some people and I hate to say this...but delusional rings a bell. They want to believe they are loved by others and that people have the best intentions for them because that answer was often unclear in their home life. So as a result of an incredible amount of manipulation from the family, this person really does think toxic love could be healthy, or that whatever someone labels them as they internalize it and see themselves as a reflection of what others want. There could’ve been an issue of substance abuse within the family, or just indulgence in anything. Toxic religious views or purity culture may have been forced onto you as Neptune is associated with the higher realm and religion. They do love to connect with others but usually miss the red flags. Don’t get caught up in gossip or labels because you have a tendency to agree with most irrational reasonings as moon - neptune people can empathize with all sides of a situation. Please take time to accept yourself first before seeking it out in groups.

Moon conjunct/square Pluto: Power struggles in the family are very common with this aspect, I’ve also met some people who are very explosive. I’d say they have such intense emotions overwhelming them to the point where they actually can’t even hide them. They also similar to a Scorpio moon spend a great deal of their time trying to be accepted by the mom or family but end up feeling resentment and jealousy. The difference is I repeatedly see the same pattern with this aspect and not even having a physical or emotional home. It’s destroyed literally or figuratively, they crave an actual home the most and are prone to always moving and never having a stable home life. They are paranoid about any intruder or loss in the home, and their birth was very intense that may have almost resulted in the mother dying too. To end this, I know most people think this aspect hides their emotions but I’ve seen the opposite with the conjunction and square as if they just explode and go ice cold periodically. 

Pluto in the 2nd/4th House: Pluto in the 2nd accounts for broken confidence and never feeling good enough, a fear of failure and loss overcomes them and usually they were withheld physical possessions they found important for their mental health as a child like a teddy bear to sleep. People try to target their valuables and money, often being the center of scandals because they want to ruin this individual’s worth on every level. Jealousy runs high as it’s associated with venus and gifted resources. Pluto in 4th could honestly manifest as literal homelessness or an extremely powerful yet deceitful family. It reminds me of the royal family where they have this image of being perfect and elegant but on the inside, there’s tremendous amounts of backstabbing, lies, and very strict training or parenting. Usually, it’s always held together or torn apart by money and public affairs too interestingly.

Saturn in the 4th House: Strict parents, a very pushy family who always tried to control what you do and never let you have much freedom to figure out what YOU really want to do with your life. Parents are overprotective and hover over the child nonstop. You’re sheltered but also harshly taught and expected to perform without fail. You really do crave that emotional freedom to just laugh, be stupid, and have fun in your childhood. But, that was usually restricted as Saturn is cold and restrictive in nature. There could’ve been the death of the dad within the family or a very karmic lesson centered around the dad they must learn for the family’s benefit. 

Lilith in 4th House: It’s giving evil stepmom vibes I’m sorry. The mother could’ve sought to make your family hate you and spread lies, or even separate you from the family entirely. There’s a big theme of jealousy, resentment, and rumours with this. Expect to be the center of family gossip and feel betrayed by mother figures. Good luck bbys...

Lilith in the 8th House: Similar to the 4th house alternatively, but also entirely different. Basically, Lilith here brings some sort of dark feminine trauma into your life. I’ve known people whose moms always humiliated them, were too open or restrictive about intimacy and sex, or even shamed the child for their family members’ death. it’s just so much dark energy present in the individual’s life that made them want to hide and feel ashamed of themselves when everything is out of their control and they’re usually innocent. It’s powerful but way too much to handle for the individual.

Enemies:

Pluto in the 6th House: This is extremely difficult as your health might fail you sometimes. You are prone to getting sick more than the rest and your daily life is filled with unfortunate events or random enemies popping up when you’re just minding your business sheesh. Sometimes you don’t trust healthcare or have negative experiences with hospitals because they could’ve messed up before. Sticking to a daily routine is hard because you are forced to constantly restructure yourself and your life as nothing can really manage or predict the things you go through. I have Pluto transiting my 6th house right now and lemme tell you it’s a bitch. Lowkey you witness random shady events that occur in public too, I call this the undercover cop placement.

Pluto in the 10th House: It holds a lot of power but you always face people trying to tear you down out of spite because of your success. This is a very influential placement that exposes you to the public and your reputation is polarizing due to rumours spread and power dynamics in your relationship with your public image and career. Usually, these rumours are wrong too, and people purposely target you because they see your influence and innovative ways as a threat. You want to hide from the public but you just can’t. You have a wide audience of people watching you and sometimes it feels like you never get a break. At the end of the day, no matter how much you’re torn down I always see this placement make it big with whatever they choose to do.

Uranus in the 8th House: Spiritual hauntings or predictive dreams are common here. You could have spirits in your home that are loud and like to cause a ruckus just to scare you. There’s also a sensitivity to energies and people can sense this. People seek to expose your secrets online or you randomly find yourself going viral for something horribly embarrassing lol. Either way, this placement gets their secrets, identity, and income leaked online at some point due to enemies that randomly dislike you out of the blue. Honestly, you may not feel safe talking to people about anything because you always feel judged and critiqued for your own inquisitive thoughts or creative ideas. People don’t want to see you sparkle and stand out so they try to make you seem weird.  

Neptune in the 10th House: People don’t really know who you are, they project their insecurities onto you and make it seem like you’re an awful or godsent person. Often time and time again your words are taken heavily out of context and twisted into phrases that don’t reflect who you are. It can feel impossible to connect with people or simply just speak up about anything due to this twisted nature that is present in your workspace dynamic. I see superiors trying to take advantage of your work and claiming it as their own so be careful and self-preserve your creations a bit. You don’t have to constantly help people to the point of your downfall.

Saturn in the 1st House: Lessons are taught in self-expression and structuring your identity. Through these lessons, people can treat you harsher than usual and look down on you. There’s often either an intimidated or condescending tone in people’s voices when they interact with you. Usually, these people are quite lonely for some time as others don’t readily accept them and view them as mean when they’re very nice people. Because the 1st house deals with how we perceive the world, you experience it through a lonely and hurt lens. It’s important to know once you prove your enemies wrong you cannot look down on others as Saturn brings karma here.

8th House ruler in the 6th House: the amount of crazy shit that goes on is undeniable. It’s a bit like Pluto in the 6th house except all the aspects of your 8th house are placed into your daily life. You could very well encounter dangerous people, face weird circumstances, or even work in the occult somehow. Look at the sign in your 8th house and that often encompasses your experiences.

Chiron/Pluto in the 11th House: friends and the internet become your wounded healer. You probably felt like the third wheel in a lot of friendships and most of them talked behind your back. I can definitely see this placement wanting to isolate themselves but hurting from the loneliness. Your ideas were never taken seriously no matter the work and originality you put in but once someone else does it, suddenly it’s accepted and normalized.

Lilith in the 7th House: Whenever you crush on someone or commit to a romantic relationship there’s ALWAYS a third party that is jealous of you and wants to destroy your relationship. Or, the person you’re involved with hides secrets from you and tears down your confidence. Usually, feminine individuals are your enemies as Lilith is in a venus-ruled house. Rumours are frequent here too as this is the house of rumours and open enemies. Lilith rules over what you are and not what you are seen as unless it is aspecting the ascendant, so this combination creates a persona of underlying mischief or intentions other people see in you as a threat even if you’re just a baddie going through their day.

#astrology observations #astro community #astro observations #astroblr #astrology #zodiac #zodiac signs #12 signs #aquarius #aries #leo #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #gemini #cancer #virgo #pisces #taurus #astro observation #astrology notes #astro notes #astrology community #horoscope #zodiac wheel #tarotblr #love reading #birth chart #astro thoughts

[15-lizards]

Hi I love the Stormlands and your wonderful posts is the only insight I’ve seen of the unloved Stormlands for clothes 😍 Would it be ok if you could elaborate on the clothes and styles with house baratheon in the steffon and cassava era? How do you think baratheon court changed from rhalle Targaryen to cassana estermont to renly? Do you think they had more Targaryen influences with rhalle or she embraced Baratheon styles, I have complete blank on what cassana era would be but I can so see renly going tyrell!!! Thoughts???? I’m so so loving your series my girl!!!😍😍😍 baratheon style and Stormlands get so unloved even the masters didn’t add their tree in the book they made for Robert

Ofc!!! The stormlands are my unloved favorite, and I’ve been meaning to get into them more so let’s go girls 🏃🏻‍♀️

I think the main aspect of stormlands clothing is durability. They need something that can last the constant harsh rain and wind and terrain. The air is probably always damp and the ground is rocky, so clothing is mostly sturdy cottons and other fibers, along with thicker coats or jackets made of animal skin to keep rain off. Hair is covered too, more for practical reasons than religious

Stormlander men keep it simple, partially bc they’re hard masculine #real men (Steffon doesn’t fuck with that “girly” shit at kings landing) and partially bc it’s just easier to deal with. Life is harder in the stormlands, and it would be even more difficult if they had long clothing and belts and jewelry getting in the way. Just leather, wool, and anger issues

They still have fancy clothing and such, but it’s not worn nearly as often and Stormlanders idea of “fancy” is probably different from the Reaches. Nice articles are probably reused and saved for important occasions. Detailed embroidering and patterned fabric are probably a luxury, so only the richer houses have that kind of stuff. However it’s my headcanon that there is a lot of precious metals in the mountains of the Stormlands, so essentially everyone has access to it for their accessories

And honestly smallfolk clothing isn’t that much different than most minor nobles. It’s essentially the same type of fabrics and layers, though not as neatly made. Smallfolk clothing can be defined as rough wool shifts, sturdy pants, one or two stiff overlayers tied with corded belts. Clothing good for work and marching to endless wars in the dornish marches

Also I kinda love the idea of more folk-like clothing worn by smallfolk on holidays and special occasions. Like each area of the stormlands and every village has their own variation of cultural clothing, and it gives them something nice to wear on holidays instead of old scratchy wool. Since Cassanna is a character in name only, I have a headcanon that she was a big promoter of cultural events native to the stormlands, and frequently paid for tourneys and festivals where Stormlanders could come together and celebrate more

#asoiaf #asoiaf hair and clothing #finally some love for my Stormlanders #my underdeveloped faves

[madameducyberversailles]

Doing Mehndi/Henna with the 141+Los Vaqueros

In honour of the past Eid (why do I have so many undone Eid fics on my main) I will be making a set of headcannons for Eid even though it was a month ago because I want to and time is an illusion. Also, reader is South Asian-coded, and I’ll use gender-neutral pronouns but it’s kind of fem leaning due to the cultural aspect but all are welcome!!

(Also if I didn’t spell anything right please let me know I’m just writing this in a hurry I am so sorry) 

Warnings: mentions of violence and war, foreign language use. 

Doing Mehndi/Henna for the 141 + Los Vaqueros 

There was some downtime in the base after a successful mission just a few days ago, meaning that everyone was trying to relax after the harrowing mission that took so much time and effort and caused so much pain to everyone. Finally, it was time for some rest and relaxation, and the base’s atmosphere was a little more calm than the frantic hustle just days ago. Funny how it all changes so fast, but it is what it is, and probably for the better. 

You sat at a table with a small conical tube, piping a brown paste out onto your skin, using the tube as a calligrapher uses a pen, or an artist uses a paintbrush, to draw floral and fractal designs upon your skin. The reason you were being so artistic today? The downtime was just perfect, right at the end of Ramadan, meaning that it was time to celebrate not only the mission but also the completion of a religious month of fasting. The paste would dry and leave a natural, temporary tattoo on your hands, and as you painstaking created the masterpiece, people would stop by and see what you were doing. 

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley:

He sees you putting some kind of paste on your arm and is...confused. 

‘Bloody hell is that’ the first thing into his mind and out of his mouth, actually. Mans is big confuzzled 

You tell him its Mehndi or Henna, and he...doesn’t know. Wasn’t really exposed to different cultures as a kid, and difference was not seen as something to be celebrated. 

Is very curious. He appreciates the time and art, as he has tattoos that took time to make. He’s interested in what’s going on cause it’s you and he cares about what you do and how you are, shhhh

He has no idea how it works. The Hell you mean, it’s a tattoo? Doesn’t believe you. What do you mean this paste will leave a temporary tattoo? Is curious. 

Will use this as an opportunity to sit with you and learn about you

If you explain it to him, he’ll not say anything and at first you think it’s because he’s disinterested, but he is actually quite focused on what you tell him and is absorbing the information. He is learning the history behind the art and like his tattoos, he has an appreciation for wearable art. 

He likes watching you sketch out the designs on your skin. It’s nice to see flowers and leaves and birds and pretty things after all the blood in the military. 

He will ask questions about what kind of designs, the longevity of the art, and if they’re restricted to a certain aesthetic. Will ask only a few questions, but its because he mostly likes just watching you do your thing. It’s satisfying to see it. 

If you ask to do some on his arm, there is a 50/50 chance he’ll let you, because on the one hand its time consuming to do on him and wait for it to dry and he’s a busy man most of the time, but on the other its wearable art and looks relaxing. Whether or not he does let you depends on how close you guys are. 

But if you hand him the mehndi tube and allow him to draw something on you...your friendship points in his mental scoreboard just skyrocket. You’re letting him make something for you to wear on your arm? Like a tattoo? You’ll wear a design a la Riley? He is willing to do anything for you now. 

He’s not the best at drawing but he does have good control over his hand-eye coordination, so his designs are not that bad. He just needs time to decide what the hell to draw on you...give him ideas please. He will need your help with the tube as this man has sausages for fingers, and he’s trying, please be patient. Keep a few Q tips and tissues handy for wiping off the few mistakes he may make. 

He likes more of the floral designs, especially the intricate floral fractals. Flowers are pretty, and he knows how unique designs ought to be appreciated. 

He’s a bit of a perfectionist so be prepared for a numb arm afterward. But it’ll be work it when you see the joy in his eyes when he finishes it to his liking.

Will wait for it to dry with you if he’s not busy. He needs down time too, and spending time learning about something else is nice you’re also just really nice company and he feels bad that your religious holiday is being spent all alone

Will genuinely thank you if you do a design on him or let him do a design on you. It makes something in his heart warm up at the thought of knowing that he made something for someone else and its not only artistic, but you’re wearing it with pride. If you actually show it off he’ll huff about it but its a farce cause his posture improves and his chest is puffed out at the fact you’re showing it off.

If you were close enough that you did a design on him and it starts to wear away he will march up to you whatever time he can and demanding you retrace it. Or give him a new one. It’s like a friendship bracelet, GIVE!

All in all, he likes it. Anytime you do Mehndi from then on, he’ll be there, either chilling with you or getting some on himself too. 

Johnny ‘Soap’ MacTavish

He spots you sitting down and squirting something on your skin. 

‘What is that?’ Genuinely intrigued and curious. Likes the designs! 

You did those yourself? That’s so cool! The patience and artistic ability is quite interesting to him. 

If you tell him the history behind Mehndi/Henna, he’ll ask questions and engage in conversations about it. He has an appreciation for the historical aspect, and he’ll likely ask multiple questions. 

He’ll watch you do it but he’ll also get fidgety after a while. You have to wait for it to dry too. But he’s not leaving! He’ll just need to move around a bit. 

If you ask him to get anything for you for nourishment he will. He’ll feed you himself but also tease you while you’re at it. 

Will blow on it to help it dry. When you tell him its cold he’ll just keep doing it because he’s a gremlin. 

Finds it satisfying to watch. Will make suggestions on what to do next. If you incorporate it, he’d be over the moon! Just know that he’ll suggest some joke stuff and will veer from the intended aesthetic, so it’s up to you at that point. 

There are some trends in mehndi where people who get their mehndi done will hide little cameos or names of people in their designs. Soap will suggest his name cheekily, believe me, but if you actually do it, he’d be forever thankful and in awe that you’d allowed him that honour. To him its like getting his name tattooed on you so its a high degree of respect given. 

If you offer to do some on him he’d be glad to! He’ll eagerly give you his arm and ask you to either go ham or will have a design in mind. If you have his name in your design somewhere he will ask for yours too, it’s only fair! Bestie’s honour! 

If you let him do a design on your skin, he’d be floored. He’d be so eager and happy! He grabs the tube and is ready! You’ll just have to limit him cause his imagination is going wild so please just tell him what to do before you sign some Ursula-esque contract and end up with some stupid-ass emoji or slogan like ‘Soap waz here’ on your skin for the next few days. 

Surprisingly, he’s very good with handling the mehndi tube. He was named Soap for a reason, and he’s very good at putting the right amount of pressure for the right design. Not the best artistically but he takes his time and is genuinely careful with the fun. He treats it like a tattoo, it’s something he’ll spend time on. 

That said, he is also an eager beaver and in his excitement he may, at any point, accidentally mess up some wet mehndi. When he does so, he will absolutely be a mess about it and apologize profusely for it. Help him please, keep some tissues nearby, please forgive him too he promises he didn’t mean it!! 

If you allow it on a visible part of you he’ll be so happy to see it. If you actively show it off and tell the others he did it he’ll enthusiastically tell them how he did it because he’s just so happy he did that! Will have his arm around you too, you’re precious now for letting him do that. Will take offense when the others may not believe that he was the one who made that part of your mehndi.

When he’s done he’ll chat and eat with you, and make sure you’re okay. If your design is on the inside of your hand he will make a point to feed you himself. It makes him happy to do so. 

He really likes the fractal designs, the ones that look like multiple layers of leaves or scales, lattice patterns are nice for him to look at. 

If the design you give him starts to fade, he will ask for another one. Will show off every one you do for him. 

Cptn. John Price

Price is not a complete stranger to the art, but it is one that he’s never really seen up close. He is aware from his life that there are other civilians he’s seen in the city have it done, he has travelled before as well and seen it too, so not entirely unfamiliar but very clueless. Seeing you do it awakens a curiosity, and he wants to know how its done. 

He is a history nut, not that many people will know, so please tell him everything. Let him know the history of what you’re doing, its purpose, and how it relates to the holiday, etc. 

Price enjoys thinking about other perspectives, so if you ramble on he’ll listen. It’s nice to hear some chatter about creative things rather than fearmongers, warlords, cartels and such. He’s happy to listen. 

Will watch with attention as you do it, and when you talk to him he will engage in conversation as he absorbs the information. Has some questions and they’re all fairly relevant, Will periodically hum in thought or shift or gesture, showing you that he is in fact listening, and sometimes in the middle will interrupt to talk to you about something you said. The best part is when he interrupts you after you tell him the art of mehndi is thousands of years old...now he’s making mental notes and wanting to know more. 

Will absolutely talk with you for the entire time you’re waiting for it to dry. Has the patience of a saint. The only time he’ll leave is if its an emergency, or if there’s a lot of paperwork he’ll just grab it from his office to do near you while you wait. Will let you talk about whatever you want. But if you let him talk you both are going to be there a while, John’s a very charismatic person and easy to talk to, so you could find yourself sitting for 3 hours just talking to him when your mehndi dries in half that time. But it’s time well spent, he absolutely appreciates it. 

If you need him to get you any food, he is already on it, and regardless of which side of your hand the design is, he is a gentleman and will feed it to you. The best. 

Likes to watch you do the designs, it’s satisfying to watch. He really likes quiet, creative times. 

If he accidentally messes up your design by shifting and wiping it off he will not stop thinking about it for the next week. Forgive him please he didn’t mean it! He feels really bad and will offer help to fix it or clean it up. The more intricate it is the worse he feels. 

If you want to do some on him, he might let you do it, just a small one in a hidden place. It has more meaning for him that way, and he also doesn’t know if he’s even allowed to have such things peak out, so he just wants to keep it on the low. Also it feels like a piece of you, someone he cares for, so its very personal to Price and he’s keeping it discreet like a well-loved secret. He’s so proud of it though. Others might notice, cause he will try to show it off in subtle ways. He always feels a smile on his lips when he notices that you notice the design. 

When Price asks for the design he’ll also deviate from the aesthetic, maybe make it something else a little more to his interests, as the cultural rules of the aesthetic are not one he completely understands, as he thinks of it like a tattoo as well if just a little more flowery. If you do something floral or whatever he’d still appreciate it, but if you indulge in it by like, making it a collage of compiled mehndi aesthetic to make a shape similar to what he wants, he’d beam about it for months, long after that design fades. He will take numerous pictures of it but they’re all blurry cause he uses a phone like a grandpa and only a few of them turn out slightly legible.

If you let him do one on you? Price’s entire body is filled with warmth. You’re letting him design something on your body? Something that has cultural relevance to you, and in a design he wants? He feels honoured. He will have the highest reverence for that moment, it feels like you’ve given him a tremendous amount of trust. Price will actually try to back away a few times as he feels he might not have the cultural relevancy to administer it, but if you insist, he’d be so ecstatic. He is going to do his absolute best, Captain’s honour! 

That being said, his drawing skills aren’t the best, so he’d try to talk about it a little bit. You’ll need to teach him how to grip and use the cone because otherwise its either too much or too little pressure, no in between. 

Sausage fingers again, so please keep some tissues on hand. It will take time, but he is meticulous, he wants to make you proud and do you justice. 

It comes out a little more austere than the usual flowery lines of traditional mehndi, but anyone can see it is made with love. Price is proud of it at the end, but will seek your approval before he dreams of celebrating that accomplishment. When you give your approval, he is glowing and thinking about any compliment you may have given him as he waits for sleep that night. 

Once the mehndi vanishes, he’s sad to see it go, but is eager for another one should you ever do it again. So every Eid or any type of holiday you may celebrate, he will pop in to check on you and if he sees you doing mehndi, he’ll sit down and ask if you can do some on him too. You didn’t hear this from me but he discovered Pinterest mehndi/henna designs and has a...hundred saved.

He really likes the mehndi and has a reverence for it now, and makes a point to sit with you and give even one greeting any time there is a cultural or religious holiday to celebrate it in some way with you. 

Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick

When he sees it he will automatically pull up a seat and sit next to you, eyes wide, staring at it. You’d think he was a scientist looking at a newly discovered microbe. 

The first thing out of his mouth is: ‘Bloody hell that’s gorgeous’. Is very intrigued. Eyeballing your design. 

Could sit and watch for hours. It feels therapeutic to him to just watch mindlessly as a cone leaves an artistic trail on your skin. Is absolutely hypnotized. 

Will be so glad if you tell him what you’re doing. Seriously, creativity is something he cannot appreciate enough. Probably the most viscerally appreciative of this art out of everyone. 

Will literally sit next to you watching for hours or talking non-stop with how happy he is to see this going on. There is no in between, don’t ask. Gaz deserves to speak. 

Please, please for the love of humanity tell him the history of it. Nerd wants to know. It. All. He will soak up the information like a sponge and will relentlessly look up designs and look at the history of it. He can’t believe this form of tattooing is that old! He can’t wait to gush about it with you, seriously. 

He would try to guess what your design is. He would watch the lines and try to predict what you’re going to draw next. It becomes a game between you both, and to humor him, sometimes, you would draw what he guessed. Hey, he gives good ideas. 

He will actually look up designs and marvel at them and give you ideas if you want. He’s very considerate of the art and wants to see how you do it. If you do the signs he suggests, he’d be over the moon! 

If you do some on him, he’d be out of orbit. He’s so pumped when you do something with mehndi on his skin, and he’ll show off the colours and designs to anyone he sees. Will gush for days and will whine when the design starts to fade. 

He really likes fictional characters so he will ask for symbols, logos, etc, but he will also try to incorporate the traditional mehndi designs as to him the traditions need to be respect regardless of his out-of-pocket requests for some mehndi designs. He will ask for memes I am so sorry.

If you let him do any mehndi designs on you...WHOOO BOI, his soul is A S C E N D E D. Out of this galaxy. He’s so thankful, he honestly is so honoured he is ready to give his life for you. 

He will ask what you’d like from him, and will do his absolute best, Soldier’s honour, he will use his steadiest hand. He’s very good with his hand-to-eye coordination, and he is very good at drawing from a reference and replicating it he’s not the best without one tbh

Will take his time and it will take a while. Perhaps a few hours, depending on how complicated or exact you want the design. He’ll try to challenge himself and also honour your hands with an intricate design so unless you have time, are able to go without food for a bit (or plan ahead and have it with you) and are okay with almost complete silence as Gaz works, choose something simpler. Please, he really wants to do good by you. When he’s done you will be floored I promise. 

Once the design fades he will ask when is the next time you do mehndi, and will respect your decision if you choose to do it only on holidays, but if you just whip out the tube and offer to do one, he’ll beam like the sun for the rest of the day. Nothing will happen to that smile no matter what. 

Has a high respect for the creative craft and can’t wait to see you the next time you do it, and is so heavily invested you’ll think he invented it. A wonderful buddy for the arts and cherishes the time and knowledge you gave him. 

Col. Alejandro Vargas

He literally stops to look the first time he sees it. ‘What are you doing, cariño?’

He lives in Las Almas, and there is Middle-Eastern history in Latin America including Mexico, so it is probable that he has seen women have these designs on them before, or knows of their existence and use. But the intricate designs are very much a subject of interest, and to see you do it makes him ponder if there is a special reason you’d do it. 

When you tell him why, he’s surprised as to why he didn’t connect the dots but he’ll sit down and watch, with your permission. He’ll talk to you as you do it, wanting to spend time with a friend and a religious holiday is the perfect excuse, no?

He’s not truly interested in history unless its the history of those who he knows or wants to know about, both friends and foes alike, but if you tell him he’ll gladly listen! He wants to get to know each and every one of his friends better and what better way than to listen to them. 

He will be a bit shook when you tell him that it’s thousands of years old. Like on the one hand it makes sense but on the other, they knew how to do this thousands of years ago? When you tell him the history he will interrupt a few times and converse with you, you’ll have to actually tell him if you need a moment to talk, but he is always respectful and engaged when you talk to him, a proper gentleman. 

While some from 141 may try to guess what you’ll do next, Alejandro will actually ask you what you’re drawing next, wondering if there is a process to the way you’re thinking of doing your designs. He will try to guess like Gaz, but mostly he will try to understand your own artistic visions and where they stem from. Psychology of Mehndi taught by Col. Alejandro Vargas, anyone?

If you ask him to bring you some food or water he is speedwalking and grabbing you as much nourishment as possible. If you’re doing something he can see is intricate he will make a whole meal platter because ‘your creative brain needs energy, no? and will cook you something quick and easy to eat. He will feed you though, not letting you touch or halt the process, because he’s that considerate. Just be careful when he tries to give you water, ask for a straw or you might clink your teeth against the glass when he tries to get you hydrated, bless him.

He’ll ask questions about the designs and your own experience with it, expressing a vested interest in your connection to the art as he’s more used to one type of culture, so if you come from a different culture then he’ll want to know about your own cultural experiences and compare. He will also tell you stories of the few times he’s seen mehndi on people. He will also try to pronounce it as closely as possible to the way you do, he has a lot of respect for different languages and cultures. 

If you offer to let him do a design he is both very honoured and also extremely nervous, simply because he had never done it before and while he is very good at using weapons, art was not his best subject in school and he will need guidance. Please be patient with him, and have some tissues ready to use, he will need the whole box by the end. He is determined to do your trust good.

Will make designs based upon his own iterations of what would be acceptable from what he’s seen of your designs and those of the past. He knows that it is often floral patterning, so he will try to make something unique. It might not be as intricate but one can easily see it is heartfelt.

If you let him sneak his name anywhere or sign his design? You’re forever one of his favourite people like that’s such a high honour to him, you’re family now. He is protecting you so hard for allowing him a chance to do something creative, nice and sweet. And if you show it off? The man’s chest is puffed up, and he never stops smiling. The rest of Los Vaqueros actually worry that something has happened to one of his enemies. 

Now, Alejandro knows it is originally an art meant for mostly women, so if you offer to do some for him, he will assess the situation and likely say he’s not sure or a soft no. If you insist upon it though, he will allow you one design, something preferably in a small place as he is at work often and so he will likely want to have it be small and personal and somewhat hidden, like the inside of his elbow or between his fingers, a small one inside his wrist, that kind of thing. If you still make it intricate, dear God he is the happiest alive. Will subtly show it off like Price would, too, as he is so proud to wear something by you. If anyone in Los Vaqueros makes fun of him for it though they’ve fucked up. No one insults a gift from you!

He prefers designs that are less floral but definitely has a softer aesthetic, and if you do something that depicts Mexican culture, he’s over the moon and will actually show it off all the time. He’d be more towards animal-like designs.

If you did one on him and it fades, he is sad to see it go but does not demand to make it happen again. He knows the religious importance and just subtly asks you when the next holiday is, and if you’re doing mehndi for it. But if you notice and just offer to touch it up he will not stop you. The soft look in his eye and his relaxed posture show how thankful he is to be treated to this.

Other members of Los Vaqueros may actually come to you too after seeing what you did for their leader, as Alejandro repays your artistry by telling others who are interested. On some days when there is no missions and it is a more civilian time, the partners and children of the Vaqueros may come to you too for mehndi/henna. You could make a business out of it, just saying. 

Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Parra 

Purest angel is confused but so very into it. You’re putting paste onto your arm and its coming out in pretty designs? Wow! He needs to know more asap. 

He’s going to sit and stare at it, tilting his head and following the directions of your hand. He looks like a curious puppy as he quietly watches you. 

He is quiet curious, and will ask very quietly about what it is you are doing. If you tell him its for a religious celebration, he’ll listen intently. He will sit and listen to you without speaking or interrupting, saving any questions for last. Like Alejandro, he has some experience with differing cultures and wants to give you as much respect as he can, cause you do the same for him. 

You mean this is thousands of years old?! Is incredulous but in a good way. Genuinely cannot believe it but it makes him believe in humanity more because he thinks of it as representing innate human goodness in creation than destruction. Is genuinely impressed and will try to do more research on his own time.

When he hears its a religious celebration his heart kind of breaks and he looks like a wounded puppy cause he feels awful knowing that he’s done nothing, even if he’s not consciously at fault he does feel really bad. He’ll then spent the entire time you are doing your mehndi, and the rest of the day, doing everything your mind can come up with but first he’ll enjoy mehndi with you because that is what you’re doing right now. 

Tell him about your culture. PLEASE. He wants to hear more about the outside world and about the people he works with and would love love love to vicariously travel through you when you tell him about every experience you have had with mehndi. He needs to know so leave no detail out. 

Like Alejandro, he will not try to guess but will observe and ask what you’re making, wanting to hear the process and familiarize himself with the traditions of the art, or just your own style and creativity if you’re not going traditional. He just likes to see what others do, he likes observing people he almost got knocked out for it once by an angry misunderstanding Alejandro years ago but it never got too big and they’ve been friends since. It’s very different from traditional Mexican arts so he will be very interested to learn of it, a very visual learner. Stares at your arm the way a scientist stares into the microscope at a tardigrade of interest. Please forgive him he’s just very curious-

If you ask him to get you food or water he absolutely will because he was raised to be the most gentlemanly of gentlemen in Las Almas. He will give you water in a straw to prevent spilling and have some food that he can just scoop and make it easy for you to bite into at your own time, giving you pace to eat when you’re ready. He is an okay enough cook for simple recipes so expect something with eggs or veggies, something with little cleanup or change of breaking. He will hold the food out and let you eat when you’d like, or if its on a stick just let you munch off the skewer to prevent you from losing time. 

If you offer to do a design with him as an inspiration or part of it anywhere, he is going to whisper a thousand good wishes of health, luck, prosperity, fertility, wealth, happiness, wellness, safety, fortune, every blessing under the sun. You want to put something on your skin in remembrance of him? He is deceased. He will die and kill for you and name an operation after you, you’re the best-

He would love anything you do, even if its just his initials, and he will always always smile when he sees you in public. He would love his initials or name hidden like a signature on the fanciest cast even though there is no injury. Is so flattered. The more elaborate you do it, the closer he comes to grateful tears. 

If you offer to do some on him, his sleeves are getting rolled up faster than Snoop Dogg can roll a joint. He will excitedly hold out his hands and actually tells you to go ham. If you do take a minute or so to ask what he wants he’ll give an honest answer but it might be incoherent just cause he’s so excited. Will accept anything. He particularly likes the lattice-work, as it looks like intricate lace, and a few flowers are cool too! But you get infinite respect points if you use historical references of Mexican culture and literature or environment in the design. The man will be floored so hard he’ll come out the other side of the globe. 

Will try to show off the mehndi when he has a chance and he gives zero fucks if anyone says anything because both he and Alejandro will beat their ass. Is not going to be loud about it but the smile on his face and the consistent flexing in the sun trying to show it off is enough for people to get the obvious hint to look at it. 

If you let him to one one you, he’ll actually try to pull back, as he feels it might be disrespectful to take hold of the actual item rather than just having someone from that culture doing it onto him. It will take some time for him to give in, like a while. He actually doesn’t want to do it. If you just let him do something small though, he’ll be much easier to negotiate with. Also, he’s insecure about his hand-eye coordination, so he’ll just make small cute things and its really up to you to connect them or leave them be. He will most likely do floral patterns on you, flowers or vines or something simple and easy to do that can be easily integrated into your own style and design. 

When the design fades, it makes him slightly sad but its completely up to you if you want to do it again. He’ll never say no to another application, as he sees it as a chance to get creative, but it will be totally up to you. 

Like Alejandro, will ask when the next holiday is because he is invested in the lives of his friends, and he will forever do whatever he can to make sure that you have a chance to celebrate it with your beloved tradition. He will literally just buy you a new tube of mehndi whenever you ask, will go shopping with you for it because he believes you know best. Purest boy, protect him. 

Sources: 

Barraza Carlos, Arabs in Mexico. Assimilation and Cultural Heritage (link)

Bonus: Phillip ‘Shadow-1′ Graves 

Fucker thinks its weird and teases you about it

But if others around the base do it he’s like ‘oh wow that shit rocks’ 

Gets jealous and wants one 

Note: Absolutely not 💖🖕🏽

#cod #mwii #mw2 #cod 2022 #reader insert #readerinsert #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #kyle gaz garrick #gaz x reader #alejandro vargas #alejandro x reader #rodolfo rudy parra #rodolfo x reader #rudy x reader #johnny soap mactavish #soap x reader #captain john price #price x reader #phillip graves #phil graves is a no #callofduty #lord forgive me #poc reader #woc reader #mehndi #henna #141 x reader #los vaqueros #not me thirsting over the military

[absolutebl]

Hi P'ABL, how are you?

I love to see your analysis and thoughts on different BLs, and you always come off very well educated when it comes to cultural aspects, especially Thailand's culture.

Having this in mind, I think maybe you'll have some answer for my questions. Well, I want to know why Buddism is so heavily portrayed in BLs (like, for example, I Will Knock You). I know Buddism is the biggest religion in Thailand (please correct me if I'm wrong), but it still surprises me how prevalent it is in BLs. Also, I've seen a couple of BLs where the main character gets ordained, and from what I read on the subject, it is a pretty common thing to do, and is a sign of respect both to the religion but also to the family's believes.

Buddism in Thailand

December 2021:

Department of Religious Affairs reported that the population of Thailand identifies as:

92.5% Buddhist

5.% Muslim

1.2% Christian

In other words, a higher percentage of the population of Thailand identifies as Buddhist than the USA identifies as Christian (65% in 2019) or Catholic in Italy (79.2% in 2021).

So Buddism is in Thai BLs because it's in Thailand. It's just very prevalent. One might as well ask why there is so much Christianity in Hollywood's romantic product (oh it's there, language, swearing, modes of address, courting rituals, gendered attire, weddings, etc...).

It's probably unusual and interesting to you, so you noticed it. Also Americans (in particular) - I don't know how you identify but...) tend to be hyperaware of religious/spiritual representation in pop culture because it's so taboo, hyper-politicized, and divisive in the States.

(Appropriate dinner table conversation in different countries is one of the things that fascinates me the most. Like, what's taboo in different countries when you're visiting someone's home for a meal. In larges parts of the US, religion is generally a pretty taboo topic.)

I think it's also prevalent in BL because there's a lot of dead parents, and the death rituals of a culture come into play under those circumstances.

Anything dealing with the spiritual or paranormal, and now weddings and children and blessings and so forth we gonna see religious/spiritual belief rep. As we get more BL delving into different aspects of culture in search of story we will simply see more and more of those aspects of religion that intersect with that aspect of culture, for purely statistical reasons.

Monkhood

I would hazard a guess that the proportion of those in Thailand who chose to be ordained as a Monk is probably the same percent as any other Buddist nation.

Tharn Type 2 takes you through the entire process, if you wanna dive into that franchise.

Also I would highly recommend He's Coming to Me it's got some nifty death stuff going on. Also it's a great BL.

I have kinda talked about this before - old post:

#asked and answered #I hope #why did you climb the mountain? #anygay #thai bl #religion in BL

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

TF2 Mercs and The Will Wood Songs I Think Fit Best.

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What can I say, I'm a huge Will Wood fan lmao

————————————————————

Also, slight warnings most of these are sad. One are two aren't, but a lot of the reasons why these songs resonate with the Mercs will be sad.

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Demo- Half A Decade Hangover and The First Step. I genuinely think this man hates being an alcoholic. He loves it when he can be fun and have a good time, but he hates the fact that he depends on it so hard.

Engie- Um, It's Kind Of A Lot. Okay, so this ties back into one of my first headcanons, I think. So I genuinely think the reason Engie is so close with Pyro and the other Mercs is because this man didn't have a family that really cared for him. Like not abusive but just not present. He. Is. Scared. Of. Love. He's scared the people he cares about will be taken from him. He's scared that he cares too much and that he'll never feel that in return.

Heavy- (When I tell you I struggled on this one) Venetian Blind Man. Okay, I'm not going to lie. This one is more of the style and music than the lyrics. I just think it fits, I really can't explain it.

Medic- Your Body, My Temple, and Yes to Err is Human, So Don't Be One. I think Your Body, My Temple fits him well because this man literally loves the human anatomy. He views the body as a temple, but not in the way like gym bros and fitness bloggers do. No, like this man thinks the human body is something to worship (nonsexual). Also, a lot of connections to people, which is shown in the song and i also think the religious aspect just fits some how. Yes to Err is Human, So Don't Be One is definitely a song that for me captures a sense of eerieness and almost inhumanity in a person, not saying that Medic isn't human or doesn't have humanity but I definitely think he has moments where he forgets about that. He always catches himself, tho. EDIT- JevTheJester let me know that BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA also fits Medic, and I agree. I think the upbeat tempo is a great fit, and it fits insanely well! ( The longest description goes to my wife, of course 😮‍💨)

Scout- Tomcat Disposables and Love, Me Normally. Oh boy. Tomcat Disposables just fits him so well. Like I think this man loves his family and home so much and just wants to provide that for a future family. I think he's also just really scared of dying (again)? Because I definitely think on the outside, he's all like cocky and chill about it but on the inside he's so fucking scared. Another mix of being confident and cool on the outside while also being really scared on the inside, but this time it's about getting close to people! Abandonment issues and all that wacky stuff. Give this man a hug pls.

Sniper- Becoming Lastnames. Let's be real. This man has family trauma. He loves his mom to death, but I definitely think his dad was distant, and when he was present, he was very strict and cold. He definitely wants a family he can be a good father/husband to, but he also knows that's probably not possible.

Spy- Cicada Days and I/Me/Myself. Commitment issues and genderfluid? He's just like me fr. (Jokes) I think Cicada Days can represent the times he's actually felt love, but he got scared and left. Specifically with Scout and his mom. I/Me/Myself, I don't think this man knows how he feels about his gender identity and hates it. Like def has internalized a lot of shit, being queer being one of the major ones. (all people who can change appearances at will in media are genderfluid come at me).

Soldier- (I struggled with this one too, ngl.). Morning Announcements. I think it just matches him and upbeat vibe with no really idea behind it.

Pyro- 2econd 2ight 2eer and Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world. This dude definitely has high energy, and I can picture them singing 2econd 2ight 2eer and like really getting into it (if they could actually be understood). Okay, a thought. I can vividly imagine Pyro (if they could be understood). Singing this song with Medic. Both of them actually like the concept of death.

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Ugh, that was a lot. I'm sorry 😭 I really like Will Wood, as I am mentally ill. Thanks again to all of you who make me actually want to post things I think you guys will like <3

#team fortress headcanons #tf2 headcanons #team fortress 2 #tf2 #tf2 demoman #tf2 engineer #tf2 heavy #tf2 medic #tf2 scout #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #tf2 pyro #will wood #will wood and the tapeworms #tf2 soldier

[lotus-n-l0ve]

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.... with Goo ~~Thank you~~

O my gosh! Who are you Anon? I wanna know. But anyways here is your fic. Hope you like it.

𝐆𝐨𝐨 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭

— Goo Kim x Female Reader

SYNOPSIS : A-Z alphabetical smut with Goo Kim.

WARNINGS : Cursing, mature content, mention of sex toys, mention of hentai, sex positions, kinks, not proofread, minors dni and don't press 'read more' and then report. Please.

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 // 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐌 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

A = Aftercare (what they sre like after sex)

Don't expect aftercare from this man please. If it's just a random hookup, he is out as soon as he you guys finish. If it's more like friends with benefits then maybe, maybe he will do some aftercare.

But if it's more serious like you two are dating or married (not if it's a one sided relationship) Goo will take care of you. First thing after sex is a kiss on your forehead and praises for being good.

Goo, or most of the Lookism characters, has the stamina of horses. So you might be backed out but he is perfectly fine. Goo would either pillow talk or cuddle you to sleep.

B = Body part (favorite body part their own or their partner's)

His own favourite body part is his height. He is pretty tall for an Korean man. He is even 1 cm taller than damn Gun Park (even if it's just 1 cm, a win is a win.)

Now his favourite body part of you is your waist. He has pretty big hands that he likes to wrap around your waist. While making out, when you are sitting on his lap, Goo holds your waist gently ans guides you to grind on his bulge. Other than that, he simply likes to wrap his arm around your waist and bury his head in your neck.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum basically…)

Goo fucks you raw and dumb. Pulling out his dick, Goo parts your lips to see thick white cum, oozing out of your pussy. Goo scoops it in his hand before thrusting it back in you.

D = Dirty secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

It hurts Goo's pride but he wants to have threesom with you and Gun. Girls are fawning over that man so he must be good and Goo also has this crazy kink. Why? He doesn't know but he thinks about Gun wrecking you up while he masterbates to the scene, fills him up with lust.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Goo has tons of experience from all those years he spent whoring around. In fact he probably has more experience than you do. He knows exactly what he is doing. He has studied you so well that even a slight twitch of your eye can tell how you are feeling. Not like he would care if you tell him to stop. He will do whatever the fuck he wants.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Goo likes control but I imagine him to like Irish Garden Sex Position and Spread Legs Sex Position and positions like these the most.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Of course he is goofy. Is that even a question? When he is rutting into you, rearranging you guts. You lost in moment, with overwhelming pleasure. And that the moment Goo think is the perfect time to crack a stupid ass joke. But he still doesn't stop. He gose on like that didn't just happened with a manic smile.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Goo is well groomed. He visits professional salons at least once a month. To get his hair done and other things. He shaves religiously. And FOR SOME REASON he thinks it funny to bleach his public hair just like his hair.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Goo can switch between being an romantic lover to a goofy one easily. So easy that even sometimes you are left baffled. One minute he is teasing you and being playful and the next he is worshipping your body like a temple, whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

J = Jack off (do they masturbate and how often)

Goo jacks off not because is always horny but because he is simply board. He would have the real thing (you) but if that's not possible, Goo will jack off thinking about you. Instead of his hand he would imagine his hands to be your mouth.

K = Kink (kinks what they like possibly unusual)

Goo is a pretty kinky guy and that's for sure. Some of his kinks would be— choking you, vibrators, bondage, whipping, cosplay, foreplay, vouyresim, auralism, somnophilia, unprotected sex etc.

L = Location (where they like to get it on)

Goo doesn't give a fuck about the location. Most of the time it's wherever he could get his hands on you. Bedroom, living room, Gun's bedroom, back of the car, Charles's office, in front of someone after beating them to death, women's washroom. HE. DOES. NOT. CARE

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Goo is a damn whore. You wear a dress that flawnts your beautiful neck and he is hard. Or when the flowy skirt brushes against your thighs. When you are bending down to pick something up from the ground, giving him the full view of the panty clinging to your pussy. Everything about you is a turn on for him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Hurting you. Goo is a pretty rickless guy but he would never hurt you, specially if you're someone dear to him. Surprisingly, Goo is also not into daddy kink. That is a big turn off for him. Goo doesn't like fireplay or knifeplay even if is pretty rickless.

O = Oral (receiving or giving and how skillful they are)

More than giving he prefers you giving him a handjob or blowjob. Sometimes when he is stressed and he would call you and wishper breathlessly 'I need you' and you understand everything you have to do.

Your warm mouth wrapped around his cock, coating it with your saliva. The lipstick you were often smudging on his dick. You struggle to take the full length in your mouth and look up at him with your doe eyes, prickling with tears. Goo would grab the back of your head, forcing his shaft hit the back of your throat.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Depends on his mood. For the most part Goo is painfully slow. He likes to drag it as long as possible. He is sensual too. Moving hair from your sweaty forehead to see you better. Leaving feather kisses on your skin. Entangling his fingers with your.

But when you two are close to cum, his speeds up. Thrust becoming rough and hard. His tip hitting on your g-spot with each thrust.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Goo doesn't have a fixed schedule. He never knows when that maniac Charles Choi will summon for him so quickies are something Goo really likes.

He will have at least one quickie every single day. He is a whore after all. And if it's you then he needs to have you. Quickies are common in your sex life.

Quickies are rough and fast. He would randomly corner you away from people's eyes on. Lifting your legs to his hips, Goo would slip your panties to the side and bury himself in you.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Goo loves risk. What is life without risk? He is open to try new things any day. He watches anime so there is a big chance that he also watches and probably reads hentai. He has no problem with trying all the kinky shits going on in them.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Goo has stamina of horses. He can go hours and hours fucking without breaking a sweat and he does. On his day offs, the starts with delicious breakfast and when you are full Goo fucks you all over the house. Kitchen island, bedroom, living room, in the shower, by the pool and even in the garden. This gose on with breaks in between for you and till the next day.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Goo takes pride in himself that he doesn't need any help from toys to satisfy you. The toys are simply for his whether they are being used on him or you. He does have a vast amount of erotic toys.

If he is annoyed or angry with you, he would cuff you hands and legs to the bed and put a automatic dildo between your leg on lowest speed and leave for work. By the time he comes home the would be soked with your cum and you would be crying and begging him to stop. But Goo would still fuck your sensetive swollen pussy till you pass out.

U = Unfair (how do they tease or do they enjoy suspense themselves)

Goo is a sadistic bitch so of course he LOVES to tease you and torture you. His favourite game is orgasm deniel. Like I said Goo uses toys for his pleasure. When you plan to go out with friends leaving you baby behind, Of he knows before hand then he would sneak a tiny vibrator in your cunt when you are asleep. And when you are with your friends Goo would suddenly turn it on and off. So you would have to control your expression throughout the day and curse that blonde bitch.

V = Volume (are they loud, what suounds, and do they talk)

Goo is a moaner, an unapologetic moaner. He is a slut and everyone should know it by now.

When you are giving him head or he is inside of and your nails dug into his delicate skin, that draws slutiest moans out of him.

W = Wild card (random sincannon of any sort)

Goo loves anime and to surprise him you often cosplay as anime characters. When you put on those skimpy outfits and wait for him, sitting on the bed like a obedient puppy, Goo feels his body filling up in lust and desire. Good luck to your pussy.

X= X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

I feel like Goo is big. Bigger than Gun or Samuel (which is a lot.). He has had his dick pearled. A small bead inserted a little away from the crown.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

His sex drive is not too much or too less. He definitely jerks off everyday and has sex. Maybe once or sometimes even more than trice. It depends on his mood and how stressed he is. One thing for sure, his biggest turn on is you.

Z= Zzzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Goo usually comes home tired from all the gang works and if you have long session of sex, he would instantly fall asleep after you are done. But before drifting into sleep he would hold you down on the bed so that you can't escape, mumble a 'Love you' in his drowsy state.

© 𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐔𝐒-𝐍-𝐋𝟎𝐕𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑, 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃 — all content rights belongs to LOTUS-N-L0VE. Do not plagiarise any works and do not repost or translate onto any other sites.

All the rights and credits of the characters, gifs, songs and pictures used here belongs to their rightful owners.

#lookism #lookism x reader #lookism goo #goo kim #goo kim x reader #lookism imagines #lookism headcanons #lotus writes #lookism webtoon #webtoon lookism #lookism manhwa

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

i think i've put my finger on why i like sandman: ramadan so much

like it's just one of those weird little one shot issues that don't necessarily contribute anything to the overarching plot, but collecting them into the volume fables and reflections is a pretty accurate descriptor - you're not quite sure what this story is trying to teach you, but it feels important, and it'll make you think

but this takes place as the title suggests, in ancient baghdad, during ramadan

concerning a king who is a complicated person, but cares little about the following islamic traditions

what's interesting is that dream, however, does

he's not even paying lip service to it either, in a "you should be doing this" way. they are in a predominantly muslim country, so why would the dream of this culture be anything else?

and he's serious about it! debatable what a fast means to a being who doesn't need to eat (and i'm not muslim myself so i'm gonna leave the speculating on that to those that are), but he has to remind the king on multiple occasions to stop offering him food

and like. dream holds himself so distant from most aspects of humanity (his brother literally chides him at one point that he hoped dream by now had started seeing humans as people and not stories, and we get all his scenes with death), without this issue you'd think religions would be something he wouldn't concern himself with - he knows a lot of gods personally, and a lot of religious traditions probably seem tedious and unnecessary to a being like dream

but no, they're not. for every faith out there there is an aspect of dream who is a devoted follower. and of course there is, because dream is literally created out of all the stories people have ever told, everything that has ever mattered to us

and i think especially in current western society which suffers from a predominantly atheist/christian mindset (it's christian but in all the worst ways because we've kept the oppression and ditched everything actually meaningful about it under the guise of "who's stupid enough to actually believe in god"), it's important to remember that religions are how people find meaning in the world. it's not the only way, but religions exist and have existed all over the world for a reason. we use stories to explain the biggest questions in our lives, and the community formed around those stories to support us through the biggest changes

religion and dream's aspect go hand in hand

why would these things ever look silly or unimportant to him?

and sure, maybe death and some of his other siblings make more of an attempt to be human, or connect with humanity, but this is one aspect where he is the most human of all of them

#also you know it's the holiday season so headcanoners go hogwild with what your preferred dream does or does not celebrate #canon is backing you up #dream of the endless #mine #meta #the sandman

[darlin-djarin]

I wanna hear your helmet thoughts when you have time

helmets to din’s version of the creed are literally so amazing because of the connections and similarities of other religious/cultural head coverings. ofc, i’m not implying that the helmet is the SAME as a hijab or a turban or a niqab, they obviously have different rules and implications, but there ARE similarities, ones that a lot of people (such as hijabi’s) find comfort in seeing that sort of representation on screen.

helmets to din’s version of the creed are sacred and are to never be removed. not all mandalorians think, believe, or practice that way of course, and din’s covert specifically are the ‘warrior’ type of mandalorians, different from the pacifist type of mandalorians that were shown during saltine kryze’s rule of mandalore during the clone wars.

the pacifist type of people were not shown to be wearing helmets, and even some of the royal guards who DID wear helmets (shown under satine’s rule) did not wear the same type of helmet as the warrior mandalorians that lived on concordia, one of mandalores moons.

^^ the pacifist mandalorians during the clone wars (why are they all white and blond lol space racism)

^^ satine's royal guard helmets (they have similar armor but the helmet design is ofc drastically different)

most of death watch wore helmets, but they removed them casually. pre vizsla, the leader of death watch (until maul beheaded that bitch) removed his helmet openly and so did many others in the group. though they held on to the ‘warrior’ ideals of the mandalorian culture, they weren’t clearly as religious as the children of the watch.

^^ pre vizsla and other members of death watch. most wear helmets while doing their goofy little terrorism but they're seen having their helmets removed often.

after the children of the watch formed from the warrior ideals of death watch, the religious aspect of the helmet and the creed formed out of necessity. the children of the watch refuse to remove the helmet for probably many reasons, as it has protected their identity and preserves their culture and creed. one thing i LOVE about the warrior culture is how because of the helmet and armor, the mandalorians have created ways of expression that are SO interesting. they’ve adapted to create the keldabe kiss, which is a tap of the foreheads of the helmets. they also have cheers such as tapping their vambraces and pounding their chest armor. they have other forms of expression that i DESPERATELY hope to see more as the mandalorian progresses.

the rules of the helmet are simple. don’t remove it. if you remove it, you become an apostate and are deemed “mandalorian no longer”. ofc because of chapter 21, the armorer has clearly shown that the adaptation of accepting helmetless mandalorians is necessary as they progress with reviving mandalore. so more recently, they’ve begun accepting other mandalorians who do not follow the Way the same as they do. that does not necessarily mean that THEY will stop following their version of the creed, it just means that they will start accepting other versions of the creed regardless of their own personal beliefs.

anyway the helmet is clearly a religious head covering that DESERVES to be respected, as it is often a window and mirror towards the audience who relate to and who learn about religious head coverings. for me, personally as a hijabi, i see the helmet as a mirror. not that the helmet IS a hijab or niqab or anything, but because it’s the head covering is a CHOICE and it PROTECTS. i know a hijabi (my lovely mutual @hinderr) who personally views the helmet as a mirror because it is an identifier. when you see the helmet, you identify the person as a mandalorian, same way as if you see a hijabi, you (usually) identify the person as a muslim.

the helmet plays a good window as well, to show the audience more religious head covering representation. not that the audience has an excuse to complain about how they don’t agree with the religion, but just to understand a new viewpoint.

moving on, i really like the idea of warrior mandalorians not being able to sneeze. you sneeze when something foreign enters your nose that your body rejects, but since the helmet filters everything, nothing foreign is entering and therefore your body has nothing to sneeze out. kinda funny honestly but it’s cool to think about the technicalities of the helmet.

one thing i HATE about this whole thing is the designs of the helmet. specifically the stupid t-visors being for men and y-visors for women. like great job favroni, way to destroy gender roles. anyway, i think the most effective style (for any gender) is the y-visor (like bo-katan’s) because it gives you a greater vantage point for the eye position. t-visor (like din’s) is fine, i just think it’d be more comfortable to have a y-visor.

^^ bo-katan's y-visor helmet

^^ din's t-visor helmet

you can probably get why i think y-visor has a better vantage point for vision. din's t-visor does have a ton of resources and functions that help him though. i'm not gonna assume all helmets have seals, but some of the warrior mandalorians (such as din and bo) do have seals that make it impossible to remove the helmet without force (proven bc y'all can hear the pressurized hiss when they remove the helmet)

thank you SO MUCH for asking about this, i just LOVEEE talking about din’s covert and creed and ofc the helmet is my favorite thing about it. feel free to ask or follow up with anything else you wonder about.

#SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO RESPOND I JUST HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS #also i passed out once i got home and then had work to do sigh #BUT THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR ASKING I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS #star wars #the mandalorian #din djarin #bo katan kryze #the armorer #oil. #pre vizsla #satine kryze #just realized i spelled satine as saltine lmfao it fits

[theneighborhoodwatch]

I've been thinking a lot about the houses, specifically how they might correlate with WH's theme of religion. The parts in the livestream trivia where Clown talked about the houses is really interesting, how Home is the only "alive" house but all the neighbors believe their houses are alive to some capacity. And the fact that the holidays are to celebrate their houses, where human holidays are usually to celebrate deities/religions.

The only thing on the website that still has this religious theme is the So Below page of Wally (possibly) worshipping Home. Perhaps Clown removed the cross cufflinks and Baphomet imagery so WH could be an allegory about religion instead of straight up about Christianity. The houses/Home could be metaphors for deities and the neighbors are their followers, even if their perception of religion and what it means is probably very different than humans'.

i was wondering why i had a hard time answering this message yesterday, and i think it's because i never really saw welcome home as a story about christianity or even religion as a whole, in either its current iteration or its earlier drafts. i think there is a very good chance that it's one aspect of welcome home, but... how do i say this.

when i see posts from clown talking about what he feels welcome home is about, i get the impression that at its core, welcome home is a story about alienation - from society, from one's environment, from one's peers, even from one's own self - and Specifically about alienation that comes as a result of changing (or at least desiring change) in an environment that upholds stagnation/the status quo/etc. as The Ideal. not Quite the same as but very similar to nostalgia poisoning, two peas in a pod. and i don't think it's a coincidence that this can be used as a criticism of the practices of Many christian denominations in the usa, a country in which christian hegemony is still very strongly felt in many aspects of daily life (let alone back when welcome home was airing in-universe or when its supposed creator, ronald dorelaine, was growing up.) i suspect that part of the reason the christian symbolism seems to have been reworked into something more subtle between welcome home's 2019/2020 concept and what we have now is because:

A.) it would have been rather on the nose, even hokey, to have the world of welcome home (the in-universe show) be a textually christian one when you don't really Need welcome home to be an explicitly religious production to demonstrate the idea that art is shaped by the culture/society in which it exists and/or its creator(s) hail from.

B.) it was originally less ... nuanced? idk if that's the word i'm looking for, but - i do not think it is a coincidence that wally's old cross cufflinks were a holdover from a time between the version of welcome home we are familiar with now and a draft in which wally seemed to be much more overtly, Aggressively antagonistic in his status as the center of attention, and was pitted against a much more straightforwardly heroic character who was on more equal footing with the rest of the neighbors. i Suspect that if any of what i just said comes into play, then perhaps the current iteration of welcome home is the way it is because it leaves room to acknowledge that even people who are hurt by this upholding of stagnation as the ideal willingly perpetuate it anyway, for a number of reasons.

BUT to get back to the actual ask: since we have no idea what's actually gonna happen in welcome home at this point in time, let's say that none of what i just talked about comes up even once and that the concept of The Home is really what we should be focusing on here wrt the religious symbolism, or at least that the two are not mutually exclusive. in this case, i think it's less that the houses themselves are metaphors for deities and more that, like - the importance of homes in the world the neighbors live in is so great that the only way it can be expressed in terms that a human could understand would be through the lens of religious/spiritual beliefs. i am intrigued by the idea that each neighbor has their own relationship to this belief though, and how that may effect their environment in the future. Much To Think About.

#anonymous #ask #welcome home #wh speculation