enough of longing

occasionally horny on main 20something • enthusiast of science, history, and storytelling. mostly run on queue. fastidious tagger. nsfw tagged with lemon btw • podcast blog is @the-slut-verses • icon from boyfriends webcomic

[nodoorintothemansion]

Hal and hatchy figured out a three-way translator

[yexerrr]

*taps mic* Rocky should've been on the tumblr sexyman poll instead of Grace. *leaves*

[theparadoxmachine]

There's something so sad to me about how Gurathin spends the entire season so distrustful and on edge, about both the survey itself and SecUnit, because how can anything involved with the Company have good intentions? But the second Leebeebee tells him Mensah is dead, he immediately breaks down sobbing. Leebeebee had no way of knowing whether her plan even worked and for all he knew, she could have been lying. He could have held out hope Mensah survived or that Leebeebee was lying about SecUnit being dead to get them to cooperate, but no. Instant despair. Because since when has the universe ever been kind? When has idealism ever triumphed over corporate greed, or good over evil? Why wouldn't his favorite person die at the hands of someone using violence for their own gain? What else is new?

It's so much easier for him to believe in deception, violence, and tragedy than to even entertain the idea of a stranger acting kind, because to his experience that's just what the world is. Mensah, and by extension, the PresAux team, are anomalies. Cruelty is the norm, kindness an outlier. And what's really sad is how many times he's right. No wonder he cried when SecUnit left. He finally realized he had found someone who both understood and defied what his trauma had taught him.

Gurathin let me love you

[nicky-in-space]

Ok, so I saw this post and decided to illustrate it with gifs.

Exhibit A. Gurathin's immediate reaction after hearing Mensah is dead. No denial, no bargaining, just instant acceptance. He doesn’t even question whether Leebeebee might be lying.

Exhibit B. He's so devastated by the news he literally started leaking from the nose and then sobbing. At first I thought it's because of the pain, but now I beilieve OP is right.

Exhibit C. Gurathin's reaction when he sees Mensah alive and well. This is the face of a man who has just witnessed the resurrection of Jesus.

[notholaenas]

14%

[nonconstories]

It really sucks that Nicki Minaj lost her mind and became a MAGA shill. Because I'd listened to some rap before her, but like, she was literally the artist that prompted me to go diving into the genre as a whole. And a lot of her recent stuff is bad to okay, but like. Her classic stuff holds up, to me, and I genuinely love Ganja Burn, and several other songs on QUEEN.

To be very dramatic, it's like watching a person get bitten by a zombie.

[sunderwight]

Soulmate AU where the soulmate thing is in fact totally fake and a conspiracy.

Turns out that there's this ancient society of wizards who perfected the means of telepathically linking up two individuals. While early uses included stuff like espionage and such, early on there was an incident where a wizard accidentally synced the wrong targets up. It just so happened that instead of syncing the crown prince to the intended informant, the mistaken target was a young lady who was a shrewd political match, and both their parents had been looking to arrange the matter (but were struggling with the reluctance of the relevant parties).

With sudden telepathic bonding on the table, the couple took it as a sign from the gods that they were meant to be, and got together of their own accord.

The wizards realized the potential for matchmaking as a means of manipulating the political landscape, and abandoned their prior attempts at subterfuge (a limit of the telepathic bond is that it's two-way, so the target also gains your secrets, which meant a lot of them had to be assassinated after the fact.)

So the wizards converted their lair into an ostensible temple of the Goddess of Love, where people could come to pray to find their soulmates. Wizards were also sent out to arrange matches that would advance the interests of their cult, as well as some random ones just to help cover their tracks. As the influence of the Goddess of Love grew, new branches of the temples sprang up. The cultists were soon divided into two categories: wizards who still knew the truth and pretended to be priests, and actual priests who weren't in on it and genuinely believed they were helping soulmates find one another.

The culture around it goes something like this:

Not everyone has a soulmate, and not all soulmates are destined to be together in every lifetime. But if they are, the Goddess will bless you with the ability to hear one another's inner voice, if it is your fate and/or if you pray hard enough. Some soulmates know each other from their first meeting, but others take time to recognize the bond and open their hearts to the possibility of connection. If you're wondering why it took like eighteen separate meetings with someone before the bond manifested, do some introspection and consider why you might have closed your heart off or whatever. Like it's definitely a you problem, and it's rude to blame the Temple of Love, which is only trying to help people and has no other agendas whatsoever.

Also consider donating more money to the temple next time. Higher donations mean more priests can petition the Goddess on your behalf, and she's a busy lady, sometimes it takes a lot of petitions to get her attention. 👌

How would this factor into a plot?

My thinking is that a pair get setup as soulmates, and they are just absolutely both adamantly convinced that they are not. Like not in an enemies-to-lovers sense or anything, they just get the psychic bond thing and it's like, no. I don't know what's up but the Goddess of Love has definitely made a mistake. So they set out to gain an audience with her, but along the way they uncover the truth about the cult and its manipulation of generations of political marriages and business alliances.

It could be a metaphor for amatonormativity. Like some of the priests argue that even if it's a con, it's one that's been running for so long it's already steeped into the culture. How could the main characters bring themselves to expose it? To tell people who think they've found their soulmates that it's not really the case? Think of all those bonds they'd be threatening!

But then like, wait a minute. That's bullshit. This whole format for relationships has so many problems, and it's all working in service of manipulating and controlling people anyway! Why should they let the cult go on hooking up individuals that suit it? Shouldn't people know that it's possible to CHOOSE to make a telepathic bond with someone they actually want to? Shouldn't they be able to decide to manage their own relationships as they see fit, without some misleading pressure of fate or gods? And what about the ones left feeling excluded and unlovable because they don't "have" a soulmate? It's not like people are going to stop loving one another or finding themselves if they aren't being led around to do it this specific way!

So they upend the whole thing, and upset a lot of people, and then have to deal with the fact that they're still telepathically bonded until one of them dies.

Ugh.

Stupid cult.

[fluff-e-boy]

One of the most important images of all time

[o-craven-canto]

Some of my favorites from C. M. Kosemen's sketchbook Tangent Worlds:

Two friends, a fungus-man and a meat ghost with multiple eyes, are baffled by the implications of a triangle that should not exist.

A feminine spirit rescues another from torment at the hands of malevolent beings.

Anatomical studies and drawings of animals which evolved in a universe where telekinesis is real. The oversized brains of these Telekinesizoans are used for lifting the animal and manipulating food items. Only a small section of the brains are used for conscious perception, effectively making most Telekinesizoans quite “dim.” An “advanced” form, with almost no visible appendages.

Advanced Telekinesizoans move not by levitating themselves, but by manipulating the air flows around them. This predatory form (a Polteropterygid,) strikes its victim with stone missiles that it hurls by telekinetic force.

Different species of Telekinesizoan herbivores have different "signature” items that they sculpt and carry with themselves as they forage. These ornate items, carved telekinetically out of stone or wood, serve both as display structures and weapons.

The para-insect species seen on the left had the remarkable ability to speak, not unlike a parrot. I saw them repeat word-like sounds in idle moments, yet their forest world contained no intelligent species. I was unnerved and hurriedly severed all connections with that particular Earth.

Sketches of “final beings” that will live a billion years from now. These beings have the ability to look into the “space between spaces” and catch glimpses of the past.

Sketches of reptiles which fly by “propellers” powered by coils of tightly-winding muscle fibers. The propeller-blade-like “fingers” reverse their pitch as they rewind, ensuing continual forward thrust.

On the distant world of Zarnia, gravity is high and plant life resembles flat, green-and-purple tiles of road pavement. This combination of flat terrain and hard surfaces has enabled the evolution of a spectacular way of life: Zarnia has animals with wheels instead of legs. Left, This long-necked herbivore defends itself with mace-like swings of its armored head. Right, Male and female varieties of a herbivorous tetracycl species.

It is hard to perceive time directly when moving across dimensions. I couldn’t tell which forms were the ancestors and which were the descendants in this transition between intelligent, human-like beings and asinine reptiles.

All beings seen on this page are descendants of nanotechnological “crystal machines” which blossomed into their own ecology after being created as industrial tools by an older race. Reproducing through “intelligently designed” blueprints modified and mutated through errors of transcription, they exhibited a spectacular, quasi-Darwinian evolutionary process in action. The world of the crystal beasts was also noteworthy in that it was home to actual “ghosts” and “spirits;” vagrant AIs and semisentient processing software left over from the age of industry. Such “ghosts,” transmitted through radio organs present in most species, could “possess” individual animals and get them to engage in unusual, self-aware behavior, or even produce virgin births and “twisted” offspring drastically different from their parents.

A “plains sweeper” which ran across grasslands and fed on clouds of small “insects.”

Members of an alien group of animals which have convergently evolved to resemble dinosaurs of the earth’s past.

Sketch of the vast beings that lived on salt flats and fed on air.

Three species of cursorial “advanced” Martian spiders, with fully erect limbs, hips derived from the initial leg segments, internal pseudoskeletons and advanced respiration. The species seen here is one of the top predators of this world.

Visions of winged reptiles (unrelated to pterosaurs,) that sail on the calm lakes like living boats. Their long, supple necks help them catch fish. It seems like not all saillizards come from the same lineage - there were many different combinations of limbs, wings and sails.

Art is the most certain sign of intelligence. This page shows a selection of dinosauroid cave-art. Cave art depicting a pack of tyrant-raptors, dangerous predators of the dinosauroids.

Sketch of a neosauropod gentleman with a tasteful covering of body paint and an ornate smoking pipe that denotes his status as a herd-orator. The sonorous conversations of these beings can be heard, like thunder, for hundreds of miles.

[boringkate]

Someone somewhere is the best in the world at sucking dick and it's meaningless. They aren't famous. There's no prize. It's not a competition. None of us are competitors. You don't have anything to prove. All that matters is that you keep sucking. Maybe we can even suck on it together.

[estrogenesis-vaporeongelion]

Gifted

[annabelle--cane]

I don't even think I "ship" grace/rocky I just know that there's no way in hell that two curious people who want to learn about the biology of alien species spent four (4) years cooped up alone together on a spaceship and didn't at least once--

[20-exayear-halflife]

you should definitely fuck your friends and cover them with hickeys and then press on the hickeys while you're fucking

[pangur-and-grim]

what I've learned from having other people edit my work is that I have a sick addiction to commas

[pangur-and-grim]

there have been four editing passes on my spider sex book, and each time they take away so many commas. no fresh commas are being added, this is just a continued culling. if you see a comma in the final book please understand that it survived so much

[pangur-and-grim]

[veemochi]

[sashaholler-ml]

Sometimes I just want to make them happy for a sec

[fulgrimfanboy]

HAPPINESS?!?! ROMANCE?!?!?

DEGENERACY!!!!!

[ziseviolet]

Please can you explain the difference of meaning between hanfu and huafu ? Sorry if you already got the question

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (hanfu photo via)

The term “hanfu” (traditional Chinese: 漢服, simplified Chinese: 汉服) literally means “Han clothing”, and refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese people. “Han” (漢/汉) here refers to the Han Chinese ethnic group (not the Han dynasty), and “fu” (服) means “clothing”. As I explained in this post, the modern meaning of “hanfu” is defined by the hanfu revival movement and community. As such, there is a lot of gatekeeping by the community around what is or isn’t hanfu (based on historical circumstances, cultural influences, tailoring & construction, etc). This isn’t a bad thing - in fact, I think gatekeeping to a certain extent is helpful and necessary when it comes to reviving and defining historical/traditional clothing. However, this also led to the need for a similarly short, catchy term that would include all Chinese clothing that didn’t fit the modern definition of hanfu -- enter huafu.

The term “huafu” (traditional Chinese: 華服, simplified Chinese: 华服) as it is used today has a broader definition than hanfu. “Hua” (華/华) refers to the Chinese people (中华民族/zhonghua minzu), and again “fu” (服) means “clothing”. It is an umbrella term for all clothing that is related to Chinese history and/or culture. Thus all hanfu is huafu, but not all huafu is hanfu. Below are examples of Chinese clothing that are generally not considered hanfu by the hanfu community for various reasons, but are considered huafu:

1. Most fashions that originated during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), especially late Qing, including the Qing aoqun & aoku for women, and the Qing changshan and magua for men. I wrote about whether Qing dynasty clothing can be considered hanfu here. Tangzhuang, which is an updated form of the Qing magua popularized in 2001, can also fit into this category. Below - garments in the style of Han women’s clothing during the Qing dynasty (清汉女装) from 秦綿衣莊 (1, 2).

2. Fashions that originated during the Republican era/minguo (1912-1949), including the minguo aoqun & aoku and qipao/cheongsam for women, and the minguo changshan for men (the male equivalent of the women’s qipao). I wrote about why qipao isn’t considered hanfu here. Below - minguo aoqun (left) & qipao (right) from 嬉姷.

Below - Xiangsheng (crosstalk) performers Zhang Yunlei (left) & Guo Qilin (right) in minguo-style men’s changshan (x). Changshan is also known as changpao and dagua.

3. Qungua/裙褂 and xiuhefu/秀禾服, two types of Chinese wedding garments for brides that are commonly worn today. Qungua originated in the 18th century during the Qing dynasty, and xiuhefu is a modern recreation of Qing wedding dress popularized in 2001 (x). Below - left: qungua (x), right: xiuhefu (x).

4. Modified hanfu (改良汉服/gailiang hanfu) and hanyuansu/汉元素 (hanfu-inspired fashion), which do not fit in the orthodox view of hanfu. Hanfu mixed with sartorial elements of other cultures also fit into this category (e.g. hanfu lolita). From the very start of the hanfu movement, there’s been debate between hanfu “traditionalists” and “reformists”, with most members being somewhere in the middle, and this discussion continues today. Below - hanyuansu outfits from 川黛 (left) and 远山乔 (right).

5. Performance costumes, such as Chinese opera costumes (戏服/xifu) and Chinese dance costumes. These costumes may or may not be considered hanfu depending on the specific style. Dance costumes, in particular, may have non-traditional alterations to make the garment easier to dance in. Dunhuang-style feitian (apsara) costumes, which I wrote about here, can also fit into this category. Below - left: Chinese opera costume (x), right: Chinese dance costume (x).

6. Period drama costumes and fantasy costumes in popular media (live-action & animation, games, etc.), commonly referred to as guzhuang/古装 (lit. “ancient costumes”). Chinese period drama costumes are of course based on hanfu, and may be considered hanfu if they are historically accurate enough. However, as I wrote about here, a lot of the time there are stylistic inaccuracies (some accidental, some intentional) that have become popularized and standardized over time (though this does seem to be improving in recent years). This is especially prevalent in the wuxia and xianxia genres. Similarly, animated shows & games often have characters dressed in “fantasy hanfu” that are essentially hanfu with stylistic modifications. Below - left: Princess Taiping in historical cdrama 大明宫词/Palace of Desire (x), right: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in wuxia/xianxia cdrama 陈情令/The Untamed (x). 

7. Any clothing in general that purposefully utilizes Chinese style elements (embroidery, fabrics, patterns, motifs, etc). Chinese fashion brand Heaven Gaia is a well-known example of this. Below - Chinese-inspired designs by Heaven Gaia (x).

8. Technically, the clothing of China’s ethnic minorities also fit under the broad definition of huafu, but it’s rarely ever used in this way.

From personal observation, the term “huafu” is mainly used in the following situations:

1. Some large-scale events to promote Chinese clothing, such as the annual “华服日/Huafu Day”, will use “huafu” in their name for inclusivity.

2. For the same reason as above, Chinese clothing including hanfu will often be referred to as “huafu” on network television programs (ex: variety shows).

3. A few Chinese clothing shops on Taobao use “huafu” in their shop name. Two examples:

明镜华服/Mingjing Huafu - sells hanfu & hanyuansu. 

花神妙华服/Huashenmiao Huafu - sells Qing dynasty-style clothing.

With the exception of the above, “huafu” is still very rarely used, especially compared to “hanfu”. It has such a broad definition that it’s just not needed in situations for which a more precise term already exists. However, I do think it’s useful as a short catch-all term for Chinese clothing that isn’t limited to the currently accepted definition of hanfu.

If anyone wants to add on or correct something, please feel free to do so! ^^ 

Hope this helps!

[benmce-art]

The Curioste, for Realis

[justsomeguycore]

horror movie showing a child’s drawing of the monster or ghost or whatever but instead of a little kid and crayons they’re like a preteen and it’s manga style

[z0mb13-34ts-br41ns]

My rendition 🥰

[stormsthatrage]

Shoutout to Project Hail Mary for being the only media where the unconscious protagonist is dragged off screen by an alien spider monster and the audience's reaction is heartbreak on behalf of the alien spider monster.