#Sanskrit tattoos

[nikidanger]

[Whitney Houston & her bestie Robyn Crawford on vacation in Aruba]

[teatitty]

If you have any writing for it or any hcs, I am begging you to share some of that holmes examining watson's tattoo moments

Oh I'm absolutely planning to put it in a fic eventually (it's on my Holmes To Do List) but basically what started out as a simple "Watson has a lotus flower on his inner forearm" then gave birth to the idea of him also having a mandala on his back (look them up there's so many amazing designs for them) which... spiralled once I remembered that Holmes has canonically done extensive studies and research into tattoos and published a monograph about it!

Therefore I decided that. Well one day Watson also thinks about this and brings it up to Holmes and when Holmes confirms that, yes, he still studies the subject because there are gaps in his knowledge, Watson rolls up his sleeve to show the beautiful lotus there, and watches with amused indulgence as Holmes fully grabs his arm to get a proper look at it, muttering things under his breath all the while (in a good infodumping way)

One thing inevitably leads to another and Watson finds himself sitting shirtless straddling a chair or something as Holmes examines the mandala on his back with soft, almost reverent touches. Yes he gets close enough that Watson can feel his breathe on his skin and yes Holmes is very tempted to kiss the ink and has to clear his throat and speak a tad louder than usual to compose himself and back off. If I give Watson more tattoos he'd probably have them on his upper thigh as well just for the excellent image of Holmes putting that leg on his shoulder to get a proper angle for them as Watson tries his best to remember that breathing exists

[tattoo-artist-in-bangalore]

Jai Shree Ram Tattoo by Tattoo Artist Veer Hegde at Eternal Expression Bangalore India

[ohnoidroppedmydonut]

Still thinking about the fact that Claire Dunphy has a tattoo that says mother in Sanskrit

[telomeke]

THE SIGN – CULTURAL REFERENCES, MYTHOLOGY AND META

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This post comes on the heels of the one by @respectthepetty about mythology and meta of The Sign, linked here. 😍👍 If you've not read it yet, I recommend you do before watching any more of this series, because it will help things make more sense (especially if you're not familiar with some of the cultural references thrumming in the background).

Anyway, I'd previously done some research on the legend(s) of the Garuda and the Naga in Southeast Asia, and so I'm writing this post to share what I've found because it does have relevance to at least some of what we're seeing onscreen in The Sign, and elaborates on @respectthepetty's post.

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The Garuda and the Naga are mythical beings with origins in Indian mythology that have been transposed into cultures across Southeast Asia.

In Hinduism, Garuda is a single deity, depicted in either full-bird form or part-bird and part-human, and is the king of birds and also a divine sun-bird (with physical attributes similar to an eagle's). His elder brother, Aruna, is the chariot driver for Surya the sun-god, while Garuda himself is the mount of Vishnu.

In Buddhist mythology, the garudas (sometimes also spelt garulas) are a society and race of gigantic predatory birds, sometimes also depicted as part-human in form. The garudas are intelligent, social and blessed with might and magical powers.

Thailand may be predominantly Buddhist, but it has also been strongly influenced by ancient Indian culture and Hinduism, and thus both the concept of a single deity Garuda and the race of garudas co-exist in Thai mythological beliefs.

The nagas on the other hand, are snake-like or dragon-like creatures, whose realm is the water world. (The word naga is derived from Sanskrit and is also etymologically related to the English word snake.)

In mythology nagas and garudas are perpetual enemies, although neither side is actually identified with good or evil – they are simply two groups eternally at war with each other (so occidental-leaning minds should dispel any preconception that the water serpents are necessarily the bad guys in The Sign, even though the narrative seems to be tilting in that direction).

When borrowed into popular culture (as has been done for The Sign) you may sometimes see influences of Chinese dragon and phoenix mythology (as Chinese cultural influence is also present in Thailand, and the dragon/phoenix motif of Sinitic culture nicely parallels the naga/garuda conflict pairing). And because of Garuda's association with the sun in Hinduism, and a parallel with the fiery phoenix of Western mythology, you may sometimes see garudas portrayed as aligned with the sun and/or flame as well.

There are some hints of these in The Sign. The naga that Phaya encounters while struggling underwater during the open sea training challenge in Ep.1 is very Thai in appearance (especially with the curved, forward-pointing crest, making it look much like the nagas that adorn Thai temple architecture). But the array of pronged, backward-pointing horns and trailing antennae appear to be a design nod at Chinese or Japanese dragons (East Asian dragons are also strongly identified with the watery realm, by the way). And in the graphics of the series (e.g., in the poster at the start of this post), the sky (the realm of Garuda) is suffused with sunlight and speckled with what look like drifting sparks, referencing sun and flame.

Because of the wings tattooed on his back and his time in the air force, Phaya is most likely the reincarnation of a garuda in human form (and this is why he struggled with the water challenge, as he was completely out of his element).

This is also possibly why we see him smoking early on in the series (because of the alignment of Garuda with the element of fire), and significantly he does this while Naga Tharn (irked by Yai's teasing at the dining table) seeks refuge in the washroom (which is ห้องน้ำ/hong naam in Thai, literally water room):

‌Billy also describes Phaya's character in the promo video for the series (linked here) as being "like fire, always hot and burning... quite hot-headed." 👍

Elsewhere in the same promo video (linked here), Tharn's good friend Chalothon is explicitly identified as the reincarnation of an important naga, which immediately signals that he and Phaya will be at odds in the series:

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The water deity that saves Phaya during the open sea challenge – Wansarat, whom he drew in his sketchbook – is not just Freen Sarocha in a fancy scuba suit. 😂

If you look at her arm and hand when she reaches out to save Phaya (before she turns into Tharn) the green scales meld into the skin of her human wrist – they're part of her natural covering, and she's really a nakhee/nagin/nagini, a female naga, appearing in human form to save Phaya.

The narrative has made it strongly obvious that Phaya is a reincarnated garuda, while Tharn is the reincarnation of Wansarat, from the lineage of the nagas. And the teaser-trailer (linked here) tells us that Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat are lovers bound to each other through time:

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However, the special promo video (released 24 November 2023) also tells us (in Heng's interview linked here) that Chalothon and Wansarat were lovers in past lives, even while it is Phaya and Wansarat (reincarnated as Tharn) who are paired by fate in The Sign.

And as the nagas and garudas are bitter enemies, the love story between Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat that transcends time and reincarnation cycles is also one that must have been (and will continue to be) forbidden by their respective naga and garuda tribes (especially since Tharn/Wansarat also used to be naga Chalothon's lover), and will undoubtedly be a source of conflict in the series. This is way beyond the Montagues and Capulets! 😍

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So with this as the base, I took a look at the characters' names, and those belonging to Phaya, Chalothon, Tharn and Wansarat especially also reflect their garuda/naga origins. 🤩

Phaya's name (พญา) means lord, king or leader. While it can be applied to the nagas (พญานาค/phaya naak refers to the King of the Nagas) it is also used for Garuda (the Thai national symbol) – พญาครุฑ/phaya khroot, or Lord Garuda (and is what his name references in The Sign).

(above) Billy Patchanon as Phaya

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Chalothon's name (ช��ลทร) is rare, but it is derived from Pali/Sanskrit and means river, sea or body of water, reflecting the watery homeland of his naga persona.

(above) Heng Asavarid as Chalothon

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Tharn's name (ธาร) also has a connection to his water-dwelling naga roots. Tharn/ธาร is short for ลำธาร/lam thaan and means stream, brook or creek (and he is thus a naga nong to Chalothon's phi).

(above) Babe Tanatat as Tharn/Wansa

However, Tharn is his chue len. His formal name is Wansa, and is the same Wansa in Wansarat (which the narrative lets us know at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.35).

(above) Freen Sarocha as Wansarat

Now Wansarat is spelt วรรณษารัตน์ in the subtitles (at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.02), and I can't find any translation of it that makes sense in the context of The Sign's world-building.

But Wansarat's name is spelt differently elsewhere on the Internet (on Thai drama websites, and movie databases, etc. like thaimovie.org), and I assume they've all based it on official releases from Idol Factory because the spelling is consistent across these other sources – it's วรรษารัตน์ there.

And Wansa/Wansarat spelt this way also reflects the nagas' dominion over water, because วรรษา/wansa (an archaic word, referenced in an older dictionary but not newer ones) means rain or rainy season (from the Sanskrit varsha) – in Thailand the nagas are also associated with rain control, and prayers are offered to them for timely and abundant rainfall when it is needed. (The -rat part of Wansarat is a feminine ending meaning jewel or gemstone, and may echo with meaning for speakers of Indian and Sri Lankan languages, since it's derived from the Pali/Sanskrit ratna).

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Just out of interest (because nobody asked 😂) some of these naga/garuda elements were also present in the early episodes of KinnPorsche – the den of the Theerapanyakuls (nagas, wealthy beings of the underworld) was full of watery elements (e.g., the waterfall, the various pools, and Tankhun's carp – which in Chinese belief are the original, natal form of dragons). The -nak in Kinn's formal first name Anakin (which is not a traditional Thai name) is also a nod at the word naga. Porsche had the tattoo of a fiery phoenix on his back, and was out of his element whenever water was concerned (e.g., his failed pool challenge, the mermaid costume punishment, his misadventure with the sprinkler when he tried to smoke in the store room – water vanquishing the flame). Kinn was unable to make fire when they were trapped in the forest, despite claiming to be friends with the flame, while Porsche could immediately do it.

But I didn't see the KinnPorsche narrative taking the naga/garuda themes much further than these random nods in the earlier episodes. Maybe it did (like Kinn and Porsche could be seen acclimatizing to each other's realms more), but I just couldn't be bothered to look at the show more closely since it didn't really stand up to deeper scrutiny, and after the first few episodes I just went along for the exhilaration of the ride instead. 👍

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Anyway, I'm totally bedazzled by the level of world-building going on in The Sign and look forward to more from the series. If the first episode is anything to go by, I think Executive Producer Saint Suppapong may be on to something! 😍

[ukokunet]

Doumeki's Tattoo (chapter 51)

Apologies if just the title is a spoiler (I tried with the tags 😭), but I wanted to share my speculative information on Doumeki's tattoo, so folks outside discord could see it too.

As most folks know, Yakuza sometimes get elaborate tattoos called irezumi, usually on the back and arms, which mark them out as outsiders from society. I'm not going to go into the techniques and history here, that stuff is easy to find with a search of course. I'm just going to look at the content of the tattoo.

Source: my useless college degree, and my irl pals in the tattoo industry.

First I'll add: "Doumeki has a secret tattoo" was definitely something speculated by the fandom. Good job, everyone. 👍

We don't get to see a complete image of Doumeki's new ink, we only see a couple flashes under his shirt, and one larger panel of the "reveal". It's basically a swirl of motifs (you can find people posting it on the terrible-bluebird-site if you haven't seen). I think it's shown this way because Yashiro wouldn't really "see" any specific image or theme, and would only see a mishmash of typical fancy Yakuza-esque motifs. That's the point between our boys, of course, since it "proves" Doumeki is a "real" Yakuza and can never go back to "normal" life.

The motifs we see are: • a long thin snake or dragon • peacock feathers • edges of swirling robes on a (maybe feminine?) humanoid • a lotus With a traditional irezumi tattoo, the image choice is somewhat picked by the artist, and then discussed with the recipient. (I think the idea is they're supposed to be "inspired" by the "sense" of the individual.) Normally, Yakuza want images that enhance their tough-guy image, of course. Buddhist themes, along with other traditional cultural symbols like koi, sakura, and samurai, are very typical choices for tattoos.

• The lotus is a standard symbol in Buddhist images. Many Buddhist deities are depicted either sitting on or holding a lotus.

• Dragons are of course common for tattoos, and would be appropriate for a tough-guy, but we don't see any claws/horns/heads etc here, plus the body is very long and thin. Therefore I think this is a snake and not a dragon. There are various uses of Buddhist snake symbols.

• Robes would of course indicate a Buddhist deity if the rest of the theme is Buddhist, as opposed to some other humanoid like a samurai or kabuki figure. Some readers felt there was a feminine quality to the figure though maybe that's hard to tell.

• Peacock feathers are the most interesting point here. They are indeed a symbol used in Buddhist art. Naturally we all expected bird themes for Saezuru. But specifically peacock ones really narrow down the image, I think.

My conclusion is this tattoo features Kujaku Myōō (孔雀明王), known as Mahamayuri in Sanskrit. She is a Wisdom King, a class of protective deities, and she is generally depicted as female. She rides a peacock and holds a feather in one hand, and a lotus in another (and other symbolic objects). Peacocks eat snakes, and therefore symbolize protection from poison, both literal and spiritual. Kujaku Myōō is invoked for the removal of poison and pain.

Interestingly, most Wisdom Kings are depicted in "wrathful" aspect, looking like angry demons; Fudō Myōō is a popular deity in Japan and would be a very typical tattoo choice, especially for a tough-guy. But Kujaku Myōō is always shown in "merciful" aspect with a peaceful loving face.

All of this is very interesting to consider for Doumeki. It's perfectly possible that Doumeki himself would not actually be familiar with any of this symbolic meaning, and not be intending to mean anything in particular outside "I'm a dedicated Yakuza". It's also possible that Yoneda-sensei also doesn't mean anything so specific, but only picked the motifs for more vague reasons ("peacocks are birds"). We'll have to wait to see as the plot unfolds. But even as a happy accident, we have a great symbol for Doumeki, don't we?

(I'll also note, there seems to be a hiccup in the timeline. Doumeki's back was partly revealed several chapters ago and there was no tattoo. But not enough time has passed realistically to get such a large one. So either (a) they didn't know how long tattoos actually take to get, or (b) they forgot to draw it on that panel. A mistake either way, but let's just pretend we didn't see it, okay?)

[stxrrynxghts]

There is no KHMK in Ba Sing Se

(Or, the one in which Shyama is back with another fascinating show!)

This show is by Ekta Kapoor so I never had any expectations

Ft. Star-studded cast!

The show begins with .....a crying Yudhishthira? Plz, he never cried while this...whole thing-

wait, is this the game of dice

Also, Shakuni is bald

the headpiece is weird as fook

Cannot believe that they are playing this whole game in the backdrop of something that lowkey looks similar to the work done in the Taj Mahal #Mughal-Kuru bhai-bhai?

andddd a scene with the Pandavas.....CHESTS?! wtf is this asheelta going on-

Bhima is standing as if he needs to poop, tbh

ANDDD Draupadi has the 2000s lip gloss smeared across her lips.

And she has clumsily spilt sindoor. #dhumtanana

weird bg, tbh

Shakuni is cackling like a witch

actually, none of the shows show the game of dice as per the books, but still, it isn't as weird as this

Yudi is shedding crocodile tears. Pls, if u regretted this so much, you would have done something to stop this. tbh, the only acceptable version of Yudi was presented by StarBharat.

Draupadi: "Usne mujhe chhua"

"Sasur", "Bhaiya", and "Guru Ji". Also, why is Drau calling them by their names?!

"Maang ke sindoor ko bikhera hai"

Draupadi has a tattoo #do rupees ki pepsi

The Pandavas have random sanskrit stuff and OM tattooed wtf

The whole praja is watching this wtf

"Mere bhaiya ko andhi bolne waali aaj khud andhi ho gayi"

er...didn't Bhima say so many things during this whole sequence? Has he lost his voice?

Dushasan is saying that a woman is just an object for a man.

Why are the dialogues that belong to Karna given to Dushasan?

Polyandry was not unheard of, tbh.

"Tu Panchali nahi, tu Pehli hai" someone explain me the meaning of this dialogue T-T

Draupadi wasn't the first to be married to multiple men. Ever heard of the Ashwini Kumars and their wife Usha?

"Rajshahi vastra" eh....you mean the chiffon saree she is draped in? No seriously, it is a saree with 0 work done on it-

Yada Yada the trap remix

Duryodhan is giving the order to disrobe Draupadi. Oh God.

ANDD KRISHNA'S THEME SONG IS....OM JAI JAGDISH HARE?!

A saree is coming out of the sudarshan chakra, and this saree shall cover Draupadi.

Why was she screeching so much? My ears are goners.

*Sigh* we end with Vyasa contemplating suicide and some rishi (is that Brahma?!) stopping him

[jasontoddiefor]

Librarian Jon AU University Years!

Jon works towards his library science degree while also picking up some history and religion courses – anything that can help him get more information on the Horrors that lurk behind. Rationally, he knows that he should stop getting invested before he crosses a line, but the hunger has already settled in. (And maybe the guilt as well. He got his bully killed because of a dangerous book, Jon should take responsibility, right?)

Sometimes, he drags Gerry with him to class. Gerry has a 20 minute “discussion” with Jon’s history professor about self-important researchers, thinking they know best.

They live together, although Gerry is in and out of the apartment, tracking down Leitners and other monsters in need of destruction. Jon has school, so he can’t go with him always. He does have a knack for finding books that are bound to entities, or in the state of becoming such, that hadn’t been claimed by Leitner yet.

Georgie is pretty much his only other close friend. They are something for a while that Jon is terrible at putting a term on, and when it fades out, it’s on amicable terms.

After a while (after Georgie nearly touches an anatomy book that reminds her of those on the shelves of the Medical Sciences Building) it occurs to Jon that his library needs a better place to store them. He thinks of the Distortion’s empty endless hallways – he’s never been, but the pamphlet from his school days (London by Daylight!) lets him Know – and wants something similar. Something just like it, but more personal, settled deep into his skin, his very soul.

Gerry, for his part, is very much not on board for taking a tattoo needle and putting a mess of lines on Jon’s back according to the cursed map in the cursed city pamphlet. But he supposes this is the better option than letting Jon try it himself. They are friends, family, the kind of partners in crime you can only be after having been sufficiently fucked up by the same kind of horrors that nobody else gets that being together is natural and comfortable. (“Pretty sure it’s actually codependence, Jon.” “Does that mean you won’t do it?”)

Well, in any case, matching tattoos (shoutout to @samwise-1548 for the idea) and, beyond that, Jon’s back is covered by a library, a bookshelf, script in Latin and Sanskrit and lines that don’t make much sense at all. The tattoo does what it’s supposed to, it stores Jon’s books. Sometimes, A Guest for Mr. Spider crawls up his spine, the title of the pamphlet sometimes escapes to his wrists and it’s alright. Jon’s more comfortable like this. (Or so he lies, his nightmares get worse, but he’s hungry and needs to eat and he can’t destroy what creates him. He crossed the line a while ago, hate and love are near inseparable.) All in all, university is pretty alright. Sure, they nearly get eaten by horrible books a couple of times, and Gerard gets accused of murdering his mother towards the end but hey! They survived this far! Can’t get worse, right?

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 16

Masterlist

Halazia (Unnamed World)

I'd first like to say that all the information I’m referencing here comes from the MV, Prologue and Epilogue, Hongjoong’s Q&A shorts and the MV reaction video

In short: I'm just theorizing here but let's get going

First: the name "Halazia" - it's just a combination of "Hala" from Hala Hala (which can be translated from Sanskrit to 'black mass' or 'time puzzle') and "zia" which refers to the sun -> "Be the light, oh Halazia"

looking it up, you'll find some information about the Pueblo of Zia where a very specific symbol has been used for hundreds of years among the indigenous people to represent the sun that looks like this:

You'll now also find this symbol on the flag of New Mexico but the actual natives whose ancestors created and passed it down didn't consent to this and now there's a lot of (very justified) debate regarding intellectual property - this part has nothing to do with the Ateez lore, I just thought it was interesting and important to share in case anyone was thinking of getting this symbol tattooed or sth

Theory no 1 (basically confirmed by Hongjoong in his short lore Q&A vid): we're dealing with neither Ateez, nor the Black Pirates here

The main indicator to me was the lack of Mingi's "Fix on" and Hongjoongs lil giggles before their respective rap parts (which had previously been a constant, regardless of whether they were acting as Ateez or the Black Pirates)

But aside from that, it also seems like Yunho is the leader of this group with Hongjoong being his right-hand man as opposed to the other way around (and we get to see Yeosang’s birthmark which was previously always covered)

We do still see Hongjoong wearing an armband with the Cromer logo on it - so maybe it's more like Yunho's the public-facing head of the group while Hongjoong's in charge behind the scenes

Alternate reality-wise, we're in one very close to the Z-World where the Revolution has already ended but not quite so successfully, as we can see by the city up in smoke and rubble in the background

Since we've got Yunho sitting inside a ginormous, shattered Cromer, we can assume either (A) these guys themselves have already traveled through time and alternate realities to get here (which would align with what we see in the iconic Mnet livestage with the red and black outfits) and are now stuck until they found another one to take them back home - wherever that home may be or (B) this entire room is the remainder of the Black Pirates' hideout and the Cromer was destroyed by one of them before they were captured so it wouldn't fall into the hands of the government (which could mean one of them escaped to another reality)

Side-note: We've seen such a gravitational anomaly before during Diary Film after Hongjoong first received the Cromer in the A-World and was alone in the Ateez hideout

Side-note 2: You can find my theory on why a Cromer may be intentionall shattered by someone who understands its powers here)

Going by the lyrics, they've already been here long before the Revolution and used to live as regular citizens in Strictland before they had their microchips removed by the Black Pirates - I'm largely basing that on the iconic "No more, keep control" and "No more, keep your soul" -> they want to be in charge of their own lives, to feel and have free thought as opposed to the mindless drones the chips had forced them to be

Another thing worthy of noting is that, as the bell rings, we can see Seonghwa glitch which could have several meanings: they've got hologram technology which helps them make public appearances in the daytime more safely OR (given the ominous vibes of the sound and the association with the bell) they're either not fully human (which would also explain the post-production added CGI glint we see in Jongho's eye at two separate points in the MV) or otherwise existing in this world on borrowed time.

Alternatively, the bell could also indicate that our protaganists are more powerful at certain points in time and this is a visualization of that power. As the moon phases affect the Cromer, they may also affect them.

Regarding the Black Pirate outfits we're seeing throughout the video: our protagonists here were freed by them, alongside all the other people we get to see in the plaza and abandoned mall, but without Ateez's help, they didn't manage to stay undetected so the government either captured or straight-up murdered them

Left behind and without guidance while everyone is praying for the Black Pirates return (see: the Prologue), our protagonists have now stepped up and are rebuilding the movement - though whether they're burning the Black Pirates' outfits as a funeral ritual, out of frustration and anger due to feeling abandoned... or because the tattered clothes were strung up that way by the government to scare off further acts of rebellion Vlad-the-Impaler style which would make this a symbol of defiance, is unclear

Regardless, many of the other citizens who were freed seem willing to join their cause and their current mission seems to be to take down this anti-gravity orb

I can only make a rather baseless guess as to what the purpose of these things is but since it's actively rising here, it seems to be something newly installed that's meant to rise above city-level

The central government presumably built and installed it so maybe it can send out some kind of pulse or signal to regain control over the population - after all, the chips seem to have only had the link cut but weren't removed so re-establishing the link could be possible as long as the hardware wasn't fully fried (which would've probably needed harsher, more painful for the skin interference but what the heck do I know about this world's technological advances)

Either way, to me, that would explain both the fear in the lyrics about returning to their prior state of being pre-awakening, as well as why San was so ready to risk it all to break this thing

Either way, we've got Yeosang bringing in the chains to tie this thing up

Based on the skyline compared to the one from the prologue, it seems like the thick smoke pillars might be originating from the crash sites of the other orbs which would mean they already brought down all the other ones successfully and have now reached their last stop

They wrap the chains around the orb, tie it up all nice and neatly (which must've been a pain in the ass to do since that thing is floating in mid air, makes lightweight shit in its vicinity float and is well, the shape of a super smooth ball) and all start pulling together up until everyone seemingly leaves San to finish the job by himself

To me, there could be multiple reasons for this: (1) it was always part of the plan (highly unlikely imo), (2) everyone but San lost hope this was gonna work out since they're already exhausted af from doing this several times before and don't seem to have made all that much progress and maybe they think they've already done enough since this is seemingly the last orb left, (3) San convinced everyone to leave as they were working/everyone but him got too scared to continue because Android Guardians or another government entity were underway and would've killed or captured them if they were caught

Either way, it all ends with the orb evaporating the moment it collides with San as if his existence somehow canceled out the orb's. While this is very likely to be a creative decision since no one wants to see this human embodiment of sunshine get crushed to death, it could also mean San is still alive if he possesses abilities that go beyond a regular human's or if the orb isn't made up of regular matter/material.

Moving on to the Prologue and Epilogue:

Aside from what I already covered, there are also quite a few other things I want to bring up regarding what we get to see in these two bonus videos, starting with the numbers behind Hongjoong in the Prologue here (which were also pointed out by him in the Making Of video)

You can put these numbers (22152984) and decode them with A1Z26 in which case you'd get this (yes, I still use the Gravity Falls: Break the Code website for this kinda stuff - I refuse to be judged for it):

While this is rather nonsensical, it is quite close to "Bluebird" which would fit the lyrics but it's still just a lil bit unsatisfying since, properly encoded, it should have been "2-12-21-5-2-9-18-4", meaning they forgot a "1" twice.

Regardless, I couldn't find anything better - it can't be coordinates, there's no cypher like this for Hangul that I could find, and using Base64 only gets you "my8" which doesn't make too much sense but Ateez are 8 members so that's nice, I guess.

The first thing that pops up in my search results when I look up the numbers is "Buy 22152984 from Oxygen Electronics" by the way - shout out to life support machine parts you can order online (no affiliation, though I do hope they're an ethical company)

Regarding the numbers, I'll leave it at that for now but if I ever find something that makes more sense, I'll update this!

Ah yes, the mysterious blonde person that pops up toward the end of the Prologue and disappears in the blink of an eye as someone walks past

Seonghwa is the only one who takes note of them and, based on his neutral expression, it doesn't seem to be the first time he's seen them

Are they the Witness? I do think so but we'll come back to it in a moment.

Skipping ahead to the Prologue uploaded yesterday, we're opening with a shot of the bluebird we've already gotten to see in the Prologue and which has also been referenced in the lyrics - it's a symbol of reclaiming freedom, of escaping your shackles, of finding your voice and using it. They've now made it. They've chosen freedom. They've chosen to fight.

The bird's path now guides Seonghwa through the abandoned mall where the orb was brought down and San was sacrificed. It whistles a lil tune and disappears near a lone white-clad figure we've seen before.

Last seen among a small group on the rooftop at the end of the MV, our blondie stands by themselves again, though the others aren't far as we'll soon see

Since the mission is now over, Seonghwa let's his curiosity win and follows the figure up a dark staircase, letting his flashlight guide him

He finds the group of four from the rooftop standing in a dark room against the backdrop of the smoking skyline behind the large windows - they were waiting for him

A white flash, rolling thunder and they're gone. Just like after Yeosang broke the Cromer, we also got to witness the Cromer's powers here. This marks the third Cromer, meaning these four are from yet another reality and they've now become Witnesses of our protagonists' achievements.

They also left behind a departing gift: a silver bracelet engraved with the words "Be Free"

Like A-World's Seonghwa, it seems the blonde Witness has also gotten inspired by their world's version of the dancing girl (whom I theorize to be Left Eye's daughter) and they've now left behind this bracelet, hoping it'll inspire this world's Seonghwa the way it inspired them

[shyjusticewarrior]

Gotham Incorrect Quotes Pt 136

Barbara: *showing off new tattoo*

Ed: Very sexy.

Oswald: Very nice.

Barbara: Yeah. Well, it's sanskrit for "mother" and Babs is gonna get one that says "daughter."

Barbara Lee: Well...

Barbara: Well what?

Barbara Lee: It's just, um, I- I'm not totally sure I'm not bailing?

Barbara: No, no you're not. Barbara Lee, if you don't get "daughter" it's gonna look like I did this for my mother, and then I'm gonna have to saw my leg off.

Lee: Or you could just add to it. Hey, what's sanskrit for "issues?"

[rggtattoos]

南 大作, Minami Daisaku

邦柄 - 黒豹と牡丹 - “Japanese style: Black panther and Peonies” 洋柄 - 蛇と女と髑髏 - “Western style: Snake, Woman, and Skull”

Type: Full, separate sleeves, Western influence 

Features: 

Spiral Botan-Giri Mikiri - This refers to the black and white scalloped border. “Mikiri” is the term for the outer border surrounding these “full” style tattoos. “Botan-Giri” means “Peony Cut” and refers to the scalloped, petal-like edges. 

Skull - Death

Flames - Passion, Energy, desire, movement

Blue Snake - (possibly a blue phase Japanese Rat Snake or US Blue Racer. both non-venomous snakes) in Japan snakes represent protection, good luck and wisdom. In the US a snake and skull represents death and danger.

Blue - purity, cleanliness, passivity and fidelity.

Red Peonies - good fortune, wealth, nobility, bravery, and honor. It is often used to signify a devil-may-care attitude. Common in both Eastern & Western tattoos

Black & White Roses -  Love and passion

Lady’s Head in Profile - Traditional sailor’s tattoo, a reminder of loved ones left behind. beauty, femininity, romance, a heroine, a muse, desire, independence, or good luck.

Panther - power, guardianship, freedom and courage among others.

Dagger Through a Skull - Death, pain, memory, bravery, protection, and loss

Usually the scroll would be used to frame words, but as Minami’s is blank, he either hasn’t decided what to put on it, or just has 0 clue what it’s for.

English word HONOR - Webster’s dictionary definition 

Other - What appears to be Sanskrit characters. Possibly “Pai”(पै) which can mean "to strike or kill" and “Gha”(घ) which can mean "to dry and wither" If anyone has more information to share, I am happy to hear it.

[teatitty]

Known places in Magi and what they’re based on because I have no life and I’m bored as fuck

Aktia: No official basis is given for this country but Sinbad does state it’s known for it’s pearls so possibly it could be Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, which is famous for its pearling industry

Artemyra: Ancient Greece. The clothing and jewellery is the biggest giveaway but this is also a kingdom known for its warrior women, like the amazonians, and the word “Artemyra” itself probably comes from “Artemis”

Balbadd: India and the one I’ve talked about the most. Everything in Balbadd from the architecture to the attire to the trade and fishing is based on India’s culture and Balbadd in canon is noted for being a very imported trade area and for being unique in how multicultural it is

Heliohapt: Probably the most obvious of the series outside of Reim, this is Ancient Egypt. There’s absolutely no way you could mistake this for anything else they literally have a big ass pyramid with an eye of horus on it lmao

Imuchakk: While it’s never been officially stated, comparisons have been made between the Imuchakk and Shaman King’s portrayal of the Ainu, from the naming schemes to the clothing and affiliation to the cold

Kina: Ancient Japan. It’s located to the east of Kou, their current king is called Yamato Takeruhiko, who has a tattoo of an oni on his back, uses a katana, wears japanese armour etc

Kou: Imperial China! The royal family of Kou is literally called the Imperial Family, the naming schemes are all Chinese, absolutely everything about this place screams China if I tried to list everything we’d be here forever

Magnostadt: Unknown. Magnostadt’s name is a combination of latin (magnus) and german (stadt) but previously the kingdom was called Musta’sim, which is arabic. The term “goi” is also used for people who are non-magicians which is, ya know, very obviously meant to be the jewish “goy” [and yes in the actual magnostadt arc this is INCREDIBLY problematic given the villain of the arc is designed to have a big nose and warts all over his face etc but we won’t get into that] so it’s. Ehhhh kinda hard to pinpoint this one. It’s a mishmash of things

Parthevia: Ancient Persia! The name of this country comes from the persian “parthava” which means “parthian” as in “Parthian Empire.” This is where Sinbad, Ja’far and Drakon are from

Reim: Rome. This place is literally introduced as having a huge coliseum and being known for its gladiators, and their founder was Remus. Can’t get more obvious than that

Sasan: This is another weird one because while most of the citizens have Greek names [Spartos, Darius etc] the place itself is based on the Sasanian Empire, which was the longest lived persian-imperial dynasty, and the empire itself was named after the House of Sasan. I genuinely had to look this one up because I thought for sure it was straight Greece based on the names but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sindria: Indian Subcontinent and various others. This place is incredibly multicultural but in short: sindria derives from the sanskrit “sindhu” which is a name for the indus river, physically the country looks like the greek island of Nisyros, the palace of Sindria is loosely based on the Süleymaniye Mosque in Turkey and they have a festival called Mahrajan after King Mahrajan, a character in Sinbad the Sailor from 1001 Nights

[starrysnowdrop]

Character Profile 🌊✨

Hali Aloke

Since this will be pretty long, it is under a cut. If you do read all this, thank you so much for taking the time out to do so!!! 🥰

**NOTE: Hali is an adult, she experiences sexual attraction and desire, has consensual sex, and she is in a long-term relationship with a non-lalafellin NPC. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest going no further. Everyone else, you may proceed.**

Updated as of Pre-Patch 7.0: 04/22/2023

BASICS//

Name: Hali Aloke

Name Pronunciation: Hal-lee Ah-low-kay

Name Meaning: Hali = “Sea; Ocean” in Greek; Aloke = “Light; Radiance; Enlighten” in Sanskrit

Nicknames: Little Star (Her family’s pet name for her) and Snowdrop (Aymeric’s pet name for her)

Unsundered Name: Urania (See HERE for info on Hali’s Unsundered Self)

Titles: Warrior of Light, Warrior of Darkness, Hydaelyn’s Chosen, Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Champion of Eorzea, Eikon Slayer, Savior of Ishgard, Liberator of Doma and Ala Mhigo, Lady of the Stars, Future Viscountess of House Borel

Age: 22 in ARR, 29 as of beginning of Dawntrail

Nameday: 31st Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon (April 29th)

Gender: Female, Cis

Race: 3/4 Lalafell, 1/4 Hyur

Tribe: Appears Dunesfolk, but has both Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk blood, along with 1/4 Midlander Hyuran ancestry

Nationality: Native to Sharlayan; Descended from Thanalan, Mhach, and the South Sea Isles

Languages: Eorzean Common Tongue and possesses the Echo

Profession: Adventurer and Scion of the Seventh Dawn

Education Level: Graduate of the Studium in Old Sharlayan

BLOODLINES//

Father: Taito Aloke (50 in ARR)

Mother: Lalani Lani (48 in ARR)

Siblings: None

Extended Family: Nanani Nani - Maternal Grandmother (75 in ARR) and Jovian Carraway - Maternal Grandfather (Deceased by ARR); Also has distant relatives in Thanalan that have no current contact with Hali’s close family (See HERE for more info on Hali’s Family)

In-Laws: All in-laws deceased

Children: None; Will have three children with Aymeric in the distant future

Pets: An alligator named Boudreaux who also serves as Hali’s mount, a crab named Beignet, and Aymeric’s black cat named BonBon.

ROMANCE & SEXUALITY//

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, Male Leaning

Romantic Orientation: Biromantic, Male Leaning

Significant Other: Aymeric de Borel, in a long-term monogamous relationship as of the end of 6.0; Will marry at some time in the future

Past Relationship: None in Present Life; On and Off again complicated relationship with Hermes/Fandaniel for some time Pre-Sundering

RESIDENCE//

Place of Birth: Born and raised in Old Sharlayan, more specifically in Labyrinthos

Current Residences: Borel Manor in Ishgard since the end of 6.0, A small cottage in the Empyreum since 5.3, and an island sanctuary in the Cieldalaes since 6.1.

TALENTS AND SKILLS//

Canon Battle Jobs: Astrologian and Dancer

Canon Land/Hand Jobs: Fisher, Botanist, and Culinarian

Abilities: Astromancy, Divination, Dancing, Singing, Cooking, Fishing, and Botany.

Bad At: Thaumaturgy/Black Magic, melee combat of any sort, technology, mathematics, keeping her mouth shut when it’s better to stay silent, and hiding her feelings on most subjects.

APPEARANCE//

Hair: Bright, rose pink in color, straight, usually looks somewhat messy in a wide variety of hairstyles

Eyes: Large, wide, expressive seafoam green eyes that shine in the light; glass-like Dunesfolk eyes

Face: Round, with a small, button-shaped nose and short, upturned, pointed ears

Lips: Small, thin lips

Complexion: Fair, and absolutely will burn with direct sun exposure for long periods of time.

Blemishes: None

Scars: Just small ones here and there over the years from battle.

Tattoos: None

Height: 4 fulms (Approx. 1 fulm taller than max height for female Lalas)

Weight: 120 ponze

Build: Normal lalafellin body shape and build

Usual Hairstyles: Hair usually worn down long and loose, pulled up into two large pigtails, or pulled up into an assortment of large ponytails with or without braids.

Usual Face Look: Doesn’t wear any makeup unless forced to for a special occasion.

Usual Clothing: When not in battle, it’s casual clothes for the most part, with her favorite outfit being a pink hoodie and blue jeans. Hali also wears her Astrologian robes most of the time in battle. She also occasionally wears cute dresses in shades of pink, white, pastel green, purple, or blue.

Face and Voice Claim: Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald in Doctor Who) for both Face and Voice claim.

PERSONALITY//

Introverted / Extroverted / Ambiverted (bold what applies)

Positive Traits: Outgoing, friendly, energetic, happy-go-lucky, kind, compassionate, empathetic, open minded, optimistic, honest, loyal, faithful, and trustworthy.

Most Positive Trait: Hali is hope incarnate. No matter how grim a situation might seem, she wholeheartedly believes that things will get better. She tries to have a smile on her face and spread her positive outlook on life wherever she goes. Hali thinks that her hope is probably the only reason she’s still alive after so many years on the battlefield.

Negative Traits: Overly emotional, Tends to not think logically when making decisions, Nosey and gets into other’s business, Gossipy, Insecure, Jealous, and Possessive.

Most Negative Trait: Hali sees the best in everyone except for herself. She’s very insecure about herself, especially in terms of her appearance and her self worth. She doesn’t see that Aymeric could ever possibly love her the way that she loves him, and she doesn’t think she could ever be good enough for him. Even after they are officially together, Hali still struggles with being kind to herself.

Fears: Her loved ones dying and either she was the cause of it, and/or she’s not able to save them; feeling helpless and not able to act when there’s a threat to others’ safety. Also voidsent, sin eaters, and blasphemies; ie: transforming into a monster.

Aspirations: To get married and have children someday; To see all of the lands and cultures that she has never seen before; To learn more fields of magic and to get stronger in order to help others.

Traumas: Hali had lived a pretty normal life in Sharlayan and didn’t have any traumatic experiences growing up, outside of her parents being workaholics and overprotective, so the traumas she does experience is after she becomes a Warrior of Light and sees how people are suffering due to primal summonings, war with Garlemald, the Dragonsong War, the Sin Eaters in the First, and the blasphemies during the Final Days.

Hobbies: Cooking, Fishing, Botany, Swimming, Ice Skating, Going to the Theater, Attending Balls, Dancing, Singing, Reading fairytales and adventure books, and Playing card games.

Vices: Eating too much junk food, Daydreaming, and Laziness when not doing her Scion duties.

Faith: Agnostic and only understands religion in an academic sense, but respects others’ religious beliefs and practices.

Turn Ons: Courage, Kindness, Emotional Strength, Humor, Beautiful eyes, Large chests (of any gender), Sexy voices, and Unique Features

Turn Offs: Prejudice, Narrow-mindedness, Dishonesty, Disloyalty, Deceitfulness, Cruelty, Superficiality, Greed

Temperament: Sanguine

MBTI: ENFP-T

Soul Type: The Server

Tropes: The Chosen Many, Rose-haired Sweetie, Pink Heroine, Cheery Pink, Badass Adorable, Everything’s Better with Sparkles, Star Power, The Medic, Squishy Wizard, Dance Battler

Songs: “Drops of Jupiter” by Train (This one is also her OC tag), “Someday the Dream Will End” from FFX, “Part of Your World (Reprise)” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana, and “Dedicated to Moonlight” from FFXIV

Character Inspirations: Tidus and Rikku from FFX/FFX-2, Rinoa Heartilly from FFVIII, Moana from Disney’s Moana, Ariel from Disney’s Little Mermaid, and Tsukino Usagi from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (See HERE for more info on Hali’s inspirations)

FAVORITES//

Book: Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Deity: Halone the Fury

Holiday: Starlight Celebration

Month: 6th Umbral Moon (December)

Weather: A clear, night sky that is perfect for stargazing

Time of Day: Midnight

Places: Labyrinthos, Old Sharlayan, Ishgard, Sea of Clouds, Churning Mists, Azim Steppe, Il Mheg, The Tempest, Thavnair, and The Moon

Sounds: Crickets chirping, waves crashing on the shore, rain falling, waterfalls, thunderstorms, church bells ringing, and Aymeric’s deep, sexy voice.

Scents: Ocean breezes, salty sea air, scent of fresh fallen rain, flowers of any kind, and musky cologne.

Foods: Grilled Mahi Mahi and other kinds of fish; light, creamy pastas like Shrimp Scampi; warm, creamy broth from soup; hot chocolate and marshmallows; anything sweet, but favorite is raspberry cheesecake.

Drinks: Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Smoothies, Boba Tea, Pink Drink, Hot or Iced Chai, Hot Chocolate with lots of marshmallows

Feels: Rain and/or snow falling on her skin, warm water, fluffy pillows, warm blankets, soft plushies, and Aymeric’s hands and/or mouth on her skin.

Number: 7 (Lucky number, and there are seven heavens and seven hells)

Colors: Midnight Blue, Lotus Pink, Pure White, Celeste Green, and Lavender Purple

SYMBOLISM//

Elements: Water and Darkness

Gemstones: Aquamarine and Chrysoprase

Animals: Pink Dolphins and Axolotls

Mythological Creature: Mermaids

Flowers: Water Lilies and Snowdrops

Season: Spring

Land, Sea, or Sky: Sea

Astronomical Object: The Stars

HISTORY//

History (Pre-ARR): Hali was born to a loving lalafellin family in Old Sharlayan, and more specifically, her parents are researchers working in Labyrinthos. She lived most of her life stuck in Labyrinthos except for when she went up to the surface to study at the Studium or to relax and eat at the Last Stand. She dreamt of seeing the outside world but her parents would never allow it. One day, Hali’s grandmother Nanani makes an arrangement with an older Lalafellin man who is a gleaner, and he agrees to smuggle Hali out of Sharlayan so that she could be an adventurer and see the world for herself. (For more details regarding Hali’s family and her background, see this post HERE.)

OTHER//

Smokes: Never

Drugs: Never

Drinks: Only drinks wine and certain kinds of cocktails, but tries to only drink when she’s not busy with her Scion duties the next day, as she is a lightweight and gets drunk easily.

Mount Issuance: Hali was never given a chocobo, because she said she didn’t need one! She always used a magical umbrella that allowed her to float above the ground and fly her to wherever she needed to go. Later on, Hali found her pet alligator Boudreaux on her Island Sanctuary and she rides him most of the time now.

Been Arrested: Yes, Hali was arrested for being a fugitive that snuck back into Old Sharlayan after being banished for helping to bring Sharlayan Astromancy to the Eorzeans. She was found sneaking around Labyrinthos in order to discover the secret project that her parents were hiding from the public at large.

UNSUNDERED AND SHARDS//

Unsundered: Urania, Seat of Azem

Source: Hali Aloke, Warrior of Light, 8 times rejoined

First: Lamitt, rejoined during ShB 5.0

Second: ???, rejoined in 3rd Calamity (Fire)

Third: ???, rejoined in 4th Calamity (Earth)

Fourth: ???, status unknown

Fifth: ???, rejoined in 1st Calamity (Wind)

Sixth: ???, rejoined in 5th Calamity (Ice)

Seventh: Aerith Gainsborough, rejoined in 7th Calamity (Bahamut)

Eighth: ???, status unknown

Ninth: ???, status unknown

Tenth: Tidus, rejoined in 6th Calamity (Water)

Eleventh: ???, status unknown

Twelfth: ???, rejoined in 2nd Calamity (Lightning)

Thirteenth: Durante, AKA: Golbez, alive

(See HERE for more info on Hali’s Shards)

CURRENT STATUS//

As of patch 6.55, Aymeric has been courting Hali since the end of 6.0, and they are now living together. Hali and Aymeric are preparing for their first adventure together: the voyage to Tural alongside their companions to assist Wuk Lamat in the contest for the throne of Tuliyollal.

NOTE: Hali’s story follows all major events of the MSQ as she is a Warrior of Light and her unsundered self was Azem. The major canon diversion is that in her canonverse, there are multiple Warriors of Light (namely several of my friend’s OCs). As such, Hali might or might not be the main WoL of focus in some arcs of the MSQ, and she might not be involved with some side storylines at all. Feel free to ask me for any specifics in this regard.

[sweetcandlyliar]

BASICS

FULL NAME: CHOI EODUUN [ 최어두운 ]

» MEANING: Choi [ 崔 Korean From Sino Korean 崔 (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".] Eoduun [/eoduun/ 1. black. adjective. If you describe a situation as black, you are emphasizing that it is very bad indeed.]

VERSE: How To Kill A King; Sanguine; Night Shift.

OTHER NAMES: The CEO over at the big agency Eoduun is signed up to doesn't like his government name so they gave him KALI [Kali, Hinduism, Bengali, Tamil which means "the black one" in Sanskrit. The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of Shiva. She is usually depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.] since his name has the same meaning in Korean. *The Korean company Eoduun is sign up to has distributors outside the country. Their biggest partner is the ARIKUN COMPANY.

AGE: 21-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 3rd December 2002, Tuesday, night time.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Daegu, South Korea.

SPECIES: Human.

POWERS: Ahm, he's super talented but he doesn't realize it. He's a great songwriter and he plays various musical instruments but he lacks confidence in himself.

OCCUPATION: Member of a South Korean band called X.

GENDER: Cisgender Male.

SEXUALITY: My boy's bi, bi, bi...

PERSONALITY

POSITIVE: Generous, Idealistic, Great sense of humor, Ambitious, Determined.

NEGATIVE: Impatient, Ambitious, Tactless, Idealistic, Stubborn.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Lee Joo-yeon.

HEIGHT: 5'9 [179 cm.]

WEIGHT: 122 lbs. [58 kg.]

BUILD: Lean, athletic.

GAIT: Relaxed.

HAIR COLOR: Brown.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: Some.

OVERVIEW: » SCARS: »

TATTOOS: Nope.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Daegu, South Korea.

RESIDENCE: Seoul, South Korea, currently.

NATIONALITY: South Korean.

ETHNICITY: Asian.

FINANCIAL STATUS: He just started earning money...

EDUCATION LEVEL: He's attending uni.

DEGREES: He's taking classes in Business Administration.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: His first language his hangul. He speaks English, Japanese, and Mandarin.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: To be added.

SIBLINGS: He's got younger siblings.

CHILDREN: Nada.

PETS: He's got a kitty cat...

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: » THANATOS.

HISTORY: So, Eoduun was born and raised in a typical Korean family. Parents wanted him to study but he wanted to become a musician. Since he's the eldest child, his parents who are hard workers, wanted him to 'take life seriously,' get into a good college, be a public servant or at least work for a decent company. They never really encouraged his love for music although he iss very, very good. And it made sense for them that they didn't because they didn't have money to send him training or send him to art or music school. SOOO, this boy stowed away and went to Seoul at age 17 and worked various jobs and wrote songs he sold for nothing until he met a person, an entity that promised him success.

Eoduun is a very ambitious individual. He's so ambitious that he willingly sold his soul to an entity that tricked him - he didn't know that his time is going to be up soon. A blood disease left undetected will take his life three years after selling his soul.

2024, on his the year of his death, Eoduun would pass away and his soul that he sold is bound to be slave to the entity that tricked him who would use Eoduun's soul however it pleased.

BUT Thanatos got to Eodunn in time, preventing the transfer of soul to the trickster, however, the trickster knew how to fool death and Thanatos. Aside from the luck and success the entity bartered Eoduun, it slipped a power that Eoduun didn't know he had, the power of healing. And Thanatos can't work properly with this glitch. It would prolong Eoduun's time on the human realm.

The trickster plays the game with Thanatos, holding Eoduun's soul hostage, perhaps not physically, but Eoduun's soul is not able to leave human realm when his time is up.

Thanatos then takes over Eoduun's body to guard Eoduun's soul. He puts Eoduun's mind to sleep some time but a lot of times, they co-habit Eoduun's body.

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Eoduun doesn't really date. He wants to be a great and successful musician so he was so focused on that.

CURRENT STATUS: HE ABOUT TO DIE AND THANATOS ABOUT TO ESCORT HIM BUT HIS CAPTOR IS A DICK.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Thanatos and a human bff.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: His ambition is his love.

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): None.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISEASE(S): Depression...

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Alcoholism.

[nerdangels]

OC questions!! 1 for Maya. 13 for Johnny. 23 for Jaylen and Johnny. 31 for Fen. 36 for Andrew. 37 for Maya and Ryan. 41 for Johnny. 47 for Johnny. 80 for Andrew and Jaylen.

Thanks hawthorn! 🥺💖

1. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames? +  Maya In Sanskrit, it means either dream or illusion. It is also considered an alternative name for Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, love, beauty, and joy. In Greek, it means “good mother,” which is also the name of Hermes' mother in Greek mythology. In Hebrew, it means water or “from god.” I chose this name just because I like the name without any consideration for any of these meanings though fsdkjf. She does not have any nicknames.

13. How do they feel about animals? Do they have any pets? + Johnny He does not have pets but in an earlier iteration of RTS, he had a fear of ravens. I'm not sure if this will be relevant in this version of RTS though hmm. Oh he's also a cat person!

23. What do they want their legacy to be when they die? + Jaylen Jaylen doesn't like to think about the future and how they're perceived too much. He actually starts considering his legacy when he meets a fan with one of his lyrics tattooed for the first time. After that moment, they want people to remember their work after they die and consider it to be the third most important part about being in the band. She wants to be remembered for her talents in songwriting and performing on stage.

23. What do they want their legacy to be when they die? + Johnny Johnny also doesn't think too much about his legacy after he dies. Upon getting the first taste of fame when the band starts to get mildly popular, he starts to get an ego about it but doesn't really consider legacy on account of being young and dumb. Even after he sells his soul and is confronted with the fact that he's got an expiration point, he still prefers to live in the moment and rarely stops to think about long term consequences and how he'll be remembered. 

31. What are their strengths? Are they aware of them? + Fen. Fen is very curious and focused. They are also very passionate about the things they love and they're booksmart. They are not very aware of the first two traits but often get told the latter by teachers and peers.

36. Have they ever been betrayed? How did it affect their ability to trust others? + Andrew. Andrew has unfortunately dealt with a handful of very good friends abandoning him after he came out as trans. He has a close knit circle of friends and doesn't trust people outside of it easily.

37. How easily do they trust others with their secrets? With their lives? With their physical possessions? + Maya Maya trusts others fairly easily. I wouldn’t describe her as an open book but she’s also not an especially secretive person. She’s a lesbian and her friends know this about her. She is also a very communal person (especially after starting to tour with a band) so she lets others borrow her stuff readily. She would trust her friends and family (including her bandmates) with her life.

37. How easily do they trust others with their secrets? With their lives? With their physical possessions? + Ryan Ryan is a private person so he doesn't share a lot to begin with. If he has any secrets, very few people know them. He doesn't take a lot of possessions on tour with him so he doesn't have a lot to trust people with. He was also an only child so he’s just not used to sharing things. He would trust only a few of his closest friends with his life.

41. What is always guaranteed to make them smile? + Johnny Spending time with his friends, eating good food, listening to good music, figuring out what makes a song click into place. Being with people he loves is definitely at the top of this list for him though.

47. How do they express their grief? + Johnny Johnny is always stuck in a state of grief of sorts because he has major FOMO. I would say he’s a mix of anger and bargaining. He hasn’t had any significant losses (at the start of this story) but in the previous version of RTS where his dad died and he nearly killed his brother (whoopsies) he was in denial and angry about his father and he sold his soul so that Andrew would live. In this version of RTS, Johnny does eventually experience a major loss and spirals hard about it, sinking deeper into substance abuse. So when he grieves, he goes a little bit out of his mind.

80. What is something they regret? + Andrew Andrew doesn't have many regrets. If he wants something, he'll do his best to attain it. If he has any regrets, it's mostly the way other people acted but he's wise enough to realize it's out of his control. He doesn't even regret leaving the band and seeing them get famous because he didn't want to do it anymore and he sees how his younger brother is not handling fame well.

80. What is something they regret? + Jaylen Jaylen has a few regrets, in contrast. They spent a long time trying to please their parents but when they finally reach a breaking point, they regret not trying to live life on their own terms sooner. She also comes to regret compromising on her songwriting so much, because from the demo to the finished product things were changed a lot so, especially on the band's later releases, she regrets letting that much creative control go.

Send me a number(s) 1-100 off of this questionnaire plus the name of one of my ocs

[sterlingarcher23]

-Foils: El & Henry-

Certain aspects have become more clear in the last couple of months, so some elements in these posts are a bit outdated or better would need additional information/clarification. The overall/basic ideas are the same, it just turned out to have a bit more "texture".

Season 4 established Henry/One and El/Eleven as opposite characters, so called foils.

The visuals for this are in their number-tattoos 00I and 0II which are written in circles and lines on their inner wrists.

Additionally there are clear visual elements like in the fight in the rainbow room in which El is standing in the right side up rainbow area. This is already foreshadowing El’s whereabouts in Season 5 and it symbolizes her meaning in contrast to Henry who is in the upside down side of the rainbow, both sides connected with each other on one side of the wall.

Both characters are made in a Yin-Yang style, that has small dots of the opposing colors, with both having a vestigial element of each other inside: One a single line and Eleven a single circle.

The most obvious inspirations are Raava and Vaatu from Legend of Korra (reference is a tweet by the Stranger Things writers from 2019 "my favorite ship is korrasami").

These spirits, Raava of light and peace, Vaatu of darkness and chaos, are inverses themselves. The duality is apparent through the fact that one can inverse their color schemes into negative images, meaning they are the exact opposite of one another and their names are made similar to One and Eleven:

Raava , coming from Sanskrit “ravah” meaning sound and Vaatu from “vatu”, silence. - On Vecna's clock over the main dial, there's even an inscription saying "silent".

Similar to Raava and Vaatu, El and Henry cannot really destroy each other. Darkness cannot exist without light and vice-versa. It has also been made clear during the D&D game at the start of S4: Eleven is a miss!

(El in the grey area of the field - Max's brain? - with a blue withered flower representing Max as in every couple in the shot one wears blue)

According to this and Brenner’s explanation that One/00I consumes. Including memories and abilities, taking everything that a person was and ever will be (the reason why Max is blind and cannot feel anything is he stole two sensory abilities ; probably also some memories), his foil Eleven/0II must therefore be able to do the opposite.

Henry absorbs people, making what they were part of him, fuses them to him - El fuses with people, both stay separate entities therefore.

It's a similar yet slightly different concept with Vaatu and Raava: Vaatu and Unalaq merge into a single entity ; Raava fuses with Korra but both are separate entities.

Part of this, that El does the opposite of Henry, was already in Season 4 when she revived Max and as it was implied (although it looks like she is only thinking of it) likely transfusing memories while doing that.

Anyway, what El did there was already a mirror image of what One/Henry does: while he killed Max by connecting to her mind and doing it in the mind lair, El revived Max in the void.

The mind lair and void are the visual representations of both Henry and El's mind.

One/Henry kills & takes. El/Eleven revives & gives.

Another hint was Dr. Owens who stated in his discussion with El, that “I believe you're the cure”

For what Henry does, El as Henry's foil is established in Season 4.

Plus:

It is therefore just logical that El is meant to reverse what Henry did to Max. However in her own way:

Where Henry absorbs other people and integrates them as part of himself, destroying them in the process, El would fuse with a person of her choosing, bestowing or sharing her memories and abilities, however she wouldn't be "consumed" in sense of being disaggregated (as consumption actually works) to fuel someone but stays a separate entity in the process while being linked to the other person.

Henry also developed a self healing ability but he can only heal himself ; El on the other hand could be able to do the reverse or something of a kind but unable to heal herself, only capable of healing others.

In Season 2 El touches her mother's hand to which she then reacted, an indication that El connected to Terry for a moment and while being connected repaired or circumvented the neural damage of her mother's brain. If Max losing her abilities of vision and touch is due to neural damage or that this damage is a concomitant effect of the psychic absorption, then it has been established through this moment that El can indeed do the opposite. - Something similar happened when El touched Billy's face.

It's likely that this happened because both, Terry and Billy, do have powers (it is true for Terry as far as we know?)

In both cases it was love and compassion that triggered something (powers and emotions as triggers are connected) during that connection and had an effect on the person been touched. And direct psychic link already showed that El is able to revive a person via mind over thousands of miles away - a constant connection from within a person would therefore permanently link/fuse El to/with another person, sharing memories, abilities, thoughts, experiences. Both benefit from this symbiosis. It is likely that El will mirror/parallel Sara's fate, bringing Hopper full circle. El's death has been hinted at for example through his monologue in Season 4, so the survival of her own consciousness is possibly connected to this fusion:

One body, two minds. It would then also come with some caveats or better make Elumax very "special". However bestowing or sharing sensory abilities gives Max substitute abilities to the ones she lost, seeing with El's eyes for example.

There are examples for this in e.g. Star Trek or Mass Effect Andromeda.

This fusion has also been visualized through several elements, from the blue and yellow shield, the diner/van window and even a complete moment in the shopping scene foreshadowed this.

Sharing her memories and abilities etc. would be an integral element of what El would do while bringing back Max ; only thing missing is that El needs to know of the whereabouts of Max's mind - El has to locate Max inside of the dimension she sent her to as the released script implies.

That dimension is in Max's brain... a mind-dimension. More in this post:

It's the only way, sadly it means El's death and a love that was never meant to be in reality - something that Vol2 also established, while Lucas fought for Max in reality, El fought for Max in the mind. Both are anchors of their respective realm of love for Max.

El's and Max's love is for the mind, the dreams... That's why it was shown to us that Max can cross into others minds/dimensions when she entered Henry's mind lair on her own. (Also hinting that Max is one of two kids of the forgotten test subjects of MKUltra)

Whatever the exact explanation would be, if ever talked about in detail in the show and not just visualized and explained via storytelling, the basic concept is technically simple and been laid out by establishing its Upside-down version/Henry psychically absorbing people and hinted at in parts through the possession of Will in Season 2 (there were elements they wanted to do in Season 2,they now want to use) - Stranger Things is full of parallels but more important are the mirrors: concepts and characters mirror each other.

So do Henry and El.

Sidenote: This explanation seems convoluted but the concept actually isn't - keep in mind that Stranger Things explains very little through characters giving a lecture but more making use of visual clues, actions of the characters and storytelling - how Henry kills and what's necessary to do his psychic absorption for example is explained via visuals and story and just a few lines from Dr Brenner whose dialog explained to us before it happened why Max can't feel or see.

It still confused people into thinking that Max's "soul" was after her death absorbed or traveled to Henry while the process is directly shown: he needs to concentrate and use the UD network to absorb a person. Both was not the case ; the death occurring at the spot opens the portal (see the fandom Wiki). Or that Max's loss of sight is a result of direct injury to her eyes when it was actually put in dialog what happened. - Still the basics of this were misunderstood by many. But those are established rules that only need to be mirrored now, similar to the UD and the mind dimension to which El sent Max's consciousness to.

Problem with Stranger Things is that it tends to distracts at times, uses subtext and communicates subconsciously. People were stunned and even angry that El revived Max, they saw it as a cheap Deus ex machina when in fact it wasn't due to the fact that El was established as Henry's opposite. - That alone is very telling in its own way of consuming media (yes, including me) but it also puts Stranger Things on a different level of entertainment. A professor of the New York University said that analyzing Stranger Things in this way is valid. He did an analysis of the use of cinematography in the TV-show "John Adams".