#allusions and references

[himehikoshrine]

Biblical Naming Puns in Quartz Plays

Both Levi and Isaac are biblical names whose meaning is explained in the text of Genesis. Shown here in the JPS translation, which includes in line explanations, in Genesis 29:34 we get Levi being given for its meaning as "to attach," or "to join." It shares a route with the word for wreath, so it could be said to have 'to join in a circle' connotation, which works very well with the etymology of kielce and circus, as well as the gear metaphor. He is the ringleader after all, another word that includes the connection to circles and rings.

Isaac comes from the word "to laugh". Shown is Genesis 17:19, though the incident it's referencing happens earlier. A fitting name for a clown, and even more fitting given some lines on Isaac's route, too. But again, this is a name picked based on the pun given in Genesis for it.

These are similar to Jacob in Mary Jane, which, according to Genesis 25:26 is a pun on the word for "heel". Mary names him that after getting the idea to make a doll out of corpse parts after picking up a heel off the beach.

Mary is almost certainly a biblical reference of a name, as well, but it isn't on the origin of the name and explanation for the word play involved.

These are all pretty specific references, but the pattern makes me fairly certain that all three are intentional.

Fun fact - Isaac is the father of Jacob who is the father of Levi, so this also represents three major generations of Genesis.

Whatever else he's got going on or shoved in that weird genius head of his, the Bible is clearly something in Neji's reference pool. Pretty deep-cut references too. With the "Raham" in Jire's poem, these represent some pretty close original textual readings. Some of the phrasing in the Jire poem also suggests at least a passing knowledge with Japanese Catholic liturgical phrasing or at least imitations there of.

But Neji's references don't stop here. The Oh Rama Havenna names seem to be based of Latin instead. He's dabbling in Greco-Roman mythology references elsewhere, Japanese mytho-history in I Am Death, linguistics, latin, possibly middle english, world literature, historical references and beyond. A fascinating place, Neji's mind.

So while I can totally see a reading that there's some religious background Neji is not telling us, I can also see him reading the bible from cover to cover with translation posts just for his reference pool "to make the greatest performance ever!"

[tmarshconnors]

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers."

Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, science, and mathematics.

Reclusive Nature: Pynchon is famously reclusive, rarely appearing publicly and avoiding interviews and media attention. This aura of mystery has only added to his mystique as a writer.

Academic Background: Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell University, where he developed an interest in literature and writing. He later pursued graduate studies in English at the University of Washington.

Military Service: Pynchon served in the United States Navy from 1955 to 1957, an experience that influenced some of his writing, particularly in his novel "Gravity's Rainbow," which includes themes related to World War II and military technology.

Literary Career: Pynchon gained widespread acclaim with his debut novel, "V.," published in 1963. He followed this with several other highly regarded works, including "The Crying of Lot 49," "Gravity's Rainbow," and "Mason & Dixon." His novels are known for their dense prose, intricate plots, and exploration of complex themes.

Awards and Recognition: Pynchon has received numerous awards and honours throughout his career, including the National Book Award for Fiction for "Gravity's Rainbow" in 1974. He has also received the MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the "Genius Grant," in recognition of his contributions to literature. Despite his accolades, Pynchon remains relatively elusive, preferring to let his writing speak for itself.

[moderndayamymarch]

one of my favorite things about the deathly hallows book is the revelation that snape and petunia knew each other. like if you asked someone in 1997, ��hey which two characters from harry potter have longstanding childhood beef with each other”. I’m not sure anyone would’ve answered “harry’s bitchy muggle aunt and the mean potions teacher”. but it also makes total sense. like they are the two biggest haters.

[felidaeng]

twisted karma

[allenwalkerbitch]

I cannot believe I've been reading D.gray-man for all these years and it JUST now hit me that Caterina's full name—Caterina Eve Campbell—is a fucking Adam and Eve reference. The Millennium Earl's Noah name is Adam. It's right there.

And Caterina raises the two kids "Adam" becomes as her own children. Adam and Eve have two sons, and one of them kills the other one when they grow up. Mana and Nea are fucking Cain and Abel.

Local woman reads the catholicism manga, is shocked to discover it contains catholicism.

[moonsun2010]

5 November - Dracula's roommates make a reappearance (to welcome a fourth) ❄️

these are part of an animatic summarising Dracula, which you can watch here (new readers beware; it has spoilers for the entire book!)

✨️support me at: tip jar|commissions

[clottedscream]

oh yeah i love in stars and time. with uhh,, snuffkin,, and um,, bullround….

[aura-bug]

the kuroi medals for arachnus/toadal are so good hold on guys let me be annoying abt them for a second. theyre both insanely cool references and I wish they took this route with more of the kuroi medals or the medals of classic yokai in general

Toadal's medal is a reference to Utagawa Kuniyoshi's ~c. 1826 print of Tenjiku Tokubei (a kabuki character who rode a giant toad mount)

And Arachnus's is based on the 14th-century Tsuchigumo no Sōshi Emaki (the scene where Yorimitsu kills the Tsuchigumo) (which used to be my header. if you remember The Olden Days)

I lovveveveeee when medal art is derivative and takes inspiration from historical art ouoyogyuguuyrhugurghguhhhhh (falls down the stairs and dies tragically

[3liza]

"why do you talk about something awful so much" it has surprised me quite a bit as I've gotten older but the 2000s-2010s SA culture has only become more relevant to current events and media as time goes on, i assume from the natural watershed effects from people aging into their 30s and making media properties that go on to become incredibly influential. I was never a big poster there, I was a lurker 99% of the time and had zero influence on the site, so it's really not personal for me except for stuff like Dropsy, since I was there for the original thread. the SA millennials started popping up in noticeable ways as early as 30 Rock (recall the "lemon party" recurring joke for example) and as the younger members age into their prime output years we're just going to keep seeing more of it.

[captainfairygodmother]

No no no, you don't understand. "We've got forever to figure out what the rest means" is Charles making sure that they don't end up like Orpheus and Eurydice, even if it's subconsciously because he never finished the ending of the myth. Because if Charles would have stopped to think through what Edwin fully meant by what he said, or stopped to think through how he feels and give him a longer response based on that, even for just a second of consider, the demon monster thing would've gotten to Edwin. The confession was to Charles what Orpheus turning to find Eurydice was. "Oh if Charles actually reciprocated Edwin's feelings he would have told him then" is the exact same vibes as "If Orpheus really loved Eurydice he wouldn't have turned around", in the sense that no, because Charles and Orpheus loved Edwin and Eurydice so much, even if for the former it was something that would never develop into more, they did what they had to. The only difference is that Edwin and Charles have "forever to work out the rest", they survived to be able to have at least that, while Orpheus and Eurydice don't, and are deemed a tragedy.

[devilsskettle]

The X trilogy + "psycho-biddy" influences

[catcze-hiatus20250524]

Someone on twt pointed out that his event cover thing looks so similar to the chapel from his myth and suddenly i am not horny and am crying again oh

[twelvebooksstuff]

Sunrise on the Reaping (post one of many) lol

Right off the bat, I LOVE how Haymitch’s love interest is named after Lenore from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and how often the poem comes back in the story up to the end!!

[3-2-whump]

IKEA Trip 

<prev next>

I could've been creative and given the infamous furniture and home goods warehouse a different name, but no, wasn't creative enough 🙃😛 I sincerely hope this chapter doesn't read as a product endorsement, cause that was not my intent. Thank you @generic-whumperz for clearing this chapter and suggesting to add more details, it reads like an actual trip now! Thanks also for making sure it doesn't read like an advertisement 👍🏼

Author's Note: We will be making extensive reference to The Scent of Jasmine, so if you haven't looked at that already, I'd suggest giving it a skim, if the CW's are agreeable with your reading experience.

TW/CW: allusions and references to past whump (especially in the candle section), conditioned whumpee, emotional angst (whumpee has to make choices!) (whumpee remembers traumatic things), brief emeto (carsickness), referenced past slave whump, financial whump (brief)

Khaled lurched forward in the back seat of the rickety, rusty old Moon Garden catering van as Eric surged ahead on the freeway. The empty bucket between his knees caught what little stomach contents remained inside him since the four of them started this hour and fifteen-minute drive to IKEA. Next to him, Vikash held the edge of the cooler/improvised back seat in a white-knuckled grip while murmuring mantras to every god he could remember. He must’ve cycled through about a dozen so far, ever since they left the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Cade rode in front with Eric, not so much reading the directions off the mapping app more than yelling frantically at the driver. “You’re gonna want to take that exit–”

“That exit?” Eric asked to confirm.

“Yeah, the one we’re approaching! Go right, right, right–Eric, god!” Car horns blared past them as Eric throttled them toward the correct exit ramp. Vik stopped his chanting and forgot how to breathe. Khaled and Cade braced themselves against the walls of the van to avoid being thrown like rag dolls. Fortunately, without its usual supply of folding tables and stacks upon stacks of aluminum trays, the van was mostly empty, so they didn’t collide into anything, but that meant it was that much harder for Khaled hang onto anything. Cade recovered from the abrupt change in direction first. “Did you have to swerve across three lanes of traffic?!”

“You said right, I got us right, what more do you want?!” Eric demanded.

“For you to drive like a normal person! That’s literally the bare minimum!” Cade cried.

“Look, we all know this trip is going to take some time, so I want us to get there as soon as the warehouse opens, and that wasn’t going to happen with how reluctantly everyone was dragging their feet this morning!” Eric explained, justifying his driving. To everyone’s relief, he had slowed his frenzied speed and began abiding traffic laws again the moment they were off the freeway and back in a commercial district. Cade rolled his eyes as the Moon Garden catering van rolled into the expansive parking lot of the IKEA store.

“Oh, look, a space near the door!” Eric chirped. He threw a smug glance to his passenger seated next to him, and the passengers in the back. “Sure wouldn’t have gotten to park this close if I had ‘driven like a normal person,’ would we?”

“Just shut up and park,” Cade and Vik groaned. Khaled, though he said nothing, was inclined to agree. It was too bad Cade couldn’t drive the van, he thought as he emptied the sick bucket discreetly into a boxwood hedge. Though the veterinary tech had his driver’s license (the only one besides Eric to have one between the four of them), Cade did not know how to drive the manual transmission like Eric did.

A station with reusable bags, tape measures, tiny pencils, and tiny notepads was the first thing the group of four saw when they entered. Cade grabbed a tape measure, and Vik pulled up the attic room’s dimensions on his phone’s notes app to be sure whatever Khaled chose would fit in his new room. “Whatever you choose to get, try to stay within the budget,” he reminded him. Khaled gave a silent nod, and said nothing about the hundred dollar bills burning a hole in his coat pocket. Vik was working off the assumption that he’d be paying for this trip, but since this was Khaled’s room, it seemed only fair that Khaled should pay for it. Still, a budget was probably for the best.

Eric lead the group up the escalator to the first half of the trip, the show room. “This is where you get to see the products they sell in a simulated home environment,” Cade explained. “Like the…” He stooped over a lounge chair and side table set and attempted to read the tag. “Strom-sollig-nin?” he said, screwing up his face.

“Don’t even bother trying to pronounce the names,” Eric advised.

Vikash, meanwhile, was examining an oddly squat, vaguely phallic-shaped lamp perched on another side table. “Bro really let his cat name this lamp, didn’t he,” he chuckled quietly. Khaled glanced over at the lamp and its tag.

“Oh yeah, I bet he just set his kitten on his keyboard and was like, ‘good luck little guy, the more consonants the better!’” Eric laughed. Khaled felt himself let out a soft exhale of a laugh too.

They made their way through the showroom, brushing quickly past living room, dining room, and outdoor furnishings to focus more on the bedroom displays. This perfectly suited Khaled, because the L-shaped couch and the accompanying coffee table they’d just passed looked a little too familiar. So familiar that he was a little surprised there wasn’t a human-shaped replica curled up at the foot of the couch or under the coffee table. And he swore one of the kitchen displays got a shiver out of him as he remembered being backed against the counter and smacked so hard his head hit the cupboards mounted above it. He rubbed the phantom pain at the back of his skull.

They’d stop by every single bed and bedroom display, and the roommate trio would ask him questions like, “Is this the kind of style you want?” or “What do you think of the toe-ka-bol-ho?” or “You do know whatever you see on display in these rooms we can get for your room, right?”

What Khaled wanted to say was, Okay, first, I don’t know my style. I was never allowed to have one. Second, that’s like the sixth lamp you’ve shown me, and they’re all starting to look the same. And above all, yes, I get that that’s the idea behind this show room! But you’re giving me choices–too many choices–and you’re expecting me to not only make them, but believe you’ll listen to them, and to me?! What he said instead was nothing.

Vik tried to coax him out of his overwhelmed silence first. “There are no wrong choices, if that’s what you’re worried about. So long as we don’t go over $1500, it’s all up to you.” Was it any surprise that his advice didn’t make Khaled feel any less anxious?

“I think this bed frame fits the dimensions of your room, and that’s a nice sheet set they’ve got on it,” Cade observed as he tried to help, patting the bed they stood in front of for emphasis.

“Do you want me to get that one?” Khaled asked, latching onto the first sense of direction.

Cade’s smile dropped as he realized what that sounded like. He withdrew his hand from the bed. “I mean, it’s your room, not mine. You get what you want,” he replied.

Eric stooped down to pick something off the floor. “Open your palm,” he directed. Khaled wordlessly obeyed, only for Eric to drop in a small, shiny penny.

“What’s this–?”

“If you really can’t make up your mind, flip the coin,” Eric explained. “We’ll rephrase our questions into two choices, you flip the coin, and that’ll decide what we buy.” Eric took Khaled’s hand that wasn’t holding the penny to steer him to another bed in the show room, one with similar dimensions and a different look entirely. “Do you want to try?” he offered.

That lifted the burden of decision-making off Khaled’s shoulders. “Y-yeah, okay.”

“Great! So, the bedframe Cade showed you is heads, and this one is tails. Which one shall it be?”

Khaled flipped the coin up in the air, caught it, and read the results. “Tails.” Vik turned over the bed frame’s tag and dutifully noted the product’s location in his note-taking app.

While the coin flip system wasn’t perfect, it did mean they progressed through the show room much quicker. They split into roles: Cade found items, Eric presented them into choices of two, Khaled flipped the coin, and Vik wrote it down. Near the end, Eric had to say “No, no, you don’t have to do the coin flip for something you obviously want!”

“How do you know I want it?” Khaled asked, putting the penny back in his closed palm. He wasn’t being very subtle, he guessed, staring wistfully up at the string light canopy for a solid minute before Cade had asked if he wanted to buy them. Vikash recorded the string lights in his notes.

By the time the group took a break at the cafeteria for lunch, it was close to 3:00 PM, far past the usual lunch hours. “What a time vacuum,” Cade muttered as he grabbed a plastic tray from the stack. Eating so late had made Cade cranky, Vik distracted, and Eric sluggish, but they began perking up as soon as they got food in their stomachs.

They headed down to the warehouse level, where they could locate the products Vikash had written down. “Remember, stick solely to the list,” Vik advised, pulling a shopping cart free. That plan broke down within minutes as the guys discovered overflowing bins of stuffed animals and other toys. “This is Blenny Sharky-Shark, and he wants you to take him home!” Eric said in a silly voice, waving a stuffed shark in Khaled’s face.

That got a genuine laugh out of the young man, who took the shark from Eric’s grasp and tucked it under his arm, a difficult task, considering how big the toy was. It’s bigger than the twins! a stray thought whispered in his head. Khaled’s smile dimmed in brightness. The twins would be thirteen by now, he remembered. Way bigger than this shark plushie. Which means Ayesha would be, what, nineteen? And Yusuf–he’d be twenty! Khaled blinked slowly, taking it in. He knew it would happen, but the realization of how old his siblings were now opened a chasm deep within him. A chasm that felt a lot like time that had passed beyond his control, a large part of his life stolen from him, and time that he’d never get back–

Cade distracted him from that descent with a well-timed detour to a shelf full of candles. “I’m surprised they sell candles here, scented or unscented!” he said.

“I know I’ve been here before, but I must’ve completely skipped this section,” Eric commented.

Khaled picked up one of the scented candles and sniffed, working his way down the line. Vanilla, like a sweet coffee creamer, eucalyptus, like Vikash’s favorite shower gel, and–

Jasmine.

Khaled’s vision darkened as his mind lurched him back to a recently suppressed memory. He felt warm water biting at his frigid bare skin. Hands massaged shampoo into his hair, the very same hands that held a gun to his head not that long ago. Gray eyes as warm and affectionate as a sun-warmed gravestone stared down at him as a disembodied voice whispered words he was too far gone to remember. And through it all, the scent of jasmine.

He didn’t fully snap back to himself until one of the guys–Vikash–lowered the candle from his face. “Hey? You good?”

Khaled blinked. He registered where he was, who was with him, how dry and clothed he was, and nodded.

“You looked lost, where did your mind go?” Vik asked.

“To the bath I was given on the night I nearly died,” Khaled answered before his brain could fully process the words.

If he could’ve photographed and framed Vik, Eric, and Cade’s faces in that moment, he would’ve displayed it as ‘Second-hand Traumatizing My Roommates.’ The candle rattled as Khaled quickly set it back on the shelf. “It was a long time ago, I’m okay now,” he lied. He urged them forward and changed the subject to avoid the worried stares they gave him. “Come on, let’s pick out my desk!”

In the end, they walked out of the iconic warehouse store with a bedframe, a mattress, a nightstand, a lamp, yards upon yards of string lights, pillows, bedsheets, blankets, a rug, a dresser, a rack, a desk set, a pack of coat hangers, and a stuffed shark plushie.

Khaled fished a wad of hundred dollar bills from his coat pocket and paid for all his things in cash at the checkout. It came from the stash of money he’d made at his jobs, the cash he’d grabbed at the last minute before leaving that fateful morning. It was all the money Khaled had, so he double-counted the change he’d received before pocketed the rest of it.  He turned around to witness his roommates’ disbelief. Eric glanced slack-jawed at Vik, who was putting his credit card back in his wallet, and Cade gawked incredulously at the bills making a lump in his coat pocket. “What?” Khaled asked.

“Where did you get all that money from?” Cade asked as Vik pushed the cart towards the exit. “You didn’t steal it, did you? Which, I won’t judge you for,” he added last minute, in response to Khaled’s affronted expression.

“No, I earned this money! I don’t steal, this is all mine!” Cade held up his hands in a surrendering, apologetic gesture.

Eric unlocked the Moon Garden Catering van, opening the back so Vik could start loading everything in. “I thought slaves weren’t allowed to make money,” Eric said.

“Or if they did, that it would all go to their, um, owner,” Vik added, cringing around the word.

Khaled took out his stuffed shark and tossed it on top of the pile of furniture, trusting it to remain vomit-free on the ride back if it wasn’t in his arms. “Well, I was allowed to make my own money for a little bit, before Mas–I mean, Mr. Costa, changed his mind. I also took a side job without his knowledge,” he explained as he closed the back of the van. He briefly wondered how Julio was, and when he’d come back from his self-imposed exile.

“How much did you make before Mr. Costa changed his mind?” Vik asked.

Khaled paused to do a quick mental calculation. “I made… $6,523 between August of last year to late January, if we’re counting the pay from both jobs.” He’d really worked his ass off that last fall and winter. “That’s all I have to my name, and I just spent…” He remembered he went a bit over the budget once they found the closeout section with its temptingly discounted prices. “I spent about a quarter of it on this trip...” Khaled grimaced. He muttered a small curse as he took it in. This reserve of cash was going to dry up quick if he didn’t find work, he realized.

Eric hopped into the driver’s seat, urging the passengers in so they could get a head-start on the rush hour traffic. The remaining three roommates reluctantly filed in for their tortuous one hour and fifteen-minute ride home.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee @generic-whumperz @bamber344 @there-will-always-be-blood @morning-star-whump @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @defire @phoenixpromptsandstuff @scumashling @borp0 @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

[sunoovamp]

how can we grow any closer..

[starrydoglover]

read monsturmologist by rick yancey. finished it. all four books. will never recover.