#distillate for gender extract

[maybe-solar-powered-calculator]

☼☼ SOLARs MAGNIFICENT CATALOGUING OF TAGs (!!!!) ☼☼ (all added to the bottom of this post for navigating convenience! like the letter labels in a dictionary!! alphabetical order not guaranteed.)

[ THIS IS HARD TO READ ON LIGHT MODE!! if you opened it in another tab n it showed up with a white background, go here instead! ]

act 1: the sun is a deadly laser (i am, unfortunately, not.) >>> SELF TAGS! stuff that i made! or something like that! .. scribblings on the walls (text posts) // the deranged ramblings and annotations within the confines of my prison. .. solar.png (my art??) // patterns akin to primitive cave drawings. .. hammers this to the top of my enclosure (pinned/info stuff) // warnings, hazard signs, beware of dog, etc

act 2: empty plastic organization bins (chaos abounds in the lair) >>> SORTING TAGS! only my soul knows how i choose the tags for each post. i would say my heart, but that things squishy. bleh .. q (queue) // pronounced "kiu". what is going on with english. do i even want to know?? .. cool graphics tag (nice pictures) // visuals of any sort that i particularly like!! gif shitposts? best art ive seen in my lifetime?? Here Goes .. the divine compels to Art (inspo) // subset of cool graphics that i wish to consume- ahem. to study under a microscope and learn from! .. rattling metal bars with a stick (stimboards or gifs) // trakatrakatraka heheheheee .. HSFGDHJ (hsfgdhj) // cackling like the terrible gremlin that i am. no im not good at keysmashes, yes i always use this predetermined one .. see also: hall of fame (fav, the best ones) // i would frame these and put them in my wall if i had the guts to .. see also: fine china cabinet (hehehehe) // things that would go to hall of fame, but for Mysterious Reasons(tm) i am instead snatching to the Display of Shinies .. look at this later tag (remind me to do it..) // useful, interesting, and/or free stuff i want to come back to. sometimes just ideas .. distillate for gender extract (Gender,,,) // i am putting these in. the spirally overcomplicated glass tube thing and injecting the resulting compound into my bloodstream like some sort of wretched hrt .. gnawing the bars of my cage (WOOFWOOFBARKBARK /pos) // (I AM NOT BEING NORMAL ABOUT THIS) - you know how cats nibble the corner of things sometimes. yeah,, .. stares respectfully (something got in my eye ow gimme a sec) // like one would, standing at the edge of a grave. things i resonated with (unfortunately, Squishy Heart is at it again. FEELINGS (ack)!! GET THE BROOM!) .. rules to live by (good advice) // Wise Words from mad prophets. we are on this website after all

act 3: rng (random name generator) >>> SUBJECT TAGS! i like giving silly names to some of them. .. wild metal on the dash (metal sonic!!) // statistically, i purposely go search for them most of the time. sometimes he does be on my dash tho...... .. benrey spotted (temp tag,,) // confirmed gamer sightings .. cherry flavored halls (lil hal!!) // id swear there was a black and red type but eh. thats the next closest thing i guess .. hermit crabs and/or traffic cones (hermitcraft/traffic) // yay silly block people doing Crimes!!!! .. tango of the tek variety (tangotek) // you know the one and only .. honkhonk (sky:cotl) // HONKHONKHONKHONK (hi) .. the bl(orb)os (portal) // sometimes a guy is just spherical in nature. sometimes theres many of them! (mostly the cores, but also general portal tag)

act 4: There Might Be More!! I Probably Forgor! I Will Add Them Later!

[arrestmebobbygoren]

Queer Theory Song Analysis: 'Should've Said No' by Taylor Swift

Have we talked Queer Longing? Taylor’s music embodies Queer Longing. Looking from afar, seeing everything, hoping for nothing, and memorizing every detail because you know that this is the closest you will ever get to touching.

On the surface, this song can read as your typical country song: guy succumbs to his weak nature and does a good woman wrong. 

But notice that Taylor never actively genders the character she is in dialogue with as ‘male’; we as the audience, who are socialized into a heteronormative perspective, will do this for her — because we learn to link active traits, such as pursuit of sexual desires, with maleness. 

But the conversation that Taylor is textually engaged with in this song is really one of activeness vs passivity, where the passive position is given the moral weight.

Now the same socialization that teaches us that agency is the right and, quite frankly, the responsibility of ‘maleness’ also teaches us that passivity is the moral essence of ‘femaleness’. Women are damsels in distress who must wait for Prince Charming, who, in turn, may only settle down once he has thoroughly exhausted himself sowing his wild oats (though of course not with the chaste object of his castrated desire).

And while taking on the mantle of female passivity can be too much for any one person to bear, this weight can be particularly crippling for queer women, whose socialization may make them feel simultaneously alienated from and by their own sexual desires. Because when women are only taught how to be desired (and have to learn on the fly how to shield themselves from the often unwanted and sometimes downright dangerous gaze of men), it can feel incredibly disconcerting and even monstrous to discover oneself in the position of desirer, particularly if the object of this desire is another woman.

While the hetero read of this song is perfectly valid, I find that Taylor’s music always gains an additional degree of complexity when examined through a queer lens. 

And this song is no different. What on the surface can read as the righteous anger of a woman betrayed by a man with a wandering eye and an open fly suddenly vaults to a higher gear when viewed as a woman mocked and taunted by her own unexpressed desires, which I think can be distilled down to two narratives. 

On one hand, we can see Taylor railing against the ease with which a man can casually pursue the women he desires without consequence, while she holds herself back from doing the same, due to societal and familial expectations, professional ambitions and internalized homophobia. 

On the other hand, we can see a Taylor who has bifurcated herself for the same of survival, into the passive angel who yearns but never acts, and the devil who lives for the hope of it all and occasionally slips out, only to be chastised and shamed into repent by the part of herself that retains the moral high ground. 

It is this latter point of view I find to be the most compelling framework from which to examine this song.

We begin with the ‘socialized' version of Taylor shaming herself for her newly discovered desire of what she considers to be base and impure impulses. Against a backdrop of immense promise, this precocious golden child can’t help but feel like she has become something grotesque.

[Verse 1]

It's strange to think the songs we used to sing

The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone

Yesterday, I found out about you

Even now, just lookin' at you feels wrong

Taylor finger wags, she shames, she extracts a concession from herself. It was a one-time impulse, a singular loss of judgment, a moment of weakness that she vows never again to let herself repeat.

[Pre-Chorus]

You say that you'd take it all back

Given one chance

It was a moment of weakness

And you said yes

Taylor creates a mantra (turn if off, like a light switch, and if you can’t, well then REPRESS, BY GOD, REPRESS!), strengthens her resolve, and she reminds herself of why she has to keep herself in check. She has a reputation to manage. She shouldn’t even have to have this conversation with herself. Her eye should be on the prize of fame and success at all times. And if this rogue part of herself would be so kind as to just shut up and disappear, she wouldn’t have to beat herself up so. 

[Chorus]

You should've said no, you should've gone home

You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go

You should've known that word

'Bout what you did with her'd get back to me (Get back to me)

And I should've been there in the back of your mind

I shouldn't be asking myself why

You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet

You should've said no

Baby, and you might still have me

Unfortunately, she can’t put this genie back in the bottle. She can’t trust herself to stick to the script and behave, now that she’s seen what lies beneath.

[Verse 2]

You can see that I've been cryin'

And baby, you know all the right things to say

But do you honestly expect me to believe

We could ever be the same?

[Pre-Chorus]

You say that the past is the past

You need one chance

It was a moment of weakness

And you said yes

But at least she can handcuff the desirous self to her disciplined self, and blindfold her, and maybe tie her ankles for good measure.

[Chorus]

You should've said no, you should've gone home

You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go

You should've known that word

'Bout what you did with her’d get back to me (Get back to me)

And I should've been there in the back of your mind

I shouldn't be asking myself why

You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet

You should've said no

Baby, and you might still have me

Oh, oh

The great escape! The prison break! The light of freedom on her face! The desirous self is not going quietly. And for a second, Taylor loses her resolve. She longs to feel and taste and touch and know! She begs the desirous self to dish! Will she just live vicariously? Or will she throw it all away?  

[Bridge]

I can't resist

Before you go, tell me this

Was it worth it?

Was she worth this?

No, no

No, no, no, no

No! (You knew this was coming). The gag goes on. The desirous self gets lowered into the trunk. This is Taylor’s version. She is calculated. She is a business, man. And she won’t let herself get in her own way. She can do it with a broken heart.

[Chorus]

You should've said no, you should've gone home

You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go

You should've known that word

'Bout what you did with her’d get back to me (Get back to me)

And I should've been there, in the back of your mind

I shouldn't be asking myself why

You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet

You should've said no

Baby, and you might still have me

[fadeintocase]

How would you describe your political leanings? Systemic Suburbanite feels very heavily anti-capitalist, but I have gathered that you often write from different points of view and I am curious about your actual views.

The far right has called me a communist and the far left has called me a liberal if that means anything.

For real though, the anti-capitalist vibes are authentic, but ultimately I was really frustrated by the trend I was seeing that people with the privilege to affect change within a system were often the ones that were the most nihilist, the most likely to shun that privilege rather than use it to help, or otherwise the most unlikely to care about anything but making their way through the hardship at the expense of others they exclude.

In terms of policy, you would probably not be surprised that my biggest pet issues are Health Care, food standards, Democratizing The Police (where hirings/reviews/promotions in the police force are gone over by a council open to residents that hears any complaints made against an officer and votes to approve or deny), and city zoning.

I am one of those new agers that thinks our culture is sick but I don’t think the sickness is gender ideology or wokeness or whatever, I think it’s the compartmentalization and distillation of the human experience for the benefit of a system that extracts money and wires us to default to this hostile atomized individualism.

[houseofgoodmercantile]

Eco-friendly Essential Diffuser Oils Online: A Scented Journey Towards Sustainability

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, I found solace in a quaint online boutique that promised more than just fragrances—it offered a journey back to nature, a commitment to sustainability, and an aromatic experience like no other. As I delved deeper into the world of eco-friendly essential diffuser oils online, I discovered a realm where nature's finest offerings seamlessly blend with sophistication, elegance, and environmental consciousness.

For those residing in the USA, the allure of eco-friendly essential diffuser oils lies not merely in their captivating scents but in their sustainable and environmentally conscious essence. Derived from nature's bounty—be it flowers, leaves, bark, or roots—these oils stand as a testament to the harmonious relationship between humanity and the environment. Through processes like steam distillation or cold-press extraction, they encapsulate the very essence of the plant, offering a pure, unadulterated fragrance that resonates with authenticity and purity.

At the heart of this aromatic revolution lies a curated collection of clean, phthalate-free fragrance oils. Designed with precision and passion, each scent is a harmonious blend of top, middle, and base notes, meticulously crafted to offer a unified olfactory experience. I am using few ones and let's embark on a scented journey through their signature fragrances, each capturing the essence of nature's finest offerings:

1. BERGAMOT + AMBER

Top: Bergamot

Middle: Neroli

Base: Ambergris

2. BLACK CARDAMOM + SANTAL

Top: Santal

Middle: Amber

Base: Musk

3. CITRUS + CEDARWOOD

Top: Grapefruit

Middle: Geranium

Base: Vetiver

4. LEATHER + WOOD

Top: Bergamot

Middle: Leather

Base: Oak moss

5. ORANGE BLOSSOM + NEROLI

Top: Orange Blossom

Middle: Neroli

Base: Cedarwood

Each fragrance, crafted with the finest ingredients from around the globe, offers a unique sensory experience—a dance of notes that tantalizes the senses, evokes memories, and creates an ambiance that lingers long after the initial scent. Whether you're seeking the uplifting aroma of citrus, the grounding scent of wood, or the soothing essence of florals, our collection caters to diverse preferences, ensuring a scent for every soul.

But what truly sets eco-friendly essential diffuser oils apart is their commitment to sustainability. By opting for natural, plant-based sources and eco-conscious extraction methods, these oils minimize environmental impact, offering consumers a guilt-free indulgence. In a world grappling with climate change and ecological degradation, such conscious choices resonate deeply, empowering individuals to make a positive difference through their purchasing decisions.

Moreover, the unisex nature of their fragrance collection ensures inclusivity, catering to both men and women across the USA. By transcending gender norms and expectations, these scents offer a universal appeal, allowing individuals to express their unique identities while indulging in luxury and sustainability. So, what are you waiting for just order online now. 

In conclusion, as navigate the complexities of modern living, eco-friendly essential diffuser oils and premium scented candles emerge as a beacon of sustainability, luxury, and authenticity. By harnessing the power of nature, embracing ethical practices, and curating fragrances that captivate the senses, House of Good Mercantile redefines the concept of luxury for the conscientious consumer. So, as you ponder your next aromatic indulgence, ask yourself this: How can I align my love for fragrance with a commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship?

[maglors-anion-gap]

My thoughts on the humans while I ponder a follow up to my Maedhros ask

Húrin: definitely experiments the most. He will try out different scents and perfumes that he gets while traveling and a lot of them are very random. He tries out like Honey suckle on one day, and then like some thing that smells like a dry and dusty road the next 

Aerin usually smells like grass and horses. I think if she used scents they’d be nature-y ones. Not floral per say but ones that evoke the openness of nature

Morwen hmm. Definitely something subtle. Something you have to be sharp to notice. Will think more on this. I read her so strongly as autistic too and I think that would definitely effect this

I am aware that a lot of these scents would probably be nearly impossible to develop with the technology levels in universe but I am assuming the elves have methods of doing these things (there ARE methods of extraction and distilling and if anyone can distill the essence of a waterfall or a field before the rain it’s the elves) and also just having fun with this, so please forgive me on that front 

-@outofangband

No i love that! Don’t worry! I’m very here for speculation on elvish scents! Hard second on extraction and distillation (I sense a second age market boom in that regard, numenor is simply … the demand and innovation is off the charts)

I feel morwen so hard, there’s almost nothing I can wear that doesn’t turn my stomach. I like citrus and leather, anything sweet sits poorly with me which is sad because they all smell so nice on the test papers lol.

Hurin the eclectic scent collector is my new fave. He’s been all over the place, I’m sure he comes home from hithlum with new things to try. Hurin accidentally kickstarting a perfume craze in the village is very funny to me. (Also, you’re the Supreme Hurin Gender Understander i love to hear your thoughts on this)

[the-darkening-soul]

Lily of the Valley (Lillium convallium) Plant Spirit Elixir

Common names: Mary's Tears, May Bells, Jacob's Ladder, Ladder to Heaven, Convall Lily, May Lily, Lily Constancy, Our Lady's Tears, Muguet, Convallaria, Male Lily, Fairy Cups, Little May Bells

Lily of the Valley Plant Spirit Medicine can be used for the following:

Helps to tap into our 3rd eye chakra

Reconnect to the divine when we feel lost

To regain child-like innocence and trust after being wounded. It is used to help children overcome trauma and be children again and for adults to regain a child’s sense of wonder and awe.

Having difficulty accessing multidimensional information

When you want to integrate brain, heart, and body functions for higher consciousness

Facilitates reconnection of the energetic pathways that hold the knowledge of being multidimensional humans

Helps one create a healthy sense of priorities, remembering what is really important.

Bringing joy and exuberence into one's life. For those who take life all too seriously - helps one to lighten up!

The method we prefer to use with Lily of the Valley is indirect, due the plant's potential toxicity. We place our liquid in a glass jar and set it amongst the plants in our garden.

For each Plant Spirit Elixir we make we meditate with each plant and give gratitude for the path forward with the particular spirit, an offering of blessed water, and a piece of quartz crystal.

We let the jars sit in the presence of the Plant Spirit for 13 days. We use a quality organic Brandy as a preservative in this formulation.

Seventeenth-century botanist and physician Nicholas Culpeper said that “It, without doubt, strengthens the brain and renovates a weak memory. The distilled water dropped into the eyes helps inflammations thereof. The spirit of the flowers, distilled in wine, restoreth lost speech, helps the palsy, and is exceedingly good in apoplexy, comforteth the heart and vital spirits.”

Metaphysical/Spiritual Properties:

Chakras: Heart, Third Eye, & Crown

Planet: Mercury

Gender: Feminine

Element: Air

Associations: Happiness, Joy, Protection, Love, Purity, Romance, Good Luck, Good Fortune, Abundance, Fertility, Prosperity, Gratitude, Faith, Goddess Energy, Rebirth, Death

Medicinal Properties:

Caution: In large quantities, the herb (Fresh/Dried), this can be harmful and highly toxic, do not use it unless prescribed by a licensed Herbalist/Doctor, Do Not consume it if you are pregnant (Uterine Contractant)

Heart Problems/Irregular Heart Beat

Improve Digestion

Urinary Tract Infections

Weak Labor Contractions

Epilepsy

Fluid Retention (Edema)

Strokes

Eye Infections

Used as an antispasmodic , diuretic, emetic, laxative, purgative, cardiac tonic, sedative and antipyretic by nature.

It is mostly used in the form of tea, tincture, extract, infusion and essential oil.

“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

[cmilla07]

Artist Dominique Palladino in a Performance Art piece for the exhibit "Distilled". In Distilled, Palladino uses salt as a means to explore and depict growing ideas of division, loss and abandonment in relationship to hierarchical gender roles. By using the salt in different states - dense, evaporated and distilled - Palladino creates a lineage of existence where a continuous slow extraction ultimately results in the absence there of, a distillation. This process of separation (distillation) happens when water that contains various chemicals or ions in solution is heated to boiling and the water vapor is condensed, resulting in water that is free of dissolved salts. Visit Palladino's website at www.dominiquepalladino.com.

[theperfumist]

First picture Prachin Attar oud oil - Liquid smoke with, birch, Myrrh, Tobacco extract and Chinese Hainan oud oil This Exotic mix Attar was made with 50% pure Prachin oud with, birch, Myrrh, Tobacco extract and Chinese Hainan oud oil. Smokey and dark in deep way. Even though we don't believe in gender in perfumery this is usually the mature gentleman choice of oil. If oils could speak this one will say "I'm not for the fainted heart, I accompany wise, brave warrior to glorious endeavor". Second picture Sweet Dream Patchouli, Rose, Oud and Musk It is a lovely and exotic of nothing but Rose, patchouli, Musk and oud made with triple distillation method where the each oil is distilled and then the mix of all oils distilled a second time, granting the highest purity and quality a natural oil can have also eliminating any pungent or barn notes making this one of the cleanest and sweetest Attars that still have a beast projection and silage and a killer longevity, if oils can speak this one will say "I'm the sweetest of all the worlds, oud, Musk, rose I'm the sweetest of all". Third picture The 1001 Night Arabian Attar - Oud, Musk, Rose and Sandal This exotic Arabinan attar is made from three kinds of oud oil, Indian, Cambodian and Malaysian and three kinds of rose oil, Taifi fist cut, tuberose, and Jasmin, and three kinds of Musk, Vietnamese, Siberian and Tibetan, macerated to perfection for over two years and filtered twice for ultimate consistency and refinement. The total amount of this oil is less that one litter Three out of five oils from the magic of the East collection (Check the previous post for the other two) Add all five oils to the Cart and we'll cover half of the price, free international insured trackable shipping, of course! THIS MAGIC OF THE EAST COLLECTION INCLUDES: 1- Seufi King oud oil second batch - Wild oud oil 2- Brunei King oud oil 1995 distillation last batch 3- Prachin Attar oud oil - Liquid smoke with, birch, Myrrh, Tobacco extract and Chinese Hainan oud oil 4- Sweet Dream Patchouli, Rose, Oud and Musk 5- The 1001 Night Arabian Attar - Oud, Musk, Rose and Sandal Don't miss this one! #theperfumist (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjOoUPJO18E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[highsviolets]

Such Small Hands

a gender neutral!reader x fem!oc original work

They say that every story — every life — requires context. time and place, and people too, one would presume. a beginning, a middle, an end. so it goes, so it goes, so it goes, a veritable merry-go-round of endless permutations that are always the same, verifiable repetitions of the same variables (place people time; middle beginning end).

your story — yours and hers — had been the one you told yourself to fall asleep at night, wrapping your heart in thick layers of words (All the better to insulate yourself against a house’s frigid ice-water hospitalities).

now (that is, this place, this time, and this person of yourself) the pieces are jumbled. mixed. no — not just mixed, they are transubstantiated and have acquired wholly new essences beyond your reach.

let us think back, then: back to the beginning, if there ever was one.

(of course there was a beginning: it was naught but chaos til she arrived: making order from the slashed velvet threads of your heart).

one moment she had been there, and the next she had been gone. no; not gone, when someone is the essence the universe, when she is stardust, they simply absorb into everything.

she was there. there, the other side of the counter. there, with hair too pretty to take notice of your own, and there, with cooler shoes than your own practical pair. there, there she was wrapping her hands around the paper cup filled to the brim with distilled extract fused with water and milk and who knows what else, and there — in that location — her fingers brushed against your own. how useful, how fitting, to appropriate the language of art for your own purposes, for where she brushed you your fingers bled the color blue in spite of yourself.

how marian were you in your devotion to this ideal, then, dressing yourself in rosebuds and pearls and always, always the color blue. a heavy mantle for weary shoulders ground down by unfulfilled half spoken faith, but the rituals of righteousness come easily to those who exist as you do. existence, being — are they one in the same? you wonder, and decide that there is a fragile delineation between the two.

(what goes unspoken is that she is, you exist.)

and so the pattern goes, faithlessness creeping in with every routine act fulfilled without reward. what more do you own? precious little, if anything. a rebellious cry arises — the paper cup squashed under the unrelenting grip of life.

she is back: back and there and here all at once (present interposed with the past: the quality of realness bringing truth to art) and she repeats your name like a divine incantation, holier and more ancient than a prayer. perhaps it is, for something bears forth in you — a blossoming, a spring, you cannot yet tell which.

and it happens again, and again, and again, laps lock present and future and past blurring in one lucid dream. wakefulness taking on the qualities of sleep; that is, rest found in the perfunctory ambles of routine. aromas, colors, fabrics all adopt the tint of her. it may be a shade more exact to say instead the tint of you loving her.

that is a thing about love.

(you jot that down in the notebook of your body and pray it does not leave a scar. and it probably will, because love is nothing — it does not exist — if it does not mark the lover and the beloved in some way, like a triptych. lover, loved, love. before, during, after. beginning, middle, end).

let me love her.

this is the prayer of the beginning.

let me love her back; that of the middle.

and let me love her always belongs to the end on account of its adopting the characteristics of infinity. by extension, too, there is unconditionality, a sort of rinse and repeat and reduce reuse recycle to the rhythm of love’s own heartbeat.

but what does this have to do with you and with her (&& with you&her?)

she came back, but does she stay? on what window(a sword of glass) does your lover fall, or does she exist beyond the sacred perfection of three? oh — now we see that she has come&&gone seven times. a holy number. it must be that your devotion has been rewarded to earn such a grace, but what now of the eighth? there is no blessing for such things.

habits of awaiting on external deities do not come easily to you. you are woman, she is woman. women make their own benedictions from salt of tears and kisses on cherry lips that taste like wine, tasting forbidden fruit as radical rebellion (this all women learn from their mother).

she kisses you more fervently than a prayer. she is woman: any affectations of desperation are in her actions and not her words, and you wonder if she could ever be truly helpless (we all learn this too, at the feet of our fathers while our sisters labor in the kitchen).

she asks about your genesis, and your omega. who has made you, and as whom will you end? there is a third question that goes unasked and unanswered: in which section of the evolution of yourself does she slot into? you swaddle yourself in tender railleries.

the beginning — coffee, counter, then.

the middle — questions as prayers, as fruit, as promises.

and what now do we have to say for the end?

only that there is none, and perhaps there is no beginning and middle either. or maybe there is, maybe those are the moments when love intersperses in human lives, when two girls fall love in a reality that’s gone fuzzy around the edges. maybe that is why we call it a love story, because love exists but stories are made and require the guidance of a human hand — perhaps love stories are found when lovers invite art into their souls.

you & her do not need to know the answers to these question.

you are, after, all in love — and this is the end.  

///

(i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens;only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

 -- ee cummings

[gormengeist]

The Matrix: Resurrections is

Like drinking vanilla extract because you like cake.

Allow me to explain:

I'll level with you: I thought this movie was boring. I'm glad it's the sequel we got- I'm happy that Lana got to return and that everyone seems excited to be there. I'm morally satisfied with its open defiance of how sequel-driven Hollywood is today. But moral satisfaction, to my despair, is not a substitute for a good time. I'm glad it exists, yet because I can feel two conflicting feels at the same time, I find that I'm sad because it could have been ideologically sound and materially fun to engage with.

I'm no die hard Matrix fanatic. Infact, the Matrix and I have had a rocky relationship- the ups and downs of which have, like a tenderized steak, only served to strengthen our bond. When I was 10, my dad showed it to me and my brother. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. I didn't do much thinking back then, so I thought so too. But superficially. Poserishly. I distinctly remember sitting on the leather couch in my living room, my father to my right and my older brother to my left. The neighbors in that townhouse were always fighting and we could hear it through the paper thin wall. We moved out a couple years later. But I don't remember them fighting that day, all I remember is a vague discomfort during the movie as if I had to go to the bathroom- or perhaps I was looking for an excuse of the same sort. And I remember when it ended and that Marilyn Manson song started playing, I thought 'okay'. And then we watched the sequel. I liked it better because it had ghost vampires and a man vs. car fight. You can't go wrong with a man vs. car fight.

The next time I had thoughts about the Matrix, I was a freshman in high school. I thought it was bad. The exact root of this thought has eluded me, so I assume it was one of the purest distillations of my then-flowering inherent distaste for popular things. I like to think I've moved past that, but there's a definite allure there- and I can see why I thought to think it. After all, when it comes to movies as successful as the Matrix was, they tend to be lukewarm universal popcorn munchers. For people who didn't feel represented by the cis, straight, white 'blank universality' style of thing (Star Wars, the Beatles, Titanic, Harry Potter, etc.), it's a safe bet to avoid popular things, generally, if you want to find media that speaks to you. Of course, again, I've grown out of this train of thought. There are better ways to go about it. I was prepared to hate the Matrix for its dumb plainness until my dying day. Until, at the behest of a friend, I gave it another shot.

I had already graduated high school. My boyfriend had recently begun transitioning. I'd heard about the Matrix being a trans allegory, and I believed it too. A shame that it's bad, I thought. Then we watched it. When applying that lens, everything instantly clicked together. It was like watching a completely different movie. I've watched the Matrix many times sinse then. In anticipation for watching the Matrix 4, me and my boyfriend watched 2 and 3. I'd only really heard bad things about them prior to viewing, but god damnit, those movies are good.

Here's the thing about the original trilogy: it's stupid, and it's long, and it's violently cheesy, and that's why you love it. That's why you have to let yourself love it. Hugo Weaving and Lawrence Fishburne light up the screen like a flash bang. Keanu is at his best. Carrie Ann Moss ignites personal gender confusion the likes of which I'd never seen before. It's tough and it's very Hong Kong and concrete breaks and there's dust and people are sweaty and the film is grainy and it is its 90s aesthetic. It's the balance. The batshit ideas and the evenhanded execution.

So to the point. In our cake analogy from the beginning, the original trilogy is the whole cake. A wonderfully rich vanilla. You, a child, now see that they're selling vanilla extract. Smells wonderful. Looks good from where you're standing. It's the best part of the original cake: the soul of the thing! But you drink it and find that it's revolting in a banal way. You don't scrunch up your nose like you've bitten a lemon, you don't make a funny face, you just spit it out. Drink some water. Be done with it. It has never been more clear, via process of elimination, which parts of the original trilogy were from which sister. Lana brought the big ideas. Presumably, Lily brought the even hand. Extract has the raw flavor. Milk and flour make it into food.

So of the Matrix 4, I say this: it attempts to condemn, but it's utterly toothless. It has the aesthetic of Star Trek Discovery and the pacing of a fan's supercut of a full TV show. At once too long to entertain and too short to explain itself. It's time stop thing looks whack. I'm very happy it exists, and hold no disdain for it's creators or fans. I'd love it if vanilla extract tasted like it smells. But when it hits the tongue there's no denying the rejection. The movies bad. Send tweet.

[jackhkeynes]

Glossary of Terms: from A to Z in the Boralverse

aphlox | carbon dioxide billrod | cochineal connit | disguise dackin | indigo ersteigung | apex, crest, sforzando fecundation | fertilisation guild | corporation heredian acid | DNA indreck | nonprofit, charity jalick | tuxedo kenonaut | spaceship lencorve | line of credit, tab mitigor | ethene, ethylene narjill | coconut ostracon | lottery, sortition parachthon tales | speculative fiction quanga | butler, secretary rath | bike shadome | tomato threshold mill | nuclear power plant ubiquity | cultural supremacy, totalist ideology viker | steward well-mint | well-off xanthal | neon yacht | cult, secret society zetter | note, memo

The full list of Boralverse jargon may be found under the cut.

adamant | titanium

aeronaut | airship

air-steeple | telegraphy post on a balloon

alchemick | chemical, relating to chemistry

alchemist | chemist

alchemy | chemistry

aldreman | mayor, municipal leader

alluning | moon landing

aphlox | carbon dioxide, also carbonic acid as a liquid

aquifex | hydrogen

arithmat | computing

astrapic | electric, electromagnetic

aumond | almond

autonome | autonomous, unauthorised

autune | sparkling wine, esp. from the Autun region

bdella | virus

billrod | cochineal, a crimson dye produced from the shell of an insect and imported from Lower Mendeva

bit-sheet | tabloid, cheap newspaper

blacklair | horror, media intent to scare

blankpine | white pine, Weymouth pine

bookhouse | library

brimstone | sulfur

caddar | to distil, purify, extract

calamine | zinc oxide

case | cell

casting | publishing

chain substance | polymer

chimer | chimera, hybrid

christmas pie | savoury pie eating on Revillon across Northern Europe but especially in Borland

circular function | trigonometric function

clavier | keyboard, piano

cmm disk | vinyl record

cmm | "chain muriac mitigor", polyvinyl chloride, PVC

codnere | kidney

collocker | interviewer, investigator

collock | chat, dialogue, interview, conversation

collusion | collaboration, confederation

concord | treaty, agreement

concrescence | instantiation, model, prototype

concurrence history | history of a particular time period

conjure | to conspire, to collude

connit | disguise, inconspicuousness, secretiveness; hiding place

connock | ice skating

console | leader of merchant republic, esp. Genoa

convoker | representive, PR person

convoy | troop, division, band of soldier

copperplate | right-wing

coppers | cheap seats, nose-bleeds, lowest-quality product

copysheet | study notes

coronal | helium

corporal quillsam | periodic table, set of chemical elements

coshow | rubber, esp. natural rubber, latex

costumery | clothing catalogue

coswer | cousin

counter-zoic | antimicrobial

covring | (maths) surjection, surjective map

dackin | indigo

daily gyre | circadian rhythm, body clock

daplight | LED

davarn | grand hotel, resort

deficient | positively charged

deixism | approach to research focused on collecting primary sources and references

deixist | researcher, archivist

detaxion | synthesis, combining, esp. in chemistry

dominium | region of control, domain, demesne

druckdue | the silver screen, cinema

drypepper | peppercorns, black peppercorns

edition | publishing, publication

ersteigung | apex, crest, sforzando, peak, climax

excourse | competition, tournament, quiz, game

extent | field (physics)

fecundation | fertilisation

fendle | fennel

filmic | cinematic

geoscopic | exploratory, cartographic, intending to see the world

giftale | media set in or taking aesthetic inspiration from Italy

grade | separate, sort in categories

green snowfall | first snowfall of the new year (after the first of March)

guild | corporation, company

gum | rubber, esp. synthetic rubber

gyre | orbit, cycle; to orbit, to ring around-

herdtale | agricultural stories and songs of mid-19C Gulf Mendeva

heredian acid | DNA (also shortened to heredian)

hereditarian | genetic

hereditature | genome, DNA

heredity | genetics

heverrath | bicycle, velocipede

hever | lever, pedal, also the verb

hourchain | rosary, armilla

hydromotor light | microwave radiation

iamb 5' | iambic pentameter

icon | photo, photgraph

igniac | oxide

ignifex | oxygen

indreck | nonprofit, charity

in peripatetico | abroad, on an exchange, on a sabbatical

in tesquo | in the wild, in practice, in real life

Iscovalian variation | evolution by natural selection

jalick | tuxedo, high formalwear

jast | zinc

kenonaut | spaceship

kernel | cell nucleus

kester | beggar, panhandle

lacker | veneer, false surface

laic | secular, irreligious, oecumenical

lampfire | naked flame used as a light source

leavingstore | gift shop, shop for trinkets

lencorve | line of credit, tab

limmon | lemon

lineball | team ballgame, resembling (soccer) football or rugby

lithing | account, list, enumeration

lodginghouse | waystop, inn, traveller's rest

longform light | radio waves

lorrer leaf | bay leaf

lovetale | romance writing

luetic pox | syphilis

lux | radiation, elementary particle

machinal | automatic, by rote

machovine | strontium

manner | property, nature

mapbook | atlas

masquira | genre of stories typically featuring vigilante characters and plots driven by hidden identities, high society and complicated schemes. It has some overlap with the later spycraft genre, especially in modern works.

matching | (maths) bijection, bijective map

mechanics | dynamics, physics of motion and collision

mecon | metre (length of pendulum with halfperiod 1 second

melee | high society, the gentry (old-fashioned), the ton, the activities of the gentry

meshforum | online community

mesh | network

methodics | computer science, programming

ministry | department, ministry, bureau

mitigor | ethene, ethylene, C2H4

modest | socially conservative, with respect to family, children and gender relations

moneypurse | wallet, purse

mozardisto | member of a populist faction involved in the Second German War primarily made up of Andalusian Christians but expanding in scope, especially towards the end of the war.

mozard | populist, antiestablishment

muriac | chloride

muria | chlorine

myton | type of merchant ship in wide use during the late fifteenth century

namecard | ID, nametag

narjill | coconut

natron | sodium

normal nawat | Classical Nahuatl

normal speed | lightspeed, œ

nucalic acid | DNA (see heredian acid)

odyssey | cinema, movie theatre

oeculux | electromagnetic radiation

oecumen | landscape, outlook, overview, universe

one-case | single-celled

one-zeffre | binary, one-bit, digital

onyx lace | shell pasta, conchiglie

ostracon | lottery, sortition

parachthon | speculative, science fiction and fantasy (of stories)

penetrating light | X-ray radiation

petersly | parsley

plenty | electric charge

poise | currency of Britain as of 1950 N

prase | administrative head of ancient and modern Borlish government

propagant | wave-like

prosequent | descendant, progeny, something proceeding from a source, accompaniment

pseudogum | synthetic rubber

quanga | butler, esp in East Asian context; secretary, PA

quasipolitic guild | multinational megacorporation

quasipolitic | resembling a nation or polity

quaterno | textbook, handbook, primer

quill | source, spring, basis, foundation, (maths) domain

quire | reference book, textbook

quister | phone, telephone

quist | to call, to phone

raincatcher | gazebo, free-standing roofed structure without walls

rath | bike

reckoning | arithmetic, counting

redirection bank | switchboard

refettorio | refectory, cafeteria, mess hall

replacement code | substitution cipher

revillon | christmas eve

romance | story, tale, fiction

sam | set, group of things, (maths) set

sandrine | vitamin C, ascorbic acid

scattering light | ionising radiation

scattering | ionising

scitation | examination, test, exam

scole | school, college

scratcher | (colloq.) journalist, reporter, writer

sevring | (maths) injection, injective map

shadome | tomato

shortform light | gamma radiation

signum | macron, long diacritic

sithing | (in mathematics) function, assignment

slate | display, screen

sodality | group, club, association

sodal | member, element

solarium | sunroom, seaside resort

songcraft | music, composition, music theory

sorty | party, get-together, do

spycraft | espionage, spywork; also a genre of fiction

staddomain | trade colony, colony for the purposes of resource production, esp. those colonies of the Stadbund in Cappatia and Africa

starce | coin used in mediæval Borland

stauron retainer | intra-uterine device

steeplecard | telegram

steeplemesh | telegraph network

steeplepost | telegraphy

steeplescript | analogous to Morse Code, with four symbols

steward | deputy, second-in-command

sticket | label, tag

subcase construct | organelle

subrussic light | infrared light

sufficient | negatively charged

surblavic light | UV light

switcher | one working at a redirection bank

tachslate | touchscreen device

tachygraph | typewriter

tallath | province, region (esp. of Britain)

tapestry | big screen, billboard, film screen

tapper | telegraph operator

tartoffer | potato

technic | technical, scientific

Tellard book | atlas (archaic)

tender | barman, bartender

tenyear | decade

the hex hours | the small hours, the middle of the night

threepoint method | triangulation

threshold force | nuclear fission power

threshold mill | nuclear power plant

timehold | marine chronometer

tinplate | left-wing

Tiong loom | Jacquard loom

toriot | large wind instrument with roughly the range of the bassoon

totalism | absolute monarchy

totalist | absolute, authoritarian

tovarick | homosexual

tovarism | homosexuality

trevold | novel, story

trone | currency of Provence as of 1950 N

ubiquity | cultural supremacy, totalist ideology

veck | bus

vectory | bus, omnibus

veldsvindung | global economic recession, depression

viker | steward, affairs manager, right-hand man

vittles | diet, food intake

voidtale | story set in space

void | outer spaceship

walkway | pedestrian footpath, esp in urban context

wares | ingredients, apparatus

wayport | supply point along the coast for long naval voyages

weekly | a weekly newspaper

well-mint | well-off, prosperous, wealthy

whitefish | white fish

workshop manufacture | industrial production

xanthal | neon

xenic | alien, extraterrestrial

xenozone | alien, extraterrestrial being

yacht | cult, secret society

yatherpot | casserole, one-pot dish

yearturning | the New Year

zest | vibe, morsel, speculation, suspicion

zetter | note, memo

zoia | microorganism

[y4s2-20192020]

Invisible but Lasting ... ?

Phase 2

Can scents be used in commercial and marketing?

If yes, so how will those scents be used?

In terms of scent itself, they have their own market which is the ‘Scent Marketing’. Through researching, I’ve found out that the scent market has been increasing steadily as retail stores has started to immerse experiences into their stores using scents in order to pull people back to the physical market from the e-commerce. And through those result, it has also shown that more people are becoming interested in unisex scents and those scents are being increasingly produced as more people considered unisex fragrances as attractive. The scent marketing is predicted to reach uptown 92 billion sales by 2024.

As for e-commerce marketing, this graphs shows that e-commerce sales in the US has been decreasing steadily throughout each year due to the competitiveness of physical marketing. Meanwhile, retail sales in the US has been increasing steadily, as mentioned above, new experiences in retail stores are pulling people back from e-commerce marketing.

Scents are separated into 7 main types; citrus, acerbic-synthetic, leafy, floral, fruity-non-citrus, woody, spicy-smoky-nutty and heavy-rotten. With those taxonomy, people can distinguish the feelings they would trigger when smelling those scents in each categories, depending on the aroma they give.

In the scent industry, scents can be differentiated chemically into 2 categories; synthetic and organic. For example, a well-known scent such as ‘Musk’, musks were originally derived from musk deers’ glands, but in order to get them, it is required to kill those deers first but this could’ve resulted in extinction of musk deers. So scientists decided to start finding replacements for musk, at first they created a synthesise musk scent, but they eventually found a more efficient and similar replacement as well as organic which is the mask mallow flower.

Scents were created in laboratories, whether synthesise or organic, most of them would come in the form of essential oils. the most common process for creating those essential oils would be ‘steam distillation’ and ‘cold pressing’,  those processes are considered as an organic process as no chemicals are involved or added in the extraction.

Whilst, in the process of creating synthetic fragrances it would require chemicals mixtures as well as manufacturing processes, those processes are considered as harmful for the human body if they are inhaled or exposed to too much.

Through the centuries, scent industry has used and produced varieties of packagings as well as many products that would store and spread scents, both in a space and on a person. Those packages would also varied through function, scent and gender. But recently, the scent packaging industry has started to change as gender equality becomes more recognisable in society, thus those packages has become more simpler in order for it to be able to be used widely and with every gender.

As a result of researching, I realised that the scent industry has been rising, but we never realise if the scent we’ve been using are truly organic or synthesise

So I decided to create a scenario where, in 2024, as predicted by researchers, scent industry have risen, people were pulled back from e-commerce marketing into retail stores through immersing experiences and integrating them into spaces with the use of scents. 

I’ve created a story where the story sets on a day of a launching event of a dessert brand called ‘Perhour’, the main character of this launching event would be the D6xN crepe cake which is a combination of crepe cake with other unique and organic scents that could also be found in perfumes.

The story walks through a casual conversation between two people inside the launching event.

Through reading the story, readers would’ve realised that the conversation has this specific vocabulary about scents which seems casual in the future scenario, so I've prepared a glossary for readers to look at after reading the story as well.

[libertasforte]

Sarazanmai is the magical boy anime we didn’t need, but deserve anyway

I binged Sarazanmai because I was told that it’s mindblowingly weird. What I wasn’t told was that it’s a magical boy anime - and a rather straightforward one, at that.

Simply put: it’s a story where the Capitalist Empire that harvests Desire is depicted as the force of evil, to be vanquished by the Power of Love of the magical boy protagonists.

Sarazanmai is also, insofar as I can understand the word, camp -  “a form both of performance and of perception celebrating theatricality and excess, improvising reality as a stage for outrageously ironic self-display and reinvention”. What Sarazanmai isn’t, is that it isn’t subtle. Its tight structure distills the bare bones minimum needed to deliver its message. In this post, I will lay out the message of Sarazanmai so far, up to the 7th episode.

To this end, I will examine in order the 4-point progression of the main characters: Red Boy, Green Boy, Blue Boy, Cop.

(Okay, they have names: Kazuki, Enta, Tooi, and Reo and Mabu. I won’t be using their names, since I don’t remember them.)

It’s given to us in the OP animation that each of these four characters has an object of Fixation, someone they want to “connect” to.

The Red Boy, on his little brother. The Green Boy, on the Red Boy. The Blue Boy, on his older brother. The Exotic Cop, on the Robot Cop. (I refer to him as Exotic based on the way he is coded: “colored” skin, grinning with sharp teeth. Perhaps a less palatable, but more precise way of describing his coding would be “Predatory.” Similarly, the other Cop is Robot coded, and is an actual artificial being besides. It synergizes with their coding as Seme Cop and Uke Cop, but let’s leave that aside for now)

Red Boy: Establish structure What’s in the box: crossdressing

The first episode introduces the format. In each episode, a Zombie is defeated. There is a transformation sequence in which the three protagonists transform into three Kappas, and they make a pilgrimage to the Zombie to retrieve what was taken. The Zombie is used to tie together the conflict in each episode: the action of defeating the Zombie is serves to accentuate the psychological and emotional narrative being told about the main characters. This technique is prevalent in a lot of action animes, not just Magical Girl ones.

The Box is the thing in which shameful things are kept. Each of the three protagonists has boxed something up. Shame is the disowned part of the self, hidden away because the self believes that it will make them unworthy of connection.

In this episode, the Zombie is of a man who has a fetish for running around naked with a box on his head. Okay, weird as far as fetishes go, what does it mean? Shameful things are hidden in the Box, and he’s ashamed of what’s in his head. Seems like the metavillain, or a portrait of the writer. Let’s get back to this.

For Red, Crossdressing = Shame. Nothing is explicitly delved into about this shame at its introduction, but it is obvious to us the audience that he finds this shameful because we live in a society.

Green Boy: Demonstrate established structure What’s in the box: a symbol of “wrong” love

It’s simple and cliche, and “I had a gay crush on my best friend” is straightforward as far as queer narratives go. It’s nice how “Golden Duo” could be a homage to the Golden Lovers of professional wrestling fame.

Blue Boy: Use structure to connect to larger ideas What’s in the box: gun

Blue’s story dives off the deep end into the forsaken, disowned bastion of masculinity: organized crime. It’s straightforward as far as manpain goes: “Mama, I killed a man, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.”

Some messages are stated: “The bad people survive,” and those who don't survive are plastered over by the logic of capitalism. The logic of competition that demands strength before what is right and good; strength before sentiment, strength before justice.

Cops: Raise the spectre of the villain and connect to an ending What’s in the box: humans

The Empire extracts Desire.

Sakushu(搾取), the Japanese word used here for extract, also means to milk, squeeze out, or wring out. Sakushu is also the Japanese translation of the Marxist idea of exploitation, in the sense that labor is exploited under capitalism. The imagery is that of a brutal logic of an assembly line of boxed products. It depicts humans packaged as commodities to be consumed, labor to be mined, like batteries in The Matrix.

Desire has a pivotal role in the capitalist logic, as it pertains to things that are not explicitly needs. If you don’t need it, you want it, and that is desire, and its fulfillment is utility. Desire also plays a role in aspiration. The desire for achievement and status encourages labor and greed - the sense that one can never have enough. The mass consumer-laborer is lead to chase the dopamine hit of achievement and acquisition.

With each Zombie, the Cops judge the nature of the Fixation as Love or Desire. The simple, functional difference is that Desire is useful: Love is not. Desire is burned as energy, Love is shredded as waste. The energy given by Desire that these beings - including the Kappa - digest and feed on, is mass-extracted and mass-produced by the Empire, and contributes into the Empire’s power. The extraction of Desire produces a Zombie which moves goods, which brings to mind the logistical feat of the selling of a product, produced for mass consumption.

At the end of episode 7, it’s revealed that the Cops once Loved each other. Tragically, the Robot Cop was turned into a robot. The object of Exotic Cop’s fixation is now artifice. Perhaps this is the evil of corrupt adulthood, capitalist society: the perversion of Love into a Desire for Product. If the evil Empire extracts Desire, in contrast, the magical boys stand for the Love that cannot have Desire extracted out of it.

Who is the naked Man with a Box on his Head?

What to make of the man who’s ashamed of what’s in his head? With the Box as Product, it could symbolize the forsaking of connection and the retreat into porn, virtual reality. It also seems like the predicament of the writer of this story, and any author: the boxing and selling of the human experience into media, to produce content for consumption. Can this writer tell his family about what he’s written?

What is Red Boy’s narrative?

Symbolically: The Boxing of the Girl.

Suppose that everyone originally inherently regards themselves without gender, and there is some part of them that aspires to be a boy, and some part of them that aspires to be a girl. Societally, there is a shaming of the part of a cisboy that aspires to be a girl. It’s the male cisheteronormative narrative, or male compulsory heterosexuality: shut down the self-feminine in shame, and find it in a woman outside of yourself. On the pain of shame: the threat of being expelled from the circle of humanity.

What next?

With the resolution of Red’s arc vis-a-vis his little brother and reaffirmation of his connection and belonging within his family and among his friends, the three protagonists play soccer together in the spirit of communal Love. But their commons are trashed, their hope is stolen - by Green, himself, out of envy for Red and Blue. I can read into this, but I’ll let the anime speak for itself first.

The writer, of Utena fame, is infamous for his tragic stories, but I’m holding out my hopes for a happy resolution. It seems like a return to form for someone whose breakout work was in Sailor Moon.

Genuine Connection: You can’t fake it, you can’t steal it, you can’t consummate it. You can’t soak in it, you can’t forgive it, you can’t give it up, and you want to betray it. How to resolve it?

Unfortunately, sexualization

I have to touch on the fact that the anime is, very, very, unfortunately, pedo, with its sexualization of middle schoolers. (The innuendos are more blatant before translation.) What partly salvages it is that it’s camp. I mean, shit’s wrecked, but that does not mean someone cannot attempt to salvage it. It’s not porn, and a part of me wants to go dumpster diving to explore to what effect the sexual metaphor is used, and what the anime has to say about sexuality. Rough thoughts: the exposé of shame, and the corresponding destruction of the self that accompanies it - a catharsis - jouissance?

[personalhygienebynature]

What You Need To Know About Water Based Lubricant

When it comes to intimate pleasures, we are too shy to admit our desires. But a satisfied sex life is fundamental for a happy and healthy life. So it is time to get out of the box and accept our needs.

 What is a lubricant?

When a female is sexually aroused, her body produces natural lubricant or natural lube. With age, this lubricant gets lesser due to various factors like

Ageing

Hormonal imbalance

Menopause

Medication

The absence of lubricant is a reason for painful sex and should be avoided as it may cause vaginal bruising and bleeding.

Artificially manufactured lubricants are helpful here and can be used irrespective of one’s age or gender.

Benefits of Personal lubricants

Personal Lubricants are especially helpful for vaginal dryness. Dryness can be caused due to various health conditions, dehydration, use of birth control, hormonal misbalance and menopause, or to cancer patients.

The pH of the vagina should be from 3.5 to 4.5; personal lubricants maintain this pH balance and help boost the growth of natural bacteria.

It helps to enhance sexual pleasure by boosting arousal.

Its most important function is to keep the vaginal lining moist by reducing unwanted friction that may cause bruising.

It can even be used with sex toys alone as well as with a partner.

Types of Personal lubricants

There are 3 types of lubricants available in the market.

Water-Based lubricants

This is the most Natural Lube for Sex available and comes in two variations, one with glycerin and another without it.

Pros

Cost-effective

Natural

Safe to use

Stain-free

It can be used with both latex and non-latex condoms.

They have a long shelf-life.

Glycerin containing ones are sweet in taste.

But, one should be careful while using the glycerin-containing product as it may cause potential vaginal irritation for the sensitive ones.

Silicone-based lubricants

Pros

Hypoallergenic

Doesn’t wash away in the shower.

Doesn’t need repeated application.

Cons

It can’t be used with silicone sex toys

Need scrubbing to remove.

Oil-based lubricants can be used for external masturbation but are better to avoid some chemicals that can cause allergic reactions.

Natural Lube for Sex

Water-based lubricants are the best as they are all-natural and safe and don't cause yeast or other infection.

One such reliable brand is Imbue Naturals vouched to eradicate taboos by catering to feminine hygiene wash and self-care. They have many varieties like Firefly, which is vegan and natural and contains no harmful chemicals.

Natural lubricants are prepared by distilling and mixing herbal extracts and created to make an invigorating potion for sexual pleasure.

The lubricants should be chosen to be free of parabens and silicones, petroleum and alcohol and other synthetic ingredients and with a beautiful scent.

The most common ingredients for natural lubricants and the benefits are:

Lajjalu Ark: The famous touch-me-not plant extract is a potent aphrodisiac and also has anti-bacterial, antidepressant and fertility generating properties.

Supari Patra ark: This has analgesic (pain-relieving) properties that also influence body  secretions

Betel leaf extract: It is a stimulant and has astringent benefits. Ayurveda advises eating betel leaves for relief and constipation.

Honey: Honey has many medicinal benefits and helps to keep the body hydrated.

Coconut Oil: It is the most commonly used home lubricant and has moisturising benefits.

Lotus root extract: it has anti-allergic and anti-fungal, and aphrodisiac properties.

Shilajit: A natural ayurvedic herb that helps boost testosterone (sex hormone) levels, cures infertility, and has many medicinal uses.

Conclusion

Natural Lubricants are a great way to step up to one’s sex life and avoid queefing during sex. A choice of lube should depend upon one’s mood, frequency and personal safety and should give one an experience of shame-free fun.

[lilsdesignblog]

Existing bathhouse projects research

Ruth Pearn’s public bathhouse for period poverty in Yorkshire

Tampon recycling scheme for period poverty and combatting menstruation stigma

Increasing amount of women and girls can’t afford period products, making headlines in Yorkshire

Feels humiliating and debilitating to ask for help

Many women missing work and girls missing school

Visible plumbing, steam distillers and heat exchangers make the sustainable elements of the system clear to visitors

“19th century shopping arcade” style

Provides public toilets, baths and showers, laundranette, salon and clothes hire

Scheme to recycle tampons made from organic cotton into compost to fertilise plants

Composting process can heat up the water

Essential oils extracted from plants to make soaps

Open to all genders to promote inclusivity

What interests me about this project is the specific and clear purpose of creating a safe space that promotes good period hygiene. I think it makes a great place for people who have periods to feel safe, comfortable and unashamed to seek help, but also just use as a regular bathhouse with extra facilities that support mensuration. I’m personally really passionate about having things designed by women, made for women, in a male dominated world. So I think it’s really cool and important that awareness is brought up in an interesting project.

[withagentleheart]

Toga x Sesshomaru's mother child

If they had a kid meme

send me a pair name and I’ll tell you what I think it would be like if they had a child.

Name: Satsutsuki (殺月)

Gender: Female

General Appearance: Typical Inuyoukai appearance. Pale, while hair, golden eyes, lavender moon marking on the forehead. She does not have the cheek markings of her father, mother, or brother. She's about 5'5" tall and a relatively lithe figure. Eye makeup and face paint on right cheek.

Personality: Cold and sarcastic. She didn't inherit the indifference her mother and older sibling seem to have and she can't help but show her emotions much more freely (like her father), but any emotions she would deem as not appropriate for the daughter of the Lord of the West would be covered with a sarcastic remark and then she would move on. And if anyone tried to harp on it they would feel the consequences.

Special Talents: Poison claws, same as Sesshomaru. She can attack with the poison whip but she has started to extract the poison and distil the poison to use for more stealthy approaches.

Who they like better: Her mother

Who they take after more: Her mother

Personal Headcanon: I made up her name. First Kanji is the same as Sesshomaru (killing, murder, etc) and then the kanji for moon. So like....Killer Moon. Trying to stay in the ridiculous naming patterns of these parents

BONUS HEADCANON: Because she doesn’t have cheek marks like the rest of her family she started playing with her mothers makeup at an early age and developed the look she currently sports of the exaggerated eye makeup and pattern on her right cheek. 

Face Claim: