#experiment 199

[rainyfestivalsweets]

Omfg 201.0 today

Unexpected but welcome

[idkhowtoread-ink]

Ali Abdul being a father makes me want him 1000x more

Like, yes please love your family and do anything for you son. Thats hot af!

...

...

I have parental issues

[snicklesnek]

Silly Game Time: COMPLETE THE PHRASE! "Scientists reveal it's not love that makes us human, but ___."

BREAKING NEWS: Scientists reveal it's not love that makes us human, but the crushing weight of our own mortality? More at 8.

[tsandoll]

✮⋆˙ LEEHAN NSFW ALPHABET A-Z

| sungho | riwoo | jaehyun | taesan | leehan |

warnings: mutual masturbation, cum eating, hair pulling, lingerie, choking,, i think that's it idk tbh.

A - aftercare (what they’re like after sex) 

he gets really bubbly and almost dopey after sex. his eyes form crescent shapes and they're accompanied by the biggest smile. he'd stay closeby, probably pulling u to sit in his lap or cuddling you really close to fall asleep. he'd love to place little kisses all over your face, but especially on your forehead while poking at you playfully. 

B - boobs or ass (are they a boob man or an ass man?) 

boobs!! this man loves your boobs so so much, he sorta uses them as if they're stress balls. his touching and kissing and things like that sometimes isn't even sexual, he just really loves your breasts. if he had a really long day or when he's bored sometimes he just really likes to play with your boobs like a curious little cat. sometimes he'll keep his hands in your shirt just to soothe himself. 

C - cum (anything to do with cum) 

don't ask why because honestly i don't know but i feel like he has a pretty big load, like when he cums there's usually a lot. since he cums so much i feel like he also makes a big mess with it almost every time :(( when he masturbates it spills all over his hand and sometimes gets on his bed under him or on his legs or tummy. 

D - dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) 

going along with the previous one, he also is a cum eater im sorry guys but he will eat his own cum after jerking off or he'll feed it to you if you're around or he'll eat yours. he'll cum all over his own fingers and smile at u while licking his hand clean.. when you guys masturbate together he loves to stick his fingers in your mouth and to stick yours into his. i feel like the first time you ever found out about his cum eating kink was after you guys masturbated together which is something else he loves doing. after he cums all over his hand he'll look into your eyes and lick his cum off the back of his hand, a dopey smile coming over his face when he sees your reaction. 

E - experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) 

i don't think he's super experienced if at all. i feel like he hasn't really done much of anything. leehan is a #gooner like i feel like he spends a lot of time with his own hand. 

F - favorite position (what is their favorite sex position?) 

199 / 230

leehan loves to be able to hold you in place, whether its with your arms behind your back or with your pretty face towards him. he loves seeing the way you squirm under him and the way he can push himself so deeply inside of you with these kinds of positions. position 199 is most similar to how he’d regularly fuck you i think, he can see your face and also grab your boobs which is a win win for him.

G - goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc) 

i think he's one of the goofiest members during sex, especially if you're taking the lead a little more. when you take the lead he takes it easy and gets all giggly and plays around a lot more. you make him so happy and it's apparent during sex a lot of the time. 

H - hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.) 

i think he would be pretty hairy, honestly i don't think he'd really shave or groom himself much in general. he doesn't give me the vibes that he would care that much, as long as you're happy and don't complain, he doesn't care. all he cares about is making you feel good! 

I - intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

a lot of the things he does is for the intimate aspect but i feel like sex with him isn't always “romantic”. like it's not always all sweet and gentle, it's rough and filthy at times. sometimes he fucks you like he hates you and other times he fucks you like he'll never be able to let you go. 

J - jack off (masturbation headcanon) 

lovessss jerking off to your photos or to your videos or even just to the sound of your voice. you're the most perfect person in his mind and when he sees you or hears you his mind can very easily wander. if you sent him a video or voice message complimenting him or even a video of you rambling about something random he would be able to use that video to get off to. he loves pictures of you looking all pretty as well because he can just let his mind wander and imagine any possible thing while he drags his hand up and down his length. 

K - kink (one or more of their kinks) 

mutual masturbation - when you guys are just sitting around at home, sometimes he'll just suggest masturbating together. he feels very close with you and he feels very connected so he would love to get all close and see you make yourself cum right in front of him. sometimes leehan also misses you so much that he needs to call you so that you guys can hear each other. if he's busy at the time he would make time to call you, your voice bringing him comfort. he needs to hear your little whines through the phone and hear how you gasp at the feeling of your own fingers. he would moan out your name quietly too, furrowing his eyebrows and biting at his bottom lip. 

clothed sex - he loves the desperation of not being able to get fully unclothed before getting your hands all over one another. one of his favorite things is when he can just pull your skirt or shorts to the side and he can just play with you easily like that. no need to get fully unclothed, you're sexy enough even with them on. he really enjoys when you wear easy access clothing for this reason as well because of this. he can easily sit you on his cock without having to do too much in between work because he's sooo impatient sometimes. 

eye contact - no matter what the two of you are doing, masturbating together, when he's fucking you, when you're giving him head, no matter what it is, he loves eye contact. he searches for your eyes and stares deeply into them when you guys are intimate. it makes him feel even needier, the knot in his stomach grows so much faster when he can see the desperation in your eyes. he loves when he's fucking you so good that you can't even keep your eyes open but he urges you more and more to keep them open, even putting his face in whatever direction you're looking so he can lock eyes with you. he even loves eye contact while you give him head or even when he gives you head, he finds it so intimate and important which is why he loves it so much.

L - location (favorite places to have sex) 

im not sure why but i feel like he really loves sex on the couch. he loves to try out different ways to fuck you and he'd like having something to lean against. a second favorite would definitely be the kitchen, he loves sitting you on the counter and feeling your legs wrapped around his waist. 

M - motivation (what turns them on?) 

i think leehan would really have a thing for lingerie and for inappropriate touching. like if you wear lingerie for him and give him a little peek and touch his thighs or something like that he would get hard so fast. he loves seeing you look all pretty for him. previously i mentioned that he loves easy access clothing, this is another motivation for him. he loves that you're so available for him to love on and appreciate the most intimate parts of your body easily. 

N - no (Something they wouldn’t do) 

leehan a freak, something he wouldn't do is not give something a chance. he loves to experiment and try out new things so he almost never turns down a new challenge. 

O - oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc) 

he honestly loves both, feeling your warm mouth around him and seeing how you look up at him is one of the most rewarding things in the world for him. he can see you on your knees and he thinks you're so pretty like that. he also loves to give you head though, you can easily play in his hair and tug at it which is one of his favorite things. you can also close your legs around his head which he enjoys so so much. 

P - pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) 

a lot of times he's on the faster side but he's definitely rough at times. he snaps his hips into you roughly and loves when you can't catch your breath because of the way he's sucking into you. he finds it so sexy when you're sinking your fingers into his skin when he picks up his pace. 

Q - quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.) 

he loves quickies and u guys have them often because he loves to randomly touch all over you. he's a huge fan of just randomly having sex and then moving on to do something else cuz it's really fun for him. 

R - risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.) 

super!! a big part of sex for him is discovering new things. when you come to him and ask him to try something new with him he gets so excited and wants to try it immediately. i feel like he would smile so big and would start trying to take ur clothes off as soon as possible. 

S - stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…) 

honestly i think leehan can go for quite a few rounds, he does good at keeping up. he can go like 4 rounds regularly because he's a horny guy and also doesn't run out of energy too fast. 

T - toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) 

i don't think he owns any toys for himself or even for you in general, if he did though i feel like he would have a fleshlight. he loves having something to thrust into so this just makes sense for him, but he much prefers fucking you. he does love toys though, especially when you use them on yourself and could literally just sit there and watch you cum from using a vibrator or something like that. 

U - unfair (how much they like to tease) 

always!! teasing!! not even just during sex, sometimes he'll tease you about your moans or about how you reacted to him. he also loves to joke, making you think he's going to expose something about you, only to joke about something else instead. he just loves to see the slight panic that comes over your face sometimes. 

V - volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make) 

leehan's pretty quiet during sex, the most noise he makes is usually when he cums. he's big on saying little teases or praises but as far as noises of pleasure he isn't super loud. he'll groan when he's about to cum or when he does come and gets pretty breathy and that's when he let's out little moans as well. i think overall his volume and the projection of his voice is a little louder though, you might not wanna sneak around with him cuz he'll give it away. 

W - wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice) 

when you sit in leehan’s lap bouncing up and down on his length he’d press his forehead against yours. i mentioned how much he loves eye contact so it wouldn’t be any different here. he’d stare into your eyes, watching the way yours change as you get closer. he also has a thing for when he leans back and his neck is on display for you, he shivers when you wrap your hands around his throat. he’d let out a low groan, his hands gripping at you even harder than before.

X - x-ray (let’s see what’s going on in those pants) 

he's definitely on the bigger side. he's got length and girth, definitely the biggest out of the other boys. i think he'd have such a pretty dick, it's probably a little blushy under his tip. 

Y - yearning (yow high is their sex drive?) 

it's pretty high, definitely not high like taesan's but i do think he's kinda a sexual person. i just feel like especially with a partner he would have sex on his mind pretty often and he acts on in however he can. whether it's masturbating, calling you for help, or fucking you, he's doing it! 

Z - zzz (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

honestly i think he'd fall asleep pretty fast. he'd be all smiley and may mumble to you for a little bit but as soon as he lays on your chest and you start rubbing his back or touching his hair he would doze off so fast. it depends on how he's laying and what you do, as soon as you start loving on him he gets so cozy and falls asleep.

[mxjackparker]

We're only £199 away from Working Guys: A Transmasculine Sex Worker Anthology being fully funded, as I'm writing this. 96% of the way to our goal!

Once we get there, all the contributors can be confirmed as accepted and we can guarantee the publication of this book of transmasc sex workers' experiences. I am so grateful that people are supporting this project which is so important to me as someone who felt incredibly alone being both a trans guy and a sex worker. ❤️

[niterose]

I’m sorry, but I’m here to share my horribly cracky Inhun/Saleshun/…Junhun? smut-take:

Jun-ho, In-ho, and the Salesman are in charge of running the games together. Everything is going great until a certain Player 456 enters the 33rd games.

Suddenly Jun-ho can’t find his brother or the Salesman anywhere— he feels like he’s losing his goddamn mind. But then he catches a glimpse of a triangle guard leering over Player 456 in the second round, seemingly transfixed on how the man desperately licks the dalgona beneath him, and somehow, Jun-ho knows.

After the game concludes, Jun-ho thinks that will be the end of it. The Salesman reappears in the control room like nothing ever happened and Jun-ho lets out a sigh of relief.

Only, In-ho is still missing.

The players are returned to the dormitory; Jun-ho’s eyes scan the camera feeds, searching. He finds Player 456 seated with 218, 199, and 067. Something in Jun-ho relaxes to see the man exactly where he is supposed to be.

He takes a swig of whiskey pilfered from his brother’s stash. If the man is going to disappear, then he deserves to have his liquor stolen. He doesn’t have long to savour the taste though before something on the camera causes him to choke, spraying the expensive alcohol everywhere. Because, there, sauntering up to 456’s group is the wrong Player 132. Jun-ho watches in horror as his brother plonks himself down beside 456, so close that their sides brush together.

It gets worse. Suddenly In-ho and the Salesman are making absurd requests and last minute changes to the games. There’s no way the Salesman needs ten new camera angles in the players’ dormitory. Even more baffling is Jun-ho’s experience of watching his brother order the guards to serve chocolate milk for the players’ breakfast.

And Jun-ho doesn’t even want to think about what happens when 456 gets dragged away by a certain guard between rounds— he can’t find them on any of the surveillance feeds. Maybe that’s for the best; Jun-ho thinks he will forever be haunted by the movements he witnessed on the infrared cameras after his brother sneaks into the dormitory during lights out.

Jun-ho comes to the realization that he needs to do something before these two idiots bring the games crumbling down on their heads.

One night, when In-ho and the Salesman are distracted, Jun-ho slips into the dormitory. He grabs Player 456 and drags him out of the room. They navigate through the maze-like hallways until Jun-ho leads them into a room loaded with diving gear.

”I’m getting you out of here.” Jun-ho says to a very confused looking 456. “You’ll need to swim, but I have a boat waiting outside this cave to take you back to the mainland.”

He hands the man a mask and oxygen tank, “You need to be quick, 456. I don’t know how long it’ll be before they realize you’re missing.”

Player 456 doesn’t ask who ‘they’ are, but Jun-ho thinks he probably knows from the way his face goes red right to the tips of his ears. Jun-ho turns to keep watch while the player shucks on the equipment, but a hand catches his wrist. Jun-ho starts at the contact and turns back around.

The way the man stares at him, eyes bright and kind, does something funny to Jun-ho’s stomach.

”You can call me Gi-hun, and thank you.” Gi-hun squeezes Jun-ho’s wrist gently, and Jun-ho’s heartbeat stutters.

Oh no.

———

We don’t want crack with our smut you say? Unfortunately that’s how my brain works.

[artbyarlo]

Li Yu's transition from fish to man, a successful allegory for a transgender experience

While reading the third volume of The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish, I was struck by a profound moment in Li Yu’s journey. On pages 198 and 199, right after finding out that he would need to call on the help of Prince Jing to get through the next task in his quest to return to his fully human form, Li Yu’s internal monologue details an experience that reflects that of a person struggling with dysphoria. Li Yu’s entire journey demonstrates the experience of being in a body that feels misaligned with one's identity. His quest to discover himself and transition into a body that more closely matches who he is serves as an allegory for the experiences of transgender individuals. However, this moment was so profound in how successfully it articulates the feeling of having to depend on the support of others in a moment of vulnerability that intensifies those feelings of existential discomfort. 

[Keep reading for my full breakdown of these pages.]

This particular facet of the allegory really starts to take shape in the middle of page 198, as Li Yu describes his discomfort with including Prince Jing in this task.

“It was already difficult enough to turn into a fish in front of Prince Jing, and now the system wanted him to be something in between?"

Here, he's expressing how needing to include Prince Jing in this is very uncomfortable because it requires a level of vulnerability greater than he'd previously had to allow, and it encroaches on boundaries that make this task feel much more emotionally compromising.

“Time after time, the fish system only got more scammy instead of less.”

With this statement, Li Yu exemplifies the increased frustration one may feel as one gets further into their transition and begins to feel worn down by the emotional taxation of the entire process and simultaneously challenged by more daunting tasks. 

“Even if Prince Jing had always treated him well, Li Yu was still uneasy.” 

Here, we get to the complexity of this issue. Li Yu's frustration is not at all rooted in a mistrust of Prince Jing. Even though he thinks very highly of Prince Jing, knowing that he is loved and supported by him, he's still not able to dismiss the hurtle that is his own perception of himself. It's not just that Prince Jing will see him because he's not worried about judgment. He's concerned about being perceived and being conscious of being perceived.

“Prince Jing misinterpreted Li Yu’s emotional turmoil, thinking he was worried that his tribulation wouldn’t go well. [...] Don’t worry, I won’t make you wait long.”

I love how Prince Jing's response to Li Yu's distress shows his compassion and further emphasizes previously made points. Prince Jing does not and cannot understand Li Yu's distress. Still, he loves and supports him and is reassuring him that he will make efforts to minimize any external factors that could add further complications or stress. Prince Jing doesn't understand exactly how his involvement could be adding stress but is making a great effort to reduce it, assuming that the issue is that Li Yu fears Prince Jing may delay completing the task.

"It would be better to do it while they were still on the western border, because here, he was in charge. [...] he was worried Xiaoyu's identity would be revealed."

And this moment serves as a mirror to the kind of considerations trans individuals may have to juggle throughout their transition. There isn't just the issue of having to grapple with vulnerability, extreme discomfort, and dysphoria; we also have to factor in scheduling concerns, available resources, and other environmental factors. Throughout that, there is a desire and often a struggle to feel like we are maintaining control in our own experience.

Intentional or not, this moment and careful explanation of Prince Jing’s support and Li Yu’s internal conflict in this phase of his transition back to being fully human successfully plays out as an allegory for an experience of being a transgender person at a landmark point in their journey to address something that gives them dysphoria. This is a moment that I feel I can relate to, and it’s captured so lovingly. This moment resonates and is powerful due to the theme it addresses. Still, it is not unique in that so much of this genre is dedicated to addressing very complex themes, including those around identity, so beautifully. As noted on the pages in my book, THIS is why I read Danmei. 

@wrtnbypaying and I discuss this and other topics in The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish Vol. 3 in depth in our podcast @nolongersubtext.

[wisteriaiswriting]

Psychoanalyzing Spy's Past

Words: 199

Request: Remember that rapid fire question I made with the psychoanalyzing reader? Basically my request just focuses more on that—Male! Reader who basically likes to analyse media like shows or books (and games if we're not being time accurate to TF2 taking place in 1960-1970) Then all of a sudden same reader ends up getting curious enough to start psychoanalyzing these mercs in particular—Scout and Spy. Most assumptions are just that, but they often get things right about their past, experiences, values and beliefs. Small hints of romance but this is sort of pre-established relationship Requested by: @hi-my-name-is-cosmopathy

This is very Spy focused and I didn't read the last part, so there's very little romance in this.

Every merc knew of your habit, Medic especially. This man loves to prod and mess around in your brain, wanting to see what makes you, well, you. It always ends up in some deep conversations, this is where your newest… curiosity, showed. “Medic,” He hummed as an answer, to busy being elbow deep in your stomach.

“Do you see any similarities between Scout and Spy?” “Ja, Zey seem to be closer than ve realise.” He shut the incision before sending you off, and you knew where you were going.

***

Spy absolutely hates you because you’re constantly causing him to mentally panic, he starts second guessing nearly everything because of you.

He nearly threatens you over this but catches himself before doing anything, if he did that would only make him look guilty and that you were right. And he can’t let you know, even if it is.

So he goes looking for anything he can find against you, and he ends up in your room. Searching though everything only to find even more theories about him, now he’s even more freaked out.

He tries his best to avoid you constantly, lets you bother Scout about everything, just not himself.

[spiritual-sparkle]

Void State Journey So Far

Hello Everyone

This is my first post

I wanted to pen down my journey on the Void state

I recently came to know about it around late December

I have been attempting since ( Dunno if that's right phrase in LOA community lol)

My Method (I picked what suits me from blogger's experiences here and what I thought resonated with me):

💫 Affirmations for Void Concept

💫 Relaxing before sleeping and saying affirmations

💫 I also try to count from any number in descending order like 200 , 199, 198 etc while visualizing them in my head which relaxes me even further more

💫 Then I say my affirmations I am , I am the void, I am in the void state , I am pure consciousness, I am already in the void

My experience:

🪄 I felt tingling from day 1 , as soon as I meditated and said I am the void I could feel tingling or urge to scratch my face

🪄 This made me feel yes manifestation is instant, the moment I said my affirmation I was feeling the symptoms

🪄 Then I realised, I am focusing on symptoms.

🪄 So I tried to focus next time on behind my eyelids, so that my mind doesn't get distracted much and doesn't focus on 3d

🪄One day I could feel tingling all over my head when I was in half asleep half awake state

🪄 In the process, one day I was in a very sleepy state I felt very heavy vibrations, as if I am getting sucked into something, Like a black hole 😅

🪄 Didn't feel that again since

🪄 After this experience I thought I am almost there , kept going, but it was giving me stress

🪄 Thus, I took little break, during which I kept going for my Void concept affirmations

🪄 I tried yesterday again, I could not feel my body, could feel a pitch black background, i wasn't able to open my eyes , very low surroundings voice.Could hear my dog snoring but very low pitch.

🪄But I wasn't completely detached to the 3D and as people said you know when you are in the Void, I didn't feel that .

So this was my progress so far.

I just wanted to share this, I intend it motivates or helps someone, now or in future.

More on this later 😀

See you folks , Have a great year ahead 🎉

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any HC's on what's going on with Luna?

Hi, so I really like Luna as a character, and I've seen various theories about her being a seer, which at least used to be popular in fic, but I never got that impression from her. Personally, I don't think there's anything magical going on with Luna. I think she's just a girl with imagination, a sense of whimsy, and some trauma of her own who chose to handle it through her internal little world rather than anger and other more externalized ways to cope.

So, this kinda ended up being a bit of a character study on Luna...

Pandora Lovegood & Luna's Trauma

One of the major moments in Luna's life that really changed her worldview and approach to people and the world was her mother's death:

“Have you . . .” he began. “I mean, who . . . has anyone you’ve known ever died?” “Yes,” said Luna simply, “my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine.” “I’m sorry,” Harry mumbled. “Yes, it was rather horrible,” said Luna conversationally. “I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I’ve still got Dad. And anyway, it’s not as though I’ll never see Mum again, is it?” “Er — isn’t it?” said Harry uncertainly. She shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn’t you?” “You mean . . .” “In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that’s all. You heard them.”

(OotP, 863)

I want to talk about her mother, her death, and Luna's general outlook on death and tragedy which explains a lot of her characters.

So Pandora Lovegood experimented with spells and one went badly enough to kill her in front of her 9-year-old daughter. This is why Luna can see Thestrals and hear voices from beyond the veil like Harry and Neville. But Luna, at her soul is an optimist and a very brave one at that. This is something that she doesn't share with her father, which I'd get to, so I think her outlook on life and death is actually something she learned from her mother.

Luna prefers to look at the half-full part of the glass. She is choosing not to get too sad over things or bothered over her bullying (which I'll get to). The main point is that Luna's way of dealing with the hardship and trauma of watching her mother die is to feel the sadness of it, but not let herself wallow in it. She keeps pushing herself forward.

I headcanon Luna took her mother's death to embrace her mother's outlook on life. That things will always be fine, that they'd always work out. I don't think Luna knows for certain everything will be fine, but she chooses to believe it will be and you see it with her later in the books as well.

“I was saying, what are those horse things?” Harry said, as he, Ron, and Luna made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting. [...] “It’s all right,” said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach’s dark interior. “You’re not going mad or anything. I can see them too.” “Can you?” said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide, silvery eyes. “Oh yes,” said Luna, “I’ve been able to see them ever since my first day here. They’ve always pulled the carriages. Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.” Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.

(OotP, 198-199)

Again, this shows her way of dealing with death and loss that ended up helping Harry. She sees the Thestrals and instead of being discomforted by them and the loss they remind her of (like Neville and Theodore Nott), she tries to smile, to take comfort in the reminder of her mother. "It's sad that she's dead, but it's okay, things will be okay", it's not a direct quote, but I feel it summarises Luna's outlook on loss and negative life experiences in general.

Xenophilius and the Quibbler

As I mentioned above, Xenophilius is much less brave and optimistic than Luna, hence why I think she learned her positive outlook from Pandora and not him:

Xenophilius gulped. He seemed to be steeling himself. Finally, he said in a shaky voice difficult to hear over the noise of the printing press, “Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. She . . . she will like to see you. I’ll go and call her and then—very well. I shall try to help you.” He disappeared down the spiral staircase and they heard the front door open and close. They looked at each other. “Cowardly old wart,” said Ron. “Luna’s got ten times his guts.”

(DH, 347)

I understand him, I really do. He lost his wife, and his daughter is all he has, of course, he's scared of helping Harry. He doesn't want to lose Luna too. But, I headcanon Pandora was like Luna in that regard. She wouldn't have let fear stop her. I mean, she had to be brave to experiment with the kind of dangerous spells that'll kill her.

The other thing I want to note about Xenophilius and Luna is how close they seem to be whenever we see them:

Bidding the wizards farewell, he turned to his daughter, who held up her finger and said, “Daddy, look—one of the gnomes actually bit me!” “How wonderful! Gnome saliva is enormously beneficial!” said Mr. Lovegood, seizing Luna’s outstretched finger and examining the bleeding puncture marks. “Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today—perhaps an unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish—do not repress it! You may have been gifted by the Gernumblies!”

(DH, 124)

They seem very affectionate and close, both with words and I'm sure also physical affection. Luna even mentions she still has her dad when she explains how she handles her mother's loss. I think both of them grew closer and more dependent on each other after Pandora's death. And I think that's what really pulled them both through it. Each other.

I write about it more later in this post, but Luna tends to comfort a lot of characters. Hermione, Ollivanders, Harry, and I think the first person she practiced this with was her father. She is a very empathetic person and she watched loss affect her father first-hand. I think, that after they lost Pandora, Luna did more of the heavy lifting in terms of emotional comfort rather than Xenophilius, who was probably a bit of a wreck.

Now, the third major thing I think Luna learned from her father is his various odd beliefs. To name a few Quibbler article titles from the beginning of OotP:

How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?

CORRUPTION IN THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE: How the Tornados Are Taking Control

SIRIUS - Black As He’s Painted? Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?

We all know they have some odd ideas, and are both very convinced of them. Luna never strays in her belief in the things her father writes about:

Yes, he’s got an army of heliopaths,” said Luna solemnly. “No, he hasn’t,” snapped Hermione. “Yes, he has,” said Luna. “What are heliopaths?” asked Neville, looking blank. “They’re spirits of fire,” said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. “Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of —” “They don’t exist, Neville,” said Hermione tartly. “Oh yes they do!” said Luna angrily. “I’m sorry, but where’s the proof of that?” snapped Hermione. “There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you’re so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you —”

(OotP, 345)

She actually shows a dislike and anger toward Hermione at first because of how Hermione treats the things she believes in. Luna doesn't get angry often, but when her beliefs are ridiculed in the way Hermione does so, is one of these few times. She doesn't mind being called "Loony", but she cares about her, and her father's beliefs are aggressively questioned. She wouldn't have minded it if Hermione just didn't believe her (like Ron and Ginny) what bothers her is that Hermione doesn't even entertain the possibility of these creatures being real. What angers her is Hermione's closed-mindedness, not that she doesn't agree with her. Luna doesn't mind being alone in her beliefs, she minds closed-minded people who think they know everything, that's what gets her annoyed with Hermione, I think.

Now, I kind of want to discuss why Luna and Xenehpilius believe what they believe. Well, more Xenephilius than Luna, because he taught her most of it and gave her all the evidence she is basing her understanding of all these creatures and conspiracies come from.

Because that's what a lot of these are — conspiracies — and mostly about the Ministry of Magic. These article titles are somewhat like farfetched conspiracy theories like: "NASA hiding a second sun at the center of the Earth" or "Did you know the Earth is actually flat but the government doesn't want you to know" or anything to do with Area 51 and aliens. The articles from the Quibbler sound awfully a lot like that. And it seemed the main reason Xenophilius and Luna believed Harry was because the ministry didn't.

Xenophilius and Luna also believe in miracle cures like gnome venom (as quoted earlier), Gurdyroots and Plumpies:

“May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?” said Xenophilius. “We make it ourselves.” As he started to pour out the drink, which was a deep purple as beetroot juice, he added, “Luna is down beyond Bottom Bridge, she is most excited that you are here. She ought not be too long, she has caught nearly enough Plumpies to make soup for all of us. Do sit down and help yourselves to sugar.

(DS, 348)

They are essentially wizard conspiracy theorist hippies.

Basically, Xenophilius and Luna distrust the ministry (rightfully so, as the ministry sucks) but they took their distrust to the extreme. Essentially believing any information from the ministry, or ministry-sanctioned textbooks and newspapers to be false (some of it definitely is false, but not all). If it comes from the ministry it's false in their eyes and therefore everything the ministry doesn't live in is true, even if it doesn't make sense. So what I think is going on with the Lovegoods, and what they are supposed to be, is just conspiracy theorists, who rightfully distrust their government, but took this distrust too far beyond common sense. It doesn't mean all they belive is false, they are actually correct often enough, but not always.

Now, I think, as I said, they have a good reason to distrust the ministry, they just took it a bit far. I actually have a bit of a headcanon about how Xenophilius came to the conclusion that they can't trust ministry.

My headcanon is that it has to do with Pandora's death. We don't really have any indication that Xenophilius believed in everything he did before her death. Neither do we know how exactly the spell killed Pandora. I think the ministry either hid information about Pandora's condition, used some spells she created in their books without giving her credit, or the ministry never sanctioned her spells (we know the ministry does approve spells, Hermione mentions as much in HBP). I'm not sure what exactly went with the ministry, but I headcanon Xenophilius has a personal reason related to Pandora to distrust them.

Loony Luna

We know Luna gets bullied. Her belongings get stolen, other students call her "Loony". And it isn't surprising she gets bullied. children are mean to anyone who is weird and different and Hogwarts has no anti-bullying measures. Literally none, the faculty doesn't care.

What is more interesting is Luna's outlook on her own bullying. It's the same optimistic acceptance of how she treats death.

“How come you’re not at the feast?” Harry asked. “Well, I’ve lost most of my possessions,” said Luna serenely. “People take them and hide them, you know. But as it’s the last night, I really do need them back, so I’ve been putting up signs.” She gestured toward the notice board, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return. An odd feeling rose in Harry — an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius’s death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna. “How come people hide your stuff?” he asked her, frowning. “Oh . . . well . . .” She shrugged. “I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually.” Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully. “That’s no reason for them to take your things,” he said flatly. “D’you want help finding them?” “Oh no,” she said, smiling at him. “They’ll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway . . . why aren’t you at the feast?”

(OotP, 862-863)

Other Ravenclaws steal her things and hide them, they call her "Loony" and at no point is Luna angry or scared. She is calm and serene and she declines Harry's help because she believes it will all work out. It's the same outlook on death and sadness: "Everything will be fine, just keep your chin up and believe things will be good" That just really seems to be Luna's life philosophy. She faces every problem with optimism and serenity.

Instead of being concerned over her own situation, she actually goes a step further and ask how Harry is doing. Luna goes out of her way to brighten up other people's lives and help them see the good in situations like she can. She is really sweet.

“I enjoyed the meetings too,” said Luna serenely. “It was like having friends.” This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment.

(HBP, 138)

“Oh, it’s been all right,” said Luna. “A bit lonely without the D.A. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me ‘Loony’ the other day —”

(HBP, 311)

These are two more examples of Luna's being bullied. She is lonely and didn't really have friends before the D.A. But just like with her missing things, while it makes her sad, she doesn't wallow in it. She looks at the good parts. The happy memories, the fact that Ginny defends her now. Honestly, it's a healthier coping mechanism than what we see with other characters, I'll give her that.

The other interesting note is how honest she is with all of it. She always says things exactly how she believes they are. She doesn't lie or hide information from people, even for their own comfort. I think this has to do with the distrust in the ministry her father and her share.

Essentially, she was raised being told how awful the ministry is for lying to everyone and how it's horrible they hide information from the wizarding world. I think this is part of why she is so honest and straightforward. She really sees hiding information and lying as awful things to do. And, I mean, she's a Ravenclaw for a reason, she likely believes information should be accessible to know and learn, not hidden in the bawls of the ministry. It's all part of her honesty.

Luna's Empathy

Luna is one of the more empathetic characters in the books. I mentioned before how she goes out of her way to encourage and comfort others, and here are some examples I picked up:

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you look for your stuff?” he said. “Oh no,” said Luna. “No, I think I’ll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up. . . . It always does in the end. . . . Well, have a nice holiday, Harry.” “Yeah . . . yeah, you too.” She walked away from him, and as he watched her go, he found that the terrible weight in his stomach seemed to have lessened slightly.

(OotP, 864)

Luna is the first person to make Harry feel better after Sirius' death, to tell him life goes on and actually convince him of it. She can empathize with people really weel and tell them what they need to hear.

He finally tracked her [Hermione] down as she emerged from a girls’ bathroom on the floor below. She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back. “Oh, hello, Harry,” said Luna. “Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?” “Hi, Luna. Hermione, you left your stuff. . . .” He held out her books. “Oh yes,” said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. “Thank you, Harry. Well, I’d better get going. . . .” And she hurried off, without giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any. “She’s a bit upset,” said Luna. “I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley. . . .”

(HBP, 310)

Even with Hermione, whom Luna tends to argue with most due to Hermione appearing closed-minded to Luna, when Luna hears crying her first instinct is to go help. And she actually seemed to have made Hermione feel better, she found the right things to say.

Her mention of Moaning Myrtle makes it sound like Luna knows the ghost well. My headcanon is that in Luna's first years, when she was lonely and had no friends, she sat and chatted with Myrtle, and they had a cute little lonely friendship.

“That’s right,” said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the D.A., “That’s right, Harry. . . come on think of something happy. . . .” “Something happy?” he said, his voice cracked. “We’re all still here,” she whispered, “we’re still fighting. Come on, now. . . .”

(DS, 548)

Encouraging Harry to cast a Patronus when they need one.

“I’m going to miss you, Mr. Ollivander,” said Luna, approaching the old man. “And I you, my dear,” said Ollivander, patting her on the shoulder. “You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place.”

(DH, 437)

And even comforting Ollivanders.

Luna just brings comfort to everyone she meets. Knowing what to say to make them feel better.

About her supposed seer-like abilities

As I said, I don't think Luna is a seer or anything like that. I think she's intelligent, open-minded, incredibly empathetic, has some extreme distrust in the ministry, and has an overall life philosophy of looking at the full half of the cup.

When I searched for scenes that had "extra-magical" potential I found only two:

The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Harry knew at once why Neville had chosen to pass this compartment by. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry. She nodded. [...] The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry, who had taken the seat opposite her and now wished he had not.

(OotP, 185)

I think this is more Luna being awkward because she never had friends more than anything. I think she is just honestly shocked and confused that Harry and Co. want to sit with her; of like, their free will, and not just to say mean things.

As much as Luna holds her head high, she is hurt by her bullies and loneliness, she just chooses to not internalize any of it and never stop to be herself. Honestly I really appreciate this aspect of Luna, I adore her ability to stay afloat.

The second scene:

He led a party of warlocks into the marquee as Luna rushed up. “Hello, Harry!” she said. “Er—my name’s Barny,” said Harry, flummoxed. “Oh, have you changed that too?” she asked brightly. “How did you know—?” “Oh, just your expression,” she said.

(DH, 123)

I don't think this is being a "seer" or anything like that. I believe this is an extension of Luna's intense empathy. She says she recognises Harry's expression. Also, she's smart and he acts around Ron the way he always does, Luna would be able to recognize it...

So, yeah, these are my thoughts about Luna.

[artworkmartins]

Reintroduction time! ³ Earth-199

Captured in the 70's, ALCHEMAX experimented on him using a tarantula infected by the cordyceps fungus – 20 years later, Matias now acts as the antihero, Tarantula!

[monkeyssalad-blog]

X-15 Launch from B-52 Mothership by NASA on The Commons Via Flickr: This photo illustrates how the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft was taken aloft under the wing of a B-52. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. This was one of the early powered flights using a pair of XLR-11 engines (until the XLR-99 became available). The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of rated thrust (actual thrust reportedly climbed to 60,000 lb). North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program. The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program used the aircraft as a testbed to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis. For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls such as rudder surfaces on the vertical stabilizers to control yaw and canted horizontal surfaces on the tail to control pitch when moving in synchronization or roll when moved differentially. For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 sec of flight. The remainder of the normal 10 to 11 min. flight was powerless and ended with a 200-mph glide landing. Generally, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles was used: a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to maintain a steep rate of climb, or a speed profile that called for the pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude. The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years--June 1959 to Oct. 1968--and set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 ft (over 67 mi) in a program to investigate all aspects of piloted hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights and were manufactured by North American Aviation. X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. NASA Media Usage Guidelines Credit: NASA Image Number: E-4942 Date: 1959

[asinasura]

with the 200th chainsaw man chapter coming out soon, i wish to add onto my previous analysis on fami with the newfound information in chapter 199 ^_^ i highly recommend you read my thoughts on fami since 198 here, as it will give context to ideas i allude to in this analysis.

spoilers for chainsaw man's manga up to chapter 199, as well as...

content / trigger warning for the following: talk or mention of suicide, suicide ideation, self-harm, and depression

with the release of chapter 199, i found it interesting that death needs to devour whatever devil she controls, and how she used falling to "prepare" the meal. food in chainsaw man has always had a narrative theme of relating to joy, love, and power. this is seen most obviously in denji's moments of eating bread and jam, makima, and the eternity devil as examples respectively.

ever since the falling devil arc, however, food has changed in what it implies, narratively speaking. it no longer holds much joy, but instead puts a heavier emphasis on power, such as denji eating the tree people or, in the most recent chapter, how death eats fakesaw and real famine. food -- and by proxy, eating -- has been perverted, so to speak, into being another thing you do for the sake of it / for power rather than out of love. i mentioned the falling devil arc due to how falling claims her meals are made out of love, despite being made at the expense of human life, modifying the meaning of love in a meal.

but what does this have to do with death ? simply put: eating is living. you need to eat to live, or your body metabolizes itself, your body destroys itself. eating, to death ( fami ), is another thing she does without truly enjoying it, similarly to the school festival, apathetic to her current experience. thus, i believe her inability to either taste or enjoy food -- specifically, her "delicious... ...it was not" -- is further evidence that she is a metaphor for depression and suicide ideation, the inability to enjoy even the simplest joys of life, such as a meal made with "love," speaks to me ( a non-professional dope ) as similar to depression. i shall clarify on the idea of suicide ideation next.

secondly, death's outlook on the prophecy strikes me as familiar, personally speaking. she views it as an inevitability, something that will happen eventually, one day. i wish to make it clear, i am speaking from personal experience, and my word regarding mental health issues such as this are to be taken with a grain of salt.

from my own experience dealing with suicide ideation, the way death has both:

a. a vague plan regarding her own demise / erasure, and

b. the outlook that the prophecy will play a large part in her demise,

largely reminds me of ( to get a bit personal here ) my own experience with suicide ideation. specifically, seeing the prophecy as occurring "…for some reason or another…" and even her own uncertainty regarding the prevention of human annihilation -- mainly, her usage of the word "maybe" in the second photo. in my eyes, her dialogue and characterization read as knowing she'll be killed in some way, living life until the eventual prophecy comes and she "dies"… maybe. death is still uncertain about her own demise, unsure if that's what she really wants, which resonated the most with me regarding her connection to both depression and suicide ideation.

now i wish to recall that a large part of my analysis has speculation to outline some of the more unclear details, such as assuming mankind not being annihilated means her death, and not some wild out-of-the-blue second option... although, knowing fujimoto, i could be completely wrong too, which is always an opportunity to learn and understand what i could do better ^_^ i love chainsaw man, and these most recent chapters have really gotten to me, enough so to be posting my own shitty thoughts.

[apilgrimpassingby]

Theology of Demons Miscellanea

"There was never any question [for the Christian] of attributing all evil to man - indeed, the New Testament has far more to say about dark superhuman powers than the Fall of Adam." C. S. Lewis, "Evil and God" in God in the Dock.

I've liked this quote for a long time, but I've recently wondered "is it true?"

At least on a statistical level, yes.

The fall of Adam is referenced three times in the New Testament - Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 1 Timothy 2:12-15. By contrast, dark superhuman powers appear in Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, 10:20-22 and maybe 2:6-8*, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Galatians 4:3-9, Ephesians 2:2, 3:10 and 6:12, Colossians 2:8, 2:15 and 2:20, 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Peter 2:4, 1 John 4:1-3 and 5:19, Jude 6, and, of course, Revelation 12-13 and 20 - all without counting the Gospel exorcism narratives.

Which leads me onto my next point - despite all of this, and a stated desire to get back to the Bible, Protestant theologies in my personal experience tend to marginalise the demonic and angelic realm (excluding certain denominations like Pentecostals). Sure, they affirm their existence, but there's a discomfort with attributing anything specific to them, especially in the present day, or with giving them a prominent place in theology.

And it's not just me saying. Folklorist Jeremy Harte in his book Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape (about, well, the Devil in English and Welsh folklore) says that:

"In practice, if not in doctrine, Protestant writers rejected the numberless demons that had provided their medieval precursors with such varied explanations of bad weather; they were also disinclined to attribute disasters to Satan himself, as this would abrogate from the sovereignty of God." (p.199)

Because I want to hear what some real Protestants have to say on the issue, tagging @theexodvs and @greater-than-the-sword - particularly, I want to know if you think the marginalisation of demons is a real trend in Protestant theology, and if, so, where it comes from.

My personal theory is that Protestantism began in early modern Europe, where the demons had already been driven out by the people who first converted those countries to Christianity - so Protestant theologians see demons as marginal because, in their time and place, they were.

*Saying "maybe" because that interpretation's unpopular among modern Biblical scholars, but it's what I'm inclined to and has Patristic precedent: for example, St. Athanasius identified the wisdom of the Greeks with occultism and the worship of idols (On the Incarnation 46.4)

[almostarts]

Gaetano Pesce (8 November 1939 – 3 April 2024)

Moving against the stream of rational, functional modernism in the 1960s and early 70s, Mr. Pesce experimented with materials and production methods to create furniture pieces imbued with political or religious meaning for brands from Cassina to B&B Italia.

Many would go on to become icons of Italian design including the Up5 chair – an innovative vacuum-packed chair designed to resemble a female prisoner – which he designed for B&B Italia precursor C&B.

Pesce moved to New York in 1983 and began to move away from mass production to create "standardised series" in everyday materials like resin, adapting conventional production techniques to create varied and imperfect outcomes.

The result are pieces such as the 1884 Pratt chair, which toe the line between functional design and decorative art, helping to create a new category that would later become collectible design.

Mr. Pesce was born in the Italian city of La Spezia in November 1939, only two months after the start of world war two.

As was common at the time, he trained in both architecture and design, studying first at the University of Venice and later at the Venice Institute of Industrial Design.

Among his architecture projects is the Organic Building in Osaka from 1993, with its plant-covered facade made of orange fiberglass that served as a precursor to today's vegetation-covered green walls.

But Mr. Pesce's most pioneering and well-known work happened in the world of design. In the late 1960s, he became one of the leaders of Italy's Radical Design movement, rejecting modernism's rigid focus on forms dictated by function.

Instead, Pesce focused on the idea that functional objects, much like art, could carry a deeper message.

One of the most famous examples is the controversial Up5 chair from 1969, which manufacturer B&B Italia describes as "the first product of Italian design with a political meaning".

Rest In Power !

"Up 5 & 6" Dressed Up Chair & Ottoman, 1969 – 2014, Polyurethane foam, fabric, Height: 40.5 in (102.87 cm)Width: 47 in (119.38 cm)Depth: 51 in (129.54 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm),

“Square Airport Lamp” (1986/1994). Photography by Elizabeth Carababas/The Future Perfect. Light sculpture consisting of a flexible rubber membrane studded with small light bulbs. Although made from a mold, no two lamps are alike, due to the imperfections that arise from the hand-mixing and pouring of colored urethane. H 92 - W 65 Cm,

"Feltri" Armchair for Cassina, 1980 -1989, Felt, Fabric, Resin, Width: 156 cm, Depth: 80 cm, Height: 129 cm, Seat height:42 cm, Courtesy: Oldera,

"Pratt Chair #7," 1984 2018 (purple), 2018, Transparent polyurethane, :93 x 53 x 53 cm. (36.6 x 20.9 x 20.9 in.),

"The Cabinet of The Tired Man," 2018, Photo: Courtesy of Salon 94 Design and Gaetano Pesce,

"Tramonto a New York" three-door screen, for Cassina, Made of coloured resin, hinges and feet in burnished brass, Width: 221, Height: 199,

"Organic" Building, Osaka, Japan, Completed in 1993 to embody the corporate ideal of Oguraya Yamamoto Co., Ltd,

"La In-Portante" Modular Bookshelf from the "Abbraccio" Series, 2010. Comprising 57 adjustable polyurethane resin shelves. Produced by Le Fablier, Italy. Polyurethane resin, painted wood, lacquered metal, 86½ x 118¾ x 16⅞ in. (219.7 x 301.6 x 42.6 cm) Courtesy of Sotheby's,

La Michetta Modular Sofa,Compostion of 8 by Meritalia, Structure in Lacquered Wood Seat with Elastic Belts, Flexible Polyurethane & Fiberfill Padding, Dimensions: W370 x D245cm,

Unique 'Ireland' table, Made of polyurethane and metal. The table was made and exhibited in 1996 by Gallery Mourmans, Knokke-Zoute, Belgium. It was part of a series of 'EU tables', where all 15 member countries were represented as a table, in this case Ireland. The top of the table has the shape of the outlines of the country and it stands on legs in the shape of question marks. W.80.71 in;H.28.74 in;D.57.09 in; (W.205 cm;H.73 cm;D.145 cm), Courtesy: Incollect.

[whencyclopedia]

The Pillow Book

The Pillow Book (Makura no Soshi) is a personalised account of life at the Japanese court by Sei Shonagon which she completed c. 1002 CE during the Heian Period. The book is full of humorous observations (okashi) written in the style of a diary, an approach known as zuihitsu-style ('rambling') of which The Pillow Book was the first and greatest example.

Sei Shonagon

Sei Shonagon was a lady of the Japanese imperial court. Her surname is not her actual name but refers to her role, or more likely the role of her husband, as a 'lesser counsellor' or shonagon. Her family name was Kiyohara, her father being Kiyohara no Motosuke (908-990 CE) who was himself a waka poet of some repute and co-author of Gosenshu, an imperial anthology. Her grandfather, Kiyohara no Fukayabu, was an even more renowned poet. Sei Shonagon was born c. 966 CE, was married at least twice and was known to have visited certain Buddhist and Shinto sacred sites and temples.

Sei Shonagon was part of a wider group of literary ladies employed to educate Teishi (976-1001 CE), one of the wives of Emperor Ichijo. Sei Shonagon joined the court in 993 CE, and she describes her early experience there as follows:

When I first went into waiting at Her Majesty's Court, so many different things embarrassed me that I could not even reckon them up and I was always on the verge of tears. As a result I tried to avoid appearing before the Empress except at night, and even then I stayed hidden behind a three-foot curtain of state. (Keene, 413)

One of Shonagon's literary rivals and lady at the second imperial court, that of Shoshi (Akiko), was Murasaki Shikibu, authoress of the classic Tale of Genji. Shikibu was scathing of Shonagon's literary skills in her own diary: "She thought herself so clever, and littered her writings with Chinese characters, but if you examined them closely, they left a great deal to be desired" (Ebrey, 199). Still, Shikibu was not above borrowing images and scenes from The Pillow Book for her own work. It is conceivable that Genji was a response to Shonagon's work given the rivalry between the two royal courts when, unusually, there were two reigning empresses.

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