#lake guadalupe

[ygflame]

Guadalupe🎭

[simonh]

Graffiti Train Bridge And Skyline, Austin, Texas by Randy von Liski Via Flickr: This view of downtown Austin shows the Graffiti Train Bridge across Lady Bird Lake. The plate girder-style bridge was constructed in 1936, but it sits on the stone piers of a previous bridge. Over the years, multiple layers of artwork and graffiti have been painted on its sides. The graffiti offers a unique and ever-changing perspective, adding a vibrant touch to a view showcasing Austin's ever-evolving skyline.

[notmorbid]

still born.

dialogue prompts from still born by guadalupe nettel. this book deals directly with infant loss / illness.

nothing will happen to you while i'm here.

in friendships like ours, there's no room for hypocrisy.

they say that violence begets violence.

the more we love a person, the more fragile and insecure we feel because of them.

if you disappeared, a part of me would go with you.

i can't take any more of you.

can i bum one off you?

what was it like to live with ____?

i didn't come here to argue with you.

i've got you to love. i don't need anyone else.

can you talk? i need to tell you something.

it's a long story. you'll need to pay attention. do you have time now?

did you just get back from school?

i just went for a walk around the block.

why don't we go to the park this afternoon?

i talk to myself, too.

did anyone tell you what happened?

what did i do wrong?

there's nothing like looking at a lake to calm one's thoughts.

do you mind if i smoke?

i promise you i won't leave until it's better.

the city is full of dangerous people.

i can't imagine what it would feel like to be in your place.

there's no word for a parent who loses a child.

did you used to play in the street when you were little?

it's not healthy to wallow in pain.

what should i have done differently?

i can't keep explaining it over and over again.

talking about it made me feel better.

anger is nothing but a screen for avoiding pain.

you're totally unreadable.

you're smoking again?

being a mother means being worried about someone else all the time.

love and common sense are not always compatible.

some music fuses with our selves, we've listened to it so much.

cohabitation is one of the hardest experiences to survive.

i wouldn't mind a vodka tonic.

some people are more awake at night.

what did you used to like doing before you shut yourself in?

i don't want kids, even adopted ones.

you forgot how to be happy.

there's nothing for you here. go away.

it's easier to blame others for what we can't tolerate in ourselves.

you look like you've gone back in time.

you can spend the day with me.

it's not right, but sometimes it's worth doing.

what i want is for you to stop meddling in my life.

i need to know so i can help you.

it's as if ____ needs to suck my life force to grow.

all i feel is worn out.

normal mothers don't think those kinds of things, do they?

i'm not sure 'normal mothers' exist.

you'll judge me. you always do.

there are people who consider misfortune an infectious disease.

we tend to see our mother's mistakes as the source of all our problems.

you're always questioning the past.

if you don't leave home, you suffocate. if you go too far, you lose oxygen.

from hereon in, anything that happens is a bonus.

i'm here to help you, not to fight you.

i like to say things straight.

there's always a way to renegotiate debt.

i can't believe you hid this from me. it's like staying quiet when there's a fire in the house.

you're not on your own. we're a family now.

i ask myself why you stay sometimes, too.

are we going to stay like this for the rest of our lives?

blood ties don't guarantee anything.

the biological family is something that's been imposed on us. there's no reason we should settle for that if it doesn't work for us.

i can't stand being in my head.

is it your voice in your head, or someone else's?

what do you do when your thoughts bother you?

you've got space inside you where you can go and hide.

we have the children that we have, not the ones we imagined we'd have.

what could someone so young know about despair?

don't leave my side for a minute.

i feel like an absolute worm.

do you think you'll be able to fall in love again?

don't be nervous. whatever has to happen will happen. no one gets out of that.

[misspjsuperior]

Tonantzin Guadalupe 🌵🌹

The original \/u| \//\ goddess I created in 2013 is Maria Rosa. Her design was inspired in major part between the miracle of La Virgen de Guadalupe and the concept of Mary Queen of Heaven.

I was recently commissioned to create a new (\/) Goddess inspired similarly between Guadalupe and Tonantzin by my chingona hermana Janet Bella Rosa who also knew Mi padrino Antonio 🙏 I felt his spirit guiding me to connect our visions! 💞

Tonantzin is an enduring Nahuatl title for the maternal aspect of any Aztec goddess, much like “Our Lady”, rather than the name of a particular goddess. I chose a blue background to parallel Her starry mantle of heaven and also represent Lake Texcoco since the eagle, snake, and cactus from its story of the founding of ancient Mexico there are present. 💙🌵 

Tonantzin in various forms is frequently depicted with eagle feet so I thought it appropriate to have the legendary golden eagle clutch the silvery moon below Her in place of Guadalupe’s cherub 🦅 🌙 Tonantzin is often known, by many names, to wear a skirt of snakes- the celestial Aztec earth mother Coatlicue’s particular name translates to “She of Snake Skirts”. So I couldn’t help but see the snake emerge from the opening in Her folds here. Frequently in Aztec art snakes emerging from or replacing body parts represents blood so I feel a menstrual element from how the snake manifested in this vision 🐍 🩸

Many believe that the apparition of La Virgen de Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill unto St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous peasant originally named Cuauhtlatoatzin meaning “Talking Eagle”, was a vision of a new form of Tonantzin. Her local temple had formerly been on that very site, destroyed by conquistadors. When Cuauhtlatoatzin received these holy visions, the Goddess spoke to him not in Spanish but in his native Nahuatl language even though She identified Herself as The Virgin Mother of God. Even the Church documents testify that The Holy Mother assured him in his moment of doubt, in his Indigenous tongue, “Am I not here who am your Mother?” Indeed Tonantzin Coatlicue herself is said to have had her own divine conception via a feather 🪶 

The miraculous vision of Guadalupe that appeared upon Juan Diego/Talking Eagle’s tilma is often seen as a self portrait by Her and there are many analyses of the visual element’s encoding of Aztec symbolism. I took these theories and insights into consideration while creating this vision.

Even within the suppression of Spanish colonization ancient indigenous Mexican Curanderismo healing practices were able to persevere and often in the name of La Virgen de Guadalupe, under the protection of Her image.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“At home, on the evening of December 12th we may light a candle and place offerings of flowers, copal and chocolate in front of her statue or painting. In the public square, those who follow the Mexica spiritual tradition will join brothers and sisters for an all-night vigil of prayer, Danza, offerings, and songs to her, who is Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue, who was always honored at the hill of Tepeyac. As we salute the Four Winds and dance in the ceremonial circle, we honor those who have gone before us, the courageous people who kept traditions alive through the centuries despite the threat to their life if discovered. The feathers in the copilli, the ceremonial headdress worn by the dancers, will draw down the energy of the cosmos into Mother Earth, our beautiful Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue to help her heal from the many ways she is dishonored.

Nearby, children will play and laugh, faces smeared with the traces of candy and the cinnamon of churros, the delicious deep fried pastry covered with sugar and cinnamon while the sound of mariachi music adds to the feeling of a fusion of cultures and beliefs. If you wander the crowded street you will see a handful of Catholic pilgrims on their knees on the hard pavement slowly make their way to the entrance of the church in gratitude for answered prayers.

And, in spite of quiet official church disapproval, the local parish priest will invite Indigenous ceremonial dancers to participate during the special December 11-12 mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Inside the church, for a few moments, Mayan copal will blend with European frankincense, quetzal feathers will dance on the air, and elders with bundles of aromatic rosemary plants will cleanse the People’s spirit. The two cultures, reconciled at this moment, acknowledge their bond of love for the Woman Who is Cloaked with the Sun; a bridge of Light between peoples.”

Maestra Grace via Curanderismo.org

[aceasadhd]

Can we have more mermaid states please

I spent MINUTES researching all these and trying to make them different, so all mermaids are final, no refunds

Alabama = Southern Redbelly Dace Alaska = Orca Arizona = Apache Trout Arkansas = Smallmouth Bass California = Bee Colorado = Greenback Cutthroat Trout Connecticut = American Shad Delaware = Weakfish Florida = Lemon Shark Georgia = Largemouth Bass Hawaii = Reef Triggerfish Idaho = Blue Trout Illinois = Blue Gill Indiana = Orangespotted Sunfish Iowa = Channel Catfish Kansas = Green Sunfish Kentucky = Spotted Bass Louisiana = Speckled Trout Maine = Maine Lobster Maryland = Chesapeake Blue Crab Massachusetts = Atlantic Blue Marlin Michigan = Salmon Minnesota = Walleye Mississippi = Crappies Missouri = Lake Sturgeon Montana = Cutthroat Trout Nebraska = Rainbow Trout Nevada = Lahontan Cutthroat Trout New Hampshire = American Eel New Jersey = Brook Trout New Mexico = Panfish New York = Golden Shiner North Carolina = Carolina Madtom North Dakota = Northern Pike Ohio = Saugeye Oklahoma = White Bass Oregon = Chinook Salmon Pennsylvania = Stocked Rainbow Trout Rhode Island = Brown Bullhead South Carolina = Striped Bass South Dakota = Shortnose Gar Tennessee = Pallid Sturgoen Texas = Guadalupe Bass Utah = Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Vermont = Mottled Sculpin Virginia = Cobia Washington = Sock Eye West Virginia = Candy Darter Wisconsin = Muskellunge Wyoming = Lake Trout

[kp777]

By Brett Wilkins

Common Dreams

Feb. 5, 2024

"Forty-seven percent of the voters are poor or low-wage," said one activist. "Getting that vote in is very important."

The Poor People's Campaign on Monday launched a 42-week nationwide mobilization of poor and low-income Americans to "wake the sleeping giant" of a voting bloc with the potential to determine the outcome of the 2024 elections.

"It is time for a resurrection and not an insurrection," Poor People's Campaign co-chair Rev. Dr. William Barber II said during a press conference in Washington, D.C. "We must engage poor and low-wealth people to change the political landscape."

"For far too long extremists have blamed poor people and low-wage people for their plight, while moderates too often have ignored poor people, appealing instead to the so-called middle class," he continued. "Meanwhile, poor and low-income people have become nearly half of this country and we are here today to make one thing clear: Poor and low-wage brothers and sisters have the power to determine and decide the 2024 elections and elections beyond."

"Economic justice and saving this democracy are deeply connected."

Poor People's Campaign co-chair Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis stressed that "economic justice and saving this democracy are deeply connected."

"In this rich nation that has the wherewithal to end poverty tomorrow where there's the political will, we must not overlook the voices and votes of poor and low-income people," she added. "We are mobilizing and organizing, registering and educating people for a movement that votes... for healthcare and debt cancellation. Votes for living wages and strong anti-poverty programs. Votes for fair taxes and demilitarization of our communities and our world. Votes for immigrant rights and more."

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said at the press conference: "In 2024, the election is going to be about mobilization... Democrats have an enthusiasm gap today and the progressive alliance and Democrats have fissures within their constituencies that make getting out the vote even more important."

"The biggest bloc of potential voters by far is low-income, low-wage voters," Lake noted. "Where the margin of victory is projected to be less than 3% in 2024, 30-45% of the voters are low-wage voters or low-income families... The turnout among low-wage voters and low-income voters today is... 20-22% below the average turnout. This is a huge bloc of voters, and it is a bloc of voters that votes 58-60%—at minimum—progressive, no matter how conservative the state."

"You're talking about a huge number—a game-changing number—of voters," she added.

The campaign's main scheduled events are a Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Moral March to State House Assemblies on March 2 and a rally and march in Washington, D.C. on June 15.

"I have been struggling to pay my bills since I've been working at 16 years old. I work full time, 64 hours a week, seven days a week," said Beth Schafer of Raise Up for $15 during a video promoting the new campaign. "I am exhausted."

Crow Roberts, an organizer with the Indiana Poor People's Campaign, said in the video that "our government finds it necessary to ban abortion to say that they are saving our children, but more children die as a result of poverty in this country."

Guadalupe de la Cruz of the Florida Poor People's Campaign asserted that "we should not be cornered and forced to choose between one necessity or another."

Speaking at the press conference, Alabama activist Linda Burns said that "for three years I worked the assembly line at Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama. The work was grueling. We were expected to work like robots, moving like 1,000 pieces per hour."

"I got badly injured. My left arm," she continued. "I had two surgeries. I had to get a third surgery, but I didn't have no more insurance. Amazon, they cut my insurance off a year after. They let me go last October."

"Amazon let me go because I was helping organize the union," said Burns. "We didn't get the union in Alabama but I'm gonna do everything in my power to stand in solidarity. Organizing the union showed me just how many people were in the same situation I was. Not just in Alabama, but all over the world."

"Forty-seven percent of the voters are poor or low-wage. Getting that vote in is very important," she added. "We cannot settle for less, we've got to stand up for our rights. We are forward together—not one step back."

[parisbytaylorswift]

1. Acadia National Park, Maine

2. American Samoa National Park, American Samoa

3. Arches National Park, Utah

4. Badlands National Park, South Dakota

5. Big Bend National Park, Texas

6. Biscayne National Park, Florida

7. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

8. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

9. Canyonlands National Park, Utah

10. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

11. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

12. Channel Islands National Park, California

13. Congaree National Park, South Carolina

14. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

15. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

16. Death Valley National Park, California & Nevada

17. Denali National Park, Alaska

18. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

19. Everglades National Park, Florida

20. Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

21. Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri

22. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

23. Glacier National Park, Montana

24. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

25. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

26. Great Basin National Park, Nevada

27. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

28. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina

29. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

30. Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii

31. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

32. Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

33. Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana

34. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

35. Joshua Tree National Park, California

36. Katmai National Park, Alaska

37. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

38. Kings Canyon National Park, California

39. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

40. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

41. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

42. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

43. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

44. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

45. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia

46. North Cascades National Park, Washington

47. Olympic National Park, Washington

48. Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

49. Pinnacles National Park, California

50. Redwood National Park, California

51. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

52. Saguaro National Park, Arizona

53. Sequoia National Park, California

54. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

55. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

56. Virgin Islands National Park, United States Virgin Islands

57. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

58. White Sands National Park, New Mexico

59. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

60. Wrangell—St. Elias National Park, Alaska

61. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho

62. Yosemite National Park, California

63. Zion National Park, Utah

[khruschevshoe]

Remember how I said I finally read RW&RB a while back? Well, I finally watched the movie. And..... I really super duper wish they would have just left the book alone (more so because the content/characters they cut out were SO central to the story-line that they might as well have just made a different movie entirely). Ugh, bleh. I need to read the book again-

My guy I literally was *just* reading through a thorough analysis of why the movie felt so off! June and Rafael were so integral to the plot/themes of the story, Bea and Nora were made into completely different characters, the aspect of Ellen and Oscar's divorce being missing hit me on a personal level (even if I understood why they did it), and like...the entire last half hour of the movie, basically everything after the lake scene, felt so OFF that I couldn't stand it. Basically every questionable pacing/writing/ordering of scenes decision was made from the fact that they took out all of the queer history in the museum scene, the fact that Alex makes his speech coming out about the relationship BEFORE he talks to Henry, the fact that a queer Latino man outs them due to jealousy rather than, you know, THE RICH WHITE CONSERVATIVE HELLBENT ON DESTROYING EVERYTHING QUEER and then him literally being EXPOSED by a queer Latino man (the optics on that last one are a bit...yikes, ngl). I appreciated what they did with the movie, a family-washed queer romcom is still better than nothing, but some decisions are BAFFLING.

(Though I have absolutely no notes about how they executed the lake scene. The acting during the moment that Henry is listening to Alex's feelings confession and you can just SEE the moment he shuts down because he knows he can't give Alex what he wants? And then the shot of him in the lake? 10/10. No notes. The ONLY scene that is better in the movie than in the book.)

But yeah, I'm almost glad that my favorite book is a self-published indie sapphic alternate history novel because that means no chance of movie adaptation. As much as I would KILL to see President Janine Moore, Cynthia Freeman, First Gentleman Preston Lithwick-Moore, Guadalupe di Angelo/Luis Diaz, and First Daughter Annette Moore on my screen, I would be TERRIFIED to see how they'd make it palatable to straight audiences.

[abstractcowboy]

seal appreciation post

because i love how stupid looking seals are

this is the northern elephant seal. incredible snout

this is the southern elephant seal. incredible snout, lump edition

this is the ross seal, they only live in antarctica and they look completely fake

this is the bearded seal, who hosts a mustache to rival my father’s

this is the spotted seal, whose roundness is unparalleled

here is our friend the baikal seal, my personal favorite, endemic to the baikal lake in siberia. their eyes are baseballs because the baikal lake is significantly deeper than any other lake on earth and they gotta see in those spooky dark depths

here is the guadalupe fur seal, who always looks shocked beyond comprehension

and last but not least, the northern fur seal, whose buzzcut is military-ready. you might even call him a navy seal.

i just love how much variety there is in the stupidity of a seal’s appearance

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[meeraphotography]

Canyon Lake, TX 2023

I meant to make a post about this trip sooner but never got around to it lol

Anyway, my family and I went to Canyon Lake, TX, in December 2023. It's about 40 miles from San Antonio for those who aren't familiar. There are not a lot of activities to do here; it is mostly just a pretty place to go and relax.

Camera info: Nikon D750, Pentax K1000, Instax mini Evo

Day 1 12/17/2024

After about a 4-hour drive, we arrived at our Airbnb and got unpacked. Even though we weren't near the lake, we still had an amazing view from the house: huge hills covered in trees whose leaves ranged from green, red, and yellow.

The last time I was in the Texas Hill Country, I didn't see any deer or other wildlife, but this time I saw some! A group of deer came out of the bushes while I was checking out the rest of the rental house. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures.

I have never been able to successfully take a photo of a deer before. They always run away before I can get the shot, and I'm not really a wildlife photographer, so I don't have the right lens to get close up. But these guys walked up so close to the house deck, all I had to do was stand perfectly still. ^_^

Day 2 12/18/2024

So to start the day, we went to a trail that was behind our Airbnb. We walked around and it had a nice view but it was pretty much just a big circle lol

Since there wasn't much here, we went to the main attraction: The Canyon Lake!

Canyon Lake is a reservoir on the Guadalupe River. The construction of the dam was finished in 1964 and serves as flood control and as a water supply for communities near the dam.

The wind was blowing hard against my face as I walked across the dam. When I looked forward, I could hear the wind, the people, and the cars down below, but when I looked to the side and faced the shimmering blue lake, everything went quiet. The way the harsh wind hit my ears literally blocked out everything else.

This gave me one of those feelings that you can't really explain or understand. My mind was completely clear—no weight, no tension, just nothing. Complete non-existence

After walking around the lake, I sat on the rocks and took some more photos. The water was so blue and contrasted perfectly with the white rocks.

Day 3-12/19/2024

This was our last day, so we decided to go on a cave system tour. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures here since we were part of a larger group and it was quite dark lol. It was very interesting and a nice way to rap up the trip.

This was a very pleasant little vacation, especially since I have not gone anywhere since the start of covid. It was nice to get out and go to a different place lol

Website

Instagram

prints

[countyflagchampionship]

full US map below

[ygflame]

CRUEL SUMMER SS24🎭

[valegbecerra-art]

Avstra MX/ Mawi

Event poster for a painting class event hosted in popular Valle de Guadalupe restaurant Mawi, famous for it’s delicious food, in restaurant lake and giraffe shaped disco ball.

[longlistshort]

Kimowan Metchewais, “Cold Lake Fishing”, 2004/06

Koyoltzintli, “Gathering Roots” and “Spider Woman Embrace”, Abiquiú, New Mexico, 2019, from the series MEDA, 2018/19, Archival pigment print

(Alan Michelson “Hanödagayas (Town Destroyer): Whirlwind Series”, 2022 Archival pigment prints and “Pehin Hanska ktepi (They Killed Long Hair)”, 2021 Single-channel video installation: wool blanket and video projection; 1:05 minutes (looped), no sound)

Currently at the USF Contemporary Art Museum is Native America: In Translation curated by Wendy Red Star and organized by Aperture. The work included offers viewers a chance to discover new perspectives on the Native American experience.

From the museum- “The ultimate form of decolonization is through how Native languages form a view of the world. These artists provide sharp perceptions, rooted in their cultures.” —Wendy Red Star

Native America: In Translation assembles the wide-ranging work of nine Indigenous artists who pose challenging questions about identity and heritage, land rights, and histories of colonialism. Probing the legacies of settler colonialism, and photography’s complex and often fraught role in constructing representation of Native cultures, the exhibition includes works by lens-based artists offering new perspectives on Indigenous identity, reimagining what it means to be a citizen in North America today.

Works included in the exhibition address cultural and visual sovereignty by reclaiming Native American identity and representation. Honoring ancestral traditions and stories tied to the land, Koyoltzintli (Ecuadorian-American, b. 1983) reflects on how the landscape embodies traditional knowledge, language, and memories. Nalikutaar Jacqueline Cleveland’s (Yup’ik, b. 1979) photographs of contemporary tribal communities in western Alaska document Native foraging and cultural traditions as a form of knowledge passed through generations. Revealing stories of trauma and healing, Guadalupe Maravilla (American, b. El Salvador, 1976) communicates autobiographical and fictional narratives informed by myth and his own migration story.

Expanding Indigenous archives and collective memory through photographic means, works by the late artist Kimowan Metchewais (Cree, Cold Lake First Nations, 1963–2011), drawn from his personal archive of Polaroid photographs, construct self-realized Native imagery challenging the authority of colonial representation. Excavating repressed colonial histories of invasion and eviction, Alan Michelson (Mohawk, Six Nations of the Grand River, b. 1953) reinterprets and repositions archival material to redress history from an Indigenous perspective. Marianne Nicolson’s (Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations, b. 1969) light-based installation projects Dzawada’enuxw tribal symbols of authority and power onto colonized spaces to contest treaties that imposed territorial boundaries on Indigenous lands. Duane Linklater (Omaskêko Ininiwak from Moose Cree First Nation, b. 1976) reconfigured the pages sourced from a 1995 issue of Aperture, featuring Indigenous artists, creating space for artistic improvisation and reinvention across generations.

Reflecting on performative aspects of Indigeneity and the colonial gaze, Martine Gutierrez’s (American, b. 1989) series of photographs reinterpret high-fashion magazine spreads with a revolving roster of identities and narratives to question Native gender and heritage. Working across performance and photography, Rebecca Belmore (Anishinaabe, Lac Seul First Nation, b. 1960) creates powerful reenactments of past performances incorporating organic materials that reference knowledge, labor, and care of the Earth in defiance of state violence of Indigenous people.

This exhibition closes 12/1/23.

Rebecca Belmore, “matriarch”, 2018, and “mother” from the series “nindinawemaganidog (all of my relations)”, 2018, Archival pigment prints

Photos by Rebecca Belmore and Installation by Marianne Nicolson

Marianne Nicolson’s installation detail

Nalikutaar Jacqueline Cleveland, “Molly Alexie and her children after a harvest of beach greens in Quinhagak, Alaska”, 2018 and “There are two main Yup’ ik names for crowberries or blackberries in Alaska, “paunrat” and “tangerpiit””, 2017, Archival pigment prints

Guadalupe Maravilla, “I Crossed the Border Retablo”, 2021, Oil on tin, cotton, glue mixture, wood

Duane Linklater, “ghost in the machine”, 2021, Archival pigment prints

Martine Gutierrez, “Queer Rage, Dear Diary, No Signal During VH1’s Fiercest Divas”, and “Queer Rage, THat Girl Was Me, Now She’s A Somebody”, 2018. digital chromogenic print

One of Kimowan Metchewais’ polaroids from the slide show

[misspjsuperior]

December 12th is La Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebrating an apparition of The Goddess in the guise of Maria Mother of Jesus to an Indigenous man in Mexico named Cuauhtlatoatzin- and dubbed Juan Diego by Catholics. The Holy Mother’s words spoken in native Nahuatl to a humble Aztec man on the slopes of Tepeyac, the very site of the destroyed Aztec temple of Earth Goddess Tonantzin, bolstered the spirit of a brutalized population that yet persists through continued colonization today, allowing original peoples of Mexico to continue ancient traditions and pass knowledge through generations under the mantle of Her protection as a disguise. 🌹

The miraculous vision of Guadalupe that appeared upon Juan Diego/Talking Eagle’s tilma is often seen as a self portrait by Her and there are many analyses of the visual element’s encoding of Aztec symbolism. I took these theories and insights into consideration while creating this goddess vision as commissioned by chingona @sharpsweetbella

I chose a blue background to parallel Her starry mantle of heaven and also represent Lake Texcoco since the eagle, snake, and cactus from its story of the founding of ancient Mexico there are present. ���🌵 

Tonantzin (a Nahuatl term similar to “Our Lady”) in various forms is frequently depicted with eagle feet so I thought it appropriate to have the legendary golden eagle clutch the silvery moon below Her in place of Guadalupe’s cherub 🦅 🌙 Tonantzin is often known, by many names, to wear a skirt of snakes- the celestial Aztec earth mother Coatlicue’s particular name translates to “She of Snake Skirts”. So I couldn’t help but see the snake emerge from the opening in Her folds here. Frequently in Aztec art snakes emerging from or replacing body parts represents blood so I feel a menstrual element from how the snake manifested in this vision 🐍 🩸

Tonantzin Guadalupe art by @pjsuperior

Shirt modeled by indigenous artist activist @tigerlily.tankgirl 🌟

[coffee-n-ocs]

Onyx Soul: Cree Riley, Pure-Blood Siren (2001)

Gravesend's youngest siren, from the far south waters. Her parents left for warmer tides when she was 20, two years before the series starts.

"A Human, Navy, you've gone mad, I blame the mix of blood in you."

Name

Full Legal Name: Cree Lux Kamalani Riley First Name: Cree Meaning: From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada. Pronunciation: KREE Origin: English Middle Name(s): Lux, Kamalani Meaning(s): Lux: Derived from Latin 'Lux' meaning 'Light' Kamalani: Means 'Heavenly child' or 'Royal child' from Hawaiian 'Kama' 'Child' and 'Lani' 'Heaven, Sky, Royal, Majesty' Pronunciation: LUKS, ka-ma-LA-nee Origin: Various. Hawaiian Surname: Riley Meaning: From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English 'Ryge' 'Rye' and 'Leah' 'Woodland, Clearing' Pronunciation: RIE-lee Origin: English Aliases: C.L Riley Nicknames: Lu, Kama, Lani Titles: Miss

Characteristics

Age: 22 Gender: Female. She/Her Pronouns Race: Siren Nationality: American Ethnicity: Black ('Born of Warmer Waters') Birth Date: 20th March 1979 Sexuality: Straight Religion: Follows the 'Water Spirit' Native Language: English Spoken Languages: English, Spanish, French Relationship Status: Single Astrological Sign: Pisces Face Claim: Freema Agyeman

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Gravesend Current Residence: Gravesend Have They Been Beyond The Veil: Never

Appearance

Height: 5'2" / 157 cm Weight:  [Data Redacted] Eye Colour: Brown (Yellow when below water) Hair Colour: Black Hair Dye: None Body Hair: N/A (Sirens have no body hair) Facial Hair: N/A Tattoos: None (It's hard to tattoo Siren skin) Piercings: Ear Lobe (Both) Scars: Her gills hide as scars above water Clothing Style: Free flowing, Waterproof clothing

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Social drinker Illnesses/Disorders: None Medications: None Any Specific Diet: Mostly seafood and vegetables

Relationships

Affiliated Groups: Gravesend Sirens Friends: Jacey Lake, Montana Lennox, Ellis Remington, Guadalupe Temple Enemies: None, but does distance herself from Dana and Navy Mentor: Tyson Riley Significant Other: None Previous Partners: None of Note Parents: Tyson Riley (55, Father), Ursula Riley (53, Mother, Née Acacia) Parents-In-Law: None Siblings: None Siblings-In-Law: None Nieces & Nephews: None Children: None Children-In-Law: None Grandkids: None Other Notable Relatives: None

Notes

Occupation: Waitress Tropes: (Purely speculative)

Apparently Human Merfolk: When above water

Ear Fins: When below water

Fish People: When below water

Sirens are Mermaids

Super Not-Drowning Skills: Can breathe underwater for an indefinite period of time