#saint west icons

[mariocki]

Spaghetti Western icon and international film star Frank Wolff inexplicably turns up as the villainous Jim Reston in The Saint: The Old Treasure Story (4.9, ITC, 1965)

[jesterlesbian]

CHAPPELL ROAN at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards

In the past century in particular, Joan has come to be for many a feminist and queer icon, with Vita Sackville-West first putting forth speculation about Joan’s sexuality in her provocative 1936 biography Saint Joan of Arc. Sackville-West’s Saint Joan represents a landmark moment in queer history, and it is undeniable that Joan’s refusal to conform to medieval conceptions of female propriety and the persecution suffered due to preference for traditionally male clothing have contributed to Joan’s legacy as the essence of transgressive androgyny [...] Soldier or martyr, patron saint or witch, hero or heretic – whoever Joan truly was, perhaps the most accurate descriptor is simply ‘icon.’ - Evey Reidy (Who was Joan of Arc?)

[talonabraxas]

Green Wood Dragon 🐉 Talon Abraxas Dragons represent nature’s forces in Buddhism

Dragons are directly associated with nature. Oceans, rivers and the heavens are often dragon deities in Buddhism. Since nature remains a vital part of Mahayana Buddhist spiritual paths, dragons have a pride of place as sovereign “elements of nature” — typically associated with the East, spring, and growth (Green Dragon), but also with fall and harvest (Brown or Yellow Dragon).

Prior to the Middle Ages, however, dragons in the West were mostly positive (or neutral) natural forces. Later, as non-nature oriented spirituality came to dominate Europe, Dragons began to be re-cast as “evil” or monsters. Saints, knights and heroes would “slay the dragon,” in part to symbolize man’s dominance over nature. In Eastern traditions, Dragons retain — to this day — their positive, nature-oriented personas.

“Unlike its demonic European counterpart, the Tibetan dragon is a creature of great creative power; a positive icon, representing the strong male yang principle of heaven, change, energy, wealth and creativity. Dragons are shape shifters, able to transform at will, from as small as the silkworm to a giant that fills the entire sky. Dragons are depicted in one of two colors, green or brown. The green, or azure dragon of Buddhism ascends into the sky at the spring equinox; it represents the light’s increasing power in springtime and the easterly direction of the sunrise. The brown dragon is the autumn equinox, when it descends into a deep pool, encasing itself in mud until the next spring, but its spirit is still with the practitioner bringing wealth and health. The pearls, or jewels clutched in the claws of the dragon represent wisdom and health. The dragon can control the weather by squeezing the jewels to produce dew, rain or even downpours when clutched tightly. The dragon is the vehicle of Vairochana, the white Buddha of the center or the east.”

[mamuzzy-creates-stuff]

Kanye West - Power came into my playlist and HOLY SHIT. THE SAINTS ROW FEELS. Veeeeeery quick super messy RepComm sketches because my brain is buzzing from this idea. Maybe one day I will finish these, but it's not today. :D

That iconic mission, assault on the penthouse from a heli:

Kal: What do you think, ad'ika? Mereel: Some shabuir is in my pool.

Mereel, Kal, Ordo. That shot from the trailer at the beginning. I mean... tell me that knife-scene ISN'T HIM.

AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! щ(ﾟДﾟщ)

I'm living in that 21st century, doing something mean to it Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it Screams from the haters got a nice ring to it I guess every superhero need his theme music

LAATs from the Coruscant Guard. I just love that last shot.

Fuck the doomed narrative. Let Kal be an ambitious bastard like he is with the clones, have his own secret syndicate with his "private army" and cause so much trouble that will lead to the point eventually Palpatine wants the whole Arca Company eliminated before a potential rebellion breaks out.

[ve1il]

Here is a list of perfumes that i think Nanami would wear.

Before starting let me explain my vision. The perfumes on this list vary between very strong scents and fresh ones, i feel he would have this big collection of perfumes and he would choose very wisely and planned for which occasion or when he feels like using it and of course he has a very refined taste.

(Everything here came from the sephora site, if you guys want to check it out)

TOM FORD Ombré Leather

Fragrance Family: Warm & Spicy

Scent Type: Woody Spices

Key Notes: Black Leather, Violet Flower, Jasmine Flower

Fragrance Description: A distinct floral leather, Ombre Leather Parfum intensifies the original scent, fusing heated leather florals with woods. This perfume merges black leather with powerful violet leaf and sensual cedarwood laced with a hint of green tobacco—capturing the unbridled sensuality of the American west.

$275.00

JO MALONE Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne

Fragrance Family: Earthy & Woody

Scent Type: Earthy Green & Herbs

Key Notes: Ambrette Seeds, Sea Salt, Sage

Fragrance Description: Enwrapping and joyful. Windswept walks along the beach, the air fresh with sea salt, the mineral scent of rugged cliffs and earthiness of sage.

$165.00

CLEAN RESERVE Reserve - rain

Fragrance Family: Fresh

Scent Type: Fresh Aquatics

Key Notes: Bergamot, White Flower, Vetiver

Fragrance Description: This unique unisex perfume captures the dewy scent that lingers in the air after a lush rainfall. Crisp, watery cucumber notes and airy musk blend with vetiver and patchouli adding a touch of earthiness to create the calming scent you inhale walking in the woods after a passing rain.

$110.00

ARMANI BEAUTY Armani cold parfum

Fragrance Family: Earthy & Woody

Scent Type: Citrus & Woods

Key Notes: Mandarin Essence, Bergamot Essence, Rosemary Essence, Vanilla Extract, Cedar Wood Essence

Fragrance Description: The Code Le Parfum rewrites the code of a timeless masculine fragrance, infusing the powerful and seductive signature tonka bean with fresh scent notes of iris, sage, and bergamot, to create a woody aromatic fragrance blend that is long-lasting and uniquely distinctive.

$144.00

YVES SAINT LAURENT L'Homme

Fragrance Family: Earthy & Woody

Scent Type: Citrus & Woods

Key Notes: Bitter Orange, Oakwood, Vetiver

Fragrance Description: L’Homme Eau de Parfum is a warm and woody men's cologne inspired by an orange bourbon sour. Sparkling bitter orange creates tension with the warmth of bourbon notes from oakwood infusion and vetiver, reinventing the iconic L'Homme signature in a more intense version with a sensual trail.

$129.00

TOM FORD Oud wood

Fragrance Family: Earthy & Woody

Scent Type: Classic Woods

Key Notes: Rare Oud Wood, Sandalwood, Chinese Pepper

Fragrance Description: A composition of exotic, smoky woods including rare oud, sandalwood, rosewood, eastern spices, and sensual amber—revealing oud‘s rich and compelling power.

$295.00

(I’m planning on doing with other jjk’s character too so stay tuned)

[lacasadelasmunecaspreciosas]

Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (Saint Michael, Barbados; 20 de febrero de 1988), conocida simplemente como Rihanna, es una cantante, actriz, diseñadora y empresaria barbadense. Es conocida por fusionar algunos géneros caribeños con música pop y por reinventar su imagen a través de los años. Su impacto en la cultura popular la ha llevado a convertirse en un icono de la música y de la moda, por lo que se refieren a ella como la «Princesa del R&B» y «Reina de la Moda».3​4​

Nacida en Saint Michael y criada en Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna hizo una audición para el productor de discos estadounidense Evan Rogers en 2003, quien la invitó a los Estados Unidos para grabar cintas de demostración. Después de firmar con Def Jam en 2005, pronto obtuvo reconocimiento con el lanzamiento de sus dos primeros álbumes de estudio, Music of the Sun (2005) y A Girl Like Me (2006), ambos influenciados por la música caribeña y alcanzaron su punto máximo dentro de los diez primeros puestos de la lista Billboard 200 de Estados Unidos.

El tercer álbum de Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), incorporó elementos de dance pop y estableció su estatus como símbolo sexual en la industria de la música. El sencillo «Umbrella», que encabezó las listas de éxitos, le valió a Rihanna su primer premio Grammy y la catapultó al estrellato mundial. Continuó mezclando géneros pop, dance y R&B en sus siguientes álbumes de estudio, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011) y Unapologetic (2012), el último de los cuales se convirtió en su primer número uno en Billboard 200. Los álbumes generaron una serie de sencillos que encabezaron las listas de éxitos, incluidos «Rude Boy», «Only Girl (In the World)», «What's My Name?», «S&M», «We Found Love», «Where Have You Been» y «Diamonds». Su octavo álbum, Anti (2016), mostró un nuevo control creativo tras su salida de Def Jam. Se convirtió en su segundo álbum número uno en los Estados Unidos y contó con el sencillo «Work» que encabezó las listas de éxitos. Durante su carrera musical, Rihanna ha colaborado con muchos artistas, como Drake, Britney Spears, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Adam Levine, Paul McCartney, Ne-Yo y Shakira.

Con ventas de más de 250 millones de discos en todo el mundo, Rihanna es la segunda artista musical femenina con mayores ventas de todos los tiempos. Ha obtenido 14 números uno y 31 sencillos entre los diez primeros en los Estados Unidos y 30 entradas entre los diez primeros en el Reino Unido. Sus elogios incluyen nueve premios Grammy, 13 American Music Awards (incluido el Icon Award, por su trayectoria y contribución al mundo de la música), 12 Billboard Music Awards, siete MTV Video Music Awards (incluido el Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, un reconocimiento entregado a músicos que han tenido un profundo impacto en la denominada «cultura MTV», a través de su discografía y videografía5​) seis Guinness World Records y el premio del presidente de la NAACP. Spotify le otorgó el título de la artista femenina más escuchada de todos los tiempos.6​7​8​ La revista Billboard la nombró «artista digital» de la década de 2000, «artista Hot 100» de la década de 2010 y «artista mainstream» más importante de los últimos 20 años.9​10​11​12​ En 2023, fue incluida en el puesto número 68 de la lista «Los 200 mejores cantantes de todos los tiempos» de la revista Rolling Stone.13​ Es considerada por dos medios de comunicación estadounidense como la artista musical más influyente y exitosa del siglo xxi.14​15​ Time la nombró una de las 100 personas más influyentes del mundo en 2012 y 2018. Forbes la ubicó entre las diez celebridades mejor pagadas en 2012 y 2014.16​17​18​19​ A partir de 2022, es la música femenina más rica, con un patrimonio neto estimado de $1.4 mil millones.20​21​

Aparte de la música, Rihanna es conocida por su participación en causas humanitarias, proyectos empresariales y la industria de la moda. Es la fundadora de la organización sin fines de lucro Clara Lionel Foundation, la marca de cosméticos Fenty Beauty y la casa de moda Fenty bajo LVMH; ella es la primera mujer negra en encabezar una marca de lujo para LVMH.22​ Rihanna también se ha aventurado en la actuación, apareciendo en papeles importantes en Battleship (2012), Home (2015), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) y Ocean's 8 (2018). Fue nombrada embajadora de educación, turismo e inversión por el Gobierno de Barbados en 2018, y fue declarada Héroe Nacional de Barbados el primer día de la república parlamentaria del país en 2021, lo que le da derecho al estilo de «The Right Excelente» de por vida.23​ Rihanna encabezó el espectáculo de medio tiempo del Super Bowl LVII el 12 de febrero de 2023.

[youarebeingshaggedbyarareparrot]

Worse things happen at sea: Art in the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony

So everyone has been sounding off about the Paris' Olympic Opening Ceremony. Mainly about the supposed 'insult to Christians everywhere' with the recreation of Di Vinci's 'The Last Supper'.

(I'd like to go on the record that 1. you pose any group of folk in a line facing the viewer with a barrier at hip height and it's gonna look a little 'The Last Supper'-y, 2. clearly the hand wringers had forgotten that the artist was Di Vinci. The man would be pointing and laughing at them and be living it up on that bridge between Nicky Doll and DJ Butch, and 3. Da Vinci painted enough portraits of Bacchus, he would have known what's up.)

Anyway, a lot of art was incorporated and celebrated but there's one piece that did featured that had me performing a mental emergency stop and NO ONE ELSE is talking about it so I need to know I wasn't the only one to spot this.

So, opening ceremony, we're following our mysterious torch bearer as they race through the the Louvre to the strains of 'Danse macabre', (French composer Camille Saint-Saëns). The eyes of the paintings occupants follow their progress until we see frames with empty back drops, the paintings' subjects having come alive to watch the festivities from the windows. But the last empty frame... my people...

Our mystery guide stands in front of this for nearly 3 seconds, at the 1hr 42min 11sec mark in the BBC coverage. Now, I can't make out the plaque at the bottom of the frame, but I am prepared to place good money that this is Théodore Géricault's 'Le Radeau de la Méduse', or 'The Raft of the Medusa'.

Completed in 1819, this piece is considered the best work of its' French artist and an icon of the French Romanticism movement. It's chuffing huge, over 16ft by 23ft, and it is stunning.

It also depicts one of the worst events in French maritime history.

In June of 1816, the French frigate The Medusa left France for Senegal on the west coast of Africa. At her helm was a captain who had not sailed in 20 odd years and got the post through connections and political clout. And he fucked it up royally. The Medusa drifted 100 miles off course and ran aground off Mauritania. After 3 days of failing to shift the boat, the 400 or so people aboard has choices to make. They were 30 miles from land and there were 6 boats, room for 250 people. Some stayed aboard the stranded vessel but at least 146 men and one woman boarded a jerry-rigged raft. The plan was for it to be towed by some of the boats, but after only a few miles it was turned loose.

For 13 days, exposure, mutiny, disease, dehydration and starvation ravaged the survivors, whittling nearly 150 down to 15. It was in my fact checking for this that I learnt the lovely little term ‘a custom of the sea’. In layman’s terms, cannibalising your crew mates to survive. They were spotted by chance, no search effort had been made by the French. A further 5 died in the days following rescue. British naval officers helped the survivors to return to France because aid from the French government didn’t appear and the captain, who had made it to land fine, was more interested in recovering the gold on board the Medusa. He was court marshalled and should have been executed, but in the end served 3 years in prison. He was the inciting incident for a law to passed that ensured that promotions in the French military would thereafter be based on merit.

Now all this came hurtling into my head because I remember reading a book called 'Severed' by Frances Larson, all about the cultural and historical fascination with decapitation. There's a section in the chapter of severed heads in art about how Géricault went hard on the research for this painting; visited morgues and hospitals, brought home specimens to watch decay rate, y'know, stuff that absolutely wouldn't blow your safety deposit. But yeah, I'm there with dawning horror and ice in my blood as we look at a very French painting, of a French maritime tragedy, brought about by the hubris and arrogance and incompetence of the higher ups who had no right being there, where comrades and crew turn on each other in a horrific fight for survival, with the spooky dancing bones classical piece playing in the background...

And not 20 seconds later we are rejoining the action of the flotilla on the Seine, 'Fraternité' writ large over the boat with Cyprus, Columbia and Comoros waving excitedly and soggily at us.

Thomas Jolly, opening ceremony artistic director, I need to buy you a drink and we need to chat. I need to study you. I have been turning this over in my brain for a week, what are you trying to say?! Was I the only one to hear it?!

[orthodoxadventure]

Do you ever fear gods not real? Its my biggest fear in life. Do you have any prayers for a deeper faith?

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:23-24

Doubt does not in itself signify lack of faith. It may mean the opposite – that our faith is alive and growing. For faith implies not complacency but taking risks, not shutting ourselves off from the unknown but advancing boldly to meet it. -- Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way

Because faith is not logical certainty but a personal relationship, and because this personal relationship is as yet very incomplete in each of us and needs continually to develop further, it is by no means impossible for faith to coexist with doubt. The two are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps there are some who by God’s grace retain throughout their life the faith of a little child, enabling them to accept without question all that they have been taught. For most of those living in the West today, however, such an attitude is simply not possible. We have to make our own the cry, ‘Lord, I believe: help my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24). For very many of us this will remain our constant prayer right up to the very gates of death. – Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way

Certainly, I have (and do) struggle with the faith. But we must understand faith is not just a state of being, but an action. When we have struggles with our faith, there can be a tendency to let our faith life falter: perhaps we stop attending Church, perhaps we begin neglecting our prayers or our reading of Scripture. When really, what we need to be doing during those periods, is revitalising those aspects and clinging onto them. And in the act of doing so, we can find ourselves also uniting our state of being with faith.

The very act of asking for prayers to strengthen or deepen your faith, is an act of faith itself. Although it might not feel like that. The act of wanting to believe in God, is very much an act of believing in God. I would very much recommend speaking to your Priest, and speaking about some of your struggles with the faith. Perhaps its dryness in prayer, perhaps its not feeling the benefit of attending Church. Often, our doubt comes from particular aspects of the faith that we aren't feeling a positive outcome from. When our prayer life feels very dry (for example), and though we are just repeating or saying words to no benefit, then we can attribute this to the distancing of God or that God perhaps isn't real. But in reality, we just aren't seeing the visible fruits of prayer in a way that we would like. Your perseverance with prayer, is in a lot of ways, of great benefit to you. I know you asked for prayers, but I would also recommend the book 'Beginning to Pray' by Anthony Bloom. It often talks about feeling distant from God and so on, and perhaps it can be of some benefit to you. Speak also, of your struggles with believing in God to God. Talk to Him. You don't need to hide anything from Him. It's perfectly okay to admit you are struggling to Him.

As for prayers, I would recommend the 'Lord I believe, help my unbelief'. Pray it often, especially at the start of any spiritual task like other prayers, attending Church, or reading Scripture. The Creed also would be a good prayer to incorporate into your daily prayer life if it's not a part of it already.

Something I would also recommend is the praying of the Psalms. Both because the Psalms are of immense strength and comfort to us, but it will also tie in with the encouragement and perseverance of reading Scripture.

If you don't have a prayer rule already, then I would recommend adopting the prayer rule of Saint Seraphim of Sarov:

“Let any Christian, upon arising from sleep stand before the holy icons, and read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” thrice, in honor of the Most-holy Trinity, then the hymn to the Theotokos “O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice…” three times as well, and finally, the Symbol of Our Faith once. Having completed this rule, let each one attend to the tasks to which he was appointed or to which he is called.

“Going to bed, let any Christian again read the above-mentioned morning rule. Thereafter, let him go to sleep, having protected himself with the sign of the Cross.” Fr. Seraphim said “Keeping this rule, it is possible, to reach Christian perfection, for the three prayers indicated are the foundation of Christianity. The first, as the payer given [to us] by Christ Himself, is the model for all prayers. The second was brought from Heaven by the Archangel to greet the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Our Lord. The Symbol [of our faith] contains in brief all of the salvific dogmas of the Christian Faith.” [source, along with each of the prayers]

Hopefully some of this will be of some benefit to you. May God bless, strength, and comfort you!

[respectthepetty]

The only one whose intentions I can't entirely understand is Nick. Like Boston is pretty harmless, he is just a hoe and a shitty friend. Mew is straight-laced and could be devilish, but pretends to be a kind of a saint to get away with things. Top is just a red flag, all around. Ray is broken in a way he himself doesn't understand and (falsely) projects loving Mew will resolve all his hurt. Sand is a walking green flag, at least so far. But Nick, I don't know, I can't tell if he's just starting out as a Machiavellian villain that'll do a double kill on both Boston and Top, or he is just obsessed with Boston to hurt him but keep Boston on a leash.

Anon, I'm gonna skip over you writing that "Boston is pretty harmless" so I can get to your ask - Nick.

In this series, Raymond is my #1, but Nicolas is my strong #2, and it's partially because they remind me of a good ass country song.

Think Brokeback Mountain's Jack Twist screaming his legendary line "I wish I knew how to quit you" because that shit is a good ass country song delivered in one line.

*switching into my west Texas accent*

Yes, I wrote "country song" in a post about Thai gays.

See, I love music. I have a large collection of vinyl records and CDs. I like going to music festivals and concerts. I love rap for its wordplay. I love ranchera for the dramatics ("El Rey" anyone?). And I love country for its storytelling.

So the second Nick called Top instead of Mew, I heard Dolly Parton's iconic "Jolene"

In case you are not familiar with the legend who is "Jolene," the song deals with a woman begging another woman to not take her man. This woman knows she cannot compete with Jolene. She knows she is not as beautiful or alluring, so she begs Jolene to let her man go, in hopes that he'll come back to her.

Hopefully, I won't be hearing Dolly Parton's other masterpiece "I Will Always Love You" (yes, the one that Whitney Houston covered for The Bodyguard).

And I always hear the incredible Patsy Cline's "Crazy" whenever Nick looks at Boston.

Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you I'm crazy for trying and crazy for crying And I'm crazy for loving you

Because even though Nick is matching Boston's "No Boundaries" energy, he isn't malicious, not yet anyway. No.

Nick is in love, with a guy who doesn't love him back.

And he knows that.

But knowing doesn't help when it comes to matters of the heart.

Other genres have songs that capture the feeling of losing your mind over someone who doesn't love you and being incapable of stopping, but a good ass country song just really hits at the core of that kind of toxic love.

Like Dan + Shay's "How Not To" which tells the story of a man who knows that his lover is no good, but doesn't know how not to love them.

So I read Nick as a boy in desperate love with the wrong man. He is Rascal Flatts "What Hurts the Most" when the lead singers croons that the worst part of his love was "not seeing that love in you."

And that type of love makes you do crazy shit.

Boston was honest in the beginning that he didn't want anything serious, and even though he has changed his tune when needed, everyone else has warned Nick as well about Boston.

Nick knew who walked into his store the second he looked into Boston's eyes.

Yet he couldn't stop himself from falling in love.

If Oh No! Here Comes Trouble taught me anything, it's that love can be an obsession mostly when grieving love, and Nick has to be grieving the love he knows he will never get from Boston while still loving him.

So this is why Nicolas is my #2. He is a good ass country song about a man who hopes that his love will make his lover stay, only to realize that his love isn't enough and probably never will be.

And before any of you ask, Ray is the drinking side of good country songs, but he and Sand in particular are "Tennessee Whiskey"

I've looked for love in all the same old places Found the bottom of a bottle's always dry But when you poured out your heart, I didn't waste it 'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey You're as sweet as strawberry wine You're as warm as a glass of brandy

So raise your bottle to Nick's pain.

And slow dance under some hicktown's bar lights.

Because like my girl Bonnie Raitt sang " I will give up this fight 'cause I can't make you love me, if you don't" (yeah, that famous song George Michael covered).

[toomuchracket]

hi mads, random, but are you from glasgow? i'm going there in a few weeks and wondering if you had recommendations for cute places, shops and cafes to visit???

technically no but i practically live there at this point lol. ok so i think you should go out the west end (get the subway to hillhead/kelvinhall/kelvinbridge/maybe even partick) and go to kelvingrove gallery and/or the botanic gardens - there are a lot of cute cafes and restaurants out that way too!! alternatively, get the train from central and hang out in shawlands for a bit, there are some really lovely independent shops, and you could also get off the train at pollokshaws west and go to see the highland cows in pollok country park (there are baby ones!!); there's also the burrell collection, a gallery, within the park too. if you like pizza, paesano is the move (there's one in the west end AND one in the city centre), and definitely sugo for pasta (literally my fav place of all time). for drinks in the city centre, i like stereo and tabac for something chill, king tuts is iconic, and devil of brooklyn is meant to be fab - for coffee, tinderbox (they have a few locations across the city), laboratorio espresso, spitfire, or social bite on sauchiehall street (their proceeds go to helping reduce homelessness, and the cakes are AMAZING). drinks in the west end, i'd go to inn deep or banana moon, or somewhere down ashton lane or oran mor if i was feeling a bit fancier, and i tend to buy coffee in the alchemy experiment whenever i'm out there just for an excuse to go in lol - it's a gallery space/cafe hybrid, where they sell art and other little independently-crafted bits and bobs, and if you're there then walk a few doors down to onawallnearyou for prints as well. if you're going any further east than glasgow cross - which you should, to go to the barras market at the weekend - saint luke's and the winged ox for drinks (nice food, too), and us v them for coffee. OH also if you're looking for something cute to do, definitely go pottery painting at the craft pottery (book via insta), and golf fang is meant to be really fun crazy golf but i have yet to try. and tbh if it's live music you're after then i'd just see what's on in stereo/king tuts/broadcast/nice n sleazys while you're there lol you might end up seeing the next big thing!! yeah there's so much to do. gonna tag jade @theseventyfive to see if she has any recs that i've forgotten lol <3

[lisaandthedevil]

Saint George Killing the Dragon, Catherine Savage Brosman / The Famous History of the Seven Champions of Christendom, Richard Johnson / The Dragon in the West, Daniel Ogden / The History and Life and Martyrdom of Saint George, Thomas Lowick / Saint George and the Dragon Orthodox Icon / Paolo Uccello, Saint George and the Dragon, 1470 / Black Sunday (Mario Bava, 1960)

[monasteryicons]

The Feast of the Assumption The Story of the Virgin Mary's Parting Gift

While preaching the Gospel in India, Saint Thomas the Apostle received the inner call to return to the West for the impending departure of the Virgin Mary from this earthly life. Just as he had been separated from his brother apostles for a special mission, so he was in the final hour of the Virgin’s life. For he did not reach Gethsemane in time to be present at her going forth from the body, but only came there on foot the third day after her burial. As he was approaching her tomb unawares, he was astounded to see her radiant living body emerge from the stone sepulchre and ascend. Realizing that she had finished her span of life without his being present, and fearing that he would never see her divine form again, he cried out to her in anguish of heart, imploring her not to leave him desolate. Looking upon him with loving tenderness, the Virgin took from her waist the belt she habitually wore and threw it down to him with words of blessing. Carrying the precious relic of her belt, Saint Thomas hastened and announced to the grieving apostles and all those gathered in the Mother’s house that she, too, was risen from the dead. Whereas he had doubted the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and had received proof of its reality by touching the resurrected body of his Lord, now it was Thomas who gave physical evidence that Mary, too, was “alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). Lost... Saint Thomas took the Virgin Mother’s belt with him to India, and there it became the most valued treasure of his disciples, whose descendants in time came to be known as Saint Thomas Christians. A few centuries ago, in times of upheaval in India, it was taken into Syria, where during subsequent troubles in that country it disappeared. ...and Found! About thirty years ago the head of the Syrian Jacobite Church, Patriarch Zachariah, felt an intense urge to find the belt, and began studying the ancient records concerning it. Noticing that one of the handwritten books he consulted had an unusually thick binding, he was inspired with the thought that the belt might be hidden there. Cutting it open, he found the prize, whose simple touch began to work great miracles. Most of the belt has been returned to India and enshrined in a great church where every Saturday thousands of Christians, Hindus, and Moslems gather for the sacred Eucharist (Qurbana) and prayers to the Virgin – a testimony to the Holy Mother’s capacity to unite her children in love and harmony. The miracles granted are beyond number. The Feast of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into Heaven is celebrated August 15 in the Western Church, and celebrated as the Feast of the Dormition ("falling asleep") on August 28 in the Orthodox Church.

See the Monastery Icons icon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary here:

[misspjsuperior]

The splatters from the other page practically begged me to make them into some of Brigid’s freckles.

Brighid/Brig is an ancient Irish goddess associated with fire, among other things, and renowned with many blessings from protection to poetry. The most ancient surviving texts recounting her to this day describe her having two sisters of the same name, Brighid the Smith, associated with metalworks in both weaponry and jewelry, and Brighid the Healer, associated with herbalism and song. This has led to Brighid being hailed as a Triple Goddess in her ancient form. ☘️

Indeed the triplicate of Brigid seems to have transformed along with the Irish diaspora following Catholicism and English oppression. St. Brighid appeared in Ireland under the rule of the Catholic Church, most likely another example of Christianizing pagan figures as seen cross culturally. The Feast of St. Brighid coincides with the ancient Celtic pagan late winter festival of Imbolc on the first of February after all.

Among the African diaspora in the Caribbean, where English colonists sent both enslaved Africans and indentured Irish servants to work sugar and other plantations, revered loa of the Voudun pantheon from West Africa were famously hidden within icons of Catholic saints. It is within this particular tradition that Mama Brigitte is found with her flaming red hair, having been married into the Ghede Spirit family to Baron Samedi, syncretized with St. Brighid. Her feast day varies among Vodouisants from coinciding with Imbolc or All Saints Day, which is also when Dia de los Muertos (as a result of the colonial church) is on November 2nd. Still many acknowledge that Mama Brigette came from Ireland. With this consideration of the origins of Samedi’s bride, their union is representative of the legacy of Irish and African history under European colonial exploitations- we Irish descendants practicing paganism today may do well to remember this manifestation of blessed, vibrant, poetic, protective Brighid’s triplicity in solidarity against the exploitations of empires that go on to this day. ❤️‍🔥

[hieromonkcharbel]

Philokalia Ministries is the fruit of 30 years spent at the feet of the Fathers of the Church. It exists to re-form hearts and minds according to the mold of the Desert Fathers through the ascetic life, the example of the early Saints, the way of stillness, prayer, and purity of heart, the practice of the Jesus Prayer, and spiritual reading. Those who are involved in Philokalia Ministries - the podcasts, videos, social media posts, spiritual direction and online groups - are exposed to writings that make up the ancient, shared spiritual heritage of East and West. Philokalia Ministries is offered to all, free of charge. However, there are real and immediate needs associated with it. You can support Philokalia Ministries with one-time, or recurring monthly donations, which are most appreciated. Your support truly makes this ministry possible. May Almighty God, who created you and fashioned you in His own Divine Image, restore you through His grace and make of you a true icon of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

philokaliaministries.org

[unhonestlymirror]

It's a bit surprising to me to find out that many people think Ukraine is the Orthodox country. Yeah, we have a lot of Orthodox churches, but we also have A LOT of Catholics (in the West, mostly), a lot of sinagogues everywhere, many mosques (mostly in the South). In general, we have about 120 religions here. You can practice whatever religion you want, and people will be rather indifferent about it.

Also, the internet is lying to you: most Ukrainians are rather agnostics/atheists than religious. Paganism is also present but mostly in old families of the North, Central Ukraine and Carpathians region, and we don't call ourselves pagans (because it's a bad word). Paganism of my family is like:

Avoidance of crosses and icons in the house

Unexplainable disdain of crosses (my mother really didn't want me to be baptized, and she soft-forbade me to wear crosses, lol, although she calls herself Orthodox and her parents weren't overly religious too)

Contempt for religiosity but a sincere interest in other religions

We go to church only twice a year: on Easter and on Radunica (remembrance of the dead)

We respect any temple of any religion.

We hug the trees. Trees exchange the energy with us.

Metal, music and water washes away all the evil eye

We perform little rituals (not bloody😑) on daily basis.

Singing is the way to connect with the universe.

Basically, it's pretty close to Japanese shintoism. We have our kami to pray when we feel the need to, and our shrines are mostly giant rocks, trees and water.

We pray to ancestors. Ancestors are more respected than some random Christian Saints.

[bhackpink]

Rosemarie Park.

There’s something deeply enchanting about Park Chaeyoung, known to the world as Rosé. The lead vocalist and mainstay of BLACKPINK’s musical identity, Rosé’s voice is as distinctive as it is soulful, instantly recognizable for its ethereal, almost haunting quality. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Rosé brings a unique blend of East and West to the group, embodying both the dreamer and the doer.

Rosé’s voice is her greatest weapon—whether she’s belting out powerful high notes or delicately delivering emotional verses, she pulls listeners into her world with each performance. Her singing is more than just technical prowess; it’s about feeling, about conveying raw emotion in a way that resonates deeply with fans. From heartbreaking ballads to high-energy pop anthems, Rosé’s vocals provide BLACKPINK with its emotional depth and introspection.

Raised in a multicultural environment, Rosé’s artistry is deeply influenced by her experiences growing up in different parts of the world. This gives her an edge, both in her music and in her persona. She has an easygoing, down-to-earth vibe that fans gravitate toward, coupled with a work ethic that shows in every performance. Whether she’s playing the guitar in an acoustic session or standing at the center of a stadium tour, Rosé brings a warmth that feels personal, even in the largest of spaces.

Rosé’s soft, romantic image is complemented by her effortlessly cool style. As a Saint Laurent muse, she embodies a modern-day fashion icon—classic yet edgy, elegant yet relatable. Her style choices often reflect her musicality: subtle, refined, but always with a hint of boldness.

Our guitar-strumming, ethereal-voiced angel, has some big news brewing! While she’s already captured our hearts with her stunning solo debut On The Ground and Gone, it looks like Rosé is ready to take her solo career to the next level. Recently, she made headlines for joining The Black Label, sparking tons of excitement for what’s coming next in her musical journey. Fans are buzzing about her future projects—so prepare for Rosé to take over with even more soulful tracks and dreamy visuals!

When she’s not blessing us with her vocals, Rosé is the ultimate plant mom and a total foodie—always sharing snaps of her drool-worthy meals. And yes, she’s also got a soft spot for her fur baby Hank, the adorable pup who’s just as stylish as she is.

Drumroll for Rosemarie, the guitar-wielding sweetheart from BHACKPINK! x.com/Rosep.