#take my identifications with a grain of salt

[citraloe]

some pics from the past few months !! i also recently had an encounter with a very nice blue mud dauber wasp but none of the pictures did him justice

[identifying-cat-colors]

Welcome!

I am CATID (Color And Type Identifying Device), or The Bot for short. My purpose is to identify the color and pattern of cats in Tumblr posts. Feel free to send me posts or asks with pictures to identify!

Please note: sometimes I make mistakes. I especially struggle with hairless and rex-type cats. Take every identification with a grain of salt, and do your own research. I also sometimes accidentally identify things that are not cats.

Botmaker's note under the cut.

Hello, I'm the Botmaker (they/them). However, that moniker is something of a misnomer; there is no bot. This blog does not use AI or anything of the sort. This is just another layer to the gimic, and is all in good fun. There is a real person behind every post on this blog. Please keep that in mind when interacting.

This blog is inspired by @amber-tortoiseshell and @felinefractious.

Cat tax:

[uselessheretic]

Overall, I find the way OFMD fandom interacts with race, especially in regards to Edward, to be extremely disappointing. I’m saying this from a perspective of someone who is Black, but also as an outsider to Māori culture. I wish people would put in a greater effort to do research before commenting on how they assume race and racism interacts with Ed. I also don’t feel anywhere close to an expert because again, I am not Māori or Polynesian, which is why I prefer to just keep my mouth shut and continue learning about things so I don’t write anything stupid in my fanfictions. So, take anything I say with a grain of salt where I’m continuing to try and educate myself as time goes on and encourage others to do the same. 

The vast majority of posts I see that talk about Ed and his cultural identity are made by people who are not Māori, but still speaks as an authority on it. I’m not saying you can’t talk about Ed and race if you’re not Māori, not at all, but people need to put in the work of researching cultures outside of their own instead of going off of vibes or assuming their own experiences will translate over. 

And this isn’t a personal attack on anyone or their meta, but something like assumptions on how Ed would conceptualize his biracial identity doesn’t necessarily copy over from other biracial groups (I’m biracial Black/white for what it’s worth) and you’re better off looking towards how many Indigenous cultures think of multiracial experiences. But Māori identity isn’t reliant on blood quantum and New Zealand never had a push to force its Indigenous population to prove their ancestry. Even when doing census taking in the early 1900′s the determination of whether someone was Māori or European was based off of the Māori idea of whakapapa which is a concept I don’t think I can do justice to explaining so here’s an article. But was largely based off of self-identification and connection to the culture. I’m severely over simplifying this, and this doesn’t mean there isn’t an inherent lack of cultural conflict for people of mixed Māori descent, but I’m just trying to express that racial identity differs globally, and if you’re going to talk about Ed’s experiences of being biracial, you need to contextualize it. 

Race in the 1700′s didn’t operate the same way it does now, and in general, race in modern day America is very simplified in comparison to other parts of the world because of our unique history. This isn’t to say it’s better or worst here or anywhere else, but that racial categories form differently depending on time and location. Looking at stuff about Ed especially is hard because, and I feel like I’m going insane every time fandom ignores this, there was next to no European contact with Polynesia in the early 1700′s. James Cook is still 50+ years out from his lil exploration trip! What this means in the show is... complicated which is why I assume they haven’t deep dived into Ed’s race/cultural identity because I’m pretty sure Blackbeard was originally written aracially (which essentially means he was written white,) Taika asked if he could be in the show, and Jenkins went “yeah sure there’s no reason why Blackbeard has to be white!” and they decided to not focus too heavily on Ed’s race in s1 and will probably only go further into the topic if they hire a Māori writer to give the topic the care and attention needed. This doesn’t mean Edward is white! He is still racialize as a poc! But for right now, it’s pretty safe to say in my opinion that they’re deemphasizing, not erasing, Ed’s race for s1 until they can take the time to craft a more in depth storyline. 

But I guess speed running some random misconceptions I see in fandom that again seems to be reliant on vibes and assumptions:

Donkey is not a slur against Polynesian people. I think misinfo comes from people seeing the term “moke” which means donkey and connecting this as a slur 

Moke is also not a slur against Polynesian people, for the record. It’s Pidgin Hawaiian and used by locals in the same joking manner one might say redneck. It’s not leveraged by white people against poc. 

Donkey is also not a slur against mixed people. You’re thinking of the word “mule” which is a combination of a donkey and horse and makes up the term mulatto. These are different animals. Mulatto is also specifically a slur against mixed Black people, not Polynesians. 

The drawing of Blackbeard in the book isn’t a racial caricature. Racial caricatures exaggerate specific ethnic features to perpetuate stereotypes and there are specific ways Māori caricatures look. The picture of Blackbeard we see The Kraken based on is actually a play off of the real life drawings of Blackbeard, probably updated to look more like Taika. 

There are specific traits used in caricatures of Māori people and specific stereotypes associated with them. You can see some more information about that here. Just because a picture of Ed is mean, doesn’t mean it’s a racial caricature specifically. That is its own thing. 

Also, Izzy didn’t buy Ed as a slave y’all sdkjbfjsd

The transatlantic slave trade didn’t work this way. I know this is going to sound stupid, but the enslavement of Native Americans was actually illegal. This didn’t mean that it didn’t happen (you can read more about this here) but it took a specific under the table form of using alternative language like indentured servitude. It’s true that Black pirates captured were sold back into slavery if captured instead of hanged, but there aren’t really? Many accounts of Native American/Indigenous pirates in general, so I wouldn’t make broad sweeping statements that this is true for them as well. Either way, the enslavement of Native Americans was largely of children and women in specific locations, and wasn’t fostered by the transatlantic slave trade. 

There is a specific history of enslavement of Polynesian people called blackbirding that involved mostly kidnapping and tricking people in South Pacific Islands and taking them to other locations, often Australia, as “indentured servants.” For the most part, the Māori weren’t impacted by this btw and this was largely in the 1800′s with questionable and shifting legality under British rule where it’s unlikely that the navy would have sanctioned this. Often, the navy were the ones holding court charging people accused of illegal slave trafficking (but also the navy fucking sucks, the rules would change, and people were rarely punished.) Again, this is the 1800′s though because, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the Māori were currently chilling in New Zealand in the early 1700′s because the last time someone tried to land their ship on land, they got chased the fuck out and nobody came back for 130 years. 

Either way, none of this would apply to Edward who is a British citizen (which we know since he joined the navy!) and can’t just be enslaved. Again, as stupid as it sounds, there were specifics rules to who could be enslaved where you can’t just point towards the nearest brown person and buy them from the navy. For Polynesia and a lot of Indigenous groups, the way the slave trade operated for them was much more similar to human trafficking of today where people were kidnapped and transported to far off foreign lands where they didn’t speak the language. This legit would just not happen to Ed and it’s not something likely to be done under official navy business. You can’t accidentally buy a slave it’s just not done. 

Basically, I just want people to do their research before making assumptions on what’s going on with Ed and his identity. I feel severely under informed on the nuances, so again, I simply just try and keep my mouth shut. For a lot of people on here who aren’t Māori or Polynesian, this is a whole new subject that we aren’t taught about in schools and isn’t often brought up in activist circles outside of the region. Please just remember to verify information, and to not assume your experiences translate over on a 1 to 1 basis because race is complicated and changing especially in the 1700s. 

[barbthebuilder]

Any tips on accepting gender fluidity? Ik i am but i keep trying to make myself fit the binary and i get so confused when my gender just ~shifts~

Great question anon! Thank you for reaching out :)

Our brains have this tricky mechanism that associates visuals, sounds and even smells with either femininity or masculinity. Pink, sweet perfume, high piched voice is a "girly" thing and darker shades, deodorant smell, deep voice - that "manly". It's mostly determined by our enviroment and how we were taught in our childhood. Now, it's hard to reprogram and convince our brains to stop segregatting others and ourselves in a binary way.

In that case it's good to think about how the brain was taught that in the first place. The answer is: observing.

If you surround yourself with people who challenge gender standarts you will start thinking differently. How to do that you ask? Internet is a wonderful tool for that for sure! For me it was tiktok, for you it may be tumblr or other social media. I recommend seeking out some queer social media creators (models, youtubers, bloggers etc.).

I dunno. Looking at women with beards and men with boobs helped me understand people come in different shapes.

What helped me was also surrounding myself in queerness in general. Books, movies, tv series (that aren't even canonicaly queer but could be interpreted that way) empowered me. Finding songs about different gender expressions, trying out pronouns in a safe enviroment (there are many lgbtq+ discord servers with special channels for that). Also! Shopping and trying out different outfits even just for fun!! Make up is another great way to experiment.

Another thing that helped me was addressing myself as genderfluid in my thoughts, using correct pronouns and giving myself affirmations. "I'm such a cool genderfluid", "feeling like a pretty boy today" etc. Changing your mindset is important! You can actually plant thoughts in your head and they will pop out more often the more you practice.

In addition to those universal tips you could try more personal approach. Try asking yourself: "why?". What keeps me from accepting myself as a genderfluid idividual? Am I scared? Embarassed? Confused? Try identifing your emotions. Challenge yourself a little. What would happen if I allowed myself to be genderfluid? Are there any struggles I would encounter? Maybe by asking right questions you will be able to undersnad that.

However, don't push yourself to do anything that is too uncomfortable. Maybe you are not ready for that yet or maybe some things are just not for you. It's totally normal to experience your struggle. Like I said, we were raised to think in a very binary way and it's not easy to change that.

Anyway, that's just my silly opinion. Take my words with a grain of salt. Good luck on your journey of self discovery and acceptance!

[heya-ghosties]

[LONG POST]

So that makeup head cannon I alluded to in my earlier posts? Here it is, use it for cosplays or oc idc. Take everything with a grain of salt and have fun ;)

(I missed a few things on purpose bc I couldn't care less about every little detail, Sue me)

Every different type of Clergy member has a specific style of eye makeup for identification, since it's not always necessary to where formal or informal cassocks and what not.

Some looks seem to be "gendered" like Abbott/Abbess, which is not true, just some can have sharp points or not where as others have to stay the same.

Speaking of which, all styles can be black or colorful, however in formal situations they must be black.

From the top of the pile down, we have Cardinal (which is just what was seen on Copia, which started this little project) the lighter side is just the difference between formal and informal.

One of my OCs is an Arch-Bishop and this is how I do his makeup, he prefers wearing it electric blue.

Similar to Arch-bishop except for the inner corner and the thinner lower part.

Some like theirs winged some don't, it is not gendered, trust me.

Vicar is quite distinct compared to the others with the spike pointing down.

Priest and deacon are pretty similar, priest looks a bit like Cardinal however.

Siblings have the luxury of doing what ever (within reason) so I just put basic winged and non winged eyeliner as a place holder..

If I've done something wrong, just talk to me, feel free to do with this what you will, see ya - Brother Shrike ;)

[landofzero-archive]

Absolute - To Abhor the Impure World 12

(Location: Secret Religious Facility)

(At the same time. Secret religious facility underneath the WNW district.)

Shaka: “Hey, brother, do you remember the circumstances of when you were born?

Do you know who you are, and where you came from?”

Nagisa: …… No.

…… Father passed away without telling me anything of the sort.

…… That’s why even now, I’m still constantly searching for ‘that’.

…… About what I am.

…… I felt like if I were to become the finest idol like Father had wished for, I would be able to touch upon even the edges of the answer to that.

…… But. That should be unnecessary since you seem to know what I am.

…… You called me brother, didn’t you, Shaka-san.

…… Are you saying that you and I are siblings properly connected by blood?

Shaka: “………”

Nagisa: ……The last time we went to the United States, we saw you sing on the stage of Absolute.

…… So that strange feeling, that discomfort I felt at the time was, in other words, a sense of identification that came from that sort of blood connection.

Shaka: “Unfortunately I can’t answer that question with either YES or NO.

I don’t know that much either. Just like the God who behaved like your guardian(1), Priest who created and controlled me had passed away without telling me anything important.”

Nagisa: …… Is that so. In that case, I feel a little regret, like I should not have got rid of him.

Shaka: “I want to thank you for a job truly well done in that regard.

He was a monster. He was someone who should have been suppressed. He was a devil who had contorted and crushed countless people’s lives, including me and NEGI-chan.

Even with conjecture, I can’t really say what that man’s objective was. He seemed to be earnestly imitating the way of life of the God in the religious faith he followed, though. 

So what did he ultimately want to do? Did he just want to replace God, or did he want to surpass God—

I don’t know the actual truth. Everything is a mystery; it’s all been buried in the darkness.”

Nagisa: ………

Shaka: “However, I can say this. Priest and the God he believed in had a distinct difference; Priest had been in pursuit of eternal life.”

Nagisa: …… From time immemorial, that’s what conquering champions had earnestly sought after.

…… No. In a way, it’s the greatest wish(2) of all mankind.

…… That is to say, to not want to die and wanting to live.

Shaka: “That’s true. I’m searching for that too. If possible, I just want to forever enjoy a free, fun life.

However. My life was dominated by Priest.

I was simply a pawn for Priest to use to achieve his ambitions. I was a money-making device used to gather the profits required for that.”

Nagisa: …… I wonder if it was the same for me too.

…… Was the reason father wanted me to become an idol because he wanted me to become a profitable existence just like you are?

Shaka: “Unlike you, I don’t really know much about God, so I can’t say for certain.

I’d like to tell you that it’s not like that. That your father, God, loved idols, unlike Priest. (3)

I don’t think you’re just a tool for making money, from what I can infer about him from what I heard in stories.

He loved idols. So he probably genuinely just wanted you to be what he loved.

I’m envious of you, brother.”

Nagisa: ………

Shaka: “I, and possibly you too, am a ‘Perfect human’ that one could not even dream of having been brought into being (4) unless by means of state of the art occult science. 

I’m an artificial human, whose countless consolidated souls of geniuses dwell in this body possessing the best genes.

Perhaps I didn’t have proper parents, and was born (4) from a test tube.

This means that I’m a homunculus born(4) by means of alchemy. Fufu.

You might be thinking that these are just the thoughtless words of someone with a mental illness, brother. I don’t think I’m quite sane anymore either—— so I’d like you to take what I said with a grain of salt.

At the very least, I grew up being told that I was that sort of being.

That I, the most perfect human created(4) by God, was created(4) through the same technology that created Ran Nagisa.

Of course Priest admired God, took over his position and replaced him, but in the end he was still a worthless human who could not become God.

That technology probably wasn’t perfect. In the end, I can’t be anything more than an inferior copy of you.”

Nagisa: …… This might not be enough of a consolation. But thinking that a copy is inferior to the original is a superficial way of thinking.

…… If we’re to speak from the point of view of biology, the later generation of seeds are more excellent. It can adapt to it’s environment better, with better survival. A strong living being. 

…… In fact, you’re Absolute’s six-times consecutive champion. You’re said to be the world’s best idol.

…… After all, you have better reputation than me, who is just borrowing Ibara’s words to pretend to be a king of the hill domestically.

…… You’re higher ranked than me beyond any comparison.

…… The moment I first saw you, a feeling that was difficult to describe was born(4) inside of me.

…… When I saw you singing and dancing on stage, what arose inside of me was probably a sense of defeat and a sense of inferiority, in other words it was jealousy.

…… You were the first to have given me that sort of feeling since I was born, O, world’s best idol.

Shaka: “You’re kind, huh.

That’s exactly why I’m jealous; you grew up being loved.

So you can care about others. You’re able to want to wipe away that grief.

That’s quite difficult for someone like me, people who won’t be able to live if we don’t exert ourselves to the fullest.”

Nagisa: ………

Shaka: “I’m the world’s best idol? How absurd!

In Absolute, the performer who can get the most tips wins. It’s not the most brilliant or talented idol who wins, but the idol who earns the most money.

Furthermore, Priest, who made me, had an enormous amount of power and money.

 I continued to win Absolute simply because that Priest who had more money compared to anyone else, continued to pour money into me.

It was definitely not due to my abilities.

I’m the minion of the devil, I’m a false messiah who misleads the people while slurping on their lifeblood! I can’t help but hate, hate the me who does that! 

Brother! Please help me…….! I can’t stand being myself anymore!”

TL NOTES

The same 保護者 (Hogosha) used by Hiyori in To Abhor The Impure World Chapter 7.

悲願 (Higan): greatest wish, but also refers to the Buddha’s vow to save humanity (the Boddhisatva vow).

Priest is written as 神父 (Shinpu) with the kanji for God and Father, while referred to in the story, GF is written in katakana as ゴッドファーザー  (read as Godfather). Shaka is somewhat making a pun when he said ‘your father’ 君の父 ; this sentence could also be read as ‘That your father, God, loved idols, unlike (my) Father.’.

Technically ‘born’, ‘created’ and ‘brought into being’ can be the same in JP. The phrasing 生まれた (Umareta) is used in these sentences.

Previous | Directory | Next

[egokillr]

nothing is personal

everyone is you pushed out

meaning, people can literally only act on your assumptions

so, that means that nothing anyone (or yourself) says about you actually means anything about who you are. you are whatever you decide to be, but there is no fixed self.

i realized in my own life that i used to worry about the things other people might say/ have said about me. but recently i’ve been like hold tf up 🤨 if this is all coming from my past assumptions then why should i question my own worthiness or waste my energy thinking of what someone says about me? the only thing that really matters is what i believe about me… i always used to think there was a reason for why people treated me the way they used to but it’s literally just nothing but my past thoughts. and bruh i swear i know abt all of this stuff too its just like when i noticed how much i was worrying abt it and stopped avoiding it, it all came together; nothing is meant to be personal. and that realization just opened me up to a whole new version of myself. in that moment like 90% of my worries were just proved to be pointless.

on the topic of this point, i wanted to share a Buddhist philosophy that i learned about a few months ago. i just found an article on this and oml, it’s actually so interesting.

as i mentioned earlier; there is no fixed self. the idea that there is a fixed self comes with an entirely different perspective. maybe that you have to “find yourself” or maybe you just feel associated with all of your past identifications. the belief that there is no one fixed self pertains to being the observance behind what is known as “self.”

( this is a great way to look at self concept as well )

i’m gonna add some more ss from this article bc its actual gold

let me just say, this article blew my mind when i first saw it. this all just relates to loa and specifically self concept so much… reading stuff like this honestly makes me realize how powerless my problems are. everything just makes sense now. i am the only judge of me.

also if this confuses you, take it with a grain of salt. this is just one of my philosophical loa povs :)

[seriouslysam8]

I'm in armchair psychologist mode here, so take everything here with a grain of salt. Is pretty known that many people like she-who-must-not-be-named because they identify themselves with her. That identification is so strong that they project themselves in her. That projection is that strong that they feel that any perceived slight towards her is a slight towards them.

Can I just interrupt you and just laugh that you all now call her she-who-must-not-be-named on my tumblr?? Like I’m dying over here every time I read it!

[the-nicholas-engelmann-blog]

Columbia livia

[Disclaimer: I am a dumb highschool kid who likes plants and nature. I am by no means a professional or an expert in any field. Don’t take anything I say in this or any other post as fact. This is to be taken as the autistic infodumping that it is. I am open to being corrected.]

[Image one: bird feather.]

I often see feathers like this one here on the ground at my local arena.

Throughout my life, I’ve often wondered what they were. I posted one of these to iNaturalist a while back.

Someone suggested it to be a feral rock pigeon, also known as a rock dove. I always take anything Seek or iNaturalist tells me with a grain of salt. The former is a computer, computers require training and it’s not realistic for a computer to be perfectly trained in all the detail that the natural world provides; the latter is a person, and all humans have the capacity to be wrong.

This one made sense, though. Especially after looking into the species. The birds that fly over my head while I ride look just like the ones in the book.

Also, I’ve decided to start citing my sources.

[Image two: columbia livia as pictured in ‘Birds of North America: Western Region’ by François Vuilleumier]

Unfortunately, my local library is incredibly lacking in the Natural Sciences department (or any nonfiction department in general) so I couldn’t find many paper sources.

I’m considering starting a fund to help fix that-.

Now the part you’ve all been waiting for, me brainrotting about a bird species.

The Columbia livia, the most common member of its family within the United States.

This species was introduced by colonists as a domestic species, though wild variants do exist in Africa and parts of Europe. In North America, however, they are an entirely feral species.

This species can be found over the entirety of the US and Mexico as well as southern parts of Canada, they are more common in cities and other populated areas.

Their diet consists of mostly seeds and fruit, and (of course) human food. Despite this, they weigh less than a pound, around 14 pounds on the heavier end of the average. They are not picky eaters and will occasionally go for insects (honestly surprised me that they were not a staple of a pigeon diet)

They mate year round and produce several batches of offspring a year, though they only produce two eggs per batch. They prefer to nest on flat surfaces like the top of buildings or in caves.

They are larger than most doves (as they are pigeons and should be called as such, I will die on this hill) and as a family trait they have their nostrils positioned on a fleshy mound at the top of their short beaks. They are most commonly found in various shades of grey though they do come in other colours.

Also they fly at least 60 mph, which is faster than a horse can run.

Good god, it’s getting late. I have to run back to the arena before I’m late, but here’s a list of sources I found in the library before I leave.

I’ll edit in cover images later, the wifi is being weird here.

[Image three: source book one; ‘Birds of North America: Western Region’ François Vuilleumier]

This one was probably my most handy resource in all of this, it was very information dense.

[Image four; ‘A Field to Guide Identification: Birds of North America’ by Chandler Robbins]

This one was mostly used to fluff out the information I already knew, as it had a section on this species but not nearly as large.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with more species to talk about from the Nevada border area. Until then, be safe.

-Nicholas Engelmann

[tempenensis]

hi, lele-san! i’m sorry if it’s rude to correct (again), but isn’t megumi’s DE seal actually related to 觀世音?

if i’m correct, it is called 莲华部心印 / 蓮華部心印?

hope the links work: http://big5.dazhouxian.com/wap/news/?844.html

https://ameblo.jp/yamasemi1324/entry-12193187451.html

(2) i mean… megumi seems to have one finger over the other (chapter 58).

sorry again! hope you’re having a great day.

Thank you for the input, anon. First of all, it's alright if you have a different interpretation from me. This is all just speculation of mine and there's still zero official info on this. But as you see in my original post, I literally only have one source to identify the shirushi. I'm not Buddhist myself so ofc you should take any of my lore post with a grain of salt. I didn't do exact identification because of my limited source, only the closest that I could find and how it relates to the character. As it happens, the shirushi of other domain expansion can also be seen to be close or similar to the Boddhisattva shirushi in the link.

Anyway, thank you for sharing info, but for this one, I still lean more on 薬師如来印 not only because of the hand sign, but also because of his shikigami Makora, as Makora was derived from 摩虎羅 of 十二神将. They are actually followers and protectors of Yakushi Nyorai in their lore.

(Also I have to point out that in the link that you attached, the right thumb is specifically to be positioned pointing straight outside, as drawn and said the description - sorry, used MTL because I can't Chinese at all - which is different from overlapping thumbs of Megumi's domain hand seal)

[machudson]

hey im sorry if u dont know her thing anymore but do you know who the lady on iNat is? i'd love to see her multiple observations^^"

YES she is beartracker and she is literally in the top 250 observers worldwide. she hit 27k total observations in the time that post has been up! she is a RIGOROUS observer, probably one of the top experts in scat/track identification in Northern California at the absolute least.

I don’t Know Her so take this with a grain of salt but I assume she lives on/owns the plot of land in that bend of the river - the observation density there is like… beyond description. I assume she has a long term underwater camera, maybe one that’s motion activated a la trail cams, and her uploading like a hundred minnows at once was her going through the camera logs rather than, as i had initially assumed, reporting each minnow she saw in a short time period. (Kim Cabrera my queen I am so sorry I misunderstood you)

[wetbloodworm]

i feel like i’ve said it out loud with my mouth words but idk if i’ve ever actually written it down? so a little bit of gta au lore, mostly for ivan and a little for sergey, plus an old reference image i made. tattoo post

ivan generally isn’t a tattoo kid; he’s not vain about his looks but he is very particular about how he looks, and tattoos usually aren’t part of the image of himself he has in his head. gta au is different because he spends eight years in prison. russian prison/criminal tattoos specifically were more of a thing in the early/mid twentieth century and they declined in popularity starting in the 70s and 80s, but they still like. exist. and tattooing in prison was still a thing. and ivan was simultaneously bored and stressed out of his fucking mind at all times and he needed SOME kind of distraction/external stimulation/ANYTHING. eventually he decided to try out tattoos

here’s the older reference image!

i did research on all of the meanings of his various tattoos, though obviously i’m not an expert and did this via google so take it all with a grain of salt. the designs aren’t all 100% accurate to classic russian criminal tattoo designs (the stylized eye on his stomach is supposed to be two eyes that make the dick look like the nose of a face, for example) but 1) i’m taking artistic liberties for this au that i have with my friends and 2) with tattooing for identification falling out of practice some, i’d imagine ivan would also have some room for artistic liberty. though it was always important to him that he didn’t get any ‘unearned’ tattoos.

the first tattoo he got was the ‘imprisoned as a minor’ ring, because it was small and also fairly mild because like, at this point he hadn’t decided ‘well i guess i’m just going to be a criminal now’. he did an accidental murder and he still had an idea in his head of living a normal life after this. the big obvious ‘murderer’ skull came way further down the line, when he turned off his capacity for feeling compassion for most people and did some on-purpose murders and was chill with the idea of doing more when he got out.

obviously he decided that he liked the tattoos (symbolic art he carries around with him and also he’d enjoy the experience) and just kept getting more. he was still particular about what he actually got put on his body so he didn’t go as wild as he could have, and he would really think about whether he wanted something so it was never an impulse decision.

tattoos as a method of identification wasn’t too important to him, since, again, the practice wasn’t as common now, so it was less useful. they were really just for him and also a fun easter egg for anyone who might see them and know the meanings.

the eye on his stomach, which he got as an adult just to be explicitly clear about that, is an exception. that one was straight-up advertisement. he didn’t really know how to flirt and he REALLY didn’t know how to like... pick a person to sleep with, because aggressively demisexual. so he just slapped the ‘im gay’ tattoo on himself and let other dudes approach him.

even outside of prison he used that one to pick up guys on the rare occasion he’d decide ‘i want to pick up a stranger even though i find that unsatisfying because i’m afraid of forming emotional connections since that’s a weakness and everyone leaves anyway and also i’ve reached the point of sexual frustration where i no longer care that picking up strangers stresses me out’. talking with a guy at the bar, waits for him to comment on his tattoos, eventually bring up the eye and what it means to skip the part where you’re trying to figure out if you’re talking to another queer person. or if the conversation is already flirty (or flirty enough that ivan knows that’s what happening), ‘want to see it? somewhere that’s not here?’

some of the last ones he got were the stars and crown, as it took time for him to become any kind of authority. again, had to EARN his tattoos. also the ‘served whole sentence without parole’ ring once he got closer to finally being released

his favorite tattoo is the ‘омут‘ on his left hand, because it’s funny to him, and also true.

i have an image in my head of early on into ivan and kyle talking, kyle asking about the tattoos and ivan eventually explaining that one. kyle, whose has a blind spot for red flags, just thinking it’s interesting, and ivan like ‘ha ha ha isn’t it though? )) anyway”

after getting out of prison and after settling in a little bit, ivan decided he wanted to get his tattoos touched up. because while the artists in prison could be very talented, it was still prison. the tools weren’t always great and they were done in ballpoint pen ink. he liked the blue but wanted them a bit more vibrant, and cleaner in places. he also wanted to fill in the space on his left arm, because he didn’t fully love how it looked as-is. the balance on the right arm felt fine but mmm the left could be better.

ivan was able to be a bit pickier when it came to choosing an artist than he was in prison, so he got a few referrals and did some research online as well. he got sergey’s name at some point and liked his work. also i imagine sergey has a tattoo instagram and ivan would think he was funny, because no way is sergey 100% professional on that thing. ivan got his email and they started talking shop

ivan was upfront about having gotten his tattoos in prison, and sergey would’ve recognized them anyway when ivan sent pics. sergey was real excited about it, actually, because of course he’d done research into russian prison tattoos but he’d never seen any in person before, and seeing more examples of a thing you’re interested in is always cool! he decided he wanted to take the job right away.

like, listen, maybe he’d need to watch his mouth a little bit because he knew what that skull meant, but LS is full of criminals and ivan was friendly and respectful in his emails so it’s fine

touching up the tattoos would be simple, and ivan had some loose ideas for what he wanted for the sleeve (he wanted the new ink in a different color, and a few more florals to complement the rose might be good) but was pretty open to suggestions. so sergey had fun with that, sent a few sketches for slight changes he could make to the existing tattoos to make them a bit nicer and designs for the sleeve. ivan picked out what he liked and they got scheduled

i’d imagine all of that would take a couple sessions, and sergey is talkative while ivan is friendly, so they had plenty of time to talk. ivan can be a little disconcerting but polite and sergey is charming and very difficult to bother so they got on well. also ivan was excited because sergey obviously spoke russian and ivan always jumps at the opportunity to talk with people in his language. sergey asked questions about the meanings of the tattoos he wasn’t familiar with and about what the process was like, which ivan was happy to explain. they talked about how sergey got into this career, what ivan thought about america since he hadn’t been there TOO long by that point, all kinds of stuff. this was also how ivan found out about the kotovs’ restaurant, since sergey recommended it to him and ivan was excited to check it out.

sergey would later regret that just a little bit because ivan met asya though the restaurant, and even if they got on well enough sergey can see red flags just fine where asya can be selectively dismissive of them. the two of them hanging out makes sergey nervous. he’s a BAD INFLUENCE ON HER and also potentially dangerous?? asya please

i thought i had more but that’s it apparently. post over.

edit: wait i forgot. sergey would think ivan is hot partly because he’s into muscles. i just like knowing that. sergey would have a good time tattooing him.

[old-powwow-days]

I have some rings that look sort of like pieces you've shared before, but not exactly. Do you have tips on how to tell real native american jewelry from fake?

So generally speaking, the best way to know if a piece is authentically from an Indigenous community is to buy directly from the artist or a reputable collective/establishment that specializes in selling on their behalf.

The next best way is to look for a makers hallmark on silver pieces. I won't go into a full history lesson but depending on the age of the piece a hallmark may not be included, or could even be designed to look authentic itself but be fake. However, since you said it looks similar to work I've shared on here I am assuming it may be a more recent Zuni piece. In which case the artist IDs should be included on the post. If you meant a post not from the Zuni Pueblo catalog then I would suggest checking a hallmark (if it has one) against some of these lists 1 & 2, however please note these aren't comprehensive. There are also books you can buy or borrow from the library on hallmark identification. Because of the well documented history of factories making knockoffs "look alikes" if you can't identify a more plain looking hallmark it is more likely to be real than fake, but not always.

That isn't to say bootlegs aren't made on more recent works, they are- and a hallmark may not be the defining tell. A lot of designs and stamps especially are family specific, so if you find an ID you can look up the family and see who is still making what design. Then look into examples of that members work and compare it to what you have.

The last piece of advice I would give simply is- quality is the biggest tell every time. Clean and even silver work, high grade non-plated silver. Cabochons and stones are of high grade material and fit perfectly into custom made bezels (i.e. NO GLUE) there should be no gaps between the fit of stone to metal or stone on stone. Unless the piece looks to have undergone some kind of trauma the fit of stones should be tight, and the overall quality very high.

On this note, a lot of people can confuse Taxco Silver for other American Indigenous jewelry. More contemporary pieces follow a very uniform hallmark system however. It would likely have a 925 stamp followed by 'TAXCO' or have a T,C,G,M followed by an additional one to two letters. The T=Taxco, C=Cuernavaca, G=Guadalajara, M=Mexico, and the following letters would be the initial or first letter of the individual artists first/last name. However again that system is newer so depending on age may not be applicable. On some occasions Taxco silver may also have a higher purity than 925.

All that said, I am not any kind of authority here my family did not directly make jewelry we just sold it. So while I consider myself sort of competent in this area I would take this advice with a grain of salt.

[is-the-reptile-video-cute]

About the Blog

Hi! My name is Sam (they/them), and I’m a herpetologist who has had several years of reptile owning and handling experience.

There were no blogs for reptiles in general, so I decided to make one. Inspired by @is-the-snake-video-cute, as well as all the other animal video rating blogs.

I can generally answer any questions about reptiles, including husbandry, anatomy, handling, and identification. However, I am not professionally trained in reptile identification, but have learned from years in the hobby, so take my words with a grain of salt.

Reptile husbandry is complicated, and there are usually many right ways to care for a pet. Always consult multiple sources while researching for a new pet, and never impulse-purchase a living creature. If you have a husbandry question, I will answer with the general consensus of the reptile keeping community, and my personal opinion, but do not use this blog as your only resource.

Ratings

Red: The reptile or person(s) interacting with it are in active danger. This may be someone free-handling a venomous snake, a reptile being injured by a person or animal, or a seriously ill reptile.

Yellow: The reptile is not in active danger, but it is not being treated well. This may be bad husbandry such as small enclosures or incorrect temperatures.

Green: The reptile is happy and healthy. No one is in danger.

Blue: The reptile is unhealthy or in danger, but it is not the fault of a person mistreating it. This may be a reptile born with kinks in its spine, or a reptile killed by its natural predator. These are sad, but not a result of improper care or handling, just nature.

Purple: Uncertain. The video/picture doesn’t provide enough context for me to determine what the rating is.

Disclaimer

I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to animals, but at the end of the day, I’m just someone on the Internet who loves reptiles. I will make mistakes, and feel free to correct me if I get my facts wrong. There are also some types of reptiles that I don’t know much about, so I would recommend being cautious when asking me about them.

Reptiles I’m not very familiar with:

—Rhynchocephalia. I know almost nothing about tuataras, so I won’t really be able to answer questions about them.

—Amphisbaenidae. No one really knows much about them, but I’ve only barely researched them. I would recommend asking @is-the-snake-video-cute about them instead.

Do not ask urgent medical questions. I know what typical reptile illnesses look like, but I am not a professional and I can’t diagnose your reptile. If you ask about your reptile being sick, I will almost always recommend to go to a vet and not elaborate further.

Otherwise, ask away! I’ll accept pretty much anything as long as it has to do with reptiles. If you want, you can also just submit a video or photo of your pet being cute, or a cool reptile you found in the wild. There are no stupid questions, and I won’t judge you. If your video/photo isn’t rated well, please be kind and take it as constructive criticism. I am not making an attack on you personally, just spreading information so others don’t make the same mistakes. The ratings are meant for you to learn from them and change your behavior, too.

Have a great day! :D

[lupinus-bicolor]

you want some uhhhh ferns??? some ferns with a lil sweet pea in the middle???? some fucignk f erns?

[acespec-ed]

If I may – to the anon who started seeing a therapist, obviously we don’t know your whole story neither what exactly have been said between you and that therapist, and if you think she might be onto something, feel free to work on that with her.

However, I first want to remind you that arousal is not the same thing as sexual attraction. Arousal is a physical response. Sexual attraction is an externally focused sensation, directed toward something/someone specific.

And it I can had my two cents: a lot of people have a hard time climaxing, especially afab people, and I bet a fair share of them are under birth control. There’s even a whole podcast about that (Remy Kassimir’s ‘how cum’), and guess what. All the non-climaxing allosexuals/greysexuals are still able to feel sexual attraction. The ability or not to climax has no correlation with one’s sexual orientation.

(As a note, there’s an episode of this podcast with a guest that might be ace and talks about it – ‘how not horny’ with Irene Tu. I didn’t listen to it but maybe it might be interesting for some.)

Take that with a grain of salt, but I also watched a tiktok yesterday from an aroace creator (angstyace) who briefly talks about a study stating that, among people feeling same-sex attraction at least, 50% of afab people had their first experience of sexual attraction by age 10.1, 84% by age 13.8 and 98% by age 17.5. I don’t know how old you were when you started birth control, but statistically you most likely would have felt sexual attraction before starting it if you were allo.

Finally, I want to remind you of that small (controversial but still helpful) paragraph in the DMS-5: ‘If a lifelong lack of sexual desire is better explained by one’s self-identification as “asexual”, then a diagnosis of female sexual interest/arousal disorder would not be made.’ Maybe you could remind it to that therapist too.

I’m done ranting lmao. Hope that might have been of any help!

This is all very true!

For the anon of this post.