Random Fanbean Thoughts

Aww thank you so much! ^^ Honestly, the second season 2 just extremely AWESOME! I absolutely love how Lara has upgrade in it, and how Sam's character has been developed (I didn't really like Sam before, because I don't like the damsel-in-distress trope, but here she's so lifelike, it's amazing!) The same goes for Zip. I love that they're starting to delve into the lore of the supporting characters and show their different sides. The way Lara spent time with her friends was so charming! I also found Eshu to be an incredibly charismatic and interesting character. I also found the chosen topic very interesting. I knew very little about this layer of culture, so after watching the second season, I went to read about it. I really liked the locations, еhe whole season really reminded me of Tomb Raider Legend in terms of vibe And the animation, oh my god, the ANIMATION in season two is just incredibly cool! 🔥 I'll be honest, I didn't particularly like the amount of magic in the story (I don't quite understand how such an open use of so much magic can go unnoticed in the world's lore, for example), but I won't lie - the scenes with this magic looked incredibly impressive) And well, I couldn't resist redrawing this scene (yes, Sam, we all understand you perfectly haha!)

Exú by Kypris Aquarelas

"O garfo de Exu é firme A capa de Exu me rodeia Passei pela encruzilhada Exu não bambeia..." 🔱✨

Os Exús cultuados em tradições afroameríndias são espíritos-entidades-guias-bakuros que compõem o Povo Encantado da Rua. Tal qual as Pombogiras, são ancestrais que estabeleceram relações com as encruzilhadas, os caminhos, as ruas, as almas, são senhores da noite, amigos íntimos do luar e da magia.

O nome Exú vem de uma divindade muito conhecida por todos os iniciados em tradições afroameríndias e muito controversa aos olhos de quem não o reconhece. Dito por alguns como o Orixá mais humano, ele é senhor dos inícios, das transformações, é o dono do mercado, fala todas as línguas e tem um papel importante na conexão e comunicação entre Orum (Céu) e o Ayê (Terra), além de entre os humanos e os Orixás. Seu nome, "Exú", significa "esfera", alguns mitos relatam que ele foi a primeira divindade criada por Olodumare, o Ser Supremo.

Embora sejam seres diferentes, Exú Orixá e Exús entidades compartilham as estradas, os caminhos, a ligação com o fogo, com a magia, com a sensualidade e também recebem suas honrarias no início das ritualísticas das tradições de matriz africana onde são cultuados.

_________________________________________________________

The Exús (or Eshu) worshipped in afrodiasporic religions like Umbanda and Candomblé are a kind of ancestors or spirit guides. Just like the Pombogiras, they're ancestors connected with the crossroads, the pathways, the streets, they act like psychopomps, they're masters of the night, close friends of the moonlight and magick.

The name Exú (or Eshu) comes from a namesake well-known deity, the Orisha (deity) Eshu. To those who don't know him well, he's seen as a controversial character. Said by some as the most human Orisha, Eshu is the god of the beginnings, of transformations, he's the owner of the market, speaks every language in the world and has an important role in the connection and communication between the Orum (Spiritual World) and the Ayê (Physical World), and also between humans and gods. His name, Eshu, means "sphere", some myths depict him as the first deity created by Olodumare, the Supreme Being.

Although they're different beings, Orisha Eshu and spirit-guides Eshus share as symbols the pathways, the roads, their connection with the element fire, with magick and witchcraft and sexuality. Their roles in the ritualistics of afrodiasporic traditions are similar, receiving always worship and cult before anyone else.

https://ahavacelestialorder.org/papa-legba-the-gatekeeper-of-haitian-vodou/

The Dual Nature of Legba: Trickster and Teacher

While Papa Legba is primarily known for his wisdom and role as a guide, he also has aspects of the trickster archetype, particularly in his African origins. Similar to Eshu in Yoruba belief, Legba can be mischievous and unpredictable, reminding humans of the complexity of life and the delicate balance between chaos and order. He is sometimes depicted as testing individuals, forcing them to confront challenges or difficulties in order to gain wisdom or access to spiritual insights.

.

.

.

2.02 Festa de Iemanja // 2.03 Crossroads // 2.08 The Bringer of Death

the ideal gathering would

be my funeral

I never really realised how much difference it makes until I went to England and realised that here the change of seasons is an obvious, visible, physical change in the world. Like, everything REALLY IS orange and foggy in autumn! In spring there are flowers EVERYWHERE, so much more than any other season, and the trees really do have all blossom and no leaves. Even if it doesn't snow, in winter there's frost all the time and the trees are bare and the sky is visibly greyer all the time. You don't need to be told "this date is the first day of spring", you can SEE IT (although this is getting way messier and less precise due to climate change).

By contrast, most places in Australia the seasons we're taught feel like arbitrary categories - and is it any surprise considering they're colonial constructs? Orange-leaved autumn and blossom-covered spring is a cartoon stereotype with no relevance on a continent where ALL NATIVE TREES ARE EVERGREEN!! Snowy winters are a joke in the desert, and even sunny summers don't ring particularly true considering that much of the country is in the tropics, where summer means monsoons - not that I've ever seen the concept that WE HAVE A MONSOON SEASON taught at an Australian school.

the 4 season model as you and i know it is a european invention, though 4 season models aren't unique to europe! most notably china has the same type of season subdivision.

Dumpster diving is something that tons of people do for one reason for another. It is a great way to get a lot of stuff for free, even expensive things, and even be able to resell them in order to make money.

I make some money by doing this. I have heard of a couple of people who have even done this full time, making enough money to pay all of their bills. So this is a great way to be sustainable, and also to make money, which is becoming harder and harder in this crap Capitalism-dominated world. 

So what are some things that you can do to help to look through the dumpster safely?

1. If you do not have to go inside the dumpster, don’t!

I have been dumpster diving since I was 13 years old, and I am almost 30 now. I have never in my life climbed into a dumpster, and it will make solid gold bricks to get me in one. 

Instead, get a grabbing tool. For me, this tool is a bent hanger. This works for about 95% of everything I have found of value thus far. Then again, I mainly deal in clothing. So consider buying a specific tool for this called a grabber. I recommend purchasing one on Ebay, or on a site like Poshmark. Just make sure you buy it used for the most sustainability. 

2. Hit before you look

Animals love dumpsters. They often have free food for them. So if you are afraid to confront an animal, who may not retaliate out of fear, hit the side of the dumpster softy to scare them out first. The last you want is to look through a dumpster only to be confronted with a stray cat or a squirrel. 

3. Do not trespass

This should go without saying. If a dumpster has a fence around it, it is off limits. Do not trespass just to get some stuff out of the trash. Jail is never worth whatever you are going to find in there. 

4. Wash up

ive been planning an escape route for like. a year now. and i need a ton of money to pull it off.

by a ton i mean like $1000 is doable and $3000 is comfortable so just shovel money at me for the next few months so that in august or so i can get this done and then i will have irl community and healthcare.

i have occasional gigs as a sensitivity reader and that plus solid support from a very small handful of close friends (who are impoverished themselves) is keeping me housed by some definition of that term but i really need to up my game so i'm not just sitting here aging and dying in severe isolation. ive basically been in solitary confinement for like three years it fucking sucks