Eppiphoraz

Happy Pride from Grim & Lovely!

The Mask of Xiuhtecuhtli is a stunning turquoise mosaic mask from the final century of the Aztec empire (c. 1400–1521 CE), now housed in the British Museum. Crafted from hundreds of hand-cut turquoise pieces carefully glued onto a shaped cedar wood base, it presents a vibrant mosaic capturing detailed facial features. The inner side is painted red with hematite, while the eyes are made of mother-of-pearl and the teeth from conch shell, with the eyelids once adorned in thin gold foil. Small holes on each temple indicate it was meant to be worn, likely during religious ceremonies either by a god impersonator who might be sacrificed or by a god’s effigy in royal burial rites.

While some scholars once suggested the mask represents Tonatiuh, the sun god known for wart-like raised turquoise pieces, it is now most commonly identified as Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec fire god whose name means “Turquoise Lord.” This identification is strengthened by the presence of butterfly-like patterns made from darker turquoise tesserae, a symbol closely tied to Xiuhtecuhtli and his role in renewal. Xiuhtecuhtli was central to the New Fire Ceremony, a vital ritual held every 52 years to ensure the sun’s rebirth and the continuation of the Aztec calendar cycle. The mask’s exquisite craftsmanship and symbolism highlight the importance of turquoise in Mesoamerican sacred art and rituals, as well as the deep spiritual significance of fire and renewal in Aztec culture. This remarkable artifact was likely brought to Europe by Hernán Cortés and gifted to Emperor Charles V.

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ok google ai, i don't need you giving me attitude. scallops have eyes but they don't have heads either.

i wanted to draw something bizarre so here are some beautiful graceful feminine gastropods with eyes and mouths and one foot:

aka cunty conchs

these snails have complex eyes with pupil, iris, lens, cornea, & retina.

girl i know you're not fighting lizalfos in nothing but a slutty crop top and bracelets <3

zora armour redesign - specifically for Bazz, the Guard Captain

notes + design choices under the cut!

A slight update commission for Noelani by Gaylee (ggrotto.arts) on Discord.

Her belt got a slight update with the side piece. Her shoulder fins and hip fins are duo layered now with the section of her throat, chest, stomach, and thighs having the same white and orange dots as the spot on her head tail with a similar section on her back. Even her fins (section pair) on her head tail have an update.

I really love that she has a more of a tropical, Hawaiian vibe now. Well, tropical princess as you will. She also has a warm side too which works out greatly because of the maternal side of her personality.

SB: 10 USD

AB: 150 USD + Halfbody

AB BOTH: 250 + paired character art halfbody

The auction will end 24 hours after the last bid or with auto-buy

No rules

Payment only hipolink/ lava.top

This here is Gerald and he is a bottle nose zorphin and a member of the larger zortacean order. They are the result of ocean zora fully commiting to the ocean and can be found in every major ocean along with some rivers. Curiously enough zortaceans posess many identical traits to that of the human/ hylian population leading some to believe they were the results of humans turning into zora though no immediate evidence suggests this. This group however is believed to be the most intelligent humanoid group with iq levels nearly triple that of regular human.

Gerald might ask you to help him construct an underwater city however this request should be ignored as he currently lacks the right permits to do so.

Before the great scourge the Ichyozoars and zortaceans were closely intertwined though when they received visions of impending doom they would react differently. The zortaceans acknowledged that their spirits would prevail through the harshest of times regardless of what happened where as the Ichyozoars would attempt to prepare. They would hoan their magical abilities to arm themselves and construct great biological warbeasts in the hopes they could stop Armageddon.

This however would spell their downfall as when demise returned he would first annihilate those who posed an immediate threat. He would turn the warbeasts against the Ichyozoar and systematically wipe out their civilization. It is belived that to this day these very same corrupted warbeasts roam the oceans terrorizing the denizens of the deep and sinking merchant ships.

Eventually the remaining Ichyozoars would leave on their own accord along side the ones that would become the zorwili. To this day their last message is heavily misinterpreted as either a mournful remark on their failures or their heroic last stand to protect their mammalian counterparts though it was in fact this: "So long and thanks for all the fish".