the-no-name-system

[the-no-name-system]

[the-no-name-system]

Hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that I absolutely love your writing and you helped me figuring out and learning about a lot of things with it. Gibbs' Family will always have a massive place in my heart, I've not managed to stay up to date on Broken Obsession but I loved it and can't wait to get back in to it, and the Tim-system fic you wrote (forgotten the name) taught me so much and I, a singlet (probably) with 2 system friends/exes, have loved having that as a basis of knowledge

You guys are ace, thanks for your writing

(And also I love love love how in one of the concluding chapters of Gibbs' Family you made a mention that Tim was ace, that made me so very happy)

Words cannot convey the joy I felt as seeing this message. Every so often I look at my old fics and wonder if I did anything good with them, if they were just too self-indulgent or if I really should have supported the shows (which let’s be real, copaganda is insidious and the fact that I even know what it is now is improvement enough), and knowing that I could diversify people’s experiences, even a little bit, and provide them with some knoweldge, is so so valuable to me. Thank you for sending this to me, it was a message I really needed to hear, and all of us thank you for being so kind. <3

#save

[the-no-name-system]

free to use/steal banners

[the-no-name-system]

how many times do we have to say "acting like an autistic character wouldnt know about sex is weird" until it actually sinks in and people stop saying autistic characters wouldnt know about sex

[the-no-name-system]

?

#why would you send me kitties? #I’m not mad I’m just. Confused

[the-no-name-system]

Greek Pagan Basics: How to Write a Prayer

When it comes to prayer, there aren’t a lot of rules. Prayer can be as simple, direct and informal as talking to the gods, off the cuff, in a time of need or just because you feel like it. Prayer can also be something you plan and prepare for, whether by making use of the many existing historical or modern prayers to the gods and reading or memorizing them, or by writing your own modern prayers.

You do not have to write your own prayers–it is not a requirement of worshipping the gods. But if you feel called to do it, it can be a wonderful and meaningful way to connect with deity. And while the act of prayer is not an offering, the work you put into creating it can itself be a gift to the gods.

The idea of writing your own prayers to the gods can be intimidating. You look at the readily available surviving texts, the Homeric Hymns, the Orphic Hymns, and they are so beautiful. If that’s the standard, how can we ever attain it?

But it isn’t the standard. It never was. Not all historical hymns were the Homeric hymns. Not all hymns were high art. (And certainly not all prayers were hymns, although the two terms have a lot of overlap in meaning. I usually use the term “prayer” to refer to my own writings, in part because it feels more like I’m focusing on function.)

The Homeric hymns and similar pieces were often performed at festivals and in competitions. The beauty of these hymns, while not separate from their religious significance, is not solely related to their liturgical function. Many of the hymns actually used in ritual were more to the point–more focused on that function. Few of these works survive, and those that do are of widely varying literary quality. (I personally, as a writer of my own prayers, find this idea quite comforting. :))

The Rhetoric of Prayer

I will admit it, I write a lot of prayers of praise and prayers of thanks. I don’t often pray for something and if I do it’s usually pretty informal. (I suspect that says at least as much about my life as it does about my theology.) But many of the same techniques can be used just as effectively in prayers of supplication.

Reciprocity. Like most Indo-European cultures, the ancient Greeks had a view of relationship that included “a gift for a gift.” This does not mean that you are buying friendship–rather, it emphasizes the give-and-take that is a part of any healthy relationship.

A prayer of supplication might include a reminder of past relationship, which can be either a mention of blessings the god has granted you in the past, or a mention of offerings or other services you have provided the god. It can also mention a gift being given at the same time this prayer is being made. Or it can include a promise of future gifts and services. In all cases, it is a statement of relationship.

Myth. Mythic references can refer in general to the greatness of the god, or can be used to point specifically toward the theme of the prayer. For example, a prayer to Aphrodite to bring love into your life might mention the story of Pygmalion and Galatea as an example of the goddess’ greatness. It goes without saying that these mythic references should be positive ones–you might use stories from the Iliad in a prayer praising Athena, but probably not in one for Ares.

History. Since we lack a large and thriving worship community, for concrete examples I sometimes refer back to the power and prestige a god enjoyed in the distant past. If you are asking Apollo for divinatory help, a mention of his oracular prowess at Delphi would be appropriate; if you are asking his help in health matters, the role he took at ancient healing temples would be more to the point.

Style. Historically, some sorts of prayer were believed particularly appropriate to certain gods. The dignified paean was Apollo’s, while the livelier dithyramb was for Dionysos. For a modern writer, you may want to keep in mind the rhythm of the words and metre when writing.

Voice. While a hymn or prayer of praise may be written in the third person, all the better to tell a good story, a prayer that asks for something is most often written in the second person, thus providing a direct, personal message from the writer/speaker to the god.

The Elements of Prayer

Although there is no precise and standard form that all historic prayers followed, there are a few guidelines, things that a number of prayers tended to have in common. Generally Greek prayers included three parts, each providing a different function.

Invocation. First of all, you need to get the god’s attention, and to get the interaction off on the right foot. Call to the god by name, including words of praise (pro tip, all the gods are beautiful, all the gods are mighty :)) and by the use of descriptive words and phrases. Referring to Asklepios as “son of Apollo” underlines the sort of healing power he comes from. Referring to Apollo as “swift-shooting” has a different meaning than referring to him as “sweet-singing,” although both emphasize his power and skill.

Note that there is nothing wrong with using an epithet you’ve seen in historical texts, “ox-eyed Hera” and “thundering Zeus” were common phrases and had all the more meaning because they were known and understood by all.

Argument. Here you give reasons why the god should look favorably on your request. (See Reciprocityabove.) You can also include reasons based on something other than personal relationship–for example, asking for help in matters of love from Aphrodite, or in matters of justice from Zeus, because those are among their respective realms. This is where you make your case.

Request. Finally you ask the god to look kindly on your request, to grant you their blessings and gifts.

Example: Invocation: Grey-eyed Athena, daughter of thundering Zeus, Argument: if ever I have poured out sweet wine for you, Request: look kindly on me and grant me your wisdom.

The Act of Prayer

It was traditional to stand while praying, with arms raised toward the heavens.

If praying to a chthonic deity, it would be appropriate to kneel (placing yourself symbolically closer to their realm), or to focus your attention toward the earth in some other way.

(It is more than appropriate, by the way, to sing hymns, as was often done historically, if this is something you feel drawn to do. A performance, again, is work that is a gift to the gods.)

[the-no-name-system]

came to a realization Monday.

#If anyone asks when my first time was I always say which one #And the answer was always 18 or 20 #Now it's gotta be 3 or 20 #And that's. Distressing

[the-no-name-system]

@astronomicalgarbage

FUCK IT. SAW BATHROOM CAKE.

this was such a labour of love I don’t even know how many hours I’ve put into this now but happy birthday to me!!!! the cake is red velvet, the walls are sugar cookie and everything except for the figures, toilet and small accessories are edible. I’m so happy with how it turned out peace and love on planet saw

[the-no-name-system]

Ten and Donna end up on a fucked up deadly space newlyweds show despite uh. Not being newlyweds but they get almost all the questions right. They start to sweat when the final question is "what's one secret desire you have involving the other?" And Donna writes "sometimes I wish I could occasionally shrink down the doctor real small so I could carry him around in my pocket and make sure he doesn't get lost' while Ten writes "sometimes I wish I was small enough that Donna could carry me around in like a cat backpack or maybe a shirt pocket" and they look at each other like AYYYYYY because not only are they deeply drift compatible they're also fuckin weird about it 💖

[the-no-name-system]

(performing a summoning) proship proship profic proship incest incest noncon paraphiles proship anti-anti prokink oo oooooo dont like dont read dead dove do not eat

#Hewwo :3

[the-no-name-system]

what are y’all’s tarot birth cards?

mine are the tower and the chariot

#The sun #the wheel of fortune #And the magician #In that order

[the-no-name-system]

"I don't like the Jack Harkness test because it means it's okay to fuck Scooby Doo"

yes that's the entire damn point of the Harkness test. The Harkness Test doesn't exist to say you have to fuck Scooby Doo. The Harkness Test exists to say that it is morally/ethically fine for someone to want to fuck Scooby Doo, because Scooby Doo can give informed consent and communicate as such.

the reason you don't like it is because none of you are self-aware enough to realize how incredibly fucking puritan all of you are when it comes to fucking

[the-no-name-system]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Inky Paws #3

Inky Paws is a nonhuman anthology zine for original fiction writings by nonhumans and alterhumans about nonhumanity, alterhumanity, and similar, related themes. This zine is primarily literature focused, but will also be open to more illustrative methods of story-telling such as comics. The zine’s focus is on fictional pieces that are centered around nonhumanity, alterhumanity, therianthropy, and similar (see Submission Guidelines section for more details).

You are welcome to submit:

Short stories

Microfiction

Satire

Poetry

Song lyrics

Experimental fiction (fake newspapers, fake recipes, fake blogs, fake posters, etc.)

Mixed media

Comics

And more! If you're unsure, just ask! Seriously, please just ask. I promise I would 10000% love to hear about your idea even if you're unsure about submitting it, there is no such thing as a bad idea and I cannot stress this enough.

How to participate:

You can submit your pieces in this Google Form!

OR

Email invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com with your submission, and please title the email "Inky Paws Zine #3 Submission". With your submission, please include:

The piece's title or name,

A name or pen name to attribute the piece to,

Any content warnings that you feel are necessary for the piece,

Any social media handle or personal website you’d like to be published alongside your name with the piece (optional), and

Any relevant author notes or author biographical information (optional).

Anonymous pieces are also welcome.

Once submissions have been collected and the deadline has passed, these submissions will be put into the zine and it will be posted online as a free PDF. Submissions are due by April 30th, 2024.

Please see the Submission Guidelines, and Submission FAQ, below cut.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Each individual may contribute up to 3 accepted submissions to be published in Inky Paws; individuals within systems may each submit 3 pieces, that is to say 3 pieces per systemmate/headmate/preferred term.

Comics and similar multi-part pieces count as one submission altogether: if you submit a single story that has been divided into two sub-stories for dramatic emphasis, or if you submit 10 pages of a single-story comic, or if you submit a written piece of fiction and an accompanying image that you drew or otherwise created to go along with it, that would still only count as one piece.

Submissions must fit the thematic criteria of:

Being explicitly about or based on nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar groups, or;

Having strong themes or describing experiences strongly reminiscent of or related to nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar such as (but not limited to):

Characters experiencing nonhumanity or alterhumanity as being a part of themselves/their identity,

Characters experiencing anything similar to a shift (including physical shifting),

Characters struggling with (emotionally, socially, or otherwise) being both human and nonhuman or alterhuman in some way,

Characters having a past-life as something nonhuman or alterhuman that strongly still impacts their current life, or

Characters desiring to be nonhuman or have nonhuman attributes.

TL;DR - Your submissions have to relate to or be about alterhumans or nonhumans in some way, shape, or form.

Written submissions must not exceed 7500 words, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 16 pt.

For stories that use multiple different fonts, such as pieces meant to imitate newspapers and similar, every effort will be made to preserve the general "feel" of your piece but fonts may not be transferred over 1:1 due to potential conflicts with font copyright, readability, and overarching zine style.

Multi-part image submissions must not exceed 10 pages in length, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 16 pt if they include text. Images larger than 8.5 x 11in. will be scaled down to an appropriate size; please take that into account when creating and submitting your images. It is also recommended that images be vertical or square in their orientation.

Written submissions should be submitted as a .docx file. Images and mixed media pieces should be submitted as either .jpg or .png files.

All submitted pieces should be your own work. Individuals caught plagiarizing or using AI within their submissions will be barred from participating in Inky Paws, including in any potential future volumes.

SUBMISSION FAQ:

Q: Where will this zine be hosted? A: The zine will be hosted for free download on Itch.io, where issues 1 and 2 of the zine are already hosted.

Q: What is the cap on submissions? A: At this time, we are not looking to accept more than roughly 25 submissions at most, in order to keep numbers and expectations manageable.

Q: Can I update my application after submitting? A: Yes, so long as the updates are submitted before the submission deadline!

Q: What is your policy on content moderation and content warnings? A: If you feel your piece needs content warnings, please include them in the submission, as we are hoping to include relevant content warnings and maturity ratings alongside all pieces. We are at this time accepting pieces of all tones and ratings.

With that said, It should be noted that any items submitted with soapboxing intent and anti-nonhuman, anti-alterhuman, anti-fictionkin, or similar leans are largely not welcome, as this is a zine geared towards all aforementioned groups and then some.

Q: Can I submit an in-progress draft or sketch? Can I claim a spot in the zine before sending in my submission? A: We are not currently accepting WIP pieces for submission at this time, though feel free to send us your WIP if you have questions related to its future submission. We also cannot reserve or guarantee a spot in the zine pre-submission, regardless of any existing drafts or WIPs.

Q: Can I submit a piece of fanfiction? A: While we've now accepted pieces of fanfiction in the past, we tend to prefer to leave them out for legal reasons. If you submit a piece of obvious fanfiction, please know that it may be significantly more likely to be rejected from the zine and that, if the piece is accepted, the piece may be removed without warning from the zine later on if DMCA or legal issues arise. We strongly advise that individuals who wish to write something inspired by fiction make it non-obvious to the outside reader where the inspiration is being taken from.

Q: Can I submit something I've created in the past? A: You can submit something you've created in the past, but please try to avoid submitting anything that you've published previously and is currently publicly accessible. For example, if the story you want to submit has already been featured in a different anthology, please don't submit it to Inky Paws! We want to encourage people to create new pieces, or to put the spotlight on pieces that haven't previously had the opportunity to be published.

Q: Do I have to write something based on the provided prompts? A: Nope! The prompts are there by popular request to help give people a jumping off point for creating, but are not required to be incorporated into your piece and will not have any effect on if your submission gets accepted or not.

Q: What is the projected timeline for this project? A: Submissions will close by April 30th of 2024. The publish date of the zine depends on submission amount and size of submissions; in an ideal world, we hope to have the zine published by December, before year's end.

Q: Can I rescind my submission? A: As long as you request to rescind your submission before the submission deadline, yes. After the deadline passes and the formatting and work towards publishing begins, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to remove your work from the zine due to time constraints and potential formatting issues. Please take this into account before submitting.

Q: Will there be any physical copies of this zine? A: Due to cost restraints and a lack of printing experience on the part of the zine organizers, we have no physical copies of this zine planned for print. You are, however, welcome to download and print copies of the zine for personal use.

Q: Who are the organizers of this zine? Where can I reach out to ask further questions? A: Who-is-Page and Noel Sol of the Sol System are organizing this zine. Feel free to send us any questions, comments, or concerns to invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com, or you can always message us on Tumblr at Who-is-Page.

#save #for later

[the-no-name-system]

[the-no-name-system]

update: apparently I am aro

do y'all ever have a friend who is aro and you just love them so much in a way that transcends romantic or platonic and despite being allo and polyamorous you could imagine yourself settling down with them and maybe even only them?

Or do I just have BPD?

[the-no-name-system]

you're someone's hated tumblr

#HELL YEAH #I know #I've gotten death threats #Believe me I KNOW #AND WHAT'S MORE I TAKE PRIDE IN IT!!!

[the-no-name-system]

Regressuary 2024 Plans

It's that time of the year again, all! I'm dropping my plans for Regressuary 2024! It's a leap year, so we get one extra day to do all these shenanigans! Now, all that in mind, here's what I'm mapping out:

My Regressuary 2024 is a playlist!

Fanfic written by me for each day will be based on a playlist that I created! You're welcome to use it or make your own!

What is this playlist? I'm so glad you asked! Here it is below:

It's Alright - Mother Mother

Lost - fin

Me & You - George Ezra

Wrecking Ball - Mother Mother

City of Angels - Em Beihold

Don't Say That - Ricky Montgomery

Home - cavetown

Little Soldiers - The Crane Wives

Fireflies - Owl City

prom dress - mxmtoon

Outrunning Karma - Alec Benjamin

Thus Always to Tyrants - The Oh Hellos

bellyache - Bille Eilish

Pretty Pills for Broken Hearts - Cloudy June

Dear Fellow Traveller - Sea Wolf

Monster Town - Go! Child

That's Okay - The Hush Sound

Saint Bernard - Lincoln

Icarus - Bastille

O.D.D. - Hey Violet

grymm - Maggie Brewer

Trying Too Hard - Thomas Sanders

I / Me / Myself - Will Wood (Cursing Warning)

Could Have Been Me - Halsey version (Originally by The Struts)

Two Birds - Regina Spektor

Solar Power - Lorde

Kids in the Dark - All Time Low

Recipe For Me - Thomas Sanders

Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine

Will I complete all of these? Only time will tell! But this is the playlist!

Check out @regressuary for all your Regressuary needs!

#regressuary #regressuary 2024 #agere