Significance

[Felicity]

Hi, I'm curious as to whether you have any clothes, accessories or just random belongings that are particularly significant to you that you tend to have on your person more often than not.

It's pretty common for people to place significance on certain possessions. Small and large. As a kid it might have been a games console or teddy bear, as a teen it may have been a favoured bike, phone or something similar. You may depend on and use these regularly or they offer some comfort.

I think, though, it takes a certain amount of that kind of importance for someone to take something with them at all times. Practical or otherwise.

For example, for me I always wear my coat. Before you cry "well no shit, a lot of people wear coats" I should stress that I wear it all the time. It takes the peak of heat over here to stop me from doing so. It's navy blue, goes down to the bottom of my thighs and in it's pockets I hold an assortment of items. These include practical necessities like keys, important pieces of paper, a pen and my wallet. Then there's my stones.

So, in a lot of places in the UK or in Europe along the coast you tend to find these tacky souvenir shops. In these shops you can find a knick for every knack. Souvenirs that strive for the position of rushed purchases meant the friends back home. One common feature of these are little sections for minerals and gems. Onyx, opal, peridot, etcetera.

Over the past few years I've ended up collecting several of these stones. Just normal, roughly tumbled gems. Milk Opal, Rose quarts, Lapis lazuli, Tiger's eye, a hematite ring and most recently a piece of Citrine. For the superstitious these are meant to vaguely symbolise something and encourage general traits or aspects of ones character. Below is a general idea of what they were meant to do and what I thought they did.

These are quick google searches, the meanings here are quick summations from a moments worth or research. Obviously meanings are gonna differ, it's interesting enough that I almost went wiki-walking, you know, without the wikipedia part.

Milk opal

I though it was simply a lucky kind of stone. Turns out it's meant to have qualities that would make it a symbol of peace and calm. Another site says it's meant to help with creativity and inspiration.

Rose quartz.

I was right on this one, this gem is a symbol of love and romance. Turns out it has a history of being used as a token of ones love. Funny I've kept it for myself really. This one is generally agreed upon as being connected to love in some way too.

Lapis lazuli

Lapis lazuli I thought was symbolic of strength. Turns out it;s highly associated with royalty, wisdom and truth. I think there was an interesting misinterpretation somewhere down the line in the region I got this stone from but there we go. Inner power is also somewhat connected from what I can tell, so I was close to the mark in that respect.

Tiger's eye

So I thought this stone was meant to encourage optimism. Turns out this is the strength gem in regards to willpower. Again, pretty interesting difference there in my opinion.

Hematite

Mental organisation and stability for this one. I thought it was memory. So close yet so far on a fair few of these.

Citrine

I thought this one was meant to be confidence. Turns out it's symbolic of success and mental clarity.

I carry these stones in my pocket everyday. I don't know if they do anything at all. Probably don't but hey, what's the harm?

So, do you have something like my stones? Something that you keep more for the sentiment than actual practicality?

Also, to anyone who cracks a Steven universe joke or decides to correct me on minute details about the damn rocks, you will recieve an ASCII middle finger by PM. You have been warned.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Well I used to have a whale bone necklace but I've lost it. It was a good luck charm but I broke the necklace one day and lost it which sucked. More important than that is a dog plushie I have. I have it on my bed, and I've always slept with it next to me since I was... 5? Something like that. Also take it with me on trips.

If this counts as well, I have a bit of an attachment to 1 cent coins. I have a small magnet in my pocket and I always stick a 1 cent coin to it. If I find any on the ground, I put them on the magnet. I then keep the coins until I have a chance to use them. They are good luck charms to me.

[laggless01]

Those stones look very cool, just saying...

Anyway, I always take my electric guitar wherever I go stay. ALWAYS. Even though I hardly play lately (kinda lost my spark), I still take it with me. It has some very personal significance to me I rather not like to elaborate upon. (I do want to become better, but I'm in a situation where I can't find a good teacher.)

I also have this nice mid-long coat I got since January, which I really like to wear. I never had one that accentuated my waist (au contraire), so I wore it all the time until may (because very hot days).

[Tomas Elliot]

You know, this is actually a very big problem for me. I own a leather coat (a short coat, not a trenchcoat, to be precise), which is like, the coolest coat ever. I have been owning it for years, it still fits perfectly and I love it so much, so I wear it whenever possible...

... But see, this is the problem. The damn thing is way too thick to wear in italian springs and summers (I would melt in the heat), but not thick enough to wear on winter, so I rarely get to actually show it off ;-;

[ZEL]

I don't like leaving the house without this necklace. Maybe just because I'm so used to wearing it that it feels weird when my fingers try to grasp it and it's not there.

Sun symbolism is very important to the cultural setting of a storyverse of mine, and having something to wear that's connected to my writing feels good.

Bought it at a Christmas market some years ago.

I also have a plain black ring that I always keep in my wallet. I got it from my first boyfriend back when I was 15, and when we were together I usually wore it as a necklace because my fingers are too thin for almost every non-custom ring.

I stopped wearing it after the break-up, but said ex is still a very important person to me who never stopped being supportive and caring, so I like keeping the ring with me as another reminder of an amazing person in my life.

[Sutoratosu]

Well god damn dobby, fine, I won't correct you on anything about the stones then. Jeebus, I wouldn't even have been rude about it >_>

Well let see...

I guess the most prominent things I have, besides the essentials of my wallet, keys, phone, and watch, are the black velvet bag which I keep my own assortment of stones in. I've always had an interest in the occult and esoteric belief systems, ever since probably... early days of middle school or so- ever since I was old enough to start seriously, legit wondering: What if stuff like harry potter isn't completely fictional and some rough concepts and beliefs of magic actually exist? It has to all be based off of something, right?

I got a small collection of my own, filled with various things such as Chinese Fluorite, Quartz, Ameterine, Lapis, Carnelian, Calcite, etc. Basically, I put most of the focus on stones which influence creativity, abstract thoughts or just general intellectual flow, things such as that, to "help" with my writing, if one will. Occasionally, I'll shift the stones out for new ones, and every once in a while bath them in salt for reasons I'm sure half of you will ridicule as superstitious and the other half with scratch your heads about, so I won't even bother wasting my energy going into it here for people I'm more than half certain won't appreciate the ancient belief systems and concepts I'd be trying to explain in the first place.

Actually, hell, now that I think about it... it's been quite a while since I've done either of that...

anyways, moving on, another thing I carry is my class ring. Nothing really special, no childhood memories or deep psychological significance. But the damn thing was like... fucking $450 maybe, and my mother spent a pretty penny on it, so fuck it, I'ma wear it whenever I can because it's nice to have nice things and it be a waste if I didn't. Plus it's monogramed with my Zodiac Sign, Name, Signature on the inside, and embedded with my freaking Birth Stone to boot. I don't thing you could really get more personalized than that.

Then there's this... sword charm thing I made... I don't really... recall why I made it, was just fucking bored one day and had a broken nail file, you know, the metal tips with the little enamled handle and a point so you can dig under your nails? I guess it's like a laser pointer for a cat- keeps me occupied when I just want to fucking check out of something and let my mind wander. I've found I can impose a lot of mental images and visualizations on it, when I really want to... or at the very least, it can serve as the basis for a good bout of day dreaming.

does that sound vague and abstract? Yes. But fuck it, I intend to be an author of fiction someday. One of my jobs will be to be abstract, so...

Then there is my satchel. My trusty, durable manpurse satchel. This bad boy carries all my extra, non-school related shit in it, and I've been carrying it with me everyday for the past year or so since I got. It contains my Chromebook, My Prose Journal, several pads of paper and numerous writing utensils, not to mention an emotional writing-thesaurus, the occasional esoteric reading material... basically, it carries all the shit I use to write my stories. Or would use to write my stories, If a good 50% I weren't a miserable little shit who lets his fear of failure constantly prevent him from even trying to start something new in the first place. Yeah, it's always good to be reminded that the self-confidence and arrogant swagger you think you have and project to most others around you is nothing but a farce constructed by your subconscious to compensate for what is by far one of your biggest flaws as a human... but hey, my own faults have nothing to do with ol Baggy. He's a good satchel, not his fault I fucking suck deep down inside. He just carries all the shit, I'm the one too damn afraid of his own limitations to put any of it to as good a use as I could.

Whatelse?

Oh yeah, I got two Fedoras, and a few necklaces, both of the latter I got from the local comicon a while back; one in the shape of a Guy Fawks mask, which I felt was pretty damn cool, and the other a little emblem printed off a 3D printer that I strung up. The Fedoras I've had a lot longer, mostly wear them whenever I want to feel a bit fancier than I am- feel like I have some class despite being a filthy, common peasant even by the standards of american society where that's basically everyone who isn't making bank from a gainful career and raking in several millions a year ((AKA: The top 1%)). I mean, of course not, Dad, I don't blame you that I can't attend a school prepared to give me more than half of the fucking cost of attendance each year I'm there, renewable for all 4 years because we'd still not have enough to cover the debt of the remaining student loans... no, no, It's fine, really, I'll attend the local community college with all the other kids from families too damn broke to send them to their school of choice even though said school was willing to give huge scholarships and generous financial aid to entice them to join the campus... not at all... afterall, we can all kick back after classes and wonder how it could've been for each of us. I mean, not like I'm almost a legal adult who would've been fucking adamant about not letting you take on the brunt of the cost and instead paying it off himself through his own work and endeavor like a fucking real man would, you know, trying to be the person you fucking spent the past 18 years raising me to be, only for you to now doubt my ability to care for myself despite the fact I adapt quite easily to new situations, even if I'm not particularly fond of them.

but yeah, nah bro, no problem, no beef, none at all...FML

anyways, that's about it for me, I think

[Chase]

I guess I have two considerable accessories of significance.

The first is one of those simple rubber wristbands that were made famous by professional bicyclist Lance Armstrong (LiveStrong) - except this one is a black wristband that features the color coded "plan of salvation" given by Christian doctrine. It's nice to have because it's literally like wearing the gospel on your wrist and it aids in my ability to tell others about it.

The black wristband itself stands for our sin nature.

Red stands for Christ's blood, that he gave for us while we were still sinners.

Blue stands for the baptismal renewal of Christ's sacrifice gifted to ourselves.

White stands for "being washed white as snow", or the resulting cleansing of Christ's blood to our souls.

Green stands for the growth that a newly saved person experiences following their salvation.

Yellow stands for faith in Jesus, which, according to Christian doctrine, is the only way to eternal life.

The other abnormal trapping I hold some sort of value in is a cross made out of iron that is strung on a tough string. It has copper wrapped around the four extensions of the cross. I bought that for a dollar in Lafayette, Louisiana during the Festival International that is held there yearly, and it's held sentimental value ever since.

[YoshiofRedemption]

I have 2 accessories that have sentimental value to me.

The first is a slightly worn peace sign bracelet. I've been a sort of hippie for as long as I can remember, and the peace signs remind me to never change who I am. It's also surprisingly durable. This is only the second of about 5 or 6 of these that I own, and the first one lasted for about 7 years if I remember correctly.

The second is a necklace containing the peace sign from the first peace sign bracelet and an angel charm with the bottom half of its body missing. I like to think the angel is a physical representation of my guardian angel protecting me.

[Ironbound]

I can name few material possessions that are 'significant' as you say, but such as they are:

1. The Jandhyam, or Sacred Thread, is a symbol of a Brahmin completing the Upanayanam, (the closest English has to describing this being 'Rite or Tradition of Passage') which takes the form of a simple thread worn on the torso, over the left shoulder.

2. A gold ring set with yellow sapphire left to me as a token by my late grandfather, and another plain one granted to me by my parents on the completion of the Upanayanam as cited above.

3. A Cross Pen, won by the award I received from my school when I graduated tenth grade after achieving a 99% score in Economics, about the highest possible in the country. I have special significance for that pen, which I use almost exclusively to sign my name on documents.

Besides, as my father and grandfather instilled in me, a Pen is not merely an accessory, it is a mark of an educated man, all the more vital for one to have if one calls oneself an accountant. To leave home without a pen is to do oneself a disservice, and is akin to leaving without wearing trousers.

[Stalkerkain]

1. Headphones. I try to never leave them behind. If I left the house late, and I forgot my headphones, more likely than not I'll go back for them. I've worn them for several years, and not having that weight around my neck/head makes me feel naked without them.

2. My wooden pipe. Whenever I'm stressed, the ritual of packing and lighting a pipe calms me, while looking magnificent. Of course, I get funny stares whenever I smoke in public.

3. A butterfly knife trainer, something I always tend to lose. Always paired with my pipe, I like to fiddle with it while smoking.

[Combat]

While I have hundreds of different little mementos here and there, not many of them would be overly significant to my being. I suppose that fact that I am almost always wearing one of my "Woot" shirts might count as significant, but I'm not overly sentimental. I do have the cross my grandfather gave me, which is super important to me, but is something I keep at home for safety, so yeah...

[Noir]

Probably the few things I deem important accessories that I carry with me a lot are my locket with my engraved insignia, my Phantomhive ring, and my swiss knife.

[GotWala]

Hmm, well I have two things that fit the bill:

In the Navy, there are collectible coins called "Challenge Coins", which used to have quite a lot of significance but have since just sort of turned into knock-knacks and/or another thing to hold a form of shallow superiority with, haha. I have a few, most of which have been gifted by my father, but I only really care about the first one I got from him, being a simple coin with an anchor on one side and The Sailor's Creed on the other. I have it in my pocket wherever I go since I've enlisted.

The second item, I carry on me every time I go into any kind of wilderness, being my grandfather's old deer knife. This knife has apparently been passed down at least several generations of "Arnolds", and while that claim may be a tad exaggerated, the blade itself is rather aged and works terribly despite how much my grandfather tried to maintain it before giving it to me (In fact, you can still see the stains and smell the deer innards). Regardless of the practical use the dull, bent blade has, I still keep it on me whenever I'm roughing it as a good luck charm.

[laggless01]

I don't like leaving the house without this necklace. Maybe just because I'm so used to wearing it that it feels weird when my fingers try to grasp it and it's not there.

Sun symbolism is very important to the cultural setting of a storyverse of mine, and having something to wear that's connected to my writing feels good.

Bought it at a Christmas market some years ago.

Since you bought it at a christmas market, it could have some relation to Sol Invictus, an ancient pagan belief of which customs got integrated into christianity...

[Tartar]

I always tend to have my Forever Spin or my Zhanchi cube on me. Just to pass the time. I really just like have stuff to fiddle with if nothing is going on.

[Spineblade]

I have a collection of folded sheets of paper that hold almost every drawing, doodle, note or whatever that I've done at school in the last two years. I kept it in my blazer pocket all that time, and I only removed it for the summer, since school is out. There's a lot of memories on those sheets.

[ZEL]

Since you bought it at a christmas market, it could have some relation to Sol Invictus, an ancient pagan belief of which customs got integrated into christianity...

Idk how much you know about German Weihnachtsmärkte (given I have no clue where you're from etc), but they're not strictly Christianity-related. Of course, you can get lots of stuff like tree ornaments etc, but it's mostly just people selling arts and crafts, stuff ranging from jewellery to wood carvings and candles, that sort of thing. Oh, and food. And Glühwein.

The same vendor also had all kinds of abstract designs.

[laggless01]

Idk how much you know about German Weihnachtsmärkte (given I have no clue where you're from etc), but they're not strictly Christianity-related. Of course, you can get lots of stuff like tree ornaments etc, but it's mostly just people selling arts and crafts, stuff ranging from jewellery to wood carvings and candles, that sort of thing. Oh, and food. And Glühwein.

The same vendor also had all kinds of abstract designs.

Glühwein indeed It just struck me as a possible connection, that's all. Ironically, where do you think the date of christmas comes from?

[Gaunt]

A silver necklace with a dragon on it (a gift from my mother on my 15th birthday) it's always with me.

[zimvader42]

I have a thick hoody that I make sure to wear as much as possible in winter. It's white with thin purple and black strips, and for some reason I find its color combination hypnotic. It is also reversible, meaning I can wear the inside of it (which is black and purple) as the outside, and sometimes people think they're 2 different hoodies, another reason why I love it, since it saves me time when I'm too lazy to actually pick, you know, different clothes to wear.

This hoody's special feature tho, is that on the right side pocket, it has a hole. A BIG hole, but that it is hardly noticeable from other people's perspectives because of its position. This hole is not the typical hole, that you just put money inside your pocket, it gets through the hole, falls to the ground and you lose your money forever. Nope. This hole is connected to the inner side of my hoody, a wide hollow space that for some reason exists between the outside fabric and the inside fabric. I don't know how this hole came to be, since I'm usually careful with my clothes.

And you might be thinking "what about it?". Well, my hole arm fits inside this hole. I basically have storage room to fit papers, my wallet, my phone, my calculator, pencils, one or two shirts, any kind of bullshit that can fit through the hole to begin with, I can store within my hoody. When I have to walk through a dangerous street, the kind of street where you get robbed at, I put my cellphone inside the hole, and it is basically unfindable and unnoticeable. If I need to carry something but I don't want to hold it in my hands, to the hoody it goes. If I have to carry too many things to hold, half of them will fit inside the hole. In quite a few situations, having the right thing inside this hole at the right time has been incredibly helpful, and thus I have a big soft spot for this hoody.

My mother disapproves of me wearing it because "I look like a hobo" with it, and my friends insist on me sewing the hole up or at least letting them do so. The answer is "no" lol.

TL;DR - My hoody is old and broken but it's mine and I like it.

[Kurotsune]

I have an accessory that's not mine per se. I had someone close to me pass away a few years ago, and I kept a ring I gave them as a memento.

[Cool Girl]

Sometimes, I used to carry a pendant around my neck. It has a picture of me and my friend when we were friends. Why do I carry it? When I was nine, my friend got hit by a drunk driver and died. Ever since that day, I carry that pendant. However, I stopped carrying it 'cause it would 'cause me pain. I would blame myself for her death and well....I hope this doesn't sound harsh, but I wanted to let go, so I stopped carrying it, but she'll always be in my memory and in my heart...She was the only friend I had, 'cause everybody else at school would bully. She taught me that not everybody is a bad person...so I'm always grateful for her. Emilia, you'll always be in my heart! ;~;

R.I.P Emilia!

;~;

[Amethyst]

Half of the accessories I wear are basically a chronicle of my relationship history.

• A necklace made with pieces from the one I made for my first girlfriend. I never got a chance to give it to her, and it eventually broke.
• A set of 15 bangle bracelets given to me from my first boyfriend. They used to be black and pink, but after being worn almost daily for eight years, they're silver and copper. Some have been lost. Originally I thought of them as shackles to remind me of the mistake I made back then, but I stopped wearing them for a spell. Recently I started wearing them again, thinking of them not as reminders of that past, but as a part of me. And tbh I've come to love the little jingle whenever I move.
• A set of kandi from my best friend at the time of the above incident... she was pretty relevant to it. Most of my favorite kandi have broken or are fragile since the wire is very old by now.
• A pair of tomodachi cat pendants, each intended to be worn by one of two best friends. Kitty and I originally each wore one of these, but I ended up with both after we broke up. Even if we're apart, I make sure the cats don't have to be.
• A butterfly necklace that was originally going to be a gift for another partner of mine who was particularly drawn to that motif. Once again, I wasn't able to give it to her, so I wear it myself in her place.
• An amethyst bracelet I bought on a trip with a close friend of mine who I had feelings for for years, and still occasionally dream about.
• A cross necklace I accidentally imbued with a charm regarding someone who was until recently a close friend of mine, and who once thought we were dating. Possibly because of that charm... Now that I think about it, I really should have dispelled that a long time ago.
• A pair of matching amethyst and citrine bracelets I've shown off once already. Older members probably know the story there already.
• A heart-emblemed collar, which I currently wear daily for someone known around here. But I'll do them a favor and keep that one a secret.

In addition to all of that, I also commonly wear a necklace with a crystal ball in a dragon claw given to me by my mother. It was originally custom made by an old man in the renaissance, so it is likely one of the few surviving ones of its kind.

[sound of silence]

I have an old corduroy jacket that despite growing beyond 6 feet and having it fail to fit me anymore and wearing out holes in it in some places, I managed to wear that thing for...damn I can't even remember an exact time frame, but chances are it was for at least 6 years, if not more while becoming way too big for it to fit anymore (height wise). I only stopped wearing it due to holes forming in unfortunate spots (nothing rude, but not exactly flattering to know a hole developed there). If it symbolizes anything, it was my ability to give close to 0 damns about having a second going out outfit during my teenage years, something that has taken me up until the age of just now to correct (hint: greater than 21).

There are also shirts I like collecting from various fun events I've been to, such as the Ridiculous Obstacle Course, or bungy jumping in New Zealand, or from a recent trip through Europe that all have significance. It's nice to collect some sort of physical relic that might eventually disintegrate, but can be worn on occasion as a reminder of the past. It's a pity they don't last as long as jewelry though. Maybe I should vacuum seal them or something to preserve them...

Although of no significance, I cannot stand not wearing a watch, no matter how impractical or outdated it seems. I've always worn watches, usually massive casio G ones until recently. It's taken until about 2-3 years ago to break that cycle and wear something much less chunky, with a half decent casio edifice I picked up at duty-free in an airport for formal events/going out. I think its just something drilled into me from my dad's habit of collecting/wearing watches, even though no one in the family has any impressive collection.

There's also the high school, and even a primary school graduation jacket/jumper I still have, but those never get worn anymore.