#ask me about my ethically sourced bone

[phloxsmenagerie]

Moopsy!

[evilminji]

Okay, But, >.> Listen...

So MAYBE, just MAYBE, I am an incureable RoFan Isekai nerd. Shut up about it, maybe. What're you a cop? Mind your business. BUT! And hear me out...

W...What would actually? HAPPEN if Danny went into a Visual Novel? Some Otome game? You know, aside from being vague flustered by and then DEEPLY ALARMED by these walking Red Flag Fruitloops that girls are supposed to find "dreamy" or something?

Like we know how MMOs work for him. And probably OTHER open world games? But a visual novel? Would it be like the Christmas Episode? Would he hear narration? Be stuck in static "scenes"? Or would it be like a cut together "only the interesting parts" movie that he's somehow IN?

Like?? At SOME point his curiosity is gonna get the best of him. He's gonna want to know what different video games are LIKE on the inside? What's Pong like? Tetris? Mario? One of those Mama's cooking games? Etc etc.

He probably hits up a game sale. Buys a box or two. Figures he can always resell um or just give them away for free. Might even use them for parts. Who knows. And?

It's kinda cool!

It's even SCIENCE! See? Tucker's in charge of notes. Sam's in charge of hilarious commentary and pizza. Jazz is keeping them from drinking and doing ghost shit (terrible combination, we never speak of What Happened(tm) again). And the Dr's. Fenton got distracted by making fudge and debating what games should be counted towards which categories.

They've made an afternoon of it.

And NOW? They've reached the bottom of box one. It was "Survive The Villainess! My Rose for You!" Or... judging by Sam's climbing eyebrows and growing scowl? A DEEPLY unpleasant porn game about school girls.

You could not PAY him enough.

Yeah, he DOES realistically kinda want to know what happens.. if.. like? You know... sexy games... like would he? Or does he just WATCH or...? *awkward cough* But! That's NOT for Family Science Night! And DEFINITELY not THAT game, THANKS.

He'll find himself an ETHICALLY SOURCED smutty game full of consensual boning. For PRIVATE TIME. Those test results are gonna show up like MAGIC and we WILL NOT be talking about them! Got it? Good.

Now what the fuck is he look at here?

Jazz is surprisingly knowledgeable. They are not allowed to ask. They respect it. The main character "wakes up" inside the body of a "villainess" and must survive. Turn her terrible reputation around. Avoid "death flags". Preferably romance one of the hot guys?

Uuuuuuuh... you realize Danny's in a committed relationship, right?

Sam and Turker allow it. But they reserve the right to blast his taste in Fantasy Guy's. Chose carefully, for their roasting shall be BRUTAL. Luuuuuv yoooou~♡

He wants a divorce. They're not even MARRIED and he wants a divorce. You see how they mock him, Jazz? The cruelty he suffers? He's taking the Blobs and moving to Frightknight's. They always warned him about you living folks and your fast ways, but he didn't listen! *continued dramatics* *is smacked with a pillow*

But actually going IN? The weirdly, vaguely European over the top EVERYTHING? Giant jewels and ridiculous, fancy dresses? The walking red flag Romantic Archtype Leads? He wants to PUNCH half these guys! This is ABUSE! Are people OKAY!?

Like? I feel like he'd stay way, WAY longer then he needed too? Just out of morbid curiosity? W-where is this plot GOING? It's so dramatic. Why is my dress MORE dramatic now? Why is everything so... Sparkly.

It would be? AMAZING and baffling and I would pay real money to hear their live commentary. "Why not simply judo flip the crown prince off the balcony, then take over the country, sweetie?" "Solid plan, honey! He deserves it!" Beautiful. Flawless. Sage advice really. Too bad Danny can barely walk in his five million bows dress.

It's the BEST Au and I might be a genius. Or deeply sleep deprived. Meh. We'll 50/50 it, six of one, half a dozen of another.

@hdgnj @ailithnight @nerdpoe @the-witchhunter

[samwisethewitch]

How I Get the Most Out of Meat When Cooking

As someone who 1.) was 100% vegetarian for ethical/religious reasons until very recently, and 2.) recently had to reintroduce meat for vitamin deficiency reasons, limiting waste as much as possible when I cook with meat is really important to me. For one thing, I feel like I owe it to the animal that died to get as much use as possible out of its body as a way of honoring its death. For another, meat is expensive (ethically raised meat even more so) and I want to get my money's worth.

I recently bought a bunch of lamb for my family's holiday dinner, so I wanted to share my attempt to practice the Honorable Harvest in my meat consumption. This is new to me, but I wanted to document the attempt because it's been a fun learning process for me! If you want to actually learn about honorable consumption I encourage you to read the works of Robin Wall Kimmerer and other indigenous ecologists, since the Honorable Harvest is based on indigenous North American practices. (Though there are other cultural practices all over the world.)

Step One: Sourcing the Meat

I am very fortunate to have enough disposable income to buy ethically raised meat, which tends to be more expensive. This is a privilege. Other people are not able to spend this extra money on their meat, and that doesn't make me better than them. Feeding yourself is morally neutral, and a tight budget is not a moral failing. Most meat alternative products (Beyond Beef, Impossible, etc.) are also pretty expensive. If the factory-farmed meat at the supermarket is the only thing in your budget, use that.

If you DO have some extra funds, local farms are a great place to source meat. The reason we had lamb for the holidays is because a local farm recently culled their herd and had lamb on sale. In the past we've gotten beef from a relative who raises cattle. I encourage you to learn about farms in your area and what they have to offer. CSAs and farmers' markets are great places to start. You can also ask around at local restaurants about where they source their ingredients.

When I say "ethically raised meat," what I'm really talking about is pasture-raised animals. Cage-free animals may not live in cages, but they can still be kept in cramped, dirty, inhumane conditions and be sold as "cage free." Pasture-raised animals are able to graze and forage and generally wander around within a paddock. For some animals like chickens you can also look for "free range," which means the animals are unfenced and are able to wander freely. Since I don't cook meat often, I try to get free range or pasture-raised meat when I do buy it.

In some areas, you may also be able to find certified ethically slaughtered meat, which means the slaughtering process has been designed to cause as little suffering to the animal as possible. That kind of certification isn't really available where I live, but it might be for you!

And of course, hunting or fishing yourself is also an option. If you kill the animal yourself, you know exactly how it died and can take steps to limit suffering as much as possible. Hunting isn't a skillset I have, but if you do more power to you!

Step Two: Cooking the Meat

This is the easy part. Depending on the cut of meat you got and the dish you are cooking, you may need to remove bones or trim fat, but aside from that it's just following a recipe.

For our holiday lamb stew, I used this recipe. I have Celiac disease, so I subbed gluten-free flour and replaced the beer with red wine. I also added rosemary and garlic for a more Mediterranean flavor to compliment the wine.

Step Three: Organs and Bones

This is where the breakdown is for a lot of Americans. We don't cook with bones or organs very often, and we tend to throw away whatever parts of the animal we don't want. That is not honorable consumption. Part of the Honorable Harvest is using every part of the being that died to feed you.

Most organs make great stew meat. My favorite Nicaraguan beef stew is made with tongue, and my indigenous Hawaiian relatives make stew with pig feet. And while I don't like them, lots of my Southern family members love chitlins (pickled pig intestines). Lots of cultures eat organs, and you'll find plenty of delicious recipes if you look!

Bones are typically used to make stock, which can be used as a base for future soups and stews. There are lots of recipes for DIY stocks and broths, but I usually fry some onions and/or garlic, deglaze with wine, and then add the meat/bones and the water, plus salt, pepper, and herbs for flavor. Most animal bones can produce two batches of stock before they lose flavor. (For really flavorful stock, leave some meat on the bones.)

Once the stock is done, you'll still have bones to deal with. Contrary to popular belief, cooked bones are not safe for dogs to chew on. (But raw bones usually are!) Instead, I strip any remaining meat and gristle from the stock bones, give those scraps to my pups as a treat, and then use the stripped bones for something else. With a little extra processing, the bones can be used as a fertilizer in a garden, a calcium supplement for chickens, or a safe treat for dogs and/or cats.

This was my first time processing bones, but after boiling them for, like, 12 hours in water with salt and vinegar, they were soft enough to break apart with my hands. I'm going to grind them to make bone meal.

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

December Prep 3

This week we'll be asking ourselves some questions and looking into some ideas to help us dig deeper into ourselves and our craft as we progress through the challenge ahead of us.

Discernment

The biggest tool we have as witches is Discernment. What is discernment?

Discernment is the ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward.

here is a blog post that further explains it, through a witchcraft lens

Laws

The next thing we're looking into is awareness of laws regarding the things we're doing and our practices in general. One example being the legality of teaching witchcraft/ religion/ spiritual practices to minors. Where one can perform rituals and spells. Where you can find tools and ethically sourced materials for your craft. How to/ where to grow your own herbs and plants for your practice. The use of animal parts (if you use bones and the like) in your craft. The sale of goods and services, like spell kits, oils and diviniatory readings.

Make sure you're aware of laws in general, as I do not encourage breaking them in any shape or form. Know when you're allowed to be in certain places, like a park you wish to go to for a ritual, or any other public place. Make sure you're allowed to be there. If you're learning from other people, make sure they are allowed to teach you, legally. There are some laws regarding teaching minors, so it is always best to simply be aware.

This goes to both the local level, where you live, and beyond to the state and national level. You just have to be aware.

Lastly this week, let's actually ask ourselves some questions about the challenge and the year ahead.

What do you want to accomplish with this challenge? Do you want it to help you simply gather more knowledge? Or do you want to utilize it to grow a physical grimoire?

Are there specific things you hope to focus on? New things you want to learn or things you want a deeper knowledge and understanding of?

Correspondences

Along with discernment, we are going to talk about something that was only relatively recently popularized in witchy circles; correspondence lists.

Now, don't get me wrong, my grimoire folder is absolutely chock full of those big beautiful lists of correspondences for all kinds of things. Crystals, herbs, holidays, types of magic, so on and so on. And they're useful, ya know? To have lists of ingredients and items to use for certain things. It's great right?

But here's the kicker....

How do you KNOW that that herb is associated with fire? How do you KNOW that crystal is associated with water? What makes that connection and why?

So a big part of this challenge, when it comes to the prompts involving studying herbs and crystals and such, is going to be to first determine what our personal connection is to herbs and crystals and whatnot. What are they connected to for us individually, as opposed to just finding lists online.

Then, we will take lists that we find and make the connections with our personal research as to where others have found and made the connections they have.

Think of it like Basil, my favorite herb. "Where basil grows no evil goes" is a fairly common saying. Why is that? Where did it come from? Is that why some people use Basil for protection?

It is all good and well to have the association and correspondence lists, but it is also important to know where those things come from, and what makes those associations what they are.

Thank you all! I hope that we're all closer to being ready for the challenge ahead! December is a busy month, so utilizing time wisely is important, not only now, for the challenge prep, but for life!

M.G.

The Hazel Druid

[khaire-traveler]

hii i don’t mean to bother but if you have the time and motivation could you make a subtle Gaia worship post sometime? or tips what to put on an altar for her? I’m a little lost,,

thank you in advance and take your time

khaire!!💚

Wait...is this the same person I just answered? XD

Anyhow, I actually just answered an ask with the same request. Basically, she's on my list already, and I am not currently taking requests for the worship series. It has caused me immense stress in the recent past, so I'm taking time to myself. It'll start back up again when things have calmed down for me, most likely. She'll have one done in the future at some point.

However, I will give you some tips on altar items you could try, if you'd like to; nothing is required. I'll just make a quick list below, as I feel it's easier to read:

Plants, flowers, flower petals, leaves, pressed plants/flowers, tree bark; anything that is natural and comes from the earth

Dried herbs, such as laurel, basil, or thyme (you can use anything you think she'd like)

Crystals or rocks that come from the earth

Statues, drawings, art, etc. of her or of the world itself c:

Art, drawings, trinkets, etc. of fruit or that represent the changing of the seasons

Anything about animals or plants within nature, including pictures, arts, statues, stuffed animals, and similar (she would likely enjoy snakes, reptiles, or feathered winged creatures; these are characteristics of some of her sons!)

An earthly or flower scented candle

Items that have great importance to you, especially those that represent something within her domain (animal necklaces, flower bracelets, a globe or map, a compass, etc.)

Ethically sourced animal bones or pelts (please ask the animal's spirit before just taking bones; that's just a personal belief I hold)

Running water from a stream in a small bowl or cup (DO NOT DRINK THIS!!!! Pour it out after some time; do not let animals drink it either!!!)

Herbal teas, breads, fruits, veggies, drinks or foods mixed with honey, pastries, etc. (this is more for food offerings rather than altar items)

These are just things I could think of off the top of my head. Hope they help! I wish you the best on your new journey. Gaia is lovely! 💚🌎

(Here is the ask I just answered, btw; it was sent to me right after this one, actually)

[sparklecinnamonbunny]

A Necessary Injury

Wishing a very happy birthday to @thatwritingho's Olive Axworthy today! Here's our gals bein' pals to celebrate! Some jokes in Discord gave me a fun idea for a birthday drabble.

(with the teeniest mentions of @the-loveliest-lotus' Lucy, @procrazedfan's Poppy, and @chordsykat's Caj!)

"Hey, darlin'." Sunday enters the clinic with one hand held up and the other holding a gift bag. "I'd knock, but..."

Dr. Olive Axworthy— mortician, assassin, and Dethklok's doctor/bodyguard— asks, frowning, "What did you do?"

"I uh, I broke a nail. It's bleeding."

The good doctor takes her hand to examine it. "You ripped off your acrylic on purpose, didn't you?"

"You can't prove that," Sunday replies, biting back a smile. "Anyway, I thought I'd swing by, get treatment for this totally legit injury, and drop off one of your birthday presents."

"One of? Sunday, I don't need anything for—"

"You gave me those kickass engraved knuckle bones for my birthday even though you don't believe in osteomancy. I only had a couple weeks notice, but I couldn't settle for anything less than greatness."

She sighs and relents, "Do you want me to open it now?"

"I'd love to see your reaction. How about I wash my hands with antibacterial soap and you unwrap?"

She proceeds to do so, setting the gift bag on the medical cot. Olive murmurs something about it being unnecessary again, but her gaze hasn't left the black and gold bag. As she lathers and repeats, she hears the telltale crinkle of tissue paper.

"Oh, she's gorgeous! Wow! Loooong," Olive coos at the skeleton. It wasn't easy to find a real intact king cobra skeleton, let alone one that met both her and her friend's discerning standards, but the smile on her face makes all the trouble she went to worth it.

"Yeah, it is. I made sure it was ethically sourced, there's some paperwork in the bag, too. I wouldn't give you something you wouldn't feel good about keeping."

"Thanks! I'll find a good place for it in my room. Did you know that king cobras aren't true cobras? They have their own genus, Ophiophagus."

Olive tells fun facts about the snake as she washes up, gets fresh gloves, and puts a tiny bandage on Sunday's fingernail. She's especially enthusiastic about the venom (a potent neurotoxin that could kill in half an hour if untreated), but she wouldn't be Olive if she wasn't. And it's pretty brutal to hear about necrotizing flesh. She should write a song about it before Nathan does. Cobratize? Wait, fuck, he's been writing a song about cobras since their second first date. Damn that talented man.

"Should I expect you to show up with another broken nail and present?" Olive asks, full lips pulled into a wide smile.

Sunday grins back. "Nope. The second gift's more of an experience. Skwisgaar and I maaaay have noticed that you own Smugly Dismissed's full discography. And signed it. We aren't doing a reunion show now or ever, but we thought we could play some songs for you sometime. Not tonight though. Big Pickles has got some, uh, very important plans."

"What's he doing?" She scrambles for her phone, but Sunday puts a hand over hers.

"I really shouldn't say," she starts to protest, but the birthday girl's pleading eyes win out. "It rhymes with uh, passive Georgie."

"Passive... Wait. He's planning a massive—"

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. You've got a line out there, and I promised to meet Caj at the helipad." Sunday grabs two lollipops, pocketing one and unwrapping the other.

"You can't just tell me we're having a massive orgy and split! And what do you mean there's a line?"

"Haven't you noticed you're running out of bandaids?"

As Sunday struts out, Olive looks out the door after her. No fewer than ten people stand in line, each nursing their own wounds, from the probably superficial (Lucy Desmond with a vial of blood and a grin) to the possibly complicated (#4245, Poppy, looking roughed up and delighted). It's looking like a long day and an even longer night. That's okay. She prefers it that way.

[blackbackedjackal]

Hello I’m not sure if I’m allowed to ask questions on here, im very sorry if im not. Im curious about the most ethical way to obtain bones. I live in Canada but I live in the city i’m able to go into the woods but I’m not sure if that would be ok in respects to the animal. If that is not ok would it be ok to Buy from sellers on Etsy. I want to be as respectful as I can to the animals and people around me.

The ethics of collecting animal remains are ever changing the more I learn about how animals dispatched and how certain species are sourced. The most ethical way to collect is really what you find to align with your personal ethics. Aside from collecting remains illegally or in ways that would intentionally cause excessive harm the animal or species, it's moreso up to you as an individual to figure out what feels right for you.

Like personally, I like to either source things myself by finding remains out in nature (when I find things in nature I tend to only collect one part and leave the rest) or locally from hunters/trappers/farmers/butchers/etc. Everything else is either from another taxidermist/hunter/trapper/farmer/etc. I have a good relationship with and is willing to tell me how the animal was sourced and dispatched so can pass that information onto my clients. And even then I have my own personal limits. Like I will not work on animals with excessive trap damage or anything that was snared (as that falls into the intentional excessive harm thing for me). I also don't consider roadkill an ethical source as I've worked on many animals that I could tell were alive long after they were hit. Accidental death like roadkill doesn't mean the animal didn't suffer, but it also doesn't mean it's unethical to work on the remains because it's (usually) not intentional. I seldom know the sources for anything bought secondhand online or in shops, and I can't always discern what happened to the animal. However, you can infer it based on the species or the way the remains were processed, which is another way for you to pick and choose the kinds of remains you feel comfortable collecting.

Many sellers use the term "ethically sourced" but because of what species the animal is or where it's from, it's not possible to obtain remains from that animal without the animal or species being excessively harmed (bats and arctic blue foxes are a good example of this). Don't trust what a seller says in the listing unless they're willing to provide you with more information or are a recommended seller within the community. I'm always happy to discuss my sources with my clients so that they can decide if buying that particular item is right for them, and accommodate people's requests. Honesty is the best policy imo.

There are pleanty of people in this community who actively lie about how and where they sourced their remains and then turn around and shit on people who are open and honest about it. Like certain ways of sourcing are not inherently bad (hunting/trapping/etc.) because it's case by case. But buying animal remains, whether they fit the general definition of ethical or not, and lying about it to potential clients? That's kinda fucked up ngl.

My suggestion is to do research on how certain animals are commonly sourced and go from there. Collect in a way that feels comfortable for you, and allow yourself to shift that perspective the more you learn. The way I was collecting 10 years ago is different then how I would collect today. Certain specimens I have now I wouldn't have gotten had I known more/had more context at the time. I just know that regardless of how the animals were dispatched that I respect the remains I have and try to give back by using them for education when possible.

[twisted-tales-told]

when did you start witchcraft

Hello! Boy do I love that TWO people asked me about witchcraft??? Dream come true??

This ask game

Anyways since I answered this I’m hijacking ur ask and pretending you instead asked me “when did you get into working with Death in your witchcraft practice”

And the answer is in the past few months! I’ve always been slightly hesitant to work with spirits because I don’t really like Energy in my personal space. I have a low social battery & a really low tolerance for noise—physical or spiritual— & that’s just how I am as a person (by spiritual noise no I do not mean hearing things but u know when you’re in spaces that just *feel* loud? Even if there aren’t many people? Spiritual noise.)

But then. Then. I started working with animal spirits.

I have many animal bones in my space—all ethically sourced—and have started working with some local animal spirits (I won’t get too far into this because it’s not pleasant and does involve animal deaths due to humans being careless)

And this has been truly such a source of quiet joy in my life. Animal spirits breathe life into spaces. For me, they communicate a lot clearer, similar to plants—which is a wack thing to say I realize but my plants do communicate with me & I don’t know how to describe that.

Right now I’m working with a fox spirit from a tooth I got from a small Etsy store that ethically collects bones, and oh my GOD she is so lovely. Such a playful spirit.

I realize this sounds crazy to non-witchcraft practitioners, but I don’t really care. Her name is Trixie, she likes having a name and she really wants me to get more tropical plants for her.

[disaster-vampire]

pls talk about the shelf

i was desperately hoping someone would ask me to rant abt it akehdjshd i'm kissing you sweetly on the forehead anon

okay so if anyone sees this out of context: i have a shelf in my bookcase dedicated to hannibal. yes it's kind of like a weird little shrine but leave me alone.

be warned this is going get LONG.

so, it has the obvious: the hannibal books, the tv show box set, the tv show's cookbook, my fancy copies of the divine comedy (they're hardcover with gorgeous sleeves that have art printed on them to match each book), and i also have the iliad and the odissey in there in a single big book that i bought on a whim when out once and then after buying it i found out it also had the original greek alongside the italian translation and i lost my mind. i've never felt such pure joy and i can't even read greek. yet.

as for decorations, as of right now there's a piece of driftwood that is kinda shaped like an L so it stands up on its own and it also kinda resembles an antler.

there's this fuckin box, i don't even remember how i got it, but it's made of bones. it's shaped kinda like a stereotypical treasure chest but it's literally made of bones. the inside is lined with red velvet.

i'm not sure what else to decorate with? i've put in a seashell but it can't even be seen because the shelf has glass doors but the shell is covered by the frame (might move everything to another shelf where the frame is not in the way tbh just so i can decorate with tiny things at the front).

i just moved this whole thing from my other bookcase (i just got this new one today because i have too many books and in my first bookcase the shelves are literally bending with the weight of the books piled up on them) and when it was there i also had a teacup in there along with a lighbox that says "bone saw time! 🖤" but this new shelf feels very elegant and there's also not enough space for the lightbox. i also had a bust of dionysus there but i'm going to move it to my dionysus altar.

i've got an old scalpel somewhere too and i'll try to find a visible spot to put it. i also have 3 tiny japanese plates that were all given to me as gifts and some souvenirs from japan from a friend too but idk if i wanna put japanese stuff in there. like it's fitting but at the same time idk if it's disrespectful or not.

if i had money and more space i'd make this whole thing bigger and get like. a little frame with fly fishing lures like the ones will made in the show and maybe something like some ethically sourced taxidermy. a snake skeleton and a mongoose skull would be really cool. maybe i could print out a little something with lures instead of buying real ones and like. a fake death's head hawkmoth taxidermy. i'd need some of those shadowbox frames and i'd make it so the pictures stand out a bit from the back so it looks like they have shadows. bc like i'm fairly certain real death's head hawkmoths cannot be ethically sourced at this point in time because ever since silence of the lambs came out people have started going insane over them.

i think my grandpa has this framed thing somewhere with sailing knots made with actual ropes in it rather than just pictures. haven't seen it in ages so i'm not sure anymore if it was my grandpa's or someone else's. probably my grandpa since he was in the marines when military service was mandatory in italy but idk maybe i saw it somewhere else. i could print out a small picture with various illustrations of sailing knots.

i also have these cards that my aunt gave me at one point that have prints of a lot of famous paintings with descriptions in the back and i THINK one was the primavera. it was either that or the birth of venus i'll have to check but either way there's at least one botticelli in there. i don't like botticelli much tho so 🤷

i plan at some point to also get physical copies of all the movies but idk when that'll be since i've found a different box set for the tv show with gorgeous covers that i plan to buy as well. also of the ones i currently own i think one of the dvds stopped working bc it got scratched while inside my pc because i was pausing and rewinding/forwarding too much. we'll see i guess.

now for the rest of the books. i have a medical book in there called the abc of the human body. i think the title is kind of hilarious for a hannibal shelf. i just found out today while moving books back and forth from one bookshelf to the other that i actually have two copies of this book and one of them was owned by a doctor that died i think like 15 to 20 years ago. i have a few other medical books that said doctor also owned on the shelf above. he also owned the scalpel i mentioned before.

there's the book skulls by simon winchester, which is a collection of pictures of skulls from one of the biggest skull collections in the world, along with a few inserts on biology if i remember correctly? i originally bought it for art references and i LOVE the cover so i made sure it was facing forward in the shelf.

there's the resurrectionist, which is a sci-fi/fantasy book kind of in a frankenstein-esque vein where the main character is this made up doctor who manages to make some mythological creatures through surgery & digging up dead bodies and i won't spoil it any further. the second half of the book is a whole bunch of medical/biology style illustrations of said creatures, their skeletons, their muscles, how certain parts of their bodies would function (for example i believe it goes into explaining the lungs for both mermaids and harpies). i don't think it quite fits thematically with hannibal but i think it's got The Vibe so i put it in there.

there's a book on saint lucy, who is the patron saint of sight. i have it because i was born with my skull being asymmetrical and the doctors immediately told my family it would likely cause problems with my eyes, and so instead of, you know, starting to take me to eye doctors from a young age, they swore me to saint lucy and left it at that. i'm likely going to go blind on my left eye at some point in my life btw lmao thanks st lucy <3 i do like her though. i like her iconography a lot, she's always portrayed as holding a plate with her eyes on it.

there's damien by hermann hesse, which is one of my all time favourite books. it's written in first person and it starts with emil sinclair's childhood, explaining that he sees the world in a very black and white way, and does so very literally because he speaks of the world of light and the world of darkness, which are kind of meant as good and evil. but then something happens to him that starts blurring the clear line he thought was between the two, which sends him into a moral panic until he meets max demian, who starts to make him see that there's more to both sides. the story as he grows up follows his "corruption" into someone who is neither good nor evil. it has a lot of implied homoeroticism, as it was written i think either in the 20s or the late 1800s so it couldn't be explicit but it is very much there and is expressed mostly through demian's mother. there's also a weird cult thing going on and the ending is a bit ??? and honestly i need to read it again because for such a short book SO much happens that i'm having a hard time summarising it accurately.

the only other books i remember being there rn (it's 1am i'm not turning the lights on again) are dracula, because cannibal/vampire count with a big castle, the butchering art, and les fleurs du mal, plus two other books written in french that i haven’t read yet because my french isn't the best, whose titles i don't remember rn, and one in italian that i've found at a used books stall once but i believe it's from a local author and i've never seen it in a bookstore nor online so there's definitely no english translation of it. i still haven't read this one either and i don't even remember what it's about, it might be a poetry book? not quite sure. but yeah these few ones i haven’t read are there like. on trial. if i read them and find them fitting they'll stay otherwise they go to another shelf. i also haven’t read les fleurs du mal nor the butchering art yet, so the same applies to them. i think that's all of them? i plan to put my art history books and regular history books on the shelf above as well next to the medical books to kind of carry the theme over lol.

i would like to maybe someday get some of the books that we've glimpsed from the bookshelves on the show but this is it for now!

anyway. tysm for asking me about it dear anon. you said but a few words yet they meant the world to me <3

[fratboykate]

well it’s kind of a funny story actually! we were in france for a competition (naturally), the competition was in a city but we decided to stay about 35 minutes away in the countryside in the village i’m from! free accommodation. i’d been thinking about proposing for a really long time, i knew i was going to marry her pretty much as soon as we started dating tbh, but i was really in my head about it because i wanted it to be perfect because she deserves it! one of the days we were in the city for comp day and i was running late so she had to leave without me but she sent the teammates who weren’t shooting that day to pick me up so i didn’t have to worry about being in hurry and driving around all the roundabouts (rural france has a lot of roundabouts, i hate them/they make me nervous). so we parked the car and we were walking down this street to the venue and i turned my head by complete chance and i saw the perfect ring in the window of this jewellery store. it was perfect, but we were running late so i asked if one of the other girls would come with me to buy it the next day. so the next day i tell agf that i’m going into the city to get our morning bread instead of walking to the bakery down the street, but really i was going with the team to buy the ring. the whole team turned up, including her coach AND her physio. they all wanted to see the ring, to make sure i was doing right by her etc. the ring is perfect: 24k white gold band, solitaire cut ethically sourced 1.5ct diamond, it cost more than the down payment on our house lol but if they hand asked me to cut off my arm with a wooden spoon right then and there i would have. i had originally planned to propose when we got back home, at the park where i first told her i loved her and i knew in my bones i was going to marry her - something really low-key. i forgot my bag so i had to put the ring in its box in my coat pocket and we went about our day and tbh i kind of forgot about it. it was bastille day - i think that’s what you call it in the US anyway - so we were at the small village festival, then later at my family’s house and it was nice because my sister who was abroad at the time had managed to make it home while i was in the city in the morning. it’s on a hill and we were looking down at the fireworks in the village below and i could hear the music and feel the celebrations of my family in the background and i looked over at her and i just remember thinking that i’ve never felt this safe and happy, and if the world ended that second i wouldn’t care because she was there. and i just realised i couldn’t wait any longer. i couldn’t wait for her to be my wife. so i put down my drink and i let go of her hand and turned around to get the ring out of my pocket and when i turned back, opened ring box in hand she was just opening the ring box with my ring in it. we laughed and cried and proposed and said yes (obviously). it turns out that she specifically flew my sister out to go buy the ring with her, because she saw the perfect ring on our first day there and she wanted to buy it that day, and she wanted my sister to be there. so she bought her a plane ticket and when they went into the city that afternoon they were actually buying the ring. from the same jewellery store. on the same day. there are like 3 other jewellery stores on the same street. and then we got married a month later! -agf

WHAT KIND OF GAYASS FAIRYTALE ARE YOU HOMOS LIVING IN AND HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY EPISODES BECAUSE I WANT ALL OF THE CONTENT?????????????????? LIKE???? I COULDNT WRITE THIS? THIS IS...DARE I SAY...BETTER THAN FICTION?????????? EXCUSE YOU???

BUT ALSO I HAVE QUESTIONS KJLSHJGKDFG HOW DIDN'T HER TEAMMATES KNOW SHE WAS PROPOSING AND BUYING A RING THERE TOO?! SURELY SHE WOULD'VE TOLD THEM? NO? KJDHGJSKDFG YOU GUYS BOUGHT A RING FROM THE SAME JEWELRY STORE BUT NOT *THE SAME RING* RIGHT?!??!?! THAT WOULD JUST BE TOO MUCH FOR MY GAY HEART TO HANDLE??? LISTEN I NEED DIAGRAMS, VIDEOS, PICTURES, A POWER POINT PRESENTATION. I FEEL LIKE I WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DETAILS HERE.

[hottakehoulihan]

I saw your post about vegans not eating eggs/omelettes and being supportive of vegetarianism, and I don't mean to send this ask in any sort of judging or unkind way, because I understand that a lot of people don't really get why vegans choose to be vegan rather than vegetarian, so I only mean this to explain why.

This is the definition of veganism from The Vegan Society :

"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." 

So, while collecting eggs doesn't directly harm chickens in the immediate sense, the larger context of egg production involves significant harm to them. The industry practices culling of male chicks when they are only a day old since they don't lay eggs, and the intense selective breeding for high productivity leads to health issues for the hens, such as osteoporosis from calcium deficiency due to excessive egg-laying which causes many hens to have broken bones. Also, the vast majority of egg-laying hens live in cramped and squalid conditions, be it in battery cages or even in "enriched" cages (and "enriched" cages actually lead to more hens to have keel bone injuries), which greatly diminishes their quality of life. And while "free-range" eggs often sound like a more ethical choice, it's important to consider the specifics of these conditions. In practice, despite the label, many hens may only spend a minimal amount of time outside, with the majority of their life spent inside facilities. The outdoor areas, although accessible, may not significantly enhance their quality of life due to limited space and time allowed outside. Once the chickens are no longer producing as many eggs they then end up being killed, typically at only about a year and a half old, because they are no longer as profitable, when chickens can live to be nearer ten years old when they are actually treated well and not being used for egg production. Chickens are sentient individuals who are capable of bonding with others and experiencing joy, while also able to feel pain and suffer. The ways in which they are treated for egg production doesn't show consideration for their happiness, well-being, or for their lives, and supporting egg production contributes indirectly to these issues which affects the well-being of chickens significantly. I hope this helps to explain why vegans avoid contributing to the use of chickens for eggs, and the importance of thinking about the sources of our food and exploring alternate choices that are more sustainable and compassionate.

I love you, and I love all ethical vegans. I cannot vegan and I am sad about it, but I do understand, and my "Those who walk away from Omelets" is meant to be high praise (and a silly pun), for I also do not know if I could walk away from Omelas. I own a smartphone. I have worked for amoral employers. I am complicit in so much evil, and I know it, even after the "tomato" excuse from The Good Place. Some of the chocolate I eat is not provably slavery free. I try, when I can. I specify "ethical vegans" because I've met people who avoid animal protein but not because they care about the environment, animals, or even other humans, and instead it's because they happen to have selected "no animal protein" instead of some other cult diet like "homeopathy" on their magic eight ball roulette wheel of "what will make me be magically healthy/strong" lists. Usually these people are creepy right-wing types, and I live in the US Bible Belt and I am a bit scarred and unpleasant about them. I'm still learning Tumblr in a few different ways; I hope this reply works the way I intend. Anyway, thanks for explaining. I think there are nearly no forms of life that aren't more sentient and more *sapient* than we give them credit for, and I'm sure that if humanity progresses and develops and improves, we'll look back on the behavior of our best people from today with some horror. Gotta stay alive to get there, though. I'll use as little gasoline, plastic, and incompletely-consensual-exploitation-of-other-animals to get there as I can manage. And I appreciate you for doing the same. Cheers. <3

[callmedarthrevan]

I was on the phone with my mother last night, and she told me she didnt like chicken wings. I was like why. And she said that (1) it's too much work for what little meat you get and (2) the bones remind her that it'll used to be a living breathing animal, and that makes her uncomfortable. I didn't push back on her or question her thought process in any way because I was a little surprised and also she really hates it when I ask her thought provoking questions or "attack her" so I'm trying to be choosier about it.

But.

To her first point, I sort of get it. It's a personal preference, but we could get into class and racial politics of meat and talk about how the reason chicken breasts are preferred by white people over, say. Wings. (Or god forbid chicken feet) has something to do with prime cuts of meat going to the rich and "worse" cuts going to the poor or the enslaved. I cannot imagine my suburbanite white mother ever eating chicken feet. I've tried them, I do in fact think they're a little too bony for my tastes and I did not enjoy the experience. By comparison, wings and legs are pretty fuckin easy to eat only nice soft bits of tissue without even getting much cartilage. My mother refusing to eat chicken wings can be seen as a product of her privilege as a white person.

To her second point, I would like to question the intentions behind trying not to think about the living origins of meat products. There are a couple of ways one can grapple with the fact that food on their plate once had a face and, maybe very simple but nonetheless, thoughts. One method is to decide that it's morally wrong to eat a living creature and then act on that fact, and become vegetarian or vegan. This can go further into full-on ecofascism, but taking a simple moral stance and acting on it is commendable.

Another way one can go is to decide that actually, its okay to eat animals because if they were not being bred for food they would likely not be alive in the first place, and as long as they're raised and slaughtered humanely then what's the harm in it? The harm lies in the fact that very little of the meat produced is raised or slaughtered ethically. Animal rights activists have spoken about inhumane farm conditions for chickens, for example, in which they are packed so tight they cannot even flap their little wings and so their muscles do not develop properly. I recently bought a cheap whole chicken that, upon carving, we found to have a chunk of green muscle which is the aftermath of such treatment. It was fucking unsettling, and it should be.

The unfortunate truth is that ethically sourced meat is expensive. You need more land, and more workers who work shorter shifts and get actual benefits and work safety protections. You can't yield nearly the amount of product with a pasture-raised flock as you can by shoving as many bodies as you can in a warehouse. Because of the way our economic system works, the majority of people can only afford to buy the morally reprehensible stuff. One could take this information and demand that the poor collectively go vegan (thus becoming an ecofascist), or take it and try to change the system about it. It's a symptom of capitalism, of the valuation of profits above both human and animal welfare. The system is fucked, and the system needs to change.

My mother takes the third route: choosing to simply not think about it, to choose ignorance rather than face her discomfort. It reflects the way she thinks about the world in general; she doesn't like to think about politics or race or really much of anything beyond how she can scrape her little world into a shape she likes and is comfortable with. My mother is a liberal, content to alienate herself (in the marxist sense) from the world if it means her little slice of suburbia is peaceful.

I like eating chicken wings. There's a marked difference in the way I eat them from how my black girlfriend does: she will leave nothing on the bones, whereas I generally leave cartilage untouched. She was raised to eat Everything; she likes chicken feet, and oxtail, and all the cuts of meat that white people dont really touch. (I think oxtail is delicious and I'm glad she introduced me to it.) I like thinking about how the different ways we eat wings reflects our different upbringings.

I also like that the bones remind me of the living creature. It reminds me that I am connected to the people who were involved of the production of the piece of meat in front of me: the worker paid far too little in horrible conditions to raise this wretched animal; the workers paid far too little to use unsafe equipment to butcher and slice and package it up; the grocery clerks paid far too little to sell it to me; the truck driver paid far too little to ship it to me. It reminds me that we need to fight for a better world for me, the farm worker, the butcher, the grocer, the truck driver, and the fucking chicken. The chicken deserves better than the current system. We all do.

[homo-adaptionem]

About

Hey there, I'm H (they/them) and this is my tumblr blog.

"Homo adaptionem" means "the adapting human", because I felt "sapien" was a bit too generous for a dumbass like me.

Blog info below; I recommend reading before you view the rest of the blog; definitely read before following. Enter at your own risk.

My YouTube channel is H. adaptionem. I post roughly the same kinda stuff there, except you have to look at my face and hear my voice. You can see all of my playlists at h-adaptionem.tumblr.com/ytplaylists.

I have an Instagram, theadaptinghuman, but I mainly use it for looking at other's stuff rather than posting my own.

TL;DR:

disabled, LGBT, an adult, witch, Weirdo™

personal interest blog w/ some potentially upsetting content like discourse, politics, nsfw, & gore (minors & squicked beware)

EXCESSIVE TAGGER; most trigger tags have "CW" before them; tags all slurs

doesn't mind like/reblog spam

doesn't check mentions or replies; send an ask if you need to get my attention

disclaimers: homo-adaptionem.tumblr.com/disclaimers

faq: homo-adaptionem.tumblr.com/faq

Side Blogs: (WIPs)

bone-asp-the-teeth, for food & recipes 🍕🍔🌯🥧☕📜

ethical-omnivore-h, for ethical omnivorism, locavorism, flexitarianism, animal welfare, etc. ☮♥🍽🐔🐮🐷🐝🌎

grotesque-grimoire, for witchcraft stuff 🧹🧿🕯💀 (solitary, eclectic, & non-Wiccan)

h-adaptionem, for my YouTube channel stuff specifically 🎬

h-a-reference-research-resources, for research stuff and source collecting 📝🔍

practical-herbalist, for herbalism stuff 🌿

stabbed-myself-with-a-safety-pin, for DIY & kandi shit 🧷✂🧵

Expect:

Hauls (library, bookstore, thrift, dollar store, & sometimes dumpster dives; usually fashion, decor, & collectables)

Alt fashion (stuff that resembles goth [trad/romantic/mall/casual/nu/pastel/90s/2000s], emo, punk, etc.) & decor

The Worst™ music taste you've ever seen 🎵

Some fandumb shit; those Pokeman creatures, Monster High, Danny Phantom, Elder Scrolls, Beetlejuice TAS, and more

Creepy crawlies 🕷🦂🐛🦋🦟🐜🦗🐝🐞

Mycology, fungi, plants, & gardening 🍄🦠🌵🌻

Occultism, cryptids, urban legends, creepypasta, etc. 👻👽🧛‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧟‍♂️

Struggle & poverty tips ☠🏴‍☠️💸

Bisexual pride 🏳‍🌈 💖💜💙 ♾

Nonbinary pride, duosex/nullsex pride, & transsexual pride 🏳‍🌈 💛🤍💜🖤 🏳️‍⚧️ 💖💙🤍💙💖

Hermaph pride 🦪👤🍌

Disability stuff, mainly relating to psychosis, mental health, allergies (mainly food), accessibility issues, resources, etc.

Body neutrality (🤷‍♂️ w/e corporeality) & Ugly Pride

Ethical omnivorism, flexitarianism, & locavorism 🐝

The occasional Discourse™ (beware of 'pinions you may not agree with and potentially problematic content!)

❗ DISTURBING CONTENT SUCH AS: sex/kink/hornyposting, artistic nudity, gore, true crime, historical events, medical stuff, the aforementioned Discourse™, etc.

CRINGE (ye be warned; don't come to the circus and bitch when you see clowns)

Whatever the hell else I like lmao this is my house, you're a guest here

Like/reblog spamming is fine, I don't mind at all.

If you want my attention, you have a better shot if you shoot me an ask, as I rarely check my mentions/replies. I have a shit ton of stuff blacklisted, so I may not see your asks/mentions/posts if they include slurs, content triggering to me, etc. It's not that I'm ignoring you, I'm just trying to take better care of my mental health, y'know? Gotta police my own intake of content, etc. etc.

Most things are tagged, so block what you need to using tumblr's own blocking function, Xkit, or Tumblr Savior. Slurs and triggering content usually have a CW before them, even if the OP doesn't consider the content triggering. I tag excessively, deal with it. Tags relating to my OG content can be found at /ogtags.

DNIs/DNFs are useless and performative; I just block (& report if needed) who I dislike/etc, and I block liberally, for any reason. I respect most other people's DNIs, if they're accessible. If I can't read it, I won't bother. Don't like me? Block me.

Stay safe and stay weird!

🏳️‍🌈💖💜💙🏳️‍⚧️💛🤍💜🖤🏴‍☠️🧿📓💀👻🦇🦂🕷️🐛

VARIOUS IMAGES BELOWWWWWW:

[archaeolitikum]

hello yesterday i was thinking about bog bodies for some reason and realized I don't have my english literature professor's contact to ask him about book recommendations on the topic. And then i remembered you (im pretty sure it was you?) being excited about it, so could you maybe recommend books or videos or any media about bog bodies? Any kind is fine!!

hi!! yeah thats probably me! ^_^

i have a ton of recommendations! the articles might be behind paywalls, but if youre enrolled at a university you should get free access through your student account, otherwise theres other ways to work around it or you can go to your local library and probably get access through there!

some of the books i'd recommend:

Bog Bodies - Face to face with the past, by Melanie Giles (2020)

Grauballe Man - An Iron Age Bog Body Revisited, edited by Pauline Asingh and Niels Lynnerup (2007)

The Bog People - Iron Age Man Preserved, by P.V. Glob (1969) [link to archive.org!]

Bog Bodies, SXacred Sites and Wetland Archaeology, edited by Bryony Coles, John Coles and Mogens Schou Jørgensen (1999) [this one might be tricky to get a hold of]

especially Giles' book is phenomenal, she goes through everything from the chemicals in the bogs that make bog bodies possible, to bog formation, ethics of displaying these bodies at museums etc, easily my favourite book on the subject and is a really really good read with lots of references to other articles and books that are worth looking into. Asingh & Lynnerup offers a fantastic closer look at the danish bog body Grauballe Man, with a lot of really interesting insight into how the preservation and tanning of the body was done during the early 50's. and lastly Glob's book which could be considered a classic in this subject! he was an archaeologist in denmark who was an expert on bog bodies. you cant read any book about bog bodies without encountering some kind of reference to him.

heres a few articles ive collected for my dissertation, but i gotta say its been a while since i read these so. hehe

Ticca Ogilvie (2019) Conserving Bog Bodies: The Key Questions, Journal of Wetland Archaeology, 19:1-2, 67-88

Christina Fredengren (2018) Becoming Bog Bodies Sacrifice and Politics of Exclusion, as Evidenced in the Deposition of Skeletal Remains in Wetlands Near Uppåkra, Journal of Wetland Archaeology, 18:1, 1-19

Van Beek, R., Quik, C., Bergerbrant, S., Huisman, F., & Kama, P. (2023). Bogs, bones and bodies: The deposition of human remains in northern European mires (9000 BC–AD 1900). Antiquity, 97(391), 120-140

and lastly, i really need to tell you to read Seamus Heaney's beautiful bog poetry if you havent already! a lot of archaeologists and authors ive cited here will often mention him and his work :) heres my favourites about Tollund Man and Grauballe man

i hope this helps! again most of these sources will cite others for further reading if youre interested :) and personally i havent found a good documentary or video or anything on bog bodies yet, i have a hard time finding good informative videos about archaeology and bog bodies in particular that arent making bog bodies into this weird creepy thing, and i tend to avoid youtube videos about archaeology as a whole for a variety of reasons fdhgjkdf

anyway, happy reading! ^_^

[nugget-draws]

Intro post!!

Carrd: https://nugget2023.carrd.co

Important information:

My name is Nugget/Nug

I am 18 years old!

I’m bisexual and use any pronouns 🏳️‍🌈

I’m most active on my discord (@Nugget_)

ADHD + Autism

I WILL be posting some of my VC collection from time to time, no gore but there will be skulls/bones, pelts, wet specimens, taxidermy, mummies etc, I take great pride in knowing my collection comes from sustainable and ethical sources, if you ever have questions about something in my collection you are welcome to ask, and if this stuff bothers you this may not be the blog for you!

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[poisonnxkki]

Divination & The Ethics of Knowing🦋

^Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck (Available on Amazon)

What is Divination?

Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge or insight into a situation or on the future (source: google). Divination comes in many forms and can include many different types of tools (or no tools at all). The form of divination that you choose can be more accessible (you can find tarot desk in the most unusual places now) or it can be linked to a specific tradition. When researching what forms of divination you want to learn it is important to look into the origins and historical practices surrounding that form of divination. For example, although runes can be learned by anyone, they will have particular significance to someone who worships or works with the norse gods.

Why Learn a Form of Divination Anyway?

Divination is most commonly used to interpret and receive messages from deities or spirits. For example, you may use divination if you want to ask for a spirit's permission to do something. Divination is also commonly used to receive advice or insight into situations that are causing anxiety or stress. Whatever your reason for learning a form of divination is, it is fairly common to know at least one. The most popular in recent years has been cartomancy (specifically using either tarot or oracle cards).

Some other types include astrology, runes, bone throwing, dowsing (using a pendulum or rods), palmistry, scrying (fire, smoke, etc.), ceromancy, cloud divination and many more.

Ethical Implications When Divining for Others:

Divination, like everything, is something that should be taken with a grain of salt. Readings are not set in stone and the advice being given should be taken as nothing more than a suggestion. At the end of the day, the only thing that can make an impact in your life is you and although some readings may bring difficult news (trust me I've been there), how we react to them and what we do moving forward is more important than anything else.

When giving readings for others here are some things I like to keep in mind (this will be from a tarot reader's perspective):

How I understand a reading is only one interpretation, another reader may read the same cards completely differently

Readings should never instil fear in the recipient

My opinion and relationship with certain cards may not reflect their meaning for someone else- it is important to be neutral when reading for others and not let our own biases influence the interpretation

I never read for others without their explicit permission- this may be more of a personal preference rather than an ethical guideline but you never know what kind of wards people have in place so I just avoid doing it!

I only give readings on the topic that is requested- If someone wants a reading regarding a situation, I stay focused on their request. If the reading is about a job opportunity and the cards that are pulled are cards I associate with love, I will try to interpret them through the confines of the question rather than telling the recipient what I think about their love life.

A lot of this will likely be common sense to people and that's a good thing. Being able to give readings to other or having other request readings from you is both an honour and a good way to practice. If you decide to charge for your services then you may want to develop your own ethical guidelines. In my personal divination practice, I am in the process of developing a list of questions/topics that I refuse to divine on. The more experience you get, reading for yourself and for others, the clearer your personal ethical guidelines will become.

*All images are from Pinterest*

🖤For more information on tarot and how to read the cards check out this book: The Ultimate Guide To Tarot by Liz Dean

🖤For more information on ceromancy and scrying check out this book: The Book Of Candle Magic by Madame Pamita

🖤For more information on astrology and to get an analysis of your chart check out the website Cafe Astrology