#maot

[childhoodgrave]

bro trying to talk w my coworkers ab music has me comprehending how bad my audio processing shit is. 99.9% of songs and unsubtitled tv i never know whag the fuck anyone is saying and i just thought that was normal

[catchmewjsn]

I am past being uncomfortable in this, but I still find it so weird to talk to a client who's a guy I went to school with for 6 years ksjdk and I knew his dad and he's acting like he doesn't know me, which either is because he wants to or because he doesn't really remember, and I do not mind but it's still somehow so weird to work with people you went to school with as a kid

[spookydetective]

this is a post that only one person exactly will get but i really like how ghost is just Like That. all of her physical power comes from hard work and such but she's just. silly. she's got innate silliness on her side. she could put a bomb in an envelope. she wouldn't hurt a fly. she'd start floating in the air following the scent of a pie. she could eat sheet metal. you cannot kill her in a way that matters. she looks like a sabertooth tiger. she loves saying random people who are years older than her are actually younger. and she's not wrong. not really. I have no idea how i got from "mysterious and elusive shadow being who doesn't care for the life of any mere mortal" to "weird little girl who would kill and die for anyone they've talked to once". honestly, i wouldn't trade it for the world.

[hongssami]

getting STRESSED over tbz's cb in several different flavors

[gumheel]

voted most autistic in my friend group 5 years running

[blorbohoarder]

drew some of a friend and mines characters

[be-good-to-bugs]

ugh my body is so useless :/

[theood]

.

[pastelsailorr]

I awake and my eating problems continue

[quitealotofsodapop]

Imagine Pigsy keeping that old scarf as well, it had acted as a sort of security blanket for MK as a cub and like maot parents he'd kept a lot of the older toys comfort items his youngest had used up in an attic somewhere.

Prev.

Aww!!!

I bet a conversation comes up about what happened to Wukong's original armour once the reveal happens.

Pigsy: "Beats me. Probably somewhere in an evidence locker at the MCPD." All the Kids: "Huh!?" MK: "Why would you let the police take Monkey King's armour!?" Pigsy: "HEY! I thought you two were like kidnapping victims or somethin'! The cops took the clothes Peaches was wearing that night for evidence, and they never got back to me." The Kids: "Aww..." Tang, thinking: "Oh wait! What about Hongzi? We made sure to keep that." Peaches/Wukong: "Oh yeah! Ol' reliable Hongzi!" MK: "Whomst?" Pigsy, fond chuckle: "The baby blanket you were wrapped in when I first found you. I had it washed and dried the second you two came into the shop, and you didn't let go of it until you were like four." (*Pigsy takes out a baby photo from his wallet; showing a newborn MK clinging to the large red blanket*) Mei, cooing: "Aww! Little monkey man's baby blankey!" MK, remembering: "Oh yeah! I loved that blanket! What happened to it?" Tang: "We have it at home in the linen closet along with a bunch of your baby things." Peaches/Wukong, realising: "Wait... if I had MK wrapped in Hongzi when you found us, then... ah." MK: "What ah?" Peaches/Wukong: "Then Hongzi was probably the cape I wore as the Old Guy. It probably survived so long cus I put an endurance charm on it." Pigsy, pondering: "That blankey did go through a lot of rough treatment over the years." MK: "You mean I was cuddlin' the Monkey King's cape for half of my life!?" Peaches/Wukong: "HAH!"

Later that night, Pigsy makes a point of washing the cape-turned-blanket. Once it's nice and dry, he pretends not to notice when MK falls asleep cuddling it like when he was a baby.

His younger son needs to have that comfort with all this celestial monkey nonsense going on.

Any attempts from villains to separate MK from Hongzi/The Monkey King's cape leads to much butt-whooping.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Since my previous post didn't turn up anything comprehensive like I was hoping for, I'm just going to do an informal writeup of advice on how to approach traditional Jewish observance with limited funds. I am not a rabbi or formal educator or anything official, nor is this in any way exhaustive. This is just based on my experiences as a 30ish year old adult who converted Conservative with no prior familial connections to Judaism and did so on a limited budget. I strive for traditional observance and would describe my practice as leaning more traditional egalitarian or Conservadox rather than what is most common for typical Conservative Jews in the US.

Okay? Okay.

Taking up traditional observance on a limited budget

So you're looking into traditional Jewish observance for the first time, either as a reclaimant, baal teshuva, or convert. One of the the first things you probably realized is that this lifestyle - especially the initial startup costs - is expensive. If, like me, you started reeling from the sticker shock but don't want to let that dissuade you out of stubbornness, commitment to Torah, or both, you're probably wondering where to go from here. Here is a list of things that you will need or want for an observant lifestyle that could cost money (some of this may be different based on your community and/or gender):

Ritual use (and practical use) items:

Mezuzot with a kosher klaf inside for each halachic doorway

Shabbat candles and candlesticks

Kiddush cup

Havdalah set

Challah cover

Tzedekah box

Tallit

Tefillin

Handwashing cup (and basin)

Tzniut clothing (this may be incredibly community specific) that is also practical

Tallit katan

A legitimate and covering rain coat

Walking shoes that you're not embarrassed to wear at shul (no really)

Kippot (and any other relevant head coverings, depending on your community)

**Replacing any kitchen utensils, appliances, and dishes that cannot be kashered if you're starting from scratch in keeping kosher, possibly ×2 or even ×3 depending on whether you intend to have a dual kitchen (or a meat, dairy, and pareve set of kitchen items)

Sukkah/building materials and decorations

Lulav & Etrog (these are plants; they are for ritual use but you will need to buy them each year obviously)

Menorah & Chanukah candles

Pesach dishes and kitchen utensils (noted separately because not everything is likely to be able to be kashered over for Pesach from year round) and any additional cleaning and covering items (so much tin foil lol)

Seforim (religious books)

Siddur

Bentcher(s)

Chumash

Tanakh

Practical halacha/practice guides and other basic reference books

Ongoing expenses:

Tzedekah (including special holiday giving such as mishloach manot and extra tzedekah for Purim or maot chitim for Pesach)

Shul membership fees

Kosher food is often more specialized and therefore more expensive, especially Pesach food

Wine or grape juice for Shabbat

Extra food if you're hosting people for Shabbat or potentially to bring to your host's home if you are invited over frequently

Specialized food for holidays (e.g., special fruit on Rosh Hashana, blintzes on Shavuot, brisket or matzah ball soup on Pesach, etc.)

Mikvah costs if you are married, menstruate (or have a spouse who does) and are shomer taharat mishpachat and/or if your community has a tradition of men using the mikvah before, e.g. Shabbat and holidays. Even if you don't need the mikvah for personal reasons, you will still need to pay a fee to immerse for conversion (if relevant) and to toivel any new kitchen items. You will also need bedika cloths for taharat mishpachat.

Housing in an area that allows you to walk to your shul, ideally within an eruv

Day school/Hebrew school if you have kids, and summer camp during the summers

Fees for certain classes and events; especially if you are a convert, you will likely need to pay for an Intro to Judaism course through your shul or at another local shul.

Other things that are extremely helpful, make observant life much easier and more pleasant, may help you fit into your community better, and/or enable more advanced participation, or are just nice to have:

Timers for electronics on Shabbat and Yom Tovim

Light switch covers for Shabbat

Hot water carafe for Shabbat/Yom Tovim

Plata or other type of warmer for Shabbat lunch and/or seudah shlishit

Specific laundry dealibobs (idk what they're actually called) for keeping your tzitzit in good condition

Shabbosdik watch

Shabbos key (especially if you live outside the eruv, but it's good to have for if the eruv goes down anyways)

Light box and/or thrip cloth for bug-checking produce

Bedikat chametz set

Purim costumes

If, like me, you owned exactly zero white clothes before now, you may want to invest in a white outfit for Yom Kippur &/or a kittel

Shofar (if you plan on contributing to your shul that way)

Etrog container and lulav transport bag

Machzor

Haggadot

Aramaic dictionaries for Talmud study

(Depending on the community) some amount of the Talmud

Commentaries

Tikkun

Talpiot

An extra bookshelf for all your Jewish books (not a joke)

Hebrew language classes and learning materials (which are extremely helpful in getting you integrated and up to speed)

This list doesn't even touch on things you might just want, like attractive judaica (hiddur mitzvah), jewelry, Jewish art and decor, etc.

(I also didn't touch on things that are part of major simchas such as bnei mitzvot or weddings, or travel to Israel, or studying in seminary, or other significant but highly specific expenditures that are unfortunately outside the scope of this one layperson's tumblr post)

Oy, that's a lot! This list (with a few exceptions) was generated by me going through everything I've had to invest in over time and ongoing expenses (or that I've had to find a workaround for), or things that are on my list for later when I have the funds.

I'm sure there's plenty I forgot. Where to even start?

Well, the first thing to note is that what I have took seven and a half years (and counting) to obtain, so don't expect to compile this all at once, and don't worry that you'll have to have all that money/resources marshaled up front. It will take time, and that's okay!

The other good news is that while some of this is nice to have, there's a lot that is not immediately (or ever) necessary for most/all folks to personally own, even if it is common for observant folks to own them.

A reality: Sometimes you're going to feel poor, and there will likely be a lot of people in your community who just, won't get it. Sometimes those people are in leadership. Yes this sucks and is sometimes really painful.

A counterbalance to that reality: A lot of people and communities are extremely generous and kind, even if they don't quite get it. Tzedekah is a huge mitzvah, and it is an added bonus for a lot of folks if that tzedakah goes toward enabling another Jew to observe more mitzvot. Hosting is also a major mitzvah. By accepting other people's help and being a guest at their Shabbos table, you are actually doing them a favor by giving them an opportunity to give tzedakah and host. Drill that into your head now, and early; don't be ashamed to ask for and receive help.

Now that I've laid all that out, some general advice. I will follow up later with specifics for each item from the above lists to the best of my ability in a later post.

Skip the judaica store for anything you can get at a thrift store. Candlesticks? Goodwill. B'samim jar? Find a cute container and throw some spices in there. Kiddush cup? Get a cute cup or wine glass at Target.

Start small, and take on one mitzvah at a time. It can be frustrating to have to wait, but it will help you pace yourself in reshaping your lifestyle, which is actually a very good thing. Also, before you take up a particular new mitzvah, learn deeply about it first so that you understand what is actually required, and what is customary (minhag) or stringency (chumra). You may not need the specialty pre-approved [read: more expensive] version of the thing if you know enough of what you're doing.

See if your shul, another nearby shul, or JCC ever has a community rummage sale. If so, check that out for secondhand menorahs, tallitot, siddurim, etc. (If not, consider suggesting that they do to leadership that organizes events or offer to organize it yourself if you're on that committee.) Also check out thrift stores and secondhand bookstores in particularly Jewish areas.

Talk to your rabbi about your needs. Your rabbi may have good suggestions that are specific to your area/community, may have discretionary funds to help, or may know folks who would be willing to pass on extra judaica they don't need.

Your shul may also have items you can borrow. I was able to, for example, borrow a machzor for the high holidays, and borrow a set of tefillin for nearly two years while I saved up for my own set. (And even then, the rabbi helped cover half of the cost from discretionary funds when I did purchase my own set, and was happy to do so.)

Honestly, just borrow whatever books you can until you can get your own. You can do this from your shul, your shul's library if they have one, or even the public library for reference books and certain commentaries. I would buy them in the following order: the siddur your shul uses, a chumash, a Tanakh, and then whatever else you're interested in. Sefaria.org is an incredible free online resource, but you'll want these for Shabbat and Yom Tovim sooner rather than later.

Talk to your rabbi or shul leadership about reduced membership fees, or join a shul that has a pay-what-you-can fee structure.

Look for classes that are free, have a sliding scale fee structure, or scholarships. If you're dead-set on a particular class and it doesn't advertise reduced fees or scholarships based on need, reach out to the organizers and ask. They might not have advertised it, but would be able to ask if someone would sponsor a student or give you ideas of other funds you could apply for.

Keep a wish list updated, and if friends or family are buying you birthday or holiday gifts, ask for important (and specific) items. I recommend an online registry so that you get the specific thing you need/want.

For specialty kosher food, see if your area has a kosher co-op so you can buy for bulk prices. (This is especially helpful for Pesach.)

These are general suggestions, but there's a lot more. Stay tuned!

[empressgeekt]

Barb only let's JD out when it becomes clear that A) he's Char's biological brother (obvious in hindsight he looks just like the kid), B) he hadn't meant any harm and was just an idiot who was happy to reunite with a brother he thought was dead, and C) he was maot definitely NOT the one responsible for the injuries Char had when they'd first found him. He's still on thin ice tho and isn't allowed anywhere near Char without Barb present

Yeah this checks out, Thrash or Barb probably got a blood test just to confirm. However, Barb will not let John infect her little brother with Pop again. thought despite Barb's promise to protect him, I doubt Char will want to be a round John dory for long. He wants nothing to do with anything pop...sadly john can't except that.

[spookydetective]

blorbo from my heaf

[tblsomedoodles]

Is a mix of things that make Dee ignorant to medicine. He has sensory issues for one so the idea of anything to do with blood and the body even ba k then made himself sick and while he doesn't get it he knows medicine involves cleaning icky blood from boo boos and stuff and he'd rather not look at that stuff! The fact Splinter had very little medicine or medical supplies, so he made due for the msot part and tried to make any bandage he had last which isn't thr maot hygienic. And the fact he's a softshell. Being a softshell in and of itself isn't gonna prevent him from understanding medications and injuries bit thw way his family treated him in comparison to his harder shelled siblings did his family was protective of him, to the point he'd be coddled for almost every little step with only Leo treating him relatively normally. As a result of the way they'd treat him like he was made of delicate glass, Donnie rarely e er got more than a scrape.

Yeah, i could see all these things playing a big part in Dee not wanting anything to do with Don's medical care. Plus, on the topic of sensory issues, he could very well not like the texture of the medication either. liquid medication can be thick and weird (and some chalky, if i remember correctly? it's been a while since i've taken liquid medication so i'm not entirely positive.) but, any of those could be something he very much doesn't like.

Thank you!

Not necessarily. Altering clothing is a lot different then creating a stuffy from scratch. (trust me, i can make/alter clothes for cosplay but can't make a stuffed animal to save my life.) So just because he altered a suit to fit him (and who's to say he actually made it well. that suit could be full of hidden mistakes that no one else can see), doesn't mean the Red plush is going to look any less lopsided. He is really trying to make the plush but it doesn't quite work how he planned.

Thank you!

That would be exceptionally adorable and either one would love it immensely.

Thank yoU!

Yes! Which is not something Dee is particularly fond of after getting essentially kidnapped by a mutant cat. Dee eventually gets used to Klunk's presence, even eventually liking him. But at first, i think Dee was kinda afraid of the orange fluff ball.

Thank you!

Thank you! but yeah, there's more! I can't remember if i mentioned this, but he does help with Dee's training a bit. He's retired, so he's not the main teacher (he leaves that to Leo and the other boys) but he will sometimes stop in to help.

Grandpa Splinter is also one of the few people little Dee has never tried to bite (the other being April.) He reminds Dee enough of rise Splints that even when he was meeting him for the first time, he let Splinter pick him up and carry him (much to the shock of all his uncles.)

Thank you!

[hungrydolphin91]

@v-voeux RIGHT so. This is gonna be MASSIVE spoilers for my ongoing post-game Zestiria fic Falling Awake, that one i started over a year ago that Nash made beautiful art of ;_; I still have plans to finish it someday, but currently I'm struggling because there's 11 characters I'm trying to juggle at the same time 😅 not to mention I haven't played zesty in a while, so some the scenes I'm trying to write feel a little stale or unfocused. I WILL come back to it though I SWEAR I wanna finish this story because this premise drives me insane hhhhh

I kinda lied in the fic tags calling it a berzesty crossover because it's much more Zestiria-focused than Berseria, set in zesty post-game in a world where humans can suddenly see both seraphim and hellions which causes lots of problems (not to plug my own work but I would recommend reading what's been posted so far, the text itself can do a much better job emotionally conveying the context than I can here). Mikleo in particular is struggling ('cause that's what we're here for, mikleo angst 😅) because their former group is falling apart over various issues, such as a lack of purification powers/Shepherd and whether it's ethical to kill hellions/dragons since basically no one has the ability to purify them anymore. Mikleo is lonely, desperate, and depressed, but he's still holding out for some kind of long-term solution to the malevolence hidden in the past, when humans and seraphim coexisted.

And while's he's researching he discovers the true nature of a powerful but long-forgotten Empyrean, Innominat, who has been sealed away inside the earthpulse. He takes the steps needed to free him, and is rewarded by being immediately devoured. RIP.

Except the twist is that he fucking planned this. I took the idea of Empyreans being influenced by the souls that are sacrificed to them and ran with it so Mikleo DELIBERATELY fed himself to a god in order to reincarnate as said god (kinda similar to his seraphic rebirth actually), and with the powers of an Empyrean he'd be able to cleanse the land's malevolence himself and Sorey could awaken.

EXCEPT it's not quite enough yet. Innominat is a forgotten Empyrean so no humans are giving him their prayers and therefore he is much weaker than he was in Berseria. So despite Meebominat devouring as much malevolence as he can for now, it's not gonna be enough to really purify anything unless he gets even more powerful.

It's worth noting that up until this point, Mikleo hasn't really done anything amoral yet, other than traumatizing Zaveid who witnessed his 'murder' and letting the others think he's evil 'cause he doesn't expect them to be onboard for his plan. He fights the others when they confront him but he always leaves them alive because he doesn't want to hurt them, he just wants them out of the way. His goal is to find Sorey again and more importantly, Maotelus.

At the same time as Innomeebo's galavanting around and dealing with his angry friends, Sorey and Maotelus wake up because Maotelus has sensed Innominat's awakening and wants to personally stop him. They depart from their own pocket of Earthpulse on borrowed time (not canon compliant but who cares fight me) in order to track him down or at least warn someone that he's a threat, because few alive today even know who he is, much less how dangerous his return is.

A bunch of things I have yet to write happen but ultimately Sorey and Mikleo end up reunited, initially delighted to see each other again until Sorey starts to realize Mikleo's domain is on par with an Empyrean, maybe the exact Empyrean he was looking for actually. Sorey starts to doubt whether he can even trust Mikleo or if this is just Innominat wearing his face to torment him. Meebominat, meanwhile, is arguing firmly that yes, it's really him, and he doesn't have any of Innominat's old evil plans for the world like the Ceremony of Suppression. He really does want to save the world. He just needs to devour Maotelus first-- after all, Maotelus is a part of Innominat, and with their powers combined and consolidated he should be able to purify the world fully.

Cue Sorey's sort of BSOD moment, trying to figure out if this is all a lie, somewhat swayed by the logic of it since Maotelus wouldn't even technically die, he'd just become a part of Innominat like Mikleo already has. But Maotelus absolutely does not want this (picture lil babby Laphicet telling Innomeebo to fuck off) and of course Sorey doesn't want to sacrifice one person, even if it would save the world. But now he's not sure if he has to stop and maybe kill Mikleo to save Maotelus, or if he can actually be reasoned with and saved somehow.

Eventually Sorey gets the idea to solve this problem the way he addressed the last major antagonist he came up against: get to the truth of the matter, using the Earthen Historia. He witnesses for himself what led Mikleo to this point of voluntarily sacrificing himself to gain power, and comes to the heartbreaking conclusion that this is, in fact, pure Mikleo, genuinely asking him to hand over Maotelus so he can eat him.

Again it's worth noting that Mikleo is motivated by more than just loneliness and longing to see Sorey again, although that's a big part of it. He's confident in his own abilities to be in charge and ambitious enough to embrace Empyrean levels of power. He's seen how much the world is suffering and wants to change that and fulfill the dream the two once shared. But Sorey's own words ("My dream will live on, so long as I don't forget,") are part of what inspired him to do this, though twisted through his own lens of desperation, and that's how Sorey realizes Mikleo WILL still listen to him. Mikleo has the power to fight and maybe take Maotelus by force, but he doesn't. Even if he's not consciously aware of it, he's handed over his moral compass to Sorey, and as long as Sorey approved of his actions, they'd all be worth it, no matter who was hurt along the way.

So of course Sorey doesn't approve, because he can't let Mikleo down even though he's begging him to. Mikleo is heartbroken and for a second Sorey worries he might lash out after all, but he doesn't, because Mikleo trusts Sorey more than anything else including himself. He willingly surrenders Innominat's power using the deus ex machina that is Siegfried, all while utterly grieving the eventual parting that's coming, since ultimately nothing has been fixed and Sorey will still have to go to sleep.

And that's the emotional climax of the story, the part that drives me insane every time I reread it 😅 I have ideas for more to follow afterward, hopefully a happier ending because even I hate to leave Mikleo exactly where he started after how far he went to change things, but between the confusing, inconsistent lore of berzesty and the endless possibilities of endings here I am once again overwhelmed. Thanks for reading this far though, I hope my sormik angst was to your taste 😄