#not to mention the question of what is even kosher there

[oversandalyzer]

Imagine being Jewish, Sabbath Observant and waking up on Roshar and having to grapple with them having a 5 day week while you're stuck on a 7 day cycle.

"Hi! I can't work today. Yeah its my rest day. Yes I know it was day 3 last week. Yes it changes weekly. No I can't give you exact dates"

[beekeep]

Saw this post floating around, don’t wanna target anyone or argue with Zionists, but it is my duty (especially as an actually indigenous Jew) to educate well-meaning gentiles who might see this and think they have no right to speak on the matter. I’ll go point by point.

1) “Is it so terrible for a Jew to be a Zionist?”

If we were living in any other era, where the genocidal crimes of Israel were not as widely known (though they were very well documented), you could perhaps ask this question in sincerity. Many Jews (such as myself) grow up in religious educational settings which either fail to mention the human rights violations of the state or claim they’re justified because “they want to kill us!” Past a certain point, though, one can’t continue to claim ignorance of what Zionism actually does. Short answer: yes, it is terrible for anyone to claim to be a Zionist, but this will be more evident as I continue to analyze these arguments.

2) “Zionism is the belief in the inherent right of the Jewish people to return to their homeland”

First of all, Palestine is not the “homeland” of the Jewish people any more than Siberia is the homeland of indigenous american tribes. Is there a historical connection? Yes, but though assimilation and migration Jews have found homes across the world. For me, my homeland is Mexico, because my family has lived there for generations, partly through migration but mostly through having cultivated the land for millennia. Even biblically speaking, Palestine does not “belong” to the Jewish people, it belongs to G-d. Furthermore, there is no shortage of Jewish scholarship and activism that asserts that wherever we live, that is our homeland. Frankly, I’m more interested in fighting to stay where I am than fighting to force people out of their homes to accommodate me.

3) “Zionism is the belief in the Jewish right not to be murdered”

By murdering others instead? Once again, there is no shortage of Jewish scholarship and activism in favor of Jewish self defense where we live. Jewish resistance fighters lived and died fighting the nazis in Europe under the third reich. If Zionism was actually interested in preventing Jewish death, it would fight antisemitism where it is. “Preventing murder” is not an excuse to commit genocide.

4) “there are so many definitions of Zionism”

Sorry but I just think of this tweet from @jewdas on Twitter when I read this: “There’s a actual existing Zionism which practices apartheid and denial of human rights. But there’s another Zionism inside my head which is all rainbows and kosher marshmallows, so who can say which is the real Zionism?” In other words, the actual, material consequences of Zionist beliefs are more important than what any individual thinks their Zionism is. Once again, we live in the Information Age, where anyone can easily learn about the damage that Zionism has done in Palestine and abroad. There is no excuse to continue using the label that doesn’t presuppose complete ignorance of Israeli violence.

5) “zionists just want to be safe from antisemitism in the diaspora”

See points 3 & 4.

6) “and this is different from evangelical zionists”

Materially speaking, not really. Once again, see point 4. Until you pull all US/european colonial support for Israel, this claim falls flat.

7) “zionists just want to live peacefully with other indigenous people in the area”

That’s not what indigeneity is, it doesn’t mean “from there,” it’s a specific relationship to the land and to its cultivation. (On a side note, even biblically and historically speaking, Jews are not “from” Palestine.) See point 2. Zionism has proven it is not a peaceful ideology. See point 4.

8) “people refuse to see the difference in types of Zionism because they hate the Jews”

No, it’s because there are no material differences. See point 4. Evangelical Zionism and Jewish Zionism actually share quite a bit in common. The “Jewish state” would not exist without evangelical Zionists. See point 6. And the original Jewish Zionist thinkers had a vested interest in tying the two together.

tl;dr, Zionism is a violent ideology in practice, and no amount of making excuses can hide the fact that it is genocidal and serves European/American interests. Additionally, just because one is not Jewish does not mean one does not have a duty and an obligation to eliminate Zionism wherever it crops up. Zionism has had disastrous consequences for Palestinians, and as western citizens, we benefit from their suffering. It must end now. May Palestine be freed in our lifetimes.

[copperbadge]

I guess you probably get asked why you’re converting a lot but I still want to ask,

I dunno, I don't think I really get asked all that much, to be honest. Usually when I do it's like -- I mention I'm converting to a Jewish person and they'll be like "Getting married?" and I'll explain I'm not, which does necessitate an additional explanation.

It's difficult to vocalize, which is interesting because it has really very little to do with faith, and that's usually the most difficult part of discussing any conversion, I think. Often I'll just say, "I heard a call". Which is actually a rather Christian way of putting it, but I think it's probably the easiest way to explain, especially in a heavily Christian culture.

I had...I don't want to call it religious trauma exactly because compared to most people I know who exited Christianity, it wasn't traumatic -- I was just raised in Christianity and had trouble buying the faith in the various ways it was presented to me, and there's a certain type of ardent Christian who comes at you hard if you're in their church asking awkward questions. A few encounters with some egregious megachurches in my youth left a bad taste in my mouth, so in my twenties I really wanted nothing to do with religion and didn't have the time or energy anyway -- I wasn't actively anti-religion, just disinterested.

But in my thirties I had to ask myself, do I wish to be part of a faith community? And once I'd decided that despite being pretty heavily agnostic I did want that in my life, I had to decide what I wanted it to look like. There are churches within many branches of Christianity that are fine, and there are whole branches that are fine too, but I kept tripping over my disinterest in Jesus. I did almost become a Quaker but although I really like a lot of the Friends' attitudes towards social justice and I enjoyed silent Meeting, it eventually didn't feel quite right for me (the Quakers in my life refer to me as "Friend-ly"). I looked into Zen Buddhism but didn't click with it in quite the way I'd hoped.

Judaism didn't feel perfect, but unlike other faiths, after several years of study I have yet to reach a point where it feels "not for me" in the way the others did after a few months; even when I struggle with some aspects, instead of saying "I don't think this is it" I dig deeper, and Judaism is a place where you can just...keep digging. I like the sense of history, I like the idea that you can argue not only with other Jews but with the divine itself and maybe even win; I don't like arguing but I like that the option is there, which it never was in my Christian confirmation classes. I like the way Judaism frames community and family, I like the emphasis on scholarship and exploration. I've had to unlearn a lot of weird Christian and atheist attitudes about the Torah, but that's been educational too. Ancient cultures have always interested me and Judaism is sometimes the practice of actively conversing with ancient history that has been incredibly preserved but not calcified. I like that I can be an agnostic Jew if I so choose, once I finish conversion.

(Sometimes I joke, "Eh, I'm not really a huge fan of pork, either, so it's an excuse not to eat pork chops," but that's a joke for very specific company. I don't keep kosher or plan to, but I like that there is an option to show one's devotion through acts of nourishment, and that food is always such a huge part of Jewish ritual. And I like Jewish food.)

There is something in me that reacts to Jewish storytelling -- the fear and fasting of Esther, discourse on the sacrifice of Isaac, grumpy Rabban Gamliel from the Talmud, even the history of the Piazza Alla Cinque Schole when I stumbled into it in Rome. I didn't care particularly about the story of Moses when I learned it as a child, but I sniffle at the parting of the Red Sea in Prince of Egypt every damn time. Not even because of the miracle! I'm simply moved by the vision of a people going to freedom, scared but going, protecting each other and singing as they go.

Anyway. I'm in a conversation with Judaism that isn't over yet, and either eventually I'll reach a point where it ends, or I'll convert and be in this conversation the rest of my life. Kind of fun not to know yet which it will be.

[prismatic-bell]

ok so this is less a zionism question and more one related to judaism as a whole, but: the hebrew calendar is currently in the year 5784, yeah? but of course, that doesn't necessarily mean jewish history is necessarily over five thousand years old- jesus's birth precedes christianity in its current form by at least a couple of centuries.

but here's the thing- one post, whose actual content i don't recall, happened to mention that jewish history is three thousand years old. This is where my question gets specific enough so that you'd be able to answer it in a tumblr ask.

you see, the author of one of my favourite books of all time, Sun Tzu, is rumored to have served under Hu Lu of the Wu kingdom, which would put his life at about 500-400 b.c.e. Did judaism exist during that time? could Sun Tsu have credibly met a rabbi in his lifetime (ignoring the Huge distance between the levant and china, of course)?

(also, i know like. Very Little about the history of that area so sorry if my question is stupid or offensive in some way. was the Temple already built there and stuff? were there already people keeping kosher? that sort of stuff)

So let’s start here: that post is incorrect. It’s closer to 3500 years, and the reason it’s not more than that is because before that we were still Canaanites. (Torah claims we defeated the Canaanites. The truth is more like “we were a small sect of Canaanites who out-babied all the other Canaanites.”)

As for whether Sun Tzu could have met a rabbi…no, but not because we weren’t around then. Sun Tzu’s life falls smack in the middle of the return to Jerusalem; Judea had an extremely small population at this point (the whole country is estimated at no more than 30,000 people, with only a single city—Jerusalem), but it did exist as a Jewish nation under Persian rule. We were very much around. But rabbinic Judaism—which is the modern form of Judaism, and what people usually mean when they say “Judaism”—didn’t exist until after the fall of the Temple in 70CE led to the end of blood sacrifice, and the beginnings of the concept of what we today call “rabbis” didn’t exist until the mid-100s BCE. We do have some men older than that who we call “rabbi” sometimes in modern discussion, but this isn’t any kind of official title—it’s more a mark of respect for their great wisdom and learning (like having an honorary doctorate degree). Far more commonly, these men are called the sages, or were kings.

That isn’t to say there’s no chance of Sun Tzu having met influential figures in Judaism, however. Torah was first being written down right around the time he lived, and it so happens that a lot of Jews were in Babylon at the time. Depending on how far he traveled (if he did), he could absolutely have met some of the Jewish figures codifying Torah and the Mishnah, and since some of our earliest fragments of Torah are written on papyrus rather than parchment, it’s even possible he read portions of it. This is doubly true because Israel-Judea is a linchpin between three separate continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia-by-way-of-the-south (nobody was crossing the Alps in 400BCE). That’s why our particular patch has been so fought over throughout history—for most of history, he who controlled Jerusalem controlled international trade. Could some of our writings have been included in a trade headed east? Absolutely. It wouldn’t even be that weird for a few stray copies to have not survived—keeping in mind how many more forms of media and record we have today than we’ve had throughout history, and how much easier it is to make those records, it is still estimated that over 99% of all media and records made in human history are permanently lost. Yeah, totally, Sun Tzu could’ve been like “are there wise men in these western countries? Bring me their writings” and read them and gone “huh, neat, I’ll have to think about that” and then because his scrolls got eaten by bugs and he didn’t use MLA format nobody would ever know. It’s extremely likely that’s happened with many writings from many places throughout history. And yes—it’s equally possible that a few stray Jews became merchants or great travelers and made their way to China and we don’t know because their publicity agents sucked. That is, unfortunately, the case with most of history. We find half a dozen puzzle pieces from a picture we know must contain at least five thousand pieces and we’ve got to reconstruct what it looked like and hope a seventh piece turns up somewhere. So is it likely Sun Tzu met Jews? Not at all. Is it impossible? Absolutely not.

Now as for what Jews were doing at the time…first, I’m going to say the idea that ancient Jews all did exactly as Torah said to do all the time is a lovely fairy tale. I think those of us who did most of our study of the ancient world in sixth grade during our Egypt phases tend to forget that then as now, people were people everywhere you went, and “the [insert ancient race here] people believed ________” is a convenient oversimplification. There would have been varying degrees of observance just like there are today, and I suspect that’s even more true in the peasant class; you’re not making your kids go hungry so you can sacrifice an expensive calf. But this WAS the period when we started getting a unified “this is what we are supposed to do, here, we wrote it down for you” practice, so here are some examples:

1) this is the period when the Jewish pantheon—yes, that was a thing—got collapsed into a single god, the one we now call the One G-d, Adonai. (Yes, the one with the Y-name, no, I’m not saying it.) This is why in some portions of Torah G-d is referred to as Elohim—El was originally another god. The “im” ending is a plural.

2) the rules of Temple sacrifice were formally codified. This isn’t to say it was a free-for-all before this time, but your options were…squishier, so to speak.

3) THE RULES OF KASHRUUUUUUUUUT this is when all of that stuff got written down and formalized. Before this things like not eating pork would have existed, but they would have been more of a cultural taboo than a religious law. This probably reflects why some parts of kashrut, or kosher, laws are so weird in Torah. Like—it tells you some birds are kosher and some aren’t, but it’s super vague on which is which. That makes a lot more sense if “everybody knew” what was and wasn’t taboo. Sort of like how if you open a cookbook and see a recipe asking for two eggs you automatically look for a chicken, not a goose.

4) a lot of laws just didn’t exist yet, or didn’t exist in their modern form. For example, the law against mixing meat and dairy at this point applied only to mammals, and it referred only to how it was cooked. You couldn’t cook an animal in its own mother’s milk. If the ancient Judeans had had ancient chicken alfredo, that would’ve been fine. The rabbis of Talmud (by that point they were actual rabbis) expanded this law due to a superseding law whose name I can’t remember at the moment but the idea of that law is “don’t do anything that could look like you’re breaking Jewish law even if you’re not.” Since you can’t necessarily tell what a meat is without tasting it, or what kind of milk a dairy product has come from without tasting it, the expanded law says “just don’t eat meat and dairy together at all, it looks bad.” Other laws that exist now but didn’t then include the creation of an eruv and all laws surrounding Chanukkah, which celebrates events that didn’t occur until the 300s.

So TL; dr: yes, in theory Sun Tzu could have met Jews, or at least read our earliest writings; the Temple existed (although at that precise moment in time it was very small and not at all grand); and the laws of Judaism-as-we-know-it were just being formalized after a thousand years of oral tradition, so we were doing some stuff and not other stuff.

[oneknightstand-if]

FAQ

(That I just made up because there's no time for questions yet)

446,000 words for the first chapter?!?

(Damn, Tumblr insists on blowing up even small gifs into full size, huh)

I know, I know... that's not going to be sustainable unless we're aiming for the first 6 million word release in history. I'll be streamlining things more from this point onwards.

Is this a standalone or the first book of a series?

It's a series. The first book One Knight Stand will keep going until we finally complete that Lesser Circle of Seven (or die trying) but the apocalypse won't be over yet.

What is with all these wikipedia links in the game?

So I was going to have tooltips that popped up and explained things such as 'greaves' and whatnot like Twine games do… but oops, Choicescript doesn't have that capability. The closest I could do is include a link to a website that explained it.

I decided that wikipedia had the best chance of still being available years from now and have handy explanations to most things I was referencing (so I wouldn't have to chase after broken links when sites go down forevermore).

And then I just started running amok and linking to anything that the player might not know offhand. If you already understand the reference or have no further interest in it, please feel free to just ignore them.

How can I see the code for the game?

You can view the game code on my site the same way you do on Dashingdon just add /scenes to the end of the URL.

Do I need to know anything about King Arthur, Camelot, or random arthurian lore to play this game?

No, you don't need to know anything about it.

You can spend the whole game going "Who is Arthur? What's a Camels-a-lot? What am I even doing here?" as a legit strategy. (You can even play that way if you actually do know stuff about arthuriana.)

If you choose to be an in-game lore expert, it just means your MC is as likely to give an explanation as one of the other characters. However, anything important that the player needs to know will come up in the game itself.

You can also ask the other characters for info dumps on Camelot... and boy, will some of them give you (completely skippable) lore dumps all right.

Hey, this stuff that Merlin's saying about Camelot doesn't jive with what I know!

Maybe that's the difference between what canonically happened in One Knight Stand's backstory. Or maybe Merlin is just gaslighting you.

What's going on with Merlin's pronouns?

If Merlin's pronouns don't fit with the gender that you've chosen for them within the MC's speech or internal narrative, then that's a coding error (please report it).

If another character (say a little girl who's convinced that Merlin is Elsa) is using different pronouns for Merlin than what's expected, then that's simply how that other character is currently perceiving Merlin.

But what pronouns does Merlin prefer?

Merlin doesn't care what human pronouns you use for them. Out-of-universe I'll be using they/them for simplicity's sake (same reason I'll be using 'incubus' instead of typing incubus/succubus the entire time).

What's up with all of Merlin's kaomoji in their text messages and e-mails?

They're a fifth-century mage who's been sealed away for 1500 years... they're *trying*.

 m(✿￣ｰ￣)m plz understand

Why are there so many Merlin questions in this FAQ?

I don't know, it just ended up that way. Probably because they show up in Chapter 1 and have a rather... complex... situation that needs warnings attached to it.

(✿≖ᴗ≖ )ゞ "Naturally, I'm simply the most intriguing member of this party."

Are all RO's available to all MC's?

Your MC won't be blocked from a romance due to gender or sexuality. At most you'll get a passing mention if you're not the gender that the RO usually dates.

There are certain *other* mitigating factors, however... for example not all RO's are going to be kosher with the Serial Killer MC (especially if said MC won't knock off with all the killings).

Also there is one modern day RO that is incompatible with a certain Camelot MC background.

Is there a lock-in point for romances?

No, there will be several points where you can initiate and break-off relationships with the various RO's (and know that the RO's can take take those on and off-ramps just the same as the MC).

You can also romance another character after breaking up with your current RO... but that's going to get tougher and tougher the more you do that.

Can we start a romance in Book 1?

Romances will proceed at a different pace depending on who your MC is romancing (and also on your MC themselves). For example Adrian will be friendzoning you through most of Book 1 for... reasons. Meanwhile, potential sex scene with Merlin in Chapter 3 if you're feeling particularly horny.

Do I need to romance someone to take part in their personal subplot?

No, you just need to be "close" to someone, either platonically, romantically, or otherwise to take part in their subplot. You'll also need to actually be physically present (which will not always be possible for everyone at the same time).

Is there any poly?

In the series, yes, but not in the first book One Knight Stand, as forming the triad will require developing a certain level of trust and loyalty between all three members. And right now everyone is too busy side-eying each other in suspicion at this point.

Thus, since the poly options won't appear until Book 2, saying who is involved would be a *spoiler* since it indicates who'll actually still be available for romance later in the series.

In general, there are three triads that will be available... one is male/male/MC, one is female/female/MC, and one is male/female/MC. Note that there is some overlap in the characters potentially involved in various triads since only a couple of the ROs are interested in this sort of thing.

What about options for flings and friends with benefits--

*points to Merlin*

So... Merlin the incubus as an RO. Can they be romanced monogamously? Can they be romanced asexually?

You can indeed romance Merlin and have them be emotionally monogamous to you as the partner they will always return to while everyone else is a (literal) snack.

But they can't be physically monogamous with the MC. They need to eat and being Merlin's sole food source would literally kill the MC in two weeks or less.

In fact, romanced Merlin is even more likely to seek out other food sources just to make certain that the MC is safe with them and that they won't get too hungry and accidentally eat your soul.

Merlin's nature as an incubus means their sexuality is highly integral to them, and while they will reflect back what their partner wants/needs from them, they are not naturally romantic. Basically if you're not having sex with them, then a high affinity MC is defaulting back to platonic friends.

These are things that are definitely going to be brought up in-game if you try to initiate a long-term romance with Merlin.

Will any other RO have problems with an asexual romance?

Nope, sex can be entirely avoided with all the other RO's, just choose the snuggle options instead of the sex options.

How explicit are we talking here regarding sex scenes?

You'll have the choice between fade to black and something rather more explicit but not full-blown porn. If anything rated higher than that gets included as a DLC option (not part of the base game) will depend upon how much (if any) interest there is in that sort of thing.

Can I romance the saboteur?

You can certainly *think* you are! (Note: This is not recommended for your MC's longevity)

Can I romance the 404 Error?

You can certainly *try*. (You actually have a better chance here than with the actual saboteur.)

Can I romance the dude in the elevator, that random paramedic, or some stranger walking down the street?

( ⓪ ᴗ ⓪ )

So there's only one traitor, right?

There may actually potentially be more than one depending on the MC's actions. But there's always that one particular saboteur present despite whatever else the MC may do.

Will the gender of my past Camelot reincarnation be the same as the one I've chosen in game?

No, there's no connection between your MC's current and past gender (or really their current and past *anything* since they're basically an entirely different person now).

There are four different backgrounds available for the Camelot reincarnation, 2 male and 2 female, so if you end up with a past incarnation you don't like at the end of the game, you can replay for one more suitable to your tastes.

Who are the potential past incarnations of the MC?

That's for you to find out! (No really, this is one of the major subplots of the game).

What is with all these grayed-out options?

Options will be grayed out if they conflict with a previous choice the player made if you haven't fulfilled the prerequisites for unlocking them.

An example would be the "I'm lying about my amnesia" option not being selectable if you didn't chose to have amnesia in the first place. (The exception right now is the fencing & book club choices... I just haven't written those routes yet).

If nearly *all* the options have been grayed out, then usually that's triggered by your fear or vice kicking in or because your MC is literally possessed (Congratulations!). You may want to work on that.

I'm here for the story and not for the trauma… what background choices are least likely to spectacularly blow up in my face later?

In that case, I'd suggest the Lab Technician job, the Imposter secret, Abandoned or Abused as your childhood, Lust as your vice if you're not planning to pursue a long-term relationship with a RO (Sloth if you are), either Heights, Snakes, Spiders, or Closed Spaces as your phobia, avoiding Luck as your talent & avoiding the Internet as your addiction, and finally having Adrian as your close friend.

Not saying that you can't make other choices during the game that'll set you on the path to Hard Mode, but these background choices have the mildest potential repercussions.

I want the full spectacular clusterf*ck experience here! What background should I choose?

The Wrath (Vice), Accident (Childhood), and Serial Killer (Secret) combo is always f̴u̸n̷. The "Lying about my amnesia" secret is also it's own brand of mindtrip as well.

Also, some other options include starting off as a Security Guard as your career, with Fear Itself as your phobia (blood or death are also 'good' options), Luck as your talent, the Internet as your addiction, and of course Adrian as your stalker because obviously we don't need any good relationships to fall back on when playing Among Us.

What is going on with the "lying about your amnesia" option?

What indeed.

If you don't like meta fourth wall breaks or otherwise heavily self insert, you might not want to choose that as your secret.

My MC's skin is pretty dark, is that demonic-bruise thing actually going to be seeable?

Since the bruise being perceivable is an important plot point, then no matter how dark your MC's skin is, that bruise is darker still even if has to become the abiding abyss of a black hole to do so. (I even described it as a black hole in some routes to cover my posterior.)

My MC is intrigued by this agenda of demonic conquest & people-eating and would like to subscribe to their newsletter. Can I join the other side?

Well... there's certainly some Dead Ends where you can do that!

Screw all these people and this forced quest! My MC wants to leave the group and this plot behind.

You can certainly do that. You'll die (since your MC is currently on the top of several different 'Kill on sight' lists), but you can do it.

At some point the MC will be strong enough that they can split from the group and frolic off into their own nonstandard ending adventures in the apocalyptic world while everyone else deals with the whole apocalypse plot thing. But you're nowhere near that point yet.

So the MC can die prematurely here, huh.

Yep, this game is horror-adjacent and you're being given a hundred save slots for a reason. I'll be inputting checkpoints as well once we come to that part. Hopefully Choice of Games will start allowing normal save points in the near future.

Also, please note that all the Dead Ends include clues towards the truth of what's going on here that may otherwise not be knowable, so they're not complete wastes of time. Also, they all give Achievements.

What is a Cloudcuckoolander etc?

Please see this post for all your cloudcuckoolander needs.

What is going on with the Changeling MC?

Please see this post for all your changeling needs.

OMG, what the hell is this monstrosity that is Merlin's Guide to Arthurian Lore?

We're playing Among Us/Werewolf/Mafia/etc here. You aren't getting any word-of-god lore directly from me. That'd be too easy.

All info about the One Knight Stand world will be filtered through the natural biases (and lies) of the characters involved in the game. Hence, Merlin's Guide to Arthurian Lore.

Feel free to read or ignore, as you like. (Also feel free to text Merlin back and tell them exactly what you think of that doorstop.)

So Why 'Among Us' in the description?

Obviously, it can't be officially marketed like that, but I thought that would be the most popularly recognized description for this type of situation.

I also considered using the OG Mafia or Werewolf instead, but I thought that might've confused people into thinking that there are actual gangsters and werewolves present in the game.

About those werewolves...

No comment.

Are there any guides available?

Here's a link to various guides & info posts available on the Choice of Games thread.

Escaping the Monster Under the Bed

Getting Excalibur Shards

Gaining/Avoiding Corruption

Potential Past Incarnations

Saving & Getting Pippa Killed

Potential Camelot Incarnations

My save slots keep getting stuck in the Status Menu! (or any of the submenus associated with it such as Messages/Inventory/etc)

Unfortunately, that's a common problem with Dashingdon games or any games that use the smPlugin.js save system (like One Knight Stand). You can't save the game directly after checking the stats menu (or any of the submenus associated with the stats menu such as Messages, Inventory, menu). If you do, that save will be permanently stuck in the stats menu for good.

So you either have to...

Save the game before checking the stats menu

After checking the stats menu move the game forward by at least one screen before saving. That means picking an option, hitting the 'Next' button or whatever is currently available in that particular game.

What the hell is going on with Gawain in Merlin's Guide to Arthurian Lore?

So, while I was plotting out One Knight Stand and deciding which version of Arthurian lore would be taken as the "truth" of the OKS world, I looked at Gawain and his five million wives and lovers (because if you were going to create a female OC back then, high probability she's shacking up with Gawain) and then I decided, yes, I'm going to make all of them canon.

The yandere. The other yandere. The one who dosed him with aphrodisiacs. That one who died of heartbreak because he couldn't figure out how to get back to her castle. The cursed baba yaga.

Merlin's cursed ex-lover. [insert Merlin screeching in the background about not having done any such thing] The fairy daughter of Morgana... and that other fairy... and this fairy too.

All of them.

Good luck, Gawain.

[magnetothemagnificent]

Ok a bit of an oddball question for you. Feel free to ignore this it’s pretty asinine outside of creative discussion.

Would Jewish Vampires have any wards like Christo vampires do?

For context my partner is in the very beginning steps of his conversion and so Judaism is on his mind a lot. I have just a goofy little story that I’m never going to do anything with about a hive of five vampires in which I introduce the concept of “Old World” Vampires. Which is essentially the idea that vampires that predate Christianity would have no reason to be affected by any of the traditional Christian wards you’d see in media such as crosses and holy water.

We were talking and he mentioned that one tumblr post where someone asked their rabbi how a Jewish vampire could keep Kosher and that it would be interesting if vampires from different religions would be effected negatively by symbols from their own religion. So a Jewish vampire unable to walk into a household with a Mezuzah.

I debated that the idea of vampires being punished by religious symbols in the first place is very based in soley Christianity and the idea that even Athiests do actually know deep down that Christianity is the one truth and therefore are applicable to Gods punishment. So that’s why vampires are affected by religious symbols because it’s from the point of view that nonbelievers are secretly hateful theists. Therefore it wouldn’t make sense for a Jewish vampire who was raised to not fear ultimate judgement and sin in their religion not to have any negative reaction to the symbols of such.

What are your thought’s?

(Also just wanted to put that as a Goy with no desire to convert currently, I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable writing a Jewish Vampire due to how based in antisemitism the original concept of Vampires themselves are. But I thought it would be an interesting theological discussion and my partner has me curious.

I think it's important to understand that the cultural idea of vampires being repelled by Christian paraphernalia is directly due to antisemitism and antiziganism. Vampires in European were often metaphors for Jews and Romani people, two groups of people who were associated with non-Christian culture and everything anti-Christian, and outsiders who blended in with "normal" society. So you have to understand that the only reason vampires in pop-culture are repelled by Christian objects is because vampires were the personification of Jews and Romani people, who were seen as the cultural anti-Christ.

Now that we've unpacked that, let's discuss what vampires are in Jewish folklore and what they're repelled by.

Vampires in Jewish mythology and folklore become vampires not by being bitten by another vampire, but from regular humans just happening to become vampires by being possessed by a malevolent spirit. Humans succeptible to becoming vampires after death had extra measures taken as burial, such as stuffing the mouth with dirt. There are also many different kinds of vampires in Jewish folklore.

The way vampires are repelled in Jewish folklore is similar to how demons are repelled- since pregnant people are most susceptible to being targetted by vampires, amulets were often worn by pregnant people to protect against all kinds of malevolent forces. Once a vampire was encountered, it could be killed just like a human- stabbed or decapitated, and humans suspected of being vampires were buried with dirt in their mouth. Vampires in Judaism aren't areligious, regular people could be vampires and partake in Jewish life, so religious iconography wouldn't really repell vampires.

Demons, however, could be repelled by children learning Torah, but vampires are just....scary creatures that prey on vulnerable people. Nothing about them is anti-Jewish, so Jewish symbols wouldn't repell them.

I think you have to understand that your perception of vampires and how they're repelled is deeply influenced by Christian European ideas about vampires. Many cultures around the world have ideas similar to vampires, like Judaism, but they're not exactly the same. So the idea that religious iconography repells vampires is rooted in Christianity, and thus doesn't apply to vampires in Judaism.

I think in order to understand how vampires "work" in Judaism and Jewish folklore, you need to stop thinking about vampires in the context of Christian European vampires.

[intersectionalpraxis]

Please use your platform to bring awareness to this. It's more rampant than the abuse in Catholic churches but not talked about half as much.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/qbe8bp/the-child-rape-assembly-line-0000141-v20n11

⚠️heavy tw for ALL articles and content here- sexual violence, rape, details of abuse and pedophilia⚠️

To be transparent, I have not read as many stories and articles about Rabbi's and figures of authority/in devout sects in Jewish communities disproportionately sexually abusing and violating children of their faith as much as I have about those in the Catholic church, so I had to do a little bit of reading into this since I wanted to know more/and didn't want to approach this without looking into it beyond surface-level/superficially. I still have more to learn about, and I can always re-address this in future posts as well.

After looking into the article you sent, in addition to some of the sources I discovered -I saw that a lot of these sexual abuse, predation, and exploitation of young children is happening mostly in what would be considered 'ultra-Orthodox' spaces (although we some of the cases I highlighted below, that's not always the case -but as noted in the beginning, yes, this is where it is most rampant) -in this respect, in terms of 'reported' -it is similar to the Catholic church -a lot of this is under/un-reported for various reasons, including stigmatization and internalizations of shame, but also because abusers are continuously supported and victims and survivors of sexual abuse are often silenced.

In the case of New York's (Brooklyn's) Haredi Community, for instance, which I briefly read about -even when sexual abuse from Rabbi's was reported -many were still unable to come forward due to some of the reasons I mentioned (as well as with fears of reprisal) -but especially because Rabbi's in this space are the one's you're supposed to 'talk to'/consult with before going to the police to document your allegations... and the fact that these sex predators would only be moved to another space or re-assigned in their religious circles or wouldn't get punishment in the first place even if they were charged at first or brought in for questions -just like all rapists in the world who are too often NEVER penalized for their crimes -they're protected. It's just absolutely horrendous.

So truly, as you can see, there are many elements that would prevent victims and survivors of abuse to talk about what happened to them, as this is in many cases globally because of rampant rape culture -not believing those who experienced sexual violence, to victim blaming and shaming -and adding in elements of religion -especially those within devout sects. It's all incredibly heartbreaking.

Here are some notable cases I found through a wiki source -and again, TW similar to above before reading please:

And a recent case I found, as well as a recent article talking about the rise of sexual abuse in the Orthodox community:

I also found a Literature Review on this topic -I will try to explore some time soon:

Thank you for bringing awareness to this, and for sending this article my way. I don't know how many people this will reach or how many folks will look into/research more about the systemic sexual violence and abuse rampant and evident in some Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities/spaces, but this is important to talk about because NO victim and/or survivor of sexual abuse and violence should ever feel shame, stigma, or fear for talking about their experiences. They should never feel alone. And I hope more is done to stop this from happening to so many children and youths.

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

I saw your reblog+tags and I'm curious: how does one play Minecraft with a Jewish twist? :0

Basically, I'm trying to play in a way that corresponds to Halakha (Jewish law), which for now mainly involves trying to simulate Shekhita (Kosher slaughter). I did a lot of research on the requirements for the type of blade (called Khalaf or Sakin Hashekhita depending on who you ask) as well as how it must be used and concluded that only a diamond or netherite sword with sharpness V was suitable for slaughtering a cow (as they deal 10 and 11 damage respectively and a cow has 10 health and it Must be a one hit kill to be kosher, additionally it cannot be a critical hit as that might count as excessive force which is forbidden).

There is so much fun to be had around Kashrut (the dietary laws) in Minecraft. Did you know you're not allowed to eat fruit from a tree until it is three years old? Thus, I can only eat apples from oaks that have existed for 36 lunar cycles (3*12 months).

I've tried playing with "must keep Shabbat" but honestly it's very annoying to once every 7th ingame day just not be able to do basically anything. Pretty much everything that can be done in Minecraft is prohibited on Shabbat, including Mining and Crafting. You can maybe go explore, but you can't take anything with you or pick up anything, or make plans for what to do after Shabbat with what you find, and you can only go by foot, which I think means you're not breaking the prohibition travel, but I'm not sure, I need to look into it. It's possible that enchanting would be allowed if you reaaally stretch the concept and try to define it as studying, which is encouraged on Shabbat. Anyway I'm currently ignoring the Shabbat part because it's annoying to keep track and there's nothing you can really do. (Not to mention if you want to properly observe Shabbat you do so with meals which in Minecraft means you need to fast all week to be hungry enough to eat several meals.)

Once I get a bit more set up I really hope to create some redstone thing at spawn that will count the days for me so I can incorporate holidays. Maybe. It would be fun to build a Sukka (hut) for Sukkot (holiday when you build and live in a hut for a week) in Minecraft, but I might end up just going by the real world calendar to make sure I have time to really celebrate ingame (especially since lunar cycles are 8 days in Minecraft which means I'll have barely any time between holidays, Sukkot alone would take up a whole month).

It's basically a fun roleplay twist and as a bonus I get to research and learn about different Mitzvot (commandments) and Minhagim (traditions) before I'm able to meet a rabbi and incorporate them into my own real life. I love learning about Halakha and Judaism and I love any excuse to ask all the silly questions about it. Like earlier today a friend and I were arguing about whether a gun that shoots blades could be used for kosher slaughter! Judaism is so great and appealing to my autism like it has probably the world's largest collection of commentary upon commentary about how to interpret the rules and what does it all mean and I could spend the rest of my life learning about it and while there are disagreements there's bound to be some answer to any question I have about an ambiguity of a rule and oh my autistic little heart.

But there's some stuff I don't feel comfortable doing yet, even in game, because they feel too important and exclusive to real Jews, such as Tzitzit (knotted strings that are attached to certain articles of clothing) on my Minecraft skin, though I drew on a kipa (traditionally a round flat little hat worn by men) because it is only a Minhag (tradition) and not a Mitzva (commandment) and I wear one in real life. I've been considering making a Mezuza (little container put on doorposts containing an important prayer and marked with the letter ש, it is a Minhag to kiss it when you pass it) by writing the Shema (the aforementioned prayer) in a book and putting the book in a barrel next to the door and then putting a button on the barrel and pressing it to kiss it and open the door, but it might also fall into this category and might have to wait until I'm further in my conversion.

Anyway thanks for listening to me infodump about Judaism, it will happen again. Also there are 613 Mitzvot in the Torah and countless more in rabbinical texts, just so you don't think I'm even scratching the surface here. This is a brief summary of scratching the surface. In Minecraft.

[nichenarratives]

Hurricane Heller 15

A Niche Narratives Fanficiton.

last | first | next

[tw for: period typical anti-semitism, anti-semitic terrorism, mentions of ww1]

15. Chag Sameach

Of all the months in the year, Mordecai despises December. Not only is it unbearably cold for a short haired feline, but it's also the time of year that complete strangers feel the need to wish one another holiday greetings for a celebration he does not acknowledge, bid for charity, or generally put their noses where they don't belong. While such behaviour does lead to an increased interrogator workload, the anticipated flush of funds is swiftly swallowed by increased electricity or coal and wood costs, leaving him exhausted and miserable, with very little to show for his efforts.

However, with the United States' continued involvement with ongoing disputes in Eurasia, such restrictions would worsen swiftly; food, electric and fuel shortages plague the poorer sectors of the city, while continued contractions in economic growth and massive inflation raise domestic prices for what remains available. Despite hating the cold, Mordecai stops purchasing coal for the fire and rations what he has left, his home practically an icebox that wilts his plants and tests his immune system on a daily basis. 

All high calorie or shelf-stable food, especially wheat, meat and fatty foods, are harshly rationed so excess can be sent to the frontline. Kosher meat in particular gets increasingly more difficult to source, leading to a restricted diet of soups or broths that do little to warm or fill his stomach. He loses weight and has to layer numerous blankets to sleep at night, though often nods off in the warmer launderette back room due to restless nights as frost gathered along the windowsill.

Despite being willing to do his duty for a country that openly despises his people, Mordecai is swiftly removed from the conscription pool due to severe myopathy, instead watching his neighbourhood become almost a ghost town overnight. As one of the few remaining men, a cluster of those deemed too sickly or disabled to serve, he's highly aware glares and quiet remarks questioning his patriotism follow him down the street, but that's the least of his concerns.

It's never been more dangerous to walk the streets openly sporting a kippah or tallit, as rumours from the frontline of an Semitic conspiracy to transform Europe into a Jewish haven begin to infiltrate the city. While known to the family, most in his area of the city aren't aware of his religious affiliation, but that doesn't prevent his concerns regarding his mother; she still takes his sisters to Sabbath services each Sunday even as reports of arson attacks during prayer, rising assault cases and even false arrests hit the papers.

He's still not spoken to them since his brief interaction with Esther, but that doesn't abate his concern; estranged he may be, but he's far from distant. He still slips their - recently thinned - allowance under the door, but adds an afternoon walk past his childhood home to his schedule, to ensure smoke rises from the chimney as mother makes the evening meal.

It's a reassurance they made it home safe, one he clings to until before his next walk.

By the seventh of December and the United States' official declaration of war on Austria-Hungary, Mordecai is forced to shut down the two least profitable enterprise's, the races and the launderette, and moves his base of operations to the most stable business; the Casino.

A week before Christmas, the seasonal celebration most of the city has preoccupied itself with to feed their sullen souls, Mordecai gets an unexpected visit from Gabriel in his office at Casino Royale. Since they usually only converse at the old quarry - their new interrogation site, after the factory was reopened to manufacture artillery for the war effort - the tom is wary when the man is shown in. Offered a drink, Gabriel gladly accepts before sitting down in a plush chair opposite Mordecai with his usual broad, toothy grin. 

Working closely with the family for a year allowed Mordecai to gather more intelligence on his coworkers, and Gabriel is no exception. The pure white persian is Mr Savage's most trusted Cleaner, a man who finds, secures and after an interrogator is done with them, disposes of the loose ends that running a shady business tends to produce. He's also technically the monochrome tom's direct manager, paid enough to give Mordecai a third of it after his work is complete, a lucrative arrangement for the cheerful feline.

"Afternoon, Kosher," he states, taking off his hat and placing it on the desk before getting comfortable, slinging a calf onto the opposite knee and leaning back in his chair. Sharp eyes scale around a room far larger and more appealing than the Launderette store room before returning to bored emeralds, the cheerful feline digging in his breast pocket for a smoke. "Nice digs. Who'd you have to kill for this pretty piece?"

"Fiores," the monochrome tuxedo responds blandly, closing his ledger with a sigh as the persian cracks up with laughter,  an ear flickering in irritation as he waits for him to settle. It takes an enforcer placing a scotch on the rocks before him for Gabriel to quiet down, though he chuckles even through sipping the liquor. Mordecai sits back and regards him with narrowed eyes, unamused. "Why are you here, Gabriel? I'm exceptionally busy."

The man hums through a mouthful of whiskey and swallows with a gulp, lowering the glass slightly to point at Mordecai with his index finger. "You're always busy," he observes, not at all perturbed by the other, as he's grown accustomed to Isaiah Fitzgerald's direct style of communication. When he deepens his glare, Gabriel dips his spare hand into a pocket and withdraws a Christmas card, offering it across the table. "The boss asked me to deliver this in person."

Mordecai sighs softly before he leans over to take the card, placing it face down on the table, without looking inside, his gaze remaining on Gabriel. While unoffended by the gaudy, decorated tree and snow-surrounded robin on the front, he's had enough of the imagery already; the city seems to have gone mad with it this year. "Jewish practices don't observe Christmas," he states. "But I can send a return card, if that is customary."

Gabriel pauses to light up, apparently not put off by the lack of an ashtray. Mordecai wrinkles his nose as he sucks on the offensive stick, the scent of burning tobacco permeating the small office before he even exhales.

"Open it," the persian feline instructs, leaning back with that same irritating smile still plastered across his face. Mordecai begrudgingly opens it flat on the table and finds no seasonal greetings.or message besides the name 'Kosher', above a date and time, scrawled in the bottom left corner. Mordecai frowns and glances up. "It's an invitation," Gabriel clarifies. "To the boss' annual poker game; a Christmas thing, but I don't know anyone brave enough to refuse an invitation. I don't think you're fool enough to be the first, either."

He pauses to down the rest of his whiskey, the ice clinking against the glass, before placing the empty tumbler down and retrieving his hat. "Be outside and ready to go," Gabriel elaborates as he replaces his hat, wide smile not leaving his muzzle. "And bring a gift. We usually aim for about half a month's wage. Just don't try giving him money; if he wanted cash, he'd cut your wage."

The persian stands, laughs at his own joke and sees himself out of the office. Once he's gone, Mordecai frowns at the invitation again, holding the card open with a splayed palm. December 24th; 1300 hours. With no prior plans and certain a refusal will see him floating in the bay Christmas morning, Mordecai is forced to think on what gift he could source in six days for the head of New York's largest crime syndicate.

What do people even give for Christmas?

oOo

Unfamiliar with Christian traditions and without the energy or time to conduct sufficient research, Mordecai falls back on Passover tradition and purchases a bespoke Seder plate; a simple white ceramic with a gold leaf trim, and a central tree of life motif. The branches of the tree link to six shallow, gold trim bowls set into indents on the plate, as another gold tree motif adorns the interior of each bowl to match.

While a traditional Seder plate may possess inscriptions to denote intended contents of bowls, Mordecai is painfully aware Mr Savage doesn't care for Passover traditions, so forgoes the inscription to allow free use of the ceramic plate as a serving dish for any occasion. He even fills the bowls with dried fruits and nuts before boxing up the bastardized Seder, securing a simple card inscribed with the traditional chag sameach on top.

He waits outside on Christmas Eve in heavy winter gear; his coat collar popped against the cold, a deep red scarf tucked into his overcoat and thick leather gloves. Standing under the awning over his front door to avoid the wind, he still shivers, so is thankful when his ride is punctual. At exactly one, the usual estate car pulls up to the curb, and Mordecai wastes no time getting in if only to get out of the cold.

Placing the gift down on the left hand seat, Mordecai sits far to the right, diagonal to the driver, who only glances over his shoulder before they pull away. No words are exchanged, which isn't unusual, so Mordecai spends the time blowing into his palms or briskly rubbing his hands together in his gloves, shoulders hunched and coat pulled high around his neck, until he's sufficiently warmed up.

The drive downtown is short. They turn into a neighborhood the tuxedo isn't familiar with, though the tall, narrow homes, boarded windows where shattered glass would otherwise let in the cold and flaking exterior plaster is familiar enough as they pass through. 

Soon enough, they leave the slums and pass into a middle class area, before slipping into the entertainment district.

Mordecai has never been this far into the city before. Bright neon lights glimmer and shine outside every restaurant and bar, denoting cocktails, liquor or burlesque shows, all a stark contrast to the dim storefronts of his own neighbourhoods. In addition to the visual clutter, muted music thrums around the car, swelling and abating as they pass establishments in a constant tide against the dark.

Despite it being new and mildly overwhelming, he takes it all in through narrowed eyes, no change in expression besides folding ears back at the cacophony of conflicting sounds or squinting against the glare reflecting off his pince nez. Silently, he hopes he has no reason to return to this area of the city besides forcibly attend another of Savage's parties; it's abhorrent to tolerate.

A short while later, they pull up outside a diner deep in the heart of it all. Mordecai thanks the driver, tips him fifty cents and slides out of the cab with the gift box in hand, pausing to study his destination as the cab pulls off. Stanley's sports a cursive neon proclaiming its existence for miles, though its green and red words flicker as the power grid fluctuates and stabilizes, likely due to the egregious electrical consumption of the surrounding area.

The diner is double fronted, with large windows either side of an equally large door covered by drapes, reducing those inside to simple, dark shapes set to a blinding backdrop. A raucous racket escapes through windows, left ajar to vent cigarette smoke. Classic music rounds out the affronting mixture; one of a dozen Christmas songs on repeat all over the city, drawing guests into screeching along, many already half-drunk anr celebrating their half day off work.

Dark ears folding back, Mordecai grimaces. Establishments like these are a personal nightmare, usually filled with drunk patrons getting too handsy in dark corners, deafeningly loud conversation and a considerable lack of personal space. Yet I have no choice, do I? He thinks bitterly, his personal invite to this shindig tucked into a breast pocket. If I don't partake, I may as well sign my own death certificate.

With that sobering thought, he takes a steadying breath and stepping forward, pushes the door open to step inside.

The decor is excessively bright; chairs, tables and even wall decor of bright red is offset by plain white wall tiles, a single black accent tile periodically set in walls and floors. Booths line the walls, while metallic folding chairs and tables line up to create walkways between the booths and the counter, at which a number of red leather stools reside facing an open kitchen, the chef stressed and hot, sweat running down his face to the towel around his neck.

Classic Christmas music, jovial laughter and off-key singing assaults the tom's senses, accented by the clang of kitchen utensils and conversations being shouted over the noise of it all. Unable to spot Gabriel in the diner, Mordecai flattens his ears to his skull and carefully approaches the bar. 

He's briefly interrupted by a drunken construction worker tripping over his own feet, reaching for Mordecai to catch him; the monochrome swiftly pivots out of reach, present held away, and the man lands face-first in someone's side salad, the momentum of his fall dragging it to the floor with him. There's a heartbeat of mostly silence before the worker sits up and languidly licks mayonnaise and lettuce off his face, to which the whole dinner bursts out laughing, many a drunkard raising their glass in cheers to a fallen comrade.

Mordecai backs away from the scene, turning around only when his back hits the bar. A young woman behind the bar giggles as the construction worker tries to get back up, slips on a sliced tomato and falls right back down on his behind. The tom clears his throat, placing the gift box down on the counter once 'Kendall' meets his gaze. "My presence was requested by Mr Savage," he states, cringing as he's forced to raise his voice to be heard above the ruckus. "However, I cannot locate him. Please hand him this with my regards."

She looks him up and down, chewing gum with her mouth open, then Kendall smiles and leans her elbow on the bar, resting her chin in a palm to meet his gaze. "Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes," she drawls, blonde ringlets framing her face having escaped the messy bun on her head. Mordecai wrinkles his nose as she leans closer and bats her lashes "You goin' home with somebody tonigh', sugar? 'Cause I'd sure like t'open you up after midnigh'."

Unable to decide if he finds her proposition or her incessant gum chewing more abhorrent, Mordecai is blunt, though the current political climate forces him to reconsider the obvious 'I'm Jewish' response. "I'm not interested," he states after a moment of consideration, pushing the present towards her across the counter. His own expression stays disinterested as her own smile sours. "But as previously stated, I'd appreciate it if this could be handed to Mr Savage. Tonight, if possible."

"You got an invite?" Kendall asks sharply as she straightens behind the bar, still obnoxiously chewing the wad of gum as she taps her claws on the counter top. She regards the tom with a slight glare, all semblances of friendliness gone. "Savage always sends 'em invites for private par'ies. Ya got one, ya can hand it to 'im ya'self. Otherwise it's goin' out that there door with ya."

With a tired sigh, he reaches into his coat and produces the invitation, holding it between his index and middle fingers as he offers it to her. Kendall takes the card and flips it open, then glares at Mordecai through thick lashes. "Should'a guessed you was the Yid, with them manners." White brows knit into a scowl, but Kendall only rolls her eyes, unlatches a hinged countertop and raises it, beckoning him through with a curled finger. "C'mon. The boss' waitin' on ya. This way."

[nautilusopus]

the link in that post i think leaves out most of what makes something kosher or not kosher actually so i’m just gonna add it here:

edit: hey what the fuck tumblr collapsed my bullet indentation

stuff that was in the link: certain animals are off limits, though it did not specify the criteria SO:

all mammals must have split hooves and chew their cud

birds must NOT be predators or scavengers

all fish must have fins and scales (also no scavengers)

all plants are inherently kosher

all dairy is inherently kosher, as long as it comes from a kosher mammal (and isn’t consumed with meat)

blood, even from a kosher animal, is absolutely verboten. more on this later.

the sciatic nerve is off limits. sirloin, unless great pains are gone to to remove the sciatic nerve, is often not kosher, even though it comes from a kosher animal. (there are other nerves that are and are not kosher but i’m not gonna get into that here and usually the only relevant one is the sciatic nerve)

some jews unilaterally just avoid hindquarter meat, since most butchers don’t bother to remove certain nerves/certain portions of fat. when taking this into account, a great deal of modern jews don’t actually keep kosher

some species from the genus orthoptera are kosher but all other arthropods are not

if you found it already dead, it’s not kosher

you may not cut off and eat a part of an animal without first slaughtering the animal. this one in particular isn’t really a problem these days, but back when there was no refrigeration and you couldn’t afford to butcher the whole animal at once lest it go to waste, it was a thing people sometimes did. less likely to go bad if it’s still alive and in horrible pain

you may not mix meat and dairy. the justification for this is that you are not supposed to boil the calf in its mothers milk (which was an actual dish at the time this was written), but you can have chicken with eggs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

you must have separate sets of dishes for both meat and dairy. the two must never come into contact with one another, even indirectly by putting meat on a milchig plate, or stirring milk with a fleishig spoon

SLAUGHTER PROCEDURES:

this part is a lot of what rabbis get brought in for. the animal in question must die as painlessly as possible, so the knife must be EXTREMELY sharp. like, extremely sharp, to the point where if you cut yourself with it you don’t even notice it. you have to run your fingernail down it and if you feel even the slightest bump it has to be sent back for further sharpening, because the blade is required to be free of any imperfection. 

you say a little prayer. this is less “blessing” and has been mentioned and more just a brief animal funeral rite

the animal in question must not be injured in any way prior to slaughter. this also includes the standard electric shock to incapacitate most animals for slaughter.

the throat is slit, and must be slit cleanly and in a highly specific way, and all the blood must be allowed to run out. following this, the meat is salted to remove any blood this procedure might have missed. this is the key difference between kosher and halal, as halal slaughter does include the painless death part but does not have any specific prohibition on blood, and depending on who you are will either do in a pinch or is still just as unacceptable as christian meat. 

and this is just the brief overview. there are more regulations than this about the type of knife used, how it is oiled and sharpened, how certain cuts of meat need to be made, what does and doesn’t count as “incapacitated”, whether or not the cow’s offspring was killed too closely in terms of date to the cow, et cetera.

all this and more is why 1. kosher meat tends to be more expensive and 2. why you have a rabbi on-site to make sure everything is up to code. and there is a lot of code

UGH FINE I REWROTE IT WITHOUT INDENTATION. RUIN MY FORMATTING WHY DON’T YOU i hate this website

[alikandhoney]

Deli and the Senator

I’ve had some thoughts about Delis whole deal with Ariana because it’s very interesting how it really hasn’t been analyzed very deeply by the cast. ( This isn’t a judgement of any sort btw, I’m going to get into my rather negative perception of the situation and I’m not saying they need to think about it this exclusively seriously it’s just something really interesting to analyze) This also starts to discuss how much of the groups "destinys" have been truly orchestrated.

This post is being written after the drop of episode 4 so be warned for spoilers ahead as well as talks about grooming.

Deli and Arriana's relationship has been a really funny running joke ( I was going to say prominent plot point but after episode 1 we haven't had a lot of direct interaction with that dynamic at all so it feels more of a beat through the jokes more than anything) but no one-- at the table at least I haven't been active on tumblr in a hot second-- has said a word to it at anything other than face value. Which is really odd to me because I feel like there's an elephant to at least passingly mention in it...

... So Deli was being groomed by her, right? we all agree on that? because everything about it feels inherently manipulative to me. She is introduced calling his grandfather father five minutes after she's teasingly propositioning Deli. Deli who is freshly 19 and hasn't scene her in multiple years... the timeline there doesn't look great. Just to start with. and we know he's been specifically saving himself for her and that all just reads so clearly manipulative. It's giving Daemon and Rhynera vibes ( rip to any fans of theirs but that's not all kosher *before* you factor in the incest) She is also clearly someone that Deli respects and wants to emulate on top of her inherent allure.

Then, moving into episode three and the reveal of her involvement at the end-- I was shocked by the joke reaction that got because that has MAJOR implications on the nature of their relationship. It is a doubling down on everything I had said before because clearly she was grooming him for *this*. But it also means that she was grooming him *FOR* this. ya know?

It's not just that she was trying to influence him in ways to make him useful to her-- you have to ask, did she start grooming him for this purpose specifically? Was their relationship started for the sole purpose of making him into a man who could kill a queen, and creating leverage to force his hand?

I was really shocked in the adventuring party after 3 especially, that there was no comment on this. Even when discussing that reveal. If the relationship was truly only for the purpose of this that has so many implications on the course of Deli's life, especially now as we see what he as become by the end of the war. How much of this spiraling blind ambition was sewn into him but Arriana? How much of his life has been decided by leading him to that bridge with his spear in hand? His response to Pamela when she begs to know why he has done this was "Destiny has been designed."

Oh, how true that really is. How much of Deli's destiny has been designed for him? It also leads to the next question of how much has the rest of their destiny's been designed here? We don't know the rest of the members of the FDA, we know the bishop and I don't hesitate to assume that the broccoli bitch (read: Barassica) is involved. But depending on who fills those robes, might the others be in the same sort of boat?

The easiest to assume this might be true for is Raphaniel, especially after gaining the archbishops view of his place in the church. He has spent his life in service of the bulb-- not fully, obviously because it is clear how much his position is simply a tool for him. But that doesn't mean he hasn't been at the whim of this cauliflower in his placement in the church and uses in the large collective as a whole. So what parts of his work were decided to set him up for this task? and then thinking of that more over, depending on when Raphaniel started his time as a bishop at Greenhold, was Amaungeux's relationship with him orchestrated?

That thought feels like more of a stretch however still in the realm of possibility.

It would take unmasking a lot of movers and shakers to know the full extent of how much of "destiny" the fellowship architect?

[psychologeek]

@notaconservative asked:

@psychologeek also why does there need to be a Jewish ethnostate? There's no Christian ethnostate or Islamic ethnostate.. Isn't not allowing ppl to live in your country based on race a nazi thing?

(I apologise for any English mistakes. I'm sick, but it's important so I want to answer quickly).

First of all - Judaism is both ethnicity and a religion, but Islam and Christianity aren't, so I changed your question slightly.

There aren't other religionstates

Actually, there are many Muslim states (57, 56 of them mention Islamic law in their constitution/similar) and christian states (100+). You're just used to consider it as the "default", so you don't really see it.

Some questions to see it more clearly:

What day the work week starts?(Sunday? Monday? Saturday?)

What are the "default" holiday/vacation days in the country? (Eg. Christmas and Easter? Passover and Sukkot? Eed (id?) AlFiter and Mawlid Un Nabi? Lunar new year?)

What is the calendar used in the country? Just the Georgian calendar, or any relation to the the jewish calander, the Hijra, or other calanders?

I can continue, but I guess you understand.

(If you don't, try compare the calanders from same year of America, China, India, Morocco and Israel.)

Example of September 2018, not full though (I used it as I wrote a multicultural fic, and didn't want to miss dates)

(Ignore the cubes, it's a reminder for things mentioned in the fic)

Race and Religion (ft. Nazis).

Like I said at the start, it looks like a confusion between race, ethnicity, and religion.

Race - fake thing, based on skin colour and og continent?. (Ok, not completely, I guess? But as 90% of the people I know are any version of mix, so...)

What the Nazis wanted was world with only clean-best-people, looking for the übermantch, the "super-man". This is same reason they killed gays and disabled people - they "filth" the pureblood Aris.

I won't get deeper into it. As jew, queer and disabled, I'm very tired of hearing why my death is a good thing.

Religion - what one believes, or follow. Usually has a mixture of ritual (things to do), beliefs (things to feel/think), and many ways affects daily life, like having rules about what to do, how to behave, etc.

(I tried to use the most common things, so it would apply to not only monotheism.)

Ethnicity:

Ethnicity - culture and history and narrative. where did you come from.

Im other people's words:

Ethnicity has been defined as: "the social group a person belongs to, and either identifies with or is identified with by others, as a result of a mix of cultural and other factors including language, diet, religion, ancestry and physical features traditionally associated with race".

As you can see, Judaism is a religion, but also ethnicity - we have our language, Hebrew (the oldest artifact with Hebrew writing is about 3,300 years old), religion (Judaism), diet (Kosher), ancestry (all descendants of Yaakov, also known as Israel, that was the son of Itzhak, the son of Avraham, etc.) physical features - even the most Ashkenazi Met, blond, blue eyes, lobster-in-the-son Jew (that was born to Jewish family, not converted) has more in common, DNA speaking, with middle Easterns then with their neighbours.

("But Psy," I imagine you asking, "how do you get blond jews?"

Well.

The same way you get a redhead, green eyed Yemeni

(in Aden, a British colony)

We are used to pogroms. We are the descendants of those who didn't die. I'll leave it that way.)

Not allowing ppl to live in your country based on race.

Again, I think you meant either ethnicity or religion?

Anyway, pure facts:

20% (2m) of the citizens of Israel are Arabs (from arab-speaking communities.)

84% of those, or 18.1% of Israel population (~1.6m) are Muslims, 8%, or 1.3% of IP (~160k) are Christians, another 8% (1.5% of ip) are Druze, that sometimes prefer to be considered as their own separate group.

Also other minorities such as Circassians (Adigas), Bahá'í, etc.

~5.5% are "other"/no religion registered.

(data from the central bureau of statistics. On the top left you can change the language to any of Israel official languages: Hebrew, Arabic or English: https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/pages/default.aspx

(some of the data might be available in Russian, Amharic, Francis, Spanish or other languages (about 30 languages are common in Israel).

As always - feel free to rb and reply.

If I made a mistake, plz let me know and I'll get it fixed

[green-fifteen]

Day 6: Stretch

 Fandom: Supernatural

Relationship: Castiel/Dean Winchester

Word count: 2,988

written for @fluffyfebruary

read on ao3 instead

Dean’s boyfriend is an angel. Probably lots of people say that, but when Dean says it, it’s actually true.

Castiel is the whole package: wings, good looks, asshole parents, you name it. Dean asked him if he kept a halo lying around and he’d just never seen it, but Cas told him that those 14th century paintings were rotting his brain. Well, he didn’t say it like that, but that was the gist. He even has a special, terrible, otherworldy form that he won’t show to Dean. 

“I do not want your brain to leak from your eyes,” he’d said, but Dean thinks he’ll wear him down eventually. 

Despite being an actual angel, Castiel is getting the hang of living with humans pretty well. Dean worked very hard to socialize him and teach him all the right vocabulary. There are still hiccups, but they’re working on those as they come up.

Like, the other week Cas had gone with Dean to buy groceries. While he was in another section, Cas had found the free samples. Dean arrived in time to see the kosher sausage saleswoman begin to sob. Dean rushed to comfort her while Cas chewed a frank with scientific interest. What did you say to her? he questioned in the car. Cas looked impatient. I told her the sausage was not actually kosher. And that her mother won’t kick her out for dating the girl at the cheese counter. I was being kind, Dean. Dean had given him a dubious look and lectured him about boundaries until they got home. 

Anyway, even accounting for the occasional misstep, Cas is doing much better in human society than he had been four years ago. Sure, people can usually tell he’s an angel just by looking at him, but it’s not like that’s a secret. In fact, Dean practically writes it on his forehead in the mirror every morning, he mentions it so much. I CAN KISS AN ANGEL WHENEVER I WANT!

And it’s not that Dean is smug about locking down a divine creature of unknowable power (although he is), he just thinks Cas shouldn’t have to hide in his own town. He’s aware that some angels do hide, when they live among humans. Cas’s brother Michael moved to Tulsa and wears straps to keep his wings down inside his power suits. He says it’s only until he can find a job, but Dean doesn’t want that for Cas. Not ever. 

Even before he really knew Cas, he was fascinated by his angelic nature. The first time he saw him, they’d both been sixteen. Dean was coming home with Sam, who was in the same school as him for once and taking the same bus. He was taller than him at only twelve years old. (Yeah, his brother was a genius who skipped grades. Dean was sick with pride but pretended to make a fuss about his kid brother harshing his game with the high school chicks. Sam just rolled his eyes and told him to stop blustering. ???)

A boy with gigantic wings had been standing in the driveway of the house next to theirs, helping the adults move boxes from an oversized U-Haul. His back had been turned to them, so he hadn’t noticed either of them slowly walking up the path to their front door. Dean and Sam both were staring openly, forgetting themselves in their surprise at seeing some kind of bird-boy in a weird linen shift.

It was Sam who gasped softly and said, “Dean, I think he’s an angel,” which is why he’s the genius. The angel kid had turned around and seen them then, but he didn’t react except to stare, creepily. His parents noticed him looking and made some hand gestures and then the boy sighed and walked over. They were frozen on the paving stones, watching him approach. 

“Mother and Chuck said to introduce myself. I’m called Castiel, in your tongue.” 

Just as he finished speaking, the door to their house opened and their father called, “Hey, Stretch, get the good rune-chalk from the cellar, would you? We’re re-doing the basement tonight.” 

Sam stomped off rudely, obedient and irritated. Dean didn’t have the talent for wards like his brother did, which was just as well in his book because he didn’t have to do stupid shit like play twister with chalk lines in the cold-as-hell basement. 

Dean and Castiel watched as he rounded the house, then focused on each other once more. They made eye contact and Dean wanted to smile at the serious expression on his face, but he didn’t. 

“I’m Dean,” he said and reached out a hand. It hovered lamely in the air when Castiel didn’t take it. He pulled it back and wiped his palm on his jeans. 

“So, you guys just move to town?” he asked, awkwardly.

Castiel glanced back at the U-Haul. “Yes.” His tone said obviously. 

“Uh, how do you like it?” 

“We arrived 40 minutes ago.” 

Dean was beginning to wish he was better at drawing runes. He made a few more lame attempts at small talk, hoping Castiel would remember he was supposed to be helping his parents with the truck full of boxes and let Dean escape inside. He didn’t, just answered Dean’s inane questions with bone-dry syllables and never stopped looking directly in his eyes. 

“Listen,” Dean said eventually. “I’ve got homework to do and dinner and stuff.” And to be polite, he said, “Maybe you could come over for dinner? Anytime you want to, you guys are welcome.”

He cringed at himself. His dad would probably not like hosting the neighbors for dinner and honestly, Dean didn’t even know these people. What if he’d just sentenced his family to an entire night of conversations as awkward as this one?

The angel had accepted the invitation with disproportionate gravity (I thank you for opening your home to us, Dean) and they’d parted. The next night, he showed up at the Winchester’s front door at 5 o’clock, alone. 

“Is this too early?” he asked, peering around Dean into the house. 

Dean shook his head mutely, gave him a polite smile, and waved him inside. When he stepped in, Dean’s dad looked up at them, gave Castiel a quick once-over, then quirked an eyebrow at Dean.

“This is Castiel,” he explained quickly. “His family moved in yesterday, next door. I invited him over for dinner.”

John looked like he wanted to laugh. “How neighborly, son,” he said. Dean flushed and escaped to the kitchen, dragging Castiel behind him. 

The big white wings were tucked modestly against his body and Dean was distantly grateful, considering all the glass jars and framed pictures they had in the kitchen. He made himself busy with setting the table, ignoring the persistent awkwardness Castiel summoned in him.

“You can get the cups down from that cabinet,” he said, pointing. He followed each of Dean’s instructions until the table was ready, heaped with enough spaghetti and meatballs to feed a small Italian town (as long as they weren’t that particular about eating sauce from a jar.)

Sam crashed into his chair when Dean hollered and their dad came leisurely to the kitchen a minute later. Sam gave Castiel a toothy smile.

The angel seemed perturbed when they started eating.

“You won’t say grace?” he asked.

Dean felt caught. He looked at his dad, who glowered slightly.

“Not anymore,” he said curtly. Castiel just looked thoughtful.

The humans ate quietly, focused on their plates. Castiel was eating slowly, watching the others and copying their behavior. He saw Sam mop the edge of his plate with a piece of buttered bread.

“Stretch,” he said, politely. “Please pass me the bread.”

There was a confused silence before Sam hesitantly passed him the bag of Wonder Bread.

“You meant me, right?” he asked, muffled through a full mouth of food.

Castiel just said, “Yes. Thank you, Stretch.”

Dean stared at him for a second and then lost it. His laugh started strangled as he tried to keep it in, but he really couldn’t stop himself. He had to put his fork down on his plate.

That night had been Cas’s first lesson in humanity. Sam had formally introduced himself (Dad just calls me that because I’m tall, he explained, red-faced) and Dean eventually stopped laughing long enough to finish his dinner. When the food was gone, he pulled Cas out of the kitchen, saying Dad and Sam’ll clean up, I cooked and you’re a guest.

Cas asked him what he liked to do for fun. Grinning, Dean took him to his bedroom and climbed out the window. When they were both on the roof, sitting silently and listening to the soft noises from the town and the woods behind the neighborhood, Dean realized Cas was surprisingly easy to talk to.

And that had only been the beginning. After that night, Cas was at their house all the time, listening to Dean talk with the focused attention of a congregant. Dean  took the responsibility of educating him very seriously and taught him the funniest swears first. He had a lot of fun with that until Cas absently called Dean’s (admittedly crotchety) grandma a ‘shithead’ where she could hear him. He’d had a hell of a time explaining himself while simultaneously guarding Cas from rapid elderly thwacks.

Dean doesn’t spend as much time at Cas’s house, which is how they both like it. Cas’s parents make John Winchester look like a stoner hippie Kindergarten teacher. They’re really strict, is the point. And startlingly conservative, for a pair of people who were pooh pooh’d out of their angel community because Cas’s mom had a second marriage. Needless to say, they aren’t terribly warm toward Dean. They’ve never been rude to his face, he doesn’t think. But their lack of approval is clear. 

Even before the first time Cas had kissed him, they sometimes made excuses why he couldn’t see Dean and, around Dean’s seventeenth birthday, took him along on a business trip to Springfield, even though there’d been nothing for him to do there. Cas had missed his party and been angry with them for weeks. Dean thinks Cas’s parents knew about them before they did, which is why they told Dean things like Castiel is studying for his exams, after he knew Cas’s homeschooling program was already finished for the summer. And Castiel needs to rest, he has.. the flu, on a clear August day. (Dean was pretty sure angels coldn’t get the flu, then Cas had barged past them out the door, looking very hale and pissed off.)

They did figure it out eventually, though. It started when were both newly eighteen and sitting on a blanket in the park, watching The Matrix Reloaded. Sam was in front of them, eyes glued to the side of the white plaster building where the movie was being projected. Dean had made dumb jokes all throughout the first movie, much to Sam and Cas’s irritation. He was distracted as the second movie played, looking at the side of Cas’s face. Cas was just so focused and interested.

On screen, Persephone was bargaining with Neo. You have to make me believe it’s her, she was saying. Neo kissed her briefly and she pulled away. Terrible. Forget it. 

When the movie ended, they took a break to stretch their legs and walk around a curving path opposite the building. Sam stayed behind, happily snacking and waiting for the third movie in the marathon to start. 

“What did you think?” Dean had asked, kicking rocks in front of his feet. 

Cas made an assessing noise. “There is... a lot going on in these films,” he eventually said, voice as starched and diplomatic as Dean had ever heard it. Dean laughed, punching him on the arm. 

“You must have liked some of it,” he insisted playfully. 

Cas was quiet for a long moment, walking next to him and looking at the ground. He spoke as they reached a bend in the path. “I was curious about one scene,” he said slowly. “The character-- what was his name, the important one?”

“Neo.”

“Neo was trying to convince that woman to show them to the Key-person. And he had to kiss her.”

“Yeah,” Dean said. “Her husband was cheating on her and she wanted to hurt Trinity’s feelings, I’m pretty sure.” He hadn’t been paying that much attention, but Sam had made him watch these movies eleven million times before tonight. 

“He had to kiss her well. She could tell when he did it wrong.” Cas stopped walking and turned to Dean. “Is there a way to kiss wrong?” His eyes were a little panicked, like he hadn’t even thought about kissing anyone before but now he had to worry about doing it incorrectly. 

Dean smirked. “I’m pretty sure there is, yeah.” He made a showy gesture to his own face. “Not that I’ve had any complaints.”

Cas looked unimpressed. “I believe you have to have customers first, to recieve complaints.”

Dean had flushed and spluttered, “I’ve kissed people, dude! Last summer, I kissed Alexis Ford at her birthday party! With tongue!

“Alexis lost a bet,” Cas said, cruelly recontextualizing the one and only kiss of Dean’s young life. Dean glowered and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“I bet you’d be a bad kisser,” he grumbled. He didn’t mean it. Actually, he’d thought about kissing Cas earlier that evening, during the first Matrix. And in the car on the way to the park. And the day before, when Cas greeted him on the lawn after work. And at least forty other times since they’d both graduated high school. None of those imagined kisses had been bad. They’d been pretty embarassing, though, which is why he slam-dunked them into the “do not talk about to anyone” drawer in his head. And then locked it. 

Cas looked offended. “What is your evidence? I’ve never kissed anyone. There’s no data.”

“I just know. It would be slimy and horrible, somehow.”

They were behind the building now, out of view of the picnic area. They were almost alone, except for a few people hurrying to the restrooms.

“You’re just being hurtful,” Cas said, sounding cross. “I think I could kiss well if I were able to practice. It has to be a skill, like anything else.”

He stopped walking, suddenly. Dean halted in place, looking over his shoulder at him. 

“I’ll kiss you,” he said, head tilted. He grabbed Dean’s hand and pulled him. 

“Ack! Hey!” Dean protested. 

“You can tell me if it’s bad. If I need practice.” He had that look on his face then, the one he got when he was gung-ho to learn something about humans that only Dean could teach him. 

Dean swallowed, keeping his eyes on Cas’s resolutely. “Um, are you--” he swallowed again. “Are you sure?” The idea of pulling away from him had occured to Dean and he knew it was probably the better one, but instead he stayed right were Cas had put him, heart hammering. 

Cas nodded, then stood looking at him for a long moment. 

“Dean?”

“Uh, what?”

Cas rolled his eyes, huffed a little can he be this stupid? sigh and kissed Dean on the lips. 

A terrible, pleased noise escape Dean’s throat and his hands moved up without his input, catching and holding Cas’s shirtfront. When Cas pulled away, his eyes were wide. 

“That was--” he cleared the gravel from his voice. “That didn’t feel very bad.”

Dean had been zapped into goo and couldn’t speak. Cas touched his own lips with an awed expression and Dean wanted to kiss him again, so bad. He gathered himself enough to croak, “Beginner’s luck.” 

The angel’s eyes immediately flashed at the challenge and he reeled Dean in with a hand at his back. They made out behind the building until Sam came looking for them midway through The Matrix Revolutions. 

After that, it had been zero to sixty-- Dean was Cas’s boyfriend to everyone they met. Cas met him on his lunch break from the garage and kissed him in front of his dad. Dean dragged him out onto the roof to take his clothes off of him and dig his fingers into the clean white feathers of his wings. 

Now, Dean has been kissing Cas (and a little bit more than that) for two years. Cas checks Zillow every day and sends him houses he likes the look of. Dean has programmed ‘This is not in our budget’ into his texting app so he doesn’t have to type out all the words every time Cas sends him the listing for another million-dollar development property. 

Chrissake, Cas, you’re a guidance counselor and I fix cars. Think a little smaller, babe, he told him. Cas made a face and told him not to swear. 

Dean can see a future for them and he wants it more than anything. He keeps teaching Cas human things like replacing the goddamn toilet paper and how much detergent to use in the washing machine. He’s still weird in an obvious way, and Dean still doesn’t want to change that. He thinks they’ll be sitting on their front porch, Dean old and gray, Cas looking however the hell he’ll look in sixty years (Dean should ask him, actaully), and Cas will still make remarks like Dean, these adult diapers do not wick nearly as much moisture as the packaging claims. He thinks he’ll still smile at him, every time. He’ll still feel the same way he did when Cas made him laugh for the first time at the dinner table. He’ll want to keep him. Forever. 

When he looks at Cas, wide eyed like a newborn and holding Dean’s hand in the supermarket, at the park, in line at the DMV-- forever doesn’t feel like much of a stretch. 

[raayllum]

Hi! I saw in the tags of one of your reblogs you talking about how sometimes magic systems need to be malevolent and that you sometimes write parasitic magic systems. I was wondering if you could recommend anything with a magic system like this? I find in my reading I usually gravitate towards neutral magic systems, where it's kind of like using a sword. But I'm super fascinated by the idea of a story where perhaps the magic itself is evil, rather than the evil side to a good half (like the Sith and the Jedi type of thing.) I hope my question was articulate! And thank you for your time and the awesome blog, of course.

Re: this post. So I would argue Dark Magic falls under a malevolent magic system with primal magic under a beneficial to volatile magic system (aka it can still be dangerous but is mostly about control), since Dark Magic consistently damages the body and the souls of other beings (re: Through the Moon, Bloodmoon Huntress, and even the containment of Sarai's last breath saying "No" before Thunder is slain). Also obligatory mention of TDP's Jewish themes and its implementation of Kosher / views of nature and animals.

ATLA gets close to having a mostly spiritual and tool based magic system, as sometimes bending is linked to spirituality (illusion of separation, which bloodbending arguably violates because it doesn't separate enough)

(And is now making me curious as to how Aaravos' body has withstood centuries, possibly millennia or more, of dark magic use)

I myself write a volatile to parasitic magic system, in which the danger is of constant excess of power in the body. The limited set of magic users are more in tune with the world; with each other, with certain elements (more awake at night, alert when it rains, or out in nature, or when surrounded by death, etc etc), so in some ways they're living a fuller experience than ordinary humans. But the magic is also latched onto their souls and does not care for them as a vessel, and will consume/destroy them if they use too much. Cue this snippet from my drafts:

“Better nothing than too much,” Rynn said, eyes flashing. “Your nea is not a game, Ally. You have no idea how much power is held behind that block of yours, and what it will do if too much of it leaked out before you were ready. It is not something to push—or it will consume you.”

which was heavily inspired by interpretations of the Force in Star Wars from certain materials, expertly laid out in this post, and a type of magic system I find very compelling (and why I think I love Dark Magic and its various allegories - for cannibalism, hunting, and fossil fuels - because the characters themselves also hold those matching, allegorical attitudes towards it).

Malevolent magic systems used to be far more common in like, older tales and mythos (think anything with traditional fae) because magic was a symbol of the Unknown, and the Unknown was always Dangerous (a lot of cautionary tales, for example) but it's not nearly as common an exploration nowadays, which is too bad. I don't read nearly as much fantasy as I should, so i don't have any strong recommendations in that regard - and I would say most fantasy leans on magic being neutral and it depends on what the user is well, using it for. Which has its own interesting set of ethical and moral implications / explorations & allegories, it's just not what I'm super keen to explore!

[magnetothemagnificent]

Conversion student here with a random question/debate topic

Would penguins be considered kosher?

Obviously, they’re not in the list of non-kosher birds, but they give off a less-than-kosher vibe.

What about other flightless birds? I don’t know much about ostriches and emus, but they seem like birds that would be considered dores (I would personally include the ability to bludgeon other creatures to death as something that feels decidedly non-kosher).

Back on penguins, are they closer to other swimming kosher birds (e.g ducks) or other flightless non-kosher birds?

I haven’t seen it specifically mentioned, but I can feel it in my bones that more than one rabbi has devoted a significant amount of time and energy into this topic

No, penguins are not kosher.

Why?

Well, first we understand which birds are kosher by which birds aren't on the list of non-kosher birds in the Tanakh, which are:

-Eagle

-Vulture

-Black vulture

-Kite

-All falcons

-All ravens

-Ostrich

-Nighthawk

-Seagull

-All hawks

-Little owl

-Cormorant

-Great owl

-White owl

-Pelican

-Bustard

-Storks

-All herons

-Hoopoe

-Bat (yes a bat isn't scientifically a bird but the word used in the Tanakh is "הָע֔וֹף", which technically translates as "those who fly")

The Mishnah elaborates that a kosher bird is one that:

-Is not a bird-of-prey

-Has an extra/elongated toe

-Has a crop

-Has a "peelable" gizzard (has a layer of skin in the gizzard that can be peeled by hand)

-Doesn't split its toes when standing on a string (doesn't put two in front and two behind) (like how a parrot perches, so parrots aren't kosher)

Additionally, in practice, which birds are kosher are those that have a Mesorah (tradition) of being kosher. So, kosher birds are generally those in the Phasianidae family (although the Mesorah of eating peafowl has been shaky, so generally most Jews won't eat peafowl), the Anatidae family, and the Columbidae family. Most commonly eaten birds today are: Chicken, Turkey, Goose, Duck, Pigeon, Quail, and Pheasant. Turkeys are kosher even though they are flightless New World birds with no Mesorah because they've attempted to mate with chickens and are similar enough to other pheasant-like birds, and because they meet the qualifications of a kosher bird. Although still, some Jews won't eat turkeys. The Shulchan Aruch also established that if a bird has a long-standing Mesorah of being kosher, then even if it's missing one qualification, it's still kosher .(geese don't have crops, for example).

So, penguins aren't kosher because:

-They hunt

-They have a really tiny hallux

-They don't have a crop

-There's absolutely no Mesorah of them being kosher and they're in no way similar to kosher birds

And as for ostriches, they're already in the list of non-kosher birds.

Now, if you really want to have a debate, talk to your fellow students and Rabbi about why turkeys are/aren't considered kosher because hoo boy is it a debate starter haha

[jewishtwig]

Hey! Just a question if you don't mind, you don't have to answer ofc but I value your opinion. (Quick tw for a non descriptive mention of abuse)

So I know family is very important in Judaism, and I'm converting, but I have nooo idea how to break the news to my family or if I even should. My mother's side of the family are completely estranged from me due to abuse and my dad is a Reddit atheist, the type who thinks all religion is stupid and will accuse anyone religious of being in a cult. (I don't talk to him much, for obvious reasons.)

Generally it's expected to tell family about conversion but I don't see it going very well with mine. At the same time, I don't want to have to hide my faith and eventual Jewishness from my own parents, and I would like them to be involved with my religion. (Plus unless I tell them, going kosher will be tough to explain)

Is there a particular rule about this? Do you will think it will hurt my conversion if I don't say anything?

On top of this, my maternal aunt (who I'm also estranged from) works in academia, and apparently taught my Rabbi when he was still in University. They're in touch with one another regularly 😬 whereas I haven't spoken to my aunt in about 5 years. My Rabbi knows about my connection to her but doesn't know anything about the abuse or that I don't talk to her... and I've got no idea how I should tell him or if I even should. Maybe you have some thoughts?

Hello! 

You have two distinct problems here, so I’m going to address them one at a time. 

First is do you have to tell your abusive family members about your intent to convert/once you convert. No. You absolutely do not. Yes, family is important and yes, it is a mitzvah to honor one's parents. However, abusive parents are a different story. By the principle of chayecha kodmin (“your life takes precedence”), your first obligation is to care for yourself.  

“One isn’t obligated to honor his parents if doing so would result in one’s suffering physical or emotional damage.” 

If you want to tell your family, you aren’t forbidden to, but you also aren’t required to. Assuming you are an adult who lives separately from your parents, not telling them shouldn’t prevent or delay your conversion, but this a certainly a good discussion for you and your Rabbi to have. 

Technically, from what I have been told, even an independent adult without abusive parents is not required to tell them about their conversion. (Children and those who live in their parent’s home likely would because of necessary lifestyle changes that would be difficult to make otherwise, again, talk to your Rabbi if you’re not sure).  

I certainly understand the desire for your parents to be involved in your future Jewishness. I hope that if you choose to tell them, they are understanding and accepting. If they aren’t, it is a failing on their part, not yours. You know them well enough to have a general idea of how they will likely react. If you think their response would be physically or mentally harmful to you, my advice is not to tell them. 

If you tell them, I have found that not making a huge deal out of it, although it is a huge deal, is the best way to go. Casually mentioning an interest in Judaism (and eventually, intent to convert) over time is better than having a sit-down discussion where tensions are high, and they may feel like this is a big decision that, from their perspective, is coming out of nowhere. Your mileage may vary, but that is what works for me. 

Second part, the Rabbi you work with has a relationship with your estranged abusive aunt. Should you tell him about her abusive behavior. 

This is tricky. There are a few things to consider: 

Does it upset you that they are in contact? If not, I would not tell him unless he asks, she attempts to contact you through him, or their relationship directly impacts you in a way that makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. 

What outcome are you hoping for by telling him? If you tell him, there is a chance that he will continue contact with her regardless. Would that upset you? If so, is it worth it/possible for you to work with a different Rabbi?

If you choose not to tell him, what are the potential risks? Are they sending emails to each other, or is there a chance you could accidentally run into her through him? 

If you choose to tell him, what are the potential risks? 

There are certainly aspects of this situation that I am overlooking or don’t have enough information to think of. Ultimately, it is your choice to tell him or not tell him. No one knows the situation better than you do, and I trust that you will make what you believe is the best choice. If you do decide to tell him, I sincerely hope he responds with compassion. Many of the Rabbis that I have met have been fantastic people, but it is important to remember that they are just as human as anyone else. 

My gut is telling me to suggest working with a different Rabbi if their relationship is upsetting to you. But again, I do not know the situation fully. 

I wish you good luck on your conversion journey and in navigating the waters of abusive relationships. I hope that whatever you choose in these situations, everything works out well for you. 💙