#so why can't we view the history of the church in the same way??

[droids-in-disguise]

Good Omens 2 making me think a lot about religion and religious deconstruction.

For context, I grew up Baptist, went to Catholic school for jr. high, and attended a private Christian school for my undergrad.

I grew up being told that the Bible was the ultimate source of truth, that is was the guidebook for our lives as Christians, and that, most importantly it should be taken literally.

I started wrestling with the concept of queerness when I was in jr. high. By then I had joined tumblr and had a best friend who was openly pan. But it was still a problem, because my church's reading of the Bible was that being gay was a sin. I existed very much in that "hate the sin, love the sinner" space that so many Christians seem to think is the appropriate answer. I also realized that despite being told that my church was doing Christianity the "right" way, these Catholics seemed to be just as sure in their conviction that they were doing it the right way.

In high school, I could sometimes privately admit to myself that the label "asexual" felt good, but more often than not I would lie to myself and say I was just too busy with grades and extracurricular activities to commit time to dating boys. I certainly never came out to anyone.

Ironically, it was the theology classes I took in college combined with the freedom of living away from my parents that helped me to finally realize that the Church as I knew it did not have the final say.

I learned that Biblical canon was not always set in stone and that it varies from denomination, that Hebrew and Greek words can have more than one translation or even no direct translation in English, I learned about liberation theology, and about womanist/feminist interpretations of scripture. Outside of theology class I took classes focused on Islamic history and literature. I had conversations about faith with my Muslim, Jewish, and Pagan peers. I met queer people who were both queer and Christian and who didn't see these identities as conflicting.

I had an old, hardass British lit professor who said something once during our study of Paradise Lost that I'll never forget, and that was that he believed God was like a diamond or some other precious gemstone, and that that all the different groups of Christians, Jews, and Muslims were all just seeing different facets of the same thing. Apparently this statement was something he had once told university higher-ups and it nearly cost him his job.

Despite all the deconstruction and the private acknowledgement that the church I grew up in did not have a monopoly on truth, I still went to church for years after. I did have the good sense to stop going to my parents' church and found one that was much more progressive and openly accepting of queer people, but even still it was hard to separate how much of me was there because I wanted to be there and how much was out of obligation or some sense of needing to reclaim my now tarnished view of the Church. I'm not sure where I sit now, only that I don't think I can be the one to create change from within, I am too damaged and tired for that.

All of this is why I think I relate so deeply to Aziraphale and the journey his character has undertaken, and why claims that he behaved out-of-character in the finale or that his coffee was drugged irritate me so much, because in another universe where I'm Aziraphale, I could see myself doing and saying the exact same things.

Letting go is hard, it's been painful and traumatic for me, I can't imagine what it would be for a being like Aziraphale with a much longer history.

There's such a strong desire to believe that it's only some of the Church that's bad and that if we have enough good people on the inside we can change it for the better.

Aziraphale has been hurt by Heaven and he's realized that Heaven is just as capable of doing bad as Hell (in many ways what Heaven does is more sinister because they won't admit to the bad and hide behind the façade of goodness and moral superiority), but he's a people pleaser and he's been an angel for so long, he can't just let go of his community and everything he has ever known no matter how poorly he has been treated by said Heavenly community. So then he gets this offer, work for Heaven, be in charge, make a difference. He can keep Heaven and Crowley, have his cake and eat it too. Of course he takes the job.

Crowley has had the outsider perspective for longer, he was the first to start asking questions. Perhaps there was a time when he too would've said yes to the Metatron, but now he knows better.

"We don't need Heaven, we don't need Hell. They're toxic!"

Aziraphale hasn't reached the same level of understanding that Crowley has, that no matter how many times he goes crawling back, Heaven will never truly accept him or be the place for him.

They way this story has been told over the past two seasons has been magnificent. Just as I can pinpoint all the different moments in my life that have helped to unravel what I thought I knew, we as the audience get to watch Aziraphale have these revelations too. In the first season we have the ineffable plan and this idea that armageddon is necessary and that Aziraphale shouldn't be the one to question it, but he does question it because he loves humanity, sees their goodness, and can't understand why a good God would allow them to be destroyed.

In season two, I found the bits surrounding Job to be especially poignant. First the shock that Heaven would condone the killing of children, then the realization that Crowley wouldn't kill the children or the goats going against his demonic "nature" proving Aziraphale's assumptions wrong, and finally the fear that lying would make him into a demon and the surprise when this turned out not to be true.

I have a feeling that by the end of season 3, when we get it, we will have the satisfaction of seeing Aziraphale and Crowley finally on the same page and I for one can't wait.

[haggishlyhagging]

… [I]t is quite strange that many people seem not even to dream that history could have been different, that progress could have taken different paths and we could have had—could still have—the benefits without the problems. It's an attitude brutally summed up by the binary adage, or rather, blackmail, that offers only "the nuclear age or the stone age" (with the result that we'll likely be stuck with both at once). Hence, at the end of his thoroughly researched history of the witch-hunts in Europe, which veils none of the horror, reconstructs the story as it unfolded and presents a rich and complex discussion of their cultural significance, Guy Bechtel comes to the surprising conclusion that, in essence, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. Indeed, he feels that this episode should be seen as a "revolution," and revolutions, Bechtel argues, "can only be achieved by the annihilation of opposing positions and of those who uphold them (or claim to uphold them)" He says, "The movement that tried to kill the witches is also, unwittingly of course, that which paved the way, later on, for the lives and thought of Montesquieu, Voltaire and Kant." In conclusion, he gives his blessing to a logic that he sums up with the maxim: "Killing the women of the past to create the men of the future." And, in doing so, Bechtel shows, once again, that historians of the witch-hunts are themselves products of the world that hunted the witches, and that they remain locked inside the frame of reference that the witch-hunts created. Bechtel's point of view is a stark contrast to the very different views of Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, who describe not only individual tragedies—the quashed aspirations and broken spirits of the hunts' victims—but also all that society denied itself by outlawing them, all that these women were prevented from developing and passing to future generations. Ehrenreich and English speak of "the sheer waste of talent and knowledge" represented by the witch-hunts, and urge us to undertake the "important task [. . . ] of recovering, or at least pointing out, what was lost."

Bechtel's determination to forcibly insert the horrendous history he has just pieced together into the virtuous account of the dawn of progress prompts him to come up with theories that are far-fetched to say the least: "It is likely that we are, at least partially, indebted to the unjustifiable massacre of the witches for a change in mindset toward greater rationalism, greater justice, stronger support for the right to legal defense and general awareness of human rights," as he puts it. An attempt to justify what you have, in the same sentence, just called unjustifiable? Matilda Joslyn Gage's analysis (as early as 1893) seems altogether more plausible:

“During the witchcraft period the minds of people were trained in a single direction. The chief lesson of the church that betrayal of friends was necessary to one's own salvation created an intense selfishness. All humanitarian feeling was lost in the effort to secure heaven at the expense of others, even those most closely bound by ties of nature and affection. Mercy, tenderness, compassion were all obliterated. Truthfulness escaped from the Christian world; fear, sorrow and cruelty reigned pre-eminent. [. . .] Contempt and hatred of women was inculcated with greater intensity; love of power and treachery were parts of the selfish lessons of the church. All reverence for length of years was lost. The sorrows and sufferings of a long life appealed to no sympathetic cord in the heart.”

A much more appropriate tableau to offer overexcited and gushy humanists requiring a cold shower.

-Mona Chollet, In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women are Still on Trial

[daughter-of-sapph0]

May I ask what helped you decide you wanted to convert? For me, there's always been a fascination with Jewish culture that grew into a lot of love for all of the aspects of religion. As a queer person, the celebration of survival against all odds really spoke to me as well as the deep philosophical nit-picking of the Talmud and what god even means. The fact that you even be Jewish and convert as well without even fully believing in god is very meaningful to me.

I haven't started my conversion process yet because the only synagogue near me has some pretty bad politics but I really hope to be able to start one day

Anyway I hope you have a nice day💖

I've had this ask in my inbox for days because I've spent forever just thinking about how to answer it. I'd say it's really two big things that made me want to convert. the first thing being the people around me who were Jewish and had a love for their religion, and the second being my catholic mother.

let me explain the my mother first. I was raised catholic. my mother comes from an Irish catholic family, so from birth to about 8th grade I was raised as a catholic. I never really questioned it any. my dad was lutheran, and even though he wasn't religious, we sometimes went to mass with his parents. and we also had lots of friends who were all different flavors of christian, so I had a pretty diverse experience of what it ment to be christian. but that's the thing, I only knew about christianity. I mean, I knew other religions existed. I knew that other people believed things that were different than the things I believed. I knew there were different traditions and holidays and such. but I knew basically nothing about it until I got to middle school.

I went to a very small catholic school for middle school. I had previously gone to a public elementary school. but at 6th grade, my mother really wanted me to go to the school she went to when she was a kid. it was a tiny little k-8 brick building connected to the local church that couldn't have had more than 200 kids in the entire school. it was basically the same as public school, although the math program was a year ahead so I was doing geometry in algebra 1 in 8th grade instead of 9th. we had a religion class that was basically history revolving around early christianity. I say that because although they said it was the history of Jewish people before Jesus, it was taught in a very christian-centric way.

I wouldn't say it was a bad school. there was never any forced political views. there was an optional field trip to go to the march for life anti abortion thing in DC, and I wanted to go (because I was a stupid kid who had no idea what abortion even was and just wanted to visit DC) but my mom told me I really shouldn't and explained why she's pro choice. I distinctly remember this conversation with her, because it was at that point I realized that christians, even of the same dinomination, have wildly different views, but you aren't really allowed to talk about it.

I can't remember a lot about the school. I just remember that I was bullied a lot. I had severe undiagnosed adhd and autism, plus I was struggling with my own sexuality and gender. although the school wasn't outright homophobic, it wasn't like they were hosting pflag meetings either. so I kinda bottled my emotions up until high school. it was at that time I became an atheist. I was questioning the concept of an all knowing and all loving god who would make a world with so much hate and violence and sadness in it. I couldn't accept that god loved me, knew everything about me, made me the way I am, but also hated me because I was gay and disabled. obviously I wasn't taught this at middle school. but I heard it online from homophobes and ablists using religion to harm others, and I associated this with all christians. I didn't hate christianity, I just didn't want to be a part of it.

so anyway, I was an atheist for a while. for about two years in high school. I wasn't a reddit atheist or an antitheist. I still respected other people's religions. I just didn't believe in any of my own. I was still questioning my gender at this time, and I struggled a lot with grades especially in my freshman year. I finally started going to therapy and taking meds to help focus, and my grades drastically improved my sophomore year. (I just realized that those terms probably mean nothing to non-americans. freshman is first year of high school, or 9th grade. sophomore is second year of high school, or 10th grade. junior is third, or 11th grade. and senior is fourth, or 12th grade)

my mom was always supporting me through all of this. she accepted me with everything that was going on in my life, whether it's religion or sexuality or disability or gender. she was the first family member I came out as trans to. and she has been nothing but supportive and loving for my entire life. she like, the exact opposite of a conservative christian. she uses her religion and her faith to spread love, and not hate. and even though at this point I wasn't a christian, she still supported me because of her being raised as a catholic to love everyone. and she never forced me to go to church or change back to catholicism or anything. she let me do my own thing and supported everything I did.

anyway, I came out as trans during the middle of my junior year. I had just been through a rough breakup with a really nice guy, but he helped me figure out my gender shit and made me realize I could be whatever gender I wanted to be as long as I was happy. we stayed friends for a while after that. but he was a year older than me so we didn't really talk after he graduated. but he helped me realize I was trans. and now I started to feel better and more confident about myself. I made friends with a lot of people online. I specifically made efforts to make friends with all different types of people. I had always been a pretty liberal person and social justice advocate. but I wanted to try and learn more about the world beyond my very limited experience. and either by coincidence or fate, I ended up being friends with a lot of transgender Jews. I spent a lot of time learning about Judaism and what it ment to be Jewish. idk what it was, but I felt a really strong connection to my Jewish friends.

but anyway, I'm going through high school, in my senior year, while also taking night classes at community college. just going about life, taking sociology and psychology, while also being a social justice advocate online. when BOOM, pandemic. everything stopped. I graduated high school, but college switched to online and my grades tanked again. it was just like freshman year, except now I was paying nearly two thousand dollars a semester. so I quit. I would have became a total shut in if I hadn't met some really nice people who lived nearby. they helped me be more confident with my self image and personality. I went out more, safely of course because it was the pandemic. I decided I wasn't going to quit college, but just take a break until in person classes started again. I had a few jobs in retail and restaurants, which all absolutely sucked. and I spent a lot of time meditating and thinking to myself about philosophy. since I had a lot of free time, I read a lot. different religious texts and commentaries on those texts. I started to realize that I was religious, but I just didn't know how. I told my current philosophy to some of my friends, most of whom happened to be Jewish, and they said it sounded very similar to Judaism. so I looked into it. in fall of 2020, I reached out to a local rabbi, and told him I wanted to convert to Judaism. he denied me three times as per tradition, but finally said that if I wanted to be Jewish, I had to make sure it was the right religion for me. I had to study and ready and learn. converting is a long process, and usually takes years. I'm almost two and a half years into my conversion process. and from reading and talking with other Jewish people, I'm learning more every day. I've had times where I've doubted myself. where I felt like I had imposter syndrome, or like it wasn't my choice to convert. it's been hard sometimes. but I haven't given up. I'm staying with it because I truly love Judaism and Jewish people and traditions and culture and the thousands of different approaches to god and faith.

converting is gonna be different for everyone. but in general, it's not easy. and it's not supposed to be. you're not really supposed to convert out of Judaism. you can be a Jewish atheist. but once you're Jewish, you're intended to be Jewish for life. so all that time you spend studying and learning is supposed to make you ask yourself over and over and over again "are you sure". and every single time I've asked myself that question, the answer has always been "yes".

sorry this turned out to be more of a life story than a simple answer as to why I chose to convert. but there is no simple answer. I didn't just wake up one day and decide to be Jewish. it was a long process from the millions of decisions and choices by me and the people around me that lead me to where I am today. in religion, philosophy, art, and life in general, there are no such things as simple answers. so, find beauty in the complexity of the universe.

thank you, anon

[angedemystere]

Reading Wrap Up for 2023

Sad to say, I finished fewer books this year (22) than last year (35), but I started more books. Starting a full time job in August while staying at my part-time job brought my reading to a screeching halt. Here's my takeaway on what I can do going forward:

not read multiple books

set up a stricter reading routine

load up on mysteries

crank down on nonfiction

put down books that are not holding my attention

Another dilemma is that I'm joining my church's Bible Challenge where we read the all of it in a year. But I want to adjust my habits, anyway, so I'll use more downtime for reading in general.

Anyway, here are the books I read, my ratings, and my quick thoughts:

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (2.5/5) - I'm peeved by this series. There's a lot to like, but why, WHY does Goss insist on warping the preexisting characters? I'm not continuing this series unless someone convinces me it's worthwhile.

Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment (3.5/5) - It's interesting, for sure. That's ... probably the highest praise I can give. There are ideas in this I don't agree with, but I thought about this book for a while after finishing it. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it. Just don't take it as gospel.

The Other Paris (4/5) - Woof! This book might punch your faith in humanity in the face, but you'll be fascinated while it's happening. Great glimpse into the not glamorous side of Paris.

The Monstrumologist (3.5/5) - This one took me a couple tries to start, but it finally sucked me in. I think, while the monster stuff is great, the book got more interesting as the relationship between the POV character and the scientist developed. It's like if Sherlock Holmes studied and hunted monsters, was more of a jerk, and had a kid sidekick instead of Watson.

Monk's Hood (4/5) - This installment of the Brother Cadfael mysteries felt more like "things are fairly normal but then this person/situation arises" without it being a huge crisis like a war. It also stays in Shrewsbury, which makes it fun to watch Cadfael as he maneuvers around his home turf.

Till We Have Faces (4.5/5) - I didn't expect to enjoy this retelling so much! I'm not even a huge fan of the Eros/Psyche myth. Or maybe that explains my enjoyment - it doesn't focus much on Psyche or Eros, rather fleshing out Psyche's sister (look I'm a sucker for ugly protags).

Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (4/5) - Solid nonfiction read about how Christians can better communicate with and love people of different religious beliefs (or heck, even other Christians who don't agree with them on certain points). Worth checking out if you're interested in discourse on this subject.

On Stories (4/5) - More C.S. Lewis and various essays on how and why stories do what they do, especially fantasy. Can't remember much about specific points right now, but I enjoy his point of view, especially as a writer.

To Kill a Kingdom - (2.5/5) Not my cup of tea in the end. I wanted to like it - Little Mermaid retelling, enemies to lovers with monstrous protag who starts off hating humans but learns to bond with them. Except I didn't see much bonding between the MC and the humans she's forced to cooperate with. Even when she does develop her relationship with the main guy who becomes her love interest, I was lukewarm on their romance. Never got attached to the characters tbh.

City of Light, City of Poison (4.5/5) - It was wild reading this book, then watching the Puppet History video on this topic and realizing it was about the same thing! Anyway, CRAZY real-life story about 17th century shenanigans. The writer does a great job weaving a narrative out of many people's lives and building up the intrigue.

The Three from Galilee (3.5/5) - I liked this imagined way Jesus could have grown up with his family. It filled out parts of his family we don't think much about, like his grandparents and siblings. There are also sweet nods to parables he will tell later. The big thing holding this back from a 4 was the weird romance subplot near the end. I'm fine with giving fiction!Jesus a love interest to explore the idea of what that could've been like. But the way it was handled ... just ... what?

The Good Death (3.5/5) - My first foray into this series, even though it's not the first in the series. I'd like to go back and check out the first installment. While I liked how it followed two timelines to build up the mystery of the first murder (chronologically) that the MC gets involved in, the solution to the mystery left a bad taste for me. I'm fine with how the later timeline wrapped up, if a bit strained in its conflict. I'll read more, but I'm not in a rush.

The House of Silk (4/5) - I read Horowitz's Moriarty last year, which was interesting but odd to fit into the Holmes canon. House of Silk felt more like a natural fit because it's a case for Holmes and Watson. Dark and ultimately sad but well worth the time.

Legend (3.5/5) - I went into this with maybe too high expectations of it being a Les Mis reimagining with the MCs paralleling Jean Valjean and Javert. Which they do, but they're unique characters. I'll admit, I didn't get as invested in them as I am in the OGs, but their story was enjoyable. Not sure I'm motivated to continue the series, though.

The Warden (4/5) - I didn't realize this was going to end on a mf cliffhanger. Yeah, I'm telling you that right off the bat. What a rip. I still like it, but how can you do that to me? Anyway, it's a D&D style story set in a village with some small-town problems and a potential BIG problem looming in the background. That fits my jam as long as the characters are interesting, which they are. Nice!

The Monstrous Child (3/5) - The very rare Norse myth retelling that focuses on Hel. It reads like middle grade or young YA, which I think is the intention. Hel is very snappish, but almost all the characters are unpleasant, so her attitude fits. It also seemed shallow when there's a lot of pain that doesn't get addressed in a satisfying way. It has its moments, but few and far between.

Hounded (4/5) - I'm surprised by how much I got invested. It's urban fantasy with all mythologies, but this story keeps the focus on Irish gods and stories. The MC strikes that balance of powerful and vulnerable enough that he can't take on the antagonist with ease. Also, he has a dog, and he respects powerful women. Will try more!

The Shack (4/5) - This book confused me because I wasn't sure if the author had inserted himself as a character and/or if the real world part was based on a true story. But I liked the story and the truths it explored about our relationship with God while still feeling grounded in a person's unique experiences (rather than just an illustrative sermon). Plus, it was fun seeing God the Father as a vivacious black woman and Jesus showing human clumsiness.

Out of the Silent Planet (4.5/5) - I'm showing my Lewis bias, I know. He just knows how to pace a story that at parts could be boring because not a lot is happening. I was invested the whole time thanks to how invested in the MC is. And the MC has no reason to care about anything because he just stumbles (and gets kidnapped) into the adventure. Do you think Ransom is a little based on a young Tolkien?

The Thursday Murder Club (4/5) - Fun, funny, and surprisingly dark mystery featuring septuagenarians as the detectives. It did keep me guessing. Sometimes the twists were a bit much with how quickly one apparent solution came up, only to be dashed by what was really going on. The one book this year I read in a day.

The Invisible Man (3.5/5) - This is a dark comedy. We can agree on that, right? Like, slap-stick comedy with morbid moral questions. The guy causes mayhem, including to himself. And then he thinks he can rule the world? How am I not supposed to find that funny?

The Phantom of the Opera: A Graphic Novel (4.5/5) - Beautiful adaptation of the novel that captures the gothic atmosphere and shows the Phantom as a terrifying, pathetic dude. It trims some of the subplots that don't involved Christine and Raoul, which for the sake of story flow makes sense.

[demoisverysexy]

Wait, you're Mormon? I'm ex-Mormon and grew up in Utah (and currently still live here) so it's always super interesting to me to find Mormons on tumblr, especially progressive Mormons. I haven't been in touch with the Mormon side of my family years and don't really keep up with anything that happens in the church anymore, but I'm always fascinated seeing people discuss things on here that I haven't thought about in nearly a decade. If you don't mind me asking, what draws progressive Mormons into staying a part of the church?

Hey! A cool ex-Mormon! I love to see it. Hit me up in my DMs if you wanna chat!

First off, oof, Utah. I do not envy you. I have fortunately never lived in Utah, and I grew up around Boston, which means that I was exposed early on to more liberal and left-leaning Mormons. That along with being the only Mormon in my school made it so that being Mormon became a part of my identity early on, and that I was exposed to both a version of Mormonism more open to new ideas, and an environment where I lived mostly with non-Mormons. Me becoming a liberal was inevitable, and when my Mom introduced me to theology (specifically the works of Adam S. Miller, go read his work now), it would eventually lead to me getting interested in philosophy, which in turn led to me being a queer Marxist. Thanks to my unique trajectory though, Mormonism has always been a relatively comfortable part of my identity, in spite of everything.

I can see how that might be a bit weird to see. My church is, after all, rather infamous for some of its more, ah, conservative doctrines and practices, both past and present. And while I cannot speak for every progressive Mormon, I can speak as to why I stay. A few reasons:

I love being Mormon. I love the Book of Mormon, I love a lot of Mormon doctrines and theology, I love the history, I love the sacrament, I love a lot of the culture, and I love Mormon people. I love it I love it I love it, even with all the problems it has.

As an act of defiance. I don't want my church to get the last say on what it means to be Mormon. I am a Mormon, whether they want me or not. I can't let the conservatives win with their assumption that someone like me can't be a faithful Mormon. So I stay to spite them, and prove them wrong. I'm a Mormon, but in a punk way.

I love the doctrine and theology. I feel that my unique way of looking at Mormon doctrine, influenced by the works of theologians and Marxists, is in many ways more harmonious with what the doctrine is saying than many church-sanctioned interpretations. What if we look at the Book of Mormon through a Marxist lens? Through a literary one? What if we take seriously some of the ideas that Joseph Smith had that bordered on an almost non-theistic, materialist theology? What if we question whether or not the Book of Mormon is historical while believing it to be scripture all the same? Mormonism is, fundamentally, a religion of asking questions. It's how the church came to be, and it's how it goes on, in my opinion. Mormonism persists because it is an ethos, a way of viewing the world and engaging with it in a creative way. For me, letting it breathe like this has been a source of joy and enlightenment. Mormon doctrine, untethered to the institution that demands a strict interpretation of it, can sing.

I am a believer in personal revelation, and at the end of the day, this church is mine. It doesn't belong to the general authorities, but to me and God. I don't care too much about what they have to say, really. If they say something that gets in the way of my understanding of God, I gripe about it for a day, then move on. I'm still a Mormon. What are they going to do?

I believe that while I can do some good, staying in the church will help other people like me. So until I can no longer do it in a safe way, I plan on being an active Mormon for as long as possible. Seems that it's a place I can do some good.

That should about do it, I think. Hit me up if you wanna chat, or have other questions, or wanna be my friend! I love meeting new people, and I would love to hear more about your experiences, anon. Thank you for your lovely question.

[bookwyrminspiration]

hi curious baha'i anon again !! I got busy w school and didn't get a chance to properly look at Tumblr until recently 😅

I would LOVE to know about the music though, and what the children's classes were like/what was generally taught. I've always thought the religious education my family's church and grandparents (separate) church provided was lackluster and actually taught very little so I'm curious if that differs in other religions.

you mentioned feast days and other specific worship days, idk if you know about Catholic holy days of obligation but it's basically there's a ton of feast and celebration and worship days but there's a specific list that's the Most Important and you Have to attend mass on those days if you're physically able otherwise it's considered a sin (Xmas + Easter being the biggest, but technically every Sunday is also an obligation), is there something like that in bahá'í with the feast days and worship days? like certain ones are "lower stakes" compared to others? And along that same line of thinking, is it viewed (socially or religiously) as bad and/or a sin (unsure if the concept of sin is even prominent tbh) to miss days?

also I want to reiterate that it's totally fine if you don't want to answer these asks ^^ I don't want to burden you or anything

You're good! I'm also a little busy currently--gonna write an entire essay tomorrow so, fun. and don't worry, I answer and offer because I'm entirely willing to talk and share about it :)

To answer your question, music would be done a few different ways. Frequently it'd be on CDs, which people would bring to feasts (my family has a few), or it would be sung live. If it was a children's class, it'd usually be a song in English, often the adaptation of a prayer to make it more memorable for kids (sometimes with made up dances, too). Then, on holy days during the equivalent of mass, there'd frequently be singing/chanting live in Farsi (because the faith originated in Persia/that area). Just community members--and they were always great at it, too

This isn't one of those, but this song in particular is ingrained in my memory, because they'd play it on the big projecter every single time the Martyrdom of the Báb came around. And since I don't speak Farsi I can't recall any specific ones of those, but here's an example chant. Also in looking through YouTube playlists, I found this song, Strive, and we 100% watched this video and sang this song at some point. Same with this one. So those are a few examples, but there's a lot more.

As for children's classes, they'd go something like this: everyone shows up, mingles until the hour starts, then all the kids get together in a circle in the big room at the back. There, this one old lady who's been there as long as I can remember (who I won't name) would lead us in a few prayers, those prayers turned into songs I mentioned--maybe full songs from time to time if the adults joined in. Chatting a little, touching base. Then the littlest kids (under 5) would go with their teacher to mostly do crafts with some stories told about the faith, mostly just keeping them occupied.

Those 5-10 would go to the actual children's classes, where what you learn depends on who you're with. That lovely old lady was my teacher from 5-10, and every week she'd prepare these worksheets for us to read through. usually it would be about different prophets (abraham, mohammad, etc) and different important events in the faith's history (e.g. what is Ridván and why do we celebrate? who was martyred and why?). An emphasis on Bahá'u'lláh and the people closest to him (like his son 'Abdú'l-Bahá), as he's the main figure of the faith. She'd tell us stories with the handmade worksheets as references to take home. And every week she'd have some kind of craft for us to do (suncatchers, making pillows, etc.) while we talked about the topic of the week. I might have the worksheets buried somewhere in my house. Ah, here's a couple photos:

Then there's 11-14, which is Junior Youth classes; these are much smaller because there's fewer people in that age range. My classes were held at the center (same place as the children's classes), but there would be other groups that would meet at people's houses or other places. Once again, depends on who's teaching what you learn, but in mine we went off this series of workbooks. They were basically about practicing virtues (patience, generosity, etc.) in one's life. They'd present a scenario and ways it could be handled, and then we'd do little written exercises discussing the choices made--which were virtuous, how others could be better, what we would do, etc. Lot of discussion. There would also be different prayers/writings to memorize or read. I unfortunately don't think I have these still to take pictures, so you'll have to imagine.

Then when you hit 15 you're an adult in the faith, and until you're 30 you're considered a Youth. There are Youth groups and such where you continue this kind of thing, just with other Youths as a full. equal participant instead of being taught. I never did that, but I do think I would've been adequately prepared; I've forgotten a bit since, but I had a pretty thorough understanding of the foundation when I turned 15. Of course there's always more to learn, but it was solid--in my opinion

As for obligation, based on my experience, I wouldn't say it was ever like you HAVE to attend or you're sinning. The concept of sin...exists, I suppose? Like the word appears in some writings, but not like what I've seen of Catholic and Christian sin--and we don't have a hell or damnation. It's less that you're sinning and more like it's a poor choice/action to make, and you should stop and reflect on it and the distance this puts between yourself and God. And then make better choices that bring you closer to God. Because in the afterlife there's no heaven/hell, it's more just how close you are to God. if that makes sense. I'd never hear the word sin spoken, the closest thing we'd have was talked about in terms of having an absence of God

And there's no one way to measure how close you are, so not attending the celebrations of certain Holy Days doesn't solely determine that. Some are more important than others--e.g. the Bicenntenial of the Twin's births was within the last decade, which was really really big, so people really wanted to attend. But people missed children's classes all the time. And feasts. No one was ever pressed about someone missing--unless you were a kid looking forward to seeing someone your age who turned out to be absent. Attend when you can, but you can be incredibly close to God even if you don't, which is between you and him, so there was no judgement I saw (again, reminder. this is all my personal experience raised Baha'i in America). Though often the most devout people attended more often--not because it's sinning not to, but because they wanted to attend more. If that distinction makes sense.

Anyway, that's a little snapshot of what it was like--I'd be happy to answer further questions from anyone if there are any. I could go through the children's class workbooks and share some of the people covered, explain some of the holy days (like Ridvan), share some of the prayers, etc. hope this helps :)

[whore-of-stolas]

Truly I'm appropriating the SHIT out of Catholicism (just not local practices of course). And honestly? I am not a baptized Catholic or a Christian. I would describe my views in a weird and unacceptable way for people to which no one has the right to know. But honestly?

Why do we NOT accept that we can "cherry pick" the Bible? How can we be critical of a religious text if we can't say objectively "this is racist, this is homophobic, this is anti-Semitic" and thus, we should archive and treat those verses as outdated and teach why. What is stopping us besides our own constraining views on the sacred? I understand the history of how we got to this point, but I do not understand why we can not recognize the history and actively change the future.

And it's not just Christians who do this. Many atheists/anti-theists and non-Christians who speak on it treat it the same way. And what I see is that both of those groups will often cherry pick to debunk, support, or whatever any view they have on Christianity and God. So often, progressive Christians must use the tools of their detractors to provide a reason for the progressive takes on the religion. They must become Biblical scholars who can accurately read the older texts to say "this has been mistranslated/out of context/changed for political reasons." And while I appreciate that approach and the work it takes it can not be the only approach to it. And also, we typically try and frame a historical Jesus in a way that may very well be contradictory as well as a modernized casting.

We can also similarly recognize the colonialism while saying that it is a cultural aspect and experience many do not want to lose. Why force abandoning it when we can reform it to be healthier? (One way I think the Catholic church can do this is by officially recognizing and supporting cultural Saints created due to it.)

Idk. I just do not understand why we can not reform the church when it has been reformed many many times before (and no, not just during the reformation). Why can we not accept and uplift the voices of churches who are supportive and recognize the faults without dunking on them for still being Christian? It's mind boggling to me how we always go "this is how it is, this is how it will always be" because it is the exact way evangelicals think.

[friend-crow]

I started this post about a month ago, but I've seen the subject come up twice in the last 24 hours so I figured it might be time to finish writing it.

A recent debate (which I may or may not have accidentally started) about just what people mean when they say "pagan" and why it might piss some people off to have their religion referred to as such has inspired me to write a bit on the subject.

Let's start with some etymology! Wooo!

pagan (n.)

c. 1400, perhaps mid-14c., "person of non-Christian or non-Jewish faith," from Late Latin paganus "pagan," in classical Latin "villager, rustic; civilian, non-combatant" noun use of adjective meaning "of the country, of a village," from pagus "country people; province, rural district," originally "district limited by markers," thus related to pangere "to fix, fasten," from PIE root *pag- "to fasten." As an adjective from early 15c.

The religious sense often was said in 19c. [e.g. Trench] to derive from conservative rural adherence to the old gods after the Christianization of Roman towns and cities; but the Latin word in this sense predates that period in Church history, and it is more likely derived from the use of paganus in Roman military jargon for "civilian, incompetent soldier," which Christians (Tertullian, c. 202; Augustine) picked up with the military imagery of the early Church (such as milites "soldier of Christ," etc.).

The English word was used later in a narrower sense of "one not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim." As "person of heathenish character or habits," by 1841. Applied to modern pantheists and nature-worshippers from 1908.

Pagan and heathen are primarily the same in meaning; but pagan is sometimes distinctively applied to those nations that, although worshiping false gods, are more cultivated, as the Greeks and Romans, and heathen to uncivilized idolaters, as the tribes of Africa. A Mohammedan is not counted a pagan much less a heathen. [Century Dictionary, 1897]

-source

TLDR: Pagan in the current sense of the word began with Christians referring to people who hadn't been converted to Christianity, and was more recently expanded to mean anyone who isn't Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.

This is a specifically Christian worldview, which establishes a false dichotomy of essentially "Christian or nah". It reduces the rest of the world's religions and cultures down to "other".

While it's fine if you want to "reclaim" this word by self-identifying as pagan (or heathen), when you start applying it to others against their will it becomes kind of a shitty thing to do.

But if that's literally what the word means, why can't I use it that way?

If a slur literally refers to an oppressed group of people, does that mean it's fine to go around calling those people slurs? The answer is "no". Knowing what a word means and being a decent person aren't always the same thing.

It's also important to consider that many of us have grown up in a Christian society, whether we were raised as Christians or not, which means that we often view things through a Christian lens in many ways that we're not even aware of. This kind of dichotomy is an example of that. It's also an example of the sort colonizer mentality that often comes with living in a Christian society.

Obligatory disclaimer that I'm not saying that all Christians are bad or that it's an inherently bad religion -- just that there is a long history of Christians colonizing much of the world and using religious institutions to try to erase other cultures.

In general, it's almost* always a good idea to listen to others when it comes to matters of their own identity, instead of placing your own labels on them. Chances are they know better than you do.

*fascists are notoriously bad at properly labeling themselves, so you have to keep an eye out for the signs

[bihet-dragonize]

I posted 26,490 times in 2021

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25614 posts reblogged (97%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 29.2 posts.

I added 3,025 tags in 2021

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My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Genuinely where is this energy for Chris "I attend a homophobic church" Pratt? For Scarlet "whole ass Zionist" Johansson? For Chris "let's sign bombs that will kill brown people" Evans? For Ryan "got married on an actual factual Plantation" Reynolds? Anthony Mackie makes one (1) tone deaf statement and now he's the King of Homophobia. Meanwhile y'all can't even write his character with any nuance or without any racial tropes coming in to play in the gay ships, but you want him to gaybait for you? The fuck is he supposed to do? Play coy and lead you on so you can give Disney/Marvel more fucking money? Or do you think they'll actually make him gay so he can be their 46th "NEW LGBT CHARACTER!!!!!"?

4311 notes • Posted 2021-06-18 04:00:48 GMT

#4

I absolutely HATE how people are focusing more on the "tik tok is having a major ethical scandal" aspect of this whole bone selling company cuz that shouldn't be the focus at all. Like it's not just some "scandal" it's a major ethical issue that's emblematic of how white people view bodies of color- even after death- as things for them to profit off of. We are not afforded the same respect white people give even to animals (other animals, whatever) and now people are being rude and turning this into some "lol tik tok/twitter are always behind tumblr in major drama" thing and it's just not funny to me.

4975 notes • Posted 2021-08-15 20:27:17 GMT

#3

I think it's funny how white people (yes ALL of you) will whine about poc asking them to learn about racism from poc and not just through "fiction" and the excuse is that that's the easiest way to teach people lessons, but then those white people can't analyze ANY media or current events and find the racism in it. Like they will try to justify making all your villains dark skinned and then scream about why h*try p*tter is radical text (also missing Rowling's rampant *checks notes* racism, antisemitism, transphobia, transmisogyny, homophobia, fatphobia etc.). Like.....if fantasy racism is the only effective way to teach about racism, why can't y'all recognize racism better? Everyone and their mother wants to compare Trump to Voldemort and yet y'all can't recognize how the Capital Coup was a push in favor of white supremacist fascism? Are you reading the books or just reading names of characters so you can write a smut fic?

6354 notes • Posted 2021-01-14 04:51:09 GMT

#2

I think a lot of non-Americans forget that America has dropped bombs on and around communities of color in America either to outright kill us or to slowly kill us while terrorizing us. Like I know y'all get tired of learning American history cuz America is a global power but like if you looked into the insidious shit that the American government has done to it's own "citizens" of color to stop us from overthrowing it you'd realize WE aren't so different from you in terms of suffering under American terror. Just saying.

7228 notes • Posted 2021-05-05 17:46:04 GMT

#1

No but when JKR was being casually antisemitic on twitter and homophobic with her reveal that lycanthopy was an AIDS allegory, how was that not the creator of a bigoted media coming through in the media she produced? How do you separate the content from the creator when the creator defends her choice to include racist, antisemitic, homophobic and transphobic content in her media? Like you hp fans are doing gymnastics to justify your love for a franchise that at its core has always been flawed and you just shrug that off. You just hand-wave it away and say "separate the art from the artist" but the art is flawed and the artist has defended those flaws. So where does the separation happen when the artist admits to purposely being cruel?

Not a single HP fan can answer this btw because you'll all circle back to "B-b-b-but the art can be sEpArAtEd". None of you have any argument that deals in real life material affects.

The facts are that the HP series is riddled with bigotry and JKR has fought tooth and nail to justify that bigotry. JKR is a Terf (trans exclusionary radical feminist) and has included transmisogyny and casual transphobia in the books since the first book. JKR has taken her fame (from continued public support of HP) and hatred of trans women and used it to get laws in the UK passed that endanger the lives of trans people, specifically trans women and tried to get laws passed in the US. JKR has also written a new violently transmisogynistic book.

No matter how much you try to separate a series filled with bigotry from the bigot that wrote it, you're going to fail. And you want to know why? Because art does not spawn from no where. Art is not made in a vacuum. Art is not some mystical power that comes to some people in the night. Art is a product of the people that create it and if the person who creates the art is a bigot that bigotry with always shine through. People create based on what they know and what they believe to be true.

7248 notes • Posted 2021-09-23 03:04:10 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[realityshiftingandblogging]

Explaining My DR

⚠️ Before you read, please keep in mind my DR is based from a lot of mythology. Please do not feel offended (I mean you can feel offended but I mean please don't feel like I'm purposely trying to offend you) if your group is not mentioned (such as magic users) or if they are misinterpreted. It's a DR based from the past and from old mythology and lore. It isn't going to be the same as the present. We are also using old terms and meanings. It's also based from an anime too. ⚠️

⚠️I'll also be updating this from time to time if I find more information I want to place. So if you ever get bored, just head on back and see if anything is new! ⚠️

Click read more to see~

What is my reality based from?

Mine is heavily referenced from an anime called "The Ancient Magus Bride." The anime itself is beautiful, and based off of many legends and mythology and it somehow blends together beautifully.

My reality is going to be somewhere in the 1700's (but without slavery and a few wars) because I am sharing my DR with my online friends (and those I classify as my online "Family") and we decided we wanted to see how much history we could change.

So far, we have decided to save Marie Antoinette.

The reality itself has "fae" who don't like to be called "Fairies" and would rather be called "neighbors." They are friendly, in their own way, though some can be aggressive but we have decided that we are safe from those and won't fight them. But here's a catch - you can't see them unless you have "The Sight." Some people do have the sight such as mages (a rare form of magic user in our reality) or "Sleigh Beggy" otherwise known as "Slay Vega."

Slay Vega's have the ability to see and attract fae. As Wiki put it:

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Sleigh Beggies are a type of human who have a natural affinity towards the fae and other supernatural entities, drawing their kind towards them unintentionally. Because their bodies naturally absorb magic but they typically lack the means of controlling it, they die fairly young. This is why, despite the fact that there are more Sleigh Beggy than natural-born mages, their numbers are few and far between. Sleigh Beggy are highly prized by both other sorcerers and fae. The former because their organs naturally absorb magic and so they can be used as batteries for magic and the latter because they are naturally drawn to them as they view Sleigh Beggy as being closer to their kind. This often brings them misfortune as well, because the fae drawn to them will act against their wishes, more so for those who are not gifted with the Sight and cannot see the fae. The fae's goodwill does not always result in the happiness and, when left to their own interpretation, their love and loyalty manifests into both luck and ill fortune. Sleigh Beggy unconsciously absorb a lot of magical energy, but lack the means of expressing it unless they are trained in magic or other methods. As a Sleigh Beggy draws attention from Fae, they will have little difficulty becoming mages if they find a mentor to train them and be capable of powerful magic.

--------

I will be a Sleigh Vega/Beggy but I will also have immortality, so I won't be hurt by this magic absorption; because of this the fae will be attracted to me and I can help my s/o with his magic too.

Other than Sleigh Beggys, what are there?

Well there are many magic types. For my DR we have

Sleigh Beggy: The rarest of all the types, even to the point they are even unheard of. They have the abilities of both a mage and sorcerer. They passively absorb and exude magic energy. Almost unlimited. However, their bodies are still human and they will eventually have pain from the constant strain. Fae are attracted to this type but their friendship isn't always beneficial to Sleigh Beggies. A Sleigh Beggy without a mentor or teacher may feel cursed being around them as they can't understand the world around them or why the Fae behave as they do.

Mages: Are magic users who absorb magic and cast spells using it or they borrow magic from Fae. However, this is draining for the caster.

Sorcerers: They are different from other magic users. They turn their own energy into magic to perform sorcery. Unlike the Mages, they don't contort or use the Natural Laws by breaking them, instead they study these laws and manipulate said laws.

Witches: Are magical users similar to mages, but the difference is they dive into more forbidden arts and choose to gather in groups known as covens.

The History Of Magic:

In the new age of mankind, some humans could perform what we know as "miracles.' They could see beings known as fae. Or live fairly longer than others. As time went on, these people passed on techniques, knowledge, skills and shared with each other what is now known as "Magic." Those who could possess it were known as "Mages."

But as time went on, less and less humans were born with this ability and due to the "Great War" many magical users died. Ever since then, it was unusual, rare, and strange to find humans with this ability. Eventually, this was hidden from the world to ensure the safety of the magic users.

Overview Of Magic

Magic is a result of using the energy inside your body or using the energy of the world around you. This is a process that is referred to as "Magic" or a "Miracle." While magic users can use the worlds natural laws or the use of magical beings they can also use magic with chants or wands.

For some sorcerers, they have a magical core that can "act" as an internal organ which generates magical energy. It can pass on through generations genetically. Sometimes there are some born with non-magical parents.

Magic can be used in many ways. The results vary depending on the use such as shape, form, or requirements needed. It can be used for teleportation, purification, and giving life to inanimate objects. It can also be used for attacks like summoning spikes, thorns, using shadows or light, or breathing fire.

Magic can also be used by Artificers, like Angelica, who makes magic tools such as rings or wands.

What Are Fae?

Fae, or Neighbors, are a race of magical beings who can use, conjure, or absorb magic for themselves or other beings. They can be found everywhere around the world, but they are most commonly found in Tir Na nÓg which is ruled by Titiana and Oberon.

This silly couple:

There are many different types such as Ariels, Banshees, Church Grims, Brownies, Changelings, Elfs, Fire Sprites, Muryans, Selkies, and Vodyanoi!

Each fae is capable of something different and some are friendly, and some are aggressive. Similar to humans XD.

Random Things About My DR

➭ Even though it's set in the 1700s we have plumbing and pipes for baths, phones we can use to contact eachother and see media from Jean's reality (a very close friend of mine), and we plan to make some technology early. Because why not???

➭ We plan to mess up history a bit because we want to see how much we can change. And before you say "that's forcibly changing lives" technically no. It's not like the CR. Period. It's the 1700s where magic exists. We're not forcing a change in anyone's life. We're just going to mess with historical events that were bound to happen one way or another. #and they literally could've changed with or without us.

➭ There's a magic library where fae can exist alongside humans without any issue. No one can harm eachother within the library. It's also a rest good place to nap and it's really cozy.

➭ We live in a small cottage away from the village, it has a small pond and a garden. And just along the path in the back there's a forest. Keeping going down the path and you'll find a passage to Tir na nÓg.

➭ What's Tir na nÓg? It's an old legend of a place where you never age, that is, if you can get there. It's a place full of fae and where the king and queen of fae live. The plants never wither or die and it's always lively.

➭ My DR backstory is that I'm born as a king's daughter. I have a brother and a sister. That's all. Father and brother are Castelios which is a family that was given powers by the demons or fae from the Great War. They tend to scare everyone, due to their aura, except close family. Not even close friends are used to the aura. Though my sister and I didn't develop this, which is rare. I'll shift around the time I first meet my dad and brother after my mother left me and my sister with them. (No it won't be traumatizing, it's just my choice.) I'll grow up within the castle walls and learning magic from my brother and sword fighting from my sister. I'll eventually convince my dad to let me go outside the walls, to which he agrees, where I'll try to mess around with history a bit. On my 16th birthday I'll meet Elias Ainsworth in the greenhouse outside the walls when I snuck away at night. A huge chunk of years later I plan to already be a mage under his mentoring and be married by then, and the cottage is just our choice despite having an estate somewhere else. I only have until age 18 scripted so far but if you ask in like.... a week from now I might have something fjsbdjsnskssm

➭ There's a hunting event where any knight (male or female) can enter and so can royalty. A person from their familiy (or really anyone) can give them their handkerchief and whoever's handkerchief they had will recieve all that they hunted. It's a way to symbolize popularity, typically you'd want the biggest game or the most. For example if I have my s/o my handkerchief then whatever he hunted will go to me. Similarly if he gave me his then whatever I hunted will go to him. The more admired a person is, the more handkerchiefs a person has to give out and they have more game.

(If you're anti-hunting I am very sorry if this just offended you so please don't @me djeanjss please.)

➭ We have a room in the library that has many windows leading to different DRs. There's a wall full of keys that open the windows because the windows can't be broken or opened without a key, phew. When you look through each window it has a different scenery because each is a different DR. They are usually labeled and if you want to enter that reality you have to open the window and to right through. That's how Jean and I get to eachothers realities and also contact eachother. We decided to connect our DRs in a way.

My Desired Reality Members:

First, my DR husband!

Elias Ainsworth!

He is a mage who is both fae and human, though no one knows why he was this way and it was hinted that he was cursed. He also my mentor who will teach me magic.

Appearance

He's taller than most humans, reaching around 6'7". Because of the curse, he doesn't look human though will take a human form using magic. He likes to decorate his horns with gold string that holds a red cloth to cover his face.

A Mood board of him:

Personality

He's very kind and polite (to most) but he's... not antisocial but not social either. He has a hard time relating to people (big mood) but he's like that because he has no understanding of the emotions he feels nor does he remember anything of his life before. Because of this, he's extremely fascinated with emotions. He decided to adopt a "gentleman" mannerism to seem more friendly. He closely studies others but finds it a bit hard to follow their example. He doesn't tend to lie - but if he doesn't know you or knows you slightly then he leaves out any bit of information and tries to hide things. Once you get to know him, he's not so secretive and more child-like. But despite that, he's very willing to make up for, amend, and apologize for any childish behavior that was out of line.

Jeans comment on Elias: "Elias: nice, tall, protective and sweet from what I know, lowkey shy and is trying to understand humans and in the anime is learning emotions AND AJJSJDJSJD thats so SWEET, has lots of money-"

His Magic Abilities

He can manipulate the shadows and he leans toward destructive magic. He can hide in the shadows and create thorns. This gave him the name, given by the fae, "Child of Thorn" or simply "Thorn" as well as "Pilum Murialis." He can also shapeshift and remove memories.

Myself! Online, I go by a few names but in any DR it's Estelle.

Appearance

I'll have waist length black hair, styled in either a braid or simply let down. I have pale skin, blue eyes, and a small birthmark on my collarbones.

Mood board of myself:

Personality

I'll have the same as I do here but I felt really weird typing it out so I'm going to use how my friend described me!

Jeans opinion on Estelle: "Estelle - very soft and caring, maternal I’d say, great listener, really fun to talk to, shy and introverted but SJDJJDKFODOSOSOD when she comes out of her shell, has lots of nice memes, overall a good person to talk to about problems or just to have fun with and MEME, video game and reading nerd HAJDJDJSJKS, sympathetic and empathetic, smart, understanding"

Skills

Mental link: An ability shared with Ruth. We have a shared mind and memory.

Shapeshifting: I can shapeshift into a Pheonix which I'll mainly only use for fun.

Healing: I can heal, either by a chant or with the help of fae or tools

Light manipulation: I can manipulate light and use it against or for people

{Before I get onto the subject about my kids. Yes, I do know them in the CR. I have raised Adam and Asher despite us being close in age, I've always been the more "motherly" figure in my friends and relatives lives. (And I have recently became a mother figure for Nutmeg for about three years now.) I've organized the appointments, cook, cleaned, been there emotionally and so on. I am Asher and Adams aunt as well, so before you ask "Isn't that weird?" In my opinion, no. There are many people I've met who are the same and just straight up become the mother figure in someone's life. I am young, but I've been doing this job for years and a few comments aren't going to stop me from my job.}

Artificer: I have artificer abilities that I typically use to make a creature called a "Maker." They simply like making things. They're smart but really emotional and made from fabric similar to a doll. They like to swear masks and they basically look like a fabric version of a Korok.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg will be my daughter in the future. She is also a person from this reality who sees me as a mother figure and I see her as a daughter. So we agreed this is something we wanted to do. How it will work is she will try shift to the future of my DR after i've been married for a few years. (And before you say "That's not possible!" or "That won't work!" Let me make it clear I said "try." We are going to try this and we have a code to and we scripted that if this isn't possible, the other us wouldn't know the code.) Nutmeg is the youngest of all of my kids.

Appearance

Nutmeg has hazel eyes with a yellowish color and freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. She likes styling her brown and reddish hair into pig tails and she's typically seen in yellow.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She is very kind and doting, especially towards her siblings. She's not big into typical school but wants to go to the magic college for magic users. She likes baking and flower picking! She's very sweet towards fae and tries her best 100% of the time. A hugger and also someone who would bONK you if you upset her brothers or really anyone she cared about.

Jean's comment on Nutmeg: "Nutmeg - I’ve not talked to her much BUT SHES THE CUTEST WITTLE ANGEL BEAN, she’s super nice, worries/panics a lot for people from what I know, extremely caring, big gay and we love it (i once said to Estelle nutmeg can be a cottagecore lesbian and I just JSKSKSJDJDJ), loving towards y’all and it just makes me JSKDKDKDMDMMFJF"

Her skills

She has more celestial and healing magic that she got from my side. She can manipulate light, heal others, and manipulate the stars or use them as guides.

"Hey sweetie can you please not move that..."

Asher, Adam, and Her who secretly plotted to move the stars to prank astrologists with Jean's kids:

Adam

Another person who's shifting with us. He's the oldest of the siblings and he's a person I've actually raised in the CR from an early age.

Mood board of him:

Appearance

He has red eyes, taking after Elias and black hair that takes after me. He's the tallest of all the kids and typically has the more "mature" fashion by wanting to wear suits or formal attire.

Personality

He's typically the type to be stern and distant but once you know him he's more open and kind. He doesn't like people who judge and he's usually the type to do stuff he most certainly shouldn't jump into it. Adam to Asher in our Discord server: "Hey so LETS INVENT BOMBS."

Jean's comment on Adam: "Adam - smart, literally what the fuck, he’s really nice and a big home dog,,, literally like a big brother like I feel like he’ll be there when you need him, SMART DID I MENTION SMART, has an exterior shell but thats why you have to take things with him at a pace, super fcking sweet like with his stupid ex but god dammit that was sweet"

Skills

He can destroy things like Elias, summon fire, and can summon thorns. He can teleport and he has his artificer abilities that were taught by Angelica and I.

Asher

Asher is the middle child and also someone I've raised. Asher and Adam are related to me and each other in the CR as well.

Appearance

Asher has white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. He likes the color blue and green so he typically uses it in any piece of clothing he owns. He mentioned he will wear blue more often to compliment his eyes and make his darker horns more apparent.

Mood board of him:

Personality

He's really sweet, caring, and attentive. You tell him once you like one small thing and he will remember it for years. He's really hyper and full of energy unlike his other siblings who are much more calm than him.

Jean's comment on Asher: "Asher - chaos, chaos, chaos okay anyway tbh really funny, has funny ass memes and random ass thoughts that are funny, loves affection, caring as well since I see how you care for nutmeg especially, loving and sweet, smart and retains random info like JFJDKEKDKDK-, space boy and religion boy, meme, sarcastic, 10/10 humor, energetic and extremely fun, someone you’d want at a small party with friends to hype everything up, loves kids and animals"

Skills

Asher can manipulate fire and electricity. He has super speed and super hearing, along with enhanced strength.

Silver Lady!

Also known as Silky or Silver! She was a former Banshee before being transformed by Spriggan (Titiana's bodyguard sort of speak.) She's our housekeeper.

Appearance

Silver likes to wear a, pink, Victorian dress with a matching shawl and bonnet. Her hair is blonde and short and her eyes are a shiny pink.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She doesn't chat much and often has a stoic or deadpan facial expression. But despite that, once knowing her you learn and are exposed to her emotions. She tends to dote on guests that she likes but will simply ignore those she doesn't trust. If someone she doesn't like enters the house for business, she will hover over me or the other residents and simply ignore the guest. Silver also has a sense of humor and enjoys playing pranks every now and then. She likes sewing hearts into clothes where we won't notice. Silver tends to only stay within the house or near the house, due to her past home being ruined she fears that if she leaves she will be forgotten or left behind.

Her Skills:

Silky/Silver is able to do housekeeping magic. She can change details of the house, including wallpaper or the floorboards using a simple spell.

Ruth, A Church Grim

Ruth is my familiar who can shapeshift between being a Church Grim and Human.

Appearance

Ruth can shapeshift between his two forms. A Church Grim, which is a large black dog which reaches to my rib cage in height. In this form, he has red eyes. In a human form however, his eyes appear brown or somewhat red. With he has light brownish skin and black hair. He likes to sweat striped shirts :D

Mood board of Ruth:

Personality

Ruth is very doting and diligent. He uses our mental link which causes a shared memory, feeling, and lifespan, to tell others how I'm feeling if I can't put it into words. He's also protective and won't hesitate to b0nK someone across the head. He's more of a big brother to those he's close with.

Skills

Familiar skills: He shares a lifespan with me, can share dreams, and be summoned from long distances through a mind link.

Shadow: He can hide in my shadow if needed.

Angelica Barley

Angelica is a mage and artificer. She owns her own magic shop that is hidden behind her book shop.

Appearance

Angelica has sharp features, and typically braids her hair up to show them off. She's commonly seen wearing sleeves when working because of the crystals that were embedded in her arms from an accident.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She's kind but stern. Typically, to new mages she acts as a distant mentor. She takes pride in her work but she's also cautious due to her accident. She's possibly one of the only people that can tell Elias off, and she won't hesitate to do it.

Skills

Angelica has the sight similar to that the mages possess. Just like mages, she can borrow magic from fae and she's quite knowledgeable about it too. As an artificer, she embeds magic within tools or makes them with the purpose of magic. She had a Vodanoi named Hugo who is bound to her, he's a prankster but sweet nonetheless. Hugo and Angelica have longevity. This means that they both have increased life spans and she hasn't aged much at all.

Lindel

Lindel is a mage and the current care taker of the Dragons. He was both Elias and Adolf's first master.

Appearance

Lindel is a human and despite being a thousand years old, he looks to be in his 20s. He has pale skin and blonde hair that be ties or braids that frame his face and blue eyes. He typically wears a hood and robe with odd designs on the hood and back piece.

Mood board of Lindel

Personality

Before he became a Mage and Keeper Of Dragons, he hated fae. The fae caused him many problems which caused him to isolate himself. But now, he is calm and playful and he takes pride in his job as the dragon keeper. Despite his usual demeanor, when it comes to the dragons he isn't so kind to poachers.

There are many other people I'll be getting to later such as my dad, my brother, my sister, my friend and her kids and s/o, other important people, etc. But for now I'm tired ainjsndjwsn

[avelera]

I have a history question- if it was so important to keep bishops from having sons and passing their titles to said sons and creating a dynastic church, why was the rule "bishops can't get married" rather than "bishops can get married, their sons just can't inherit the father's office"?

Let me start, somewhat facetiously but also not facetiously, by saying holy shit would that not work in the days before paternity tests. But from there, let me go into a longer explanation of why priestly “celibacy” needed to focus on the priests, not their offspring. (Plus, birth rates being what they were, it’s MUCH easier to say one guy can’t have sex but IF he has kids and they enter the Church, eh, we’ll just look the other way vs. saying his TWELVE KIDS are now part of an entire growing class of dudes from rich, powerful, and connected families who CAN’T be priests.)

So it’s probably an oversimplification to say “preventing a clerical blood aristocracy was the only reason for requiring marital celibacy of priests.” Much like the Catholic Church itself, there are many interdisciplinary aspects for every decision, in this case it’s not just an economic or sociological choice, but also a spiritual and doctrinal one.

Catholicism and Christianity in general grew partially out of a Jewish tradition known as “Ascetic Judaism” - one such famous figure of this movement is John “the Baptist” (to such an extent that one reason you have all these “passing of the torch” stories about JtB anointing Jesus as the real Messiah is because he was a much more popular and famous figure in his day within the same movement, so the Jesus Cult was trying to steal a bit of that sparkle and claim it as their own by saying John, who probably never met Jesus, totally knew about him and knew HE’S THE MESSIAH, ANYWAY).  

Asceticism is marked by things we expect of priests today like practicing self denial in terms of worldly pleasures like sex. Or food. Or talking. Ascetic Christian hermits as a phenomenon grew out of this tradition, people who went out into the desert and lived for years without speaking to anyone, barely eating, just praying and contemplating God etc etc and THAT is the origin of a lifestyle that eventually turned into monasteries, because living alone in a cave can be pretty dangerous so if you want to have safety in numbers while living alone, barely talking, fasting and praying, it’s nice to be in a larger group of people doing the same thing. 

Which is a roundabout way of saying - sexual self-denial was ALREADY seen as a virtue in the Church and considered “Christ-like” behavior going back to Christ being part of the Ascetic Jewish movement in the 1st c CE. Now they were just asking their priests to be more Christ-like. This had the dual benefit of cutting down on a form of corruption like nepotism.

Now, for the record, saying priests couldn’t have sons to inherit their position didn’t exactly work. For example, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, two of the most famous and powerful people of the Renaissance, were the known children of Pope Alexander VI and in Italy there was basically an entire aristocracy around the children, nieces, nephews, extended family, etc. of powerful clergy members. BUT this was viewed throughout as a form of open corruption, enough so that it is part of why Martin Luther was so outraged by the clerical corruption he saw in Rome, that he started the reform movement that eventually became Protestantism. 

Going back to the paternity tests: look, there’s very few organizations in history that go out of their way to deny power to powerful men. Taking an entire caste of priestly children, keeping in mind that priests are powerful figures in their community, and saying these kids can’t be in the Church would just... not work. On any level. It would be overridden overnight (as the open-secret version of priestly kids was), in part because you don’t want to lose out on your pool of potential recruits, and in part because it’s so easy to get around by just being like “Oh yeah, this is my nephew, totally not my son” and finally because guys kinda hate denying their paternity for deep biological reasons or whatever and having their legacy require that they pretend this kid isn’t theirs so the kid can rise to power is just super counterintuitive to every way we’ve seen men operate in power across history. Basically, it’s way too easy to get around AND you destroy your own recruitment field. Much easier to prevent one guy from having a dozen kids than saying a dozen kids can’t enter the Church. 

(I mean, holy shit, just imagine the SPREADSHEETS you’d need to keep track of all those kids in the days before databases. We can’t contact trace Coronavirus in most countries, how is a Medieval society supposed to keep track of which kids belong to WHICH PRIEST and DENY those kids from entering the clergy in any systemic manner??)

And finally, one more economic reason: you put your sons in the Church so you didn’t have to divide your assets further when they inherited. There were societal and economic reasons to cull reproduction rates in a way that benefited society. To say priests can have kids but those kids can’t enter the clergy destroys the value of having sons of the wealthy be able to enter positions of power without further subdividing the lands and fortunes of their families WHILE also creating very quickly a huge pool of wealthy, powerful sons who CAN’T enter the clergy. 

So I guess the answer is... it’s complicated? And I’m probably explaining some of this poorly because there’s a lot of ins and outs of this, some of it is based on tradition and dogma for the Church and some of it is about dealing with practicalities, and those things are talked about or not talked about independently, and have tons of intended and unintended consequences over the years, so I’m maybe adding some stuff and not mentioning other stuff for reasons that I don’t know about them (for example, there’s also the whole tradition where the CHURCH says it’s so the guy who becomes a priest treats all members of his congregation as his children instead of just, well, his actual children, which is very nice and aspirational but also lol not true for huge swathes of Church history). ANYWAY, hope that helps!

[lizardgirlie]

(Part 1) Hi! I really appreciate your blog! In a nutshell im writing this because I feel like I can't live my life honestly. I'm in university because thats what everyone does but I would've preferred to marry right after high school and start having children but it's difficult to find a man who still views that as a real job (an ex boyfriend once called me lazy). and my parents would never accept me dropping out just to wait to get married. I've been told to try finding a husband in a church

(part 2) but I'm not religious and it feels dishonest to join a church just to find a husband. I hide a lot of this still from my friends as they often make fun of my femininity and imply that I don't have real life goals (and thats from what I show them so I couldn't imagine what i'd get if I was completely honest). I couldn't picture a better future than being a SAHM in a small town. I'm 22 and getting to the point where I don't know how to make that happen as I was born so far from it

(Part 3) I feel like I don't know where this is coming from, my family isn't religious and I was always told to think about my future career. Not that my parents were shaming femininity and pushing me towards any certain career, just that my parents were happy having careers and probably assumed I would too. Anyway it just seems like you figured out how to be confident about owning traditional femininity and found a way to live it. This was so long so even if you only read half of it, thank you

hello dear! sorry it took me a day to get to this, i saw your message yesterday and wanted to sit down at my computer and type out a good response to it rather than trying to do it all on mobile. I, and probably a lot of other women in this community, understand what you’re going through on a very personal level. In modern day, femininity, especially the traditional kind, is completely shamed by almost everyone you meet. You’re called lazy, told you lack ambition, and basically scorned for wanting to take care of your own home and raise your own children. I’ve always found it a bit funny how people think wanting a thriving marriage and children is “lazy”, yet we live in a culture of divorce where nannies and underpaid daycare workers raise our children who end up having behavior problems. It’s very frustrating and oftentimes I want to grab people by the shoulders and shake them to wake them up to this. If you believe a successful marriage, well run home, and well behaved children with good values are something that just happens and not something that takes an astronomical amount of effort and work, don’t be surprised when this culture continues. But you already know that, or you wouldn’t be messaging me and choosing this lifestyle, so I won’t bore you with my ranting :)

I’m going to go through your message in order to make sure I hit everything you asked about!

You and I are the same age. It is extremely normal to feel somewhat lost at this age, and those of us who have figured out what we want feel very out of place among our peers. Especially if what we want goes against the mainstream narrative. If I had it my way, I’d already be married to my boyfriend by now, with a kid on the way or here. You’ve already done the hard part: figuring out your place in the world and what you want from it. The next hard part is finding a partner who has those same values. A lot of people on here really do like to recommend finding a man through church. I’ve never been very religious, I’m only moderately so now, and I didn’t find my boyfriend through church. This advice wasn’t useful to me then and it’s not useful to you now. You’re correct when you say it would feel very dishonest to just join a church to find a husband, and a good man is going to value honesty. Truthfully, there’s no one place you can go to to find a good match. There’s not exactly a group meeting of traditionally minded people in every city or town. But you can be proactive in seeking out a good man. My advice would be to look into potential groups at your university. Conservative political ones, to be more specific. I’d stay away from TPUSA, YAF, etc. though, as these people tend to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. They’re just social liberals who want low taxes. Many TPUSA members readily admit people only go to their events and conferences to hook up, drink, and smoke. Stay away from these types or risk wasting time. Other potential places are book clubs, online (be careful with this one. I can make a post specifically on this topic if you want--just message me), local political clubs not through your university, and in general day to day life. A lot of people have something in common with you: they hide their beliefs and this aspect of themselves for fear of mistreatment. You won’t know until you ask. Despite what you may come to believe from twitter and other social media, this movement is growing. Generation Z is set to be one of the most conservative generations in recent history.

As for dealing with criticism from your friends and parents, this one is extremely tough. I have always had extremely thick skin. I’ve kind of just done my own thing for as long as I can remember and not taken any sh*t from anyone who has something to say about it. This is easier said than done if this kind of thing isn’t naturally in your wheelhouse, which it’s not for most women. I take criticism seriously, but I know who to take it from as well. The people that matter and know what they’re talking about. Not to rag on your friends, but most people who give you a hard time for your choices seldom know what they’re talking about. If you were to take a random poll, most people are not very happy with their lives or their choices. They are easily brainwashed and influenced by the mainstream media/culture. This brainwashing leads to poor choices that make them miserable, which the media then tells them are their own empowering decisions they make for themselves. A good example of this is casual sex and hook up culture. If I were you, I’d work on finding new friends as well. Another thing easier said than done, but to me, it sounds like your friends are projecting their own “wants” (whether it’s what they *actually* want though...that’s a whole different can of worms) onto you and treating you like you’re stupid for wanting something else. Your parents criticism is something to take seriously, but not something to compromise your values over. You say they wouldn’t accept you dropping out, but are you sure about that? Statistically most women who have kids end up wanting to stay home with them. A task thats extraordinarily difficult to do if you have mountains of debt from student loans getting a degree that almost certainly does not matter. You’re the one taking on the debt, you’re the one who should be making that choice. I’m willing to bet if you dropped out and got a decent job they wouldn’t be nearly as angry as you’re thinking. Perhaps writing them a letter expressing your views and why you’re doing what you’re doing could be less intimidating than trying to come into it cold and face to face. You could even approach it from the point of not knowing what career you want to pursue, and therefore don’t want to waste time and money studying something that isn’t going to pan out. I personally only went to college because I was guaranteed to graduate almost entirely debt free (I just graduated with around $2k in total debt). You could even look into a trade. In my opinion, avoiding debt is best. That in mind, it is also a good idea to work and build some wealth of your own to bring into your marriage/relationship. 

I hope this helped you and if you have any other questions you can message me! <3

[janiestumb]

Country living

Driving here has been a joy. Hours pass like minutes would in LA. Maybe it's the lack of traffic, the sense of exploration or the incredible landscape. Not to shit on the LA scenery. Billboards with faces of successful people who I know are assholes are compelling.

It’s my last day out in the country. Tomorrow is my long drive back to Lisboa. I wish I could hit a few more cities on the way down south, but it's a 3.5 hour straight shot (plus I must budget in 3.5 additional hours for wrong turns, 20 laps per roundabout and ample time spent begging Portuguese locals to help me pump the gas). I need to get the car back by "noon 30."

A few surprises from Douro: 

I’m a more adept driver than I gave myself credit for. That or — if you’re navigating narrow roads and go the wrong way in front of ten old Portuguese men sitting on plastic chairs in the tiny town square, you can feel that their day's main event is going to be your failure. So the whole-ass survival of your ego depends on providing the stunning twist ending of navigating a tight three-point turn without hitting the 500-year-old church to your left back corner or sleeping dog to your right front corner, or fucking up your rental car, or even breaking a sweat, and effortlessly getting yourself out of that bad situation, as they watch you, silently, staring. Sometimes you end up in the "Austin Powers" hallway scene. Sometimes.. swoosh swoosh swoosh. And you're out! Either way, those old men are stunned, I imagine! "Who is she? This hot gorgeous simply physically attractive and oh so young independent woman navigating our streets with aplomb!" And the second they're out of sight in the rear-view, you just do a little scream -- then roll right into some winding hills. Those you can’t screw up. You just can't. Because you would roll off a hill and die. So you just can’t. 

I like port! I thought I hated it until yesterday. My incredible AirBnB host Elisabete arranged for a tasting at a lovely small vineyard that I could walk to. And I could tell that I was very much squeezed in because I was third wheel to a very wealthy British couple. Sign people are very wealthy British people: they love to ask about oak. What kind of oak in that barrel? How old is the oak in this one? From what country!??? French Oak? Meanwhile I'm like “I like your logo.” Another clue that this couple was rich: they were joined by a Portuguese lady who was just driving them around. Maybe I should become a professional British people schlepper. I'm clearly an amazing driver. Anyway, we were served a delicious wine with hops (seriously, wine-beer would be so trendy), two reds, and a Port made by the winemaker’s grandfather. I’m a snob about very few things, so don't judge me when I say this. But when it comes to wine, I don’t want a headache. Diva, I know! I don’t want Franzia. Celine Di-who? But I think a lot of wine is the same after a certain price point (and that point is $7.40 at Trader Joe's). This certainly wasn’t. The color of this 50-year old port was an elegant light brown-red. Take a whiff and your eyes water. Oof! Taste it and first the cough syrup moment hits your tongue but immediately melts into an evolving, lingering afternote that transforms from sharp to cool, fruit to dark chocolate.

Even without knowing much about oak, as I sipped the port, I thought, as Oprah says, I “got it.” 

I also fucked up - and knew I was fucking up mid-sentence - when I asked the winemaker, “do you ever get sad? Using up the port your grandfather made?”

Everyone looked at me like I’m an idiot. You know, because I am. The winemaker asked “Why?”

“I’m a hoarder. I don’t like to throw anything away.”

“And this is throwing it away?” (re us drinking it)

It's too much to explain what Jews do. All of us. Our history and saving and not enjoying things we have because any day we enjoy life is tempting the lord to punish us. So we must burden our children with our things they don't want and they must never touch them. This is our way.

Don’t worry. With tail between legs, I bought an expensive bottle of wine at the end. (23 dollars! That's three x Trader Joe's! But it was delicious.)

Back to my AirBnB hostess. Elisabete is a perfect woman who has perfect lettuce, perfect cheese, perfect coffee, and a perfect home.

Usually, older women who look after me is a problem. It doesn't take a PsyD to determine why. Women who are not my mom acting like my mom wouldn't in a motherly way toward me makes me angry. You got it. Here's my co-pay.

But I've been trying to take all her advice because her taste is perfect. She doesn't care about the price. She cares about the authenticity. Everything is homemade: kiwi jam, tomato jam, fig jam, olive oil, vinegar, non-Continente lettuce, wine. Her ceramics are the ceramic brand from Portugal. Her furniture is old. I know that there's a lot of cache around French women. Or maybe that moment passed when diet culture evolved. I mostly remember that there was a popular book marketed toward American women about why French women don't get fat. (I think it's because of fatphobia and they smoke.) Our world is diseased. But Portuguese women, as far as I've seen, and as far as you can generalize about the gender demo of a whole country, are worthy of high praise. I'm so limited in my experience, but the ladies I've met have been savvy and funny, effortless and down to earth. Only one was kinda rude. But it was the other side of a lovely coin: fair and intelligent frankness.

I know I'm primarily interacting with people in the hospitality industry - and I do believe that the most recent woman who was willing to pump my gas is an actual saint - but it's been 99% good. I like the women. They would be my friends. Oh and on the small streets, you see old Portuguese women carrying shit on top of their heads. Cool!

Last night I was wiped after driving and wine tasting, so I lay in bed and watched "Seinfeld" and ate my Continente chocolate. I got chocolate on Elisabete's perfect white bedspread and this is going to weigh on me for quite some time. Longer than you think it should. I’m fucked up. Here’s another co-pay. And tonight she made me a reservation at a tiny local cash-only spot. She swears by it. Being Elisabete, she even told them I don’t eat meat, and she told me what to order. I trust her. It’ll be perfect.

I would've enjoyed more wine tasting but there's no Uber out here, and the one quality place was better than quantity anyway.

Today I explored the region but was ultimately tempted by Continente again. After that, I was punished by getting stuck driving in a circle around the town square 20 times, each time fucking up the exit.

I'm so excited to go back to Lisboa but so sad it marks the end of the trip.

I've been thinking a lot about living here. Or finding a way to come here for extended stretches. About having children vs traveling. Living alone vs partnering again. Time moving too fast. The guilt I'd feel for ending my bloodline with Georgie. Career. Having one maybe in the future. How much weight I've gained, sadly. Should I just work on an animal sanctuary? I gained the weight from enjoying my life. Back to career. Do I switch into something where I can be of the world? What would I do with my furniture? Are couples happier? I think I'm happier. I like having furniture. I have no sense of home so it's nice to make one somewhere. Wow, this place is beautiful. My mom would love it. Will I only want a kid because of guilt? How will I fit all the ceramics I’m buying into my luggage? What if they all break? And so does the wine? What is the point of human existence without children? Man, other countries have it better than the US. Healthcare is a right. So you just live and then die? In a week I'll be back to eating my boring food and doing boring exercise and being lonely all the time. I’ll go back to my normal weight and be unhappy. I love being alone here. Stop worrying. Why am I buying ceramics for a home I’m going to leave for Portugal? I'm so glad I came here. Vietnam or Japan next? Or should I just come back? What am I going to do when I get back? I'm so grateful.

I'm thinking about everything. Everything except oak.

[josephjohnblogs]

Creative writing

STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET NO. 7

(Individual Task)

Subject: Creative writing

Topic: Writing Eassy

Date Given: October 6, 5pm Due Date: October 7, 11:59pm

Learning Competencies:

Write a draft of a short piece (Fiction, Poetry, Drama, etc.) using any of the literary conventions of genre following these pointers:

1. Choosing a topic

2. Formulating a thesis statement

3. Organizing and developing ideas

Instruction: Choose a famous Cebuano expression, research its etymology, and write a 1,500 word essay.

"GI ATAY "

Ay Gi atay! Gi atay na ka peste! Gi atay man ka" This words I've been encountered in my life, when i was too young i dont know this words by the time i meet my special friend Robi i heard this word's at first i dont know what that's all about., then i just tolerated it by the time i grow with my friends, neighborhood, Uncle's, Tito's and titas finaly i knew whats word is that and this is a commonly expression of the cebuano and bisaya people who are showing "disgust or "frustration" over anything. The "Gi atay ka peste " is a vulgar words in cebuano and it's not a good example to say this words in sensitive people, lucky to me I'm not that too sensitive, in view fact that what i experienced many peoples are irritated this words the giatay ka" and also the "Ka yawa or yawa in a real sense implies, evil. Much the same as peste and atay, they're terrible words as well and it has a similar significance as an articulation. It's equivalent to reviling somebody. You can likewise consolidate the two words, peste and yawa. And afterward it becomes, pesteng yawa.

but some people in bisaya , cebuano try not to say this swear word in front of young children and whole inside the church, school. In fact it's what my parent's oriented me when i was too young that time, by virtue of something can absolutely affect the susceptibility of the people who go through this profanity .

A obscenity can be an precedent of informal expression, in a view of something we have this what we called circle of people, various of people emotions, personality and perception . They say Gi atay ka peste because they're mad of something, someone or they're just having fun with their friends, indeed! Were this expression often used for having fun with my friend's, and i experienced this sometimes but i can limit my self of this expression. Because my parent's teach me to be responsible enough to my words and action, they guide me to be a better individual in this society

admittedly many children now adays use this swear words it in our society , the society full of disrespectful kids and behaviors, they can't limit their self of this expression, without knowing thats not a great manifestation as a children's, in short they are not totally oriented what thats word, because perhaps how the parent's rise their children . Or how the society reflected is, because the children are can easily follow you in the way the learn new words and things, they are exploring new ideas that could actually implies how they behaved. and by the time i grow and develop my self i try to explore my self to the society because in my home we don't say that in front of our parents, did you do that? Well eradicated that behavior ,

That's why as an adult we have to be responsible enough of our expression. In that bad words they can easily to follow you , when i was young, i actually think that Gi atay " is a part of respiratory system , i thought to my self that is a liver, Yes, that state “an energized liver” sounds unusual since we tend to think of the liver as a or maybe gloomy organ, tucked absent in one corner, recalled as it were when somebody comes down with a few kind of liver disease. Yet, numerous societies see the liver as the situate of feelings and, etymologically, it appears that prior eras of Filipinos shared the view.

Cebuanos talk of giatay actually, “to be livered”as a plague initially influencing chickens but presently with extended meaning; so an outcry of “Giatay!” is one of irritation, alluding to individuals who come into our lives like a plague. Liver infections do figure noticeably among the foremost common sicknesses within the Philippines, indeed as causes of passing, but they are not analyzed sufficient for their social centrality. I have no question that cirrhosis is tied to our tall liquor and/or sedate use. And irresistible hepatitis relates to unsanitary nourishment taking care of (for hepatitis A and E), and to the bigger issues of sexually transmitted contaminations, sullied blood supplies, and infusing sedate utilize hepatitis B, C and

Words are powerful; not only Giatay describe emotions, they also direct the way we feel. In the Philippines, we seem to have abandoned the liver and moved over to the heart when we describe our emotions. When we say “nakakataba ng puso,” we do feel the heart expanding as it is touched.   We also feel the pinching when we say “nakakakurot ng puso.”

Now for the medical part.  Is there an actual relationship between the liver and emotions?

There is, actually, because the liver is such a vital organ. It’s our filter system for removing toxins. It produces bile for digestion and several blood proteins. It activates enzymes important in many body functions.

Then i found out the Student of history Resil Mojares composed an article named "Heart and Liver" in 1994. The article expounds on the connection between the liver and feelings, calling attention to that in Cebuano, sharp feelings are depicted as makapakitbi sa atay "what turns sour the liver".  And while the Tagalog portrays a genuinely moving inclination as nakakataba ng puso "something that swells the heart"— not smooth in interpretation, the Cebuano will say makapadaku sa atay what which broadens the liver"— again much is lost in interpretationz

Mojares sees that the Tagalog atay ng lupa alludes to the most prolific aspect of a bit of land,  and the  pagmamayatay as a glad and influential man, in a real sense signifies "he who professes to have the liver." He brings up that the palm, and the underside of the foot is the atay ng paa in Tagalog, and atay-atay  in Cebuano.  In endless words at that point, atay is focal, practically like the spirit truly, the spirit of a foot and of a hand, perhaps, even our very being.

The liver figures conspicuously in our legends as a supported delicacy for the ruthless aswang.  I can see the incredible allegory here of the aswang depleting its survivor of its life-power, the feelings. Heroes from different ethnic gatherings in the Philippines have been portrayed as going for the liver of the foe, to ingest his fearlessness, and creature livers are utilized for diagnosing an individual's sickness and foreseeing what's to come.

Doing explore for the present section I was amazed at how boundless the affiliation is among feelings and the liver.  The Online Etymological Dictionary takes note of that in the English language during the middle age ages, "the liver equaled the heart as the seat of adoration and enthusiasm."

In conventional Chinese medication, the liver is viewed as the seat of outrage while the heart is the seat of euphoria, the spleen of contemplation, the lungs of tension and distress, and the kidneys of dread and trepidation. Biblehub.com, a site that centers around etymological and interpretation parts of the Bible, records a few references to the liver in the Old Testament and in Semitic dialects spoken in the Middle East, North and East Africa where the liver is likewise "temper" and "demeanor." In Lamentations 2:11 Jeremiah shouts out: "My liver is poured upon the earth as a result of the demolition of the girl of my kin."

Biblehub takes note of that in Hebrew, kabedh signifies "liver" and kabhodh signifies "magnificence," which may have potentially brought about disarray during the interpretation of Psalm 16:9, with differently peruses: "My heart is happy and my heart rejoiceth" (ASV variant); "My heart is happy and my brilliance rejoiceth" King James Version and "My heart is happy and my entire being rejoiceth"

And i found out lately For the individuals who are not from Cebu especially to me, 'gi-atay' is one of the exhausted revile words utilized particularly during outrage.Gi Atay ka? I generally imagined that the underlying foundations of the addition atay or gi-atay was the liver or atay in Filipino. I thought saying gi-atay ka was a reprobation wishing somebody liver ailment and epidemic pesting gi-atay. Clearly not.

Modeler Tony Abelgas, who driven the rebuilding of the 1730 Jesuit House in Parian, said atay’s historical underpinnings has roots in this furniture, an Ok Tay bed. He said the bed – with its complicated carvings of blossoms and natural products – is by the famous Chinese furniture producer Ok Tay. It was a favorite of princely families all over the nation. Abelgas said that when individuals alluded to those who were as of now bed-ridden, they said that they were fair on their Ok Tay bed. This rehashed references, he said, eventually driven to the utilize of “gi-atay na” to portray somebody passing on. For i concluded with quotation "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. -Noam Chomsky.

[politics-and-philosophy]

Ok, so I know that I'm supposed to be weirded out by the fact that this person clearly created a random brand-new tumblr just to message me anonymously, but honestly, I'm honored.

Look, this tumblr is straight-up blank, aside from the header photo. Is that a homemade handgun btw? It looks like it. Honestly though, I just feel kinda honored. Because this person is either scared enough of me to want anonymity (I can't see why) or scared enough of the reprisal they would face on their main blog (this one makes more sense).

So, again, let's go point-by-point.

I don't think the government should have control over who owns a gun in the same way I don't think the government should have control over who lives and dies. I think that gun ownership should be restricted constitutionally, by removing and replacing the second amendment. In this new amendment, I want only three types of individuals to be allowed to own guns:

1. Those in remote areas who require guns for survival.

2. Collectors of historic guns who can only load and fire them on shooting ranges.

3. Active duty military personnel deployed in foreign soil, and domestic soil only during a foreign invasion.

This list notably excludes cops, active duty military on domestic soil, security details, sport hunters, and everyone else. I have said all this before though.

This would not give a monopoly on power to the government, in fact, it would significantly stymie the power the government already has over people by removing the threat of firearms.

Personally, I think this would stop almost all gun violence, not just mass shootings. The majority of gun killings are committed with guns which were once legally owned (the US is a net exporter of illegal firearms, mostly to Mexico, due to our lax gun laws). Furthermore, while 4 in 5 gun homicides are committed with a gun not owned by the perpetrator, that's not the end of the story. 30% of those guns are stolen, but of those 30%, over 4 in 10 are not reported stolen until after a crime is committed, and 44% of gun owners whose guns were stolen did not respond to attempts to be contacted by police. Of the other 70%, reported lost, in 62% of instances, the legal owner of the gun was unaware of where or when the gun was lost. That is a staggering number of people who are reckless with firearm safety.

A large part of this is due to shoestring purchases, where someone who passes a legal background check will go and buy a gun for someone who wouldn't, or to then go and sell it at an upcharge on the black market, only to claim it lost or stolen when it shows up at a crime scene. The legal gun market directly supports and enables both gun crime and the illegal gun market. Making it more difficult to legally get a gun will make it exponentially more difficult to illegally acquire a gun. More on this later.

Mass shootings are a small percentage of total deaths, but these deaths are unique in how horrible, violent, and early in a person's life they come. They are always the direct result of hate, and are a uniquely American problem within the developed world. Unlike robbery murders or even homicides motivated by passion, mass shootings don't target a specific individual. They seek to kill a group of people indiscriminately. Essentially, they're a violent hate crime, almost always motivated by a right-wing view of society and a belief that violence solves problems.

It's also laughable that the ownership of a gun somehow puts you on even footing with the government. Do you know how much firepower the government has? Even military grade weapons are useless against an actual military.

Ok, here's Oxford's definition of a civil right:

Please go read this. Civil rights are rights of society and politics. They are things such as voting rights, marriage rights, freedom from religious infringement in your life, right to exist in society and politics. Gun ownership is no more a civil right than is the right to smoke crack.

America has a gun violence epidemic, compared to the rest of the world, and even compared among the states.

Here's a fun graph comparing gun violence and gun ownership among first world countries.

Here's a graph comparing gun violence and gun regulation within the United States:

Ok, finally, on to fascism. So, let's start from the top and work our way to different outcomes. We have our first decision at "Is the current gun violence rate and mass shooting epidemic within the US worth fixing?" Personally, I think yes. If you think no, I invite you to tell that to anyone who lost a family member in a mass shooting and see if you don't get punched.

Having resolved yes, we move onto what to do. There are three real solutions.

1. Increase of law enforcement

2. Increase of surveillance

3. Regulation of firearms

Notably, mental health reforms is left off this list. I've addressed that several times in other posts. In summary, mass shooters don't seek mental services and the majority of perpetrators aren't mentally ill, they're disillusioned with society.

Now, as a liberal and specifically a social liberal, I hate fascism and think that among the political ideologies out there fascism and authoritarianism are a special kind of evil. In general, I see it as better to have a large government which serves the people instead of a small government which oppresses the people. A lot of conservatives, especially anarco-capitalists, think that a small government is necessarily less oppressive, but that is not true. Governments can be large, but if they are beholden to a citizenship, they'll obey said citizens. Small governments who are isolated from the populace easily turn towards oppression.

But I digress. Let's start with the first choice, and see where it takes us. For this exercise, we'll be assuming that when the government is given control over a certain aspect of our lives, they'll want to increase that control. So, we increase the law enforcement in all major metropolitan areas, meaning armed guards at malls, churches, movie theaters, schools, etc. And even though mass shootings still occur when armed guards are present (Parkland) or when police arrive on scene within the minute (El Paso), it's okay because we get to keep our guns, everybody has a gun so everyone is safe. This is basically a police state. The scary thing is conservatives have actually proposed this. Sean Hannity said on live TV that we need to place armed guards at every public area. And if you don't trust the government, how the hell could you trust the armed guards they have stationed outside the grocery store.

Next solution is increased surveillance. If access to guns is to remain unrestricted, then we need to be able to find the killers before they kill. What do all of the mass shooters have in common? An internet history rife with extremism and alt-right views. So, screen everyone. And go ahead and start censoring people who have those views too, just to be safe. But once we have a suspected shooter, how can we know when they're about to commit murder? You can't arrest someone for fitting a profile. So, you start tracking them, looking through their purchases, making sure they aren't trying to get someone to buy them a firearm, following them, watching them. Even if all they did is post on the internet with no intent, now the government knows their every move. And suddenly, the small minor infractions that everyone commits daily start to add up. So, one agent decides to hell with it, let's just bust him early for something, anything we can make stick. This isn't a hypothetical, either. There are countless stories of cops falsifying evidence just to make the arrest because they believe an innocent person is guilty.

Finally, firearm regulation. Now here you might think that if you lose your firearm, you lose your safety. Ignoring for a moment that I specifically advocated for law enforcement to not have firearms, if you genuinely think you are safer with a gun than without it, you are wrong. The mindset that, without your gun, there's nothing to stop the government from trampling your rights ignores the fact that even with your gun, there's nothing really stopping the government from trampling your rights, because the government has a lot more guns than you and they're a lot bigger. Now, perhaps you think that having an armed populace means a resistance or insurgency is possible. Ignoring that the government could squash any insurgency within the US, who even says the insurgents are on your side politically? What's stopping them from rising up right now? The same thing that's stopping the government from killing any dissidents: the fact that we live in a society and without it the government would collapse. Often times people speak as though the government is some separate entity when in reality in America every single person who us eligible to vote or pays taxes is a member of the government. We are the power base of the government, and to distinguish between the citizens of the US and the government if the US is a real gray area, because the government can't exist without the economic base that is our society. You called us sheep but we aren't sheep, we're the golden goose and you never ever kill the golden goose. The government won't come to put us all in camps because they'd wake up broke the next day. And even if they did, your gun wouldn't stop them, it just means they'd kill you.

When you arm everyone, you arm EVERYONE. Not just the lawful responsible owner, but the mass shooter, the murderer, the rapist, the insurgents on both the right and the left, the domestic terrorists, the gang bangers, the government sympathizers, the government itself, everyone. And while obviously it's not every gun owner, it could be any gun owner. And any realistic way to distinguish the difference between a responsible individual looking to own a gun and a mass shooter arming up is with a level of invasiveness that should make you incredibly uncomfortable. This is what I mean when I talk about surveillance.

Let's come to a conclusion here, because this post has gotten quite long.

The idea that you could amass enough firepower to resist the government is not reasonable. What protects you from the government is not weaponry but anonymity. Currently, our system has both, but having both allows criminals and murderers to readily access firearms and kill people. So, since the weaponry isn't protecting us anyway, might as well get rid of it and save some lives.

EDIT: The blog that sent these messages no longer exists, and I don't have access to them anymore, so I'm glad I screenshoted when I did. Kinda confirms my suspicion that they just wanted to anonymously harass me. Oh well, nothing as predictable as a coward.

[maneaterwithtail]

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I disagree at least one aspect.

How about this I've been thinking about introducing a character who is male and uses a traditional form of Viking magic that was noted to make or require men to act or appear as women this is Even tied into certain myths about Odin and how he was presented.

This however would understandably change both the history presentation and what have you of the Asgard in Marvel Comics. This is very important because if we want ad and more gay characters then we by necessity add in the entire identity of being gay. And with that gay subculture, gay history, and gay politics. All of which is going to be relevant in one degree or another to their life. And some of this stuff isn't directly political just so much as it's so in congruous from common assumption that it's going to be in contrast and conflict to both the established narratives of the fiction and the expectations of the audience

This is going to be necessary point. A need for this Single Character to be a gateway to Gay Culture or gay lifestyle where previously none existed for the world.

But this isn't just a burden it's also an opportunity I mean how have or how do the Asgard and Marvel Comics handle people being gay? In fact because of how gay has been erased in our society and how it by its own existence undermines a lot of social narratives kind of requires a more nuanced and complex way of viewing the world just to bring up even if the basic idea is very simple to get across - the idea of someone preferring their own gender in terms of romantic Pursuits. But that often has a knock-on effect with the number of people who we know for one thing also actually being gay. And this isn't just surface-level sketches. I mean remember finding Mary Poppins? The author of that book was a lesbian but in a supposed true story biopic this wasn't depicted. Erasure is a phenom a gay character contends

This is kind of the problem with increased representation it by necessity means disturbing pre-established narratives. Unfortunately this likely means your character is going to be or highly defined by their own Identity or have to import a lot of pre under stood identity politics or social narratives just by being a focus of distinction.

Now personally I think superhero comics are not well suited for this because a core of their appeal is action as opposed to drama or Romance. Having a coming-of-age drama deal with the fact that one or two or all of your characters are not straight or cisgendered is completely easy. After all the change of identity as you come to yourself as a large part of coming-of-age drama, so learning that you have an attraction to the same gender or that you may have be different gender expression easily slots into the beats and expectations of that

Unfortunately action-based conflicts don't exactly allow or are not well suited for dealing with struggles with being a minority even if you're past the hardships that are so going to inform where your character ended up in life. Not every person who's gay has trouble with their parents. But it's at the very least a very common and unique circumstance. There's going to be history there.

there's going to be weight there and it's such a large part of the gay identity that a large part of gay identity literature and politics centers around this reality. For instance part of the reason why intersectionality in terms of social justice or socialism has such a gay bent is because the implication that you can rely on traditional support structures such as church or family is not something that can be safely assumed if you've been gay for the last 50 years. There have been active campaigns to get rid of support network and infrastructure for gay communities. Or just dismissal so subject to crime and abuse. And traditional mainstream ones have actively excluded them such as the conflicts with the Salvation Army or other homeless shelters.

This is despite the fact that if you were a teenager and homeless chances are it's because you are LGBT and you've been kicked out of your home. This is especially important as you try to tackle social issues as a means of conflict and superheroes have been doing that longer than we've been recasting this character or that character as gay or black.

Finally there's just the fun in world-building what kind of gay community exists in a world where Captain America has been real since World War II. Has there been for instance at Revival of pagan beliefs with the onset of Thor? What kind has there been in what relationship do the asgardians have with it? They started to address some of this in one of the reboots of Thor but admittedly that was how they conflicted with conservative Christians in the Midwest. How do the actual Pagan face revivals that have been happening in Scandinavian countries intersect with the arrival of the MCU asgardians not least of which they don't fit the traditions and faith but may have inspired them or rip them off

These are all interesting plot threads but they grow from drama and not action. So I think in some ways superhero comics are trying to transition from action to more alternative Fantastical dramas. And considering that's been a big draw in terms of television and movies from Game of Thrones to Supernatural to God knows what else such as the Hunger Games Twilight The Vampire Diaries

and finally yeah some traditions do need to be attacked. The idea that everyone is straight except for a few crazy people who are gay who we should ignore at all times... it's probably at the heart of a lot of abuse. Whereas assuming queer Theory as a foundational truth meaning that not everyone is straight and gender and sexuality don't work as they have been traditionally thought of it's probably an okay thing especially as it's something that's understood to be the reality of the current zeitgeist as well as the audience.

Even people who consider themselves straight likely have had one or two phases of bisexuality or experimenting with gender. At the very least it's easier because everyone can pick a female Avatar. Or activities that are associated with being feminine are thought of as more gender-neutral such as fashion makeup romance or what have you

at the very least tapping into this thing that the young which is a major part of comics, it can't always just be to old people and how they see the world, it's important to give that a chance. especially as sexuality and gender identity are actual character traits whereas race is a bit more superficial unless we're talking about Heritage or more along the lines of ethnicity. for instance take Kamala Khan, for the most part I think she's a good character. Now there are bit pieces where things feel a little on-the-nose but it is very much aimed at a younger audience that comes from an ethnically diverse neighborhood they probably want someone to address the racial tensions that they've grown up with not least of which have been the issues with how Muslims are perceived and how their own culture and traditions have a plurality under a dome that's often reacted to hostilely

Finally some of its just adjustment both for the fans and the authors. I mean how did you really feel about Miles Morales when he first started? how did people react to him? you needed time to adjust to the idea that Peter got killed off and replaced with this guy who was very deliberately something of a token hire. and Brian Michael Bendis needed time to actually write a distinct character with his own feel and interesting ideas

finally listen to the music that kids are listening to ,read the web comics that they follow, or the Twitter discussions that they do and especially the manga that they're following and how they discuss it. I really do think that if we want Comics to remain they're going to have to change and one of those changes are going to have to be how they can appeal more to modern audiences, females, and yes trans

And some of this is going to require the characters in the world that they inhabit change in terms of assumption and presentation. There need to be gay and trans people as a community in a society that's so obvious that it's something that you discussing kindergarten without it being treated as exposing them to porn