waifofarrakis

[waifofarrakis]

“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies. And when we they catch you, they will kill you.

But first they must catch you”

-Frith, Watership Down

[waifofarrakis]

An Alaska Native group decided to make a video game. It’s like nothing you’ve ever played before.

One of the most groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, and delightful video games of 2014 began in a highly unlikely place — Anchorage, Alaska.

It’s called “Never Alone” (or “Kisima Ingitchuna”). And it wasn’t developed by Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, or any of the other big game studios.

It was the brainchild of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) — a nonprofit community support organization for Alaska Natives and their families.

And while many Alaska Native communities are struggling to hold on to their identities in the 21st century, the council saw “Never Alone” as both a way of becoming more financially self-sufficient and a necessary new method of transferring cultural knowledge from one generation to the next.

[waifofarrakis]

[waifofarrakis]

I wanna hear these Opinions on steampunk color palettes, if you’re willing.

tbh “the Victorians did not go to the trouble of inventing aniline dyes so that we could wear neutrals” mostly covers it?

they went to a lot of effort to bring affordable screaming bright fuchsias and acid greens into the world, and we should honor their tacky, tacky choices.

[waifofarrakis]

[waifofarrakis]

Religious Ask Tag

ask tags seem to have dwindled but I thought I’d swing for just one more!

Send me an ask with the numbers you’d like me to answer!

1) Which religion/spiritual path do you identify with?

2) When was the last time you prayed?

3) Have you ever doubted your faith?

4) Have you ever belonged to a different religion?

5) When do you feel closest to your deity/ies?

6) Do you have lots of religious paraphernalia?

7) If you could change one thing about your faith community, what would it be?

8) What is your favourite passage from your sacred text, if you have one?

9) Has your faith ever helped you through a crisis?

10) Do you have a favourite prayer/ritual?

11) Have you ever considered converting to another faith?

12) Were you born in a religious family?

13) Do you practise the majority faith of the place you live in?

14) Have you ever been discriminated against on the basis of your faith?

15) Have you ever had a divine experience?

[waifofarrakis]

I bet you think about me when you say, “Oh my god, she’s insane, she wrote a song about me”

[waifofarrakis]

Imagine this, you’re coming to the end of a year and a half long devotional knitting project than you’ve poured your heart and soul into. This beautiful star chart shawl, and you’re starting the lace boarder. You put in a lifeline at the body of the shawl, and you have a lifeline for each and every repeat of the lace pattern, too.

You drop a stitch. No worries, you think to yourself! I’ll rip it out to the lifeline!

The lifelines somehow do not stop the boarder from unattaching itself from the shawl.

You have to restart the boarder all over again.

you ever drop a stitch while knitting that seems to be so irretrievable that you are forced to face all of your life's failures and inadequacies which causes you to be thrown into a terribly nihilistic apathy and you just frog the whole project?

hehe no me neither knitting is so peaceful (✿◠‿◠)

[waifofarrakis]

Skyrim very special edition is downloading and I guess I'm giving Todd Howard more years of my life

[waifofarrakis]

I ordered a pair of period accurate reproduction Edwardian oxfords and I regret literally nothing about this.

[waifofarrakis]

why doth the human body ooze when provoked

[waifofarrakis]

i don’t think violence, or greed are the roots of human nature. i think warping looms and making soups are.

[waifofarrakis]

Shadiversity and the Far-Right

We should probably talk about how Shadiversity, a YouTuber known for his being a gateway into Fantasy/Historical content, often put on par with the likes of Skallagrim, Metatron, and others that dip into historical-fantasy content, has recently done some discussion of the ideas of Masculinity with the Far-Right personality, Sargon of Akkad.

It’s also not the first time that Shad has boldly stepped up to defend Sargon for being demonetised for being considered a racist figure. As for whether Sargon is a racist, sexist, threatening, pedophilic excuse of a person, well…explore the links at your own risk.

There is an issue in historical/fantasy circles of the crossover between figures like Sargon (Carl Benjamin), who tend to glorify and romanticise the past in a way that entirely fits their narrative. While one can always argue ‘but history is always down to interpretation’, the purpose of the Far Right is much more sinister, taking historical concepts, and defining them through a perverse lens that justifies their atrocity. This is a form of stolen valour.

Moving from that, the central issue we can see is that Shadiversity, whatever his claims over opinions may be, has elected to give a platform to a Far-Right mouthpiece, and discuss and defend him as part of his image. This is not an innocent act. Shadiversity is, of all figures on Youtube, choosing very deliberately to give consolation to, and support of, a figure that stands for some quite abominable beliefs. And Carl Benjamin is, to say the least, while not the most radical mouthpiece of the Far-Right, certainly one with a heavy agenda to push. Having heard a bit of Shad’s own stance on the difference of opinion, I’d consider the stance of diversity of opinion valid…except to the point of defending and befriending a figure that holds the opinions that anyone remotely left of Centre-Right should be seen as demented, who projects homosexual and r*pe-based slurs at people when given a platform by which to disagree with others, and who seemingly believes that the US and UK (both very Conservative nations, with the UK approaching a decade of power in the hands of the Conservatives) have a leftist agenda on an academic level.

I’ve sparred with Shad before via tumblr (mostly him saying my opinions of him were because I was jealous of his fame and wealth…?), and have said on several occasions that I don’t consider him a great resource for…fencing, martial arts, and in-depth history at all, but that his fantasy concepts are usually quite resourceful. While my opinion of his clickbaity videos and his general knowledge and personality are low, my opinion largely has been: “I just won’t click on his videos”, and “I don’t recommend him��. That’s going to need a revision. Anyone who gives a platform to, defends, and works alongside, a (frankly) even more horrific figure, is making an active choice to prop up the more horrific figure, not the other way around. And it seems Shadiversity has been supportive of (not condemning, like any rational, moral person) Carl Benjamin for several years now. While this does not make Shad a member of the Far-Right directly, it does make him a stan for the Far-Right; all evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing, after all, and Shad is not merely doing nothing, he is actively siding with a figure representing them.

As said to Shad himself via tumblr before, I don’t actively watch his content, I don’t like his videos, and that’s fine; he will not have to sob into his money over the loss of one person who already didn’t view his stuff. However, in light of his association with all the above, I would strongly recommend to many people in the historical and fantasy world, to keep away from him, also. I would like to also formally request my followers no longer mention him in Asks to myself (when they do come up), as I’m going to elect from here on to avoid giving him further mention. Freedom of speech (something Shad himself seems to allude to along with Sargon) protects one from Government retribution, but not from social response to one’s actions. In this case, I would recommend shunning or simply not electing to view Shad’s content as a way of response to his association with the Far-Right.

I would like to end this by adding that, while the above statements are true, and my personal feelings about Shad’s content and personality remain the same, I would strongly recommend his fans presently avoid him, not merely to manifest a form of punishment, but to prompt a change in a figure that is clearly beloved by so many people. If you do like Shadiversity, his videos and his manner of presentation, and wish for that not to be sullied by figures of the Far-Right, my suggestion is merely to allow Shad to have the chance to back away, change his stance, and support his viewers by terminating his connections. One can, and should, always allow for the opportunity for apology, or for reformation, in light of the current climate. However, as it stands, until such a change, I would like to reiterate that Shad’s current connections are, to say it diplomatically, problematic.

[waifofarrakis]

Sewing, knitting, spinning, crotchering, embroidering, weaving.

These things, these crafts are so often ignored or dismissed as parts of witchcraft. But wool, cotton, silk and leather are as much part of the world as any stone, crystal or plant. They hold as much power as any of these and these forms of craft, the possibilities in spellwork, should neither be ignored nor dismissed.

[waifofarrakis]

Moon Worship Ritual

[waifofarrakis]

when covid ends i will be kissing all my friends on the lips in greeting like an italiana mobster

[waifofarrakis]

do you rinse your teeth with blood, little one?