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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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Practicing Witchcraft in Secret

I love things that are traditionally “witchy.” I love dressing candles with herbs. I love setting things on fire. I love making poppets and charms. But not everyone is able to be so obvious in their craft. For various reasons, some witches choose to be secretive about their magical practice.

Why Would You Want to Keep It a Secret?

Historically, witches kept their practice a secret because it wasn’t safe to be open about their beliefs. In the late middle ages, the Catholic Church began to actively persecute witchcraft, herbal medicine, and folk spirituality with the publication of “witch hunting guides” like the Malleus Maleficarum. This witch hunting fervor would continue even after the Protestant Reformation, with some of the most famous witch hunts (such as the Salem trials) carried out by Protestants.

It is important to remember that the witch hunts were political at their heart and that very few of the people executed for witchcraft were what we would recognize today as witches. They were mostly women, poor folks, or members of ethnic or religious minorities. But even so, the danger of being accused of witchcraft and/or devil worship drove many medieval witches, herbalists, and pagans to hide their practice.

The United States experienced a modern witch hunt of sorts in the 1980s with the “Satanic Panic.” We still don’t entirely understand what caused this cultural phenomenon, but what we do know is that it resulted in widespread paranoia about devil worship. Anything that could be misconstrued as “satanic” was shunned or outright persecuted, from Dungeons & Dragons to heavy metal music to nature-based religions like Wicca — and, yes, witchcraft. People who had been comfortably open about their spirituality suddenly found themselves practicing behind closed doors. If you’re over 30, you may remember this. If you’re under 30, the Satanic Panic probably shaped how your parents view witchcraft and paganism, and they may still be grossly misinformed as a result.

Even today, a lot of witches choose to keep their practice a secret because it would be unsafe or uncomfortable to go public. Many witches have family members, friends, or coworkers who would be uncomfortable if they knew about their witchcraft, and may even choose to end the relationship because of it. Some witches live in culturally Christian areas where it might be harder for them to get jobs or make friends if they were openly self-identifying as a witch. Some of us live in places where an outdoor ritual could get the cops called on us, or have missionaries showing up to save our souls.

On the other hand, some witches just like privacy. You may feel like your spirituality is nobody’s business but yours, and for that reason you may prefer to do witchcraft in a way that is more subtle and secretive. Desire for privacy is a perfectly valid reason to stay “in the broom closet.”

There are also some magical traditions that require members to swear a vow of secrecy and to keep the group’s secrets. However, these traditions usually require an in-person initiation, so I won’t be discussing them here.

Inconspicuous Witchcraft

If you haven’t read my posts about magical journaling and kitchen magic, I highly recommend you check them out. Those are two forms of magic that are very easy to practice discretely.

No matter what your reason for keeping your practice a secret, here are a few tips for making magic without drawing attention.

Use scented candles. Candle magic is one of the easiest and most versatile forms of spellwork, and all it requires is a candle and your intention. Scented candles are perfect for undercover witches because, rather than adding herbs and oils, you can simply buy a scent that matches your intention. (For example, a vanilla candle is great for love, while a pumpkin spice scent will attract wealth.) Plus, they’re so commonplace that no one will think twice about seeing one in your bedroom or on your desk at work. If you’re a purist and want to make sure you’re using real plant materials, you can get all natural candles scented with essential oils — but lots of witches use artificial scents and get good results, so don’t feel like you have to go with the more expensive option.

Diffuse essential oils. Essential oils contain the concentrated essence of a plant, which makes them a must-have tool for witches. Essential oils are also extremely popular right now, both for holistic healing and for aromatherapy, so you definitely won’t attract any negative attention for using them. You can get a good essential oil diffuser for under $20 online. Some brands overcharge for their oils, but you can find good quality oils for under $10. When choosing an essential oil, look at the magical correspondences for the plant it is made from. You can diffuse oils to infuse your space with their energy, similar to the way you would use incense.

Enchant your perfume. You can choose a perfume to match your intention or make your own custom perfume by mixing essential oils in a carrier oil. Focus on your intention as you spray the perfume, letting it infuse your energy field with magic. You can also buy magical perfume blends from witch-owned businesses online or on Etsy.

Learn shufflemancy. “Shufflemancy” is a modern form of divination that is done by putting a playlist on shuffle — whatever song plays first contains an intuitive message for you, either in the lyrics or in how it makes you feel. You can find playlists specifically made for divination by Googling “shufflemancy playlist,” or you can make your own by compiling a playlist of songs from different genres that deal with different topics. Just be sure to keep it diverse — if your playlist only has love songs on it, you might not get very helpful messages if you have a question about your career.

Learn bibliomancy. This divination method is similar to shufflemancy, but much older. Bibliomancy is done by asking your question while holding a book, focusing on your question while connecting with the book’s energy, and then opening it to a random page. There is a long, long tradition within Christianity of doing this with the Bible — if you feel connected to a certain sacred text, you could use it for bibliomancy. You could also use a book of poetry, a novel, or even a dictionary. However, I think it’s important to use a book you feel a connection to, rather than something randomly grabbed off the shelf.

Use Pinterest and Spotify as manifestation tools. You may have heard of vision boards, a tool used to manifest something by creating a detailed collection of images that match your intention. Pinterest boards are already essentially virtual vision boards, and creating one with focused intent can be a spell by itself. Likewise, you can use Spotify playlists for manifestation. To do this, create a playlist of songs that match your intention (songs about money or love, for example) and listen to it while meditating on your desired outcome.

Choose your outfits with intention. You can pick clothes based on color correspondences (see this post for a guide to color magic), the material they are made from (a wool sweater vs. a cotton T-shirt), or some other symbolism. For example, if you want to feel empowered, you might wear leopard print to channel the energy of a fierce predator.

Enchant a piece of jewelry for a specific purpose. You can choose your jewelry based on the correspondence of the metal or gemstones it is made from, make your own piece, or use whatever you already have on hand. You can enchant this jewelry by passing it over the flame of a candle or through the vapor of an essential oil diffuser. State what purpose you want this charm to serve, either out loud or in your mind. Wear this jewelry whenever you need to tap into that energy, and make sure to cleanse it often.

Create magical art. If you want to manifest something, draw or paint a picture of it. You don’t have to be a skilled artist — what matters is that you are taking your mental image of what you want and bringing it into the physical world. Fold up the picture and keep it in your pillow, or in some other special place. Likewise, if you want to banish something, draw or paint a picture of it and then rip it into little pieces and throw it out. This ritual allows you to purge yourself of the negative emotions tied to the thing you are banishing.

Take a magical bath. We rarely have more privacy than when we’re in the tub. Taking a bath is already a ritual of sorts, and it’s easy to add magic. You can, of course, make magical bath salts by mixing essential oils into Epsom salt, but you can also create bath spells with household objects. For example, a bath with salt and vinegar will clear up nasty energy, while adding milk to your bath will attract love and abundance.

Practicing in secret does not have to mean a less deep or well-rounded practice. There are lots of magical acts that can be done subtly or kept private. The suggestions in this post are by no means exhaustive, and I hope they will give you some ideas for other ways to fill your life with undercover magic.

Resources:

“Introduction” from The Malleus Maleficarum at http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

The Fat Feminist Witch podcast, “Episode 34 — Witches, Midwives, and Doulas”

“Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless” by Bridget Marshall for The Conversation

New World Witchery podcast, “Episode 118 — The Satanic Panic”

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Gina Carano Was Fired from The Mandalorian, But Should Cara Dune Live On?

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Gina Carano deserved to be fired from The Mandalorian after months of posting dangerous online rhetoric that goes against everything Star Wars should stand for. After Carano used her Twitter bio to mock the common practice of users listing preferred pronouns, denying the gravity of the Covid-19 pandemic, posting election fraud conspiracy theories, refusing to show support for Black Lives Matter, and implying that being a right-wing conservative today was like being a Jewish person during the Holocaust, Disney finally did the right thing.

“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views,” read her now-deleted Tik Tok post.

While Carano did return for The Mandalorian season 2, which wrapped just before the Covid lockdowns that seemingly triggered the actor’s toxic views on social media, Disney decided that it had seen enough. In a statement released on Wednesday night, a spokesperson for Disney said that Carano’s “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” The spokesperson also confirmed that Carano “is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” effectively putting an end to her time on The Mandalorian and Star Wars. Deadline also confirmed that Carano and her agency UTA have parted ways.

Two days later, Carano doubled down, announcing a new movie project with alt-right pundit Ben Shapiro’s conservative website The Daily Wire. She will develop, produce, and star in the movie, which will release exclusively to the site’s members, according to Deadline. Carano dubiously framed her next move as “a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob.”

But while Carano may see herself as a rebel fighting for the right to claim “freedom of speech” no matter how hateful or downright false her posts, there are also plenty of Star Wars fans who are relieved to see her jettisoned from the universe they love. While Disney should still be held accountable for how it failed John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, actors of color who faced racist attacks upon being cast in the Sequel Trilogy, and who were sidelined as the trilogy progressed, the company has done a much better job of late of showing where it stands on the issues. The company stood in support of The High Republic show host Krystina Arielle after she faced similar attacks. By firing Carano, Disney and Lucasfilm have taken a clear stance not only against bigotry but the kind of dangerous rhetoric that has become pervasive among a small but loud minority of the fandom (although I’d hardly call them actual “fans”).

THR learned from a source close to Lucasfilm that the studio had been “looking for a reason to fire her for two months” and that Carano’s Holocaust post was “the final straw.” According to the outlet, Lucasfilm had previously planned to have Carano star in her own Mandalorian spinoff, potentially Rangers of the New Republic, and considered making the announcement during its investor’s day event in December before that idea was scrapped due to her social media posts.

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Does Carano’s firing mean that this is the end of her character’s time in Star Wars? While the end of Cara Dune’s storyline in The Mandalorian season 2 teased that there would be more to her journey as a mercenary turned New Republic marshal, for the moment, that adventure seems to have been cut short. That said, some fans are already wondering whether Cara’s life in the galaxy far, far away could continue without Carano.

A few people on Twitter have suggested that the character should simply be recast, with Lucy Lawless already positioned as a frontrunner among fans. The Xena: Warrior Princess and Battlestar Galactica actor and activist would be more than a suitable replacement for Carano and the kind of talent the Star Wars brand should want to work with. Not to mention that Lawless would bring the energy, grit, and physicality needed to play a tough-as-carbonite brawler like Cara.

Let's make #LucyLawless the new and improved #CaraDune! #TheMandalorian @Jon_Favreau @dave_filoni pic.twitter.com/xuqqM3SOea

— 𝕂ℝ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕀𝔸ℕ 𝕆𝔻𝕃𝔸ℕ𝔻 (@kreshjun) February 11, 2021

But as nice as it is to dream of Lawless or another fan-favorite performer taking on the role of Cara Dune and continuing her story, Star Wars has traditionally been averse to recasting its characters to the point where the franchise would rather paste a questionable CGI version of Mark Hamill’s face on another actor’s head than cast someone new to play a younger Luke Skywalker. (Sebastian Stan, for example.)

Not that Lucasfilm hasn’t tried recasting before, such as when it brought on Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover to play pre-Original Trilogy versions of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but that movie was a box office failure for the studio. While there are many reasons why that film failed, a few fans might tell you it’s because Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams weren’t in it. If history tells us anything, it’s that there’s a section of this fandom that does not like change.

That’s not to say Disney should go out of its way to pander to viewers who are resistant to change. Big franchises like Star Wars need to embrace change to stay fresh and better reflect audiences. And Disney certainly shouldn’t prioritize people who would be mad if anyone but Carano played Dune on The Mandalorian or Rangers of the New Republic. My point is that Disney would likely save itself a lot of grief by not doing anything else with the character at all. There’s no doubt that the path of least resistance for Disney would be to phase out the character completely, giving her a quiet off-screen exit, perhaps coupled with some brief exposition in season 3 regarding where she went. Done.

Is that fair to Cara Dune and the fans who see themselves in her? Cara quickly became a fan-favorite after her debut on the Star Wars live-action series as a fierce gun-for-hire who’s not quite a hero and is as prone to violence as Din Djarin but who will ultimately choose to do what’s right. Many have lauded Cara for the ways she breaks away from the “traditional mold” of female Star Wars characters who have come before, both in terms of her morally gray motivations and her buff appearance, which, as fans of The Last of Us II‘s Abby will tell you, remains a rarity in our entertainment.

How The Mandalorian Gave Fans a Different Kind of Star Wars Story

By Lacy Baugher

Why The Mandalorian Was Always Destined to Meet Luke Skywalker

By Ryan Britt

Unlike Leia, Cara is a former Rebel shock trooper from Alderaan who didn’t immediately fall in line with the New Republic, preferring the chaos and danger of living in the Outer Rim than joining up with the new galactic government, which she felt wasn’t doing enough to quell the ever-present threat of the Empire that had destroyed her home planet. She preferred to brawl in cantinas and make her own way in the galaxy sans an official allegiance or badge, a lifestyle rarely lived by Star Wars‘ women — at least on screen. (In that way, Cara has much more in common with breakout Marvel comic book character Doctor Aphra.)

Sure, some of these traits began to change, but the show took its time developing Cara’s character, and by the time she did join the Republic’s law forces in the Outer Rim, it was after she’d witnessed many of the atrocities committed by what was left of the Empire. And even with the badge, she did some things on her own terms, like helping Mando and friends rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon.

To many, Cara has been a unique character worth following for years to come, whether it be on more seasons of The Mandalorian or in an eventual spinoff. Fans could perhaps still get that opportunity off-screen were Lucasfilm to continue Cara’s story in the books or comics, as it has with many other characters for over 40 years. It might just take some waiting.

But the mere fact that many fans want to see Cara’s story continue without the toxic presence of the actor who originally brought her to life is a testament to the power of the character herself. Like the best Star Wars characters, Cara seems to have staying power, and perhaps she deserves to outlive Gina Carano’s time with the franchise.

To The Mandalorian‘s credit, there are many other great female characters to look forward to on the show, including Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), who will actually star in The Book of Boba Fett later this year. (Please bring back Frog Lady, too.) They’re fantastic characters with their own motivations and stories, and I’d love to see more of them in season 3, but not all female characters are interchangeable and the other women in The Mandalorian’s world cannot replace Cara’s unique contributions to the show. They cannot simply “fill a spot” left behind by the last female hero, a character who was one of our first introductions on the show.

There’s perhaps no obviously right answer or course of action when things are still so raw and production is moving quickly on the next year of Star Wars stories. Does keeping Cara in Star Wars also ultimately mean that Lucasfilm is acknowledging Carano’s legacy with the franchise? Maybe. But should a great character that people look up to and relate to be allowed to exist beyond the bad decisions of an actor or its creator? Probably.

We only know this for sure: if you never see Cara Dune again in Star Wars, you only really have Gina Carano to blame.

The post Gina Carano Was Fired from The Mandalorian, But Should Cara Dune Live On? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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ihatejess · 4 years

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Blessed Beltane!

Beltane April 30th - May 1st

Sunset to Sunset.

Beltane honours Life. It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth energies are at their strongest and most active. All of life is bursting with potent fertility and at this point in the Wheel of the Year, the potential becomes conception. On May Eve the sexuality of life and the earth is at its peak. Abundant fertility, on all levels, is the central theme. The Maiden goddess has reached her fullness. She is the manifestation of growth and renewal, Flora, the Goddess of Spring, the May Queen, the May Bride. The Young Oak King, as Jack-In-The-Green, as the Green Man, falls in love with her and wins her hand. The union is consummated and the May Queen becomes pregnant. Together the May Queen and the May King are symbols of the Sacred Marriage (or Heiros Gamos), the union of Earth and Sky, and this union has merrily been re-enacted by humans throughout the centuries. For this is the night of the Greenwood Marriage. It is about sexuality and sensuality, passion, vitality and joy. And about conception. A brilliant moment in the Wheel of the Year to bring ideas, hopes and dreams into action. And have some fun.....

Traditions of Beltane

Beltane is a Fire Festival. The word 'Beltane' originates from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire. Together they make 'Bright Fire', or 'Goodly Fire' and traditionally bonfires were lit to honour the Sun and encourage the support of Bel and the Sun's light to nurture the emerging future harvest and protect the community. Bel had to be won over through human effort. Traditionally all fires in the community were put out and a special fire was kindled for Beltane. "This was the Tein-eigen, the need fire. People jumped the fire to purify, cleanse and to bring fertility. Couples jumped the fire together to pledge themselves to each other. Cattle and other animals were driven through the smoke as a protection from disease and to bring fertility. At the end of the evening, the villagers would take some of the Teineigen to start their fires anew." (From Sacred Celebrations by Glennie Kindred) Green Man - Beltane

Handfasting

As Beltane is the Great Wedding of the Goddess and the God, it is a popular time for pagan weddings or Handfastings, a traditional betrothal for 'a year and a day' after which the couple would either choose to stay together or part without recrimination. Today, the length of commitment is a matter of choice for the couple, and can often be for life. Handfasting ceremonies are often unique to the couple, but include common elements, most importantly the exchange of vows and rings (or a token of their choice). The act of handfasting always involves tying the hands Handfasting ('tying the knot') of the two people involved, in a figure of eight, at some point in the ceremony and later unbinding. This is done with a red cord or ribbon. Tying the hands together symbolises that the two people have come together and the untying means that they remain together of their own free will.

Another common element is 'jumping the broomstick' - this goes back to a time when two people who could not afford a church ceremony, or want one, would be accepted in the community as a married couple if they literally jumped over a broom laid on the floor. The broom marked a 'threshold', moving from an old life to a new one.

Mead and cakes are often shared in communion as part of the ceremony. Mead is known as the Brew of the Divine, made from honey which is appropriate for a love ceremony (and is the oldest alcoholic drink known to humankind).

Going A-Maying

Handfasting or not, both young and old went A-Maying... Couples spent the night in the woods and fields, made love and brought back armfuls of the first May or haw thorn blossoms to decorate their homes and barns. Hawthorn was never brought into the home except at Beltane - at other times it was considered unlucky. Young women gathered the dew to wash their faces, made Flower Crowns and May Baskets to give as gifts. Everyone was free to enact the Sacred Marriage of Goddess and God, and there was an accepted tradition of Beltane babies arriving nine months later...

Maypole

The Maypole is a popular and familiar image of May Day and Beltane. A phallic pole, often made from birch, was inserted into the Earth representing the potency of the God. The ring of flowers at the top of the Maypole represents the fertile Goddess. Its many coloured ribbons and the ensuing weaving dance symbolise the spiral of Life and the union of the Goddess and God, the union between Earth and Sky.

The colours of Beltane are green, red and white/silver. Green represents growth, abundance and fertility. Red represents strength, vitality, passion and vibrancy. White represents cleansing and clearing and the power to disperse negativity.

Nana Violet's Egg Charm For Beltane.

Think carefully what you wish for! The general rule of thumb is a brown egg for wishes involving animals and white for wishes involving people and plants, for example healing a sick animal, person or plant. Eggs with white shells are difficult to come by now as chickens are generally given feed which produces the desired brown shell, but in recent years some of the supermarkets are making white eggs available at this time of year so they are worth looking out for.

1. Blow the egg. Using a fat needle, pierce a hole in both ends of the egg, making one hole larger than the other. Using the needle pierce the egg yolk gently and swirl it around to break up the yolk. Place a small drinking straw in one end and gently blow through the other hole to help gravity do its work.

2. Paint Your Egg Talisman. When your egg has thoroughly dried out place it on top of a little mound of blue tack to hold it in place and you are ready to go! Choose a symbol to represent your wish - a heart for love, coin for prosperity, a candle for wisdom, whatever is meaningful for you. Or you can paint the whole egg in a corresponding colour - red for love, green for prosperity, purple for wisdom and so on. Another way to do it is to stick rose petals on for love, or feathers for fertility - again it is what is meaningful to you that is important.

3. When it is ready find a suitable place for it and prepare for it for hanging by threading a thin thread (embroidery thread, thin wool) through the two holes and secure it with a large knot, a bead, or even a matchstick at the bottom to hold it steady.

4. Clear your mind and focus on your desire for abundance/fruitfulness and its place in your life:

'Little charm made of shell as I hang you here may all be well. May all things grow. May all things flow. Blessings for the turning of the Wheel."

Use these words or any others that you are comfortable with - remember this is all about your intention.

Egg charm donated by our Counter Enchantress from her own family traditions.

Making a Wish Box Charm

Beltane is a good time for bringing hopes, dreams and aspirations to life, and here is a truly beautiful charm to help you bring these into manifestation.

You will need:

A small shallow cardboard box. Shoe boxes are good. Rose petals Sunflower seeds and/or poppy seeds Paper A piece of willow bark or piece of willow, an acorn or oak leaf Something that represents your wish (see below)

Take a piece of paper and write your wish on it while visualizing your wish coming to life and growing. You can do this alone, with friends, or as a family. If you want to, decorate the lid of the box, with a triple moon, pentacle, heart, or any symbol of your choice. Poke a few holes in the lid - this will help your wish/plants, to grow. Take your box and sprinkle some earth into it. Put in your paper wishes, wish symbol (see below), and seeds/bark/acorn. Cover with another layer of earth. Mix the rose petals with the seeds and scatter them on top. Cover with a final layer of earth and place the lid on top, leaving enough of the rose petal/seed mixture to scatter on top of the box when you are planting it.

Planting Your Wish Box

The best time for planting your Wish Box is just after a fresh cleansing rainfall as this gives you a bright new start, but if the season is dry just give the earth a good watering the night before. Dig a hole two inches deeper than your wish box and lower it into the earth carefully while concentrating on your chosen wish, visualizing it coming to fruition. Imagine your wish growing with the flowers reaching skyward. As you cover the box with earth say:

"Dream that lies within the earth awaken now. Hope that sleeps awaken now. The stars await as so do I. Grow true, grow strong, toward the sky."

If you don't have a garden you can make a mini wish pot that can live on a window ledge and it works just as well. Just replace the box with a terracotta pot - one wish and one symbol per pot following exactly the same instructions as above. Remember that wishes are only to be used for positive motives.

Suggested Symbols For Your Wish Box:

Love & Marriage - gingerbread New Job - copper coin Abundance - silver coin Difficult Task - glove Hearth & Home - thimble Seeking the Truth - sprig of rosemary Health, Healing, Renewed Strength - blue & green ribbon entwined Happiness, Good Luck - cinnamon stick Seeking Knowledge - apple To Find A Lost Item - feather Protection - key (an old iron key is best if you have one)

Charm donated by our Counter Enchantress from her own family traditions.

Beltane Bread As Only Debs Knows How

You will need: 3 mugs of strong white flour 500 mls of buttermilk 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3 tbs clear honey 3 tbs golden syrup 1 pack dried strawberries 3 drops vanilla essence 1 small beaten egg for glazing soft brown sugar for sprinkling

Place the strawberries and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, blended golden syrup, honey and vanilla essence together with a wooden spoon - or your hands if that is better. As you mix, feel the pulsing vibrant Beltane energy and let it run through your hands and out through your fingertips. And as you mix, say:

'As we light the Beltane flame, I make this bread in Love's sweet name. Two halves together bound as one, Beltane's dance has now begun!'

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and pat it into a circle. With a sharp knife lightly score the bread into two halves to represent The Lord and Lady. Glaze with beaten egg and sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake in a moderate oven for about 20-25 minutes. When the bread is cooled break it into two halves along the score mark. Repeat the words of the charm and tie with purple ribbon. Purple represents the union of red (love in all its forms) and blue (unity and harmony). Enjoy. Brightest Blessings.

Things To Do

Whatever you do, remember this is the Great Wedding! Dress in your best, especially in green, and wear a flower crown.

Stay out all night, gathering the green, watch the sunrise and make love. Wash your face in the morning dew.

Conceive a new project, grasp that idea, and get on with it.

Dress your home and/or altar with greenery - especially with hawthorn, rowan and birch branches. Ask permission from the tree before you take anything.

Dress a tree. This is the perfect time to go out and celebrate a tree. Especially a hawthorn, rowan or birch - but the tree spirit will welcome you attention whichever kind of tree it is. Sit with it, talk to it, dance around it (maypole), honour the tree and its fertility. Hang ribbons from its branches, each ribbon represents a wish or prayer.

Flowers, flowers and more flowers. This is the festival of Flora. Make a flower crown to wear - the daisy chain in the simplest of all. Make a traditional flower basket. fill it with Beltane greenery and all the flowers and herbs you can find. Think about, and honour, their magical and healing properties while you do so. Give it someone you love.

Make some Hawthorn Brandy. You will need a bottle of brandy and at least one cup of hawthorn flowers, plus a little sugar to taste. Mix the ingredients together and leave away from direct light, for at least two weeks. Shake occasionally. Strain, bottle and enjoy. Hawthorn is renowned as a tonic for the heart.

Trees of Beltane

Hawthorn

Hawthorn is a deeply magical tree and is one of the three trees at the heart of the Celtic Tree Alphabet, the Faery Triad, 'by Oak, Ash and Thorn'. Traditionally Beltane began when the Hawthorn, the May, blossomed. It is the tree of sexuality and fertility and is the classic flower to decorate a Maypole with. It was both worn and used to decorate the home at Beltane.

Birch

Birch is regarded as a feminine tree and Deities associated with Birch are mostly love and fertility goddesses. It is one of the first trees to show its leaf in Spring. Eostre/Ostara, the Celtic goddess of Spring was celebrated in festivities and dancing around and through the birch tree between the Spring Equinox and Beltane. Birch twigs were traditionally used to make besoms (a new broom sweeps clean). Maypoles were often made from birch and birch wreaths were given as lover's gifts.

Rowan

A tree of protection and healing. Branches of Rowan were placed as protection over the doors of houses and barns at Beltane to protect from increased Faery activity as they woke from their winter slumber. Sprigs were worn for protection also. Rowan berries have a tiny five-pointed star on the bottom reminiscent of the pentagram. Colours of Beltane

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practicalmagicintuitions · 4 years

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Celebrity Tarot Reading

I decided to do a reading about this A-list superhero actor, mostly because his vibe is very strange, a little bit off for me. I very much trust in my instincts and that I can read people’s vibe correctly. This is mainly a love reading because his love life is kinda a mystery.

This actor is/was a superhero, a beloved one. I won’t give his name away, because strangely I don’t feel comfortable to do that. He looks like a privet one with an extensive fan base.

I used the Druid Craft Tarot and the Queen of the Moon Oracle.

all information and statements made in this reading or any other post of mine is all alleged until proven to be fact and for entertainment purposes & usage only. All information stated is based of my intuition and my tarot cards.

What picture does he want to show to the world about himself?

4 of Cups (rx), The High Priest

He wants to be seen as a very masculine, strong person, who made his inner work. Whose cup is half full, not half empty. Who isn’t crying over lost opportunities, not hurt, can things let go. People want to see him smile, and he is acting according to that. The High Priest represents the Zodiac Sign Taurus. He has the power of the sun, full of masculine energy. Sitting still, waiting patiently. This card also represents marriage. He shows he wants marriage and maybe he truly does. He is a very traditional man. Wants to be a role model, someone people look up to

What is he like when others don’t see him?

7 of Wands

He is very much in a struggle, which challenges his judgment, leadership. This confrontation, struggling is more inner than outer conflict. He has competition, a rivalry, he feels he has to defend himself constantly. He feels himself alone, and he has to watch his back always, surrounded by enemies and can trust no one. Everyone seems to be out to get him or is set against him. He has a very very busy, hectic and demanding life. Sometimes he is overwhelmed but he can deal with it. He has a very strong mind. He doesn’t have much time to enjoy success. His commitments are more and more demanding, but he wouldn’t give his achievements back. He has relationships in the past which weren’t approved by his friends or family. He also has to fight constantly to stay at the top in his carrier. So many people are after his job.

What describes his past relationships?

Queen of Wands

It represents a fire element woman.

This woman is full of life, energetic, passionate, has a very sexy vibe. She possesses a strong belief in herself and is fiercely protective of her domain and position. This lady is an extrovert and likes to be kept busy. She enjoys the limelight and being at centre stage. She likes to control and unfortunately, has a habit of taking over anything she gets involved in. She is radiant, has boundless energy, is physically fit and more than likely has a love of the competitive sport. She values her freedom. She will not let herself get tied down by any man regardless of how good a catch he may be.

This woman is someone who dominates his past love life and has an effect on his present.

What kind of woman does he imagine for himself?

Princess of Cups/Princess of Pentacles.

I drew PofC first and the PofP was an additional card.

He definitely imagines a significantly younger girl than him, if he thinks his future love. P of Cups represents water signs (Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio), Pentacles earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn).

PofC represents a tender, sensitive young beauty. She wears a moon symbol and meditates over a cup. She is dreaming of love, follow her dreams. This is an autumn scene with red leaves and so on.

This card also means the early stages of love, so I think he is craving after that head over heels in love feeling. He wants someone who admires him and pleases him in every way. Someone who makes him light and happy. Honestly, he wants a fairytale love. Someone who is innocent, who is born romantic and will not be embarrassed to talk about her feelings.

PofP is also young as every Princess (or Pages). Because Pentacles represents material, physical things, this Card represents a young female, who wants success, enjoys material things. She thinks about long term relationships.

I can go on and on, but to sum up he wants a younger someone who is emotional, loving and who enjoys physical things too.

What the future holds to him in terms of relationships?

8 of wands, High Priestess. + Hunter Moon “Abundance” (Queen of the Moon oracle

Oh, boy...

The High Priestess

This card represents someone who has a very good understanding and connection to her inner world, who is deep and wise. She is very feminine but she also a great mystery too. She is still and seems passive, but she is not weak, not at all. I would never say this represents a young girl as the Princess does. But there are similarities between the PofCups and the High Priestess. Both women stand still, their arms are up for prayer or meditation. The same phase of the Moon is on the cards and... The High Priestess represents a Pisces. But this card not the best in a relationship reading.

8 of Wands

This card means a fast-moving time in life when you achieved your goals or are very close to them. Also represents falling in love rapidly ( it’s Cupid’s arrow really).

It’s an intense, passionate relationship, unable to get through an hour without seeing or hearing from each other. An adrenalin rush, moving too fast maybe. This card associate with travel maybe decides to travel the world or re-locate.

Oracle: The Hunter Moon is October’s full moon.

Do you remember? I mentioned that on the P of Cups card, the image shows there is autumn.

So..

I think this superhero actor will fall in love rapidly, almost like love at first sight. But the woman, even if they have a relationship will remain a mystery to him. You can never fully know the High Priestess. He has to be careful and cautious. Try not become too dependent on, or overly involved with the other person. Maintain his own sovereignty. She values personal space very much and doesn’t like if someone tries to limit that. She is not someone who can or want move forward quicky, make commitments after just a few months and she doesn’t make a secret about it.

It also could be a person, he can not have for some reason. Maybe he never spoke to her before, just has an idealistic image and dreams about her.

What is telling that this reading lacks the Swords which means the intellectual part of a relationship doesn’t play a huge role for him. Also lacks the traditionally happy relationship card like Lovers, 2 of Cups, 4 of Wands etc.

Maybe he and she connect spiritually or in a karmic way but I don’t think this relationship will cause much happiness to him.

I think this woman will be a water sign most likely a Pisces. The High Priestess means an uncertain time, but I think they will meet around Autumn.

I hope you enjoyed. :)

Feedbacks are appreciated.

#tarot #tarotreading #celebrity #superhero #tarotcommunity #divination #actor #lovereading #druidcraft

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go-redgirl · 4 years

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ORLANDO, Florida—Vice President Mike Pence rallied at a Latinos for Trump event here on Saturday as President Donald Trump now leads his Democrat opponent former Vice President Joe Biden in the Sunshine State.

“It’s great to be back in the Sunshine State with some great Americans who are going to drive a victory here in Florida and all across America,” Pence said as he took the stage here at Central Christian University. “Thank you, Latinos for Trump. I’m here for one reason, and one reason only: because Florida, and America, need four more years of Donald Trump in the White House. The road to victory runs right through Florida.”

Pence’s campaign swing through central Florida during which Breitbart News is traveling with him and is scheduled to interview him—he is also leading a Make America Great Again rally in the Villages later in the day—comes as the vice president has emerged as the Trump-Pence ticket’s top campaigner while the president continues his recovery from the coronavirus in the White House.

Other Trump campaign leaders and first family surrogates have also stepped up campaign activities as part of what the team calls “Operation MAGA.”

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, for instance is hitting the trail aggressively this coming week with more than two dozen scheduled events crisscrossing the nation.

Trump is scheduled to later on Saturday hold his first public event, at the White House, since contracting the virus. Trump was diagnosed a little over a week ago—last Thursday—and then later was transferred last weekend to Walter Reed hospital to begin his recovery.

After beginning his treatment there with a dose of Regeneron’s antibody cocktail medication, and treatment with remdesivir and the steroid dexamethosone, Trump returned to the White House earlier this week to continue his recovery.

He began working again mid-week, visiting the Oval Office, and has also now started conducting interviews again as Friday he appeared on Rush Limbaugh’s and Mark Levin’s respective nationally broadcast radio programs as well as giving his first on-camera interview to Fox News’s Dr. Marc Siegel, which aired Friday evening on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Trump will resume campaigning on Monday with a rally nearby here, in Sanford, Florida, his first time back on the trail since the infection.

But in the meantime, Pence—who earlier this week debated Democrat vice presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) in Salt Lake City, Utah—is the top dog out there for the Trump campaign. This weekend Florida swing comes after a Thursday post-debate campaign trip to Arizona and Nevada, western states the president split with Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016. Trump won the former, and Clinton won the latter.

“I don’t know if you all got to see it, but I was just in Utah the other night—we had a little debate with Kamala Harris,” Pence told the cheering crowd here in Orlando. “Some people think we did alright. But I want to clear: From where I was sitting, that debate was not just a debate between two candidates for vice president. It was a debate between two visions for America.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine; they want to abolish fossil fuels, and use taxpayer funding to pay for abortion. They want to defund the police. President Donald Trump’s vision is a little bit different. President Trump says rebuild our military. We cut taxes; we rolled back regulations, unleashed American energy, secured our border, supported law enforcement, life and liberty and the Constitution of the United States. When you compare the Biden-Harris agenda with our agenda, the choice is clear.

If you cherish faith and freedom and law and order and life, then we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”Pence’s team is riding high into the Sunshine State, too, as the latest public polling here shows Trump leading Biden in the final weeks by three points. That poll, from Fox35, correctly predicted the 2008 and 2016 elections.

It show Trump performing strongly among Hispanic and black voters, but like other surveys it shows the president’s ticket underperforming 2016 numbers among seniors—a demographic that Biden is making a push for. Pence is working to hit both key demographics—Hispanics and seniors—with his pair of campaign events here on Saturday.

Helping energize Hispanic voters for the president are multiple factors, including a key endorsement in recent weeks from Puerto Rico’s Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced—an endorsement Pence hyped here—and strong support in the Cuban community in the state.

Pence also made a key point to hype Trump’s word against Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, and standing up the communists in Cuba.“Under President Donald Trump, we have stood for freedom across this hemisphere for all freedom-loving people,” Pence told the Latinos for Trump rally-goers here. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States was the first nation on earth to recognize President Juan Guaido as the only legitimate president of Venezuela. Under this president, America has been clear: Maduro must go and America will stand with the people of Venezuela.

Under Joe Biden as vice president, he served at a time when America was appeasing the communist regime in Havana. President Donald Trump kept the promise that he made to Cuban Americans when he reversed the failed policies of the last administration toward Cuba. In this White House, it will always be Que Viva Cuba Libre.

President @realDonaldTrump kept his promise to Cuban Americans when he reversed the failed policies of the last administration. In this @WhiteHouse, it will always be que viva Cuba libre!3:22 PM · Oct 10, 2020

He also hyped economic successes the Trump administration has delivered for Hispanics.

“Nearly half of the jobs that were created in our first three years went to Hispanic Americans,” Pence said. “That’s what we call promises made and promises kept. So I’m excited to talk to you about that and see the enthusiasm here today on this cool and breezy day in Florida. President Trump is keeping his promises. It’s why Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced just endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election as President of the United States. This week, the governor of Puerto Rico asked people in that territory to vote for who’s been there for Puerto Rico in its most difficult moments. She said very plainly it is Donald Trump.

She thanked the president for rebuilding Puerto Rico not just with words but with actions. She said thanks to the president’s leadership, pharmaceutical manufacturing is coming back to the island. China is fired and Puerto Rico is hired.”

These events along the I-4 corridor, which stretches from Daytona through Orlando down to Tampa, are key to the Trump team wooing seniors back from clutches of Biden and the Democrats. A key focus from Pence’s messaging on the trail is zoning in on just how radical the left truly is, and what that would mean for the general public if Biden and Harris were to win and be able to implement their agenda.

That’s something Pence focused on in Wednesday’s debate with Harris, putting her on the hot seat on court-packing, fracking, China, and her questionable-at-best record as a prosecutor in San Francisco and in California.

The vice president’s trip here also comes less than two days before Judge Amy Coney Barrett is set to begin her confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday morning, after Trump nominated her a couple weeks ago to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Democrats and the establishment media have unleashed a barrage of vicious attacks against Barrett, targeting her faith and even her adopted children, in what is expected to be a fierce showdown in the Senate and in the public eye just before the election.

“Last month as a nation we paused to honor the life and service of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Pence told the cheering crowd here. “When the memorials were over, President Trump fulfilled his duty under the Constitution of the United States and he nominated a principled, brilliant, conservative woman who believes in the Constitution to the Supreme Court. He nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

”As “Fill That Seat” chants broke out among the crowd, Pence turned and promised them that Trump and the GOP-controlled Senate will get it done. “Let me make you a promise: After the Senate gets done with the advisement and consent, we’re going to fill that seat,” Pence told the crowd which erupted in applause.“I got to tell you, I’m a big fan of Judge Amy Coney Barrett—not just because she’s from Indiana, but she’s a truly remarkable person,” Pence continued.

“She deserves a dignified hearing, a dignified and respectful hearing in the United States Senate. But, men and women, we have reason to be concerned. You all remember when she was appointed to the court of appeals just two years ago, the Democrat chairman of the Judiciary Committee criticized her Catholic faith. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said ‘the dogma lives loudly within you.’ Hollywood elites have already begun to criticize Judge Barrett and her family for their faith. Well, I got news for the Democrats and their friends in Hollywood: That dogma lives loudly in me.

That dogma lives loudly in you. That’s the right to live and to worship according to the dictates of our faith lives loudly in the Constitution of the United States.

”The president has the lead in Florida—and its 29 electoral votes are crucial to his path to re-election. Assuming the president can keep Georgia, Texas, and Arizona red—those are three traditionally red states that Biden and Democrats hope to flip—and hold onto Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, and here in Florida, along with Maine’s Second District, he would be one state away from locking down a second term in the White House.Public polling out of Georgia and Texas show those two states firmly back in the president’s column, after months of concern on both, and Arizona seems to be trending back that way too with a recent Trafalgar Group poll this week showing Trump back in the lead there.

The Trump campaign feels so confident about Iowa and Ohio, too, that they pulled down television ad buys in both states to focus resources more effectively elsewhere. North Carolina’s public polling has been shifting back Trump’s way, too, all while the Democrats’ U.S. Senate candidate there Cal Cunningham is rocked by a serious sexting scandal that has found him under investigation by the U.S. Army Reserves for the inappropriate relationship with an enlisted serviceman’s wife.

Public polling out of Maine’s Second District, from the Bangor Daily News, shows the president with a healthy 8 percent lead over Biden. If Trump holds all those plus all the other traditional red states together, he would be at 260 electoral votes and winning just any one of the upper rust belt states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota—would put him over the top of the required 270 electoral votes necessary to win re-election.

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ofvoclain · 4 years

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introduction.

Hi everyone! It’s Dede (19, she/her/hers, CET). I’m so excited to meet and write with you all! If you want, you can find me on Discord at [...]#0688. Now, it’s my pleasure to introduce

Citizen Athénaïs Voclain, aka the Prophet. 33 years old. Parisian. Radical revolutionist sympathizer. Apothecary and part-time propaganda machine oracle.

detailed profile and application questions below the cut. wanted connections here.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER FEEL ABOUT THE REVOLUTION? DO THEY SUPPORT IT, OR DO THEY FEAR IT? HOW DO THEY THINK IT SHOULD CONTINUE? Athénaïs is a firm believer in the revolutionary ideals and in the revolution itself, although she would like a little more focus on the women taking part in it and not just the men. She knows some have been put off or otherwise wary of how the events have been unfolding, and that they think things are getting too bloody, but she doesn’t share this opinion. She harbors a lot of distaste for the monarchy and thinks reducing them to figureheads isn’t enough - they need to be removed from power completely.

WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE AS THE GREATEST PROBLEM OF THEIR LIFE? As an apothecary, Athénaïs is well-off enough not to think of money as her biggest problem, and can focus on other matters. Mainly, she considers the greatest problem of her life the way she’s been treated for years - dismissed and ignored simply because she’s a woman and not part of either of the first two estates. This is the main reason she enjoys being treated like an oracle so much - people are finally listening, and she can finally tell them what the world should - and will - be.

WHERE DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE THEMSELVES IN FIVE YEARS? Many things can happen over the course of five years. Five years ago the actual revolution hadn’t even begun and she was not the great prophet she is now. In another five, Athénaïs hopes to see the monarchy abolished and a new society in place - and herself as someone important in that new society. She hopes her prophecy sham will still be alive and well, and that she’ll finally be someone who matters.

DETAILED PROFILE

Full Name: Athénaïs Voclain.

Pronunciation: A-teh-na-ees Voh-clay

Nickname/Alias: None.

Meaning: Athénaïs - from the Greek goddess Athena. Voclain - meaning “foreign”.

Origin: The name Athénaïs was adopted by king Louis XIV’s mistress, Françoise de Montespan.

Title: Citizen Voclain (after the revolution; previously Mademoiselle).

Pet Name: TBD.

Gender: Cis female.

Gender Role: Traditionally feminine.

Orientation: Heterosexual, heteroromantic.

Real Age: Thirty-three years old.

Age Appearance: About her actual age.

Birthday: December 24th, 1755.

Birthplace: Paris, France.

Astrological Sign: Capricorn.

Zodiac Sign: Pig.

Immediate Family: Parents, two brothers (deceased).

Distant Family: Great-uncle (deceased).

Species: Human.

Ethnicity: African-French (mixed).

Blood Type: B-.

Preferred Hand: Left-handed.

Facial Type: Heart.

Eye Color: Brown.

Hair Color: Dark brown.

Hairstyle: Usually a half-updo of sorts.

Skin Tone: Mid-brown.

Complexion: Gold (warm undertone).

Makeup: Homemade eyeliner.

Body Type: Mesomorph.

Build: Petite.

Height: 5’3.

Weight: 118 pounds.

Cup Size: 36B.

Facial Hair: None.

Shoe Size: 5.5 (US) / 38 (EU).

Birthmarks/scars: Burn scar near her right elbow.

Distinguishing Features: Short height.

Health: For a member of the third estate - good.

Energy: Medium to high.

Memory: Excellent.

Senses: Normal, sight a little worse than the rest.

Allergies: None.

Handicaps: None, unless you count two missing teeth.

Medication: Natural contraceptives.

Phobias: Spiders (arachnophobia).

Addictions: None.

Mental Disorders: None.

Style: A bit of a dramatic flair.

Mode of Dress: Not very put-together, a little messy.

Grooming: Average.

Posture: A bit suggestive.

Gait: Never runs, moves with a certain confidence.

Coordination: Good reflexes, average fitness level.

Habits and Mannerisms: Twirls her hair.

Scent: The various herbs she sells.

Mood: Self-assured and positive.

Attitude: Friendly, tries to be a bit mysterious.

Stability: Stable.

Expressiveness: Open.

When Happy: Hums under her breath.

When Depressed: Locks herself in her room.

When Angry: Clenches jaw, glares.

Current Residence: Paris, France.

Community: Lives in a rather pro-revolutionary neighborhood.

Family: Parents, in a different area of the city.

Friends: Laurette Faucheux, Eugenie Desmarais, TBD.

Enemies: TBD.

Bosses: TBD.

Followers: Whoever’s willing to listen to her prophecies.

Heroes: Her late great-uncle, the leaders of the revolution.

Rivals: TBD.

Relates to: TBD.

Pets/Familiars: A male black cat named Astre. For the mystique.

Wardrobe: Tries to give the impression of fanciness and glamour despite her wardrobe’s cheapness; likes sparkly fabrics and such.

Equipment: Herbs, a glass ball she pretends is a crystal one, tarot deck.

Accessories: Some cheap jewelry.

Trinkets: Her mother’s ring.

Funds: It varies from season to season. She’s better situated than most of the third estate members, but not as well as the richest of them, like bankers, lawyers and merchants.

Home: She lives in an apartment above her shop along with the Savior.

Neighborhood: Not extremely poor, but also not wealthy. Democratic for the most part.

Transportation: By foot.

Collections: Dried flowers.

Most valuable possession: Her shop and all the things in it.

Prized Possession: See above.

Lovers: Jules Bernard (formerly).

Marital Status: Single.

Sex Life: She’s not complaining.

Position: Vers.

Fetishes: That’s private.

Virginity: Long gone.

Occupation: Apothecary.

Work Ethic: She genuinely loves her job and does her best.

Income: Enough.

Wealth Status: Third estate.

Experience: Inherited the profession from her great-uncle; never had another job.

Organizations/Affiliations: The revolutionists.

IQ: Average.

Education: None; was taught her profession, reading and writing by great-uncle.

School: N/A.

Religion: Raised Catholic; now Deist.

Morals: Strongly believes in equality and that the end justifies the means.

Crime Record: If it counts, she’s a revolutionist.

Motivation: Power, fame.

Priorities: Herself, the cause, the people she finds dear - in that order.

Philosophy: See Morals.

Political Party: Radical democrat.

Etiquette: Well-adjusted.

Culture: Just your typical Frenchwoman.

Relates to: The other women of the revolution.

Traditions: Is generally anti-traditionalist.

Superstitions: Pretends to be superstitious as it fits her image; privately, none.

#1789hq:intro #introduction

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witch-priestess · 4 years

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Wicca and Expanding Worship Beyond the Heteronormative: Changing the Gender Essentialist Narrative in Rites of Passage

Historically in the U.S.A. Wicca and parts of the Neo-Pagan movement have been influenced by the trans-exclusive narratives of second wave feminism in the 1960s-1970s and the patriarchal beliefs of Traditional Wiccan founders Alex Sanders and Gerald Gardner. Both of these sets of beliefs are based on Gender Essentialism. This concept of gender and sex is trans-exclusionary, and denies non-binary, trans and intersex people their existence and identities. Misha Magdalene has two insightful and informative commentaries on the history and the problems with gender essentialism in modern witchcraft and Wiccan practices Tracing the Thread:Critiquing Gender Essentialism in Paganism, Polytheism and Magic and How It “Ought” To Be: The Problem of Gender Essentialism. Ritual and magick at their most fundamental level are about energy. Energy is neutral, non-specific in its natural form. Energy only changes when we put our wills to it. Gender identity and expression affect energy because they are a part of will which then transforms energy from neutral to gendered. Gender expression, like energy, is not a fixed state of being. A person who identifies and expresses as one gender outside of ritual space may express differently while in a circle regardless of being non-binary, trans, cis, agender, or genderfluid. For example: I am a cis woman. In my day to day life I generally project what is traditionally thought of as feminine energy. However, I have had days where I am more connected to the god and traditional masculine energy and I will express male energy. On my masculine energy days I have participated in a public ritual where we have invoked the deities in with a call and response of “Who is the God?!”, “I am the God?”. I have responded with that call. I have seen cis-men invoke the Goddess in the same way. People who are non-binary or agender will connect with the gendered energy of dieties in these moments too. The energy expression of a person does not change the identity of the person. In a ritual circle, it is about who we are in the moment, our connections to each other and the divine energies, regardless of our gender identities, expressions, or roles we play within or beyond that sacred space.

So, how does this fit into Rites of Passage? If we understand Wicca to be a nature religion, where the gods present in whatever way they want, and our roles are about energy, as discussed by Taz Chance in her article Sex, Gender and the Divine, then we must take a hard look at our Rites of Passage and orient them around the concept that roles are not binary or gender specific. Wicca has several kinds of Rites of Passage. I am going to talk about Initiatory and Life Cycle roles and rites this time. Even though I am only covering a couple of examples in this piece, these concepts and ideas can be applied to any Rite of Passage.

Before going on let’s define a role vs a rite.

Role- A position, duty, responsibility, function, or aspect a person is taking on in their life and community. (mother, husband, priest, priestess etc)

Rite- A ceremonial and ritualized observance of a person marking an achievement or life event. Often celebratory (wedding, initiation, croning, wiccaning etc)

Roles make up the different facets of our identities and are expressed in a variety of different ways. Some roles are familial, societal, or social and may or may not have a gender associated with them. Roles help to define ourselves and our relationships to others, our status in the community, our function, and responsibilities. A role is like a feudal title i.e. king. A king is someone who rules over a country, who has power through vassals, who has a responsibility to lead and protect their people, and make decisions of state, they have the highest status in the society. What gender is a king? Did you say male? If you did that is because traditionally it has been, and queen tends to be the term for a female ruler. Queens are often thought to be equal to kings, but it has not always been so. In fact the reason that we think of them as equals is because there were some badass women who made it that way (Queen Elizabeth Tudor I, Catherine the Great of Russia, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth Windsor II) However, the roles are slightly different when there is both a king and a queen. The queen is subject to the king. Which is why Elizabeth I never married, Victoria and Elizabeth II never had their husbands crowned, and Catherine the Great staged a coup and (possibly) had her husband assassinated. In fact Elizabeth I signed her letters Elizabeth Rex, Elizabeth the King, defining the role as a Ruler and King as something separate from her gender identity and expression. Hateshput of Ancient Egypt was Pharaoh and iconography identified her with traditional male symbols. The first time I came across the concept of a king being a role and a title, and not a gender was in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. In the book Dealing With Dragons, a female dragon becomes the Dragon King. When questioned and asked about the gender, the dragon explains that King is a title and set of responsibilities, not about gender, and that Dragon Queen was a different role entirely. This type of gender disassociation with the title King, is also seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, where Elizabeth Swann becomes the Pirate King. This concept is not new and has found its way into our popular culture as our collective perspective shifts. These examples helped form the foundation of my understanding of roles being separate from gender which were later supported in my studies of Simone de Beauvoire, and the theories that gender is a social construct. Additionally, my personal experience with gender non-conformity, the time I have spent as a member of the queer community and discussing this topic with Trans and non-binary folx further solidified my views.

In Wicca, roles tend to be defined in Archetypal Terms, and are often thought as gender specific; for example Priest being male and Priestess being female. Priest or Priestess doesn’t define the gender identity of the person, it defines their place in the circle and community. As positions within a coven, they denote learning and status, they also have spiritual meaning for the person who claims the title, and they have specific responsibilities. A Priest in this role has the job to protect the Priestess and participants in a coven, provide guidance, support the coven, help maintain stability in the coven, lead and connect others to the divine. A Priestess in this role is to lead and connect the participants to each other as well as the divine, grow and nurture the coven, provide teaching, and maintain lineage and liturgy. In a ritual circle it is the priest’s duty to pull in active/dynamic energy, provide protection for the priestess and participants, maintain balance in the circle, and move energy. A priestess in a ritual circle calls the receptive/creative energy, leads the participants in energy raising, connects the divine to the circle, and directs the energy to its purpose. It has nothing to do with gender identity or genitalia, but everything to do with how they use their skills, express and move energy. Historically and in Gardnerian tradition first, a Priest will initiate a Priestess, and then a Priestess will initiate a Priest strictly within cis-sex roles as there were no trans practitioners at the time. As trans-people became involved it was expanded to gender polarity. We can expand and redefine the tradition to reflect the LBTQ+ members of our community by allowing anyone to take on the leadership role that their energy reflects, and still keep the initiatory rite of passage tradition of a Priestess initiating a Priest and vice-versa. There is room in our theology for this, it shifts us from a gender essentialist fertility view to a gender-inclusive nature view, and it won’t really change the mechanics of Initiation itself.

These expanded perspectives can likewise be applied to Rites of Passage. Every rite of passage ceremony is based on a tradition, and it has a specific pattern that we build on, just like every other ritual that we celebrate. The pattern, the rhythm, and associations will flow based on your tradition influenced by the mechanics of how magic works. Rites can be performed for a certain individual, or they can be performed for a group. When performing a rite it is important to ask “Who is it for? What is its purpose?” I understand such a ceremony as first and foremost for the person undergoing the ceremony, and secondly for the witnesses. I believe that it is important that Rites of Passage be tailored to the individual experiencing the Rite, rather than using the same ritual for everyone. Consider the ritual and pattern of a wedding; even though they have the same purpose, each wedding is uniquely tailored to the people getting married.

Similar to the roles, there are traditionally gendered rites. Many of the rites can be expanded by separating the role from gender and focusing on the energy. Some rites, however, are embedded in physiological/biological processes and need to be reworked. Womanings/ Mannings and Mothering/Fathering Rites fall under this. The typically female Maiden-Mother-Queen-Crone archetypal cycle is based on menses, giving birth, menopause, and post-menopause. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the Mothering Rite of Passage.

Traditionally the Mothering Rite is specifically reserved for a woman who has gone through a pregnancy and given birth (via c-section or vaginally). In some traditions it is only vaginally. It is attended only by women who have given birth. The purpose is for the woman in question to receive advice, support, and commune with others who have had this experience, as well as a recognition of her new role. If you say you are going to perform a “Mothering” rite to older members of the community, this is what they will understand it as. When I learned this I was infuriated because it is the most narrow understanding of motherhood reducing women down to their biological capabilities. I pushed, railed, discussed, and argued against it. In fact, it was this discussion that led me to start this blog series.

First, the above excludes adoptive mothers, mothers by surrogate, foster mothers, trans-women, step-mothers, and mothers who have experienced C-sections (in some traditions), and it defines biological mothering as the only type worth recognizing. Second, this understanding denies the fact that trans-men, non-binary and genderqueer folx become pregnant and give birth without, not necessarily, taking on the role of Mother. Lastly, the definition denies that a person of any gender can take on this role, i.e. men in same-sex relationships, stay-at-home men, single parenting men, intersex, and genderqueer folx can and do define themselves as Mother. Each of these types need to be included under this rite because they are all Mothers, and they deserve community support and recognition. There are some things about being a mother to a child that are universal no matter how the child came into your life, or what your gender identity is. Theologically and philosophically Mother is more than a biological and social function. It is the act of bringing something to being, and letting go. It is about love, sacrifice, and nurture. A mother undergoes a revolutionary experience of creating a bond so strong that they focus on another being in a completely different way. Physical pregnancy and birth are not required for a person to take on the role of Mother. It is an archetypal expression of the Goddess, and role for humans to take on. As archetypes and deities do not have a physical sex as we understand it and roles can be separate from gender we must expand the definition to include all types of mothers.

The reason that I propose that Mothering change to an umbrella term to cover several different types of rites for mothers, rather than coming up with a new term for each type is this: if birthing rites are the only ones called mothering, it is denying the variety of ways one is and can be a mother. It is a type of “separate but equal”, and “separate but equal” is never equal. An adoptive or foster mother is just as important and worthy of being called mother as a biological birthing mother. The purpose of this rite of passage in its essence is to provide communion with others, recognition, and allow a person to transition into their new role as a mother in their personal and public life. We should tailor the ritual to the person asking for this type of rite. We can build on the original pattern and make the adjustments to fit the person. Also, having a rite specific to those who have experienced the physical birthing process can be done. I propose renaming it under the overarching umbrella of Parenting Rites to include non-binary, trans, and cis identies by changing the title to Birthing Ritual. In this way it can fall under any parenting rites and give the person the opportunity and experience to commune with others who have had the same physical changes, traumas, and joy in this particular experience. We can also create rituals for adoption and step-parenting that will fall into the category of Parenting Rites. Expanding a definition to include others doesn’t negate the tradition or the need for it.

Keep in mind that the process of restructuring and growth is slow. It is important to take a look at our traditions and history to see where we can be better, and it is okay to keep traditions that we like. In making adjustments it is good to experiment, discuss with your groups/covens/teachers, and community. When making changes to be inclusive be sure to really listen to the people that you are trying to include and ask what they want to see and experience to reflect themselves.

Remember that when we recognize people in their many facets as they transition and take on new roles helps us grow. The role is important, but it is about the person, and their relationship with their community. Roles are not defined by our gender identity or expression, but the functions and responsibilities that are performed. Rites can expand and be broadened in understanding without denying people tradition. Adjustments that are made can be supported through both theological and sociological foundations. It moves us forward into a greater understanding that our practices can evolve with us and reflect who we are and our natures.

Further Reading:

https://transphilosopher.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/terfs-essentialism-and-normality/

https://medium.com/@faithwinship/the-evolution-of-trans-exclusionary-feminism-3d1b9c5a6d45

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095846595

https://godsandradicals.org/2015/08/07/on-the-importance-of-intersectional-witchcraft/

https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1056&context=socanth_honproj

Mother Goddesses and Subversive Witches:Competing Narratives of Gender Essentialism,Heteronormativity, Feminism, and Queerness in Wiccan Theology and Ritual

http://www.important.ca/wicca_religion_rites_of_passage.html

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/mom-dad-parenting-gender-stereotypes

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eyesfixedonthesun22 · 5 years

Text

First Impressions

Summary: With the multiverse now in play, we visit an alternate universe where Steve Rogers is America’s first bisexual contestant on the ever popular and never lacking dating show, The Bachelor. Nick Fury is your illustrious host through the shocking announcement, contestant biographies, and the first night in the mansion. Only one question remains; who will get the first impression rose on what is promised to be the most dramatic season ever!? Pairing: Steve x Avengers Warning(s): Language. Kissing. A hell of a lot of cringe and bachelor/bachelorette tropes. Word Count: 3,238 Beta: The darling sweetheart @supersoldiersruined-me Notes: This is my entry to @revengingbarnes 10K writing challenge. My prompt was a Bachelor AU. Thank you so much for hosting this, Fatima! This prompt was honestly a challenge for me. I wasn’t sure which point of view and formatting I wanted. It’s certainly unlike anything I’ve ever written. Please no one hate me if I made your fav annoying. I just wanted to fit in as many bachelor personality tropes. The fic isn’t an actual representation of my thoughts on each character.

Live Studio Audience: Intro

“Good evening and welcome to this exciting season of The Bachelor. I’m Nick Fury, your host for tonight.” The studio audience erupts into choreographed uproar. “Looks like Bachelor Nation is out in full force tonight. Are you all ready for what I promise is our most dramatic season ever?”

Nick commands the stage with a casual grace that only comes from years of hosting. “Last season you all watched as the beautiful bombshell Peggy Carter embarked on her quest for love; which she found with her now fiance. While we wish her the best of luck with her engagement, we couldn’t help be as heartbroken as you all were when a particular fan favorite was booted just before hometown dates. Let’s take a look at this season’s Bachelor!”

Broadcast: Steve’s Bio

“My name is Steve Rogers. I’m twenty-six years old. Born and raised in Brooklyn. You may know me from Peggy Carter’s season of The Bachelorette.”

The audience is treated with a montage of Steve at home in Brooklyn. He walks down the street to a corner bodega on a spring day; smiling and greeting the owner at the counter like they’re old friends. The old tabby cat sat on the counter near the register curls into his hand as he scratches behind her ears.

“A little known fact about me is that I really love cooking.” The next shot is him cooking a large family style meal in a stunning modern kitchen. The black hexagon tiles frame the close up of the saute pan as he flips the food; clearly practiced. The camera zooms in once more for a close up shot of Steve’s large calloused hands making deft work of chiffonading the basal to top his culinary masterpiece. As far as lusting goes, the depiction of Steve as the bachelor is a lot less macho and hits more boy-next-door.

“Things didn’t quite work out with Peggy and I. While we’re kindred souls, I think it just wasn’t the right time.” Steve’s no longer shown at home in his cozy apartment but in a carefully crafted video confessional booth.

The audience hears the producer’s voice off screen, “Do you think you’re over her? Are you ready for love?”

“Definitely. I learned a lot from Peggy. I learned who I am and what I need from a relationship. I’m ready for the whole damn thing. I want a partner, I want kids. I like pretty pedestrian, domestic things.” He looks down at his lap, almost as if he’s embarrassed. “I like ceremony. I wanna carve pumpkins and do the tree at christmas; all that.”

“Anything else you’d like to add to your intro?” The producers prompt. Steve’s broad shoulders straighten and take up much of the booth; his body tense with nervous energy which he masks with a radiant smile. He takes a deep breath before looking the camera dead in the eye.

“I’m Steve Rogers… and I’m the first bisexual Bachelor.”

Live Studio Audience:

The audience goes wild; homemade signs wave, men and women alike scream their delight. Nick Fury stands in the small center stage waiting for the crowds applause to dissipate.

“So needless to say, this season will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” He smirks at the camera knowingly. “Before we jump back into tonight’s episode, would you guys like to hear from America’s sweetheart himself?” More incoherent cheering. “Let’s bring him on out!”

Steve appears from behind the crimson velvet curtain waving sheepishly. They’ve slicked back his locks doing nothing to detract from the classic bachelor look. He unbuttons the slim navy suit jacket as Fury gestures for him to sit on the small interview couch.

“Welcome, Steve. How ya feeling tonight?”

“Not gonna lie, Nick. I feel super nervous.” He fidgets in the seat a bit; rubbing the flats of his palms on the tops of his thighs. “Being the bachelor is one thing. Being the first bisexual bachelor is another.”

“Well I’m not sure about you guys, but I thought it was about time!” Nick’s enthusiasm draws more cheering from the crowd. “We got to know you on Peggy’s season and America just fell in love with you. You’re such a great guy; so genuine and compassionate.”

“Thank you, really, thank you. I honestly was terrified to be the first bisexual man on the show. Being the bachelor has always traditionally been typecast as a very specific type of man; one that I didn’t really see myself fitting into. So to be given this opportunity to find love and to have the support that I’ve gotten since the announcement has been beyond my wildest dreams.”

“You ready to jump into your season?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“While Steve may be our first bisexual bachelor, you can expect not much to change on the show. Each week contestants will be eliminated at a traditional rose ceremony. We’ll still have the first impression rose, hometown dates, and the always anticipated fantasy suits!”

Fury eyes Steve hoping to make him squirm a bit. Steve manages to make his sinful blush look composed while he chuckles.

“Without further ado let’s meet the delightful men and women vying for a spot in Steve’s heart.”

Broadcast: Contestant Bios

“My name? Tony Stark. Don’t worry about having your little design guys whip me a tagline; I’m certain no one needs it. Household name n’ all.” A smirking brunette stares directly into the camera and winks. He’s wearing rose tinted sunglasses despite the dimmed lighting of the interview space. “So what do you wanna know?”

The producers sigh before proceeding. “Tell us a bit about yourself.”

The camera stays in the testimonial booth but now a blonde women occupies the seat. Unlike the previous occupant she isn’t slouching but sits with excellent posture and poise.

“My name is Sharon McCarter. I’m an agent for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. I need someone who’s ready for a fast paced lifestyle. My job keeps me on my toes.”

“What did you think when Steve was announced as the bachelor? What did you think of him being bisexual?”

“Honestly?” Sharon pauses a bit buffudled. “He seems a bit more clean cut then the guys I usually go for.” She looks at the camera with a hesitant smile.

“What would you say your passion is?”

“Fitness. Fitness and health, for sure.” The booth is now overwhelmed with an exceptionally huge man. His long blonde hair falls to his shoulders with delicate braids mixed into his locks. “I’m Thor Odinson. I own and operate Odinsons Gym with my brother Loki.”

“How would you describe yourself as a partner. What could Steve expect?”

Thor continues in his deep voice. It carries subtle hint of an accent not from the states, “Steve could expect the rough sexiness of a pirate mixed with the pure innocence of an angel; the perfect boyfriend if you ask me.”

“What kind of partner do you hope to be for Steve?”

“An attentive one. I’m a scientist by profession.” The tagline on the screen says that the brunette with the tossed curls currently answering his interview questions is Bruce Banner. “A good part of my job is being detail oriented and focused. I’d like to think I bring that same level of attentiveness and sensitivity to my partner.”

Live Studio Audience:

“Welcome back, Bachelor Nation! It looks like Steve has a great batch of men and women who couldn’t be more excited to get their journey started. Let’s see how Steve get’s along navigating his first night in Bachelor Mansion.

Show Footage:

The camera pans across a gorgeous california night sky and comes to land on Steve standing in front of Bachelor Mansion. They have him perfectly centered between two backlit trees with the ornate floral fountain babbling as a soundtrack. He fidgets with his plain black tie waiting for the first limo to pull up. He stares into the camera and mouths a very endearing “What do I do with my hands!”

From that moment on, it’s a parade of individuals dressed to the nines. The women stun in their gleaming and silky ball gowns. The men glow in their crisp suits. Each give their cheesy one liners to Steve before heading into the mansion.

A man named Phil, who insists that Steve call him Coulson, gives him a red, white, and blue sash emblazoned with the words America’s Sweetheart on it while wearing his own sash reading Mr. America. A women named Wanda introduces herself in a thick, sultry accent.

“Where are you from, Wanda?”

“Sakovia. I’m so excited to meet you. I look forward to teaching you about my culture and getting to know you better.”

After Wanda, the next person out of the limo is Clint. He makes a qippy one liner before sauntering into the mansion. A woman named Carol strolls confidently out of the limo nearly glowing in her crimson and gold gown. Next comes a bird. It’s not actually a bird; but rather a man in an oversized mascot type costume.

“Did you know that eagles mate for life?”

Steve stares at the camera for half a second as if questioning if the producers are serious. “I didn’t know that. Any chance I can see the eagle’s face? Or at least know his name?”

“We’ll save the pretty face for later, but the name is Sam.”

Steve takes a moment to compose himself after the bird’s introduction. The final woman exits the limo. She’s in a simple black dress that hugs her body dangerously. Her flame red hair cascades down one shoulder. Her introduction is clipped and to the point. Steve places a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

Her face softens then. “It’s Natasha, but you can call me Nat.”

After the train of individuals Steve is looking more relaxed. He seems to have settled into his role with less nerves than when the show began. The final contestant steps out of the limo.

“Good evening, Steve. My name is James Barnes. You look so handsome tonight.”

Steve takes in the man across from him. He’s got equally broad shoulders as Steve; they’re nearly matched in height. He wears his silky brown locks at shoulder length with a dainty waterfall braid on one side. The baby blue of his pocket square matches his eyes.

“I can’t wait to get to know you, James.”

**************************************************************************************************

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, settle down. You all know who I am already,” Nick Fury is addressing all the contestants as they make themselves comfortable in the front living room at the mansion. “Steve! Why don’t you come on in here and get this cocktail party started?”

Steve enters the room gracefully. “I just want to thank you all for being here. I know that putting yourself out there in a new relationship is never easy; let alone in a situation like this one. It’s incredibly important to me that you all are your genuine selves. I wanna get to know the real you. Here’s to the start of something amazing!”

He raises his glass to a chorus of agreeing voices. There’s a half second of adjustment before Tony clasps Steve’s hand and tugs him away from the group.

“I’m gonna steal you first.”

Despite his depiction as an arrogant ass in his interview, Tony actually has a pleasant conversation with Steve. The audience is left wondering if Tony is the likeable wild card or this seasons possible obnoxious villain. Before Tony saunters off, he presses a deep kiss onto Steve’s lips.

“Had to get you first, handsome.” He winks and heads to the bar to refresh his drink.

Steve stares into the camera and states, “I guess we’re starting things off with a bang?”

**************************************************************************************************

Clint, being the critical observer, saunters over to the bar to find that Coulson is already posted up on one of the bar stools. It’s by sheer force of will that Coulson is upright as the lack of armrests and amount of alcohol he’s clearly consumed are working against him. Clint quickly surveys the situation and makes eye contact with the camera.

“How ya doin’ there Phil? Save some for us, huh?” Beneath the joke there is a hint of concern in his voice. It would appear the concern is warranted as Phil tips dangerously towards the edge of his seat before righting himself. The first stumble is corrected but the second lands him on the floor. “Whoa big guy. Can I get some help here? Producers? I think first night nerves may have lead Phil to throw back one too many.”

“No pro-hicc-ducers. I’m fine. I’m fiiiine,” Phil slurs. Despite Clint’s efforts to keep him upright he’s laying on the floor, cheek pressed firmly to the cold tile. “I just love Steve-hicc-so much. Ya know?”

“Sure you do buddy...sure you do?”

**************************************************************************************************

Steve speaks to Wanda, Bruce, and Thor in a series of rapid fire exchanges over the next couple of hours. After a warm conversation, Carol leaves Steve lounging on the plush chaise; promising that one day they’ll go stargazing together.

“No one told me these cocktail parties were so exhausting.” The camera crew chuckle. It’s endearing how much Steve utilizes them to break the tension. His unfiltered emotions only make him that much more of an approachable sweetheart. The makeup staff powder his face as Nick Fury approaches.

“We have about a half hour before the rose ceremony. Just a heads up. Any conversations you wanna have, have them now.”

Steve meanders through the expansive grounds. He’s clearly looking for something. He brushes off Thor asking for a second conversation with a polite excuse before take another turn in the winding paths. He turns his head over his shoulder to ask the camera men which way back inside when he collides with something. Someone.

“It’s probably ill advised to get the attention of the man of your affections by knocking him on his ass, huh?” Bucky jokes. “I actually was coming to grab you for a conversation. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you all night.”

The two men are sat side by side, dress pants rolled up to their knees, while their legs swing gentle waves into the surface of the pool. Dusk has gone and night has come. They’ve been talking for some time now. They’ve both discarded their suit jackets but it’s done nothing to prevent the evening humidity from clinging their shirts to their muscles.

“I have to ask. I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

“Is that you cheesily telling me you feel like you’ve known me for one hundred years?” Steve asks in a singsong mocking tone.

“No! Punk! I’m serious though.” Bucky thinks for a moment before exclaiming, “Do you go to that bodega on the corner of Clark and Henry with Mr. O’Sullivan and his cat Maevie?”

“See I was having a great time chatting with you but now I have to send you home cause clearly you’re a stalker.”

“I knew it! You look...different?”

Steve chuckles gently. “I bulked up a bit for the show. Had to fit the ‘look’ ya know?”

“I feel like such an idiot for not talking to you sooner but I hadn’t seen you there in a long time. I usually go super late though.” Bucky looks down at his hands; there’s more to the statement than he’s letting on.

“Chatting with Mr. O’Sullivan is always a good way to pass the time when insomnia strikes.” Bucky looks up at Steve in shock. He’s ready to explain himself but Steve jumps up abruptly out of the pool. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave.”

In Steve’s haste to stand, he’s soaked most of his dress pants all the way through. He follows the twists and turns of the gardens and seating areas. Natasha sees him approaching the bench she’s sat at with Wanda. She raises her hand to grab his attention but before she can even get his name out of her mouth his jogged past.

“He’s disappeared for nearly an hour, no one could find him, and then he’s just not gonna talk to the rest of us?” Disappointment clouds her features as she sits back down next to Wanda with a plop.

“I’m so excited to talk to him. He’s just got great energy-” Sam’s discussion with Bruce is cut off by Steve skidding into the living room; wet bare feet nearly have him knocked on his ass for the second time tonight. “There’s the man of the hour himself. Can I steal you?”

Sam stands confidently looking rather hopeful; bird costume now discarded. Steve does a double take eyeing him top to bottom. He rests both his hands on the top of Sam’s shoulders before speaking.

“I would love to have a conversation with you. There’s just one thing I have to do first.” With that Steve takes off once more. He sprints to the small side table in the entryway. On the table sits a delicate gold tray holding a single rose. He quickly snatches it before dashing back out to the pool.

“Hey now. You may be more beefed up but I’m certain your probably still capable of cracking your head open. Careful now.” Bucky tuts laughing at the breakneck pace. His laughter is quickly stifled when he sees what’s in Steve's open palm.

“James-”

“It’s Bucky. Everyone close to me calls me Bucky.”

“Bucky… coming into tonight I was terrified. I know that sounds like the typical monologue speech I have to give but I was near ready to toss my cookies out front when the limo first opened. I had no idea what to expect and had convinced myself I’d made a huge mistake putting myself out here.”

Bucky takes a single foot out of the water and tucks it beneath his body to better face Steve. The hand that isn’t holding the rose is fidgeting with a fold of fabric from his pants. Bucky reaches out and plants his palm on top of the blondes ceasing the movement. His thumb strokes small circles onto the back of Steve’s hand; it seems to allow Steve to continue with what he has to say.

“My anxiety was at an all time high and then out you came. Speaking to you tonight has been the first time since agreeing to be the bachelor that I feel like I’m doing something right. I want to thank you for putting me at ease and being your true self.”

“You’re welcome, punk.” The joking nickname sounds more affectionate than insult.

“Bucky, will you accept this rose?”

“I’d be honored.”

Steve untwines his hand to pin the crimson rose to Bucky’s lapel. His hands hesitate once the rose is in place as if debating their next action. There’s a half second pause before Steve gently tugs on Bucky’s tie drawing the brunette into a kiss.

Bucky can’t contain the wide smile despite Steve’s lips still being against his. He breaks the kiss and places a final peck on Steve’s forehead.

“I know this isn’t going to be easy for you. But anytime during this experience you never need to doubt who I am with you. I’m here to get to know you, support you, and hopefully fall in love with you. I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.”

#fatimas10kchallenge #Stucky #Stucky fanfic #Steve Rogers x bucky barnes #Steve rogers #bachelor AU #AU

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cherrycoveredpythia · 5 years

Text

Extended thoughts on Brave the Tempest

2017’s Ride the Storm closed out the four-book arc that also included Hunt the Moon, Tempt the Stars, and Reap the Wind. In these books, Cassie battled Ares and his minions while drawing closer to Pritkin and eventually hunting him through time and space. She learns more about her abilities while trying to save his life, and also becomes a reluctant power player in supernatural (and inter-dimensional) politics. Without her faithful companion by her side, she becomes more confident in her own powers and resourcefulness. Of course, she’s still Cassie, so all her discoveries and victories are slapdash and hard-won. But they are still victories. She’s a daughter of Chaos, give her a break.

Brave the Tempest focuses on Cassie’s political duties and her complicated feelings about being a leader and a “hero”. She’s now slain two gods (with help), but that doesn’t result in easy respect from the witches or the vampires. The witches see her as a tool of the Silver Circle, while the vampires see her as an extension of Mircea. They are all so wrong.

Cassie has to demonstrate her full strength to convince these factions to cooperate with her. It works, but nothing is ever simple. In the long run, who will love her and who will fear her?

She’s becoming more like her mother every day.

Overall feelings

There are some amazing, joyful moments here. Please understand that I adore these books and characters, so I say this with love…

… but the book felt disjointed to me. We buzz back and forth from the witches to the vampires to the demons, and then go to Faerie and Victorian England. We get emotional scenes with Mircea, Pritkin, Marco, Rhea, and Rico. Augustine brings home a kidnapped fae. Tami needs to hire some staff but no one will take the job. Fred is a spy. Cassie is exhausted. I felt kind of exhausted too.

Important plotlines: Cassie’s growing pains with her powers, the political trouble with the witches and vampires, and the imminent invasion of Faerie. And then there was the timeline rupture. The rupture was terrifying and the fight with Jo in Victorian London was a full-on horror show. Cassie learned more about Pythian spells and then linked up her powers with Pritkin through the Lover’s Knot spell. She’ll probably need these tools for the coming showdown. She and Pritkin are even more powerful together than they are apart. And they are both forces for good. But will everyone see them that way?

I think Karen is just laying out all the pieces for the next arc. It’s a little messy right now, but it will all fit together soon. I’m glad that Shatter the Earth is coming in December. If I had to wait another two years for the next book, I would be upset.

Favorite moments

Pritkin flirting and Cassie retaliating during S’mores night. Especially the marshmallow at the end. Goddamn.

The Dickening.

Everything related to Saffy and Vi, and seeing Saffy and Rhea becoming friends. I think she is a great influence on Rhea.

Pritkin and Cassie’s meeting with Adra. I high-key love Adra. He’s a really interesting foil for Caedmon, who leads their alliance with the “heavenly” planes. Caedmon is manic and charming, while Adra is pleasant and even-keeled. Except when he forgets to animate his glamourie. I reallllllly want to know what Adra looks like under there, but I figure he’s a Lovecraftian monster that would drive us insane.

Adra shading Pritkin for never attending demon council meetings like other “heirs apparent.”

Cassie nonchalantly offering to bring Adra to the vampire council.

Gertie nonchalantly easing Pritkin out of the room and shifting him to the depot.

Cassie borrowing Pritkin’s powers to suck the energy out of Jo.

Big events and revelations

Pritkin is not shy and neither is Cassie. I thought we would get some pussy-footing about their relationship, but we DID NOT. Pritkin came on strong and Cassie reciprocated. I wish I had a chance to read Siren’s Song first. They had some time to let the tension build and I *do* love a slow burn… torture me, baby!

Ancient Horrors! Children of Tiamat/Tethys! Pritkin is 1/16th divine! Kind of a watered-down Ancient Horror, if you will. Minus the tentacles.

Lover’s Knot

Fucking Jonathan

Invasion of Faerie needs to happen ASAP

Jo is more dangerous as a ghost because ghosts can absorb infinite power. (Can we turn Billy Joe into a super soldier???)

MIRCEA THE BOLD!

Cassie agreed to go find Elena because she’s afraid that Mircea will do it himself. And she doesn’t want to kill him.

Fred is a spy working for MARLOWE! And I guess his master power is camouflaging his aura.

Rico is from Napoli (this explains a lot, because I was confused when he said putanas instead of putane. Dialect!)

NEW PYTHIAN SPELLS: Shards and Chimera!

Young Agnes is a real bitch.

The pros

I said this in a separate post, but I’ll say it here too. Cassie and Pritkin are back together and their relationship is so healthy and mutually supportive that it makes my heart ache. This is real #relationshipgoals. They are confidants and protectors and cheerleaders for each other. They don’t keep secrets or manipulate or gaslight. We need more of this sci-fi/fantasy and romance. There are too many dark, brooding male love interests who are borderline abusive. (Ahem, Mircea.)

MORE LGBT REPRESENTATION!

The emergence of Mircea the Bold. I like Mircea as a character, but not as a love interest for Cassie. I’m happy to see him going through this transformation. He’s becoming more open and genuine. He’s not going to win Cassie’s affections, but I do think that he’s going to redeem himself in Dory’s eyes.

GERTIE IS BACK! And *not* as a roadblock. She’s a powerful woman who helps other women, and I am all. about. that. mood.

The cons

TOO. MUCH. RECAP. Especially recap that broke up highly emotional moments. I don’t care if you are trying to explain things for new readers. Fuck ‘em. Anyone who buys a book, discovers it is part 1000 of an ongoing series, and tries to read it anyways… is a psychopath.

Too many plot-lines

I miss Rosier.

We all knew that something was up with Fred, but I don’t think that his revelation as a spy got as much weight and screen-time as it deserved.

I feel like the “wrap-up” with Jonathan felt rushed. He’s supposed to be terrifying but I’m like “meh, whatever, Jonathan, small fry compared to Apollo and Ares.” But I think she’ll get back to it in greater depth in the next book, so I can deal.

Can we PLEASE have some consistency about Agnes’s age? We see her as a teenager in late 19th-century London, for god’s sake. She must have been *at least* 130 years old when she died, and that’s being charitable. Previously, Cassie has said that Agnes was about 80. Lies.

The questions

1. My BIGGEST question. Cassie is changing. Not just maturing, but changing on a metaphysical level. The coldness, the hunger… I’m frightened for her. It’s not withdrawal from the Tears of Apollo and it’s not normal exhaustion. I have some theories.

Her divine side is becoming stronger and she’s beginning to require life energy in the same way that her human side needs food, water, and sleep. Why is this happening now? Maybe the Tears of Apollo are part of the equation, albeit indirectly. She’s been using more and more Pythian power thanks to the potion, and perhaps that has awakened her divine side more strongly. This is a little worrisome because she may have to feed on a regular basis to stay functional. Can she get all the energy she needs from incubus sex or from the Lover’s Knot? What are the moral considerations here?

Less likely, but she might really be pregnant. I’m not a huge fan of this idea, but Rosier does mention in Reap the Wind or Ride the Storm that the incubus-child feeds on the life energy of the mother as it grows. That’s why his attempts at procreation failed until he impregnated Morgaine, who was part royal fae and part divine. If this is the case, Cassie might be having life-energy cravings instead of food cravings. Or maybe this is the divine/demon/fey version of morning sickness? Pritkin, please start using birth control.

2. What happened with Pritkin in Siren’s Song? Does Jonas know his true identity now?

3. So who is Pritkin’s divine great-great grandmother? Any speculation?

4. Cassie begins to wonder if any of the gods might be open to diplomacy. This must go somewhere. And it’s true, there are a number of gods in the pantheon who are traditionally friendlier towards humans than others. Athena is the first that comes to mind. There’s also the mythic trope of the Trickster/Fire-Bringer who helps humanity: Prometheus, Anansi, etc. And there’s Loki, who doesn’t so much love humans as he loves to trouble the other gods.

MVPs

Ok, Cassie is the real MVP, as always. But barring her, I’m awarding this prize to the no-nonsense, sisterly duo of our hearts: Gertie and Hilde. They are officious and annoying, but that’s because they tell you what you don’t want to hear, and they are RIGHT. They are so right.

#btt spoilers #brave the tempest #my disorganized thoughts #please feel free to disagree and discuss #cassie palmer #karen chance

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someguyscaliforniavoterguide · 4 years

Text

Select L.A. County/California Races, March 3, 2020

Hi friends, it’s me again. I am here to offer my opinions on how you should vote. As before I am up front about my biases: I am a Warren supporter, I live in L.A. and I am actively pro-density (Yay SB50, you deserved better) and pro-transit. I live in the east Valley, so I tend to focus more closely on the issues that directly impact my side of town, though I try to keep an ear out on things countywide.

Last time I did this a couple of folks reached out to give me gifts to say thanks for doing this guide. This year, I would encourage anybody who wants to say thanks to donate $5 to Fair Fight, a group founded by Stacey Abrams to fight voter suppression in the 2020 election. We’re gonna need all the help we can get in November to defeat the GOP, and Abrams is doing it in a smart way.

Other voting guides

This is my voting guide and reflects my general opinion on things. However, I am indebeted to many other guides, including the Knock L.A. Voter Guide and the L.A. Podcast Voter Guide for their takes. I don’t always agree with them, but both of these are invaluable resources for the progressive voter in Los Angeles.

L.A. City Council

This year the even numbered seats are up for re-election. Half of them are effectively uncontested, a couple are very much contested, and two are free for all because of term limits.

CD2: Ayinde Jones

Look none of these candidates set my heart afire. I work with Councilmember Krekorian’s office a lot (remember, I live in the east Valley) and he’s a competent politician with a ton of endorsements and community ties, I have no illusion he’s going to win his full term comfortably on March 3. However, I believe it’s good to encourage competition, and Ayinde Jones did a good (not great) job at the candidate forum I attended hitting on themes of how the parts of CD2 north of Victory are being left behind as the area evolves. I wish he were better on S50, but then again all three candidates were opposed, so that’s kind of a wash. I look forward to hearing more from Jones in the future.

CD4: Sarah Kate Levy

From a paucity of options to a surplus of options next door. CD4 is currently represented by David Ryu, a politician who came out of the Neighborhood Council system and went on to become...a city hall politician. Both his opponents are great. Nithya Raman is the founder of SELAH, a group that does amazing work helping the unhoused in Los Angeles, and recently led Times Up! Hollywood for a year. I’d vote for her in a heartbeat, but I am encouraging people to vote for Sarah Kate Levy for two reasons: first, Levy is unabashedly supportive of SB50 and we need this kind of leadership, and second I am hoping these two excellent women will get so many votes that they overwhelm Ryu and leave him in third place. Fingers crossed.

CD6: Bill Haller

This is another shoo-in. Nury Martinez is the City Council president and has the backing of the County party and all the local clubs. I am endorsing Bill Haller because he supports an agenda that includes more public funding for affordable housing, more and better transit, and climate justice.

CD8: Marqueece Harris-Dawson

There are no other candidates in this race, so congratulations on your re-election Councilmember Harris-Dawson.

CD10: Aura Vasquez

This is an open seat, and the smart money has Mark Ridley-Thomas as the frontrunner. Ridley-Thomas is a current member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors (more on them later) who is termed out of that position. I’m endorsing Aura Vasquez, a progressive activist with ties to Mid-City who has served as a commissioner for LADWP and led fights for renewable energy, banning single use plastics, and housing affordability in her community.

CD12: Loraine Lundquist

Dr. Lundquist rules. She takes public transit to debates, she is an honest to goodness scientist, and she nearly beat a Republican in what is the most conservative district in L.A. during a special election. I have donated money to this lady because we need to win this one. Her opponent, John Lee, wasted no time in trying to block housing for the homeless in his district and in attacking a successful safer streets project on Reseda Blvd. The city has a chance - a really great chance thanks to the realigned municipal elections - to toss out the worst possible councilmember in favor of the most progressive voice, don’t mess it up.

CD14: Cyndi Otteson

This race is Kevin de Léon’s to lose, but he won’t commit to serving a full term since he really wants to be mayor. I say let him have his spare time to run for mayor and select Ms. Otteson, a grassroots activist who has the support of the UTLA and who is the only voice in favor of the Colorado Blvd alignment of the NoHo to Pasadena BRT project. Transit equity matters, and Ms. Otteson deserves your vote this March.

LAUSD School Board

Deferring to the teachers’ endorsements on this one.

Board Seat 1: George McKenna

Board Seat 3: Scott Schmerlson

Board Seat 5: Jackie Goldberg

Board Seat 7: Patricia Castellanos

Glendale City Council: Dan Brotman

An environmental activist with progresive views, Brotman will be a useful voice in Glendale’s city hall.

District Attorney: Rachel Rossi

George Gascón and Rachel Rossi will both be light years better than the current county D.A., Jackie Lacey. Both have promised to make substantial reforms in the office. I am really torn on this one, since I think Gascón’s experience as a Deputy DA in San Francisco is a big deal, and since he has the backing of the County Party. I am endorsing Rossi in a tilt-at-windmills hope that somehow she and Gascón make it to the final ballot in November and give us a thoughtful debate between a career prosecutor bent on reform and a public defender whose goal is reform about methods and ideas. Anyway, don’t vote for Jackie Lacey is all I am saying here.

Superior Court

Voting for judges is stupid. We shouldn’t be doing this, but since we have to, I’ll make some suggestions. My math is based on other progressive endorsements, Party endorsements, and reverse-engineering some well known conservative voting guides to, if nothing else, make sure I am not voting for their endorsement.

Office 17: Shannon Kathleen Cooley (the race is uncontested)

Office 42: Linda Sun

Office 72: Myanna Dellinger

Office 76: Emily Cole (Cole is a prosecutor, but her opponent is a man who literally changed his name to “Judge” after serving as a judge in Stanislaus County)

Office 80: Klint James McKay

Currently an administrative law judge, he impressed Public Defender Union representatives with his thoughtful and articulate answers to their questioning.

Office 97: Sherry L. Powell (Powell’s opponent ran as a conservative Republican for state assembly in 2018, this is a defensive vote)

Office 129: Kenneth Fuller

Office 131: Michelle Kelley (the race is uncontested)

Office 141: Lana Kim (the race is uncontested)

Office 145: Troy Slaten (Slaten’s opponent has a troubling history of misconduct and should not be elected to a judgeship)

Office 150: Tom Parsekian

Office 162: David D. Diamond

L.A. County Board of Supervisors

The Supervisors oversee policy for the County, including all unincorporated areas, the LASD, County Health services, etc. For a county of TEN MILLION PEOPLE, there are only five supervisors, so they have a hugely outsized influence.

Seat 2: Jorge Nuno

A lot of progressives are endorsing Holly Mitchell in this seat. Me, I just can’t go there when she’s speaking at events for Livable California and when she gave a floor speech opposing SB50. Though he’s the front runner, Herb Wesson doesn’t deserve your vote - he was City Council president when the homelessness crisis exploded and he’s done little to address it. Nuno is a progressive and has an ambitious platform.

Seat 4: Janice Hahn

She’s solid, and nobody’s pushing her from the left.

Seat 5: John Harabedian

Kathryn Barger, the incumbent, is a Republican who supports Trump’s immigration policies. John Harabedian is a solidly Center Left Democrat who has the backing of the county party and who could, in this presidential election year, win an upset in what is traditionally a Republican stronghold of L.A. County. Vote for him.

County Ballot Measures

Measure R: YES YES YES

This will provide crucial tools to the already existing civilian oversight committee for the LASD, including subpoena powers. It also requires the commission to study ways to divert offenders from jail. You need to vote yes on this.

State Ballot Measures

Prop 13: Yes

$15B in bonds to invest in public schools and “local control” to allow local school districts to issue larger bonds. The only real opposition is from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a revanchist organization that is singlehandedly responsible for much of our state and local problems in the past few decades. Don’t listen to them.

Congressional Elections

Despite some misgivings, I am generally supporting the progressive challengers here to hopefully lead to a Progressive/Center Left election in the fall.

CD 25: Christy Smith

She has a good track record in the state assembly and a strong local support network. She’s not a carpetbagger with a YouTube show, and she’s not a Republican.

CD 28: Adam Schiff

He’s not the most progressive guy in Congress but he’s been critical to holding Trump accountable. He’s earned this vote.

CD 29: Angelica Duenas

Tony Cardenas is a bit of a non-entity on the national stage but he does good local work and he was an early vote in favor of impeachment. The rape allegations against him which troubled me last time were dismissed with prejudice in 2019. Cardenas has a progressive challenger, Angelica Marie Duenas, who has run in the past as a Green Party candidate. I don’t trust her decision to abandon that label and come into the Democrats after getting drubbed in 2018, but overall I like her ideas and I’d be happy to see her and Cardenas in a runoff this year.

CD 30: CJ Berina

Brad Sherman is an okay Congressmember. CJ Berina is a young, progressive challenger who’s attracted the attention of the Sunrise Movement. I’d vote for him to try to push the GOP out of the runoff and make this a race between the Center Left and the Progressive Left.

CD 34: Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla

Jimmy Gomez is solid; let’s push the GOP out of the runoff though by supporting this progressive.

State House

District 39: Luz Rivas

District 41: Chris Holden

District 43: Laura Friedman

District 44: Jacqui Irwin

District 45: Jesse Gabriel

District 46: Adrin Nazarian

District 48: Blanca Rubio

District 49: Edwin Chau

District 50: Richard Bloom

District 51: Wendy Carillo

District 53: Godfrey Plata

District 54: Tracey Jones

District 55: Andrew Rodriguez

District 58: Margaret Villa

District 59: Reggie Jones-Sawyer

District 62: Autumn Burke

District 63: Anthony Rendon

District 64: Fatima Iqbal-Zubair

District 66: Al Muratsuchi

District 70: Patrick O’Donnell

State Senate

SD 21: Kipp Mueller

SD 23: Abigail Medina

SD 25: No Endorsement - I rarely do this but honestly Anthony Portantino does not deserve your vote. Write in Mickey Mouse.

SD 27: Henry Stern

SD 29: Josh Newman

SD 31: Richard Roth

SD 33: Lena Gonzalez

SD 35: Steven Bradford

County Committees

Look this is getting waaaaaaaaaaaaaay into the weeds. What I am going to say is this: I know that a lot of “progressive” slates are out there and I encourage you to try your best to vet them. In my district, one of the candidates is somebody I know personally - she actively campaigned for Jill Stein, she circulated the decades-old “Clinton Death List” to voters, and she pushed Pizzagate theories. I am not voting for this person, but she is endorsed by “Progressive California” so...just be careful.

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sirjustice105-blog · 4 years

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Theft eliminated finally

Now we got the hand held thermometer with decimals at some few meters it tells ya friend, neighbor or brother temp, so if an intruder transfigures to their likes u take it from beside or behind and what u eject is a rod, u hit him with good and nowhere u will be taken cause he has disturbed ya 4 long and its been a nuisance as much as with banks. If ya money stolen or u killed, ambushed or kidnapped is the bank staff wanting to take ya cash and if u had written a will 4 ya money to be given like $ 1 to every bank client then they got to obey that so they dont benefit from ya cash if the manage to do the above. The problem will solve it self as uncle Nellies of the south tells no point 4 empty romantic illusions like philosophical sayings which have only made such people be killed and the above technology can be used in passport centers, point of entries of countries in voting centers, schools, jobs etc 4 identification.

E-speed boat as well can be of help to Somali to get goods and people to the other side via the Indian or red sea cause its not that wide to Yemen or Oman and if those nations have built good infrastructures like rail system and road then getting to UAE or Kuwait after connecting with road or rail from speed boat aint an issue.

They even get plates parts which are broken from houses and take them to like the nursing homes and shelters to be counted as broken as new one replenished while the not broken 1 but hidden shipped to African markets like explained below but lucky enough Africans have learnt to make such as plates where u take broken part place in dough 30% weight of the plate- u measure it with ya weighing machine- then in the dark hurl cold water unto it and boom its formed.

Unless God speaks again is when we can authenticate the bible truth and doctrines, if not they were written but 1 thing cements the truth to tell u God exists like at night u hear hell door being shut up with a voice and those who have died if u partake -mwarubaine- u see them in hell or on bench waiting or free. Goat and ship parable to bring the above reality

Ona vile voke amefura vile anatembea, eti madem anatake wameongeza mangari na sasa watu wanataka kuanza kuwasumbuwa sasa ni sharti alete hiyo jinsia waache eti got to be wise or cleaver to rattle a certain trait dude period.

Look at how dedanul is standing on the road some1 might think he is thinking profoundly but unfortunately if u could have known his thinking u could be pitying him as his wife is cooking stew meat and he is somehow angry but with the visitors to the the above, it means he will have to part with few pieces as well as a small piece of ugali which if alone he can eat like 4 times, so he is thinking on how he can do the same with still maintaining respect. See what am saying, he is calling his wife to keep him the food he wont be able to eat with them so if they leave some ugali he will add to his. Girlfriend " I will be there after an hour" says delanu, as he head to but a dime roasted maize on the other side of the road.

East Africa boat making company in the links below

https://www.google.com/search?q=tanzania+speed+boat+making+company&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=ms-google-coop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNr5DT1N_oAhUJmxQKHXTWCLsQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1024&bih=654

https://www.montereyboats.com/Boat-Manufacturer-4-5.html

https://www.facebook.com/SamAnzaiBoatBuildersCoLtd/

Atomic bomb made with many abbreviation written on boxes placed under dough, used clothes, plastic or glass bottle, chaff or cereals as well a cotton wool or leaves and cold water poured, same to nucleic bomb where the place in dough aint the above abbreviated boxes but egg albumen or nucleus or York.

Paid we want his corpse via political turmoil like those who were shot up high on chopper or exhumed or in anyway possible not known to de public. KEBI corpse.

Locate not loyal people to the govt if they got rich followers so kill them like above to later lias with clan members to exhume to take the coffin and replaced with an exhumed old 1 now as much as jewels and shoes as much as suits. Try with along tumblr signing up/in email of more than 35 character to log in another computer, it cant dude, it tells u wrong format, so how on earth u want the same.

Bank should capture people opening account to avoid impersonating fellow doing the same which creates hardship between ya and the bank like in the link below, so it can be retrieved or place under the bank website for public 4 every a/c opened where u input id no or name and it comes with the held in hand detectors in place like temperatures, pulse rate or bmi to make it impeccable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSPhaaAcIo8

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hand+held+temperature+machine

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hand+held+bmi+machine

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hand+held+body+must+index+machine

Buy wind turbine and rotate it not with wind but another gear motor like in the link below the motor shown while on motion in24 hr way consume 2 units of Kenyan power so in a month consumes 30 units which is $ 12 no-matter what, so its a nice energy saver as sometimes u switch off the motor when not using the electricity or to avoid overheating that could burn the motor. So u rotate the wind turbine with 12 bucks while the energy given u use to power your house gadgets as much as lighting and shower. Owner of think twice electronics, u can buy 1 that uses 120 volts to still save much connecting it to a 120-240 step up/down transformer, the electric bill would be even less that $ 12 specified above, make work easy dude

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alibaba+wind+turbine+

https://www.google.com/search?q=alibaba+120+volts+motors+images&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=ms-google-coop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOxPGWguDoAhWLERQKHVuEACkQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1024&bih=654

Dont be bored listen to the song below, click the link, a woman who shys away from connecting ya to bad people who if u did not have they could be giving u names but want from ya and leave bad kids around to disturb others https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS516F6YGI011:37The local girls are now pretty but they are connected to dignitaries so folks leave them alone cause it can derail ya, u know dude!!!While negro counterpart want to associate ya to bad character people who r of no help to ya but want from ya that way, so people leave them alone, blessing in disguise or let them be prostitutes14:26Mcsleepy Nelson If she doesn’t play with it now when its dry when will she play with it, magdalin go ahead play with it girl, to big 4 ya girl, nah, then do ya work, make it happy, play with ya, the ball in ya court. The local girls are now pretty but they are connected to dignitaries so folks leave them alone cause it can derail ya, u know dude!!! While negro counterpart want to associate ya to bad character people who r of no help to ya but want from ya that way, so people leave them alone, blessing in disguise or let them be prostitutes. KEBI is dancing as if his girlfriend is preparing green-grams or stew beans to be eaten with rice or chapati at night in the song link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v5DU1brzVw

Buy siporui electrical generator and sincro as googled

Parcel can be carried on e-boats to span the seas that has 2 motors that dont stop all way through dude. so countries on the edges direct to other continents have the day like Eritrea and Senegal as much as caring other goods and people

Click the E-engines 4 mini-speed boat in the link below

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+e-engines+for+speed+boats&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUnt_KotvoAhXynFwKHSSjAsYQsAR6BAgHEAE&biw=1280&bih=910

Hindu and Britain u r poor back off dude, how long we will be warning or telling u that, take ya broke ass home in the song link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0SyUgw98tE

https://picsthatmakeyougohmm.tumblr.com/post/614876193170259968/hmmm

The type of hole above is found on the shores of Mexican coastline to perform well the described below as well as in African coastline and inland waters as well as the Caribbean isles

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A31-46&version=NLT

The link above rep those who are feeling bad that u have made it through out of hell fire zone as the expected as paid eye witness as u say Mr Hindu willow pachi as ya mind to give ya different behavioral character, weed parable or Jesus with little children to cement the truth which tantamount to zero-work on hindu looking for high seat like in the link below

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+14%3A15-24&version=NIV

Jesus was killed mainly of saying about nyama tree which is a permanent fresh mint 4 mouth. In the cross saying italic works with wide loud voice as if he has been administered 1 via the nose as its done traditionally in Africa and it was growing in kisii, king of the jew to cement the truth and Christ was hanging on cross like meat in the butchers to signal me is where i interrelated the bible chapters even with like ten minas as it has ma sound as nyamawho to find the drug and still inter-related it with Malachi 4 as i used to love mala as curdled milks as worker and vineyard parable crops in to cement the above truth and when the drug is administered much they tie you and u produce crying sound like an infant or a kid or a child as much with much innovations i have placed in other tumblr a/c following this. Women also helped with with the slogan Barnabas to signal us to read the bible to inter-related to like come with the above which could be impossible without it. Moreover i got next house neighbors called Malachi to bring home reality above and the way most hooligans eat with making extra keys. Chi-ngato tM, Mathare valley were downtown not flat looking like Chicago cbd to bar people from going their cause they will be tired of walking and hinder the pursuit of gunman robbers

Ny still reach as tumblr still theirs which has won the confidence of many as it can be used to serve justice as opposed to other like Facebook who dis-enable ya a/c without ya consent and must have a phone and a line to open unlike tumblr but the problem is like with orgamistic photos are not in many small boxes to navigate easy like with Instagram but in a long line which is hard to scroll down but they can avert the whole drama bro

If Africa come up with their own bullet train like with SA then they can make a 2 way rail not 1 as seen in many nations to reach the cost lands like west Africa, North Africa like morocco to connect using yacht to Europe Spain to deliver the above explained parcels as with Eritrea though not fast as air but another reduced price delivery like 4 home appliances as much as office or just gadgets like furniture, clothes or office where or people. Even with Caribbean isles with South America and the ship the same goods to like North America huge population nations like Mexico or USA cause those islands are in the middle creating another new frontier of employment 4 those who can take long to afford instant air-tickets. Africans as well can in place of the rail above make their own wide super highways to facilitate the above from coast to coast once they have known the technology.

In USA shelters or nursing homes they even target small gadgets like nail cutters or combination padlocks, bandage, Colgate, soaps, shampoo, perfumes and bring them to Africa like explained above, even with health gadgets they open and create a hitch in their, which the hospital declare unfit, they take it and bring it to Africa still as much as with much drugs and medicines in nursing homes and those hospitals which got a nursing home. Transportation cost nothing cause its Electric yacht or drone as much as airplane so they dont give a hoot.

Cut like going to fully ripe avocado and taken the next day it suppose to ripe treats tetanus to cement Christ truth with worker and vineyard parable another version as much as the inside of the mango seed or avocado treats many sicknesses which u ought to investigate. Where if u find, bring the above place in darkness in a cut way they hurl cold water upon them to make the medication u want.

Ndawa and dawa as well find their way to Africa via the above methods as worker and vineyard parable crops in to cement the truth as much as mfalme wa ya whodi of what Christ was saying not ya own interpreted versions. Dust is the Satan food as well to bring out reality.

If u do any voodoo to me like pouring out this and that on my this and that to harm me, u have gotten it out wrong as i got magrass, manyasi as antidote which the boomerang comes back to ya. Like falling under ya own trap after u 4 get u place it their.

Many grave in Poland or Siberia which could fall to cannibals are manned this way, u place the 2 above to power the wireless camera which is shielded from strong light and bad weather like falling snow or rain and upper part of the grave was a placed stone cover which if slides a little bit switches on to ring the siren alarm system which is its speakers are place high on the post and on the writing stone tablet placed on the grave which is heavy like in the link below to avoid exhumation until a certain period of time lapses

https://www.jumia.co.ke/generic-200w-12v24v-wind-power-generator-red-lantern-style-wind-turbine-street-lamp-11713558.html

https://www.jumia.co.ke/electronics-cameras-security-surveillance/?q=wireless+cameras

https://www.jumia.co.ke/generic-lcd-wireless-gsm-home-burglar-fire-alarm-system-pet-immune-rir-sensor-security-us-plug-19416292.html

https://www.jumia.co.ke/home-office/?q=wireless%20alarm%20systems

https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=solar+powered+generator

Once the casket is placed, u place a concrete immediately to still create another same casket room 4 the above to be installed.

Made in Tanzania speed boat in the link below

https://www.google.com/search?q=speedboats+made+in+tanzania+photos&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=ms-google-coop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihu5z9guDoAhU08uAKHaf0DCQQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1024&bih=654#imgrc=U_Lna7-hBQ4PNM

https://www.facebook.com/SamAnzaiBoatBuildersCoLtd/

Worlds 1st yacht pricing in the link show below, click 4 more dude, nitatomba wasichana hapo ndani mimi kebin dawe was MN

https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-google-coop&ei=UoqRXsO_D_rggwf-p6qQCg&q=electric+yatch+pricing&oq=electric+yatch+pricing&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABOgQIABBHOgQIABANOggIABAWEAoQHjoGCAAQFhAeOggIABANEAUQHjoICAAQCBANEB46BQgAEM0COgcIIRAKEKABShEIFxINMTAtMzRnMzQ1ZzMyOEoMCBgSCDEwLTJnNWczUJO8AVjczgFggdIBaABwAngAgAHtA4gBmRSSAQcyLTQuMy4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwjDsPamhODoAhV68OAKHf6TCqIQ4dUDCAs&uact=5

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erintoknow · 5 years

Text

Jamais Vu: follow the thread

fallen hero: rebirth fanfic, chargestep / puppet/ortega ~1.9k words

dialogue adapted from the actual, canon, scene - so... apologies to malin

previously: put salt in your wound

––––––

Jane tries to smile, but it feels wrong– fake. “Well, you seem a bit more distracted than usual.” She flashes her eyes to the Castrofiend display and grimaces, not the reassuring sight she was looking for. Then, she says: “Actually, well– I saw you with someone else a while back. In the park?” She tilts her head, inquisitive, suspicious. “It looked– she looked pretty intense.”

What are you doing? You idiot. You moron. You fool.

“The park? Oh. Ariadne…” Jane’s heart sinks hearing her say ‘Ariadne’ in that tone of voice. Ortega sighs, shaking her head. It’s hard to get a read on her expression. “That’s…”

“Your ex?” Jane asks, slipping the word in like a sharpened knife. Her heart is pounding in her throat, but she does a good job of hiding it, keeping her face only just south of neutral.

Stay focused. Don’t get distracted, damn it.

Ortega shrugs, is… is she embarrassed? “Not exactly.” She reaches an arm up to scratch at the back of her head, not meeting Jane’s gaze. “We were friends…? Years ago. I had thought she died.”

She did die, you want to correct her.

Jane narrows her eyes. “And she can tell that you’re just, ‘being friendly’?”

Her response is a single sharp ‘hah’. “Honestly? I think she’d rather I leave her alone.”

“So why don’t you?” Jane frowns. God. Why doesn’t she? “Like you said–it was years ago.” Jane crosses her arms, leans in towards Ortega.

“I’m worried about her,” Ortega’s response comes a little too fast. She won’t look at Jane, resumes walking down the hallway. You know that tell. That’s your tell.

Jane has to pick up the pace to keep up with her, gritting her teeth. “You’re worried? So. Should I be worried as well then?” Power-walking in heels? Your own body would be wobbling all over, but Jane has no issues keeping up.

“Why? Oh.” Ortega stops and you almost step right into her. “Oh, Jane,” She turns to face her, shaking her head. “No, you don’t have to be worried about anything, it’s not like that. We’re just…” There’s a strange expression on Ortega’s face, one you can’t read. “We’re just old friends, there’s nothing there.”

Of course there’s nothing there. In fact, why are you having this conversation? What are you trying to do here? Jane can have a relationship with Ortega. You can’t. That’s basic inescapable reality.

Jane softens her expression, lowers her voice. “What did she use to be like?”

What does she really know or care about you anyway?

Ortega starts walking again, slow enough for Jane to keep pace now. There’s a suggestion of a smile on her face. “Difficult. I mean, it was difficult to get close to her at all. And… it’s not like were were an official item back then.” It’s lucky Ortega isn’t looking at your face– Jane’s face when she says that. Ortega hesitates, “I just… really cared about her.”

“So…” Jane drags out the ‘o’, looking around. There’s nobody else this far into the museum yet it looks like. Probably all too busy drinking their tits off. God. You could use a drink yourself.

This would be excellent chance to change the subject, get back on track. Ask her about how things are as hero, transition to the rest of the Rangers. Easy-peasy.

Instead of doing any of that, Jane asks, curious, “why didn’t it work out, then? What, didn’t she like women?”

Oh God damnit. But of course you have to pursue this now. Jane doesn’t let things go. Her woman might have divided loyalties? Gotta follow that thread.

“You know what?” Ortega looks thoughtful for a brief moment, “I’m… not sure? I thought she did, but it’s hard to tell. She’s a very private woman. And well, I was… scared, I suppose.”

Jane covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. “You? Scared?”

Scared?

Scared??

Ortega raises her hands, defensive. “I wasn’t exactly out then. And I was dating men at the time.” She tilts her head. “I felt like I had a role to live up to, I was told I needed a boyfriend for the newspapers.”

“Oh?” Jane frowns at that, raises an eyebrow. “You always do what people tell you to do?”

“I’m not the woman I used to be.” Ortega laughs, bitter, or are you projecting? Wishing? “I don’t let other people run my life. …Anymore.”

“So… what? What’s your goal there?” Jane crosses her arms, leans to the side. “You planning on fixing what you screwed up back then? Is that what this is about?”

Ortega gives Jane a look, equal parts hurt and shocked. “I…” Ortega flinches, shakes her head. “I’m here with you, the past is the past.” She sounds uncomfortable as she says it. Uncertain?

Wait.

Are… are you sabotaging… yourself here?

You can feel a need to scream from deep within Jane’s body. You’ve wanted to scream throughout this entire conversation in second-hand embarrassment for yourself. Why are you doing this!?

Ortega abandoned you, threw you away.

You don’t want anything from her anymore.

You don’t.

Absolutely not.

Whatever the two of you might have had died with Ariadne, thrown out a window.

She means nothing.

She’s been nothing but a pain.

She thought she could just walk her way back in your life, and what?

Does she really feel guilty? For what? Failing you? Turning you in?

You don’t know.

You can’t know.

Years ago not knowing Ortega’s thoughts was a comfort. She was someone you could pretend to have a normal ‘human’ relationship with. Someone who’s thoughts wouldn’t immediately betray every nasty little observation about you. Now it’s another log in the fuel for your nightmares.

You might want to scream, but Jane doesn’t– can’t. Jane just purses her lips in a tight slash, not buying Ortega’s assurances. “If you say so.”

Jane turns away from Ortega, and whatever she might have said next goes out the window at the sight of it: Sidestep’s display.

Your display?

You steal a quick glance at Ortega, did she bring you here on purpose? No. No, it’s just a coincidence. It has to be.

There’s a little plaque and then a much larger board on the wall next to the mannequin listing out your– no, her greatest ‘accomplishments.’ There’s a whole cut-out section talking about the Nanosurge. Guess there’s no need to protect the secret of her telepathy now that she’s dead (Doesn’t stop the LDPD from still claiming partial-credit). Assholes. It calls her early death a ‘tragedy.’

You feel sick and for once Jane feels it too, and you have to grip the guard rail to steady herself. Why aren’t you dead? Why haven’t you been chopped up for spare parts in a hospital somewhere? Why are you still here? Sidestep shouldn’t be up there, she’s no hero. She couldn’t even save herself. All that’s left is echoes; a ghost, a faint hope for revenge to keep you putting one foot in front of the other.

A revenge that starts tonight if you have anything to say about it. If Sidestep was still alive, she’d be the first in line to punch you in the face. It’s hard to argue you wouldn’t deserve it.

There’s a hand on your arm and Jane looks up to see Ortega watching her with concern. “Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing.” Jane shakes her head hard, whipping her hair out of place. An hour’s work taming this hair into curls undone in seconds. Clear the thoughts from your mind. Focus. Don’t get distracted. She chews her lip. “It’s this whole place, I guess. It makes me feel…” Jane frowns, “Insignificant?”

“Insignificant?” Ortega mirrors back, tilting her head as she looks at Jane.

“I mean…” Jane gestures a limp hand towards the curve of the exhibits against the wall. Ghosts you might have known once. “All this weird world.” She frowns, grips the railing tighter with her other hand. “I’m just nobody.”

“That’s not true.” Ortega raises her voice, matching your own. “You are very far from being a nobody.”

Jane wants to laugh, smile in charmed embarrassment, but you suppress it. “Sorry, sorry.” She sighs. “I didn’t mean for things to get this weird. I just wanted to have a bit of fun.”

“I know what you mean,” Ortega scratches the back of her head. Embarrassed?

Well, Jane did just finish implying Ortega might be having a thing with another woman. Ortega herself is kind of your only real-world model here but that does seem like a mood killer.

“Maybe it wasn’t the best of choices to go looking around in here. I know you said you’re okay with what I do for a living, but actually seeing it is a bit disconcerting.” Ortega offers as a concession, she’s too nice for her own good.

“It’s just mannequins,” Jane flashes a smile, waving a hand dismissively, “with bad fashion sense at that.”

“That's true.” Ortega laughs, relaxes. “You have no idea how true that is.” You brace yourself for Ortega to launch into one of her favorite stories about Steel. It doesn’t come.

Weird.

Jane lets go of the guard rail, feeling a little more steady on her feat now. “You have a much more interesting life than I do.” She sweeps a hand at the exhibits for emphasis. You might know better than to glorify hero life, but Jane wouldn’t. “I mean, you get to be a part of all this.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel that interesting to me. It’s just work. Granted,” Ortega raises a hand in concession, “the uniform is a bit weird than most. But once you live this, it really loses its glamor.”

“Hmmm. I find that hard to believe.”

“Honestly, I’m a lot more curious about you.”

Jane’s face quirks into a smile. “Oh? I find that even harder to believe.”

“Really?” Ortega returns the smile, lets it go wider. “I mean, that’s partly why I invited you here? To get to know you better.”

“Only partly?”

“Well,” Ortega gives Jane a look. “That is traditionally the part that comes first.” You know that look, if only as a kind of second-hand smoke from always being in Ortega’s orbit. The look in her eyes, the twitch of her lips, the way she carries herself, how her full attention shifts…

Now it’s aimed straight at Jane. Her heart is pounding. She tucks her hair away behind her ear, smiles back with a nervous energy.

Flirting was one thing, going out on like this was one thing. It was all part of the game. Why not have a little fun if you were going to be keeping tabs on Ortega anyway, right? It was harmless. Was supposed to be harmless.

Now it’s suddenly become way too real. The way she leans in toward Jane. Jane, doesn’t look away. She wants to lean in, wants to step forward. For a moment you can see yourself doing that; stepping forward, and it's your reflection, not Jane’s, in the mirrored walls, grabbing Ortega by shoulders, head tilted slightly up to kiss her on the lips.

You don’t do that. Can’t do that. Could never do that. You want to run. But Jane’s not that kind of girl. She’s everything you're not. She doesn’t run. Doesn’t break eye contact. Stands her ground. Dare the other party to blink away first.

Jane isn’t the type to back down.

No one blinks

No one stops.

It’s not fair:

Your first kiss; it’s not even yours.

––––––

next: fire, never consuming

#fallen hero: rebirth #fallen hero fanfic #fhr #fanfiction #wlw fanfic #fhr/Ariadne #jealousy #self-sabatoge #a serious case of denial #poor ortega #mc #ortega #the puppet #trans character #disaster lesbians

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brokenedgeben · 5 years

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So This Is Not Going To Make Me Any Friends On Tumblr...

...but I realized something about Leia in TLJ that is no doubt a “no shit Sherlock” moment, but took a while to dawn on me. (Shows how much I know) (Likely trigger/content warning for discussions of physical assault and other unpleasantness) What really strikes me as Leia being not Leia in TLJ is her lack of compassion. Now, when you think of the more compassionate of the siblings, Luke is usually the one who gets mentioned with his faith in Vader (which Johnson decided to discard considering his inexplicable thought of killing Ben). But Leia is no slouch in being a genuinely kind person. I think one of many reasons she works isn’t just because she’s a self-rescuing young woman (though there is that too) but she also proves that you can be kind and still strong. As someone who’s not good at being assertive and feisty, I appreciate that looking back. (Seriously, when I was a kid, I hated that I wasn’t “feisty” enough. I didn’t know where I’d get just being timid and nice) And she is — remember her comforting Luke after Obi-Wan was struck down in cold blood while he couldn’t do anything about it? Remember her reassuring Luke about Han after Han’s temporary departure in ANH? Remember her bonding with Wicket? Hell, remember TFA when she expressed sympathy for Finn regarding his worry about Rey, praised Finn for ditching the First Order, and expressed hope that her son could be saved from himself? True, she had a bit of a temper, and a bit of a dark side — see also her nearly letting Chewie strangle Lando for his indirect part in getting Han carbon frozen. (Which, admittedly, is not one of my favorite scenes of OT Leia, especially since Lando really did do the best he could in a no-win situation) But that is a far, far cry from TLJ Leia where there seems to be no real compassion. OT Leia had her moments of anger, but that’s a far cry from slapping someone in retaliation for something that was critical to saving lives. (Seriously, even putting aside the hyperspace tracking, that dreadnaught wasn’t something to be trifled with) And even if he had done something wrong, you don’t strike someone in anger. If I were writing Leia, I would have had her speak to Poe in private and had her come off more like Christopher Pike in Star Trek Into Darkness — basically, explaining what went wrong and why it was wrong. (Assuming Poe actually did something wrong, which he didn’t, but even if he did, physical assault is never the answer) In this case, maybe show a bit of humanity in that she was possibly scared for Poe — it would also do well in setting up that allegedly loving relationship we never saw between them in TLJ. Besides the slap being grossly out of character for Leia and heavily Unfortunate Implications-worthy in regards to treatment of men of color (people accusing this film of misandry are missing the point entirely; it’s not just that the film’s portrayal of men isn’t good, it’s that Poe and Finn get the brunt of it. Luke may have been portrayed as a crotchety hermit, but he also was framed as fundamentally The Hero in the narrative, and Kylo was framed as fundamentally the Sympathetic Villain. *), it really gives worrying implications to how Johnson views women. Does he genuinely believe that women are only strong if they’re aggressive and violent? Not to mention trying to frame Leia and Holdo as good leaders when the execution of that framing is flawed at best. (Rey’s a completely different topic and something I can’t talk about without upsetting any Reylos who follow me) Seriously, two women in power and they’re portrayed as basically incompetent. How many cis male leaders are portrayed that way? They get the whole spectrum of competency that female leaders don’t. It’s galling because I know woman authority figures in my life who were genuinely positive influences and they were nothing like the caricature of female authority that I saw in TLJ. (Seriously, putting aside the excluding NB and trans people with that stupid “a woman in a dress with feminine energy was the toughest thing I could think of Poe going up against” comment from Rian Johnson — I saw it on Twitter; I wish I was making this up — what is so unfeminine about a woman in a military uniform? Better yet, why do women have to be traditionally feminine? I’m sure the Jedi Exile from KOTOR II would chew Johnson out if she heard that comment, to say nothing of women who’ve served in the military. **) I don’t know why it’s so hard to write women kicking ass and taking names. Are we not people? Do we not have the full goddamn spectrum of emotions like *people* do? Can we not be as competent as anyone else and not have to look like unintentional buffoons? And can’t we be kind and strong at the same time? I don’t blame Carrie Fisher for this, for what it’s worth. She did the best job she could, and she was a genuinely good actress (and from what I heard, really kickass and funny). She always was. I don’t blame anyone who acted in TLJ for the way their characters went, and I didn’t *want* Leia and Holdo to be incompetent. (While we’re at it, I don’t blame Laura Dern either. Seriously, check out her role in Jurassic Park; she’s absolutely adorable when she sees the park for the first time) Honestly, before I saw the spoilers on Tumblr about Poe, Leia and Holdo (and Luke, and others), I had some faith that TLJ could be good. But Rian Johnson effed up big time on this one. It’s sad when a film trilogy lasting from the late seventies to the early eighties gets a woman in authority down better than a film released in 2017. Representation for women isn’t just including them. (And that goes out to people of color, LGBTQPIA people, anyone you can think to represent) It’s giving them meaningful stuff to do. One of my favorite portrayals of women in authority were the minor characters Terena Adare and Queen Talia in KOTOR II, and that game came out in 2004. You should know better, Rian Johnson. And we? We deserve better. All of us. * I’m talking about intentions, not execution. ** And what is our obsession with femininity and what it means to be feminine? Back in my day (yeah, I know, I sound old), girls could do whatever they wanted as long as it wasn’t illegal and wear shorts and a T-shirt if they damn well pleased, at least in the books I read. And that was in the fucking 2000s.

#tw: physical assault #on writing women POC and other underrepresented groups #rants #tlj critical

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kiss-my-asymptote · 5 years

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Hello! Mind If I Yell About Misogyny In Martial Arts Tournaments?

It might not be apparent the second you enter the hall of the tourney, but spend enough time, and the blatant misogyny of martial arts will become incredibly obvious. I would like to start this by saying, that these are all my own personal experiences at tournaments run by the group of schools I trained with, and as such, some of these details may be specific to the closed-entrance tournaments I competed in, but that doesn’t make my points any less valid.

There are three main types of Misogyny that I’ve noticed that are prevalent throughout all the events I’ve competed in or attended: Dismissing, Underestimating, and my least favorite Well-Meaning (or as I have taken to call it, ‘The Girl Power Effect’). Now in the tourneys that my Martial Arts school competed in there were four main events, that were separated by age and then by rank. The events include Forms, Original Routines, Weapon Forms, and Sparring. For the purpose of dramatic tension, I have listed and will be talking about these events in the order of how much I love them, and also how angry they make me. (I have a very complex relationship with tourneys, can you tell?)

Forms, at least in the tournaments I ran in were pretty much uniform. These were regulated routines that everyone is already familiar with before they’re performed. Forms are reenacted fights in which Martial Artists strike the air, battling imaginary opponents in hypothetical fights (yeah, that sounds kinda dorky, but it’s actually really entrancing to watch the competitors move). Based on the fighting style of the form, the movements are either rigid and robust or flowing and graceful, almost as if they’re dancing. Well-Meaning Misogyny isn’t usually found here, aside from the occasional ‘you go, girl’, but Dismissal and Underestimation go hand in hand during this event. If a woman chooses a form that’s flowing, people will assume it’s because she’s a girl and just wanted to flutter about the stage. If they choose a more brute form, they’re compensating or downplaying their femininity. and because everyone is familiar with these forms, they already know which type the competitor chose before she even starts, and they’ve already written her off as fluttery or compensating. There was one time, I remember watching a girl announce that she’d be performing a routine called ‘Statue of the Crane’, a form that uses leverage moves, and requires a lot of balance. From beside me I hear a guy scoff and go “Oh, so not even a Kata, huh? Why bother watching?” First off, what an asshole, second off, The form is more complex than a Kata, you fucking idiot.

Original Routines are very similar to forms, except they’re set to music, and as the titles imply, these are brand new routines, not just standard sets that everyone knows. There’s a chance to be creative, but thanks to all the biases, the wonderful routines that these girls come up with are often overlooked. Dismissal comes in the form of what type of music women choose to use. If women chose a more ‘femenine’ song choice (Pop music) you can hear people groan and already decide that the form is not to be taken seriously, however if a woman chooses a more masculine song (Rock or Heavy Metal) she is '’trying too hard’ or again ‘downplaying her femininity’. Guys... It’s not that deep. They just chose a song that fit the energy of their form. Or they just like the song. The style of the form also plays into this, with rigid moves playing into the ‘tryhard’ category, and the flowing moves playing into the ‘femme’ category. often times, when women’s moves are more flowing and dance like Judges, will tell them they need to put more power behind their moves. This is bullshit. flowing strikes common in fighting styles like Shaolin actually strike with more power than rigid attacks because you’re striking with your whole body, using your core, and your momentum to drive more power into your deliveries. The Judges are Black Belts. They know this, and yet they still give the women shit for their dance-like fighting styles. Now, we must talk about ‘The Girl Power Effect’ this is the first, but not the last time I’ll bring this up. Oftentimes, when a girl makes it past all the bias landmines up to the point where Judges give feedback, someone will push them onto this one. They’ll get the comment “Did you come up with this routine by yourself?” As if the Judges and onlookers can’t possibly comprehend that a woman could choreograph such an impressive performance. The only men I’ve ever witnessed receiving this comment on their forms have been, at most, ten years old. They ask women “Did you come up with this routine yourself?” With the same frequency and tone as they do ten-year-old boys. And they mean it as a compliment in both contexts.

Weapon Forms are also similar to regular forms. The only difference being the weapon, obviously. The big issue here is that of typically feminine weapons. If a girl shows up to a competition with Fan Blades or a Parasol, she might as well not even perform, because there’s no way she’s placing higher than third. Judges will see women show up with these weapons and actually roll their eyes. How rude is that? You see, these weapons are perceived as impractical and ornate, not meant for actual combat, and still, women looking to learn weapon forms are often pushed towards and encouraged to learn forms involving these weapons, leading to Fans and Parasols often being used by women in competition. It’s a whole vicious cycle. I still refuse to pick up either weapon because the guy who wants me to learn them won’t give me a better reason than ‘i’ll probably like them’. Picking up on all that Dismissal, yet? It’s also a shame because every single form I’ve seen that uses Fans is just inherently cool as fuck. Another Prevalent issue, this one involving that pesky ‘Girl Power’ again, is something I call ‘The Pink Piece’. Women in martial arts are often encouraged to pick up and study more traditionally masculine weapons by making them pink in color. Now I’m sure you’ll agree that sounds like an incredibly ridiculous tactic, but the issue is, it works! especially with young girls. this is an issue for a few reasons. First, it sends the message “This Katana, as opposed to all the others, is for girls. You can tell because it’s pink.” But also, if a girl walks up to a judge’s stand with a hot pink weapon, she’s immediately perceived as unprofessional and childish. Anyways, this is all a longwinded way to say women are specifically steered towards feminine looking weapons and then criticized for using them.

Now, for Sparring. My favorite event, but also, one of the most problematic. This is where ‘Girl Power’ really shines. I’m not sure if this is true of all tourneys, but certainly, in the ones I competed in, this event was not only separated by age and rank, but also by gender. They don’t explain why this event, in particular, is separated by gender, but it can be assumed that it’s because they believe pitting a man against a woman would result in an unbalanced match. I can personally attest; this is false. Dismissal isn’t really a big issue here, (although I suppose you could count the fact they’re separated from men as dismissal) but it’s still there, especially when a girl wears sparring gear that’s, for instance, again, pink. This is, however, where Well Meaning Misogyny really shines. during matches, women are often encouraged to ‘have fun out there, ladies’ which seems harmless enough until you remember that these girls aren’t about to go on a date, they’re gearing up to fight each other. Not once have I heard a judge say ‘alright gentlemen, have fun out there and don’t worry about winning’ except when said gentlemen are, you know, ten or younger.

There was one sparring judge that I had that I actually, actually hated. The worst part was, she was a woman, too. I didn’t notice her doing that at first because i was too busy watching the opponents in the ring for tells and go-to moves that I could exploit and counter, because, you know, I was there to win, not to ‘have fun’ but once I got into the ring with the girl I had deemed the toughest to beat, I finally noticed what this lady was doing. every time we were called to break up by this woman, she’d say something like ‘great job, girls!’ or ‘good energy!’ something along those lines. I was getting more and more frustrated by this because I just wanted to get on with the match. It was only after match-point and she paused everything to encourage the audience and the other competitors to clap for ‘the girls’ did I realize how demeaning and patronizing the whole thing felt. I’m sure this woman had had purely good intentions, but locking eyes with the other girl across the ring, I could tell she felt the same way I did. There we were, two high-ranking athletes being praised for something we already knew we were good at. Drawing attention to the fact that we were female martial artists who were good at fighting only made it seem like we were the exception to the rule and not the status quo. I felt like a dog being praised for pissing in the yard, and guys, it didn’t feel good.

Martial Arts has the power to give confidence and security to women who practice it, but it’s also latent with heavy and prevalent misogyny. This isn’t something inherent of the sport itself, but from those who practice it. Yes, partly because the East Asian countries that most of these fighting styles originate from come from cultures where women are seen as even more inferior to men as they are in the united states, but also because those men who choose to practice this sport often times- not to perpetuate stereotypes in a rant about blatant stereotyping, but- are those who don’t truly consider women as their equals. So, what can we do about women being treated like ten-year-olds and dogs? sadly not very much. The problem with vicious cycles is that there isn’t really a clear beginning or end. At the end of the day, all we can really do is attempt to acknowledge women’s presence in the martial arts without making it seem like something rare or novel, while also encouraging men to embrace the more feminine side to martial arts. Boys! Learn a fuckin’ neat Fan Blade form! Pick up a Hot Pink Katana! Help prove that these weapons are rad as hell, while also giving a big ol’ middle finger to toxic masculinity! In the end, the only thing keeping the Martial Arts from being a completely gender-neutral sport is our own social biases.

#feminism #misogyny #martial arts #self defence

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fyeah-redvelvet · 5 years

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[!] k-pop’s red velvet discuss their evolution, public scrutiny and secret dreams

As they lead the way for South Korean girlbands with a US tour, we catch up with Irene, Wendy, Yeri, Joy and Seulgi.

Red Velvet managed to squeeze this interview in between a concert in Chile, performing (and winning) at the Gaon Chart Music Awards, and their final preparations for the next leg of their Redmare tour, which is about to take them across Japan, followed by five US dates and two in Canada. The intensity of the schedule isn’t unfamiliar for Irene, Wendy, Yeri, Joy and Seulgi, who debuted in 2014 as a four-piece, before Yeri joined in early 2015. The latter tour dates, however, are an anomaly for a K-Pop girl group.

As Korean pop continues to rise in popularity across North and Latin America, it’s the boy groups who have frequently taken to the road. In fact, you can count the women-led American tours of the twenty-tens on one hand -- 2NE1 in 2012, Apink and CL in 2016. 2019, however, has already seen Red Velvet, Oh My Girl and BLACKPINK embark on US tours, making for a significant, although testing, shift in the landscape.

"Like with all modern forms of fame, there are caveats, and being one of K-Pop’s most successful groups comes with intense public reaction over everything from their stage clothes and their weight, to the selfies they post and the books they read."

“We owe this opportunity to all our fans who love our music,” says 27-year-old Irene, the group’s eldest member and leader. “We’ll work hard in return for all the love and support.” It’s a modest and quintessentially K-Pop response, but behind Irene’s words stands a fandom which is, significantly, populated by devoted young women. Women might be the financial backbone of K-Pop, but they often choose to spend heavily on boy groups (physical albums, merchandise, concert tickets) rather than female groups, who are traditionally marketed at a more generalised audience but, as evidenced by their concepts -- primarily sweetness or sex appeal -- with a definite male skew.

A major factor of Red Velvet’s appeal is that there’s no way to pigeonhole the quintet, who have become a fearsome force with their sophisticated duality; marrying the madcap pop fizz of their ‘red’ side (the visual quirks of Red Flavor and its suggestive portrayal of a summer romance) to their ‘velvet’ element (slower, sexier R&B, such as Automatic, One Of These Nights). They are as multifaceted as the women who love them – cute and bright, but also modern, sleek and cool-headed.

Recently they’ve parlayed K-Pop’s ‘girl crush’ concept – usually a fierce, empowering sound and look – into their output to create some of their finest moments; the sly, enticing Peek-A-Boo, whose American Horror Story-esque video sees them trophy hunt and kill a pizza delivery guy, and one of 2018’s best pop songs – Bad Boy – in which they harness the proverbial heartbreaker. The very idea of the female popstar as a submissive, doll-like creature, which they satirised in the video for Dumb Dumb, has become redundant in the Red Velvet world.

“There’s confidence in all of our songs,” says Wendy, fluent in English having lived in Canada as a teenager, “and we want to tell our fans that you can be whoever you want, as long as you have confidence.” Joy, who has a blossoming side-career in acting, adds, “We want to be a group who encourages people, and hope they can learn how to love and be themselves, living the life they were meant to.”

They, too, are still learning lessons in self-belief and confidence. As recently as last year they confessed surprise at the explosive success of Bad Boy, a song which they thought wouldn’t go down especially well, while their 2018 summer anthem, the hyperactive Power Up, scored them a PAK (a Perfect All Kill, #1 on all of South Korea’s major real-time and daily music charts), making them the only group from their label to have achieved one. Yet Yeri recalls thinking they “really had no idea that it would be such a hit”.

“Whenever we release a new album, we feel excited and nervous because we always try out different concepts, and never know how fans will react,” explains Seulgi. “We felt the same withBad Boy, but so many people loved it and we felt proud we were able to broaden our musical horizons. It gave us the belief that we have a lot more to show to our fans.”

The constant movement of their sound and visual concepts provides a wide palette of emotions and experiences, and Red Velvet have taken to immersing themselves somewhere between method acting and self-analysis, to ensure they do it justice. “I do my own research on all our concepts, and there are times when they’re very different from the real me, so it’s interesting to discover new sides of myself,” says Seulgi.

“Right after I debuted, I thought my voice could only work with bright, cheery songs likeHappiness and Day 1,” admits Joy. “But since working on songs like Peek-A-Boo and Bad Boy, I’ve become more interested in groovy, dreamy R&B.” Wendy shares her bandmate’s concerns; “At first, I was really worried about pulling off so many concepts.” Her eventual solution was to “try and find myself within each concept, although it felt really awkward at the beginning”.

Like with all modern forms of fame, there are caveats, and being one of K-Pop’s most successful groups comes with intense public reaction over everything from their stage clothes and their weight, to the selfies they post and the books they read. Wendy says she has come to “mostly deal with it on my own. As time passes, I think it’s become more like this. It’s because we’re all so busy and we don’t want to put our burdens on each other, but I’m always thankful to have the other members by my side, who take care of me or ask when I’m having a hard time.” The support they provide each other is invaluable and genuine, says Irene, who is often referred to as Red Velvet’s ‘mum’ figure. “I think the maternal nature is both something that comes naturally and a role I play as a leader. But I don’t think they’re different at all.”

Red Velvet’s schedule doesn’t leave much time for the freedoms afforded to you and I, but although the quintet have unexplored dreams, they’re also, reassuringly, experiencing sweet pockets of happiness. “My ultimate adventure would be travelling alone,” shares Seulgi. “I haven’t done it yet, and I can’t even imagine what it would be like because I wouldn’t know what to do!” For 19-year-old Yeri, the group’s youngest, it’s the simple things that give her a buzz, like “when I went shopping for a furry hat!”

Joy muses for a moment. “Recently I’ve been feeling frustrated because there wasn’t anything that really excited me,” she begins. “But I started feeling alive as I listened to my favourite jazz and R&B music. My ultimate adventure is learning from a person who knows a lot about my favourite genre, and making it my own based on what I learned.” Wendy, on the other hand, is both critical and encouraging of herself. “My adventure is singing, especially when I perform alone. No matter how hard I practice, there are times when I can’t be 100%, but recently I’ve been overcoming that more. As I see myself improving bit by bit, I realise I’m happiest when singing, but I still have a long way to go.”

Amongst their candidness lies a dry, often low-key sense of humour. Their most recent Korean single, Really Bad Boy (the sibling to Bad Boy), had some feisty moments – “He’s a really bad boy/ they say he lives trusting only his handsome face/ if it’s alright with you/ I’ll try to tame you” – but the burning question remains… what would they do with such a man in real life? “I wouldn’t date him. I hate being lonely,” Irene says, alluding to the girlfriend invariably left wondering where he is every other night. Seulgi tries for diplomacy – “It would be nice if I can actually tame him” – then shrugs it off – “if he’s a really bad boy, I’d just dump him”. Yeri, however, isn’t standing for any tomfoolery. “I’d definitely kick him to the curb because it’s only going to be tough for me,” she deadpans.

Over the next few months, says Seulgi, Red Velvet is concentrating on “our tour concerts, and we’d love to focus on putting together a new album.” But with their fifth anniversary coming up on 1 August, there’s introspection laced into their 2019 vision. “Because of the nature of the job, we receive a lot of love – sometimes a lot more than anyone can imagine – and because of this, I think every word and action has a huge influence on those who support us,” Seulgi continues. “So it’s really important for us to keep our mind and body healthy so that we can give good energy.”

“I’ve realised that every single stage we’re on is important,” Joy adds, “and that it really influences our fans. It makes me think about how to become a good person, and how I can give our fans back as much love as I receive.” Wendy’s parting thought, however, on what she’s taken away from the past four and a half years, is as much for herself as her bandmates. “Whatever happens, just forget everything while you’re on stage. Be genuine to the music, listen and enjoy it from the bottom of your heart.”

cr; i-D

#red velvet #t:interview #190201

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