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pxnk-velvet · 4 years

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The Dancing Warrior: Water, Chapter 11

(Sokka x OC Reader)

A/N: I’m so sorry but this is a REALLY long chapter, possibly the longest I’ve written so far...but oh well. If anyone knows how to edit a post so it has the “keep reading” link PLS let me know I’m begging 😭

It had taken them quite a while to finally arrive at the North Pole. There were chunks of ice floating in the water and the air was bitter to Navani. She had been shivering profusely for that past couple of days. She had never been to either of the poles before so she had no reason for owning a thick coat like Katara and Sokka. Katara had given Navani her spare tunic, which was a bit small, but a lot warmer than her own. The only thing she had were her robes, a clear indication that she was Fire Nation. Something they had all agreed to keep secret. Navani vowed to solely bend water for as long at they were there. And she knew she had to keep that promise or else they would all be in jeopardy.

Navani sat at the edge of Appa’s saddle, shivering as she tucked herself as far as she could into her tunic. Her knees were snug to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. How could someone live in the cold like this?

She had been so consumed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t been paying any attention to the conversation going on between everyone else. But then she was brought back when Appa’s smooth sailing suddenly jerked and everyone screamed. He tried to keep his balance but some ice threw him off, causing him to tilt. Everyone one held on with strong grips....well almost everyone. As Appa crash landed in the freezing waters, Navani was thrown over with a scream.

They all gasped as the girl fell into the water, “Navani!”

Her body felt numb as she broke the surface, gasping for air. Her teeth chattered as dozens of boats emerged from behind small glaciers. She moved a fast as she could, which honestly wasn’t all that fast, and hurled her stiff body back onto Appa. They all had rushed to her side, but at the moment were too occupied with Northerners approaching.

===

Everything there was beautiful. There was so much to marvel at. From the beautiful architecture to the people and culture. Navani wished she could’ve enjoyed it more but at the moment she was soaking wet in the freezing cold. Her and Katara had done their best to bend the water out of her cloths and one of the men from the boats had lended her some blankets. Which she was currently tightly wrapped in.

As they rounded a corner, there were people along the sides of the canals and buildings waving down at them. Navani couldn’t help but smile and wave back despite her condition. At least she could enjoy that. Or so she thought.

The warm feeling grew a little as a small canoe drifted passed them, catching both Navani and Sokka’s attention. There on the canoe sat a boy and a girl, side by side, no older then them. Navani watched intently, curious. They were dressed like they were important with their hair decorated with different pieces and jewelry. The girl’s was a stark white while the boy’s was pitch black. They contrasted perfectly. Not to mention they were both extremely good looking.

That definitely didn’t go unnoticed by Sokka. Who sighed and leaned against Navani as a deep blush rose to his cheeks, his eyes glued to the girl as the canoe drifted by.

“Could you make it anymore obvious?” Navani scoffed, removing her support from under him. Laughing as he fell to the ground with a thud.

===

“Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sisters from the Southern tribe. And they have brought with them someone very special. Someone who many of us believe disappeared from the world until now, the Avatar!” Chief Arnook declared, from his seat at the middle of the table, “We also celebrate my daughter and son’s 16th birthday. Princess Yue and Prince Hai are now of marrying age!”

Navani nearly spit out her drink, turning to look but catching a view of the back of Sokka’s head instead. She scoffed, leaning back to see.

“Thank you, father.” Both twins bowed, Yue continued, “May the great ocean and moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times.”

The Prince turned and glanced her way, a blush so hot on her cheeks she thought her face would melt off.

“Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform.”

That was all Navani needed to hear to have her undivided attention. With an excited gasp, her head whipped around to look at the raised platform.

She watched with wide eyes as the three man manipulated the giant barrels of water to create giant streams moving in almost every direction. They moved in a manner she had never seen before, very different to her usual style. She was mesmerized. So much so that she hadn’t noticed someone standing next to her.

“Is this seat taken?” Hai asked politely, gesturing to the spot next to her.

With her attention still glued to the performance, she responded, “No, you can sit if you’d like.”

He chuckled, taking a seat, “I can tell you’re enjoying the performance.”

“Huh, oh.” Navani blushed hard, finally drawing her attention away, “Yeah, they’re really good.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Hai gave her a warm smile that made butterflies erupt in her gut.

“I, uh- I’m Navani...” She introduced, bowing her head.

“No need, Navani. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His smile never leaving his face. She giggled, breaking their gaze to save herself from anymore embarrassment. As she did she caught sight of Sokka and the Princess next to her.

“I’m thinking, maybe, we could do any activity together?” Sokka asked, attempting to woo the Princess. Navani couldn’t help it but feel angered by this. She knew exactly what he was doing....

Navani turned back to Hai, “So you’re a Prince?” She tried, hoping it wasn’t such a sucker of an attempt to make conversation.

“Yeah...” He chuckled, “I’m a Prince.”

“And...you have a sister?...Who’s your twin?” She wanted to face palm so badly but she resisted, “You two don’t really look alike.”

“Yue was born first and there was something wrong. So my father called upon the moon spirit for help. And it did, that’s why she has white hair. Hence our names as well. They mean moon and ocean.” He answered with not much enthusiasm. Like Navani had pushed a little too much.

“Oh, I’m assuming she gets all the attention?” She glanced over at his twin.

“Mhm,” He hummed with an eye roll, “She’s older, only by a few minutes so whoever she marries automatically becomes chief. Which isn’t fair. It really should be me because I’m the chief’s first son. Plus I’m a water bender!”

Navani perked, an idea popping into her head, “Me too! I’m not that good, though. I could definitely use some practice...” She batted her eyelashes, resting her elbow on the table and leaning on it. And just like that she was in....or so she thought.

“Well, I’m sure healing isn’t that hard.” He said smugly, waving it off.

Navani faltered a bit, pressing, “Healing? What about real water bending? Like actual fighting moves? Or dancing even?”

Hai gave a hearty chuckle, “Well...I guess I could show you a little something but no one can know, alright?”

Her eyebrows knotted in confusion but she brushed it off, nodding and smiling.

“We could meet sometime tomorrow?” He offered, taking hold of her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She turned away, blush furious on her cheeks. And for a moment she forgot about why she was doing this.

===

She had been out for a walk that morning when she caught sight of a canoe in the canal ahead. Inside was just the person she was looking for.

“Prince Hai!” She called from the walk way, speeding up a little to catch up to him. Both him and Princess Yue were sitting in the small boat as it drifted down the canal.

Just as Navani cleared the corner, she ran right into someone, sending them both into water below. Both the Prince and Princess giggled at the sight.

“Ahhh, Navani!” Sokka yelped, pulling himself out of the water.

She could care less about what Sokka was yelling at her, as she shook her hair out of her face.

Prince Hai had gotten up from his seat and moved to lean over the edge, “Meet me on the palace steps tonight!” He called out as the boat continued to drift, without missing a beat.

Navani swooned as she bobbed in the water, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Soon after she pulled herself out of the water, coming to face Sokka as he watched much to his amusement. He had noticed the way the Prince looked at Navani, like he was head over heels. He knew that feeling, or knows to be exact. Sure he was flirting with Princess Yue but he couldn’t deny that he did feel a pang in his heart every time he thought of Hai and Navani together. He had her first, well, almost had her. Until he screwed it up for himself big time. Maybe Aunt Wu was right...but no. He just needed a distraction for a little bit then he’d deal with that, right?

Navani felt somewhat guilty as she stood in front of Sokka, soaking wet. Like she shouldn’t have made it known that she was going to visit Prince Hai later tonight.

So instead she grounded herself, placing both her hands on her hips, “Yes?” She questioned Sokka’s trained gaze.

He crossed his arms giving her a suspicious glare, “Nothing.”

She exhaled bluntly, giving a huff from her nose, “I’m going back to the igloo. Feel free not to follow me.” She turned sharply, taking off back the way she came.

“I bet you don’t even remember how to get back.” The water tribe boy laughed, watching as she groaned, stomping away. He followed her, doing exactly the opposite of what she said, just to mess with her. He walked a few paces behind her, throwing words of mockery every time she made a wrong turn or went in the wrong direction. Either way, they had ended up in front of the igloo they were staying in.

“Well, would you look at that?” Sokka amused, “We both got what we wanted. You were able to get home and I was able to annoy the heck out of you while doing so.”

“I suggest you shut up before I physically hurt you.” Navani threatened, not even batting an eye his way as she made her way inside.

He laughed, following suit, “You really think you can hurt me? I bet you can’t even pin me to the ground.”

They walked further into the igloo, stopping at the center. Navani shed her big coat, tossing it to the side before wordlessly getting into a fighting stance. Her gaze set sternly on his as he just stood there.

“Come on, tough guy. Since you think you’ve got what it takes, let’s put it to the test.” She stated, dipping low, kicking low and knocking Sokka’s legs out from under him. He landed hard on the floor, letting out a loud groan.

She stepped so she was over him, leaning to look down with her hands on her hips, “What happened? I thought you said you were a warrior?” She taunted, “Get up, I’ll give you another shot. You get the first strike.”

Sokka starred up at her in complete shock. As to why he was shocked, he didn’t know exactly. Of course she could beat him in a fight any day, he was just messing with her after all, right?

Soon after he stood, both of them taking fighting stances. Navani stood with a relaxed, yet steady posture, ready for anything like she had been trained to do. Sokka on the other hand, could fall over with the slightest nudge.

Sokka gave his all with his first strike, deflating a little when Navani dodged it with ease. Almost like it was nothing. He swung a couple more times, watching her move with ease every step of the way, like she had been doing this for dozens of life times.

Sokka tried and tried. He kicked, punched, grabbed, pulled, and shoved. Still nothing. Navani stood strong, barely even breaking a sweat. She giggled at his exhaustion, shoving his shoulder lightly, watching him lose balance and fall only from that little push.

She strutted over to him, placing her foot on his chest, “I didn’t even have to use my bending on you.” She leaned down, towering over him triumphantly. Watching as a smirk curl onto his lips and an idea pop into his head.

“Who’s the warrior now-“ Suddenly her leg was being pulled out from under her, Sokka being able to roll out from under her and pin her down as she made contact with the floor. He sat square on her stomach, using a hand to pin both of her wrists to the floor.

“What the-“ Navani barked from under him. She struggled under his weight, which was almost surprising because he was a little slimmer compared to her trained build.

“Looks who’s on top now! Literally!” He mocked with a big grin on his face.

She hadn’t realized how close they were until then. It all settled in. His weight on her, the way his breath fanned over her face when he talked, his hand holding down her wrists above her head. The butterflies in her stomach matched the intensity of her beating heart. Not to mention she was almost as red as her shirt. Both of their gazes locked on each other, trained so intensely. All those things she had felt for him before over powered the hurt he had caused her. Maybe she had been a bit too harsh, a little too stubborn?...

It had felt like they had been sitting there forever until Katara came bounding into the room.

“Sokka! You’ll never believe it! Gran-Ahh!” She screamed. Both Sokka and Navani yelling along with her as Navani basically launched Sokka across the room. Kicking him off from on top of her.

Katara turned away with her hands over her eyes, “Oh my gosh! Can’t you guys find somewhere a little more private to do that!” She took off.

“Katara!” Navani called, getting up off the floor to run after her, “It’s not what you think at all! I swear!”

They both ran to the door but gave up on chasing after her. They stopped in the doorway, standing close to each other. When they realized it, neither of them jerked away like they normally would’ve. Navani felt....comfortable with their proximity. Something that shocked her, scared her almost.

“I- uhhhh,” Sokka stuttered, trying to ease the tension, “That was fun wasn’t it?”

Navani playfully rolled her eyes, giggling.

===

Later that day Navani was the first to rush out for her...date? Training? She didn’t even know what to call it, with Prince Hai.

For the last hour or two she had spent her time with Prince Hai as he taught her some water bending moves. She was surprised because she already knew a thing or two but his way was so much different from the way she had been taught by her mother. So she was grateful that she was actually able to learn something.

Now they sitting on the palace steps, just enjoying their time together.

“Thank you for teaching me.” She said, leaning back with her palms against the icy step under her, “I really appreciate it.”

He turned to her smiling, “You’re welcome. Thank you for letting me teach you. It’s not everyday a beautiful girl such as yourself gets to spend time with a prince.” He joked.

“I’m sure there are a ton of other girls who would be jealous of me right now.” Navani chuckled, noticing the space between them decrease slowly. Her laughed died off awkwardly as he got closer.

“Yeah, well it doesn’t matter anyways. There would be no gain in a girl marrying me with my current situation.” He sighed, the atmosphere around them shifting.

“Now don’t say that.” Navani comforted, “Any girl would be lucky to marry you.”

He looked into her eyes and Navani saw how bright they seemed to glow under the moonlight, “You really think so?”

Navani smiled, glancing down at his lips and seeing how close they were, “I know so.” She spoke, attempting to keep their distance.

But much to her dismay, he kissed her. She gasped at the sudden contact, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. She felt confused and just odd. It didn’t feel....right to her. It caught her completely off guard. At this, the Prince pulled away quickly with a worried look on his face.

“Oh spirits! I shouldn’t have done that.” He got up hurriedly, leaving Navani on the steps.

She got up after him, “Wait! Prince Hai!”

He stopped at the top of the steps, Navani catching up to him and taking a gentle hold on his wrist.

“I’m sorry,” She began, look up at him, “I’m sorry if it made it seem like we were anything more than friends. And I didn’t mean to hurt you in anyway. But I just think we aren’t destined to have a relationship in those sorts.”

He gave a sad smile, “I understand....you like someone else instead.”

Navani’s eyebrows knotted in confusion, “What?”

“Sokka, is it? I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. I was foolish for even thinking that we could’ve had something.”

Navani stood silently for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe she did look at Sokka a little too fondly sometimes. And maybe she still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of him in such a way.

Navani took a step closer to him, “No you’re not, you were just doing what your heart was telling you to do.”

Hai smiled again, taking hold of her shoulders, “Go. Go do what you heart is telling you to do and find him.” And so she did. Of course she didn’t leave without giving her thanks and appreciation.

Navani walked back to the igloo in hopes of finding Sokka before he went off to do his activity with the Princess. She tried walking without being too loud. Or else her foot steps would echo off the ice walls. She trotted down a couple walk ways, crosses some bridges until she finally turned up at the igloo. With every step her heart grew with anticipation. She felt as though she could do anything. She rushed through the doorway, a smile as bright as the moon on her face.

“Where is he?” Navani exclaimed, out of breath.

Katara and Aang jumped, startled at her sudden appearance, “Who? Sokka?” Katara questioned.

Navani nodded eagerly, almost squealing with excitement. She was finally coming to terms with her feelings.

“He’s mentioned something about a bridge and seeing the Prin-“ Katara wasn’t able to finish her sentence before Navani rushed back out with a thanks.

At this point she didn’t care if she was loud and her stomping foot steps could be heard. She figured she start with the bridge where she sent Sokka and heralded flying into the water. She slowed as she approached the corner. Hunched over, she caught her breathe. She couldn’t help but over hear the conversation going on.

“Hi, Princess Yue. I made you something.” Navani over heard Sokka greet the Princess. She peaked her head around the corner, leaning as far up against the ice wall as she could. It hurt a little to see them together like so.

She watched as Sokka held out his hand to show Princess Yue what was supposed to be a fish carving. When did he have time to make that? Maybe he really wasn’t doing this just to mess around with her...

”I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake.” The Princess cried, turning away, “I shouldn’t have asked you to come here.” She ran off as Navani stepped out from around the corner.

When she did something hard hit her in the head, “Ow!” She whined, rubbing the sore spot in her forehead.

Sokka stormed off without noticing Navani. She cursed herself for not making it known that she was there sooner. However she did make an effort to rush back to the igloo to make it seem like she hadn’t been spying on him this whole time. She ran through the doorway, startling Aang and Katara once again.

She tore her coat off in a hurry, along with her boots, plopping down on the ground next to Katara.

Not even a second later Sokka stomps right in, clearly upset. He kicked his sleeping bag and slumped down over it.

“How’s warrior training?” Navani asks carefully, making sure her pace was steady.

Aang looks at Navani with confusion. Navani gave him a desperate look and the boy quickly caught on, “That bad?” He played off.

Sokka groaned, “It’s Princess Yue! One minute she wants to go out with me and then the next she’s telling me to get lost!”

It saddened Navani to see him in such a sour mood over what had just went down. At that point she tuned out of the conversation and focused on relaxing. She laid down on her sleeping bag, arms behind her head and legs crossed. She hadn’t noticed Katara and Aang had left until a little while later. Leaving Navani and Sokka alone.

===

The events that occurred the night before greatly contrasted what was happening right now.

That morning Katara had challenged Master Pakku to a fight, which she still lost despite her skill. And now she was taking a walk with Prince Hai.

“You really like him don’t you?” The Prince questioned with a sly smile.

“What?” Navani blushed, trying to play it off, “I wouldn’t say really like him but-“

“Just admit and stop making it harder for yourself.” He laughed as they approached a bridge.

There stood the Princess and Sokka engaged in a kiss. Navani froze. Her whole body going numb. Her heart began to ache in her chest, under all the layers of cloths she had on. A lump grew in her throat, getting bigger by the second.

Prince Hai had done a service by leading her away from the scene as she wept. She knew she shouldn’t be crying. Because if Sokka had seen her and Hai kiss yesterday, would he have reacted the same?

Hai brought her close in a snug embrace, “Navani, don’t cry. It’ll be alright. She can’t even be with him. She’s engaged!” He explained, taking her face in his hands.

But her expression stayed the same as more tears fell upon her cheeks. Her breathing was choppy and all she could do was sob. She didn’t know why she was in the first place. It’s not like her and Sokka were...dating...in the first place. But she knew deep down that she wanted him. Yet she couldn’t have him.

[][][]

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margridarnauds · 4 years

Note

But what would your ideal adaptation of CMT be like?

Thank you for the ask! (And for giving me the chance to talk about my actual child!)

I meant to get to this yesterday, but I was in the library at the time, then I was at the post office, getting some of my books shipped back to the States before my move back, and then came the news of Level 5 and....Well. I was around town.

TOUGH question, and one that I’ve been thinking about for ages. CMT IS my baby, so my standards for adapting it are, frankly, both ridiculously low (CMT ON SCREEN!) and ridiculously high (I stg if you do this wrong....)

Personally, I have two ideas for it, one of which is more serious than the other, so I’ll deal with it first:

A miniseries. Because I don’t think you can really DO CMT well in the course of a film. You could try, but I don’t think it would work. I would personally want it to be a part of an overarching series that’s just there to adapt the Book of Invasions. That way, there’s context for this. (And because I’m a biased bitch, I’d probably want it to begin with the Fir Bolg, with the previous invasions recounted. You could have Fintan as an overarching narrator, holding the various series together. Have a season dedicated to them, end it on the TDD’s arrival.)

Now, what I’d want this miniseries to do: - Have a setup where both Lugh and Bres are given equal amounts of time. A thing that I’ve noticed a lot of retellings doing is to make it so that Lugh is the unambiguous, shining hero and set off with that idea in mind from the beginning, with Bres being a cliched villain, but if you read CMT from the beginning....Bres is given a LOT of traits that we associate with heroes. The story of CMT even begins with his conception and birth. Bres, whether people like it or not, is a protagonist of CMT. He’s a villain protagonist. But a protagonist, right alongside Lugh. You can’t have Lugh without Bres, you can’t have Bres without Lugh, and I would LOVE for an adaptation to get to the heart of that dynamic. Start off with Bres, devote a couple of episodes to him and what makes him tick (while also setting up Lugh’s birth, since that’s taking place during his reign), and then show it all falling down.

- Have one of the first images being of the Fir Bolg, led by Sreng in retreat. Look, I’ve accepted that the only one who really cares about Sreng as much as me is....me, and the only adaptation that would feature him as much as I would want is one that I’d be writing (IF I EVER ACTUALLY FUCKING WRITE THE FUCKING THING), but, if we CAN’T get him in there as a major character in his own right and Bres’ love interest, I would like to at least start it off with the understanding that the Tuatha Dé’s settlement of Ireland did happen over a LOT of Fir Bolg bodies. It makes their fight with the Fomoire a little more gray, because it’s suddenly less “THE FOMOIRE ARE INVADING THE TUATHA DÉ, HOW EVIL” and more “The TDD’s sins coming back to kick them hard in the ass”. The Fir Bolg had the land, the TDD challenged them for it, the TDD won. By medieval Irish standards, that was justified, as was the subjugation of the Fir Bolg afterward. But this is a modern adaptation, for a modern audience, and that doesn’t mean we have to be objective. Especially given that it forced the Fir Bolg to flee to the Fomoire, for fear of the TDD enslaving them. Ideally, the Fir Bolg’s history with enslavement would have been dealt with in the previous season, which would have started off with the Sons of Dela breaking out of Greece.

- Present the Fomoire as Vikings. This is BIG to me because it’s VERY easy to make the Fomoire a Generically Evil, Dark Fantasy Race, which makes it very, very easy to do a black and white version of things. But I would rather show the Fomoire as a group of people who have their own priorities, their own cultural mores, but are still PEOPLE. Bres isn’t evil because he’s Fomoire (I hesitate to call him “evil” to begin with, but if we’re going to use that term...); he makes a series of bad judgement calls and turns traitor to his own maternal kin-group. Balor isn’t really evil himself, even if we go into the folktale variation where he wants Lugh killed at birth (personally, I kind of favor the CMT version of it where Lugh was just...born of an arranged marriage), is acting with the authority of a medieval Norse head of the household. Tethra is perfectly willing to go along with the raids in Ireland...but we know, from what happens later, that it isn’t because he has a personal vendetta, it’s just probably more convenient to him. And I wouldn’t expect ALL the Fomoire to get a ton of attention, because we still have to be concerned with time, but just enough to fill them out.

- The only time I want to make an exception is Ruadan. Because we HAVE to get him fleshed out as well. We’ve got to see him as a young kid under Bres and Bríg’s feet, we’ve got to see the two of them pausing from the arguments that dominate their relationship during Bres’ kingship when they see him standing at the door, we’ve got to see him trying to adjust to the Fomoire, not QUITE fitting in (just like his father before him), but trying so, so hard. We’ve got to see Bres clinging onto him during the twenty years in exile, promising him that, one day, it’ll be worth it. Got to see Bres trying to not show the exhaustion from those twenty years in front of his son, even if we can see on Ruadan’s face that he knows. We’ve got to understand WHY he takes the mission up, the mission that he has to know will destroy his reputation if he fails (and if he succeeds), and we’ve got to understand why Bríg screams out in anguish when she sees his broken body “in his father’s presence”, Bres helplessly rocking him back and forth. I know we probably can’t get all of Bres’ kids (which is a pity because, honestly, Dui Temen and Indusa are probably my favorites), but if we can’t get all six of the Sibs, we’ve got to make sure that Ruadan is given a ton of fleshing out and development to make that one, horrifying moment strike true. Because that’s honestly, in my opinion, the single most poignant moment of the text and, if we don’t establish Ruadan off the bat, it loses that importance.

--Indech, Indech, Indech as the primary villain. I love this Fomorian bitch so much and he gets no respect, generally being shafted for Balor. I know, limited time, but I would at least like to give him one or two scenes to establish himself as THE king of the Fomoire, next to Elatha, give him a bit of time to establish himself as a bitch, and give him his moment of “Their bones will be dust soon.” Because, let’s be real, that’s a kind of metal moment. Bonus if, when Bres is standing next to him, there’s this distinct moment of “Oh, shit, I did NOT think this through.” Possibly change the timeline around so that his.......”kidneys of valor” (THAT ARE NOT HIS TESTICLES, ABSOLUTELY NOT) are removed by the Morrigan AFTER Macha’s death, so that there’s this sense of catharsis.

- Potentially controversial, but I like Early Modern Nuada, who, by the time of CMT, is a broken, jealous king. Have him decide not to try Dían Cecht for Miach’s death because, hey, they need him, and he DID do Nuada a favor. Have him hand over the throne to Lugh so that he can get rid of the Fomoire, yeah, but have him have doubts. Have him be jealous at the easy love that Lugh gains, while he can’t save his own people. Have him be paranoid about Lugh taking everything for himself and leaving him with nothing. Have him, as in the Early Modern recession of CMT, getting the TDD to drug Lugh before the battle, because, in that one moment, it doesn’t matter if the TDD win or lose, all he wants is for Lugh to be *gone*. And then have him redeem himself by challenging Balor to single combat, only to lose. Have Lugh, in those last few moments, promise to look after the TDD, whatever it takes.

-Speaking of the Bitch, I REALLY want to see Lugh’s ruthless side. I know, even with a full miniseries, that we can’t get into, say, the Sons of Tuireann, because even though I’d love to spend a whole episode on that....places to go, people to see. But I would like to see at least a little of that part of Lugh that is willing to do anything, ANYTHING for the sake of the TDD, and that makes him do, arguably, worse things than even Balor and Bres for the sake of it. When Bres goes to plead for his life at the end, I want Lugh staring down at him, completely impassive. Around the two of them, there are bodies scattered EVERYWHERE, the ground absolutely drenched in blood, Bres himself is absolutely covered in blood and gore, his body held to the ground by an Ogham stone that Ogma put there (in my ideal world, where we get to establish the brothers and their relationship, it would be his one, last ditch effort to save Bres from himself), and there’s Lugh, totally pristine, his blonde hair perfectly curled, looking down at him like you would at a cockroach. When he says “Less will save you”, I want him to not even really be looking at Bres, but more at his goblet of wine, and then, when he accepts Bres’ terms, I want a zoom-in on that wine goblet, and specifically the dark red liquid in it, as an ominous theme begins to play. (I KNOW we can’t get to Bres’ death, but also....let me have at least a call forward to it. There’s a lot of Dindshenchas CMT-aligned material that I would LOVE to see, including Duirgen, Carn Hui Néit, Nás, and Carmun, but that...well. Time. Which is a pity because Carmun is probably my FAVORITE of the Dindshenchas stories.)

- A little bit of screen time for the ladies. Again, time is time, but it’s very easy to turn CMT into a boys’ story, which isn’t helped by the message of the original being quite patriarchal (THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET LADIES GET INTO POLITICS: A HOT MESS). But I actually really am interested in the women of the text. Ériu loves her son SO MUCH that she’s willing to turn her back on her people for him, and I’d love at least one flashback sequence, probably when Bres is making the decision to leave the TDD, around the end of....episode 3-4 I want to say, and we get to see Ériu as a young mother, holding Bres in her arms and smiling, even as the rest of the TDD look on her with anxiety, with her promising her that, no matter what, they’ll have each other. I want to see the Morrigan and Macha both trying to convince her to abandon Bres, because they don’t want to lose their sister, but Ériu standing firm in her decision. (She isn’t a warrior like them, but she’s strong in an entirely different way, with a spine of steel, and the other two know it.) I want to see Macha’s death at Balor’s hands and see the Morrigan and Badb losing their absolute SHIT for the first time (as a future archnemesis of theirs would say: “All sport, all play until......” The battle’s been FUN up until this point, but then suddenly it becomes very, very real to them.) If we could get a little of Tailtiu’s fosterage of Lugh, her status as an outsider (the Spanish widow to the last king of the Fir Bolg, trying to find her way among the invaders, dealing with the loss of her only biological son), and her own trace of ruthlessness, I would be VERY happy, especially since you can....see how Lugh turns out the way he does. Both the good and the bad. And we could probably handle that in just one scene, possibly in around episodes 2-3 during Bres’ reign. I’d also LOVE it if we could get a moment where, after Ruadan’s death, she’s the one to go over to Bríg and clasp her hand. Because, even if their husbands (possibly ex-husband in Bríg’s case, depending on how we deal with her dynamic with Bres) hated one another, Tailtiu knows fully well how it feels to lose a son, and it gives a chance for there to be a moment of humanity in a text that can be very inhumane at times. I’d love to see Cethlenn BEGGING Balor to not go to the battle, since she does have the power of foresight, but for it to be very obvious in her eyes that she knows that he isn’t going to accept it and then for her to straighten her back and wish him well. Because their love story is built as much on shared duty as it is on passion, and she knows that it has to be this way, he’s got to choose this, and she’s got to let him and keep her dignity.

-This is probably highly wishful thinking, but I kind of liked Vikings’ idea of switching between English and the historically accurate dialogue, depending on the perspective. I think it would be HARD to pull off, but I’d love to see it going between Old Irish, English, and Old Norse, just to really show off that these are two very different cultures. IDEALLY, I’d also, in my absolute, ideal world, have audio dubbing in Gaeilge as well. It would be a hell of a venture, but I’m very firmly of the belief that this is an Irish story, it deserves to be told in Irish.

-Relating to that: Irish cast (for the TDD/Fir Bolg, Scandinavian for the Fomoire), as much as you can possibly do. (Given that the total population of the entire island’s around 5 million, it’s a tall order, but hey.) IDEALLY, I’d want there to be also be regional variation in the accents: The Dagda will always, to me, have a Dublin accent, Ogma coming from Roscommon, Bres having a Northern Irish accent. If Sreng shows up, I’d want him to have a Cork or a Limerick accent, etc. Again, it’s a tall order, and one that I don’t think could be easily done, but a girl can dream. My ultimate goal would be to at least have a higher Irish: English ratio than The Tudors. That’s my dream. (I have but one really HARD casting decision and that’s Sarah Bolger as Airmed. Please. Please. GIVE HER THE ANGST. GIVE HER THE QUIET TERROR AND THE DADDY ISSUES. WE KNOW SHE CAN DO IT. That and Ruth Negga as Tailtiu.)

- Also, ideally, I would like to have a situation where you have experts in archaeology, medieval Ireland and, specifically, Irish mythology on set to make sure that it’s as historically accurate to the 9th century as you can get without becoming bogged down in it. (Medieval Irish costumes...aren’t really.....glamorous, but I would like to see a nice streamlining of it that keeps the feel of the era while also, frankly, looking really, really cool.) For Nuada’s hall, I’d want to make sure that we actually had a reconstruction of the Great Hall at Tara (WHICH IS REALLY COOL IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN TARA, NGL) as people in the middle ages would have imagined it. This long, narrow hall lit by torches, Lugh almost having to walk over a few people’s legs to get to the front, and there, at the head of it all, is the king. People from UCD, UCC, Trinity, etc. (Maybe even get some people from Maynooth, if they promise to behave.) If I know my fellow Celticists well enough, I think a few of them would even jump at the opportunity to be a part of something like this. (I know of at least one expert in Old Irish who actually translated a spell for the Grimm TV show.) Basically, medieval Ireland almost NEVER gets put on screen (Pilgrimage is the last example that I can really think of, if we’re not counting Secret of the Kells, which we probably should because, tbh, awesome), and Irish Mythology gets it even less, so this would, theoretically, probably be our ONE CHANCE to get this done and get this done right.

-Animated opening screen, Secret of the Kells style, in the style of an illuminated manuscript. PLEASE. I NEED IT. Either that or, if we can’t get something like that, I would love to see something that covers the entirety of Ireland, matching up the different characters to different locations, since the landscape is SUCH a huge part of these myths. You know. Like. That one fantasy show. The one with the dragons. And the zombies.

Now, for my SECOND idea for an adaptation:

A musical. Of COURSE I would want a musical. Like, it’s a no-brainer for me. Musicals thrive off of emotion and drama, and CMT has a TON of it. Now, what type of musical? That is the question.

And I’m actually being serious when I say this.

Even though it’s going to sound cracky and tbh, it definitely is. But it’s also me. And what is CMT if not a 9th century scribe’s crackfic of Irish Mythology, put to contemporary political themes and using traces of Indo-European tradition?

.....

A Takarazuka style musical. Because, goddammit, with their high focus on glitter, I feel like they’re the only ones who could TRULY put Bres and Lugh on stage, and their habit of letting pretty villains off the hook could work really, really well in Bres’ favor. That and I find the idea of them trying to adapt a myth with as much blood, guts, and sex in it as CMT personally hilarious. Lugh/Bui becomes the Top Star combo. Does Bui have all that much to do in the original CMT? No. But she’s our love interest. So she gets Top Star role, and at least one solo song. That’s probably all about how she’ll wait for Lugh no matter what. (We, of course, ignore her cheating on him.) Bres gets only one song, but it’s a showstopper, probably when he decides to fuck off to the Fomoire, and he and Lugh have OODLES of homoerotic tension. (If it were an adaptation of the first battle, Bres and Sreng would get. So. So much. But, alas.) If we don’t have Bres acting like a jealous boyfriend whenever he sees the TDD supporting Lugh, causing him to break out into a song about how much he HATES stupidly-hot Lugh, what’s the point? (Also: The chance for Goth!Bres. Which is, tbh, the Bres that I need in my life.) Also: Glorious costumes all around.

The Dagda is the hapless comic relief character, who goes on PG-at-most antics. Probably involving eating a lot of porridge, hitting on every lady in sight (but of course not doing ANYTHING else) and passing out. He and Tsundere!Morrigan function as the Beta couple.

Elatha is like. The Older Villain character, along the lines of, say, Mazarin in All For One, Talleyrand in Robespierre, Don Ferdinando in El Japón, etc. Balor probably wouldn’t be able to make it on screen, but...as an admitted and confirmed Bres Stan...........I’ve seen so many adaptations that don’t include Bres and make Balor the principle villain that...................sorry :) Balor :) That’s :) Very :) Tragic :) For :) You :) I LIKE Balor, but if he and Bres were dangling off a cliff....I’ve got to go for the pretty one with daddy issues and poor life choices, sorry Balor.

Personally, I WOULD rather have Bres as the viewpoint character, with a Frozen “Monster”-esque number where he realizes that he’s the villain of the story but, unlike Elsa, decides to succumb to it, but I also know fully well that Lugh is basically MADE for the Takarazuka stage as a hero so...

The last time Takarazuka did something Irish-themed was in....I want to say 1994, with the Afterglow of Eire, and you know what? It’s time. If they did this for me, I would buy the DVD and force every single Celticist I know to watch it. And then make enough gifsets that you wouldn’t be able to THINK about Takarazuka on here without also thinking of “CMT” and vice versa. I would love it so, so much, no matter what they did. And I would, of course, relentlessly make fun of it as well. But in a loving way. (Even if they went the predictable route and went for Creepy!Bres.)

Alright, I said “two” but ngl, I came up with a third while I was writing this up: A comic book. Because I feel like, in some ways, it’s the only way you can really capture that larger than life aspect. (Ditto for works like the Táin, which can only really be done either via comic book or anime. Not that I’m opposed to an anime with Bishounen!Lugh/Bres. Which wasn’t intended to be a slash ship but I said what I said. Cursed. But hey.)

#irish mythology #long post #Anonymous

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doc-pickles · 4 years

Text

it’s nothing funny just to talk (p. 1)

What happens when you text that random number graffitied on a bathroom stall in your favorite bar? Jo Wilson is about to find out. - In which Bar Princess and Doctor Evil Spawn meet via text.

More Jolex on your timeline because y’all seemed to love what I posted before! Also I’ve posted this whole piece on AO3 as well so it might look familiar.

this idea came to me in a fever dream and i am not sorry that y'all have to deal with it. 99% of this fic will be in "texting" format, so be prepared for that.

Jo is regular Alex is italics

Saturday 11:04 PM

heeeeey is thiss doctor evil?

I gotta say ur phone sex namee needs sum weerk

u soud like a comic book village

fuck

village

VILLAIN

Who the hell is this? And how did you get my number?

i’m just a girl at thee bar!!!!

Joe’s Bar?

noooooo

i’m at enerlad city bar

You didn’t answer my question.

u asked a quesitoon?

whata was it?

i’m goos at takifjg tests

How’d you get my number?

it qas in the bathrooom!!!

it said “for a good tiem txt dr evil spawne”

so I did

I am ready to havee fun

You’re drunk, obviously, and I’m going to have to kill Cristina for putting my number up.

ooooooh is thatt ur girleifnd?

hirlefiend

girlfriend**

Wow you’re really gone. And hell no, she’s my roommate. One of them.

ooooh how many do u hav

roomees not girlfriends

Three. Two girls and a dude.

intereeesting...

well it’s tome for fireball shoots

steph is yeeling at me 4 txting too much

goodbey doctor eviel apawn!!

Oh lord. Tell Steph you need water. Or an IV.

I’ve got her. she’s throwing up on her shoes. thanks doctor. - steph

Sunday 10:11 AM

You know you’re pretty funny, Bar Girl.

jesus christ what fucking time is it?!

10 AM

I’m assuming you have a massive hangover.

hold on I can’t hear you over the sound of me vomiting

TMI as the kids say these days.

what’re you a grandpa or something??

No I just don’t know how to use text lingo. Except WTF. I know that one very well.

quick question

who the fuck are you?

Dr. Evil Spawn. You found my name graffitied in the bathroom of Emerald City Bar.

holy shit

I thought I dreamed that... WHAT THE FUCK

Nope. I’m real.

holy shit i’m so sorry

my texts were so annoying

Who hurt you? I mean you were shitfaced, I’m assuming someone broke your heart into tiny pieces.

the opposite actually, I was at a bachelorette party

not mine, i’m so single it hurts

Ahhh that makes sense. So you got shitfaced in solidarity?

exactly you get it

you seem like you’d be the DD at a bachelorette party

Well seeing as I’m a dude I don’t do Bachelorette parties.

Well I did go to one, but that’s a different story.

hmmm you seem like a very interesting man doctor evil spawn

going to bachelorette parties, living with women who aren’t your girlfriend

OMG ARE YOU DATING THE GUY YOU LIVE WITH?!

George? No absolutely not. And before you ask, my other girl roommate is gay.

so you’re single?

i’m only asking so when you murder me the police have as much information as possible

Haha very funny. I would be a terrible murderer.

you didn’t answer my question

Fine. Yes I’m single.

i’ll note that in the “serial killer file” i’m building

gotta go, I have to do work :/

Have fun, don’t die.

Sunday 8:38 PM

Arizona is trying to set me up on a blind date.

who’s arizona?

My gay roommate. She wants me to meet this “bubbly blonde” she knows from her pilates class.

ahhhh. why don’t you go?

Bubbly blonde is not my type. Sounds like she’ll spend the whole date talking about how much she loves dogs or her knitting hobby.

Plus she does pilates, that tells me more than enough.

you’re making some good points. I don’t pity you.

You better not. How was work?

the longest day of my life

it was just paperwork, I don’t actually work on the weekends

What do you do?

hmmmm that’s exactly what a serial killer would say

i’m an elementary school teacher

Oh so you sing and dance and paint pictures all day?

what school did you go to?

were working on multiplication tables and basic photosynthesis tomorrow

Wow that sounds like a lot.

it’s may, ive got three weeks of school left so I have to cram all the crap we didn’t cover into these last few weeks

Ahhh that sounds more accurate.

and what do you do?

besides text strangers that you don’t know

I’m a pediatrician.

oh so you make kids cry and wipe snotty noses all day? two can play at that game

Well we both have to deal with snotty noses sooo...

I GET IT!! Doctor Evil Spawn!!

why evil spawn though?

I wasn’t this nice when I started med school. My personality is an acquired taste.

ha! that’s a funny joke.

so if you’re a fancy schmancy doctor why do you live with three other people?

I’m only a resident, not making the big bucks yet. Everyone else is a doctor too.

are they all pediatricians?

No. Arizona is too but Cristina is a cardiologist and George is a trauma specialist.

interesting!! I too live with my coworkers. it’s not fun.

the table is always covered in craft supplies.

Well I can never read the grocery list on the fridge. Stupid doctors script...

oh that’s a classic. you’re pretty funny Dr. Evil Spawn

Thanks Bar Girl.

I gotta go. monday tomorrow and you know how fourth graders can be. night!!

Night .

Monday 9:47 AM

there’s not enough coffee in the world for monday mornings.

Monday 10:52 AM

Sorry I was yelling at the interns. We have a decent coffee cart here. Keeps me alive. Are you texting in class?

no it was recess

now they’re at spanish class

i’m not totally irresponsible

Oh good to know the future of America is in good hands. Teacher Princess is “not totally irresponsible”

teacher princess?

Well, Cinderella lost her shoe, you puked on yours. Same thing.

wooooooooow

that was so uncalled for...

I thought it was funny. Gotta go set a broken arm.

broken arm vs. adverbs... can we switch? have fun lol

Monday 3:26 PM

I don’t even think I know what an adverb is.

how did you become a doctor??

Don’t need to know adverbs to fix a couple broken bones and snuffy noses.

oh darn I should’ve gone to school for seven more years then

Haha. How were the adverbs?

better than expected, grading papers while I wait for my roomies to be done

we carpool, saving the environment and shit

Okay Eco Warrior.

you text like a 60 year old man

you’re not a 60 year old man are you?

No I’m a 28 year old man though

28 a doctor and you’re single? your personality must be worse than you described

I’m a busy man, I don’t have time to settle down. And I have no desire to.

yet you have time to text a complete stranger?

hmmmm interesting...

Ouch, that one hurt Princess.

steph is making me socialize with the other teachers

if I don’t respond, they killed me or dragged me to an essential oil party

Hahahaha

Monday 5:18 PM

Did you get roped into a pyramid scheme?

nooo but therew as wine

I should sotp drunk texting you so often

It makes your presence that much more entertaining. And bearable.

woah woah dude

i’m a gem

I can tell. Elementary school teacher with a heart of gold.

awwww your too sweet tome

It’s a Monday. Who the hell gets drunk on a Monday?

teachers

we deserve it

You’re a teacher and you’re single and still going to Bachelorette parties. You’re what, 23?

i’m 25 and i’m doing greta thanks you very nuch

cnat believe that i’m supplying my perosnal info to a serial killer

What makes you so sure that I’m a mass murderer?

ur weird nickname and ur intimate knowledge of the himan body

Mmm yes well a good amount of women do find themselves screaming around me often. Or under me. On top of me...

omg are you sending me dirty jokes

you’re crazy

What can I say.

Gotta go, I’m on call tonight. Get to bed safe, Bar Princess.

mmmkay thanks Doc

Wednesday 11:29 AM

What do you think is worse: School lunch or hospital food?

hospital food, no doubt

thursday is mac and cheese day here... I could bathe in that stuff

We have Spaghetti Wednesday but that’s the only good thing here.

mmm how depressing

the teachers do a pot luck once a month and that’s always good

the art teacher next door to me makes the BEST blueberry muffins.

Lucky. All I get here is vending machine cookies. Anything interesting happening in the elementary world?

a first grader got lice last week so naturally we all have it now

I had to chop off six inches of my hair

Holy crap. Lice can be vicious, be thankful you didn’t have to shave your head.

it feels like I did, my hair hasn’t been above my shoulders since the backstreet boys were still touring

Wow. I’m glad to know you’re well cultured.

of course I am

gotta go, kids are back from music class

Don’t be too hard on them, they deserve a break every once in awhile.

Thursday 3:06 PM

Incoming Voice Call

“Jenna you forgot your lunch pail. Have a good day!”

“Hello?”

“Hi Mrs. Peters. I didn’t grade Henry’s test yet, I’ll have it tomorrow. Thanks bye!”

“Helloooo?”

“Steph I gotta grab my things, I’ll be there in a seco- oh shit. Hello?”

“Bar Princess?”

“Doctor Evil Spawn? I must’ve butt dialed you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay I... I don’t mind the interruption. Are you leaving work?”

“Just about, we’re wrapping up the solar system and I have to bring home the diorama.”

“I was never good at the models, I prefer working with the real thing.”

“Oh ho, a man that works with his hands. I can appreciate that.”

“You know now we’re officially talking and we still don’t know each other’s names.”

“Well around here I’m Miss Wilson, but you can call me Jo.”

“Jo. Hmm I like chicks with dudes names. I’m Dr. Karev but you can call me Alex.”

“Well nice to kinda meet you Alex. I’ll talk to you soon, I gotta get out of here.”

“Talk to you later.”

Thursday 4:34 PM

I wouldn’t mind if you were my teacher.

how did I know you’d send me something along those lines

I’m predictable. I’m still calling you Bar Princess.

as you wish doctor evil spawn

I get to assist on a surgery today. Tonsillectomy.

like removing tonsils? that’s awesome

for you, not for the kid

Oh she’ll be fine, she gets ice cream and jello for a week.

okay yeah I might be jealous of her now

id love to be off work for a week and have you waiting on me hand and foot

the ice cream is a nice bonus

You think that’s my job?

well you said you aren’t making the big bucks yet so.... yeah

Keep dreaming. I’ll talk to you later, gotta scrub in.

have fun!!!!

#jolex #jolex fanfic #jolex fanfiction #jo karev #jo wilson #jo wilson karev #alex karev #alternate universe #jolex fic #jo x alex #greys anatomy #greys fanfic #INFJTT #nina writes

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zithjen · 5 years

Text

Some Core Issues of this World

Before we dive into the execution of a revolution we should probably address why change is necessary and why it is so important that it happens soon.

The issue that has always bothered me personally the most is that of the exploitation of the worker. To think that the t-shirt I was wearing was sewn by a girl my age or younger, in a run-down factory, breathing in poisonous gases, continuously working her hands bloody (literally) because she has no real choice but to let companies exploit her, just to ensure that her family can afford the barest necessities of life. It is one of the most disgusting things I can think of. She doesn’t have the option of doing something with her life that fulfils her. She has to sell her labour at a wage that is no where near enough to provide for her loved ones. And to top this off employers could not care less for their employees’ safety and thus the working conditions are often insecure and endanger the workers. Phew, all the topics that come to my mind when thinking about this. Apart from endangering their workers, big companies and employers take away people’s means of living by for example pressuring them to sell their farmland which has been their main source of food and income for generations or buying up a vital fresh water source, bottling it up and selling the water these people used to get for free straight from nature for money which they simply do not have (not to mention the pollution created during the process if plastic bottle-making and then the shipping of the goods (I tip my hat to you if you also immediately thought of companies like Nestlé who are one of these monsters)). Or, which I might find even worse, such factories polluting their environment with chemicals either out of self-servitude or ignorance. Excuse me, I get carried away. Awful things that we let happen.

Now, as for the reason why this is an issue that could and needs to be ended by a system change is that this exploitation is the absolute base on which capitalism is built. Capitalism relies on the means of production getting cheaper and cheaper and the market to continue expanding. And seeing as we as consumer ship expect less expensive products the money we do not want to pay needs to be taken from somewhere. I can guarantee you that CEO’s will not part with a single penny which means that labourers (this includes office workers as well nowadays, contrary to Karl Marx’ time where this particular class struggle was first properly studied and where Marx’ oppressed class, the Proletariat, was made up by all workers (meaning factory and manual labourers) of the world) will have to deal with worsening working conditions and even less pay.

Instead of having only a handful of people in a company call the shots, make most of the money and not care about the people doing the actual work, anarcho-syndicalists as well as communists suggest self organisation and the complete abolishment of hierarchies, as well as a reconnecting with the work we are doing. The people working in a factory deciding how, when, and what they want to do that is, however, just a small part of that change.

While we are on the topic of exploitation, something else that is grossly being exploited is our earth and her resources. I don’t know where or when people got the idea that the earth is a 24 hours unlimited all you can eat buffet but it isn’t. Get that idiocy out of your heads. On the bright side, not all people are completely unaware. So there have been multiple trends in recent years such as a ban of plastic bags in supermarket chains all over the world and the most recent trend of refusing plastic straws. While it is admirable that some people are doing something it is hardly enough. What needs to change is again the system. 100 companies are responsible for 70% of emissions and although I do not know the numbers for the responsibility of ocean pollution I’d wager our plastic sins, while despicable and under all costs needs to be reduced, if not stopped, are nowhere near as harmful as that of big companies. Now, more important than continuing to reduce the harmful ways in which we impact our planet as individuals, is that we pressure big companies to either do the same or make sure they disappear forever. Aside from harmful emissions and plastic, in order to make profit, companies destroy enormous amounts of forest (especially in South America) for mono cultures of plants such as soy and palm trees. I have to admit geography is not my area of expertise, however, if I’m not mistaken then the hummus layer (which is the layer with most nutrients) in the ground in the rain forests is rather thin and can only be used for a short amount of time before yield is close to non existent without massive fertilisation. As though removing a big chunk of our planet’s lungs, our oxygen provider, wasn’t bad enough, using such amounts of fertiliser is incredibly harmful. And eventually these big stretches of land will have to be abandoned and by then the ground is so exhausted of nutrients that the forest struggles to reclaim the land. I can not even express my disdain for such reckless and stupid actions. And again we have only scratched the surface of these atrocities. We have yet to address the massive loss of life and habitat during deforestation. But I’ll leave that to organisations such as WWF and Green Peace.

Another topic close to my heart is discrimination. This will take me some time to cover as we are talking about discrimination against different ethnicities, people in the LGBTQ community, women, and, tied to the discrimination against ethnicities, xenophobia, and I’ll scrape the topic of the absolute brainlessness of borders and keeping people out of a country.

As a foreigner who grew up in the central European country I quickly learnt how normal discrimination is. As a child I got harassed and called slurs due to my origins. I wasn’t alone in this. If you didn’t absolutely adapt to the predominant culture you would have a though life. While this can be rather traumatising it is nothing compared to what prejudices for example black people in Europe as well as the US have had to live with. Shot at, killed, unjustly taken into custody, wrongly imprisoned. To name a few. I can’t believe that I am explaining this because the only right thing, on which I will not argue with anyone, is to judge a person based not on their skin colour, clothes, physical appearance, piercings, tattoos, hair colour, headscarf, burka, or anything like that, but on their actions and their capacity to show kindness. Back to the topic at hand. While there may be a lot of minorities, such as black people who live in poverty, which in no way represents their laziness or inferiority, they are not given the same opportunities as other people because of their skin colour. Prejudice and decades of oppression has forced them into impossible situations, where for many survival is their biggest concern. Being denied access to education or having to “sit with the brown kids” at lunch is what keeps them imprisoned in a lower class. This struggle is exceptionally painful as black people freed themselves of slavery mere decades ago just to be continuously mistreated.

Unfortunately, discrimination is not limited to people of colour. Modern women’s rights movements, which have been going on for over 100 years also still struggle and have to fight for each scrap of equality. I will not delve too deep into the topic. I will say though. My body. My choice. You can fuck the hell off if you tell any woman who did not specifically ask for your opinion how she should live her life. This is regarding clothing choices, choices regarding children, or how many or few sexual partners she has. Aside from that, many people see equality between men and women as achieved when plain and simple it has not been. The pay gaps being the smallest issue. Women are denied jobs for which they would be the perfect candidate for the reason of being female. The annoying thing about this is that many are not aware of their own prejudices, which makes it that much harder to battle. Women are naturally assumed to be the stay-at-home parent and are pressured into the “right” gender role. This applies to both men and women of course and the issue of bigenderism will be another point of discussion in the future. DISCLAIMER: Just because you do not do one of these things that does not automatically make you a non-sexist. It just makes you not quite such a sexist. Treat women as equals and there you go. Now actively say or do something for equal rights for women and you’ll be a feminist. This includes all women; white, black, Muslim, Christian, trans, etc. (We will discuss feminism and the fears connected to it at a later point as well.)

Speaking of trans (great TRANSition). Acceptance towards the lgbtq community is lacking as well. Not only is there a lack of acceptance but people actively hinder lgbtq members from being happy and living their lives the way they want to. I will try to make this very clear: they are not harming you by loving who they love and fucking who they want as you are. Who do you think you are, attacking them when they do nothing to harm you. Instead of complaining or hating queer people you might want to judge people based on their morals, as I have said before. A gay guy that’s rude is just as much of an unlikable person as a straight guy. He is, however, not an unlikable person because he’s gay. Never. Let people do what they want as long as they don’t harm anyone. And no one has a right to harm them for being who they are. Not civilians, not police. We just passed pride month, which, apart from reminding us to love who we love, should remind us of those who have fought for the rights of lgbtq members. It should remind us of those who were crushed and prohibited from loving and those who were suppressed by their governments and their police. Hatred will not stand against love.

And it is in these times, I believe, that we need love for one another more than ever before. We have reached a certain standard of living in western society that we do not have to fear for our lives. Unfortunately, not all people are that lucky. People flee from their home countries, whether it’s because it’s at war, or they can’t provide for their families. For whatever reason they flee, they are looking for a better life for their families and themselves and they need to be given a chance. Of course the problems in their countries need to be solved, but until they are these people need a home. Instead of pretending that they are all evil you could get over yourself and get to know some of them. Yes, there may be a cultural difference but it might be interesting to get to know it, broaden your horizon. Everyone is a human as you are. Some where just more or less fortunate in where they were born and how their country has been or is being governed. They have worries enough. Be kind to them. There is no need to put them in concentration camps, build walls to keep them out, separate children from their families, or be scared of them altogether.

Speaking of concentration camps (aka ICE). Many anarchists will agree that we hold no love for the police. I only briefly mentioned police brutality in the paragraphs about discrimination. I did not even scratch the surface of the disgusting things they do. They have been given the power and the right, by their government, to use force when they deem it necessary. Keep in mind they choose when they want to use force. It is no coincident that there are more black people being shot than white people by police, or that more lgbtq members are beat up than cis men. There is an imbalance in the distribution of power. We are governed from the top down and it is all we can do not to submit and accept this injustice.

If you take anything from this, let it be that we are all human beings, who deserve to live our lives as we choose, without fear for survival. Assuming we are different from one another because we are born in different places marked only by an imaginary line, or the colour of our skin, sexuality, or gender (which is also an ide constructed by our society).

It is not a coincidence either that all the oppressed are not white, straight, old men who sit in positions of power and assure that these few named injustices continue. It is our duty to ensure that no innocent is harmed and every moment we fail to do just that, is one moment too much. We need to fight this. Now.

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zoidham · 5 years

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F!!RE - Devoted to Black Fashion & Lifestyle

ARTicle One:

Introduction.

On Black Masculinity in Fashion

“Masculinity is not measured by your bicep size or sexual prowess but is a quality that is characterized by being affectionate, sincere, and responsible.” - Juwanza Kunjufu

Hey Now kinfolk, I am Zoid Hæm, and in these personal letters I will be reflecting on the Black Lifestyle as it pertains to #Fashion, #Soul, and #Art. I have chosen the name F!!RE for this experience to pay homage to the young black artists of the Harlem Renaissance who shocked the world with a scathing peek into the mind of young and free black folks with their one issue magazine simply called Fire!!.(Source): https://bit.ly/2GwIIY0

Blackness, in its constant evolution is of my greatest interest, for as Arthur Jafa (@anamibia) said in his interview for I-D magazine with Virgil Abloh “…blackness isn’t just relevant to black people. It’s an ontological formation thats seeking to understand the world. It’s about the possibility for a different way to occupy earth, to exist in it. (Source): https://bit.ly/2m3ygzn

So here I sit at this cross section of fashion and soul, asking myself what does my external experience tell me about my inner world? And since the former spews out of the latter I see a fluid evolution spiraling up, beckoning at the fringe of our reality like an avant-garde symbol, hated and misunderstood like all mysteries shrouded in blackness. Excitement billows out of me, as my existence becomes a thorough definition of the contradictions in my black consciousness; like vines, unconfined by the square bricks of this society, I sprawl out, creating branches, bridges, and underground railroads, breaking out of learned labels and ushering a new wave. A wave filled with bubbles that when they touch, combine and crash on this countries shores of Thought, making us all the more unique and free.

“Cultivate your Uniqueness.”

Free Hugs and Painted Nails:

Today's letter focuses in on black masculinity through the lens of fashion. It must have been the summer of 2011 when I sported boastful yet crude painted nails, and a small white button that said “Free Hugs". My body type was bulky, aggressive, and shouted, “Angry black man!" I had just finished my career in football, thankfully, and found myself hustling in the streets of New York City, as green as a rose stem among the grey concrete jungle, who's edifices and faces made me feel small, innocent, and utterly naive.

Yet in this place I began to shift my image, first my thoughts, by asking any and all types why they are who they are. Mind you as the son of two preachers who never went to a house party or drank till college, even with my years at university there was still so much I didn’t know; but what I found is that when I approached folk they were always very guarded and unsure. I always blamed racist propaganda for their hesitancy but then I began to think more about what my image was saying to them. To them and this society my look gave off certain triggers in them, and by them I mean all types from old, young, white, black, brown, men, women, LGBTQ, CEO, or homeless. Few if any paid me any mind, or quickly gave glance and turned the other way.

Haha a hilarious anecdote that actually made me change my entire “costume” was that one day, walking out by Central Park I saw the actor Michael Cera! Yep, Mr. Superbad himself, I was such a big fan I blurted out as we came close to each other “Holy crap! It’s Michael Cera!” Haha and true to form, with a hilarious face and mannerisms he looked up, eyes widened, and immediately turned around, and scampered the opposite direction down the street. I was a little hurt and shocked, but still laughed. It was at this point I was like YO! What do they see?

I went home, a 6 floor walk up in Chinatown, and looked in the mirror and began to take some notes. Broad chest, big beard, long locs, rather run-of-the-mill black man, how boring! I knew inside me was something that defied all definition, that I was a spirit teeming with affection and love for my fellow humans and wanted to be able to sit and express with them. But what I typically was receiving was the energy of dismissal and guardedness. I had known this well from black women at university who used me as a whipping boy to take their frustrations out on all black men, while I received, in screaming opposition from white women, so much attention it felt disingenuous, for them any n!gga would do; but now this was pervasive… I realized that my presence scared people, and that they weren’t actually seeing the REAL me.

I paced in my small apartment unit, thumbing a small button in the jacket I just bought, mentally drawing up how I wanted to present myself. “Alright first we need to lose this weight, so we can fit into all these cool clothes, but also fit better in these rooms of artists and intellects, and then lets keep the beard and hair nappy, edge is important, but lets dress in chic cheap fashion, cuz we are super broke and are only going to be able to afford the thrift store…” As I was thinking I pulled out the button from my pocket and read what it said “Free Hugs” almost unconsciously I pinned it to my jacket and didn’t think much of it.

The next day was Friday and I typically made my way to the museums since they were free. I bought a bottle of FireFly ice tea vodka and headed to my friends pad down by wall street so we all could get faded and go see some art. As I was walking down the street, I saw faces smiling at me, and so I smiled back, not used to New Yorkers showing any emotion besides anger I was a little surprised but kept pushing. After hopping off the train, I turned the corner and a short portly jewish women threw her arms up and said “Yes I need one today!” And gave me a big long hug. I just stood there shocked by this stranger squeezing me, like I was her grandson, but before the hug was over I retuned the energy. She smiled and walked on by. As she left I looked at my reflection in one of the wall street buildings and saw that I still had the “Free Hugs” button on my jacket, and smiled thinking, how bout that! A free hug trumps propaganda, age, fear, race, etc. all they needed was the permission to show affection.

Fast foward to half the bottle gone, and a small loft full of young, gifted and black artist, all dancing and singing to a Stevie Wonder record. I had painted a haggard green sweat shirt with the word Free Hugs in big red letters and donned it as I joined the harmonious voices that filled the room with the joy of a Friday afternoon. I went over to the kitchen to fill my glass, when I realized I had gotten some paint on my nails, and began to peel it off when my crush at that time, a stunning orange afro having queen said, "Naw leave it! In fact here!” She came over with some nail polish and painted quick little designs on my nails in green, red, and yellow. My first reaction was wait I can’t wear nail polish, but when I looked at my hands I became enamored, my how strange and unique, these dainty hands on a Rasta brute! This was just the right amount of contradiction and juxtaposition of strength and vulnerability I was looking for. Leave it to black women to bring a dream to reality.

And thats exactly what happened, when we hit the streets in that Friday sunset, New York finally saw me, and opened like the flowers in sunlight on the corner of Strawberry Fields. Over the next few months, my body slimmed, my smile grew, my nails where chipped and covered with color haphazardly, and hugs clung to my body like the tight fitting cheap fashion I found. But most importantly my thoughts began to change, because I was engaging with more people from all walks of life. I ask myself to this day, did the fashion open them up or me up?

Fashion is metaphor touted as a mask, there to conceal or reveal our inner truth, and for me I found a unique edge to walk, one where I hold space with masculinity that only knows mixtape lyrics and football, as well as a space that spoke of Basquiat’s and Warhol’s, the fickleness of love in any gender or sexuality and the need for soul and romance. I am still the minority in most rooms I walk into, typically they don't know what to think of me, I hear little conversations in the corner, ”He must be gay, or bi, no no look he’s with ball players and gangsters, naw naw he has lots of girlfriends, yes yes hunny he can get it, but he curbed all of us and I’m fine so wats the deal, oh he’s different.”

Different… little do they know I’m just like them, expressing all that I am. Removing the labels and images and thoughts that society has forced upon me, left me blank a slate to be creative. Still I have much more to remove and redefine in this ocean of blackness that is my being. One can be masculine in a dress, one can be feminine in baggy jeans, lessen we forget #STONEWALL and what those activists fought for, the freedom of image. Culturally and generational things shift, the meaning we put behind garments and fabric is all made up, just like us; and no one need be ridiculed or shamed for making their fit…fit. So what are you wearing today? In any way, you look good on you.

Posivibes,

hæm

Credits:

Image one by @johnyu.co

for Westword Artopia 2019

#f!!re #fashion #blog #zoidham #black masculinity

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beardadvisor · 7 years

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Smoky Mountain Beard Co.

Well. I guess it is time for a shower. It has been 4 days since my last. In that time I have gone on 3 bike rides, gone to 4 bars, had a birthday party bonfire, had an outdoor movie night on the projector, swung my axe a few times, hung out at Frog Island park in Ypsilanti on the banks of the Huron River, and written 2 reviews. I think this may be the longest I’ve willingly gone between showers (except for camping).

I personally am a firm believer that no one should shower daily, we can go a day or two between showers and be perfectly, if not more, healthy. The reason for this is because showering daily strips our bodies (and beards) of our natural, healthy bacteria that helps us build immunity and be better at fighting off harmful bacteria and viruses. Daily washes strip away our essential oils, can dry out our skin and hair and can cause our beards to become more fragile. Most washes and soaps contain chemicals that “clean” by “stripping” away our natural essential oils, and natural and healthy bacteria.

When I do take my shower I like to have something natural and organic without chemicals or detergents to use on my body and beard. We here at Beard Advisor found exactly that in Smoky Mountain Beard Co.’s Black Willow Bark Beard & Body Soap.

Located in North Georgia near the foothills of the Appalachians founder Nate lives life by the Smoky Mountain tradition:

“Work hard. Help a neighbor. Live life on your own terms.”

Here is an excerpt from their website:

“Smoky Mountain Beard Co. was founded with those traditions in mind. With the idea that the every day hard workin’ man should be able to take care of his beard at a price he can afford. The idea that we are not all “Lumbersexuals”. The idea that your character tells the world that you are a man, and your beard is just the exclamation point.”

Smoky Mountain Beard Co.’s soap is handmade with the finest selection of organic and premium oils. The list includes, but is not limited to:

Premium Saponified Vegetable Oils:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Simply, for hair growth. A hormone called DTH is responsible for the narrowing of the hair follicle shaft, causing thinner, weaker hair and olive oil stops this protein loss from occurring.

Organic Coconut –Helps slow hair loss by slowing the protein loss in damaged hair. It has cooling properties that are great for hot skin and scalps and can help reduce sweating. Great for the long summer days working or relaxing. It helps your beard follicles retain moisture thus acting as a natural conditioner and nourisher for you beard all day.

Organic Sunflower Oil – The main component in sunflower oil is linoleic acid, as well as Vitamin A, D, and E. These are great for hair growth as well as strengthening the hair follicles, repairing damaged hair, as well as combating harmful bacteria and free radicals.

Organic Castor Oil – A GREAT ingredient to have! It contains high levels of ricinoleic acid and omega-6 fatty acids which increase blood circulation to your skin and scalp which in turn increases hair growth and health. It promotes thicker beard follicles and stronger roots to increase your beards size and strength. It can also help thinner beards “grow-in” and fill in any patchy areas. The components of castor oil also help fight dry, itchy beards and dandruff; as well repairing damaged hair and split ends.

Organic Aloe – Not mentioning the plethora of health issues aloe has, when it comes to skin and hair care it also is extremely beneficial. It helps heal skin issues with its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. These could be scrapes or cuts, acne, eczema, or simply regular old dandruff. Aloe is often under appreciated as an ingredient.

Bentonite Clay (Living Clay) – Aged volcanic ash. How cool is that!! Though they have decreased in popularity, healing clays have been widely used throughout history and in many cultures and societies because they remove toxins from the body and are used both as an external and internal detoxification. It works on the skin (and beard) by producing an “electrical charge” when it becomes wet, allowing it to absorb toxins. It can even absorb heavy metals, free radicals, impurities, toxins, and chemicals. It also increases your oxygen intake. This is great stuff!

Essential Oils:

Tea Tree- Hair growth. Sorry, beard growth. It also unblocks the pores, it moisturizers your beard and prevents dry and itchy scalp caused by fungal and bacterial infections. It slows hair loss, helps remove the dead cells, and repairs damaged or weakened hair. Not to mention it smells great!

Eucalyptus – Relaxes sore muscles and often used in aromatherapy. Much needed after a long day.

Lavandin - Soothes sore muscles and aches, stiffness, and cramps. It can help heal sinus infections, open nasal passages, and aide in removing chest congestion. It also has anti-depressant properties.

Patchouli – Smells great!

Activated Bamboo Charcoal – Absorbs dirt, impurities, and free radicals to leave your body and beard feeling clean and free from harmful bacteria.

Black Willow Bark – Removes dead skin cells from your skin, causing your skin to look healthier, and feel softer.

We here at Beard Advisor are in love with the ingredient list! We can tell a lot of time and consideration went into the creating of their soaps.

By using these all-natural and organic ingredients Smoky Mountain Beard Co. is able to create an excellent beard & body soap that cleanses you beard and body without stripping away your natural and essential oils through the use of chemicals or detergents.

The soap leaves your body feeling clean and hydrated, and your beard will be clean, softer, and more manageable.

The actual bar itself is handmade in small batches to ensure quality control. It costs $5.95 for a 3.5oz bar, a great deal. Because it is organic it should last most men a good while.

We tried the soap for the first time two days ago and my skin still feels soft and clean and my beard has great volume and a healthy look, feel, and smell to it.

The actual bar itself had a few sharp edges, not uncommon in handmade soaps, but after our first wash the corners rounded and it wasn’t as angulated and hard on our arms and chest. I did hit a nerve in my right armpit while I was scrubbing away, but again that is probably going to be the first, and last time that happens since the corners are now smoothed out.

I washed my body first and I was a bit disappointed at the little amount of lather that was being produced, but I could feel the soap working and I immediately felt clean. Then I moved onto my beard, scrubbing my beard directly with the bar. Boy did it lather then! My beard was covered in a cleansing lather and I could feel the essential oils, bentonite clay, and bamboo charcoal working and really doing their thing! My nasal passages opened and a big grin appeared on my face.

I gave my body a second wash.

I recommend you do the same, start with your beard to get a good lather going, this will help release the ingredients and help them activate, then move onto your body.

Because this is an organic soap we recommend leaving it on a little dish outside of the shower. The water from the other showerers in your household will make the bar dwindle quicker than it normally would, and you don’t want to waste that precious bentonite clay. Plus the soap smells so great that the other members of your household will want to use it themselves, bearded or not.

We are glad we finally found a beard and body wash that works great, has fantastic ingredients, is organic, handmade, affordable, and works as advertised!

So what have we learned? Well, we have learned that Smoky Mountain Beard Co. makes a great beard & body soap. They use all natural ingredients and hand make each bar near the Appalachian foothills in Georgia.

We here at Beard Advisor are especially impressed with the use of castor oil, sunflower oil, aloe, lavandin, bentonite clay, activated bamboo charcoal, and the black willow bark in the soap and we think that these set them apart from other soap brands.

We really loved Smoky Mountain Beard Co.’s bar soap and we will most definitely buy another bar once ours runs out. We also cannot wait to try and review their other line of products!

Thanks for reading everyone, now go buy a bar of your own!

You can use the promo code “GROOM10” at checkout to receive 10% off your entire order!

- Andrew, for Beard Advisor

Beard advice for the real people.

#beard advisor #beard care #product review #beard product #mens grooming #bar soap #organic soap #handmade soap #things to stroke your beard to

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firstumcschenectady · 5 years

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“Find Hope” based on 2 Kings 5:1-14

Leprosy is understood by the Bible to be highly contagious, dangerous, and even deadly.

The ancient Israelites had laws about how to identify leprosy, how to know if it had been healed, and how to prevent it from spreading. Leviticus chapter 13 deals with nothing else. After an extensive 44 verses about how to examine sores to determine if they are leprosy, the chapter concludes, “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (Lev 13:45-46, NRSV)

Now that doesn't sound awesome at ALL, but the New Interpreter's Bible informs me that it is far worse than it sounds. They say, “All three of these actions – tearing the clothes, messing up the hair, and covering the lower part of the face – are signs of mourning for the dead. So serious is the state of uncleanness that it is similar to the state of death.”1 Leprosy in Ancient Israel, referred to a wide variety of skin diseases, some of which likely were highly contagious and potentially deadly, but most of which were not. Yet, it because it was poorly understood, and dangerous to the community, a person with leprosy was exiled from the community, which is itself a form of death.

The Bible is primarily a communal document, a reflection of the way that society was supposed to act. As such, it was worried about the spread of dangerous disease within society, and took the well-being of the whole more seriously than the well-being of the individual. That is, the stigma of being removed from society, and having to go around yelling “unclean” so no one would touch you, was clearly TERRIBLE for the individual, but kept the community safe. Leprosy was the ultimate stigma: something entirely beyond the individual's control that isolated them from their entire community. (Hmm, what else is like that?)

The irony of course is that germ theory hadn't come into being yet, and there wasn't much differentiation of skin diseases. In fact, the Bible spends a lot of time differentiating between a SCAR and a SCAB, indicating that people thought that was important – that people not become lepers because of SCARS. Medical science still had some development to do, but people had noticed the contagion idea, and they did what they could to care for the whole.

If there is any good news in this, it is that there was a way to be UN-DECLARED a leper, it was not a permanent stigma. Or at least, it didn't have to be if one's skin cleared up. Heaven help those with eczema though. And, of course, we want to be aware in any conversation about leprosy that this not an ancient problem that is now simply a good metaphor. Today, about 180,000 people a year contract leprosy, although it is now treatable. Also, it isn't really THAT contagious. You have to have repeated contact with “nose or mouth droplets” from someone who is infected. It isn't, say, the measles. (Perhaps the measles were also considered part of leprosy in Biblical times??? That would actually explain A LOT.)

I've gone deep into explaining leprosy in Ancient Israel, because the story indicates that leprosy was understood differently in the neighboring country of Aram (modern Syria). While the Israelites expelled lepers from society, in Aram the general of the King's army had leprosy, and was regularly talking to the king. I'm not sure what to make of this. Perhaps this is a bit of a Biblical dig at Aram, indicating they didn't know how to care for society. Perhaps, though, it reflects some historical memory. What if Aram didn't expel its lepers? What if something that created a stigma in Israel, didn't in Aram? The two countries were neighbors, and were eternally in skirmishes with each other, so were likely pretty equally matched, which would indicate that perhaps excluding lepers didn't really help.

What if there didn't have to be a stigma, and people could still survive as a society without kicking others out?

What if, instead of observations about contagions, Ancient Israel was really allowing the natural human tendency of “ick, get away from me!” to have its way? What if people just didn't want to see the ways that skin diseases can disfigure? What if fear simply got the best of them?

The human response “ick, get away from me” is real. It has applied to many individuals and groups over the eons, perhaps it is a defining factor of society about who is called “icky” and who has the power to decide who is “icky” and who isn't. This is the power to define stigma.

People who are transgender are most likely to be violently assaulted and murdered in our society, and the greatest danger is for tranwomen of color. There isn't any logical reason for this. It has basically come down to a response from individuals of “But gender is supposed to work the way I thought it did when I was a kid, and if it doesn't, ick.” The power of stigma is the power of murder.

In the past few years there have been culture wars over bathrooms, and who gets to use them. (eyeroll) Somewhere along the line, I read a piece2 that clarified that bathroom wars were an old trick being revived. In our shared past of segregation, bathrooms were segregated. White women sought to maintain segregation by indicating they were afraid of getting diseases from sharing toilets with women of color. That is, they said they were afraid of contracting sexually transmitted infections from toilet seats. That was another way, among a myriad of ways, that white society indicated that bodies of people who weren't white were “icky.” This is how marginalization works. :( This is also how we get concentration camps on our Southern border filled with people with dark skin, because stigma dehumanizes and allows inhumane treatment of God's beloved people.

As a child I was taught not to sit on the toilet seat in public bathrooms by my Grandmother, but was told I could by my mother, and it took a loooong time to figure out why they disagreed about that. Today the fear of bathrooms has been transformed to create fear of sexual assault in bathrooms, when the truth is that what we've done is make going to the bathroom a terrifying experience for transgender people – who are themselves especially vulnerable.

Yet, there are Arams. Many societies in the past, and many in the present, recognize more than 2 genders, and a lot of countries have better protections for trans people than we do. The United States has created racism in its own image, and we have managed to export it along the way, but societies and countries in the past and the present are able to show us other ways to understand race, identity, and ethnicity.

Years ago now, Sylvester stood in this pulpit and preached about what it was like when he was first diagnosed with HIV. He talked about visiting his sister and knowing that his cup would be thrown away and his sheets burned when he left. A United Methodist retreat for people living with HIV and AIDS that I once got to volunteer at offered massages for the retreat participants – because of reality that people with HIV and AIDS don't get enough human touch. I'm not sure I know of places in the world where this has been solved, although basic education and the passing of years has decreased the stigma some, and intentionality to include and TOUCH has mattered.

I also think there is a stigma in our society around poverty. “Don't get too close, or it will get you” seems to be an unspoken fear. I suspect the danger really is, “don't get too close, or you'll be motivated to change things, and that will change your life forever.” Yet, we live in a society that is comfortable with obscene wealth for a very few at the expense of the lives of nearly half. Yet, by associating a stigma with people living in poverty, it becomes “their problem” instead of the reality that poverty is the natural outcome of our societal laws and priorities.

Stigma is POWERFUL. It is dangerous. It is contagious, and it is deadly.

It is a far bigger problem than the people who get forced to hold it. One of the worse parts of stigmas is when they get internalized by the people who have been stigmatized.

In 2 Kings, God has the power to free Naaman from the stigma of leprosy. Elisha is God's prophet in this story, and he is able to offer a means of healing in God's name. Of course, Naaman doesn't have all the stigma of leprosy in Ancient Israel, but he does have leprosy, and then he comes into Ancient Israel with it at which point he was a foreigner, who had bested them in war, who had the stigma of leprosy too. (They must have been terrified.)

The story says God healed him, and he was clean, and free of stigma, and very, very grateful. Just because was healed doesn't meant that others were, and that also draws some big questions about who gets access to let go of stigma and why. However, I'm firmly in the camp that God is anti-stigma. Or, perhaps I should say, God doesn't DO stigma. God is against stigma, and the ways that it gets used to dehumanize, violate, dismiss, and separate people. God is about shared humanity, peace, acknowledgment, and connection. Stigmas work against God.

We know and love a God who welcomes and delights in a lovely diversity of human beings and human bodies. God is the one who who says, “Blest are people who are transgender; they shall know my complexities. Blessed are people who are marginalized because of their race; they are able to build the kindom. Blessed are the people who live with HIV and AIDS; they are holding my hand already. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kindom. Blessed are the lepers, for they shall be healed.” Stigma just doesn't hold up under the weight and power of God's love.

And it isn't supposed to hold up for us either. May God heal us, that the stigma society places on God's beloveds might lose their power for us. May we, like Namaan and Elisha, trust in God's power to eliminate the power of the things that keep us from a full and abundant life. May we build a society more like Aram – able to welcome people into our midst as full partners in our shared work, regardless of the stigmas others would want to put on anyone. May we follow our God who is against stigma and for connection. Amen

1Walter C. Kaiser Jr. “The Book of Leviticus: Introduction, Comment and Reflections” in The New Interpreter's Bible Vol 1., ed. Leander E. Keck, convener (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 1097.

2Maybe this one? https://psmag.com/magazine/how-social-bias-is-segregating-americas-bathrooms

Rev. Sara E. Baron First United Methodist Church of Schenectady 603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305 Pronouns: she/her/hers

http://fumcschenectady.org/

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

July 7, 2019

#Progressive Christianity #Thinking Church #FUMC Schenectady #UMC #Sorry about the UMC #Rev Sara E Baron #Leprosy #Stigma #Transwomen of Color #Marginalized Communities #Go Aram #God is anti Stigma #Oh bathrooms

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topbeautifulwomens · 6 years

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#Aromatherapy #– #Make #Your #Own #in #Minutes #For #Pennies #community #cool #foodgasm #lifestylemodel #lip #makeuplooks #makeupoftheday #red #view #weekend

Possibly the ideal thing relating to aromatherapy is that it’s so easy and enjoyable to enjoy; both for the author of the concoction and most self-assuredly for the client. Couple of folks will complain about getting a prescription to tube with scented oils or follow a fragrant entire body oil; two of the most well-liked aromatherapy methods.

If you are considering commencing an aromatherapy organization for your self–just before you obtain began in this surprising globe of scent, it is crucial that you locate out what practising aromatherapists are carrying out so you can find that ideal area of interest for yourself.

Presently several herbarecords, body staff, cosmetologists, chiropractors and other holistic healers are checking out how multiexperienceted and functional the therapeutic art of aromatherapy is. To this end they’re able to enrich their habits by adding these pure necessary oils for a compendium of maladies like: the modifying of moods, stirring recollections, arousing sexual desire and generally enhancing the good quality of daily life. A lot of other individuals emphasis on enhancing their client’s cosmetic and extendedevity by providing them a vast selection of healing beauty goods.

The greater part of our nation nowadays is inspired by the economic system–discovering most people today likely both ‘environmentally friendly’ and again-to-principles. Nevertheless, as organic as they wish they could be, the majority live in a anxietyful world and are continuously on the lookout for natural options for overall health difficulties like despair, anxiety, fret, grief, loneliness, mental exhaustion, brain fog, sleeplessness, PMS symptoms and so many a lot more. The peace and tranquility that should manifest by themselves as normal attrihoweveres are usually weighed down by environmental realityors these kinds of as stress in the office or–even even worse–unemployment. Many others experience in opposition to social isolation, poverty, chemical compounds and toxic compounds or even bad diet program and countless more phrases.

Aromatherapy is BIG business today and at the end of this report you can be assured that we maintain our guarantee that you’ll never have to spend mega-bucks abenefit! This article is more than an overobserve of this historical three000+ 12 months outdated art. As you wander down Lavender Lane’s fragrant healing route with us you will discover how–for more than a quarter-of-a-century we had been instruct and everying and sharing how you can generate a compendium of natural and therapeutic aromatherapy concoctions in mere ‘mins for pennies’. In addition, should you desire to retail your products at craft fairs or on to shop cabinets or in spas or even mail purchase like us; we are going to fortunately show you how. We are going to also percentage with you one of the most important levels of your advertising–how to deal your concoctions–making you look as specialist as is your creation.

1st, here is a ‘crash program’ on aromatherapy that the ‘newbie’ should at minimum have some thought of. Every single essential oil consists of numberless chemical components. To best illustrate a comparison, settle for an apple for instance. FACT: 1, whole, clean, refreshing apple contains over 10,000 nutrition in combos of anti-oxidants, phytochemicals (plant vitamins) enzymes and more. However science so far has only identified a portion of them, and right up until more are discovered; they’ve not got a clue what the rest of them are or what they do–and apples have been close to given that the delivery. Aromatherapy (the art of applying an essential oil to this end or that) has been around since people have. Nevertheless, each sort of essential oil is created of many distinct aromatic molecules of which more than thirty,000 have been identified and referred to as, and it is acquainted for a single essential oil to contain 100 different aromatic molecules. One can only fathom their countless real complexities and their unbelievable qualities or restorative rewards.

Just how aromatherapy operates is nevertheless unclear. What we do know is that simply odoring a fragrance can influence us bodilyly and psychologically by altering hormone creation, brain chemistry, stress degrees and general metabolic process..

An ‘essential oil’—or the ‘soul’ of the plant if you will, is 50 moments more centered than that of the herb or flower it was very carefully extracted from. Crucial oils give vegetation their characteristic odors, making it possible for us to take deep drafts of a fragrant rose bloom or drink in the fragrance of lilacs and lavender. It really is because essential oils are by their very mother nature aromatic, that the therapy involving their use has been christened “Aromatherapy.” And no matter whether a individual is seeking to enhance their beauty, relieve soreness, improve calories, reduce stress, grow hair, market rest, heal wounds, evoke special inner thoughts, or even eliminate fleas–you will find an essential oil for all these and countless other conditions.

BEAUTY SECRETS? Billions of pounds a year are put in yearly by customers who are making an attempt to gradual down the getting older method–or at least dangle to as young an look as they can for as long as they can. The face is usually the most uncovered part of the body–bombarded by warmth, chilly, drying, perspiring, wrinkling, filth, smoke and a world of other invisible toxins. Today particularly, stress is on the increase, getting a substantial effect on most people’s life. And as such, normally takes a amazing toll on the body which is very much reflected in the face. If the consumer is looking to enhance their beauty they have to take special care of it and there is a compendium of products that can be provided into their regime–each of which contains the appropriate essential oil(s) to fulfill their purpose.

People products are located in the forms of cleansers, steams, exfoliants, masques, toners, floral h2os, moisturizers, bath oils, therapeutic massage oils, and more. When these pure essential oils are inserted into these mediums (provider oils, waxes, sea salt, lotions, floral waters, butters, cleaning soaps, and many others.) the essential oils penetrate to the dermal layer of the pores and skin in which new cells are increasing. And based on which essential oil is used in which software, their assorted characteristics will both motivate and regenerate skin cells, reduce bacterial and fungal bacterial infections including zits and other connected skin problems, soothe sensitive, sensitive, infected skin, promote the launch and removing of metabolic squander products, and produce healthful skin cells temporarily adhering to solar harm, burn offs, wrinkles or healing of wounds. Includeitionally, these essential oils contain plant “hormones” that aid harmony and ease hormonally related skin problems. When incorporated into a bath or massage, or via inhalation, these essential oils may be of aid in the reduction of muscle mass pain, menstruation, lung congestion, insomnia, fever, problems, infections, indigestion, constipation, etc.

Odor and the psyche also is nothing at all new. The manipulating of fragrance to have an effect on the emotions dates back to the ancients and today is no different. In accordance to a 1992 issue of the British Magazine of Occupational Treatment, it explains the likely of aromatherapy to “promote health and well-being”. In medical center environments, individuals receive aid through massage, inhalation, baths, compresses, lotions and lotions. According to the magazine’s complete list of potential employs, aromatherapy can diminish stress, sedate, relieve depression, invigorate, promote job and notifyness, stimulate sensory recognition, aid interaction and conversation, deal with particular health care problems and provide pain relief.

Scent is an integral part of culture. Towards the time we get up we’re accustomed to bathing or showering with a scented body soap or gel, a fragranced shampoo and/or conditioner, adopted by a scented deodorant and then maybe by a scented soon after-shave, perfume or cologne. Our cleansing gives are laden with scent to make our apparel, our dishes and our houses smell fresh and clean. We buy scented candles, incense, oil lamps and potpourris that we may be surrounded by aromas. Yet—these are probably ALL artificial in nature.

“Pure” essential oils are extracted right from the plant, whereby any allergic reactions usually associated with fragrance are virtually non-existent. It is the “synthetic” fragrances that create many problems. With the increase of synthetic chemicals, and the larger power of these fragrances, the U.S. Meal and Drug Management quotes that four,000 different chemicals are at present used in fragrances–most of which are in perfumes and colognes and is on the increase. The problem is that through the inhalation of “synthetics”—many suffer a wide range of physical issues from sinus pain to anaphylactic surprise and seizures. This fact on your own should be cause sufficient to educate people in the direction of the incorporation of “pure essential oils” over synthetics–especially if they could make their own candy scented body and skin care products as well as their own therapeutic concoctions.

NOTE: Make sure you be assured that there is MUCH ADULTERATION out there because of to a general absence of education and learning coupled with greed as to essential oils as opposed to the synthetic fragrance oils–and which is why it is doubly important that YOU, John & Jane-Q-Community turn into knowledgeable of these important distinctions.

So that the novice will not be confused or confused as to how aromatherapy works–here is an easy to imagine, easy to recognize case in point of how these pure healing oils get into the blood-stream–do their thing–and get out. We all know how good garlic is for the body–curing a compendium of ills. Just take a clove of garlic, minimize it in fifty percent and rub the soles of your ft a couple of times. Set your socks and sneakers on and go about your business. In about 3 several hours you can style it. That is it. When you bathe, your body’s pores open up to receive these healing oils, as does your body respond appropriately through massage or through inhalation. Scientific studies with brain wave frequency has demonstrated that smelling Lavender improves the alpha waves in the back of the head, which are associated with rest. The fragrance of Jasmine increases beta waves in the front of the head, which is associated with a more alert condition.

Aromatherapy is sweeping the world like wildfire and as we experience through this enlightening article; if the reader thinks that this healing skill is one thing that they needs to incorporate into their lives as well as that of others; we hugely advise you consider this street.

There has been a lot of data handed on to you so far and before you view the essential oil list, the purpose of this article is to share with its visitors that they or their people or attendees may find aromatherapy to allay their respective problems, and that they absolutely can–and never need pay mega-bucks once again for these therapeutic and unique plannings.

The following is but a smattering of the most frequently used essential oils and some of their numerous uses. Observe: These oils are advisable for exterior use only.

• LAVENDER for stress, muscle pain, headaches, helps prevent scarring, extend marks and has a resetation for slowing wrinkles, etc.

• ORANGE for high blood pressure, managing flu, colds, congestion and for killing fleas…

• ROSE GERANIUM for eliminating irritation, infection, eczema, acne, burn damage, scarring, stretch marks, law blood pressure, etc.

• PEPPERMINT for headaches, muscle spasms, inflammation, indigestion, nausea, congestion, etc.

• ROSEMARY for memory, poor movement, low blood pressure, sore muscle tissues, rheumatism, cellulite, etc. (And-balding. However, you’ve got to have a little life still left up there.)

• EUCALYPTUS for sinus & throat infection, fever, flu, herpes, acne, boils, insect little bites, lice, herpes, vapor rubs, aftershaves, colognes, etc.

• LEMON oil for viral & bacterial infections, hypertension, water retention, fat gain, bruises, increasing general well-being, etc.

• TEA TREE oil for insect bites, cuts, sunburn, shingles, candida, diaper rash, earaches, acne, paper cuts, head lice, abrasions, scalds, herpes lesions, ringworm, athlete’s foot, boils, eczema, and much, much more.

SAFETY: Overexposure to essential oils, either through the skin or by nose, can lead to nausea, headache, skin irritation, emotional unease, or an overall “spaced out” emotion. Becoming some fresh air aids you to overcome these symptoms.

Just to show you how easy recipes can be–here are some illustrations:

For countless numbers of a long time the ancients set elaborate rituals that combine scorching and cold baths, ointments and aromatic massages.

THERAPEUTIC BATH SALTS 1 cup Lifeless Sea Salt (course or good grind).

Add twenty five-35 drops of essential oil or oils depending upon what therapeutic oils you have decided on for what illness. If you have chosen a blend you need to consider that each oil has a high-be aware, centre-note or foundation note which is the evaporation time; so the end scent may exchange from what you smell throughout preparation.

1 tablespoon ‘Turkey Pink’ oil which is water-soluble. Nearly all oils float, but not this one. As an alternative it’s going to marry with the bath water and soothe and moisturize your body.

If you decide on to coloration your salts use a couple of drops of meal-risk-free food coloring until the wished color is obtained.

If you choose to make a fine grind all you need to do is put the salts in your blender and blend. It’ll not likely hurt your blender marginally and I favor to grind before I add the other substances.

Combine something well and package. Be sure to use a fairly, wide-mouthed container and then package accordingly. Remember–presentation is as important as is the creation itself.

Dependent how much water is in the tub–add 1/2 to 1 cup per bath. As soon as combined in the bath, the salt will melt, the color will dissipate, the ‘Turkey Red’ oil will soothe and moisturize, and the essential oils will penetrate your body inside of minutes. Additionally, by the very inhalation of the chosen oil(s) and the fragrance, it will either relax your or invigorate you. This application is remarkable because your skin is the biggest organ of your body.

SALT SCRUB:

For individuals who prefer showers, these are great exfoliants. (Will not use on the face).

To 1 cup of fine Dead Sea salt add 25-35 drops of essential(s) and enough carrier oil (Safflower, Grapeseed, Olive, Turkey Red, etc.) to entirely moisten the salt. You never want it too dry and you don’t want it too runny. Rub on to loosen all those useless cells and invigorate the new ones, then clean off.

SUGAR SCRUB:

Taking the earlier mentioned recipe, as an alternative of salt use uncooked sugar. We use turbinado.

HEALING MASSAGE AND BATH OIL:

To sixteen ounces of carrier oil (Turkey Red, Candy Almond, Grapeseed, etc.) add about one hundred sixty to twenty0 drops (total) of essential oil or oils. This equates to 16-20 drops per ounce. Shake well and let the oils marry right away. For a bath oil use approximately 1/4 cup of oil. The carrier oils may be mixed and matched.

NEVER PAY MEGA-BUCKS AGAIN!

As we hope you have discovered, most of these natural, healing and therapeutic creations are very basic to make for you and your family members and friends–and they make cool items too.

The post Aromatherapy – Make Your Own in Minutes For Pennies appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/aromatherapy-make-your-own-in-minutes-for-pennies/

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traviswsoul · 7 years

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Day 18 Dean Creek to Ferndale, Humboldt County Fair Grounds 52 miles

4:48 time, 2,024 calories, 1857' climbed, 10.9 avg mph This was the first day I had a shower in the morning instead of the night before, I stayed up too late writing and I wasn't really dirty from not riding so much the day before. It was a great way to start out my muscles for the day. I continue to keep forgetting my towel when I go shower, this far into the trip I really have most processes down to a t so finishing up a shower when you know its going to be so cold as soon as the water cuts off and realizing I forgot my towel, again, is frustrating. But I've developed a process for this as well, I normally do it to some degree after every shower because it just feel like an exercise in efficiency, you dry off faster and the towel takes less time to dry. I use my fingers and hands as squeegees and flick off the water starting from top to bottom, with a few rounds of shaking the water out of my hair as I work my way down. This can get you pretty dry depending on how humid it is, at least enough to only be damp when you have to put your clothes on. Each time I forgot the towel I kind of think to myself, it's ok, you got this, you've been preparing your whole life for this challenge. If only I could figure out how to get paid for doing simple and regular tasks exceptionally well. I have little tricks like this for everything, and while I know it's not a big deal or doesn't seem like it's even worth writing about, having a little life hack for an endless list of situations sure makes tasks or problems way less stressful, not to mention the highly satisfying feeling you have to yourself a out winning at life in that quick moment. "How to live better - Organization, Preparedness and Adaptability" ... working title for a book I'll never write. Anyway, that's enough of me talking about how smart I THINK I am, because let's not forget, this started with me not being smart enough to remember to bring a damn towel to the shower! I pulled out of the "resort" early and was on the road by eight. Five miles later, just before Phillipsville, I exited highway 101 for Avenue of The Giants and rode thirty miles surrounded by Giants, redwoods that is. Everyone should do this once in your life, and a lot of people were, there were tourists stop all along it gazing up, taking picture with trees and waving and encouraging me on. Then they would get back in their car, the lucky ones had a sun roof, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were sure missing out! You need all of your peripheral vision in order to take in all the giant's greatness and you can't get it through a windshield and a sunroof! The tree hugging hippy in me was spiritually recharged on that morning, there is power in the forest. Our material and commercial world with concrete, towns, churches and malls is not a polite residence for God, it's no wonder people, especially the religious, have lost most true connection to the spiritual, despite claiming a monopoly on morals and spiritual understanding. People may have never fought and wasted so much over the dogmatic fundamentals of modern religions if people hadn't become so far removed from true communion with God found in nature. Nature teaches us most of what we need to know, meditation helps us find the rest within, which is also nature, just the most evolved example of it. As we move further away from mother earth we move away from truth and we begin to mistakenly identify reality and truth in the crap we have made, can buy, throw away and are never satisfied with. Being in these forests reminds me of how not real the "real world" is. I don't want to be hypnotized by it's glitter, I don't want to be enchanted by it's plastic, I choose to take off the glasses that makes all the bullshit look rosy. How do I do that? I do I not fall victim to that game, that make believe, those bogus priorities? Damn, I was "this close" to becoming a finance professional and working on wall street and loosing my soul to dollar signs. I know my experience has been quite exceptional and my ability to not have to play the high school, college, career game was thanks to factors greatly out of my control. I know I have so much to be grateful for because I have been so blessed with eye and mind opening experiences that have changed everything for me (ie. psychedelics, travel, religious disenchantment, financial ease, cultural diversity) so I't would be easy to roll your eyes and blow me off. That's fine, I won't mind, and I understand that for 99 percent of humans there isn't much a choice to disconnect from the reality TV, keeping up with the Jones's, 24 hour news cycles, localized world views and subliminally bigoted (if not fully) cultures. I was lucky I got out and I found my self in nature, in the forest, amongst the Giants, my teachers. They are so accessible, you don't have to become a monk to find them, there right here off the 101 near Phillipsville and you can ride a bike there, and camp there and learn and reconnect to your roots there. I'm reminded of a mantra that was given to me from mother earth during a session I had with her medicine; Stay Humble - Grow Strong - Reach for the light. It means everything to me, starting with stay humble, by which I mean to know where you are rooted, like everything else we must have a strong root into the earth, an understanding and reverence for Her/God that keeps us humble because we know that we are not so different from everything else, we are in ways set apart from the rest of nature but we are not the rulers over it! At most we are the caretakers and we have done a piss poor job at that. We must remain linked into the same network via our earth bound roots in order to even have a starting point to understand or care for the great resource we have, earth, life giving mother earth, all that we have. And just because we strip her down and turn her tattered robes into paper money to enrich ourselves there is no real value in our make believe economy, not to your soul! A rich man can no easier pass into heaven than a camel can through the eye of a needle. Is that how it goes? The meek will inherit the earth. These are pretty old adages that we sure seemed to brush aside when the flash and glitter of gold catch our eye. Riding among the Giants is humbling and reminds me the importance of knowing where my roots really belong in. Now I understand that you can't just sell all your belongings, reject society and go live in the woods, chant damn the man for the rest of your days. However in order for me to actually grow strong and and reach my potential I have to have regular reminders of my connection to nature, my body and therein God, So I do yoga and get into nature as much as possible, that's how I go to church these days. Right in the middle of the avenue I found a little diner and had a nice big breakfast, omelet, hashbrowns, and pancake, oh, and coffee! Don't forget the coffee, I have never valued a warm cup of joe so much in my life! The monotony of getting up early and cold everyday is greatly countered by hot coffee, I have experienced and known this, like the rest of the world, for a long time but this trip has made it more obvious than ever. There was an old man, about 70, sitting at the counter by me and he was wearing a brand new flat black flat brim hat that hat raised neon green embroidery reading Dab King, which if you don't know, dabs a highly way to smoke highly concentrated cannabis oil, so concentrated it's more of a wax than an oil. I couldn't picture this grandpa taking dabs but I could picture his grandson getting a real kick out of giving him that hat and knowing the kick a guy like me would get out of seeing him in it in the little town of Miranda, at the counter, right in the heart of Humbolt county. The Avenue came to and end and rejoined the real world at Stafford where I rode the 101 from to a little town called Rio Del. I went through looking for a place to buy a pair of socks, I lost my second a pair a long time ago when I slept under the bridge that night. No luck on the socks but I did get a couple bags of camp food and a good suggestion for lunch, which was across the street, and was as mediocre of a hamburger and fries I could have hoped for. I had been riding along Eel River for two and a half days, since Leggett, So when the restaurant had Eel River Brewery beers of draft, I had to try them. I stayed around and met locals for a couple hours. A woman named Laura disappeared for a short while then returned with Sweet Pea, her goat, that she fed a bag of cheetos to. I was beside myself and this completely summed up this country little down home town for me. There is a Alternate route around here that I didn't take, it's a famous ride called the lost coast. I rode another ten miles from my rendezvous with Sweet Pea and called it a night when I found the Humboldt County Fairgrounds, a classic rodeo and livestock show facility that operated as a RV and tent campsite. I was exhausted, I think it's getting time for a rest day, I set up camp, then rode back to town and ate chicken parmigiana and ravioli for diner, then rode home like a zombie with a belly full of brains. I chatted with my very enjoyable German bike touring neighbors for a few minutes, I wish I had more energy to have done so some more but I climbed in my tent and went to sleep. There was someone getting married there that night and sealing in their red neck lifestyle for generations to come, I was happy for them, despite the commotion and the early 2000's playlist I was fast asleep in no time.

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