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solarpunkpresentspodcast · 1 month

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Happy Spring!

Hello, solarpunks! And HAPPY SPRING. Woot! Woot! It’s finally here!

This year, it feels like the ancient Persian tradition of Nowruz are everywhere. Or, at least, it feels like they’ve popped up this week in every online news service I peruse. As have articles filled with top tips for spring cleaning. Meanwhile, although Passover is still a month away, Easter is coming up fast.

All of this has me wondering, how do I want to mark the Sun’s having crossed the Equator? How do I want to bid briefly goodbye to winter, and pat myself on the back for surviving that duration which, where I’m living now, is so grey, wet, chilly, muddy, flooded, and miserable?

I’ve also been wondering how a solarpunk community might celebrate the return of the green, fecund, and growing time of the year. Because what could be more solarpunk than a big party with feasting, music, dancing, bunnies, community, hope, rebirth, and love?! Or, how would people in general celebrate spring in a future where people value what’s good and spiritually moving about traditions but shun the aspects of organized religion that are dangerous, repressive, abusive, racist, misogynistic, controlling, and patriarchal?

It’s kind of weird growing up on the secular periphery of Easter/Passover. I feel like it’s one of my favorite holidays and yet, I don’t quite know what to do with it. Having not ever been Christian, I don’t feel the need to celebrate the resurrection of a martyr who means nothing to me. How can I be thankful for being saved from my sins if I can’t even grasp the concept of sin! (It is possible to be as moral as just about everyone else without feeling like there are such things as sins.) Not having been raised in any religious tradition, nor do I feel the urge to engage in a rite to protect my household from evil or witchcraft, nor do I feel the need to celebrate the Exodus, even though, through the murdered segment of my family that I never met, I almost certainly had ancestors who took part in it.

But spring! I love spring! And I do want to welcome it back. So, I’m all for ditching the moveable feast aspect of Easter and Passover, pegging the celebration of spring to the vernal equinox. This just makes sense and it returns the festival back to its pre-Christian and pre-Judean roots. Not that I’m any sort of practitioner of a pagan religion. And not there needs to be an originalist observation of the spring celebration. It’s just that I personally feel more connection to the astronomical and ecological aspects of the celebration than the theological ones. I also think adding a spring celebration on the vernal equinox would include everyone while simultaneously not precluding anyone from having a religious observation of Easter or Passover. It does overlap with Nowruz, but that wouldn’t need to be a problem. If people are already celebrating on the equinox, I say, keep it up!

In addition to just the plain old idea of a Welcome Back, Spring! celebration, I’m also personally totally for the colorfully dyed or hand painted hard boiled eggs, chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, panoramic sugar eggs, jelly beans, and marshmallow chicks (and marshmallow chick art) aspect of the Celebration of the Arrival of Spring (but, egads, we need to come up with a better name for the celebration). I’m also totally for a big bunny bringing that basket of sweets and hiding brightly dyed eggs in the backyard. I’d even be fine with replacing it with a gigantic hen. I must, however, say non to the the blessed, flying, chocolate dropping church bells the French went for because a bunny was just not Catholic enough.

Another tradition that I know and love is the Germanic/Northern European burning of an Easter bonfire, even if all that smoke gives me asthma and you have to be careful not to roast hedgehogs or bunnies. That being said, though, these huge bonfires, held the night or two before Easter, are now more about beer and sausages, chatting with the neighbors, and getting rid of all the debris you trimmed off your garden’s bushes and trees during winter than a deeply moving mystical celebration of the arrival of spring. Still, that’s not too many steps away from drinking alcohol and dancing wildly around a bonfire in order to banish winter and welcoming spring.

I also love the Germanic/Northern European tradition of hanging colorful eggs (these days made of paper or plastic) on a tree for a few weeks before Easter. And I love the Slavic tradition of intricately dyeing eggshells (although blowing the innards out of the eggs is a good way to make yourself dizzy—or perhaps I need to work on my technique).

And spring cleaning of your home and relationships, as I’ve heard is a part of Nowruz, also sounds super to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Free your life of dirt and clutter! Wash the windows to improve your view! And make true amends to your friends and family for the niggles and failings of the past year so you may start anew with a tidier slate.

And the aspect of all of these celebrations like Easter, Passover, and Nowruz that involves bringing loved ones together to partake in a feast after the long months of winter darkness and perhaps also fasting sounds like the wisest, most wonderful part of a spring celebration.

If I was a part of a real life solarpunk community, or if I had a family that was amenable to altering their own traditions, those are the aspects of the celebration of spring that I’d weave back together into a new tradition. And I’d mash in a bit of Earth Day as well, celebrating, not just the arrival of spring, but the start of that year’s greening and growing of ecosystems everywhere (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). The spring celebration would be a time to celebrate new life and new growth in general and the health of, our respect for, and our connection to the natural world.

Okay, though, there are still wrinkles to work out. Like, what about the Southern Hemisphere? We’d have to move the spring celebration away from Easter/Passover and shift it to the austral spring in the Southern Hemisphere. And I’m not at all sure what a spring celebration would mean for people living in the tropics, which are not terribly seasonal. A spring celebration is definitely more of a higher latitude happening, ecologically speaking, so if you take the Abrahamic religion aspects out, I’m not sure what you’re left with in the tropics to unite people in celebration.

But hang on. I’m getting off track. I’m not trying to invent a new feast for everyone in the world. Just dreaming of how I’d celebrate the arrival of spring with family and friends if I was given free rein. I’d have chocolate, and bunnies, and colorful eggs, and colorful eggs hanging on trees, and a bonfire we’d dance around all night long, and a big feast with family and friends. And spring cleaning (beforehand) and a making of amends to love ones and maybe also to Earth. Because a spring celebration done my way would deeply involve loving and appreciating the Earth whose surface we live on.

But what about you? Comment below! If you could reinvent our celebration of the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, or start a celebration of the arrival of spring in the Southern Hemisphere, what would you want to include in it? What are your favorite parts of Easter/Passover/Nowruz/etc? Do you come from a family that carves butter lambs or does something similarly spectacular? What do you eat for your feast? Do you dye eggs? Do you paint them? I have so many questions!!! And I’d love to hear all of the things that you do to celebrate Easter, Passover, Nowruz, or anything else along these lines, or what cool ideas you can share from spring celebrations from cultures around the world. And I want to see photos of your Peeps dioramas and your gorgeously dyed eggs and anything else beautiful and breathtaking that you create for your celebration of spring!

#solarpunk celebrations #Christina #spirituality #Organized religion #spring #pagan #Easter #Passover #Nowruz

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neverwritewhatyouknow · 2 years

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I’ve been thinking about it RWRB Antisemitism

based on all the information we know about Rachel, and how she was raised Christian and was devoted to her church… I still feel like RWRB didn’t give a fuck when it came to Jewish representation. I’m not saying Rachel isn’t talent, very much the opposite (she’s really talented), But in terms of them saying that she’s the ideal picture of Jewish rep, that’s bullshit… because Rachel is literally Christian.

Yeah, it can be argued that she has some vague Jewish heritage through one side of her family, but here’s the really important thing:

Having Jewish heritage through a grandparent (speculation, unclear who, but it’s not her mom or her mom’s side) who was never met, but actively spending all free-time devoted to a church makes the actual impact of saying that someone is Jewish, really low. It’s like me saying that I’m Christian because my grandpa on my mom’s side (who died before I was born) was Christian and until I was 9 years old, we used to celebrate some aspects of commercialized Christmas with my grandma who kept a tree in memorial of him. I obviously am not Christian just because of that, but I do have Christian heritage, technically. Though I was raised fully Jewish, like everyone else in my family was, even though we attended Easter parties friends would throw. Could I claim that I was Christian? Sure. My grandpa was, so I have Christian heritage, but I wouldn’t actually be in the ways that matter for representation’s sake, if that makes sense?

I’m NOT saying people can’t come from interfaith families, I’m saying that pushing one religion/ethnicity to the side for the time and devotion of another, makes that first one seem a lot lower on the list. In an interview, Rachel’s mom listed Rachel’s involvements and listed church first. And there is nothing at all anywhere about her being Jewish online, and a lot about her and her family being Christian. Like if you’re gonna be both, that’s great, but it’s clear that sometimes people don’t split 50/50 and instead gravitate towards one or the other (that’s normal). Someone who knows Rachel said she was very much into the church, and that’s obvious based on available information. That same person said Rachel told them that one of her parents wanted to name her Rachel “from the bible” in honor of said Jewish heritage (note: didn’t say it was because she was Jewish, but to “honor the heritage”), but a name doesn’t make you a Jew. This was said for Oscar Isaac after the whole MoonKnight thing too, Rachel Broshnahan too.

So, here’s what I’m thinking: RWRB still cast someone who is Christian to play a Jewish role. Being Jewish, involves religious aspects, racial aspects, and ethnically aspects. Being Jewish is seen in traditional practice as being passed on from the mother. Meaning that if someone has a Jewish dad, but a non-Jewish mom, the person wouldn’t be Jewish. I’m was raised reform so I’m chill about it (many Jews and branches of Judaism are not), BUT I think that when the actual ethnicity aspects of being Jewish are cast aside for the devotion of another (in this case, Baptist Christian)… I think it null and voids the inherited Jewishness. Because otherwise anyone with even the vaguest of Jewish family member could claim being Jewish, even when they don’t have any active connections to being Jewish beyond just the heritage. Or even someone who is from an interfaith family and sides more with one side of their upbringing over the other and swears off the one side can’t just use that side when it works for them in terms of getting something from it (like a job or free stuff or selfish wants). Rachel’s family is active in church, her mom and sister both— her sister led/leads Sunday school classes, you don’t do that unless you’re really into your faith. I’m not saying Rachel is, we have no clue besides calling herself a church girl and having been active in church, but it’s clear that her sister was raised so intune with Christianity that she wanted to teach it, and It can be assumed that Rachel was raised in faith the same way (especially because her mom said she was active in church). Apparently her dad would watch church services too, so based on public information, it seems that the ties to Judaism and Jewishness were shrunk or excluded in lieu of Christianity. Someone else said that they don’t think Rachel had a bat mitzvah because of how into the church her family was, since Bat Mitzvah’s “take a lot of work and planning and schooling and they don’t seem to belong to a temple” (I can’t verify that, but there’s no Bat Mitzvah announcement online or anything like that), also someone else told me that her sister was “married in a chapel and there didn’t seem to be a chuppah”, which while obviously not mandatory is a mainstream traditional part of a Jewish wedding (also, they’re pretty). So, basically even if someone who is Jewish doesn’t practice Judaism or anything Jewishy, it’s different then if someone actively was involved in another religion.

TLDR: RWRB hired someone who is Christian to play a Jew in the movie, versus a Jew without any religious ties to Christianity. Representation-wise it feels cheap, because they could have found a Jew who practices Judaism or embraces their Jewishness or just doesn’t have connection to Christianity, but it’s openly seen online that Rachel was invested strongly in the church and they went with her anyway. it feels like RWRB is saying that there can only be Jewish representation if that Jew is also (or only) Christian. Rachel is a big activist for racial justice, the environment, and mental health issues, I feel like her being Jewish would have been mentioned somewhere or been another thing entirely. Also, there is an actress who people are speculating is playing a relation of Nora (mom/grandma) and that actress isn’t Jewish either (based on info that refers to her celebrating Christmas and enjoying gospel music, and not being listed as a Jewish actor in an article that mentioned her by name a sentence earlier).

I’m not mad at Rachel at all, I respect her a lot and I think she’s crazy talented, like 100% I think she’s super cool. My ONLY issue is with the fact that production still cast someone who was (still could be) an active Christian in a Jewish role. Christians have enough representation I promise.

oh also if you’re read this far just fyi I was blocked by the director of the movie on a throwaway account after he saw my DM asking for answers about the casting choice and sending him a snapshot of my post with that really awful Ask on it, so they clearly think casting someone who was raised an active Christian in a Jewish role is fine AND are also refusing to say anything to stop the antisemitism they know is happening in the RWRB community, even for Rachel’s sake they haven’t spoken out

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pansy-placebo · 2 months

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It was an Easter and Christmas tradition to put on Shmeebit, a Berlin stage MC turned radio entertainer from around the 1920s-30's. My family would sing along to all their songs and knew all the punchlines to their jokes.

I looked them up and learned Shmeebit was their name in both their private and personal life, and they were openly non-binary. They fled Berlin as the war was heating up and lived a long and happy life, which surprised me on account of them being a lifelong chainsmoker.

you could really hear the smoking in some of their later recordings, which went like:

"Hey, what do you call a -" *cough* *HACK* *more coughing* *wheeze*... *ahem* "Dear public, excuse me. Now, what do you call a dog riding a horse?"

I was saddened to hear Shmeebit is a less popular holiday tradition these days, as my grandparents had listened to them religiously for pretty much their whole lives.

Up until the end of their life, Shmeebit would continue to broadcast, though once they'd retired it became an annual event for the long-time fans.

#dream #not a dream #submission

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satellite-blossom · 1 year

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I don't really understand why some people say that writing about non-Christian characters celebrating Christmas is erasing their identity.

I get not wanting to celebrate Christmas, but you can (and characters can) celebrate Christmas without being Christian.

I'm not even claiming that Christmas doesn't have anything to do with Christianity, however I come from a family with a mix of catholics and Muslims. We all celebrate Christmas together, but also Eid, Tabaski, Easter, ... Whenever someone gets baptized in either religion, we all come to celebrate. Some of my cousins have been baptized twice, without having picked a religion over the other yet.

My mom isn't any less Christian for celebrating Eid with her Muslim cousins, just like they're still Muslim when they come celebrate Easter with us.

I mean you can have someone/a character celebrate a religious holiday from another culture than theirs without erasing the person's identity, especially if they're invited by someone else, that's what I'm trying to say.

And for fanfictions a lot of people try to incorporate things from their own life and culture into their fics, and yeah it includes Christmas sometimes. Some people have a similar holiday to Christmas in their story but don't call it like that, some have a character introduce the others to Christmas, some use Christmas as it is, ... I don't think it's done maliciously to make every character Christian, y'know.

#berry rambles

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yhwhrulz · 1 year

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Today's Daily Encounter Thursday, December 15, 2022

Celebrating Easter at Christmas

"But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."1

There is an old joke within Christians that says something like this: "I attend church religiously: every Christmas and every Easter!" While this may make us chuckle, it is true that some people only attend church services on major holidays but don't often attend the rest of the year. For some it has even become a family tradition where they attend together to sing Christmas hymns or think of the birth of Christ. While it may not be consistently, at least they are there listening to the message of the Gospel. But how special it is when Jesus becomes a lifestyle for us, and we celebrate Him all year long!

While remembering the birth of Jesus is such an important thing, we should never forget the reason for which he was born. He came for us… a world of sinners who desperately needed hope and forgiveness. The lyrics of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" are such a great reminder of this truth:

Hail! The heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail! The Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die:

Born to raise the son of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"2

As we attend Christmas services this season, let us open our hearts to Jesus. He can bring light to our darkness and hope to the most desperate situations if only we allow Him to. This sweet Baby came to one day give His life for us. Will we choose to live for Him, not only at Christmas, but every day of the year?

Suggested prayer: Lord, I hear of so much hurting, hopelessness, and lack of joy around me. People try to find fullness of life in temporary pleasures that only leave them emptier than they were before. They need you just as much I did the moment I came to your feet. I still need you! Help me be a channel of your love and light so that they can find their way to a personal relationship with you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.1. Hebrews 2:9 (NIV). 2. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" written by Charles Wesley.

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

ACTS International P.O. Box 73545 San Clemente, California 92673-0119 U.S.A.

Phone: 949-940-9050 http://www.actsweb.org

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taeminuet · 7 years

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Heartbeat (8/?)

Title: Heartbeat Fandom: SHINee Pairings: (eventual) Jongtae; Minkey; OnKai Chapter Wordcount: ~3k Overall Rating: R (Some chapters will be NC-17; these will be marked.) Chapter Warnings: hallucinations, references to earlier character abuse, accidental self-harm Summary: In which not every problem needs to be fixed and not every person needs to be saved; sometimes you just need support.

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1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7

Chapter 8: Taemin

Minho going to sleep hurts in ways Taemin doesn't expect. It's too quiet suddenly, his first moment really alone since he arrived here, and it grates on his nerves. There are some staff member still awake, he knows, running night shift and the like, nurses and orderlies, but they feel very far away. They don't feel real.

What feels real is the encroaching isolation. Minho goes to sleep, Key retreats to his room, and Jinki doesn't come out from behind closed doors. Taemin feels lonely, and he hates himself for it because it's a feeling he should be used to, but somehow he can never quite adjust.

He misses Minho for the night. He misses Jongin overall, misses being home with his friend. He misses a lot of things. It somehow feels worse like this, in the dark. It always does.

Taemin retreats to his room to avoid the open space of the common area, and lies there in the darkness, staring at the ceiling.

Sleep hovers just out of reach, taunting him with an exhaustion that never quite seems to overtake him, and Taemin should be used to that too, should know better than to think that he can have it. But he somehow falls for it every time, can feel the frustration of not sleeping welling up in his as it always does, a feeling of tired anguish too impotent to be proper sorrow. It makes his head ache and his eyes tear up uselessly, blurring out the shadows in the dark.

He doesn't dare cry again. He's cried so much in these last 48 hours, and it's making him feel even more tired, emotionally exhausted along with physically. He wishes he had thought it out better, had eaten more or forced himself into a few more hours of fugue state, done something, anything at all.

Instead, the room feels fuzzy, distant. Shadows seems to fade in and out of existence until Taemin doesn't know if it's real or in his head or both Taemin can't even bring himself to be surprised. Of course this would happen. Eventually, he was going to run up against a brick wall. Eventually, he wasn't going to be able to cling to someone else to convince him that everything was real. Tonight, he has to handle this alone, and that is always so much worse.

He tries his best. He hides everything in his room that could be dangerous and huddles in the center of his bet, wrapped in his blanket and shaking, trying to talk himself down. He repeats things out loud, over and over, until the words sound like nonsense in his ears, meaningless and unhelpful: He's in bed. He's safe. No one is here. He's alone. That's real. All of that is real. All of it.

And yet, real or not, all the breath leaves him all at once at the first sound. It's maybe minutes later. Maybe hours. He doesn't know. He's lost all track of time, things running too fast around him one moment and too slow the next, panic welling in his veins as he squeezes his eyes shut.

“No,” he whispers out loud, the word jarring after the repeated mantra, and he sounds small enough that it scares him worse. “No, you're not real. Get out.”

The sounds seem to echo. Not around him. Inside of him. Thudding in his own head, almost like a heartbeat except that he can feel his heart racing in his chest, too fast for him to keep up with. No, this is slow, methodical. Thud, thud, thud, like footsteps. Always footsteps, too loud, too heavy to be anything but human.

And it strikes him again, how very real it is: he's alone. For the first time in a very long time, he's completely alone for this. No Taesun to bandage him up. No Jongin to reassure him that it's going to be okay. Just him, in the darkness, all alone while the footsteps thud, closer, closer

“Get out! Fuck you, you're not real! Get out!” Taemin snarls, trying to scramble away from the sound. But it keeps getting louder and louder until he doesn't even know where it's coming from, just feels like he has an entire drumline in his head, beating a hard steady tempo.

“Please,” he whines, desperate. “Please don't. I'll be good.”

But it doesn't matter how good he is. It never matters. It's never enough to save him. He can already almost feel the pattern of bruising that's going to be beaten into his skin. He's sure if he looks down, he'll see the marks on his arms, his chest, beneath his shirt, in places where no one will see but he'll feel it all over for days, feel the pain deep in his skin, but not nearly so deep as his fear.

His hands shake, and he tugs his sleeves down frantically, trying to hide. He doesn't want to see. He doesn't want anyone else to see, to ask, to know.

“Please,” he sobs, and whips his head around, trying to find a source, something he can fight off. It's not real. It's not real. But it feels real, and Taemin feels a rush of phantom panic. There are ghosts of hands around his throat, so real, choking him. They cut off his breath, his thoughts, and Taemin chokes on his own panic.

He lifts his hands to his throat, scrabbling at the ghosts, trying to rip the hands away from his neck. He can't breathe, can't think, can't, can't, can't.

It hurts, his own fingernails raking into his skin hard enough to leave welts, to leave crimson caught under his fingernails, but he manages to drag in a quick breath and loose it again all at once, breathing rapid and uncontrollable in his panic. If he gets chokes again, he'll die. He'll die here, in the dark.

He kicks away his blankets, stumbling hard as he scrambles to his feet. He has to get away. He has to. He doesn't want to die here.

The footsteps are right behind him, echoing, chasing him as he flees, tumbling out of his room and whipping his head around, the pain in his neck flaring with every motion. He doesn't know where he's running to. Where is it safe? He had hoped here. But Minho won't remember even if Taemin wakes him up and he doesn't know if it's Jinki or Onew in there right now, and Key is in a wheelchair and, and-- god, and Taemin doesn't know, he doesn't know--

Jonghyun. Jonghyun is there. Jonghyun is there and he's an asshole but he's there and Taemin needs someone, anyone. Someone who won't be in danger. Someone who can help. God.

The thudding is at his heels, so close, so close, and he doesn't have time to think, to reconsider. He slams into Jonghyun's door at full force, fingers fumbling with the doorknob – the doors down lock here, but Taemin's hands are shaking and his breath is coming so fast that he's dizzy, fingers scratching and scrabbling, slamming frantically against the wood. “Help,” he croaks, voice high and panicked. “Help me. Help me, please.”

The door opens.

Jonghyun stands there, shirtless and sleepy and looking somehow softer than Taemin has ever seen. He's not even ruffled, looks like he hasn't slept yet either, and Taemin doesn't know what time it is, but Jonghyun's still awake and he's right here and he's safe, and Taemin tumbles past him, into his room, fleeing to the far corner and balling up, head down and hands braced over the back of his neck, prepared for a beating.

He trembles, gasping for air and getting none. “Please,” he whimpers. “Please, don't let him in here. Please, help me.”

Jonghyun is staring at him, Taemin knows. He doesn't dare look up, but he knows, can feel the weight of Jonghyun's gaze on him and this was a mistake. This was a mistake.

The door slams, hard and sharp, and Taemin screams, jumping and scrambling back even further, jamming his shoulder-blades into the wall in his attempt to get away. Jonghyun stands in front of the door, hand on the knob holding it shut. He looks at Taemin, confusion all over his face, but he stands firm.

Taemin sobs. “He's here. He's here. He's gonna hurt me,” he whimpers, shaking his head desperately, trying to fold himself into a shape so small that no one will find him. “Please. Please, don't let him in.”

And then there are hands on him, pulling at his arms, his skin, dragging him out of his protective ball. Taemin yelps, howling like a trapped animal, lashing out wildly, trying to struggle and fight even though he knows it will only make it worse. But god, he doesn't want to jus give in, he doesn't want to hurt again. He's so scared.

The hands falter, but they don't let him go, and Taemin waits for the pain. But they don't hurt him either. They just pull him forward, into a chest, solid and warm and broader than his own, and hold him there, arms surrounding him.

“Hey. Hey,” Jonghyun says, so close to him, his voice soft with bewilderment but no less firm for it. “Calm down. No one's gonna hurt you. No one's going to get near you. I won't let them. Calm down. Breathe.”

Taemin's breath hitches in his chest and he wrenches back just far enough to look up into Jonghyun's face, eyes wide as he stares at him, mind still a whirl of panic and fear and trying to understand what's real.

And then he crumples, like with Minho but worse, diving back into Jonghyun's hold, burrowing himself into the space where at least there's someone there. He throws his arms around Jonghyun's shoulders, digging his fingernails into the back of Jonghyun's shoulders, tight enough to hurt, tight enough to make Jonghyun yelp, his hands tightening subtly on Taemin's skin, though still not enough to hurt. “Ah,” Jonghyun says, quietly. “Taemin.”

Taemin trembles. “Please.”

“What's going on?” Jonghyun says, and his voice is still confused, but it's higher now, a little breathy. “It's okay. There's nothing there. It's not real. You're safe.”

“No, you don't understand,” Taemin whines, feeling wrecked. “Don't make me go back out there. Please.”

“You're okay. You're okay, Taemin. It's-- ah!” Jonghyun jerks as Taemin's fingernails dug in deeper, Taemin clawing long marks up the back of his shoulders, trying to cling to him. Trying to cling to reality. He can still hear it in his head, still feel the threat, so close that his heart is racing. But Jonghyun's here, solid and evident, and Taemin is starting to figure it out again. What's real. What's not.

He whimpers and bites down hard on the nearest thing, trying to ground himself there. He's planning for his own arm or hand or something, but instead he gets his teeth buried into Jonghyun's shoulder, hard enough that Jonghyun cries out.

For a moment, Taemin is terrified. He hurt Jonghyun. Jonghyun will push him away. He'll make him leave. Fuck, fuck.

“No,” Jonghyun says, and he doesn't sound upset. In fact, his voice breathy and sweet, almost dazed. “Mm. Stay. You can stay.”

His hand comes up, cups Taemin's face. His fingers are calloused, the tips rough for some reason, but they're gentle on Taemin's skin, and they're very there, very real. The thudding is almost gone now, a background noise. And as Jonghyun draws him in, kisses him gentle and needy, Taemin doesn't protest.

“It's okay,” Jonghyun mumbles against his mouth, hauling Taemin in, and groans when Taemin clutches tighter, fingernails digging hard, sharp crescents into his skin. “Stay here. Stay here with me. I'm right here.”

And Taemin... he knows. He knows it's wrong. He knows. But god, if anything is real right now, can convince him that he's not back then, back there, it's the warmth of Jonghyun's lips against his, the strength of his palm against Taemin's side, the softness of his fingers on Taemin's cheek. If anything is real right now, it's the sound Jonghyun makes when Taemin's fingers spasm, rake across another inch of flesh.

He presses his face into Jonghyun's hand, whimpering low in his throat. “Okay,” he says. “Okay. Just help me. Make me know this is real.”

Jonghyun moans, a low, wretched sound that doesn't sound entirely... genuine. It sounds forced, like it's too much for the situation. But there is nothing exaggerated about the way Jonghyun hauls him in, his fingers sliding around from Taemin's cheek to wind into his hair, his other hand slipping from Taemin's waist to his hip to pull him into his lap.

When Jonghyun kisses him, it's desperate. As desperate as Taemin feels, and Taemin is half out of his mind. Jonghyun is shaking, mouth hot against Taemin's, and he breaks the kiss only to immediately kiss down, impatience clear in every action as he presses kisses to Taemin's throat, lips catching on the welt Taemin has raked into them.

“Fuck,” Taemin whispers, the ache of it making him tense, but Jonghyun only laps gently at the marks, soothing them over and sucking at the places between the lines, leaving little marks, soon to fade. “Fuck, Jonghyun--”

Jonghyun groans. “You did a hell of a number on yourself,” he whispers, voice breathless. “God.”

Taemin freezes. Right. Right, Taemin had done that to himself. Fuck. He had done that, fucked up in the head and thinking that he was dying. Thinking--

“Fuck. Fuck, Jonghyun, stop,” Taemin whines, pushing at Jonghyun's shoulders, the front this time, shoving him away. “Stop. I can't.”

Jonghyun lurches back, looking at Taemin with wide eyes, a whine on his lips. He looks-- he doesn't look flirty. He looks needy and betrayed, like Taemin has just slapped him across the face. It's a bad look, and Taemin feels guilt twist up in his stomach. He feels guilty. He feels guilty and shitty and tired. He's so tired.

He feels his body sag. The adrenaline is fading now. He can feel his whole body going loose, exhaustion in every pore. He isn't okay. He isn't okay, and he's here, in the lap of someone he barely knows, someone who could hurt him so easily. But someone who had protected him. Who had at least tried to make him feel better in his own fucked up way.

And honestly, Taemin's scared. He's scared that if Jonghyun makes him leave, the night terrors will come back. He'll start freaking out again. But he... he doesn't want to do this. Not like this.

“I'm sorry,” he says, meaning it, because the look on Jonghyun's face is wretched. He leans his head back on Jonghyun's shoulder. The bite mark is there, stark and visible, and he touches it gently with his fingertips.

Jonghyun moans low in his throat, arches towards him again, fingers clutching hard at Taemin's hip. “Ah, d- don't,” Jonghyun stutters, swallowing a few times. “Please. I'll make it good. I'll-- I can make you feel so good.”

And it's not cocky. That's the worst part. This isn't the man he met at breakfast, that he's seen. Jonghyun is utterly sincere now, almost pleading, and Taemin is so weak. Just not quite weak enough for that.

“I can't,” he says again, shaking his head. “I can't, I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave.”

Jonghyun looks stricken. He curses, a soft, broken sound, almost of pain, and lets go of Taemin. Not fully, but he pulls his hand from Taemin's hair, pulls his finger from Taemin's hip. He sets them almost gingerly on Taemin's forearms instead, peeling Taemin off of him.

Taemin inhales sharply, the thought of leaving making something hateful curl in the pit of his stomach. The thought of Jonghyun kicking him out for not wanting to sleep with him.

But Jonghyun just gets Taemin off of him and climbs to his feet, stumbling backwards to put space between them and taking deep breaths, his entire body going tight with tension. “Fine,” he says, and his voice is trembling, but it's lost a lot of that breathy quality. Now he mostly sounds strained. “Fine, but if you wanna stay, you're gonna have to get up and get in the bed yourself. I'm not exactly-- I'm not okay right now. I can't... get near you.”

Taemin stares for a long moment, unsure. Is Jonghyun really going to let him stay? But he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, not right now. Not when it's this or be alone again for the night.

He stands slowly, without Jonghyun's help, and is only half startled at the wave of dizziness, the way darkness encroaches at the edges of his vision. He's strained himself past breaking, and he doesn't know what to do about that except follow Jonghyun's instructions, crawl into the man's bed and pull the blankets up around him. They smell fresh, like they've been recently replaced, but they also smell a little like Jonghyun.

Taemin bundles them around him into a protective cocoon, and stares at Jonghyun, who's watching him with a pained expression. Taemin pulls in on himself, ducking his head. “Thanks,” he says, and it feels weird to say. “You know, for letting me stay. And calming me down. And I'm sorry, for--” He gestures vaguely, the motion all shifting blankets. “I didn't mean to, you know, do all of this.”

Jonghyun shrugs. It seems forced at best. “Don't worry about it. I've done dumber in my time. I think a lot of us have. You're alright.”

“I guess,” Taemin says, noncommittally. “I just... yeah.”

Jonghyun shrugs again, and takes a couple deep breaths. “Okay,” he mumbles to himself. “I'm okay. I'm--” He takes another deep breath. “Scoot.”

He moves over to the bed, pushing gently at the ball of blankets that Taemin's made himself into. “I'm... I'll live. I'll be okay. Just... let me...” He shudders, crawls in next to Taemin and pulls at the blankets. “I don't care if you stay, but you're not hogging all the blankets.”

Taemin can't help it. He laughs. It's a tiny, brief little noise, but at least it's genuine. After everything that's happened, Jonghyun's managed to make him laugh. It feels strange, but nice.

“You've figured out my master plan,” Taemin says, chancing a small, nervous smile. “I faked all that so I could come in here and steal your blankets.”

Jonghyn pauses, just for a moment, and then resumes yanking at his blankets, tugging them out form under Taemin. “That wasn't fake,” he says simply, and manages to wrench part free and shimmy under them with Taemin.

They're so close, too close, and Taemin is sure that tomorrow this will be concerning. But right now, Jonghyun drapes an arm over him, as careless with his touch as he seems to always be, and it feels a lot like Jonghyun holding him, telling him that no one's going to hurt him. That Jonghyun won't let them.

“No,” Taemin whispers. “It wasn't.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun says, and wraps the blankets tighter around them both. “Shut up and go to sleep if you can, okay? You really fucking need it right about now.”

Taemin nods. He doesn't think he'll get much, but at least, when he closes his eyes, he drifts. Eventually, sleep does manage to claim him, if only for a few hours, and he sleeps, deep and dreamless, in Jonghyun's arms.

Interlude Next Chapter: April 23

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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Cultural Appropriation in Modern Witchcraft

Cultural appropriation occurs when cultural practices are taken out of their original context and misused by outsiders. Cultural appropriation is different from cultural sharing, which occurs naturally in any multicultural society. Eating at an Indian restaurant is not cultural appropriation. Wearing a bindi when you don’t understand its significance in Indian culture is.

Cultural appropriation is a huge issue in modern witchcraft. When you have witches using white sage to “smudge” their altars, doing meditations to balance their chakras, and calling on Santa Muerte in spells, all without making any effort to understand the cultural roots of those practices, you have a serious problem.

When trying to understand cultural appropriation in witchcraft, it’s important to understand the difference between open and closed magic systems. An open system is one that is open to exchange with outsiders — both sharing ideas/practices and taking in new ones. In terms of religion, spirituality, and witchcraft, a completely open system has no restrictions on who can practice its teachings. A closed system is one that is isolated from outside influences — usually, there is some kind of restriction on who can practice within these systems.

There are different reasons a system might be closed. Some systems require a formal training and/or initiation, but there is no restriction on who can be initiated. Reiki and some forms of Wicca operate this way. (All other forms of Wicca are completely open.) Some systems are closely tied to a complex set of cultural beliefs that may not be fully understood by outsiders, so they are closed to people outside of that culture. Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) is an example of this. Some systems require a family lineage, so you must have been born into the system to practice within it. Zoroastrianism and some forms of traditional witchcraft fall into this category. And finally, some systems are closed as a kind of self defense, usually because they have been the target of persecution from outsiders — keeping the system closed is a way to preserve beliefs and practices that might otherwise be lost. African Diaspora Religions fall into this last category.

If a belief or practice is part of a closed system, outsiders should not take part in it. It really is that simple. If you aren’t Native American, you should not be performing smudging ceremonies. If you aren’t Jewish, you should not be practicing Kabbalah or working with Lilith as your “goddess.” If you aren’t Black, you should not be practicing Hoodoo. You get the idea.

On a similar note, just because a system is open does not mean you can do whatever you want with its teachings. You should still make a point of educating yourself on the system you are practicing and take care not to take things out of their original context. Some forms of Shinto are open, but you wouldn’t involve the kami in a Wiccan- or pagan-style ritual — Shinto has its own rules for ritual, which are very different from Western paganism. If you feel called to work with a cultural system you are not already part of, you need to be willing to put in the work of respectfully learning about and preserving that system.

It is impossible to appropriate a dominant culture. For example, in the United States, white American culture is treated as the default. There is tremendous pressure on all other cultural groups to speak English, dress like white Americans, and act like white Americans. White American culture has deep roots in Protestant Christianity, and these religious influences are enforced through social norms and sometimes through laws. Many businesses are closed on Christmas and Easter, and I live in an area where it is illegal to sell alcohol on Sunday mornings. White (Christian) American culture is literally being shoved down everyone’s throats all the time. A non-Christian immigrant wearing a cable-knit sweater, taking Sundays off work, or celebrating Christmas isn’t cultural appropriation, because they are expected to adopt these elements of the dominant culture.

It is also impossible to appropriate your own culture, even if you weren’t raised in it. For example, a Latinx person who decides to learn brujeria does not need anyone’s permission to do so. That practice is a part of their cultural heritage.

Dead cultures are a gray area, but the general consensus is that you cannot appropriate a system that isn’t connected to a living culture. For example, Hellenic polytheism is very different from modern Greek culture. A non-Greek person practicing Hellenic polytheism isn’t appropriating Greek culture, because that religion hasn’t been openly practiced in Greece for thousands of years. The same goes for many other types of reconstructionist paganism (paganism based on recreating ancient beliefs and practices) such as Kemetic (Egyptian) polytheism, Celtic paganism, Norse paganism, etc.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t still make an effort to be respectful of the cultural origins of these religions. If you worship the Kemetic gods, you should probably educate yourself on at least the basic history and philosophy of Ancient Egypt. You should probably try to be faithful to the ancient beliefs in your practice. But you don’t need any sort of initiation, because there is no direct connection between the ancient religion and modern reconstruction.

So How Do We Avoid Appropriation?

Know the difference between open and closed systems, and respect if a system is closed.

If a system is open or only partially closed, try to find a teacher or mentor who is already a part of that system. If an in-person mentor isn’t possible, try to find books and other resources created by people who are actually part of that culture.

Only use items or practices in your witchcraft if you have a good understanding of their cultural, religious, and/or spiritual significance.

If a member of a culture or magic system tells you their system is closed and asks you to stop using it, listen to them.

Educate yourself on how cultural appropriation contributes to systemic racism and other social issues.

Don’t try to sneak around culture appropriation. If you burn white sage to cleanse your space, you are still appropriating Native American spiritual practices (and contributing to the overharvesting of an endangered plant), even if you don’t use the term “smudging” or appropriate the entire smudge ceremony. If something is not yours to practice, leave it alone.

Learning about other cultures is not the same as cultural appropriation. Here’s a personal example: I live fairly close to New Orleans, and I think New Orleans Voodoo is a fascinating tradition. When I visit, I like to speak to local Voodoo practitioners and learn from them about their practice. That being said, I recognize that I am not a part of that practice, and I’m not about to start incorporating elements of Voodoo into my personal practice.

As a white woman, my track record is not perfect when it comes to cultural appropriation. When I first started my witchcraft journey, I burned white sage and worked with the chakra system. I didn’t know any better, and these things were presented to me as if they were open to anyone. But now I do know better, and I’m making a conscious effort to avoid appropriation in my practice.

I’m also trying to do better for new witches just entering the world of alternative spirituality. It’s important for us to talk about things like cultural appropriation so that baby witches know from the beginning what the issues are and why they matter.

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writingwithcolor · 4 years

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Hey! I’m currently writing a Jewish character and was wondering if this would be offensive: my character has a family where her mother is Jewish but her father celebrates Christmas, so they fuse their holiday celebrations to bring their two families together for any holidays that fall in line with eachother. Would this be a problem? I’m basing her off of irl friends who’s family does this, but I want to make sure it doesn’t seem like I’m erasing her Jewish heritage and pride. Thanks so much!

Celebrating Hanukkah & Christmas in interfaith family

No problems from me other than to note that I hope you meant to say that they're both celebrated, not that they're literally "combined." Because putting Christian ritual into a Jewish holiday would bug me, as a reader, but someone watching Mom light the menorah before going out caroling with Dad would not--for example. Does that make sense? There are plenty of interfaith families out there that do both, but keeping the actual practices separate is the best way to keep the Jewish ones Jewish. (And in my example I was picturing both parents there for each activity, so it's not like I'm calling for that much separation -- just, not bringing up "the meaning of Christmas" while you're literally telling the Chanukah story.

You may also want to decide if the character themselves is drawn in one direction or the other, or neither yet. (You said "Jewish heritage and pride" so from this I gather that's how she believes? In that case, is Christmas totally just a fun secular thing for her or is it something she regards as an outsider, religiously speaking?)

--Shira

I'm going to start by saying that interfaith families exist, and have a variety of ways of expressing their combination of cultures. I'm absolutely not here to argue with that, be negative about that very real way of life, or invalidate those experiences in the slightest.

With that being said... people outside our community really, really love to show us celebrating Christmas, and Easter, and eating bacon, or doing anything else that might code us as assimilated (regardless of our internal identities). These are things that some Jewish people do, and I think it's absolutely good to show the breadth of the community, and the varied ways we express ourselves, but I do not, at all, trust someone outside the community to do that mindfully.

In wider media, whether books, television, movies etc. Jewish characters are so often shown to be either assimilated, or from an interfaith family. Interfaith does not necessarily mean assimilated of course! But the fact of their interfaith relationship is often used as a convenient way to get the Jewish character into situations that are intended to show how "not really" Jewish they are. There is an obsession with showing us as assimilated, a delight that is taken in trying to prove that we either are exactly the same as the broader culture, or that our differences can be erased and eroded until we are.

A Jewish person remains Jewish, whether they go to a Christmas party or not, whether they have shrimp at dinner or not, whether they marry a non-Jewish person or not, but the intent behind constantly showing Jewish characters doing this is suspect to me. This asker may not have this ill-intent, but frankly, it's hard to come by a character, written by a non-Jewish person, that says "I'm Jewish" in the beginning of a work, and then "oh, no thank you, I don't celebrate Christmas" in the middle, let alone even continuing to say "I'm Jewish" by the end.

When I read a work about interfaith families, and their specific traditions by a person inside the community, or coming from an interfaith background themselves, I'm interested, happy to learn about the characters, and their lives. When I read a work like that by someone outside the community it leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth, and the feeling that even fictional versions of us are being gleefully, voyeuristically, intentionally assimilated.

-- Dierdra

1) If your character is invested in their Jewish heritage, celebrating Chanukah is not enough to show this. Please please please research our other holidays and traditions, talk to Jewish people who feel the same level of connection to their Jewish roots, consume #OwnVoices materials.

2) Agree with Dierdra that interfaith families exist and deserve representation, but that writing an assimilated character requires a lot of research and sensitivity; any blatant disregard of halacha should probably be avoided in case it is consumed in that voyeuristic way by the reader.

3) And with Christmas in particular, you can be close to touching a nerve because not all Jewish people have fond memories of Christmas, to say the least. To people of minority faiths, it can be the time when our othering is the most blatant and impactful (we’ve included some personal stories below).

It would be best to listen to many Jewish experiences of December shenanigans, from people who celebrate Christmas partially or fully, to those who are indifferent, to those who have mainly negative associations and memories.

-- Shoshi

Our personal experiences with Christmas (Jewish Mods)

Also, as a note from all of us, discussing this question brought up so many stories about our own experiences with Christmas, and the culture surrounding it. A selection of them are below, just to give an idea of what it can be like:

- Just not having lights up was enough to get our neighbor asking our then roommate if we were "you know... sorta..." When our roommate confirmed that we are indeed Jewish, he reassured him that it was "fine." It didn't feel fine to be told that though. I also had a neighbor ask what we were doing for Christmas once, and I said "oh, we do Chanukah in this house" just to keep it casual. She excitedly yelled back "JEWS!!" Even without Covid I was getting to the point where December was just a month where I tried to stay in, and avoid getting grumpy at people who are just enjoying their holiday (they just happen to be enjoying it everywhere, all the time. And sometimes kind of aggressively). God forbid you correct someone when they wish you a Merry Christmas.

- Me too, it's the marketing, it's so aggressive. Last year I got so fed up with Christmas music being on in the office that I decided to bring a dreidel and spin it casually on my desk throughout the day, just so that my own space could feel like it was somewhat reserved for my own identity, you know? On day two of this, a colleague I didn't know that well came up to me and said, "Please could you stop doing that? It's really loud." I wanted to yell "NOT AS LOUD AS YOUR MUSIC!", but I didn't, I just stopped spinning it because I'm a darn pushover at times. I had to sit through my first hand-wringing 'how will we do Christmas with Covid?' conversation in about September, even though Pesach and Eid were both during the height of lockdown in this country and no one said a thing until after the fact.

- I've had people scoff, and sniff, and make snide comments to my face in my old workplace when I politely reminded them that I don't celebrate Christmas. It can get so uncomfortable, just existing in the world, and Christmas can end up a really miserable time.

#minemelody #Chanukah #Hanukkah #Christmas #interfaith #Christianity #Jewish #Judaism #holidays #assimilation #asks

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amariemelody · 2 years

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Am I still on my Encanto bs? Yeah, I’m still on my Encanto bs.

I’ve been thinking about the magical candle.

It’s said that the magical candle in the movie was created due to Abeulo Pedro’s sacrifice-it was a miracle given in the darkest, most dangerous of circumstances. But I also wonder...

From my many re-watches, Encanto does not explicitly or even implicitly showcase any religious elements. Still, I’m wondering about a possible religious symbolism in the magical candle. Now, while not the official religion of Colombia, one of the predominantly practiced religions is Roman Catholicism at about 79% for the population.

I’m not at all Colombian but both sides of my family happen to be Catholic, though we’re largely non-practicing nowadays (and though I find some comfort and interest in Catholicism, I’m personally and quietly Agnostic). But it’s that family background that made me notice yet another possible Easter Egg in the movie:

One of the most common traditions in Catholicism is the lighting of a candle for just so reasons:

Lighting a candle for someone is a way to both extend your prayers and show solidarity with the person the prayer is being made on behalf of. The faithful also light candles as a sign of gratitude to God for answered prayers.

In my experience, this reasoning also includes lighting a candle for the departed soul of those passed, both recently and long ago. I remember when I was very, very young and my mother would take us to our local Catholic church to light those candles for our father, who passed when I was barely 2-years-old. For our family that lit candle represented the remembrance of my father and prayer for his soul’s peace and rest in heaven.

In Encanto, we see the candles originally used to simply light the way as Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro escaped their besieged village. Upon Abuelo Pedro’s death, one of the candles (and I think it’s the one that turns into the magical candle that kicks off the rest of the story.

And again, the movie is not at all religious as far as I can tell. But I almost wonder if, as far as what the magical candle represents, it’s also the prayer for future safety and prosperity; the prayer for A Miracle; and the prayer for the rest and peace of Abuelo Pedro’s soul in heaven, per his sacrifice being what creates-and possibly represents-the magical candle in the first place.

What do ya’ll think?

#There's just so so SO much to think and learn about the more you watch this movie...#Encanto #Meta #Amarie talks

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blessedarethebinarybreakers · 3 years

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Hey! We're protestant so my family doesn't really celebrate Lent. I know you're supposed to like, give up something important to you, but the only things I can give up right now are technology things and then I'll have nothing else to do in quarantine. How do you celebrate Lent?

Hi there! I’m excited to see you’re interested in Lent! (Btw, some Protestant denominations do observe Lent, even while some don’t.) It’s a powerful season of the year in which we reflect on God’s ultimate solidarity with the most disenfranchised of humanity through the Person of God who is Jesus’s ministry, wilderness wandering, and crucifixion. In pondering Jesus’ solidarity, we are moved to gratitude and seeking deeper relationship with God, and also to solidarity with the oppressed ourselves.

Many people do give up something as part of their Lenten observance. It’s supposed to be something you feel is somehow inhibiting your relationship with God (perhaps excess tv time or alcohol), or else something you give up to cultivate compassion for those in the world who are without that thing (such as engaging in healthy forms of fasting; this compassion should eventually lead to action).

(Unfortunately, Lent is sometimes used almost as a “New Year’s Resolutions: Part 2″ instead of a religious observance -- a chance to start up a diet instead of a chance to nourish one’s spiritual life. But at its best, giving up things for Lent follows what I said in the previous paragraph.)

However, Lent is about far more than giving things up. In fact, this year, when so much has already been stripped away because of the pandemic, many Christian leaders are advising not using this Lent to further deprive yourself. In this time that is so full of trauma and worry and isolation, no one should “give up” anything that is helping them get through it!!

So yeah friend, don’t give up the technology that helps you find a little joy in your day, and lets you connect to others in the midst of quarantine. Instead, you might add something on to your life --

an extra moment of meditation or prayer each day;

or picking a spiritual book you’ll read a little bit of each day (or a podcast if you don’t like books; or an online devotional, etc.).

Or you might commit to performing several intentional acts of kindness each week;

or offering money (if you are financially able to) to good causes;

or educating yourself about how to be in solidarity with a marginalized group to which you don’t belong.

You might also commit to finally doing something that you need to do but have been putting off -- such as finally getting a therapist, or finally getting help for a problem you’ve been keeping secret, or finally setting boundaries or letting go of a harmful relationship -- actions that take so much courage, but will help set you free to pursue the abundance that God wills for you.

_____

I offer some suggestions for reading materials and other Lenten resources in this recent post.

I especially recommend the article “The Unintended Consequences of Spiritual Discipline” by Emmy Kegler for commentary on the risks involved in viewing Lent solely as a time for self denial or “giving things up,” especially for particularly vulnerable groups. Please keep in mind that God does not call us into the kind of self-denial that manifests as self-hate or meaningless suffering -- God longs for abundant life for every one of us!! Take care of yourself <3

I’ve read a few good books already in the past couple weeks that would also make good Lenten reading (reading a lot of books is my own commitment this Lent):

The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler -- argues that to die well we must live well; and we don’t have to let go of any fear of death, but we do have to be willing to accept that death will come one day and let that knowledge motivate us to pursue purpose and community so that we will feel fulfilled at death. Since one important aspect of Lent is memento mori, but this past year we’ve been so inundated with death and grief that being told to fixate even more on our own mortality seems like a cruel joke, this is a particularly good book for this Lent -- because it helps us face the death we’re already surrounded with. It does share some pretty intense hospital death scenes, however, so if that’s not something you’re in a good place to be reading about, you might instead try.... .

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler -- this book also faces the prospect of death head on, through the point of view of a woman with stage four cancer. Kate Bowler explores where God is (and is not) in the midst of suffering and death; even has a chapter specifically about Lent. And if you aren’t a big book person, Bowler’s podcast Everything Happens is even better than the book! She interviews all sorts of different people about God and suffering. .

Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor is a book that also explores in accessible and warm language what faith can look like in moments when God seems absent. .

The Black Christ by Kelly Brown Douglass (I recommend the 25th Anniversary Edition because I like its introduction but if you can get another version cheaper for free that’s great too) -- a wonderful introduction into Black theologians’ views on Christ as Black, as one who identifies wholly with those who are oppressed by racism but also by other forms of oppression; it’s a fairly quick and easy-to-understand read, so it’s perfect for non-academics who are interested in this topic but struggle with the heavier texts. .

Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh is what I’m working on now and I’m already in love.

Finally, I’m super pumped about this new disability-centered devotional with readings for every Sunday of Lent plus every day of Holy Week (the final week of Lent, leading up to Easter).

Please let me know if you have more questions! I pray you encounter God in life-giving ways this Lenten season <3

#lent #pandemic #covid19 #lent 2021 #oneblogtorulenoneofthem

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2goldensnitches · 3 years

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I’m not christian/catholic but I live in a majority christian country and everything i’ve heard from friends and acquaintances (even teachers!) about growing up in that kind of culture has never been positive: “the nuns at school used to beat me for x reason,” “my parents burned my pokemon toys because sunday mass said pokemon is satanic;” “my parents kicked me out for being sexually active,” “coming out got me exorcised by the family priest.” Or even then on a larger societal scale examples like the church vocally denouncing abortion and sex ed as dangers to children...while protecting paedophiles in its employ (like the huge legionnaire network, still in operation!! pulling kids out of class in their schools to send them to clergymen to rape and then send back to class!!).

What that provoked was like...i think two (three?) generations’ worth of heavy hedonists, goths, satanists, drag queens, punks, a lot of “counter-culture” types who flourished after leaving home; every person I know of that kind always told me “the fastest way to make an atheist is to raise them catholic.” They’re all very firm on misbehaving because they can and it’s their life to do with it as they please regardless of what I or others think. And even the people who still celebrate holidays like easter and christmas mostly do it for the family dinners and presents, not because they want to go to the religious services. They don’t want Christian religion in their lives.

But then you get to Americans and somehow even secular people often have weirdly dissonant and conservative viewpoints on a lot of things—I frequently see latinos on social media make fun of americans our age as uptight, puritanical, quick to take offense. I used to think that was an exaggeration (there are a lot of loud dumb anti sjw types online) until a lot of events + this current lil’ nas situation had me seeing takes that would seem more at home on a conservative’s page. People saying that images of satan are inappropriate, the music video should be censored, and even people with rainbow icons and links to socjus carrds joking about lil’ nas burning in hell because “he deserves it.” What is with this nonsense??? How do these people trip over themselves to condemn children’s cartoons and not using the right terminology or whatever, but then their laughing about a black gay man burning in hell is retweeted by right-wing politicians and racist pta karens??

People here usually don’t disguise their thoughts unless they’re a non panista politician, so it’s incredibly jarring to see ostensibly left-wing americans of any kind repeat some blatantly hateful things under the guise of it being a joke or “actually Woke”

#homophobia #the christians are not ok!!

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neverwritewhatyouknow · 2 years

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Hi! This isn’t a hate message I promise!

I was wondering if you could expand more on how Rachel is or isn’t Jewish? I’m Catholic so I don’t really think I fully understand, but I want to learn more because I think it’s wrong that they didn’t cast a Jewish actress if they could’ve.

Hey!! Of course I can!

There’s a few things so I’ll try to keep it all quick and easy to understand.

1. In traditional Judaism (meaning all non-reform branches) you are only Jewish if your mom is. It passes on. If your mom isn’t Jewish you’re seen as a non-Jew. There’s no “half-Jewish” identity, it’s all or nothing. You would have to basically convert into Judaism the same as anyone else to be seen as Jewish.

2. In Reform Judaism (a more modern/progressive branch) you can be considered Jewish if your dad is Jewish and not your mom, BUT you have to be raised exclusively Jewish and not as any other religion, and also technically you have to through all the rites of Judaism (naming, bris if you’re a boy, torah study, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, etc). Only then would you be seen as Jewish in the eyes of the reform community. Note: According to the guidelines, you have to be raised exclusively Jewish and do all this stuff, you can’t go from a full day praying at church to your Bar/Bat Mitzvah. There’s no half-Jew here either, in a very technical sense, if you’re not fully Jewish you’re just… not Jewish. You can be half something else, but being Jewish is seen as something that is done in full. In my experience, Reform synagogues are good with interfaith families though, they are welcomed and not treated any differently and as long as the kids are brought up in the temple, it’s all kosher (Jew joke).

Based on what I’ve been told and what I’ve been able to find, any “Jewish heritage” (using words that were apparently said by Rachel, told to me by the person she said them to) would be coming from her dad’s side. This would instantly remove her from being recognized as Jewish from any branch other than Reform.

Then, Rachel was raised as an active member of the baptist church (her mom said so in an interview & someone who knows Rachel told me via DM). Her mom also started volunteering at the church when Rachel was a little kid, meaning that Rachel likely tagged along or was sent to Sunday School/Youth Group. Her mom is really devoted to her religion, so she likely had Rachel attending services and doing the whole Christian thing every week (every day even) from a young age. Someone in my DMs said their friend went to church with Rachel, so they know her family was involved in attending services frequently. Based on all this, it’s clear there was no exclusivity to Judaism or even just the Jewish ethnicity. Therefore she wouldn’t count as Jewish in the eyes of Reform synagogues either. Even with the rumored Jewish heritage Rachel may have, religiously and ethnically she’s non-Jewish.

Jews don’t have to be religious at all. Many Jews don’t practice Judaism. The difference is that the Jews who aren’t religious are still Jews due to their mothers or being raised exclusively Jewish and (or at least) no other religion. For example, me and all of my friends from Hebrew school (some from interfaith families) were raised fully Jewish, the closest we got to a church service was when there was an interfaith service where every religion in town met up together and the choirs would all sing. Now none of us practice Judaism, but are all still 100% Jewish in the eyes of traditional Judaism and Reform. Exclusivity doesn’t mean you couldn’t go to Christmas parties or eat Easter candy, or even attend a church service with a friend, it means that you weren’t majorly raised and involved in another religion at a religious level.

There’s obviously gray areas depending on certain situations, but in Rachel’s case it’s pretty cut and dry. She’s not Jewish.

I hope that answered your question. Let me know if there’s anything else!!

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phiralovesloki · 3 years

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a Jew rants about Christmas, enjoy

All right, so listen.

I hear this a lot. “Christmas isn’t really a religious holiday anyway!” It’s not the only thing I hear, but it’s the thing I hear the most. That Christmas is secular, that lots of non-Christians celebrate it,* that it’s not hurting anyone that it’s so widely and publicly celebrated. And like ... this doesn’t make sense to me at all.

A ramble follows, but I hope folks read, especially Christians (including people who don’t consider themselves Christian but were raised in some flavor or intensity of Christianity.)

* (”Lots of non-Christians celebrate it!” often means one of two things: that the person knows lots of people who come from Christian traditions who celebrate Christmas but are not religious or are atheists, or that they know people from other religions, usually Jews, who celebrate Christmas. I’ll get to both in turn. And to be clear, I am Jewish, so this is my perspective as an American Jew, and I cannot and will not speak for non-Americans or non-Jews.)

The issue here is two-fold: Christian supremacy and Christianity as an assumed trait in many countries or regions. These are both connected, but let’s start with the second one first.

Here in the United States, Christianity is pervasive. Let’s just look at my life as a musician when I was younger:

I never had orchestra rehearsals on Sunday mornings when church services were held, but I sure as heck had them on Friday evenings and Saturday before sunset. I remember once trying to schedule a chamber group rehearsal before a recital and getting a surprisingly angry reaction from the other members because I didn’t realize the day I was suggesting was Easter. In high school, we had extra rehearsals for a statewide competition, and our devout Catholic conductor was pushing for Wednesday night instead of Thursday because Thursday was Holy Thursday, and didn’t seem to understand why the Jews in his band were pushing back because so many of us had plans to attend seders with our families on the first night of Passover (he relented, but only because literally zero Catholic students in band had a problem rehearsing on Holy Thursday).

The issue here is not that non-Jews weren’t aware of when Jewish holidays were, or that they expected me to celebrate non-Jewish holidays. It’s the assumption that I would know, understand, and prioritize Christian rites, rituals, and holidays in my own life. Not because I’m obligated to be Christian, but because Christianity is an assumed default trait. And if I’m going to deviate from the default, then this is my own problem.

It’s my own problem that the second week of teaching conflicts with Yom Kippur and it’s too difficult to get a sub so early in the semester. It’s my own problem that my elementary and middle schools did not give students High Holy Days off. It’s my own problem that my high school did but treated it like a freebie day off and assigned extra work (!!). No one but another Jew needs to know, understand, and prioritize anything about my religion--that’s inconvenient!

One thing I’ve heard before is, “Well, if we had important Jewish holidays off and important Muslim holidays off and important Hindu holidays off, etc., in addition to Christian holidays, then we’d have holidays all the time!” Which ... well, then why get any religious holidays off? And here, good luck arguing Christmas is secular, because uh, people are going to church on Christmas for a reason, and lots of Christmas songs and carols are about Jesus, and have you heard of nativity scenes? Anyway!

But also, who fucking cares? Who cares if we get lots of time off from work and school? I don’t care! Do you think all the white people who got Juneteenth off in 2020 because suddenly organizations decided that publicly doing the bare minimum to show that Black people’s lives mattered was in their best interest cared why they were getting the day off? Do you really?? Capitalism fucking sucks, I’ll take every day off the system lets me pry out of its terrible claws.

Ahem.

Which brings me to something else. I said “Christian supremacy” earlier, but I feel like this is a specific facet of it, one that seems harmless and benevolent, but is extremely not either one. Which is this:

Christianity is one kind of religion, and the way it operates is not representative of other religions, but in order for Christian supremacy to operate, this cannot be understood or respected. Bear with me.

Judaism is ... surprisingly not similar to Christianity, even if the latter stemmed from the former. Christianity, most sects, rests heavily on belief, whereas Judaism is ... different. I hesitate to call it a faith because it doesn’t require faith. There are lots of Jews who believe in G-d, and there are lots of Jews who do not, and lots of Jews who don’t really even think about it. There’s a lot of arguments, even within Jewish communities, over whether or not Judaism is an ethnicity; I’m inclined to say “Sort of??” but I think it’s easier for me to understand it as neither/both.

(It’s complicated because Judaism, but to me personally, it’s multiple ethnicities that bleed around the edges because there are Jews who converted and Jews who have non-Jewish parents, and I find the concept of “half-Jewish” and similar genetic percentage arguments to be kind of alarming.)

And here, I want to address part of what people say when they say they know non-Christians who celebrate Christmas, which is to say: people who do not believe in G-d or attend church or participate in religious aspects of Christianity, but whose families do come from some sect or sects of Christianity, who grew up celebrating Christmas and possibly Easter, and who did not grow up belonging to another religious group. And here’s where there’s something (one of many things, of course) about Christian supremacy that really bugs me--

That’s not a thing in every religion! A non-Jew is not a Jew who stopped practicing Judaism and doesn’t really feel Jewish anymore--a non-Jew is a gentile! Ahhhhhhhh!! You don’t hear people say they’re not part of any religion but still celebrate Chanukah! Like, why would you?? Look, folks, when we say, “Christmas is a Christian holiday,” and you say, “Well, I celebrate it but I’m not Christian!” when you grew up celebrating it and your parents used to attend church and maybe made you attend, too, and your mom’s got a nativity scene set out in December ... you’re not really making sense to a lot of non-Christians.

Anyway!!!

And then there’s the whole, “It’s secular, so I know Jews who celebrate it!” Well, okay, let’s interrogate that a bit! Isn’t it a little odd that you know Jews who celebrate your holiday, but ... you don’t reciprocate? That so many other non-Jews also don’t celebrate Jewish holidays? Or understand them? Or even know the existence of more than a handful? And do you stop to think about why some Jews celebrate Christmas?

For my mom, who sort of grew up celebrating Christmas (stockings and presents) and loves Christmas lights, and my sister, who likes Christmas and bought herself a small plastic tree a while back, it’s a fun thing for them to do. It’s a fun seasonal event that cheers them up when it gets dark out at 4pm. Good for them!

For me? It’s a reminder that I am not really American. That I don’t really quite belong. That I’m different, not the default, and that it’s acceptable for people to ignore my religion or be ignorant about it, but that I’m expected to get in their holiday spirit.

So, you can point to Jews like my mom and sister, and shout that it means I’m wrong, but all that you’re proving is that some Jews are able to find joy in another religion’s holidays, which is not unreasonable, odd, or damning (literally or figuratively--we don’t have hell so there’s nothing to worry about there).

The thing is, practicing Judaism is much different from being Christian. While it’s hard for a lot of non-Jews to comprehend Judaism, which has no true concept of the afterlife, does not require faith in any G-d, and is often (though not always) considered an ethnicity, the problem is that Christian supremacy gives Christians permission not to try. It gives them permission to assume their way of being religious is just how being religious is for everyone. It gives them permission to expect everyone else to understand their religion, their observances, and their practices. And it gives them permission to ignore other religions, other ways of being religious, or practicing religion.

There’s sort of this benign-seeming pressure for non-Christians to get in the holiday spirit. The obviously not-benign version, of course, is the whole “war on Christmas” bullshit, but the benign-seeming version isn’t actually any better. In some cases it’s worse because the mask is still on, or people who would never agree with those awful supremacists don’t realize that they’re still participating in it. It’s stuff like “holiday parties” and “happy holidays!” Stuff like putting up Christmas lights or trees in public spaces and insisting that it’s seasonal. The secularization of Christmas is part of Christian supremacy here in the United States, because what it does is it hides a religious holiday as a default American behavior. And this is something that happens a lot here in the US, where something explicitly Christian is branded as American, like certain values and ideas. Other religions have different values and ideas, and operate differently, but in a Christian supremacy, these are not valid values or ideas.

I have two young kids who are being raised Jewish, but their father is not Jewish. Additionally, very few of my IRL friends are Jewish. This means that I’ve got a lot of very kind, loving, well-meaning people who are trying to be supportive. One of my toddler’s favorite books is a Sesame Street book where Elmo visits a friend’s house and learns about Chanukah, and my in-laws gave us a picture book about a girl whose mother is Jewish and whose father is Christian, about how they celebrate those holidays.

Both are well-meaning, but both come across as Christian-centric. Elmo’s friend’s dad wears a kippah on Chanukah, and they sing Chanukah songs, and eat “potato pancakes” for dinner (and nothing else??). The other book has the girl’s family go caroling and they sing some Chanukah songs when they do. Uh, okay, but that’s not a thing! It’s not a thing!!! I’m dying.

Both books are, again, well-meaning, but fail to really acknowledge what I really wish people would understand: Judaism and other religions are not just different flavors of Christianity. We don’t have “Chanukah colors” just because you have Christmas colors. We light the menorah for very specific religious reasons that a lot of people don’t know, not just because it’s tradition! (The Elmo book like sort of references the miracle of Chanukah, but very briefly, and I think it’s because they realized describing the miracle would get too religious. Wonder why that’s not a problem with Christmas?!?!!)

ANYWAY AGAIN.

Think about the media you consume. Think about what you think the “holiday season” is. Think about how much you know about or understand other religions. Think about why it matters to you so much that non-Christians celebrate Christmas, or why it matters to you so much that non-Christians spend time and effort understanding and accommodating Christmas.

Because it’s not secular, can’t be secular, and if you can’t celebrate your own holiday without getting frustrated at people who don’t? Well, that’s something I guess I can’t understand as a non-Christian.

fin.

(post script.

I don’t talk here about one aspect of Christmas that baffles me, which is just ... like, the way it’s such a big deal. The reason why I don’t is because 1) Christmas being a big deal to individual people does not hurt me, and 2) especially with COVID, I’m actually very sad for everyone who’s grieving because they can’t celebrate Christmas with their families.

But this does go back to my point about a lot Christians often struggling to some degree to see other religions through a non-Christian lens, and Christians expecting accommodations and understanding re: Christmas that, through ignorance, laziness, or lack of care, they don’t really extend to non-Christians. Some Christians make a huge point to wish me a happy Chanukah because they themselves feel like it’s just polite to wish people a merry Christmas, ergo of course Jews feel the same way about Chanukah. And often, when I don’t quite get how big a deal Christmas is, I kind of get in trouble! My husband and I have had fights over Christmas because to me, it’s just a day to see family, but for him, it’s THE DAY THE BIG DAY. But like, there isn’t anything like this in Judaism! And because Christmas isn’t a secular holiday, it doesn’t carry this kind of meaning to me as a non-Christian.

But again, to emphasize, my issues are not with Christians or former Christians caring about Christmas, valuing Christmas, getting excited about Christmas, even if their practice isn’t overtly religious. This does not hurt me.)

#a rant #judaism #christmas #christian supremacy

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jewish-people-problems · 4 years

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hi! i asked a q about writing a character with a secular jewish mum; the character has since changed a little, but i’d like to draw on his jewish background, despite the fact that his parents (both of israeli descent) no longer practice judaism. are there any foods/movies/sayings/household traditions a non-practicing family might still have/use? (sorry if this is offensive or hard to answer; pls correct me if this character should be changed in any way (im not jewish myself)) thank u!!

Thank you for reaching out!

First of all, what do you mean by Israeli descent? Do you mean they are Israeli citizens that moved to the US (or wherever your story is set)? Or are they Diaspora Jews of middle eastern descent? In that case they would be considered Mizrahi (plural: mizrahim), which is the word for Jews of Middle Eastern descent. Since the state of Israel has only existed since 1948, the term “Israeli” is a national identifier, not an ethnic one. I personally am Ashkenazi (of Eastern European descent), and my cultural traditions are similar but different to Mizrahim. If anyone wants to give any specific information about Mizrahi culture in a reblog or in my inbox, that would be awesome.

Second, even non-practicing Jews can still participate in religious or cultural activities and traditions. This might include attending High Holy Day services (like Christians who only go to church on Christmas and Easter), lighting a Chanukah menorah and giving presents (this is mainly because of Chanukah’s proximity to Christmas), spending Passover (or Pesach) with extended family. Something popular with American Jews is to spend Christmas getting Chinese food and going to the movies. Older Askenazi Jews might use Yiddish words in their speech, but not Mizrahi or younger people.

As for food, most Jewish food is holiday-specific. Chanukah has latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). Passover has matzah (flat crackers that taste like cardboard). Purim has hamantashen (triangle-shaped sugar cookies with a variety of fillings). Shabbat has challah (braided bread). If your characters are of middle eastern descent, there will also be food specific to Mizrahi Jews that I am less familiar with.

I think the biggest pitfall to watch out for is making your Jewish characters culturally Christian. This is tricky because so much of American society is culturally Christian, that it seems like the default. This includes a belief in heaven and hell, or Sin. For most Jews, we view religion as something that can be studied, questioned, and interpreted individually, as opposed to the Christian ideal of unshakable faith (I’m generalizing but this is what I see). And please don’t have your Jewish characters celebrate Christmas. Some secular Jews (especially those in interfaith households) do celebrate it, but most of us just put up with it.

There is so much I’m missing, and I’m just one person. Make sure to talk to lots of different people (you might have heard the saying: two Jews, three opinions) and do research on your own. If anyone wants to add to this, feel free.

#ask #writing

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cactusandfir · 3 years

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✨✨✨

thank you sasha! I chose if the fates allow because 1) jacob/annica/elias are very cute and I think more people should write for them 2) I had the realization last night that three of my four works on ao3 are some sort of poly configuration and I didn’t necessarily plan that but I can’t say it’s ooc for me as a person and 3) I feel like the two of us are the handshake meme about religious themes haha

I was having a time about Christmas and wanted to write something soft and good so this is mostly self-indulgent projection, but I like to think it’s not too off the mark for them, or at least the character details I made up after watching like, two interviews each.

The snow falls softly that evening, obscuring the stained-glass windows of the church, turning them into indistinct splashes of vibrant color. Jacob hasn’t been to a Christmas Eve service since he lived in Gavle full-time, and if pressed he wouldn’t say he missed it. But here in this unfamiliar city, with an old friend who speaks his mother tongue, the windows are a welcome beacon of his new home.

Yeah okay this is mostly projecting BUT there is an interview detail that I can no longer find where Jacob says he prefers to speak Swedish at home.

Staying with Lindy and Annica has been just the respite he needed. It’s not like he was unhappy in Vancouver, but choices like these are inevitable when chasing the cup. And to end up in Calgary, where both the team and the boys really wanted him? Who was he to question that? It felt like the right time for a fresh start. There is also an interview from 2019 I think? I really need to be better about bookmarking my sources, but he admits to being open to a trade if he feels he can’t win a cup in Vancouver because he’s getting older and he wants to win :(

The service is nice if kind of boring in English. The real joy is watching Annica’s eyes light up at the massive floral display, her hair shining in the low lamplight, the way Elias wraps his arm around her shoulder during the processional. Jacob meets his eye over her shoulder and can see his own contentment reflected back at him.

A comfortable hush descends between them as they walk to the car, not that they’re particularly outspoken on a normal night. It only breaks when Annica asks about their plans in the morning, “So which one of you is going to make me breakfast tomorrow?” Based on the collective ninety seconds we’ve seen the three of them interacting, I read Annica as being, not dominant, that’s not the right word, but like, the organizer in the relationship. Like, she knows what she wants and how to get it, and the boys are 100% okay with letting her take the lead.

Lindy laughs, “Marky can do it, he’s the freeloader.”

“If I’m just a freeloader, see if I help you with dinner now!”

They all know he’s going to be the one to make breakfast, he’s always the first one up anyway. Lindy just takes every chance he can get to chirp Jacob about living with them, and Annica starts it a lot of the time, but it’s all in jest. Since they opened their home to him during his transition to Calgary it’s gone better than they could have hoped.

The ride back is quiet too. Jacob drives, it’s the least he can do, and Annica bops her head gently to the jazzy Christmas music they’ve been playing non-stop for the last few weeks. There’s cookies and tea waiting for them back at the house, and even though tomorrow will be a full day of talking to their various families and friends across the world, they’ll make time for the ritual. They make time for each other…but also apparently in Sweden Christmas is celebrated on the Eve as it is in my own easter European background, so I thought about them reserving the most important day of the holiday just for themselves, then bringing their families in for the more Americanized day.

It’s after midnight when they get home and shed their layers to sit by the fire with their late-night snack.

Annica breaks the silence once again, “I don’t know who made these delicious cookies, but whoever they were I would like to have them around to bake for me all the time.”

“I think that can be arranged.” Jacob replies.

“Yes, you deserve baking every day if you want it.” Elias confirms.

“I’m a lucky woman, to have two men who will cook with me. We did good this year.”

Elias pulls Annica into his lap and kisses her softly on the neck. She is a lucky woman, but that makes Jacob a lucky man as well, to be allowed to share in these intimate parts of their relationship. It wasn’t all seamless at first, with Jacob not sure what was open to him and what wasn’t, it’s not like they talked about it in so many words, but after weeks of dancing around each other they opened their hold and brought him in to move with them. More organic! poly! triads! I know many people draw a boundary for reading or writing about gf’s or family members and that’s totally understandable, I grappled with it for a bit writing this, which is one of the reasons its g-rated, but hockey rpf is so good for all sorts of non-traditional relationship structures! Everyone is moving around and living with different people and I think it’s fun.

“Yes, we did,” Jacob says as he comes to join them on the couch, “Thank you for keeping me around, even if it’s just for my help in the kitchen.”

“You know we love having you here, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” Annica says, turning so she can rest her legs over Jacob’s lap, sitting across both of them.

Jacob had been making noise about finding his own place, but if he’s being honest with himself, he would stay as long as they’d have him.

He smiles and places his own kiss atop where he thinks he saw Elias’ earlier. It’s close enough to make the point. That he’s in this as much as they are, this was definitely meant to be more about devotion than possessiveness. When he brushes Annica’s hair aside it makes her sigh.

“Let’s go to bed, we have a lot to do tomorrow.” Annica keeping them organized again.

Before they can get up Elias hugs them both to him until Annica lets out a little squeak, “Yes ma’am!” But it’s balanced out by Elias and Jacob appreciating it, it’s not work that goes unnoticed, and if I ever write for them again, or really and m/m/f situation I want to explore a bit more of the balance of work in the relationship but that was too much to tackle for 800 words of fluff!

They all wander off to their own nightly routines before reuniting in Annica and Elias’ bedroom, where you can find them most nights. Since he still uses the bathroom connected to his room on the other side of the house, Jacob turns the lights off on his way. He pauses in the living room and looks at the lit tree before he turns those lights off too. He still can’t quite believe how peaceful it is here. Maybe it’s just the season, but he thinks it’s more than that this year. All goalies deserve a peaceful house and this is also a slight reference to how chaotic the last season had been.

He turns down the bed while he listens to the low hum of Elias and Annica talking in the bathroom still; they’ll join him when they’re ready.

He’s most of the way asleep when Annica slides into bed beside him and scoots back into the curve of his body, pulling his arm over her waist so they’re spooning. Elias lies down on her other side facing them both and pulls the blanket up so they’re cocooned together, cozy and warm. Jacob burrows his face into her neck, but addresses the room at large, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Jacob.”

And scene! Just a cozy little story about home and belonging.

#thank you!!#sasha #bigbrotherlouis #ask away #my fic

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