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pandoramusicbox · 1 year

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Neptonian rulers

the Neptonian empire is old and has had a number of rulers throughout the milleniums. in part due to the extrodinairly long life spans of even the regular sea folk, not to mention the pink blooded that are the traditional rulers of sea folk have nearly doubled the length of their lifespans. name of emperor/emperress, length of reign (date of reign) -other notable information.

1. Neptunia, (v453-v432) 21 years- the empress who united the seven sea kingdoms to form the empire.

2. Paio (v432-v93) 339- suspects to have been the empress who's blood made the imperial crown and rumored too have made the sword jiné as well.

> the year of chatastrophy. The sudden death of the previous empress threatened to cause the empire collapse back into the five kingdoms as no one took over the throne. and a civil war threatened to break out.

3. Talia (v91-v1) 90 a notable empress for being the first violet blooded empress and was the granddaughter of neptunia, she reunified the empire and got two more nation states to join.

4. Delphine, (0-215) - the empress that established the Delphine calendar, the modern calendar used by the Neptonian empire

5. Oceanus (215-699) 484 years- expanded the size of the empire. Is also known for having a harem of six different pods, { one pod has between 3-10 individuals in them on average, and most people only have one or rarely two pods they stay with}

6. Bay (700-1388) 688 years- a half dragon half neptonian that had the longest reign in history

7. Seatulin [aka lil] (1389-1470) 89 years- standardized the writing system (previously been four different systems) and established higher learning institutions and built the first colosseums. Had a son who was the Astoria of Capricorn.

8. Biny (1470-1684) 224 years- transitioned from a male emperor to an empress during her reign. Established an alliance with several siren kingdoms and established several new cities.

9. Anglerfish (1685-1750) 66 years- is known for her successful and very prominent campaign of privateering, created a froth relationship between the the islands of Thero and Thera as well as the kingdoms of Gargoraqin continent. Was eventually caught privateering a ship with her pod and was executed by a king of Thera.

10. Philipia (1751-1840) 90 years- she established the current capital for the empire daughter of anglerfish, she had to creat safety nets and hiding places for her subjects to not be terrorized by the land people.

11.Bo (1841-2286) 446 years- a very religious emperor who introduced the ayasi faith as the state religion, though it didn’t stick as the state religion the ayasi faith is commonly practiced in the empire.

12. Minnou (2287-2309) 23 years- brought two mermaid kingdoms into the empire, one through Marriage and one through force. Undid the ayasi fate as the state religion.

13. Conwhani (2309-2331) 22 years, depicted with a great pair of horns as she had vicker blood in her, sought to establish a precisen of tolerance for hybrids with the empire, under her time the economy with the land people flourished

14. Eal (2331-2721) 390 years transitioned empire to and emperial republic, and established voting for representatives for the congress and the collation.

15. Posidon (2721-2857) 136 years- first mermaid emperor, student of astronomy and alchemy and had many places of learning built as well as having hand in the making of the architecture that allows for their modern cities with accessibility for creatures of all shapes and sizes.

16. Merrow (2857-2906) 49 years, reformed rather draconian law system to be less in corporal punishment

17. Cari (2907-3014) 108 years - switched the capital to nessrosa ( means water roses)

18. Crab (3015-3088) 74 years - emperess who established about half the laws on the books

19. Dawnturtal (3088-3492) 404 years- won the throne through a javelin throwing contest. Was a lover of nature and created the first emperial ecosystem parks. So nature could be enjoyed by all their citizens, now and in the future. Expanded voting rights. Fought and won a war against a few United sea gorgon hives.

20. Scillia (3493-3750) 258 years- mermaid who reorganized the military and military service

21.Hipocampi (3751-4229) 479 years- a mermaid empress who established extensive healthcare and public works systems throughout the empire

22. Cybircma (4230-4263) 34 years a rare sea witch. Won the throne through a game of wits.

23. Phillia (4264-4377) 114 years- the emperor who established the lily codes, a set of codes of conduct on several things, proper ediquet, how nobles should treat non-nobles [like people], how to properly introduce their culture to conquered lands and the proper way to do some traditions in court. Several of these things where already established but written down in the lily codes, that are still kept up to date to this day.

24. Shark (4378-4627) 250 years - empress that conquered the iles of heaven waters as part of the neptonian empire

25. Hydra (4628-4639) 12 years- empress that negotiated for the union of 13 additional sea kingdoms to join the empire

26. Sonrax (4640-4738) 99 years - created hundreds of amphitheaters, learning squares and libraries, also responsible for a narsin siren genocide

27. Oaraiora (4739-4796)158 years- switched the capital back to phillhimestarn (means moon princess mist)

28. Thnami (4796-4875) 79 years - conquerer gargoraqi waters for the empire and established seaside colonies

29. Serina (4876-5045)169 years- a rare neptonian duelo, who’s alternate self was a red blooded mermaid. Started to grow insane by the end of her reign due to paranoia. Lots of deaths.

30. Orka (5045-5114)69 years- lead a violent revolution against previous empress, died in a violent revelotion by the people to install next emperor

31. Fil (5114-5243) 129 years -outlawed slavery within the neptonian empire boarders, and created a process for removing empresses and emperors less violently

32. Darb (5244-5293) 49 years- tried to unify traditions and religious practices failed missably. Though some of the court songs and rituals they established have stuck around. Also fought a war with some thero heroes.

33. Elumiga (5294-5355) 61 years a violet blood who took over after her sister died to the Theron heroes. Negotiated peace and a treaty that the empire could only go so far into Theron and Theran waters.

34. Clam (5355-5541) 186 years - made a guarantee of civil rights for all neptonian citizens

35. Kimopheia (5543-5857) 314 years known to have turned into a demon at the end of their reign as they tried to extend their life to live forever. Also imposed unfair laws against mermaids but not sirens or finfolk, ignoring ruling’s established by clam the previous empress

36. Perigenia (5857-5921) 64 years- saw the eastern mermaid kingdoms leave the empire

37. Borsesis (5921-5933) 12 years - killed hiers to the throne, was seceded by her cousin. Violently.

38. nemorin (5934-6248) 314 years - violently conquered eastern mermaids, cousin to Borsesis

39. nemora (6248-6381) 133 years- daughter of the conqueror nemorin, was a tyrant who killed of any potential heirs to the throne

40. Nautelus, 64 years but ongoing (6381-current year 6445 ) - the current reigning empress, she fought in the mermaid revolution and was part of an organization known as the nypon-rose

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prismatic-bell · 11 days

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I’ve been thinking about something at my job—not difficult, honestly, my job leaves lots of thinking time—and I have something I want to share with the folks who object to the label “culturally Christian.” I hope it may help you make more sense of the label and, perhaps, not be so angry about it, if you’ll indulge me for just two minutes.

I was born as a white gentile. While I later found out this wasn’t entirely true—I have Jewish ancestry and there is a small-but-non-zero chance I’m partly Black through my great-grandmother, which is a story too long to get into here—I am, for all visual intents and purposes, white, and count myself as such.

And the first time I heard myself included in the phrase “white supremacy,” I WAS SO FUCKING UNCOMFORTABLE. Couldn’t we call it anything else? Why are you including me in this? I didn’t ask to be born white. I don’t run around in a pointy hood burning crosses. I’m not even racist. Black people can do anything white people can do! I am NOT a white supremacist!

….except. I kinda am. And it is not a choice I made, it is a choice that was made for me 400 and 160 and 120 and 80 and 50 and 35 years ago. Slavery and deliberately-botched emancipation and “separate but equal” and killing of Black leaders and the simple fact both my parents were white. Textbooks that hold up Eli Whitney as a hero and promote the lie of The Great Empty Wilderness and never ask us to wrestle with what it means when the majority of a population is counted as only three-fifths of a human being. Redlining and even the fucking freeway system—I didn’t design any of this, but I live in the world where it exists.

G-d willing, I will not be a white supremacist until the day I die: G-d willing, the systems we are struggling against will have been replaced with better, kinder, more equitable systems. But I don’t get to opt out by saying “I’m not racist!” Yes, I’ve put in a ton of work to unlearn harmful racist behaviors and attitudes. But as long as a Black woman in my position with my experience makes less money than me, I’m benefiting from white supremacy. As long as I get the job, the car, the loan, the opportunity because someone else had locs and I “looked professional,” I’m benefiting from white supremacy. And yes—as long as people aren’t deliberately stupid about my name because they associate it with white cultures, I’m benefiting from white supremacy. The fact I’m white is morally neutral. What I choose to do with that fact is what matters.

And so: we come back to cultural Christianity.

The law of probability says if you’re on this site, you’re probably from a culture with a Christian hegemony. That’s going to cover the Americas, Europe, and to a lesser extent, portions of central and south Africa (both the creatively-named country and the continent). Even if your country mostly considers itself secular, if your answer to “what year is it” is automatically “2024” without having to ask “on which calendar,” you’re probably from a country with a Christian background.

THIS IS A MORALLY NEUTRAL THING. You do not choose which country you’re born in or what its centuries-old culture is. And that’s fine! And it doesn’t mean anything about your personal beliefs. You can be an atheist born to atheists, you can be Buddhist, it is literally whatever.

BUT, to an extent, the place you grew up will absolutely have an impact on your thoughts and morals, because it’s all you’ve ever known. Because the choice to be culturally Christian is not one you made—it was made for you 2000 and 1800 and 1700 and 1200 and 1000 and 800 and 400 and 200 and 50 years ago. Taboos, laws, unspoken rules you’ve never thought twice about, this is not stuff you pick. It’s baked into the world around you. And if you want to unlearn that, you can’t just say “well I’m not Christian so I don’t have Christian morals or values!” and leave it at that. It’d be a beautiful thing if we could, but that’s not the way brains work.

Which means—even if you’re satisfied with what you believe—you should ASK YOURSELF why you believe it, and HOW. One of the biggest things I hear mentioned by other Jews in relation to cultural Christianity is people being black-and-white absolutists. This is true, so that is a lie. That is wrong, so this is right. There is no space given to the idea that maybe everyone is telling the truth as they see it, or that something is right for some times/people/places but wrong for others. And this gets into the harmful territory of “it’s true so I believe it and because I believe it, it’s true.”

So ask yourself why. Start deconstructing your beliefs and learning about new things—and yes, make world religions part of those new things, because religions are major cultural shapers, and also you’d be stunned how many of us 1) do not proselytize and 2) encourage actual study and questioning over blind faith and obedience (hint: it’s most of us. These two things that are taken as universal constants by a lot of atheists ARE EXPLICITLY CHRISTIAN), and there is no harm in learning about our cultures. (You know who’d say there is? Say it with me, kids: evangelical Christians.)

I’m still uncomfortable with being referred to in the context of white supremacy. But part of unlearning racism and, yes, white supremacy, was learning to recognize that is not a discussion I get to steer, because it’s not about me. It’s about people of color explaining, quantifying, and discussing their experiences. So I will be uncomfortable if need be, because that’s a me problem, for me to work on. That is part of what being a good ally and a good neighbor means.

Please give Jews that same grace. Yes, it can be uncomfortable to realize that yeah, you WERE affected by this thing you want to separate yourself from, especially if you have religious trauma. (Side note: if you do, I genuinely and strongly encourage you to seek therapy for it. As an evangelical cult escapee I can tell you it’s helped me a lot.) But you owe it to yourself, and if you genuinely want to dismantle that hegemony, you also owe it to others. While you’re yelling about how you don’t like the words we have created to describe our experiences, we’re working to fix the hegemony you claim to hate.

So: stop focusing on the word. Your discomfort with it is a you problem. Focus on WHAT IT’S TALKING ABOUT, because truly coming to a level playing ground and rebuilding will require you to have allies—not burned bridges all around.

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wolfywolfy · 18 days

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I am becoming a firm believer that Astarion was raised/lived in Waterdeep before ever becoming a Magistrate in Baldur's Gate and being turned.

The fact that his tombstone uses Waterdeep's calendar feels like a hint towards it. Could have been an oversight from the team (it is kind of needlessly complicated) but it would be neat if it was on purpose.

Also, his first answer to the magic mirror below the blighted village hints that he misses his "real home, the one he hasn't seen in centuries." This could be a literal house, but alternatively if we interpret it as a "hometown" instead, it would mean he's not from Baldur's Gate at all.

He certainly fits the bill for a high elf who hails from Waterdeep, imo (snobby lmao) but Waterdhavians are also known to be, uh, not quite as shitty. He might have moved to Baldur's Gate because he knew he could be more successful (and corrupt) there.

Mostly I love the idea that he's from Waterdeep because it adds so much depth to his petty dislike of Gale. Of COURSE he hates Gale at first!! He is the poster boy of Waterdeep and everything a Waterdhavian should be! It's something Astarion would never be able to return to being, forever changed by centuries of slavery and torture. And it makes him bitter, because Gale reminds him of the place he used to call home.

#Wolfy speaks #astarions background is pretty much intentionally left up to our interpretation #i think this one is mine bc it makes a lot of sense to me #also despite waterdeep and baldurs gate LOOKING like theyre relatively close to us #theyre actually really far?????????? so it would make sense that astarions grave looks untended #astarion #bg3 #i love giving him reasons to be petty to gale #even if they are just silly

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3rdeyeblaque · 1 year

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Today we venerate Hoodoo Saint Harriet Ross Tubman aka Black Moses on the 110th anniversary of her passing🕊

Whew! A legendary Freedom Fighter, Mama Moses wore many decorated crowns as a mammoth Abolitionist, chief Conductor on the Underground Railroad, an expert Hunte and Lumberjack, a Nurse, an armed scout & spy for the Union Army during the Civil War - becoming the 1st Woman to ever spearhead an armed military assault. Later, she opened her door to the elderly, sick, & disabled, and advocated for them until her death.

Born Araminta "Minty" Ross as the middle child of 9 siblings to enslaved parents on a plantation in Dorchester County, MD, she suffered a massive blow to the head that would spur a lifetime of seizures, headaches, deep slumbers, & visions. She went on to marry a "Free" man by the surname of Tubman & took on her mother's first given name, "Harriet". In 1849, her husband, parents, & siblings were set to be split up & sold off. Under the cover of darkness, she fled the plantation solo on foot and followed the North Star to escape the jaws of slavery by way of Philadelphia, PA. She'd survive13-19 rescue missions back into the Antebellum South, liberating over 300 souls, as the most infamous Conductor on the Underground Railroad who, over the span of a decade, had "never lost a single passenger", which dubbed her the nickname, "Moses". The bounty for her life maxed out at $40K. Freedom wasn't free & Mama Moses never hesitated to remind her passengers of that. She carried herbs to silence a crying baby and pulled a gun on any cowardly man who might give away their position.

"You'll be Free or Die. " - Mama Moses to her passengers on the Underground Railroad.

Venerated as a Hoodoo Saint to many, Mama Moses was a Seer, a Clairvoyant Dreamer, Dream Interpreter, a Revolutionary Conjurer Woman & Rootworker - born to parents of the same cloth. She received Divine messages & Ancestral knowledge/wisedom through prophetic visions & dreams. Mama Moses proudly attributed her unparalleled death defying success to her Divine guidance, Conjure, Rootwork, intuitive gifts & her faithful willingness to trust/follow them.

Folks have a tendency to grossly undermine, if not outright ignore, the significant pillars that Hoodoo Cosmology, Religion, & Tradition played in her life and in her fight for freedom. Recently, archeologists uncovered her "spirit cache" at her family's home in Maryland; these were some of the Blackbelt Hoodoo staples of her time including: glass bottles - for protection against evil spirits, a figurine made it iron nails - possibly a something akin to an Nkisi, a copper button, perfume bottle topper, and other red & blue items.

Mama Moses transitioned peaceful & free at her home/on her land in Auburn, NY where she is rests at the cemetery in Auburn, NY. She is still expected to be immortalized on the $20 bill USD, however that promise has yet to be met.

We pour libations & give Mama Moses her 💐 for her bravery & selfless service. May she bless the elderly, disabled, young, women, & Workers who seek/fight for freedom.

Offering suggestions: Milk, Apples, & Orange flowers

🌟 FINAL copies of The2023 Hoodoo's Calendar are available for purchase (once sold out, that's it)! Subscribe to the official e-newsletter for the latest updates & exclusive content access. https://thehoodoocalendar.square.site 🌟

#hoodoo #hoodoos #atrs #atr #the hoodoo calendar #rootwork #conjure #black Moses #harriet tubman #Hoodoo History #Hoodoo Saints

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itsawhumpsideblog · 2 months

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The Safehouse, pt. 16

CW: for institutionalized slavery, mentions of abuse, treatment of people as things, medical details (some here, more next time)

Advice from the Box Boy Liberation Movement:

Although your contacts are available to offer assistance 24/7, you are best positioned to advocate for your rescuees' needs. However, it is also true that connecting rescuees with the services they need presents a unique challenge. Many services are more difficult to access without the identification and documentation available to free people. One of the most challenging parts of your job, from an administrative perspective, is balancing the needs of your rescuees with the constraints inherent to having those needs met in secret.

The night of Mikey's fall, once the rescuees were safely in bed, Angie went downstairs, cried into Tim's shoulder for twenty minutes, and then took a deep breath, dried her eyes, and got on the phone. She sat in the kitchen with the receiver in her hand for almost an hour, but when she hung up, Mikey had an appointment for surgery.

The bad news was, it was for the following Friday, five days away. But at least it was on the calendar.

After a night of unsatisfying sleep for the whole house, Tim and Angie opened the door to the rescuees' room to find Nathan and Francis awake, both looking pale and tired. Tim went to Francis to take his temperature, as they did every morning to populate a medical chart that Tim was keeping, and Angie helped Nathan sit up and situate his leg more comfortably.

"I don't think we got a whole lot of sleep," Nathan said. "Any of us."

Francis nodded agreement and looked over at Mikey. "Mikey was in pain during the night," he said. "Francis is... is worried about him. Francis does not mind the lost sleep and he has often gotten by with less, but... he is worried about Mikey- about his friend."

"Well, then I've got good news," Angie said, trying to sound cheerful. "Let's see if Mikey is ready to wake up and we'll talk about it."

Ordinarily, she would have let Mikey sleep on but he didn't look as if it was doing him much good. His face was very pale and he kept shifting his head, as if searching for a more comfortable place to lay it. His arms were placed on the pillows exactly as Tim and Angie had left him and whenever he twitched his shoulders, there was a hitch in his breath.

Angie bent over the sleeping boy and smoothed his hair back, trying to wake him as gently as possible. "Hey, Mikey," she said in a very quiet voice. "Wake up for a little bit and see us? We won't keep you up too long."

With a gasp, Mikey roused instantly from sleep to wakefulness and his head shot up and swiveled from side to side. His expression was panicked until his eyes landed upon Nathan, who was giving him an encouraging- if rather sad- smile.

"Morning, buddy," Nathan said. "How you feeling?" Mikey did something expressive and mournful with his face that neither Angie nor Tim understood, but his fellow rescuees did. Francis tensed and shook his head and Nathan frowned. "That bad, huh? I'm sorry, buddy."

"Mikey says that his arms hurt him badly," Francis translated, giving voice to the expression. Mikey gave him another look and Francis continued, "He would be grateful for any relief you can give him. He says it is unbearable."

Mikey nodded, looking between Tim and Angie with an expression so pleading than even they understood it.

"I'll get you some medicine," Tim said. "It won't be perfect, but it'll help a little bit." He stood and left the room, the rest of the household waiting quietly behind him.

The quiet did not last. Mikey shifted his hips and gasped, feeling the movement affect his shoulders. He pressed his head back into the pillow, biting his lip, his face contorted in pain.

"Oh, geez," Nathan muttered under his breath. Angie put her hand on Mikey's head and stroked his hair with her thumb, knowing that it wouldn't help. It seemed like a very long time until Tim came back.

Once Mikey had taken the medicine and there were packs of frozen vegetables on his forearms, he sighed and rolled his head to the side to look at Angie.

"You said you had news," Nathan reminded her, possibly on Mikey's behalf. It was hard to tell, sometimes, whether Nathan was speaking for himself or for one of the others; it was easier with Francis, who had yet to use the pronoun "I".

"We've got an appointment scheduled for you, Mikey," Angie said. She had to resist the urge to talk to Nathan, as if he needed to translate the other direction. "It's not until Friday, but Friday will be here before you know it."

The news was not greeted with quite as much enthusiasm as she had hoped for. Nathan looked relieved, but Mikey just stared at her, his face unreadable, and Francis looked openly nervous. The two of them held a brief visual conversation and Francis spoke up.

"Ma'am, what will they do to him?" His voice got very quiet as he added, "Will he come back to you, or go... elsewhere?"

"He'll come back here," Tim said firmly, and began by addressing the unspoken concerns. "So first of all, don't worry about that. Nobody's going anywhere and we are not kicking Mikey out or getting rid of him. The doctor is just going to take care of his arms. He'll need surgery to put everything back in the right place, so it stops hurting all the time, and then he'll recover right here with us."

Francis nodded, still looking uncertain, but less frightened. Mikey was still watching Angie closely, but his eyes flicked to Francis and then Nathan and one of his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I'm sure Angie will stay with you," Nathan said. "It'll be like when I went to get my cast, remember? Angie went with me and she stayed with me for the whole thing. You'll stay with Mikey, right, Angie?"

"Of course I will!" To Mikey she added, "I'll be there the whole time, if you want me. Don't even worry about it, we won't let anything bad happen to you."

Mikey still looked a little skeptical, but Francis looked vastly relieved.

"And they will fix his arms and then allow him to leave?" Tim had to remind himself that in Francis' world, nobody was allowed to make the choice to leave independently.

Tim nodded. "It'll probably happen like this. Angie and Mikey will drive to the hospital and meet our contacts there- other Liberation Movement volunteers. They'll get Mikey ready for surgery, help him go to sleep, and fix his arms while he sleeps. So far, so good?" Francis nodded. "Then he'll wake up in a quiet room, in a comfy bed, with Angie right there next to him. When he's fully awake, they'll put him back in the car and she'll drive home. He'll probably have a cast and some stitches from the surgery, but he's going to feel a lot better."

After another silent conversation with Mikey, Francis nodded again. "Francis is sure that it will be alright," he said. "And Mikey trusts Ma'am, so he says he will do it. He says almost anything would be better than this."

The week passed both very quickly and too slowly. Mikey only got out of bed when Tim helped him to the bathroom, although his legs seemed to work well enough.

"He's afraid to fall again," Nathan explained. "He doesn't want to go down the stairs unless he has to."

"I don't blame him," Tim replied, and the four of them spent most of the week in the rescuees' bedroom, keeping Mikey company whenever he was awake. Angie disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with a wheeled coffee table, on which she set up the TV so that Mikey could see it from his bed.

"It might be good to have after you get home, too," she said. "You might want to spend a lot of time sleeping at first." They took turns picking the shows, a gentle way for all three of the rescuees to practice making choices.

Nights continued to be a struggle; Mikey's pain seemed worst in the evening and nothing they said or watched was enough to take his mind off it entirely. Francis often wanted to be helped to his bedside, where he sat very patiently for the hours it sometimes took Mikey to fall asleep, speaking quietly in that narrative, stilted way he had. He found that Mikey liked it when he retold the plot of shows they had watched as if they were new stories.

When Friday morning arrived at last, it was hard to tell whether the predominant mood in the house was anxiety or excitement. Tim kept smiling and humming to himself; as a medical professional, he had no fear of hospitals and was looking forward to Mikey's recovery finally getting underway. Nathan was more talkative than usual, which could have meant anything or multiple things, but Francis was plainly nervous and, when they came to bring him downstairs for the day they found that his hands were shaking and his fever had risen in the night.

"Probably stress," Tim told him, intending to be reassuring.

"Francis is very sorry," he said wretchedly as Tim lay him on the couch, shivering and pulling his hoodie tighter around himself. He had the hood up, but was wiping clumsily at his sweaty forehead. "Francis will try to be good. But he is worrying about Mikey. Hospitals are..." He could not finish the sentence.

"Don't worry about it," Tim assured him. "Everything's going to be fine." He put another blanket over Francis and tucked a cool cloth into the hoodie. "We'll watch a little TV and they'll be back by dinner time."

"Yes, Sir."

Mikey was apparently in agreement with Francis about what hospitals were like, because he was fully awake, wide-eyed and pale when they came to get him ready to go.

"Are you excited to have it all done?" Angie asked. Her voice was cheerful, but she had admitted to Tim earlier that she had butterflies in her stomach regardless. It would be the first time she was alone with one of the rescuees for so long, and what if Mikey needed something and she couldn't understand him? Tim had assured her that it would be fine, but she couldn't shake the weight of the responsibility that seemed to rest more heavily on her shoulders that morning.

Mikey bit his lip and nodded, not looking sure at all. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips tightly together as they sat him up, very slowly and carefully.

"Let's just leave his shirt where it is," Tim suggested, to Mikey's immense and obvious relief. "They'll help him get into a hospital gown when he gets there, anyway." They helped him maneuver his left arm back into the sling and then held a pair of sweatpants for him to slide his feet into. "We'll get your shoes downstairs," Tim told him. "Easier to walk down that way, if you're not worrying about tripping."

A visible shiver ran through Mikey at the idea and his breath caught, but he nodded and stood up, very slowly and carefully. Tim pulled the sweatpants up to his waist and, for the first time in several days, with Angie in front of him and Tim at his side, Mikey walked downstairs.

When he stepped onto flat ground and felt safe looking up, Mikey found that a farewell committee had convened in the front hall. Nathan was leaning on his crutches, grinning reassuringly at him, in total confidence that he would return safely, which did make Mikey feel better. Nathan had been to the hospital and come back, and surely so would he. Francis was seated in a chair Tim had brought from the kitchen, bundled in his sweatshirt and smiling in spite of the alarming red of his cheeks and the way he held his head with one hand.

Take care of yourself, Mikey said with a look.

"Francis will be better soon," Francis murmured. "But don't worry about Francis- Sir will look after him. Ensure that you look after yourself, Mikey, and Francis will be anxious to see you home soon."

Don't worry too much, Mikey replied and tried to smile for Francis.

"Don't stress about it, okay, buddy?" Nathan said. He limped forward and tousled Mikey's hair. "You're gonna do great- you'll just go to sleep and when you wake up, your shoulder's gonna feel so much better! And we'll be waiting here for you when you get back."

Mikey nodded and caught Nathan's eye. Thanks, he said. See you tonight.

"See you tonight."

Getting out to the car wasn't as difficult as getting down the stairs had been, Mikey felt, but it was very strange and a little unnerving to be outdoors. Last time he was outdoors he- Mikey cut the thought off and put it purposefully out of his mind. He didn't want to start shaking and risk another fall.

Master picked up a throw pillow from the couch and then he and Mistress walked on either side of Mikey, hands out like they might need to catch him, and led him around to the far side of a small, grey car. Mistress opened the door and Master helped Mikey crouch down and get his legs in and sit back. Then Master pulled out some kind of restraint that Mikey had not noticed; Mikey realized he must have an apprehensive look on his face, because Master smiled. Sinister? Amused? Mikey watched his face intently, waiting to find out.

"It's a seatbelt," Master explained. "It'll help keep you safe. It clips over there, by your hip, and it's designed to come off when you push the red button. I know the button is hard for you, but Angie will help you get it off when you get to the hospital, okay?"

Mikey was fairly sure he had no choice and nodded. He held his breath as Master pulled out the belt and crossed it over his body, so that it held him down at the hips and chest. There was a click as the belt was secured and Mikey moved his head from side to side, trying to look at the belt. Tentatively, he leaned forward and was both surprised and relieved to find that the belt moved with him, instead of holding him tightly to the seat.

Master laid the pillow on Mikey's lap, under his right arm. "I know Angie will drive as carefully as she can," he explained, "But the roads can be a little bumpy. That should keep the ride from being too hard on your arm." When Mikey nodded, he gave a little smile and closed the door gently.

Next, Mistress got in the car and Mikey was surprised to see the she was also wearing a belt, like his. That made him feel better, he realized. If Mistress was going to use one of these, then perhaps they really weren't a restriction or a punishment. Maybe it really would help keep them safe.

"Okay, here goes," Mistress said. She pushed a button, did something with a lever, and then the car was moving, backing out of the driveway.

Mikey took a look at the house from outside, the first time he had seen it that way. He wasn't sure how he felt about any of this; on the one hand, if he really was going just to have someone take care of his arm, then it was a happy occasion and he ought to feel happy. But on the other hand, Mikey couldn't trust a situation so unknown, and so the happiness he hoped to feel remained tinged with nervousness as the car picked up speed.

Next time: Mikey and Angie check in to the hospital; at home, Francis and Nathan worry.

Master List

Notes: This went from a one-part plotline to a two or three part plotline real quick.

Tag list: @pigeonwhumps, @cepheusgalaxy, @i-eat-worlds, @honeycollectswhump @taterswhump, @starfields08000 @whumpsday, @fruitypinapple00, @currentlyinthesprial

#bbu #box boy universe #box boy whump #whumpee #the safehouse #pet whump

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hebrewbyinbal · 21 days

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The month of Nissan /nee-'sen/, that starts today, holds a special place in the Hebrew calendar, marking the beginning of spring and a time of renewal and liberation. Nissan ushers in a period of profound reflection and joy, most notably through the celebration of Passover /'pe-sakh/, the festival commemorating the people of Israel exodus from Egypt and their transition from slavery to freedom.

Nissan is a month brimming with anticipation and spiritual rejuvenation. The air is filled with the promise of new beginnings as nature awakens from its winter slumber, mirroring the themes of liberation and renewal that are central to Passover. This festival, falling on the 15th day of Nissan, invites us to clear our homes and hearts of leaven, symbolizing the removal of ego and material excess to make space for growth and new possibilities.

The themes of Nissan extend beyond Passover, influencing the entire month with a sense of hope and transformation. It's a time when we are encouraged to reflect on our personal journeys, considering how we too can break free from the limitations and constraints that hold us back, whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual.

In Nissan, we also read the Song of Songs, a biblical text that celebrates love and the blossoming of the natural world, further emphasizing the themes of renewal and connection that are so palpable during this time.

The month of Nissan challenges us to embrace change, to seek freedom in all its forms, and to renew our commitment to growth, learning, and the values we hold dear. It's a reminder that, just as the the people of Israel found their way to freedom with faith and courage, we too have the strength to overcome the challenges we face and to emerge renewed and emboldened to pursue our highest aspirations.

Sounds too relevant? I know...

As we step into Nissan, let us do so with open hearts and minds, ready to embrace the lessons and opportunities this month brings. May it be a time of meaningful reflection, joyous celebration, and profound personal and communal renewal.

#passover #judaism #jumblr #jewish #Hebrew

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thedeafprophet · 5 months

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The idea that the masters and the calendar council is at all comparible morally as groups is the most laughable thing I've heard. The masters? Who as a whole has millennia of killing and torturing people and the destruction of cities? On an individual level of medical rape, slavery, experimentation, poisoning, other things of nonconsent, etc.

Those guys?

Are at all comparable to the group of people who are just trying their best to make a difference in the world? At most May has issues and October can be cruel.

September is like in his 20s, sure let's compare him to the horrible creatures who even got banished in space for crimes.

I enjoy the masters as characters but come on, seriously?

#i love getting told stupid opinions oh my god #prophet's fl nonsense #rape mention

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soullessjack · 5 months

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Israeli propaganda is really some dystopian fucking nonsense. AI Generated evidence of Hamas leaders? Pretty painted actresses who can barely hold back their smiles as they walk through destroyed buildings? Just straight up lying about a fucking school calendar? It’s actually unbelievable, and for a little bit I wondered “how can this be the propaganda that brainwashed people so extensively they can’t even register Palestinians as people who are suffering,” but then I remembered all of the propaganda that the US has pumped out that is still embedded into our very lives and culture. carrots being good for our eyesight? A straight up lie told by the British to hide their radar technology during WW2 (also, a fucking looney toon convinced half of us that rabbits eat carrots as much as lions eat meat).

I’m not sure what point I’m trying to make or if I’m even trying to make one at all, but if anyone ever has any more questions like “how can they believe [insert lie]” like I did, I think it’s worth looking at our own history and what we were told and what we believed or still believe to this day before we ask. “how can they be this cruel and inhumane to literal children?” “how can they think this tiny baby is a part of Hamas?” look at any instance of European colonization or American slavery. look at Japanese internment camps. look at any minority group that has ever been compared to an animal or portrayed as unintelligent savages that need to be civilized. it’s not a question of who has the worst history or shifting blame. It’s that the Israeli government has been perpetuating the same notions against Palestine to its own people for decades, as the American government has perpetuated to us against countless groups, and many of those notions have become even staples of our own pop culture; like the association of weed, crack, guns, poverty watermelon and fried chicken to Black people all pretty much being a product of slavery and Reaganism. just the general association of poverty, drugs and violence with minorities is a product of propaganda in itself.

I think I’ve finally found the point I wanted to make, and it’s this: before we start criticizing Israeli people for so easily believing the propaganda of the IDF and their government, consider what we have easily believed from our government and, say, the CIA. consider how easily they sold it to us, and how it still affects our country now. the Israeli government and the American government are not just allies of each other, but also very similar in how they operate and brainwash their own people. their “birthright” to Israel is about as real as our Manifest Destiny was (as in, not at all). their viewing of Palestinians as “children of darkness,” or “cockroaches” or “Hamas/terrorists,” is not at all far from our viewing of Muslims as terrorists, or Indigenous people as savage and wild.

There are patterns here, patterns that have always been here, and it’s beyond crucial that we start recognizing them and going forward with that knowledge.

#cal.txt #israeli propaganda #american propaganda #history #Palestine #free palestine #free Congo #free Sudan #israeli government #Gaza #free tigray #<- I know I centered this post around israel/palestine but this applies to almost everything in the world I’m so serious #those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it #‘how can the idf blatantly admit to committing a crime?’ idk bro look at the cia #‘how can they justify the deaths of millions and get away with it?’ idk dawg ask Reagan and his response to the aids crisis #there .are . patterns.#fuck israel #from the river to the sea palestine will be free

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workingclasshistory · 1 year

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On this day, 5 November 1843 an enslaved woman called Carlota Lucumi led an enslaved uprising in Matanzas, Cuba. Brandishing machetes, Lucumi and her co-conspirators summoned other enslaved people with a kettle drum, then killed the cane plantation enslavers before heading to neighbouring plantations and farms to free other enslaved people. While Lucumi herself was soon executed, the rebellion lasted until the following year, when Spanish colonial authorities succeeded in violently repressing it. The abolition of slavery in Cuba was eventually achieved in 1886. Pictured: an illustration of Lucumi and the rebellion by Lili Bernard * For stories like this for every day of the year in your home or workplace, or as a gift, get a copy of the WCH 2023 Wall Calendar, available here with global shipping: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/wch-wall-calendar https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2127406660777806/?type=3

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we-were-beautiful · 1 year

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The Fox and The Hounds pt. 3

A/N: I did switch up the writing style just a little bit and I am sorry if that throws people off. It is much easier for me to write in this style than the other but hopefully y’all will still like it. Also this fic takes place before the first war so there are some references to keeping humans as slaves which we know most of the high fae did so heads up on that. Also I realize I worked myself into a corner and now have to come up with names for 17 doggos so please leave any suggestions for names as I am drawing a blank on this. I will also accept people who want to beta read this for me to help me find silly mistakes that I know I miss

Summary: Its autumn court tradition to give your mate a fox kit before your ceremony. after years of knowing the Vanserra’s a mating bond snaps between the Autumn Heir and a well known smoke hound breeder

Warning: Brief mention of slavery

WC: 2.3k

A month had passed since the mating bond had snapped between Eris and myself, and since that fateful morning so much has happened since. Paprika has grown quite a bit and is an adventurous little creature. The hounds tolerate this new fox in the household but tend to ignore the small creature that nips at them. I had spent much of my time at the forest house with the Vanserras and Eris. This time has given Eris and I a chance to get to know one another on a more personal level rather than just the surface level friendship that we had previously had. However the last month had also been a never ending calendar of events that the two of us had been forced to attend. Balls, parties, and dinners; if there was an event with the nobility Eris and I were to be in attendance.

As it stands I am currently directing my fathers human slaves as they packed my clothing for a weekend away. Apparently Eris had arranged a weekend away for just the two of us with my father and his. To get to know each other away from prying eyes and without chaperones. It was a bit nerve racking; we had never really been on our own, either one of our parents or siblings are always with us or we are surrounded by the nobles of the court. The gentle bump on my hand pulls my attention away from my thought Paprika had hopped into my lap and decided that I needed to pay attention to her. A small smile gently forms on my face as I run my hand across the foxes soft fur “Y/N” my eyes glance to the door as my mother waltzes into the room. The humans give her a bow before returning to their task

“Mom” I addressed her as she sat down next to me.

“How are you feeling, Darling.” she runs her hand through my hair

“I’m not sure. We’ve never really been alone together.” I sigh and pick up Paprika to snuggle her to my chest. “And now we are going to be alone for a whole weekend. I don’t even know where to go from there.”

“Well this is how you get to know each other Darling, if your father didn’t think it was a good idea he and Beron would not have agreed to Eris’ plans.” Mom gently takes one of my hands in hers “You two are mates, the mother deemed you to be his perfect match. Worse comes to worse you can always fall back on your hounds”

True enough Eris had requested that I bring my hounds along. So it will be us and 18 dogs in whatever little cabin that Eris had planned for us to stay in. We had introduced the dogs last week at our home so that they could get to know each other. Thankfully the meeting had gone relatively well. Ramiel was her typical self but didn’t start any fights with Eris’ hounds so we counted that as a small victory. A few servants from the Forest House had come earlier to collect the hounds and bring them to the location.

The clock on the wall ticks reminding me that the hour grows closer to the time when Eris is going to come and get me. I am hoping that he will be amiable to take a minute out of our trip. Bella’s puppies are now at the stage where we start letting the new families pick out which pup they want. Beron had come by earlier this week to pick out which pup would be his. I figured Eris would like to have an opinion on what pup we should keep as we are going to be sealing the mating bond in a little more than two weeks. A puppy would be a gentle start to see how well we can make decisions together as a pair.

The gentle brush against my mental shields jolts me out of my thoughts

“Where did you go Dear?” Mom’s voice breaks the silence. Her soothing tone is as comforting as it has been throughout my whole life.

“I was wondering if Eris would mind postponing our trip for a little bit so that we can pick out which pup to keep.” I explain to her

“That sounds like a wonderful idea darling. I’m sure Eris will not be opposed. Quite frankly I’m surprised he got you a fox and not a puppy.” I had heard about that little bet that my parents had made. She thought for sure that Eris was going to find a smoke hound pup, whereas Father bet that he would go the traditional route with a fox kit. Turns out Father who was born and raised in the Autumn Court and who was Eris Godfather was right about my mate sticking to tradition.

“While I wouldn't have been sad with a puppy I had always dreamed about a fox.” As if knowing that we are talking about her, Paprika lets out a little yip wiggling in my arms to her back wanting her stomach scratched. I gently scritch her soft underbelly. A knock sounds through the door

“Enter” Mothers voice rings out. One of the butlers head pokes into the room

“Lord Eris is here for Lady Y/N.” He addresses the two of us. Mom quickly stands offering me one of her hands. I take it and allow her to pull me up off the bed.

“Thank you.” She dismisses him and he nods and walks away

“Come my love, your betrothed is waiting for you.” She places a quick kiss to my forehead

The walk from my room to the foyer seems to take forever. The soft clicks of Ginger and Paprika’s claws on the wooden floor break the unnerving silence. Even though I had gotten to know Eris on a surface level this was a weekend without others to buffer. Sure there would be a servant who would come and prepare our meals, but other than that it would just be the two of us. The thought both filled me with excitement and fear. As we approached the door Cinnamon eyes met mine. There he stood in all his glory. Eris Vanserra always immaculately dressed, somehow managing to seem out of place in our home. A soft smile formed on his face as he turned fully to face us.

“Lady L/N.” He bows towards my mother, walking over to the two of us. He takes my hand and places a kiss on the back of it. A habit he had started once the engagement was formalized “ My Mate.”

“Lord Eris.” I curtsy, the hem of my riding dress pooling on the floor before rising. He had told me multiple times that I did not need to bow before him or address him as lord; I was his mate, his equal but life in the court had taught me protocol on how to interact with the highlord's family. Eris releases my hand placing his on my chin gently tilting my head to look at him.

“How many times must I tell you Mate that you are allowed to call me just by my name.”

His tone could be read as cocky, his grin doing nothing to dispute that. Something in his eyes however seemed almost sad at the formality

“At least once every time we meet.” and more if the Highlord was around. I was always cautious around Beron, even though he was my fathers best friend he was notorious for his anger and cruelty. Which I had no desire to experience, hence the formality with my soon to be in-laws.

“This will change after the wedding “ He cups my chin tilting my head to look at him “you are my mate and equal, I won’t have us going through life with you addressing me formally”

We stare each other down for a moment seemingly lost in each other. Something that I had noticed in the time we spent together. We tended to get lost in a little bubble of just the two of us even in a room full of people. A small cough from my mother pulls us out of it, making me jump backwards slightly away from the fiery haired male.

“Y/N, the servants have finished packing your things for the weekend.” She laughs at the situation and how easily we got lost in each other forgetting that we had an audience “Didn’t you mention wanting to show Eris something before you left.”

“Oh, Yes” the puppy I had nearly forgotten. “If it's not too much I would like to gather your opinion on something before we depart for the weekend.”

“Of course my mate, whatever you need it is never a problem .” He gently holds out his arm for me to take. I thread my arm through his getting ready to lead him towards the kennels Paprika danced between the two of us bumping into our legs to get our attention, the little kit was eager to set out on an adventure and given that her leash had already been attached she was more than ready to get out of the manor.

“I will leave you two alone then.” Mother walks over and gives me a kiss on the forehead “enjoy your weekend my love.”

She turns to face Eris and a saccharine smile grows on her face “I trust you will take care of my daughter Eris.” while not a threat the intention was clear as day, hurt my daughter and I will make you wish for a merciful end.

“Of course lady Charis. It's just a weekend so that we can get to know each other outside of the court. I will make sure she is taken care of and protected.’ He bowed his head towards her not truly understanding that it was more than just a mothers threat to keep her child safe. She had kept her powers hidden from everyone here in Autumn and when I showed similar powers I was taken to the night court to train and hone these gifts alongside my cousin.

“Goodbye Mother, I will see you when I return.” I smile at her before gently pulling Eris towards the door.

“Goodbye my dear, I love you.” She always told us that when we left it didn’t matter how long we would be gone she always made sure to tell us she loved us.

“I love you too.” I smile at her over my shoulder as I lead my mate out the door and towards the kennel.

We walk in silence for a few moments before Eris speaks up.

“What did you want my opinion on Y/N” straight and to the point as he typically was but not in a cruel way but rather inquisitive. As if curious to what his bride might want.

“Well I plan on keeping one of Bellatrix’s pups, and since our ceremony is in two weeks I figured you might like a say in which puppy we keep.” I open the door to the kennel letting him walk inside. “The Highlord already selected his pup, as promised he did have first pick; I have a few families coming next week to select their pups. By the time of our ceremony the pups will be just about ready for their new homes.” I led him back towards Bella’s large cage, swiping one of the dog tags embossed with the L/N crest, a simple way of knowing who the hounds belong to. “So we still have 5 pups to choose from.”

‘I trust your judgment on quality hounds Y/N seeing as you are the most talented breeder in the court, but thank you for wanting my opinion” his voice seemed softer now that the two of us were away from prying eyes.

Stepping into the cage Bella stands and walks to the two of us nudging my hands with her large head. It is a sight to see Eris drop to his knees to pet the pups, but the smile that he wore showed that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I moved to kneel beside him gently petting the pups who were excited to see us. The runt of the litter worms his way into my lap circling around a few times before laying down. I had always been rather fond of this little guy. Even though he is smaller than his siblings he seemed to have inherited Khalid's personality, and if he's anything like Bella he will grow into a formidable hound. Eris reaches over to pet the pup's head playing with his velvety floppy ears.

“You’re fond of this one.” it's not a question rather a statement.

“I am, he reminds me so much of Bella when she was a pup. I ran a hand along his soft fur looking over to Bellatrix who had laid down beside me.

“Does he have a name?” Eris looks to me and then to the pup.

“No, I don't generally give the pups names, I let the families decide.” It was a method that kept me from getting attached to the pups and wanting to keep all of them.

“We can take some time this weekend to pick out a name.” Eris smiles at the pup, “I think he will be a great addition.”

A smile grew on my face, this pup had weaseled his way into my heart, and I knew I would have chosen him on my own, but to have my mate agree to the runt of the litter made my heart happy. In times like this I can almost forget the whole situation that we are in. Right now we are just a couple picking out a puppy; no courtiers, no parents, just Eris and Y/N. I clipped the tag onto the collar, the metal cool against my fingers. Eris reaches over and grasps my hand still holding the tag.

“We will need to get you some different tags for your hounds when we return.” His voice is smooth and calm.

Reality hits me again. We were going to be mated in two weeks and I wouldn’t just be Y/N the daughter to Beron’s most trusted advisor and member of the court. I would be Y/N Vanserra wife and mate to the heir of Autumn.

Taglist:

@imma-too-many-fandoms @judig92 @fall-myriad @j-brielmalfoy @highlady-ofillyria @percyjacksonspeen @nyctophiliiiiaaa @b0xerdancer

#eris x reader #eris vanserra x reader #eris vanserra #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosaf #acotar x reader #autumn court #the fox and the hounds

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techtow · 6 days

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Understanding Passover and Other Jewish Holidays: An Easy Guide

Passover, also known as Pesach, is one of the most significant holidays in the Jewish calendar, celebrated with rituals that have deep historical and spiritual significance. Alongside Passover, there are other important Jewish holidays like Purim, each with its unique traditions and meanings. In this article, we'll explore what Passover is, its importance, and touch on other Jewish holidays, infusing a bit of Jewish humor to lighten our exploration.

What is Passover?

Passover is a Jewish festival that commemorates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, which is detailed in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Exodus. The holiday lasts for eight days in most Jewish communities (seven in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora communities), and it involves a number of rituals and customs designed to remember the hardships of slavery and the joy of liberation.

The central ritual of Passover is the Seder, a festive meal where the story of the exodus is retold using a text called the Haggadah. During the Seder, families and friends gather to read the Haggadah, eat symbolic foods placed on the Passover Seder plate, and discuss the themes of freedom and slavery. Key elements of the Seder include eating matzah (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), and other foods that symbolize various aspects of the exodus story.

The Significance of Pesach

Pesach is another term for Passover, and it highlights the holiday's emphasis on passing over the houses of the Israelites during the tenth plague – the slaying of the firstborn Egyptians. This event led to Pharaoh releasing the Israelites from bondage, marking the beginning of their journey to freedom. Pesach is a time for reflection on the struggle for liberation and the value of freedom, themes that resonate in many cultural and historical contexts.

Other Jewish Holidays: Purim

Purim is another joyful Jewish holiday that usually occurs a month before Passover. It commemorates the events recounted in the Book of Esther, where Queen Esther helps save the Jews from extermination in ancient Persia. Purim is marked by public readings of the Book of Esther, giving charity to the needy, exchanging gifts of food, and enjoying a festive meal. One of the more fun aspects of Purim is the tradition of dressing in costumes, which adds a playful element to the holiday.

Jewish Humor

Jewish humor, known for its wit and often self-deprecating nature, plays a significant role in how these holidays are celebrated and perceived among Jewish communities and beyond. Humor can be found in the playful customs of Purim, the creative parodies during Passover, and even in everyday life. It's an integral part of Jewish culture, offering a unique way to cope with past adversities and current challenges while celebrating joyous occasions.

Closing Thoughts

Understanding Passover and other Jewish holidays offers insight into the rich tapestry of Jewish tradition and culture. These holidays not only commemorate historical events but also offer time to reflect on broader themes of freedom, bravery, and joy. Whether you're Jewish or just interested in learning about different cultures, the stories and traditions of Jewish holidays provide valuable lessons and an opportunity for universal reflection on the human spirit's resilience.

In exploring these holidays and the humor interwoven with these traditions, we get a glimpse into the heart of Jewish cultural identity—marked by endurance, faith, and an unending zest for life. So next time you hear about Passover, Pesach, or Purim, you'll appreciate the depth and vibrancy these celebrations bring to the Jewish community and the broader world.

#passover #brooklyn #jewish holidays #pesach #purim #jewish humor #jewish #jew #jewish joy #jewish culture #jewish food #jewish positivity #jewish tumblr #jumblr

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tennessoui · 1 year

Note

bunny-wan. lunar year of the rabbit ... more bunny this year?

happy bunny day/easter!

(1k) (crack)

It starts mostly as a joke.

Rex is scheduled to be with Obi-Wan so that he’s not alone in Anakin’s apartments for the duration of his trip back to Tatooine, but Rex has accidentally double-booked himself.

“I made a calendar,” Anakin says through gritted teeth as he glares at his ex-friend through the shitty connection of their comm call. “I sent everyone two copies each. I sent you three!”

“Your long-term partner doesn’t need a babysitter, Anakin,” Rex replies defensively. “He’s a fully-fledged adult, he can spend a night alone—”

“Bunnies aren’t meant to be alone!” Anakin snaps back, crossing his arms over his chest. He thinks he’s said this phrase so often that it’s become one of the basic, guiding tenets of his life. Bunnies are not made to be alone. “Obi-Wan has different needs, alright? He wants company! You! Hence the kriffing calendar that you promised to abide by!”

“Anakin, you’re being ridi—”

“I won’t be able to concentrate if I know he’s by himself in that bathtub again, Rex!”

“Who said anything about a—”

“And I’m codifying the next hundred year treaty with the remaining Hutts, Rex! I need to be able to concentrate, or negotiations are going to fail and the Hutts will re-establish their mob rule over my home planet, the Republic will lose its furthest reaching planet, slavery will once more become law, and other Outer Rim planets will see Tatooine leave the Republic and follow its lead! We’ll have a galactic civil war on our hands if—-”

Rex throws his arms up into the air. “Fine! Fine, alright, fuck, just shut up—fine, okay. I’ll take Obi-Wan with me on my couples vacation with Padmé!”

“Thank you,” Anakin says graciously. “That’s all I ask.”

His friend throws him a very rude hand gesture. “And after we get back, we’re going to buy him a loth-kitten for company, kriff the stupid calendar!”

Anakin laughs because Rex could not be more obviously joking, and reaches forward to cut the connection.

His commlink buzzes with an incoming call only a few seconds later.

As soon as he accepts it, Obi-Wan blinks into sight. He’s running his fingers along the edge of his lop ear distractedly as he smiles in Anakin’s direction. One of their throwpillows is sitting in his lap.

It’s ridiculous and unnecessary and frankly unhealthy to be jealous of a throwpillow.

Anakin is very jealous of the throwpillow, especially when Obi-Wan drops his ear to wrap his arms around it.

It’s fine.

“Hi, Obi-Wan,” he says, grabbing at his own hands so he doesn’t try to do something stupid, like reach out and attempt to touch the holo image.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan replies, cheeky and beautiful and perfect, and even though Anakin is on a starship speeding towards some place vast and dangerous, he suddenly feels at home.

—-------------

Alright, so maybe it wasn’t a joke.

That’s the very first thing Anakin thinks upon arriving home to find a loth-kitten sitting just inside his apartment door, tail flicking back and forth as it cocks its head to stare at him curiously.

“Oh,” says Anakin. “Hello.”

The loth-kitten blinks once before apparently deciding that he is someone to be trusted, because it stands and begins to rub its face against his leg while purring.

Frankly, it’s adorable.

It’s adorable, but it has nothing on the sight of his partner, rounding the corner. “Obi-Wan!”

The bunny breaks into a smile at the sight of him and rushes forward. Anakin accepts the hug with a happy sigh, nuzzling his face into Obi-Wan’s velvet ear and pressing a kiss to its base.

In his arms, safe and secure, Obi-Wan shivers. It’s a whole-body thing, one that only serves to remind Anakin about how sensitive bunnies are.

“Were you good while I was away?” he murmurs into the younger man’s ear.

Obi-Wan shrugs and kisses his neck. “I didn’t like Rex and Padmé’s ski lodge, so I got them kicked out,” he confesses, rubbing up against him in a fashion Anakin finds very distracting.

“That’s Rex’s fault,” he replies absent-mindedly as his hands trail down to massage the area of skin right above his partner’s tail. “There was a calendar.”

At this, Obi-Wan perks up. “You’re not mad?” He checks.

Anakin has never been mad at Obi-Wan once in his life, and they met after the bunny stole his ancestral crown because it was shiny. “No,” he says anyway. “Course not.”

“Then you’ll take it away?” He’s asked eagerly.

Anakin pulls away from their embrace to frown at him. “Take what away?”

“The punishment,” Obi-Wan says.

Anakin frowns. “Punishment?” Obi-Wan nods and gestures downward.

As if it’s been listening, the loth-kitten at their feet meows plaintively.

Instinctively, Anakin crouches down and scratches its ears.

Obi-Wan’s face, when Anakin remembers to look up, is thunderous.

—--------

“Oh, come on,” Anakin says. He’s not whining. He does not whine. He is a galactic senator and a man in his later thirties. He is above whining.

The loth-kitten in his arms mewls.

Obi-Wan looks incensed. “I want it gone,” he demands.

Punishment, which is apparently the only thing the bunny has been calling the kitten, mewls again.

Anakin tightens his arms around the creature. “But where would she go?”

“Do I look like I care?” Obi-Wan asks, putting his hands on his hips.

He does not.

“I think having a pet would be good for you. Have you even given Menti a chance?” “Menti?”

Anakin frowns at him. “Well, I can’t call her Punishment for her entire life, she’d develop a complex!”

His bunny sneers at him and crosses his arms.

Anakin puts the kitten on the ground just so he can have both hands free to rub at his temples.

—--------

When Anakin lurches awake in the middle of the night, it’s to the disturbing realization that he’s alone in bed.

He’s never alone in bed when he’s on Coruscant. Obi-Wan likes to cuddle, and Anakin likes to be cuddled by his partner.

But when he awakens, he’s alone.

Obi-Wan can’t have gone far—Anakin will believe nothing else—and so he throws the warm sheets off in a bid to find him. He’d search all of Coruscant, if he had to.

But luckily, Obi-Wan is in the living room.

“I don’t want you,” Obi-Wan says. “In fact, I despise you.”

For one heart-wrenching second, Anakin is convinced that he is talking to him.

Then he rubs his eyes to clear his vision, and he sees the loth-kitten perched on a discarded throwpillow.

It meows.

“No, really,” Obi-Wan replies. “You’re–you’re—superfluous.”

“Superfluous?” Anakin repeats, and Obi-Wan startles. He turns around quickly—defiantly—and glares at Anakin.

“Superfluous!” Obi-Wan declares stridently. “You have me! You don’t need anything else so–cute! And—and—” “Fluffy?” Anakin suggests, leaning against the doorway and smirking despite himself.

Obi-Wan scowls. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

The laughter escapes him without his permission. “So just to be clear,” he says, opening his arms so that his bunny can step into them. “You’re jealous of a loth-kitten?”

Obi-Wan’s scowl grows. “No,” he says. “Alright,” he mutters a second later. “Maybe.”

When he stands from his crouch and steps into Anakin’s arms, Anakin can’t stop himself from smiling and pressing that smile against the crown of Obi-Wan’s head. “That’s alright,” he tells him. “I was jealous of a throw pillow.”

#asks #prompt fill #bunnywan #to be clear obi-wan does not appreciate the infringement upon his cutest thing around rights #anakin finding the loth kitten cute is awful #he has been sharing his den with an enemy!!!!!!#they are both ridiculous

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thecosmicpunk · 28 days

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This Easter and TDOV really just showed that people have a lot of shit to say but don't know what the everloving fuck they're talking about.

"Why do Trans people need a day you have a whole month already???" Trans Visibility Day is for Trans people, Pride month is for all Queer people. It's different. But also there are other national months that have a dedicated day in a different month.

Easter is a different day every year and sometimes it's going to land on a day that already has a holiday/nationally recognized day. You gonna be mad at stoners next year for daring to have a smoke with jesus?

Why do you think February is Black History Month? Or why May is AAPI month? Or why June is Pride month?

Do people think that national months happen by closing our eyes and pointing at a calendar? Do you think we just picked a month at random and claimed it ours? Significant moments and events in history happened during those months. And it often took years for those months to be nationally recognized. History is actually so fun to learn about please read something I'm begging.

• And if you're outside of the U.S and you have different national months/holidays please let me know I'd love to read about it!

(Also I only used History.com and one AmericanBar articles because other links weren't working but I encourage you to do research from other sources as well as read the articles I linked.)

In February Black History Month was Black History week for decades:

In March Women's History Month started as Women's History Week:

April is Arab American Heritage Month:

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Month:

June is Pride Month:

Juneteenth:

July is Disability Pride Month:

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month:

Indigenous Peoples' Day is the second Monday in October, and November is Native American Heritage Month:

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tragedyinblue · 11 months

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BBU Community Days, #13

@bbu-on-the-side

{Day 13} Safety

The follow up to part 5. Have a little comfort, folks. (with a bit more emotional whump first)

CW: "it" as a pronoun, institutionalized slavery, PTSD response, reference to potential abuse, fear of abandonment, mention of homelessness

——————————————————

6. Just the Box

They’d planned to visit a few more of Ms. Abbie’s usual haunts, but when the forecasted rainstorm arrived two hours early, they discovered her umbrella was only large enough for one. By the time they made it back, Chase was soaked to the skin.

“Go on up and get changed,” she ordered, grocery bags dripping in her grip. “I’ll put this stuff away and get a kettle going.”

The pet obeyed, scampering up the steps. Although it shivered as the fabric peeled away from its clammy skin, its chattering teeth beamed with pride. It’d insisted that Ms. Abbie use the umbrella. A lesser Pet might’ve given in to her request and let her share it, but because Chase didn’t, she was safe, healthy, and dry. It had done well.

Eventually Chase padded downstairs, warm again in a soft, faded red shirt—long sleeve—and a pair of gray sweatpants with “ARMY” printed down one thigh in big, blocky letters. Ms. Abbie said that her late husband’s clothes belonged to Pet now, but it didn’t entertain such a strange idea. After all, Pets did not own anything.

Its mistress called out from the kitchen. “Hello?”

Chase’s stomach dropped as the self-satisfaction it felt a moment before vanished in an instant. Had she been calling for it this whole time?

‘How deplorable.’

The pet raced to the kitchen, skidding to a halt and kneeling just beyond the threshold, head bowed. “Yes, Ms. Abbie?”

Instead of the glowering expression it expected to find, her back was turned away from it, a cordless phone pinched between her ear and shoulder as her wrinkled hands busied themselves at the stove. She hadn’t heard Chase at all.

“Hi Jeffrey! So nice to hear your voice. How’s the family?... Good, glad to hear it! Listen, I’m calling to request a pickup for a large item, please,” she said, pausing while the man spoke indistinctly on the other end. “No, not a donation this time. It was delivered to me a few days ago and I just want it out of my house. When can you… Tomorrow morning?”

Chase had crawled backward out of the kitchen before it realized it’d even moved, its mind finally catching up to what its body already knew: it was going back to the facility.

Voices cracked like whips in its ears as its breathing quickened to shallow pants. What right did it have to be upset? It only had itself to blame for mistaking Ms. Abbie’s generosity for acceptance. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with it in the first place; of course she was going to send it back! Thinking otherwise was just a fantasy it’d been stupid enough to believe.

It wouldn’t matter if any of that was noted in its file. The bottom line was simple: C47 failed to serve its mistress properly… and bad things happened to Pets that failed.

When the kettle’s shrill whistle broke the pet’s trance, its eyes found the open wooden box jutting out from the other side of the wall, looking completely harmless. Inviting, almost. Perhaps Ms. Abbie would order it to sleep there tonight in preparation for shipment. It shivered, a whine escaping its throat as a forbidden thought flitted through its mind: it would have liked to sleep in the soft bed upstairs one more time.

——————————————————-

“Tomorrow morning?” Abigail repeated with surprise, nearly spilling the scoop of pale brown powder in her hand. “So soon?”

Jeffrey laughed kindly. “For you? Absolutely. We can have a crew there at 8am to get rid of that box.”

Abigail squinted at the calendar on the other side of the small kitchen as the kettle pitched from sizzle to screech. “I… Yes, I think that will work! Thank you, dear!” she yelled before ending the call.

Her hands trembled only slightly as she prepared two mugs of Ovaltine and a plate of crackers with a wistful sigh. The last time she’d made two servings at once George was still alive. It warmed her heart to do it again.

“Chase, dear?” she called over the slight lump in her throat. “Soup’s on. Come and get it.”

Instead of the hurried footsteps she’d come to expect—the sound strangely reminiscent of soldiers scrambling to attention—Chase shuffled into the kitchen, his expression haunted. Abigail recognized that look.

Her old instincts kicked in, assessing him for injuries, though she guessed she wouldn’t find any fresh ones. Something had changed within the last fifteen minutes. She just didn’t know what.

“Are you alright?” she probed, setting the steaming mugs onto the table.

The boy’s mouth twisted in a rictus. “Yes, Mistress Abbie. It’s well and g-grateful for your concern.”

Damn. He was still partially elsewhere, but she could work with that. “Let’s take a few breaths. Can you do that with me?”

“Y-Yes, Ms. Abbie.”

In stuttered rhythm, his chest expanded and shrunk mechanically with hers until it had mostly evened out.

“Good, Chase. Very good,” she praised.

He blinked rapidly at that, most of the remaining haze seeming to clear. That was a good sign, if disconcerting.

“I’m going to sit down at the table now,” Abigail said. “Please join me. There is a hot drink waiting for you when you’re ready.”

Abigail sipped hers quietly, closing her eyes as the liquid soothed her from the inside out. When she opened them, Chase was sitting beside her, fingers wrapped tightly around his mug.

“Welcome back, dear.”

His gaze flicked up to meet hers guiltily. “This pet is sorry for being so troublesome, Ms. Abbie. It should have been taking care of you, not the other way around. P-Please punish it as you see fit.”

Abigail scoffed, hating the way it made him flinch.

“Nonsense,” she said softly. “I’ve seen young men like you react similarly. It’s nothing you can control. Just… if you’re feeling fine enough later I’d like to know what prompted your reaction so we can avoid it.”

His eyes flicked from his drink to the open archway so quickly she almost missed it. Following his line of sight, she spied the WRU crate at the end of the hall. Hmm.

“It’ll be nice to have that ugly box gone. Some friends of mine are coming tomorrow to get it,” she said, focusing on his reaction rather than the fact that she no longer remembered what time Jeffrey’s crew would arrive. “If you’d rather keep it I’ll ask them to move it elsewhere instead.”

Chase’s brows furrowed. “Just the box, Ms. Abbie?” he asked slowly.

“I’m sorry?”

He gulped before trying again, his voice hoarse. “You’re only getting rid of the box?”

Oh.

The idea that she could throw someone away was so appalling that it hadn’t even crossed Abigail’s mind, though she knew it wasn’t completely uncommon; she’d seen more than a few strays huddled in alleys over the years. It was all too easy to imagine Chase among them.

Schooling her expression like the nurse she was, Abigail smiled, leaning forward to pat Chase’s shaking hand.

“Yes, dear. Just the box.”

Taglist: @maracujatangerine @octopus-reactivated @dislexiher @whumpzone

Ping me or reply if you'd like to be added to the taglist. I'd rather know for sure than add folks who reblog. Thank you! 💙

#bbu #bbucd #bbu community #whump event #day13 #inheritance-story

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writingraven · 2 years

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World Building

Creating Culture

✧

What is Culture?

Definition: a set of rules that allows individuals to construct a world, interpret that world, and adapt to it

Characteristic of Culture: shared, learned, integrated, based on symbols, adaptive, always changing

✧

Elements of Culture

⤠ aesthetics

⟿ philosophy of beauty?

⤠ agriculture

⟿ what is grown in abundance? what is scarce? does agriculture dominate the economy? only grown for survival? who has farmland? where is the farmland?

⤠ architecture

⟿ how intricately planned? what are buildings made of? how close together? how tall?

⤠ art

⟿ what is considered art? is it common? appreciated?

⤠ attitude towards [blank]

⟿ (adolescents, age, animals, death, elders, expectations, nature, sin, work, etc.)

⤠ beliefs

⟿ widely accepted opinions? how do these opinions affect society?

⤠ body language

⟿ common gestures? posture?

⤠ calendar

⟿ tracking of dates? time? seasons? years? eras?

⤠ communication styles

⟿ letters? mail carrier system? common gestures?

⤠ concepts of [blank]

⟿ (past/future, self, time, etc.)

⤠ education

⟿ are there schools? who attends? for how long? what is taught?

⤠ ethics

⟿ shared morality? what is considered immoral?

⤠ family values

⟿ importance of family? what is considered family? treatment of elders? children? women?

⤠ fashion

⟿ common fabrics? how intricately designed? who makes clothes? difference for classes? difference for work?

⤠ folklore

⟿ legends? stories? fairytales? what themes do they represent?

⤠ food

⟿ what do they eat? different food for different regions? different classes? where do they get food? how do they cook?

⤠ government

⟿ roles? political divides? foreign affairs?

⤠ health / medicine

⟿ how advanced? is healthcare commonly available?

⤠ history

⟿ how did they get where they are? wars? slavery? famine? rebellions? well-known figures?

⤠ holidays

⟿ what are they? how inclusive? how extravagant? how meaningful?

⤠ justice

⟿ laws? judges? punishments? rehabilitation? worst offenses? minor offenses?

⤠ language

⟿ singular? multiple? accents? written?

⤠ literature

⟿ books? sacred text? authors? documents?

⤠ manners

⟿ what is considered ‘good’ manners? what is considered ‘poor’ manners? are manners important? only for certain groups?

⤠ music

⟿ genres? instruments? religious songs? well-known songs? bards? how common is it to be able to play music? where is music played most?

⤠ notions of [blank]

⟿ (beauty, cleanliness, courtesy, friendliness, leadership, modesty, etc.)

⤠ philosophy

⟿ well-known philosophers? shared views or individualized?

⤠ religion

⟿ monotheistic? polytheistic? how many religions? main religion? how does religion affect other aspects of the culture?

⤠ social classes

⟿ different lifestyles? gaps in treatment/resources? causes for classes?

⤠ societal roles

⟿ (age, class, gender, work, etc.)

⤠ traditions

⟿ events? rituals? customs?

⤠ travel

⟿ modes of transportation? (car, carriage, walking, animals) how common are these? roads? travel markers? distance & time?

⤠ work ethic

⟿ what is considered work? how important is work? is pride taken in work?

#writing #writing tips #world building #fantasy #fantasy writing #knowledge #writing reference #reference #culture #thanks to my anthropology class for most of this

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