dovewithscales

[dovewithscales]

"Bugs Bunny isn't real"

Yes he is. Was. Mel Blanc once got into a car accident and was in a coma until one of his friends said he wanted to talk to Bugs, who came out of a coma to answer "What's up, doc?" Mel immediately woke up and was fine.

Bugs Bunny was Mel Blanc's headmate and brought him out of a coma.

"Not real" my ass.

hate how they forced bugs bunny into anti-weed propaganda in the 90s, as if bugs bunny wouldn’t love smoking weed 

[dovewithscales]

Until a few years ago our understanding of physics said bees can't fly. We don't really know how shit works.

when a dragons wings are too small to realistically fly thats fine its reasonable i think to size them down to allow them to fit in a space better and be more readable as a character. but outside of really specific circumstances (like cartoonishly small wings) when a dragons wing webbing stops way too far up? punishable by death. in seymourworld.

[dovewithscales]

No, but yes. The reason insects can have a single connection point like that is because they have a completely different type of wing which operates on a different set of laws of physics. To hideously oversimplify it for the sake of brevity, they're so small and light they can basically treat air like a fluid.

Birds, and anything larger than a bird, are using their entire body as a single plane with which to generate lift. Insects don't have to, but they do need to be able to move their wings at a lot of different angles very quickly. And hummingbirds split the difference between the two.

when a dragons wings are too small to realistically fly thats fine its reasonable i think to size them down to allow them to fit in a space better and be more readable as a character. but outside of really specific circumstances (like cartoonishly small wings) when a dragons wing webbing stops way too far up? punishable by death. in seymourworld.

[dovewithscales]

when a dragons wings are too small to realistically fly thats fine its reasonable i think to size them down to allow them to fit in a space better and be more readable as a character. but outside of really specific circumstances (like cartoonishly small wings) when a dragons wing webbing stops way too far up? punishable by death. in seymourworld.

[dovewithscales]

*see this posted in a Discord server*

*Think @noodledragonsoup needs to see it*

*realize I'm seeing it on @noodledragonsoup's blog*

This conversation is funnier hearing just one half of it.

[dovewithscales]

It's also well documented that John Stewart and John Oliver in particular have a substantial impact on how well informed Americans are. As the right increasingly buys out and corrupts mainstream media, the fact that John Stewart is an extremely popular and trustworthy journalist who cannot be bought becomes more and more valuable.

[dovewithscales]

So much of all this.

One additional thought:

Trump in particular is one of the most narcissistic people currently living. His self image is the most important thing to him. It's also as brittle as spun sugar.

Any form of criticism or insult enrages him. He takes them incredibly seriously and focuses an enormous amount of energy on them. It distracts him. Any energy he's spending responding to insults from the media is energy he's not spending on furthering his fascist agenda. Any time we can make him focus on shit talking is actively making him a less effective Nazi, and making him angry, which makes him even more stupid than he already is.

It's not enough in a vacuum, but it's not nothing.

[dovewithscales]

Priesthood Ethics & Obligations

The following is my attempt to put into writing some sense of the nebulous ideas of ethics on which I live my life. It’s merely a guideline, and subject to change, but I think it’s a suitable starting point for the kind of ideals any member of the priesthood ought to strive for.

Many of these ideas are applicable to other people, but this essay is targeted at clergy members.

You will fail to live up to these principles perfectly. No one is perfect. But it’s something to strive for, and I think all priesthood should be at least reasonably proficient in these areas.

Community

The highest focus of priesthood must be on the community. It is vitally important that any clergy member live their life in a way which centers the needs of their community and its members, over their own desires. Selfishness, ambition, greed, and laziness have no place in the life of a member of priesthood.

It is our obligation to meet the needs of our community to the best of our ability, whatever those needs may be. We are also obligated to balance self care with those needs. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and so you must keep your own cup full.

Our obligation extends even to members of the community who we may not like or get along with. Personal grievances can’t get in the way of our work. While we need to keep the community safe from people who might harm others or disrupt events, we need not to exclude anyone for personal reasons. This most emphatically does not mean being a doormat or allowing abusive or exploitative people to take advantage of us just because they claim to be part of our community. Balance in all things.

Confidentiality

I have taken an oath of confidentiality to my gods, not unlike that of Catholic priests with confession. As a pastoral counselor, anything that is told to me in confidence will be kept in confidence. This helps people to unburden themselves, knowing that their secrets remain safe with me.

Catholic priests taking confession are protected by US law, and cannot be compelled to break confidentiality for any reason, not even by a court order. I don’t think I technically have that protection, yet. But if I was ever ordered by a court to break confidence, I would fight for that right to confidentiality, and under no circumstances would I break that oath.

The only situation under which I share privileged information is in seeking counsel from a confidante of my own under similar conditions.

Self Control

This is the most challenging of my expectations for myself. In Hellenismos, Σοφροσυνη (Sophrosyne or Sophrosune) is the practice of self control, through practices like meditation and shadow work.

Patience is a vitally important skill for any member of priesthood. People come to us seeking council when they are at their worst. While we shouldn’t accept abuse, we must respond with patience and compassion when establishing boundaries.

Hospitality

As a follower of Hellenismos, I follow the Hellenic principle of Ξενια (Xenia), which translates as “hospitality.” The guest/host contract. I am expected to welcome anyone who comes with good intent, and share with all visitors the best of whatever I have to offer. All guests in my space are treated with respect and kindness. I make sure their needs are met and that they are safe.

This contract goes both ways. The guest is expected to respect the host’s space, property, and self.

As priesthood, we should welcome and support everyone who wishes to be a part of our community.

Love of the Gods

The purpose of all priesthood is to serve the gods, and to protect and guide their people. It is not enough to be obedient to the gods or to any scripture of any religion. The path of priesthood requires love for the gods, and for their people.

In Hellenismos there are two related concepts:

Εὐσέβεια (Eusebia) can be translated as ‘reverence’ or ‘piety,’ and encompasses the idea of having a sense of duty and loyalty to the gods.

χάρις (Kharis) is most often translated as ‘grace,’ and is translated as such in the Christian Bible. As in ‘by the grace of God.’ This is the love and patience which the gods have for us in spite of our flaws and failings, and which we should reciprocate. The term can also be translated as “unconditional love.”

Pursuit of Understanding

We are never done learning. The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is noble for its own sake. To represent the gods well, we must be open to new ideas, and constantly striving to broaden our understanding of the world around us, and the world within us.

We must remain humble in this pursuit, and never think that we have learned all we need to know, or that our studies make us better than anyone else. Every person, and every thing which exists has something to teach us. In the words of Socrates, “All I know is that I know nothing.”

It’s also important that we try to help others along the path who also are seeking understanding.

Right Action

The Greek term Ethike Arete literally translates to “moral excellence,” but is more complex than that. My personal interpretation, which may vary from other people’s, is that we are required to do what we feel is right in every situation. Not only must we never commit an act which we know to be wrong or unethical, but we also must assess every situation as unique and be able to make a decision of what is right in that moment, regardless of any more general principles or rules. In short, every rule or law has exceptions, including the ones laid out above, and we must be prepared to break the rules when they would prevent right action.

In short, no code will ever predict in advance what will be right in every situation. It can’t be done. All we can do is create guidelines, which must be ready to bend and change. There’s no way to always know what the right thing to do will be, until you’re actually in the moment. We must be ready to make moral judgments about our own choices in any given moment, and unfailingly do what we believe to be right.

This essay is also hosted on my personal website. Which is the same as my username here.

[dovewithscales]

If the law does not create justice, then the law is wrong and must be fixed. If it cannot be fixed, it must by destroyed. It does not matter what is legal. Only what is right. If the law will not punish evil, then the people must do so illegally.

I think my recent and ongoing obsession with Leverage is helping me shift to the perspective that I don't especially care that what Trump and Musk are doing is illegal and unconstitutional (which it is), I care that it is cruel and causing excessive suffering for millions of people, or even dozens of people. I'm glad that people like Tish James and my college friend who works for her are fighting the good legal fight, but the law does not really seem to matter to the people grabbing power so why should it matter to me?

Also I just finally read The Dispossessed and the basics of anarchism are bubbling in my brain.

[dovewithscales]

Looks like a baby rat snake to me- water moccasins are way chunkier and don't have such a defined neck right behind the skull.

It could be! I don't have a lot of experience with juvenile snakes. I don't have a lot of experience with snakes at all, but I'm better at IDing adults. It was the right patterning for a moccasin and had the white mouth, and the right defensive posture as it held its ground against my three cats and didn't try to hide. So at least it thought it could bluff that it was venomous.

[dovewithscales]

like whack a mole

[dovewithscales]

[dovewithscales]

This guy showed up in my dining room immediately after I came in from doing a ritual with Hekate for the new moon. I took him well away from the house to let him go, because I'm pretty sure he's a water moccasin. Can anybody confirm that?

We're taking it as a really good omen. Snakes are one of Hekate's animals, and no one got hurt.

[dovewithscales]

I didn't know this, but it appears to be true. Awesome. Thank you!

February 18, 2025 - An ICE van burned down in Philly. According to ICE it was caused by mechanical failure, so lets just take this as inspiration for the next time you see an ICE vehicle. Apparently they burn pretty easily. [link]

[dovewithscales]

"Mechanical failure." Only Teslas spontaneously combust. Their mechanical failure was probably a molotov.

February 18, 2025 - An ICE van burned down in Philly. According to ICE it was caused by mechanical failure, so lets just take this as inspiration for the next time you see an ICE vehicle. Apparently they burn pretty easily. [link]

[dovewithscales]

Schadenfreude is all that's keeping me going.

[dovewithscales]

Not me currently sitting on a four foot tall heating pad...