#Caribbean Ancestry

[noisycowboyglitter]

Antigua St Vincent Mix Butterfly: A Unique Blend of Tradition and Fashion

The Antigua St Vincent Mix Butterfly is a captivating blend of two distinct Caribbean butterfly species, combining the unique characteristics of butterflies native to Antigua and St Vincent. This

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hypothetical hybrid showcases the vibrant biodiversity of the Caribbean islands and the potential for cross-island pollination.

This imaginary butterfly boasts a striking appearance, with wings that display a mesmerizing fusion of colors and patterns. The upper wings might feature the bold, tropical hues typical of Antiguan butterflies, while the lower wings could exhibit the intricate designs found on St Vincent's native species. This results in a visually stunning insect that captures the essence of both islands' natural beauty.

The Antigua St Vincent Mix Butterfly would likely demonstrate remarkable adaptability, thriving in various Caribbean ecosystems. Its diet might consist of nectar from flowers native to both islands, making it an important pollinator for a wide range of plant species.

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Lepidopterists and nature enthusiasts would be particularly intrigued by this unique butterfly, as it would represent a fascinating subject for study in terms of genetics, adaptation, and island ecology. Its existence could potentially shed light on the interconnectedness of Caribbean ecosystems and the effects of climate change on insect populations in the region.

While this mixed butterfly is purely fictional, it serves as an intriguing concept that highlights the rich biodiversity of the Caribbean and the potential for unexpected natural hybridization in island environments. It also underscores the importance of conservation efforts to protect the unique flora and fauna of these tropical paradises.

Antiguan and Vincentian roots represent the rich cultural heritage of two distinct Caribbean nations: Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These roots are deeply intertwined with the islands' histories, shaped by indigenous Arawak and Carib peoples, European colonization, and African influences brought by the slave trade.

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Both cultures share similarities in their vibrant music, with calypso and soca rhythms pulsing through their traditions. Their cuisines feature local ingredients like breadfruit, saltfish, and tropical fruits, creating unique flavors that reflect their island environments.

Antiguan and Vincentian roots also encompass a strong sense of community, resilience in the face of historical adversity, and a connection to the natural beauty of their islands. While each nation maintains its distinct identity, their shared Caribbean heritage creates a bond that transcends national borders.

Butterfly gifts for her offer a delightful array of options that capture feminine charm and natural beauty. These might include elegant butterfly-themed jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, or bracelets. Home décor items like butterfly-patterned throw pillows, wall art, or delicate wind chimes can add a touch of whimsy to her living space. For fashion enthusiasts, butterfly-adorned scarves, handbags, or hair

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accessories make stylish presents. Other thoughtful options include butterfly-inspired garden ornaments, stationery sets, or fragrant candles, all celebrating the grace and symbolism of these enchanting creatures.

[reasonsforhope]

Non-paywall version here.

"When Arley Gill, head of Grenada’s National Reparations Committee, envisioned his work seeking repair for centuries of enslavement on the Caribbean island, one thing was certain: It was going to be a long slog.

But just two years since its founding, the task force is fielding calls from individuals around the world looking to make amends for ancestors who benefited from enslavement in Grenada. 

“If you had told us this would be happening, we wouldn’t have believed you,” Mr. Gill says, crediting a burgeoning movement of descendants of enslavers getting wise to their family’s history and taking action. 

In Grenada’s case, the momentum began with a public apology made by former BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan and her family in February at a ceremony on the island. They apologized for their forebears’ enslavement of people in Grenada and their enrichment from it, pledging an initial contribution of £100,000 ($130,000) toward education on the island.

“She opened the doors for people to feel comfortable” coming forward, says Mr. Gill.

In April [2023], Ms. Trevelyan and journalist Alex Renton co-founded an organization called Heirs of Slavery. Its eight British members have ancestors who benefited financially from slavery in various ways...

Heirs of Slavery says wealth and privilege trickle down through generations, and that there are possibly millions of Britons whose lives were touched by money generated from enslavement. 

The group aims to amplify the voices of those already calling for reparations, like Caribbean governments. And it supports organizations working to tackle the modern-day consequences of slavery, both in the United Kingdom and abroad, from racism to health care inequities. But it’s also setting an example for others, drafting a road map of reparative justice for enslavement – at the individual level...

“Shining a light is always a good idea,” says Mr. Renton, who published a book in 2021 about his family’s ties to slavery, donating the proceeds to a handful of nongovernmental organizations in the Caribbean and England. “You don’t have to feel guilt about it; you can’t change the past,” he says, paraphrasing Sir Geoff Palmer, a Scottish Jamaican scholar. “But we should feel ashamed that up to this point we’ve done nothing about the consequences” of slavery.

Start anywhere

Most Africans trafficked to the Americas and Caribbean during the trans-Atlantic slave trade ended up in the West Indies. The wealth generated there through unpaid, brutal, forced labor funded much of Europe’s Industrial Revolution and bolstered churches, banks, and educational institutions. When slavery was abolished in British territories in 1833, the government took out a loan to compensate enslavers for their lost “property.” The government only finished paying off that debt in 2015. 

The family of David Lascelles, the 8th Earl of Harewood, for example, received more than £26,000 from the British government after abolition in compensation for nearly 1,300 lives, while “the enslaved people were given nothing,” Mr. Lascelles says. He joined Heirs of Slavery upon its founding, eager to collaborate with peers doing work he’s been focused on for decades.

“People like us have, historically, kept quiet about what our ancestors did. We believe the time has come to face up to what happened, to acknowledge the ongoing repercussions of this human tragedy, and support the existing movements to discuss repair and reconciliation,” reads the group’s webpage.

For Ms. Trevelyan, that meant a very public apology – and resigning from journalism to dedicate herself to activism...

For Mr. Lascelles, a second cousin of King Charles, making repairs included in 2014 handing over digitized copies of slavery-related documents discovered in the basement of the Downton Abbey-esque Harewood House to the National Archives in Barbados, where much of his family’s wealth originated during enslavement. 

“What can we do that is actually useful and wanted – not to solve our own conscience?” he says he asks himself...

“Listen and learn”

...The group is planning a conference this fall that will bring together families that benefited from the trans-Atlantic slave trade along with representatives from Caribbean governments and Black Europeans advocating for reparations. In the meantime, members are meeting with local advocacy groups to better understand what they want – and how Heirs of Slavery might assist.

At a recent meeting, “there was one man who said he wanted to hear what we had to say, but said he saw us as a distraction. And I understand that,” says Mr. Renton. “Maximum humility is necessary on our part. We are here to listen and learn, not try to take the lead and be the boss.”

Mr. Renton’s family has made donations to youth development and educational organizations, but he doesn’t see it as compensation. “I see this as work of repair. If I sold everything I own, I couldn’t begin to compensate for the lives my ancestors destroyed,” he says."

-via The Christian Science Monitor, August 1, 2023

Note: I know the source name probably inspires skepticism for a lot of people (fairly), but they're actually considered a very reliable and credible publication in both accuracy and lack of bias.

[manicato]

Daka Taíno y estoy aquí.

I was the blogger Triguenaista/Inaruri who was stalked and harrassed for 10+ years, while homeless, by Keyla Rivera and her anti-indigenous group “This-is-not-taino". Keyla Rivera, of Florida and Orocovis, PR, a white Puerto Rican, was mostly responsible for this racist behavior.

Since in the last ten years, I have CONTINUED to see my name thrown around as a "validated pretendian/fraud" because of the now-exposed Keyla's behavior- We're just going to need to address it. And since I was doxxed by them, and my full name has been shared with you all, I'm going to go ahead and show you some documents that that hate-group wasn't willing to show.

Let's start with a family tree- ya?

Avelino, was born into slavery in Puerto Rico, approximately 1865, in Arecibo Puerto Rico. To the best of my knowledge (and factoring in the DNA test), he was Afro-Taíno, with strong Nigerian/Western Bantu roots. As noted on the last published Registro Central de Esclavos of 1872 (page 3, 9th person recorded), he was a natural-born Puerto Rican (Natural de Oto Rico).

 After abolition in 1873, like many others, Avelino was forced to continue working for 3 to 5 more years. Do Barbara Balseiro (the indicated slave owner) had a working relationship with Felix Marengo y Poggi, and was known to send slaves to work at his plantations.

Through research (1910 census), I found that Maria Baerga y Rivera De Quiñones was a "Mulatto" housekeeper for the Felix Marengo y Poggi in the 1910’s. It is likely that this is where Avelino met her daughter Maria Quiñones Baerga and developed a relationship.

They had son Felix (recorded as negro on census documents, until adulthood/WW2, where he is then recorded as blanco/brown toned (on his Draft card), who married Carmen Martinez.

This is Carmen’s Acta de Nacimiento which indicates race as “Mestiza”, clearly indicating not only direct Taíno heritage/ancestry, but a connection to an existing community as that was the only circumstance in which this term was legally used in PR when they started to write Taínos out of the country. It was and is currently illegal to list someone's race/ethnicity in PR as indigenous. Mestiza and Trigeño is the ONLY exceptions for those with concrete connections.

A Close-up:

On the naciemnto form above her mother is cited as “Vincenta/Vincenda”, from/born in Jayuya. There is a note about her grandparents in part 3. “Ambos de raza mestiza”, Ajiubro Martinez and Juana Martinez from Morovis.

According to family oral history, Carmen Martinez came from a community/family that took care of the Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial site of Utuado before the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña took over with formal protections in 1955.

There may be a relationship between her and one of the 60 Puerto Rican indigenous children taken to the Carlisle Indian School in 1901. Three Martinez children were enrolled there, Provindentia, Levia, and Miguel. My best-informed guess is Provindentia Martinez may be my 2nd great-grandmother as “Vincenta” could be a derivative of the name. If it was Provendentia, she would have been the right age to have a child, settling down in PR after traveling to NY for a few years after her time at the Carlisle School, as recorded in their records. Until better clarification can be obtained, this is just speculation.

Carmen would make and maintain small bohio-like structures in the backyard of the family Utuado home (many were destroyed after Hurricane George, and the rest after Hurricane Maria), to house Semisakis and Opias.

My grandfather, Luis Alfonso Quiñones Sr. was extremely proud and vocal of our rich Taíno heritage and culture. He made sure that we knew our roots and how precious our indigenous ancestry is, and taught us all he could remember.

In terms of direct lineage, my direct Taíno lineage can be traced from my 2nd great-grandfather Avelino, my great-grandmother Carmen Martinez (whom I had the honor of knowing and having a relationship with as a child living in Puerto Rico), and my own grandfather Luis Alfonso Quiñones Sr (who I grew up with).

If "cultural connection"/"growing up in a continuously connected family" was your issue with my indigenous status- clearly I did and have the documentation to show my family's continuous connection.

If it's blood quantum/documented indigenous status- I'm between 3/8th and 7/16th according to my DNA. With the documents I have here, if Tainos were a federally recognized tribe in the US, by the BIA standards, I'd be eligible for enrollment.

And this is all without discussing how history and the laws affect lineage recording or the "Whitening of PR". My family's oral history should have been believed to start with, but now the documentation can be found online. You have your "proof" on the two points yall bring up the most.

So you see why the younger me couldn't figure out why everyone just believed the lies being told? How even now that this hate group was exposed, I don't get why I am the scapegoat for people trying to make a point. Like, I wasn't and am not an educator, nor was I trying to make money in any way (and I was homeless- I needed money and yet DID NOT ASK). I was literally just existing on this hell site and became a target. But yall handed over your cash really quick to this hate group, validated them, and were so shocked when they ended up being frauds and provided yall with NOTHING.

You all believed a white puertorrican that BIPOC's could not be trusted to be indigenous (look at the list, it is EXCLUSIVELY Black and Brown peoples and anyone who stood up for them. It wasn't a "frauds list" until after we all left the platform. That was added AFTERWARDS. And yes, some of us are STILL friends because we were here for the community, not cash or fame). You continue to keep that belief every time you defend it. In the end, ya'll are just being racist and need to stop hurting an already small af community.

Taínos exists. We are here. We are NOT recognized by the US gov't yet. To imply our self-determination takes away from indigenous people is to fundamentally not understand what it is to be indigenous. And, it implies you see the indigenous status as money and not actually living people with complex needs and issues.

I'm glad the rest of the internet has unlearned what this group put into the world about Taínos, but now I'mma need yall on here to minimally stop throwing my name around. Stop it. I am exactly who I have been telling you all I am, whether you accept that or not is NOT my problem. I have the documentation, which is more than can be said about anyone yall have believed in the past.

At least I know who my people are, grew up knowing, and can live happily knowing there are people who disagree in our community because we aren't a monolithic group. Yall just need to treat us as humans.

For those reading for the history of it all- I'm glad to help. If you're trying to figure out your family's documentation- I got great info on how to find the information and who to contact. If you're looking for cultural resources- tainolibrary is LITERALLY the best source and it's free (Note: I have no affiliation with them. I genuinely believe they are a healthy and safe resource for those seeking reconnection/validation).

For those realizing they fucked up in believing my stalker- I accept my apologies in cash.

[boricuacherry-blog]

Rihanna's Scottish and Irish roots and why she wants to learn more

Rihanna reclaimed her surname in 2017, when she launched her cosmetics company.

People believe the surname Fenty originated from the Irish surname, Fenton, which is native to county Cork. It's common today for many biracial Barbadians to have Irish surnames.

Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, is a Bajan of African, Irish, English and Scottish descent. The likelihood of Rihanna's father's Irish ancestry can be traced back to the Cromwellian Conquest, when Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland in the 1640's, rounding up people living on the land, and stealing their land.

Irish men, women and children were forcibly transported to work on sugar and tobacco plantations in the newly colonized Barbados, Jamaica and the smaller Caribbean islands including St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua and Montserrat. Many locations on the Caribbean islands share Irish place names, like Cork Hill, Kinsale and Roche's Mountain.

The Irish indentured servants transported to Barbados to work on sugar plantations in the 17th century were part of the Caribbean's poor white community known as Redlegs.

The Irish who arrived to the Islands lived in the same quarters and conditions as African slaves who were also sent to the Caribbean around that time. The culture, accents, and names bled between the two ethnicities, eventually resulting in a long line of people with a mixed ancestry from opposite sides of the globe.

Some experts believe that the Caribbean accent is actually the result of a fusion of multiple languages and accents, including Irish. Similarities in the Cork and Caribbean accent is most common.

A decade after Rihanna sang on Calvin Harris's track We Found Love, she told how the song changed her life and why she's now determined to find out more about her Scottish roots. The song was written and produced by Harris, a Scottish producer.

Rihanna, who revealed she was bullied when she was younger for being lighter than the other girls said, "I have Scottish and Irish roots, and I think it's really interesting to explore your roots and I would love to know more."

While she hasn't released an album since Anti, Rihanna said her new album, R9, will be worth the wait. "The album will be on a different level," she said.

[incognitopolls]

Indigenous here is a political designation which describes a people groups relationship with colonialism - ie. Saami people are an indigenous group but Finnish/Swedish/Norwegian/Russian people are not, even though they are both genetically from the same countries- because of the groups different relationships with colonialism.

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[ghostsprobably]

Winx Rewrite Character Nationalities!

Here's my winx redesigns and the earth equivalent nationalities/ethnicities I envision them as!

(featuring lots of random people from google images)

Bloom: Self Insert lol (white person from long island, earth)

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Stella: Moroccan! She is very tan because she spends so much time soaking up the sun, but if she went a long time indoors her skin would lighten a bit.

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Flora: Mexican Indigenous! She also spends quite a lot of time outside tending to the Garden

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Tecna: Irish, and she does not get any sun lol (i like the idea that she has an accent bc Faragonda has one and she's spent so much time with her)

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Musa: Chinese of course

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Aisha: Barbadian! She's from an island nation, so I always imagined her being from somewhere in the Caribbean. rn I have her voice claim as Ayo Edebiri so Barbados felt right!

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Icy: Russian, it's cold there

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Darcy: Her family moved around a lot to get away from their connection to Liliss so her ancestry is quite diverse, but I think she would identify as Pakistani, as that is where her more recent family is from.

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Stormy: South African, Zulu! Her family has a very strong appreciation for their ancestry and wikipedia says "Zulu" means heaven or weather, which I think is fun.

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I'll be back later with the guys!

[fatehbaz]

In fact, far more Asian workers moved to the Americas in the 19th century to make sugar than to build the transcontinental railroad [...]. [T]housands of Chinese migrants were recruited to work [...] on Louisiana’s sugar plantations after the Civil War. [...] Recruited and reviled as "coolies," their presence in sugar production helped justify racial exclusion after the abolition of slavery.

In places where sugar cane is grown, such as Mauritius, Fiji, Hawaii, Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname, there is usually a sizable population of Asians who can trace their ancestry to India, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere. They are descendants of sugar plantation workers, whose migration and labor embodied the limitations and contradictions of chattel slavery’s slow death in the 19th century. [...]

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Mass consumption of sugar in industrializing Europe and North America rested on mass production of sugar by enslaved Africans in the colonies. The whip, the market, and the law institutionalized slavery across the Americas, including in the U.S. When the Haitian Revolution erupted in 1791 and Napoleon Bonaparte’s mission to reclaim Saint-Domingue, France’s most prized colony, failed, slaveholding regimes around the world grew alarmed. In response to a series of slave rebellions in its own sugar colonies, especially in Jamaica, the British Empire formally abolished slavery in the 1830s. British emancipation included a payment of £20 million to slave owners, an immense sum of money that British taxpayers made loan payments on until 2015.

Importing indentured labor from Asia emerged as a potential way to maintain the British Empire’s sugar plantation system.

In 1838 John Gladstone, father of future prime minister William E. Gladstone, arranged for the shipment of 396 South Asian workers, bound to five years of indentured labor, to his sugar estates in British Guiana. The experiment with “Gladstone coolies,” as those workers came to be known, inaugurated [...] “a new system of [...] [indentured servitude],” which would endure for nearly a century. [...]

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Bonaparte [...] agreed to sell France's claims [...] to the U.S. [...] in 1803, in [...] the Louisiana Purchase. Plantation owners who escaped Saint-Domingue [Haiti] with their enslaved workers helped establish a booming sugar industry in southern Louisiana. On huge plantations surrounding New Orleans, home of the largest slave market in the antebellum South, sugar production took off in the first half of the 19th century. By 1853, Louisiana was producing nearly 25% of all exportable sugar in the world. [...] On the eve of the Civil War, Louisiana’s sugar industry was valued at US$200 million. More than half of that figure represented the valuation of the ownership of human beings – Black people who did the backbreaking labor [...]. By the war’s end, approximately $193 million of the sugar industry’s prewar value had vanished.

Desperate to regain power and authority after the war, Louisiana’s wealthiest planters studied and learned from their Caribbean counterparts. They, too, looked to Asian workers for their salvation, fantasizing that so-called “coolies” [...].

Thousands of Chinese workers landed in Louisiana between 1866 and 1870, recruited from the Caribbean, China and California. Bound to multiyear contracts, they symbolized Louisiana planters’ racial hope [...].

To great fanfare, Louisiana’s wealthiest planters spent thousands of dollars to recruit gangs of Chinese workers. When 140 Chinese laborers arrived on Millaudon plantation near New Orleans on July 4, 1870, at a cost of about $10,000 in recruitment fees, the New Orleans Times reported that they were “young, athletic, intelligent, sober and cleanly” and superior to “the vast majority of our African population.” [...] But [...] [w]hen they heard that other workers earned more, they demanded the same. When planters refused, they ran away. The Chinese recruits, the Planters’ Banner observed in 1871, were “fond of changing about, run away worse than [Black people], and … leave as soon as anybody offers them higher wages.”

When Congress debated excluding the Chinese from the United States in 1882, Rep. Horace F. Page of California argued that the United States could not allow the entry of “millions of cooly slaves and serfs.” That racial reasoning would justify a long series of anti-Asian laws and policies on immigration and naturalization for nearly a century.

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All text above by: Moon-Ho Jung. "Making sugar, making 'coolies': Chinese laborers toiled alongside Black workers on 19th-century Louisiana plantations". The Conversation. 13 January 2022. [All bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[thisbrilliantsky]

When I was ten and visiting my abuelo in Utuado, he took my sisters and I to a recreated Taíno village. He had Taíno ancestry through his mother, and he wanted us to know something about his heritage. Papi Papi’s dark brown skin looked golden under the sun, and the tour guide gave me eucalyptus leaves to chew for my car sickness. They tasted bitter, green and medicinal. At some point my sisters and I were given necklaces. Each was a simple black cord upon which a clay pendant of a sun was clasped, a calm smile carved into its face. Theirs were each deep blue; mine was a pale, yellowy green. The tour guide told us the huts’ doorways were built low not because the Taíno were short, but so that any enemy entering the home would be at a momentary disadvantage. He mimed hitting someone on the head with a frying pan and we all laughed.  I wore my necklace every day for almost two years. I liked how its smooth face and rounded edges felt between my fingers. I liked its peaceful smile. Then somehow without my noticing it, the clasp broke. It’s gone. In college, I learned that Columbus wrote to the Spanish King and Queen that the Taíno were “wondrously timorous,” “artless and generous.” He noted that they had no weapons at all and would give the Spanish anything they asked for without expecting payment; therefore, he promised the Spanish Crown “slaves as many as they shall order to be shipped.” The day we discussed the massacres and the rapes and the tortures in class, I felt ill. Of particular interest to the class was how the Spanish had demanded a gold tax from each Taíno person, and if they failed to bring it, their hands were cut off. Thousands died slow, painful deaths this way. I couldn’t get a word out. I sat there like a stone as my classmates tsked over the issue of the statues of Columbus all over the country. I knew what had happened. I had known beforehand. But this was the first time I realized that was my family. I left the classroom shaking. For centuries, everyone assumed the ten million Taíno who were alive in 1493 were completely wiped out. Now we know that is not the case. Sixty years after the murderer arrived, there were five hundred Taíno left. Today, thousands of people from the Caribbean can trace their ancestry to those last five hundred souls. I wish I still had my clay sun.

—excerpt from my lyric essay, Clay Sun: A Collection

[thebestofoneshots]

Gilded Constellations | wolfstar x reader

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 4.3K Warnings: none Prompt: You meet Sirius and Regulus at a family vacation in the Caribbean, but things don't go as planned and you end up losing contact once the trip is over. Years later your family moves to England and you get accepted at Hogwarts where you finally meet Sirius once again, along with all of his friends. One of them with a mysterious secret, that you'll uncover as you embark on your own Hogwarts adventure.

Chapter 1: Summer Breeze 

2 years ago - Summer 1974 

Every summer holiday, your parents would take you on some elaborate vacation to a different place. This summer was no different from that, except that they’d contacted some of their old friends in England to plan a trip together. Your father was set on making you more fluent in English and had the brilliant idea to force you onto making some English friends. 

While you weren’t too excited about spending your summer with a pure-blood family, since your mom had not-wizarding grandparents, you decided you were not going to be a snob and actually try to make some friends. Your parents never told you that the Blacks didn’t know about your mom’s ancestry though, especially after your great-grandmother made a huge effort to hide that side of the family when the racist stuff started getting worse. It wasn’t a secret to you, only to the rest of the world. 

“Are you ready sweetheart?” Your mom asked, looking stunning in her white beach dress. 

You closed your suitcase and nodded, walking towards her and your dad in the centre of your living room. You stood in a circle and in the blink of an eye apparated in a completely different place. You were in the middle of a giant Lobby, looking straight toward the front desk. It was an open space, there were fountains in the centre and large logs of wood holding a stunning ceiling with floating balls of some wood-like fibre, you could hear the waves crashing onto the shore somewhere in the distance. It looked elegant yet rustic at the same time. On the side of the Lobby, a metal plate spelled 

Mayan Occultum Hotel  The #1 Hotel for Witches and Wizards in the Caribbean:  Costa Maya 

Followed by 5 shining golden stars that spun  around every couple of seconds. Your father had his head up and looked around to try and find his old friends. 

Sirius had been dragged to this. While to anyone a vacation in the Caribbean might sound like a dream, to him it was no other than an absolute nightmare, not because he disliked the beach, in fact, he quite fancied the idea of spending some time relaxing under the sun after the finals, the issue here was that he wasn’t going with his friends, no James, No Mooney, no Wormtail. No, he was on a FAMILY vacation, which meant he’d have to spend like 2 weeks locked up in a hotel in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people that hated him. He threw in as many muggle-like clothing items he’d gotten from Andromeda into his suitcase, just to spite his parents and hopefully keep the other wizard family, the one that had the brilliant idea to invite his family to the hotel to come along with them, at bay. He was not interested in making new friends, he was not interested in talking to any that were of his parents at all. After all, they probably would be no other than a bunch of Slytherin snobs. 

By the time his mother called him down to the chimney to travel through the floo network, he’d even made sure to add in a pair of Doc Martens to his suitcase, the most punk thing he had gotten his hands on thus far, all thanks to Moony who’d showed him how to order things from a catalogue. He was wearing a leather jacket, ripped black jeans and a pair of Converse shoes, not a very beachy outfit, was it? 

When his mom saw him she almost ordered him to go back upstairs to change but Orion said they were late and basically pushed Sirius onto the chimney. He was the first to arrive, Regulus was next, with a very suitable wizard attire, his parents had come soon after. 

Once your dad spotted Orion among the crowds he went straight to greet him, your mom followed alongside him and you lagged behind just a bit. 

“It’s wonderful to see you again, Orion, you look as dashing as the last time we met,” your father said. 

Orion chuckled lightly “I could say the same about you Silas! This must be Avis,” he said as he turned into your mother “I remember as if it was yesterday when you wrote me that you’d found the love of your life.” 

Now it was your father who chucked “Walburga,” He nodded towards her, she set her hand out and he gave a courteous kiss. Had they forgotten to tell you were meeting royalty or something? Your parents were rarely this formal with his friends.

Regardless of the odd formalities, you stayed behind them as they caught up, “These are my children,” Orion said pushing forwards two boys, one dressed as a wizard and one with very muggle-like clothes, “This is Sirius,” He pointed at the taller boy, “and this is Regulus,” he said pointing at the smaller one. 

Up until then Sirius had maintained a disagreeable face but had been polite enough to your parents so as not to seem like an ass, at least they weren’t overly dressed, they looked like a normal family on vacation, not like they were going to the queen’s wedding at the beach. But his expression changed when your mom moved to the side and he saw you for the first time. 

“This is my daughter, (Y/N),” Your father said, placing a hand on your back and pushing you just slightly forward. 

“You’ve got yourself a beautiful young lady, Silas, why have you been hiding her behind you?” 

“Our (Y/N) is a bit shy,” Your mom excused. 

“Just like our son,” Walburga said as she placed a hand on Regulus’ shoulder, with a huge suspicious smile growing on her face. You would’ve taken a step back had it not been for your father’s hand still on your back, Sirius noticed. He’d straightened his back right after you appeared in his field of view, he almost felt self-conscious, of his outfit (probably because of how hot it was), of his hair, he hated feeling that way, but there was something about you, he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Curiosity, it had to be that. He was curious about you. 

You responded with an awkward smile, by then your father was already pulling Orion toward the front desk to check in. 

“So (Y/N), What year are you in?” Walburga asked, you couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was, in a dangerous sort of way, sharp features, a smile that even if it looked kind, hid something behind it. Like a mermaid luring you in before she drowns you, you thought. 

“I’m starting my 4th,” You replied politely, trying to hide how intimidated you felt while talking to her. 

“Oh,” she said, sounding almost a little disappointed “Like Sirius.” Had she said her child’s name with disdain or was it just your imagination? Perhaps it had something to do with the way the boy dressed. 

“I’m sure they’ll become great friends,” your mom said looking at you, then at Sirius and then back at you. 

Walburga nodded but did not look very happy with the idea of you making friends with her older son. Regardless, you’d been interested in talking to the boy the moment you spotted him from the distance, he looked like the vocalist of a rock band. If it had not been for the fact that your parents introduced you to him, you might have lived on assuming he was some sort of celebrity. 

In the midst of the awkward silence your father and Orion came back. Your father smiled towards you, almost apologetically “Sweetheart there is an event for couples on the other side of the hotel, Orion and I thought it would be good to spend some time there to catch up, would you mind exploring the rest of the hotel with the boys?” 

Well, there goes your family vacation, makes sense after all, your father had been looking for an excuse to move back to England for a while, maybe he’d talk to Orion about the ministry jobs available, Orion did have the politician look going for him. You forced a smile “Not at all Dad, it’ll be fantastic to get to know them,” you hoped that did not come out as ironic as you meant it. Although Sirius' snicker from behind gave you the impression it was not like that. 

Your dad handed you and the boys a map each “We’ve enhanced them, that way we can always find you.” 

Your smile only tightened but you kept it until they were out of sight. Once you made sure they were far enough you pulled your wand out and murmured “incendio,” causing your map to slowly burn itself, you let it drop once the fire was too close to your hand. 

“Did you just use magic? Aren’t you 14?” Regulus asked with a frown. 

You turned to him with a smile “There are many qualified wizards around us,” you responded opening your arms to gesture at the amount of people surrounding you “Besides, this hotel is part of the Occultum line, anyone that has studied at least until year 2 is permitted to use magic–” After hearing this words Sirius used incendio to burn his map as well, you raised your eyebrows towards him and then continued “–that’s why my parents picked it, they wanted me to spend some time practising spells for the next year.” 

Regulus only settled his map on a nearby suitcase that was soon sent flying away, presumably towards its own room, proving how unnecessary the magic you’d both used had been “I heard there was an orchestra at noon, maybe we can go there?” He suggested. 

“Sure, I guess…” You said before grabbing a pamphlet that mentioned all the activities the hotel had going on that day, but one seemed a tad more interesting “What about his one tho?” You said pointing at something written on the paper. 

“A muggle movie screening?” Regulus asked with a grimace, Sirius, on the other hand, seemed a lot more interested in it. 

“Let’s do that! Sounds fun!” Sirius decided, took the pamphlet from your hands in an action that would’ve been rude had he not done it with such grace, and started walking towards the direction the pamphlet indicated. 

“Not sure Mom and Dad would like that,” Regulus argued as the two of you followed, lagging behind Sirius only slightly. 

“Of course, they wouldn’t,” You agreed with him, but caught up with Sirius soon after “Regardless, dear Reg, is not like they’re going to know, we all got rid of our maps.” 

His frown didn’t leave his face even after he caught up with you, walking by your side, instead of his brother’s. Weird, you thought. 

“And don’t even think about telling dear mommy and daddy about it Reggie!” Sirius warned. 

Regulus didn’t fancy how quick you’d gotten comfortable with giving him a nickname, regardless he decided to go with it, it was probably better to stick to Sirius to make sure he didn’t cause some mischief that would have the three of you grounded for the rest of the summer, or your lives, whichever came first. 

The three of you arrived at the “cinema” area quickly enough. “Well, even if the movie is bad, the experience will be authentic.” 

“You’ve been to a cinema?” Asked Sirius impressed. 

“Last summer while I was in New York,” you explained, “very similar to this one, ‘bit more run down.” 

“And your parents allowed you?” Asked Regulus, almost judging. 

“Perhaps they would’ve If they’d known,” you replied with a mischievous smile. 

The three of you walked to the stall and asked the lady attending to give you 1 large bowl of popcorn and three butter beers. The lady grabbed a large bucket and threw some kernels inside it, followed by a block of butter and a sprinkle of salt, she then murmured “calidium.” Hot air started coming from her wand, heating the kernels and having them pop in front of your eyes. 

You leaned in closer to Regulus and whispered “They didn’t have that in the cinema I went to.” 

The lady continued with her task and started serving the butter beers when Sirius decided to speak up. 

“What’s the sorting hat popcorn?” 

“You spin the thing, and a block of candy will come out, we add that to the corn before popping and when it does, it becomes sweetened popcorn with the colour of your house, it’s inspired by the Hogwarts sorting hat,” She explained. 

He nudged you, “You should try it, see which house you’d be in if you studied with us,” He said with a smile. 

“That’s ridiculous, random candy cannot be as wise as the sorting hat,” Regulus complained. 

You shrugged “Seems like a fun deal,” You said, walking towards the fun-looking machine and spinning the wheel. A dark block of candy came out and you handed it to the lady. After she performed the same spell as last time, minus the salt, the popcorn started to pop, turning into different shades of grey, gold, green and silver. You turned to the boys “Which house is that?” 

“Seems like you’re in between,” the lady replied. “The popcorn is not as accurate as the sorting hat I’m afraid.” 

“In between what?” 

“Slytherin–“ started Regulus. 

“–And Gryffindor.“ finished Sirius, the air seemed to tense up in that minute and you just had to do something, so you threw your fist inside the bucket and grabbed a couple of them, popping them in your mouth. 

“Who cares? I highly doubt I’ll ever be in Hogwarts anyway,” You said as you grabbed one of the buckets and your mug of butter beer. “Can I also have some of those?” You said pointing toward the every flavour beans, the lady nodded and handed you a box. 

“The movie starts in 15 minutes,” said Regulus after looking at the time in the giant magical clock. 

“Excuse me, what’s a magic projection?” You asked the clerk near the door. 

“It’s the movie, but with special magical effects, like things that come out of the screen and several other effects, it’s immersive,” he explained and you nodded, definitely not like the muggle cinema you’d been to before. 

“I didn’t know such a thing existed.” 

“It’s a program in development, a very talented new-maj called Drey started bewitching films just 2 years ago, they became very popular in the industry, and this is one of her newest projects.” 

Before Regulus could open his mouth Sirius spoke ���That sounds fantastic! Can we walk in already?” He asked with the most charming smile you had ever seen and after the clerk nodded he dragged you both inside. 

“I’m still not fascinated by this idea,” Regulus complained. 

“Don’t be such a party popper Reg,” You said, throwing a popcorn at him. He brushed it off his coat and started looking at the ads on the screen. 

You then threw one in the air and caught it with your mouth, it’s something you’d seen muggles do in the theatre you had been to last year. 

“Shoot one,” Sirius said, you shot a popcorn and he’d easily caught it, he then winked and motioned for you to send another one. You did, but the third time you grabbed an every flavour bean instead, he also caught it and bit on it with ease, grimacing right after. 

“Treason!” He said after forcing it to go down his throat “I demand her head!” he added while exaggerating his expressions in a very Alice in WonderLand Queen of Hearts-like attitude, then he relaxed again “That was awful, and no warning either!” You just laughed in return, “no wonder the popcorn wanted you in Slytherin” he said, Regulus rolled his eyes. 

“What flavour was it anyway?” You asked, to drive the conversation away from the house topic, which clearly was a sensible one. 

“Your mom’s,” he replied. After understanding the implication of his answer you gasped and playfully hit him on the arm “Sorry, sorry, It was something like sewer water or something, one of the worst I’ve had in my life.” 

Regulus looked at the box and then at you “You want one too?” You asked politely, while there seemed to be some kind of tension between the two boys, neither of them seemed particularly evil, or mean, if anything Regulus was rather shy compared to his loud brother, almost like he did not want to get on the bad side of his parents, something Sirius didn’t really seem to care much about. He quietly nodded to respond to your question and you shot one towards his face, it unfortunately didn’t land on his mouth and fell to the side. He was about to call it off but you didn’t let him. “It’s ok if you don’t get it the worst I’ve had in my life.” 

“Peaches,” he replied with a smile. 

“Unfair,” Sirus said as he crossed his arms and took the box from you “It’s your turn.” 

“I’m terrible at catching with my mouth,” you warned, but he threw one at your face anyway. It landed on your eye, thankfully you closed it first. 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” He said, grabbing your face with his two hands to check if you were ok. Did he not know about personal space? “You OK?” He was so close you could smell his breath, it was minty and fresh, despite having had popcorn already. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” you said, shaking him off and picking the jelly bean from your shirt, where it’d fallen after attacking you “Got fast reflexes,” you said before popping it in your mouth, you grimaced. 

“What was it?” Regulus asked. 

“Lime I think, it was very sour,” you said, turning towards him “Guess you’re the lucky one between the three of us.” Regulus smiled awkwardly as a reply and then the screen turned on. 

A lady showed up on the screen “Welcome, witches and wizards, this is the newest rendition of the magical cinema series. Welcome to this incredible adventure in which you will face a terrible creature, the dangers of the sea and the world as told from a muggle perspective. There will be a lot of water, hope you brought your bathing suits.” She disappeared shortly after and then the titles started rolling in. 

It was actually a beach movie, funny when you remembered that the beach was just a minute's walk away from where you stood. And it was definitely NOT like an ordinary muggle film, there were splashes of water in your face, things crawling on your seat, smoke, smell and even the shark would get out of the screen and swim all over the room. It was thrilling, to say the least. 

When the move was over the three of you were soaked, the boys had their fluffy hair clinging onto their faces as you walked out of the theatre. But they also looked happy, Sirius was thrilled, unsurprisingly, but even Reg seemed at ease, even if he had gone to a “muggle thing”. 

“We should go see the beach now,” Sirius said. 

“Just hope Larry Vaughn is not the mayor here,” you responded and cracked a laugh from the two brothers. 

The three of you then walked towards the beach area, there were lounge chairs with umbrellas on top, some beach beds and a stand where you could ask the house elves to bring you different special drinks. As you were sitting down in one of the chairs you overheard some wizards passing by. And you couldn’t help but to be enthralled by their conversation. Regulus was sitting by the end of the bed, looking wearily at the sea and Sirius was taking off his jacket and laying it on the back of the bed for it to dry with the wind, he was rocking a David Bowie shirt underneath. “Hey (Y/N) do you want anything from the–“ 

“–Shhhh,” you said as you gestured for him to listen to the conversation as well. 

“Yeah, the ziplines were amazing, it’s fantastic the hotel counts with muggle transportation all the way to the parks,” one of the wizards said. 

“Do you think we should go again,” asked the other one. 

“No, Mom said we’d go to the ruins tomorrow, something about magical vestiges or whatever.” 

That’s when you stood up “Hey!” You said with a smile “Sorry, we kinda overheard you talking about the… what did you call them? Zip lines? We were wondering what park you were referring to.” You really could be charming when you wanted to. 

“It’s Xplore,” one of the boys replied. 

The other grabbed his backpack and handed you a brochure “I took this one from the park, maybe it helps,” he said with a bright smile as well. 

“Thank you, you’re a darling,” you said before going back to your beach bed, sitting on the side, next to Sirius, Reg was still sitting on the end of the bed, but he clearly did not like where the conversation was going. 

“You even got them to give you a brochure?” Sirius mused. 

You shrugged and set it on the centre of the bed, opening it up just to realise it was in Spanish. 

“Reg speaks some Italian,” Sirius said motioning towards his brother. 

“I’m not translating any muggle propaganda.” 

“It’s NOT propaganda,” you argued, “regardless I came prepared,” you said as you took out your wand, waved it and whispered “tradussere.” The letters of the page started changing and soon enough it was all in English. 

“I thought you needed to speak the language to be able to do that,” Reg said. 

“You do, and I can only manage to make it last a couple of minutes, so we better hurry,” you replied. 

XPLORE  Jungle adventure park with zip lines, amphibious vehicles, whitewater rafting and underground rivers.  Prices start at $1500 MXN  Experience a true adventure on your trip to Mexico by flinging through ZIP lines, swimming on underground sacred rivers and riding amphibious vehicles in the Mayan rainforests. 

On the brochure, there were also photos with people wearing climbing gear and helmets. People swimming in dark but beautiful cabins, it really looked like an adventure-filled experience. 

You and Sirius gave each other a look after reading “WE HAVE TO GO,” you said to each other at the same time. 

“No, we don’t HAVE to do anything,” said Reg “In fact, we CAN’T.” 

“Come on Reggie, it sounds super fun,” you argued, trying to convince him. 

“Mom and Dad would kill us before letting us go,” he reasoned with Sirius “You don’t need to make things worse between you and them.” 

“I do, especially if they act like racist bastards,” Sirius bit back defensively. 

“Sirius,” Reg said with pain in his eyes, clearly he cared about his brother, but Sirius seemed to be too pissed off to even consider that. 

“I…” you thought about it for a second “They don’t have to find out…” 

“What?” Reg asked, turning his face to you. 

“We just have to pick a day that’ll be very busy for them and go then, one with many activities. Besides I’m sure my father and yours are just so eager to catch up that we won’t see them much this summer…” 

“I’m not gonna do it,” Regulus said with conviction “It’s a terrible idea, you shouldn’t do it either,” You were far too excited to notice the fear in Regulus' eyes, had you been more observant, maybe the mess you’d get into later could’ve been avoided. 

“Clam down Reggie, it’ll be in and out, they’ll never find out,” Sirius reasoned, “We need to be perfect in picking the day,” he said turning towards you. 

Regulus denied with his head and pulled a book out of his bag as you and Sirius continued planning your escapade. 

You’d be in charge of the money exchange process since you already had done it before and knew how the entire process worked, Sirius would make fake muggle passports for the two of you, so you could get rid of the parental signs and age requirements they ask for in the park, Regulus, as he’d said before, would stay, but he’d make sure to cover for you in case you parents started looking for the two,  he was still against it, but you had convinced to at least do that for you. 

After days of careful planning, the opportunity finally presented itself, your parents would have a very busy schedule with some magical presentations happening at the hotel and the three of you would have the day to yourselves. 

“So… tomorrow, we have everything?” You asked Sirius. 

He nodded “Fake passports, the money, the bus that’ll take us there.  We’ll depart at 7, the park opens at 11 because it’s a Tuesday, but we’ll be dropped off at the city and from there, we have to take a taxi or something to get to the park.” 

“Perfect.” 

“You know, you can still call it off,” said Regulus, peering from his book, “At least consider it tonight.” 

The two of you turned towards him, every time the subject came up, Regulus would say something similar “It’ll be ok Reg, just promise you’ll cover for us,” you pleaded. 

He took a deep breath but turned his face towards you and nodded unconvinced “Just be very careful, you don’t know how angry our parents can get.” 

You took that as an exaggeration, after all, Sirius had played it as such for the longest time. You couldn’t have been more mistaken. You should’ve listened. But the idea of a day full of adventure next to Sirius was just too intoxicating for you to pay attention to the alarm system activating in your head, after all, the minute you’d met Walburga you’d known something was wrong with her. 

“We’ll be fine, Reg, stop acting like a chicken,” Sirius said, diverting your attention again.

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A/N: Most Poly!Marauders fics are oneshots, where the relationship between characters is already established, and they're all happy and pleased with it. No issues, no drama, but I WANTED the drama. Couldn't find it, so I set myself up to write the story behind the stablished relationship. I wanted to know how they started dating each other, the jealousy, the will they won't they, because getting into a poly relationship can't be an easy task, and I wanted to explore that story. If you're interested: Welcome to Gilded Constellations!

[lovebeatriceplz]

So I rewatched Across the spider verse ( again) but my mom was watching it with me. When Hobie showed up I made sure she was paying attention because I love him🕴️.

But she was actually interested??, she kept asking if he was Jamaican (we are Jamaican btw), and that's like a huge compliment coming from my mom😭.

She realllyyy liked him which is... odd. She's kinda conservative and doesn't like the whole punk rock thing ( normally) but she didn't mind Hobie at alll😧.

That scene where he said I don't follow orders and neither does he, and he threw his arm around mile's shoulder she laughed and was like " *lip smack* that was so Jamaican".

"Me n him woulda par enuh" which basically means she thinks they'd get along.

I asked if she would allow me to date a guy like that (she's conservative remember) and she was like "hm yeah once he doesn't make you smoke, and you get married eventually" crazy.

She insists that he has some Jamaican ancestry.

Bonus: Mom - "him mawga like a stringbean tho". My sister - " yeah he is, but she said she likes when they look like they're dying" PLS😭

So yeah it's canon now that Hobie Brown is Jamaican or from a Caribbean country, because my mom said so.

[azhvne-blog]

Foundational Black American

(FBA)

Foundational Black American (FBA) is not an organization, a movement, or group.

Foundational Black American is a LINEAGE.

What is a lineage? A lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.

Who are we (Black Americans) direct, lineal descendants of?

“Foundational Black Americans are the descendants of the Black people who survived one the greatest atrocities in recorded history-American slavery.

FBA are the descendants of the Black people who built the United States from scratch.

But this history did not start in 1619. The history of FBA started almost 100 years earlier.”

“The first documented foreign settlers in the New World of North America were the enslaved Black people who were brought over by Spanish colonizer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón in 1526.

Shortly after Ayllón and the 600 other Spaniard's arrival to the area that would later become the South Carolina/Georgia coast, the enslaved Black captives launched a successful revolt, forcing the few

remaining Spanish enslavers to ultimately retreat from the area, back towards the Caribbean.

The liberated Black people amalgamated into the local Native American society, and this was a new historic chapter in what would ultimately become the culture of Foundational Black Americans.

Since 1526, the culture of Foundational Black Americans has been that of building, resisting, perseverance, and fighting for justice. FBA are exceptional people and we recognize, celebrate and give honor to that lineage.”

A Foundational Black American is any person classified as Black, who can trace their bloodline lineage back to the American system of slavery.

To be designated as a FBA, at least one parent must come from a non-immigrant background in The United States of America.

If a person's matrilineal and patrilineal lineage traces back to slavery in the Caribbean, then they are not considered a Foundational Black American.

[magicaguajiro]

Caribbean Folk Saints and Mighty Dead: A Precursor

We all have family members who take on an almost Mythic quality after they pass on. They may have been a character in life, or a perhaps a spiritual practitioner. Maybe they were known for their generosity, or lack of it, or their strength or brilliance. Nonetheless, it is someone who, even in death, still makes an impact. In personal practices, we may work with these ancestors for guidance and healing, but what happens when their influence spreads past your family, into the local community or even entire country? This and many other strange circumstances often explain the origin and powers of Folk Saints and Elevated Dead. I will be going into the various Folk Saints and Deified Ancestors of the Caribbean, (including Florida), but before I can do that I need to explain where these spirits come from, and why they are so potent in our everyday lives.

What are Folk Saints and Mighty Dead?

Folk Saints and Mighty Dead are spirits of dead people who were either elevated in life, or became elevated after death. Their elevation often is then connected to their ability to grant various petitions made to them. Some of the Folk Saints I will be talking about were used to disguise other figures who were outlawed by the Colonial government at the time, while others are various figures of marginalized communities who gained sorcerous or otherworldly reputations after death.

Cuba and Florida are Lands of diaspora and syncretism. Many different traditions abound and each tradition has multiple lineages, so the classification of spirits differs depending on the worldview of the person explaining. Some practitioners work within a framework of Catholicism, some use elements and some flat-out reject Catholicism completely for decolonization purposes. For this reason, I have differentiated Folk Saints from the Mighty Dead.

Folk Saints will include those spirits who are worked with in a Catholic context, but are usually not canonized or not at first. On the other hand, the Mighty Dead will include spirits who are venerated amongst Indigenous and African traditions in Cuba as well as the surrounding areas, as to not group them under a title created by Colonizers. If you are Cuban or Caribbean, these Folk Saints and Mighty Dead offer power at a closer degree because they are more proximal to your Spirit Court, and may even already have bonds with them.

It is important to note, spirits like Orisha and Cemí have very specific protocols, manners and taboos when approaching them, so this is best done with the help of a priest, such as Oloricha or Babalawo, or a Taíno Behike. These are not energies you simply feel drawn to and work with. Orisha and Cemi are in some cases Deified Ancestors and others Personified Forces of Nature, among other things. This varies from the Ancestors and Spirits I will be discussing in this series.

Benefits of Working with The Mighty Dead

Folk Saints and Ancestors give us a closer connection to the divine through their proximity to the Divine and their individual virtues and personalities. As with all spirit relationships, you will get out what you put in.

Folk Saints who are related to the Land you live on, such as Uncle Monday or Bessie Graham for us Floridians, can help to deepen your connection with the local community. They can help you to further your relationship with the Earth and introduce you to other Land spirits.

Spirits related to your Ancestry can help to work through generational issues. Some ancestral spirits, like José Martí or Guamá for us Cubans, are related to ideas of War, Rebellion, and overcoming oppression. These spirits can be worked with for the same pursuits of defeating oppressors in the modern day. Each spirit has a story and is multi-faceted, so it really depends on what your connection is to the Spirit and what you are capable of offering them.

How to Work with Deified Dead

Working with these spirits is individual to each spirit, based on what their heritage is, as well as their personal tastes. When starting out, it’s best to keep things simple. Instead of going and creating an entire altar dedicated to a spirit, begin by praying about it at your Bóveda or ancestral altar. Here, you may find that a spirit is not compatible with your current situation, or doesn’t want to work with you ever! Should the omens be good, however, and you may begin establishing a connection to that spirit Research and talking to other devotees can give you great insight into what a relationship with that Spirit can look like.

My formula for reaching out to these spirits is always different, but I follow basic principles. I always begin with a representation of the spirit, a small offering and a candle. The representation can be anything, from a statue to a printed picture or even just their name on some paper. The offering is in most cases water until the spirit makes other wants known to me, but when a spirit doesn’t take water I offer food or tobacco instead. The candle is something I was taught helps to enhance spirit communication, carrying messages between the worlds. It is helpful to research about whoever you are attempting to communicate with, and if possible you should speak to other practitioners who work with the same Spirit. Often times, this is someone-you-know’s father or grandmother. From here, you should sit with whatever entity you are contacting, allowing yourself to experience a personal relationship with them. I will share individual experiences of what each spirit has been like in practice for me, or people I know, but for beginning this is a good basic way to start out.

I look forward to sharing more about these incredible figures who influence my favorite corner of the world to this day.

Paz y Progreso 🕯️

[froggi-mushroom]

The one plus side is that it was melting rich peoples cars ☺️

toxic british trait that I love the sun but also hate the heat, so I'm just sitting here in 20 degree weather sweating my ass off.

[aoioozora]

The Ghosts: Ancestry Headcanons

The Ghosts are all American, but what is their heritage and ethnicity?

The Walkers

I have a huge feeling that on Elias' side, they're English with some traces of Germany and Scandinavia in their blood. Good ol' Anglo-Saxon Vikings.

We don't know anything about Mama Walker but I'd like to think she's a mixed-race, half-white (maybe English too?) and half-latina (Mestizo), so the boys are also mixed.

Thomas Merrick

He's definitely from the British Isles and I feel like from his personality alone, he could be more from the North.

Taking in consideration of his surname which, and I quote, "derives from the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of Maurice. The surname Merrick is ultimately derived from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark."" (source)

I wonder if it's a coincidence that he is more tanned than the other Ghosts.

So he's totally either English, Welsh, and maybe a little bit Irish.

Keegan P. Russ

Also North European, perhaps also Anglo-Saxon like the Walkers, but maybe leaning more on the Saxon.

Again taking the surname in consideration, Russ is usually short for Russell, and Russ is also the German and American form of the Slavic Rus which means "brownish-red", "blond", or "Russian" (source)

Keegan being a bit Slav wasn't quite on my bingo card but considering him being so aloof, gruff, and quiet, I might have no doubt he could have a little of it!

I also feel like he could have Spanish blood too because for some reason, he has a very Spanish-looking face if you know what I mean???

So in short, I think he could be a mix of mostly Anglo-Saxon, some Spanish, and a dash of Slavic.

Kick

Kick's is the hardest to ascertain because his face is not visible at all and we don't know his name, but for some reason, I've always felt like he was Asian somehow.

But canonically, his eyes are amber, and a quick Google search tells me that amber eyes are most common among people of Spanish descent but are also around in South America, South Africa, and Asia.

I'll have to put South Africa out of the list because from Kick's pictures alone, he's obviously not Black. That would leave out Spanish, South American, and Asian.

Considering that migration and inter-marriage is and was a thing, Kick could just be a mix of Spanish and Asian, though I feel like he would be more Asian from the Middle-East (considering his black hair/eyebrows)

Alex "Ajax" Johnson

He's Black, so he could be Jamaican or from another Caribbean country previously colonized by the British

His surname is Johnson, which is very obviously English/Scottish so it all adds up.

Riley

He's a German Shepherd, can it get any more obvious?

[homeofhousechickens]

exuse me but whats the difference between kikiriki and serama?

Serama are from Malaysia and Kikiriki are from South America/Puerto Rico/ the Caribbean islands specifically.

They are both micro bantam breeds and have similar ancestry since the Japanese bantam/chabo was used in the creation of both and both are land races shaped by their environment. However there are quite a few differences but in some bantam flocks where both are intermingling and breeding it can muddy the lines.

Serama are standardized with more color varieties added every year. A standard serama looks basically like this they have big chests, a toy soldier like pose and show off attitudes. They are bred to be ornamental show type birds that show off on a table for judges.

Kikiriki are not standardized at the moment and have a variety of different genes that are in their genepool that serama don't really have without outcross from what I have seen. For example Kikiriki can have beards, feathered feet, naked necks, rumpless, ect. They can even have different comb types while you should only see single combs in serama. I am not sure kikiriki are showed in the same way serama are and if the roosters are encouraged to be show offs. They have a lot game bird ancestry though so I imagine in their native range they are still shown off.

Now people are mixing bantams all the time and might be selling them to people without letting them know the birds ancestry so that's why you might see serama that look Iike kikiriki or kikiriki that look like serama 🤷

For example I don't breed to the serama standard because I'm making my own thing and my breeding project has some Old English Game Bantam in it (these also get mistaken for serama a lot) so my birds get mistaken for kikiriki since my birds don't have the recognizable silhouette.

Princess Cream one of my founders

Some wheaten Old English Game Bantams

A lot of the really small micro bantam type birds can look pretty similar due to similar genetic ancestry but there are differences that the trained eye can tell.

[handweavers]

idk how to really articulate this fully but as someone of both irish and malaysian indian ancestry who lives in "canada" it's really annoying how westerners primary association with anti english imperialism is like. ireland and scotland and not the many (nonwhite) countries and peoples who have faced genocide at the hands of British imperialism which has included irish and scottish people working on behalf of the british empire as collaborators and agents of empire... this isn't to minimize the harm done to ireland and scotland but like. you do know that billions of people in india and china are descendants of those who've suffered at the hands of british colonialism too right. indigenous people of canada and the USA and Australia and NZ... like half the people living in the caribbean?? the people of kenya?? malaysians?? the list goes on. but on the topic of british colonial resistance white people really like to focus on ireland and remain ignorant of everywhere else to the point of minimizing some white irish people's participation in empire. whatever