#im actually cherokee

[gay-baby-brig]

Haven't seen the series yet but I just want to say this place that they shot the sonic scene at in Reservation Dogs was never in operation when I was growing up (that I can remember) but was known as the place to meet to buy drugs. I only know that because my grandma would say it every time we passed and also I met people to buy drugs there when I got older

[bucephaly]

Theres moreeee, this is so so good.. it makes me emotional realizing that these kids are on the path to being fluent cherokee speakers and will be able to keep the language going.

This family is a part of the little cherokee seeds program, creating new first language Cherokee speakers by paying mothers to just bring their babies and craft and cook and speak cherokee with cherokee elders all day. There are only 1500 first language Cherokee speakers, most of them over 65. They also take donations if you want to help keep them going and doing the extremely important work they do!!

[kaleidoscopic-quiddity]

listen i know jack shit about the locked tomb but based off of a majority of the art ive seen of those two necromancing lesbians most of you couldnt actually bothered to do a quick google images search of what maori people actually look like and instead just draw them with white features over a Vaguely Brown skintone

[jasongracesluvr]

MY PJO/HOO HCS !!

Leo has those big ass Mexican blankets with the graphics YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. THE ONES WITH THE ANIMALS AND OCCASIONALLY FLOWERS AND THEYRE BIG AND HEAVY AND MADE OF FLEECE!!!!! (I’m saying this because I have those and literally everybody I know and everybody in my family has at least one.) AND HE CAN NEVER GO A NIGHT WITHOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS HIS MOM’S AND HE HAD IT EVER SINCE HE WAS A BABY 😭😭😭

Piper threw a water bottle at Leo at the wilderness school after a fight and she got in trouble, but Leo defended her saying he deserved it anyway because he was a dick and that’s how they became friends AND SHE FR WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Jason is always cold and Leo got him one of the big thick blankets and it has wolves on it :) AND HE USES IT EVERY NIGHT AND HE CANT SLEEP WITHOUT IT AND AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE JASON 😭😭😭😭

PERCY CARRIES AROUND PADS AND TAMPONS BECAUSE SALLY TAUGHT HIM WELL AND HE ALWAYS PROVIDES IT FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT. I LOVE THIS MAN.

Hazel is a CUDDLER. NO MATTER WHO IT IS SHE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE PHYSICALLY AFFECTIONATE WITH SOMEBODY (as long as they’re comfortable with it ofc.) SHE LOVES HER FRIENDS AND ABSOLUTELY LOVES TO BE BY THEIR SIDE !!!!!!!!

Whenever somebody feels sad, Frank always turns into their favorite animal and gives them cuddles. PIPER WAS SAD ONCE AND HE TURNED INTO A PARAKEET AND SANG A LITTLE MELODY WITH HIS LITTLE PARAKEET TWEETS ☹️☹️☹️ HAZEL WAS SAD AND HE TURNED INTO A HORSE AND NUZZLED HER 😭😭😭 I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS

Annabeth is definitely the friend who worries most about everybody’s well beings but refuses to take care of herself. “Piper, put a sweater on, you’re gonna catch a cold!��� And she’s wearing shorts in December. “Leo, stop overworking yourself at the forge! You need rest!” And she’s been up for four days straight. “Percy, stop trying to skateboard off of the climbing wall! You’ll get hurt!” AND SHE LITERALLY SWORDFIGHTS WITH THREE PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME IN THE ARENA WITH NO ARMOR ON. She’s so cool man

Reyna and Leo have full blown conversations in Spanish, and Nico joins in because he can somewhat understand some words (because Italian is somewhat similar to Spanish). Thalia, Jason, and Will find it so cool but they desperately want to know what they’re saying. (They talk about how cool and awesome their partners are)

Will picked up a bit of Italian for Nico :DDDD

Nico teaches him Italian (he taught him curse words first)

Jason and Leo are in love and actually they are living together (I’m a valgrace truther)

Leo constantly curses in Spanish

Hazel doesn’t curse much but the one time she did it sounded absolutely sweet because of her transatlantic accent

Did I mention she has a transatlantic accent that mixes perfectly with her Louisiana Accent

Nico curses in Italian

Reyna curses in Latin and Spanish

Jason curses in Latin

Frank curses in Mandarin and French

Percy makes dolphin noises

Annabeth curses in Ancient Greek (canon)

Piper’s grandfather taught her Cherokee, but she learned the curse words by herself

Piper knows taekwondo

Jason constantly cuddles with Leo when they sleep, and Leo loves the feeling of being in Jason’s arms :)))))

Reyna gives piggyback rides to Nico

Leo boops Jason’s nose whenever he sees that Jason is grumpy

Jason scowls at it but he’s lying if he says that he hates it

Jason loves to melt into Leo’s arms after a long day

Leo loves it when Jason plays with his hair

[youremyheaven]

Do you think those influencers who dramatically switch from very left wing Marxist alternative etc to very trad Christians (specifically in homophobic/transphobic way) have ketu influence?

You were talking about ketuvians and their struggle to find a sense of self and it made me think of these types of people. I know someone with ketu 1H and magha moon who did this to an extent. She used to identify as non binary and was constantly shifting through different names and pronouns but then one day she just kind of stopped and started saying how she thinks pride is pointless and a waste of time or whatever😭 it wasn’t *that* extreme but I still thought it was a significant shift in belief in such a short time.

I think a lot of people have this dramatic shifts not only out of a need to identify with something due to a lack of sense of self, but also because they like going back to what their parents believe for comfort. I guess those two are interlinked but it’s interesting how my friend is a magha moon and magha is associated with ancestors and whatnot.

I guess mula is somewhat similar as “the root”? Idk about ashwini though

Sorry I haven’t actually had the chance to look into examples since it’s hard to find birth data for influencers and I don’t know that many examples irl 😶‍🌫️ so this is me just going on a tangent and hoping you get what I’m trying to say LMAO

I’m also not sure if anyone else is familiar with this phenomena or if I’m just too engrossed in niche internet drama.

In terms of influencers I guess a somewhat prominent example is Freckle Zelda on tiktok? I never followed her but she went from making cutesy safe space liberal type content in like 2021 and now she’s a Christian and is using it be to super controversial. But like I said I’ve never followed her so idk if this is dramatic enough of a switch to count as what I’m saying.

I also feel like this a rahu trait to switch between extremes🤔 idk lmk what you think

I feel like the capitalist commodification of identity has most adversely affected Nodal people.

If you think about it, spirituality's aim is to transcend the "self" entirely, you stop identifying with labels and attaching yourself to this or that thing. I'm not saying you cease to be a person but you stop trying to "accumulate" identities to hold on to.

9/10 times the reason we identify with something is to feel a sense of belonging but searching outwards for it will only lead to disappointment, when we search within and feel at home within ourselves, we lose the need to externally confined ourselves to rigid "identities"

Yk how people dye their hair, get piercings/tattoos etc to mark a new chapter or the end of an old one or whatever??? It is an attempt to claim something as "yourself" and "solidify yourself". Everything changes all the time, everybody changes yet there are many people who will never dye their hair or change their name or join a cult or whatever (not that all these things are the same) its just that if you're at peace with yourself and truly grounded, you will no longer be shopping for different identities or things to associate with.

Yk those people who have IG bios that read like "Mother, Pluviophile, ESFJ, Petrolhead, UJC'22, Missourian, Ancient Spirit, 1/4th Cherokee, Bitcoin Enthusiast, EDM Lover"

like what do any of those terms say about them?? how on earth is any of this central to your identity? all of these are external ??? is loving rain and being a petrolhead central to your sense of self?? im not trying to demean anybody's interests, im only trying to point out that what we choose to make the focal point of ourselves is up to us and its possible to not be defined by anything?? i think a truly ugly consequence of capitalism is how people try to define themselves by things outside them (their interests, hobbies, job, income level, marital status etc etc) because there is more to a person than all that.

when we retreat within, we base our sense of self on our qualities like kindness, compassion, creativity (this becomes the essence of who we are) so we don't feel the need to claim 87373 other things to describe ourselves

some people overly identify with others like their partners, friends or even strangers and kind of become them. this is also the root of stan culture, by being obsessed with someone to that extent and giving them all your time and energy, you are losing your own qi and harming your Sun (the same way criticizing the appearance of others ruins your Venus)

Rahu is prone to taking things to extremes and Ketu is prone to trying on different identities and losing interest in all of them one after the other. so your observations are right.

i dont really use social media so i dont know any influencers that i can quote as examples ;-; but im thinking of certain celebrities who have had drastic style changes in the past and all of them have nodal influence lol

in the 2000s, the Olsen twins were known for their boho chic hippie style and over the last decade or so they have become known for their "quiet luxury" style. They are Magha Moon

Julia Fox is Ardra Rising and she went from basic to avant garde

Jared Leto, Mula Sun, Ashwini Moon & Rising , he's also the leader of a cult allegedly so👀i guess it all adds up

Adele, Mula Moon & Ardra Rising

im not just talking about her weight loss, just her overall change in style. she got married young and had a baby and in a couple of years she got a divorce and revamped her look to that of an ig baddie

Kylie Jenner, Swati Moon she's changed her style/demeanour every other year since the early 2010s lol

Taylor Swift, Ardra Moon has also had many diff lewkzz throughout the years

before anybody says dont celebs change their styles often?? no they dont, not everybody for sure. look at Jennifer Lopez or Sarah Jessica Parker, theyve been dressing the same since the 90s. constantly evolving style/looks/personality is a Nodal thing. its also a big part of the reason why Nodal people succeed in the entertainment industry and in the material realm (a lot of rich people including Bezos have Nodal placements) because entertainment = illusion, pretending to be someone you're not and for Nodal people, this is pretty much second nature.

im sorry that my response is kind of all over the place. your question provoked some thoughts within me lol and i just had to shareee

i cant think of celebs who have drastically changed their life paths like the example u cited ;-; EXCEPT Bridget Mendler who is an actor, singer, and entrepreneur, has a PhD and went to Harvard Law and now runs a satellite company?? she also adopted a kid during all this? She has Mula Sun

anywayyys thats it for now

tysm for sending this ask!!! its a very thought provoking and interesting question<33hope u have a good day<33

[imnotpayingforurtherapy]

I don't think i've ever done an introduction before so here's a messy one (I'll fix/add to it later)

Hey, I'm Snilk (It's a nickname my friend gave me that's short for snail milk)

I draw and write occasionally (My ao3 is the same as my username and is at the bottom of this post under the cut)

I'm only fluent in english but i also know some Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Slovenian, Gaelic (in order of how much I know the language) Also working on learning Kumeyaay, Cherokee and Chiwere (The native languages of the places I've lived and love visiting)

This is mainly a bsd account because ✨autism & hyperfixations✨ but all the fandoms i'm in/shows/book/manga i've seen or read is under cut (feel free to recommend things to my read/watch list through asks or dms)

General personality info also under cut

Socials under cut

Fandom list

Fandoms (General)

- Bungo stray dogs

- Hazbin Hotel/Helluva boss

- The Amazing Digital Circus

- Ramshackle

- No.6

- My little pony friendship is magic (gen 4)

~ Jkk

- Junji ito

[Past Fandoms: Miraculous ladybug, Bnha, Danganronpa, harry potter, demon slayer, hunter x hunter, bloom into you, whisper me a love song, ways of the household husband, tokyo ghoul, Tbhk, spy family, chainsaw man, yuri on ice, sk8, idk if these are considered fandoms but i was also obsessed with yt animators for a while; jaidenanimations, odd1sout, let me explain studios, jelly jess, SO MANY MORE]

Manga/Light Novels

- Bungou stray dogs light novels (1-8; Kafka Asagiri... still haven't read tdipud)

- BSD Gaiden/Another Story (Kafka Asagiri, LOVED THE ART OF THIS ONE)

- No.6 (Atsuko Asano, UGH LOVE THIS ONE)

- Bloom into you (Nio Nakatani, THE AROACE REP 🔛🔝)

Books

Recent/Fav reads

- Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)

- Flower of Buffoonery (Dazai Osamu)

- No longer Human (Dazai Osamu)

- Setting Sun (Dazai Osamu)

- School Girl (Dazai Osamu)

- Time Machine (HG Wells)

(There's more i'm just lazy)

Currently reading/read list

- Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsty)

- 1984 (George Orwell)

so much more (again i'm lazy)

Music

I pretty much listen to anything and everything (Except super popular artists who only got popular because they're celebrities and not because they make actually good music, I can't stand them)

Artists

- Ado

- AJJ

- The Alan Parsons Project

- Alex G

- Alexander Vertinsky

- Alpay

- Conan Gray

- Chappell Roan

- Sufjan Stevens

- Mustafa Ozkent

- Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

(I'll finish this later, i'm eepy and this is too hard to pick my fav artists)

Songs

Personality

ENTP/INTP (It changes between those two every time I take the stupid test)

I'm technically Aroace and bisexual (Romantic relationships feel suffocating and cause me to have constant panic attacks and I'm fine with sex but I have to be on top and in control and refuse to take off any of my clothes so pretty much me giving cunnilingus or blowjobs👍 anything else👎 The reason being I have horrid sa trauma from when I was 8... lemme know if y'all want the story)

I've been told by everyone I know I am Dazai, no elaboration, I just simply am him

Masochist yet scared of pain, constantly paranoid and anxiety ridden lil creature (I have horrid insomnia that causes me to hallucinate), I love driving, I have horrid misophonia and will often skip meals cause i can't stand the sound if my own chewing, automatic flight response when alone, fight response with someone weaker than me, i'm an extreme people pleaser and over thinker so as much as i wanna make jokes about something i wont because im scared of it going wrong and then will proceed to overthink my screw ups for the rest of my days :D, would deal with panic attacks through self-harm/self-sabotage and would purposely embarrass myself (Haven't done that in a while tho so it's all good) uhhhh this is too long so that's it lmao

Ao3 writer curse (I've never broken a bone but pretty much every week it's something new from giving myself a concussion and missing school for days without my knowledge cause i was in a coma that my family thought was just me being lazy to a random excruciating pain in a place i didn't even know could hurt)

WHERE MY CRONIC PAIN BESTIES AT?!? YALL GET IT 🗣️🗣️‼️‼️🥰🥰

I make jokes when i'm in pain cause i hate having people worry about me or feeling bad because of me, I am entertainment for you, i'm not real so just laugh at me like a sad movie

I go to an art school (unfortunately) and have class from 8:30am-5pm on a normal day; I'm in production & design conservatory which is basically just running everything behind the scenes of live theater, everything you see and hear in a show that's not the actors themselves I work to control and make as good as possible, my fav positions are A2 (putting mics on people and setting up speakers) Wardrobe (designing costumes and performing/helping with quick changes) and Deck/props (Make stuff and put it on stage)

Outside if that my favorite subjects are Science and History (I love memorizing things that make sense and work together, i love understanding facts about the world and using it to express and understand things through literature)

I used to love math as i was a child prodigy but lost my spark as instead of my teachers noticing my skill and helping me, they poured water on my flame and now i can barely solve 13 time 3 without a calculator (its 39)

When I was in kindergarten, I was bored with my lessons and my sister (who was in 3rd grade at the time) loved playing school with me so by the time I started first grade I had memorized multiplication tables, could solve any equation in my head within minutes (like 2 digit multiplied by 2 digit equations) and had a concept of negative numbers, my first grade teacher loved this about me and would give me harder equations separate from the rest of the class, then in second grade my teacher would lie to me any time i said something above second grade math, like one time i brought up an equation like 2-5 and she was like "oh you can't do that" and I tried to explain it and she just kept denying it until I finally got so fed up with her bs I shouted "YES YOU CAN ITS NEGATIVE 3 JUST LIKE YOUR IQ FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT!" ... I got sent to the office. Third grade was the worst because instead of just letting me be my teacher made me write down everything on paper... I don't think in numbers when i do mental math, I think in concepts, so by the time i convert the concepts to numbers and but it on paper i've lost the entire equation and have to start over again and get super confused because i forget how i got that number and why that numbers there so i end up just breaking down and getting the question wrong. AND INSTEAD IF SEEING WHAT THE ISSUE WAS SHE JUST BRUSHED IT OFF AS OH YAY IM DOING THE WORK so i became stupid as a result (I also was in math olympians for a few years and would always get pissed off cause it was a group competition and i would look at the problem, solve it instantly and tell them the answer, they wouldn't believe me, take forever to solve it and low and behold i was right and because it was a timed competition i never got higher than second place...)

OH GOD THAT WAS A HORRID RANT- MY BAD GUESS YALL GOT SOME SNILK LORE🗣️🗣️‼️‼️

Socials

(I'm not really active on Twitter/X)

[invasionimminentz]

Do you actually think "tribe" is exclusive to indigenous people? How out of touch are you? Maybe you should get out of the systempunk tag and leave it for people with braincells.

Instead of blocking this anon, I'm laughing.

Anon you're a dense cabbage, to be clear. You're gonna cry? Cry about it, because I never said that.

Even as a native american, I don't know enough, not educated enough on my history to know if it's only for indigenous people. I have other history ya know. im not just Cherokee, im asian and mexican. I didn't have the chance to learn much.

[tea-and-secrets]

i hate these white people (the "oh im White, but my grandparent was [% of] indigenous so I'm reconnecting😇" ass) who have no actual claim to indigenaity acting like theyre the end all be all of who gets to be what 🤦🏽 so what if im not 100% cherokee by blood??? my blood is cherokee. it is Filipino. it is comanche. it is of my ancestors that were diaspora cryptojews. i call myself Cherokee cuz i was raised on the rez, as well as off rez in tx. i heard the elders telling stories. i helped care for them and keep company and read and do chores and cook. it really sucks that some of them were too old to tell true stories, or told true stories that were greatly distorted. and it sucks extra that i was told these stories at such a young age that i just made it part of my beliefs!

.

[gaystan]

can we get the top 10 songs from stan?

HIS TOP TEN TRACKS ON SPOTIFY:

“last summer’s children” his Magnum Opus which the ep was named after. i don’t need to say much about this one we’ve covered it plenty. absolute masterpiece

“october 19th” final track on “how you lost the war” and written on his 20th birthday. stan gets really depressed during his birthday every year but this song mainly pulls from his memories of you’re getting old and ass burgers. it’s real sad folks

“what makes you happy” off “idk you name it man im tired” also about ass burgers. about feeling like a black hole sucking the positivity out of yourself and everyone around you. the vocals are extremely emotional and it sounds like stan is on the verge of tears

“willingly” also off last summer’s children, romantic and a little obsessive. lots of themes of being so completely in love with someone you’re willing to give yourself up entirely for them

“can’t go back” off hyltw is about a period of time where stan and kyle weren’t speaking. YEARNING. PURE LONGING. arguably stan’s most emotional romantic song, the most beloved by his teenage girl fanbase

“hummingbird” off “Winter Break” is being in love with someone you think you’re losing AKA cherokee hair tampons. lots of desperation. the title comes from that it was the first animal stan could thing of with a short lifespan

“Servitude” off also Winter Break is about kyle and tsot. lots of knight imagery. some people online consider it actually toxic because the themes of devotion are quite extreme. stan is mystified by these comparisons because he can’t fathom not feeling like that about someone you’re in love with

“RUNS IN THE FAMILY” off Winter Break as well. this is about tegridy farms and a very angry song. people think the fire imagery is metaphorical but it is not

“a comprehensive list of every single thing you have ever done wrong (and how you can never make up for any of it)” off hyltw. mostly spoken word over bass guitar, deeply and achingly personal, hyper specific lyrics

“touch and go” maybe the one genuinely good song off “Crimson Dawn” and a very wistful look back at youth using lots of childish imagery

[bucephaly]

It's kinda shocking to me how few people seem to know how prevalent the 'my great grandmother was cherokee' myth is and how it's almost never actually true, especially when it comes with things like 'never signed up' or 'fell off the trail' or 'courthouse burned down destorying the documentation' etc etc.

People just don't even seem to know the history like.. when the Trail happened. My great great great grandfather was 2 years old during Removal in 1838, so peoples 'my great grandmother hid in the mountains!' is so clearly wrong. And we have rolls. From before and after removal, rolls done by cherokee nation and others by the government, rolls that were not stored in one random flammable courthouse. It's not difficult to find the actual evidence of ancestry.

And just.. there are lots of ways those family stories get started. It was a practice during the confederacy to claim cherokee ancestry to show one's family had 'deep roots in the south' that they were there before the cherokee were removed. Many people pretended to be cherokee and applied for the Guion-Miller payout just to try to steal money meant for cherokees - 2/3rds of the applicants were denied for having 0 proof of actual cherokee ancestry. [We even see lawyers advertising signing up for the Miller roll just to try to get free money.] And the myth even started in some families in the cherokee land lotteries, where the land stolen from us was raffled off, including the house and everything that was left behind when the cherokees were removed. We have seen people whose families just take these things stolen from the cherokee family and adopt them into their own family story, saying that they were cherokee themselves.

If you had some family story about being cherokee and you wanna have proof one way or the other, check out this Facebook group run by expert cherokee genealogists that do research for free. Just please read the rules fully and respect the researchers. They run thousands of people's ancestries a year and their average is only around 0.7% of lines they run actually end up having true cherokee ancestry.

[moonshynecybin]

do you have any books recommendations? 🙏

okay usually i like to know a general vibe for recommendations bc this is INTIMATE!!! and im actually in a weird place in my reading journey where im trying to branch out and try a bunch of different books in a bunch of different genres bc i got lowkey sick of what i was reading all the time so this is all over the place. whatever fuck it. here are some recent ones in no particular order that ive enjoyed OR at the very least found interesting. most of these are pretty famous i'll be real im not breaking the wheel here. under the cut bc she is long

our wives under the sea by julia armfield. was this book good hmm i dont know. was it kind of fucked up and interesting. YES. some of the prose is legitimately sooo gorgeous and the portrait it paints of the central relationship is intimate and oftentimes heartrending i still think about it which is kind of what you want from a story tbh... a really slow plot (kind of nonexistent) thats frankly more about grief than anything. theres some spooky body horror here so beware

slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. shes a classic for a REASON. do you ever pick up a book that is very beloved and famous. and then get genuinely and pleasantly surprised that it actually rules. happened to me. legit kind of life changing and also made me laugh out loud. if you havent read it get on it

the kingdoms by natasha pulley. read this over the summer and i vividly remember sitting in the basement at my job hiding so i could read one more page i was RIVETED!!! its historical fantasy its time travel its amnesia it is. on a boat. basically like what if fucked up gay love and also magic made france win the napoleonic wars would that be crazy or what!!! and it was!! also read some of her other stuff which is VERY similar and it was like. fine to good. but i LOVED this one

carrie by stephen king. read it around halloween and i enjoyed it more than i thought i would ! some category 5 stephen king sexism but its an interesting 200 page scifi novel with epistolary elements and some great characters i can see how it launched his career into the stratosphere... really good one to start off with reading stephen king if you wanna dip a toe in but are wary of the 1000 page doorstop novels. i say give it a try !

demon copperhead by barbara kingsolver. recent pulitzer prize winner. its a retelling of david copperfield with a distinctly southern appalachian lens which im always interested in because i am from southern appalachia and frankly the way we get treated in fiction is wild. like hillbilly cannibals who are illiterate coalminers wild. if i ever catch the guy that wrote hillbilly elegy we are throwing hands. but i liked this ! the region does have a long history of poverty and it was interesting to think about that in conversation to the social commentary with a victorian vibe from david copperfield. i mean this is decidedly unvictorian but that was floating in the back of my head at all times reading it so it made me THINK.

giovanni's room by james baldwin. another one where i was like do you see this shit?? this shit is crazy. and the shit in question is one of the most acclaimed and beloved novels of all time. anyways another life changer get on it.

even as we breathe by annette saunooke clapsaddle. another southern appalachia moment ! this one rings VERY true for me actually, despite being a historical novel... written with a lot of love for the area and made me cry a bit cause i was homesick at the time... great mystery and cool local history. also! one of the better representations of the cherokee people ive seen in fiction. which usually im hesitant to like. pin that as a THE major reason you should read it bc the story is ALSO very good but its a central theme of the novel so i thought i should mention it. plus the author is cherokee so she's coming at it with knowledge and care

in memoriam by alice winn. recommendation from a tumblr mutual so i thought id continue the tradition! read it in literally a day so im fuzzy on the details but its about rich eton style english schoolboys getting their spirits basically destroyed in the trenches of ww1... also a gay love story... lots of poetry very tragic but not overly so and certainly very readable... a competent historical gay romance if thats ur thing youll probably enjoy it

the poppy war by r f kuang. interesting bc it initially feels like a historical fantasy novel with a young protagonist going to a magic school and overcoming the odds slash beating the evil enemy story thats been done one billion times. but it is DEEPLY not that. takes the conventions of the genre and kind of refuses to make them reducible or easy to package. deals with war (read the warnings etc). deals with genocide. deals with race. wrestles with the ethics of all of its characters and comes down with some nuance. kind of a slay

and then here's some all time faves that are just GOOD and im reasonably sure anyone would have a good time with:

jane eyre. i have quoted this enough on this blog cmon. also if youre following me youre probably a fan of fucked up relationships so you should go. be with the OG. fly. like its foundational to the GENRE babyyyy

dracula. yayyyyy epistolary novelssss... another "fun" classic along with dorian gray... read em both they slap

the book thief. took me a year to read. made me cry lots.

daisy jones and the six. look at me look AWAYYY from the amazon series look at ME. this is a fun book. and if you are in a reading slump i frankly HIGHLY recommend it bc it is done in the style of like. a documentary autopsy on a fleetwood mac esque band implosion so its told in 100% dialogue as if they are being interviewed. you can read it in a DAY and its FUN and sometimes they CONTRADICT each other which i LOVE

the queens thief by meghan whalen turner. GOD!!!!! all time. all time. straight relationships in fiction that make you crazyyyyyyy and also genuinely delightful twists at the end of each book i LOVED them. i read them all in the pandemic they slayyyy

howl's moving castle. delightful. if you like a silly time in a fantasy world that makes you laugh a lot i would recommend. also the sequel its fun

any terry pratchet novel thank you goodnight

[hairscare]

Please don't take this as anon hate. I have nothing against you or your blog, but I feel I must correct you on a few things about Wendigoon. 1: He actually is Native American (half Cherokee to be precise) and 2: Christian Weston Chandler, the person he was talking about in that tweet, is a guy who was institutionalized for repeatedly raping his dementia-ridden mother. I don't think it's transphobic to suggest that a guy like that doesn't respect.

okay im not planning on being a youtube drama tumblr but i do feel like i should clear up some facts

1. he is cherokee. not algonquin. cherokee people are (from my understanding) from the southeast of the us, whereas algonquin people are from southeast canada/northeast us. while both of them are indigenous, they are different and have different cultures and folklore. the creature that he is using is algonquin, not cherokee, so its really weird that hes merchandising it when algonquin people have expressed discomfort at that. the conglomeration of indigenous cultures and tradition often comes from a place of misunderstanding (again im not indigenous so feel free to correct me!)

2. chris chan is a trans woman. i cant believe this is still discourse honestly. trans people can be gross bad people. to say that someone isnt trans bc theyre a bad person is actually really transphobic. the cherry picking of who gets to really be trans is very gross. and for him to do it is extremely offensive. to deny that chris chan is a trans woman isnt denying her respect the way you say it is, its literally just being transphobic. i really suggest you reconsider your standpoint as it comes from systematic transphobia

[wc-confessions]

mods dont have to post this, i am just very angry right now. id understand if this is controversial. i just want someone to hear this.

i just got off of wcue. i was a spectating. there was someone in the clan named w//ndigowisp. i am not good at confrontation, but being a native who sees ca like this every day of my life (literally.) i had an urge to actually say something. this has been something that has bothered me for a very, very long time. it is extremely personal to me.

my friend and i approached them as kindly as possible to inform them about the issue with their name. i was gentle with my wording- i know not everyone knows about the weight behind it. i know some people do not do well with being confronted.

and instantly we were told that they "knew what they were doing," and that we were making them uncomfortable. my friend pointed out that i, a native, have to be uncomfortable with this almost all the time. we were told that it did not matter because it was fictional, even though cultural appropriation extends beyond warrior cats.

after they were told that i am a native, they started going on about how rude and mean i was being. it was at this point they were prioritizing their own comfort over respect for native culture.

the person with the name asked their friends if they could serverhop because they were getting anxious. one of their friends told me to die (through the euphemism "go to starclan") right before they left.

my friend left, but i did not. someone had politely asked for a little more elaboration after overhearing our conversation.

after that, someone brought their gaggle of friends over. 3-4 of them. they were telling me that they were cherokee, and that it was chronically online to be uncomfortable with this. all i had asked for was for them to respect native culture. i was told that i am stupid and sad for caring about this. i was told to 'let people enjoy things.' it is not just the name i am upset with. as i said before, cultural appropriation extends beyond warrior cats. ca is the last step of colonization.

you could argue that there are bigger issues. i agree. but there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable with cultural appropriation (i cannot believe i have to say that), and you should not go after other natives for it. i did everything i could to be kind, but i am still painted as awful and mean.

i wish i could say wcue is not always like this. in my own personal experience, anti-indigenous racism runs rampant there. i have blocked most racists i see. my blocklist is almost full- roblox has a limit of 100 users. only about 10-20 are from before i started blocking them.

again, mods don't have to post this, but i am still very hurt and very angry. sorry for the long post. if, by any chance, any of those people see this- i am sorry, but i'm not going to swallow my discomfort and hurt for the sake of white comfort.

as someone who was raised to believe in the spirit in question, it IS disrespectful to be using the name - i was told from a young age to never speak the name of it due to its nature and how it will bring misfortune to both myself and my people (and because of this, i go out of my way to avoid using its name, even if censored)

i dont think these people realize that not all native americans share the same beliefs, either. there are very specific groups who believe in this spirit, primarily those of us who are from canada, the great lakes, and the appalachians (i don't believe the cherokee nation is a part of this particularly grouping, but correct me if im wrong!). that name should not have been used or even encouraged to be used. it reeks of a lack of respect for many native american cultures and cultural appropriation

having a complaint about that spirit's name being used is not "chronically online" - there is a very real and genuine belief that usage of the name will bring evil to you, and this belief has been around since before chr*st*pher c*lumbus even came to the americas. it feels like most people think "chronically online" means "bipoc bringing up racism" nowadays because they feel entitled to speak over us (as always)

i'm very sorry you had to deal with those people, anon. i myself would've been extremely paranoid about the encounter, and you have every right to be upset over what happened. i hope you are well

-mod ashensky

[precious-little-scoundrel]

ALSO IM SO HAPPY U NOTICED BRENDA SCHAD?! I feel like she looks a little too old in that pic to be 18 year old Lu but I had to put it in there for her when she’s older and then I used that to try to find other pictures of girls that looked similar/ had similar features. And I think there was one in there that looked like a younger Brenda Schad like literally the eyes nose and lips. Cause I’ve STILL been using Jenna Ortega as my face claim for Lu but like I want someone who’s actually Indigenous (and Brenda is literally Cherokee!!)

Well I had to look her up and I was like omg finally an indigenous woman because I have been in such pain trying to find one of a similar age and with a style that doesn’t scream 2020’s, ya know?? It’s brutal out here but gosh she’s amazing and all your choices were, tbh, so thank you for introducing me!

[nonegenderleftpain]

this is maybe very hopeful, but i still find it in me to send an ask, hoping for the best... i hope to not waste too much of your time with this

as someone who is possibly thinking of converting to Judaism, what is the first step?

i know, i should look for a rabbi, for a group, for just... something. to connect me to the culture, but i grew up in an incredibly sheltered household, in a small town, christian, and i still dont have solid income to look out for them far and wide... honestly, I'm kind of afraid that if i dont end up going through with the conversion, I'll just feel guilty for wasting people's time for my own personal gain (as opposed to...... their gain? yeah. its impossible to tell wether that one makes sense)

im pretty sure i have met exactly one Jewish person IRL and that's not a stretch.

so, basically, when im asking for the first step here, what i really mean is, how do i know where the stairs are?

and i dont have a super philosophical reason as to why i even think of converting in the first place. i guess i just need a place where my first crime won't be my humanity.

So I've sat on this all day trying to figure out how to be elegant. I'm in a fair bit of pain today, so elegance is kind of beyond me - I'll settle for helpful.

Anon, I grew up in a really similar situation to you. I grew up in one of the few Catholic towns in my very protestant area. It was a tiny farm town, only on the map for gambling, and I lived in an incredibly sheltered home. I couldn't be on the internet unsupervised, and my parents turned it off at 10pm, until the day I left home. I never had time to form a community, was not allowed to ask questions, and struggled with constant feelings of fear and crushing oppression by a church I no longer believed in.

When I was in highschool, I discovered LaVeyan Satanism, got my hands on the satanic bible, and converted, largely hiding it for years. I didn't meet a Jew until I left for college, and was so anti-Gd that we never really spoke (Not due to antisemitism - any engagement with religion triggered religious trauma history, so I couldn't be around ANYONE openly practicing any religion. It was a very stressful time, and I carry a lot of guilt for not engaging with her more.)

I didn't have any big philosophical reasons for seeking Judaism, either, at first. I had had a very spiritual experience in the Cherokee Nation with a family friend who invited us, and I was actually considering moving there and taking part in their religious practices as much as they would allow me to, as a white person. My family friend was a religious leader there and was willing to accept me and bring me in, but it never panned out. I have been seeking that same spiritual connection for years, but I didn't really know it until I found it again.

I first started learning about Judaism when I just. Kept running into Jews in my life. Online, in community spaces, through my advocacy work. And I asked myself "what is so important about this?" and picked up the book To Life! by Rabbi Harold Kushner. Immediately, I was enthralled, and I have not stopped being amazed and overjoyed with what I've found.

For me, the first step to really learning more was reaching out to my local Reform congregation. I'm not sure if you're thinking of converting Reform or not, but I'd suggest starting there, because I've found it's been very easy to find my footing as a queer person with a fraught religious background. The Union for Reform Judaism - the largest North American movement of Reform Jews - offers Intro to Judaism classes once a semester (many congregations require these courses for conversion). The classes lay out the very basics of Jewish values, history, and practices. They're usually taught by local rabbis - my course this semester on Jewish history has two classes with each of the four Reform rabbis in my city. This is a great way to get to know the rabbis, see how they teach, and see who you click with. It will also allow you to interact with other folks that are new to Judaism - Jews that want to learn more about their heritage and practices, prospective converts, friends and family members of practicing Jews, and sometimes just people interested in theology!

Once you find a rabbi that you click with, you'll want to reach out to them and set up a meeting (I meet personally with my rabbi on Zoom, because transportation is difficult for me as a disabled person). During that meeting, you can tell the rabbi your story, your level of interest, and answer some of their questions, as well. My Rabbi asked me why I chose Judaism as opposed to something else, and really dug into my resolve, because I came to him expressing my desire to convert. This is pretty normal - antisemitism is on the rise in the US and around the world, so they want to make sure you understand what you're taking on by seeking Judaism.

Here's the thing about Judaism - it is not something you can do alone. Judaism is a tribe and a people, not just a religion. I do not say this to dissuade you. If anything, I want to encourage you. No one is going to be upset with you if you come, participate with sincerity and earnestness, and then decide that it's not for you. You will not be wasting anyone's time by asking questions and learning things.

I also grew up Christian. We were taught that asking questions is a sign of a lack of faith. That we must follow and believe and never question Gd. I am here to tell you that that is the complete opposite of what Judaism not just expects, but requires. Israel means "to struggle with Gd." It is our job as Jews to struggle with the Torah and what it asks of us. To question it and interpret it and find out how to do good in the world. To disagree. This is not a religion of blind faith, and it is not a people that will silence your questions.

So I suppose the concise answer to your question is more of a checklist:

Research your local synagogues. See if you can attend one of their services online. See if you like the rabbi, like the way they talk and the things they say and the way they interpret the texts. See if you like the cantor, and if the way they chant helps you with your connection to the service or detracts from it. Take notes of any questions or concerns you have, so you can bring it to the rabbi.

Contact your local rabbi. If there is more than one congregation where you live, choose which seems most approachable for you to start with. On their congregation's website, there should be an email form that will take you to them, or to whomever runs their site, who will be able to put you in contact.

Set up a meeting with your rabbi. If you can go in person, that's great, but if you get anxious easily, Zoom can be really helpful. I recently even got my rabbi to join Discord. Bring them your questions. Tell them why you're there. Answer their questions honestly, and don't be afraid to tell them you're nervous. I promise you're not the first prospective convert they've spoken to.

Try to get into an Intro to Judaism class. You can ask questions about all different sects of Judaism, even if you're taking classes with the URJ, and a good rabbi will be able to give you cursory answers and resources to find more information. If Reform doesn't work for you, I'm sure that the other sects of Judaism have their own classes you can take. As a convert, I have not had to pay for my classes, and I think that's a national thing

Attend services. Don't be afraid to not know what's going on. Don't be concerned that you don't know Hebrew. Don't worry about them thinking you don't belong there. I still haven't formalized my conversion (I haven't been able to schedule my beit din), but my congregation considers me a member, and recently formalized my membership in our organization. They consider me a Jew, as much as I consider myself one. I am part of their family, even though I'm very new and know almost nothing.

And most importantly:

6. Keep reading. There are lifetimes of Jewish literature, information, and text out there. Jews keep extensive and detailed records of everything. When a Jew has an opinion, they write a book. And every Jew has opinions. I'm happy to give book recommendations, but this post has gone on far too long.

I know it's not a simple answer - there really isn't one. Conversion looks different for everyone, and takes different amounts of time for everyone. So does practice. I don't keep kosher but I give blessings over what I eat, even if it doesn't follow kashrut, because the blessing and gratitude is what is holy for me (and because I have dietary issues). I haven't hung mezuzot because I can't afford them, but I wear kippot because the visual reminder of the cultural and historical throughline of our people matters to me. I don't know Yiddish or much Hebrew, but I learn and ask questions and am enjoying immersing myself in a culture and ritual that I didn't know I needed.

I hope this is at all helpful. If you need or want personal help with any of these steps, please, please send me a DM and I will help you. I know it can be nervewracking to talk about religion, especially as an ex-Christian. I promise that my inbox is a safe space to discuss it. You're among friends, and I know your struggle.

Stay well, and may Hashem bless your journey, wherever it leads.

[t4tails]

ok but its not the federal government saying that tribe is fake, its the actual.. cherokee nation.... who are known for their extensive research into claimants.

thats what i thought! though like i said im not going to pretend i know more than the average person about this. if its a messy situation its more responsible to just let actual indigenous people talk about it, not random white bloggers on the internet like myself lol