#neighborly relations

[incomingalbatross]

TWICE in two days someone I literally just met has invited me to have tea or coffee with them at a secondary location. Not even as a date thing, either. Baffling.

The first one made more sense because it was a mom whose family was at our church for the first time and who was clearly just INTENSELY friendly as a default setting. Still, though, hearing that I go to school nearish to her home and instantly saying "if you ever need a break come over to our house and have a cup of tea!" is a lot! I would not be that ready to offer hospitality after one interaction with someone.

The second one was a young woman on the train who struck up a conversation about my cross pendant and five minutes later was like "if you're in the area [of her job] we should get coffee sometime!" and asking if I wanted to exchange numbers. HUH?? Like, her vibes were generally fine and it seemed like she was just looking for more friends, but A) why would you ask that and B) why would you WANT to ask that. I am a stranger!! Why are YOU ready to give ME your contact information!! What are you doing???

Anyway. I wouldn't have bet on two super-friendly strangers in two days but there we are.

[amphibiosis]

oh.. note to self i owe the music store a dollar

[amememightywarrior]

Food in Dawntrail

Gonna go ahead and share my thoughts on it as posted on twitter, excuse the format!

I found the prevalence of food in DT's MSQ very interesting. In a lot of cultures, food and food-sharing are acts of love both familial and neighborly. It also symbolized a desire to reach out and understand one another, from xibruq pibil to tacos to ice cream to weird grapes.

Our first encounter with food in DT is when Wuk Lamat wants to give us some tacos, but then BJJ smashes them carelessly, a sign that he is rejecting sharing and love

During the lay of repast, which is ALL about food, we learn a lot about the symbolism of meals and food and culture. It's great. 

Zoraal Ja and Bakool Ja Ja are teamed up and shown to not understand or care about food and sharing despite the BLATANT emphasis on it in the trial.

More subtle stuff that isn't called out is the way food is raised - like the Crystarium, where wandering around can reveal the importance, if you wander around DT you can find an example of what's called the three sisters method of farming.

For those unfamiliar with this system, it's actually a very culturally important method of farming in the americas where 3 staple crops, maize, squash, and beans, are grown together in a harmonious fashion. and i mean TOGETHER.

The maize, which grows tall and strong, provides support for the beanstalks which curl around it and provide stabilization both physically and nutritionally. At their feet grows the ground-covering squash which shades the soil, keeping it moist and preventing weeds.

The next major time we learn of food and agriculture is in heritage found, where we see people preserving real food as an act of culture more than anything else, showing the resilience of culture and the spirit of sharing in even the most lightning riddled situations.

After that it gets interesting. The concept of food in S9 is abstracted into the absurd (the grapes??? help), but they still share the food. More than that, it's a SPECTATOR sport, seeing WoL and Wuk Lamat eat. If you've ever been to a dinner with a family of a different culture, you will know the experience of tasting a new cuisine for the first time, and people asking you what you think of it. They share their culture with you and hope you approve. It's the sharing of joy, and it's the same as when you eat in S9.

Then we're REALLY challenged. We enter living memory and find the inhabitants feasting on the mere idea of food. They share with us as well, giving us popcorn. Did you lie and say it was great? Did you speak the truth of your tastebuds and reject the popcorn?

The food in living memory is tasteless to us, the only real ones in the place. But the act of sharing, that was the real important part. And so perhaps if WoL lied, it was not to spare feelings, but to show that yes, they were sharing in joy and culture.

Thus introduced, we are hit with that ice cream. We know it tastes of nothing, but we give it to Krile and her parents to share. Krile knows it doesn't taste like anything, and she struggles. But G'raha zips in with his own, to make her laugh and help her understand the joy.

The way each character reacts to food within DT is symbolic and shows a bit of their own perspectives. Someone who's very out on the edges, Estinien, is also someone who has embraced food very heavily after being freed from Nidhogg. He runs around eating everything in sight now.

And of course we also have the cornservant, who wants to feed everyone. I haven't actually done that quest line yet but I can already tell you what's at the heart of it XD

A lot of this we all know, I'm just calling it out specifically because it was beautifully done in DT.

Oh, before I forget: Otis and Gulool Ja

Otis, despite being, er...mechanical, has been feeding Gulool Ja. It is a familial act, feeding and helping this child grow despite zero relation.

is it just another fetch quest? Another shared meal of many shared meals in the field? Or is it asking us to look at this meal in the context of all that came before it?

What does it mean to love and care for one another? Otis shows it by being there and feeding Gulool Ja.

It contrasts with two other parties: Cahciuna's group, and Zoraal Ja.

Zoraal Ja does nothing. He does not feed his child. Abandoned him outright. ZJ rejects family, love, and sharing.

Cahciuna's group is trying really hard to take care of him, and he does allow it because they keep finding and taking him home. But why does he run away to eat with Otis? Cahciuna's response to realizing he WANTS to leave is to allow it instead of insisting.

I find that rather mysterious but I think it shows Gulool Ja prefers organic sharing, not S9 where everything is simply handed to him. Hopefully we see more of him in the future so we can learn wtf is up with this little blue-scaled cutie.

Food takes a background role in a lot of stories but DT took it, explained it, and then challenged our understanding by taking away the most talked about component, stripping away flavor to ask us what the point of food-sharing really is and how it reflects ourselves & our culture.

We've seen a lot of these themes before - ARR used to have a whole thing about feeding the soldiers before the assault on the garlean strongholds, SHB had the infamous rhon ron food stand scene, etc

we just got it called out repeatedly and the concept gently deconstructed for us in DT. 

So. what does the act of food-sharing mean to you? What does it mean to your WoL? How did you see the Lay of Repast? What did you think of the popcorn?

[theminecraftbee]

After he’s finished laughing at Iskall, the two of them start working together to finish drying off Iskall’s clothes. Beef knows full well that if he doesn’t, the man will almost certainly spend the next week naked, just to spite Beef. It’d go against the spirit of the message, to have Iskall turn around and strip because of it.

“I still can’t believe you filled my house with fishes! After I spent a whole ten minutes getting them for you!” Iskall complains. “You do not understand being neighborly. It’s sad.”

“I told you, the more fish you got me, the better your interior would be. You should be grateful, really. Many people would only dream of getting to sleep with this many fishes. It’s a much kinder warning of what will happen when you mess with me than some people get,” Beef advises. “Big Salmon isn’t very happy with you.”

“Sleep with—okay, first, I cannot sleep with salmons, because it gets all my clothes wet. I respawned underwater, Beef!”

“Well, better not upset me more,” Beef says.

“Second, I do not know phrases well. I thought that was a… a saying meaning that you kill them, when you make them sleep with fishes? I thought it was a crime thing. I did not think—sleeping with actual fishes was involved,” Iskall continues.

“I find that in my line of work, double meanings are handy to really drive the point home,” Beef says. “You’ll never know how you’ll sleep with the fishes next time, after all.”

“Right. Okay. Sure. Third: since when were you in Grian’s weird fish cult? Because, dude, I don’t know if I would have spent a whole ten minutes gathering salmon for you if I knew you were in a weird fish cult.”

Beef huffs, offended. “Not a cult! Thats the wrong—I assure you, religion has nothing to do with Big Salmon, just profits and salmon-related—hold on, wait, did you say Grian?”

Iskall stops, confused, from where he’d been airing out his jeans next to a campfire, nearly setting the article of clothing on fire in the process. Beef and Iskall are promptly distracted trying to put out the pants fire, and for a moment, Beef nearly forgets his conversation. After the now somewhat singed and somehow still not dry pants are rescued, though, Iskall remembers.

“Anyway, yeah, Grian. I didn’t think you were involved with him. He made a whole weird cod cave and everything. I think he was trying to worship some ocean fish thingy. It was weird.”

“I don’t know how to unpack that,” Beef says.

“You’re doing it too!” Iskall accuses.

“No, I’m making legal business decisions,” Beef says. “I think I would know if I were in a fish cult, especially one for something as gauche as cod.”

“Technically the cult is about a mending book,” Iskall says.

“Okay, sure,” Beef says.

“He tried to tell me it wasn’t a cult too, but dude, it definitely was. I am judging him. And also you. Get better things to do.”

“It’s not—you are misunderstanding. It’s a family,” Beef says.

“Still don’t get it,” Iskall says.

Beef groans and rolls his eyes. “Like the Godfather.”

“Oh! You are trying to kill me, but for dramatic crime reasons! I get it now. You know, the whole salmon thing still seems a little creepy though, especially with Grian’s cave. Are you sure…”

“Absolutely positive,” Beef says. “I can’t believe you accused me of following something Grian started. I’m offended.”

“Shouldn’t you be more offended at the cult thing?” Iskall asks.

“You’re the one with the giant monolith. You’re one to talk,” Beef says.

“I don’t see how that’s related,” Iskall says.

Beef looks across the neighborhood to the giant looming grey obelisk, covered in runes and filled with esoteric blocks Iskall had collected from all of the hermits. He looks back at Iskall.

“Yeah, fine,” Beef says. “Let’s just finish drying out your clothes.”

“You owe me even more now,” Iskall says.

“I absolutely do not, don’t even start—”

[goqmir]

in my dream i imagined a world in which the most popular tv show in america was a drama/dark comedy about several neighborly families now vying for scraps of sustenance in a bloodborne-esque apocalyptic city where they have all died and gone to a torturous underworld. and the main character is the dork nobody really liked in any family who arbitrarily escaped death by hiding his soul in that of an automaton.

this tv show was the result of a brand deal where the artist Drake got really into painting somewhat gothic portraits of imagined characters during the 2020 lockdown. Wal-Mart offered Drake an exclusivity deal to sell prints of these paintings that included a personal studio, and Drake requested for his studio a hole so deep in the earth that they can use magnets to make the canvasses have zero gravity. americans lapped that shit up and Wal-Mart began releasing ads of Drake in his dark and cavernous underground warehouselike studio where he would paint mildly gothic portraits on floating canvasses held down to the floor and walls by a series of trusses from Roblox and cables from Teardown. these portraits were astoundingly popular and a similarly successful TV show was produced by Wal-Mart using the characters Drake would paint.

during the dream, I lived this TV show through the eyes of the twink main character. I escaped from the underworld pits by hiding in the body of a Wizard101 wooden automaton, and began wandering the streets of the gothic city it took place in, meeting still-alive members of the group of families the portraits depicted. A little before my death, tragedy struck the families and they had a falling out. During my dreams i had to watch all of these tragedies in grim detail, which I depicted as fairly funny in my head to the average american but like. i never really found death or suffering that funny even if a character dies by a series of slapstick events. so it kind of just sucked for me to have to bear witness to it.

every time a new character would appear, the original Drake portrait depicting them would be shown on screen. every character had the name of a Universes Beyond Magic: the Gathering card-- Graham O'Brien, Rosie Cotton, that sort of thing, even though they weren't related to the characters.

there was a segment where i could choose to revive anyone from the underworld that wanted to leave, and I saw the cartoon shadow of a cute babe from behind a boat winking at me and flirting with me. I chose her cuz i was like woahhh i love women but when I revived her I realized it was actually Evie Frye, my rival in life who was close to me as a child but drifted apart from me after witnessing the comedically gruesome death of her father. the dream then played out that death in a flashback sequence, which was sickening enough to me that it woke me up. and then I spent 30 minutes writing this post and that's been my morning so far.

[mariacallous]

With Donald Trump’s election win fueling fresh speculation over the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again underlined his insistence on Ukrainian neutrality. “If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine any good-neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine,” he commented on November 7 in Sochi.

This is nothing new. Since the eve of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin has been consistent in its calls for permanent Ukrainian neutrality. Neutral status was a key condition set out by the Kremlin during the abortive peace talks that took place in the first weeks of the war. It once again featured prominently when Putin laid out an updated peace proposal in June 2024.

Many in the international community regard Putin’s push for a neutral Ukraine as by far his most reasonable demand. Indeed, some have even accused NATO of provoking the current war by expanding into Russia’s traditional sphere of influence since 1991 and deepening cooperation with Ukraine. They argue that if Ukraine can be kept in geopolitical no-man’s-land, Russia will be placated.

Such thinking is likely to feature prominently as the debate continues to unfold in the coming months over the terms of a future peace deal. While Trump has yet to outline his plans for a possible settlement, unconfirmed reports suggest that a twenty-year freeze on Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations is under consideration. This would be a costly blunder. Imposing neutrality on Ukraine will not bring about a durable peace in Europe. On the contrary, it would leave Ukraine at Putin’s mercy and set the stage for a new Russian invasion.

Ukrainians have already learned the hard way that neutrality does not protect them against Russian aggression. The country officially embraced non-aligned status during the 2010-2014 presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, but this didn’t prevent Moscow from seeking to reassert full control over Ukraine. Initially, Russia’s efforts focused on orchestrating Ukraine’s economic reintegration through membership of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union. When this sparked a popular backlash that led to the fall of the Yanukovych regime, Putin opted to use force and began the military invasion of Ukraine.

Ever since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in spring 2014, Putin has sought to justify Russian aggression by pointing to the looming danger of Ukrainian NATO membership. In reality, however, Ukraine has never looked like progressing toward the distant goal of joining the alliance. For the past decade, NATO leaders have refused to provide Kyiv with an invitation and have instead limited themselves to vague talk of Ukraine’s “irreversible” path toward future membership. Putin is well aware of this, but has chosen to wildly exaggerate Ukraine’s NATO prospects in order to strengthen his own bogus justifications.

Putin’s complaints regarding NATO enlargement are equally dubious. Indeed, his own actions since early 2022 indicate that Putin himself does not actually believe that the alliance poses a genuine security threat to Russia. Instead, he merely exploits the NATO issue as a convenient smokescreen for Russia’s expansionist foreign policy.

Tellingly, when Finland and Sweden responded to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by announcing plans to abandon decades of neutrality and join NATO, Putin was quick to declare that Russia had “no problem” with the move. This evident indifference was particularly striking, given that Finnish NATO membership has more than doubled Russia’s NATO border while Sweden’s accession has transformed the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Putin has continued to demonstrate his almost complete lack of concern over NATO’s Nordic enlargement by withdrawing the vast majority of Russian troops from the Finnish border and leaving the area largely undefended.

Putin obviously understands perfectly well that NATO is not a threat to Russia itself, and sees no need to guard against a NATO invasion that he knows will never come. While Putin’s resentment over the expanding NATO presence on his borders is real enough, he only really objects when the alliance prevents Russia from bullying its neighbors. In other words, Putin’s opposition to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations has nothing to do with legitimate security concerns. Instead, it confirms that his ultimate goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood.

For years, Putin has made no secret of his belief that the emergence of an independent Ukraine is an historical mistake and a symbol of modern Russia’s retreat from empire. He has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is not a “real country,” and is fond of declaring that Ukrainians are actually Russians (“one people”). In July 2021, Putin even published an entire essay arguing against the legitimacy of an independent Ukrainian state.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, it has become increasingly apparent that Putin’s ultimate goal is not Ukraine’s neutrality but Ukraine’s destruction. The Kremlin propaganda machine has portrayed Ukraine as an intolerable “anti-Russia,” and has promoted the idea that Ukraine’s continued existence is incompatible with Russian security. Meanwhile, Putin has compared his invasion to eighteenth century Russian ruler Peter the Great’s imperial conquests, and has repeatedly claimed to be “returning” historically Russian lands.

Putin’s imperialistic outbursts must be taken seriously. Throughout occupied Ukraine, his soldiers and administrators are already imposing a reign of terror that directly echoes the criminal logic of his imperial fantasies. Millions have been displaced, with thousands more simply vanishing into a vast network of camps and prisons. Those who remain face policies of relentless Russification and the suppression of all things Ukrainian. Adults must accept Russian citizenship in order to access basic services, while children are forced to undergo indoctrination in schools teaching a new Kremlin curriculum.

The crimes currently taking place in Russian-occupied Ukraine are a clear indication of what awaits the rest of the country if Putin succeeds. Despite suffering multiple military setbacks, he remains fully committed to his maximalist goals of ending Ukrainian independence and erasing Ukrainian identity.

Furthermore, since 2022 Putin has demonstrated that he is prepared to wait as long as it takes in order to overcome Ukrainian resistance, and is ready to pay almost any price to achieve his imperial ambitions. Imposing neutrality on Ukraine in such circumstances would be akin to condemning the country to a slow but certain death.

Any peace process that fails to provide Ukraine with credible long-term security guarantees is doomed to fail. Acquiescing to Putin’s demands for a neutral Ukraine may provide some short-term relief from the menace of an expansionist Russia, but this would ultimately lead to more war and the likely collapse of the current global security order. There is simply no plausible argument for insisting on Ukrainian neutrality other than a desire to leave the country defenseless and at Russia’s mercy.

Peace will only come once Putin has finally been forced to accept Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent country and as a member of the democratic world. Naturally, this includes the right to choose security alliances. It is absurd to prioritize Russia’s insincere security concerns over Ukraine’s very real fears of national annihilation. Instead, if serious negotiations do begin in the coming months, Ukrainian security must be the number one priority. Until Ukraine is secure, Europe will remain insecure and the threat of Russian imperialism will continue to loom over the continent.

[yourneighborlyweirdo]

Tarot 🤝🏼 Shifting

This isn’t really a post that I usually make with all the big headings and special symbols, and that’s because I just got my nails done (love them btw) and I just popped an advil so I’m hella tired, but I just wanted to put this out there…

I usually use my tarot deck to ask a big main question I have, and then once it’s answered I put my deck away until I need it again, (which there’s nothing wrong with that) but I just did an actual reading which I haven’t done in a while and I asked multiple questions leading into other questions, like “What do you need to tell me?” “What is something I need to improve on in my journey?” “What can I do to start doing that thing to improve?” And etc, and instead of pulling only one card each question I got 2-4 which gave me a clearer answer on my questions, and it helped me connect the dots a lot more.

Just made this post to say,

• If you have a tarot deck, and you usually barely do any readings, I would recommend you start doing it more often because I can’t stress the amount of clarity I got because I only ever pull one card for one simple question and feel confused because I don’t see why the card answers my question, so when I asked more smaller and simplified questions leading into eachother, it helped me understand a lot more!

• If your a witch/spiritual person (like me) who’s also into shifting, I highly recommend to start intertwining them into each other instead of treating it like they are separate things (they are separate but go under the same category/umbrella for Spiritual stuff)

• Use your divination tools (like your tarot deck if you have one) more often because they are so so useful.

• This reminded me that everyone’s journey is different because everyone is different so getting advice personalized for me and myself made me feel so much better because now I know how I can improve on certain things!

Sorry if this post is annoying or going over shit everyone already knows, I just wanted to share that when I did this reading I got so much clarity and advice and I realized what I was doing wrong, what I was missing, what I can do to improve, and so much more, and I might just make a big long post going over this because I got some advice I’ve known before but it was explained to me in which a way helps me understand a lot better (because I asked MY tarot cards about MY journey) and yeah. Highly recommend tarot cards for divination, especially shifting related.

Shifting is different for everyone. Everyone’s spiritual journey is different. Remember that, because like many, I keep forgetting.

Sincerely,

Your Neighborly Weirdo

[shrikeseams]

Good point! I won't lie, I'm not great with the Journey chronology, and also the entire teleri situation just... it's weird. It's weird, right? It doesn't quite pass the sniff test, idk. And Finwe's not exactly proactive once he does find out that Elwe vanished:

"and Finwë grieved when the Teleri came not, and yet more when he learned that Elwë was forsaken, and knew that he should not see him again, unless it were in the halls of Mandos."

(There is also, of course, an argument to be made that Elu and Miriel both ditched him first and that the Melkor choice was driven by the wider will of the noldor population. But then, I suspect that the people who go around calling themselves the forsaken aren't entirely open to alternate perspectives, and Finwe's descendents' record of kinslaying isn't likely to do Finwe's own reputation any favors.)

A nasty, bitter sentiment that I know in my heart was common among the umanyar who knew Finwe, especially among the sindar:

Of course the man who forgot (abandoned) Elwe for the sparkling new allure of Aman would also forget (abandon) miriel for someone fresh and new like Indis. Would forget the dead and stolen of Cuivienen in favor of the political path of least resistance and invite Melkor into his city.

[zvaigzdelasas]

[Kyiv Independent is Private Ukrainian Media]

The European Union will urge its member states to shut off all EU funding to Budapest if Hungary does not back down on its pledge to veto the EU's proposed $55 billion military aid package for Ukraine, a leaked document prepared by EU officials and seen by the Financial Times revealed on Jan. 28.[...]

The leaked document, drawn up by officials in the European Council, criticizes the "unconstructive behaviour of the Hungarian PM," while establishing a framework for countries to permanently cut EU funding with the intention of "spooking the markets, precipitating a run on the country’s forint currency and a surge in the cost of its borrowing," according to the Financial Times.

The alleged document also notes that Brussels would aim to impact investor confidence in the country's ability to create jobs and drive growth.[...]

The EU has also considered using the "nuclear option" of revoking Hungary's voting rights if it again vetoes the $55 billion aid package for Ukraine at an upcoming European Council summit next week, Politico reported on Jan. 26.

The Hungarian far-right party Our Homeland declared its claim to Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast if Ukraine loses the war, party leader Laszlo Toroczkai said on Jan. 27.

Zakarpattia Oblast, bordering Slovakia and Hungary to the west, and Romania to the south, has a significant population of ethnic Hungarians. The issue of minority rights has created friction between Hungary and Ukraine, particularly centered around Ukrainian state linguistic policies.

The language law that has long been a source of strife between Hungary and Ukraine was instituted in 2017 and requires at least 70% of education above fifth grade to be conducted in Ukrainian.

In response to criticism, Ukraine has said that it does not intend to limit the linguistic rights of its minorities but rather to simply ensure that all Ukrainian citizens have the sufficient capability to speak the national language, Ukrainian.[...]

Hungary's Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on Toroczkai's statements, Reuters said.

The news came ahead of a meeting between Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto scheduled to take place on Jan. 29 in the Zakarpattia Oblast city of Uzhhorod.

In the leadup to Szijjarto's visit, the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, considered to be closely affiliated with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, published an article condemning the state of Ukraine's press freedom. It also criticized Ukrainian media directives for journalists to use the official Ukrainian spelling of city names instead of the Russian version.

28 Jan 24

[Ukrinform is Private Ukrainian Media]

The Hungarian side is asking Ukraine that a Hungarian minority be given back all the rights it had before 2015.

This was stated by Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto at a joint briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office Andriy Yermak following the talks in Uzhhorod, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We have come here to reestablish good neighborly relations, we have a long way to go, but we, from the Hungarian side, are ready to do this work. In Zakarpattia, Hungarians and Ukrainians live in peace," Szijjarto said.[...]

"Since 2017, laws have been passed to reduce the rights of the Hungarian minority. In December, Parliament passed a law that stopped that. But we have a request - maybe it's too much, and you will think I'm not being polite - but we ask that the Hungarian minority be given back all the rights it had before 2015. We are not asking for anything else," the minister said.

The Foreign Minister said that the Hungarian side had formulated an 11-point request: including restoring the status of the national school, the possibility of taking a high school diploma in Hungarian and using Hungarian in social life. According to him, the commission was tasked with agreeing on these issues as soon as possible and developing proposals for the ministries.

29 Jan 24

[profoundgladiatorbarbarian]

Disney kid siblings

Peter pan Liddell and Alice Pleasance Liddell

Peter PAN and Alice in my version are based off of Come away version where they are siblings.If you watch the movie you might understand more, But in my a u it's also combined with a disney version, Where are they are Twins who after having a lot of adventures in neverland in wonderland start a new adventure at Auradon prep, But technically speaking they're many years old , However, they are about 13. No, because time runs different in wonderland and neverland

Alice- Alice is a thirteen year old adventurous, And curious Girl, Who found the secret world of wonderland, But in the aftermath when the queen of hearts Had chased her out, Alice Went back to Her world of england, But became bored, Of the same old same old especially now that she was living with her sister, So alice decided to go back to wonderland, and live there permanently. It was a tough decision having to leave her family.But in the end she She decided it was for the best, Since her family was in financial trouble and if she left, maybe it would give them More of a boost to get So thus she'd be got her new life in wonderland, However there was one thing she missed most of all and that was her older twin brother peter pan, Whom she was inseparable with.

Peter pan- Peter pan, Was always a playful person, However there came a time When He lost His older brother, Whom he was playing with and accidentally made him fall into the water causing him to drown and get electrocuted by an Unexpected storm In the water. After that day peter pan was never the same and tried to act more grown up, As a way to mask his pain. Alice Was quite side about her brother's death, But was even more worried for peter pan, Who is starting to become emotionless, But one day will peter pan was at the markets, He came a Cross A flying Whisp, That led him into the forest, And in the forest the wisp turned into a Female shape and introduce yourself as tinkerbell peter pan's, She said that she could bring him away from all The drama and problems going on with him at home, If he took her hand and followed her to a place called neverland, Where time never moved and you could stay young forever. Peter pan was hesitant about this, But then remembering All that was going on With his family being in debt, His brother dead, And some of their own family members , turning against his parents, And some of their own family members, turning against his parents He decided it was for the best that he leaves, So that may be his family can start afresh, So he agreed and flew off with Tinkerbell to neverland, And as the years passed by , peter pan kept bringing, Much wealth back to his family from neverland, So that they would never be poor, The only thing he regretted was never saying goodbye to his Twin sister Alice.

Many years had passed and alice and Peter PAN's parents had long passed Leaving leaving their older sister lorena to be the new owner of the house, She grew old and time as well with Yvonne. Alice and Peter's younger brother max's becoming adult Before them, But fast-forwarding to 2021 Alice, Having explored Almost all of wonderland, Was curious if she was Curious if she was able to go back to her home of london, And decided To crawl out of the rabbit hole To see what was happening above. When she crawled out The Old Neighborly House where she lived was replaced with a beautiful mansion, She couldn't even believe it herself and then she heard from the sky A familiar sound. It was Peter PAN Calling to her, And thus the twins were reunited, Two years had passed The 2 Are now attending Arudon prep with their significant others.

Winifred darling is the niece of Anita darling, based off of the 2021 Cruella movie, And is in no way related to Wendy darling Who long passed away. Winifred is now the new love interest of Peter PAN, With her siblings, always following her on adventures through neverland.

Amandla Darling, Is the oldest Sibling, and Was once, A girl in wonderland herself, Like alice but in a different part, the looking glass, And she is also the future storyteller Of Alice and Peter pan's stories.

Winifred darling Is the second oldest And is based off of wendy darling a bit, But is more nerdy, And as a mixture of nurturing, And feminine Strength, And is willing to fight any pirates, Or be a big sister figure to any lost boy. She is Very close with her younger brother Kingston, But it's also enemies with him Seeing him as a intellectual rival with her in school, And the two often fights over who's smarter.

Kingston is the oldest boy and the third born, And just like his older sister is a huge nerd, But prides itself on it and see himself as the smartest in the family, Which Always gets under his sister skin, Matter of fact he mostly does it for the entertainment about her reactions, However as siblings they are still very close. People sometimes think he's a bit cowardly But in reality he can be brave and will stand up to Evan The scariest pirates like captain hook, Matter of fact, the only thing he and his sister are afraid of is their younger brother mkhosini Who, Let's just say Acts like the evil child in the family He's also a bit shy around tiger Lily's sister katawasisiw Whom he saved one time When she was kidnapped by captain hook, And saved her from nearly getting her head cut off by A pirates, In return she gave him a big kiss like the scene in the peter pan movie of 2003, And he started developing feelings for her and her intern, And the two do get along pretty well, And like to solve mysteries in the book of neverland which was a gift from the indigenous tribe of neverland given to Kingston That holds all the secrets and mysteries and powerful forceshe didn't within never land, Something that would be quite useful to captain hook who constantly tries to steal it.

mkhosini Is the last born, Baby brother of the family, A k a the evil child, And he takes this job with pride. He isn't necessarily manipulative, Or a type of sibling who blackmails his older siblings, But instead will physically force them to do things that he's really passionate about, And this is kind of help the family, But it's also made win afraid and kingston Fear him the most because, Of what he's Capable of doing Even in the dark, And He uses Two his advantage, His older siblings are Looking After him, Using his Strategies sort of butts to make them Fear him so much that they can't even tell him no, But he's not all Evil, He does look up to Peter PAN As an older brother figure which Kind of Makes kingston jealous, But also slightly relieved to that his brother is off his back, But also scared for peter pan's sake, And at the end of the day mkhosini It's just a very energetic Person, With a bit of a violent streak with his siblings, But he still love them.

Christopher Robin and the Derby Robin

Mowgli, Bala, Lali, Ranjan

Dipper and Mabel pines.

Violet, Dash, and Jackjack incredibles

Melody, Eros, And Erica

Marco and mariposa diaz

Miguel And Socorro Rivera.

lampwick and Bella

[ms-m-astrologer]

March 2024 Good Days

These are the days in March during which (1) the Moon is in a particular sign and (2) making a flowing aspect to the ruler of that sign. (Almost always a trine or sextile, sometimes a conjunction).

Mercury: Friday, March 15, 03:16 UT - 22:11 UT

Good for all communication, neighbors and neighborliness, sibling relations, gathering and distributing information.

Venus: Wednesday, March 13, 00:28 UT - 02:56 UT

A brief window for art, beauty, love, and money - and for simply enjoying what one has.

Mars:

Monday, March 11, 00:19 UT - Tuesday, March 12, 11:08 UT. Good for sports stuff, taking the initiative, leadership, independence.

Wednesday, March 27, 09:03 UT - 16:18 UT. Good for getting things done, cleaning and purging, surgery, healing.

Jupiter: Saturday, March 9, 01:03 UT - 21:24 UT

Good for the Pisces side of Jupiter: forgiveness, loss, generosity, spirituality.

Saturn: Monday, March 4, 21:15 UT - Tuesday, March 5, 15:38 UT

Good for hard work, hanging out with old people, discipline, responsibility, getting unpleasant tasks over with.

[soap-lady]

A little suffering for me, a little pleasure for you

@tenebrare @angelqueen13art @idreamtofmanderleyagain

For the three people who like my writing, a little more.

Elliot Spencer is human catnip

The idea of a “welcome wagon” or a “welcoming committee” is a time-honored tradition (depending on the culture) that is sadly dying out. People in the neighborhood, mainly members of the Neighborhood Watch, usually led by either the person who had lived in the area the longest or the richest resident.

People, usually women, would arrive at a new neighbor’s house with food and information for services in the area; favored landscaping services, handymen, or repairmen. They would also leave their numbers in case the new resident had an emergency or wanted their house watched while on vacation.

The people in the neighborhood surrounding 55 Ludovico were less concerned with being neighborly and more concerned with satisfying their curiosity about the ones who lived there. They had all heard varying accounts about the death of “Poor Larry”, his less than friendly second wife, Julia, and that no-account wastrel of a brother, Frank. They were vaguely aware Larry had an adult daughter from his first marriage, a very pretty brunette named Kirsty. Somehow she had barely escaped being murdered herself when Frank went crazy and murdered his brother and his sister-in-law before turning his weapon on himself.

Also there was a pretty blond girl who lived there (no one recognized her so she didn’t matter as much) and a dashingly handsome man in his early thirties.

No one knew his name yet; he spent all day indoors and occasionally could be seen walking to and from the car with the blonde teen or the Cotton girl. He waved when waved to and had once helped old Mrs. Standish when she dropped her cane. Mrs. Standish reported that the man had pretty blue eyes and so did the blonde girl so they must have been related. Larry Cotton had blue eyes and blond hair so everyone wondered if he was somehow a distant cousin of the Cottons. Perhaps that meant he’d be living there awhile and was available. He seemed a bit too old for the Cotton girl but Ms. Greene had seen the Steve boy young Miss Cotton had been dating show up once only to be chased off so there was a breakup story somewhere. No one really liked Steve; he couldn’t park worth a damn and had once destroyed Mrs. Standish’s begonia by parking on them.

So the neighborhood welcoming committee had waited for the blond girl to go to school, driven by Miss Cotton and knocked on the door, hoping the handsome man would be home. There was no answer.

Mrs. Standish turned to Ms. Greene. “Maybe he went with the Cotton girl to take the little one to school.”

“I would have seen him leave if he had,” Ms. Greene worked from home most days and her office window faced the Cotton house. She always kept the blinds slightly open to watch the comings and goings of the neighborhood and was ever on the alert to see the tall slim man.

“I’ll knock again.”

Mrs. Standish shifted the Tupperware container she carried (avocado green, a relic from the 70s) to her left hand and knocked again.

The five other women with them shifted from foot to foot with bored impatience. They’d waited almost a month for the newcomers to get settled in before coming over and they wanted their restraint rewarded with a glimpse inside the house and maybe some juicy gossip to lord over everyone else.

This time they heard footsteps, a mechanical click, and the slide of wood against wood as the door opened and a man stepped out. His clothing was simple; a navy V-neck and gray denim with brown dress shoes but he wore it with grace and style. His blue eyes slid over all of them, wary and assessing. Suddenly he smiled and every woman present (the one stay at home dad on the block had a dental emergency with his youngest) stood a little straighter and smiled back.

“Good morning, ladies,” his accent was crisp and British. “What brings you by today?” His eyes glanced over their heads as if searching for something or someone. “I’m afraid Kirsty is out at the moment but I’m sure she’ll be home shortly.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right, dear,” Mrs. Standish patted his arm, paused and then squeezed his forearm a little. “Quite, quite all right.” She held up her Tupperware container as if just remembering why she was there. “We brought over some treats for you all to share.” She smiled, looking a little embarrassed. “If I’d known you were English, I would have made some scones for you instead of cookies.”

He looked a little touched. “That’s incredibly kind of you, madam.” He hesitated as if remembering something and gave her an embarrassed laugh. “Oh! Terribly sorry,” he gave her a little bow of the head. “I haven’t even introduced myself. Elliot Spencer. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs.?” He raised a brow and made it look elegant.

Mrs. Standish felt a little apologetic. “Oh, right! My name is Mrs. Judith Standish. Widowed, unfortunately.” She smiled when she said it to make sure he knew she was available.

“My condolences,” he murmured the appropriate response.

Ms. Greene not so subtly nudged her. “We really should be standing around on the stoop like this. May we come inside?”

Now he looked a bit uncertain and they all felt slightly bad about putting him on the spot. “Well, I’m a guest in Kirsty’s home so I don’t feel like it’s my place to give you permission…plus, the house is mostly under renovation so I can’t give you the grand tour.”

Ms. Greene was tired of Mrs. Standish getting all of the handsome man’s attention. “Oh, it’ll be fine! We all knew Mrs. Cotton, Kirsty’s grandmother. I’m sure Kirsty won’t mind if old friends of the family stop by. “ She gently pushed on his chest and he was forced to back up unless he wanted to be steamrolled by women with casserole dishes and plastic containers. She was a bit disappointed she couldn’t snoop but being entertained by such a charming man made up for it.

He ended up in the middle of the living room and weighed the seating options. The sofa could seat three people and there were armchairs on either side. There were six guests plus himself so he would have to get two chairs from the kitchen. Mrs. Standish was the physically oldest person in the room so he would allow her to choose her seat first.

The women all crowded around him, shouting over each other to introduce themselves and showing food containers at him. He held his hands in the air and gave them all a stern glance.

“Now, ladies, I’m very grateful for your company but I’m afraid I can’t hear all of you at once.” He used the same friendly and firm tone he’d once used when addressing new recruits. It still worked because they settled down immediately.

He turned to Mrs. Standish because she seemed to be the leader here. “Madam, why don’t you have a seat while I fetch a few chairs? You can all put your gifts on the table while I put the kettle on and make us some tea? I’ll get some plates and utensils and we can try your biscuits…I mean cookies…together.”

Ms. Greene tried to get his attention again. “I could help-”

“Thank you, but no. You’re guests here and as a good host I wouldn’t hear of it. Just put your containers on the kitchen table and then we can all have a chat over tea.”

He was fortunate they seemed charmed by his manners or tone of voice because there was no argument. Each woman brought her container to the table and set it down like good soldiers and trooped into the living room to politely argue about who would sit where. Mrs. Standish took a seat in the middle of the sofa and Ms. Greene sat on her right. Mrs. Lopez sat on her left and Miss Williams and Miss Lee grabbed the armchairs before Mrs. Stein could grab one. Elliot came to her rescue with a chair from their kitchen table (the dining room was being renovated) and another for himself. He made sure his was a comfortable difference from the woman’s while he went to get some plates, cups, and utensils.

He came back into the living room only to find his chair had been moved closer to Mrs. Stein’s. She giggled at him and he gave her a stern look before setting down the plates, cups, and utensils on the coffee table. It was long and broad and very solid, too solid for them to move without help so they’d kept it.

Elliot selected some loose-leaf tea for his guests, an Assam Kirsty had found for him at a gourmet market. The kettle whistled and he poured the water into a lovely white teapot with a blue flower pattern. It was one of the few things Kirsty had saved from her grandmother’s and was at least as old as he was.

He brought the tea into the living room and once he’d poured it for everyone he set the teapot down in the middle of the coffee table, moved his chair away from Mrs. Stein and sat down. He let his tea cool while he addressed the women. “Now that we’re all comfortable we’ll start with introductions. I know Mrs. Standish of course but what about the rest of you?” He pointed at Miss Lee. “Why don’t we go counter-clockwise? Starting with you, of course. Is it missus or miss?”

“Miss,” Miss Lee smiled, showing off her nearly perfect (and natural) white teeth. I’m Ai Lee. I live in the ranch house next door.”

She’d barely finished when Ms. Greene showed up. “Chloe Greene. I live just across the street.”

As each woman introduced herself he smiled, said “nice to meet you” and desperately hoped Kirsty would be home soon. The school Tiffany attended wasn’t far but according to Kirsty traffic was bad in the morning so he hoped she wasn’t stuck.

There was a few minutes of silence as everyone sipped their tea and nibbled on the scones. Finally Mrs. Standish set down her teacup and folded her hands in her lap. She leaned towards him and asked with eager politeness. “So, tell us about yourself, Mr. Spencer. How is it you know the Cottons? Are you related?” The others leaned forward as well, clearly hoping he was Kirsty Cotton’s cousin or some such and not her lover.

He cast his mind back for the cover story Kirsty had invented. She’d kept it fairly simply so it would be easy to remember.

“Well, Tiffany is my cousin,” he began.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Mrs. Lopez interrupted, “you have such pretty blue eyes. My son is in her class and says she has pretty blue eyes.”

The other women shushed her but he wasn’t offended. “Yes. Strangely common in my family. Her mother sadly passed and I think her father preceded her. Tiffany and Kirsty were both in…therapy. Grief counseling, I suppose, is the term.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie and sounded better than “they were in a mental institution because someone wanted to exploit Tiffany and my former self tried to drag Kirsty to Hell.” He was very lucky neither girl held his past against him.

“Unfortunately, Tiffany had no remaining family in The States so after an exhaustive search they finally located me in England,” he continued after another sip of tea. “I’d just finished…military service so I had nothing but time on my hands.So when it was discovered we were related and she needed a guardian.”

“So you gave up your life in England to come help your family?” Miss Williams asked with an admiring look. “That’s so selfless! I can’t think of any guy I know who’d do such a thing.”

“So, what did your wife or girlfriend think of you moving here?” Mrs. Stein was fishing for information. “Was she mad? Is that why she didn’t move here with you?”

He was starting to find all this attention amusing. He felt their eyes all over him, sizing him up with sly smiles and lustful eyes. He wondered how they would react to his former self. Probably not with lust. Probably.

Elliot shrugged. “Ah, no. No wife or girlfriend to leave behind. Just a few work mates. I had thought I was the last of my family until I learned about Tiffany.”

They nodded, still giving him admiring glances.

“And…what about Kirsty Cotton?” Mrs. Stein wanted to know. The other women pretended to drink more tea or finish their scones but they were listening intently.

He chose his words carefully. “Tiffany and Kirsty bonded in therapy you might say. Tiffany sees her as an older sister. When the two of them…recovered Tiffany had nowhere to go and I’m bereft of funds at the moment,” the single women looked disappointed. “So Kirsty very kindly offered to let us live with her for as long as we needed to. She’s a very good friend and we’re lucky to have her.”

“That’s so nice,” Miss Lee complimented Kirsty but Elliot could tell she was dismissing his friend as competition. That annoyed him.

The door slid open and Kirsty walked inside, as if summoned by his thoughts. “Hey, El, did you notice you left the door unlocked-oh,” she stared at the group. “I didn’t realize we were expecting company.”

“We weren’t,” Elliot answered before anyone else could. He waved a hand at the group. “These ladies were kind enough to come over and welcome us to the neighborhood.”

Kirsty nodded and smiled and her eyes zeroed in on Mrs. Standish. “I remember you! You and my grandmother were friends.”

The older woman was very pleased to be recognized. “Little Kirsty! Laura looked forward to your visits.” She smiled fondly. “It’s amazing how much you look like your mother, dear, but you have your grandmother’s eyes.”

Kirsty’s smile faltered and she whispered. “Yeah. Dad used to tell me all the time.”

Mrs. Standish took her reaction as some sort of cue. “Well, we shouldn’t keep you. I’m sure you have a lot to do, getting this old house back into shape.” She stood up and the other women reluctantly copied her.

“Yeah,” Kirsty agreed. “Lots of work to do. It keeps Elliot and I busy all day.”

Elliot stood and held the door open for his guests. “Thank you all for coming by. I feel very welcomed and I’m sure Kirsty does too.” She nodded.

Mrs. Standish led the way, her cane thumping on the hardwood floor. “Thank you for having us, Mr. Spencer.” She pressed a slip of paper into his hand. “This is all of our numbers, as well as the number for the local police and fire departments.” She winked. “Call us anytime you need anything. Kirsty,” she turned to her. “We left some dishes for you on the kitchen counter, as well as a few recipes.” She gave the younger woman a half-hug. “We should catch up sometime, dear.”

The other women left as well, with smiles for Elliot and polite waves for Kirsty. After they were gone she locked the door behind them. She looked at her roommate sternly then laughed out loud.

He was confused. “What?”

*****

Later over a dinner that did not include questionable casseroles but instead red curry chicken, Kirsty repeated the day’s events for Tiffany’s amusement.

“You should have seen them, Tiff,” she said between bites and giggles. “They were all over him, practically licking their lips at the thought of taking a nibble out of our very charming captain,” she leaned back and gave Elliot a wide smile. “He’s quite the chick magnet.”

He put his fork down and gave her a confused look. “Sorry. Chick magnet?”

“They’re thirsty for you,” Tiffany tried to clarify. “Clearly out to smash.”

Elliot had no idea what either of them were saying. “Tiffany, I’m not sure we’re getting the best value for Kirsty’s money at that school. Is that even English?”

They both laughed and he let them. They'd suffered so much, so young. Especially Tiffany. He knew teasing him was one way they showed affection and although he pulled his punches with the blonde girl, he had no problem taking the piss out of Kirsty when he could.

Kirsty furrowed her brows as she thought then raised them. “Hey, El, you know what catnip is?”

He nodded. “Yes of course. Cats adore it. They want to roll around in it.”

She pointed at him. “That’s you. You, Elliot Spencer, are human catnip for the ladies of the neighborhood. They want to rub their faces all over you and purr.”

He understood. He’d picked up on the undercurrents of the conversation when company was over. He missed how straightforward Cenobites had been. If one wanted pleasure or pain, one only had to say so. “I see.” He looked at both of them. “And…what are your thoughts on that?”

Tiffany grinned. “You’re a grown man. If you want to smash the whole neighborhood I don’t care as long as you use protection.”

“Good idea,” Kirsty stood and began gathering the plates. “After I drop off Tiffany at school, I’ll swing by the pharmacy and buy you some condoms. Maybe a day planner so you don’t double book your lady friends.”

“Condoms?” he asked.

Kirsty rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me?” she said as she stacked all the plates and she and Tiffany began clearing the table. It was their turn. “You Cenobites kept up with modern technology but you don’t know what condoms are?”

“Well, I was a bit busy, you know. Serving my God, torturing souls and being summoned to Earth by idiots who didn’t know what they were doing,” his reply was a bit tart. He hated the fact he knew so little about the modern world he had to be guided through life by his “family” of two.

Tiffany rinsed the dishes then started loading the dishwasher with plates and utensils. “Well, that’s my part done. I’m gonna start my homework while you give Cousin Elliot ‘the talk’.” She grinned and hugged him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she bounded up the stairs.

Kirsty hand washed the pans and explained to Elliot about modern prophylactics and all the deadly diseases they were used to prevent. It was quite a bit of information but it seemed important to her that he understood. He nodded along but made a mental note to read all the packaging of the condoms to make sure he was following instructions.

“Thank you, Kirsty,” he said when she was finished and the dishwasher made a low thrum as she put little pods into it and turned it on.

“You’re welcome,” her smile was warm and then turned almost as sly as his neighbors’. “But I’m sure you don’t need instructions on how to please a lady. And even if you did, I’m sure the welcoming committee would be glad to teach you. Oh, Mr. Spencer,” she held the back of her hand to her forehead and spoke dramatically. “You’re just so dashing and exotic. I may just…swoon.”

She pretended to faint and leaned on him. He held her upright, made sure she was steady and gently pushed her away. “That’s quite enough of your cheek tonight, little missy.”

Kirsty laughed and batted her eyes at him while adopting a mock seductive pose in the doorway. “What? What are you going to do, Captain?” She gave him a sultry look. “Spank me?”

Elliot knew she was baiting him and didn’t mean it. Still, he reached into a drawer and pulled out an extra wide spatula. Brandishing it at her he growled, “I just might, Kirsty Cotton.”

It was a good enough imitation of his former Cenobite voice that her eyes widened before she burst out laughing. “Okay okay okay,” she giggled as she waved her hands at him. “I’m just messing with you.” She gave him a warm smile, brown eyes radiant with affection. “Sorry if I embarrassed you. You always hurt the ones you love.”

Her statement surprised him. He blinked as he slowly lowered the spatula and put it back in the drawer. “And you…love me?”

She looked at him, her eyes wide with astonishment. “I’m surprised you have to ask.” She frowned. “I guess I’ve really been busting your ass today. I’m sorry, El.”

Kirsty approached him slowly as if afraid she might startle him and put an arm around his waist to pull him closer. She looked up at him.

“Elliot,” her face was serious and sincere. “When I said you, me and Tiffany were a family, I meant it. I love both of you very much and I want you to be happy.” She sighed and let him go. She stepped back.

“And I know you’re a grown man and have needs and there are a lot of pretty ladies and hot guys who live around here.” She held up her hands before he could protest. “Just a statement. I’m not judging but I have a few guidelines if you want to…date.” One finger went up. “Rule One, be discrete. Your life, your decisions but I don’t want Tiffany hurt if people start gossiping about her cousin. Rule Two, be careful if your dates are married, because I don’t want angry wives or husbands showing up to kick your ass. Calling the police could blow our cover.”

“Rule three,” she held up a third finger and cut him off when he tried to speak. “No overnight guests. I don’t want your floozies sleeping over at my house.” She gave him a cheek kiss as well. “Good night. I’ve got some reading Daddy’s lawyer asked me to do. Something about investments.”

She headed upstairs and Elliot was left to look after her in astonishment. While he appreciated her affection and care, he was a little discomfited at how modern society was so open about sex. He chuckled to himself. A prudish Cenobite? Leviathan would sound with laughter.

*****

The day after as he took a load of clean laundry back to his room he found a bag on his bed. It contained a day planner, two large containers of personal lubricant, some smaller containers of flavored lubricant and seven different kinds of condoms.

He thought about the list of phone numbers his visitors had given him and smiled.

There was no need to squander Kirsty’s gifts, was there?

[dyoreos]

I can't believe I sat through that useless Behind The Sims stream.

I'm relieved stuff packs are back, but I don't care too much that its another cooking-related pack. Wish they'd give us a damn hobbies pack, bands, hotels...pack refreshes. Anything that we've been asking for for years now!

The new "neighborly expansion pack" sounds like it'll have a city world (and hopefully more apartments). And I saw car keys, so are we getting cars? Taxis? Subway stations? I'm keeping my expectations really low.

[beardedmrbean]

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) responded after an interview with North Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, who criticized Bulgaria for the absence of the flag of North Macedonia at an informal meeting between Presidents Rumen Radev and Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. Nikoloski's comments included strong criticism, stating that Bulgaria lacked civility and respect.

In response, the MFA declared it would not engage in such non-European rhetoric. It emphasized that Bulgaria’s partners had been informed of the provocations, which seemed aimed at disrupting diplomatic dialogue. The MFA also reiterated the importance of good neighborly relations for North Macedonia's European integration.

Bulgarian MPs also reacted sharply to Nikoloski's comments. Asen Vassilev, co-chair of "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB), criticized the remarks as insulting and disproportionate, urging North Macedonia to honor existing agreements if it wanted to join the European Union. He emphasized that Bulgaria's interests were protected by the EU and called for a reminder that written agreements must be upheld.

Delyan Peevski, chair of the DPS parliamentary group, also condemned the comments, calling for North Macedonia's ambassador to be recalled until Bulgaria receives a formal apology. He insisted that Bulgaria would not tolerate such insults from a country it had supported in the past.

Ivan Ivanov, deputy chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) parliamentary group, described the statements as unacceptable and warned they could harm bilateral relations. He stressed that Bulgaria had done everything possible to support North Macedonia’s EU bid, citing the good-neighbor agreement, which had not been respected by the Macedonian government. Ivanov, a historian, labeled Nikoloski's remarks as lies, insisting the shared history between the two nations is a historical fact.

Toshko Yordanov from "There Is Such a People" (TISP) viewed the comments as further evidence that North Macedonia does not belong in the EU. He criticized WCC-DB, DPS, and GERB for lifting the veto on North Macedonia’s EU accession, stating that leaders who use such rhetoric should have no place in the EU. Yordanov pointed out that North Macedonia’s history is tied to Bulgaria and argued that their current leaders’ attitudes demonstrated disrespect toward the entire EU. He called for European partners to take a strong stance on the issue, emphasizing that North Macedonia’s accession talks should not proceed until they respect treaties.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Politics

SCOTUS Chief Justice Sidelined Alito Days After Flag Scandal

FLAGPOLE POSITION

In an unusual change to SCOTUS protocols, Roberts opted to tackle a Jan.6-related case himself.

Corbin Bolies

Media Reporter

Updated Sep. 15, 2024 1:58PM EDT Published Sep. 15, 2024 1:57PM EDT 

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts sidelined one of the most conservative members of the high court on a pending case just days after his wife seemingly shared support for the “Stop the Steal” movement, according to a new report.

Roberts had initially asked Justice Samuel Alito to write the majority opinion in Fischer v. United States, a case that alleged the government went too far when it charged Jan. 6 rioters with obstruction of a federal proceeding, according to The New York Times.

Then came the Times’ May 16 report on his wife Martha-Ann Alito’s aggrieved decision to fly an upside-down U.S. flag—an emblem of the “Stop the Steal” movement, and propagated by some Jan. 6 rioters—outside their home in Virginia back in 2021, less than two weeks after the Capitol attack.

Four days later, on May 20, Roberts informed the court that he would write the majority opinion after all, according to the Times.

To switch authors on an opinion without a shift in the decision was unusual, experts told the newspaper. So was Roberts’ decision to take on yet another case for himself; he had written seven cases during the court’s most recent term, five of them among its most consequential rulings.

That 6-3 majority, split mostly along ideological lines, ruled the government must prove a defendant impaired specific elements of an official proceeding and it cannot apply the statute so broadly.

It is unclear if the episodes were linked, and the justices did not respond to the Times’ questions.

Alito remained on the case and was part of that majority, even as the Times uncovered that an “Appeal to Heaven” flag (symbolism also co-opted by Jan. 6 rioters) had also been on display at the Alitos beach home in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

Alito told the Times that the upside-down flag was raised as part of a neighborly dispute between his wife and a neighbor over the latter’s anti-Trump sign.

In response to congressional leaders calling for his recusal in late May, Alito said he asked his wife to take the flag down but “for several days, she refused,” and he claimed he was unaware of its significance.

“The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal,” he told Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse. “As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention.”

[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): First Migration, the Year of Sorrow, the Splitting of the Moon

Migration to Abyssinia

5th year of the prophethood, the month of Rajab (A.D. 615).

The severity of the persecution, insults, and torturous acts the polytheists inflicted upon the Muslims continued to increase and worsen each day. As a result, Mecca became an unbearable city for the Muslims to live in. The torture and hardship that increased daily had eliminated the possibility for the Muslims to worship in a state of peace.

The polytheists did not intend to forgo their cruel and inhumane behavior, either.

For that reason, one day our Holy Prophet (PBUH) told the Muslims, “You might as well spread on the face of the Earth. Allah will bring you together once again.”

When the companions asked, “O Allah’s Apostle, where shall we go?”  Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) pointed in the direction of Abyssinia and said, “It will be good if you go to the country of Abyssinia. Nobody is tortured near the Abyssinian King. It is a righteous country. Hopefully Allah will allow you to attain peace there.”

Upon our Holy Prophet ‘s (PBUH) advice and permission, the Muslim procession that constituted ten men and five women left their homeland, parents, relatives, neighbors, properties, and gardens with the blessed aim of protecting their religion, and secretly set forth in the direction of a foreign country. The individuals who constituted the first Muslim procession to Abyssinia by way of the Red Sea and who were greeted very positively by the Ruler of Abyssinia were:

Hazrat Uthman and his wife, Hazrat Ruqiyyah,

Zubair bin Awwam,

Abu Huzaifa bin Utba and his wife Sahla,

Mus’ab bin Umair,

Abdurrahman bin Awf,

Abu Salama and his wife Ummi Salama,

Uthman bin Mazun (the head of the procession),

Amir bin Rabia and his wife Layla,

Suhail bin Bayda,

Abu Sabra bin Abi Ruhm and his wife Ummu Kulthum. 

Hazrat Uthman took his wife, Hazrat Ruqiyyah by his side and proceeded on the journey before everyone else. When our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was notified, he said, “The first person to follow Prophet Lut in taking his family and migrating in the way of Allah is Uthman.” 

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) preferred Abyssinia for a few reasons: Before everything else, it was well known by the Meccans since it had been having trade relations with them for a long time. Najashi, the just Abyssinian king was the second reason. Of course, Najashi, who was renowned for his justice, would not treat an oppressed group unfairly. Another reason was that the community of Abyssinia was predominantly Christian, also meaning that it consisted of the “People of the Book.” Since they were the People of the Book, their conduct and attitude towards the Muslims would undoubtedly differ from that of the polytheists.

In fact, the Sahaba (the Companions) who had left Mecca in secrecy, were greeted wonderfully by King Najashi and his people. After settling in Abyssinia, the Muslims did not encounter any obstacles or difficulty in practicing their religious beliefs and fulfilling their religious duties. The Muslims said, “We saw good neighborliness and inviolability towards our religion. We were not mistreated. We did not hear any words that we disliked. We worshipped our Lord in peace.” 

It is really striking that our Holy Prophet (PBUH) chose Abyssinia for the Muslims to migrate to and not another country. It is impossible for the souls of a Muslim and a polytheist to unite. However, it is possible for a Muslim and a Christian, both considered as being the “People of the Book”, at least to agree on some commonalities that are found in faith. As a matter of fact, the kind conduct and the strong tolerance of which the Abyssinian community showed towards the Muslims in fulfilling their religious practices confirm this reality.

Along with all this, the migration caused many other more important positive aspects to be born. In this way, Islam was heard in the surrounding areas. As a result, the polytheists were greatly alarmed and uneasy about the handful of Muslims taking shelter in Abyssinia. They did not want the Muslims to live in peace even though they had escaped to a distant country.

Hazrat Hamza in the ranks of Muslims

(The 6th year of the prophethood)

The voice of Islam was becoming more and more resonant as it passed from ear to ear. The establishment of this divine atmosphere that freshened the hearts unsettled the polytheists. None of their applied schemes or plans could get in the way of this waterfall of faith that gushed happiness; the polytheists were withering in a state of hopelessness and devastation.

Their spiritual aches doubled due to Hamza, who was included in the circle of happiness.

Hazrat Hamza, who was our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) paternal uncle as well as his foster brother, was a hero who could not tolerate injustice no matter where it came from. He possessed a high esteem among the Quraysh.

It is never apparent where and how one will attain the blessings of faith. Hazrat Hamza attained the blessings of faith at an unexpected time.

One day, he was returning from a hunting trip (it was what he liked to do best). While he was walking towards the Kaaba from Mount Safa, he came across Abdullah bin Juda’s freed handmaiden who said, “Oh Umara’s father, if you had seen what happened, you would not have been able to bear what Abul-Hakam bin Hisham (Abu Jjahl) and his friends did to your brother’s son, Muhammad!”

Staring solemnly at the handmaid, Hazrat Hamza asked her, “What did Abul Hakam bin Hisham do to him?”

“He tortured Muhammad in a variety of ways and insulted him. He left afterwards. Muhammad did not say anything to him.”

Hazrat Hamza asked, “Did you see what you have told me with your own eyes?”

The freed handmaiden replied, “Yes, I did!”

Without stopping at his house, Hazrat Hamza, who had become immensely furious, was carrying his bow, arrow, bag, and hunting supplies with him as he went straight towards Abu Jahl and his friends, who were sitting around the Kaaba. Without asking any questions, Hazrat Hamza severely wounded Abu Jahl’s head by whopping an arrow on it amid the assembly. He spoke afterwards, “Are you the one that swore at Muhammad? I am from his religion, too. I say what he says. If you have enough strength, then try doing whatever it is that you have done to him.”

Abu Jahl began to defend himself so as to justify the actions that he had committed: “But he regarded us as stupid. He insulted our idols and chose a separate path from what our fathers chose.”

Hazrat Hamza gave a decisive and firm answer: “You worship something other than Allah by calling it a deity. Who is more stupid than you? I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger!” 

Abu Jahl and those around him did not respond nor act in the face of Hazrat Hamza’s decision. In fact, Abu Jahl even admitted to his guilt, “The truth is that I swore at our brother’s son in a very ugly manner. I deserve it.”

The Whisperings of Shaytan

When Hazrat Hamza, who had suddenly and unexpectedly entered the circle of happiness, returned to his home, he was left to deal with the shaytan’s whisperings in his mind: “You are a reputable person among the Quraysh. You have forsaken your religion by following Muhammad. You did not act wisely!”

When Hazrat Hamzah sensed that he was being exposed to the inculcations of shaytan in both his mind and heart, he went straight to the Kaaba and prayed, “O Allah, if this road that I have chosen is correct then have my heart affirm it; please provide me a solution in this matter!”

After a day passed, he went to our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) presence and explained what he had experienced;

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) then gave him advice.

Hazrat Hamza’s heart then found the confidence and level of faith it had been searching for, “I testify to your truthfulness, oh my brother’s son, explain your religion to me.”

While Hazrat Hamza’s conversion to Islam made our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Muslims immensely happy, it instilled a great sense of sadness and fear in the polytheists’ hearts. They were also obliged to forgo committing a portion of the cruel and tortuous acts that they used to inflict upon our Holy Prophet (PBUH).

New Proposals From Polytheists

The circle of guidance was expanding. The lights of faith and of the Quran were continuing to enlighten souls with their majesty and brightness.

The state of panic and worry that the polytheists were in was at a critical measure. They were completely bewildered by Hazrat Hamza’s unexpected conversion to Islam since they deemed him as a hero. The newer and gretaer losses in the castle of the polytheists led them to make new and different plans and schemes with each passing day.

One day, Utba bin Rabia, one of the leading figures from the tribe of Quraysh, said to a group of polytheists, “O, Qurayshis!  How would it be if I were to go to Muhammad and make some offers to him? Hopefully, he will accept those offers and we will fulfill his wish. In this way, he might quit what he has been doing to us.”

The group accepted the offer.

Upon this, Utba went to the Masjid al–Haram, where our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was alone and began to speak:

O my Brother’s Son! You know that you are much more fortunate and advanced than all of us in terms of honor and ancestry. However, you brought a great trouble to your tribe. You have separated their unity with this cause and have told them that they were stupid. You have decried their idols and religion and have considered their forefathers as unbelievers. If you listen to me, then I will have a few offers for you. I want you to consider them and perhaps you will accept some of them!”

When our Holy Prophet (PBUH) replied, “Explain, O Walid’s Father! I’m listening to you”, Utba began to list his offers: If your purpose is to acquire wealth and property through this cause that you propose, then we will allot our wealth so that you will be the wealthiest of us all. If you are in the pursuit of fame, then we will make you our chief. If the condition that has befallen upon you is a delusion that you do not have enough strength to overcome or if it is an illness or spell that came from your fairies and jinn, then let us bring a doctor and treat you. We will not avoid spending our wealth and property until you are saved.”

Utba made his offers and then became silent. It was our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) turn to speak, “O Walid’s Father, have you finished speaking?”

When the Messenger of Allah received the answer “yes” from Utba, he said, “Now, you listen to me.” He uttered basmala and recited verses 1-36 of the chapter Fussilat solemnly:

“Ha Mim. A Revelation from (Allah) Most Gracious, Most Merciful―A Book, whereof the verses are explained in detail― a Qur'an in Arabic, for people who understand―Giving Good News and Admonition: yet most of them turn away, and so they hear not.”

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) recited the Surah until its verse of prostration and then prostrated. Afterwards, he turned to Utba and said, “O Walid’s Father, you heard what I have read. Now, think about the rest!”

The concision of the Quranic verse and the sweetness in its meaning suddenly changed Utba’s sour face causing the Qurayshis to notice it. They told one another “By God, Abu-Walid is returning with a change in his countenance!”

When he came near them they asked, “What have you brought?”

Utba replied, “By God, I heard an utterance that is not similar to what I have heard before in my life. I swear that is not a poem, a spell, or a prophecy!” And he continued to say:

“Oh the Community of Quraysh! Listen to me, stop pursuing this task and leave this man alone for my sake! Stay far away from him and do not touch him! I swear that the words I have heard from him is great news. It will be much better if you leave him to the Arab tribes who are not from among you so they can hinder him. If he prevails over those Arabs, it means that his sovereignty and glory is yours as well. You will be the happiest and most fortunate of all people.”

Utba’s speech displeased the Qurayshis; thus they reacted by saying, “Oh Walid’s Father, he has casted a spell on your tongue.”

Walid saw that they were not listening and said; “In that case do as you please!” then distanced himself from them. 

Thus, the polytheists were facing defeat upon defeat against our Holy Prophet (PBUH). Their solutions and measures against Islam were running out one by one. Every plan and measure they applied was going against their favor since Allah had promised:

“I will complete My light even if the nonbelievers and polytheists don’t want for it to happen.”  His order to His Messenger was this:

“O Messenger! proclaim the (Message) which hath been sent to thee from thy Lord. If thou didst not thou wouldst not have fulfilled and proclaimed His Mission: and Allah will defend thee from men (who mean mischief). For Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.” 

For this reason, Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) was continuing his duty to invite the community to Islam without fear, weariness, and hesitation. He was doing his best to wave the Flag of Tawhid over the hearts of the people. As a result, the ranks of Muslims were increasing and becoming much stronger.