#thursday religious experience

[lillazyboithings]

The Father (periodic table), The Son (laboratory seat work about hybridization of carbon), and the Holy Spirit (multiple chemistry notebooks and papers spread out on my desk)

Truly a magical first week of classes

[fromgoy2joy]

So I’m in a health care major in college, and I’m having my first season of high holy days as a Jew-ish person. So, being a busy student along with having many days I need to take off in October, I’ve gotten very used to talking to professors.

I’m in a class for cultural advocacy and bias in the medical setting. We’ve spent hours reviewing case studies, talking about social determinants and education, and general cross cultural acceptance. We talked at length about different and equitable approaches for religious minorities- in terms of dietary needs, holidays, and lifestyle.

I didn’t expect any trouble with taking this class off. So I approached my professor and told her that because of Rosh Hashanah next week, I wouldn’t be able to attend class next Thursday.

She turned to me, very sweetly and said “okay! Just make sure to use your golden pass!”

The one time golden pass is provided to every student in the course- specifically for menial situations. You could use this just because you’re hung over, a little sick or just don’t feel like it.

Religious holidays are not- and as noted in my university’s policy on this very matter - “an optional day off.” I should not have to use my one “fun pass” for a genuine cultural obligation. And this isn’t me just saying that. This is the college’s policy.

If this happened in an anatomy class with a STEM driven professor, I’d be a little annoyed but ultimately understanding. But this is a class where we’ve discussed social policy at length and the importance of diversity. The least I could expect was for the fine bullet points on our own school standards to be read.

So as I write an email to her, gently explaining this and having my request in writing, I have to channel my frustration somewhere.

What can I say? I’m very much getting the Jewish experience.

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Faye Schulman

Faye Schulman was a young Jewish photographer in Poland who became a resistance fighter after her family was slaughtered by the Germans. For the next two years, she took pictures of what she witnessed, leaving an extensive photographic record for posterity.

Born Faigel Lazebnik in 1919, she was one of seven children in an Orthodox Jewish family in Lenin, a small village in Poland. Known as Faye, she learned four languages: Yiddish at home, Polish at school, Hebrew in religious school, and Russian among the non-Jewish townspeople. Her brother Moshe was a professional photographer and she worked as his assistant, developing a keen eye and a talent for photography. When Moshe moved to another town, Faigel took over his business.

After the Germans invaded Lenin in 1941, they forced the town’s Jews into a squalid ghetto. On August 14, 1942, the Nazis “liquidated” the Lenin ghetto by brutally murdering 1,850 Jews, including Faye’s parents, sisters, and brother. Only 26 Jews were spared because the Nazis could make use of their skills. Faye was ordered to develop photographs of the massacre that claimed the lives of her family as well as almost everyone she knew. She secretly made extra copies of the pictures and kept them to bear testimony to Nazi crimes against humanity.

Soon after, Faye escaped from the Nazis and joined the Molotava Brigade, a group of Russian resistance fighters in the forest of Belarus. She said, “This was the only way I could fight back and avenge my family.” They were known as “partisans” – an insurgent militia group opposing an occupation army. Despite rampant antisemitism in the group, she was allowed to join because she had some basic medical skills learned from her late brother-in-law, who had been a doctor in Lenin. Faye became the group’s nurse, serving alongside the resident doctor, a veterinarian. For almost two years, Faye dressed fighters’ wounds and did whatever she could for sick and injured fighters, despite a lack of medical equipment. She participated in armed raids, later remembering “When it was time to be hugging a boyfriend, I was hugging a rifle. Now I said to myself, my life is changed. I learned how to look after the wounded, I even learned how to make operations.”

Faye’s partisan brigade raided her hometown of Lenin, during which the resistance fighters acquired food, weapons and supplies. As they passed her childhood home, Faye urged her fellow partisans to burn it to the ground, which they did. “I won’t be living here. The family’s killed. To leave it for the enemy? I said right away: Burn it!”

Faye found her old photographic equipment, and brought it back to their forest encampment. For the next two years, Faye documented the dangerous existence of anti-Nazi partisans. It was vitally important to her because as she later said, “I want people to know that there was resistance. Jews did not go like sheep to the slaughter. I was a photographer. I have pictures. I have proof.”

Faye’s resistance group was liberated by the Soviets in July 1944. After the war ended, she was overjoyed to find that her brother Moshe had also survived and had been part of another resistance group. Faye and Moshe were the only survivors of their family of nine. Soon after Faye married Morris Schulman, who’d fought alongside Moshe. They decided to make a new life in Palestine, then occupied by the British, who made it difficult if not impossible for war-scarred Holocaust survivors to enter the land. For two years the Schulmans were stuck in a displaced persons camp in Germany, waiting for the opportunity to immigrate. They helped smuggle arms into Palestine to support the Jews fighting for independence. In 1947 Faye became pregnant, and they needed someplace safe to live. They were able to get visas to Canada, and settled in Toronto, where they ran a family business and raised two children. In 1995, Faye published a book about her experience as an anti-Nazi resistance fighter: “A Partisan’s Memoir: Woman of the Holocaust.”

Faye died on April 24, 2021, surrounded by her family, at age 101. Sadly, the last few years of her life saw an upsurge of antisemitism worldwide. Faye left an inspiring message for young people today: “To Jewish kids I would like to say – be proud to be Jewish. To non-Jewish kids I would like to say – if there is a war and you have to fight, fight for freedom and don’t be ashamed to be in the army.”

For saving lives, battling Nazis, and leaving a photographic record so the horrors of the Holocaust would not be forgotten, we honor Faye Lazebnik Schulman as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[the-mortuary-witch]

DIONYSUS

WHO IS HE?

Dionysus is a god of wine, fertility, theatre, and ecstasy. He is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Semele, and is often depicted as a youthful and handsome god with a penchant for revelry and indulgence. Dionysus is often associated with wild and untamed nature, as well as with the overturning of social norms and the celebration of primal instincts.

BASIC INFO: 

Appearance: Dionysus’ appearance can vary somewhat, but he is often depicted as a handsome, youthful man with long, curly hair and a wreath of grapevines or ivy on his head, symbolizing his association with wine and the theatre. He is often depicted wearing a flowing, loose-fitting himation (a type of cloak) and sometimes carrying a thyrsus, a staff topped with a pinecone that is associated with his role as a god of wine and ecstasy.

Personality: in terms of personality, Dionysus is often seen as a god who is passionate, vivacious, and sometimes unpredictable. He is also seen as a god who is not bound by social norms or conventions, and who is often associated with chaos and the overturning of established order. In his interactions with his devotees, Dionysus is often seen as a figure who encourages his followers to let go of their inhibitions and embrace their primal nature and deepest desires. He is also seen as a god who rewards faith and loyalty and inspires ecstatic experiences and a sense of connection to a higher power.

Symbols: thyrsus, ivy crown, grape vine, theatrical masks, and phallus

God of: wine, drunkenness, parties, wilderness, vegetation, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, theatre, LGBTQ+ Community, and fruitfulness 

Culture: Greek

Plants and trees: grape, ivy, cinnamon, silver fir, bindweed, and figs

Crystals: amethyst, tiger’s eye, serpentine, leopard jasper, amber, green opal, jade, grape agate, rose quartz, garnet, carnelian, and bloodstone

Animals: leopard, tiger, goat, donkey, lion, snake, bull, and panther

Incense: cinnamon, ivy, grape, patchouli, fig, musk, fennel, and frankincense 

Practices: transformation, wine and herb magick, personal growth, art magick, nature worship, healing, and dance magick

Colours: red, purple, green, burgundy, and gold

Number: 5 

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Tarot: The Hanged Man The Devil, and The Hierophant

Planets: Pluto and Jupiter

Days: Monday, Thursday, Bacchanalia, Dionysia, Lupercalia, New Years, and Yule

Parents: Zeus and Semele

Siblings: several paternal siblings 

Partners: Ariadne, Nyx, Aphrodite, Achilles, Acoetes, Adonis, Ampelus, Hermaphroditus, Hymenaios, Laonis, and Prosymnus

Children: Priapus, Hymen, Thoas, Staphylus, Oenopion, Tauropolis, Euanthes, Comus, and Phthonus

MISC:

Grapes: Dionysus was often invoked to ensure a bountiful grape harvest and the continued production of wine. Additionally, grapes themselves are often associated with life, fertility, and abundance, which further reinforces Dionysus' connection to them.

Wine: it was an important part of ancient Greek and Roman culture and social life, and was often consumed during religious rituals and festivals. As the god of wine, Dionysus was often invoked to ensure the fertility of the grape harvest and the production of wine.

Ivy: it’s a parasitic plant that wraps itself around other plants and trees, and was seen as a symbol of Dionysus' transformative power and ability to bring forth new life. In addition, ivy was used as decorations for Dionysia rituals and festivals, and was sometimes braided into crowns and wreaths worn by his followers, the bacchants.

Leopard: in Greek and Roman mythology, Dionysus is often depicted as being associated with leopards or having a leopard pelt. Leopards are agile, powerful, and stealthy animals, which may reflect Dionysus' wild and untamed, yet graceful and powerful nature.

Amethyst: according to legend, amethyst was originally white but was stained purple by wine, which was spilled on the stone of a statue of Dionysus. This transformation symbolizes the god's ability to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary, as well as his association with wine and the intoxicating effects of intoxication. In some interpretations, amethyst is also seen as a stone with protective and spiritual properties, which may be why it is often associated with Dionysus' divine power.

Theatre: Dionysus is often associated with theatre and the performing arts. He is the god of the theater and is believed to have transformed the tragedy and the comedy into the two main categories of the art, with his followers creating the first theatre plays. In the city-state of Athens, the theater was a major cultural institution and was often dedicated to Dionysus, with the theatre season beginning with the Dionysia, a festival in honour of the god.

LGBTQ+: in ancient Greece, Dionysus was worshipped as a god associated with liminality and the transformation of identities. This aspect of his cult is sometimes interpreted as a reflection of the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities, who, like the god, transgressed and challenged societal norms and expectations. Many followers of Dionysus, regardless of their sexual orientation, were known for their wild and ecstatic behavior, and for transcending societal boundaries. This has led to some modern practitioners of his cult to use him as a symbol of queer liberation and acceptance. Dionysus has also had both men and women as lovers

FACTS ABOUT DIONYSUS:

He’s honoured in fertility and harvest rituals. 

The maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, were known for their wild and ecstatic behavior, often indulging in drunken revelries, singing, and dancing.

The satyrs, the male companions of Dionysus, were often depicted as half-man, half-beast creatures with goat-like features, who were known for their sexual prowess and lasciviousness.

Sometimes he is referred to as Bacchus in the Roman pantheon.

The cult of Dionysus was one of the most important cults in the ancient world, and was associated with mystery and initiation rituals.

Dionysus was born twice, first as the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele, and then later, when Zeus sewed Dionysus into his thigh to protect him from Hera's wrath.

According to The Bacchae by the Greek playwright Euripides, the hero King Pentheus of Thebes opposed the introduction of Dionysian rituals and was torn apart by his own mother and aunts in a Bacchic frenzy.

HOW TO INVOKE DIONYSUS:

Set up an altar dedicated to Dionysus, and place offerings of wine, grapes, or other items that are symbolic of his domain on it, light a candle and some incense, and say a prayer or invocation to call upon Dionysus, close your eyes and enter into a meditative state, and focus on connecting with Dionysus. When you feel that you have established a connection, ask Dionysus for guidance or assistance, and wait for a response.

PRAYER FOR DIONYSUS:

Dionysus, god whose arrival is swift and certain, enduring friend of women and men whose welcome is warm, bringer of light, we see you in shadows. Dionysus, granter of great blessings, your presence is a heady wine.

Kind hearted god, to each  you give as is fitting, each vessel you fill only as we can bear, and yet with even a sip, we are drunk upon you, and our faith is affirmed. Awesome god, but our own will we drink deeply, with you we become lost, we wander, we are found. Hail to you, Lord Dionysus.

SIGNS THAT DIONYSUS IS CALLING YOU:

Having recurring dreams or visions of Dionysus or his imagery, such as grapevines, ivy, or wild animals.

Unexplainable desires for wine or other intoxicating substances, or a pull towards the arts and creativity.

Experiencing sudden and unexplainable changes in your mental state or mood, such as feeling a strong sense of ecstasy or passion.

Finding yourself drawn to images or symbols of Dionysus. 

Experiencing a strong sense of connection to nature and the world around you, or feeling a pull towards wild and untamed places.

Developing a sudden interest in ancient Greek mythology and rituals associated with Dionysus, such as the Bacchic frenzy.

Feeling a strong sense of liberation or empowerment, as if a heavy burden has been lifted, or a desire to explore and embrace your own wild side.

OFFERINGS:

Wine. 

Olive oil. 

Fruit. 

Water. 

Images of the things he’s associated with. 

Pinecones. 

Honey. 

Meats. 

Strong or spicy smelling incense. 

Wheat. 

Barley. 

Pinecones. 

Ivy leaves. 

Wildflowers. 

Goblets. 

Apple seeds. 

Masks. 

Alcoholic beverages. 

Honeyed milk. 

DEVOTIONAL ACTS:

Stand up for those that are marginalized. 

Write stories/plays for Him. 

Drink grape juice or alcohol (only if you can and want to).

Take care of your physical and mental  health. 

Go on wine tours. 

Attend festivals, parades, and parties. 

Wear faux leopard or tiger print. 

Learn about theatre. 

Practice acting/join a theatre club. 

Donate and support local theatre groups. 

Stay up late enough that reality shifts a little. 

Honour his children, Ariadne, and his companions. 

Do things that bring you pleasure. 

Take an improv class. 

Read/write more poetry. 

Attend pride and support LGBTQ+ groups. 

Wear fruity scents. 

Unapologetically blast your music. 

Stay hydrated. 

Take a writing class or continue your writing.

Go to a party. 

Eat grapes or drink grape juice. 

Be the light in the chaos. 

Find ways to add more ivy into your life. 

Get in the habit of asking for someone’s pronouns before assuming.

Use more vinegar in cooking. 

Work on your balance between chaos and organization (both are very important). 

Make crafts using wine bottles/corks. 

Dance. 

Watch an old musical. 

[elviehun]

So she's 22 years old TODAY.

My baby. My love. One of THE greatest influences that formed me as a young person, the one that I've never, ever, ever stopped loving, not even when heartbreak was so all-consuming that I couldn't even think about listening to anything they put out for more than 3 years. I've never stopped loving her. She's my safe place now, the no.1. place my mind escapes to when life gets too much or too little or too mundane or too painful. I still think it's their best album, despite the almost religious reverence I feel about The Black Parade, Bullets is, in my world, the MCR-est of MCR ever to exist. She came at a very performative period of my life, and I'm pretty sure, even after all these years, that at least 30% of my personality is formed thanks to her. Sure, there were Thursday and Thrice and Lifetime and Midtown and Green Day and Oasis and Texas is the Reason before her, and I'd be a liar if I said those bands didn't play a huge role in making me as a teen and a young adult, yet she will always stand out. I couldn't even explain why.

I just... when I listen to Bullets, I always get right back to this place, not even in my own life, but an imagined place in THEIRS, trying to put myself in the shoes of an obscure band from the same scene where I found Thursday, a scene that, over the years since, became so legendary, so canonical, that it almost feels like either historical or mythical. These beautiful, ungodly talents getting together in the weirdest ways of twisty, tangled life decisions, on the trails of tragedy and hopelessness and the inevitable change of our perspective on life and death and safety and togetherness and apartness after said tragedy, to follow a calling coming inevitably from something higher, bigger, wiser than humanity as a whole at that point, to become something nobody, especially not those handful of mercurial boys, could have even imagined. They formed and transformed a decade after the turn of the millennium that needed transformation SO BAD and exactly in the form of a couple of young talents decidedly trying to make a difference for the better because they, as young as they were, saw all what was wrong with the world.

And She was the first stepping stone in that process. I'm so grateful for having been there, even if not exactly from day one but at least from the beginning of '03 when my cousin moved back home from NYC with a cassette case (among a few others) containing Bullets, for me. Because it finished the process of changing everything. And later, when they became big worldwide too, and my heart grew twice its size with pride that those guys, MY GUYS, made it, really made it, in even greater terms than Thursday did, I found this sense of... belonging. I didn't go to concerts, I was too much of a wuss and an agoraphobe even at 19-20, I only got the feeling of community in the world of lagging and unfortunately slow internet forums and the knowledge that what I felt, what these guys, miraculously, felt too, and somehow managed to channel and broadcast, was something thousands and thousands of young people across the globe felt too. It was my first experience in that sense and I will never forget what it all gave me. They made it this big because they are one of a kind, and explosive, and just what the world needed right then. What I needed right then. And, even counting the inevitable fallouts because life became very different in a very short time for me and not long after that, for them, too, what I still seem to kind of need at this point in my life.

Geoff Rickly, as always, was right. They did become the biggest band in the world and looking back now, even if we'll get nothing more than WWWY '24 and what we got in the past 3 years, all the heartbreak is gone and all I feel is gratitude. All I feel is warm fuzzies thinking about their days spent in basements and vans and rest stops and studios and VFW halls and then festivals and arenas, is that I want to go back in time and space and be a fly on the wall, to be with them, be them, be ALL of them at the same time, each time when all the magic happened, at every step of the way, through good times and bad, young, clueless them in the beginning, with a crappy van and a celestial dream, and also current, wise and experienced them having lived everything that happened and couldn't happen, all the beauty and tragedy and growth, but also wanting to relive everything again on the receiving end, knowing nothing about how integral their magic will be throughout my adult life, but also from the perspective of the now, the reunion, the rekindling of my love for them, the new hopes, the new shows, everything, while knowing that, even faking their death for years, it never stopped. I still love each and every one of them so much. The visionary with too much raw and exposed nerve endings for this not-OK world, the unstoppable creative machine and comfort blanket of a guy in one person, the gentle and humble genius that always preferred the background, the thoughtful empath who didn't really believe in himself enough till almost the end. I love them. I love their music, all their songs, all their albums, but when I count my artistic experiences as one counts their blessings, I WILL ALWAYS, ALWAYS COUNT BULLETS TWICE.

Happy Birthday, you impossible magnificent thing.

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with Vanity Fair (2024)

If you looked up the phrase “booked and busy,” you’d probably find a picture of Jonathan Bailey. The British actor broke out as Lord Anthony Bridgerton, whose love story took center stage in the second season of Netflix’s eponymous hit romance. He captured even more hearts as Tim Laughlin, a McCarthy-era conservative turned radical queer leftist in Showtime’s epic limited series Fellow Travelers, and will soon star as another eligible bachelor, Fiyero, in Jon M. Chu’s two-part Wicked adaptation—a part Bailey scored after Chu found clips of the actor singing online. “The fact that it was a YouTube video that got me the job is kind of wild and incredible,” Bailey says on this week’s episode of Little Gold Men.

On top of all that, Bailey managed to return to the Ton for season three part two of Bridgerton, which begins streaming Thursday, June 13 and filmed concurrently with Fellow Travelers—which bled directly into Wicked. He remembers practicing Ozdust Ballroom choreography during lunch breaks on Travelers, wearing his buttoned-up G-man glasses and sharp haircut from the waist up—“and then it was Fame from the waist down. I’ve got terrible videos that may or may not surface in about a hundred years time—hopefully once I’ve died, because they’re so embarrassing.” But then again, there’s a poignancy to them: “Tim, if he’d been born 60 years later, may have played Fiyero in the school production of Wicked. And he would have loved the shiny boots.”

Vanity Fair: As Tim on Fellow Travelers, you evolve from a conservative, religious congressional staffer in the ’50s to a radical queer man living in the ’80s. What was it like filming that character arc? I have to imagine it would be tough to do.

Jonathan Bailey: It was an incredible challenge. For Tim, he’s talking about the idea of religion and faith and what that gives you at the beginning. And I think it seems to have equipped Tim to endure a love against all odds. He never gives up on Hawk (Matt Bomer). And Hawk becomes his sort of living religion, and something that he believes in.

I was like, I want to see a gay ingenue who’s a fish out of water—who’s itchy in his skin. It’s not like he’s doe-eyed and just sort of hapless; he’s fighting from the get-go. He does not understand why the world is the way it is. His emotions are the thing he leads with. And he’s all about truth and transparency and honesty. And I think that comes from this Catholic sort of conservative upbringing. So it’s just the most beautiful quest that he has in his life, to find absolution but also acceptance. But he never stops fighting. That’s why, to me, he’s an absolute icon.

Tim is prickly and struggling internally with his sexuality while also dealing externally with important moments in American history, from McCarthyism to the AIDS crisis. As a Brit, how familiar were you with the American history?

Not enough [laughs]. It was not included on the curriculum. But then I’m not sure it really was in America, either. This is why we’re shining a light on areas of history that conveniently haven’t been included. It’s an experience to explore a character throughout that time, but also the history of queer experience—to offer me, as Johnny, catharsis. And to be in a predominantly queer environment to tell that story. I relished it, because there’s so much that I need to understand about the privilege that I have now and the people that came before me. The fact that there’s five out gay actors leading the show is because of all the people that came before. And I’m telling you, people have been loving gay actors for years. They just haven’t been able to say that they’re gay.

We’re getting more and more queer stories and queer representation on screen, but these characters are not always portrayed by actual queer people. I think Fellow Travelers proves that it makes a big difference when you cast queer, out, gay, LGBTQ+ actors in roles that are queer.

This is so specifically exploring the queer experience over 40 years. I think there was a GLAAD report last week that was kind of disheartening, about how there’s been a decrease in queer or LGBTQ+ characters being represented…. Tim and Hawk and all the characters in this are born into a world where they have to fight. And if you’re ever having to monitor or adapt or to survive, if your first instinct is it might not work because of who I am, then that’s the difference between being a gay actor and not being a gay actor. It’s the fight.

The show wouldn’t work without your chemistry with Matt Bomer. How did you find that dynamic? Tim and Hawk’s relationship has a sub-dom dynamic, and at times it switches. There’s a power struggle. It’s complicated and nuanced and always believable.

[laughs] Well, I mean, Matt Bomer is a supreme being, and incredibly lovely and great. He’s got such a wealth of experience. We met on Zoom to do a chemistry read, and then we met in a coffee shop about a week, or even actually less than that—like, six days before we started filming. For about an hour we said, you know, this is such an opportunity. This is what we’re really excited about. It’s a great amount of trust and a free fall. But that’s the point of gay relationships: There is so much nuance, and the dynamic is so balanced because there’s no gender, There’s no—uh, what was it? Women are from Venus, men are from Mars.

The fact that the intimacy is so richly explored is so important to the gay experience. It’s something that I found really incredibly vital as well—to allow people to understand the way that men come together sexually is also directly linked to how the world communicates to them. You know, their relationship with their self-worth and their shame. Also, literally, where are the safe spaces that they can meet. Even in their own homes, in [Fellow Travelers], they had a window of how many hours until the sun came up and Hawk had to get out. Even there it’s unsafe. I loved that the intimacy had its own evolution.

I’m glad that you brought up the intimacy. It’s such an important part and of the show’s DNA, and, frankly, rare to see intimate scenes between two queer men on television. What was it like filming those scenes?

Personally, I just think, What an opportunity. It’s really exciting to be able to know that you’ve got the space to be able to show what you haven’t seen before. I remember Queer as Folk, Blue Is the Warmest Color. There’s been beautiful same-sex intimacy explored. But I think in this instance, it was how the two characters came together, but also directly reflective of what’s going on inside and the distance between what they really felt towards each other—what they felt like they could say, and also what they felt that they had to do in order to survive. That’s where the intimacy is incredibly hot.

It didn’t seem to me to be an overwhelming ask for the intimacy scenes. It felt to me that that was exactly what it should be. If you’re going to tell this incredibly bruising, tender, detailed love story that’s going to explore four moments in history, of course, you should explore the intimate dynamics. And I do think you can show so much about what’s happening with a human in those silent moments of intimacy. That’s why it’s brilliant. You know, I can see where sex scenes don’t further the plot and they don’t explore character development and they’re cynically included. With this, that was never going to happen because it was all on the page. And it’s important.

Source

[ohwormwood]

✧ welcome, traveller. what is it you seek? ✧

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art tag: #oh wormwood

COMMISSIONS STATUS: CLOSED

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hello! this is artemisia speaking (artemis or ari for short)! nice to meet you!

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current fandoms: in stars and time, witch hat atelier, the legend of zelda, dungeon meshi

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✧ here are the basics... ✧

artemisia ✧ artemis ✧ ari

she/her/they/them ✧ nonbinary ✧ demisexual/sapphic

20 ✧ libra ✧ INFJ-T ✧ adhd

arts major ✧ illustration certificate ✧ gender/sexuality studies minor

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here is some stuff about me and what i do!

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✧ inside my brain... ✧

✧ my special interests lie in crows/corvids/birds, symbology, spirituality/religion, creative writing, worldbuilding, and gender/sexuality studies ✧ i dabble in a lot of art mediums, but mainly specialize in illustration, digital art, watercolor, printmaking, and writing ✧ when i'm not drawing i play rpgs, write stories, kick ass at boxing, listen to music, garden, or research random topics of interest ✧ i have a pet leopard gecko, her name is circe and i love her very much

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✧ about my art...✧

i primarily work in digital illustration and sketches, but I like to do larger pieces with watercolor, ink, acrylics, or linocut printing.

i post a lot of fanart currently, but my primary goal is to eventually make the majority of my content about my original characters/stories/worldbuilding and life experiences.

i take a lot of my stylistic inspiration from the golden age of illustration, art nouveau, vintage storybook illustration, tattoo art, contemporary comic styles, woodblock printing, botanical/zoological illustrations, and abrahamic/biblical iconography.

most of my work outside of my fanart includes imagery derived from nature, birds (specifically crows), spiritualism, religious iconography, and fantasy.

my favorite thing to draw are birds and celestial beings!

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✧ current interests...✧

✧ current fandoms: In Stars and Time, The Legend of Zelda, Witch Hat Atelier, Dungeon Meshi ✧ currently playing: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ✧ currently listening to: Winter by Yabadum, Blurt by Mega Mango, FIRE4FUN by Jhariah ✧ favorite food: mangos... ✧ favorite drink: strawberry-mango tea with mango popping boba, mango chunks, and lychee ✧ favorite season: autumn ✧ favorite plant: wormwood (duh) ✧ favorite color: olive green ✧ favorite animal: crows

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✧ top 3's...✧

✧ top 3 games: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Deltarune, Little Nightmares ✧ top 3 music artists: The Crane Wives, Mother Mother, Eve ✧ top 3 visual artists: Lauren Marx, Marian Wawrzeniecki, monsterSOVKA ✧ top 3 comics/graphic novels: Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden, Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, Nimona by N.D. Stevenson ✧ top 3 books: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand ✧ top 3 movies: Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nope, Romeo + Juliet (1996)

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thanks for reading! i usually post at least once a week, on thursdays, so keep an eye out for more content in the future!

[dorotontheglow]

Structure for Improvement

Having tried different systems over the years, I have realized that I improve the best in a structure. Having a routine, knowing what I need to do and when I need to do it helps me a lot. However, with improvement knowing isn't enough unfortunately, it is the first step. What's important is taking action. And today, I wanna share some of my routines that I'll be following for improvement!

MY WORKOUT ROUTINE

I love the body weight lifting gives people so that's what I have been doing for quite sometime now but the problem is that I don't really have a routine for it. Some weeks I lift weights for five days and some weeks it's two days. I have seen results, nevertheless, but it is something I wanna do constantly as I have bigger body goals aesthetically. So here's the routine I'll follow:

Monday : Arm workout (Weight lifting)

Tuesday : Arm + leg workout (Weight lifting)

Wednesday : Ab workout (Weight lifting)

Thursday : Rest due to school

Friday : Rest due to school

Saturday : Leg + ab workout (Cardio)

Sunday : Full body (Weight lifting)

Plus, walking or biking once the weather gets a little better<3

MY LEARNING ROUTINE

This is, perhaps, what I struggle with the most. Years in the education system ended up making me burnout. I couldn't learn anything for the sake of learning it. I always had to learn something that would be useful for my studies in school. However, this has to change. I have so many things that I'm interested in and so many things I want to learn that it would be unfair to myself to not create a learning routine. (Not a studying routine, but a learning routine! Completely different in my eyes.)

Every week, I will choose a topic to do research about. I will read books and articles. I will watch videos, interviews, documentaries etc. I will try to learn as much as possible about the topic that I am interested. And then write an essay (2000 -2500 words) about it at the end of the week.

Another learning goal is learning a language. I have been trying to learn Korean and Spanish back to back which I couldn't for years! So frustrating. But for the past few months I have been learning Spanish and it's going really well. Learning a new language is really important to me because I am a language student and it's an essential personality trait of mine. So it hurts me when I get lazy or unmotivated about it. I haven't decided on my routine yet but it will probably look something like this:

Monday : Learn 10 new words + a grammar topic

Tuesday : Learn 10 new words + watch a Ted Talk in Spanish

Still a work in progress!

MY SELF-CARE ROUTINE

I think every one of these routines are under the umbrella of self-care but for the sake of giving a name to this category, I'm going to call it the Self-Care Routine.

This routine includes:

My at-home laser hair removal routine and

My skincare routine

I am starting at-home laser hair removal treatments, again... I have realized that I had spots on my legs that don't really grow hair from previous treatments so I decided to try it again. I will shave every Saturday and do the treatments on Monday. Places include : Legs, tummy, private parts.

I already have a skincare routine that I follow somewhat religiously. But I do experiment with products and I still haven't perfected it. There is an egg white face mask I bought that works really well so I'll be doing it three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Right now, these are the core routines and as I'm following them, I will add or remove things accordingly.

[willofwinnie]

Calendar of Auldrant

Though I do not know if other games in the Tales series go by a similar date and day naming system, this will primarily be Tales of the Abyss. This is a long post!

Here is all the information the game gives regarding the calendar.

The Days:

This is a funny nod towards the origins behind the names of the days of the week. Rem is light and the “Sun” in Sunday is directly referencing the Sun. It's pretty neat that both reference a form of light. 

Similar situation with Lunaday and Monday (Luna- Moon, Mon- also Moon). 

Ifrit(also spelled Efreet) is Fire. Potentially in Korean the Tuesday equivalent translates to “fire day” according to Wiki about Tuesday. I don’t speak or read Korean so I also checked WordReference and found similar characters in some of the words like rage, wrath, ire, (further down that provided list) great fire. So it potentially could be a fun nod to that, can’t completely confirm. 

Undineday is water day. In Japanese and Korean Wednesday also translates to Water Day. Yes, in WordReference the Japanese character used in Wednesday is used for water so this seems fairly straightforward. In Korean I also found a bit more difficulty as the characters are widely used in many words, there are some water-related words in the sea of words the character appears in so I wouldn’t completely dismiss the possibility. 

Sylphday is wind. Thursday is a reference to Thor, the god of thunder. The wind would relate to stormy weather that thunder and lightning often appear with. 

Loreleiday- Lorelei. Friday- the greatest day of the week. In Auldrant Lorelei is considered pretty great! Just kidding, well partially. Friday comes from Freya, the goddess of marriage and love. Lorelei is a godly figure in the world of Abyss. Though Lorelei may be caring, it’s more related to sound and memory. Daath in general is fairly religious, following Lorelei, with the Order of Lorelei. In Christianity, Good Friday is a widely celebrated day. In Catholicism, all Fridays during Lent, you can’t eat meat (but it is supposed to be all Fridays to abstain from meat not just Lent). This being Friday's equivalent does make sense with the more religious aspect of the day (since Sunday was used for the more straightforward “light” connection).

The Gnomeday-Saturday connection is fairly nonexistent. Gnome is the element earth in Auldrant. Saturday is a reference to Saturn (God of Time), sabbath day (for romantic languages), and bath day (Old Norse). I will be honest, none of these fit. Sadly, it may be a case of “just put it in somewhere.”

The Months:

There are 13 months in Auldrant. As far as I can tell, there is no official count of how many days are in each month.

If we ignore Lorelei Decan for a moment, the rest of the months go forward and reverse except for Rem Decan and Luna Redecan (which is in place of the counterpart of a potential Rem Redecan). The order of Rem, Sylph Undine, Gnome, Ifrit, and Shadow are not in the order of fonon numbers. The number order of this month list is 6, 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3, 6, 7. I am assuming Luna and Rem are two sides of the same coin and are referencing the same fonon so they are both the 6th fonon. There was close to being a pattern of taking a number, halving it, adding one, and halving it again but they ran out of whole numbers to continue that.

The first half of the year has the postfix Decan and the latter half Redecan except for the Lorelei month. This could be because Lorelei signifies that a new year will arrive, so it has the postfix Decan. Lorelei is an important figure in Auldrant, especially Daath, so a month that stands out in the name of Lorelei would be fitting.

To think of a wild interpretation of the months, it could represent a person’s life or the year’s lifespan. The beginning starts with the sun, a new beginning. The person/year goes through the experiences of their life, experiencing all it has to bring (with fonons making up the world). The center point of the person/year’s life is the Shadow months. At this point, they are no longer young and will have to figure out what to do for the rest of their life (a very shadowy midlife crisis). They reminisce about their life and go back to relive the experiences of their youth until the sun sets and the moon rises. The end of the line. Then as all 7th Fonists do, they return to the Fonbelt, to Lorelei. Then the cycle of fonons can begin again. 

Or a more logical explanation of the months could represent the cycle the memory particles go through when traveling through the Fon Belt (The Planet Storm). Then to encompass all the Fonons Lorelei represents the final one of the 7th Fonon.

Anyway, all the months can comfortably fit 58 days in them but there is a remainder of 11 days to account for in the year. If we add a day for every other month starting with the first month, that would leave 4 days remaining. I do not know a logical placement for these days, so I will add them to Lorelei Decan. The month count would be Rem Decan- 59, Sylph Decan- 58, Undine Decan- 59, Gnome Decan- 58, Ifrit Decan- 59, Shadow Decan- 58, Shadow Redecan- 59, Ifrit Redecan- 58, Gnome Redecan- 59, Undine Redecan- 58, Sylph Redecan- 59, Luna Redecan- 58, Lorelei Decan- 63. (This will be helpful for some calculations later.)

The Year:

A year in Auldrant is 765 days. That is 2.1 times longer than our calendar year. If we compare that to our world, Jade would be 70, Guy 42, Natalia 36, Tear 32, and Anise 28. Dang does Jade look great at 70 haha! I do know the 765 days is a pun because that number sounds somewhat like Namco in Japanese. In this world, I assume people age at half the rate (My condolences to all the Auldrant parents with tantrum-throwing toddlers). Since the year is twice as long, Luke being locked in his Manor for seven years and the time skip in the story would be way longer than originally believed. Nothing like Auldrant continuing to be worse and worse, right?

Birthdays:

Can't have a ramble about a fictional calendar without talking about birthdays! From around the internet, the birthdays of the characters are listed as follows: Jade- Sylph-Redecan 22, Guy- Efreet-Decan 41, Natalia- Rem-decan 37, Luke- Lorelei-Decan 48, Tear- Lorelei-Decan 1, Anise- Shadow-Decan 46. Going along with my guess on how many days per month, the day each character is born in this: Jade- 607, Guy- 275, Natalia- 37, Luke- 750, Tear- 703, Anise- 339. (Basically, add up all the days of the months prior and add then the day of the month they were born). The birthdays I got from fan sites that supposedly got them from a QNA. I do not know the accuracy of these but for the purposes of the rest of this, these are the dates used.

I have noticed that there are assigned birthdays for the characters per our calendar year. Jade is Nov 22, and Luke is Dec 25th. I found these from fan sites and repeated them across the internet. Again with these, I do not know the accuracy, so I did my own take on the potential calculations.

There are a few ways to calculate the birthdays of these characters with our own: Divide the year by two (2.1 to be more accurate) and get an approximate answer, place our calendar year onto Abyss’, and count the days (for example there will be two Decembers).

The first option is easy. Divide the day they were born by 2.1 to get the day they would be born on Earth. It would land the characters birthdays like this: Jade- 289 (Oct 16), Guy- 130 (May 10), Natalia- 17 (Jan 17), Luke- 357 (Dec 23), Tear-  334 (Nov 30th), Anise- 161 (Jun 10). These are pretty close to the associated birthdays with Luke nearly being a Christmas Eve baby and Jade being born in fall.

The second option is also easy, for any character whose birthday is over 365, subtract 365 until it is a number below 365 and find the date associated (For example, if a character is born on the 366th day, they would be born on Jan 1st in our calendar). It would land the characters birthdays like this: Jade- 242 (Aug 30th), Guy- 275 (Oct 2nd), Natalia- 37 (Feb 6th), Luke- 20 (Jan 20), Tear- 338 (December 4th), and Anise- 339 (December 5th).

Despite the numbers not exactly lining up (there will be human error on my part with calculations and rounding), if people celebrate Jade's birthday on Nov 22 that's completely fine by me! It's a fictional birthday anyway! If it means more Tales of the Abyss art and content, Jade's birthday could be Feb 14 for all I care!

This was just something fun I've been thinking about when I learned about the calendar of Auldrant! And might as well try to put all my thoughts together for a big ramble. Hope you all enjoyed!

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

August Week 1: Looking Inward

This week is going to focus on some heavy and serious topics as well as a decent amount of introspection. Some definitions will be thrown in with their various meanings and their relationship to witchcraft in general as well as what we personally see them as. So let’s hold up the mirror, think deep and allow ourselves to open up honestly with ourselves for this.

Monday: Sacrifices

Research/ New Page - Sacrifices, what are they? Literally and metaphorically. Define what a sacrifice is and then apply those contexts to your craft. Physical sacrifices of animals or people aren’t the only definition. Think along the lines of Lent in Christianity. It’s a temporary sacrifice, but it is just that, a sacrifice. How can that context apply to your craft? What is the history of sacrifice in witchcraft and paganism in general? How has that changed over time? How does it differ within various cultures? Are there points in your craft and practice where you have made sacrifices, real and physical or metaphorical? Learn as much as you can can about sacrifices!

Research/ new page- herbal study- pick another herb from your list and learn all that you can about it. Magical, medicinal, mundane, how to grow and utilize the herb to its fullest, myth and history, everything!

Tuesday: Offerings

Research/ New Page - define offerings, in a magical and spiritual or religious context. What kind of offerings can and do you make in your craft? What purpose does it serve? Is it literal or metaphorical? Why do you give these offerings? When do you give them? Who or what do you give them to? What do you give as an offering? And how do you give it? What is the difference between an offering and a sacrifice?

Research/ New Page - gem / other study - pick another gem from your list (or whatever else you’ve chosen to study here) and learn all you can about it. Where it’s from, how it is form, practical and mundane uses, magical uses and associations, history and myth! Everything!

Wednesday: Sowing

Research/ introspection - it isn’t necessarily a literal sowing of seeds, per se, but rather an investment mentally, emotionally, spiritually and magically. What does this sowing mean? What things do we sow in this way? Why do we sow these things, these emotions and spells and rituals and beliefs, these practices and investments in our lives that we hope to see fruition from at a later time? Are there things you’ve sown recently or in the past that you’re waiting to see the results of? Are there things you’ve already sown and received the harvest and reward from? How does this context apply to your craft and practice? Think like investing in education, or monetary investments, creating habits to work on your mental and physical health, things you are actively doing to bring change into you life in the fullness of time.

Practical/ Divination - perform a divination of whatever degree you think you’re capable and journal the experience. Everything from when and where you did it, to how, the question and the results!

Thursday: Harvesting

Research/ introspection - in tandem with the above prompt, what is harvesting in the same context? The metaphorical harvesting of your spiritual, magical, emotional, mental and physical investments from earlier in the year or previous years entirely. How do you harvest from the investments you made? Not all of them can be as physical as withdrawing money from a bank account. How do you reap the benefits of going to therapy? Taking new medications? Working out? Long term magic and ritual?

Friday: Refresh- Ethics and Morals

Research/ Introspection/ Meditation - Ethics and morals. Define ethics, this doesn’t necessarily need to be done on a page, but feel free to make one or add this to a journal if you feel the need. It can help self knowledge to put it to words what we think, feel and believe. Now that you have a definition of ethics, what are some of the morals and personal standards you hold to in your life and in your practice. Is community important? Honesty? Caring for others and the earth? What legs and pillars does your belief system stand on, at its core? How do all of these apply to your personal craft and practice? Think hard and deep. How have these changed over the years? What actions and events in your life have helped to form these? How do you hope they will change in the future, if at all? And how do you hold yourself accountable for standing by the things that you believe? This can be a heavy topic, so feel free to revisit it as you grow and learn more about yourself.

Whew!!! That was a lot of heavy thinking! But we made it through yet another week! Thanks for participating!

-mod Hazel

[zepskies]

Happy random questions on a Thursday this time! I was having a DAY at work today and while listening to my work playlist, I had a thought. Do you have regular songs in your rotation when you write that you ALWAYS come back to? Do you listen to anything "out there" genre or song wise you wouldn't think people expect you to? Do you ever wish fanfic could come with a soundtrack like movies to make the reader "feel" more during certain moments? ���� 💜

Hey girl! Ooh I LOVE random question time. 🥰 (Though I'm sorry you had a crap day at work. I know the feeling loll 🙃) But omg, such good questions...

Do you have regular songs in your rotation when you write that you ALWAYS come back to?

Oh, definitely! It depends on the character/fandom though! You know I create series playlists for longer projects that I've worked on, like Break Me Down (Soldier Boy x Reader), Smoke Eater (Firefighter!Dean W. x Reader), and now Between the City & the Stars (1940s!Dean W. x Reader), among others. So for Dean, it's typically a lot of classic rock and 70s and 80s hits.

In fact, for Dean I really like the playlist I created for Smoke Eater, and I would add more of those genres to it.

For Sam Winchester and Jason Teague, I tend to listen to early 2000s alt rock, which I have a whole playlist for. We're talking Lifehouse, Avril Lavigne, Goo Goo Dolls, P!nk, Screaming Trees, Matchbox 20, Five for Fighting, etc.

Do you ever wish fanfic could come with a soundtrack like movies to make the reader "feel" more during certain moments?

Oh my God, YES. This is literally half the reason I create music playlists for my fic series, and why I'll often include song inspo in my shorter fics and one-shots. It's my hope that my readers will actually listen to the song(s) while they read, and hopefully they have a more immersive experience, giving them a vibe similar to the one I had while writing.

This is also something I like about certain Webtoon comics, back when I read them religiously. Some writers/artists partnered with musicians to create a music score for chapters of their Webtoons for people to listen to while they were reading, which is actually what initially gave me the idea to include "song inspo" and music playlists for my stories.

If I'm going for something cinematic and tension filled, I'll often listen to the Moneyball soundtrack (great movie -- brilliant score!), which I rec'd on this Dean imagine I wrote: Reuniting with Dean (after he comes back from Purgatory).

Or like for The Honorable Choice & Outlander (both Dean W. western AUs), I listened to the soundtrack from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron over and over, and so I had to rec it for both fics. 🤠💜

Do you listen to anything "out there" genre or song wise you wouldn't think people expect you to?

Hmm interesting question! I'm honestly not sure what people on here would "expect" me to listen to, but I feel like I listen to a little of everything! A LOT of classic rock, 60s, 70s, and 80s, everything from the Beatles to Prince, even further back to the 1940s and 50s -- Sinatra, Mel Torme, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. Classical music too.

But I also listen to 90s and 2000s R&B and rap, alt rock, of the early 2000s, up to today's stuff. Even if I'm not as well-versed in today's music, I listen to H.E.R. and Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Cardi B., Sabrina Claudio, Chance the Rapper, Snoop, and a lot of others. Literally anything that sounds good to me. 😂 I studied music growing up, so I feel like my music taste casts a wide net lol.

Music has always been, and will always be a huge part of my life, and therefore my creative process as well. 💖

Thanks very much for asking, Michelle!! I love these kinds of questions so much. 🥰

[brynhildr13]

About the GazettE.

TL;DR I had recent experiences that reinforce my belief that Reita REALLY is still with me and with all of us. Even if they can be easily explained as coincidental. Please if you want, share something that has been helpful to heal. Take care. Gazerock is not dead. Gazerock never dies.

Full post under cut.

I consider myself spiritual, but not really religious. But let me take you through my last few days, if you so care. Its important to me and I want to share this in hopes that the others in this Fandom know that I share the pain and want to spread my own love and solace and peaceful mourning.

I took an hour drive to my twin sister's to have our birthday hangout on Wednesday. I had the GazettE on plus other vkei groups on shuffle, but I kept skipping most of the other groups trying to find the GazettE songs. A few came on and even with the heavy and rock and headbanging songs I was just sobbing. To the point where I told myself, "you have to keep your eyes open. You need to watch the road." But the TEARS were plenty and heavy. I also started to judge myself a little. Wondering why I was SO emotional.

Then I had one of those intuitive downloads where like, you know it didn't come from your own brain and then after you hear it your mind expands. I don't know who's voice it was. I couldn't repeat it if I tried. But it said, quote "but feeling is healing."

And I lost it all over. Because I knew it was right and I needed to sit with the feelings. So I let myself cry as much as I could.

And then, To Dazzling Darkness came on.

My favorite song. Well, one of them. The whole Beautiful Deformity album is iconic, but that song specifically is one of my favorites BECAUSE of Reita's bass part. (Plus my twin sister, with her music degree, thinks the song is well written and can back up why and that means a lot to me that my sister who isn't the most into heavy metal or knows the group near as well as I do likes THEIR songs BECAUSE they're good).

And after that I laughed a little and wiped my eyes and said, "ok. I get it. It has to mean you're here right now. Thank you."

Maybe it came from Reita. I'd like to think so.

Had tons of fun with my sister. Come home. Worked Thursday. That night i shed a tear or two as i watched a few music videos in bed. And i just said outloud and in my head. "As long as he's okay. I'd like a sign that he's okay, please." And i fell asleep. Fast forward to today.

Today's our birthday. I planned to grab my free trenta from Starbies cuz $0 is the only amount I'll pay there unless I'm desperate. When I got to the screen in the drive thru, i meant to order 2 cake pops for my treat. Cuz fuck it. Im desperate. I'm a sad bitch and I want cake. It's my birthday. But I have anxiety and panicked and ended up asking for them at the drive thru window instead.

And they gave me the pops and I waited to hand them my card and after a few seconds she came back up and said, "oh don't worry about them today. No charge." Once I was sure they didn't want my money I thanked them profusely.

And I drove away. And I smiled from inside. Cuz I'd like to think that that was my sign he's okay. Maybe he pulled some strings to make me smile and to say, with that grin on his face, "don't worry about me. I'm here. I'll be here. Have a cake pop you sad bitch."

I meant it when I said before his spirit is here.. there's truly a feeling of the hole in my heart filling a little. I feel like emotionally and spiritually he's here in my peripheral stronger than ever before. Especially because I had become more of a backseat fan that would slink out of the woodwork when they had new content. My "obsession" (hyperfixation) died down a lot after saw them in 2016 and 2019, and I shared my gift of art and they shared their gift of music. But that love and adoration never ever left regardless of how often I talked about it and showed it. Or didn't. Cuz NO ONE else in my every day immediate circle knows anything about them.

Cuz here's the thing, and this is just me, too. I don't have any better way or words to string together to say this other than this way. I KNOW that they don't "know me". Like , I'm not missing the physical presence like they are. I didn't sit with him every day talking about all the most common shared passionate things we're doing, etc. Etc. So I can argue for myself that because of that the burden is likely to not be as heavy as any of theirs. But music and the arts connects hearts and minds beyond the physical. And for me listening to the music keeps him close, and I almost think that I can Feel him when I hear it. I can imagine him putting a hand on my shoulder (with his endearingly weird thumbs, they always made me giggle.)

Idk I think Im getting a little off track. Long story short, he was physically here with me when he was at the shows. When he wasn't he was still there, off across the world, doing his thing. and while I knew that like in an unconscious way, i never really sat with that to be like "what are they doing right this moment" or that i could energetically feel them all at any time, you know? And I remember getting upset with myself cuz my first coherent thought after I metaphorically picked my stomach off the ground after it fell out of my butt was "well, it HAS to be ok cuz the world's still gonna turn." And that felt horrible to say. And that's not fair to me or to anyone who needs time to process this. I mean, YA, I GUESS, it WILL. But once again. This WILL still hurt for a while. And that's okay. That doesn't mean i have to "get over" it right away either. Cuz once again. The physical loss isn't felt (yet) or as heavy as the bandmen will feel. But I will feel. And my feelings are my truth. And i can argue the band itself will have worse grieving till the sun dies, and that still doesn't mean my feelings are literally less than for my own personal experience. And thats okay.

But getting back to the point of this, thinking and believing Reita's making his way to us, I now just have this new vibration around me that I know is spiritual in nature and it is energizing the room, especially when I play their music. He's here.

I keep thinking about The Haunting of Hill House and Nell's words in the last episode. And I don't want that to ever fade. I'm determined to keep him strong in my heart and my mind. Just like ruki said he and the guys would.

Anyways, I hope yall are feeling as okay as you can. I hope this may touch someone and bring more healing. Free to share things in the comments if you want, too.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Vesta enters Scorpio (pre-retrograde zone)

Thursday, January 2 - Friday, January 17, 2025

Caveat: this probably won’t have much of a personal impact on you unless Vesta is prominent in your birth chart (closely in aspect to the Sun, the Moon, &/or an angle).

This is a pretty brief time span for a Lady Asteroid. And we barely get into the ingress (and 2025) before we’re in Vesta’s pre-retrograde shadow! It seems to me we’re going to experience some rumblings of the issues we’ll face during the retrograde zone.

Personal integration - wanting to get our acts together, versus wanting complete transformation, versus wanting to burn it all down. We may seem like we’re stuck the way we are, and feel pretty hopeless about it.

Devotional/Religious activities - whether we’re “spiritual” or not, there’s a desire to give ourselves fully to it.

Scholastic interests - picking up some new obsession, or going deeper with one we already have.

One’s work or path of service - more feelings of being stuck, or possibly stagnant.

We can allow a couple of days on either side of these aspects.

Thursday, January 2 - Sunday, January 5:

Vesta/Scorpio trine Venus/Pisces, 0°07’

Vesta/Scorpio square Mars Rx/Leo, 0°40’

Vesta/Scorpio square Pluto/Aquarius, 1°13’

We may feel like we’ve found a way out of our difficulties, and then reality (or 2025) tells us “Nuh uh.” Possibly some dawning awareness of the toxicity, that gets in the way of real progress. Sexuality used as a weapon or as a punishment - turning it on/off, mostly; having a ravenous sexual appetite versus turning it off completely.

Friday, January 10 - Vesta/Scorpio sextile Mercury/Capricorn, 2°53’. We have some ideas. Given that Scorpio and Capricorn can be suspicious and negative - some people are beginning to realize some unpleasant facts. Others are realizing the extent of the damage, and therefore the extent of the healing they need.

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Princess Alice

Amazing story! Princess Alice was an unconventional royal who prioritized helping others over wealth and privilege. She devoted her life to good deeds and spiritual growth, and was notable among European royalty for taking Jews into her home during the Holocaust.

Princess Alice stood out for another reason: she was deaf from birth.

Born in 1885 at Windsor Castle, Alice was the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She learned to lip read at a young age, and could speak several languages. Alice was widely regarded as the most beautiful princess in Europe.

At age 17, Alice fell in love with dashing Prince Andrew of Greece and they were married in 1903. Alice and Andrew had four daughters and a son. Their son Philip would later be married to Queen Elizabeth II. Alice communicated with her children mainly in sign language.

Political turmoil in Greece forced the royal family into exile. They settled in a sleepy suburb of Paris, where Alice threw herself into charitable work helping Greek refugees. Her husband left her for a life of gambling and debauchery in Monte Carlo.

Relying on the charity of wealthy relatives, Alice found strength in her Greek Orthodox faith. She became increasingly religious, and believed that she was receiving divine messages and had healing powers. She yearned to share her faith and mystical experiences with others, but instead was dismissed as mentally unhinged.

Alice had a nervous breakdown in 1930. She was committed against her will to a mental institution in Switzerland, with a dubious diagnosis of schizophrenia. Alice did not even get a chance to say goodbye to her children. Her youngest, 9 year old Philip, returned from a picnic to find his mother gone.

Alice tried desperately to leave the asylum, but was kept prisoner in Switzerland for 2 1/2 years. During that time, her beloved son Philip was sent to live with relatives, and her four daughters married German princes. Alice was not allowed to attend any of their weddings.

Finally, in 1932, Alice was released. She became a wanderer, traveling through Europe by herself, staying with relatives or at bed & breakfast inns. In 1935, Alice returned to Greece, where she lived alone in a modest two bedroom apartment and worked with the poor.

The Germans occupied Athens in April 1941. Alice devoted herself to relieving the tremendous suffering in her country. She worked for the Red Cross, organizing soup kitchens and creating shelters for orphaned children. Alice also started a nursing service to provide health care to the poorest Athenians.

In 1943, the Germans started deporting the Jews of Athens to concentration camps. Alice hid a Jewish widow, Rachel Cohen, and her children in her own apartment for over a year. Rachel’s late husband, Haimaki Cohen, was an advisor to King George I of Greece, and Alice considered it her solemn duty to save the remaining Cohen family.

Alice lived yards from Gestapo headquarters. When the Germans became suspicious of her and started asking questions, she used her deafness as an excuse not to answer them. Alice kept the Cohen family safe until Greece was liberated in 1944.

After the war, Alice founded her own religious order, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary, and became a nun. She built a convent and orphanage in a poverty-stricken part of Athens. Alice dressed in a nun’s habit consisting of a drab gray robe, white wimple, cord and rosary beads – but still enjoyed smoking and playing cards.

In 1967, after a Greek military coup, Alice finally returned to Great Britain. She lived at Buckingham Palace with her son Philip and daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.

Alice died in 1969. She owned no possessions, having given everything to the poor. Before she died, Alice expressed a desire to be buried at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, but instead was laid to rest in the Royal Crypt in Windsor Castle.

In 1988, almost 20 years after she died, Alice’s dying wish was finally granted. Her remains were sent to Jerusalem, where she was buried on the Mount of Olives.

In 1994, Alice was honored by the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem (Yad Vashem) as Righteous Among The Nations. Her son Prince Philip said of his mother’s wartime heroism, “I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special. She was a person with a deep religious faith, and she would have considered it to be a perfectly natural human reaction to fellow beings in distress.”

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[detective-watson]

Weekly Astrology (Sep. 15 - Sep. 21)

(My personal interpretations of major aspects and transits.)

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Moon in Aquarius △ Jupiter in Gemini Moon in Aquarius △ Venus in Libra Moon in Aquarius □ Uranus ℞ in Taurus

Today, you may find yourself seeking others perspectives and expanding your worldview in some way. This can help you understand your place in society, as well as in your personal relationships. Do not, however, meld so much with humanity as a whole that you lose your individuality.

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Monday, September 16, 2024

Moon Void Of Course 6:03-10:48 AM, enters Pisces Moon in Pisces △ Mars in Cancer Moon in Pisces ☍ Mercury in Virgo

Your big, compassionate emotions can help you to be sensitive and nurturing in your actions today. However, those feelings may be so big that it is hard to express them verbally or in writing. The heart takes charge instead of the head today.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Moon in Pisces ☌ Saturn ℞ in Pisces Moon in Pisces □ Jupiter in Gemini Moon in Pisces ☍ Sun in Virgo Moon in Pisces ⚹ Uranus ℞ in Taurus Moon in Pisces ☌ Neptune ℞ in Pisces

Today is all about your spiritual journey. Take a while to think about: the structure of your religion or spirituality (i.e. the rules, guidelines, rituals) what is unique to your experience as opposed to common interpretations of your religion how you connect to your deities, the Earth, or other entities subconsciously (think psychic visions, divination, etc.) You may find that something your spiritual self believes doesn’t make sense to your practical self. Finding balance between faith and logic will be important.

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Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Full Harvest Moon (Peak 3:34 AM) Moon Void Of Course 10:02-10:23 AM, enters Aries Mercury in Virgo ☍ Saturn ℞ in Pisces Moon in Aries □ Mars in Cancer

Take special care not to let your knee-jerk feelings turn into extreme reactions. Today is also not the day to overly analyze your religious structure, as you may find yourself feeling limited by it.

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Thursday, September 19, 2024

Sun in Virgo △ Uranus ℞ in Taurus Moon in Aries ⚹Jupiter in Gemini Moon in Aries ☍ Venus in Libra

You may find yourself feeling an intense urge to learn something new or to change the way you communicate. Don’t let your aggressive pursuit of these things get in the way of your relationships or cause fractures. Today is a good day to dig into your sense of individuality and if you feel secure in it.

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Friday, September 20, 2024

Moon Void Of Course 9:38-10:02 AM, enters Taurus Sun in Virgo ☍ Neptune ℞ in Pisces Moon in Taurus ⚹ Mars in Cancer

It will not be a good day for delving into your psychism or other internal spiritual matters. You may find yourself over-analyzing it or feeling like it’s impractical. Your emotional stability will help you nurture those around you today.

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Saturday, September 21, 2024

Mercury in Virgo □ Jupiter in Gemini Moon in Taurus ⚹ Saturn ℞ in Pisces Moon in Taurus △ Mercury in Virgo Moon in Taurus ☌ Uranus ℞ in Taurus Moon in Taurus ⚹ Neptune ℞ in Pisces

There will be a feeling of stability today, and this will help you communicate succinctly and practically. However, that to-the-point type of expression may hold you back from growing other communication methods. That stability gives you another day this week to look at your spirituality. Many of the same themes from Tuesday reappear here, though instead of analyzing it from a spiritual standpoint, you may want to check in with how secure you feel in these aspects of your journey.

(I am an amateur astrologer, these are just my personal interpretations <3)

[swifty-fox]

for the wip game feed me plane crash… 🧎🏻‍♂️

Plane crash is my Benny/Brady side fic for Kfak (the first of two) It's about Brady's experiences in the Stalag! It sets up Curt as a character and gives us some background on what the buckies were like in there and will lead into the John POV fic

There’s no midnight christmas mass that year, Johnny doesn’t even consider asking the SS guards. He, Crank, Hoerr, Benny and a few of the other guys huddle around a lit candle and recite a few prayers in hushed voices. Johnny considers asking Bucky Egan to join them, but the Major spends the night with his back to the small congregation, shoulders pointedly stiff. 

Rosary beads catch the firelight, Johnny’s clear and Hoerr’s blood-red and Crank with a delicate tin rosary that shimmered. Benny’s was a modest black bead and silver, the crucifix heavy and well-made and threaded through his knuckles with practiced ease. His lashes were black against his pale skin as he bowed his head in prayer, dark hair curling out from under his knit cap and lips moving silently. 

Johnny looks his fill and wonders if he should feel more wrath from the Almighty about it. 

But they’d told him God had asked him to kill, and god has asked him to hold human bodies together with his abre hands and to listen to boys die screaming in his ears and fly through the heavens raining death down onto the people below. God asked him to step into his shoes for a few years and if Brady can do that then he can drag Benny DeMarco home from the war as his penance.

He’s breaking the rules, maybe more than a little bit. But everyones eyes are closed, so there’s nobody to see. God might be looking, but Johnny might be a little angry at him right now.

Some fun facts:

title is from a Thursday song I just changed it from 'car' to 'plane' for obvious reasons

you know this but, Brady has OCD! They weren't really diagnosing it back then, they would describe him as 'scrupulous' if anything. He gets it from his mother and it manifests mostly as counting & religious OCD

He's a virgin in this fic meanwhile Benny has an um. reputation. in the underground gay bars of Chicago. Lucky Brady!!