#right to be protected from harmful traditional practices

[slaveryabolitionday]

Eradicate Forced Marriage!

Marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of human rights. Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide ‘protection’, family honor, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a country’s civil registration system. While the practice is more common among girls than boys, it is a violation of rights regardless of sex.

Child marriage often compromises a girl’s development by resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation, interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career and vocational advancement and placing her at risk of domestic violence. Although the impact on child grooms has not been extensively studied, marriage may similarly place boys in an adult role for which they are unprepared, and may place economic pressures on them and curtail their opportunities for further education or career advancement.

Cohabitation – when a couple lives ‘in union’, as if married – raises the same human rights concerns as marriage. When a couple cohabitates, the assumption is often that they are adults, even if one or both has not yet reached the age of 18. Additional concerns due to the informality of the relationship – in terms of inheritance, citizenship and social recognition, for example – may make children in informal unions vulnerable in different ways than those who are formally married.

The issue of child marriage is addressed in a number of international conventions and agreements. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, for example, covers the right to protection from child marriage in article 16, which states: “The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage….” The right to ‘free and full’ consent to marriage is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that consent cannot be ‘free and full’ when one of the parties involved is not sufficiently mature to make an informed decision about a life partner. Although marriage is not mentioned directly in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, child marriage is linked to other rights – such as the right to freedom of expression, the right to protection from all forms of abuse, and the right to be protected from harmful traditional practices – and is frequently addressed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Other international agreements related to child marriage are the Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

#Forced Marriage #a girl’s development #Minimum Age for Marriage #Convention on Consent to Marriage #right to protection from all forms of abuse #right to be protected from harmful traditional practices #Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women #convention #protocol #ohchr

[genderkoolaid]

Trans men face deep isolation in Pakistan. The country, with a conservative Muslim majority, has entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality, so trans people are often considered outcasts. But trans women have a degree of toleration because of cultural traditions. Trans women in public office, on news programs, in TV shows and films, even on the catwalk, have raised awareness about a marginalized and misunderstood community. The Pakistani movie and Oscar contender “Joyland” caused an uproar last year for its depiction of a relationship between a married man and a trans woman, but it also shone a spotlight on the country’s transgender community. Trans men, however, remain largely invisible, with little mobilization, support or resources. Trans women have growing activist networks — but, according to Aman and others, they rarely incorporate or deal with trans men and their difficulties. “It’s the worst,” said Aman. “We are already disowned by our families and blood relatives, then the people we think are our people also exclude us.” Trans women have been able to carve out their space in the culture because of the historic tradition of “khawaja sira,” originally a term for male eunuchs working in South Asia’s Mughal empire hundreds of years ago. Today, the term is generally associated with people who were born male and identify as female. Khawaja sira culture also has a traditional support system of “gurus,” prominent figures who lead others. But there is no space within the term or the culture surrounding it for people who were born female and identify as male. “Every khawaja sira is transgender, but not all transgenders are khawaja sira,” said Mani, a representative for the trans male community in Pakistan. “People have been aware of the khawaja sira community for a long time, but not of trans men.” He set up a nonprofit group in 2018 because he saw nothing being done for trans men, their well-being or mental health. Trans people have seen some progress in protecting their rights. Supreme Court rulings allow them to self-identify as a third gender, neither male nor female, and have underscored they have the same rights as all Pakistani citizens. Although Mani was involved in the trans rights bill, most lobbying and advocacy work has been from transgender women since it became law. “Nobody talks about trans men or how they are impacted by the act,” said Mani. "But this is not the right time to talk about this because of the campaign by religious extremists (to veto changes to the act). I don’t want to cause any harm to the community.” Another reason for trans men’s low visibility is that females lead a more restricted life than males in Pakistan, with limits on what they can do, where they can go and how they can live. Family honor is tied to the behavior of women and girls, so they have less room to behave outside society’s norms. On a practical level, even if a girl wanted to meet trans people and get involved in the community, she wouldn’t be able to because she wouldn’t be allowed out, said Aman.

#m. #transandrophobia #transmisandry #anti transmasculinity

[thornybubbles]

Random Gemstone Themed Yandere Prompts with the Jobros.

Warnings: Typical yandere horror stuff, abusive behavior, possible harm towards reader, disturbing situations, good guys gone yandere, anti-comfort, and canon typical violence. Remember that you alone are responsible for what you choose to read. 

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Speedwagon: Prompt 17 -- Unakite- does the yandere have a point of no return or will they eventually realize how dire the consequences of their actions?

As far as yanderes go, Robert is pretty tame. His point of no return would only happen if you were ever harmed in any way. His greatest fear is if you get hurt or worse. Having his greatest fear realized would unlock a side of good ol’ Speedwagon that not even his closest friends have ever seen. Remember, he was a violent thug before he got involved with Jonathan and his quest to put an end to Dio. If anyone was ever dumb enough to put their hands on you he would revert back to his thuggish nature, only worse. It’s not a side of him he ever wanted you to see, but he’ll happily sacrifice his reputation if it means protecting you. 

As far as realizing the consequences of his actions, he’s pretty lucid. He knows that breaking into your home to watch over you as you slept is not only unsettling and inappropriate, but highly illegal. He knows that following you around to keep an eye on you is borderline stalkerish behavior. He doesn’t care though. In his eyes, it's all perfectly justified. He’s extra careful to make sure you never catch him in the act of doing these things, but rest assured that if you ever did he wouldn’t bother lying to you. He’d come right out and tell you exactly why he was doing it. 

“I don’t mean to be overstepping any boundaries, but the world’s gettin’ a lot more dangerous lately. More so than usual. Someone’s gotta look out for you in these dark times and I figure that someone may as well be ol’ Speedwagon.” 

You’ll find it difficult to look into those big, sad, brown eyes and find any fault with him. Speedwagon a stalker? Absurd! Because of this mindset that you have about him, he’ll never really experience any consequences. You’ll just have him walk alongside you instead of trailing behind you in the shadows. 

Caesar: Prompt 9 -- Diamond- what does the yandere want from their ideal darling?

With Caesar it’s all about romance. He’s no stranger to having ladies swooning over his words and actions, but just once he’d like to have someone make the first move or at least offer him something in the way of a challenge. He occasionally finds himself bored when he’s the one doing all the wooing. He flirts and flirts, but nobody ever seems to flirt back. More than even that, he’d like it if his darling didn’t just turn into a blushing mess the moment he put on the charm. Make him work for it!

If he finds you attractive, he’ll flirt the moment he lays eyes on you (though it’s mostly to annoy Joseph… at first). Maybe he goes for the traditional kiss on the back of the hand and instead of just standing there looking up at him all smitten and red-faced, you grab him by the wrist and yank him close. 

“Nuts to that old fashioned stuff! If you’re gonna kiss me, then just kiss me!” you say. 

And then maybe you pull him in for a kiss right on the lips. If you do something bold like that, you’ll completely throw him for a loop. He’ll stand there, feeling like his face is in flames and his heart is going to beat out of his chest. That brazen action of yours may have been the very thing that caused his yandere side to come bubbling up to the surface. You can’t just… you can’t just do that and walk away from him! You just can’t! You better expect him to pursue you now. As far as Caesar is concerned, you and him are practically engaged, so you may as well get used to him being around. 

Kakyoin: Prompt 14 -- Moonstone- are there things that the yandere will hide from darling at all costs?

Noriaki definitely has a dark side. We’ve seen just how bad it can get with his first introduction while he was under the influence of one of DIO’s flesh buds. Even when he is his normal self, Noriaki has a vindictive and violent side. It’s this part of him that he doesn’t want you to see. Ever. He wants you to view him as the polite, somewhat shy boy who always manages to make you swoon without even trying. He wants you to love him, not fear him. 

His dark side is reserved for people who deserve it. Like anyone that tries to interfere with his relationship with you. Let’s say some guy tries to sway you away from him while he’s standing right there: 

“Hey there, hot stuff! Why don’t you come hang out with a real man, like me, instead of this skinny dweeb?” he says as he reaches over and flicks Noriyaki on the forehead, laughing boisterously at the redhead’s displeased expression. 

Suddenly, the guy stops laughing. 

“S-sorry… about th-that…” he stammers with a strange look on his face. “I-I was out of l-line…” 

He then staggers away, staring blankly into the horizon. 

“That was weird.” you say, disturbed by the whole interaction. 

“Probably on drugs or something.” Noriaki comments, disinterested. 

Moments later there is the sound of shrieking tires followed by the sound of a car ramming into a human body. 

“That guy just walked into traffic!” someone shouts. 

You turn your head, but Noriaki is quick to shield your view. 

“You don’t want to see that!” he says as he ushers you away. “Let’s just get out of here before the rubberneckers show up.” 

Not wanting to get caught up in a crowd wanting to see blood and guts, you agree and allow Noriaki to lead you away. Nori’s expression is grim and you wonder if he saw the accident as it happened. It worries you. The last thing Nori needed was more trauma to have nightmares about. Egypt certainly took a toll on him. He still refuses to tell you anything about why he ran away or what he was up to during the time he was gone. All that you know is that whatever happened, it nearly killed him. You lean into him and he holds you close, seemingly grateful for you for just being by his side. 

As you leave the scene, Noriaki calls back Hierophant Green. The Stand slithers out of whatever is left of the lowlife’s body and returns to his master. Noriaki wants to smile in satisfaction, but he refrains. He’s very glad that you can’t see Stands, or else you would be horrified by what he’d just done. 

Okuyasu: Prompt 16 -- Rhodonite- does the yandere want kids and would they force darling into having them?

 (This is assuming that reader can have kids in the first place)

Does Okuyasu want to have kids? OH MY GOD, YES!!! Poor Okuyasu’s family life suffered so badly after his father became one of DIO’s followers. He longs to have a normal family again, or at least as normal as he can have while being a Stand user. Okuyasu sees having kids with you as a means of getting back the family that was taken from him. You can bet that he’ll be a great dad, if not a little over-protective. Okay, maybe more than a little…

As much as he wants a family, he will NEVER force it on you. If you aren’t interested in having kids, he’ll be a little disappointed, but he’ll settle for it just being the two of you alone. 

“I’m… I’m gonna be a dad? Really? Y-you’re not messing with me are you? You really mean it? We’re gonna have a kid?!” he’ll say when you tell him you’re expecting. 

Once you confirm to him that he will indeed be a dad he sinks to his knees and bursts into happy tears. After about ten minutes of that, he’ll dry up and shout, “I gotta go tell Josuke, Koichi, and everybody else in the whole neighborhood!!!” 

Before you can stop him he’s on his way out the door. He returns a moment later, grabs you (gently, of course), plants a long kiss on your lips, then runs out the door again. You stare at the door. He didn’t bother to close it behind him. You shake your head and allow yourself a small smile as you close the door. You love Okuyasu, but now that you were both going to be parents, you were going to have to have a long talk with him about his over-protectiveness. 

Bucciarati: Prompt 8 -- Chrysoprase- how does the yandere deal with heartbreak?

Honestly? Not very well. He should have expected this to happen and he blames himself. It was only a matter of time before you discovered his career as a Mafioso. It’s only natural that such a thing would scare you away. It was bad enough that you wanted to leave him, but the way you looked at him with fear and suspicion as you broke things off absolutely destroyed him. He tried to explain himself, tried to explain what his true intentions were: to destroy the illegal drug trade from the inside out, but it meant nothing to you. You wanted nothing to do with such a lifestyle. It was too dangerous for you and far too frightening. He understands why you want to leave. He really does.

But he doesn’t care. 

He should never have pursued you in the first place. He should never have let himself get involved with a normal citizen that had no connections to either Italy’s underworld or the equally hidden world of Stands and their users. You were right about it being too dangerous for you but he was far too obsessed to let you go. He should have never let himself fall for you so deeply…

It’s far too late now. Not only is he overwhelmingly in love with you, but even if you leave him, you’ll still be a target for his enemies. You’ve already been seen together far too often, so surely some of his enemies know of your connection to him. They will use you to get to him. Most of them will be Stand users, too. You aren’t a Stand user. You will have no way to defend yourself. If you go now, you’ll be putting yourself in harm’s way. You’ll be alone, without him by your side and his enemies would take advantage of that. So, that’s why he has to spirit you away and hide you somewhere that no one will find you. That’s what he tells himself. He deludes himself into thinking that he’s doing it for your own good, but deep down he knows that he just wants to keep you from leaving. And you really are in danger now, so this is mutually beneficial! Even if you don’t love him anymore, he’ll keep you safe… whether you like it or not. 

“Glare at me if you wish. Call me all manner names and swear at me if it makes you feel better. Scream until your throat bleeds. None of it will make any difference. I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger.” he tells you as he unzips your limbs. 

Anasui: Prompt 6 -- Carnelian- how does the yandere deal with their darlings strong will?

Ah yes, one of JJBA’s canon yanderes… 

Your strong will may very well have been one of the many things that attracted Anasui to you but, if your strong will leads you to push him away, when you’re so obviously meant for each other, then he’s going to be a lot less happy about it. He feels that he learned his lesson with Jolyne (he hasn’t). If you push him away the first time he puts on the charm, he’ll apologize and dial it back a bit. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, not like he did with Jolyne. So he’ll restrain himself and bide his time. You’ll come around eventually. All he has to do is find a way to endear himself to you while secretly scaring off (or getting rid of) any possible competition. It has to be different this time… he can’t take any more heartache. 

If you still refuse him, though, he might go “full yandere”. Believe me, you don’t want that. He’s only ever done that once before and that’s how he ended up in prison in the first place. Being cheated on and then rejected by Jolyne… he can’t take anymore heartache. So if you keep refusing him, he’ll realize that he’ll never earn your love. So he’ll just have to make you love him! This will lead to a psychotic break in him that will change his way of dealing with you. He’ll grow cold and sadistic. No more simping. His patience has run out. He’ll just have to kidnap you and teach you how to love him. He’ll have to punish you when you get it wrong. He won’t permanently damage you, but if he has to break you for you to learn your lesson then he will without hesitation. 

If you keep resisting even then, well it’s obvious to him that there must be something wrong with you. Maybe if he takes you apart he can find out what it is inside of you that makes you keep refusing him and remove it. He just hopes that he can put you back together again when he’s done…

“I’ve accepted the fact that I’m completely unlovable,” he’ll say in tearful rage, “but I will never accept being unloved!” 

Gyro: Prompt 12 -- Kunzite- is the yandere’s motivations love, lust or something else?

All three. Love and lust go with the territory in a romantic relationship, but Gyro also wants something constant in his life that is only for him and no one else. Gyro spent much of his life living up to his father’s strict expectations and dealing with responsibilities that were foisted upon him at an early age. He found himself taking on more responsibilities when trying to earn amnesty for young Marco. Then he agreed to help Johnny during the race and teach him the art of Spin. Nearly everything that Gyro did was for someone else’s benefit. He can’t remember a time when he did anything for himself and himself only. 

Gyro reasons that he has every right to be selfish when it involves you. He wants your love, your affection, your heart, your soul, and anything else you have to offer. Plain and simple, he wants you. Sometimes he feels guilty for his selfishness, but the moment you throw your arms around his waist and give him a loving squeeze, all of that guilt goes right out the window. You're his and his alone, and he wants everyone to know it. It's the reason he becomes like a rabid dog when you’re around anyone but him and Johnny. Gyro knows that Johnny won’t interfere, but other people? Not so much. That damned Dio keeps throwing you smug grins like he knows something… what’s that all about? And Mountain Tim had better keep his distance or he’ll end up with more scars than just on his face! 

Expect him to do a lot of hovering whenever you’re out and about. It’s a little weird, but it seems like he’s trying to hide you with his own body sometimes, almost like he doesn’t want anyone to even look at you. For example if you go to a restaurant with booth seats, he’ll always have you slide into the booth first then slide up as close as he can get to you. 

“Gyro!” you grunt uncomfortably. “Will you give me some space? You’re practically sitting on me!” 

Of course he plays it off as a joke. 

“Hmm? Wha? Did you hear that, Johnny? It sounded like the bench was talking to me! I must be losing it…” He’ll say, pretending that you aren’t practically wedged up under his ass. 

“You already lost it.” Johnny quips, ignoring your plight completely. 

He’s not about to get involved with whatever it is that’s going on with you and Gyro. 

You groan and poke him in the ribs, inadvertently starting a tickle fight. It completely takes your mind off of his clinginess. 

If he sees you spending far too much time talking with someone while you’re in town, he’ll grind his grills together so hard they shoot sparks. Once he calms himself down a bit, he’ll saunter over and fling an arm around you. 

“Hate to break up the party, but we really need to be going.” he’ll say with a good natured smile that doesn’t at all indicate how he really feels. 

That’s odd. You thought you’d have plenty of time before your group would have to get back on the road. Oh well. Guess an early start won’t hurt. 

While he’s leading you away, he takes the time to shoot the person you were talking to a warning glare. The message is clear: Stay away, or I’ll make you pay! They distance themselves from you after that. 

You are the only thing that Gyro has that’s all for him. He’s not sharing you with anyone!

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #reader insert #yandere jojo #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojos bizarre adventure #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure #yandere jjba #jojo x reader #yandere jjba x reader #jobros #yandere jobros #yandere gyro zeppeli #gyro zeppeli #sbr #steel ball run #phantom blood #yandere speedwagon #yandere speedwagon x reader #speedwagon #robert eo speedwagon #yandere Cesar Zeppeli #yandere cesar #yandere Cesar x reader #battle tendency #yandere kakyoin #noriaki kakyoin x reader #noriaki kakyoin #yandere noriaki kakyoin #stardust crusaders

[communistkenobi]

Sorry if this is a dumb question can you talk a little bit more about what you mean when you say someone’s politics are reactionary? And what the opposite of reactionary would look like in politics or media or what have you? I get that it’s a bad thing but not totally why and also what something better looks like

Not a stupid question at all - I use the term reactionary broadly to refer to right-wing responses to/analyses of current political circumstances. They are reacting to social, economic, and/or political progress and fighting for those things to be dismantled or destroyed in order to return “back” to an idealised past where those social and political advances were not available to people. This is the reason why the right wing has an eternal obsession with “tradition.” I don’t know the exact scope of the term’s lineage within Marxist thought specifically, but part of reactionary politics is, well, reaction - there is no political imagination offered beyond what already exists or has existed, reactionaries can only react to current conditions, and so right wing political projects demand a backwards historical trajectory, either to an earlier stage of capitalism or even feudalism, where these institutions better enforced (in their view, not necessarily in reality) gendered divisions of labour and gendered roles in society, cisheterosexual norms and practices, racial segregation, imperial and colonial domination, aristocratic class structures, and so on. These are founded on moral claims about what society “ought” to be like, and those moral claims are often bound to religious authorities like the Christian church, intellectual and political projects like white supremacy, colonial states like the US or France or Canada or the UK or etc, and so on. The goal is to protect these existing institutions and reinvigorate them with more political and social power - to make them great again, one might say! 

Often to justify these political goals, claims are made about harm being done to a nation or people (this is what animates “the great replacement” conspiracy about white people being bred out of society), to traditional family values, to IQ, but these are not empirical claims being made - the harm is metaphysical, the progress they oppose destabilises idealistic categories like gender or race, it’s not actually physically harming real human beings in the world. Reactionaries can hold the belief that the white race needs to be protected from non-whites, for example, despite the fact that “race” is not something that can be discovered or proven in the material or natural world, it is a fiction that organises society hierarchically but is not premised on anything real. Reactionaries equate the destabilisation of these categories with harm (eg trans people destroy the gender binary, gender equality destroys the need for men, racial equality harms whites), and so their opposition is founded on maintaining these categories, not reducing harm. The harm is part of their goal! It’s why when you point out that, for examples, trans healthcare greatly improves the lives of trans people in order to rebut reactionary claims that most trans people regret transition, they don’t care - their goal is not to reduce harm, it is to maintain existing gendered institutions and norms. They are using the language of harm for rhetorical purposes, but they are not making empirical claims about harm because they don’t give a shit about reducing harm to trans people.

It is opposite to revolutionary politics, a political imaginary looking to produce new institutions, new forms of social and economic relationships, new political horizons not previously developed in human history, or to build upon past projects that have come before. These projects are premised on analyses of current political and social conditions in order to identify the harms they cause. Things like decolonisation, socialism, transfeminism, and so on can act as (potentially) revolutionary political projects that seek to abolish old social/political relationships and hierarchies, be they gender, capitalism, settler colonialism, etc, for the purpose of creating a more just and equitable society. Demands to abolish old social and political forms are founded on empirical claims of harm - settler colonialism produces harm, the gender binary produces harm, capitalism produces harm, etc., and we can measure and assess the extent of these harms. This is part of the reason people claim Marxism is scientific, because its political conclusions and proposed solutions are based on an analysis of “material conditions” ie the real world & its various structures

#asks #anyway hope that answers ur question ! #I guess you can also call it progressive politics although that has a lot of pre-existing baggage and vagueness to it #like I don’t want to lump liberals in with this definition because they have different goals and sets of analysis #effortpost

[shut-up-rabert]

Rant timeeee

Sometimes I feel like “open minded hindus” need to form a society of our own so to make sure that neither extreme left nor extreme right hijacks the religious movement and give people a wrong Idea of Hinduism.

The way local “Hindu” orgs push for more orthodoxy really scares me. Today I heard a debate on how only salwar kameez and traditional dresses should be allowed in the temple. What is a religious person like me who doesn’t wear trad clothing supposed to do? Not pray anymore?! Not go to temples despite being a god loving Hindu?

What about Vidur’s wife who ran to see Lord Shree Krishna and forgot to put clothes on out of excitement and had to be reminded by him, who was moved by her devotion? What about Mata Bhadrakali who dons skulls, limbs and blood of demons as garments? Are they not respectable women for you?

What the fuck do you mean when you speak of muslim women the way you do? You repay those who harm Hindu Women by doing the same to innocent muslim women? What the fuck do you think women are? What happened to Hari hi Narayani? What happened to us being your equals according to the sacred texts?

What do you mean when you say Lgbtq should be punished? You seem to think you know hinduism more than doctor bhagwat, the RSS chief who unconditionally accepts the validity of Queer existence? More than lord mercury (Budhha, not Budhhā) who loved his partner even tho he turned out to be a different gender than believed? More than lord Shree Krishna who let Shikhandi have his preffered gender? More than Shree Rama who was moved to tears by his Eunech devotees? More than the Narayan who created us all fully knowing what we were going to be?

What should the Queer people who revert to Hindu because of its acceptance do? Revert again? Would your convert hungry self want that?

Do these people not realise how much they are harming Sanatan by this? Not realise that our openness and tolerance to different practices is what makes us, us?

This is not how you preserve Sanatan. The clothes and traditions are a considerable part, but our wisdom and awareness are the major ones.

Protect it from any threat and enemies who want it gone, but don’t go about making enemies from your own people who practice in a different way or aren’t what you want them to be.

If you want to create awareness about Hinduism, learn to be calm and wise and the kind of person a Hindu is supposed to be. Read the sacred texts if you will. Valour plays a big part, but Knowledge and acceptance plays aswell.

*closes powerpoint*

And this is why learned Hindus (and Sanatanis in general) need to speak up more. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Your money will be refunded shortly. :)

#hinduism #hindublr #tw: rant #all I wanna say is #HINDUISM IS TOO GOOD TO BE CONSTRICTED LIKE THIS PLEASE—

[aclowntiny]

Who in ateez is most likely to prank their s/o or another member

Thanks for the ask! I think the order would be somewhat similar for pranking each other, just the likelihood exponentially increased 💀🤭😂

Most likely to prank you:

Most: Wooyoung, Yunho, Jongho

Middle: Yeosang, Hongjoong, Mingi

Least: Seonghwa, San

Wooyoung is a little stinker and he loves attention, so if you aren’t paying him any he’ll probably mess with you! Or just tease you for a reaction 😘 but he never takes it too far, he likes things like flirtatiously taking things from you or if you’re shorter hiding things away where he can reach them. He also adores sneaking up on you and startling you 🥲 Yunho is more the type to come up with a reallllly convincing story then see you repeat something ridiculous to someone else and laugh or tell you the wrong name for something to hear you say something funny. For physical pranks it’s more like spontaneously hoisting you into his arms and running off with you, offering to feed you then letting a little whipped cream smash on your face, little playful things like that. Jongho is the most traditional prankster where he will set up an actual practical joke like sneakily buying a Halloween decoration that startled you and hiding it to laugh at your reaction again. He also is guilty of having set up scares for you just so he can comfort you 🤕

Yeosang tends to be more verbal with it, like he enjoys teasing or exposing you, but this is all in the same vein so I think that from time to time he’d enjoy reaching over and messing with a task you were doing or grabbing the controls on a game you were playing and giving his little laugh when you pout or call out his name on response 😁 The others probably convince him to try the whipped cream on hand prank when you guys have been sharing a bet for long enough so he shrugs and goes ok, why not? Hongjoong can be a little bit of a stinker when his goofy side comes out, so he doesn’t do it as often but I think he would also be the type to do things like stealing your game pieces. That or he gets extremely creative and tell you you’re watching a scary movie but he just, like, printed out the dvd insert for one and put it over the barbie movie or something. He really doesn’t like potentially harmful pranks, like the most he would do is sneak up on you and startle you. Mingi, like Yeosang, kind of takes input from the others, like they ask him wouldn’t it be funny if he put plain water or lemon juice in a can of your favorite drink and took a lil video of your reaction? And he’s like ooh yeah I guess you’re right! And that’s how he ends up with that video of you making a hilarious scrunched up face on his phone. If you go to a haunted house, he’ll jokingly grab you and use you as a human shield.

Seonghwa is not one for practical jokes and screwing with you very much. He is very sweet to you and doesn’t like to see you even potentially upset or uncomfortable. The most he would do is, like Yunho, get messy feeding you or do something like a corny hallmark Christmas movie flour fight when you guys bake 🤍 San is the same way, also very emotional and he hates feeling too teased or bullied, so he doesn’t want to turn that feeling on you! He much prefers making you feel protected and safe so it’s more likely someone else messes with you and San pulls you close and tells them to stop, chest puffing out a little. Every now and again he’ll get you with some teasing banter or grab your phone and take selfies on it, those are his version of ‘pranks’ 🥰

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #who in ateez #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #ask #anon #requested #1k party 🪅

[thejournallo]

Explain the basic: Everything to know before you start!

Surprise! surprise! Before I actualy start my new 'Explain The', I will like to make sure you know how to protect yourself and that you are doing the right thing that makes you comfortable in this new world and in your future way of practicing.

Desclaimer: Everything I will talk about is information that I got from books and sites online and even videos on YouTube. In my years of practice, I learned as much as I could out of curiosity and what works best for me. I suggest you do the same by learning as much as you can on your own (I will be here making posts teaching this kind of stuff) from multiple sources.

What is witchcraft based on?

Witchcraft is a broad and complex practice with a rich history that spans many cultures and traditions. It's important to note that witchcraft can mean different things to different people, and its beliefs and practices can vary widely. However, I can provide an overview of some of the key elements that witchcraft is based on:

Nature and the Elements: Many forms of witchcraft are deeply rooted in nature and the natural world. Practitioners often believe in the interconnectedness of all living things and the power of the elements, such as earth, air, fire, and water.

Magic and Ritual: Witchcraft often involves the use of magic and rituals. These rituals can vary widely, but they are typically used to harness and direct energy for a specific purpose, such as healing, divination, or protection.

Ancestral and Folk Traditions: Witchcraft frequently draws on ancestral and folk traditions, incorporating practices and beliefs passed down through generations. These traditions can vary by culture and region.

Belief in the Supernatural: Witchcraft often involves a belief in the supernatural, including spirits, deities, and otherworldly forces. These may be part of a practitioner's personal belief system or tied to specific traditions, like Wicca, where various gods and goddesses are honored.

Herbalism and Folk Medicine: Many witches incorporate herbalism and folk medicine into their practice. They believe that certain plants and natural substances have healing or magical properties.

Divination: Divination is the practice of seeking to gain insight or knowledge about the future or the unknown. Tarot cards, runes, pendulums, and other tools are often used for divinatory purposes within witchcraft.

Personal Empowerment: Witchcraft is often seen as a means of personal empowerment and self-discovery. Practitioners may use it to develop their intuition, self-awareness, and a sense of inner strength.

Ethics: Many witches follow ethical guidelines, such as the Wiccan Rede, which encourages actions that harm none. However, ethical codes can vary among different traditions and individuals.

Covens and Solitary Practice: Some witches practice as part of a coven, a group of individuals who gather for rituals and support. Others prefer solitary practice, working alone and following their own path.

It's important to remember that witchcraft is not a single, standardized religion or practice. It encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and traditions, and individuals may interpret and practice it in their own unique ways. As a result, there is no single set of beliefs that universally define witchcraft.

What will I talk about in my new "Explain the"?

In the new "Explain the," I will be guiding you in your journey by teaching the important basics when you start this particular journey, such as how to banish, heal, and protect, how to use the various tools, and what their meanings are. I'm going to talk about the astros and how we can use that energy, and the many types of magic that are out there. For the first few mouths, this particular "Explain the" will be "Explain the basics," because that's what I'm going to talk about. I'm not going to throw a spell tutorial without making sure you are safe while doing it.

Sometimes ago, I already talked about color magik. If you are interested, it is a good and fun way to start. We use colors every day after all.

As always, I will be more than happy to answer every question you have in mind. I'm proud of you! Have a wonderful day or night!

#journal #manifestation #manifestation method #manifesting #shifting methods #manifesation #loa methods #spiritual development #explain the method #explained #spirituality #spiritual awakening #spiritual journey #spiritual healing #spiritual disciplines #spiritualgrowth #chakras #witchcraft #witches #witch #witchery #spells #spellcraft #spellcasting #color magic #color photography #music #reality shift #shiftblr #witchblr

[magicaguajiro]

La Bóveda: Spiritually Cleansing Yourself and the Altar

Once you and the altar are physically clean, it is important to make sure you are spiritually cleansed. We cleanse to clear ourselves of any energies we may have picked up, to make the space clear of unwanted spirits who may impede our communication and to perfume the space for our spirits. Whatever way you choose to cleanse the altar and yourself is up to you, but it is important that you pray through the whole ritual. I personally like to pray things like Psalm 23, Psalm 7, Alan Kardec’s Books of Selected Prayers, and La Fe en Oracion. You can also pray from your heart or pray pagan prayers if you choose, but I do recommend researching the role Christianity plays in modern folk practices.

If you are just starting out, try using a spiritual cologne like Florida Water or 1800. It is important to cleanse every object that is part of the table. You may also choose to smoke cleanse with Tobacco, Incense, herbs, and resins like frankincense and myrrh. When using Tobacco, you usually will light the end, flip it around and blow, as if the altar is taking the puff. Blow this smoke all over the entire altar once it is complete and the candle is lit and fill the cups with smoke. Don’t burn yourself! Traditionally, a preparation would be made called an Omiero to wipe down the altar. If you want to put some more energy into it, you can choose to do a series of spiritual baths for yourself. These baths won’t just be cute roses and lavender in a milk tub. It will be consecutive days of blessed and charged baths, using 3, 5, 7, 9 or more herbs as well as things like oils, waters, dirts, resins and colognes. Spiritual baths are a great tool to add to a routine if you can figure out a way to incorporate it. Though, as someone with ADHD I know how hard it can be so don’t feel pressured to if other methods suffice for you.

[My Go-To Quick Spiritual Cleanses for Bóveda work. From Left to Right: Rue Water, Blessed Florida Water, water from where the river meets the ocean, and blessed Kolonia 1800]

There are many different types of spiritual baths. It should be noted that working with certain materia is dangerous and should be supplied by a professional or elder. Also, some herbs can harm you spiritually if they are poured on your head, like espanta muerte. Also, most baths will need to be “illuminated” with a candle burned in them. I usually use white tapers or novena candles. The baños used for espiritismo include some called bitter baths and sweet baths. Bitter baths use herbs like espanta muerte, agrimony, pepper, wormwood, and garlic. These baths are designed to clear you of any crossed conditions or evil eye, remove obstacles and steer you on course to your path. After that, a sweet bath using honey, romerillo (shepherd’s nettle), basil (albahaca), abrecamino (road-opener), Hibiscus (marpacifico), and Orange. This is to draw in the correct opportunities for your path as well as to increase your personal ‘magnetism’ in a way. This basically makes you more appealing in all ways, even for money and opportunities. But also for negative entities, so remember to wear protective amulets at this point in the process. Finally, a white bath will be prepared using things like coconut water, goats milk, cascarilla, white rum, florida water, kolonia, and camphor. This serves to enlighten you and make you more sensitive to spirits and energies around you. It also draws your spirits closer to you. You may also choose to fast on occasion during the first three days or the final day of this routine.

It can also be traditional to preform a sweeping, where you take a bundle of fresh herbs or a blessed broom and use them to swat away any energies you don’t want to invade your altar and session. This can be hard to do properly if an altar is already set up, so I would suggest doing this on the days you deep clean the bóveda. It is also important on these days and when doing deeper work and sessions at the altar to cover your head. This closes your energy off, and means to connect to your spirits you have to allow them to tap in.

These are just precautions you have to take when working with the Dead and Disincarnate. In Cuba, the folk magic is inherently tied to the muertos.

Luz y Progreso. 🕯️

#witchcraft #florida #bioregional animism #bruja #brujeria #florida witch #santeria #swamp witch #witch #traditional witchcraft

[priestess-of-yuri]

what do you need to know right now?

a timeless pick a pile reading.

remember that this is a general reading, so take what resonates and leave what doesn't!

are you feeling a bit uncertain right now? unsure which direction you're heading? do you need clarity? if you came across this, this could be a sign for you!

if you enjoy or gain something from this, please consider reblogging and/or tipping! thank you so much.

from pile 1 (left image) to pile 2 (upper right) to pile 3 (lower right), pick which image(s) resonate(s) with you the most, and then read the corresponding reading(s)! good luck.

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pile 1.

pile 1, your reading has such a soothing, vibrant quality to it. with Bee Spirit for prosperity, you are being asked to work hard. have you been disorganised lately? if you have, it's time to try to focus. it may be time to collaborate with people who feel as if they have the right energy for what you need. you never have to do things alone. let go of the dull and murky, whether that be mindsets or people around you, and embrace that which feels right and vibrant. the honey that bees make is said to correlate with gold itself, and signifies vitality and energy and health. abundance is at your fingertips; if you work hard, if you believe you deserve it, you will achieve your goals. with Wolf Spirit for family, you are being reminded that your family is here for you. your family can be related by blood, or they can be chosen. they can even be in spirit. whoever they are, know that you are supported. know that when you communicate from the heart as the wolf does, you will heal. you have so much love and support surrounding you, pile 1, and you don't need to do anything alone. with Pine Spirit for purification, you are being asked to embrace the spirit of cleansing and healing. clutter-clear your home and your mind. practice heaps of self-care. pine is antiseptic and antibacterial, and so traditionally very valued in cleansing rituals. you deserve to feel good about your life, and you are being asked to let go of all that feels clouded and dismal in your life and allow the Universe to flow through you. when you embrace all that you are, everything that you feel becomes precious. cleanse your spaces, your body, your life and allow new energy to flow in. with Phoenix for transmutation, you are leaving an old state of being behind, pile 1. you are transforming into something new, a new element. when the phoenix rises from the ashes, it is a new creature, and it has new life. you are being reborn and you are being asked to remember that every ending is also a new beginning. though it can be a scary time if change frightens you, you can remember that you will still always remain yourself at your core. you are simply becoming more yourself. you are reaching higher vibrations and you are learning, growing and healing. with Guardians of the Land for protection, you are being reminded that you are protected, but also that you need to protect yourself from harmful influences. all around you, guardians from spirit are watching over you and protecting you. they want you to succeed. but you also need to do your part to protect yourself. visualise a protective sphere around yourself and your home, and meditate on this to lend it power. you have come such a long way, and you have far to go. but remember the Universe is proud of you, and cherishes you.

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pile 2.

pile 2, your reading is very dynamic. with Fire Spirit for energy, now is the time to take action. your have an abundance of energy in you. fire is known for meaning activation, transformation, passion, creativity and much more. in some traditions it can even mean Creation itself. you are being asked to harness this energy and let go of the expectations of others. live true to yourself, and express your emotions as they are. be exactly who you are. communicate with clarity, and embrace kindness and passion. you are on an amazing journey. with Bear Spirit for healing, you are being reminded that healing is occuring all around you. you are healing, and your loved ones are healing. you are also bringing about healing yourself. when someone says "thank you", you need not question it. simply say "you're welcome." you are a beautiful force of healing and growth, so remember right now to treat yourself the way you treat others. with Air Spirit for knowledge, you are being asked to wait before taking action. air represents wisdom, thought, friendship and much more. you are being asked to restrain yourself from acting impulsively, to think things through and weigh the pros and cons. communicate with clarity, and you will go far. with Aspen Spirit for courage, you are being asked to be courageous. aspen have a network of roots that spread far and wide, and allow the trees to have lifespans of thousands and thousands of years. you are connected to a community. reach out to them, be brave and ask for help. you are not alone. with Spirit Guardian of Summer for expansion, now is a time of great change. summer is a time of great spiritual vibrancy, energy and growth. your life is expanding, whether that be internally, externally, or both! remember that now is not the time to take care of other people. care for yourself, work hard and play hard. much success will come your way if you believe you deserve it. with Elves for playfulness, try being a bit silly. elves are creatures of glee and mischief, and they will teach you the way of life that allows you to have fun. nothing more is required of you as a soul than to be happy -- and if you've been taking things a bit seriously recently, you may need to liven things up a bit! you are well on your way, pile 2, so rest assured this is a wonderful time period for you. keep growing and healing, play around a bit, and remember to take care of yourself!

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

pile 3.

your reading is ultimately one of seeking something like peace, pile 3. with Crystal Cave for trust, you are being asked to trust in your intuition. listen to others, but trust in your intuition. remember that when you go deep into caves there is a feeling of trusting that you are safe. and you are. you are safe. caves have been used in shamanic rituals because they've been thought to be gateways to opening up further intuitive understanding. they've also been said to represent the womb, a place of new life. go deep and reflect, and trust in your feelings about situations and people. with Water Spirit for manifesting dreams, you are being reminded that your emotions are valued and important. feel and behave as if you already have your dreams realised, and you will obtain even greater fortune. you attract what you feel. rather than repressing or supressing, allow your emotion to flow like that of a river, and you will be more than fine. with Starry Night for acceptance, you are underneath a beautiful shimmering array of stars. you are being asked to accept yourself in your entirety, even things which seem "bad" to you. you are not a monster, you are a human being. though there are many things in this world that you need not accept, because these things are just wrong, turn your focus inwards. accept _yourself,_ and your energy field will be beautiful and bountiful in its vibrancy. this is how you connect to the starry sky, with the Universe. with Enchanted Fern Grotto for refuge, you are being asked to seek out this sacred space and relax, and be yourself. you may need the time and space to process things, and you may need this healing space to do just that. with Earth Spirit for stability, you may be feeling destabilized. are you? perhaps you need this reminder: you are surrounded by those who care for you, love you and want the best for you. now is the time to put down roots rather than taking action. think and prepare. and if you've been thinking of making a financial investment, give it a go, because now is not the time to take risks. the earth provides us with streams, forests, oceans and mountains -- all sorts of ecosystems that allow us to thrive. you are being asked to connect with your home, with the earth, once again. with Raven Spirit for truth, you're being asked to remember that your soul craves truth. ravens are said to be messengers from the gods, and now this spirit is here to tell you that you deserve and need to practice the art of speaking and living your truth. delve deep, reflect, discard outdated modes of thinking. what do you really need? this leads to Reflecting Pool for stillness. when you choose to be still in solitude, and look deep within, you may see yourself for who you really are. all the chatter and bustle of the everyday dies away, just like looking into a reflecting pool whose ripples die away to become still. reflected back, you see an elegant and beautiful creature. seek this understanding on who you really are. be gentle with yourself, because that is the key to accessing this truth. and when you find truth, you will find peace.

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signature art credit to @.zillychu!

#tarot #oracle #alice the witch #witchblr #witch community #pagan witch #advice #witch #timeless pick a pile reading #timeless tarot reading #timeless pick a card #timeless pac #timeless oracle reading #oracle reading #life #life advice #spirituality #spiritual #poc #poc witch #brown #brown witch #queer #queer witch #alt text available

[the-fae-folk]

How do marriages between faeries and humans come to be? What could fae possibly gain from marrying a human in the first place?

Well they could gain quite a lot of different things from it.

If they're cruel and view humans as things rather than people, they could gain a toy, or a slave, or a trophy.

But if they truly love the human, it's very rare but it does happen sometimes, then they can gain a partner, a friend, a companion.

It all really depends on the faerie in question. And the circumstances in which they are marrying a human. Remember that the Folk must generally obey any contractual agreement that they enter, they are bound to it. While there are a very few instances in traditional folklore where the faerie-like being cheats or disregards an agreement or promise they made, an overbearing percentage of the time multiple cultures depict these faerie-beings as being forced to abide by the terms of the contract.

No matter how many semantic ideals humans layer on top of the concept of marriage, it is still an institutional practice which has a contractual agreement at its core. While the definitions and practices surrounding marriage vary from culture to culture, its general point is to lay the rights, obligations, boundaries, and protections between the two parties as well as their families, and their children if they happen to have any. It is a way of protecting oneself from harm. It could be future harm such as someone leaving you to fend for yourself if you have an accident that cripples you, financial harm if you lose all your money to a thief and without your partner you would be on the streets, or emotional harm if you need someone you can trust and your partner decides to betray that trust. The method of protecting against this, at least a little, is the marriage and its outline of what you agreed to do.

While the exact forms might vary between cultures, what you will need to look for is the places where you will be making some kind of contractual agreement. Often this takes the form of a Marriage License, Prenuptial Agreement, Wedding Vows, or some combination or variation of these.

For the more legal side of things you could have an agreement over such details as: Who may have control of or a say in the other's wealth, property, or business dealings. Joint responsibility for debts. Visitation rights if one member is incarcerated or hospitalized. Control over each other's affairs if they are incapacitated somehow. Establishing the right of legal guardianship over any children conceived in or brought into the marriage. Establishing a joint fund of property for the benefit of any children.

There may even be additions to this depending on cultural nuances, such as establishing certain relationships between the families of the spouses, or obligations required of them as a family unit. And this is all if the actual marrying couple is entirely in control of their own situation. In some cultures a family or a family member could choose your partner for you, and you could be forced into a marriage you didn't want as long as someone who had control of your rights agreed to the terms of the contract for you.

When it comes to vows made during a ceremony usually different kinds of promises are made, though they often still have some roots in practicality. Wedding vows are not universal and are mainly rooted in the traditions of Western Christianity, though they've had larger influence on Western Culture as a whole than some would think. Most western traditions derive from the Sarum rite of Medieval England.

Man's Vow: I [Name] take the [Name] to my weddyd wyf, to have and to hold fro thys day forwarde, for better for wors, for richer for porer, in sikenesse and in helthe, tyl deth us departe, yf holy Chyrche wyl it ordeyne; and thereto I plyght the my trouthe.

(I [Name] take [Name] to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold for the days forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part, if the holy Church will it ordain; and thereto I pledge thee my troth.)

Woman's Vow: I [Name] take the [Name] to my weddyd husbonde, to have and to hold fro thys day forwarde, for better for wurs, for richere, for porer, in sikenesse and in helthe, to be bonoure and buxum in bed and at bord, tyll deth us departe, yf holy Chyrche wyl it ordeyne; and therto I plyght the my trouth.

(I [Name] take the [Name] to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold for the days forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to be bonere and buxum in bed and at board, till death do us part, if the holy Church will it ordain; and thereto I pledge thee my troth.)

((side note: The phrase "To be bonere and buxum in bed and at board" is a matter of some contention. Bonere means to be gracious or gentle, and buxum means to be obedient. While some have interpreted this as a reference on how the wife will conduct sexual practices within the marriage, it is important to remember that bed and board is an idiomatic phrase that refers both to the place where one sleeps and gets a daily meal, as well as to the house as a symbol of the duties and sanctity of marriage. This suggests that one could interpret the phrase as meaning they are making a vow to be gracious and obedient in the marriage as a whole, as well as to remain faithful to their husband.))

As time has passed the actual form of the vows has changed, but should one wish to use the formal vows, their original form is still recognizable if altered. These vows, while not universal and not necessarily legally binding, are still a kind of agreement being made for the marriage. To be there for one another and to honor the other, to stay whether the partner gets sick or not, to stay if they're rich or poor, and to remain with the other faithfully until mortal death. As in the case of the original set of vows, many make this set of agreements directly under the authority and witnessing of their religious organization, effectively making their deity the highest authority and the one who is allowed to revoke any blessings, privileges, or rights to the marriage should either one break the agreement without getting an annulment from the church itself.

Before this kind of wedding vow, one might have found traditions like handfasting, where a couple would take hands and declare themselves then and there as husband and wife (sponsalia de praesenti form), or alternatively they could declare their intention to marry one another at a future date (sponsalia de futuro form) and then seal the marriage through sexual intercourse. Often what little ceremony found could be done, or was done, with an authority or witnesses to the marriage. However it was not always considered legally necessary. From the 12th century to the 17th it was considered a form of engagement to be married, which would then be followed by an official ceremony in Church. However the practice is much older than that and is thought to be derived from the Old Norse handfesta which is literally "to strike a bargain by joining hands".

This idea of bargaining, of contractual agreements, vows, pledges, and promises is so integral to our ideas of marriage that it's difficult to separate them, and maybe not entirely possible. It is there that you can try to understand what it is the Faerie Folk want from the union. What is it that is being agreed to? And by whom? What do they get out of the things promised, what is the exact wording given and what does all of it mean within the specific context and cultures you and your faerie spouse find yourselves in? It is no small task, of course, considering how tangled the history of faeries is with that of contracts and bargains, but anything even remotely resembling a marriage will definitely come with strings attached when they are involved with it.

#fae #faerie #otherfolk #contract #folklore #marriage #vows

[firstofficerwiggles]

Grogu's Teacher, Part 6

Part 5 | Masterlist

Pairing: Din Djarin x female reader

Rating: T

Word Count: ~2900

Warnings: hand-to-hand combat, insults

Author’s note: Hello all! I’m finally back with more of this fic. I was not expecting to take so much time off between chapters, but my life has been very busy and I am in the middle of writing a book for work so that has meant less time for fic writing. After this season of the Mandalorian, the idea of Mand’alor Din is more of an AU than before, but we press on because this is the story I want to tell. Also, of course, we never know what the future holds for Din and his darling son.

“My heart is not a prize to be won,” Din’s voice is gruff with certainty.

“Oh you are wrong there, cyare,” she says mimicking your voice nastily, “Today is the day that any woman may challenge your intended for your hand. Now that you’ve announced your cyar’ika as your official consort, I am free to challenge her as per the laws of this celebration.”

She looks over at you, “So if this social-climbing trollop wants to secure her place at your side, she’ll have to fight me for the privilege!” Bo-Katan’s voice rings out across the ballroom.

Din moves the Darksaber into an attack position and steps in front of you, shielding you with his body. You clutch Grogu tighter to your chest as you feel your blood run cold.

“If she will not fight as is our tradition, she will be branded a hut’uunn, no one will respect her," Bo-Katan declares. 

You swear you can hear a pin drop in the grand ballroom after Bo delivers her biting insult to you. You swallow hard, feeling a rush of emotions: anger, distress, and sheer surprise at her audacity. Still though, your desire to stand up for yourself and your own pride won’t let you back down from her challenge. Carefully, you place Grogu in a nearby chair and then move out from behind Din to face Bo-Katan. 

“I’m not afraid of you, Lady Kryze,” you reply, “I have great respect for Mandalorian tradition, and while I might not come from a royal family such as yours, I am equally a Mandalorian.” You tip your helmet up, “You may call me all the nasty names you like, but those who know me know the truth.”

“Such a pretty speech,” Bo-Katan mocks you, even going so far as to clap her hands sarcastically, “It’s fitting for a little decoration meant to liven up the Mand’alor’s arm, but we all know that the throne needs the support of a strong riduur, one who doesn’t just teach our traditions but who practices them too. So unless you're going to accept my challenge of combat, you’ll stay the scared weakling you are.”

You stand perfectly still, and then nod your head once and in a clear calm voice you announce, “I accept.”

Din immediately tugs at your arm, turning you back towards him, “No, cyar’ika, this is not the time nor the place for combat, you don’t need to fight her. I’ll protect you.” His voice sounds deeper than normal and you can feel his concern for you.

“I know you always will, cyare, but I need to do this,” you drop your voice so only he can hear you, “Even if I lose, I have to know that I tried, I want to show everyone that I’m willing to fight for you, that you mean that much to me.” 

“I know that and if it were me, I would fight for you too,” Din whispers to you, his helmet dropping down to touch yours in a Keldabe kiss. 

As a warrior, he knows he needs to let you fight your own battles, but as the man who loves you, everything in him is urging him to hold you close and keep you far from harm. He sighs, there is no right choice here, but he needs to make the one that shows his respect for you. Stepping back, his shoulders are set and his movements are deliberate. He reaches down and takes a vibroblade from its sheath and places it in your palm. In a voice that carries across the hall, he tells you with reverence,

“You honor me by being willing to compete, but know that you already have my heart, now and forever.”

“And you have mine,” you reply softly, your voice sounding calmer as knowing you have his support grounds you. You raise your chin and project your voice louder, “Thank you, cyare, I will do my best to bring honor to you and my clan.”

You hear a small shuffle of feet and realize there are others gathering by your side. Your cousin, Saka, reaches out to place a hand on your pauldron,

“You already honor our clan with your spirit and your dedication to the Way,” he says, his words are punctuated by the bow he gives you as he places his fist over his heart. His wife and their sons also bow to you, adding to their familial show of support.

“Your training will serve you well,” the Armorer has come over too, “Remember all that I have taught you and you will succeed in showing everyone that you have a warrior’s heart.”

“This is all so touching, but are we going to fight or just stand around sharing platitudes all evening?” Bo-Katan snarks at you.

You ignite your glowing shield and take the attack stance the Armorer has taught you, “Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur (Today is a good day for someone else to die),” you state the Mando’a saying clearly.

“Bold words from such an untrained warrior,” Bo-Katan snorts. 

She makes her first move which you manage to evade. You keep your feet moving as you’ve been instructed, deliberately but not too quickly or you will tire yourself out too soon.

“You shouldn’t make assumptions that I am untrained,” you reply calmly.

You continue to take the position of defense, and manage to outmaneuver her next attempts to land a blow. 

You hear Din mutter, “That’s it. That’s my girl.”

You bring your attention back to Bo-Katan. Din’s words bolster you and you try your own move to strike her with his blade. She avoids it though, turning on her heel and then setting up to attack you again. This time you are not fast enough and she connects with your armor, causing a loud clang and startling you with its ferocity. You’re not hurt though, but it does shake your confidence. You try a few more attack moves of your own, but you fail to connect. She manages to connect again though, a hit with her vambrace against yours. This time you feel a sting of pain, but you shrug it off and break away from her.

“Look at you, playing dress up in your shiny new armor,” Bo-Katan’s sneer can be heard even through her modulator, “You know, Miss Consort, just because you put on the armor doesn’t make you worthy of it.”

She rushes forward attempting to land a blow with her vibroblade, however this time you easily deflect it, dodging the way the Armorer has instructed you.

“I am worthy of my armor, and, unlike you, I understand that there are many ways to be a Mandalorian,” you respond to her clearly, your voice projecting calm even though you are a tangle of emotions right now. 

You take a deep breath, and then deliver your own verbal blow to her, “My armor may be new, but at least it isn’t stained with the blood of my people, or that of my sister.”

“You bitch,” Bo-Katan roars at your comment. She barrels towards you, her anger making her movements sloppy and predictable.

With Bo-Katan off-kilter, you land your first strike with the vibroblade, your aim better than hers as you manage to slice through her flight suit just between her pauldron and vambrace. You can see a thin line of blood on her arm. She screams,

“You’ll pay for that!”

You watch as she steels her shoulders and resets her feet. There’s a determination in her that you don’t like. She attacks you again, faster this time and more sure-footed and it’s overwhelming. You do your best, fighting as hard as you can. You kick at her, try blocking with your shield, and stab at her again with Din’s vibroblade. You manage to hold her off for a bit but she keeps coming at you and your blows aren’t doing enough damage to her. But then, her fist connects hard with your wrist and she knocks the blade from your hand. It startles you and you lose your concentration just long enough for her to sweep your feet. At the last minute you grab onto her arm and you both crash down in a startling bang of armor against the ballroom floor.

Bo-Katan lands heavily on top of you, and while you try to shove her off, she maintains control and forcibly pushes you harder into the ground.

“You should have stayed in your place, teacher,” she taunts you, as she brings her vibroblade up to your neck in the soft space between your armor and your helmet. 

You gasp, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” she asks, mockingly. She pushes the blade in closer to you and for a moment you think she might actually harm you.

Suddenly her arm is yanked backward by some unseen force and the blade is ripped from her fist. It flies up and across the room, to land in Grogu’s small outstretched hand. 

You breathe a sigh of true relief, “Way to go, buddy!”

You turn your head and realize that Din is right there, having run to your side the moment he felt you were in real danger. He lifts Bo-Katan off you and shoves her aside, and then reaches down to help you to your feet. His arm goes around your shoulders protectively,

“This fight is over,” he declares.

“You can’t deny that I won!” she shouts at him.

“I’m not denying that,” Din replies, his voice deadly calm, “But I am stopping this before you take it too far.”

“It’s not my fault she couldn’t put up a better fight, but she should have known that I am the superior warrior,” Bo-Katan states smugly.

Your shoulders sag a touch at that, and despite feeling that you did your best, the feeling of loss permeates your body. 

“I had to try,” you say, your voice is just above a whisper, “I did the honorable thing.”

“Yes, you did, cyar’ika,” Din tells you, his arm hugging you to his body.

You hear the sound of little feet, pattering across the floor to you. It’s Grogu, a welcome distraction, toddling his way over to you and Din, and waving Bo-Katan’s vibroblade like his own small sword. 

“Patu!” he announces with a flourish of the blade.

“Oh buddy, let’s be careful with that,” you say, picking him up and reaching for the knife.

“He can keep it,” Din states, his voice full of pride, “He earned it.” 

You notice your cousins have moved closer too. The younger ones nod along with Din’s comment and it makes you smile in spite of yourself. Seeing that they’re still here, coming up to you even after your defeat is a comforting sight.

“You have brought honor to our family with your determination to fight and your willingness to accept a challenge. We are all proud to have you as a member of our clan,” Saka states, “And this clever little foundling too. The way he magically yanked that blade from Lady Kryze’s hand was most impressive.” 

He reaches out a hand to pat Grogu on the head and you hear the little one coo happily in response and reach out to him to be held. Saka takes the baby and presents him with a scabbard for the vibroblade. 

“For you, little warrior,” Saka states.

“Grogu knows how to protect the ones he loves,” Din remarks, “As do I.” He leans down then to give you a Keldabe kiss, but just before his helmet can make contact with yours, a tsk-ing sound interrupts.

“Uh-uh, there will be none of that now,” Bo-Katan admonishes with a wag of her finger, “Mand’alor Djarin, not only did I show everyone that I’m the better warrior, I have also claimed you for my own.”

She sidles over to Din, holding her hand out, “Come and take the hand of your future bride.”

With reluctance, Din steps away from you, and turns to face Bo-Katan fully. Your heart is pounding in your chest, and your throat feels tight. You had not thought through what losing to Bo-Katan truly meant. You watch as the space between you and your love grows larger and your heart aches. Tradition is profoundly important to Mandalore and you know that Din comes from a sect that believes in upholding the old ways. 

Din stands proud, he brings himself up to his full height and with his arms planted on his hips, he seems to be larger. He speaks to Bo-Katan but loudly so that everyone in this great hall can hear him clearly. 

“You can only claim the Mand’alor,” he says, “But that is no longer me.”

He unclasps the Darksaber from his belt, and tosses it at Bo-Katan’s feet. 

“Traditions have their place and they honor those who have come before us. But traditions should not continue at the expense of the people who have to live with them. I will not remain the Mand’alor if it means giving up the one that I love, and I certainly will not accept Bo-Katan Kryze as my riduur.”

He turns and walks back to you, taking your hands in his, “I love you, cyar’ika, you are my choice.”

“I love you too, Din,” you reply, your voice cracking with emotion, “All I want is to be with you, but I don’t want to make you give up so much.”

“It isn’t worth it, ner kar’ta,” he tells you, “Without you, I don’t want it. It means nothing.”

“Such a sickening scene,” Bo-Katan mutters, “The role of Mand’alor was wasted on you, Djarin. I, on the other hand, know exactly what our people need. A true royal.” 

She leans down to scoop up the saber, igniting it and waving it above her head with a victory whoop. She turns towards the crowd, awaiting cheers. But she is met with silence.

You look across the crowd to see many clenched fists and people standing rigidly as they watch Lady Kryze try to celebrate. A low muttering begins to sweep through the room, sounding like the dull rumbling of thunder. You catch bits of comments here and there.

“She doesn’t deserve the Darksaber!”

“Her challenge was unfair!”

“Kryze is a mean-spirited bully!”

“Mand’alor Djarin is still the true leader!”

“Someone should slap her!”

“I want to slap her!”

“Disgraceful! She dishonors the true Mand’alor!”

“Djarin is the best for us!”

“Djarin has done so much!”

You begin to hear Din’s name more and more as it echoes through the crowd. Others begin to say it too and soon it grows into a chant. You even hear a few shouts of your own name in the mix. Din acknowledges the crowd with a nod, but says nothing.

Instead it is the Armorer who takes action, she walks purposefully to Bo-Katan,

“The people have spoken, Lady Kryze. No special weapon, even a sword as rare as that one, can withstand the will of our people.” 

Bo-Katan looks around at the people cheering for Din and for you, she hears the jeers and threats being made against her, and her shoulders sag in defeat. Without a word she turns off the Darksaber and drops it into the Armorer’s outstretched hand. She looks towards Din and you one more time, and then slowly walks away, navigating her way through the throng of people.

“Mand’alor, I believe you may have dropped this,” the Armorer says to Din, holding the powerful sword out to him.

Din looks at you, and tilts his head. You know his question without him having to say it.

“It’s your choice to make, Din, but whatever you choose, I’ll be here by your side,” you reassure him, giving his hand a squeeze.

He nods and takes the saber from the Armorer. A loud, joyful cheer goes up from the crowd. The noise is deafening and you’re impressed by the dedication everyone has for Din and his leadership. It fills you with pride for him. 

Din raises his hand to silence the crowd, and when relative calm has settled once again, he addresses them,

“I am honored by your faith in me, I will do all that I can to serve you for the better of all Mandalorians.”

He places his fist over his heart and bows his head to them. You watch as people in the ballroom drop to their knees and return the salute to him. It humbles you to see everyone’s loyalty and you’re about to drop to your knees too, when Din pulls you to him. He takes you in his arms and touches his helmet to yours. 

“I’m honored by you too, cyar’ika. You fought for me and showed me more loyalty than a hundred warriors on their knees.” Din’s voice is gruff and low.

“I tried my best to fight and honor you, but I lost,” you tell him, honestly.

Din chuckles, “Did you, cyar’ika?”

Grogu coos loudly at that in apparent agreement. He waves his hand at you and makes the brrr sound he’s become so fond of lately. 

You look at the happy baby in the arms of your cousin, surrounded by the rest of your new family. Then you turn back to his father whose hand reaches out to hold yours again. 

“You know, you’re right, Din, it wasn’t a loss,” you say, “In fact, I think I may have won it all.”

Note: I hope you enjoyed this! I have one more epilogue chapter planned for you!

Mando’a: 

cyare = beloved

cyar’ika = sweetheart

Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur = Today is a good day for someone else to die

ner kar’ta = my heart (my love)

Tag list: @onabouteverything @startrekkingaroundasgard @writeforfandoms @kazthedestroyer @elinedjarin @pinkiemme @vaderthepotater @jewfro24@grogusmum @imabeautifulbutterfly @dindjarinsmut @daedricprincessorigin  @jaguarthecat @loverofclones @a-side-of-kiki @literallydontlook @the-good-shittt @the-scandalorian @kristinainspace @beskar-candy @a-lil-bit-nuts @princessxkenobi @adancedivasmom  @mandosmistress @fennccshand  @green-socks @ashotofspotchka @tech-depression-inventory @kreadsfic  @let-them-hear @beskarprincessjenny @boomtowngirl @fandumbug @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @beskarmermaid @avatarkanemi @tazmbc1  @justanothersadperson93 @bruxasolta @chaoticgeminate @1800-fight-me  @dumfanting @witchisenpai @vanitysfairr @smell-my-twisted-shadows  @moonstrider9904 @misogirl828 @starlite41 @ladykatakuri​ @noodlesfics​ @electric-bloo​ @mandos-cyarika @littlemisspascal

#the mandalorian #din djarin #the mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian x female reader #din djarin x female reader #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #mand'alor din djarin

[zvaigzdelasas]

[VOA is US State Media]

[Official Transcript of PRC Foreign Minister's Briefing]

Bloomberg: The US said on Tuesday that it will impose visa limits on some officials in China for their part in allegedly forcing Tibetan children to assimilate into mainstream Chinese society. What is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response? Wang Wenbin: The US imposed those illegal sanctions on Chinese officials under the pretext of Tibet-related issues and in disregard of the facts. This move gravely interferes in China’s internal affairs, harms China’s interests, and violates basic norms governing international relations. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn it. The human rights conditions in Tibet are at their historical best, as witnessed by the international community. The region has long enjoyed a booming economy, harmonious and stable society, and effective protection and promotion of cultural heritage. The rights and freedoms of all ethnic groups, including the freedom of religious belief and the freedom to use and develop their ethnic groups’ spoken and written languages, are fully protected. As is commonly seen around the world, there are boarding schools across Chinese provinces and regions to meet the need of the local students. In the case of China’s Tibet, this is a region of high altitude and highly scattered population in many areas. For children from herding families in particular, they have to travel long distances to get to school. If schools were to be built in every place the students live, it would be very difficult to ensure adequate teachers and quality of teaching in each school. That is why boarding schools have been set up as a practical way to ensure all children’s equal right to education. It is entirely up to the students and their parents whether to go to boarding schools or not. Students can choose to go home on every weekend, holiday and festival (including traditional Tibetan festivals such as the Tibetan New Year and the Shoton Festival), as well as during the winter and summer breaks. Parents can visit their children at school any time and take their children home whenever needed. Courses of traditional culture, such as Tibetan language and literature and folk dance, are widely available, traditional food unique to the Tibet Plateau is provided, and students are allowed to wear traditional dresses at these schools. The boarding schools in Tibet are examples of human rights and cultural heritage protection. The so-called “forced assimilation” is pure fabrication.

22 Aug 23

[thebeautifulbook]

Pair of book covers with Buddhist deities. (Tibet, c. late 11th century).

The upper cover shows the most important Mahayana Buddhist deities: at center is the Buddha attaining enlightenment; at his right are the bodhisattvas Manjushri and Vajrapani; at his left sit Shadakshari Lokeshvara and Tara. Together, these deities represent enlightenment, compassion, correct method and practice; and protection from worldly harm. The lower cover, in contrast illustrates fierce protective deities flanking a central bodhisattva: Achala and Marichi at his right, and Mahapratisara and Mahakala on his left. Although these deities from the esoteric Vajrayana tradition appear in northern Indian sculptures and manuscript illustrations, only in Tibet are they grouped in a set as here.

In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

#beautiful books #book blog #books books books #book cover #books #incunabula #book design #book binding #tibetan buddhism

[sixminutestoriesblog]

mistletoe

Mistletoe is a fascinating plant even before we get into the Christmas (and other) traditions associated with it. Mistletoe is found practically world wide, with one version even thriving as far north as Siberia. It's also a parasitic plant, its sticky seeds spread by birds who leave them behind on trees where the seeds soon sprout and send their roots burrowing into the bark of their host to steal the nutrients for their own growth. It is also an evergreen, staying vibrant and leafed in the dead of winter, a brilliant ball of color against the starkness of the cold that stripes away so many other plants. Did I mention it has sticky seeds? The sap of the plant's berries is so sticky and strong, that farmers used to use it as an ingredient to make birdlime, a glue substance they would coat the branches of their trees in to catch small birds and sometimes, if the mix was strong enough, even birds of prey. And while some mistletoe plants count on birds and other animals that eat their berries to spread their seeds, some species take matters into their own hands and and build up water in their berries to the point that they literally explode, propelling the seeds at up to 30 miles per hour up to twenty feet! If there's a plant worth making up stories about, mistletoe is probably one of the most solid contenders.

And make up stories humanity did.

Possibly the most famous of these is about the Norse god Baldr. Baldr was the son of Odin and the brother of Thor and when he had a dream that he would die, his mother Frigg, went around to every plant and animal in the world and made them promise not to harm her son. They all agree, making Baldr unkillable. So unkillable that the gods made it a party trick to throw various dangerous items at Baldr during feasts just to watch them bounce off him, as one does. The only problem with this was that there was one plant that Frigg had either forgotten to ask or deemed so harmless that it didn't need to be asked. The lowly little spindly mistletoe. An opening like that can't be left unexploited and Loki, in his mischief, designed a weapon (a dart, an arrow, a spear depending on your story) and got Baldr's blind brother Hoth (or Hod or Hodr) to throw it. Sure enough, the mistletoe struck true and Baldr was killed. His death was the blow that presaged Ragnarok and the ending of the Norse gods' world.

Never neglect the little things.

Mistletoe isn't just associated with Norse stories though. The white seeds give off a sticky white sap and it shouldn't take much to figure out what humanity thought when they saw that. That's right - semen and fertility! The Celts saw it as the semen of their god of thunder, Taranis, and the Greeks called it 'oak sperm'. Yeah, that modern day tradition of kissing doesn't go half as hard as it could.

There is also some association with ancient Druids, though the only actual person we have to tell us so is Pliny, who described their harvesting methods for the plant as it grew on oak trees at midwinter. Some sensationalism may have been involved.

The Romans hung mistletoe over the doorways of their houses for protection and that habit carried through, hanging over European doorways and barns to ward off witches and lightning. Hanging mistletoe and other evergreens for the holidays came with rules though. You either had to take them down by the Epiphany, January 6th, or you had to leave them up for the new year when you could replace them with new branches. Taking them down after Epiphany was bad luck for the rest of the year otherwise.

It's jaggedly branching form wasn't just associated with lightning from the sky. Mistletoe was supposed to protect against epilepsy, lightning of the body, either by wearing a sprig of it under your clothes or, in more fancy style, having a knife hilt made from its wood. In fact there are several health traditions about mistletoe and its commonly called the cure-all in Appalachian remedy, good against a variety of nerve issues and hysteria. DO NOT DO THIS. Academic talk about folk cures aside, mistletoe is toxic. There are no recorded cases of mistletoe killing anyone and scientists are experimenting with medicinal uses for the plant - BIG HOWEVER mistletoe can lead to nausea, headaches and dizziness. In really bad cases, it can cause kidney and liver damage as well as heart and central nervous system problems.

Don't do mistletoe, kids. Stick to eating koolaid powder straight from the canister with a spoon.

Jumping back into the Christmas traditions, as an evergreen plant, mistletoe is often paired with holly and pine when decorating. And yes, the tradition of kissing under it goes back a long way. Remember it is a fertility plant. Unmarried women would try to steal sprigs of it from their local church's decorations to hide under their pillow. It was supposed to let them dream of their future husband. Likewise, a girl could predict her future marriage by burning an old sprig of mistletoe. If it burned steady, she'd have a good marriage ahead of her but if it burned in fits than her future marriage would be troubled. And yes, it is supposedly good luck to kiss under the mistletoe, one kiss for each of the berries plucked from it. Once all the berries are gone, no more kissing! And to ensure that those that did kiss under the mistletoe don't end up - gasp! - unmarried, the berryless sprig is to be burned on the Twelfth Night.

aw yeah, girl, you go get some!

#merry christmas #mistletoe #folklore #superstition #cottagecore #christmas traditions #christmas #loki #norse mythology #norse gods #toxic sperm berries #I am way too punchy to probably be writing these right now #herbology #herbalism

[howtomuslim]

The Spread of Islam to Malaysia & Indonesia

Islam’s journey to Malaysia and Indonesia is a story of peaceful coexistence and the gradual acceptance of Islam. Islam first reached Southeast Asia through trade routes, primarily conducted by Arab and Indian merchants. These traders brought not only goods but also the teachings of Islam, which gradually took root among the local populations and was closely linked to trade and cultural exchange. Muslim traders established settlements along the coastlines, where they interacted with the local communities, shared their beliefs, and built mosques and Islamic institutions foundational to Muslim communities.

Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.1 So whoever renounces false gods and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest, unfailing hand-hold. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Quran 2:256

The conversion to Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia was largely peaceful, Sufi missionaries traveled to remote areas, spreading Islam through their exemplary conduct, spiritual teachings, and community work. Islamic teachings emphasised the importance of kindness and justice towards all people, regardless of their faith resulting in great tolerance and co-existance with non-Muslims

Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair. Quran 60:8

Islam, as practiced in Malaysia and Indonesia today, upholds the rights of non-Muslims. Both countries have constitutions that guarantee freedom of religion and protect the rights of religious minorities to practice their faith without discrimination.

One such example is in Bali, which is predominantly Hindu, and the local government ensures that Hindu traditions and practices are preserved and respected. Balinese Hindus have the freedom to celebrate their religious festivals, maintain their temples, and uphold their cultural heritage without any restrictions.

“To you be your religion, and to me my religion” Quran 109:6

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) set the example of treating non-Muslims with kindness and compassion, said:

“Whoever harms a non-Muslim citizen, I am his adversary, and I shall be an adversary to him on the Day of Judgment” (Bukhari).

The spread of Islam to Malaysia and Indonesia was marked by peaceful interaction, cultural exchange, and the embodiment of Islamic values such as tolerance and compassion. Today, these countries stand as shining examples of pluralistic societies where people of different faiths live harmoniously, guided by the timeless principles of Islam.

#islamicreminders #muslim #allah #quran #mosque #islamic #islamdaily #islamiyet #islam #new article #malaysia #indonesia

[tanadrin]

In 3 months there is gonna be a call out about you that will make you abadon your tumblr

thanks for the warning! i'd hate for any callout posts to miss my most problematic opinions. let's see here... ok, i'm contemptuous of almost all forms of spirituality and religion, i think i'm on record as saying that astrology is both proto-fascist and a way for people to avoid having to deal with their actual emotional issues, 'victim's rights' as a movement is actually fascist, most anticolonial discourse is just white ethnonationalism that's been brownwashed, and most of the anti-racist activism that's in vogue right now is useless.

but here are some other opinions to cancel me over. pick whichever ones seem most problematic to you:

english orthography is good, actually.

there is no scenario on this earth where i would rather swim in the gross slimy ocean than in a nice clean swimming pool. absolutely none. fuck the ocean. it's full of dead fish and it's existentially terrifying.

i find it basically impossible to grok nonbinary people who present in a way indistinguishable from their ASAB.

cats are slightly preferable to dogs

almost all fantasy fiction is irredeemably derivative of first-wave fantasy (roughly ending with Lord of the Rings), in a way which betrays a fundamental narrowness of imagination among almost all fantasy enjoyers.

ASOIAF specifically is trash. And not the fun kind.

kids seeing fucked up things on the internet too young is good actually

ok, that's kind of a contrarian way to make my point, which is a bit subtler, but is essentially:

i trust young people to seek out information and develop their own intellectual curiosities and identities much more than i trust sanctimonious gatekeepers to accurately judge what is bad for them and what is good, and given the structure of our society the only people who are empowered by censorship are prudes, authoritarians, and bigots. i do not at all trust the average parent not to infantilize or intrude on the autonomy of their kid in a way that's more harmful to them than accidentally seeing weird porn on the internet

age of consent laws, on balance, probably do a lot more harm (in the form of subjecting teenagers engaging in consensual and healthy sexual activity to state violence, usually along lines of class and race and gender) than good (in prosecuting adults who sexually exploit children). there are much better ways to protect children from sexual exploitation by adults.

abolishing the nuclear family, for instance

"asexual" is kind of a weird label to form identity politics around. not saying it's bad, just that it seems fundamentally different from most other classifications of sexual identity, in that there have been approved social roles for asexuals for centuries, and if anything, celibacy, or at least a lack of overt interest in sex, is generally considered to be morally neutral to laudatory historically, unlike homosexuality or a deviant gender expression.

discourse on cultural appropriation is stupid

'witchcraft' is really cringe. imitation of older customs in an effort to revive them will always involve reifying things as conscious Traditions that were simply part of the normal background of life, which renders any attempt to re-create them pure performance that can never capture the spirit of the original. plus, nobody who's in to neopaganism or witchcraft seems to have more than a shallow understanding of the history and culture in which the practices they're interested in were embedded, even if they're nominally descended from that culture. in many cases such a deep understanding is simply not possible owing to a lack of evidence.

goa's annexation by India was not only illegal but unjust.

higher levels of buddhist practice and spiritual attainment resemble both spiritual psychosis and garden-variety spiritual abuse too much for that to really be a coincidence.

the dutch language is inherently ridiculous

communities do not have moral rights. individuals and collections of individuals have moral rights, and we can speak of group moral rights as a useful shorthand for that, but frequently we get lost at that layer of abstraction and start treating groups as first-class concepts, and this produces (at best) inane conclusions and (at worst) an excuse to fuck over individuals in service of the community--which in practice cashes out to serving the interests of the elite that runs the community, i.e., authoritarian conservatism. authoritarian conservatism is not better just because the authoritarian conservatives it serves happen to be a racial or religious minority.

not only should all monarchies be abolished, countries that have abolished their monarchies should make it illegal to accept titles of nobility

germany was too lenient by letting people keep their titles as part of their name during the German Revolution. they should have abolished them full stop.

even orders of merit are on thin fucking ice

maine is the rightful territory of massachussetts, and mainers are a fictional ethnicity created to justify the destruction of Greater Massachussetts. Massachussetts should annex it.

Make Washington D.C. Square Again