Revan: Malak, We Tried Things Your Way.

Pro bodily autonomy for the win!

Some transgender people undergo hormone replacement therapy or sexual reassignment surgery as part of their transition. Some do not. And interestingly, their decision on this matter is, medically speaking, none of your fucking business

John Oliver

what qualifies as a “bad” omen?? asking for a friend

I agree strongly with all of this OP. 

Community?

Several pagan/polytheist blogs have recently considered why our various online communities too often fall apart, and have been discussing ideas to help them stay together. 

It seems to me that burnout and conflict are the two main factors impacting community cohesion, so I’ll address each of those in turn.

Burnout

Our tumblr communities are voluntary associations without formal leadership and often without stated goals. I often see around 1-3 individuals actively welcoming newcomers, answering questions, and creating in-depth content. They eventually experience burnout and become less active, move to another blogging platform, or simply vanish. Some of that might due to changing circumstances (school, job, health, family, etc.) or having a change of interest, but comments indicate there’s definitely a feeling of being under-valued. Interestingly, some of the steps that could be taken to help community helpers feel appreciated may also help build community cohesion.taking responsibility,

Recognition. When we interact, we don’t always treat the other person as a real human member of our community with a life beyond the tumblr dash. We often expect entertainment, information, and quick answers. Reblogs and likes are the minimum one should do to acknowledge the content one values.Taking a moment to say “hello”, to introduce oneself, to ask how their day or a project is going lets the other person know they’re being seen, not just being regarded as a sort of Alexa. When we reblog or reply to someone, we can thank them for having made a really good comment or post, appreciate their art, or mention the wonderful items in their online shop. In short, we can treat each other with the kindness and courtesy we treat rl friends and associates, not just as faceless entities behind the screen.

Focus. We can take the time to read and digest posts and comments, and refrain from responding heedlessly. Someone recently took me to task about a small detail in a post about an Athenian festival. I pointed out that they were saying exactly what I had said in the post. They cut off the discussion without an apology.

Apologize. It takes courage to admit mistakes. Shame often leads people to deleting posts and trying to forget about the whole thing. Making a good apology - taking responsibility, acknowledging the offense, expressing remorse, and making amends - shows depth of character. Apologies can save relationships, and a community is, after all, a web of relationships.

Service. Everyone in a community has something to offer, and anyone can help answer questions! Just about everyone in the Hellenic community can direct newbies to theoi.com, share their favorite shop(s), art, poems, etc., and post about their gods. In fact, our community depends on as many of us doing these things as possible!

Support. We know who the content creators are - we see their names regularly. People don’t always have the energy to admit they’re feeling overwhelmed. When we don’t see them as often, it’s time to send a message: “How’s it going?” “Anything I can do?” “I admire your dedication.”  We can’t reach them by baking cookies or brewing tea, but we can post things they might like, answer some of those posts asking for help, offer a prayer for them. There’s an idea: how about praying for our community?

 Conflict I should be an expert in conflict by now..but I keep falling into it. Let me count…I’ve alienated at least 4 people on tumblr whom I previously regarded as friends, and there’s probably many more. Maybe you’ll be able to learn something positive from my lapses in judgement. Try to view disagreements as kindly as possible. 

Sometimes there is wisdom in scrolling past. Not everything is a problem, and not every problem, dear reader, is your problem. Our pagan religious communities intersect with the interests of people following tags for ancient history, mythology, witchcraft, feminism, and fandoms, just to name a few. A little self-control can go a long way to averting conflict.

Try to assume the best. This relates to the previous point, but I’m thinking more about my specific communities. Sometimes tumblr eats part of a post, sometimes a key word or sentence is accidentally omitted. No one has encyclopedic knowledge of a subject, and even those with Ph.Ds can miss something (which is why peer review exists). Gentle inquiry and correction is one of those things that can help preserve relationships and community.

Think of the impact on your community.  Again, relates to the previous point. Is it ever worth embarrassing a member of one’s community? When online forums first started, people were encouraged to observe a “5-minute rule”, an “hour rule”, or a “24-hour rule” to think over a reply before sending. There are times when a diplomatically-worded private message might save feelings all around. There are times when one realizes no input is really necessary. 

But, face it, there are times when something (such as white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia) needs to be confronted, must be dealt with immediately, and sometimes it falls squarely on your shoulders to do it. When that happens, say a prayer for guidance, and speak for justice. When you see someone standing up against hate, please message them your support and volunteer to step in - if you have the spoons and if they need a break. It will be greatly appreciated.

Offer - or seek - mediation. Someone from the community once selflessly stepped in to mediate a conflict in which I was embroiled. It didn’t save the relationship, but the community was spared from seeing the train wreck. Those with conflict resolution training and have the energy to offer help are doing the gods work in volunteering to help the parties involved. In fact, it would be of benefit to our communities if more of us would take a little time once or twice a year to read up on, or refresh ourselves in, techniques for settling disputes.

Though we all value the concepts of kharis/hospitium/ma’at which are intrinsic to our religious practices, I think we also get so caught up in the fun of scrolling that we often forget that virtue and justice are just as important for online interactions as in our other relationships. Because we follow bloggers whom we too often know only by name, it’s easy to become a consumer of other people’s time and effort. Because we can’t hear tones of voice or see expressions, it’s easy to overlook signs of burnout and to misread the intentions of the person behind the keyboard. 

But maybe, if we try to maintain awareness of the communities we say are important, and respect the people behind the usernames, we might be able to maintain the vitality of our communities, support those who create content, and remain inviting to newcomers for many years to come.

These are my thoughts. Please share yours!

Bao-Dur is an awesome underrated character. 

bao dur fun facts

- disabled veteran who is still wracked with guilt from his actions in the war - volunteer eco-vigilante working against a major, corrupt corporation to help an oppressed species save their planet, until mercenaries forced him into hiding - prefers droids to people because they’re easier to understand - followed around by a floating little droid he build as a child - exile: “can you build me one?” bao-dur: “i would, but then i wouldn’t be the only one with a floating sphere following him around and i kind of like that” - fluent in five languages: zabraki, ithorese, basic, bocce and binary - his talents in engineering rival the best echani shield smiths, he built himself an arm, also one of the lost jedi but still says ‘i’m just a tech’ - breaks through shields and force fields just by punching them. literally canon that bao-dur is the best at punching things - exile: “how’d you lose your arm, anyways?” bao-dur: “i got tired of it- kept dropping my hydrospanner. figured i’d get a new one” - “i’m trying to work here, atton” - probably the reason why he can’t equip jedi robes is bc he’s too buff and would probably just tear them apart by flexing - “if it wasn’t for me, we’d all be floating in space”

LOL. This is a terrible idea, but hilarious!

Horrible Staging Ideas #3

Julius Caesar but it takes place in a cheap pizza restaurant.

Weird Cross-over Crack Ship

So am I the only one who thinks Fenris and Jessica Jones would be a good couple? They’d get drunk without judging each other for it, although Fenris would attempt to convert her to drinking more champagne. Jessica bluntly comments that Danarius’ abuse of Fenris wasn’t his fault, and actually talks about her Kilgrave experiences. 

It would be kind of sweet for two broken people to support each other and find love.  

This is so accurate!

me *submitting a paper 5 minutes before the due date without proofreading it *: alea iacta est

Yikes! I knew Augustus made Cleopatra out to be an evil homewrecker, but this just takes the cake for ridiculous rumors. 

I've read in several scholarly articles that ancient Egyptians perfected the art of flipping crocodiles on their backs and having sex with them to ensure good fortunate and prosperity in their lives. Is this... is this true? Did ancient Egyptians actually fuck Nile Crocodiles? Further, did Cleopatra actually use bees for sexual pleasure? I understand bestiality was still punishable by death in Egypt for most of its history but - are these things really true?

No. No they’re not.

Black History Month Book Recommendations

By Black authors:

-The Hemmings of Monticello

-Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster

-The Warmth of Other Suns

By Non Black Authors: 

-The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

-All Night Party: The Bohemian Women of Greenwich Village and Harlem, 1913-1930 (has sections on A’Lelia Walker, Bessie Smith, and Ethel Waters)

Every person who voted for anti vaxxer and demonizer of autism Jill Stein owes every American autistic person one hundred dollars. Sorry. I don’t make the rules.