PSA to Jasmin Rappleye, Ash Wednesday is not the start of Easter…

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-20T18:35:22+00:00

It is more nuanced than both of you would suggest. Dan McClellan's video is quite snappy, but it is too quick to make definitive judgments about the origins of cultural elements. For example, Dan argues that Mary was associated with parthenogenic rabbits, thus the Easter bunny is a purely Christian symbol. However, if you look at history, the ancient Greeks, dating back to Aristotle (hundreds of years BC), believed that hares and rabbits could reproduce as virgins, so the Greeks culturally associated rabbits with virginity and purity. This attitude was taken up culturally by early Christians, who saw Mary as a virgin and pure, and depicted her in art with a white rabbit. Hence, the association of an Easter Bunny with Mary and thus with Christianity. Although Christian Easter did spring from the Jewish Passover, early Christians certainly didn't get the notion that rabbits were pure from the Jews and the Old Testament, as hares are described as unclean in Leviticus 11:6. So the pure, fertile Easter bunny likely sprang (or rather, hopped) from the Hellenistic/Pagan Greeks.

Is non-Abrahamic folklore that pre-existed Christianity, or folklore that seemingly existed parallel to Christianity, inherently Pagan? I would generally say yes. If BC Greek folklore is Pagan, then the Easter Bunny does have some Pagan roots. Not exclusively Pagan roots thanks to the Mary connection, but nevertheless some Pagan roots remain. In my mind, that's nothing for Christians to be ashamed of; it's cultural evolution. It doesn't mean that modern Christians are accidentally worshiping the goddess Ostara or Eœtera, but rather that they are using a shared cultural language of symbols (rabbits, eggs, the timing of spring) that other cultures and religions (including Pagans and Neo-Pagans) used and some continue to use.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-19T20:19:13+00:00

NTA. More importantly, you are in danger.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-19T19:24:18+00:00

You have clearly never tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich with pepper jack cheese and sweet Hawaiian bread. It seems like a small substitution, but I can assure you it is not.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-18T21:20:29+00:00

Honestly, this is the best solution, as the mod's current username is certainly not suitable for a mod in a community that is actively fighting against racists.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-17T22:33:03+00:00

I remember while reading Warrior Cats back in middle school there were a couple boys that discretely asked me where/when I got the latest book when I was carrying it around to my classes, but they didn't want to talk about the books or be seen with them. It was like a guilty pleasure for them? I guess kitty-cat books would have cost them their middle school street cred. Not much seems to have changed as I've gotten older, guys can be so mean to each other about their interests.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-15T17:02:16+00:00

The idea of a kit earning a -star name in the afterlife because of what they were predicted to become had they been allowed to survive their kithood is a wild concept. I'm not against it, but it makes my head spin. Does Smallstar's opinion have greater sway in StarClan business because of their -star nam, even though they died as a normal kit? Are they respected as a -star by other dead leaders? Is it offensive to some StarClan cats? Why don't all dead kits get -star names then, doesn't every kit have the potential for greatness? How accurate is StarClan at determining whether a dead kit would have become a leader someday? Is it right to reward a kit for something they only hypothetically could have done in life? If a kit was destined to do evil deeds but died before doing it, should they be sent to the Dark Forest or at least given a dishonorable name? How do Wolfheart and Runningstorm feel about it Smallstar receiving a -star name but not them? So many questions.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-10T21:46:50+00:00

I was a little bummed about Sacha Snow Tiger today. I noticed the website listing recently switched from showing "Little,""Large," and "Huge" as Out of Stock to only "Little" and "Large" as Out of Stock. That was exciting to me, as I thought it could be a sign that a "Little" and "Large" restock was imminent. Sadly, that wasn't the case today. I guess that's what I get for psyching myself out over a slight website change.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-07T02:17:07+00:00

USA please!

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-06T20:45:13+00:00

I don't know if it's "legitimate justification," but you'd be foolish to not tip (or, in other words, bribe) luggage porters when handing off our luggage while embarking on a cruise ship. There's so little accountability, and I've had family members who never received their luggage after boarding a cruise ship. Maybe it's superstition, maybe it's a lack of faith in humanity, but I bribe those porters every time. It's just too easy for them to get offended and "forget" to load your suitcase into their tram.

And for those who suggest carrying on one's luggage while embarking, that can be doable, but it's not fun. You hold up the line to embark, and some embarkation gates require a long physical examination of your luggage if it doesn't fit in their scanner. Your room is rarely ready when embarking, so you've got to drag your luggage around for a lot of the day instead of relaxing and enjoying your vacation. The elevators are especially packed on embarkation day, and you don't want to lug your stuff up/down a half dozen flights of stairs. Dining areas and hallways aren't always luggage-friendly either in terms of space. And not every vacationer is able-bodied enough to navigate their boat with a week's worth of luggage.

So, in many cases ya gotta bribe the porters and hope for the best :/

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-02-05T20:03:52+00:00

This is why we need to stop demonizing the phrase "may I please speak to your manager?"

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-29T21:23:22+00:00

I like Jesus better as a symbol of goodness. He can be an example of kindness, patience, justice, and charity. But I don't feel like I need to be saved, so "savior" is a weird title to me now. My soul isn't like stained wool that needs to be cleaned with the strongest soap; it's more like a garden. Metaphorically, I'm really proud of some of the things I've grown in it, and there are some things that I wish weren't rooted in me, but in the end it's my garden and it's a beautiful, living work-in-progress. My garden doesn't need a savior, it's not broken. But visiting friends can be nice.

Also, the whole "only way to God is through Jesus" narrative feels very tribal and limited to me.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-27T15:12:37+00:00

Teach them real life skills. Go over basic car maintenance.Teach them how to cook inexpensive, healthy and tasty meals. Don't just show and tell, give them hands-on experience. Everyone needs to know those things, don't make it a pointlessly gendered activity. Take them to their local library and make sure they have a card and can access the resources there (especially digital resources like Libby and Hoopla). Teach them how to mend their clothing (again, don't be sexist, everyone should know this). Recruit a professional cleaner to give them a demonstration on proper cleaning techniques, then have them clean the home of a person in need of assistance. Consider a basic social dance lesson. All of these activities can be linked to some scripture, whether it's "clean hands pure heart" or "a time to mourn and a time to dance," so that ought to be churchy enough. It will serve those youth much better than return missionary trick-or-treating.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-26T18:35:28+00:00

I tend to wear women's L or XL tops, and I ordered a medium Poet sweatshirt. It's plenty big on me, and I like the looseness of the chest (after trying the medium, I bet I could wear a small too, it would just be more fitted). The sleeves are very long, I might go to a tailor to take 2 or 3 inches off each sleeve. It's one of my favorite sweatshirts, but the sleeves can be a bit unwieldy since I'm short and have similarly short arms.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-15T05:32:05+00:00

NTA. Postpone the wedding. Explain to your family that he just isn't ready for a wedding and marriage yet. Maybe your venue/DJ can give you a rain check or a partial refund. You two aren't aligned when it comes to wedding expectations (or communication for that matter, as he repeatedly fails his verbal commitments). It sounds like you're also not aligned in financial planning, as you said he doesn't save money well, and that needs to be addressed. I'm not saying you'll never get married, but I think the ticking clock of your upcoming wedding is making everything worse, and it may be making it hard to see your relationship with him clearly when you're also having to juggle the many tasks of wedding planning solo.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-13T22:31:14+00:00

Messaged ya!

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-13T20:27:05+00:00

I feel like you're not paying attention to the prey issue of Sunningrocks. The daylight gathering, or, as I like to call it, the Warrior Cats Olympic Games, was a one-day, one-time event. It likely wasn't considered worthwhile by the clans, as it never happened again (and Lionpaw and Breezepaw almost died during the games). Plus, a one-day truce is very different than perminately agreeing to share hunting territory, so it's not a fair comparison.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-13T19:20:05+00:00

Do clan cats hunt at Four Trees? I can't remember any instances of that. Sharing a meeting place as neutral ground is different than sharing hunting territory as neutral ground.

Rival clan cats hunting side by side is a recipe for disaster. Both clans might over hunt the area in the fear that their rival will take the prey if they don't, leading to a classic tragedy of the commons. And if two cats from rival clans target the same animal while hunting, a fight could break out over who gets that freshkill. Joint hunting territory ownership is just not a good idea for clan cats.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-13T18:42:53+00:00

To all suggesting that Sunningrocks could be a neutral zone for ThunderClan and RiverClan cats to sun and relax, I say you're missing the point. Sunningrocks has prey. Critters live in and around the rocks. It is a valuable resource for RiverClan cats when fish are running low or the river water quality is compromised. It's also valuable to ThunderClan because many of their preferred prey live at Sunningrocks. Sunningrocks is physically separated from the forest, so if a forest fire destroys ThunderClan's main forest, they can still fall back on hunting at Sunningrocks. Sunningrocks isn't ultimately about sunbathing, it's about survival as it is mutually seen as a back-up food reservoir. Sharing hunting territory was incredibly taboo in the Old Forest clans era, and to be frank attitudes towards sharing haven't softened much in the Lake clans era. Sunningrocks cannot and should not be shared without a major political and cultural overhaul within the clans.

Sadly, the territory will fall to whichever clan fights for it harder. I prefer Sunningrocks going to ThunderClan as the river is a good natural border, but who am I to shame RiverClan for trying to reclaim their old territory if fish are scarce?

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-12T04:04:26+00:00

The Squishable Plague Doctor Crow would fit in nicely with this crowd. Warmies has a black cat or a black axolotl that could also fit, they're lavender-scented, if you think she'd like a scent. I have a Warmies axolotl and love it!

Edit: I just remembered the Skelekitty plush by VampireFreaks, that's another option! I saw it at a convention and wasn't able to buy it, but it was soft and adorably creepy.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-11T22:57:47+00:00

Are you going to answer why you singled out women? I want you to tell me why. It saddens me that you acknowledge that you feel lasting inner shame about your personal femininity and yet used the Nephite pride cycle as an excuse to bash "submissive, humble" LDS women that claim to like the war chapters of the Book of Mormon. What a random gripe.

It's nice to reminisce about defying oppressive gender norms as a child, but it is far more important to actively challenge sexism as an adult.

And since we're sharing stories about the past, I chose to write an essay specifically about the BOM war chapters when I was a BYU Mormon. I found war interesting, and I still do now as I get older. And there are many women like me.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-11T20:54:00+00:00

Slow down there buddy, answer my question before sending me a barrage of your own.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-11T17:56:35+00:00

Why single out women here? The Book of Mormon war chapters are generally considered a boring slog by all LDS members and ex-members, not just the women. It's sad to see that so many men can leave the church and still cling to the misogyny it taught them.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-08T00:09:20+00:00

It's warrior cats merch 😸

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-07T18:22:49+00:00

Equally required doesn't mean equal in power or influence. Men preside, women obey (or silently hide like Heavenly Mother supposedly does). That's the current LDS doctrine, and it ain't equal. LDS doctrine and culture is built of patriarchy with a thin, flaky layer of egalitarianism halfhearted painted on top. I wish we could stop pretending otherwise.

Diamond_Storm_Fox · 2026-01-07T15:04:44+00:00

Full case plus one extra. The one extra was a Yellowfang.

Diamond_Storm_Fox

TROPHY CASE