Off the prompt "cuddles."

I've decided, definitively, that I want, and planned for transport of, a tree.

A real live tree, er, real formerly alive tree.

I've been bequeathed a selection of family ornaments, including the glass chili pepper (which is my favorite ornament ever, it looks like the glass blower was making something in this shape and crumpled it up, so, dried pepper!) and I'm planning to make some things--popcorn strands, maybe some origami ornaments, and stuff.

By the way, this is NOT a Christmas Tree, it is a Pagan Tree: I reclaim the tree in the name of the pagan traditions Christianity culturally appropriated in the first place. Just because Christianity won that cultural appropriation war doesn't mean I can't fight it again.

Anyway, if gift-giving is part of your solstice-approximate traditions, and you would like to give a gift to me, I would very much like more ornaments for my pagan tree! Fannish ornaments, handmade ornaments, ornaments that say "this is where I'm from!" (part of the reason I love the chili pepper so much is it's an Arizonan ornament, and I'm a desert rat born and bred and gone and returned) or ornaments that you just think are pretty. Or funny. I like funny, too. My address is in an access-locked entry. Send me ornaments, please! My tree needs love!

I am screening comments to this entry because I would like to invite anyone who wishes to leave me their address and any requests you may have, because I would like to send ornaments out as well, to anyone who wants one. Probably I'll be sending out origami ornaments, though for some of you I might be moved to break out the popsicle sticks.

ETA: a tree is here!

I've seen a lot of people having... upset reactions at Supernatural's portrayal of ( spoilers for last night's Supernatural ) It's not a reaction I had, because I'm not Christian and this is all just storytime for me, but it's a reaction I empathize with, because Supernatural made a run on things dear to my spirituality back in Mystery Spot.

I follow Loki, and I completely accidentally and unknowingly picked a Trickster episode to cut my teeth on (this sort of irony happens to me a lot). I watched Mystery Spot with growing discomfort at the way Supernatural's Trickster was and was not like my Trickster, culminating in feeling deeply wounded when the Trickster told Sam he wasn't fun any more. That Loki might get bored of me is one of my deepest worries, because it's really the number one reason he'd stop hanging around, and that's not something I want.

So I get it. I do. Have some cookies, curl up with me, and try to keep fixed in mind that this is storytime: fictional show is fictional, no matter how many names they borrow from places that matter to us.

Does anyone know if Hughes ever flashes his and Gracia's wedding pics? I would dearly love to know if she wore a white dress. White dresses for weddings were popularized by Queen Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert; before then, people tended to buy a dress they could use as a fancy/formal evening gown later on. And does the world of FMA have a Queen Victoria? And would she have worn white?

ETA: Does anyone know what hand Hughes and Gracia wear their rings on? Germany's one of those weird countries where you wear it on the right hand, not the left; I wonder if Amestris is the same./ETA ETA2: The answer to that seems to be left hand, but I'm wondering if he didn't wear it when he was on duty, because the thing is so damn tricky to find./ETA2 ETA4: Heh. By complete and total accident (ie, changing my google prefs in the middle of image-searching Gracia), I discovered that "moderate safe search" blocks ponderosa121's site. Even though the Gracia pic she's done is not remotely risqué. But you know. We might find other things of nekkidity on her site. *snicker*/ETA4 ETA5: OMG, this is the scariest thing ever. BTW, why is Scar's brother called Bruce?/ETA5

ETA3: A lot of places have laws now that marriages have to be conducted in a public forum. (Australia is one that doesn't.) *ponder* /ETA3

Before about the 1540s, pretty much all marriages were common-law marriages. Apparently a lot of them did occur in churches out of expectations of family, but it was not required. Hell, witnesses weren't required. Specific vows weren't required. Marriage license, not required. You and your sweetie just agreed you were married, possibly with your parents' consent if you were like, 14.

In the mid-1500s, the church took an interest. Roman Catholic church started demanding its members have church weddings (not sure of the date on this one) and in England, there was a law passed that you had to be married by the CoE for it to be legal (unless you were a Quaker or a Jew).

But in Amestris... in Amestris... *taps lip* ( yeah, yeah, end of series spoiler )