Jabber has a self-bound notepad and a dip pen dedicated to documenting his “glimmers” and a separate notepad and pen for his “triggers;” he then settles in front of his shrine mirror and expresses appreciation and understanding/desire for understanding for both. The figure is simply referred to lovingly as Her.
the statuette overlooking the setup was sculpted and painted by his own hands, in the likeness of himself and both his mothers all at once, bearing three sets of eyes (recreation of all of them).
the pendant around her neck was found lying amongst the rubble of an abandoned town while Jabber was traveling. The light caught it just the right way, and Jabber was enthralled. He cleaned it up, polished the gem until it shined, and placed it in Her hands.
every time he comes across a new plant, he places a piece of it in the offering plate. It's a way to show appreciation for the discovery, and hopefully incite more in the future.
he only ever used sandalwood/ocean scented cones in his altar because they remind him of home; once Zanka begins participating, he adds his own woodsy-scented sticks as well. The two mix surprisingly well.
a lot of the practices he grew up learning from his mamas are rooted in hoodoo. He drew separate portraits of his mamas and of himself to place on his altar to represent his lineage, and even though he never met any grandparents, he does have his grandmother's name engraved next to his mothers’ and his on the base of Her. Eventually, he adds pictures of Zanka, his sisters (Cthoni, Momoa, and Amo), and Semiu and Corvus to it as well; these are the most important people in his new family, after all.
makes a new candle every few months, which is never snuffed while he is in the room, and never lit while he is outside of it. Even if he has to step out for just a second, he'll blow out the candle and then relight it when he returns. Zanka is not allowed to light or snuff the candle.
always, always burns any hair that comes loose when he does his retwists. There's never very much of it, given that he reincorporates as much as he can and takes care to avoid breakage, but if any does fall he's meticulous about destroying it.
↑ has successfully convinced both Semiu and Corvus to do the same. Even if it didn't come from a place of care, a threat coming to one of them is a threat coming to him as well by association and he can't have that.
very, very superstitious. Once had a complete meltdown when Rudo accidentally swept a broom over his foot, because how's he gonna marry Zanka now??? He hadn't even ever thought of marrying anyone at all before, but now it's a concern. He never learned how to undo a sweep before his mamas passed, so he now worries a bit about his future with Zanka. He gets better over time, but still.
when he moved in with Zanka and they began sharing a room, Jabber was on the fence about whether Her should witness his intimacy with Zanka. He put up a curtain around her altar that could be moved when they were done. He kept getting the nagging feeling that she should know, despite his mothers’ likeness being imbued in her. Then he hemmed and hawed over it for a week straight before deciding that, if his spirit was compelling him to let Her see, then he should let Her. After all, maybe his mothers were there, but so was he. Zanka helpfully suggested that it was like asking for their blessing. Jabber took the curtain down.
keeps a few rituals, some strictly herbal and verbal spellwork and manifestations, some requiring blood, and some involving sex. He always has lengthy discussions with Zanka about those ones, since it involves him, too. If Jabber knows he might want/need to perform a ritual involving sexual energy, he and Zanka clear the calendar for a few days to mentally prepare for it. All of his rituals are self-invented based on vibes, really, and can therefore be altered or rearranged if he really needs to. He likes to stick with what feels right, though.
one of Jabber's rituals is a practice in temperament. It's a self-control exercise, in which he tests himself with temptations and then refrains. Typically, Zanka will kiss his neck and touch him in front of a mirror, while he watches himself and forces himself not to react, while still letting himself feel. It lasts as long as it takes for all the incense to burn out, and is swiftly followed by meditation. As obsessed as they are with each other, Jabber genuinely finds this challenging, and lowkey hates when he feels the compulsion to perform it. Only happens once every few months.
one common ritual he performs often is basically a spiritual reading of his own body and psyche. He takes a psychedelic mixture he's created, and then lies nude in front of his shrine mirror. It's effectively meditation but more, and he gets "visions" whenever he does this. The visions are really like a reflection of himself, but truer. Whenever he feels unsettled in life, or there's been too much change, he Reflects.
there are several routines that are done every single day without fail; washing his hands and Mankira with his sun water, meditation and going over his glimmers and triggers, checking his offerings and checking his charms.
Zanka has also begun going over glimmers and triggers as well! They sit down together and discuss, and Zanka has added the detail of making tea. While the tea steeps, they talk, and when they are done they sip in comfortable, thoughtful silence. They only break the silence once the pot is empty.
Jabber has begun “praying” over their fights now. He doesn't pray to anyone in particular, just a general request for a good fight and for them both to be satisfied at the end, directed into the space between them.. About half the time, this “prayer” includes some sort if contact between their activated Vital Instruments.
a tradition in Jabber's family was that if you made a meal for someone specifically, even if others were also eating, the person it was made for has to take the first bite. It's bad luck otherwise (he has heavy confirmation bias with this one, because as a kid he took the first bite when he wasn't supposed to, and ended up with a bad stomach ache that very night).
the first time he cooks for Zanka (soul food, made completely from scratch and completely from memory, with seasonings he curated and mixed himself), he gives Zanka his plate before even calling anyone else into the dining area. Zanka's eyes seem to sparkle even more when he takes that first bite, and if Jabber weren't already completely enamored with him that look would have done it. He almost cried when Zanka said it was the best thing he'd ever had.
when someone is injured or unwell (especially someone he cares a lot for) Jabber will sing or hum while administering medicine or aid. He lets his voice sit and swirl deep in his chest, like it's coming from his soul. Insists that it helps the healing go faster. Zanka was sick once, and Jabber sat with him and sang. Zanka later said that his rumbly voice reminded him of a cat purring (which does scientifically have health benefits!) What should have been two weeks of bed rest was only one with Jabber there.
whenever he retwists his hair, it has to be done in front of Her. She keeps him protected until he's less vulnerable. Every time he sits down to do it, he says a prayer and puts a drop of his hair oil into her offering plate before putting any on his head.
if he has to take Mankira off for any reason, he places her in Her hands. The only other place the rings can be found besides with Her or with him is with Zanka, specifically wearing them on a necklace around his neck.
talks to his plants, a lot. Not even just encouraging them to grow, or giving affirmations; he'll straight-up have a one-sided conversation with them, telling them about his day, or ranting about a frustration, or info-dumping on whatever new thing he's learned.
one of his favorite rituals is entirely performed through dance. It's a manifestation spell for relationships of all kinds, and it's the only one he involves others besides Zanka in. Specifically, Zanka, Amo, Semiu, Corvus, Cthoni and Momoa are invited to take part in this ritual. He only does it once a year, in which he makes up a new choreography and then teaches the others. They play music and dance around a small firepit, and it's genuinely the highlight of Jabber's year each time.
when Zanka gifts him the matching earrings, an ode to Jabber's village’s commitment tradition, he performs a private dance just for him. The only light in their room is from candles, and Zanka sits on the floor across from the altar. Both are nude, but the low light doesn't allow for much detail anyway. Jabber dances slowly, sensually, candlelight flickering and making brown skin glow golden, all of his jewelry reflecting the fire. The smoke from the incense wraps around him as he moves. By the end of it, both of them are breathing heavily and feel close to bursting with emotion; they smoke a special blend Jabber made just for this, and then end up in bed mostly just touching each other. When they wake up the next morning, tangled up in each other, the incense is still burning somehow…