asra's magic hair

"the past isn't mine to tell you. it's yours to reclaim." wisteria. they/them pronouns. jewish. agender. 25+. multi-fandom and personal. doing my hecking best. art blog here (it is a side-blog).

[strawberrydemonart]

There’s a lot to be said about someone who is kind to animals. To me it’s always been a quality I personally find attractive 💖

[vissentasenadz-deactivated20231]

Neighborhood heroes.

Repostapalooza continues.

[wiltingdecay]

an amazing rowan commission i got from @sharp-fawngz!! thank you so much, kris, it turned out even better than i expected. he looks absolutely perfect 🥰

[loumandliker]

inspired by a post on my dash but i think one of the issues w the “pronounce peoples names right! there is no excuse not to!“ convos is that if you actually pronounce my deadname (or the names of any of my brothers, or any of my family for that matter) right you have to completely snap out of english for the word. like english just doesn’t have the same cadence or like consonant and especially not vowel sounds as finnish and you literally do have to say it “wrong” or you will disrupt the flow of the rest of the sentence. that’s why we also have an english pronunciation for words that are from different languages (eg. sauna); they get molded to fit the actual language it’s used in. and i’m sure there’s other people who feel the same way, and others feel differently, and in any case just mimic the way the person introducing themself says it. anyway

[loumandliker]

like: my brothers name is arttu, which is one of the finnish versions of arthur. you can get really close to the english way of saying it by thinking R2 like R2D2 the star wars dude. but that is not the correct way - in finnish the stress is on the double T (which english doesn’t really have. like the way double letters work in finnish is really distinctly different from how they work in english) and finnish R’s are strong/sharp/rolled. you have stress on the first Ar turning into a distinct double T turning into a short u, which isn’t the english u, the finnish pure U doesn’t exist in english. the closest you get is like a ghostly OoOooOoH but even that has too much Y sound in it. like it’s just not a word you would ever say right in the middle of an english sentence as an english speaker. and frankly i also don’t pronounce finnish names or finnish words right when i’m speaking in english

[evilwickedme]

This is exactly how I feel. There are quite a few Yiddish or Hebrew words in English and I'm just like... Fine with people pronouncing them in an anglicized manner cause that's how language works. The same with my name. I describe it as being pronounced like Kyle with a hard G - and that's not wrong, per se, for English, but in Hebrew the vowels are sharper, the L is a harder sound, so obviously if you're going to say my name in Hebrew or in English, it's going to sound a little different. Languages don't always interact with each other 1:1. I'm not going to ask everyone to pronounce Cherub with a ח/χ sound instead of a ch, because that sounds doesn't exist in English. And honestly, at the end of the day, that's fine. That's how cultural exchanges work. It's not the same as willfully misunderstanding how to pronounce someone's name, but it's also understandable if they literally do not have the ability to Do That With Their Mouth.

[tikkunolamorgtfo]

I once asked a friend of mine if she ever wished people would use her Chinese name, and she said not really, because non-speakers really can't hear the tones in Mandarin without a lot of ear-training and practice, and it would be a fruitless endeavour to try and teach every person she met to hear and repeat them upon meeting her.

And I personally know from experience that not everybody can easily make certain sounds their own language doesn't use. When I've explained to other people that I have a Hebrew name and a Bengali name, the latter is usually fairly easy for them to get, but the hard CH in my Hebrew name usually ends up with them pronouncing it Ra-Hell, which is... wrong. But it's not malicious or anything; they're just not used to using the muscles and making the sound that's required.

This can be true with non-names as well. For example: It's apparently extremely hard for native German speakers to say the english word 'squirrel.'

Obviously, if you're close with somebody and they really want you to learn how to say their name in certain way, you should do your best to accomodate, but some people may never get it 100% right for all the effort in the world, because they can't hear accents or tones, or they can't make their muscles work a certain way that's not standard, and I think it's important not to shame anybody for that. And I think it's also totally fair if some people prefer to have an English version of their name that doesn't require them to break out into a language lession with every random person they meet. Not everyone cares enough or has the patience and that's fine, too.

[anyroads]

I think the constant dichotomy of Tumblr posts that say, “you MUST do this thing or you’re a terrible person” and ones that say, “just try you’re best, your effort has value, you’re not a terrible person” is fascinating.

[tikkunolamorgtfo]

^^^^^^^

[aeniith]

So the thing is with loanwords (which names from different languages are) is that they get “naturalized” into the receiving language’s phonology—to varying degrees and in different ways. It’s actually partly dependent (in some cases) on how long the word has been absorbed into the receiving language. So we have words that technically have “foreign” sources but they’ve been in the language for so long that their phonological make up is totally English (e.g. “vision”, “chair”) and it’s arguable their status is no longer that of a loanword.

Then we have loans that are much more recent that somewhere in the speaker’s mind, they know (consciously or otherwise) that it’s “foreign”. Sometimes these loans’ pronunciation is influenced by spelling too (e.g. “lingerie”, “chaise longue”, “karate”) that pulls them away from original pronunciations in ways that wouldn’t seem predictable otherwise. Sometimes aspects are changed or simplified because a sound just doesn’t exist in the receiving languages (the word “sriracha”, in the actual area of its own origin, is pronounced without the “r” for this reason—more on that if you’re interested).

When a name from another language gets used in one language, there is *always* going to be some degree of phonological assimilation. This is because languages have totally different phonological systems (different phonemes, suprasegmental systems like tone, stress, pitch accent, etc., different prosody and intonation) that simply do not map onto one other.

[pippastrelle]

I like knowing the IPA so I can try but my international friends don't get my name right either. "E" might become "ei"; "th" might become "t", "s", or "f"; and the schwa/"uh" sound might become "a" or "ar". It's about intention and trying.

[date-a-jew-suggestions]

Just a PSA, desecrating a Torah is not the same as burning a Bible.

Torahs are not mass produced, and cannot be mass produced due to how specific and strict the rules are for construction. They have to be handmade in a very specific process with specific materials (the scroll must be made of calf skin instead of paper, for example) A rabbi can reasonably spend about a year making a single torah. It must be written by hand in ink, and if a mistake is made on a page, the page must be thrown out and started from scratch. Because of this, torahs are often extremely expensive and delicate, and we have rules for how they are to be held and interacted with so as not to damage them. One of the most important rules is that you cannot touch the parchment of the scroll with your fingers, you have to use a pointer called a yad. This rule is for religious reasons, but also practical ones because the oils on your hands can damage the parchment very easily if touched regularly. That is how fragile these objects are.

In addition, if one is damaged, it is no longer considered kosher and must be replaced. There is obviously a spiritual reason for not wanting a torah to be harmed, but it’s also because they are extremely expensive, often very old heirlooms or artifacts, and handmade art pieces. Desecrating a torah is not just a symbolic gesture of disrespect to Judaism, it is destroying an expensive, old, and culturally significant art piece.

The Christian equivalent would be more along the lines of smashing stained glass windows in a historic church. Bible burnings as a form of protest are almost always done with copies you can buy for $15 at Barnes and noble. It is certainly meant to be disrespectful to the Christian faith, but it is not the same in terms of level of harm caused.

Bible burning vs torah desecration is a comparison made in bad faith I see occasionally to be like “why is antisemitism bad but being mean to Christians is fine?” But I’ve met a lot of well meaning gentiles who don’t fully know the cultural context or significance of the Torah and genuinely don’t understand the gravity of desecrating one.

[magnetothemagnificent]

So the High Holidays are approaching, which means that if you have Jewish coworkers, employees, students, or classmates, they might want to take off for Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and even Sukkot.

No, we are not asking for too much. Many Jews save up their vacation days just to be able to take off for the High Holidays.

No, we don't really want to have to miss school/work. Believe me, so many of us hate it when every Yom Tov falls out on a weekday (like this year).

No, now is not the time for you as a gentile to police Jewish people's identities. (It never is, but certainly not now). Yes, non-observant Jews may still observe Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Non-observant Jews may also have family they want to spend time with on these holy days. Jews can also be observant and you might not even know about it, because you can't tell a Jew's level of observance from their look.

No, it is not appropriate for you to expect us to answer emails/phonecalls on these days.

Show respect and understanding and patience to your Jewish coworkers/employees/students/classmates in the next few months.

[radiofreederry]

Reblog with your animal. It’s toucans for me

[elderly-scrolls]

there should be a secret 8th day of the week just for playing dnd

[foxgirltail]

I love you being trans I love you trans women i love you gender exploration I love you self discovery

[link to the Reddit post]

[ID: two screenshots of a reddit post on r/offmychest by user awaythrowjessie, titled "My girlfriend made me realize I'd be happier as a woman". it reads as follows:

I am 33, born male, and have had major self image issues my entire life. I hated seeing myself in mirrors, pictures, you name it. I honestly thought it was kinda normal so I just accepted it.

Now about 3 weeks ago I was at my girlfriends house, we have been dating a little over a year now, and have plans to move in together soon. Now recently she has shaved her head to support of her friends with cancer (side note thenl treatments for that friend are going very well). She had since bought some wigs to wear while her hair grows back out. We were joking around as I have male pattern baldness, and when she went to the bathroom I jokingly threw a wig on and waited. She came our, saw me we laughed for a bit and she said "you know I think you'd make a pretty girl" we laughed some more but those words triggered something in me.

Cut to a few night's ago she asked why I've been acting weird lately and I just told her how i was feeling. She said "alright let's do this " and when I asked what she told me she was going to give me a bit of a makeover and put me in one of her dresses and if i liked it then good. I was nervous and asked what if I did like it would she still be attracted to me. She just responded with "Baby you know I'm bi, guy or girl you're still mine." Her words reassured me honestly i love her so much.

Anyways she finished the make up, fitted a wig on me perfectly and got me in a dress and even helped me put a bra on and stuff in a little so i could see what breasts would kinda look like on me. Now I expected to see myself in the mirror, laugh this off and move on right, but I didn't. She did an unbelievable job, like I looked like I had been born a woman, and when I saw myself in the mirror for the first time in my entire life, I liked what I saw. I probably stared at myself for a good 10 minutes before she finally asked me something. She asked what I wanted to be called. After a few seconds I said Jessie, I always like the name Jessie. She whispered in my ear "well Jessie, you look beautiful." And that was it, I knew this was who i wanted to be.

I'm nervous now though, my friends will accept it but my family are, well let's just say not very progressive. But this is what I want.

end ID]

[rongzhi]

English added by me :)

[headspace-hotel]

I'm in HYSTERICS

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

i think the synagogue in florida winning their case can be important in the fight for abortion rights (bc an abortion ban would infringe on jewish religious rights that’s true) but also people have got to understand more about abortion relating judaism and the nuances in that conversation

[vissentasenadz-deactivated20231]

Dorian whomst? The Arcana belongs to me and my mutuals, and us only.

[vissentasenadz-deactivated20231]

So is Dorian gonna like, pay people for this shit?

[misery-lake]

I HOPE it's gonna be like a "create your own story using our dolls" sort of sthick. And it can go on the site for free and people can read it. So maybe not actually contributing to the canon but just fanfiction in a slightly different format.

Which if so means we can create...... This

[wistreeria]

i thought you were going to link to your fuckin. family guy julian and i was about to send you hate mail

[majestickitty-si]

Oh no the shitty lucio stans are gonna have the best time of their lives slandering nadia in their shitty fan contents

[8-bit-space]

Dont forget about asra too

[boardboxes]

“Don’t worry everything will stay in character” yeah I don’t trust that one bit

[sweet-milky-tea705]

[aph-lithuania]

gay tumblr artists only personality quiz: what color do u use to sketch before u outline

[girlactionfigure]

[a11y-kat]

Artists looking at their hands to figure out which side of the hand the thumb is on

[bastart13]

if you want, could I request some soft Nadia x Julian? I love your art so much thank you so much for being a lovely part of this fandom!!

They’re such a sweet ship :D