To build:

a "Don't fuck with my altar" field, ensuring that even though the cat may knock down the physical components of a spell in progress, the astral representations will remain in place until the spell is completed.

Cast of Characters, continued

Assorted Families

Votania's Family: There is no love lost between Votania and her family. Some of them are cool, some of them are not. All of the ones mentioned here so far are resident somewhere in Arizona.

( ... )

Glyph: The husband of That Woman, who adores his daughters as is right and proper.

( ... )

The Lunatic's Family

( ... )

Guide-Dog Aunt: My father's youngest sister, who raises guide dogs for fun. California.

Guide-Dog Uncle: The husband of Guide-Dog Aunt, a relatively quiet guy in the genetic engineering field. California.

GrandfatherSir: My late paternal grandfather, who died when I was perhaps twelve? fourteen? sixteen? and used to be master of more trades than my father.

Grandma: My only remaining grandparent, the mother of my father and assorted aunts and uncles. California.

Quilting Aunt: My mother's oldest sister. "She who died with the most fabric just died. Race you to the estate sale!" Sings in the church choir. Lives in Pennsylvania.

Quilting Uncle: Married to Quilting Aunt.

Gamer Aunt: My mother's older-by-two-years-exactly sister, who runs a gaming shop called The Red Dragon somewhere in Michigan.

Gamer Uncle: Also runs The Red Dragon.

( ... )

On maternal paranoias, unfounded... (copy/paste of comment)

I don't believe that it's possible for people to change their essential nature in the way of sexuality without a LOT of intensive work (that is, it's in the near neighborhood of impossible, but I refuse to believe ANYTHING impossible without proof, but I don't think it's practically possible either); I think it's something that's either set at birth or within the first two or so years of life. Changing it would probably require some form of divine intervention, and would make it necessary to entirely rebalance that person's spirit and body.

I do think that it is possible to traumatize or condition people towards or away from a gender (violent rape making a woman inherently with the possibility of being bisexual completely lesbian, various stuff making a woman who was bisexual only have sex with guys) but the potential would have to have been there in the first place.

As far as that comment the other day goes, I don't believe it's possible for Nephew to become gay or bi by playing with Barbie stuff. His essential nature is strongly enough developed that whatever he winds up playing with, he's going to wind up playing with it like he normally does. You've seen how everything he plays with is either a robot or a weapon. I could see him wanting a Barbie more than anything else, and then dressing her in camo gear and having her launch sneak assaults on the bad guys with him. If it is in his essential nature already to be bi (I don't see him as ever liking boys better than girls, as he's shown an interest in girls already, just as I showed an interest in boys at about the same age, and I still like boys far better than girls), no amount of forced masculinity is going to change his essential nature.

As far as the issue of appearing to be gay goes, just take a look at evealone. Half his high school thought he was gay, because he didn't take an interest in the usual "manly" pursuits, and hung out with the girls all the time. It was the male half of the high school that thought that. The girls knew better. ;) evealone was fine with that, because the guys didn't think of him as any competition.

I don't think we've got to worry about Nephew falling out of his own balance in any way. What that balance is, though, has yet to be completely seen.

That being said...

You're doing an excellent job of raising him, dear, and it's my professional Auntie guess that the only form of psychotherapy he'll ever need will be mommy-hugs.

wow.

Cappucinos taste just like hot chocolate, only... not.

I gave Votania an espresso maker for her birthday. Mmm.

Ahhh: housecleaning.

Nephew helped me watch dishes after watching the Demented Cartoon Movie. I was listening to the Doors. An American Prayer is ... trippy. Totally.

Now I see why that dude at the art studio does all those paintings of Jim Morrison.

Home Improvment

I hate that stupid bald-headed mother of a misbegotten fuck-foundered fornicating Jesus Christ window blind!

Now I need a fucking shower.

HOme improvement finished. Blind submitted to my masterful hammer and frustrated tears.

Happy Loony.

Little Fayoumis is watching Spiderman cartoons. Mommy got him some for his birthday, and he's been hooked on them ever since. He helped me with the dishes, then watched as I put up the new blinds. Much negativity. I cursed at the blinds, which I probably shouldn't have done, and he didn't correct me. (I called the blinds "stupid" in the most vicious tone I had at my disposal.)

I eventually called evealone, who was offline for once, since his computer was rebooting. Much fun was had in discussion.

After the cartoon is over, I should be doing laundry. It's time, after all. I need to wash the bed stuff as well. Not sure what dinner should be.

Ahh, peace and quiet on the home front

Getting laundry from last iteration put away, it is to be hoped. Nephew is settled down with a halfway sensible dinner, in the form of the usual junk: cheese, hot dogs, chips, juice. This time the hot dogs are chicken, which is good. The household is low on leftovers readily available at the moment, thanks to the weekend excursion from bloody hell.

I've been working diligently on keeping myself hydrated. 14 rounds of the 20 oz waterbottle ought to be just great; I've lost count of how many times I've refilled it so far today. I feel better when I have water to drink.

Ahhh.

More peace and quiet. Reminded Nephew to be using his fork for the hot dogs. Leftover birthday cake, and not ice cream, shall be tonight's dessert. Teaching him that it's dessert, not gessert. Perfectly understandable five-year-old error.

Speaking of age, I need to get those birthday gifts for him wrapped. I have Harry Potter glasses for him, a plastic Fluffy toy, and a Pikachu hat. I think he should like all of those.

Again, the good life.

Dishes (second round) are put away, and the few scattered lingerers are put in the washer for tomorrow's load. Laundry is done and put away. Nephew is in bed, and I am sufficiently hydrated to finally be sweating. I haven't sweated much since coming to Arizona, but after starting on my "must drink mondo amounts of water" kick, I have been sweating as much as I'd expect to be sweating given the temperature.

Next up on my list of things to do: tear the bed apart and put it back together with the clean sheets, and retrieve things that have fallen into it and gotten lost, such as most of the blankets. After that, shower, and then sleep.

I note that when doing the actual math, if Darkside and I were to set time out of our days for each other after we're no longer schoolmates equivalent to the time we spend together in a week normally, we would have to find ten hours to enjoy each other's company in. That's not counting the time snagged between classes ten minutes at a time, or the times when someone's class lets out early and we go and seek the other out.

Did Darkside put aside that kind of time to go see Dennis? From what I remember, he went and hung with Dennis after school on Thursdays, and got home by seven or so. His classes let out at noon; figure he got there by one. Six hours a week, maybe seven or eight.

And he can still stand me after ten hours a week together? Shawn and I used to spend five hours a week of in-school socialization, and then a few more hours up on campus. I probably spent more time with Shawn, but Shawn was one of those intensely social characters, the type who's never without a friend. For me to be spending ten hours a week with someone who's almost an utter introvert...

When I think about it casually, I'm hurt that Darkside doesn't spend more time with me. When I look at it analytically, I'm blown away that he spends so much time with me.