#but if you find yourself wanting a specific opinion i'd be down to oblige

[the---hermit]

How to get out of a reading slump

A while back posted a list of ten books to help you get out of a reading slump, but I also wanted to post a more general list of tips I personally think are useful when you find yourself in a reading slump. (I have also talked about this topic in this ask). So here's some of my tips:

Take a break. Sometimes you can get in reading slumps because you are burned out, maybe not just because of reading, but that can be affected as well. You have no obligations when reading (unless of course if you have to do it for school/uni, in which case I would still recommend trying to get some time off or at least slow down a bit in order to get some energies back). Sometimes accepting that you are in a non-reading place in life it's the best solution.

If you feel like it's a book you are reading that is putting you in a reading slump dnf it, or at least try to switch between that and another book. I personally tend to get stuck when I have only one book in my currently reading pile, because I need to vary often, so I like to have at the very least two books that I am currently reading. Realizing this about myself made me read much more, because I have avoided a lot of reading slumps. I'd also like to add that there's no shame in dnf-ing a book, if you are not enjoying your time with it there's no reason you should keep forcing yourself to read that. Maybe it's not the right time, and you'll enjoy it more in the future, or simply the book is not made for you, which is totally fine.

Graphic novels are a great compromise to get some reading done when you are in a reading slump, but you still want to something to read. This is specifically my solution for when I am in a reading slump caused by being burned out. Graphic novels tend to require less brain energy, and the illustrations usually help a lot with the flow of the story. I think this is the safest option when you are in the worse reading slumps.

Audiobooks are your best friends, whether you want to listen to it while doing other activities, or you want the narrator to help you while you follow the page, I feel like this is another great option. I personally love audiobooks, and I like to always have one on the go. This is again a great option if you are feeling burned out, in those cases I really like to listen to the audiobook as I take a walk, or even as I play some mindless games online like tetris, and similar things. These are also a great option to help when the book you are reading is putting you in a reading slump but you really have to read it. I have used audiobooks a lot in high school to help when I had to read poems or big classics.

Short story collections can be one of the best options to get back into reading. These take off the pressure of being consistent in order to remember things, because you can pick them up and leave them as you like, since most stories won't be over 25 pages usually. There's also some great options of collections that include multiple genres, which can be very helpful when you are stuck and don't really know what you want to read.

Fairytales and kid's books might not come to mind as soon as you think of what to read, but they can be very helpful to get you out of reading slumps. They are short and lighthearted which are two fundamental characteristics of good books to get you back into reading. And rivisiting some childhood favourites is always a great choice in my opinion.

Reread an old favourite or a comfort book. I know some people don't love revisiting old favourites, but I personally love them. You always get something new out of the story, and rereading a plot you know already can take off a lot of the pressure of reading, because you don't have to pay the same attention as with a story you know nothing about. This can be very helpful when getting back into the habit of reading.

Set up a cozy place to read. I am all about romanticizing the small things in life, and this is a very effortless way to put you into a good mindset to read. I personally like to light a few candles, make myself a nice cup of tea, maybe get a little treat to eat, cuddle up under a blanket and just read. Of course your set up might change depending on your preferences, just have a little fun with it, you could even try to read a bit while you are taking a bath.

Try to read outside. Similarly to the last tip, changing your enviroiment can be helpful sometimes. Some people like to read in a cafè, but you could also go in your garden if you have one or in a park.

Consume bookish content. This might seem stupid at first but sometimes seeing other people be excited about reading and books is very motivating. It has personally helped me several times.

Start a buddy read with a friend you feel comfortable with. Sharing your thoughts with someone as you read a book can keep the motivation up and a buddy read can be a great option to help with motivation, but be sure that you are comfortable with this person so that you don't feel too pressure upon you. Be clear from the beginning set a small goal and have fun with your buddy.

At the moment these are all the tips that came to my mind when thinking about getting out of a reading slump. Of course different people might have different methods, but changing things up can always be helpful. As I said at the beginning you shouldn't feel pressure when reading, and if it's a no reading moment in your life there's not shame in it, but I have also been stuck in reading slumps where I actually did want to read but I couldn't bring myself to do so, and many of these things helped me.

original posts/tips masterlist

#this has been in my drafts for months but i finally edited it #idk why it took me so long #how to get out of a reading slump #reading slump #reading slump tips #tips #reading #studyblr #bookblr #booklr #bookish #reading tips #og post #study tips #original post #books #mine #the---hermit

[tethered-heartstrings]

Hmm I guess I’d like to hear more on why you aren’t fond of Will being universally described as sweaty cuz like I get it but I’m so curious. And maybe some more on like your opinions of his character traits? Like what you think they are and why stuff like that. I’m just genuinely fascinated in knowing.

Also you don’t come off as an avoidant ass, so it’s no worries. The question was pretty vague

I talked about sweaty Will here. And he’s got a lot of traits but I’ll list a few off the top of my head.

I think there is a conflation of empathy and compassion for Will. He is empathetic but not always compassionate. That distinction explains a lot about his choices as a character. I do think he is selfish in that many of the choices he makes is still self-satisfying. Even in season one, I think part of the reason he solves murders is to justify his own feelings about taking a life. He wants to help, not necessarily for the person he is helping, but to balance his morals. He easily decides who is a Bad Guy, and if he can catch the bad guy, it helps alleviate some of his own guilt about also feeling like the bad guy.

I don’t think Will feels nearly as bad about the act of cannibalism as he does about being tricked into it. He realizes Hannibal (the Ripper at the time in early season 2, no one really believed it was Hannibal yet), was eating the “prize” that every serial killer takes. And he had already made the connection that the Ripper was Hannibal, and he quickly put together that he had also consumed human flesh. Yet he is the only character that, after learning of the cannibalism, not only doesn’t care about eating meals with Hannibal again (Bedelia not even eating terrestrial meat, human or animal, and Alana swearing off beer altogether), but he provides his own longpig. Cannibalism doesn’t morally upset him, but being lied to does.

I think Will is more asocial than antisocial. I think he is actually pretty open to human connection, he is just fairly particular on how that comes about. He needs it to feel organic, not forced at all. He wants to feel loved and cared for, but he is also hesitant on showing all of himself. Yet he knows he cannot be truly loved without being completely honest. It’s a constant battle that he struggles with throughout the show, and his needs get met by the end. He is avoidant both to protect those around him and protect himself from rejection.

I think Will is just as likely to adopt a bunch of stray cats as he is dogs. Dogs make sense for the sake of the show; easier to catch wandering around, easier to introduce to an establish pack, “needier”. But I think Will would love all kinds of animals, and I think he would be able to establish a healthy pride of cats. He wouldn’t let them out like he does the dogs, but he would build within his own home to provide enrichment for them. And I know cats would provide the same emotional bond and fulfillment that dogs do. Will likes to feel needed in a way he knows he can provide.

#i hope this answered at least part of your question #i felt like i rambled and idk if i scratched the itch you were looking for #but if you find yourself wanting a specific opinion i'd be down to oblige #idk i just ramble haha #anonymous #the curious clown

[ill-be-istj-if-no-one-else-is]

Hello! I want to figure out if I'm an or possibly a different type. I got typed as an and I somewhat resonate with it, but not fullyI enjoying watching social /cultural commentary channels and video essays on popular media watch them to hear other people's thoughts and opinions on certain themes in pop culture and society to validate thoughts I've always had or just gain more insight on something. I always find myself storing information that I believe I'll use now or in the future. (part 1)

(part 2) I take screenshots or keep tabs open on information that I feel could be useful to me no matter when need it. I believe that planning is better than improvising. Sometimes I try to plan(in my thoughts) before starting on a task so I can be done at once, but I never actually start. I just spend most of the time thinking about the task then actually doing it. I've always been a procrastinator and I've managed to get what I needed to do done but at the last minute. Now nothing gets done.

(part 3) To get out of the habit, I force myself out of my thoughts and just do. I work in random bursts of energy when I find the motivation to. I struggle with consistency. I watch tv when I'm avoiding work. I can't really re-watch show/movies no matter how much I enjoyed it because I just feel like I could use that time watching something that I haven't seen and don't know the outcome but, watching the same show with someone who's never seen it is fun because I get to watch their reactions.

(pt.4) I like to try things I wouldn't normally do or would never have the chance to do at least once just to have that memory and to say that I've done it. If I find myself enjoying that thing, I do it often until I'm bored of it. I often think about past decisions and wonder what could have happened and what the future would look like if I chose differently. I get lost in my thoughts thinking of an ideal version of myself. I took an interest to MBTI because I wanted more insight on myself.

(pt.5) I believe self-reflection is essential for growth. I try to take pictures of myself to see how I felt during certain situations and reflect on them. Also, to just look back and have a moment of nostalgia. I don't initiate conversations much unless I need to or if I'm just talking one on one. I avoid high leadership positions because of the responsibility and obligations. Ex: I'd go for vice president position in a club even when president is available.

(pt.6) I like to do things methodically with instructions like step by step recipes. I'm not creative enough to come up with my own things unless I look at many examples of things and take aspects of each thing I liked from each one and combine and tweak it a bit to make something that fits into what I need it to. I do this for school projects. I'm a quiet person. When I'm in class and I hear with something I agree with I'll just nod but when talking one on one I talk more about it.

(pt.7. final) I was a little difficult for me to do this because I didn't really have any specific questions to answer. I hope this is enough information. For more context, I'm an 18 yr old high school senior going through senioritis. As much as I want to truly confirm my type, I wouldn't pay for a typing session because it's never that serious. Thank You!

-----

Hi anon,

I am not sure entirely, and I suspect a lot of this is because you are still quite young and, assuming you're either starting college, working, or traveling next year, you're about to undergo a huge amount of personal growth and life experience as you find yourself with far more freedom and independence and responsibility than you've had in high school. So my biggest piece of advice is enjoy the ride and check back in next year.

With that said my guess is that you are probably a perceiver and probably a feeler (FP); I'd consider both high Ne and Se and both introversion and extroversion, so I can't narrow it down further than that:

Video essays are, for better or for worse, very common and even more so for people your age so I don't think liking them is terribly indicative of something.

You mention planning, but then say you're a chronic procrastinator so this is something where my guess is either you do in fact end up improvising in the end but like the idea of planning; or else this is being skewed by senioritis and it would be good to revisit this at another point in life.

A lot of the stuff in part 3 strikes me as perceiver; the thing about not rewatching could be low Te or could be Se or honestly just a personal thing, and watching TV as a hobby is very common. The part about enjoying someone else's reaction strikes me as feeler but could be either Fe or Fi.

Part 4 is largely I think just being a person, but the part about new experiences does strike me again as high Ne or Se.

Part 5 is interesting to me because I don't see vice president of a club as avoiding responsibility; if you were a judger I'd guess you were an introvert but since I'm thinking you're a perceiver my guess is you might be an extrovert.

Part 6 could work for either Ne or Se given the external focus for creative endeavors.

So: I'd look at all the FPs and given how middle-of-the-road you seem re: introversion/extroversion I'd look at ENFP and ISFP first, but I can't rule out any entirely.

#mbti

[mimzy-writing-online]

I'm incredibly sorry for this ask , but I'd like the opinion of different writers. I have this story I have finished. It's has been re-read, edited, polished. It's technically done. The story is consistent, the pacing is okay. But what I don't like is how the characters are portrayed. They lack life, and I think it may be because during the years I improved my writing, and now I'm sure I'd be able to do better. What would you do? Would you rewrite the story from scratch? Thanks in advance.

First, no worries about asking for advice. That’s legit what I’m here for. And having been in the same position you are now, (twice) I know how impossible it feels.

Off the bat, advice I would recommend: 

Beta Reading: Get some fresh eyes to look at it, ideally someone who 1) reads books in that genre and that age range, and 2) has no obligation to worry about your feelings.

Thoroughly consider why you want to rewrite it: make an actual pros and cons list. It sounds silly, but it helps because you realize what decision you’re arguing for, what your instinct says.

Give yourself a shot at attempting a rewrite. Give yourself a set time limit to try it out. Your current book isn’t going anywhere and publishing takes forever anyway, so what’s another month or another three months?

At the end of this trial run you can ask yourself: Did a rewrite make it better? Do the characters and their world feel more alive? Even if it looks like a mess, given more time to finish and edit, would it look better than the original?

If you find you like the characters better, if you feel like you know them better, then you can consider going through the book and highlighting where they feel out of character compared to your new understanding of the characters

Watch Whispers of the Heart. I mean it! It’s a Studio Ghibli movie, and I swear to god it will inspire you and make this decision a little easier. The whole movie is about developing your creative craft. Its overall analogy is that of a geode. Your craft looks rough and sloppy on the outside, but with time, practice, and love you’ll find the beauty hidden underneath and make it shine. Amazing movie, it will change how you think about writing.

Now, finally, ask yourself: Is this the story I want to debut with? Is this the story I want to begin my writing career with?

This will be when you make your decision.

That’s the most objective advice I can give you. Since you’re asking a lot of writers for their stance, you’ll probably have a few different opinions, but I think running through this troubleshoot method will give you a chance to see for yourself.

My biased opinion?

It comes from my own experience with A Witch’s Memory. 

This is about to be a very long story, fair warning, but it’s my entire thought process over 7-8 years of working on and off with the same project. A big part of the reason why I’m going in depth about the experience is because I keep going back to what you said:

“I think it may be because during the years I improved my writing, and now I'm sure I'd be able to do better. What would you do?”

The same thing happened to be. I started the series when I was much younger, but in the 7.5 years since then I’ve changed a lot as both a person (not adult/not teenager) and as a writer (who’s had several projects since then). I’m gonna walk you through 7.5 years of personal development and how it affected the project.

I joke that A Witch’s Memory has three universes, and those universes are all different rewrites. I first started the series I was seventeen. I finished the rough drafts of three books in the series and got down to full on editing the first book after I graduated high school. Within a year I had a finished novel that wasn’t necessarily polished (not by my standards today) but at the time I was ready to move forward and publish. I sent query letters out to lit agents but didn’t get any bites back. I didn’t get to work at it for long due to health issues, my whole body kind of just crashed so for six months I was too sick to do much of anything, let alone stress myself out over query letters. I started community college the next semester and got more involved in school than in writing.

17 when I started, 18 when I started editing, 19 when I queried and got sick, almost turning 20 when I started college.

I put the book on hold for another year and focused on school. During that time I had a lot of personal development as a person. I got more experience being myself, being an adult who can make decisions for themself.

And I realized that at age 19 I’d developed a lot of insecurities about my book.

In my case, it was the world building. I love my characters, and at their heart they’re still the same, albeit a bit more realistic. I re-examined what about the world building I didn’t like.

It felt too much like Twilight to start, with the way vampires and werewolves were supposed to hate each other, and witches and fairies hated each other, because that just made sense to a 17 year old who had never read paranormal before Twilight changed the direction of the genre.

I didn’t like magic being a secret that no human could know about, so I changed that. I didn’t like my character’s backstories too much, so I tweaked that too. For the best.

At age 20/21 (it was right around my birthday) I rewrote the entire first book. After finishing the rough draft I looked at editing it, looked at starting the rough draft of the second book, and I realized I didn’t like this version either.

So I put it on hold for anther two years. I worked on two different projects, experimented with writing style, got to know myself as a person better.

At 23 I reexamined what I didn’t like about “Universe 2″ and I realized-

I wasn’t comfortable with the way the book was written now. Too many main characters meant to many pov changes and too many personal plot lines to plan. I could see from the beginning how much I favored Anna and Ulric and Felix over my other main characters, so I cut my cast of six main characters down to three, focusing on my favorites. I also saw that the setting wasn’t working for me and it would be a lot less stress for me to chance the setting to somewhere I was more familiar with, setting it mostly in America instead of the U.K.

And I decided to stop worrying about what my past beta readers would think if the book didn’t look the same in “Universe 3″ and to just run with my heart.

(For any wondering, the beta reader in question is my mum, who has been the biggest supporter of my writing since I was 14 and believed I would be published even when I was ready to give up writing and work at a different career. She’s very attached to “Universe 1″ but it’s not where I want to go, and I know she’ll love this new direction when she reads it)

I started the rough draft for Universe 3 in January of 2019 (almost a year ago to the day I’m writing this). I did it on a whim. I had a dream of Anna and Ulric flying to safety from a villain on a broomstick and I asked myself why witches never had broomsticks in my old world, and I was like “why not, let’s add it”

And I just messed with world building. I aimed it for a more whimsical feel than my older angsty versions. I’m gonna blame all the Studio Ghibli movies I saw that year. Some of my local theatres have been doing special weekends where they show the movies, and I’ve gone to see four in the last year or so. I saw Kiki’s Delivery Service a few months earlier with my best friend (A) and then a month after starting the new draft I saw Howls Moving Castle and Spirited Away (same week, I think, all in theatre) and then as I was finishing the rough draft I saw Whispers of the Heart for the first time.

(this was the moment I realized that specific movie would help A LOT on this decision making process, so I included it above)

Anyway, I just gave myself permission to go in a completely different direction with my book.

I should note, that at 23 I had been visually impaired/blind for some 3 years, although it wasn’t medically official until I was 22. I’d also fallen in love for the first time and broken my own heart. I’d also spent the last two years struggling with gender and sexual identity and really starting to understand that part of myself. 

So in general, the whole experience with those last two years of my life really changed the direction I took the book. 

I focused more on internal struggle as well as the outside “main bad guy” I’d always been planning to work with. It 

I kept the heart of my characters the same. Anna is still the kindest person you’ll ever meet, as well as sarcastic and brilliant and studious. Ulric is an anxious mess who is crazy loyal to his friends and who wants to gain his own independence. Felix is still a brat, but a loving one with the dryest sarcasm and a penchant for mischief.

Anna’s more cautious than her original incarnation. Ulric wasn’t disabled in previous versions (but at 23 I was disabled and I wanted to write a blind character, but I didn’t want blindness to be their only trait, so I took my most developed character and made him blind). Some of the characters are POC instead of white, I let myself have multiple LGBTQ characters (because 17 year old me thought the token queer was the norm because I only had one queer friend before that and we weren’t that close) and I changed some origin stories. It’s much better for that.

Growing up taught me how to put more life in my books, how to write more realistically less melodramatically, and what it feels like to have friends. Seventeen year old me didn’t have many friends in life, but 24 year old me has some wonderful friends.

Summary in Short?? (can I even do that?)

This advice post is getting long and I’m feeling bad, so okay, here I am: I’m almost 25 (in March). 17 and 23 year old me were very different people with different priorities and different levels of experience. And if I had to choose which book I would go with? 

I’d stay with Universe 3 (and Universe 1 will just be a thing my mum and I know and keep to ourselves, mostly)

I’m nearly done with the 1st edit. I still have days of self doubt, but they’re nothing like what I had years ago. I’m closer to publishing than I was before, mostly because I have a solid plan now and I’ll be self-publishing, allowing me to publish on my own.

In my case, rewriting was the best decision I could have made. I’m not everyone else though, nor am I you. You know yourself and your story better than anyone, and I know you are the most qualified person to make that decision. I have confidence in your ability.

#writing community #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips #anon #ask #Mimzy answers an ask #dear god I hope this helped #Anonymous

[hearthfeuillemort]

The Twelve Days of Yule! - Moon Night

Season’s greetings! Today I continue with the third post in my series on how I'll be observing each of the twelve days of Yule for the first time this year!  My hope is that my research and suggestions will assist and inspire to you try to observe all twelve days: either by yourselves, with your groups/covens, or with your families.  It would make me so happy if you’d send me an Ask and share some of your personal traditions and customs for celebrating Yule, so please feel free!

Yule, in the ancient heathen tradition, is a twelve-day winter festival beginning at sundown on the night of the winter solstice and ending on the day that we’ve come to think of as New Year’s Day.  Remember: lots of us have obligations or something else going on in our lives that might prevent us from observing all twelve days, and that’s totally okay!

Most of our modern Yule (and Christmas!) customs actually come to us from the ancient Germanic and Scandinavian heathen beliefs and practices, and Moon Night is certainly no exception. Though this is the third post in my series, I feel now is a really appropriate time to mention that very little information about these ancient heathens’ actual spiritual rituals and practices has survived to the modern age.  

After Viking Age peoples first encountered and clashed with early European Christian cultures, Christianity became the dominant (emphasis on “dominant”) belief system in early Germanic and Scandinavian culture and any and all practice or mention of the previous heathen faith was brutally suppressed. All of the information that we currently have about their mythology, cosmology, and religious beliefs has been through Christian historians and poets. They weren’t about to tell us how the heathens actually did their thing - if in fact they even knew - and as a result, today’s heathens are basically trying to piece together their beliefs and practices from what little information remains.

It goes without saying that I couldn’t find much information about how this night was traditionally observed, but I'm undaunted. This can actually give me a lot of creative freedom in how I want to make observances of the night. I already make observances of the moon and its phases during each month of the year, now I have an excuse to give the moon its own festival day!

So, here’s what I did learn: Máni’s realm of influence was represented both by the darkness of the night and by the light that the moon shines for hunters in the darkness. During this particular time of the year when the night was at its longest and crops could not be grown, the ability to hunt animals was vital to Viking Age heathens as a way to keep their families fed during the winter.  Both the moon and sun were regarded as gifts from the deities to assist humans in keeping track of the passage of time. It’s no surprise, then, that Máni would be a particular subject of veneration during a winter celebration.

Unlike the first and second nights, it seems the third night of Yule doesn’t have its own traditional name, or at least not one that survived.  I'm choosing to refer to it as "Moon Night", though if one were to refer to it as Máni’s Night that would be just as appropriate. If you’ve been following along with my posts, you may have started to notice a pattern: each of the twelve nights of Yule honors a different deity. Mother Night is set aside for veneration of the disir (Norse pantheon female deities). The second night, or Wild Hunt, is for honoring Odin as well as spirits and other supernatural entities.

The third night of Yule was traditionally set aside for honoring and making sacrifices to the old Norse god Máni, the god who was the personification of the moon or was said to reside inside it (the possible origins of the “man in the moon” belief!). The name of the god and the word for the celestial body in Old Norse were one and the same. 

Another interesting thing is that a couple of sources that I've found have suggested that this is the appropriate night to practice the famous Yule Log customs (which I’ll get into here in a bit), but this contradicted pretty much everything else I've ever read about the Yule Log. I'd previously read that the Yule Log should be lit on the first night of Yule (Mother Night) and allowed to burn for all twelve nights of the festival.  But there's a good reason that I didn’t go into much detail about the Yule Log in the first post of this series, and it has to do with some of the lore that surrounds it that isn't practical for me (and isn't practical for most people).

Traditionally, the Yule Log was enormous: it was more like a very large section of a tree!  After all, it would have to be big enough to last for all twelve nights! Usually, it was dragged from outdoors into the hearth - which back then was typically a huge dirt pit in the center of the home, surrounded by large stones - and was to be lit only by a piece of the previous year’s Yule Log which was saved specifically for this purpose.  Custom dictated that this log could only be either harvested from one’s own property or received as a gift from someone else, never purchased.  The log was then dressed with holly, mistletoe, and other seasonal greenery then doused with ale or cider before being lit by the aforementioned piece of last year’s Yule Log. The very best and most holy wood for the Yule Log was ash, as this tree was extremely sacred to Viking Age heathens. 

Once lit, it was common practice to leap over the burning Yule Log for purification and to invite luck for the coming year, to raise toasts over the log, and to swear oaths upon the log. In Viking Age culture, one’s oaths were considered unbreakable - tantamount to being legally binding in those days - and once an oath exited one’s mouth it was considered one of the greatest dishonors not to keep it. To do so would bring great shame to that person. Fun fact: this oath-swearing tradition is thought to be the origin of today’s New Years’ Resolutions!

Knowing what I know of this custom, there's no way I can work this quintessential part of Yule into my lifestyle. I live in an apartment building in the middle of a major city. I don't even have a fireplace, and most of us can’t get our log on in the way the old heathens did: few if any of us have huge, central hearths in our homes, nor large properties where we can just go around cutting down ash trees!  I couldn’t imagine having a raging fire burning in my home for 12 straight days, either.

It is for this reason that I suggest making Moon Night your night for observing the Yule Log tradition, though perhaps on a smaller scale.  If you don’t have a fireplace, consider making a “yule cone” - this is a neat little project that I stumbled across some time ago.  Take a found pine cone; inside each space place a small roll of paper upon which is written a wish or oath for the coming year.  You can turn this “yule cone” into a tree ornament if you like. Then when Moon Night arrives, find a safe place outside where you can burn the cone.  The smoke will carry your oaths to the sky, and hopefully, your deities will hear you!

If you have a fireplace in your home, then you get to go out to the woods and find yourself a sensible-sized log to serve as your Yule Log.  Be sure to collect winter greenery to dress it with, and to dress the log with ale, mead, or the consecrated beverage of your choice before you light it.  If you choose to then make oaths for the coming year over your Yule Log, keep in mind the seriousness with which our heathen forebears took oaths! Do not make an oath that you cannot or will not keep, or it will bring great shame upon you in the eyes of the deities!

Speaking of deities: I understand that not all of us make veneration of deities a part of our spiritual practice. If you choose not to worship deities or other supernatural entities but instead prefer only to honor the spirit of the season, that is still perfectly okay! In my opinion, there is absolutely no wrong way to observe Yule.  However, if you do choose to honor deity in your practice, Moon Night is an excellent time to make offerings to whichever lunar deity you have the closest relationship with.  

If not, why not have a Moon Night celebration under the night sky?  Instead of a Yule Log, perhaps an outdoor bonfire would suit your needs?  Many of us are already familiar with Moon Cakes as a treat, and tonight would be a perfect time to serve them.  Try to go for a general lunar theme with your livery and decorations. Get creative with your Moon Night celebrations, and please feel free to send me an Ask to share with me any ideas that you come up with for observing the third night of Yule.

Glad yuletide, and hail!

#yule #yuletide #how to celebrate yule #third night #moon night #Máni’s Night #mani's night #yule log #yule log traditions #yule log customs #pagan #heathen #twelve days of yule #12 days of yule #pagan traditions #heathen traditions

[eileenthatdamnraccoon]

I hope it's not too much to ask but I'd love to see all your answers to that long list of questions!

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? - answered2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? - occasionally 3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? - cards among other things4: how do you take your coffee/tea? - I just like to drink sweet tea5: are you self-conscious of your smile? - Yes6: do you keep plants?- no7: do you name your plants? - no8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? - writing i guess.9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? - yes10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? - used to sleep on my stomach, but I sleep on my sides now11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? - Doom House12: what’s your favorite planet? - Earf13: what’s something that made you smile today? - this 14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? - it would look like a house in a big city15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! - Did you know Boyhood took 12 years to make?16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? - 17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? - none18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. - 19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? - not at the moment20: what’s your favorite eye color? - Blue’s okay. I like brown too21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. - I don’t have one22: are you a morning person? - I start work around 9ish so yeah23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? - play the vidya games24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? - there are maybe one or two people25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? - a church26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? - I don’t know what brand they are, but I like mine27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? - plain old bubble gum28: sunrise or sunset? - sunrise29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? - they don’t live near me anymore, but I had this one friend with a really adorable smile.30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? - Yes, plenty of times31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.- socks are okay, I wear black socks sometimes, and I occasionally sleep with them on32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.- we went walking early in the morning33: what’s your fave pastry? - Pop tarts?34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? - I never really had any as a kid. I have a little plush raccoon along with Mega Man now35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? - Not really36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? - Talking Heads37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? - bit of both38: tell us about your pet peeves! - already answered this one39: what color do you wear the most? - I don’t really have a specific color40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? - i don’t wear jewelry 41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? - The Disaster Artist42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! - not really43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? - Can’t think of the last time I’ve done that44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? - Tuesday45: do you trust your instincts a lot? - No46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. - KNIFE to see you47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? - Mayo.48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? - I used to be scared of mushrooms.49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? - Occasionally. last CD I bought was some Peter Gabriel cd50: what’s an odd thing you collect? - movie tickets?51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? - In Your Eyes52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? - I don’t think I had any53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? - I’ve seen them all and I fucking LOVE Heathers. Rocky Horror Picture Show is great too 54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? - probably my mom55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? - i dunno56: what are some things you find endearing in people? - I love to see people laugh57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? - it makes me feel like playing Phoenix Wright. I do occasionally 58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? - none as far as I know. I have an aunt that’s possibly a methhead59: what’s your favorite myth? - 60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? - it’s okay i gyess61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? - answered this one before62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? - no63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? Pretty much leave them be64: what color is the sky where you are right now? - It’s dark outside65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? - Yes, plenty of people but especially one in Michigan 66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? - I dunno67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? - depends68: what’s winter like where you live? - It barely snows around here69: what are your favorite board games? - there was this monopoly game I had as a kid that had dinosaur pieces70: have you ever used a ouija board? - no71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? - sweet72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? - yeah73: what are some of your worst habits? - I’m pretty bad at eye contact and I apologize a lot74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. - 75: tell us about your pets! - my cat Fritz is fucking awesome. I shared pictures of him on here before76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? - sleeping77: pink or yellow lemonade? - no78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? - eh79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? - 80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. - bambi eyes82: are/were you good in school? - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEE83: what’s some of your favorite album art? - Indiscreet is pretty good, Oh No It’s Devo is a guilty pleasure of mine84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? - not at the moment85: do you read comics? what are your faves? - not at the moment86: do you like concept albums? which ones? - yeah. If The Wall is a concept album, that one was good87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? - Clue, Heathers, Dumb and Dumber, Blade Runner, Hot Fuzz, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? - not really89: are you close to your parents? - I’d say so90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.91: where do you plan on traveling this year? - to see my friends92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? - huh?93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? - the short haircut94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? - one of my coworkers95: what are your plans for this weekend? - well, mostly working96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? - quickly97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? INTP, Gemini, and I dunno, Hogwarts?98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? - can’t remember, and i probably did99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. - Elastic Heart, Nobody Home, 100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? - in the future. 

#fereldanhawke