#which is technically still witchy things

[breelandwalker]

Harvest Moon - September 28, 2023

The summer heat might be hanging on, but it's time to get excited for autumn shenanigans all the same. Grab your canning supplies and your favorite cider mug - it's time for the Harvest Moon!

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. It does not matter whether the moon occurs before or after the equinox or in which month it falls. In some years, this means the Harvest Moon may occur in October, in which cause the September moon might go by the name of Corn Moon or Rice Moon, depending on where you are.

In 2023, the Harvest Moon falls once more in the month of September. The same will happen in 2024, when the Harvest Moon will also be a supermoon! However, in 2025, the September moon will come early in the month, making it a Corn Moon. The Harvest Moon that year will be in early October.

The September moon is particularly beloved by farmers in the Northern Hemisphere, as it rises earlier and shines brighter than other full moons due to the relative angle of the Earth in relation to the moon during the equinox, which is helpful for lighting up the tail end of those long work days. In addition, the Harvest Moon may also appear full for multiple nights, providing additional illumination for labor or evening strolls. As such, while the peak of the Harvest Moon will occur in the wee hours of September 29th, it will appear to be full on both the 28th and 29th.

Other North American Indigenous names for the September moon include a number of variations of the aforementioned Corn Moon (used by numerous nations), such as Corn Maker Moon (Abenaki), Corn Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Corn Is Harvested Moon (Zuni). Other names refer to seasonal changes or animal behavior, such as Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), and Rutting Moon (Cree). Some European and modern pagan names for the September moon include Barley Moon (Old English), Singing Moon (Celtic), and Fruit Moon (general).

It's also worth noting that our Jewish friends and neighbors will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah this month, so remember to share your apples and honey and wish them Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year)!

What Does It Mean For Witches?

As autumn begins, we continue to reap what we've sown over the course of the year. It's a time to pause and reflect on what we've accomplished, let go of any unnecessary burdens we're still carrying, and focus on taking care of hearth and home for the cold months ahead. Now is a good time to do one last clutter purge or finish those repairs you've been putting off all summer!

Change is in the air as well, and transformations begun earlier in the year will burst into vibrant life. Just as the flowers bloom in spring, the leaves turn in the fall, and those of us who come alive in the autumn will start to fell that zing coming back.

Community also comes back into focus during harvest time, both because of the sharing of resources and the accompanying start of the school year. Take a moment to reinforce positive and supportive connections with friends and neighbors, or reach out to your local or online circle to strengthen existing bonds.

This a time of great abundance, so if you've been meaning to draw any kind of increase into your life, take steps to do so now. Harness that Harvest Moon energy to help carry you through the lean times in comfort and plenty.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

This is the time for feasting, bonfires, and outdoor gatherings. September and October will give us a few more warm weeks before the weather turns cold and rainy, so make the most of it! Have a potluck supper with a menu made of everyone's favorite seasonal recipes. Visit a local farmer's market and bring home that fresh seasonal produce. Thank the earth for the bounty it provides and renew your promise to be a good steward of the land where you live.

Technically, this is the second "harvest" moon of the year, since the harvest of most seasonal crops began back in August with wheat and corn and late summer fruits. The harvest of corn and grain continues into September and is joined by additional late-season fruits and vegetables, the most iconic of which is the annual apple crop.

Apple-picking is easily my favorite autumn activity and it's fantastic way to get outdoors, get some fresh air, and come home with tasty produce for uses both mundane and magical. From cider to applesauce to pies, apples are delightfully versatile. They also feature in a number of folk traditions and party games which double as divination rituals.

Continue your preparations for winter by canning or preserving fresh foods, hanging harvested herbs and flowers to dry, or refreshing your stocks of moon water and magical oils. Make your own magical brews using a stock pot as a cauldron and soups, stews, punch, cider, and mulled wine as your potions. Kitchen witches, your time is NOW!

Wear the colors of the season boldly and revel in all the gifts you've received and joys you've experienced so far this year. If you've been particularly blessed, pay it forward to share the bounty with others. Reflect on everything you've accomplished, celebrate your progress, and maybe set one or two small goals for the end of the year.

And since the decorations are already appearing in stores, start stocking up for Halloween!

Happy Harvest Moon, witches! 😊🍎

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts

Secular Celebrations - Autumn Equinox

Harvest Moon, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

What Is The Harvest Moon?, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Harvest Moon 2023: The Spiritual Meaning of September's Full Moon, The Peculiar Brunette.

Full Moon 2025 Calendar, Full Moonology.

Rosh Hashanah, Wikipedia.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

#Harvest Moon #lunar magic #moon magic #lunar calendar #witchcraft #witchblr #witch tips #witch community #pagan #autumn

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

Personal Do Not Read Witchy Author List

There will be a google doc with updates as I find more authors to avoid. These are all my own personal opinion and I do take the author's actions into account when judging their ability to write legitimate information.

TW: Slavery, serial killers, racism, TERFs, creeps, neonazis, asylums, and a slew of other super unsavory things. I tried to make this list as PG as possible while highlighting the issues with these individual people. 

*Alestier Crowley. *

   He's a literal piece of garbage. Misogynistic, thief of a toooon of closed practices, has entire cults still dedicated to him, called himself a voice of God (both Abrahamic and apparently like 5 Egyptian deities??? I mean excuse me sir how about no??) He also declared himself ‘above’ Gods back in 1922 calling himself Ipssissimus. I hate Crowley so much I have literally stuck a picture of him to a dartboard before. He can suck an egg in the afterlife. He also put his own wife in an asylum for 'alcoholism’ because she wanted a divorce. The only thing he ever did right was get kicked down a flight of stairs at a temple once by a poet.

*Anastasia Greywolf*

   Appropriates at least Jewish practices if not every Indigenous practice there is. Wholeheartedly encourages people to use magic instead of going to a doctor for things like oh I dunno EPILEPSY And claims she has spells for like Marvel-level super powers which uh no Ana. You don't. Lots of Christianity for a supposedly FULL pagan and wiccan author. Her spells are all controlled like...so wrong. So, so wrong. Don't ask please. I can't begin to describe it. Advocates for smudging and uses phrases like "Cherokee Rituals", and the Romani G-slur. 

*Gerald Gardner*

   Made his own branch of wicca, the first technically, and his own coven had to make rules just so he wouldn't spill everything to any reporter that asked. Used Crowley as a main resource.

*Jason Miller*

   Claims to do Hoodoo. A horrible formatter, and generally super dismissive of being a rootworker and other potentially closed practices, has not been initiated. Has claimed that anyone can petition/pray to Papa Legba without initiation because "Vodou is a congregational religion/practice". From the Vodou and Haitian Vodou practitioners I have talked to that is VERY incorrect, it may be congregational but you still have to be involved in the community to be trusted with those practices because so much of it has been bastardized for media and racism purposes. He is also a student of Catherine Yronwode, who is another SUPER problematic figure in the Hoodoo/Rootwork community.  

 A link of his own words on culture appropriation which includes mild inaccuracy towards Indiginous Peoples and that they don’t ‘own’ certain practices when it’s very clear the wording of those practices DOES in fact come from those peoples. He’s fine with people being Yogis, or Shamans, or calling satchel spells mojo bags, and other such phrases and won’t correct people if they use such words out of context because “language changes”. Also says if someone within a practice says it’s closed to go to ANOTHER AND ANOTHER until you find someone willing to teach you??? That’s not how it works sir.

Source: https://www.strategicsorcery.net/on-cultural-misappropriation/

*Lisa Chamberlain*

   Not an actual person. This is a ghost writer name for a bunch of garbage literally copy and pasted from wikipedia into books. I wish I was kidding. 

*Lisa Leister/Lester/whatever other spelling she's used.*

   Such a major TERF. Like JK Rowling level TERF. Claims magic comes from a womb so anybody that doesn't have one isn't a real witch. Like WTF lady.

*Raymond Buckland*

  Where to start...uses the G-slur often. (His grandfather was romani so it blurs the line of blood quantum.)  Very sexist and obsessed with the idea of a woman getting uh...undressed for rituals while men stay dressed and more things I cannot say ina PG space??? As magic?? VERY anti-minor and LGBTQA+. Toxic, just plain toxic. Can't do it. I have read his Blue Book and it's the least problematic thing he wrote. I'm alright with it.

*Silver Ravenwolf*   WhOOO boy. So super anti-christian, which is fine and dandy...if you didn't claim to be in a lineage of braucherei/hexerei. Wiccan, like the type of wiccan that says no other witchcraft exists and yet has written folk magic books??? She really needs to make up her mind. Claims Satanists don't actually exist. Claims most Jewish powers worshiped "the Goddess" (whoever that is)??? Very cult-like language about "not telling friends and family about your new life/reality/experience/whatever". Also SO MUCH APPROPRIATION. SO SO MUCH. She also gets her history wrong, on a lot of basic information that most non-witches know about like say the Salem Witch Trials.

*Catherine Yronwode* Ooh man. So Catherine Yronwode’s career started as a comic book artist. She’s worked on such things like the Elvira comic, DNAgents, and a gaggle of super controversial trading cards which included the Kennedy Assasination, a serial killer collection, and the AIDS epidemic. Of which she was sued for using one half of the Hillside Stranglers duo in said killer trading cards without his permission, the judge sadly threw the case out because and this is a quote, “ If Bianchi had been using his face as a trademark when he was killing women, he would not have tried to hide it from the police.” There were two more from her comic days, but those aren’t super relevant besides the one that pushed the envelope of what sort of trading cards should be sold to children. On the magical side of things, I will be blunt here: As one of the ‘big bads’ of the Rootwork/Folk/Hoodoo community? I really REALLY dislike her. She has made numerous false claims about New Orleans/Haitian Vodou and that it’s only a very recent practice, non-religious, and slaves never used it because it didn’t exist yet??? History books and entire generations will disagree. An example would be this link of an open letter to her written by a New Orleans Voodoo practitioner and someone she wrote a whole article about: https://conjureart.blogspot.com/2013/10/open-letter-to-cat-yronwode-and-lucky.html

She owns a few different websites namely https://www.luckymojo.com/, has written numerous Hoodoo based books, and actively has accused numerous people who have asked her for sources and or disagreed with her of plagiarism and has slung more mud that you can shake a stick at. 

She also praises a book on Marie Laveau and yet discredits herself by calling New Orleans Voodoo a new religion/neopractice??? She’s just confusing as all heck to me.

*Christian Day*   This guy’s just a creep. One stuck in the early 2000s mall goth phase even though he’s over 50. He also appropriates Hoodoo and owns two Hoodoo shops as well as multiple other witch shops in Salem and recently New Orleans on the French Quarter (Which is pure tourist fodder and not a reflection of true New Orleans Voodoo/Vodun/Rootwork). He has also harassed ex-employees so badly it’s landed him in court. His book The Witch’s Book of the Dead also reads very much like a list of accomplishments rather than anything useful. All about his television spots and experiences doing that. (Did I mention he was in an episode of Ghost Adventures? Yes, that one with Zac Bagans??? And it did not make us witches look too great, honestly speaking.)

Sources for Harassment Claims: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/salem-witch-gets-protective-order-against-warlock/

https://www.wcvb.com/article/warlock-christian-day-ordered-to-stay-away-from-salem-witch/8228072

*Yvonne and Gavin Frost*   I dunno how else to say this, I really don’t. These two? Pedophiles. Multiple writings of theirs included not-safe-for-work-or-children rituals that must include minors. Avoid. AVOID AVOID. AVOID ANYONE WHO USES THEM AS A RESOURCE! This should NOT be okay in any circle. They are VERY used within the Wicca religion so please be careful!!

*Orion Foxwood* Some of his information is very sound! I can’t fault him there. He does have a tendency to blend different traditions without actively TELLING you he’s blending them though. He’s and this is a direct quote, “He is a witch and Elder in Romano Celtic-Traditional Craft, High Priest in Alexandrian Wicca and teacher of the Faery Seership tradition. He is also the founding Elder of Foxwood Temple and a primary founder of the Alliance of the Old Religion, a national network of covens in his line that have united to preserve the ways of his Elders. He was the co-director of Moonridge, a center for metaphysical, Craft and Faery studies in Maryland” That’s an awful lot of traditions to juggle and not only write on but actively teach. He also performs conjure, which in of itself might not be an issue but Conjure usually blends into Hoodoo really quickly if one isn’t careful! A lot of the traditions he talks about from his family sound quite familiar, he’s clearly from Appalachia but his books on the subject blend in his other practices instead of keeping them separate. 

*Starr Casas*   She’s in the same category as Orion, only she doesn’t necessarily give her credentials to be teaching Hoodoo, and even wrote a whole book filled with Hoodoo love spells. She also co-owns a French Quarter Conjure Shop, which if you ask any practitioners from New Orleans...is catered to pure tourists and not a true example of the crafts from the area. 

*Shawn Engel*   I’m gonna be blunt here. More appropriation of the Jewish practices, Hoodoo, and other information that is just plain UPG without saying it’s UPG and encourages throwing hexes at political party members solo. I read The Power of Hex and had to put it down numerous times just to gather myself and not throw it away, I don’t know if it was tone or sheer level of appropriation...likely both.

*Kate Freuler*   Of Blood and Bones is chock full of Hoodoo, full stop. Only acknowledges that something comes from Hoodoo once and also gets basic mythology information on the Deities she mentions wrong in some cases. Also a lot of the book seems to be UPG because the bibliography is super small for a 300 page book.

*Dorothy Morrison*   I picked up Utterly Wicked once. A very odd book full of Hoodoo and Vodun spellwork and misinformation, the author is also Garderian Wiccan so even the writing of a book full of hexes is slightly...concerning compared to the Wiccan traditions and redes. Odd is the best I have to describe how I personally feel. I will say this again: Voodoo Dolls are not used to cause pain, stop bastardizing that single aspect of the practice. Thank you.

*Helena Blavatsky*

 I dunno how else to say this either, her philosophy and occult knowledge, called Theosophy is a portion of what inspired Hitler. Pure unadulterated racism veiled in a ‘Atlantian Race Theory”. Horrible stuff, read for a class project once and felt disgusting.

*Christopher Penczak*Whoo boy. On the surface he seems alright, one of the first ‘male’ witches I had ever heard of except for Scott Cunningham. But the more you dig into his work the more inaccuracies and Christian bashing you see. For example: Christianty was the first patriarchal society. Uhm...I believe you’re kinda forgetting the men who ran Rome and Greece there sir. He also fully proposes the ‘burning times’ were like a ‘witch holocaust’. NO! NO IT WAS NOT. You can’t compare the hundreds of years and MAYBE a thousand-ish people dying to the millions that died in the short timespan the Holocaust was a thing. Fuck Christopher for that comparison and also for claiming it was a ‘burning time’ to begin with. (History says that most were hung...or tortured. Burning is a very small number of that list in general. 

He makes a lot of sweeping statements and sees witchcraft as a religion and NOT a practice. He whitewashes, fully harps on the Wicca = witchcraft = religion thing and THEN hones in on the difference between “white and black” magic and how cursing is evil and yet highlights certain practices that actively practice...cursing...as they have for generations??? He (atleast) doesn’t demonize Satanism but does still backhand the idea anyway, that they CAN’T be witches because witches only ‘heal’. Cultural appropriation and fetishization of ‘Native’ practices while calling them primitive all in the same breath, I just can’t with this guy. I really can’t. 

*Amy Blackthorn* 

Owns a tea brand called ‘Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends’ she is white. When questioned by BIPOC individuals she complains and blocks them instead of explaining why she chose the name Hoodoo for just teas. TEA. She is also the author of Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic, Sacred Smoke (A book on smudging yikes on trikes), and Blackthorn’s Protection Magic. 

Proof of blocking: https://thisblackwitch.com/2016/04/01/blackthorn-teas-whose-culture-is-it-anyways/

*Tarl Warwick *

Is more commonly known as Styxhexenhammer666 on youtube and other social media sites. Has written a pile and I mean a PILE of occult based books including ones on Hermetic magic, ritualistic magic, demons, solomon, folk plants and healing, Kabbalah, and many MANY more. 

He makes no claim to being Jewish, and given his political wishy washiness, and multitude of controversies which includes claiming the Holocaust wasn’t ‘that many dead’, Charles Manson deserved release because he was ‘extremely innocent and didn’t kill anyone’, and fairly recently also wrote and published a book on Critical Race Theory and why it’s ‘garbage’. I can’t support him no matter how accurate some of his information may be (if any at all). 

*Temperance Alden* This really pains me to say, Temperance in her Wheel of the Year book made a claim that birth control “stunted her magical abilities” because it affected her hormones…in OTHER words unless you are a perfectly hormone producing WOMAN you don’t have great magical power. AVOID. AVOID. AVOID. That is a slippery slope to claiming medication will harm you, not to mention how TERF-y it is AND completely disregards that magic is for well…everyone. Such a stupid gatekeep-y concept. 

*Sarah Kate Istra/Dver*

Advocates for using ‘spirit animals’ regardless of Indigenous beliefs and concerns. Is also a known ally with the Piety Posse, a neo-nazi group of pagans who claim the term polytheist can only apply to them and if you aren’t a Hellenistic pagan…you aren’t pagan at all. They also advocate for animal sacrifices, blood tests to prove purity, and other horrible HORRIBLE stuff. 

*Sannion/H. Jeremiah Lewis*

Obvious Neo-nazi, keeps images of swastikas on his personal blog, and not the ones that the nazis stole from, the nazi one. And super SUPER transphobic.

*Edward P. Butler*

Major persecution complex, spends half his twitter complaining about how monotheists are destroying…I dunno…everything? Also defends Krasskova quite heavily. Antisemetic as well.

*Galina Krasskova*

Hellenic pagans watch out. Defends the AFA. A ringleader of the Piety Posse. There’s a lot more horrific stuff about her and I won’t go into extreme details. But TW: Romanticizes SA with deities, human sacrifice, animal sacrifice. Compares debating to the holocaust, lots of victim blaming, gatekeeping, and screams folkish. 

*Diana Cooper*

Racist. Hard stop. Also appropriates chakras. Has a weird belief that food controls skin color and that Africa will never be a good country because it’s the solar plexus of the universe…or something like that. I got 20 pages into the book and literally couldn’t go any farther. Did I mention this book was supposedly on dragons???

*Judika Iiles* So much appropriation, advocates for making altars and working with closed deities. Lots of incorrect information including dangerous spellwork like obsession spells. And one in particular that has roots in a racist stereotypes. Avoid please! 

#witchblr #witchcraft #Authors to avoid #Will update in the future #If anyone has any questions about any of these please feel free to ask

[the-paganwitch]

My Addition to the OcculTea Hashtag.

I've seen many creators post into this discussion, and as someone who isn't really and "influencer" parsay, but I have been online with my craft for many years now, so I have definitely seen a thing or to! I got inspired to add my own thoughts into this topic. This will easily be my longest post I've created. The picture above is from @prettyqueerwitch. I love how it looked and I wanted to use it. I hope this is okay! If it isn't, please let me know and I'll change it!

Introduction: Introduce yourself. How long have you been participating in the witchcraft online space? What practices and topics do you discuss primarily?

Hi! My name is Jess, also known as the-paganwitch or Redmonarch on other platforms. I am a 23-year-old and first discovered witchcraft when I wanted to curse someone. I know, a great start. That was back in about 2013/2014. I didn't really start getting into actively practicing until around 2017. My first time participating in an online space was through the Spells of Magic forum. I still have an account on there I check from time to time, but I'm not on it very often anymore. After that, I branched onto watching youtube creators. I now run a witchy email-based newsletter I love! I am an eclectic pagan witch with a primary focus on green and kitchen witchcraft, and crystal magic.

Topic 1: Impact On Community.

What is my personal reading/inspiration behind sharing my practice online? What am I looking to achieve by participating? Do I seek to educate, learn, or connect?

I feel inspired to share mostly to help others who may be just starting out and don't really know where to start. Which is the main reason behind my newsletter. I also like the feeling of community online. With my chronic illnesses and nasty social anxiety, it is really hard for me to be a part of an in-person community. So I do tend to rely on the online aspect. Though, I don't really have any online witchy friends.

How do I believe that social media, as a whole, has impacted the community?

I feel that it has both helped and hindered the community. It's kind of a grey zone to me. While social media has made it easier for others to connect and for more information to be shared on a global scale, it has also created a platform for less favourable people to gain a voice. Those who seek to spread hate and unnecessary harm to others in the community.

How do I think social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have each impacted education/sharing information?

I would say that I could answer it similarly to the question above. It's kind of a grey zone. On one side, it has made gathering information easier and more accessible. On the other, it has lead to a lot of misinformation and has lead many to a ""my way or the highway" type of thinking. I have seen this type of thinking primarily on TikTok, which is why I had to deleted it personally. The community grew way too toxic.

Is consuming witchcraft content becoming a substitute for practice?

Yes and no. I know many hate on people who primarily consume content as a part of their practice, but something many always seem to forget about is us spoonie witches who many not always have the energy or spoons to practice all the time. Yes,I don't agree with the people who claim to be witches, but all the do is watch TikTok videos and never actually attempt to branch out to other areas or do more research into topics. These types of people, in my opinion, aren't actually witches. For some of us, we just can't always spare the extra energy to so spells or most types of magic. So consuming witchcraft media is the closest thing we have to practicing some days.

Topic 2 : Influencer Authority.

Out of what I share on social media, how much of it is staged vs. reality?

I am pretty open to sharing the reality of my practice. I don't really feel the need to stage anything. If I were to ever make videos, I guess then technically parts would be staged. But when I make posts or add personal notes in my newsletter, those are authentic and real.

Do I think there is an element of censorship in online spaces? How do I decipher what is "appropriate" to share online vs. what to keep privately? Is this based on "social media etiquette" or a personal preference.

As I stated above, I am pretty comfortable openly sharing my practice. I don't really censor much as of right now, unless it has nothing to really do with my practice. Even then, I don't mind sharing information if I am asked something. I would say it's all up to your comfort level on what you choose to share and what you don't. I also don't really know what social media etiquette is to be honest.

Have I ever encountered or heard of grifters in our community? Do I recognize them? What are significant signs of grifters in the community?

I have had people on mostly Instagram partake in grifting. Usually as fake tarot readers or offering to do break curses/hexes or "bring back a lost love". These people are pretty easy to tell. They almost always message you first, saying "I was drawn to your profile" or "I wanted to offer you a free reading". They do not want to give you any help, they are trying to scam you. Other forms I see are people who are not a part of the community trying to market or sell items overpriced. Or those who sell things at a way too low of a price. If it's too good to be true, it's probably a scam.

What tools are helpful to decipher misinformation, and how can we as a community prevent widespread misinformation?

Research research research! Always research, fact check, and be suspicious if something doesn't sound right or feel right. I don't really think we can do a whole lot about the spread of misinformation, but we can always fact check what we hear, see, or learn. We can also help lift the voices of those we do trust and those who share correct information.

How does a large following impact the perception of the creator? Does this immediately make them an "expert"? Or are there other assumptions as to why they may have a large following?

Being a popular creator doesn't make you an "expert". It can mean you may know more about somethings or that you share good information, but it doesn't make you an expert. Neither does practicing for a long time. No one can truly be an "expert" in witchcraft as a whole, in my opinion. You can be very well informed and know a lot, but you aren't an "expert".

How does one maintain the balance of authenticity and content creation?

It can be difficult maintaining authenticity when trying to make content if you are trying to keep relevancy or trying to become super popular. This is because you have to follow what topics are trending and you have to constantly be fighting with algorithms. This can make you lose authenticity and turn more into content farming. I think you can balance both as long as you are content creating without the sole desire of having relevancy or popularity.

Topic 3 : Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Missing Out

When I follow other creators in the community space, does it make me feel genuinely inspired and empowered or does it create feelings of fear of missing out and being less than?

I guess that would depend on the community space. In most places, I generally get a feeling of inspiration, especially when I get into a rut or burn out. The only community I felt negative more time than not in was on TikTok. There was always fighting, drama, and a push for you to buy certain things in order to be called a witch. If you didn't like this certain creator or you didn't agree with this exact way of thinking, you can't be a witch or you aren't a "real" witch.

If I experience fear of missing out, has it ever left me feeling vulnerable to be taken advantage of financially, or otherwise? An example would be - the "need" to purchase the latest popular product or book to "fit in"?

I can see where others, especially beginners, may fall into this way of thinking. You want to be liked in a certain community, but you feel you have to follow the trends or keep up with what everyone is buying. I myself don't really fall into this peer pressure anymore, but I definitely did when I first started. It's best to move away from communities and spaces that make you feel forced to buy products or follow one certain thing.

When practicing my craft, do I find myself comparing what I do to what I've been seeing people do online?

Absolutely. This has been a bit of a problem for me within the last 2-3 years. It really started when I developed my chronic illness and couldn't do everything I used to be able to do. I felt less than or that I wasn't really a witch anymore. I have been working really hard on allowing myself more leniency when it comes to my practice and my chronic illness. It's really easy to fall into the habit of comparing yourself and your practice to others you see on social media, but you have to remember that not everyone shows everything they do. They may only share 5-10% of their craft.

In what ways do I combat imposter syndrome?

I try to be gentle and kind with myself when I notice it coming up. I remind myself that everyone's craft is different and my won't look like someone elses, and that okay. The whole point of witchcraft is to make it suited to you and what you can do, and where you can grow and learn.

What would my practice look like without the social media influence of other creators?

Honestly, I don't think I would have really gotten into it as much as I have or I may not have actually discovered it. I was raised in an strong atheist household and was taught that that was the only right answer. But when I discovered witchcraft online, it was an eye opener. When I rediscovered it a few years later, it changed my entire life for the better. I am forever in love with witchcraft and I don't think I will ever give it up at this point.

Topic 4 : Capitalizing Off Community.

Do I consider online communities as equally valid to in-person communities?

I do. I may not alway partake in many online discussions or join community chats, but I do believe they can do some good to those that enjoy them or who what to make friends. There is a plethora of different groups and discussion forums out there for just about everyone.

How have online occult/witchcraft communities impacted me as a person and practitioner?

They have both helped and hindered me and my practice. Like I said above, some online practitioners are the reason I discovered witchcraft in the first place. Which lead me to falling in love with it and devoting my life to witchcraft. On the other hand, It has sometimes lead me to dislike the communities and witchcraft because of how toxic some of it had become, and how often I found myself hitting burn out after burn out because of it. I lost myself for a while with my craft. I had even questioned whether I wanted to be a witch anymore. I rediscovered my love for it all after I stepped back from a lot of communities I noticed were promotion toxicity and fueling separation.

What are some of the dangers of the current phenomenon of capitalizing off witchcraft community? Have I been personally affected by this, or have I witnessed someone else be affected?

I think a problem with capitalizing off of witchcraft communities is how easy it can be to scam or swindle new practitioners out of money. Another problem is fake products being marketed as the real deal. This is a HUGE problem with crystals honestly. There are many online shops claiming a crystal is real, but when you get it, it's a dyed glass or plastic. Moldavite, agates, opals, and quartzes are some of the worst for this happening. It drives me nuts!

Should there be paywalled communities and online courses?

I don't believe anything about basic witchcraft should be paywalled. I believe basics should be free to access for everyone and anyone. But I don't see an issue in asking for payment when you are teaching things beyond the basics. Especially for those who put lots of time and effort into learning and creating said courses. I can also understand why some communities are paywalled. I remember when witches were trying to make non-paywalled discord communities to anyone who wanted to join and what a dumpster fire they usually turned into. You can't always control who gets in and what they say or do. There isn't really an efficient method to keeping out hate and harmful people from communities without paywalling. Which is kind of sad.

How does one ensure the authenticity of courses/workshops/memberships/etc. as a financial investment?

You should always, always, ALWAYS look into the person offering said things before you partake. How long have they been practicing? What beliefs do they hold? Do they align with yours? Are what they saying seem fishy, suspicious, or too good to be true? These are things you should always think about before paying to be a part of something or paying someone for courses.

Conclusions:

What are some topics of conversations I'd like to see more of in our community?

I would love to see more discussion on witches with disabilities or chronic illnesses as I feel it's not talked about or discussed enough.

What are my community needs?

For me to want to be in a part of a community, I would need to feel supported and that there is open discussions without judgement because someone's craft is a different then others. I like being in communities with a similar beliefs, or with witches who are into the same things as me, but that is purely personal.

Where would I like to be held and supported? Where do I feel like I'm not truly being seen by my community?

I pushed these two together because they have the same answer. I am personally not too worried about being held or seen in any community. Mainly because I am not really making content to become something or a popular creator. If I gained a large following, that's cool, but I am not actively trying to do that. If people like what I post or share and want to follow, that's awesome! You are more than welcome here. But if others don't care for what I do, then that's okay too. Whatever one you vibe with, it's good with me.

How can we help each other in removing the external peer pressure and grow in the community?

By reminding each other that you're craft is your own and does not have to follow anyone else's. There are no set rules to witchcraft, and if someone tells you there is, they are not being truthful. Witchcraft is what you make of it. We can flourish when we support each other practitioners differences.

How can we, as a community, come together more with constructive criticism without it seeming shady or passive aggressive? How can we, as a community, do better when we do receive criticism/feedback?

I would say we should watch how things get worded, firstly. Secondly, instead of writing something when in a high state of emotion, think about what you want to said first. Really think about it. Is it coming from a place of genuine help, or a place of attack or offence? Same can go for when we receive criticism. Think about what someone said before responding, especially if you don't fully understand what is being said. If you're confused about it, ask the person to elaborate. There is nothing wrong with asking to gain more insight into what the person is thinking and where they're coming from.

Who are some community members that I look up to that are reliable resources and aspirations?

Ariel Gatoga, Chaotic Witch Aunt, Hearth Witch, Witchy Tips, The Green Witch, Harmony Nice (no longer uploads), Ginny Metheral, Alwyn Oak, The Lunar Witch, The Witch of the Forest, The Wholesome Witch, Anastasia Moon, and Molly Roberts are the creators I look to the most for information and learning. I've watched many of these creators for a while now. I would say Ariel Gatoga was my biggest reason I got really into witchcraft and I would see him as my mentor. I learned the most of what I know from him and his podclasses.

Further thoughts?

I can't really think of much else to add. I do implore you to step back from social media from time to time to find yourself and discover what you truly love and discover where your strengths are. If you're in a burn out, or don't have much energy recently, that is okay. Allow yourself to rest and recover. Step back from witchcraft for a little and discover something new outside of your practice. Stepping back from witchcraft doesn't make you any less of a witch. We all need to take a step back to look at the bigger picture. You might find out something about yourself you may have never known.

#occultea #witchcraft #witchblr #paganblr #witchy #witch #green witch #witchcraft community #witch community #witchcore #pagan witch #witches of tumblr #beginner witch #magick #witches #paganism #pagan

[tobiasbegley]

Edge of The Woods...

Helluva good name, if you ask me. But can a book live up to such a name?

In my opinion: Yes.

Edge of the Woods perfectly dances the line between fairy tale mystery and full novel, never dipping too far one way or the other.

While reading it, I could see just how vibrant and magical this part of his world is, and I fell in love with it like nothing else I'd seen.

The entire book sings with a witchy, forrested vibe that struck a chord with me, and if you're a fan of that type of content, you've gotta read this book.

Some of the most common issues I see with Andrew's works include an over-focus on numbers and weaker characterization.

For the first point, this book ditches much of the numeric component of things. It does still dive fairly deeply into the technical aspects of magic, but I found that enjoyable. I do fully admit that it isn't for everyone, though.

Weaker characterization was NOT a problem in this book.

Every character we come across feels distinct, from the major players, to the minor ones. Characters who only show up a few times still stuck out handily in my mind, and there are a half dozen side characters who could be main characters in their own right, which gives the world a rich feel.

All in all, this may be my favorite book Andrew's put out thusfar.

9/10

#progression fantasy #author #writing #fantasy #lgbt books #arcane ascension #litrpg

[masterqwertster]

Bells Hells C2 Class Swap AU

Basically just giving the Hells the same class as their player's Campaign 2 characters and getting a bit different approaches to the plot beats.

Orym: School of Divination Wizard

Divination goes with Orym's ridiculous perception

He specifically chose to learn divination magic in order try to foresee and forewarn if an attack against Zephrah is coming

He's also very upset that his divinations have had trouble turning up anything about Will and Derrig's killers

Fearne: Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian

Obviously her Storm Aura is desert, because that's the fire barbarian

She uses a great sickle like Deni$e since she does have a Moon Sickle in canon

Fearne is probably a bit more like Lionel in that she's a happy, excited barbarian most of the time. Of course her "always got for the kill" policy means she gets vicious when serious.

Probably also prone to a lot more headbutting as an attack given her goat-like nature as a faun and melee fighter class

Laudna: Way of Shadow Monk

She's always had an affinity for shadows and spookiness, so this subclass fits.

Also Witchy Bitches magic through ki ability

Delilah is still around, but definitely more as a haunting spirit and unwanted advisor, since there's no warlock multi-class. Maybe she grants Way of the Long Death abilities because of the whole necromancer patron thing, though a multi-subclass is probably overpowered

Imogen: Order Domain Cleric

Obviously, Imogen has no clue where her divine gifts come from (it's Predathos/being Ruidusborn)

Order Domain because it's whole deal is mind fuckery to bring people into your sense of order (which also matches with Ruby Vanguard cult shit)

Maybe a slight reflavor that it's not a sense of order she's imposing, but a sense of blackmail from mindreading

Chetney: Hexblade Warlock/Oath of the Ancients Paladin

Oath is about toymaking and bringing joy and light to children (so his god is the All Hammer since that's the crafting god)

Also not that great at Kindle the Light because he's a bitter, crotchety old man. Mercy and forgiveness have sort of fallen off the menu

Fighting Style is Dueling, 'cause he wants to shank a bitch with bonus damage

Definitely looking forward to the day he gets powerful enough to not suffer the drawbacks of old age (Level 15) 😝

Look, the little man uses carving tools as his weapon of choice, it had to be Hexblade

His patron is some sort of wolf-ish Krampus-equivalent, for punishing the Naughty. It just goes with his Christmas Special origins

Pact of the Chain for a wolf familiar. Though it's probably not a normal wolf...

FCG: Mastermind Rogue/School of Enchantment Wizard

Mastermind rogue could actually be used for therapy, if your intent is to manipulate someone into being their better self instead of doing whatever you want them to do

Also the mimic speech patterns is how FCG ended up with their accent in canon, so...

Plus ability to spam the Help action as a bonus action, and this bot wants to be helpful!

Honestly, School of Enchantment is more support and mind fuckery skills for them

This version is just very magic-enhanced therapy focused

Which also kind of lines up with the Care and the Culling background of manipulatively helpful to get in close before driving in the knife

Ashton: Order of the Lycan Blood Hunter (reflavor)/Forge Domain Cleric/ Phantom Rogue (reflavor)

Taliesin technically has 3 character from C2: Mollymauk, Caduceus, and Kingsley, bringing 3 different classes to the table between them, so options to mix and match for multi-class or just go straight

Order of the Lycan is the blood hunter subclass closest to barbarian. Though I'd give it the dunamancy reflavor of amplifying Ashton's elemental power/heritage/potential, so the hybrid form is basically going earth elemental, while the heightened senses maybe get replaced with a Blind Sight or an earth vibration Perception check ability with advantage

Fighting Style is Dueling, because their hybrid elemental form is big/strong enough to wield the hammer one-handed. Play whack-a-mole for bonus damage! 😂

Honestly considered War Domain because they're a fighter, but found I liked Forge Domain for being a bit more elemental. Dash of dunamancy is that he's an earth genasi with growing potential for fire magic, thus crossing an elemental boundary. Basically, they're going from pure earth to volcano.

Also, Forge Domain fits his love for punk handicrafts, and is definitely a domain that can be picked up in Bassuras

God would probably be the All-Hammer because he's the crafting god.

Though an argument could be made for unwitting Luxon follower, as it reaches through time for its galaxy brain chosen one. Ashton just thinks they believe in the light of the stars or some shit

Phantom rogues draw on the souls of the dead, so I reflavor this as drawing on their other possible lives in the galaxy brain. There's always a version that knows something relevant when they're infinite possibilities 😉

I recommend cleric and one of the other two classes if you want multi-class. Just rogue or blood hunter for a singular class as the cleric-dunamancy connection I cooked up is a bit weak

Some Events/Points of Interest

Chet actually was a werewolf, once upon a time. But he got cured of it, and that led him to one of his classes, depending on if it was a kind savior (paladin) or making deal to lift the curse (warlock). And he respects and remembers that time of his life with his Pact familiar

Thanks to his divination skills, Orym probably had a good feeling about what was coming the day he met the Crown Keepers, and the day he met the rest of Bells Hells. And a bad feeling the day Bertrand died, and the day he faced Otohan (both in Zephrah and Bassuras)

If Ashton is a blood hunter, Orym definitely has thoughts and extreme curiosity about their hybrid form. Which he can't be blamed for because he's Ashari

Imogen was considered a useful problem in Gelvaan, because her psychic/mindreading abilities were off-putting, but her healing abilities as a cleric are, well, "god-sent." Smaller towns are always grateful to have magic healing available and all

FCG is more pushy about his therapy attempts. And more subtle in execution, as they feel the need. He just really wants to help everyone's mental state, and is too inexperienced to quite understand when he needs to back off for a while

Laudna takes advantage of her oddly pliable body to move in strange ways for her dope monk shit. Like, she's very flexible to the point of accidental joint dislocation, so people aren't always ready for the ways she can move

And Laudna can fit herself into some tiny spaces because of the way she can fold herself up. Sometimes Imogen would sneak her into town in a large bag while it was just the two of them

Fearne takes protecting Orym very seriously (because he's a squishy wizard in this AU), but it can be tricky in a fight given her area-of-effect Storm Aura damage. There were definitely a few times Orym got singed pretty good at the beginning of their relationship

#MQ AU machine #Bells Hells C2 Class Swap AU #critical role #bells hells

[mlobsters]

supernatural s10e23 brother's keeper (w. jeremy carver)

so here's what i'm gonna try to do. shelve all those ugly feelings about how they handled charlie and (hopefully) not let it completely ruin watching this episode (and the show). i have too much emotional investment in sam and dean to want to walk away entirely, but i also don't want this to turn into a hatewatch.

but gonna say again what a shame it is sam is giving this impassioned speech to cas about saving dean when i can't appreciate it nearly as much as i could have a few seasons ago.

SAM Dean guessed! Cas, What are we supposed to do, huh? Just sit on our asses, do nothing? CASTIEL No. We find Dean. SAM And then what?! The only thing that stopped Cain was death. Do you want to kill Dean? Because I don't. And the only way I know how to save my brother is to cure the Mark. And, yes, I know there will be consequences, but not you, not Dean, not anybody can tell me what those consequences are. So I'm not gonna let my brother destroy himself on a guess. We save Dean.

finally someone as mad as i am about that trope, about how they jump to conclusions and make decisions off bad or no information constantly. really fucking grinds my gears. so, thanks, sam.

DEAN Well, they let her leave the house looking like a whore.

even when will graham's brain was melting, he wasn't a fucking asshole. jesus. dean wasn't this horrible when he was a full fledged demon.

maybe i'll paint rowena some day. she's so pretty and i do love drawing red hair. working on another one of gillian at the moment.

also was wondering the other day if crowley wasn't witchy enough to do the spell. before sam tried to kill him, that is. cooperative-ish somewhat human-ish demon witch who has (apparently) an actual soft spot for the winchesters. obviously wanted to keep rowena on the board and in action but

my tolerance level for this particular variant of asshole dean is at a zero. read the script and fast forwarding this awful interview scene with the parents.

SAM Cas, take this. It's Dean's hair. You need it for the spell.

contemplating how he even got much of his hair. i have hair of a similar length to dean's and i don't need to brush it. maybe he uses something when he styles it? i just use my hands with goop. the only time there's much of it around is after i cut it. so did they have it on-hand already? stockpile of their various leavings. little apothecary drawers of sam and dean's respective locks of hair and nail trimmings.

oh so now they're gonna show the "dark thoughts, creepy visions, violent urges." (10x21)

aha, i have seen this in gif form a number of times. context. everything continues to be fine

CROWLEY Who summons anymore? Couldn't you call? CASTIEL You're not in my contacts list.

all right, that got a small chuckle out of me

kinky

not this again. (5x18) skipping self destructive and going straight to suicidal.

i really enjoy julian richings as Death, and he and jackles play off each other really well. but this trying to make a deal with him, some new made up bullshit about how *dun dun DUN* if no one has the Mark some unspeakable evil dark miasma will destroy everything, it's tiring. reminds me of some improv game where as they pass the story down to the next writer, they have to play off whatever scenario has been set up.

DEAN Brother, I'm done. SAM No. No, you're not. Dean. DEAN Grab a pen. It's time to say goodbye.

i thought i was done with suicide trauma related triggers for the season. silly me

hello improv game. yes, rando dude working at the diner is the immortal oskar of rowena's past. of course.

DEATH Even if I remove Dean from the playing field, we're still left with you, loyal, dogged Sam, who I suspect will never rest until he sets his brother free – will never rest until his brother is free of the Mark, which simply cannot happen, lest the Darkness be set free. Then there was that time you stood me up.

think that's technically on dean, not sam

DEAN Remember when we were in that church, making Crowley human, about to close the Gates of Hell? Well, you sure as hell were ready to die for the greater good then. SAM Yeah, and, Dean, you pulled me back. DEAN And I was wrong. You were right, Sam. You knew that this world would be better without us in it. SAM No, no, no, wait a second. You're twisting my words here, Dean. DEAN Why? Because we -- we track evil and kill it? The family business? Is that it? Look at the tape, Sam. Evil tracks us. And it nukes everything in our vicinity -- our family, our friends. It's time we put a proper name to what we really are and we deal with it. SAM Wait a second. We are not evil. Listen... We're far from perfect, but we are good. That thing on your arm is evil, but not you, not me. DEAN I let Rudy die. How was that not evil? I know what I am, Sam. But who were you when you --when you drove that man to sell his soul... Or when you bullied Charlie into getting herself killed? And to what end? A good end? A just end? To remove the Mark no matter what the consequences? Sam, how is that not evil? I have this thing on my arm, and you're willing to let the Darkness into the world. SAM You were also willing to summon death to make sure you could never do any more harm. You summoned me because you knew I would do anything to protect you. That's not evil, Dean. That's not an evil man. That is a good man crying to be heard, searching for... some other way. DEAN No, there is no other way, Sam. I'm sorry.

halfway convinced me they should have ended this several seasons ago, reunited in heaven and be done with it all.

when dean was beating the shit out of cas i was wondering when sam and dean were gonna get into it. well.

SAM That's enough. Hey, that's enough. You will never, ever hear me say that you -- the real you -- is anything but good. But you're right. Before you hurt...anyone else, you have to be stopped at any cost. I understand. Do it.

i know i'm especially jumpy about dean being ready to die, but sam who i tend to be more bonded with these later seasons, he's ready to die for the greater good quite regularly. or when he thinks it's time. or whatever else. but his comes from a place of being (theoretically) logical and rational, whereas dean's is the opposite. and i guess that's why it pushes my buttons so differently.

all that said, i haven't cried like this from a finale in some number of seasons. but it feels greatly cheapened by the inane plot hoops needed to jump through to get us here.

sam nodding to give the go ahead to kill him is crushing.

i know dean kills death at some point, which is a shame. i'll miss his actor. but i'm guessing now's the time

it's giving twister (1996)

i hate that all this was essentially setup for the new big bad. but we can't have the sam and dean show without these kind of plot hijinks. and trying to come up with new bigger badder bads over time just makes it more and more ridiculous. the reality that there's 5 seasons left to go is really hitting me now.

#supernatural #spnwatch #spn 10x23 #rip death #julian richings #sam and dean mush

[steddieas-shegoes]

Random questions for the inbox game: If you had any two super powers what would they be? What are your favorite accessories you wear? Silliest or worst gift someone has gotten you? Meal,you don't get to eat often, but you've been craving the most recently? What is something you have bookmarked to possibly buy when it goes on sale (or if not one item what store are you waiting to have a cool sale)? Something you've tried,or watched, recently that you thought you'd hate but ended up liking? I personally think ST will end on a sad note since there has been talk of expanding the universe apparently (sounds like a bad idea to me…unless they were just referring to that play. but I think Ryan R*nolds wanted a crossover of sorts with D*adpool idk) BUT If it ends on a GOOD note and has a finality to it, do you think Stranger Things will have one of those cliche movie credit sequences that says what the characters go on to do? If so what do you vaguely think it'll say for your fave 5 characters?

I would want to be able to fly (never have to pay for airfare again) and to be invisible (never have to pay for ANYTHING again).

I am not much of an accessories person, but I do wear my hat that says absolutely not at least a few times a week (when I'm too lazy to wash my hair).

I don't think I've ever gotten a bad gift, but I did receive an "I love ketchup" shirt for Christmas when I was in middle school because I put that shit in and on everything. Everything. Mac and cheese, eggs, steak, chicken, any form of potato. I still do love ketchup, and will put it on any of those, but I've definitely toned it down.

Anything from Homecomin' at Disney Springs. It's known as a joke to everyone who knows me that if we go out, I am almost always going with a pasta dish. But they don't even have pasta at that restaurant and it's one of my favorite places to eat. Everything I've had on the menu is so good, especially brunch. God, the cheesy potatoes. I'm drooling.

Most of my bookmarked stuff right now is hockey related items for Liam 😂 I also am always happy to spend money at bookstores.

Does writing count? I technically have only been on here for about three months actively posting my own stuff. I think I figured I'd post a few things and then go back to reading fics other people wrote and now I'm writing in all my free time because I love it so much.

This question is making me very emotional because I don't want it to end. I rarely get into shows or movies to the extent of which I have for Stranger Things. I think it will have a bittersweet ending. There's no way everyone is making it out alive and I am very attached to all of these characters. I don't think they will do the cliche thing there, but I just have this weird feeling that there will be some end credit scene that just goes black and says something like "The previous recordings are based on a true story" or something Blair Witchy like that. I have a bad feeling Steve is gonna be a goner. No, I'm not prepared for it and I won't be taking questions. I also think that either Will or El will sacrifice themselves and either end up dead or extremely hurt. I have a small concern Max is not waking up, but I think they will keep her in a coma for most or all of the season whether she wakes up or not. I think Dustin is gonna be so fucking traumatized they should do a spinoff that's just him in therapy.

Thank you so much for these questions you're amazing ❤️

#ask

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

I'm still of the opinion that Lena's witch storyline did not make sense but it does follow the pattern of the other arrowverse shows wherein almost every person in the titular hero's supporting team has to become a hero too. Whether that's through vigilantism or becoming a metahuman or being an alien who just so happens to have powers, it always happens. It actually would've been nice for them to keep Lena as she was, a tech genius who comes up with whatever ex machina they need to save the day. Just a (relatovely) ordinary person doing extraordinary things through intelligence and determination alone. I loved that about Lena, that her mind was her greatest weapon. And yes technically she still used her brain power alongside the magical nonsense but it was so farfetched at that point. Maybe I would've hated it less if Lena actually had a magic fuelled showdown with Nxyly. If the so called "you need magic to defeat magic" proclamation actually meant Lena's magic vs Nxyly's. If they showed Lena actually accessing fifth dimensional energy and her struggle to control it because of her emotions being tied to those powers. But that would've required prior preparation and thought and probably an additional season. Which is probably why they should've axed the magic Lena stuff and stuck with what worked really well, Lena being the smartest person in the room.

Agreed. If they had just given it a little bit of foreshadowing in S6, with mysterious happenings/dreams for Lena before she goes to Ireland Newfoundland would have gone a long way towards lending credence to the witchy heritage angle. They could have easily sacrificed some of the PZ content to accommodate the addition, but even without sacrificing the Kara content they could have made it work.

The whole arc is just evidence that the writers had mentally checked out at that point. Which is disappointing to the nth degree. The viewers AND the actors deserved better.

[spectralreplica]

where and in what order do i watch precure?

Hey! Just saw this.

In terms of officially... the very first season (Futari wa Precure) along with 4 recent seasons are on Crunchyroll (Kirakira Precure a la Mode, Healin' Good Precure, Tropical-Rouge Precure, and Delicious Party Precure). ...technically Netflix dubbed 2 seasons under the name Glitter Force, but it was a 4kids style mess, (cut episodes, editing to be more "child friendly", changing all names to Western ones, etc.) so avoid unless showing to a younger relative who can't handle subs

Unofficially, all the seasons have been fansubbed and are available at whatever website you normally use.

Each Precure season is like 48 episodes, and each are totally standalone outside of some little continuity gags, like the same stores existing in multiple seasons. The only exceptions to this are two early seasons that have direct sequels (Futari wa Precure Max Heart and Yes Precure 5 Gogo) and a yearly non-canon crossover movie where all (or at least the 3-4 most recent seasons worth) of the Cures meet up and fight some new enemy (no one ever ages, though).

So, basically, you can start with whatever season you want! I'd recommend looking at the wiki and reading the description of each season to see which one sounds the most interesting. Personally, my favorite is Star Twinkle, and I really like Heartcatch, Smile, and Tropical-Rouge. I've also heard Fresh, Go Princess, and Hugtto are pretty good. Alternatively, if you want to have the maximum interaction with other fans, Hirogaru Sky Precure, the latest season, is about to start airing on February 5th (available on Crunchyroll or less legally).

If you want my opinions specifically:

Futari wa + Max Heart: Yin yang themed; not great pacing because they were still figuring things out plus some CG that aged badly, but people really love the focus on the relationship between the leads

Splash Star: nature themed; seen as a ripoff of the 1st seasons, but some people swear it's actually way better? features the tackiest outfits

Fresh: fruit + clover themed; animation can be rough, but the story is apparently really great, esp. concerning a villain who changes sides

Yes Precure 5 + Gogo: butterfly + then rose themed; animation can really suffer sometimes; some people seem to really like it, but I mostly know it as The One Season with an Explicit Het Romance

Heartcatch: flower + fashion themed; The Edgy Season and the one with the most unique artstyle + strong animation; has really good character arcs and cool concepts (the MC's grandmother was a former Cure!)

Suite: music themed; people used to really hate this one in comparison to Heartcatch, but it's seen more fondly now? apparently has good character work but the animation suffers because the outfits were very detailed. Also, the ending got changed last minute to be lighter and softer because that was when the big typhoon hit japan

Smile: fairytale themed; not very plot heavy but consistently cute and funny; just a silly little show, but a few eps made me cry. Avoid the Netflix dub (Glitter Force)

Dokidoki Precure: playing card themed; had a lot of cool plot things going for it, but fell apart a little; MC gets accused of stealing the show, which is rare for Precure, which tends to be more team-focused than, say, Sailor Moon, where Usagi is the strongest and the main focus

Happiness Charge Precure: fashion/dance themed?; a really really cool concept where there are a whole bunch of Precure all over the world and they're known to the public and covered on the news, but the ending is weaker than the rest of the show; also, the international Cure designs can be a little stereotypical, and even the Egyptian and Indian Cures are very pale...

Go Princess Precure: princess themed; I've heard the plot is really good, but I don't know much about the details? Utena references apparently

Witchy Precure/ Maho Girls Precure: witch themed; one of the Precure is a witch from a magical world and one is a normal girl, and they both spend like half their time at magic school? despite this cool concept, it's apparently very light on plot and I've not seen any huge fans of it

Kirakira Precure a La Mode: animal + sweets themed; another light and fluffy season, but with semi-canon lesbians? very cute designs, and lots of comparisons to Tokyo Mew Mew

Hugtto Precure: future + career themed; heard it's very strong in terms of plot and characters, although some people have quibbles with the ending; started the trend among newer seasons of having a decades later epilogue to show you how the Cures grow up, which is always nice to see; features a boy or nonbinary (depends on your interpretation) Cure near the end of the season

Star Twinkle Precure: space + imagination themed; kind of an 80s aesthetic visually and with really strong designs, plus a really cool plot and good character development; the one season with a mixed race Cure; episodes split between aliens attacking Earth and the Cures visiting other planets; also, the movie is way better than it has any right to be and makes me cry every time

Healin Good Precure: healing + nature themed; the season that was cut slightly short due to COVID; also the one themed around health care? It was in production pre pandemic, so just weird timing. ...apparently it's kind of mid

Tropical Rouge Precure: mermaid + makeup themed; lots of focus on the main girls forming a club and going around the town doing fun stuff and helping classmates interrupted by going to magical mermaid places and learning some plot related stuff (there's not... NOT plot... actually there's more there than I expected! But it's very slice of life heavy); every character gets their own arc, and all the designs are super nice

Delicious Party Precure: cooking themed; do not watch on an empty stomach; kind of a light and fluffy season; has a cool nonbinary character in a support role, plus a boy who is not technically a Cure, but Cure-adjacent (still transforms, different name); I bounced off it a little, but mostly because I was busy?

Hirogaru Sky: sky + heroism themed; we only have promo stuff, but I'm very hyped

#ask #vespertin-y

[lunavenefica]

Isn't it a bit of appropriation to take Celtic pagan culture and use it for your witchy nonsense? I mean, the only people who could possibly get away with this stuff are the Irish/Scottish etc.

I usually don't reply to these questions but since I can see that whatever you're trying to say comes from a place of ignorance I'll give you a quick history lesson:

1)Who were the Celts?

"Early sources place Celts in western Europe and also occupying land near the headwaters of the Danube River. Their home territories have often been traced to central and eastern France, extending across southern Germany and into the Czech Republic.

In 279BC the Celts were known to have looted Delphi, the sacred Greek site. Strabo (Geographer) recorded a meeting between the Celts and Alexander the Great in 335BC in the Balkans. Classical writers had recorded a large-scale migration of Celts soon after 400BC, this migration took the Celts from central Europe into Northern Italy and Eastern Europe."

As you can see, the Celts weren't only Irish or Scottish, that's something you could've googled and discovered in about 2 seconds.

2) Is it cultural appropriation?

Once again, it would've been enough to scroll through my blog to get your answer, if we're really going into cancel culture and cultural appropriation the answer is still NO!

First of all we have 2 admins, 2 different people with different backgrounds, I (the person answering this ask and managing most of the blog), 'Isidora' am literally of Slavic descent, I was born in Eastern Europe, in the Balkans, near the Danube river quoted in point n.1, and live in Italy, while the other person 'Blaiz' is from France and has Breton roots. So technically speaking, it's not cultural appropriation.

If we're talking about morality? It's still a no!

As absurd as it can seem, different cultures have a LOT, and I tell you, a LOT of common traditions, there may be some smaller differences or a change of names but you'll find a lot of similar holidays, practices and traditions in most cultures.

3) Are we using Celtic Pagan Culture for our witchy non-sense?

Never have I stated that I'm a Celtic Pagan, I am an atheist and see Witchcraft as a craft that combines a bit of psychology, science, self-help and fun to keep myself motivated to work on whatever I need to improve in my life.

What I'm sharing here are my notes and an insight of the history of certain Holidays, or ways to modernize what people did for centuries, because with the progression of technology what was easy to do in the past (like having bonfires) can be difficult in the present.

The other admin, Bleiz is a pagan who works with Breton deities.

They are pagan, there are MANY branches of paganism and there's absolutely nothing wrong in exploring them since the Celts were one of the most widely spread populations in the Ancient Age and there's been a LOT of contamination.

That being said, I hope you find something better to do in your life instead of sending passive aggressive anon messages trying to invalidate someone's beliefs/ruin their day just to get a response on topics that you clearly have very little knowledge of.

Educate yourself before speaking and respect other people's beliefs.

That's all, happy Halloween and touch some grass.

Yours truly,

Isidora

NB : Here is Bleiz writing!

My friend answered really well to your ask. Like she said, descendants of Celtic people are not only in Ireland or Scotland. There is a part in France, called Bretagne, where they stayed and kept a lot of their celtic traditions (mixed with christian religion, but that's another thing). A part of my family comes from there actually. In some villages, we still celebrate the old festivities going back to the celtic people (which were rebranded as 'christian honors' because they were so engraved into the cultures and traditions of Bretagne that the Church couldn't completely suppress them).

Not everyone on this site is american, and we all come from different backgrounds. Your question could have been really interesting, however with the tone you used, it looks more like an aggression to my origins and a disrespect to my ancestors who were murdered by the church because of their beliefs of the ancient gods.

If you don't know something, we would be glad to explain them to you, but please, next time, try not to be so aggressive. There is no shame in not knowing something.

Take care of you, and I hope this will help you to get into Celtic History, traditions and cultures through the different territories because it is fascinating!

Trugarez, kenavo!

⛤Bleiz⛤

#ask #anonymous #touch grass

[wench-and-jezebel]

Dark Angel Reaction: Art Attack

Jezebel (@typicalopposite) reacts [with occasional asides by Wench (@scripted-downfall)

We had spare time before this episode, so have fun with our bonus content! Link available here!

– – –

["Must be a guy thing" Ah, yes, women don't exercise]  Or a decent person thing, ya know

[OH YEAH THERE'S APPARENTLY A FAMILIAR FACE IN THIS!  @witchy-writer-lady told me abt it]

The circles that have been talked in this scene  [Ma'am calling him out on circular sentences like she doesn't do that constantly]

There is plenty more romantic.  Weddings are so overrated and expensive ☠️☠️🤣

“Why not?”  OC!

🤣🤣🤣 This woman deserves to have her dress stolen if she didn’t notice it gone from two feet away [asdfkjalfdkj you're not wrong]  She’s blind as hell with both eyes intact ☠️☠️☠️

Oh Sketch noooooo

Get ‘em OC  [No "Get 'em Normal"?]  HES SO MEANNNN ☠️☠️☠️☠️  [You do realize NoBody there does Any work right alkdsjf]  That’s true 🤣🤣  [Not even Alec, love him as I do alskdfj]  Oooooof  [He legit just sits there chatting with Normal about boxing the whole time.  Or delivering single packages]

Oh! Hello Logan!

NORMAL 🤣🤣🤣

His little “hm she’s aight” look

[This was me earlier today!!!  I understand his aversion to public speaking  aslkdfj]  ☠️☠️☠️ Moood

Oh Buddy

[His look at her alskdfj]  Their little exchange was cute tho  ['sigh' This is true]

Poor Normal  [I knowwww!  Will the hostage situations never stop?]  Right?!?

[An actual coherent monologue alkdsjfa]

Loooool I thought the brother was Palmer (Ducky’s Assistant you haven’t met yet)  [idk for sure but that's not the pertinent one… Watch for Daphne]

Poor Max done got put in her feelings

Le gasp  [Oh, last name drop!  I forgot Max's last name was on screen.  I don't think Alec's is]

Ooop! We get more jam pony

He said ten bucks  [tbf, they are in an economic depression]  True 🤣🤣

[Normal be lying abt the bip-bip-bip-ing]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Poor buddy can’t have a good family!  Oooof

Was that SPN Mary?  [Yup!]  Le gasp

Oooooof jealousy

[That was a painfully fake smile, Max]

[Also this be the plot to your Nomral fic.  But more guns.  And less love life.  And Normal's in a leather jacket and not a bathrobe]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Oh boy: Logan done put his foot in his mouth

[I'm cringing in preparation for this ep btw.  Heads-up]  Oh noooo

– – –

Jezebel: Midpoint!

Wench: Bravo!  Ma'am remembered better than I… do go on!

Jezebel: Ok so first off it’s a Jam Pony ep which has proven to be some of my favorites!  And I swear I love a “I don’t like this person but I don’t hate this person so I’ll help” storyline

Wench: Poor Normal alskdjf

Jezebel: Yusss.  Alsoooo POOOR LOGANNNNNN!  BUT MAX TAKING UP FOR HIM WAS ADORABLE, IM SORRYYYY!!  But then here comes Mary-

Wench: Daphne

Jezebel: I know 🤣

Wench: Hmph

Jezebel: -and just threw a wrench right in it

Wench: And finally the jump I paused it on  ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️  In that dress… Just…. Wot ☠️🤣🤣☠️☠️

Wench: Apparently we have lots of photos to give y’all this time alskdfj On we go!

– – –

I swear ☠️ The dress makes the jumps look so bad ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Oooof

Mood max

[Okay but he lost his job because of the messenger service so-]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Buddy she’s no angel

Bruh CAN NO ONE KEEP UP WITH SHIT  [I mean.  Technically she just.  Decided to leave with it]  FAIR

[Remember when I said I was.  preemptively cringing.]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️oh shit the second hand embarrassment

[Poor Normal expecting to get killed tho]  Ooop Normal reality check on being a good person lol  [Let it be known, btw, that Normal in s2 has very good moments and very BAD moments.  I recognize this.  But for now I'm enjoying his minorly-asshole-ish-but-no-worse bits.]

This man and his bitch slaps

I love "defenstration"... it's one of my favorite words

Poooor Normal

[Have fun.  I'm.  Not watching btw.  Tell me when the speech is over plz.  I'm.  I have it muted.]  I have it turned down☠️  I’m still cringing at the faces

This.  Is Tony coming out of Logan

Max coming through again  [Okay, now you're uber-whacked; technically she only came through because she caused the problem in the first place by not handing the paper back]  Fair  [This is the one non-anti-Max comment you've made that I don't agree with]  🤣🤣🤣

[This.  Is an NCIS episode.]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️  ["I've got a military vessel heading out to-"]

A ghostttt  [Max disappearing: Cas-coded]

Oooooop-  [Plz let DaphMary be a lesbian]  SBC… If not OC GON make her one

[This whole dress thing is so ridiculously unrealistic.  It's pulling me out of the story.  She definitely smells like trash and yet no one seems to notice; she's bound to have it all dirty, stained, and ripped, and yet she's acting like she's gonna return it... just wot]

OOOOF  THAT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TODAY

[Showing off her powers again 'sigh']

☠️☠️☠️☠️  [She (Max) annoys me]  Fair

Oh boy

OC 🤣🤣  [Um.  DaphMary looking like she was heading over to OC as soon as she caught the bouquet.]  RIGHT

[Um.  UM.  THEY ACTUALLY DID THAT!!!  DAPHMARY I FREAKING LOVE YOU]  Oooooop!  Dean’s getting a new momma.  [Well, he always seems to lose one, so he needs two]  Oooof  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Ooop-  Somethings missing on miss presses neck 🙂

“You first”  Heart eyes

[I.  I think we found out why she dumped him… Lickity-chicks]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️  Logan’s not clueless I love it  [This is true!]

Dawwwww!  Genuine smile!  [I will give you that Max/Logan are good in this scene]  

Another dawwwww

Le gasp

Buddy HOW BOUT YOU NOT  [HE WAS TESTING IT]  “My feet work again… Lemme break em”

– – –

Jezebel: Ok! End point! 🙃 Jam pony still are my all time favorites! Like you said it’s the Normal fic but make the girl a painting ☠️☠️ and the depression is his, you know, will to live.

Wench: lkjlkj;lkj oof

Jezebel: Also Logan was adorable in this one.  Very Tony-esque.  And his family sucks.

Wench: All true

Jezebel: But DAPHNE(MARY) 😮‍💨💕 love herrrr!

Wench: I KNOW!  I FORGOT THEY DID THAT AND JUST.  GOLD

Jezebel: OC really just be coming in and swooping up all the ladies.  Also, Max was annoying but her taking the necklace made me happy. So *sigh* 😤  I’m conflicted

Wench: This is fair!  To be honest, she’s not as bad in s1 as she is in s2.  It’s her dynamic there that causes the issue.

Jezebel: Ending note. Catlike jumping in leather = meh, goofy but believable / catlike jumping in fancy schmancy dress = the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen

#dark angel #dark angel reactions #reactions #episode reactions #s01e11 #art attack #max guevara #logan cale #normal #original cindy #herbal thought #sketchy #jezebel (pr)

[sycamorre]

17, 33, 34, 38, and 40 for the OCs asks!

-OC Questions- Gonna try to find art for as many as I can to help with putting faces to names.

17. Any OC OTPs?

A handful! Most are from my Elder Scrolls RP days but I'm slowly collecting some DnD ones.

We have the werewolf power couple Indes and Korgul, my wood elf Companion (as in the Companions faction) and her half-orc beau Korgul:

Indes' little sister Nidhel, a healer, and another Companion, Tural:

And I still need to draw them together, but there's the newest pair from our last campaign, Ori and Ranna.

I have other ships out there, but I hate boring people with them because they're either characters that have never interacted with anything outside of my own brain or are completely unofficially and I'm someone who doesn't like to make a fuss or gush over things that only I know or care about on here.

33. Your shyest OC?

This is honestly a bit of a hard one. I have plenty of quiet/introverted characters, but I don't consider most of them as genuinely shy. Most have no problem socializing, even if they do not have a ton to say. Likely either as the result of myself being the same way or because most are RP characters that kind of depend on interactions.

I will say pre-campaign/younger Oriana was definitely in the shy camp, though as a result of being uncertain and scared of her magic rather than her personality. Gaining confidence with that and her fighting skills definitely got her in the previously mentioned "quiet but not shy" category.

I do have one character I can think of that is definitely shy in a literal sense. My witchy-innkeeper, Aubrey, has a member of her staff, Annabelle, who came from a servant background and was not treated very well in her previous job, so as a result she became very shy and anxious. To the point where if she is berated by anyone outside of the rest of the staff, she will either run away or freeze up. Aubrey has her mostly cleaning to help keep her from having to interact with bad customers, but not always foolproof. Everyone's trying to help her, though it's a slow process.

The night sky-themed air genasi I've drawn before (whose working name is Stellara/Stellari maybe) may also end up kinda on the shy side if I ever do get to play her. Mostly because I imagine her as a bit of a hermit who just doesn't do socialization very well in general.

34. Do you have any twin characters?

I do! Jayni, my halfling wizard (previously bard) that was originally made for a short-lived Waterdeep Dragon Heist campaign, has a twin brother named Finn. He was originally taking on an apprenticeship to a tinker in the city, but if the characters ever came back, I'm not sure if I would keep that or have him doing something else.

The art is old and Jayni specifically has strawberry blonde hair now, but Finn still looks mostly the same c:

And technically, though I never did make any official art for them and they would be shared and not just mine, it was decided between me and the other player that Indes and Korgul's first biological kids would be a set of twins (Uram and Taram), so I figure they may count as well.

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

Easily Wisteria, the Eladrin glamour bard (who I drew here) that I really wanna play someday. The entire idea behind her was that I wanted a bard that didn't necessarily having singing or instruments as their main "thing" and I wanted an excuse to make a character that would feel natural dressing in very flashy, hanfu-inspired dresses, and she was born out of those two thoughts. Instead of playing an instrument, her magic is triggered by her dancing and her fan, which would act as her arcane focus.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

If we talked about all of my fond memories with my OCs we would be here forever. I have literally been making OCs and RPing them since the end of middle school/beginning of high school, and I still occasionally lurk around my old stomping grounds to see what old buddies are up to and reminisce on the nostalgia.

For the sake of being relevant to this post and the people I know here, I'm gonna go back to my Elder Scrolls RP days in the shipyard here on tumblr. Some highlights of my time RPing as Indes and Nidhel, as well as a family friend, Vialgo (an Imperial Dawnguard member) include:

The player of Tor-Acr, an Argonian were-croc, asking for a spar RP literally a day before I said I was gonna start looking for threads and sparking Indes' first friendship in that community.

Watching Indes' and Korgul's relationship grow from occasionally butting heads, to genuine friends, to secret feelings for each other, to admitting everything when Korgul was at a low point and sparking honestly one of the best RP romances I have every had the pleasure of being a part of and that made both of our characters better as a whole.

Getting to host a tourney event for the other Companion players and watching everyone get to enjoy it and building closer relationships between the characters.

Vialgo talking down one of his commanders when he almost slipped up and realizing I could actually play a smooth-talking character rather than just the blunt, gruff ones or super sweet, honest ones.

A whole multi-part story where Herryk, another player's Dragonborn character and one of the Companions that Indes is closest to (basically a little brother to her), is almost killed by a dragon and she witnesses him literally fall from the sky when he gets dropped by the dragon. And she plays an integral part in his return and the emotional payoff was just amazing.

Just getting to see my characters get integrated into other people's stories and getting to make even better stories together. I love that about RP so, so much and it's why I love it just as much if not more than just writing things by myself.

#dnd!oriana #dnd!jayni #indes #nidhel

[goji-pilled]

MK-S: I think it might be fun if there was some sort of apartment complex that housed a mix of magical girls, domesticated witches, and just regular humans who learned the truth from either the former two, on their own, or when they moved in. Humans keep it secret because, honestly, they’d sound crazy to any news station they told. The human residents kinda help put things into perspective for the magical girls and witches: The need to work to pay for rent and groceries, the need to eat and sleep, the inability to magically heal all wounds, feeling pain, etc. This impactful for newer magical girls, who may still be coming to terms with how they’re technically no longer human. (And it helps them realize that domesticated witches are more like them than they may first seem; the magical antics get agitated responses from the human neighbors equally for both groups for causing a ruckus at 2 in the morning.)

And also some sweet fluff too. Such as one of the human tenants expressing clear agitation at a witch causing a ruckus in a witchy mood, but that same woman bringing said witch a cup of hot chocolate after the witch mood dies down to comfort her. Another time a man bakes a few sets of cookies for all the magical girls and witches after they come back from fighting feral witches and rogue magical girls.

MK-S: Imagine how human civilians react to rumors of Mitakihara’s executioner; they’d probably think it’s tales of a serial killer, but with no reports of a homicide…but there are reports of people going missing; vanishing, never to be seen again. And yet there are also some rumors of girls people had seen reported as deceased, that others claim to have seen after their funerals. It doesn’t help that these human-based rumors only serve to amplify the magical girl based rumors, which are only made worse by the incubators manipulative repeating of information. The worst part is that, unlike magical girls, they can’t just go and clarify these rumors to humans, as they are trying to keep this stuff secret.

Magical girl/Witch/Human apartment complex-communities are my new favourite thing now

And the thought that Oktavia becomes a sort of legend or urban myth probably makes her more happy than it should. Makes her feel sort of cool and mysterious.

(She strikes a sort of dramatic pose when she hears of it. Mami just chuckles. "Oh yes you are very mysterious and cool dear," she says.)

The general population of Mitakihara finds these things less cool

#felix answers #domestic witches

[my-mild-ginger]

For Two OCs of your choice!

fake: has your OC ever been lied to? what was the lie? how has it affected them?

idol: has your OC been in a position where a lot of people were looking down on (or up to) them? how do they handle the pressure of fame? of criticism?

mic drop: what accomplishment is your OC proudest of? do they brag about it, or are they more quiet? dream: does your OC have a driving dream or goal? what is it? how far would they go to achieve it?

OOOHHH YEESSS I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE KIDS.

The OCs: Alutegra fankids, Ava & Michael Hellsing

Fake: Both of the kids were technically lied to (or at least kept in the dark) about Alucard's true identity until they were ~14 and ~9. Ava, being the oldest, caught on first. It was a huge family blowout. Ava's entire belief system was called into question and didn't talk to either parent for a few weeks and only communicated with them through Seras or Pip. Michael was a little young to grasp the gravity of what it all meant until he was older...at which point, he didn't really know what to do with the information. Identity Crises and eventual Teenage Angst ensues.

Idol: You know how eldest daughters are typically the "project managers" of a family? That's pretty much Ava. She feels a lot of pressure to live up to the Hellsing name. Ava thinks she must be perfect in all things. Yes, she is very high strung about it. Michael, however, tends to feel like the screw up. He's the baby (and was a premature one at that), and has always had a chip on his shoulder about everyone trying to coddle him. Also, having a know-it-all, little-Miss-perfect sister like Ava would make anyone look like a bum. He begins "acting out" in his teenage years (mostly partying and general reckless behavior). This was around the same time that Alucard decided that Michael was pretty much the reincarnation of Integra's father.

Mic drop: Ava is incredibly proud of the novel she writes (later in life). It's sort of a 'Interview with a Vampire, but the Vampire is My Dad Who is Actual Dracula' work of "fiction". She is also very proud of her occult knowledge. She's known to humble-brag. Michael...well. Our boy is just happy to make it to his mid-twenties without completely screwing up his life. Though, he is skilled at fencing. He beat Integra during a match once, and he never shuts up about it.

Dream: Ava dreams of living in a quaint, quiet cottage in the woods, doing her witchy things, writing, and maybe running an apothecary specializing in occult matters. She isn't going out of her way to do this, but it's a nice daydream. Michael secretly wants to become a knight like his mother, but is afraid that no one will believe that he could ever fill his Integra's shoes. Though Integra still plans to hand over the organization in retirement, Michael wishes to keep it running at some small capacity to keep the family business going. When he gets his wild phase out of his system, he actually buckles down and makes an effort.

#hellsing #hellsing oc #hellsing fanfiction #ask box #thank you for the ask 💕 #OC: Ava Hellsing #OC: Michael Hellsing

[missroserose]

Whumptober Day 15: Lies

Slap-slap-slap-slap-slap-

Sam’s running shoes hit the lake path with a rhythmic sound, somewhere between a thud and a smack.  He left his earbuds at home, today; there’s something about the newly-chill autumn weather, something about the tumult of his thoughts, that demands the sort of quiet Zen-style presence-absence (mindfulness, he’s heard it called, but the term brings to mind a few too many new-age witchy types) best suited to rumination.  The morning is worth appreciating—a bank of fog over the lake, shrouding the cool water in grey mist; the yellow-gold leaves, prepared to showcase their brilliance once the warming sunshine makes its appearance; the light, still caught behind clouds but growing brighter, promising a warm day.

Not yet, though—the chilly air flows in through Sam’s nose, expands his lungs, then back out in misty breaths, his own small contribution to the morning fog.  A damp patch spreads on his chest, sweat soaking through the fabric (technical fabric, Charlie had told him when she gave it to him for his birthday, it breathes better, only masochists run in cotton T-shirts anymore) and evaporating.  And for all the serene indifference of his surroundings, his mind is a tumult of emotion—visions of Dean’s face, twisted in rage as he gestures with his Marked arm—Sam’s own fear, concern, anger, loss—

“May I join you?”

Sam blinks.  Another figure is running next to him—more than a little comical in a blue suit, beige trench coat, business shoes.  Nobody seems to have explained the concept of proper running gear to Castiel; but then, Sam supposes, it’s not as if he has to worry about blisters or shin splints—”Of course.”

“Thank you.”  Cas keeps pace without any apparent effort despite Sam’s longer legs and sweaty face.  “I thought it might be good to talk.”

“Not that I don’t—enjoy our talks,” Sam says, dropping to a jog so as to maintain enough breath to speak, “but couldn’t it—wait until I get back—to the bunker?”

“I wanted to speak to you alone,” Cas clarifies.

Sam tries to interpret this; his efforts draw a total blank.  “Without Dean?”  It’s so rare, that Cas is outside of Dean’s orbit—even rarer that Sam is, now that he considers it.  “What’s this about?”

To his further surprise, Cas doesn’t answer right away.  For a few minutes, they jog together in sync, and Sam idly wonders if Cas hasn’t simply decided to take up running, perhaps embarking upon some sort of vessel-maintenance plan—

“Devotion,” Cas says.

Sam’s mind narrows its focus considerably.  Cas didn’t want to say this to Sam in front of Dean, which suggests that it’s about Dean, and probably about their relationship, and furthermore almost certainly something Dean wouldn’t want talked about.  But, devotion—

“What about it?” Sam asks.

“You and Dean.  You’ve been devoted to each other your whole lives.”  Straight to the point, as usual.  “To a degree I’ve observed to be unusual among humans.”

“I’m not sure I’d say our whole lives,” Sam puts in slowly, memories of his years at Stanford surfacing the way they tend to do these days—faded, nearly sepia-toned, an entirely different Sam with an entirely different perspective at the center of them.  But Dean—Dean’s face, smooth and unlined, eyes bright with hope and guilt in equal measure, shoulders hunched under Dad’s jacket that was always too large for him—Dean burns bright, casts color across the images like the sun burning off fog.  “But yeah, I guess you’re right.  We haven’t really had many other people to rely on.”

“Your allies have a habit of dying suddenly,” Cas responds, breathtakingly blunt as always.  “Yet even now, you remain devoted.”

“What do you mean, ‘even now’?  The Mark?”  Sam shakes his head.  “Cas, we knew what we were getting into.”

“Did you?”  It’s difficult to watch Cas’ face for cues while they jog, but the dry tone is unmistakable. 

“Well, not entirely,” Sam amends.  “But that’s the thing.  We usually don’t know what we’re getting into.  We do it anyway, because it needs doing, and because we know we’re in each other’s corner.”  He shrugs, though the motion is probably lost.  “Yeah, Dean’s been difficult, lately.  But I’ve gotta be here for him, because next time it might be me.”

“And do you think Dean would return the favor?  In his current state?”

Sam has to think about that one.  “I don’t know,” he admits.  “The Mark seems to bring out the worst in him—but devotion is part of the fabric of who he is.  For better and for worse.  So…I hope so.”

“Devotion can be expressed many ways,” Cas agrees.  “I suppose…I simply wonder.  Angels are devoted by nature—we’re created to serve God, or most of us are.  Humans are usually far more conditional in their allegiance.”  Another moment, and then—”I wonder sometimes if the human model isn’t the healthier one.”

Sam barks out a short laugh.  “You think I’m unhealthily devoted to Dean?”

“It’s not my place to judge, Sam.  I am a watcher, and so I have watched.  I’ve seen him lie to  you—about his relationships, about how he treats you, about your own experiences.  I’ve seen him trick you into playing host to an angel, a profound violation of your bodily autonomy that had deadly consequences.  I’ve seen him terrorize you, physically attack you with an axe—”

“He wasn’t himself, then,” Sam objects.

“Of course not, he was a demon.  Just as now he carries the Mark.  Or before you were dying.  There’s always some excuse.”  A pause.  “Were he anybody else, I would wonder if he were manufacturing crises to avoid having to address the consequences of his actions.”

Were the subject anything lighter, Sam would tease Cas for watching too much Dr. Phil—but there’s enough to his words that he has to slow down to consider.  It’s ludicrous, of course; Dean couldn’t have known how his gaslighting over Purgatory would send Sam into a spiral of suicidal guilt, nor how tricking Sam into hosting Gadreel would’ve caused Kevin’s death—Sam sucks in a breath—forces his thoughts past that—just as hey hadn’t known how taking up the First Blade would end up leading Dean to becoming a demon, just as they had no idea what removing the Mark might eventually unleash—

Sam starts to laugh.  It’s a strange laughter, dry and choking;  he only just makes it to a bench to collapse upon as the fit takes hold of him.  Because it’s funny.  Funny and even true, in a way.   If anybody on this planet would conjure up a constant string of end-of-the-world threats to avoid having to apologize and account for himself, it’d be Dean—

Cas is looking at him with an expression of concern.  “Sam.  Are you having a seizure?  Your brain activity is—disorganized.”

“I’m—fine,” he manages to gasp.  He is, or will be, although now that he’s stopped moving the chill is starting to soak through his technical-fabric shirt.  “I just.  What do you want me to do?  It’s not like I can break up with him.”   A shrug, helpless.  “He’s—”   He makes a gesture, trying to encompass everything Dean is to him.  My brother.  My savior.  My torturer.  My partner.  My guardian.  My responsibility.

Cas sits next to him, unruffled despite his unaccustomed jog.  “I don’t know,” he says.  “Devotion comes easily to me; I have difficulty even envisioning an alternative.”  A frown.  “Though he does not make it easy, especially now.”

“Yeah.”  Sam takes in a breath, sighs it out.  The sun is up over the trees, painting their tops brilliant gold; slowly, the air begins to warm around them.  “He must be one lucky jerk, having the two of us in his corner.”

“Fortunate indeed,” Cas says.  “I only hope he grows to understand it.”

Together, they watch the mist over the lake burn away.

#whumptober2022 #supernatural #sam winchester #castiel #my writing

[witchystarryskies]

New witchy starry journaling/study sideblog

I’ll start off this blog by say I’m 100% digital. all the study notes, journals, grimoire entries, even visions boards I keep in digital notes between Goodnotes 5 on iOS and Evernote everywhere else.

If you’re part of the minority who keep most things digital do let me know and let’s share tips.

If you keep physical journals and are reluctant to go digital allow me to extoll the virtues of digital journaling my good sirs.

Any amount of pages, any size, any color, in any order, that you can change at any point.

ALL the colors in the world and all the stickers/decorations/fonts etc you can make or have access to on the whole of the internets.

Because I also use digital tarot decks, runes and a space app, I can easily add screenshots of them to the journal

s e a r c h   f u n c t i o n - I can’t count the times I experienced something that had already dreamed of and went back looking through my dream journal to check the time and aspects, or needed to find a certain ritual to double-check the steps or tools needed, or forgot what plants were associated with which planet and I can’t imagine having to look through physical notes to find them, no matter how organized and thoroughly indexed (which mine would most certainly not be) ((also many apps can search through handwritten notes too now))

The amount of money I saved not having to buy and restock all the above physically. huge bonus, ngl. You can keep your own expansive, personalized magic library virtually for free. (if you use free note-taking apps. $8 for the full version of Goodnotes is still a fantastic investment tho)

Collaborating on the same notes with your witchy friends. Haven’t personally done that since I felt these notes, even if not technically part of a grimoire, are a bit personal, especially since you’re meant to record your own personal associations to build your own relationship with plants, entities, planets, symbols and whatever else you’re working with. I’ve never even shared altar shots, and rarely ritual shots. But in the case of study notes and just building collections, I'm not completely opposed to collaboration with the right people. Definitely need older, wiser, sager input always.

Clean workspace - I realize a messy workspace is Peak Aestheticc for many especially witches and artists, but just from a pure logistical point I don’t have the space for everything I use. My desk is smol and full enough as is with books, devices and PC paraphernalia. Only having an iPad, pen and a stand (and occasionally an external keyboard) is doing wonders for my mental state. Also means..

Portability -  I can journal anywhere anytime, with all my tools on hand.

Working with a device you’re attuned to 24/7 - This one’s a point of debate. I’ve heard many say your phone makes a great digital tarot deck, etc, because of how much time you spend on it, attuning it to your exact energy far more often than you would your runes or tarot deck. I’ve definitely been dumbfounded by how well my rune app knew me right out the gate and responds almost with the same salty, snarky attitude I’m used to (or think with). Like, almost every time I’ve used them, I have to think “gee you didn’t have to call me out this hard” and I’m not sure if this is a universal experience with app users cause... well, there aren’t many yet.

Join the experiment? Share thoughts? Tips? Do you think it’s somehow “less potent” if it’s not a physical experience? Is the physical experience (tactile stimulation, pen on paper ASMR, etc) a big part of your journaling experience?

#witchblr #digital bujo #bujoideas #astroblr #baby witch #journaling #studyblr #goodnotes #evernote