#i love doing pendulum readings they're so fun

[stuckboards]

hii im the anon that asked for a pendulum 4 if i was meulin ampora(eridan ways), eridan leijon(meulin ways) an tagora gorjek!! ty for that one!!

may i now get a stimboard for meulin purrhaps? clown fish, beta fish and knitted sweaters would b neat!!

🐟 🧶 🐠 🐠 🐟 🧶 🧶 🐠 🐟

"hii im the anon that asked for a pendulum 4 if i was meulin ampora(eridan ways), eridan leijon(meulin ways) an tagora gorjek!! ty for that one!!

may i now get a stimboard for meulin purrhaps? clown fish, beta fish and knitted sweaters would b neat!!"

[celaenaeiln]

Do you have any fic recs where dicks relationship with the batfam is the focus?

Yes! These are all fics I've adored

FAVORITE!! I place this fic on a pedestal. It's one of the best fics of all time - The primacy of personal conscience

Favorite! Another one of my all time favorites. Dick, Jason, Tim are deaged to their robin eras and Damian and Bruce are in their current ages - Just, How

Dick gets split into three personalities - The choice to be seen

FAVORITE!! - Dick's buried. But like hell is the batfamily going to let it stay that way - The unnecessary requiem

ALL of CamsthiSky's fics focus of Dick's batfam relations and are good reads - Link

Small moments with Dick and the family - Snippets

Dick, Damian, and Tim. Absent parent Bruce and needy Bruce are the same person as always- prodigal

Favorite! Dick and Damian's relationship and evolution - Snapshots

Sad fic if Dick's reaction after Ric was darker - Strength in a Lack of Continuity

Batfamily's reaction to Dick's sexual objectification - I can't hear you, I don't fear you now

Good fic about something I don't remember (sorry! It's been years but I saved it so it must be good) with young justice and batfamily reactions that were accurate - End Days

If Bruce was a lot darker and acted on his overprotective tendencies collection. It's centered around Dick - Darkish Batfamily

How the batfamily reacts to Dick getting shot in the head - Fallen

Dick buys a bunch of plants and bonds with all of them - let your love grow tall

All of Danishsweethearts works are good - Danishsweethearts

Sad fic about Dick being batman again and batfamily's reaction. I think Tim would react differently. Maybe. But it's a fantastic angst fic - My life's going by but it's just begun

Dick, Damian, and Dick's massive group of friend and allies - Missed a spot

Dick's a civilian but he's still their big brother - Those times that Dick Grayson got tangled up with the batfamily

Dick, Peter Parker, Cat Noir, Danny Fenton and their fathers. PS they're all socialite friends. This has to be canon - The Black Tux Gang

Angst story about Dick if he had mental illness. No happy ending - Shattered Tea Cups

Dick is a changed man after spyral and batfamily's reaction - Downward spyral

Someone planning a hit on Nightwing? Not if Nightwing does it on himself first (fun) - Money for daffodils

Favorite! Dick has retrograde amnesia and Bruce struggles to cope - Harbor

Dick died seven years ago. And then woke up - Faith and fate

Dick's secret abilities the batfamily doesn't notice - Unusual skills and habits

The truth of Dick's death and everyone's reaction - Code B

Favorite! Dick is Talon, Tim is Red Hood, and Jason is Red Robin - A New Adversary

Favorite! Jason and Dick are close. Told through the eyes of everyone else - proximity

Soft fic. ABO but Dick acting as Tim and Damian's mother - Your truth is a deception meant to poison me

Dick's gone but the rape of him is not. The batfamily will avenge their brother. The whole world will - Take the night back

ABO robin reversal collection - Robin Reversal ABO

Werewolf au where Dick meets Jason and Bruce comes along - Den and Pack

If Dick got deaged to renegade era - Pause in the Pendulum

Sweet fic about the Batbros seeking comfort in Dick - Haven

Favorite! Duke time! The Batfamily teasing Dick lovingly - Shenanigans

Dark batfam fic around Dick - Gaslight Manor

Dick will do anything to protect his family (Has Constantine/Dick) - Time (to protect you)

If Dick was Terry McGinnis' biological father - Beyond the Night Collection

Talon!Dick in the Teen Titans universe with batfamily - Just a dead kid

Angst, sad fic about Dick getting tired of being the mediator - Please just get along (I can't do this anymore)

One of my all time favorites - Everyday one headcanon about Nightwing

Batfamily mourning the loss of Dick's hair - He's shorn, we're torn

Jason tries stealing in Bludhaven rather than Gotham. He meets Nightwing instead of Batman and his life gets a whole lot better - Hot wheels

Stephanie time travels and meets Robin Dick! - Oops

Favorite! ALL of iloveyourwords' fics - iloveyourwords

Favorite! ALL of ScarlettSwordMoon's works - ScarlettSwordMoon

Angst fic. So much angst. Sometimes Jason's anger gets the worst of him but it's not because he doesn't care - not even rain has such small hands

Favorite! The heroes are forced to forget Dick. And they regret (has constantine/dick/zatanna) - Love that burned green against skin

Favorite! ALL of Kuroaki's works - Kuroaki

Dick, Tim, and Jason watch Encanto and, well, Surface Pressure was made for Dick - Who am I if I don't have what it takes

Pre-robin Dick. Dick's only fault is his over-competence - lightning is the shine (but I've been working on the thunder)

Favorite! Dick's name comes out of the Hogwart's cup. This changes everything and nothing - heavy is the crown

The batkids are unhinged. Poor jason - The AU noone asked for

Dick falls. And so does everyone else (iloveyourwords' fic) - icarus

FAVORITE!! Dick, Jason, Damian undercover on a cruise. Everything goes wrong - Like those foreign stars

YJ where Dick joins Deathstroke and Bruce breaks inside - Fallen son

Favorite! ALL of miss_aphelion's works - miss_aphelion

Here's a starter for miss_aphelion's works - Dick of Troy

Dick and Bruce in the eyes of the JL - Boy on the couch

Favorite! Dick is stuck in his dreamworld and his family just want him back - Happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow

Hunger Games Au! Dick volunteers as a tribute - To get a dream of life again

Dick and Bruce and Dick's graceful manipulation of people - Some men fall from grace. Some are pushed

Dick takes time away from Bruce and finds himself again - Local oldest child takes time away from family

FAVORITE!! One of ScarlettSwordMoon's works - shipping rivalries

FAVORITE!! Dick reveals his trauma through singing - A robin's song

FAVORITE!! Dick's personality gets split in three - Three is a party

Dick runs away to Bludhaven but the batfamily won't let things rest - What stalks in my shadows

FAVORITE!! The batfamily is stuck in a timeloop where they can't save Dick - One thousand, Three hundred, and Nine Hours

Tim being a cute menace and feral Dick - little menace

FAVORITE!! Damian has a few choice words to say about Bruce's treatment of Dick - The threat

Slade saves Dick from the Court of Owls and Rose's view of him - Quiet now, you're going to wake the beast

FAVORITE!! Bruce is gone and Dick is seeing ghosts. The batfamily just wants to protect him - The haunting of Wayne house

FAVORITE!! Deaged Dick and Damian collection - you've always loved the strange birds

Dick's been deaged wakes up in a world with 5 robins no thanks to Slade - persephone's in hell

FAVORITE!! The batfamily's in a time loop trying to save Dick - rewind, remix, retry, redo

Funny fics I'm in love with!

Hilarious and all-around fun - Batbros Wreck Havoc

Favorite! ALL of pupeez4eva's fics but here's a starter for fun - That Torturous Thing Known as Time Travel

More fun fic (can you tell I like the humorous ones?) - A Bunch of Ridiculousness

Don't mess with Dick from Jason's perspective. Jason, Dick, and Bruce - Dig Down Deep

Accurate fic about batfamily's reaction to Dick dating Joey - Families Ever Changing

AU: Justice League meeting Nightwing focusing on Dick, Bruce, and Barry - Starry eyed

(Sorry had to slip another one in) JL's reaction to Dick - Your call may be interrupted

The batfamily will not let anyone take cover pictures of Dick - The annual Bludhaven firefighter's calander for charity

Another JLA story. Dick was a wild child nightmare robin - Adventures in batsitting

[thetommoway-oioii]

For Buddie, what about an established relationship prompt where they tell Christopher they're engaged? 💕

Hi @iced-coffee-jesus (love the pfp)!!! thank you for the ask! since there aren't many details I'm gonna assume you want me to take creative liberties! :D

anyway here it goes! apologies for any mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker or a good editor.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You and Me Until The End

Buck paced a hole into Eddie's living room. It was like watching a clock pendulum. Eddie was sat on the sofa, warily watching Buck. Buck came to a halt, gave Eddie a look that either read 'I'm nervous and scared' or 'I'm about to punch something'. Eddie was about 87% sure that it was the first one. Buck went back to pacing around. Eddie continued his brainstorming for making Buck stop.

"It's gonna be fin-" Eddie started but Buck was staring at him as if daring him to continue.

"Don't you dare tell me it's gonna be fine." Buck stated and continued walking around nervously, his hand now at his mouth, biting nails. Not a thing he often did but a bad habit he'd picked up as a kid whenever he was scared.

Eddie raised his hands in surrender. He was fond and worried about how much Buck was overthinking. Fond because he couldn't believe that the blond loved him enough to be this anxious and worried because he was certain Buck was overthinking too much.

"Babe" Eddie spoke gently and patted the empty couch space beside him.

Buck stopped in his tracks and contemplated what to do. He sighed heavily and plopped down next to Eddie, immediately leaning on his shoulder. Eddie wrapped an arm around Buck and pulled him closer, running his fingers through the blond's curls.

"You know he loves you to death right?" Eddie started, pressing a kiss to Buck's temple.

"I know.. what if he thinks I'm trying to replace Shannon though?" Buck hid his face into Eddie's abdomen. He loved Christopher so much. He didn't wanna lose the boy. He had been scared to tell him about his relationship with Eddie even though, rationally he knew Chris was secretly rooting for it. Relationship was one thing, engagement was another. This was serious now. He was afraid that even though Chris loved him, he wouldn't feel comfortable having someone replace his mother's place.

"Honey, he knows how much you love him and respect him and that you'd never ever try to do anything that he wasn't comfortable with. Plus he already sees you like a second parent Buck. You're not replacing Shannon in his mind or heart, he is gaining another extra parent. Someone who will love him just like I do and just like Shannon did. Please stop worrying so much." Eddie continued stroking Buck's hair, trying to comfort the man.

"I hope you're right because I canno-" Buck stopped when he heard keys rattling behind the front door. He sat up straight and immediately took off his engagement ring and slipped it into his pocket. He took a deep breath in as Carla opened the door and Chris walked in, his face lighting up immediately seeing both Buck and Eddie at the couch.

"Sorry boys, can't come in, I'm running late." Carla said from the front door before slipping out and shutting it behind her. Chris slowly made his way toward the both of them. Buck moved to the side and made space for Chris between him and Eddie. Chris sat down and gave a hug to each of them.

"Welcome back buddy. Did you have fun at school?" Buck asked, all his anxiety carefully placed behind a unbreakable mask.

"Yeah! We worked around in school's terrace garden today. It was really cool and fun!" Chris said enthusiastically.

"That's great buddy! Listen, there was something Buck and I wanted to talk to you about." Eddie sat up a straight, the mood shifting to a more serious tone.

Chris looked between Buck and Eddie and nodded, "Is it about the engagement?" He asked, shocking both the firefighters.

"You.. uh you know about that?" Buck asked, the mask slipping ever so slightly.

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "I saw the ring besides the kitchen sink a few days ago. I figured you'd tell me soon." He smiled brightly. If his expressions were anything to go by, he didn't seem upset at all.

Buck let out a half relieved sigh, though not completely sure if this was gonna end badly or not. "And.. how do you feel about that? Like are you okay with me and your dad getting married?" Buck asked tentatively, not sure if he was ready to hear the answer.

Chris looked at him with a weird face before turning to Eddie and giving him a look that read 'Is he serious?' Eddie half managed to contain his chuckle at Chris' expression. Chris turned to Buck and gave him a big smile.

"Of course Buck! I love you and Dad loves you too! I'm happy that you're officially gonna be my family now. I can have two dads now!" Chris moves closer to Buck and gives him a hug. He wasn't sure why Buck looked so scared but hugs always made everything better so he decided to give his Buck one too. Maybe now he'll be more at ease.

Buck slowly relaxed as he held Chris in his arms. Logically he was about 90% sure that this was gonna go well but his mind had spewed all kinds of doubts all day. Now, seeing the smile and love on Chris' face, he could let go of those doubts. Buck looked over to Eddie over Chris' shoulder and saw the most adorable, softest look on the man's face. He beckoned him forward to join in the hug as well and when Eddie held them both in his arms, Buck knew, nothing in the world could ever take this away from him.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

(title from The Greatest by Louis Tomlinson)

that's it! I hope you like it. if you have any other requests or prompts please don't hesitate to send an ask.

again apologies for any mistakes.

[goingbuggy]

When you have time I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about post time skip buggy!!

Hi, anon! Sorry for the late-ish reply. I thought carefully about how I wanted to reply, but alas, here I am again, starting my metas in the strangest places. Anyways, here’s a seemingly unimportant question: Why is it funny that Buggy keeps failing upwards?

My answer also happens to be one of Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling:

"Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating."

You might be wondering why I chose this quote -- after all, Buggy manages to escape most conflicts by sheer coincidence. Take the canon-filler episode(s) “Little Buggy's Big Adventure,” for example; coincidence is the sole reason why he ends up on Gaimon’s island and eventually finds Alvida, one of his future allies. But for as much as Oda is guilty of using coincidences to benefit Buggy, he also creates coincidences to get Buggy into trouble. Sure, Buggy left on good terms with Gaimon/found Alvida, but only after:

Suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Luffy

Losing most of his body

Being chased by killer fish/eaten by a ginormous bird

Nearly getting shot in the head by Gaimon over a misunderstanding

Being chased AGAIN by a deadly crab???? LMAO???

Buggy’s “luck” functions like a pendulum -- for every good thing that happens to him, horrible things are guaranteed to follow. This core aspect of his character is what keeps the gag afloat. Buggy is never rewarded by the narrative without experiencing consequences. In order to earn moments of respite, he has to suffer.

I find it hilarious when people argue that Buggy doesn’t deserve to have good things happen to him. Because, yeah? Duh. Oda loves having his cake and eating it too. It’s not necessarily good to play both sides with the audience when it can cheapen emotional impact, but Oda will absolutely continue to make Buggy both a complete joke and a genuine character. He has fun that way. However, he’s not going to help Buggy without hurting him first.

But that's a very meta perspective. How does Buggy view his own beneficial coincidences? He’s now an emperor, and extremely close to the One Piece/Pirate King title that he so desperately wants. But why does he think he’s being rewarded, in-universe?

His facade.

His devoted followers, his influence, that billion-berry bounty, his emperor status -- all of it stems from his fake persona and its snowball effect. He’s well aware of this. In fact, I think it’s likely that he hates himself for being such a coward and hiding behind lies. But when he sees his true self as worthless, what else can he do except dig himself into a deeper hole?

Look at 1082. Buggy finally stands up for himself, claiming that wealth and power come from chasing after your dreams -- not grand schemes. Here, he’s talking to himself as much as he’s talking to Crocodile and Mihawk.

“This is wrong… This isn’t how I wanted my life to go…”

It’s a very depressing peek at the man behind the curtain. Buggy only ever wanted to follow his dreams, but he uses schemes to get ahead instead, because they're all he thinks he has. His lies are a crutch to depend on, so he doesn't have to face the truth: he doesn't believe in himself. 

To me, 1082 reads as a "Hail Mary" moment from a character at an emotional low. Buggy still doesn't believe in himself, but he is saying: Fuck it. If Shanks and I finally have an equal chance at becoming Pirate King, I at least have to try... Right? We can confirm his lack of self-confidence, because Buggy even admits he got here by “luck or chance or whatever."

He cannot entertain the possibility that he'd get this far any other way. Of course he doesn't see himself as Shanks' equal. It’s one of many reasons he didn’t want to go with Shanks at Loguetown; he assumed he’d be working “under” Shanks (even though Shanks only said “Come with me!"), because he truly believes he is lesser in terms of potential/greatness. ("You coward!" can also be interpreted as Buggy projecting his own insecurities onto Shanks.) Buggy's decision in 1082 is a desperate leap of faith. "Go for broke," "shoot for the moon," etc.

Post-Timeskip Buggy may appear more dangerous than ever before, but in reality, he’s just a small fish in a big pond. The farther he crawls his way up the ladder of success, the worse he feels, because the life he has built is not how he wanted to live at all. Based on everything we've known about Pre-Timeskip Buggy, we should expect him to be happier than ever. He has influence. Power. His monetary value in the eyes of the World Government has shot up exponentially. But look at the poor guy. He's miserable.

If you've ever seen Better Call Saul, I think this scene from S4E9 is very similar to how I feel about Buggy:

JIMMY: There you go! Kick a man when he’s down! KIM: Jimmy, you are always down.

Buggy is a character who is always down, even when you think he might be up. Until he stops maintaining that false image, he will always be punished by the narrative pendulum he's trapped himself in.

Unfortunately, change is hard, especially with the stakes he’s currently facing. If Buggy actually has to fight Blackbeard, Luffy, or Shanks... he can’t. Not alone. He needs people to believe the facade, because that's what got him here in the first place. He may look invincible, but he is quite possibly the most vulnerable character right now.

Crocodile and Mihawk would sell him to Satan for one corn chip (especially after that stunt he pulled in 1082). We haven't seen him improve his physical abilities (unless Oda pulls some off-screen bullshit). As an emperor, he has more people gunning for his head than ever before. Buggy’s last line of defense is his long-running gag -- if Oda decides to subvert our expectations, he’s a dead man walking.

And who would he have to blame but himself? He built his image on smoke and mirrors. Eventually, he's going to have to pay the price.

If Pre-Timeskip Buggy is a man defined by coincidence, then Post-Timeskip Buggy is defined by consequence.

[punkrockisafulltimejob]

Yooooo you and I have A LOT in common if your bio is anything to go by! Anyway! I saw you reblog the ask/pelt me with rocks post, so i decided to send you an ask!

As a fellow witch, I'm curious, could you share a little about your practise? 🥰

I am an eclectic lunar witch. I primarily worship the moon (just call me Clefairy), moon deities, and hag deities. My practise involves divination via dowsing and tarot, candle magic, spell work, meditation, grounding, connection with nature and mother earth 💛

[I wasn't ignoring you all day, I promise, you just caught me right as I was leaving for work and I wanted to make sure I had the time to give you a proper answer]

First off, haiiiiiiii! Welcome to the chaos! Thank you for pelting me with rocks, I love being pelted with rocks, especially when they are pretty rocks!

My practice, wow. Okay, so, I've been practicing for 5-6 years now. There wasn't ever really an "official" start time for me, it was something I sort of grew into, rather than deciding it was what I wanted to do. My practice is also pretty eclectic, but it's very nature oriented. My two main elements are water and earth, and as such I do some weather work, some greencraft, and I am lucky enough to live near the ocean so I do a LOT of work with the ocean. I also love the moon and nighttime. I'm actually nocturnal naturally, but unfortunately, due to the aforementioned job, I'm no longer able to do that. My main Deity is Nyx, but I'm a Hellenic polytheist. I also worship Gaia as Mother Nature. I don't do too much in the way of divination, it's not really something that called to me, but I do use a pendulum to find lost objects when need be, but I also have a freaky innate ability to find lost things, even when they're in highly illogical places.

Another thing I do a lot is what I have dubbed Arts and Witch Crafts. I'm an artist and crafter, and frequently it will intermingle with my craft, and vice versa. As such, my witchy projects tend to incorporate several different elements. I'll use knot magic when I crochet, I'll add jewelry charms to a spell bottle, I'll make something handmade for my altar or craft space. To me, it all goes hand in hand, just because I'm naturally a jack of all trades. Everything I do is of my own creation, I very rarely do anything considered "traditional" of witchcraft. I once made a spell into a wrap bracelet, meant for sweet dreams (I have since dismantled and used the elements for other purposes, but that's too much to get into here lol). I have a very aesthetically pleasing Spirit of the Sea jar on my altar (or close to it, I can't exactly get to my altar rn cuz my room is a mess) that I made a couple weeks ago. I'm making a crochet wisteria garland for one of my friends for her to hand over her bed, and ideally it'll 1) protect her space and 2) help with her anxiety. Wisteria is one of her favorite flowers, which is why I'm doing that instead of something like lavender.

[friend if you are reading this post and recognize yourself, yes, I really am doing this, no, you can't stop me, and no, I will not accept payment, even in the form of weed. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and you deserve nice things]

I'm a queer crafting pagan stoner witch. Thats about as succinct as I can make it lol. Anything extra is just for fun.

[swemtpotamtam]

*CLEARS MY THROAT* OC asks for the two most important boys <3 3. What were their first impressions of each other? How does that compare to their impressions of each other now?

6. Do they have any shared interests/hobbies? Do they ever do these hobbies together?

20. What is their best memory together?

Eeeee hi, Bo, bbyy!! Thank you so much for the ask! 🫶💕

And eee you're so sweet, I cry 😭💕

3. What were their first impressions of each other? How does that compare to their impressions of each other now?

Nico's first and current impressions are by far the most drastically opposite. At first, when Niners was presented as his partner, Nico absolutely despised the guy. He had his reasons of course - one of which was connected to his sister's death -, so it wasn't just baseless but still. As a result, his attitude was quite unpleasant at first, swinging like a pendulum from disinterest/apathy to irritation and anger.

Now, he sees Niners for what he truly is - a valuable partner, both at work and in life, someone worthy of trust and respect, someone extremely smart and interesting, compassionate and selfless. Most importantly, he sees a person, an individual with his own likes, dislikes, personality, interests, opinions, etc. Even though he may not say it directly or aloud all that often, Nico is extremely proud of Niners and his personal growth.

Niners started out neutral but still polite and friendly towards Detective Lallas, slowly growing more and more intrigued, trying to understand his partner better. That was no easy feat since irrational reactions caused by emotional outbursts were hard to grasp and find logical explanations for. The more Niners learned, the greater was his respect for Nico and all the things he accomplished.

Now, Niners can't imagine himself without Nico (the feeling is mutual, of course, but for Niners this has a bigger impact). This experience, everything they both went through, made Niners into who he is, and for that he is forever grateful! There are no words to describe the amount of love, care and loyalty he feels towards his human partner. The feelings of awe and adoration that swell in Niners' heart are so vast and deep, absolutely limitless. This troubled man with his own flaws and issues is deserving of so much love and compassion and Niners is more than happy to provide that, not asking for anything in turn (however, this selfless gesture doesn't go unnoticed. Nico isn't the type to express his affection through words but he has his own ways of showing that Niners means a whole lot to him).

Both are very glad to have met each other <3

(Can you tell that I love gushing about their attitudes towards each other, especially once they have realized certain things about each other and developed a bond? Oughh I love my boys so much 😭)

6. Do they have any shared interests/hobbies? Do they ever do these hobbies together?

They both like music and play instruments. Albeit, different ones - Nico knows how to play the guitar and drums (mostly plays the former since that's what he has at home), while Niners learned how to play the piano. They do also listen to stuff together from time to time!

Another thing that they enjoy doing is playing chess together! I even had this little scene in my head where Nico tells Niners to play fair without even thinking of ever giving in. Nico considers winning against Niners fair and square an accomplishment since his partner is basically a super computer :D

Not technically a shared hobby but Niners looooves reading books! He has lots of 'em - some bought or gifted to him by Nico, some bought with his own money. And sometimes he reads them out loud to Nico when they're both either chilling on the couch or on the bed together. Falling asleep to Niners' deep and soothing voice reading a fantasy adventure story is one of Nico's favorite pastimes <3

Another fun thing that they do together when they have the time is watching detective shows and nitpicking them to bits ahahdhd

Nico is usually the one shit talking the shows, rambling about how dumb and unrealistic stuff is or how nothing makes sense. Niners finds it pretty entertaining. Sometimes this turns into a discussion about what they would've done or what would've worked better for the scene or crime solution in whatever episode they were watching.

20. What is their best memory together?

They have a lot of great memories together so it's hard to choose. Plus some of 'em would be spoilers so I'll keep 'em a secret 👀 Gotta read the comic that I'll make one day to find out 👀

[iwitch-plus]

Heya :) it's been a while!

Hi, my name is Dolly (she/her) and I've had this blog for quite some time! In the past I've done things like open up free readings, or create discord servers as a way to feel a sense of community, but this time around I think I'm okay with just being here instead of seeking attention and validation. A new era of this blog marks my first steps toward ACTUAL self-discovery and growth.

This was initially a side blog but now it's the main one I use. But since it's technically a side blog, if you see any likes/follows from @ibitch-plus that's me lol!

I just thought I'd make a pinned post sharing a little about myself, and I'll try to keep it brief but I'm bad at that.

The direction this blog is going to be going is ideally going to be personal, intimate, focused on my own growth as a person, and focused on my growth in my practice. I plan on being vulnerable and fairly open but not to the point where it's a burden on followers. I just want this to become a safe space for myself and others to share if they have been feeling like they're lacking in personal growth/their practice. You're not alone! And you're welcome to follow me and join me on my journey to help inspire your own journey!

I'm 23, I'm a Virgo sun, Gemini moon, Gemini rising, and I have an air dominant chart with a Gemini stellium!

I started researching and learning about Witchcraft in 2014/2015, so I guess I’ve been practicing on and off for 8-ish years. Still feel like a baby witch though, and ready to keep learning.

While I do love witchy aesthetics, my witchy blog has always been more dedicated to research, resources, and text posts along with my own personal photos, anecdotes, spells, and journey.

My witchy interests include:

Tarot

Herbalism

Botany

Kitchen Witchery

Astrology

The Moon

Sigils

Glamour Magic

Low effort Witchcraft

Natural products (making my own salves, tinctures, balms, etc!)

Aphrodite

All Greek pantheon, honestly

Spirits/Entities/Demons/Deities of all kinds

Crystals

Pendulums, and most other forms of divination

Mixology

Probably so many more but I can't think of any more specific ones!

My non witchy interests include:

Video games! Mostly Nintendo Switch gaming and cozy games but I play a lot of stuff on PC and some on other consoles, too!

Cartoons! Kids cartoons, adult cartoons, anime. I just like it better when it doesn't have real people in it. I love Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, recently been into Bob's Burgers, I'm just a big cartoon fan!

Cats! I have 2 boy kitties, a little black one and a big ol' orange dude. They're my favorite, and I love pretty much all cats in general.

Piercings and tattoos! I work in a tattoo shop, currently working on my piercing apprenticeship!

Mixology! Again, lol! I find the art of making and creating cocktails to be very witchy, but also just super fun in non-witchy ways.

Fashion! I love clothes and shoes, and I can never stick to one aesthetic

Pool! Like, as in billiards! Super random but it's fun and I've gotten a lot better over the past couple years!

Pretty much any hobby ever! Soap making, candle making, baking, embroidery, hand sewing, cosmetic making, jewelry making, singing, makeup, playing instruments, I just love to do it all.

Okay that's enough about me, like I said I'm bad at keeping it brief but there ya go! Can't wait to get back into the community. <3

[fastcardotmp3]

tagged by my adored alex @gothbat99 to do a little self-love moment 🥹💛

rules: post five of your favorite fics that you've written and talk about why you love them. tag some mutuals so they can do the same and we can all spread some positivity about our writing ❤️

✨someone else's favorite song - 120k | rated E - I swing wildly on the pendulum between loving this fic for all that it is and wanting desperately to Fix It, but lately I've felt a lot of pride in this thing, warts and all. I went into this one thinking I was the extent of the audience for it and let the stream of consciousness muscle pull it out of me without much forethought, but ended up finding so much connection to the people reading it who felt seen or understood in some way in their own grieving processes. No matter where I am on the pendulum of feelings about this story, I am never not grateful that my own little catharsis has been able to create a sort of 'not aloneness' every time someone is kind and courageous enough to share their own stories with me in the comments 💛

✨that's just wasteland, baby! - 19k | rated E - I started writing this entirely because at the time I couldn't find any fics that really dived into what an apocalyptic Hawkins setting might look like and I wanted to READ it more than anything. It's so slice-of-life in that world and I had really so much fun building up the rules of the world and the dynamics between characters still in the fight but settled to an extent within a new normal to the point where even Steve can't even remember how long they've been doing it. 'the world ended but we're still going' is one of my favorite premises of all time and this universe is one I'm genuinely SO proud of without any equivocation about it UGH

✨how the light gets in - 29k (wip series) | rated T-E - if there are going to be one million and one versions of kas!Eddie (including my own) there HAS to be a kas!Chrissy and by god if I have to do it myself I WILL. Wheelingham is one of those things that just smacked me in the face one day when I realized the unending potential of taking a fridged girl, bringing her back to life, and making her kiss the final girl, like... COME ON. This series is a labor of love and it's truly such a joy to do a proper character study on two girls who have so much untapped potential built into their psyches. they're my babies I am holding them gently in my hands and never letting go :(((

✨METAMORPHOSES - 160k | rated E - I think of everything I've written for ST, this might be the thing that's most structurally sound writing-wise, like it's long enough that there are definitely spots it could use smoothing, but I am genuinely so proud of how it turned out and how it told the exact story I set out to tell. I love these characters, I love their little house in Indy, I love the ways they grow and regress in tandem, I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR. Never has a vision I had at the start ended up feeling So Right to this extent and I will never stop screaming about this fic just you try to stop me 💚🐍

✨The Hawk - 10k (wip series) | rated T - "The Bear" AU that no one asked for but which I am wholly and completely enamored with only 2 'episodes' in. Another chance at a Nancy-centric story with the added bonus of getting to write so many POVs of a larger ensemble? Incoming Ronance and Lumax and Steddie and Jargyle?? Wheeler sibling dynamic exploration?? it's my DREAM tbh and it's surprisingly simple to slot our ST characters into this wildly different world because you know what! At the end of the day it's all just about family isn't it!!! UGH. Once I'm done with writing (redacted) trust that I will be launching myself back into this one full-force, I've got so many plans and I can't wait to show you all more of this world

(if you've already been tagged apologies but also) tagging! @kkpwnall @fragilecapric0rnn @judasofsuburbia @gideoncharov @figthefruitfaeth @cheatghost @stargyles @capriciouslyterminal @sharpbutsoft @hellsfireclub

[andromebaa]

what are some of your favorite headcanons for just the two of us?

Oh man, I have so many lol. I'm gonna split them into serious stuff (plot/character hc), cute stuff (pairing/shipping hc) and dumb stuff (they're idiots hc). This is definitely not all of them, just the ones I could think of tonight. Kinda spoiler-ish if you haven't read up to the most current Just the Two of Us chapters so be warned! Serious Stuff

Kaito as a hero archetype always fascinates me. I feel like he has this compulsion to help others, especially those he perceives as weaker or unable to protect themselves. I think that's why I portrayed his 'biggest fear' in the simulation as hurting the people he loves the most and losing control in a way that makes him become a monster. (Very fun to consider depending on your HCs about his pre-game personality ehehe)

Kokichi is a walking bundle of trauma. So much has happened to this guy and I'm sure it's been dissected by people smarter than me but like - compulsive liar? Tiny? Really good at hiding? Those weird little spacing-out moments he gets? Something bad happened to you, didn't it? Like, maybe not as BAD as what I've depicted, but yeah. Poor baby.

Shadow Child was created as a representation of both Kaito and Kokichi's 'inner children', specifically the darker and more traumatic parts of their childhoods. They are portrayed more often as Kokichi because his trauma is much larger and more pronounced, and therefore more influential in the subconscious part of the simulation. I don't know why I stuck with they/them pronouns for them, it just kind of felt right?

The leech was based on Kaito's subconscious fears of his death. The concept of this parasite that drained its host's life force felt fitting for a death fear sort of thing. It also represents the loss of control he feels over this aspect of his life. It kind of 'evolves' as it takes in influences from other people, but that's kind of its main framework.

Miu's Copy had a massive breakdown during the bathroom scene. It was kind of her last straw before she turned on the leech. She kind of reflected on what she knew about the original Miu, the contents of the simulation and how Kaito and Kokichi interacted and it made her realise how fucked up everything was and how much she did not want to participate. Also she was getting sick of all the edgy thoughts leech was putting in her brain.

Cute Stuff

Kokichi's favourite food never used to be strawberries, it changed after Kaito fed them to him and he got some sort of psychological association between strawberries and him.

On that note, Kokichi probably can cook, like, decently, but he kind of plays up his ignorance because he likes Kaito showing him how to do it.

Kaito is super super into domestic life lol he can try to pretend he isn't but he so is. Definitely got into a routine when they were stuck in the simulation for that year.

Being with each other for that year made them get a really close, almost psychic-ish bond that people get when they spend too much time with each other. It's how Kaito can pick up on when Kokichi is lying, for example.

After he overcomes the whole 'don't touch me' hurdle, Kokichi swings to the other side of the pendulum and is very clingy. Won't leave Kaito alone. It annoys him at first but it grows on him.

They have lots of petty squabbles but they usually don't last. They're not fantastic at apologising properly to each other, it's usually just settled through physical affection or gifts (food).

Dumb Stuff

Kokichi drank shampoo the first time he saw it because he thought it was a fruity beverage. That's why Kaito started washing his hair for him.

Kaito named all his plants. He gets offended when Kokichi forgets them.

Miu definitely had relations with her P.A.L self.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch lol but yeah headcanons woo! Thanks for the askkkk <3

[windvexer]

hey not sure if this is okay to ask but i was wondering who i could even ask about something like this and you were the first person i thought of! i been using some oracle cards for years now and they are pretty intuitive and over the years we got to understand eachother pretty well to the point i understand what they mean with no problem. i decided to get a tarot deck is a very nice one (star spinner tarot) and it comes with a booklet with some information of each card but i feel like is not enough for me to grasp what they are trying to say? (also i never used reversed meanings with my other cards so thats a bit confusing) i was wondering if you have any advice for someone getting into tarot? i do have experience with like other cards, pendulums, even runes, etc. but i feel like the information that came with this one is very short and i cant understand them as well as my regular cards sorry if this is not an okay thing to ask!!

Hi, Anon.

Star Spinner tarot looks lovely!

You don't have to use reversals. I don't use them sometimes. It depends on my mood and how much I want to deal with.

For anyone getting into tarot, I would recommend starting your own notes and adding information from many different resources.

For most decks, lots online information is available for each card. BiddyTarot.com is a popular resource for more general card meanings. If you'd really like to study tarot, I highly recommend The Mystical Origins of the Tarot by Paul Huson.

As you study extended resources, contemplate meanings for a certain card as you look at the card. Consider not only popular contemporary meanings (BiddyTarot) and what your deck creator has to say (booklet with the cards), but also historical resources (Huson).

As you find meanings that resonate with you and stick out to you, add them to your notes.

Don't worry about trying to paint a complete picture of every card. Focus on the meanings that make sense to you. Most readers seem to find that their understandings of the cards are in flux and will always grow and evolve. So you're creating a starting point for where you're at right now, not the all-time ultimate meaning reference book.

Don't worry at all about trying to memorize the cards. Even professional readers you pay will still use their guidebooks and notes if they want to.

Common advice given to beginners is to start with only one-card draws and maybe do a 3-card spread if you're feeling bold, but this advice didn't work for me, and may not work for you either.

When I began reading I got so little information from each card that I had to do relatively large spreads just to get any information out of them.

It might help you to experiment with the number of cards drawn, and in what spreads you place them.

There are many exercises a person can do to try and connect with their cards more. Try forgetting the book meanings altogether and trying to craft story narratives based on what's happening in the pictures.

Another exercise that can be fun and helpful is to play with your deck while you watch a show. During the show, pull random cards and ask yourself how that card relates to what you're seeing on screen. You might want to pause and look at the book, but also look for other ways to connect:

The mood or atmosphere of the picture

The different characters on the card, what they're doing, and how they're acting

The location or setting of the card

The objects that can be found in the card

The goal of this TV show exercise is not to perform accurate readings on a TV show, but to stretch your mind and become comfortable relating the card to real world situations. As long as you can say, "this card matches because [...]," you have won the game.

Lastly, tarot is a relatively complex divinatory system with lots of moving parts and layers of meaning. It's normal for it to take a while to sink in - it's definitely not the easiest system to get into.

[apolloslyrics]

Hi, Sun! How's your April so far? I hope it's going great! Can I please request a reading about my spirit guides?

If possible, I'd like to know of these things, please:

> Who might they be

> How they view me

> Any important message/s they have for me

If any of these questions make you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to answer what you only want/can.

I greatly appreciate this opportunity! Blessings to you and have a wonderful day ahead.

- Maryel 🌼

Hey Maryel!!! It's lovely to meet you. My April has been okay! Ups and downs, but mostly ups :) I hope your April has gone well too!!!

I can try to answer your questions; the only thing I will say is that I can't necessarily put names to spirit guides. So, what I will do instead is describe their attributes and personalities! I'll try to identify a few for you.

The first thing I'm going to do is ask for your spirit guides to come into my space. To do this, I hold a pendulum and ask aloud for them to come forward. When I get a "yes", I start the reading.

For this reading, I'm going to do something similar to a deity identification tarot spread. Here is what I'll be using:

I made this spread! Anyone can use it any time :)

Anyway, onto the reading:

Spirit Guide #1

Card One: Six of Wands

The Six of Wands translates to success, public recognition, progress, and confident. A six in tarot usually represents growth, overcoming challenges, leaving things behind, and understanding yourself. This spirit guide in particular is a very outgoing, confident figure. They know who they are, and they're not afraid to show it. They've overcome a lot of problems and issues over their time here, but they've grown to understand the lessons.

Card Two: The Fool

The fool's meaning has to do with beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, and being a free spirit. This spirit guide, while confident and outgoing, can sometimes be a little bit too spontaneous. They might do things that are silly, but receive many consequences later on.

Card Three: Page of Wands (reversed)

The Page of Wands (reversed) includes newly formed ideas, redirecting energy, and spiritual paths. A Page in tarot often means new beginnings, new phases, and next steps. Because the imagery on the Page of Cups is of a young man, it's safe to assume that this spirit guide is a male.

Card Four: The Hermit

Card Four explains what the spirit guide likes to do for fun; the card they gave was The Hermit, which means introspection, being alone, soul-searching, and inner guidance. In this case, the spirit guide enjoys helping others, especially when it comes to relationships and conquering insecurities.

Card Five: Seven of Wands

The seven of wands represents challenge, competition, protection, and perseverance. This spirit guide is here mainly to protect you, as well as help you persevere through challenges in your life. They may also be sending small tests to check on your ability to get through tough times.

Card Six: The Magician

Card Six, representing what you can do to collaborate with this spirit guide, talks about power, skill, concentration, action, and resourcefulness. To connect with this guide, you might want to work on logical skills. Concentrate on focus and problem-solving. Any time you make a decision, study, or even look at a situation logically, know that this guide is with you and is there to help.

Interpretation: This guide sent primarily major arcana cards and the suit of wands! In tarot, the wands represent primal energy, spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength, creativity, original thought, and more. This spirit guide seems to be extremely creative and does well at problem-solving. They are there to help; they enjoy helping. They will always be there when you need them!

Spirit Guide #2:

Card One: Eight of Cups

The eight of cups represents withdrawal, escapism, and abandonment. While this card may seem negative, an eight in tarot talks about work, change, and getting where you need to go. So, a positive trait about this spirit guide is that they are able to guide you wherever your path should go. Their skill lies in letting go of past resentment and problems, and moving forward.

Card Two: Ten of Pentacles

The Ten of Pentacles, supposedly a negative trait, represents wealth, security, family, and contribution. A ten means final outcomes, the end of a cycle, rewards, and consequences. I'm really playing into the security and consequences part; it seems like this spirit guide holds their cards close to their chest, maybe a bit too much. They prefer not to be vulnerable; this may come from family issues, or it may come from their own resentment.

Card Three: Strength

Card Three, Strength, represents the gender of this spirit guide. The imagery of the strength card shows a woman and a lion, so it's safe to say that this spirit guide is a lady.

Card Four: Eight of Pentacles

This spirit guide sent the eight of pentacles, which talks about apprenticeship, tasks, mastery, and skill development. In their free time, they prefer to be practicing a skill, whether it be teaching themselves or other people. They enjoy the practical things in life, but they also like to have fun with it!

Card Five: Six of Pentacles

Six of Pentacles, which is meant to represent their purpose as a guide, talks about giving, receiving, generosity, and charity. A six represents growth, overcoming challenges, leaving things behind, and understanding yourself. This spirit guide is there to aid you in selflessness! It's important to remember that you are allowed to be selfish as well. They want you to have a balance between giving and receiving; not too much loss and not too much gain.

Card Six: Ace of Pentacles

The Ace of Pentacles talks about manifestation, new opportunities, and abundance. Aces typically talk about beginnings, initiative, drive, potential, and the early stages of an endeavor. Take the reigns! Start a new adventure. Whenever you are trying new things, manifesting, and standing up for yourself and others, that's when your guide is beside you. They are there to help you grow and change; they are there to help manifest who you are meant to be. So go ahead and move forward knowing they will be with you all the way!

Interpretation: this guide sent a lot of pentacles in your reading. The pentacles typically represent work, business, trade, material possessions, ego, self-esteem, and self-image. This spirit guide is work and play! They enjoy finding the balance in things, whether it be generosity, work-play, or communication. They love to see you grow and change, and they love to see you love yourself. Know that they are so excited to get to know you, and they are proud and happy for every achievement you've had thus far.

Spirit Guide #3:

Card One: Seven of Wands

The Seven of Wands talks about challenge, competition, protection, and perseverance. A seven in tarot usually represents confidence, truth, determination, and having faith. This spirit guide is very protective and determined. They are strong and independent.

Card Two: King of Cups (reversed)

The King of Cups (reversed) is meant to speak about self-compassion, inner feelings, moodiness, and manipulation. A King usually represents authority, power, and believing in yourself. While this spirit guide is protective and confident, they can sometimes be overbearing and easily angered. They might get self-absorbed sometimes.

Card Three: Temperance

In tarot, the Temperance card represents balance, moderation, patience, purpose, and meaning. The person depicted on Temperance is female, so it is safe to say that this spirit guide is a lady, as well.

Card Four: The Star

The Star represents hope, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, and serenity. This spirit guide engages in a lot of spiritual hobbies in their free time; they love to connect with nature, other spirits, deities, and energies.

Card Five: Nine of Pentacles (reversed)

The Five of Pentacles (reversed) is said to represent what this guide is here for. Recovery from financial loss and spiritual poverty are some key words for the Five of Pentacles (reversed). They are here to guide you on your general spiritual path; when you pray, when you connect with nature, when you give offerings, and when you meditate, know that they are there to keep you safe and protected. They do their best to have your space nice and peaceful, without any harm coming to you.

Card Six: Knight of Wands

The Knight of Wands represents energy, passion, inspired action, and adventure. Interact with your spiritual path more! Whether that be praying, doing spellwork, leaving offerings, or even simply lighting a candle, they would love to see more of your practice in your daily life.

Interpretation: This spirit guide didn't send any specific suits; they want you to decide what you think of them, and how you want to interact. They are there to help you in your spiritual path mainly, but know that they are also welcoming any general questions from you. They are hopeful that your spiritual journey will give you some insight as to what might happen in the future.

Your spirit guides were very kind and understanding during this reading! I do hope this resonates and that you find this to be helpful in your practice 🫶 as always, take care of yourselves!

[whiskeyswifty]

I regrettably don’t listen to Hits Different enough and I didn’t drag myself to target to buy the cd so only rarely do I find myself listening to it. which is such a shame bc it’s suuuuch a good fun bop of a drunk girl at a party sulking around in remorse but looking hot while doing it

anyway, I wanted to hear your big-brained thoughts on the track because I always love your take 🫠

i don't either! i wish it was on streaming so i can just listen wherever i want and on whatever device i'm on. and i CANNOT be bothered to go to target to by it lmao i'm not in the demo that will do that for her anymore, sorry miss swift. it is so fun though!! the best song on midnights by a mile. idk if i have any like bigger picture thoughts or super deep reads, but sure haha i'll share what i have. I did make a post recently about one line in it over here.

right off the bat i loved the instrumentation. it sounds just like a 2000s romcom/teen movie ending song or like theme song. which is a time i'm very nostalgic for as a 90s/2000s kid so it just warms my heart! and i think is a great contrast to offset the woe-is-me lyrics of the song that makes it instead more silly melodrama. as if to further get through to the audience that she really is just that one friend who's like hung up on her ex and in that stage of the breakup. it's not that serious just put her in a car and send her home. very like end of 500 days of summer type shit. to move on sometimes you have to grieve and let go in 10 different ways and it swings like a pendulum and you're kind of a wreck and impossible to be around. but eventually, time heals everything and you'll sort yourself out. (also 500 days of summer GREAT breakup movie, very honest, and unflinching in the same way the song is).

and i love the lyrics because i love songs that sound like they were written in real time (i know they're not, but they SOUND like it). rambling and meandering and stream of consciousness songs are sooo my bag. also some lyrics sound like drunk ramblings or, well, 2 am ramblings, which creates a great landscape for the song's timeline. just her struggling over days and weeks to move past this breakup. and it's a bit intentionally confusing and messy, just like how real relationships/breakups can be. at several points in the song she blames herself, then them, then herself again, then swings back into desperation, anger, frustration, just a rollercoaster of emotions that happens during this experience.

i do think my favorite part though is the end of the rambling bridge when she sings in a sudden surge of self confidence "Bet I could still melt your world. Argumentative, antithetical dream girl!" and it's said in a bit of a manic tone, coming in quick succession after a snowballing bridge that culminates in this burst of confidence and instrumental crescendo. and it seems like ok! she's maybe coming out of it like, i'm great! you probably want me so bad but you don't DESERVE me. but then the song quiets down, her voice falls away for a few seconds and when it comes back, it's wistfully soft again, desperately deluding herself into thinking that they changed their mind and came back. she's right back where she started, delirious to the point of willfully hallucinating and in that moment, also realizing she's gotten to the part of the grief where she's lost her mind a bit and hit kind of a rock bottom of desperation. and to play it off, she sets it up as a joke and it's just so sad and deflecting and human to do that as you swim through the emotional muck, even if she's just being melodramatic. even if she knows it shouldn't still hurt, "make it make some sense why the wound is still bleeding" it still does and it makes her feel crazy! but then the track picks right back up again with that jovial banger of a tune to keep the lightness and the almost cinematic thread of "life and love has it's ups and downs, but isn't that the common human experience that we can all laugh about?"

i think it's a fantastic song, in how it's construction is in conversation with it's lyricism. and what it's trying to accomplish is such a throwback, and in that showing how universal the experience of a messy breakup is and always has been and probably always will be. and how important it is to remember how it's not that serious, even if it feels like it in the moment. you're just in it, but it'll pass and it is important while you're in it to honor how it feels serious, even if you're self aware that it's not. you gotta feel the crushing grief in order to process it and claw your way out. in the mean time, your friends are just rolling their eyes at you like, girl we've been there. see you in a month when you got it out of your system and i'll stop by your house every few days to make sure you shower. and one day it'll make for fun fodder to put in a song so everyone can listen and laugh at the melodrama and say yeah, we've been there. it always happens but it also always passes.

[gladstones-corner]

Divination Forms

In a previous post, I mentioned that I carry four different types of divination with me on a regular basis. I agree that it's a little overkill, but in my defense I love divining.

So in this post I thought I'd go over my main preferred forms, how they're generally used, and any tips I've picked up over the years.

In my purse, I carry the following:

A pendulum

I Ching coins

Witch Stones

A pocket-sized tarot deck

The Pendulum

There's a lot to be said for something you can only ask yes or no questions of. It's simple, fast, and surprisingly accurate once you get into the rhythm of asking the right questions.

First thing I like to do is set the chain to a comfortable length. Usually that's about 8-14 inches. Then I ask it to give me a "yes", a "no", and a "maybe". This is just to make sure the pendulum and I are in synch.

Why not just use a pendulum board? Two reasons:

I have yet to find a pendulum board that I can clearly read (but I'm also the first to admit that's probably a skill issue).

You don't strictly need one if you do the quick calibration at the outset.

My advice? Start simple, but not too simple. Ask the general question on your mind, then slowly get more detailed. Think of it like a conversation. Every yes/no answer leads you to your next question, all the way until you are fully satisfied.

Be forewarned though, that it's not always the most detailed method of divination. Also, keep in mind that your questions will always be colored by the hope of a certain answer. That can actually sway the pendulum's responses. The solution? Reverse-code some of your questions. Ask the same one in a few different ways, with other questions between them for clarification.

It's much more of an art than a science; but if you can master it, you'll be well on your way towards other skills beyond divination.

I Ching

This is the most recent divination method I've taken up, though I've always been interested in it. You can use any three coins, really--so long as they have a discernible head and tail.

Generally speaking, you cast the coins six times and tally up the number of heads and tails per cast. These tell you whether each line is broken, unbroken, steady, or changing (more on that in a second). At the end, you'll have six lines that make up one of 64 possible Hexagrams.

But here's the catch--if your line is changing, you actually have to create a second Hexagram by...well, changing the relevant lines. Unbroken lines become broken, and vise versa. So at the end of your coin cast, you'll have either one or two Hexagrams, leading to over 4000 possible combinations to answer your question.

Here's another catch--if you don't have the cultural background, you miss a lot of the depth of I Ching. I've picked up a copy of the book as translated by Richard Wilhelm (a contemporary of Carl Jung), and can already tell that I don't have the context for the deeper meanings.

But that's okay! It shouldn't dissuade you from starting. The only way to integrate that context is to start practicing and research as you go along. I'm finding it one hell of a lot of fun to piece together the deceptively simple statements, especially since I'm learning about other cultures as a byproduct.

As for tips...I don't really have any besides maybe cast your coins into a shoe box lid? It's hard to read them if they're rolling around all over the place.

Witch Stones

This is honestly one of my favorite methods of divination. I've made a previous post about it, but for everyone's sake I'll hit the highlights here.

You need thirteen stones--seven for the astrological planets, and six for the domains to measure by. You cast all thirteen and interpret their position relative to one another. For yes/no questions, you throw the Jupiter stone for "yes", the Saturn stone for "no", and the Magic domain stone as the indicator. Whichever the Magic Stone is closest to is your likely answer.

I have a few tips for this one. Firstly, get a cloth to cast on. It cushions the stones and helps keep them from flying everywhere. Secondly, it takes some practice to get the right level of force in your cast; experiment! Thirdly, really take the time to select your stones. I use semi-precious ones for the planets, and plain painted stones for the domains. That helps me discern what's what on the cloth.

Tarot

This method is at once both highly structured and highly complicated. Like I Ching, depending on your deck you might have to absorb large amounts of esoteric symbolism to reap the full benefit of each card's message.

I've talked about tarot plenty on this blog, so I won't go into too much detail about how to read it. But here are just a couple of tips, particularly for people who don't read too often.

First, don't be afraid to just use the Major Arcana. Most spreads accommodate this usage nicely. It essentially cuts the number of meanings you have to remember from 156 to 42.

Second, remember that reversals tend to mean an imbalance of that card's energy. Even if you read explicit reversals, you'll need to use context clues to figure out how that imbalance is manifesting. My advice on this one is to not bother with learning the explicit reversal meanings quite yet. Stick with me, here.

The reason for this is two-fold: first, it encourages you to get your feet wet with intuitive reading. It'll be easier to put the book down if you're already used to not using it. Secondly, it helps you contextualize individual cards within larger spreads. Tower + Sun is pretty different from Tower + Lovers, even if Tower is the same card.

If you pair this reversal tip with the one about using only Major Arcana, you essentially cut the number of meanings you must learn from the original 156 to 21. That's much easier to get acquainted with.

My final tip is to get creative with how you use your deck. Use Major Arcana for the spread, then add a Minor Arcana to each card for more detail. Pull a single tarot card and compare it to a simple two-card Lenormand spread. The possibilities are pretty much endless.

When do you use each one?

That really depends. If I'm just looking for some answers on the fly, I'll typically use a pendulum. If I'm looking for a fully rounded but not necessarily detailed spread, I'll use the Witch Stones. If I need more detail, I'll go for I Ching or Tarot; the former tends to be more for straight divination, while the latter is also used for meditation and magical planning. Often I'll use several methods in conjunction.

Why not use other methods?

I do! I just don't carry all of them on a regular basis. I can read Elder Futhark, Ogham, and Lenormand. I also have a homemade spirit board that I use on occasion, with middling success.

The reason I don't use them as often is because I don't feel as much of a connection to them. I was practically raised on tarot; pendulums and I go way back. The Witch Stones and I Ching are newer, but are really fun and have the potential for some deep revelation.

Okay so this post became way longer than I thought it would be, but I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on your favorite divination methods!

[1000-year-old-virgin]

Books I’ve Read In 2022

This year I read the average amount of books I usually do. I was so touched to read my first book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist. It's embarrassing that it took my library so long to provide access to characters/books connected to the LGBTQ+ community.

But yeah this year was amazing for inclusivity. Most of the books had main characters from the Black community and the LGBTQ+ community.

1. Ariah - B. R. Sanders

A touching LGBTQ+ fantasy that reflects our real life society issues and fantastical issues while displaying a collection of identities.

2. Black Leopard, Red Wolf - Marlon James

This is an amazing Afrocentric fantasy book. Never before have I read a fantasy that focused on Africa instead of the typical European medieval setting with a LGBTQ+ protagonist.

It's written well but a lot of parts were tough to read because they were so disturbing but if you have the guts to read past those parts then its an amazing read that I couldn't put down.

3. Hollow Kingdom - Kira Jane Buxton

Fun! Couldn't put this book down. Love reading books with animal protagonist.

4. The Good Luck Girls - Charlotte Nicole Davis

Thrilling fantasy book with a Black female lead and LGBTQ+ representation.

5. Under the Pendulum Sun : a novel of the Fae - Jeannette Ng

6. Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant

A Tense horror/Sci-Fi book with a LGBTQ+ lead protagonist. I also appreciate the X-Men references that are peppered throughout the book.

7. A Gathering of Old Men - Ernest J. Gaines

A book similar to "To Kill A Mocking Bird" that brought out so many emotions. Mostly of rage and deep sadness. Excellent book but definitely hard to read sometimes. I loved it so much though and I'm actually planning on watching the movie now.

8. Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 - Ginn Hale

Another LGBTQ+ lead book in the fantasy genre that takes place at an academy. Loved this book and I'm so excited to read part 2.

9. X-men Chaos Engine: Doctor Doom

10. X-men Chaos Engine: Magneto

11. X-men Chaos Engine: Red Skull

Steven A. Roman

Psylocke is the main character in this trilogy! Nuff said! Plus, they're one of the best X-Men books I've ever read. I must confess this is my second round of reading them and I don't usually read books more than once in my life.

[arc-of-smiles]

yuya sakaki for the character memeeeee

General opinion/How much I care about them:

I LOVE YUYA HELLO????? I CARE ABT HIM SO MUCH!!!! he's just such a kind wejhfbewb person. yuya is a very kind protagonist, so kind that he's just super naive because of it. i would argue he's the most, because he just trusts anyone automatically if they remind him of his dad.

however, i really hated a lot of the zarc stuff, not his fault by any means! it's the fault of the writing, he could've shined more if the writing wasn't so... yeah. especially towards the end of the series. he could've been more if arc-v didn't hold him back. he lost so much potential because of said writing. i wish he got to shine more, and entertain us more.

and in my hot take: i would've loved an ending where all of the yu's and the bracelet girls lived! but also, i feel like the most interesting ending would've been if all of them died. i feel like his character arc would've ended super interesting like that. idk, i'm just still mad abt the ending wejhfbwe, why not have all of them dead?

i also say this bc angst my beloved. BUT BUT BUT, i love yuya so much and i want him to be happy. he deserves to duel with a giant smile.

A ship I love:

pendulum....shipping... i've loved them for a long time. they make me happy, and they itch my brain in SUCH a happy way. i always liked them since i was a child. i love the dynamic of reiji being in love with yuya, but not showing it (if that makes sense). he will show his love through actions, and protecting yuya and basically laying his life down. reiji will do anything for yuya, he wants and needs yuya to be happy.

yuya always loved reiji too! but i feel as if he had a hard time showing his love too. both of them went through so much, and i feel like it will take them a long time for them to be together. as friends?? YEAH THAT'S AWESOME!! as lovers??? give them a handful of years, then they'll go on a date.

A non-romantic relationship that I love:

him and the other yu's. i personally interpret them with a brotherly/strong friendship relationship thing. i can go either way. in some aus i have, they're brothers... others they're just friends or whatever.

i think all of them would have a very funny dynamic. yuya would always try to break up arguments and try to keep them all happy. i think they should all go to an amusement park and make yuri go on a rollercoaster. IT WOULD BE FUN

The NOTP:

i really don't like yuto/yuya wehfbwehjJHWEBFWE LIKE I'M SORRY. i can't, i really can't. out all of the yu ships i rlly don't like them together. i also see them as brothers (in certain aus) but in general, i see them as platonic friends. that's it, i can only see them being platonic.

My biggest headcanon about them:

besides my semi-well known hc (if you look at my account), i hc yuya to be trans. however, since that's already well known, i will just share another one wefjhbwe.

imo, i feel like he would be a good cook... but can barely go grocery shopping. he will simply get too distracted, and get snacks instead of food to make.

he started out not so good, but he would constantly try over and over again. he would cook with yoko a lot! overtime, he did get better. when he goes grocery with his mom, she would have to keep yuya by her side. he would want to walk away and point at the snacks and beg for some. but no... they can make their own!

yuya's mind is scattered in stores, he wants to look at everything! also he can't follow a cook book, he will mess up.

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: (if I have none in my WIPs I'll make one up on the spot!)

i want to write a fic where yuya and reiji confess to each other, post arc-v! they're both adults, and they've been longing to see and talk to each other about these feelings.

angsty but full of love, i want reiji to be terrified of love. he's worried about messing everything up. and yuya is afraid of losing a friend.

trauma!

Something that makes me think of them: (a song, a character in another fandom, an animal, anything)

anytime i see a colorful jester i think of yuya, i'm trying to think of a song that reminds me of him... but i can't rn. like god, it was on my mind BUT THEN IT SLIPPED I'M SO MAD AUGHHHHH!!! my joyous boy, god i love him.

[ygo-monster-type-tournament]

Info post!

What is this blog?

⁂ I've decided to hold a tournament to decide which Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Type is the best. Monster Type as in Galaxy-type, Spellcaster-type, that kind of thing. Not to be confused with Monster Type as in Pendulum, Synchro, and the like. I don't know why they're called the same thing sometimes.

What did any of those things mean?

⁂ If you're asking such a thing, you're likely a non-yugioh fan who has come across this blog. Long story short, Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trading card game based on a manga, there are monster cards and every monster has a type, there are 24 different types so far but there will likely be more in the future. (there's more depending on how you count them, but 24 relevant ones.) Even if you don't know what's going on, you can still vote if you like, just choose whichever sounds cooler! Oh and don't worry about what Pendulum and Synchro mean. seriously, don't worry about Pendulum.

When will the tournament happen?

⁂ I'm waiting to get more followers before I start, because I want this to be a big tournament with lots of votes! So, like, idk maybe a week from now? (it's currently March 15 as of this writing). Maybe sooner if I get impatient, maybe later if I'm really busy.

Why are you posting about unrelated things?

⁂ Partly to try to become slightly more relevant, and partly just to have fun!

Who are you, anyways?

⁂ Hello there! My name is Aster. My main blog is @asterism343, and I love Yu-Gi-Oh! very very much, anime manga and card game alike.

Can I make posts trying to convince people to vote for a certain type and tag you in them?

⁂ omg yessss please do this

whats that cool lookin triple asterisk symbol?

⁂ Its called an asterism so of course I'm gonna use it whenever i get the chance lol

Which Type do YOU want to win?

⁂ Well I can't just skew the results like that, can I? Well, if you REALLY want to know...read this post from the beginning and look for the hint!

I have another question, can I send asks?

⁂ Of course! My askbox is open, ask away!