#jasper-the-menace

[maple-and-pie]

Happy birthday! May this year be kind to you!

~Jasper

Tyty! It is just a chill day as I just am recovered from being sick, so I am taking it easy. I got some cake tho!

[friend-crow]

You're the patron saint of gathering odd friends.

~Jasper

Well you're not wrong.

You did fail the anonymous portion of the assignment though.

[devout-khajiit]

*pounces on your inbox* Alright, another round!

Do you have any pre-divination things that you do? Any rituals, habits, or particular things you make sure you have within reach?

Is there anything you've read that has affected your practice in a way you didn't expect?

What are the broad categories of spirits or deities (i.e. dragon, Daedric Prince, angel, demon, animal, etc.) that you find yourself drawn to most often, whether or not they become part of your friends and allies?

Do you enjoy photographing the readings you do? I personally hate that step when I do it.

~Jasper

Yay, another round!

Do you have any pre-divination things that you do? Any rituals, habits, or particular things you make sure you have within reach?

I knock on my cards to cleanse them, and if performing a reading for myself, I hold them up to my chest to "attach" them to me, and if reading for others, I hold them up in the air with a bandana under them to "detach" them from me for the reading.

But other than that, not particularly. I used to be more ritualistic about it, but I found that divination works best for me just when I do it. I found myself so worried about my pre-rituals and my habits that I ended up not really doing well in my readings, so I find that something simple and sweet works best.

Is there anything you've read that has affected your practice in a way you didn't expect?

I'm gonna assume you're meaning "read" in the divination sense as that tracks with what all we've been up to, so!

Yeah, a few times. Mostly when the whole "You need to let us in" part started. That was unexpected, honestly, but now it's so normal I just go "Yeah, yeah." lol

I think also realizing Lucifer was calling me was a big one. I actually started my practice not expecting anybody. I was going into it with a "Whoever approaches me gets my consideration, then I'll choose" instead of a "I already know what I want". I was approached at the very beginning by Lucifer, Zeus, and Hekate; all of whom remain in my life, to varying degrees. But I wasn't expecting Lucifer specifically. I kinda figured "Oh, I'll probably get some Hellenic gods, that's pretty standard." and while I knew about demonic gods, including Lucifer, I wasn't expecting Them to be one of the first ones to approach me and be so insistent on me.

What are the broad categories of spirits or deities (i.e. dragon, Daedric Prince, angel, demon, animal, etc.) that you find yourself drawn to most often, whether or not they become part of your friends and allies?

Honestly? The Daedric Princes. I don't know why, but I am. I also have a lot of non-canon Princes, that I'd consider more of an unrecorded pantheon than a constructed pantheon, because Hermaeus Mora told me they existed, gave me a basic rundown, and I've been doing that since. I don't think I made them up or anything like that, because otherwise I would have had to done something to create them that I know for a fact I did not do.

But I don't talk about my non-canon Princes very much for a variety of reasons, mostly being anxiety (go figure). But also I don't know if people on my TES sideblog would react well to it, and I do, even if I don't like that I do, care about how others perceive me. It's a work in progress.

Do you enjoy photographing the readings you do? I personally hate that step when I do it.

I do, actually, I love showing off my decks so I don't mind the extra step of photographing them. The lighting can be a pain in the ass though - My smaller light is yellowish and gives this nasty grain onto the pictures due to not being as bright, so I need to use my Big Boy Light in order to get good enough lighting for high quality pictures.

[crimsonsongbird]

For the pop culture ask game: What's a character that you like in the canon/fiction but would never consider working with? Why?

~Jasper

Hey there, Jasper!

Pop Culture Witchcraft/Paganism Ask Game:

What's a character that you like in the canon/fiction but would never consider working with? Why?

Harley Quinn from DC comics. I absolutely adore her. Like I read her standalone comics, have some merch of her, and quite literally had my bi-awakening with her. However, I feel like her energy would be a little too chaotic for me. I have enough chaos in my life, I wouldn't want to bring all that energy into it because I know I wouldn't be able to handle it.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Crimson

[starikune]

Friend! I have missed seeing you on my dash! Good to see you again!

~Jasper

That made me really glad to hear, thank you! You'll be seeing more of me soon :)

[stormwaterwitch]

✨️💎💫 for the Witch Ask Game?

~Jasper

✨️ In relation to your practice, is there anything that you're exited about? (Such as an upcoming event, new field of study, a project, etc.) + I have turned my Pop Culture Pantheon into an actual work that they can be referenced from: Fragments of Magic and I plan to do it again for books 2 and 3 as I get more time to work on it!

💎 Do you use crystals or rocks in your practice? Which do you work with most? +Oh definitely! Gemstones are a cornerstone of my practice! The one I use the most often would be Amethyst!

💫 Is there a common practice within the witchcraft community that you are skeptical of or disagree with? If so, why? + I FULLY disagree with "You shouldn't curse others" Not all magic is going to be froo froo goody goody all the time. Life is not goody goody all the time and it's 100% okay to channel those feelings into your spells and curses. Just make sure you do them properly. Also Threefold Law is dumb and I hate the Blessed Be send off

Thanks for sending this in!!!!

[arnaerr]

I'm so sorry that people are being gross to you and your characters. People online keep forgetting that these are real people behind the screens and blogs. I hope you have a better day now.

Thank you so much! <3 I'm not really worried about people like that since I post my art on the internet for a long time already and got my dose of bullshit to deal with by now lol. I just feel that since I have a bigger audience, it's in my power to remind people about the basic human decency towards artists, bc I know how it can hurt the ones who only started their journey. So my day is still wonderful 💘

[obsidiannebula]

You good, buddy?

~Jasper

I'm frickin fantastic dude

[veshialles]

Hugging you for a full hour. This is a friendly threat.

~Jasper

thank you sweet friend, very much appreciated 🫂🧡

[breelandwalker]

Happy birthday! May your food be extra tasty today!

~Jasper

Thank you, Jasper darling! My Fine And Excellent Husband already took me out to breakfast and has promised to make one of my favorites for dinner (I suspect he's planning his special Thai Peanut Chicken). So I'm off to a good start!

Everything I eat today feels like Ghibli food. 😊

[ft-willzz]

Is :( just Miles's last name because you always reblog posts with "miles :(" but I can't remember seeing one without the :(

If this makes no sense, forgive me, trying to put together sentences is hard today.

~Jasper

Lmao no it’s because my friend group and I always tease our friend Miles about being cringe, bc he’s the youngest so he’s our collective little brother. I just tag things that remind me of him with his name and a frown bc I think it’s funny

[redadm1ral-moved]

48 for all of your ships in their respective universes? Or if you wanna narrow it down, Soap/Corvo in COH and Makayuri across different AUs?

~Jasper

Do they talk about their future together? Why or why not?

OH GOSH HMMMM............gonna go with Soap/Corvo and maybe a little Makayuri because answering this for too many ships will make my head spin rn

Soap/Corvo

I think there's a silent agreement between Soap and Corvo that Soap will follow Corvo anywhere, and Corvo is fully dedicated to Emily; unless she abdicates, dies, or literally orders him to step down, he intends to be her Lord Protector until he physically cannot anymore, and intends to continue being her Spymaster until he dies. So likewise, Soap will stay and serve the crown for as long as Corvo does, even if it means he stays in Dunwall Tower the rest of his life.

They still entertain cozy little fantasies about retiring, stuff like retiring to a vineyard in the Serkonan countryside or going sailing around the Isles. Stuff they don't really think will come true. They both have parts of them that long for a little bit of rest, but going back to civilian life is not a choice made lightly for either of them and I think on some level, they're both afraid of adjusting poorly and needing something to dedicate themselves to; so they're fine with leaving their fantasies as fantasies.

Makayuri

HM yeah this one is 'verse dependent, but I think Makarov is the dominant voice in the relationship in most of the Makayuri 'verses, for better or worse--usually for worse, but I've got some AUs where Makarov is like...normal. Not abusive, at least.

For the ones where he is, and/or he and Yuri are massively codependent (so canonverse and AUs like Venator and Apoptosis), I think Makarov works under the assumption that Yuri will follow him and his word anywhere no matter what, and any conversations about future plans are usually related to Makarov's goals and involve Makarov completely bulldozing over Yuri. Yuri is not completely passive about this and will argue with Makarov on things, but for the most part, he is willing to follow Makarov pretty much anywhere (or at least he thinks so; he does have a breaking point, at least in canon and most AUs), and most of the time, he won't argue about something unless he thinks it's a bad idea and/or he's absolutely certain he'll be able to get Makarov to listen to him.

In AUs where they're more normal, I think they're both people who find a lot of security in a solid plan, even if their approaches and what they believe constitute "solid plans" may be different. I feel like Yuri and Makarov have varying levels of flexibility on certain things that differ from each other, and view each other as neurotic in different directions that are really difficult to reconcile; they like to get their future planning Over And Done With, so they prefer to have a long conversation (usually involving an argument, knowing Makarov) about a milestone they want to reach, reach an agreement on their individual approaches on how they'll contribute toward that goal, and then chug along toward it without another word until it's reached and it's time for them to decide what to do next.

They do entertain idle fantasies and stuff in those kinds of AUs, I think; I think Yuri ultimately wants a comfortable, calm domestic life, and while Makarov loves piles of money and everyone wanting to suck his dick (unless it's an AU where he's more solitary, like Oasisverse), for the most part he wants to be able to retreat to a private, comfortable place where he has only a few close, trusted people he can be himself with. Ultimately what they want is dependent on the AUs they're in and I've got too many to bother digging into all of them rn.

[friend-crow]

Light Blue, Orange, sparklccc, mrow

~Jasper

Shrimp colors shrimp colors!!

Only mildly offended by orange :(

[devout-khajiit]

*crashes into your ask box again* I get the feeling that we're both gonna keep flooding each other's inboxes over and over again, lmao.

When it comes to the readings you give on your reading blog, is there a particular format you follow? I'm sure you've seen my "format" on my own reading blog...

Do you associate your primary guides/entities with any particular colors, smells, or tastes?

If you feel comfortable sharing, what's the weirdest thing you've given as an offering or used in a spell?

What are some of your favorite tools for spell work?

~Jasper

I'm not at all against you flooding my inbox, please feel free to continue.

When it comes to the readings you give on your reading blog, is there a particular format you follow? I'm sure you've seen my "format" on my own reading blog...

I love being able to describe what a card means, because I find that helps a person connect further to the reading if they have a particular grasp of the basics of what I'm getting at. Plus, if they're unfamiliar with the deck, reading style, what have you, it helps bridge that gap between me as the reader and them as the querent. It's why I gave all that extra "fluff" about what the Lenormand cards meant during the Houses portion. Pain in the ass to do all of that, but I feel it's necessary for my reading format.

From there, I go into what I feel the reading is trying to get at. This is where the technique really begins to vary from reading to reading, with some requiring me to go back a few steps to revisit an old idea. I don't particularly show it on the blog, but my thought process generally has a few backtracks to go "Okay, but also this and this and this".

Do you associate your primary guides/entities with any particular colors, smells, or tastes?

Hmm. I associate Lucifer with "royal" colors like a deep purple, but also red, gold, and specifically emerald green (because Their eyes have always been an emerald green when presenting Themself to me). I associate Them with the varied smells of perfume and colognes. No tastes, though.

Hermaeus Mora has always been a dark, murky, "dirty water" kinda green. Like the green of a lake filled to the brim with algae. For smells, of paper and books. I also associate It with the feeling of paper on the skin.

Molag Bal is associated with a deep, crimson, bloody red. No particular smells or tastes for Him.

Sheogorath of course with purple and gold, but also red because of the Skyrim outfit. But also the yellow of cheese. Of course, cheese as a taste and as a smell go to Sheogorath; but also, interestingly, the smell of wine. I've never tasted wine (I don't drink by choice and by the curse of meds that alcohol can negatively affect), so I can't really associate that with Them.

Sithis is associated with the specific colors seen on the stained glass in the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary in the Skyrim game. Sithis has never particularly brought smells to me in terms of clair- skills so nothing there, same for taste.

I can't think of anybody else I'd particularly call a "primary guide" at the moment. I should really make myself a proper list, because I feel like I'm forgetting someone.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what's the weirdest thing you've given as an offering or used in a spell?

Hmm. I usually offer up pretty normal stuff physically, but it's when we get into my written or digital offerings that it gets a bit crazy. There's of course more normal stuff like pictures of animals associated with them and stuff like that.

I think the oddest, because I really don't stray far, is this one picture of Sheogorath dressed as a pimp to Sheogorath. Xhe found it pretty funny so I wasn't smote that day. If I could re-find it, I would.

What are some of your favorite tools for spell work?

I love herbs and spices as tools for the most part. All my spells use at least one herb or spice. I also love sigils as spell tools.

My spells really aren't very complex tool-wise, because I'm actually further behind on the magic trail than I am on the pagan trail. There's a lot I need to learn in terms of things like theory crafting and correspondences and all that. So I just stick to what I know for safety sake.

But, I do use a hairpin as a wand. And a little tiny scepter as a wand.

I'm always happy to talk about my craft, my practice, and my beliefs, so feel free to keep 'em coming as long as you wish!

[crimsonsongbird]

JAREN'S JOURNEY

To help you find your calling in life. Inspired by Jaren Rakdoson from Blood and Songbirds by Jasper (@jasper-the-menace).

What You Will Need:

1 red candle, any size 

Matches or a lighter

4 rocks, any size, shape, or color

💎 Settle in a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed or distracted. Ensure that all your spell ingredients are within reach and that you are not near any flammable objects.

💎 Arrange the four rocks in a diamond shape on a safe, nonflammable surface, then place the candle in the center. Carefully light the red candle.

💎 Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds. Repeat until your breathing is calm and even.

💎 Gaze into the candle and think of a time you were forced down a path that did not resonate with you. Perhaps a family member or mentor guided you down a path of their choosing, not giving you much say in the path you walked. Oftentimes the path we are most called to is not the one others would have chosen for us. 

💎 Now think of how Jaren often acts impulsively, diving into many situations without much thought. Is he acting out of stupidity? Or is he acting out his true calling in life? Many times the act that we do impulsively is the one that brings us the most fulfillment; it is often the act that both empowers and inspires us. Have you ever acted impulsively to accomplish a certain goal of your own choosing? Did you feel fulfilled after it was completed? 

💎 Remember that your calling in life does not have to be a grandiose one. Jaren may be out there literally saving lives and fighting wars across different planes, but that doesn’t mean you have to be doing the same. Sometimes our life’s calling is to turn a passion or hobby into a career. Or to help others in our own unique way. 

💎 Now pick a rock in the diamond that calls to you most. Place your dominant hand over the rock while being mindful of the lit candle in the center. Focus your desire to find your true calling on the rock and channel that powerful energy into it. 

💎 Once you feel the rock is full, remove the rock from its place in the diamond and hold it to your chest. Repeat the following, “Just as the rocks guide and protect Jaren during his journey, allow this rock to do the same for me. Should I ever stray from my own life’s path, this rock shall guide me back.”

💎 Extinguish the candle and clean up your space. The spell is now complete. Carry the rock with you whenever you need a compass to find your way back to your calling. 

OC Spell Commission for @jasper-pagan-witch

[dattebayocrimson]

You and I talk a lot about your characters, and I know next to nothing about the concepts behind the Naruto series, but if you wanna babble about your Naruto characters, go ahead!

~Jasper

Hi, Jasper!

Ooh, I could take about my like 20 Naruto OCs for hours. You sure you want to subject yourself to that?

~Crimson