#oxfords witchy stuff

[oxfordcomma-alt]

Online Presences, the "AO3 Curse", and Spirituality - A Longpost

Many witchy and spiritual folks online use wards and protection spells on their physical spaces and selves.

But not their virtual counterparts. Now, hear me out.

In fanfic circles, there's a phenomenon lovingly referred to as "the AO3 curse", where an author has chronic bad luck rendering them unable to update their fics. I myself have horrendous luck, and happen to be a writer - although you're lucky if I can get an update out once a month.

Now, for most, the "curse" is an ironic stack of coincidences, a funny string of misfortunes - for most, it's a harmless joke about writers down on their luck.

However, as a deeply spiritual person, I believe there is something else at play.

(rest of the longpost/essay post under the cut)

Now, I'm not saying there's an evil miasma around AO3, or a malicious web dev putting curses into the code of the site.

And that's because, simply put, the "curse" doesn't work like a normal curse - because it isn't one.

When you post something online, especially something you worked hard on, like a beautiful art piece, or a new chapter of a fic - you are pouring energy and emotion into that work. In a sense, you are baring your soul for the world to see.

That leaves you wide open for negative energy (intentional or not).

You can have the best wards around your physical self and your space, but if you don't protect yourself online, you are going to leave yourself defenceless.

Intentionally or not, the internet is full of negative energies - hate comments, doomscrolling, trolls, scammers and scalpers, and even just people who don't like you or what you create. For many, it's a place to share their passions and their secrets in equal measure. In more ways than one, your online presence is an extension of yourself, and often, a deeper and more personal one.

And yet, even for witches and spiritual folk, it goes completely unguarded.

I believe this, not any actual curse, is the cause of writers' bad luck over on AO3, and many cybercitizens' misfortunes and woes.

It is vital to cleanse and ward - even banish - your online presence of negative energies.

Now, how do we do this?

The Internet isn't a physical space that you can put a salt circle around, or a physical person you can expel energy out of. But it's still simple to protect yourself.

You can:

Place warding sigils on your devices (for instance, a sticker on your laptop or router, or a slip of paper in the back of your phone case)

Use normal cleansing methods (smoke, sound, crystals, etc) around your device, with a selected account open (for instance, having your Tumblr profile up while doing a smoke cleanse around your computer)

If you can picture things, imagine a ball of cleansing and banishing energy, and release it out into your digital space

Use incantations or chant to rid your digital world of negativity

Incorporate sigils into profile pictures, text dividers, profile banners, or a watermark in your art

Use emojis like runes, and create spells in text fields (just make sure to dodge any problematic emoji combos)

Using these techniques, and just about anything else you can think of, you can protect your digital self, and avoid these quasi-curses through simple defence.

[weaselwitchin]

hello, me again on the witch blog

basically what inspired this analogy was gettin semilost in bailey woods (oxford ms) a few days ago & findin the creek that meanders through the forest was mostly dry. bed was damp but no water. & i stood there next to it lookin down at the way the water had moved the sand, & the rocks here & there, & thinkin about the nature of the creek flow

see growin up down here we get gulleywashers in the summer that pour so much rain the ground can't soak it in fast enough, & the rivers swell beyond the banks & push all kinda debris downstream. but it's only when the water recedes that you can pick around the edges & see what washed up. the place just north of tupelo where we hunt for fossil shark teeth is most accessible when the water level is way down. sure i'd prefer to take a swim any day, but in the dry seasons i don't stand where the river's not & weep. i just... find other things to do there

& i think that's very relevant to my practice? like, my witchy inclinations wax & wane as far as actual spellwork & such go. & in my dry seasons perhaps i can examine what makes up my foundation. there's moss & sticks & bugs & artifacts & all kinda stuff in a dry creek, i can still poke around & make observations. the water is only part of the whole picture, & i don't wanna miss out on the details

thanks for makin great theory-style posts. i like readin yr take on things, which helps me think more about my own take on things, & i think that's helpin me find a connection i worried i'd lost. just cause a creek goes dry from time to time don't mean it ain't ever gonna flow again, & in the meantime i can examine the sandy red clay bottom for fossils & neat rocks that would be hard to get to otherwise. preciate the perspective 😎👍

Spiritual geology during times of environmental decay is a beautiful thought.

[sims4wcif]

hello, can i request dark academia aesthetic clothing? both mm and alpha, but more mm. thank you very much!

I personally am a huge fan of dark academia, so I went off on this search lol. Also, you didn’t specify male and female so I included mostly female with a couple of male content too!

--------------------------------MM------------------------------------

Tops: 


Sassy Me Blazer by @trillyke


Valetia Top by @motherplants

You and I Lace Top by @cubersims


Olga Sweater by @moontrait

Bottoms:

Bedelia Skirt by @moontrait

Hi-high pleated skirt by @trillyke

Pippa mid-length skirt by @trillyke


Plaid Pleated skirt by @trillyke

Classic Edge skirt by @captainmrbored 


Albatross Pants by @nuagelle

Men’s Patterned Pants by @baufive

Dresses:

Layered Plaid Dress by @englishrosesims

Antique Button Dress by @gorillax3

Outfits/full body:

Phia suit by @ridgeport

Carly Outfit by @kumikya

Chamomile Dress by @cowconuts

Late Autumn Outfit by @happylifesims

Faux Shearling Coat by @happylifesims

Male Winterwear V01 and V02 by @happylifesims

Simon’s fashion set by @happylifesims

Shoes:

Shoes Megapack by @saurussims

Accessories:

Labyrinth Socks by @trillyke 


Accessory Turtle Neck by @mysteriousdane


-------------------------------ALPHA--------------------------------

Tops: Luxury Blouse by @l-sim


Dew Blouse by @heavendy-cc

Bottoms:

Pants Stasya by @bukovka


Work Pants for women by @remaron 

Dresses:

Lace Dress by @l-sim Layered

Long Dress by @sims4marigold


One piece frilled blouse dress by @yun-seol

Vintage Dress by @gorillax3

Outfits/full body:

Girlfriend clothing set by @l-sim


Knit Sweater Vest by @elfdor

Shoes:

Dr. Martens by @mmsims

Accessories:

Accessory Turtle Neck by @blewis150


Hjuji Socks by @hjujiiiii

Long scarf by @gorillax3

Also here are some links to serenity-cc’s dark academia-esque stuff, but I wanted to link these seperately since her content is all uploaded to simsdom. Here they are:

Vintage Oxfords Flare Skirt Collar Top Heel Loafers (some of my favorite and most-used shoes in game!) Tight Skirt (with patterned swatches)

And finally, these lookbooks/sets also have some great dark academia content!

Fall Witchy Lookbook by @nooboominicule

Random but Cute set by @daisypixelsccfinds

Spring Male Clothes set by @happylifesims

Also this search super inspired me so I’m going to start a dark academia tag on my blog @simmingceline. You can access it on my /nav page or just input /tagged/da to find more similar items!

[the-middling-place]

Nomenclature

Let’s talk words! When I first started searching witchy hashtags, I was struck by certain words, and their slightly askew-of-mainstream definitions. This is one of my favorite features of English – the ability to adapt and change wordforms and meanings to suit the needs of the moment or movement. The witchcraft community is adept at it, to my delight. But, as in all things witch, I eventually needed to parse and un-layer these phrases, in order to gauge their relevancy to my craft. I was inspired to further contemplation by the following blogs: @asksecularwitch @upthewitchypunx and @lazywitchling. If you find this topic engaging, definitely check them out! This will be an ongoing series, with individual posts given to individual words for ease of discussion (also I, ah, have a lot to say). I’ll be tagging these #witch words Now let’s get into some nitty-gritty :)

I’m gonna start with my favorite, and perhaps most contentious? Cleanse

I no longer use the word ‘cleanse’ in relation to my magical practices (and with diminishing frequency in other arenas). On the one hand, it has a new-agey meaninglessness. Cleanse your body of heavy metals! Cleanse your mind of negative thoughts! Cleanse your space of bad energy! Cleanse your life of toxic people! Aside from the impossibility of such goals, ‘cleansed’ becomes an emotional experience that has little to do with the actual state of things. I feel this in the call for a witch to energetically cleanse everything in sight, as if simply existing and experiencing the world makes everything dirty. As if the work that our tools and ingredients do somehow taints them. I never felt so sure that my accoutrement needed to be cleaned after completing every assignment. I’ve never wanted to wash away the knowledge my tarot deck has collected after years of use by myself and my grandmother. What, exactly, are witches trying to be rid of?

What am I doing when I rid myself of energy? What does that mean, what do I intend to accomplish, and what do I actually do? If I decide I need to remove something, is it necessary to cleanse? And what does that entail? Beyond the buzzword, “to cleanse” does have meaning. And this is where we get to the sinister element of cleansing. Think a bit about the word. What does your heart conjure when you hear the phrase “a cleansing”? For me, nothing good. I think of ethnic cleansing. I think of purity culture. I think of Christian dogma and an association with suffering and Godliness. I think of themes which suggest that to be worthy you must be clean, and that cleanliness comes through trial, pain, and acceptance of an oppressive world. Not my cup of tasseomancy.

‘Clean’ comes from Germanic language. In Middle High German, kleine meant fine, excellent, or small. From there it entered Anglo Saxon as clæne or clene, and on to Middle English as clenè or clænè, meaning clear, pure, chaste, or bright. This is what you do when you cleanse: purify, refine, chasten, make small. In my days as a baby witch, I often found cleansed objects to be empty and listless, a husk. I believe this etymology is why.

What words do I use, then? Depends on the goal. If we’re talking objects, I like to use terms like ‘refresh’ or ‘reset’. I want my tools to feel like they’ve been to the spa and been rejuvenated to their resting glory. Notice I say ‘resting’ rather than ‘former’ -- I try not to imply that the work done has lessened them, as experience usually strengthens a being. I acknowledge that it may have tired or otherwise depleted them. A soak in moonlight, soundwaves, or selenite is meant to uplift and restore them.

If we’re talking about my space or person, I usually use ‘banish’. ‘Ban’ is the root word that gives us bandit, banish, and abandon – the themes of outlawry. It has a long and somewhat convoluted etymology that I won’t recount here (see sources below), but it has meant, across various languages: to proclaim, to prohibit, to curse, to exile. There are possible connections to Latin and Sanskrit words for ‘to speak’ and the Greek word ‘I say’. For me, this is pretty powerful stuff. By banishing an entity, I proclaim right of domain, and exile them from that domain. Exile is a permanent and non-negotiable condition, only revokable by the exiler. I may use several layers to aid in banishment (burnt herbs, laid thorns, solid wards for after), but a stong (or strongly felt inner) voice makes it smooth like butter. I believe this etymology, of voice and the power to prohibit, is why so many witches find surprise success when they bang a pot and yell GTFO. (I wanna be super clear here that I have done this in complete silence -- you do not need to speak to have a voice!) I like banish because it is powerful and effective, but also because it is kind. I am removing something from my space, but not with the intent to harm. Banishment is not death, nor assault. It is simply a command to go elsewhere.

What words do you use? Maybe you cleanse, because it makes you feel clean, fresh, and bright. Maybe you need to wipe the slate clear as an important step in your magical practice or spell crafting. Maybe you restore, because you use the heck out of your tools and they need maintenance. Maybe that word connects you as a builder to your craft. Maybe balance would somehow reflect your values and path. There are so many delightful options! Refit. Treat. Pamper. Reclaim. Soothe. Resurrect. Wash. Train. Retool. Teach. Temper. Fortify. . .

Last thought -- I’ve been asking why I rid myself of the energy that I do. Why I baby certain kinds of objects and not others. Talk of cleansing crystals runs rampant, but rarely do I see suggestions on how to cleanse plants, and never have I seen the suggestion that ribbon or jars be cleansed. We cleanse our wands, but not the pens we write our sigils with. We cleanse our space, but not our food. Why? Why, why, keep asking why! This is what’s great about exploring your word choices – it gets you asking a lot of other questions.

Sources

Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Rev. Walter W. Skeat, Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 1999

www.etymonline.com

[aion-rsa]

His Dark Materials: Secrets of Cittàgazze and the Meaning of Pan’s Different Forms

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The terrible problem of creating sets for film and television, says His Dark Materials production designer Joel Collins, is that the very best work is invisible. “When you build a world that isn’t real but looks real, everyone thinks you didn’t do anything! You must have just stayed at home or popped along to Oxford and dialled it in.”

“Or you just went to Italy,” laughs Framestore VFX Supervisor Russell Dodgson, whose team are responsible for, among many other computer-generated elements, His Dark Materials’ daemons.

To make Cittàgazze, one of season two’s big new locations, the team didn’t just go to Italy. They went everywhere, borrowing styles and inspiration from around the world and bringing it home to a backlot in Cardiff, where the spiralling town was built from scratch.

Cittàgazze Harbour concept art. Copyright: Painting Practice.

“In a lot of world-building fantasy shows, it’s about making the most ridiculous landscape and having big monsters chase everyone around,” says Dodgson. “But a big part of mine and Joel’s jobs are flavouring the story, giving it seasoning rather than smashing you in the face with it. If a daemon can just show a hint of subtext without overpowering the main performance, then we’ve done our job on the VFX side. With Joel’s stuff, it’s very rare that he hits you with a sledgehammer visually.”

It’s about including detail in such a way that viewers don’t stare directly at it, but would sense if it wasn’t there, says Collins. “Without it, things would look cardboardy or fake.”

Now that Cittàgazze has been unveiled on screen, Collins and Dodgson give Den of Geek a closer look at episode one’s behind-the-scenes details and Easter Eggs, from the town to BAMFing witches, and the meaning behind Pan’s new look…

Cittàgazze: the City of Magpies

Behind the Bad Wolf studios in Cardiff, on a patch of land where the cast trailers were stood in season one, Joel Collins and his design team built the streets of Cittàgazze. There was no question of filming the six month shoot on location – no tourist town would allow such a takeover. 120 real locations though, provided inspiration to the design team.

“We went to Morocco and bought huge amounts of windows and doors – the ones we didn’t make,” says Collins. “We went all over Europe buying details. It’s an Italianate town, an intriguing Mediterranean, slightly exotic place.” The town represents a new start for Lyra after the hardships of the North. “We needed to start afresh. Everything she was doing was moving on, so tonally the town needed to feel like a place of intrigue and interest to take her away from everything that’s gone before.”

Cittàgazze buildings, Escher-inspired roof tile design and concept sketch. Copyright: Painting Practice.

The concept for Cittàgazze’s mountainous land and seascapes were inspired by Guilin in China and Hawaii’s Kauai. The VFX team spent six days in Kauai, filming helicopter and ground shots to get coverage not available in Wales. The end result, says Dodgson, was a slightly weird mix of tropical and Mediterranean, which was perfect for the town’s multiple nature as a crossroads between worlds. It’s a magpie city, stealing elements from here, there and everywhere.

“If you walk around that set, every banister has got the knife sculpted into it,” enthuses Dodgson. “The bricks are magpie-shaped. It’s filled with detail and everything is thought about. You can’t just do shots of those things, because there’s no point of view for that, it’s too on-the-nose, as if you’re just watching your own work too much, but when it’s there just seasoning the tone of it, it’s at its best.”

M.C. Escher: a Lost Cittàgazzan?

Cittàgazze’s Escher-inspired steps and concept sketch. Copyright: HBO/BBC and Painting Practice.

When production designer Joel Collins was creating Cittàgazze’s spiralling town, he took inspiration from an old favorite. “I’ve always liked M.C. Escher for the heaven and hell connection in his work, the way he weaves things invisibly, merging from one to the next.” Cittàgazze’s staircase motif and cleverly interlocking tile designs are tributes to the work of Escher, who was famed for his optical illusions.

While researching Escher’s work, Collins developed a fan theory about the Dutch artist and mathematician. “I found that he’d done a huge amount of drawings of Italian mountain towns. and I felt that I’d stumbled across an actual Cittàgazzan, who’d fallen into our world through a window and never made it back!

Escher-inspired interlocking magpie floor tiles. Copyright: Painting Practice.

“If you look at his work, it’s almost as if he’s drawing Cittàgazze in lots of ways. I built this weird story in my head that ultimately, Escher had spent his life stuck in our world, drawing his way out of it, trying to explain to everyone where he was from, and everyone just thought he was bonkers, but there he is constantly drawing these mountain towns and these weird connections going ‘I’m actually not from here!’”

Torre degli Angeli: the Tower of Angels

Tower of Angels concept art. Copyright: Painting Practice.

Look closely at the tower rising up over the spiralling town in this article’s header image and you’ll seen an important design echo. The tower’s spiked roof is twisted to match the base of the Subtle Knife (as glimpsed in the season two trailer here). The original idea, says Collins, was to have the tower topped by the knife. “I stuck the actual knife on top of the tower and it looked like a kid’s toy, it was absurd, it really didn’t work, so that’s how it became the twisted roof.”

It wasn’t easy to get right, notes Dodgson. “The reference to the knife in the design of the tower was the only thing that almost caught us out, but we managed to tweak our way through it. When you view a twist from below, it becomes a weird perspective-bender so me and Joel ended up adjusting it and playing around with a few design things.”  

Cittàgazze knife and angel wings balcony detail; knife brick design; magpie balcony. Copyright: Painting Practice.

Each design element in His Dark Materials has a story explanation, even if it’s only for the designers to know. The team devised a centuries-old history for Cittàgazze’s island, which began life as a small mound of rock, says Collins. “We built a story around the fact that the knife was forged on that site 300 years earlier and that forge became the base of the tower. The tower was built up, up, up, all the way up to the skies for the angels to protect the knife at the top and the town grew around the tower. That means the tower fell through the floor deep into the underground and went all the way down to its original forge where the knife was made.”

Reinventing the Witches

Mrs Coulter removing cloud-pine from a captive witch. Copyright: BBC/HBO

One change between His Dark Materials and Philip Pullman’s books fans will have noted in series one is that the TV series witches don’t fly using cloud-pine brooms. “They don’t get onto a broom and fly into the air like a witch does in a standard witchy way,” says Collins, who also serves as executive producer on the series. “We’ve reinvented witches to be what we think witches should be – as if this is what they’ve always been and everyone else got it wrong.”

As explained by a gruesome plot point in the series two opening episode, a witch’s cloud-pine is under their skin. “It’s in their system,” says Collins. “We’ve put the broom inside in the sense that the thing that allows them to fly is within them, within their DNA.”

Bamfing attacks

Ruta Skadi and Katya in His Dark Materials season 2 episode 1. Copyright: BBC/HBO

For the Witches’ fighting style, as demonstrated by Ruta Skadi in her attack on the Magisterium’s submarine, Framestore took inspiration from comic books. “We developed a sort of a riff on the old superhero idea of bamfing, which is disappearing from one place and turning up somewhere else,” explains Dodgson. “We turned it into a rush rather than an apparition. What’s great is that it gives them velocity but also punctuation. You can build a dynamic bam-bam-bam-bam! rhythm very quickly by punctuating them with bamfs.”

“There’s a mystery and a magic and a sensitivity but also an amazing deadliness to the witches, which Russell’s captured really well with the bamfing,” says Collins. “That action scene in the submarine was a complicated one to shoot to give them their sensitivity and viciousness at the same time. They’re quite sedate, lovely, emotional characters who are spiritual but also quite deadly.”

“We would match-animate the stunt double with our Ruta-double, then punctuate in-between so the bit you saw was always the most violent portion,” explains Dodgson. “Then we removed the bit in between so it’s just staccato violence. You can do it in a way that it feels violent, but it isn’t actually too violent for the 8pm time slot.”

Pan’s New Look

Pantalaimon’s new red panda form. Copyright: Framestore.

In Lyra’s world, the form an adult’s daemon takes reflects their nature: soldiers and servants tend to have dogs, while the villainous Magisterium teems with spiders, snakes, lizards and creepy-crawlies. Children’s daemons shift forms as they try on new identities. Those shifts aren’t random, explains Dodgson, but carefully chosen to reflect what’s happening in the story and a character’s emotions at a particular time. Pan’s white ermine form is Lyra’s default comfort daemon, appearing whenever she’s in need of reassurance. His pine marten form comes out on special occasions, when something of real significance is happening in the plot.

“In season one when Lyra goes North – which she’s always dreamed of – Pan becomes an Arctic creature because she’s been inspired by something new,” explains Dodgson. Lyra’s arrival in Cittàgazze sparks a different inspiration that gives Pan a brand new form – the red panda.

The red panda works well with Pan’s traditional forms because they’re sweet, says Dodgson, and they’re part-bear and part-mustelid, just like pine martens. The red panda’s slight adolescent clumsiness works really well to capture the sense of a teenage girl who’s just met an intriguing boy, and they’re exotic, reflecting Lyra’s strange new surroundings.

 “There was a really great idea that in the end, fell by the wayside because of editorial pacing,” says Dodgson. “In Cittàgazze there’s a Red Panda brand of soda, and in one of the streets there’s a big mural advertising it. We did originally have a shot of Lyra looking up at the mural, and then later Pan turning into the red panda she’d seen. She’s something new, something more exotic, she’s excited about being around this new boy but she’s not so different that she’s left behind who she is.”

Learn more about Framestore’s His Dark Materials work here.

The post His Dark Materials: Secrets of Cittàgazze and the Meaning of Pan’s Different Forms appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/32VaGrb

[firstpersonnarrator]

Offensive TV Review: A Discovery of Witches

I thought A Discovery of Witches was going to be another supernatural witchy vampire soap opera (I am so down for those). It takes place at Oxford at the Bodleian Library. That is some serious book porn for we crumbling-book fetishists. Especially crumbling occult manuscripts with like cool hidden stuff only a witch can see. *shivers*

But instead it turned into a bodice ripper. Like a proper old fashioned romance novel from your grandma’s hidden stash of forbidden sexy stuff. I am proper horrified.

This is what people used to want to watch/read in life? Wow. It is proper Harlequin romance novel material, cuz I guess the author is a bodice ripping romance novelist as her day job.

The whole, “Man make decisions for woman, despite that she’s a PhD at Oxford and blah blah blah intelligent.” And she just looks at him all moony with tears in her eyes saying, “I am so in love with you that I’ve forgotten I can think for myself, save me dammit! Even though I’m so powerful that I can make it rain. It’s just raining my tears for you, overly controlling hot silver fox. I may be the most powerful witch ever born, but you are the most powerfully alluring man, please think for me and get back to saving me a lot. I’m sure your displays of power will be equal to mine one day, hot silver fox. Hurry up and save me at your French Chateau, by telling me I’m not allowed to leave or I’ll sick my mother on you. I love being told what I can and cannot do, my hot ancient vampire forbidden lover, now that I’ve grown accustomed to it.”

Why couldn’t it just be The Vampire Diaries or Lucifer, but set in Oxford, Venice, and France, with crumbling occult manuscripts from the Middle Ages. I don’t even know what to do with this. Other than maybe recommend it to your grandma.

Funny how bad tv can depress the shit out of a person.

[paganpenpals-blog]

Name: Sawyer

Age: 19

Location: Georgia

Craft: I used to dabble casually, but I just recently got back into it and am trying to be a bit more serious. I really like plants and stars and the ocean, so I’ll see where that takes me! Also, I would really like to get into kitchen witchcraft.

Likes: I like my tea hot, my books long, and my memes spicy (that was terrible and I apologize). I really like animals and I LOVE sweets, especially macaroons, creampuffs, and cheesecake. I also really like anime, DIY crafts, mystery shows, ballet, music, knitting, the Oxford comma, and horror movies (silly or serious ones). 

Dislikes: Moths, sour cream, and people who are mean to others because they don’t believe the same things. I’ll put up with moths and sour cream in a pinch, but people who bully others are a hard no for me.

Fun facts: I can sing the alphabet backwards, idk if that counts for anything. I also named two of my pets after literary characters.

What are you looking for in a pen pal: Gender and experience level don’t matter, but older than 18 would be nice, please. I see a lot of people talk about snail mail and stuff, and I think trading little gifts and having a witchy friend to talk with about whatever would be really fun! I’d be open for messaging, snail mail, or whatever works best. I don’t know what a pocket letter is, but it seems like it would be fun too!

Contact: Message me first and I can give you my email or snapchat or something, my tumblr is parttime-geek.

[freackthejester]

What Freack is reading:

I have not done one of these in a while, and I also have 20 books out of the library. This is too many books to fully read all of them but the fact that this costs me no monies is the beauty of libraries. 

So here is a list of all the books I have out, organized by height, starting with the shortest.

- Robotics: A Very Short Introduction Alan Winfeild, short little book about robotics that I am reading to get some ideas for an AI character I dream of writing someday. It is from the Oxford series of Very Short Introduction books, which a pretty handy. I have read two others already, and the tiny overview is exactly what I need. [~30% complete]

- SPOCK MUST DIE! James Blish, an original series Star Trek novel. So far it is that episode where there become two Kirks in the transporter accident, but with Spock instead and I like it. [~8% complete]

- INTERCOURSE Andrea Dworkin, I need to read this, but it is pretty heavy and I have not been feeling it yet. [not even done with the foreward yet, and she already got me all riled up]

- Wobblies & Zapistas: Conversation on Anarchism, Marxism, and Radical History: Lynd & Grubacic, What the title sounds like. A lot more actual person on the street information that I generally get out of books on these topics, which is what I want. [~12% complete]

- Toward the Future Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Suggested in a book I read on Utopianism. Not started yet. It has a pocket in the front for the pre-digital organizing system, and smells really nice. [0%]

- NO LOGO Naomi Klein, A boyfriend of a friend of mine said that this book changed his life and he has a very marked up copy. It is about the history and power of branding. Sometimes it is tough to get through stuff where the author is not assuming that I am already coming from a super anti-capitalist position, but it has a lot of good solid information. [~5% complete]

- Earthsea: A Wizard of Earthsea Ursula Le Guin, This was suggested by a Youtube guy I like, because he said the tv series was singularly awful. Not started yet. 

- Boxers Gen Luen Yang, Author of American Born Chinese which I loved. This is a graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion, and part of a set of two. I know nothing about Chinese history or culture or, like, anything. I am hoping that this will be a good step in to learning more. Of course, it would help if I could actually, like, finish a book in this lifetime. [~25% complete]

- Neuromancer William Gibson, A classic, basically started the cyberpunk genre. Not even started yet. 

- Depression Folk: Grassroots Music and Left-Wing Politics in 1930s America Ronald D. Cohen, nice descriptive title, I think it gets the point across. I am so behind, I mostly plan on skimming through for music recommendations since I have no renewals left of it. [~9% complete]

- This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All Marilyn John, One of the few I have actually gotten a lot through, and I think that is because it is just so good. I look to the idea of libraries as organized information hubs and a way to share resources throughout a community as a potential way to set things up in a non-capitalist way, so this appeals to me a lot. Very personably written. [~46% complete]

- Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language David Richardson 

- English Esperanto English Dictionary John C. Wells, I am combining these two. I am so behind on my Esperanto studies, and the books are actually due soon, even though you can renew things seven times if no other patrons request it. I am getting the hang of the language and the grammar, and the vocabulary is fairly easy to pick up. I just need to get my ass in gear and make some flash cards and really practice, and you can guess how hard that is going.

- Dialect Diversity in America: The Politics of Language Change William Labov, I really really love this subject. He starts right out with the argument that language is actually diversifying more in the US rather than homogenizing, and has whole chapters on AAVE and I am so upset that I have not gotten further in this yet. [~10% complete]

- Myxomycetes: A Handbook of Slime Molds Steven Stephenson & Henry Stempen, I read a book recently about fungi that was super interesting, if a little technical for me to understand all of, and the author had one on slime molds as well. It really piqued my interest in trying fungus-cultivating techniques again, and I got this book when I planned on re-building my slime mold cultures. I am waiting to get the spare room space set up before really diving into this though, so it sits unstarted. 

- The Fifth Sacred Thing Starhawk, I saw this author yesterday! I asked her a question after her speech and everything! So far the book is interesting, built around the idea that there is a tiny refuge culture of ecotopian spiritual ultra feminist super diverse nature loving hippe witchy good times in the mid 21st century, after a world wide collapse, surrounded by a teeming awfulness that is modern society but moreso. I am barely started, but do plan on finishing it. I have a tough time with spirituality, but the world building is good and hopeful, and I should get over myself a bit. Long though, going to take some time, especially considering that (since the author visited and all her books are on hold by half the town it seems) I have no renewals at this time. But I can just put it back on hold once I return it, and finish it later, which is probably how I was going to end up reading it anyway, so that is fine. [~13% complete]

- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J. D. Vance Suggested to me after I pointed out to someone that it was not that working class white people were dumb so much as it behooves those in power to keep them uneducated. When I put this on hold there were about 30 people in front of me, so I am hopeful that it is good. [Not through the introduction yet, but I did just check it out last night]

- Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People; WHy Darwin Was Wrong About Sexual Selection Joan Roughgargen, Suggested by @e-cryptid (well, she posted an excerpt and I liked it). A lot of my reading recently has been about animal intelligence and diversity. I like the idea of a book about biology that will treat my existence as a benefit to the species and not just something that is not quite bad enough to be wiped out. [~4% complete]

- Bicycle: The History David V. Herlihy, I got a bike for Easter, and want to be able to fix it up myself. I tried looking at some books on maintenance and repair, but a lot of even the beginner guides were going over my head. So I am taking a different track and learning about the history and the invention of all the individual parts and the discoveries of the scientific principals behind what makes the cranks go. For my brain, this is the best way in to learning about the whole modern machine, and so far this is a really good book to start with. It contains a lot of pictures, particularly of all magazine ads and cartoon relating to early bicycle-like things, and the machine has a truly fascinating history. If you like cars, or technology, or the French, or learning about how capitalism can ruin everything even back in the 1890s, learn about bikes. [~45% complete]

And finally, the tallest book I have checked out currently:

- The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants: A comprehensive Guide to THeir Biology and Cultivation Barthlott&Perembski&Seine&Theisen, What I have learned so far from this book is that I probably should not be trying to cultivate any carnivorous plants any time soon, because they take more experience than I currently have. This book is a very useful overview (one of the only ones according to its own introduction), but probably better reading for people who like reading dense sciency stuff or already know a bit on the subject. Great pictures. [~27% complete]

Considering that I spent the time writing this all out instead of reading anything should give you an idea as to how likely I am to ever finish all of these. But You do not have to finish everything. I have put in the effort recently to forgive myself for just skimming sometimes. Especially with non-fiction stuff. If a particular chapter or specific subject is not what I am into, I skip it. Why not! Life is short and I am honest with myself about the fact that I aim to have a passing knowledge of most things, and some people like to master a few things and it will take all types to make the world go round. 

[wyrdwordsandeffigieshaunt]

I’ve always paid attention to the costumes when I’ve been watching horror. I’m a real ‘woman’ like that. It’s little bizarre considering how feral I am. But we all have ‘a thing,’ don’t we.

Sometimes, if I’m watching a horror alone and a character is wearing something really fucking special, I’ll rewind so I can see the costume make its appearance again.

One of my most recent memories of doing that was during the first episode of American Horror Story : Coven, when Zoe Benson is walking down a hospital corridor wearing a pair of pointed suit shoes that were literally to die for. I never imagined I’d fall for a pair of shoes like that (I’m an army boots kind of woman) but they were so darkly perfect.

Dress Me In Horror will be a regular feature when I celebrate – and lust after – some of my favourite ensembles from some of my favourite terrifying watches.

The Craft – Nancy’s Boots

I owned the 1996 cult classic The Craft on VHS and I worshiped everything about it, including Nancy Down’s lace up ankle boots, which, even as a 13 year old, I would have killed something for. They were the witchiest of witchy boots.

Get The Look

If, like me, you’re craving to unleash your inner Nancy (well, some of your inner Nancy, you don’t want to unleash all of your inner Nancy…) these pre-owned Ralph Lauren boots are pretty damn close to what appeared in that most famous scene where Nancy really loses her shit while making us all jealous with her exceptional choice in shoe wear.

Penny Dreadful Series 2  – Vanessa’s Scarf & Joan’s Everything

Penny Dreadful.  Ah, Penny Dreadful. There’s rarely been a TV show that’s left me so god damned content as Penny Dreadful. It was, from start to finish, a magnificent, and the costume designers played a monumental role in ensuring that was the case.

While I was forever swooning at Vanessa Ives exquisite Victorian garb – those bodices and full skirts really do it for me – it was when, during the second series where Vanessa made a trip t’moors to beg help from the condemned witch Joan – ‘Cut-Wife’ – Clayton that I though ‘ahh, here’s some stuff that I feel quite familiar with.’

While Vanessa’s jumper looks exactly like the sort of thing my Dad will wear on a weekend, I have a soft spot for her scarf, and I’m all over everything that is on Joan Clayton. I’ve even distressed some of my wardrobe in honour of the bad ass elderly witch.

Get The Look/Vanessa Ives

I’m hankering after this Hand woven scarf from the ever incredible Ovate, so I can stand outside the apartment in the rain looking moody, until my boyfriend tells me to stop being a twat and come inside.

Get The Look/Joan Clayton

I’ve been looking up how much I could get for one of my kidneys. If I find out that I can get enough for this Norwegian & Corriedale Lamb’s Wool Shawl in Soil by Biek Verstappen, I’ll pull the thing out myself. While the shawl screams ‘Joan’ accompanied with the hat it also has a sort of Babadookish vibe going on, which I’m all for.

American Horror Story/Coven – Zoe’s Shoes

Have you seen Coven? Seriously, if you haven’t YOU MUST. It’s easily the best AHS series and the costumes are impeccable. Well. Okay, most are a bit meh, but Zoe’s shoes in Episode One : The Hunt kind of makes up for all the so-so witch bitch fashion.

Get The Look

Before catching sight of Zoe’s footwear, it never would have crossed my mind that I’d kind of sort of fall a lot in love with this sort of look. But I did. Hard. I went looking for the exact ones and discovered they’re called the Jeffrey Campbell Wesley Heeled Oxford. After hours of searching, I found a pair on Ebay. If you’re a size six and a half, you’re in luck.

If you have any thought on this new feature…ways I could improve it, any horror fashion moments I need to check out or talk about, or if you just enjoyed it, leave a line!

Dress Me In Horror : Part I

I’ve always paid attention to the costumes when I’ve been watching horror. I’m a real ‘woman’ like that.

Dress Me In Horror : Part I I've always paid attention to the costumes when I've been watching horror. I'm a real 'woman' like that.

[wyrdwordsandeffigies]

I’ve always paid attention to the costumes when I’ve been watching horror. I’m a real ‘woman’ like that. It’s little bizarre considering how feral I am. But we all have ‘a thing,’ don’t we.

Sometimes, if I’m watching a horror alone and a character is wearing something really fucking special, I’ll rewind so I can see the costume make its appearance again.

One of my most recent memories of doing that was during the first episode of American Horror Story : Coven, when Zoe Benson is walking down a hospital corridor wearing a pair of pointed suit shoes that were literally to die for. I never imagined I’d fall for a pair of shoes like that (I’m an army boots kind of woman) but they were so darkly perfect.

Dress Me In Horror will be a regular feature when I celebrate – and lust after – some of my favourite ensembles from some of my favourite terrifying watches.

The Craft – Nancy’s Boots

I owned the 1996 cult classic The Craft on VHS and I worshiped everything about it, including Nancy Down’s lace up ankle boots, which, even as a 13 year old, I would have killed something for. They were the witchiest of witchy boots.

Get The Look

If, like me, you’re craving to unleash your inner Nancy (well, some of your inner Nancy, you don’t want to unleash all of your inner Nancy…) these pre-owned Ralph Lauren boots are pretty damn close to what appeared in that most famous scene where Nancy really loses her shit while making us all jealous with her exceptional choice in shoe wear.

Penny Dreadful Series 2  – Vanessa’s Scarf & Joan’s Everything

Penny Dreadful.  Ah, Penny Dreadful. There’s rarely been a TV show that’s left me so god damned content as Penny Dreadful. It was, from start to finish, a magnificent, and the costume designers played a monumental role in ensuring that was the case.

While I was forever swooning at Vanessa Ives exquisite Victorian garb – those bodices and full skirts really do it for me – it was when, during the second series where Vanessa made a trip t’moors to beg help from the condemned witch Joan – ‘Cut-Wife’ – Clayton that I though ‘ahh, here’s some stuff that I feel quite familiar with.’

While Vanessa’s jumper looks exactly like the sort of thing my Dad will wear on a weekend, I have a soft spot for her scarf, and I’m all over everything that is on Joan Clayton. I’ve even distressed some of my wardrobe in honour of the bad ass elderly witch.

Get The Look/Vanessa Ives

I’m hankering after this Hand woven scarf from the ever incredible Ovate, so I can stand outside the apartment in the rain looking moody, until my boyfriend tells me to stop being a twat and come inside.

Get The Look/Joan Clayton

I’ve been looking up how much I could get for one of my kidneys. If I find out that I can get enough for this Norwegian & Corriedale Lamb’s Wool Shawl in Soil by Biek Verstappen, I’ll pull the thing out myself. While the shawl screams ‘Joan’ accompanied with the hat it also has a sort of Babadookish vibe going on, which I’m all for.

American Horror Story/Coven – Zoe’s Shoes

Have you seen Coven? Seriously, if you haven’t YOU MUST. It’s easily the best AHS series and the costumes are impeccable. Well. Okay, most are a bit meh, but Zoe’s shoes in Episode One : The Hunt kind of makes up for all the so-so witch bitch fashion.

Get The Look

Before catching sight of Zoe’s footwear, it never would have crossed my mind that I’d kind of sort of fall a lot in love with this sort of look. But I did. Hard. I went looking for the exact ones and discovered they’re called the Jeffrey Campbell Wesley Heeled Oxford. After hours of searching, I found a pair on Ebay. If you’re a size six and a half, you’re in luck.

If you have any thought on this new feature…ways I could improve it, any horror fashion moments I need to check out or talk about, or if you just enjoyed it, leave a line!

Dress Me In Horror : Part I I've always paid attention to the costumes when I've been watching horror. I'm a real 'woman' like that.

[oxfordcomma-alt]

shamelessly reblogging this because its IMPORTANT

Online Presences, the "AO3 Curse", and Spirituality - A Longpost

Many witchy and spiritual folks online use wards and protection spells on their physical spaces and selves.

But not their virtual counterparts. Now, hear me out.

In fanfic circles, there's a phenomenon lovingly referred to as "the AO3 curse", where an author has chronic bad luck rendering them unable to update their fics. I myself have horrendous luck, and happen to be a writer - although you're lucky if I can get an update out once a month.

Now, for most, the "curse" is an ironic stack of coincidences, a funny string of misfortunes - for most, it's a harmless joke about writers down on their luck.

However, as a deeply spiritual person, I believe there is something else at play.

(rest of the longpost/essay post under the cut)

Now, I'm not saying there's an evil miasma around AO3, or a malicious web dev putting curses into the code of the site.

And that's because, simply put, the "curse" doesn't work like a normal curse - because it isn't one.

When you post something online, especially something you worked hard on, like a beautiful art piece, or a new chapter of a fic - you are pouring energy and emotion into that work. In a sense, you are baring your soul for the world to see.

That leaves you wide open for negative energy (intentional or not).

You can have the best wards around your physical self and your space, but if you don't protect yourself online, you are going to leave yourself defenceless.

Intentionally or not, the internet is full of negative energies - hate comments, doomscrolling, trolls, scammers and scalpers, and even just people who don't like you or what you create. For many, it's a place to share their passions and their secrets in equal measure. In more ways than one, your online presence is an extension of yourself, and often, a deeper and more personal one.

And yet, even for witches and spiritual folk, it goes completely unguarded.

I believe this, not any actual curse, is the cause of writers' bad luck over on AO3, and many cybercitizens' misfortunes and woes.

It is vital to cleanse and ward - even banish - your online presence of negative energies.

Now, how do we do this?

The Internet isn't a physical space that you can put a salt circle around, or a physical person you can expel energy out of. But it's still simple to protect yourself.

You can:

Place warding sigils on your devices (for instance, a sticker on your laptop or router, or a slip of paper in the back of your phone case)

Use normal cleansing methods (smoke, sound, crystals, etc) around your device, with a selected account open (for instance, having your Tumblr profile up while doing a smoke cleanse around your computer)

If you can picture things, imagine a ball of cleansing and banishing energy, and release it out into your digital space

Use incantations or chant to rid your digital world of negativity

Incorporate sigils into profile pictures, text dividers, profile banners, or a watermark in your art

Use emojis like runes, and create spells in text fields (just make sure to dodge any problematic emoji combos)

Using these techniques, and just about anything else you can think of, you can protect your digital self, and avoid these quasi-curses through simple defence.