#theres also the aspect that honor is kind of individualized

[ilynpilled]

I feel like as the resident dishonor/honor guy enjoyer I have to speak on honor as a construct and how it seems to operate in asoiaf in my eyes. I will be stating the obvious here imo but: violence IS inherent to it. Be it directly or through the enablement of it. “Honor”, as a feudalistic moral construct, revolves around the reinforcement of a status quo. It is a moral construct that is embedded into a feudalistic structure, one that is inherently violent. It can be deeply flawed and destructive as a result of deeply rooted systemic issues. Being “honorable” is very complicated because, again, it does not exist based on a very sensible moral framework. It ends up contradicting itself because the way society is structured in Westeros.

Almost nothing embodies this more clearly than the KG. They are supposed to be the paragons of honor: an unsoiled white cloak.

Vows are social contracts this society is built on. This is why Jaime is very restricted in a lot of ways in his world by his label. Breaking one of the most important contracts (one that happens to be key in reinforcing a feudalistic structure: it places the king’s will above every single other moral or ethical code) makes it so he is not believed or trusted and he is unable to operate properly within their society in a lot of circumstances, as we witness in his chapters. It is honorable to protect the weak and the innocent, but it is honorable to protect your king in all circumstances and reinforce a status quo. To obey your family and play your societal role. To obey laws, even if they are unjust. To keep your word, to be honest. Loyalty to a tyrant has to be inherently more honorable (especially in certain positions) to maintain this status quo, even though it contradicts other oaths and we know it is inherently immoral. Balancing values is the most interesting aspect of characters dealing with ‘honor’ and morality. Feudalism is what makes the honor system collapse. Honor itself can be a more vague concept, “the quality of knowing and doing what is morally right”, but the way it is defined and how it operates within this society is so fucked. The KG appear in the weirwood dream (mirroring the imagery of The Others, conflating the honorable white cloak with snow and cold and death.) “You swore to keep your king safe” “and the children as well.” Yeah, the innocent children of kingslanding as well, that would have burned to ash. It is honorable to save your king, to protect the weak, to save the children, to save the innocents of KG, to obey your father. He tells this to them in the dream, he explains his reasoning for killing Aerys, but they do not budge. That is what Jaime fears the most, the complete collapse of everything that holds meaning to him, heroism becoming undefinable with these conflicting moral codes, which is likely another huge part of him keeping it a secret. It is something he feels powerless against. The way things are prioritized is wrong. Morality becomes skewed. In Jaime’s mind the enemy and primary source of doom is this nonsensical moral construct that contradicts itself represented by institutions that make no sense. It is what makes his symbolic fire go out. His moral code conflicts with this society’s code of ethics, which eventually leads him to cynically accept amorality. It is disillusionment that tears the idea of heroism and being “honorable” apart and leads to moral nihilism.

Another aspect of the honor code and its violence is the fact that it places more value to individuals based on class. It is dependent on class and a flawed social structure. This is despite the fact that vows of knighthood call for the protection of those that are too weak to protect themselves: the underprivileged. Jaime keeps having this epiphany of an inherent equality in death that seems to contradict the way society is structured. Aerys’ life is worth inherently more according to the honor code than Rhaella’s, than the lives of thousands of innocents, than Jaime’s. Yet, a lowborn hand, no one, seems to die harder than Aerys does (and nobody cares). A crown is worth nothing when crows feast on victors and vanquished alike, and the rightful heir himself. We are all equal in death, so the text is indicating that something is not right here.

When it comes to characters and their relationship with honor the important through-line is examining whether they are being “honorable” in the abstract sense, if they base their actions around empathy and a sense of actual justice, or if they are abiding by made up flawed constructs. Being viewed as honorable by this society does not make you a good person. In fact, in order for you to abide by the honor code you would likely have to turn into an amoral individual. For example, if you try to keep the cloak pure white you will metaphorically soil it. Like every one of Aerys’s kingsguard did. To keep their oath to the king, they broke vows to protect innocents and protect women. They should lose their honor by a lot of definitions, but that would mean the status quo collapses. Jaime’s knighting for this reason is very much like a boy being sacrificed at an altar. It is not just about drawing a parallel between young girls and boys being sentenced to bloody doom by violent constructs created for their gender.

“Blood is the seal of our devotion.” He bleeds on his plain white tunic. It was never “pure white”, it was always all tainted in blood. It is inherently violent. You can argue that is when “the boy died.”

Very rigid and hypocritical honor codes built for feudalism lack nuance and lead to amorality. I think George aims to address, interrogate, deconstruct, and then reconstruct honor, as with most other key concepts present in fantasy. Honor can be redefined. Examples like ��No chance, and no choice”, among many others, are at the root of that reconstruction. Even then, the reconstruction does not conflate it with pacifism necessarily. For example, Chelsted did the ‘honorable’ thing, in the abstract moral sense, of quitting his job and not supporting a tyrant anymore, but that act achieved nothing in preventing the wildfire plot. Same with essentially everyone important at court abandoning the situation that is Aerys, turning away from a gaping wound and not addressing it before it was too late. Jaime had to soil the ‘white cloak’ and disrupt the status quo and lose his “honor” within those terms by murdering his king and his pyromancers as a kingsguard and actually save half a million lives. It was not glorious, nor was it anything like the songs, and the city is still doomed because there is no way to get that festering corruption out of there at this point, metaphorical of the greater problem with KG, but it was heroism, a choice with meaning, and a form of triumph, even if the consequences break Jaime down the line. He gets no answer to the question of what it means to be a knight and a man of honor if society’s version of it is so skewed. Then, Jaime and the readers get an answer in the form of Brienne: “I dreamed of you.”

[dateamonster]

A weird thought that kind of hung out in my head for a while that is sort of relevant to this blog's theme, but also kind of isn't, but I'm honestly not sure, but I have no better place to dump it into, so whatever. Feel free to ignore this if you're not interested >>

Yautja. Predators. However you want to call them. They have a very particular, hunting and honor-centric cultural mindset. But. What would it be like for someone in their culture to just... not be into that? There are people who are basically entirely averse to romance, in spite of how central it is in our culture, so how would some who is, uh... akynig, not interested in hunting? And how would such a person, perhaps, adapt to another society, lacking this aspect of Yautja culture but carrying across many others?

The worldbuilding nut in me is always excited about those things but it is a very rare opportunity to discuss it in any manner >>

i dont rly know anything abt the predator film franchise so i cant rly add much but i do enjoy the idea of like. alien cultures and what that means for the individuals within that culture.

idk how comparable this is but i was just recently watching a video that was talking abt the ferengi from star trek and how upon their original introduction they were kinda this one note species because their sole characteristic was being a hyper capitalistic culture built around hoarding wealth, but in deep space 9 we start to actually see individual ferengi characters outside the context of this monolithic cultural concept and come to understand that their greed is not like some innate personal trait but the result of the values and demands of ferengi society.

theres def a larger discussion to be had abt the way a lot of popular scifi tends to narrow entire planets worth of people down to singular traits and how thats kind of a major weakness when it comes to like world building and imagining alternate societies, but when thats a thing the franchise is already doing it does open up an interesting avenue of like, how many ppl within this culture actually share this valued trait? how many are just going along with it bc its what you do? how many have so deeply internalized it that even if removed from this society and its rules they would unconsciously mirror it? is there a space for counter-culture in this world?

it seems like itd be harder to analyze stuff like that in the context of predator movies tho since, from my limited understanding, it seems like the yautja were at least originally designed simply according to what would make them serve best as a scary antagonist. i do think its cool tho that there seem to be a lot of fans who are trying to give their species more depth and complexity than the source material affords them. again tho im probably missing a lot of actual context lol.

[theaetherwitch]

Altars and How To Build Them

- From my Grimoire

What is an Altar?

A really good place to start when looking into building an altar is know exactly what an altar is. Essentially this is your place of power, and where all of your magickal workings will take place. They can also be places to worship or show reverence to your deities or to a spirit. The uses of altars can be endless, and they’re all unique to the individual and the purpose they’re making it for. 

When building your altar, get creative and have fun with it. It’s connected to you and your energy, so making it personal to yourself is the most important aspect of creating one. I’ve even seen online and drawn altars, so feel free to think outside the box when it comes to yours if you can’t afford to make one that’s big and fancy. Your connection to it is what’s important.

There are also different types of altars and different themes and subcategories. The Altar I’ll be walking you through making today is a combination altar that’s centered around the Sun and Moon. Along with this, don’t feel like you can only have your altar up during specific times. If it’s a personal altar than it’s supposed to stay up year around c:

Types of Altars

As I usually say, this is not an inclusive list by far. Like I stated about, there are endless types of altars and even subcategories for the types. The kind of altar you make is completely up to you, so don’t feel like these are your only options.

House Altar - This is the energy center of the house and an altar for the entire family to use and draw power from. Usually this altar is located in the center of the house or the living room that way is accessible to everyone. These altars often change with the seasons, and have some sort of object or thing to represent every member of the family.

Personal Altar - Usually only connected to one of two people, and most often kept in a bedroom or closet. This type of altar is very personal to the person who makes it, often representing everything that they love and have passion for. It’s full of things like personal items, patron deity statues, and anything that has value to them.

Working Altar - This is an altar that is usually only put up when it’s needed. Used mostly for spell work and spell casting, it’s unique to the spell and intention. When building this kind of altar, think carefully about every aspect of it and how it can add to and enhance your spell.

Shrine - A type of altar made to honor a specific (type of) deity or spirit. These usually have things like idols on them and a space to give offerings. When building this kind of altar, work closely with the being who it’s meant to honor. Figure out what they like or don’t like.

Travel Altar - Often seen in mint canisters, these are a small collection of trinkets or items that you carry with you daily or only during extended stays and you want to keep a magickal connection. Use things that you care about, but are also easy to replace in case anything ever goes missing.

Supplies You’ll Need or Want

Here’s a list of some really basic supplies that you’re probably going to want when building your altar. That doesn’t mean these things are necessary, always make sure to use what works best for you!

Flat Surface - This can by anything from a windowsill to a table. Just any surface that’s flat enough to display everything properly. Personally I like to use a dresser because altars like to grow and expand, and having the extra storage space is nice.

Cloth - This is not only to protect your surface, but the cloth can be a sign of respect if you’re making a shrine.

Incense Burner/Oil Diffuser

Candles(and holders)/Wax Melts

Bowl - Used mostly for salt and water, but also to make offerings

Pentacle - A Sign of protection, feel free to draw this on your cloth of even a piece of paper.

Cup/Chalice -  Used to hold water for blessing, cleansing crystals, or to make offerings of any drinks.

Cauldron - Used to burn or mix things together.

Bottles 

Matches/Lighter

Salt and Water

Crystals/Stones

Some other, more traditional things you’ll see on an altar are things like:

Athame - A knife used for directing energy (sometimes used as a boline as well)

Boline - A knife used to cut herbs or branches, inscribe candles or carve runes/sigils into anything.

Bell - Used to call on spirits or the divine. Basically opens up communications with the spirit realm.

God and Goddess Idols - Idols representing someones deities

Wand - A tool used to direct energy, usually gifted to you by nature but can be bought or crafted as well.

Mortar and Pestle - Used to grind herbs, bones, or any other materials.

Building Your Altar: A Tutorial

Here’s the section everyone is probably waiting for, just exactly how do you build your altar? Well, there really is no direct way to build one but I can offer some basic guidelines. Never feel like this is the only way to build an altar because you can do whatever feels right to you. As long as it looks good to you, and works with your energy well, it’s perfect.

My methods of altar building have more traditional roots, but I’ve put my own spin on it to make it unique to me, so please do the same! ^u^

First off, you’re going to want to think about exactly where to place your altar. Think about the energy spaces in your home and room. What is your favorite spot or place? What makes you most comfortable? Also take into consideration if you have pets, or high traffic areas. If you’re going to have breakable things on your altar you don’t want your cat jumping up there, or someone bumping into it. Think carefully about everything!

Secondly, find your surface. My first altar was on a dinner tray table, so just about anything will work! It can be as big or small a space as you need. I chose a dresser that’s been in my family for a long time. 

Next is to get your cloth. I personally like to get fabric from the craft store. Solid colors are cheap, and theres tons of them. I like to draw on mine to make them more personal. As for colors, use what works best for you. I like to use light colors during the warmer seasons and dark colors in the colder seasons.

Next thing you’re going to want to decide is your theme, or what kind of intentions you have for your altar. Find yourself a center piece. Something that you’ve made or connect with and that really means a lot to you. My Centerpieces are my crocheted God and Goddess dolls. This is more traditional, but if you’re curious, the feminine or spiritual side is the left side and the masculine or more physical side is the right side.

Next thing I focus on when building my altar, are where the candles and incense burner are gonna go. If you’re working with candles, HAVE FIRE SAFETY IN MIND ALWAYS. For me, I like to keep my candles in the middle away from everything else, and my incense burner fits nicely on the side.

After that comes your tools. Things like cups, bowls, athames, anything. Figure out where you want to put these tools that way they’re easy to access. My tools in the middle, I have laid out to correspond to the elements. Water(chalice), Lighter(fire), Salt Bowl(earth), and Bell(air)

The next part is to add some personal belongings and really set the mood for the altar. Me personally, one of my specialties is crystals, and that’s heavily reflected in my altar. I like to use the pentacle in the middle for crystal grids. It basically gives me a control panel for the altar, and allows me to change the mood for it whenever I feel like I need to. Some other things I added were a spell bottle my fiance gave me, an origami piece i was given by another covenmate, and a pinecone that just fell right in front of me on day.

And those are the basics to setting up an altar! If anyone has and questions or would like some advice, please feel free to send me a message or ask. Hopefully this helps some of you!

[crvores]

SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY really is the spitting image of FROY GUTIERREZ, right? For someone only 22 years old, SCOR has been forced to endure so much. Yeah, that PUREBLOOD has been scraping by at the sanctuary since AUGUST, 2028, working as a HEALER-IN-TRAINING AND RESEARCHER in the DIVISION OF HEALING. HE is a CIS MAN and is known to be CAPTIOUS and DISMISSIVE but also FERVENT and RESOURCEFUL. Best of luck surviving through this.  

CHARACTER PARALLELS: Amy Santiago (B99), Claire Temple (Daredevil), Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place), Giles (Buffy TVS), Michelle Jones (Spiderman: Homecoming), Elizabeth Swan (PoTC), Spock (Star Trek), Clarke Griffin (The 100), Gregory House (House) suggested honorable mention Gizmo (Gremlins)

[tw for patricide/parental death, desc of blood, substance abuse/addiction, under the cut]

scorpius was living in a tiny flat along diagon alley, flooing in to saint mungos for his healing apprenticeship monday to friday. when the wards came down around wizarding london he was holed up as the chaos ensued below, frantically trying to floo call the manor.

when he arrived at malfoy manor after crawling out of a skylight and apparating to the road alongside the driveway he was greeted by the gates hanging off their hinges. though he can only speculate, due to his father’s continued reclusiveness and refusal to return to assist the death eater ranks a horde were nudged none-too-gently toward the isolated house.

draco opened his eyes after burning through a fever too high to be calmed by any spell from his mother’s wand. just as he had always been. upon returning to consciousness he didn’t immediately reach for his wand, a fact which both astoria and her son found to be terribly odd. no matter the ailment, the circumstance, the time, draco malfoy had always curled his fingers around the hawthorn like a talisman when waking since it had been returned to him after the war.

the ensuing twenty minutes are something which scorpius has begged to have scoured from his mind, yet he knows he can never let himself forget killing his father. it fundamentally changed him in a way that is irrevocable.

as he and astoria fled the manor, no hope of the two of them alone eliminating the inferi on the grounds and securing it, his mother clamped a hand around his wrist and attempted to apparate them to an old greengrass property, a magical panic room of sorts. scor was badly splinched and ended up dumped 80 miles away from where his mother had landed.

he gathered copious notes from observations of the inferi in his time on the outside. temperature recorded, time of day, wind direction, sentience, and activity were all meticulously written down in an attempt to conserve his sanity while on his own. scor feels as though he had no trouble discerning infected from the living when he was out there and when he was filled in upon joining the others he speculated that a part of his brain concerning the glamours had just been burnt out. unfortunately since arriving this has been completely disproven and he’s trying to work out if the fear response or any other factors had anything to do with it.

since arriving at hogwarts, half-starved and wild-eyed he has thrown himself into the effort with a single-mindedness of someone attempting to forget every aspect of their own life. he doggedly continues his healing work, any time not spent at the infirmary is glued to his workbench and harassing the living shit out of the research department. drawing up hypothesis after hypothesis from the bits of infected he’s managed to have the privilege to pick at. if anyone interrupts him or makes what he decides is an unnecessary contribution he has a horrid habit of biting their head off.

while before he would play up and sneer, act posher than posh and generally fucked with anyone who had a problem with his family, specifically his father, now he will go absolutely stone-faced and has several times nearly had to be restrained because he will go off like a tiny, weedy bomb with a dangerously extensive knowledge of human anatomy.

neglects a lot of his own needs; goes days without sunlight, only eats when prompted to, hardly sleeps. a mess but trying his best. has a dangerous habit of consuming dreamless sleep but guilt at using valuable resources is essentially the only thing stopping him from launching headlong into addiction. lily and various others have a tally going on how many times scor says the words ‘i’m fine.’ in a single week and he suspects theres a pretty wide pool on the betting now.

he’s not all bad tho!! he can be a right softy if he knows you well enough and always always always wants to help. just… he’s a lil prickly rn.

skinny and kind of sickly, he never had the best health as a kid. he scars very easily and bruises like a gd peach. pretty alright on a broom but he has no real interest in playing quidditch. he’s always cold, he’ll be sitting in direct sunlight and complaining about needing a scarf. yeah hes that dude.

kind of craves attention? while being an introvert sometimes he just wants someone to pay attention to him until he gets annoyed by it and tells them to piss off. fickle.

his url is the italian word ‘cruores’ which means flowing blood and the latin ‘cruor’ which roughly refers to coagulating blood; gore.

      Full Name: Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy Gender/Pronouns: Cis man | he/him Age: Twenty-two Birthdate: January 20th Parents: Draco Malfoy & Astoria Malfoy (née Greengrass) Siblings: N/A. Birth place: St. Mungo’s Hospital, England Height: 5’11” Weight: 56 kg Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Demiromantic Bisexual Nationality: English Body Alterations/Marks: Terrible splinching scars up his left hand, arm over to his chest and shoulder blade. 

                                  Blood Status: Pureblood Hogwarts House: Slytherin  Wand Arm: Right Wand: 11 2/3 inches, Willow, supple, Dragon Heartstring. Hogwarts House: Slytherin Pet: A crested toad named Jarvis. Special Abilities: None. Patronus: Arctic Fox

                                Personality Traits: brilliance, innovation, individuality, openness, social consciousness, inventiveness, practical skill and self assertion; lack of attachment to people and the “real world,” over-intellectualizing of the emotions, dismissiveness, a crotchety temper, rigidity, intellectual arrogance, and stubbornness. Zodiac Sign: Aquarius/Capricorn Cusp Moral Alignment: Neutral Good Core values: Loyalty, Knowledge, Hope Four temperaments: Melancholic  

HOGWARTS HOUSE BREAKDOWN 

Slytherin Primary and a Burned Ravenclaw Secondary.

Slytherin Primaries prioritize their own selves and loved ones first. Slytherins don’t feel guilty or selfish about this– they feel righteous and moral. The most important thing is to look after your own. Abandoning or hurting one of your own is the worst thing you can do.

A Burned Ravenclaw Secondary might want to be skilled, curious, and prepared, but they feel like they are (or like people think they are) limited, clumsy, or inconstant. Gathering knowledge, hobbies, skills, or tools is the right way to achieve their goals, but Burned Ravenclaws know that’s not going to work within their capabilities. So they take other paths and use other tools– maybe a Gryffindor’s bluntness, a Slytherin’s flexibility, or a Hufflepuff’s slow and steady dedication.

You may have a Hufflepuff Secondary Model.

Hufflepuff is the House of grit, reliability, and determination, and Hufflepuffs use those values to help live, act, and succeed. If you model Hufflepuff Secondary, you also value these things and like to live by them. You like to be hardworking, dedicated, and consistent– but you wouldn’t feel guilty for abandoning those values in the service of other, higher priorities. If there’s another, easier way to get what you want– you’d take it. You think hard work provides valuable rewards– and those rewards are why you work. The work doesn’t have persuasive value in itself.

the stillness of the world the moment you take the first step into fresh snow, cashmere and fine wool, the pearlescence of dreamless sleep draught, the scratch of a quill on parchment, faintly tremoring fingers, a shiver up your spine in a warm room, the exhilaration of a problem solved, a thunderous grey overcast sky, the bite of a stitching charm, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, petrichor, the burn in your eyes before a well of tears.

so excited to be back in this verse >:) 

[dahniwitchoflight]

Expanded SU Classpect thoughts

so, another point for Lapis is a Seer of Breath with a Witch of Blood inversion, she literally crushes a “witch” under a house in the same episode that has her defining moment of overcoming part of her fear/trauma of the diamonds, and thats neat!

other classpect related thoughts just include much more solidified thoughts about Ruby as a Knight of Light finding her own independence and personal agency and what that means to her, what it means to exist on her own outside of others, choosing for herself and not being told what to do, versus Sapphire’s Mage of Doom and how her pattern seems to always be to assume the worst everytime something bad happens, with always a focus on suffering, being upset, but also empathy and understanding of how others feel

Steven as a Page of Hope once again, literally going through his weird astral projection powers and empowering everyone through giving them Hope and Faith to continue on, the cute song at the beginning of the final episode focusing on focusing on Positive thoughts and emotions and hope and joy above all else once again clearly stating his instincts in those kinds of situations

but again going into how when he tries to focus on Heart aspect related things, it’s always to his own detriment, and its always because he hyperfocuses on other people’s negativity, everytime he tries to play therapist for others when it’s himself he needs to be focusing on, but the solution wasn’t just to stop caring about others and be selfish, but to cheer up and feel better and come into the situations positively instead of focusing on the negative emotions and thoughts around him, to bring Hope into the situation and empowers others through Hope

also things i should have probably mentioned before but just forgot, Lars is pretty solidified as a Bard, literally goes through a pretty solid crisis of identity arc, to the point where he is completely reformed

but it is through a medium of Death, which is interesting to me, because earlier i had thought that the thing he was avoiding that he would have a crisis about revolved around his self perception and identity, aka a medium of Heart

and his identity and character has definitely been transformed through this crisis, but it being through a medium of Death and revival has got me thinking if there might have been a doomy influence in there somewhere, like maybe his Denizen being a denizen of Doom kind of thing

now the fun part I haven’t delved into as of yet is Bismuth

rough ideas for her right now is that her class is probably that of a Maid, active creation

she’s very, straight to the point, no filter, brutally honest and her character was all about, not so much re-inventing herself, but growing into her own self as an independent entity. living how she wants, doing what she wanted, loving herself and the life that she wanted without bowing to the authority of the diamonds she once lived under. Rose opened her eyes like a paradigm shift.

also she is a builder, a creator, someone who works with physical objects, not just a weapon maker, and the fact that when her character goes south, its when she starts to have an unhealthy obsession surrounding ideas of destruction/shattering/death

and that maybe is part of why she butt heads with Rose so strongly, as Rose is also a Maid, and people who share half a classpect, whether it be class or aspect, do have a stronger possibility of coming into conflict more often, as they both have different ideas about similar things, or just that she only butts heads with rose so strongly when she is focused more into that destruction mindset

also, she is LITERALLY Made of Honor :p maids seem to ALWAYS have some kind of “Made of” pun lol

so honor should give us a hint to her aspect as well it seems to me, because Bismuth is also a character greatly concerned with people’s personal quality of character, their honor as people, as leaders, as comrades. She knew her comrades and loved them individually, she knew Rose, or thought she did, and was greatly hurt by her seeming betrayal, and she had enough dignity and honor to know when the others didn’t seem to want her around anymore (or at least that was what she thought)

so personal integrity, dignity and honor are key core concepts of her character, and the major views that she has and interacts with, makes it a bit tricky when trying to think of an aspect! theres no one aspect that has a monopoly on the ideas of dignity, integrity, honor etc 

then there’s the fact that authority and how it should be treated definitely plays a role there too, whether she respects it or disregards it (but definitely seems she respects people who she acknowledges as Leaders, like Steven, and expects others to follow suit as well)

all of this though ties together into an idea of Justice and Retribution, righteousness as well, when she believes she is in the right

theres definitely anger and hatred in this mix as well too, quite a good variety of things

altogether at the moment I am leaning towards Rage as an aspect, with a focus on the facet of Righteousness, the idea that people who are in the wrong should be struck down, made to face consequences, that good and just things should be uphold and valiantly defended, driven and fueled by her core values and dtermined by her ideas of Dignity and Honor, integrity as well, altogether an intense focus on hard Morality

so yeah, Maid of Rage is what I’m feeling currently, but that might change if I think of a better aspect fit, but Maid class for sure for Bismuth

[obsidianarchives]

Ashley Romans

Ashley Romans started her formal acting training at Pace University School of Performing Arts. She moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating in 2015.  Los Angeles theater credits include:  Celebration's Charm (Beta), Rotterdam (StageRaw and LADCC award recipients).  Film/Television credits include: "I'm Dying Up Here" and "Shameless" (Showtime), "Are You Sleeping?" (Apple TV), "Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis" (Sunshine Moxie), "NOS4A2" (AMC new series).

Black Girls Create: What do you create?

I’m an actor. I create by acting. Collaborating with writers, directors, designers, and visionaries in whichever medium possible to hopefully create an honest reflection of a being’s life experience.

BGC: How do I create?

I suppose my entire creative process begins with healthy self trickery. Not quite deception but more healthy, playful, self manipulation. Naturally as creators we have a way of resisting and fearing whatever it is we most want to bring about into the world. Similar to a mother’s fear of giving birth or raising a child, we think “what if the world doesn’t receive my creation well? What if people are mean? What if it’s not healthy or ready?” I often find myself trying to bribe or trick my way out of this fear. I trick myself into going into my next audition as confidently as I can, or preparing for that day on set when I really don’t want to, or finding some connection with a character trait I find reprehensible.

I also think it is very important to stay relaxed and loose so one can reach a playful and spiritual place of creativity. So I try and keep myself healthy; mentally, spiritually, and physically by reading, eating healthy, journaling, praying, meditating, and exercising.  

BGC: How did you get into acting?

I would say my professional pursuit officially began when I went to study theater at Pace University in New York City for my undergraduate degree, but for as long as I can remember I always had an interest in acting. I loved watching ‘90s action/drama movies with my father and “I Love Lucy” reruns with my mother as a child at all hours of the day. I became even more interested in theater and performance through high school choir, joining community summer camps, and doing the spring high school musical.

Even as an adolescent I felt it was best to keep my professional aspirations to myself in fear of naysayers. In retrospect, I understand now that high school is a time a lot of young people are dealing with self doubt and insecurity. Considering that I was far from the funniest, smartest, or most talented individual in the theater department, I, unconsciously, kept my performing ambitions quiet even from the people closest to me because I didn’t want to risk someone rubbing their self doubt on me. I worked up the courage to audition for a couple of acting schools but I told no one except my acting teacher Douglas Hooper and a few very close mates.

I still abide by this privacy philosophy even now and it hasn’t steered me wrong to this day. I still feel that speaking one’s dreams and aspirations among chaotic or unsupportive energy environment would most likely dissipate or poison their own source.  

Eventually after graduating from Pace University through a couple months of tumbling I landed representation for acting with a management company and I moved out to Los Angeles. I’ve been able to land some great acting opportunities and gain a supportive team of people and I could not be more grateful.

BGC: What has been your favorite role so far?

I have so many favorites. The roles that stand out to me as my favorite are the ones that have most challenged me and allowed me to explore a different aspect of life, and explore and connect to the full range of the human experience. I’ve received some of my most valuable acting lessons in various roles in the theater. I played Inez, a red dressed-vixen-leading lady with a passionate, deep-seeded hatred for her ex-husband in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Our Lady of 121st. Two years ago I played Beta, a young teenage gang affiliated boy in Chicago with a secret in Phillip Dawkins’s play Charm at Celebration Theater. This coming March I will be part of the Kirk Douglas’s production Rotterdam by Jon Brittain. Set in the Netherlands, I will play Fiona/Adrian, one half of a modern London couple who decides to make a huge change in their life. My experience acting in these productions specifically has been positively nurturing. Throughout our rehearsal process, I learned what it means to be not just a more nuanced and skilled actor but also a more supportive and capable teammate in the creative process.

In terms of film/television world, my work as Hermione Granger in Sunshine Moxie’s Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis remains my greatest acting lesson in the film/television/on-camera discipline.  Eliyannah Yisrael, Megan Grogan, Alice Pierce, other writers and producers leveled up my game up. I’ve never before been number one on the call sheet and I’m not sure if I ever will again, but having that responsibility was so enlightening. It was also an invaluable learning experience getting to work with those amazing creators and seeing those women just get shit done. It was truly an honor being chosen to play such an important and monumental literary character in this version. I remember reading the Harry Potter series as a little girl in London and thinking how much I wanted to be part of and live in that magical world. Playing Hermione in the HGQLC series was by far the best artistic adventure I’ve ever had. Exploring moments, scenes and how far we can bring characters all felt like adventures. Even our trip to Dublin, Ireland this past year felt like one big adventure. I’ll be forever grateful for that experience.

BGC: Why do you create?

I enjoy acting because I love being seen and getting to disappear. It’s a paradox but it’s my truth. I enjoy exploring the range of human experience. I love that I get to feel connected to people in the safe incubator that is pretend. I love that I get to feel and say all the things I’m afraid to feel and say in my real life. I still never get bored of going to the theater, movie or stage, sitting in a dark room with other people and watching performers simply tell us a story. I hope to serve God and the people around me through my creativity and acting. I always hope to truthfully represent a human experience no matter how high or low the stakes it might seem to us at first. Losing your phone and frantically trying to find it can be as exciting and dramatic a story as losing one’s job or finding out your spouse is unfaithful. It’s all in the storytelling and truthfulness of the moment and I love as an actor I get to explore that.

BGC: Who do you hope to reach through your work?

Honestly, the most important people I aim to ultimately reach and impress are my nieces and nephews. Yes the public, my agents, and producers are all important but I feel as though they are a means to an end. Right now my oldest niece is 10 years old and she loves the Hermione series and is always pretty excited to see me act on TV. At the moment she still thinks I’m pretty cool and I hope to keep it that way.

If this was a decade ago and you asked 16-year-old Ashley the same question I probably would have said something like “I want to be a voice for the voiceless and the underrepresented… blah blah blah.” Truthfully, I don’t think I ever really knew what that meant. I mean, I knew what it meant on a superficial-runner-up-in-Beauty-Pageant kind of level but now that answer doesn’t resonate with me as the gutter truth. Whenever I’m working on scripts, deciding on content to create or post etc, I ask myself “Is this something I would be proud to let my niece see? Is this the kind of work that can help make the world even the tiniest bit better for her?” Eventually, she’s going to grow up and have a voice in this world and I hope that her seeing me embrace mine will give her the courage to embrace hers. My nieces and nephews and all the children like them are who I hope to reach.

I really love seeing how the world is changing now. Representation in the media was so limited even 10 years ago but now it’s getting more and more beautiful by the day. With so many platforms, works such as Pose, Glow, Fresh Off the Boat, Chewing Gum, Masters of None, Eighth Grade, and more, so many beings who have been underrepresented for years are getting a chance to reach their audiences and tell their stories. And we all get to identify and see ourselves in each other. I don’t have to reach out and save the world because it kind of starts with myself and our own backyard.

BGC: Who or what inspires you to keep creating?

Oh geez, that’s a loaded question. My peers are my first and foremost inspiration and motivation. Again Eliyannah Yisrael, Megan Grogan, Alice Pearce, Jessica Jenks. It’s remarkable to watch those ladies do what they do. I love being in acting class and witnessing breakthroughs or being in a really great rehearsal with a cast mate. That’s always promising when you get to be part of the creation of something honest and true.  Even if it is just a great moment in a scene. Actors who inspire me are endless. Octavia Spencer is a fantastic actress and creator who I adore. I had the blessing of working with her once and she’s an even better human.  Lovely doesn’t do her justice. I love watching Regina King. There’s a great example of an honest to God creator and storyteller. She’s accomplished so much in acting, directing, writing, and producing. That’s also how I feel about Shonda Rhimes, Boots Riley, Jim Carrey, Maggie Gyllenhaal. There are many more. I’m sure as soon as you publish this interview I’m going to think of more.

BGC: Why is it important as a Black person to create?

As Black people, we have such a specific and loaded way we walk through the world. The Hermione Series has such a beautiful tag line.  It says “HGQLC - Write Your Own Ending.”  I’ve always loved that because it gives power to the subject.  As Black people it is our responsibility to take control of our story the best way we can.  We must feed our communities the best and most honest images of ourselves to ourselves because images and representation matters. In the area of cinema, for years non-Black people have told their version of the Black experience and it has left us misrepresented.

BGC: How do you balance creating with the rest of your life?

It’s always a struggle to keep a balanced life. I have a tendency to obsess and quickly lose perspective but when I want to regain balance I plan my day to make sure I get everything I need in. Luckily for me in my particular art form, acting is about living so I know I can’t be a good actor if I’m not allowing myself to experience life and fun.   

BGC: Have you been able to build a support system around yourself? What does that look like?

I feel so grateful for my support system. I have amazing representation, an amazing day job with super awesome and motivating coworkers who are actively pursuing their life goals. I also have super supportive family and friends who tell me they’re proud of me just for being myself. My sister is also a great support system, someone I can speak and think out loud with no fear of judgment. I could not be any luckier.

BGC: Any advice for young creators/ones just starting?

It takes 10,000 hours to be a professional at anything. So just put in the hours, however that may look. Either do it, read about it, watch a YouTube video on it, whatever you have to do to learn about your craft and get better.  

BGC: Any future projects?

I’m going to be doing a remounting of the stage production Rotterdam at the historic Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City. It’s a short run, performances run from March 28 - April 7th, but it’s such a blessing to revisit this work with such a remarkable group of people.  It’s a super funny and insightful play about gender and love.

In the television world I just finished wrapping a new AMC series starring Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings called NOS4A2. I don’t know the exact date it is to be released but it’s happening soon. The series is based of the hit novel by Joe Hill and it centers around a teenager (Cummings) who uses supernatural abilities to track down the seemingly immortal Charlie Manx (Quinto), who steals children and deposits them in “Christmasland.”  I play a Detective Tabitha Hutter trying to suss out the truth. This series has supernatural fantasy, horror, action/adventure, procedural, and family drama. Everything you want to see.

[michellelewis7162]

Mushroom Increasing

Mushroom Increasing

 There is a very big variation between the cultivation or expanding of environment-friendly vegetations and mushroom developing. While the eco-friendly plants are geared up with chlorophyll for receiving the nutrients they demand for growth, mushrooms carry out certainly not have chlorophyll which has actually produced it engaging for all of them to get their food items by means of addiction on other plant products. The text of the mushroom is actually comprised of the mycelium which is actually the little threads which develop on the plant component (the substratum) where they get their required nutrients. Mushrooms are understood to flourish on varied plant materials.

 It is a good idea that who is intending on going into the growing of mushroom ought to recognize reasonably concerning the fungi life cycles. Illustrated below are the many things that are going to assist one planning to enter mushroom increasing to recognize things she or he needs to have to become successful in the venture of mushroom farming Magic Mushrooms Dispensary. Canada Magic Mushrooms

 As soon as one achieves an open secret regarding the various fungis life process, the individual will definitely after that go ahead to understanding the criteria needed for the growth as well as properly being of some of the species of mushrooms the individual is actually wanting to expand. Outdoors mushroom increasing such as a backyard is one that calls for really little attempt once the person has offered the ideal inoculation to the records or even every other materials with mushroom generate. The only job left for the person to perform is actually noticing the humidity as well as likewise monitoring the mushroom give rise to in terms of fruiting. As soon as the mushrooms seem fairly, they are at that point plucked as well as marketed.

 There is actually also the indoor mushroom growing which often tends to fill out any kind of area left by the outdoors mushroom developing. Every procedure that involves growing mushroom is actually accomplished inside. It really yields excellent outcomes however this is completely dependent upon the individual's expertise, infinite oversight and ideal control of the whether disorders.

 In mushroom growing, the observing actions are taken as well as it can last for approximately fifteen full weeks or minimal depending entirely on those specie of mushroom being developed.

 One has to select the medium via which the mushrooms are going to be actually expanded, sanitizing the picked channel of farming, inoculating the selected channel along with mushroom generate, protecting the greatest possible temp, wetness and other atmosphere that will certainly not hinder the development of the mycelium as well as aid to a great level in the mushroom generate creating excellent fruits, plucking or accumulating of the mushrooms, product packaging as well as purchases of the gathered mushrooms, well-maintained up of the growing location and resumption of an additional stage of mushroom farming Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 How to Grow Mushrooms From Mushroom Growing Kits

 Mushroom kits have in fact possessed a decent volume of criticism in current opportunities along with several movie critics stating that they provide extremely poor value for funds when reviewing the returns of the mushroom sets with the true price of the mushrooms in the outlets. I discover this an extremely unjust comparison and feel that it mistakes to merely match up the two with the quantity of mushrooms that they make.

 You can get mushroom expanding sets for just a few different varieties of mushroom - you may get switch mushroom develop sets and you can acquire shellfish mushroom expand packages. These 2 are actually one of the most usual and could be bought maximum landscape centres and usually on landscape facility internet sites. Having said that you can easily likewise increase other varieties coming from even more specialist web sites, allowing you to develop your very own mushrooms like Shiitake, Portobello and also extra. These packages generally cost around ₤ 5 to ₤ 10 and are going to perhaps provide you with around ₤ 5 really worth of mushrooms (if expanded in the best achievable setting, as well as depending upon the wide array as some mushrooms set you back additional after that others in the outlets) Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 I don't know why individuals moan when it sets you back additional to get a mushroom developing kit at that point it carries out to get the mushrooms on their own. Most of the grocery store mushrooms are grown massively wholesale and are actually usually increased in other nations as well as imported all over, where it is actually so much more affordable for them to develop them. Theres the fact that in a package you receive a package and get the substratum (garden compost or straw) as effectively as a small bag of spawn. When you purchase mushrooms coming from a store you aren't left over along with excellent compost for your yard (mushroom garden compost is one of one of the most expensive as well as nourishing forms of garden compost as the mushrooms malfunction and recycle lots of nutrients existing in the substrate). And afterwards there's the truth that you are growing mushrooms your own self - surely the enjoyment and exciting aspect cost purchasing too.

 In my opinion mushroom developing sets are actually a superb way of developing your very own mushrooms as well as even when in some cases they do not offer remarkable worth for funds when reviewed to the outlet rate you will certainly find out a great deal coming from performing it your own self as well as will probably take wonderful honor in increasing and afterwards eating your personal mushrooms. Perhaps even when you've found out a bit extra concerning cultivating mushrooms you could remove the intermediary and locate your very own substratum (straw, paper, manure) and acquire or even create your own mushroom spawn. This is actually where you can easily receive actual worth for funds too, developing dozens pounds really worth of mushroom from essentially a couple of pounds financial investment Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 The Magical Mushroom

 Mycology, the research of mushrooms, is actually taking brand-new fans to the 'fungus among us." Currently being made use of for a variety of medical explanations worldwide, the humble toadstool might be actually thrust in to the spotlight soon as a successful, alternate treatment for some stubborn discrepancies.

 When uncovered to sunlight, mushrooms are valued through vegetarians as a result of to their higher nutritional value.They are able to make vitamin D. Mushrooms consist of B vitamins, vitamin C, blood potassium, phosphorus, calcium mineral, sodium, and also zinc.

 Medicinal mushrooms possess lots of materials and also nutrients that are actually health-strengthening. Eastern medication, specifically typical Chinese process, has actually made use of mushrooms for centuries. In the U.S., researches were administered in the early '60s for possible methods to regulate the body immune system as well as to hinder cancerous tumor growth with essences Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 Mushroom searching is well-liked, yet it is not safe. Some edible mushrooms are just about similar to toxin ones. It takes an expert to tell the difference. Mushrooms behave like a sponge and simply soak up poisonous substances from ground and sky. Nonetheless, mushrooms are conveniently taken into consideration a 'health food.'

 Without the process of photosynthesis, some mushrooms obtain nutrients through breaking down organic matter or through feeding from much higher plants. Another market attacks residing vegetations to consume all of them. Edible as well as poisonous ranges are actually found near roots of oak, ache and fir trees.

 Mushrooms were actually utilized ritually by the citizens of Mesoamerica for thousands of years. They were actually largely eaten in religious ceremonies by cultures throughout the Americas. Cave art work in Spain portray ritualized ingestion dating back regarding 9000 years. Psilocybin use was reduced up until Western psychiatry discovered it after World War II.

 The questionable region of investigation is using psilocybin, a typically happening chemical in certain mushrooms. Psilocybin has been actually shown to be reliable in addressing dependence to alcoholic drinks and also cigarettes.

 New research studies reveal the hallucinogenic medicine could relieve stress and anxiety and also anxiety in some cancer people. Mood raising impacts that lasted a minimum of many full weeks after taking in the fungus were actually disclosed in some studies.

 While fungi has intrigued people for centuries, it might eventually be actually entering into a brand-new time where its own healing electrical powers and not known premiums are actually being uncovered. The mushroom might quite possibly hold the trick to some long ago locked ailments and enigmas.

 Do you intend to develop high quality shiitake mushrooms for your business? You may have nutritious enhancement to your collection if you fruit your logs. These stylish, fleshy fungis can include a delicious contact to your dishes. The flavor you will certainly get will definitely over-shadow any other recipe which makes use of various other sort of mushrooms. You may even keep these new shiitakes in the fridge for 2 to 3 full weeks. Even if they dry up, they will restore their original appearance if you saturate them in water. The method of paling and after that icy will aid in maintaining the shiitakes in functional situation for numerous months.

 Begin your service along with these tips

 You may be actually deliberating over the tip of today beginning your farming. If you have a worthwhile manufacturing, you may even consider beginning your very own company on a small incrustation. Buy mushroom logs available coming from distinguished vendors as well as get a fresh source of mushrooms. Learn several of the fundamental ideas so that you can easily end up along with a nutritious turnout Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 1. Regular routine maintenance

 You ought to buy mushroom logs available from the market place and take sufficient measures to maintain them on a regular basis. These portions can be kept well-balanced through saturating all of them after a space of two weeks. For this purpose, you need to use just non-chlorinated water. The sources might be actually filteringed system, bottled or even rain.

 2. Residing living thing

 You have to understand the fact that the log you are handling is a lifestyle facility. Air, water, as well as sunshine are the aspects necessary for the development of mycelium. You may regularly force fruit your log after a space of pair of months. This goal could be acquired by soaking those blocks in non- chlorinated water for a whole day. These are going to lead the portions to strongly believe that the autumn or the spring season is merely around the corners.

 3. Forms of timbers

 The blocks which operate greatest are actually maples, ironwood, challenging maple as well as pleasant periodontal. You can easily attain faster end results by utilizing lighter hardwoods. Nonetheless, they are not that tough reviewed to denser kinds. The presence of fungicidal materials creates softwoods improper for mushroom cultivation. You can easily constantly rely on a reputable vendor for offering you with the appropriate option of logs.

 4. Commercial operators

 The commercial drivers are actually pros that create logs through making all of them go through several temperature environments and also immersing them in awesome water at necessary intervals. The greatest high quality parts are provided to the farms as well as local services.

 5. Different variables possessing an influence

 You may appreciate cultivating new mushrooms for four years approximately if you take sufficient care of your logs. The aspects that possess an influence on the fruiting of the logs are actually the amount of humidity, amount of direct sunlight and appropriate temperature. You ought to constantly bear in mind that a well-rested log creates the best helpful outcomes.

 Expanding Button Mushrooms Using a Mushroom Growing Kit

 The switch mushroom, or Agaricus Bisporus, is one of the absolute most planted mushrooms in the world. In the wild this mushroom seems in industries and possesses a darker, brown hat with darker gills too. They are actually known in the wild as area mushrooms but they are actually commonly identified as the switch mushroom or even the Portobello mushroom, although the Portobello species are actually usually larger in dimension.

 Mushroom expanding sets have become significantly preferred lately as everyone opinion and assumptions towards fungi seems to have actually relaxed a little - no more are actually folks frightened of mushrooms as well as an alternative are readied to make an effort and try at increasing their very own in the home Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 Mushroom expand sets are actually limited in fungis species currently (I've merely observed button, Shiitake as well as Oyster develop kits), the button mushroom is actually by far the most commonly offered increase set. Several gardening outlets offer mushroom increasing kits, and also these outlets seem to be to focus on the absolute most well known, considered as being "much safer" mushrooms - the Button mushroom.

 The Button mushroom expand kits are actually incredibly straightforward to make use of, even a child might efficiently grow their personal crop of mushrooms in just a few full weeks! You simply need to have to empty the substrate in to a container and also leave in a great moist place up until the mycelium increases entirely with the block (transforming it white) and then cover it with the canvassing garden compost supplied. Quick into a cooler area as well as spray along with water frequently to maintain damp. Little white circular balls will definitely show up which will turn into mushrooms after merely a couple of days.

 The Secrets to Mushroom Growing

 Surely if you are actually a mushroom enthusiast, you wish to know how to develop mushrooms. Naturally, you would certainly be curious about mushrooms.That is actually completely ordinary. It will to no surprise if passionate mushroom eaters would certainly would like to expand their very own mushrooms. Nevertheless, mushrooms are fantastic sources of protein.

 Unlike the common knowledge that mushroom developing would certainly include an enormous quantity of skills in addition to a focused type of approach in developing these little gems, mushrooms are actually the no-frills kind. Provided That their food items is actually provided plus all the needed requirements are actually reached, all the grower must perform is to stand by until it is time for produce. Correct, when you reside in the country side, you may increase as numerous as you can. Given that you reside in the metropolitan area carries out not indicate you might certainly not be able to increase your own mushroom garden, merely. Long as you have the area, your medium and also some spores, you can create mushrooms by sets. Identical to the countryside, you primarily let them be actually, Making sure that they have ample meals to eat and moisture as well as the temperature is actually just sufficient, your mushrooms will definitely pop like little white colored chunks on your medium right before your eyes!

 Performed you understand that the technique to expanding mushrooms is certainly not a fantastic top secret after all? Perhaps when you talk to a mushroom grower what the technique to a great sampling mushroom is, all he answers is a countenance his skin. Possibly you could wrap up that it should be actually a long-kept technique that just a handful need to know.A handful, alright. The technique is certainly not really that fantastic Magic Mushrooms Dispensary.

 Are you curious what that is? When you wish to grow fantastic mushrooms, all you require to possess is actually to give rise to or possess spores. You don't need to take care of it either. Don't think about this as some unique plant that has some unique necessities. Ever before been aware of the words "Popping up like mushrooms along the railroad"? Effectively, that is actually essentially it. Mushrooms actually just turn up.

 Aside from spores and also the likes, what do mushrooms require?

 Without a doubt, mushrooms perform certainly not need to have lightweight so a lot better maintain them somewhere where illumination can easily not trickle with like in a sealed box. An additional important aspect to note is the temperature. You need to have a secure one. Make an effort certainly not to hit 50-600F at this point.Be certain that you maintain the wetness amount constant. You don't intend to have actually faded -looking mushrooms.

 These are actually the needs, or need to we claim, the technique to mushroom growing. As you may possess observed by now that the technique does not feature some peculiar compound or just about anything; rather, the tip is about possessing the ideal mix of all the mentioned elements. Your venture will expand significantly as soon as you obtain the correct formula for a certain mushroom types.

 Outdoors mushroom developing in the form of a landscape is actually one that demands incredibly little bit of effort once the individual has actually offered the suitable inoculation to the records or any type of other materials along with mushroom generate. You can buy mushroom developing sets for simply a handful of different types of mushroom - you can get switch mushroom develop sets and you may obtain shellfish mushroom grow packages. When you purchase mushrooms from a store you aren't left behind over with excellent compost for your landscape (mushroom compost is actually one of the most expensive and also healthy forms of garden compost as the mushrooms crack down and also recycle several nutrients present in the substratum). In my point of view mushroom expanding sets are a superb means of expanding your own mushrooms and also if at times they do not supply impressive worth for funds when matched up to the outlet cost you will find out so much from doing it on your own and is going to perhaps take wonderful honor in growing as well as after that consuming your very own mushrooms. They are understood in the untamed as area mushrooms but they are normally designated as the button mushroom or even the Portobello mushroom, although the Portobello varieties are commonly much larger in measurements.