oh uh. you said something about sending me some magic exercises n shit the other day. may i have some..?
-@runicsorceress
Oh, yes! Of course! Sorry, I was trying to gather my thoughts on that.
So the tricky thing with magic is, there are just so many kinds. There's energy work, magic through tools, magic through action or word, or if you want to do something projective, or receptive, or... Just, it's hard to make recommendations when I don't know where you want to go with it. Because where you want to go determines where I'd recommend you start.
If you'd like my personal recommendations, I'd say start with protection/shielding (safety first!), getting comfortable with your own energies, charging things with it, and doing some bonding exercises with a Pokemon of your choice!
I lean pretty heavily into energy work, so a lot of my go-to tips are based on that, but if it doesn't resonate with you, or you try it a few times and you don't feel anything, let me know and I can recommend other routes.
Also, I'm probably going to gloss over The Basics because I may or may not be infodumping and um! There's a lot that can be said!
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It's always a good idea to familiarize yourself with your own energies. You know how aura readers can sense you? It's kind of cultivating that awareness, but just for yourself. Most people find it easiest while meditating or doing breathing exercises. (These things tend to clear away distractions and thus make it easier to get insight, but they're not requirements.)
The core concept is to imagine yourself, however you see yourself. It doesn't have to be exactly what your physical body looks like, you might be a vague colored blob, or a bright ray of light, or a shadow, or some people even see themselves represented by a Pokemon.
However you visualize yourself, spend awhile focusing on it. Try to open your awareness to what it feels like. Maybe start with your body, and work your way into your mind. What does your body feel like? How is your mind feeling? What kind of things can you see if you follow the feelings even deeper? What's under all of that? Is your energy strong or weak? Is it flowing or halting? Is it radiant or withdrawn?
For this exercise, you don't have to worry about judging it or manipulating it; your goal is to just Become Aware. You might see it in your mind's eye, or, if you're like me, you might feel it like a tingle beneath your skin. It might take a few tries to get a clear focus on it, but being aware of where it is and what it's doing will help with all the other things.
Even doing this for 5-10 minutes a day can boost your awareness!
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Protection is always a good bet, too. Especially working with ghosts, sometimes we get a little... sensitive. Sometimes when our energies start looking a little more like a ghost, spirits are drawn to us, both benevolent and not. And of course, when certain people know you sling spells, they can get, ahh, competitive.
The most common method of protection involves imagining a shield being built around you. The basic idea is to close your eyes, and imagine your body. There's energy around it, emanating from it. What you want to do is take some of that energy, and shape it into a bubble, or a suit of armor, or an iron barricade. I know people who use the image of a mirror or a web, too. You build these energies into a force of protection all around you, and you fortify it by willing negative things to bounce off it, or be burned up by it, or reflect back on whatever's trying to Bother You.
If you like the idea of using tools, you can draw the circle around you physically. Some folks mark the circle they're drawing with physical items like candles at every cardinal direction, or a circle of salt and herbs. Some enchant stones or satchets to shield them, which is a good method to use if you're not getting much "feedback" from your own energies. (Heavy stones, dusk stones, black tourmaline, and smoky quartz are all good choices for protection!)
To charge these things, basically you just push what you want to do into them. This can be by taking your own energies and modifying those with your intention before sending it into the object, or molding the energies of the object itself. Most people use their right hand as the default "energy projector", sending the "charging" by holding their right hand on it, but some folks think being left-handed means your left hand is thus more projective.
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When you get Pokemon involved, there are different things you do with a familiar and different things you do with a temporary aid. Do you want them to lend you their power, or sync up with you entirely? Do you want to establish a permanent bond, or just link up temporarily?
It can be a big decision, so maybe start with a temporary bonding exercise. One of my favorites is as easy as sitting down together, making physical contact, and taking a little bit of their energy, while you give them a little bit of yours. Most people use two hands on their Pokemon, and imagine their own energies leaving through one side and flowing into the other, like a circuit.
Try to assess what you can feel from your Pokemon. You might get a color, a shape, a kind of motion, or a particular emotion. You might feel a slight hum or connect with them through the pattern of their breath. Much like connecting with your own energy, you want to try to become aware of their energy. Although instead of looking inward, for this exercise you want to look outward and focus on them.
You're in Unova, right? You guys don't have z-moves or mega evolutions? Those things aren't essential, of course; they just use physical objects that bolster the connection. Makes it easier. But you can form a connection to a Pokemon just as deeply without them! Though if you want to try using an external tool, something that has a lot of sentimental meaning for your relationship with them, like maybe their Pokeball or a toy you've given, can help facilitate the connection.
Some people will share drinks or food, like a favorite berry or a tea with oranges and cinnamon. (Though if I recall correctly, I saw that you're not big on tea. Maybe make a simmer pot with the oranges and cinnamon instead? The whole place will smell amazing.)
As an aside, some people find these things are easier when they're meditating, in a state of calm and focus. Other people find that their spells work best when they're highly emotional. Personally, I find calm good for some spells and the extra oomph of emotion good for others. It might take some trial and error to find which state makes it easier For You.
And, well, you have runes in your name. I'm not sure which ones you work with, but you can always use symbols carved into candles or written on paper or painted in your workspace to help with focusing, charging, and strengthening! Different runes have different meanings in most systems, so it would just be a matter of figuring out which one to use, whichever one suits your purposes best, and then figuring out where to put it.
Okay, that's already quite a lot of information! Let me know if anything catches your eye, or if you try it and it works.
hey jess. know someone whos dealing with a gengar haunting and wanted to know.. have any advice on energy/life force recovery when dealing with mons that eat them? figured i should probably know more about this shit anyway having a lampent. only strats i really know with the litwick line is having them feed off more people and basically just. slowly getting used to them.
-@runicsorceress
Oh, hey Rune! I'm sorry to hear about the haunting, that can be really draining in more ways than one. This is one of those things where "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", but if they're already in the thick of it, we'll focus on the cure!
tl;dr Take care of themself, ginger and ginseng and sugary foods, things of personal importance, inciting emotion restores life energy, and protecting what energy they have left! And, uhhm... Pain Split is surprisingly effective if you're really connected to the Pokemon using it on you.
First, the band-aid. We need to restore enough of their energy that they can carry on and fight their way through the haunting.
Do they have something they can lean on for some extra energy? My favorite is a pre-charged crystal, but those are mostly good when they're prepared in advance for just that purpose. Lots of people gain energy from eating their favorite food, or an item with sentimental value. Those things can sort of "activate" more of their own personal life force. Ginger and ginseng tea is another one. Sugary food/drinks are good for a quick and brief boost. A pump-up playlist or a walk outside can also be restorative.
For a quieter person, maybe going through a scrapbook to call on happy memories, or entering "the creative zone" with painting or journaling? The important thing is to focus on their personal energies. Emotions generate energy! But for an introvert, so does quiet time.
Now, I would highly recommend stoking that fire away from the Gengar, as far as they can be! We don't want it stealing them as soon as they're created.
Also, well, I know it's annoying to read, but it's true: Basic self-care helps, too. Staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and being sure to eat enough all help the PHYSICAL body recover. The stronger the physical body, the stronger the nonphysical energies will be. Besides, it's no fun being tired from life-draining AND hunger. Alleviate whatever energy drains they can.
On a practical note: If it's a typical Gengar, I imagine it's less active during the day. I would suggest any especially strenuous or spoon-intensive tasks getting done then, before the Gengar has a chance to drain their energy!
Also, there are ways to "shield" yourself and protect your life energy, but the easiest way to do that is to keep a Pokemon that can sense when it's being stolen and chase the predator off. There are also energy shields and, of course, cleanse tags.
You can fashion a "witch's ladder" out of them, with an iron nail in one knot, and maybe a satchel of black pepper, lemon zest, and thorns at the end. Those are really customizable, actually! But those would be my recommendations for protection from a Gengar. They're strong ghosts, but like nay ghost, they're very sensitive to the subtler energies of intent and magic and emotion and all that energy stuff.
If they're REALLY good at energy work, they could "take it back", or hex whoever's stealing it! Charm their energy so anyone else absorbing it gets a nasty shock. But that last one can lead to an all-out war if the haunting is vengeful, so proceed with caution.
And then, this one might surprise you, but if they have a healthy, vital Pokemon that knows Pain Split, and if the Pokemon is willing to do it, the Pokemon can lend them some energy, too. This works best when a connection is already established, but in an emergency, it might be worth trying. Just keep in mind it might drain the Pokemon too, so it's a big thing to ask.
As for you and your Lampent: Having a vitavore take from more people definitely makes it easier on you! A lot of them can also take from Pokemon, and even places if they're "emotionally charged" enough. Or ghosts-- like, actual remnants of living people. But everything here could be of use for you and your personal vitavore, too.
Personally, I always keep a stash of items that hold some of my "extra" life energy; when I have extra I store it away for later, to take in when I need it. My own personal menagerie only includes one little Litwick to drain my life energy, but some of the foster ghosts come in with biiiiig energy demands. I've learned to come into those situations prepared. Maybe this person you know can find an energy talisman "charged" by someone else, though?
send me 🕯️to hear my character’s inner thoughts about your character.
{{ These will be answered OOC!
Magic and curse balls and ghosts, oh my! Rune's so cool. I should probably talk to her more.
How do you start a conversation on magic though? Do I just go up to her and ask for her opinion on the efficacy difference between cleanse tags and sigil wards? Should I have sent her a message wishing her a happy Patrat day? Unovans have a Patrat Day on February 2, right?
I wish I could show her some magic in person. Mistress and Stella both love showing off, I bet they wouldn't mind... and if Sparky [Jess's Litwick] met Litty, I bet he'd be delighted! And, ha, the Alolan Mismagius would get along with Perjury. That, or they'd try to show each other up.
Why do I live so far away from all the coolest people. Damn oceans.
Just know we're 100% gonna judge your taste, richboy! and or girl and or kid
- @silver-crowned-riders
How fortunate, then, that I don't lie awake at night concerning myself with the opinions of rambunctious strangers on the internet.
@runicsorceress, I believe you also sent a question about this type?
Favorite pokemon of that type: Mimikyu
I should hope you all expected this. It's a fairy type, after all. Even without the typing, however, it seems to me that it would still place highly. It's tame for a ghost in that it doesn't frequently attempt to annoy trainers on purpose or make a lot of noise. I appreciate that.
Second favorite pokemon of that type: Frillish
...This pokemon is frightening, yet also beautiful. In a way, it's what I would like to embody: pretty and pink while demanding respect.
Cutest pokemon of that type: Polteageist
I can't in good conscience place it as one of my favorites after all the trouble this pokemon has afforded me during my time in Ballonlea. However, I can't in good conscience pass it over either. It does just so happen to be very cute... even if infuriating...
Dumbest looking pokemon of that type: Dragapult
Its attack is ridiculous. Its horns are ridiculous. Its feet are ridiculous. Everything else about it is ridiculous.
//Hul-lo, mate! Hm.... I'll be entirely honest, I tried to find something slow that also sounded like a proper pokémon battle theme, and this is as close as I got.
//Hopefully that works well enough! Angie's actually a pretty enthusiastic battler.
