Spirit Songs @thepagantimes - Tumblr Blog

Hi! Would you ever consider drawing any of Becky Albertalli’s characters? I would love to see Imogen and Tessa or maybe Bram and Simon and I think you’d do a spectacular job!

Hello there! I’m so glad you asked—I actually have drawn artwork of Becky Albertalli’s characters, but I’ve just been completely derelict in my duty to cross post it everywhere, which is negligent of me and another piece of evidence in the argument that someone else should probably be in charge of my social media accounts. Lol

Here is Imogen and Tessa from Albertalli’s amazing book Imogen, Obviously:

So, funny story about this artwork: I had received Imogen, Obviously as an ARC from Becky after I’d left a comment on one of her posts about how excited I was for this book—primarily because “the discourse,” as it is referred to sort of sardonically in the book, still messes with my head when it comes to my own bisexuality. The more public my life becomes, the more I find myself discomfited by questions like “Am I still allowed to be queer if I’m in a straight passing marriage?” Or “Am I queer enough if, when people see me on the street or bump into me in the check-out line at Safeway, they don’t see a semiotically-dressed bisexual, but rather a slightly overwhelmed working mom in a cardigan and a pair of early-2000s capris?”

As soon as the book showed up, I devoured it, and like, I just can’t remember a book that made me feel so seen. Imogen, Obviously tackles queer purity culture so thoroughly and yet so compassionately, that I immediately picked up my stylus to draw Tessa and Imogen (even though I technically lacked the time to do the image as much justice as I would have otherwise like to have done) then posted it to Instagram and Twitter.

And holy smokes, Becky liked this pic so much, she retroactively commissioned the image so she could give out stickers of it on her book tour. She also granted me permission to sell the print in my Etsy shop (it’s not there yet, but soon!). 🥹

So that’s the story you didn’t ask for but which I had to share—because it looks like we both have an appreciation for Becky’s work in common and because I would love to spend more time drawing Imogen and Tessa or anyone from the Creekwood Series. Thank you so much for the ask and for your kind words about my art! 💕

crispycaro

missing them

betterthanasix

Some fluffy Riley and Ellie from lb?

thank you so much for the request!!! i love these two so much. i got lazy so just imagine they figured it out and left boston together and it's night and they're stargazing and reading savage starlight by firelight. first time drawing bellie & storm!riley so v stoked with how they turned out. also had to give ellie her moment with her tank top.

vivaciouscynner

I really just want a sound bite of Catra yelling, quite angrily, "I WAS FLIRTING WITH YOU!" to Adora

Adora: Like..., the whole time??????

Catra through gritted teeth: YES!

thebutterflyeffectuniverse

I just now noticed that in this picture in Life is Strange 2 of Chloe and Max Chloe’s tattoo seems to be mostly covered up. Are there any theories of why she has decided to cover her tattoo?

youshouldjustliveinmychurch

Catra and Adora were taught to physically fight from the time they were young children, which I think is so interesting because we see the negative impact of that on their relationship. Obviously that's an unhealthy way to deal with things. They don't really know how to express their emotions or vulnerability very well. In Adora's words, she's used to punching her feelings out. In their horde days we see that one of the main ways they express affection for each other is roughhousing. Constantly. They mainly just tackle each other and playfight. It's a kind of physical touch that's more easily allowed within their framework than any kind of gentleness. While that's partially due to their dynamic in general, it quickly becomes sinister once they're actually on opposite sides of the war and are fighting with the intention to defeat. Another user posted about their fighting and the unspoken emotion behind it since they haven't been taught to express themselves in a heathy way (couldn't find the post so feel free to tag OP!). Because of their particular kinds of trauma, neither of them are able to be vulnerable and listen to the other while also explaining their feelings. For the first four seasons they're pretty much shouting at each other without any active listening going on. That lack of vulnerability and understanding is symbolized by their physical fights. What makes season 5 so good (at least in part) is The Shift™️ to gentleness.

Adora's been in an environment with people around her who have helped her start to recover from her trauma. Catra just starts to get that chance once she's rescued from horde prime. And it takes time. There's a lot to unpack there and it's not easy, but slowly Catra starts to heal as well away from the Horde. And their dynamic changes. We still see moments when they regress (their fight immediately after Save the Cat and the scene where Catra leaves again both moments when they aren't really listening to what the other person is saying - healing isn't linear), but there's something else there as well. They put their hands on each other's cheeks, Adora puts her hand on Catra's shoulder, they cradle each other, Catra holds Adora's shoulders as she helps her to the heart. And there's the moment in the spaceship where they've been fighting once again and Catra's exterior breaks and she's vulnerable. Catching Adora's wrist, her hand slides down to gently caress Adora's and she asks her to stay. This moment mirrors the moment in the first season where Adora catches Catra's wrist, asking her to come with her and Catra pulls away. Rather than the wrist (still a somewhat detached touch), Catra's hand slides down intentionally taking her hand. Ughhhhhh. My little heart. Before when they're holding hands, it's usually accidental or almost unavoidable during a fight. They're pulling each other off of cliffs or grabbing hands in a mind-bending reenactment of their memories. But this is something else: intentional gentleness which I think is such a crucial element of Catra's redemption, the development of their relationship, and the healing of their trauma.

Once Catra is out of the horde, she has the chance to start to feel safer and is able to be more emotionally vulnerable along with the fact that there are boundaries. Violence won't be tolerated and Catra has to change her behavior in order to be close to Adora, which I think is important. They start listening to each other and helping each other heal by validating the other's needs while putting themselves in each other's shoes. This peaks at the moment that Catra is finally able to express her love for Adora, which she's never had the ability to do before because of her insecurity, trauma, and fear of vulnerability. With that narrative resolution and progression, they finally kiss. Gentleness and vulnerability is what they were never allowed before and it's the thing that embodies their healing. Nothing that hasn't been said before by other posters but ughhhhhhhhhhhhh

rileydrawesandwrites

I keep seeing this "She-Ra in 2023?" thing and I just don't get it (and sure, one of those was in a positive light). You don't have to stop enjoying or creating for something you care about.

"Show's over, gotta find a new thing" isn't real.

Like, Tamsyn Muir is still working on a book series that's essentially long-form Homestuck fanfiction.

You don't have to give up reading, writing, watching, listening, drawing, or otherwise participating just because the show, or comic, or book, or whatever it is you followed so closely, has ended.

There's no time limit on loving something that's important to you.

childsofthestars

syriofwolves-deactivated2013042

Spell to not give a shit:

Light a candle, whisper your problem to it, then say:

“I do not give a shit.

You can’t make me give a shit.

My last fuck has flown.”

And blow out the candle, symbolizing you blowing out the shit you were supposed to give.

ceryneian-hind-deactivated20130

I didn’t know I needed this spell until now.

upthewitchypunx

again!

just-shower-thoughts

I wish other religions would advertise that I need their gods - because seeing a “ No Dionysus - no parties. Know Dionysus - KNOW PARTIES!” billboard would totally make my day.

notherenortherenoranywhere-deac

@pomegranateandivy

pomegranateandivy-deactivated20

Yes. Good. Very good.

asksecularwitch

@ginandjack

mehrunes-razor

⚡️Repost if you want white supremacists to stop using European pantheons to justify themselves.⚡️

The real benevolent Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman (and more) deities would never want their names and teachings to be used for hatred. If anything, they want the opposite.

orriculum

chiara-luna

Tarot Time Correspondences

✨There are a lot of different methods of interpreting tarot cards when it comes to timing so I thought I’d share mine.

✨Suit of Wands

The Suit of Wands is commonly associated with the element of fire. Fire burns fast so I interpret this as days.

✨Suit of Swords

The Suit of Wands is associated with the element of air. Air flows quickly and consistently so I associate it with weeks.

✨Suit of Cups

The Suit of Cups is commonly associated with the element of water. Water can flow quickly or slowly, can be rough or calm and is influenced by the moon so I interpret it as months.

✨Suit of Pentacles

The Suit of Pentacles is associated with the element of earth. Earth is calm, nurturing and unfaltering. I associate it with years.

✨I interpret the cards of the major arcana as dependent of my own actions or the actions of the person the reading is about so the event ( or whatever I’m reading for ) will occur when I or the other person behave accordingly to that card. I do the same with the court cards but I or the other person must act on it in the timeframe suggested by the suit.

enchantress-in-me

✡️Enchantress In Me ✡️

themanicnami

Nightmare Prevention Masterpost

Here’s a masterpost to help prevent nightmares, how to interpret them and how to deal with them.

Prevention:

Crystals: Agate, Amethyst, Angel Phantom Quartz, Black Tourmaline, Chrysoprase, Dream Quartz, Emerald, Fluorite, Lepidolite, Malachite, Smoky Quartz, any crystals that are black

Herbs: Anise, Ash, Bracken, Cayenne, Cedar, Flax, Garlic, *Hyacinth, *Kanna, Lady’s Slipper, Lemon Balm, *Mistletoe, *Morning Glory, Mullein, Mustard Seed, Purslane, Rosemary, Sage, Salt, Siberian Ginseng, *Skullcap, *Tobacco, Vervain, Wood Betony

*Herbs that can be or are toxic to ingest or burn, do research before handling these herbs

Incense: Cedar, Chamomile, Rosemary, Sage

Animals: Spiders (spiderwebs)

Metals: Silver

Simple Tips:

Make chamomile tea with moon water/gem elixir and drink before bed

Keep your bedding and pillows washed and clean

Cleanse your room before going to sleep

Take a bath or shower before bed to relax and cleanse yourself

Keep a bowl of salt near your bed

Sleep with crystals beneath your pillow or near your bed

Fill a bag or sachet with herbs to keep under your pillow or hang above your bed

Sleep with a stuffed animal or blanket that you feel comforted by

Try not to snack too close to bed time, indigestion can lead to nightmares

Stretch before bed

Do breathing exercises or meditate before bedtime

Crack your window slightly to bring in fresh air while you sleep

Avoid nicotine, alcohol or caffeine too close to bed

Listening to calming ambient sounds can help

Dealing with Nightmares

Nightmares can be very stressful and terrifying. Everyone has them and sometimes they are caused by your own subconscious thoughts and worries.

Keep a notebook or dream journal with a pen near your bed. When you wake up from a nightmare, even if you are distressed, try to write down your emotions, thoughts and what you can remember about the nightmare down.

Come morning research the symbolism of the things that happened and appeared in your nightmare. Also consider what they may mean personally to you. Do you have any memories or experiences that relate to what happened in your dream?

Look it all over after you finished your research. What picture does it paint? Is something from your waking life affecting you? Stresses? Arguments? Relationship problems? If so perhaps it is time you try to resolve these problems.

After waking up from a nightmare you can still feel rather distressed.

Take deep breaths, as scary and distressing as it is, it is still just a dream

Get some water

Stretch or walk around if you can, get the jitters and shakes out

Cleanse your room if you can, spray some moon water about or bring in some salt, help remove the negativity you just felt

Read a book, it can help relax you again and make you feel sleepy, especially after such a stressful experience

After you wrote down what you remember from your nightmare, don’t dwell on it right now. You can worry about it later, for now find other things to do if you are not interested in going back to sleep

Listen to calming music or sounds

Watch calming images or videos if needed such as rain falling, ocean waves, changing clouds, looping gifs, etc

If someone is around and there to listen, you can talk it out with them. It can really help calm you

Drink some chamomile tea, it really helps

Wash your face

Cuddle, pet or speak with a pet

Hold your favorite stuffed animal or blanket for comfort

Make a crystal grid of calming stones and negativity removal stones

If you do not plan on going back to sleep or if it is already morning, take a shower or bath

If you do not plan on going back to sleep, light some white and black candles to cleanse yourself and space of the negative energy brought by the nightmare. Do this with caution, make sure you are not too tired to do this. Fires are not fun or safe

Calming Crystals: Amber, Amethyst, Astrophyllite, Blue Lace Agate, Calcite, Celestite, Danburite, Desert Rose, Dioptase, Dolomite, Dravite, Fire Agate, Fluorite, Galena, Goldstone, Hematite, Howlite, Infinite Stone, Magnesite, Milky Quartz, Pietersite, Rhodonite, Sodalite, Sugilite, Tiger’s Eye, Vauxite

Cleansing Crystals: Amber, Ametrine, Aquamarine, Calcite, Chlorite, Fluorite, Gyrolite, Blue Tourmaline, Milky Quartz, Salt, Serpentine, Sunstone, and Turquoise

Calming Herbs: Basil, Chamomile, Hops, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, Rosemary, Siberian Ginseng, St. John’s Wort

Cleansing Herbs: Anise, Bay, Birch, Boodroot, Cedar, Chamomile, Fennel, Horseradish, Hyssop, Iris, Lavender, Lemon, Lemon Verbena, Mimosa, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Sagebrush, Shallot, Thyme, Tobacco, Turmeric, Vervain, Yucca

Research herbs to ensure they are safe before using them

Nightmare Prevention Spells:

Ghost Nebula Protection in Dreams Spell

IC 2118 Spell for Peaceful Dreams

*Nightmare Repellent

Nightmare Warding Stuffed Animal Spell

Sleep Protection Spell Jar

*Simple Nightmare Ward

*Spells that are not mine