Music to write, roleplay, or study to! These playlists are works in progress and are continuously growing and improving. Titled after like-themed action movie and game music, the playlists each have their own personality, and encourage different moods or activity levels. Most music is from soundtracks. The calmest playlists, Temple Ruins and Party Camp, are useful for getting into the mood. This music is less distracting. Once your pace is set, or if you want to get in the mood for an action scene, Underworld or Boss Fight are the playlists for you. Tavern Nights is what it sounds like, full of highs and lows but can be distracting. Field Music is right in the middle, with lots of color.
All playlists are available to follow on Spotify, and can also be accessed via the web player with a free Spotify account. Just click on the [listen] for the link. Please do not hesitate to suggest music/changes to me, either here or on Spotify.
Title: Temple Ruins Mood: tense, eerie, dark and scary Volume: quiet, few musical swells Action: creeping through a dark ruin and avoiding spiders Instruments: minimal orchestral Lyrics: few (non-English)
Title: Party Camp Mood: calm, mysterious, romantic Volume: soft, somewhat dynamic Action: resting after a long day of travel Instruments: minimal orchestral
Title: Field Music Mood: cheerful, adventurous, vigilant Volume: low to medium, dynamic Action: adventuring with your companions Instruments: orchestral Lyrics: few (non-English)
Title: Tavern Nights Mood: cheerful as well as sombre Volume: medium to high, dynamic Action: eating and drinking with the locals Instruments: mainly guitar and fiddle, some harp Lyrics: yes (including English)
Title: Underworld Mood: terra incognita, on the hunt, betrayal Volume: mid-low with many dynamic moments Action: venturing into the land of demons and the undead Instruments: orchestral Lyrics: yes (non-English)
Hey fellow creators! So, as some folks may have recently become aware, Tumblr posts with external links don’t show up in relevant tags (as detailed in this post). IE, if you post a Steven Universe picture and tag it “Steven Universe” and there’s an external link in the post, it won’t actually show up in the “Steven Universe” tag! This is very frustrating! What if I make a post and want to link to my Twitter in the description? What if I want to link people to my online store when I post a piece of art? What if I want to link to a YouTube video and still have it show up under the relevant tags I put into the post?
Hold on to your butts kids cuz here’s how we cheat the system.
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The thing about Tumblr’s Anti-Linking nonsense works is that it only blocks external links. Internal links are fine. So if you wanted to post a link to another Tumblr post, or someone’s Tumblr blog, you’re good. But if you wanted to link to your Twitter page or something, you’re screwed. So, all we gotta do is make your external link into a Tumblr link. Sounds weird. I know. But here’s how it works.
First, go to your Tumblr blog. Hit the “Edit Theme” tab.
In the theme editor sidebar, scroll all the way to the bottom, the “Page” section. (Here’s what mine looks like- I already have a few of these set up)
Hit “Add a Page”, and this window will pop up. By default it’s set to be a Standard Page. Hit the dropdown and select “redirect”.
For this example, let’s say I want to link to my Twitter page. I’ll name the page “Twitter” (this is what the redirect URL will end up being- IE yourblogname.tumblr.com/Twitter), and insert my Twitter URL under the “Redirect To” tab. Leave “Show a link to this page” turned off. (Unless you want the link to show up on your blog, in which case, turn it on. Do what you want, I’m not your mom)
Hit “Save”, and your new page should now show up on your Page list!
And done! So now, let’s say I wanted to use the new link in the text portion of a post. Simply use the Tumblr redirect link instead of the direct URL! As a test, I linked to my Twitter in a test post, using the redirect link instead of the direct link, and there it is in the tag! Success!
I recommend making a Redirect Page for any external links you’ll be using frequently. I like to post links to my webcomic/Twitter in posts fairly often, but doing that made me take a pretty big hit since my posts wouldn’t show up in tags. With this method, I can keep the external links, and have stuff show up when I tag it! Workarounds are fun!
Hope that helps! -Star
(Reblog to spread the word!)
Lifesaver
I remember certain external links being blocked a long time ago, this seems like a good work around. I’ll have to update my pages later.
Combining the energies of shapes and colors is a powerful practice within art witchcraft. You can look for these combinations in your color castings, or other artistic forms of divination, or use them to boost your intent in spells.
Stay tuned for more free resources and information related to art magic and color craft. My inbox is always open!
please be respectful of cultural boundaries when working with mermaids from various cultures and traditions, and be mindful not to intrude.
🌊 Rusalkas – slavic in origin, disturbed spirits of the “unclean dead”, ghosts of women who died violent deaths, with a penchant for drowning young men. they live only in rivers and lakes, and are known to have green hair like aquatic plants, only appearing in the night.
🌊 Melusina – a mermaid that walks among humans, but returns to their two-tailed form during baths and when they bathe their children. often a water spirit of a nearby lake or river. french origin.
🌊 Siren – greek mythology. servants and companions of persephone, whom searched for her when she was abducted. they are known to sometimes have the body of a bird, and for their song, which lured sailors to their doom. cannibalism implied folklore. have the power of prophecy.
🌊 Merrow – irish mermaid. known to have green hair and webbed fingers. particular noted love of music and their red cap, which when stolen, they will live with the thief until they find it, and then return to the water, leaving even a whole family behind.
🌊 Ben-varrey – from the isle of man, known to bless those that are kind to them with prosperity, gifts, and even the location of treasure.
🌊 Aicaya –
Caribbean mermaid, humans who become mermaids when they are shunned from their community and go to live in the sea.
🌊 Amabie – japanese merpeople, with birdlike torsos and three legs and scales. they are gifted with prophecy, usually foretelling abundant harvests or epidemics
🌊 Ningyo – “human faced fish” known to have golden scales, that brings bad weather and misfortune when caught, but when their flesh is eaten the consumer is granted youth and beauty, even agelessness.
🌊 Finman / Finwife – magical shapeshifters that disguise themselves as sea creatures or plants to lure humans, unlike most mermaids they kidnap people from the shores to be their spouses or servants. they have a greed for jewelry and coins, particularly silver, and prefer humans over other finfolk.
🌊 Sirena Chilota – considered the more friendly mermaids, caring for all fish life and rescuing drowned sailors to restore life to them. known for their human-like beauty and youth, according to legend they are the child of a human and a “king of seas”, tears are a powerful substance. from chilote mythology.
🌊 Cecealia – sometimes known as “sea witches”, they are half human and half octopus. origins in native american and japanese mythology.
🌊 Sirena / Siyokoy – the philippine version of mermaid and merman respectively. also called “magindara”, they are known to protect the waters from raiders, and protect the boy moon from sea monsters. Siyokoys can sometimes have legs however, covered with scales and webbed feet
🌊 Sea Mither – scottish/orcadian mythology, a spirit that personifies the sea during spring and summer, battles along scottish isles using storms to bring the summer about. a mother figure to all aquatic life.
🌊 Ceasg – a fresh-water mermaid, specifically half-salmon, said to grant three wishes if captured. sometimes called maighdean na tuinne (maid of the wave) or maighdean mhara (maid of the sea). scottish.
🌊 Selkie – though somewhat different from the typical mermaid, as they are not cold-blooded, have the body of a seal in the water and are human on land. in legends their skins are often stolen and they are kept by fishermen as spouses, or become lovers to fishermen’s wives who shed tears into the sea.
Either a Melusina or Sirena Chilota ❤ How about you?
being a witch and living in a tiny dorm or apartment is a hassle… but here’s some (cheap and easy) tips to make your life a lot easier coming from a college witch!
quick note: if you are a student, you can get six months free of amazon prime with a student email account, and from then on out prime is only $50 instead of $100! amazon is a great place for tons of cheaper witchy resources (and really worth it for textbooks).
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crystals! whether you’re sharing a room with someone or in a room by yourself, plenty of people collect and use crystals. check for local flea markets or see if there is an occult shop in your area, there’s bound to be some there. great starter crystals are clear quartz (an essential crystal), amethyst, and rose quartz!
📚 the library! your school library will have some sort of resources. also don’t worry about people thinking you’re strange for checking out books on magick… i promise they don’t care!
🕯 candles and incense! when i lived in a dorm, i hated not being able to light candles and burn incense. invest in some battery powered candles! you can get packs at local dollar stores or walmarts. as for aroma related magick, purchase some oils and mix them with some salt water and spray them around your room! oil warmers or wax warmers are also wonderful alternatives.
📖 a grimoire/book of shadows! i highly suggest keeping a personal book. no, you don’t have to get some elaborate leather bound book that came straight out of hocus pocus for it to be legit. you could find a sketchbook somewhere, use a three ring binder, or buy a hardback book at a thrift store and paint over the pages! your book is what you make of it. it is your own novel of personal magical experiences and knowledge, so make it your own!
🌵 plants! invest in cacti and succulents especially if you are a beginner or live in a tight space, they’re easy to manage throughout the rough mishaps and late nights of school work. cacti are great for protection and banishing negativity, where succulents bring love and healing. both plants can represent the ability to survive through conditions others cannot. if you have a balcony, take advantage!
⚗️ jars! now is a great time to collect containers from thrift stores, gather old pickle jars, and look for sales and coupons craft stores may have since most of them will have all sorts of neat jars.
🔮 an altar! if you don’t have a roommate to worry about, great! do your thing. if you do (and the don’t exactly seem cool with the whole witch thing), you can make a subtle altar of candles, crystals, and some plants or flowers. they don’t have to be elaborate. you could keep a small altar in a shoe box or draw one in your bos/grimoire! get creative!
✍️ sigils! use sigils. abuse sigils. put them everywhere. write them in binders or on your skin, write them on sticky notes or ripped paper and put them places you’ll see them or bury them outside. sleep with a protective one under your pillow. there’s so many things to do and its so easy to use them!
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get creative! you can make crystals out of salt (another thing you should invest in), learn how to read playing cards if you can’t afford a tarot deck, and never forget you can find the coolest things at thrift stores. paint can be your best friend!
☕️ tea and coffee! a keurig is a wonderful investment. whether you like coffee or tea, it gives you boiling water fast without leaving a dorm. enchant your keurig and remind yourself of the properties in your drink to help you learn.
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decorating! take advantage of things like twinkle lights and washi tape! if you don’t know about washi tape, its a decorating tape that does not damage walls. create constellations or sigils with washi tape on your walls! amazon also sells many cheap tapestries. give yourself a comfortable and pleasant space to live and work!
⏳ plan! enchant your planners to help you remember due dates, and while you’re at it, keep track of moon phases and other events! many calendars will tell you when full moons are.
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meditate! this is something i find very important to stay sane during hard semesters. if you have a roommate, maybe meditate in the morning or late at night laying in bed. you could also meditate when they have classes. its okay if you cant every day, but its important to remember to save time for you.
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walks! if you live in a dorm there’s a big chance you’ll be walking to class. enjoy these walks with nature, read outside every now and again, but make sure that you are always safe.
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take your time! you do not have to collect all of these things in a week, month, or even year. witchcraft is all about intent and energy. you hold the power, the items are only there to help. manifest your own power, collect at your own pace.
🔎research! always research properties of things. buy cheap dried herbs from grocery stores and work with them, figure out what to put in your coffee to help you with your day, and learn how to enchant crystals to help you feel a little more confident about your studies. most importantly, learn to balance your studies and your witchy research, and don’t let witchcraft get in the way of your schoolwork. school should come first always!
i hope this helped some of you college witches, new and experienced! i am always open to answer questions! happy casting!
Magic resources for all my student witches out there! Remember, magic isn’t going to save your grades if you don’t also put the effort in. But it can certainly support you through your journey as a hardworking student ❤
Familiars, not to be confused with the closed Native American term/concept of Spirit Animals, are, in short, familiar spirits that can aid a witch in their magical practices. In pop-culture, you mainly see familiars referenced as stereotypical witch-related animals such as ravens/crows, foxes, black cats, or bats. As with many witchcraft related things that are shown in pop-culture, this is a misrepresentation. Foxes, ravens, crows, and bats are not only quite dangerous to work with, but a familiar can range from your pet hamster Fluffy to your Great Dane named Tiberius. Note: not all pets are familiars! For people who believe in past lives and their domestic (note: physical) familiar has died, they may try to relocate the familiar spirit.
So, how do I obtain one?
Well, obtaining a familiar is both simple and difficult. People often jump right to their pet, thinking that of COURSE it’s their familiar, it’s their pet after all. But in reality, most pets have no interest in your practice, whereas a familiar will. It is a wild misconception that a familiar is only an animal, in reality, the familiar is not the body it inhabits, but the spirit. Meaning, you do not need a physical animal to have a familiar, but your familiar can take on the body of an animal/pet/etc. There are familiar summoning spells (some linked below) – and if your kitty takes an interest in your magic, it may very well be a familiar!
Spirit companions and familiars may seem to have a lot of crossover, but they are very different entities that hold a similar purpose. Spirit companions do not tend to take on a physical body, whereas often times familiars do. Spirit companions are also mainly astral and spirit work based, familiars have more of a physical world base and are not as related to direct spirit work.
Can my familiar perform magic?
In short, not really. Familiars are not there to cast spells (your cat isn’t going to give you a tarot reading, trust me, I’ve tried), but rather to help and strengthen YOUR magic/witchcraft. Familiars often help using their energy and presence rather than actually ‘casting’ spells, drawing tarot cards, etc.
How can I tell if my pet is my familiar?
Takes interest in your magical practice.
Does not shy away from witchcraft.
Seems to want to be around you when you are performing rituals/spells/etc.
Immediate strong bond.
Honestly, use your intuition! It will be different for everyone.
Spirit animals vs familiars:
So, I’m not going to discuss this much because the concept of spirit animals and totem is closed. But I will mention that familiars are NOT spirit animals, not even remotely the same thing. Please do not call your familiar a spirit animal and please do not use the term unless you are Native!
Everything else I could find was inaccurate, highly appropriative, outdated, or all three.
Conclusion:
Go with your gut feeling and intuition on familiars, sometimes you just “know”, sometimes you don’t. The experience of familiars is different for EVERYONE. It can take some time to actually find one. If you’re in the market for adopting a new pet, maybe take familiars into consideration! If you have an immediate strong bond with them, they may be your familiar.
this is my favorite art program. it’s *much* more intuitive than photoshop/gimp or corel paintshop, but it still has the full functionality of a digital art program (layers, brush stabilizer, etc.). it’s not overwhelming to start on like practically every other decent art program I’ve tried, you can just pick a brush and start drawing as if it were paper if you want. plus you can download extra brushes for free! and they publish free art tutorials pretty regularly
ANYONE looking for a free art program: worth looking into.
YALL I LOVE THIS PROGRAM, especially the ipad version!! and i’m psyched that i don’t have to pay $30 a year for it anymore!!!
teakepp 