A Look at the "Week" (Ehh...the past few months)

       So I took quite the leave of absence there once school started up. I'd apologize but really I've been too swamped to feel too bad about it.

Some posts I've loved:

Now I haven't had a chance to really catch up, but from what I've seen The Everyday Goth has not failed to impress during my absence. This post on the benefits of being a lone goth is absolutely a must read. Additionally, The Spooky Vegan has an excellent post on keeping the Halloween spirit alive all year long.

What I've been up to:

Most recently, applying to college! That's been taking up so much of my time. Now that it's over things might (hopefully) settle down a bit.

Even besides that my senior year has been hectic. I'm the co-president of my school's GSA, I'm volunteering before school, I'm taking AP English, and a media class that requires me to spend immense amounts of time outside of class filming and working on projects. It's a lot to do!

I've also started a studyblr. Anyone who is interested is welcome to check it out. In related news I recently finished my first bullet journal and had to start a second one.

What else? I bought myself a bike using some of my back to school money. I found it on craigslist and it only ended up costing me $40. That was definitely an accomplishment I was very proud of.

What I've been listening to:

My friend showed me this amazing music video for Breezeblocks by alt-J. I've been listening to it over an over, really admiring the video. It is amazingly filmed. I want to film something that beautiful.

Things I'm grateful for:

My psychology teacher has asked us to make a point of being grateful, so I thought I'd share my list of things for today here.

1. Plush animals
2. The fact I started blogging
3. Coffee
4. My date-person
5. Notebooks
6. My bike
7. Outrageously colored lipstick
8. The fact I can come back to this after an absence without feeling pressured to do so
9. Beautifully shot film
10. Excitement

Since I'm still a bit stuck for time, I'm not going to describe my life with a tarot card today. That is something I hope to pick up doing again at some point though.

Review of The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer

Spencer’s going through a bad time right now. It’s not the first and it won’t be the last. The citizens all know how to stop it. Someone just has to do it.

With his mother institutionalized for mental illness and his father out of work, Stephen’s only choice is to move to Spencer, Michigan with his father. There he finds his uptight grandmother, a few mysterious teenagers, and a whole bunch of small town superstitions.

It doesn’t take long for Stephen to realize how seriously this small town takes its superstitions.

(source)

I absolutely loved this book. Its descriptions of locations and characters lend it a very dramatic atmosphere. The plot manages to seem fresh and new despite containing many aspects that should seem trite.

Additionally, it caters perfectly to anyone with an affinity for all things goth. There’s well described alternative outfits, an actually accurate portrayal of tarot reading, and tombstone rubbings done in a cemetery known as the Playground. One of the characters even smokes clove cigarettes. How much more stereotypically gothy can you get? Not much.

Also wonderful, there is a gay couple, Scott and Cam. They’re fairly quiet characters, but their sexuality doesn’t end up being the key aspect about them, and I love that. It’s so nice when characters just happen to be queer, instead of it being the only reason they’re there.

That being said, all of these aspects seem to fit. None of it feels forced or overbearing. These characters aren’t two-dimensional cut outs put there to force some diversity into the book. They’re just characters doing what they do. It feels natural.

…Even if by the end some of those characters turn out to be more than what they seem.

My one complaint is that there aren’t really very many female characters. There are a few, but most of them play fairly small parts. The female characters that are important to the story are interesting and fleshed out well, but overall it would have been nice to have a few more.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a bit of spooky reading. It has some fantasy aspects, but it doesn’t shove them down your throat. Instead, it implies the fantasy while still leaving it ultimately up to you to decide whether fantasy creatures or human beings were to blame. There are also some wonderfully tense moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don’t worry, the end won’t let you down either.

Favorite Feelings

Today I filmed a vlog about my favorite feeling. It's something a few YouTubers have done, namely Hank Green and charlieissocoolike. It seemed like an interesting idea so I gave it a try.

It was really easy for me to come up with ideas. By the time I was finished with the first version of my list I had about 23 items, including everything from being loved to sleeping well. From there I combined some things, cleaned up the phrasing, and came up with this.

Below is the final version of the list which is what I was reading from in the video.

Favorite Feelings:

• Excitement.

• The positive stress of working on a difficult project I'm passionate about.

• Knowing something I did helped someone.

• Having someone acknowledge hard work I did. People being proud of me.

• Feeling confident and bad-ass.

• Finding something I don't remember writing that is really good.

• Being part of a community I enjoy.

• Being able to tell someone anything and having complete communication with them.

• When you're so excited about a conversation that it's like you can't say things fast enough.

• Having someone include me in plans and make time for me. It shows that they appreciate me as much as I appreciate them.

• Seeing my date-person.

• Cuddles, hugs, and physical contact.

• Being correctly gendered and having people use my pronouns (they/them/their).

• Sword fighting and other fun strenuous physical activities.

• Being alone after a long day.

• Seeing the sky a half hour before dawn.

• Falling asleep easily and wake up well rested.

• Finding a book I know I'll love.

So, what are your favorite feelings? Feel free to share in the comments below, or even to write your own vlog post or film your own vlog. I'd love to see any responses.

Don't forget that you can also check out my YouTube channel or follow me on Google+.

Lazy Saturday and a Heavy Dose of Smart Assery

If you're going to lay around reading all day, it makes sense to just stay in your pajamas, right?

Erm...

...maybe that's true for most people.

Instead of being practical I decided to don several layers of black clothing and a coat of makeup to match. Hey, it was something to do. Besides, who doesn't want to look like death while lounging with a favorite book? Goths do have a reputation of being quite the readers. Maybe I'm just hoping to get my goth card stamped.

It's time for the obligatory and unedited mirror selfie. I hope you're ready for this masterpiece (sarcasm heavily implied of course).

What else did I do while all dressed up? I know you're all wondering that...except for those of you who aren't. Regardless, I posed with a dilapidated lawn chair. Yes. A dilapidated. Lawn. Chair. Wonder upon wonders how marvelous is that. Definitely A+ scenery material. 

*ahem*

Why be serious all the time when it's so much more fun to be a complete and utter sarcastic smart ass from time to time?

A Look at the Week (7/22-7/29)

Once school starts up, posts like these will probably end up happening on the weekends. Until then, who knows. Either way, I want to make a point of taking some time each week to share what I've been up to, highlight posts I've enjoyed, and share interesting links.

Some posts I've loved:

Not all of these fall within the last week, but I've been doing a bit of catching up since I've been away for so long.

The Everyday Goth and Catacombxkitten have written some very helpful guides on surviving the goth scene and avoiding in-scene drama, respectively.

I've been absolutely blown away by outfits by The HouseCat of Domesticated and Karoliina of Bones and Lilies. The HouseCat rocked two different beautiful androgynous outfits that I truly envy. Meanwhile Karoliina looked absolutely out of this world in a shiny silver and purple outfit.

Sary of the Walrus Room offers some great tips on how to build both your own witchy style and a cabinet of curiosities.

Lastly, getting away from the goth side of things, Aine O'Brien of The Tarot and Other Curious Things suggests picking a tarot card to illustrate your current situation. I like this idea because it encourages you to be thoughtful and reflect on both the cards and your life. I believe I may take part, not necessarily in all of my posts, but at least in these weekly reflection posts.

What I've been up to:

I've spent a lot of this week just trying to finish my summer homework for AP English. I had to read and take notes on Crime and Punishment, Mythology, and the Bible. It's taken a ton of work, but I've managed to finish! Now I finally get some free time before school starts.

Additionally, I've spent time with my friend Jamie. We've been filming some short films, which I'll share with you if we ever post them online. We've also been watching tons of episodes of Goosebumps and The Haunting Hour since there's a Goosebumps movie coming out in October. So excited!

This week has also been dedicated to DIY. I made myself this lovely black and white striped circle skirt with little pumpkin bows. This is the first time I've ever made anything using a pattern and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. If you want to make one of your own, I highly suggest this tutorial.

I wanted to take a picture of my entire outfit, but the lighting in my house is awful. Maybe another time.

What I've been listening to:

Way more post-punk than usual. Goth points for me I guess. I blame YouTube.

Other interesting things:

Anyone who is both darkly inclined and queer is bound to absolutely love these queer flag bats from xxcookievampiressxxladyofart on Tumblr. I know I do!

Every picture tells a story:

This week would be aptly represented by the seven of pentacles. It was all about plodding along and devoting a lot of my time to reaching my goals. In my case, my main goal was to finally finish my reading. I've been working on my reading homework since the beginning of summer. Well, before that actually. I've been working on it since the day my school gave me the books. It's been difficult and at some points endlessly boring, but I just had to buckle down and continue. I knew if I kept working I would get there eventually. I just needed to keep up with the dedicated work ethic the seven of pentacles represents.

And now I've finally-- finally!--finished. The hours spent pouring over those books and checking SparkNotes every ten minutes to make sure I understood what was happening has finally paid off.

Ritual Purity: Non-Binary Mysteries Prompt #5

I am extremely excited to start participating in the Non-Binary Mysteries prompts. Not only do the questions seem interesting, it also combines two important aspects of my identity: being pagan and being nonbinary.

That being said, let's get started. This month's theme is miasma and ritual purity.

What does your path have to say about the concept of miasma or ritual purity?

My practice is very eclectic. More than anything I lean towards urban witchcraft, which means that in an ideal situation I would be out and about for a lot of my magic. That doesn't always go hand in hand with things like ritual bathing.

However, I do draw somewhat from paths that place more of an emphasis on ritual purity. For example, I work with Djehuty and have some Kemetic aspects in my practice. Of course, even within Kemetic practices the standards for ritual purity are a bit fluid and can differ from person to person (assuming you're working solo rather than as part of a group such as Kemetic Orthodoxy) so...I suppose my path doesn't really say much about miasma or ritual purity.

How do you define ritual purity?

For me, ritual purity is just being in the right state (physically, mentally, etc.) to perform a ritual or interact with a deity. The exact requirements of ritual purity vary from situation to situation.

How do you feel about the traditional gendered implications of miasma and ritual purity?

Some traditions dictate that you are not ritually pure while you are on your period. That has never felt true to me so I haven't incorporated it into my practice.

How does your gender influence your ritual purity?

It doesn't really. Being agender has basically no effect on my view of ritual purity or the things I do to achieve it.

Does your worship and practice differ in the kind of demands they have on your ritual purity?

Whether I am worshiping or doing magic does not really affect what I need to do to be ritually pure. More often it depends on the complexity and formality of what I am doing. Generally the more formal the activity the more I will do to be ritually pure. Large formal rituals, celebrations, and works of magic often require a dedicated cleansing bath and clean clothing, whereas simply washing my hands and face is suitable for smaller works. If the activity is more spontaneous I might not do anything at all, depending on the situation.

One thing I do always need to do to be prepared is to be focused. Sometimes this means taking a moment to calm down. Other times it means feeling the energy and emotion associated with whatever I am going to be doing and just going with it.

Generally, anything I do regarding ritual purity is just meant to get me in the right state of mind.

You've probably noticed that I haven't used the word miasma very much in this post. That's because it's a concept I'm extremely unfamiliar with. I actually had to look it up because of this prompt.

The Darkling Tag

I found this challenge on tumblr and figured it would be a good introductory type thing to do since I'm just getting back into blogging.

Simple Questions:

What is your favorite candle scent?

Vanilla is my favorite easily found scent. Beyond that I like anything that smells like good cologne.

Do you have a favorite book?

-explodes while trying to choose-

Are you a tea or coffee person?

BOTH!

What is your favorite brand and color of lipstick?

Currently I'm loving Kleancolor's Cast of Spell. It's not the highest quality but the color is beautiful.

I was actually wearing it today. It works quite well with my predominantly black and purple outfit. In better lighting it looks more colorful. It almost seems to glow too, the same way white fabric does under a black light.

What is your favorite perfume/cologne?

I don't really have one. The only stuff I own is some off brand cologne I got for a dollar.

Do you have a celebrity crush?

No.

If you had to give up the color black, what color would you choose instead?

My first thought was purple, but grey would be more versatile.

If you could change your name to a stereotypical 90s/2000s gothy name, what would it be?

When I was little it would have been Thorn because of the Hex Girl by that name. Then for a while I was leaning towards Heather. Now, I'd have to go with Poe.

What are your top three tips for surviving hot weather while black clad?

Stay in the shade. Sunblock is your friend. Drink tons of water.

What song will always make you happy?

Point Counterpoint by Streetlight Manifesto or Lucretia my Reflection by Sisters of Mercy

Are you active in the arts?

Yes. Mainly I write and film. I'm even part of a multimedia academy at my school.

If you had a teacup or mug made inscribed just for you, what would you have it say?

They/Them

What is you number one non-gothy hobby?

Uh...I don't know. Is filming stuff a gothy hobby or not?

Thought Provokers:

If you could be a supernatural creature, what would it be and why?

Ok, so I'm stretching the word "supernatural" a bit to include mythological creatures as well. I want to be an elf. I like elves. A lot.

What horror monster-based super power would you have?

Uh...I don't know. I'm having trouble thinking of monster-based super powers at all. Maybe turning invisible? Then I could be out an about on my own without having to worry about my safety so much because no one would know I was there. I could actually go for solo walks at night. I'd just have to be really careful about crossing streets.

Do you feel confident or comfortable interacting with other goths or gothy people?

It depends. If I'm all dressed up and I look nice, then yes usually. If not then it's just like, "Wait, I can be marvelously gothy. Please believe me."

Which is more important for a look: great hair or great makeup?

Makeup.

Is there something you wish there was more of in your subculture?

I just wish there was more community in my area. I want to meet people.

Care to share and embarrassing story related to your "darkliness"?

How about the vast majority of my old website?

How are you at DIY?

I'm ok at it. It depends what I'm trying to do.

Quickly describe your ideal wedding.

I don't even know. I know I want to get married eventually but I don't know what I want it to be like.

True or False:

I love watching cheesy romance films: False

I always remember to wash off my makeup at night: True

I sleep with plushies: True

I wear non-black pajamas most nights: True

I still listen to a boy band that had disbanded years ago: False

I think Andrew Eldritch is overrated: False

I don't like vampires: False

I don't like clubs: False

I'm dating a goth/darkly-inclined person: Ehhh...they can appreciate dark things but they aren't goth.

I don't enjoy graveyards: False

Blood makes me queasy: True

I'd sooner faint than pet a spider: True

I don't like haunted houses: I'm really not sure

I still browse Hot Topic's clearance racks: False (there isn't a Hot Topic close enough to me.)

I've never read Dracula: True

I think "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a long and boring song: True (though I like it better than a lot of Bauhaus's stuff)

A (Re)Introduction

I knew I'd make the switch to blogger eventually.

Hello. I'm Bixie Willow. I used to blog on a little site created with webs.com. It was horribly inconvenient and I always intended to move over here, but could never bring myself to do it.

Now that I'm starting over it seems like the perfect time to do so.

Despite being on Webs I used to interact with the bloggers here quite a bit, so if you recognize my name...well I'm still surprised. It's been about two years since I've posted anything, and I miss it, especially the sense of community it provided. The three years I spent actively blogging were a lot of work, but a whole lot of fun too.

So I'm back. Hello one and all.

What exactly will this place be? I'm not entirely sure yet. A place to post reviews and crafts and outfit posts, perhaps. A place to post my writing, potentially. A place to discus paganism, and LGBTQ+ issues, and matters of the dark and spooky, most likely.

Above all, this place will be a reason to interact with people who have similar interests, to meet people, and make friends.

I can't wait to get started.