Welcome to The Coven Blog

Hi, I’m Alexis, the human behind Starry Skies Austin, and this is the first page in a escape.

This blog exists because the world is loud right now, and not in a fun, punk-show way. More like a siren-that-never-stops way. Immigration enforcement is escalating, people are protesting, and the Trump era version of “normal” keeps trying to gaslight us into thinking cruelty is just policy. It’s not. It’s cruelty, with a badge and a press release.

So, yes, we’re going to talk about current events here. We’re going to talk about ICE. We’re going to talk about the fear it produces, the damage it does, and the way it ripples through communities and workplaces, including the ones that pretend they’re “staying neutral” while people get hurt.

And we’re also going to talk about books, art, style, and that very specific kind of joy you get when you find the perfect shirt that feels like armor. Not because aesthetics are shallow, but because aesthetics are language. Sometimes they’re the only language you can safely speak out loud.

What I stand for, plainly

I’m antifascist. I’m inclusive on purpose. I’m "radical left scum." I’m not interested in “agree to disagree” with anyone who thinks some people deserve fewer rights, fewer protections, or fewer chances to be safe.

Starry Skies Austin is built on the idea that you can be soft and still dangerous, kind and still uncompromising, cozy and still politically awake. You can light a candle, read a book with morally complicated characters, and still be crystal clear about what’s happening in the real world.

Why a blog, why now

This is going to sound dramatic, but it’s honest: I’m using this as a form of escape.

Not the “ignore reality” kind. The “I need somewhere to breathe” kind.

I’m in the U.S. right now when I want to be overseas with my family. I can’t just pick up our lives and teleport to the place that feels safer, saner, or more aligned with the future I want for my kids. So if I can’t physically leave yet, I’m building a door anyway. A page-sized portal. A tiny rebellion with headers and paragraphs.

This blog is that door.

Sometimes the posts will be about dark academia and witchy style. Sometimes it’ll be about building a reading nook that feels like a sanctuary when the news is trying to chew through your nervous system. Sometimes it’ll be behind-the-scenes: how a design becomes a product, why I chose it, what story it’s trying to tell.

And sometimes it’ll be me looking at what’s happening in the country and saying, out loud, “No. Not in my house.”

What you can expect here

1) Style as story.
Dark academia, celestial motifs, desert-witch energy, the kind of pieces that feel like they belong in a moonlit library or an airport at 2 a.m. when you’re running toward a new life.

2) A values-forward space.
I’m not tiptoeing around politics. I’m not “both sides” about human rights. If that bothers you, this blog is going to feel itchy.

3) Real comfort, not fake positivity.
This is not a “just manifest harder” corner of the internet. Sometimes things suck. Sometimes we still make art anyway.

Community rules (read this twice, it matters)

This is a safe place to express opinions and process current events, including anger, grief, fear, and hope. That said:

• Bullying is not tolerated. Not here. Not ever.
• No racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or any of the other tired little hate costumes people keep trying to wear as “opinions.”
• You can disagree, but you can’t dehumanize.

If you show up to punch down, you’ll be shown the door. If you show up to talk, learn, vent, reflect, and keep it human, welcome. Pull up a chair. The kettle’s on.

A note about joy

There’s a weird lie that floats around activist spaces and creative spaces alike: that you have to choose between caring about the world and enjoying your life.

Nope.

Joy is not a distraction from resistance. Joy is the fuel that keeps you from burning out into bitterness. Reading is not frivolous. Art is not frivolous. Making a home feel safe is not frivolous. It’s how we survive the parts that are.

So that’s what this blog is: a place for the messy overlap. The news and the novels. The rage and the ritual. The soft and the sharp.

Welcome to The Coven Blog. We’re going to tell the truth, make cool things, and refuse to be quiet about what matters.

Until next time: keep reading, keep resisting, and keep your weird little heart safe.

 

Under the same stars, Alexis