#⊰ ❛ ☆ . * ── visuals. / i will be their wayfinder .

[lightblinds]

tag drop !!

[superfan44]

I. CAN. NOT. WAIT! 🐚🌊🪝

[apricotopera]

god aqua who in fragmentary passage and in remind is constantly fighting herself and is terrified of her mirror image and then also when ven to her face tells her she’s awful the direct next thing she says is ‘so now you know the truth’ (objectively about eraqus’ command to watch terra but Still) is like. it’s sick. it’s sick. i’m extremely emotional about aqua

[hattedhedgehog]

My (spoiler-free) thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The review embargo has lifted and I can officially say that I've played through Dragon Age: The Veilguard early! 

Here are my spoiler-free thoughts and personal opinions on the overall gameplay experience: 

Narrative:

Rook's dialogue and decisions impact SO MUCH of the game, and come into play later on. From companions remembering your beverage preferences, to whether someone you spared shows up later to help or harm you, it feels like the game is paying attention and that you matter.

The stakes are unbelievably high. The Evanuris are utterly terrifying villains, in ways that Corypheus wasn’t. You really feel the magnitude of their power on a personal level as well as a worldwide level.

Whatever your thoughts on him, Solas is FUN as a character. He’s fun to talk to, fun to talk strategy with, fun to rile up and verbally spar with and fun to grudgingly ally with. Now that he can drop his former act and appear to you as the Dread Wolf, and you get to see his memories, you and he team get to decide how to utilise his knowledge and how far your trust extends.

The setup and payoff of the story beats are absolutely superb. The emotional turmoil as a player of being ensnared by things that was foreshadowed earlier in the game is utterly exquisite. Every thread of the larger tapestry has been woven with so much love by the writing team, and every character’s arc tie into the larger story in interesting ways.

The characters feel like they have full lives outside of the player character. You frequently go exploring their home turf and can meet their friends and family. They interact with each other on their own and move about the Lighthouse to spend time together, leave notes for each other, and talk about each other even when the other isn’t there. The team feels like they all really care about each other as well as you. 

You can tell what your approval rating is with characters, but if you want to romance them you have to put some thought into it. Interactions and world events besides the heart on the dialogue wheel influence their attraction to you.

Gameplay:

The combat is very engaging, and I enjoyed how unique all the enemies were.

Abilities in the skill tree can be refunded so you can redirect to a different specialization, which is really handy if you’re indecisive and overwhelmed at first (like I get when choosing abilities).  Most companions can get healing abilities no matter what class, so you don’t have to worry about balancing your rogues/mages/warriors (most of the time).

Climbing, balancing on ledges, using ziplines and sliding down slopes made environments feel more immersive. Additionally I like how each companion has unique abilities that let them interact with the world (fixing mechanisms, breathing fire, summoning bridges from the Fade, etc), and learning their abilities alongside them helps you grow closer.

The wayfinder light makes everything feel streamlined, so it's way harder to get lost while exploring an area. I hardly had to look at the mini map at all, and usually I’m glued to it! This meant I could actually look around at the beautiful environments and appreciate how lively they were, even without NPCs.

The upgrade system is far less overwhelming than in Inquisition; there are a finite amount of weapons/armour/accessories to be found, which are designed for each specific character like in DA:O and DA:2. There's also no longer crafting from scratch. If you loot an item you already have, it automatically upgrades the single item rather than giving you duplicates.

You know that frustration of coming across higher-level armour that just isn’t as flattering as your current one? Not to worry, you can collect “appearances” which you can toggle on as the visual for the armour while still retaining the benefits of the original.

I cannot stress enough how simple and easy to use the inventory is. It's heavenly. 

Using the shops of specific cities increases your reputation within those cities, which is a good incentive to explore and use the shops. I usually hate in-world shopping but here it was simple, and thinking about it tactically worked pretty well.

Quests sometimes reach a point where you can't continue at your current place in the story, and must return to in later acts. When re-exploring familiar areas, everything feeling big enough to be fresh with each visit, and new loot and codex entires appear.

Edit: something I forgot to mention. In character creator, you get to make your Inquisitor after you make Rook. The build menus are all the same, so manage your energy accordingly for doing it all again immediately after for your Inky. I spent an hour and a half building my Rook and wanted to get right to playing, and had to re-wire my brain a bit to be patient and keep going with the CC. (Seeing my Inquisitor with new graphics was awesome though).

A couple little things I appreciated:

The control sounds are very pleasing. From the whoosh of opening the combat wheel to the clinking of upgrades to the subtle whir of holding the decision button, they're a nice touch.

If companions are interrupted in conversation by combat, they resume it afterwards with a "what were you saying before?".

Photo mode is so fun to play with, and you can adjust blur/brightness/lens/depth within the scene. You can also toggle on and off the visibility of your Rook, your party, NPCs and enemies!

Assan learns new interaction tricks at the Lighthouse as the game goes on.

Nitpicks:

Overall I had an incredibly positive experience. The gripes I had were tiny things like:

I genuinely like the new art style of the game as a whole. However, the blurriness of some of the features in contrast with some elements being very crisp was distracting.

When trying to sell valuables for faction points without using Sell All, it takes quite a long time to count up all the individual sales, and it isn't a live counter. So it's kind of annoying if you get +3 points for each item you sell, need 150 points to get the next tier of items, and over 10K worth of valuables that you want to sell to other factions. 

If you do lots of quests without returning to the Lighthouse often, occasionally companions at the Lighthouse will have dialogue pertaining to the quests you've just finished as if you haven't done them.

You can pet the dogs and cats in the cities, but Rook turns their back to the camera to do it and it blocks most of the action unless you rotate quickly.

Gender stuff:

I was incredibly moved that not only can Rook be trans/nonbinary in the character creator if you so choose, but they get options to feel differently about their identity and journey, and it impacts their dialogue and how they relate to other characters! To access this make sure to interact with Varric's Mirror in your room in the Lighthouse. There are many conversation options throughout the game to discuss your identity with other characters, or relate your change of self to other situations. Crucially, it comes up when entering a romance and you have to communicate with your partner about it, which I never even THOUGHT of including in a game because it seemed impossible to even allow trans main characters to begin with.

There are also multiple trans and nonbinary characters throughout Thedas. What I found the most realistic was that just like in life, it is a consistent presence in any character's life, and comes up in conversation more than once. I have never seen a game this forthcoming and open about the topic of transitioning, and it was so validating. 

Final thoughts:

I adore the other games in the franchise. Something about The Veilguard affected me in a way no other game has. I cried multiple times while playing this game, both from joy and sadness. What struck me most is that the people who worked on this game REALLY listened to feedback from previous games, and were very set on making a piece of art that meant something to people. Even during the last few years of me testing the game, things have been adjusted and changed in direct response to our reactions and suggestions. It's surreal and quite touching.

Mileage will vary, but my playthrough was 70 hours on very low difficulty and I haven't done every side quest yet. I could easily have spent more than 100 hours in the game if I wasn't pressed for time.

I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have. See you in Thedas.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

A follow up on that wayfinder trio ask bc I feel like bringing this fact again.

I will always mourn that for BbS flashback we never got younger models bc if math is right, they all should be 4 years younger.[Sora is my clock here as he saved Ven when he was just a baby]

We got a canon age some time ago since they are actually still the same age wince BbS in canon so the math tell us on all BbS flashbacks Terra should be 16, Aqua should be 14 and Ven should be 12 when he arrived!

What backs up my claim is that the voice acting for them did try to make a younger impression of them in flashbacks, which sounds a bit funny just using their default models.

I like to always picture them younger on flashbacks bc is cute as heck to have more present visually time has passed for them.

That been said I agree with the other ask, the look of them looking like they age would have been so cool to see. Robbed as always but at least they are together again. ﾟ+(人・∀・*)+｡♪

You’re so right Romy!!!! I would’ve loved that so much but I understand why they didn’t make separate models just for 1-2 scenes. Wouldn’t it have been cute if they had different/simpler outfits and slightly different hair, like how Ven’s is shorter in his khux sprite? Ah well, headcanon time.

[jkateel]

thinking about all the fen’harel statutes all over thedas. obviously the ones with an upright wolf imparted something to his rebels: some sort of item to assist them; a wayfinder to a safe location; just a visual reminder they are in dread wolf territory and the protections that come with that.

but they were also there just to piss the evanuris off, right? imagine your soldiers chasing after rebels, the lot of them disappearing and all that’s left is this wolf statue imbued with magic and no way to access it.

also thinking of the other fen’harel statues everywhere. I always wondered who built them. but now i think that some of them formed themselves in the fade, in response to his grief. who’s building all those howling wolves statues otherwise?

alternatively, they could have been built by his rebel forces post-Veil. Mourning their fallen hero or trying to remind all these lost slaves and servants and soldiers that Fen’Harel only ever wanted to protect and guide.

[stainedglassgob]

Since people are curious about the design copying in Blaseball: Wild Cards (which is a for-profit card game) I thought I might as well put together a graphic of some of the most obvious examples. For clarity, Blaseball: Wild Cards art is on the left, design origin/inspiration is on the right. Some things of note:

None of the designers featured in this post have been publicly credited or given payment/royalties even though the game has been funded since May 25th, 2022.

Some designers were contacted by Wayfinder after the card was drawn for permission to use their design.

Designers were contacted only after I sent Wayfinder an email about their inappropriate conduct with lack of crediting and asking for permission. Read more about their response here.

In at least one situation with Tillman Henderson, Wayfinder only contacted one designer and not the two others involved in his visuals. The artist they contacted is only responsible for a singular aspect of the Tillman design (autopsy scars along chest.)

There are dozens of cards that have yet to be released to the public.

Wayfinder expects fans to tell them when they’ve stolen designs instead of doing the due diligence themselves. See Reddit AMA for more information.

Instead of paying or crediting designers, Wayfinder has repeatedly made their artists redraw cards.

[leonstamatis]

Art & Attribution Issues In Blaseball: The Card Game. An FAQ covering common misconceptions and concerns.

I am not a visual artist and am not personally being impacted by the card game. But I’ve seen a lot of the same questions (and arguments against criticisms) pop up, and I’ve decided to compile some of the information into one place for the purpose of easily sharing it.

Specific questions regarding artists’ experiences probably shouldn’t go to me! I’m just following along.. A text-only version is available below the cut further down.

Sources:

Goblin’s post comparing Blaseball: TCG player designs with fanmade designs

TGB Reddit AMA (includes Tillman’s original designer, Marn @/charaznablescanontoyota, confirming she was never contacted.)

Mentions of whitewashing concerns from @/hadestigers

DMs with Wayfinder regarding credit for a stolen design and accreditation (via Goblin)

Also, adding here that Gob has posted a couple asks with specific desires and concerns as an artist affected by this.

Additional Links:

Cancel your preorder (originally found by @/waveridden)

Wayfinder contact form (or email at info@wayfinder-games.com)

Art & Attribution Issues In Blaseball: The Card Game. An FAQ covering common misconceptions and concerns.

1. What is Blaseball: TCG?

Blaseball: The Card Game is an upcoming game from Wayfinder, which aims to recreate some of the experiences of Blaseball.com in a card game format. A pledge campaign was launched in early 2022 to fund the project. The game itself was unveiled at PAX Unplugged this month.

2. So... Why are people mad about it?

The current iteration of the card game, from what we've seen, includes recognizable fan favorite players from Blaseball. Some of that art bears significant resemblance to design elements made popular by fandom creators. People working on the game have said they made an effort to avoid this and, when a fanon design was used, asked artists for permission. But as more designs were unveiled, artists have said they continued to see popular fanon ideas without acknowledgement of where it came from.

3. How do you know the ideas came from fanon?

Blaseball doesn't have player designs. All we know about the players from the site itself is coffee preference, blood type, some stats, and the name/team. That means almost everything about the player is created from the ground up by fans. Wayfinder (and The Game Band, who operate Blaseball.com) have confirmed they specifically sought out artists who weren't in the fandom for the game in order to prevent copying. But according to a Reddit AMA with TGB, those artists were then given descriptions of gender, race, and specific features of the players. Those aspects were created by fans, and often a specific fan who cared a lot. They deserve credit for that.

4. Did anyone talk to them about it?

Yes. Extensively. Goblin has spoken at length about efforts to contact Wayfinder privately about accreditation and acknowledging fan artists. They tracked down the original artists for every design being stolen and sent it to Wayfinder, despite not being involved in the game or receiving compensation. Specific examples are available on their Tumblr, @stainedglassgoblin, where they've been speaking about this process.

5. Is it possible it was accidental?

Some of it could be due to coincidence, sure. But the number of similarities has prompted concerns. Goblin has a post with about a dozen examples of overlap between fanon and Blaseball: TCG designs. Again, TGB confirmed during their recent Reddit AMA that card game artists were given specific summaries for characters appearing in the card game. Here are a few:

Nagomi Mcdaniel is an Asian woman who has undergone carcinization and developed crab attributes.

Chorby Short is a frog who plays blaseball.

Specific designs were also used for popular players like Wyatt Quitter, Tillman Henderson, etc.

There are a few issues here:

Carcinization is not implied to change a character's appearance in game. That is a fanmade interpretation. While Nagomi is a name with Asian roots, gender is always up to interpretation with names -- so why does the summary specify? That's fanmade lore, too.

Where on Blaseball.com does it say Chorby Short is a frog? (It doesn't. That's fanmade.)

While creators have confirmed one artist was asked for permission to use their Tillman Henderson design, two other artists also had huge influences on the common design -- and at least one, who initially drew the design, says she was not asked.

6. I preordered the game and now I feel weird. What do I do?

Great news! If your order hasn't shipped yet, you can cancel it. The best way to make clear your disappointment about this issue is to revoke your financial support. Visit the GameFound page for the game to find details on cancellations and refunds.

7. How do I voice my concerns?

Wayfinder Games has a general email listed on their website at info@wayfinder-games.com. There's also a contact form there that you can fill out. I recommend telling them you won't purchase the game, and will be telling others not to purchase it, either. Money goes a long way. And so does public scrutiny! Talk openly about your concerns on social media. Tag them. Put pressure on them, publicly.

8. What are artists asking for?

Credit for their work. It's also worth noting that this is a for-profit game! Wayfinder is making money off of it, while the people who came up with these players' lore aren't being compensated at all. It's a shame that the people who have made art out of genuine love for the game now have to see someone else get paid for it.

9. If people didn't recognize the player designs, they wouldn't buy the game. This is stupid.

I’ve seen this sentiment a few times, and I'm a little tired of it. I understand the need to bring people in and sell the game, but there were plenty of ways to go about it that didn't involve art theft. Here's just a couple:

Make new characters. Seriously. The fans love to make up new players, and this would not have been the business failure you think it would be. It's better than having artists call you out for plagiarism, anyway.

Don't provide character details to the artists you specifically hired because they were unfamiliar with fanon. I really don't understand why they did that. I can't figure it out.

Work with fandom artists from the beginning in order to give them credit for their designs from the start, avoiding this whole debacle. Checking for permission is the bare minimum; providing compensation is even better. This could have been a collaborative thing, instead of leaving fanartists out despite their obvious sway in fandom spaces.

Make a game without character art. This is the boring answer, I guess, but... Blaseball.com doesn't have any pictures of the players! It still has plenty of fans! If the card game were just the same player cards we already know, I'm sure it would have been fine.

10. Is there anything else?

Yeah. I don't have specific examples of this handy, having not seen all the art, but some artists have expressed concerns about the whitewashing of certain players in the current designs. While the designs may riff on art concepts from fandom artists, there are cases where artists say the skintone is lighter or facial features and other details have been scrubbed of their racial/ethnic ties. I didn't want to leave that out. Some cards have been redesigned since they were unveiled. But artists say they had to reach out to Wayfinder with concerns to make that happen, and it resulted in the artists they did hire having to do more work to completely redo cards -- instead of only doing the work once. That's unfair to everyone, and also unnecessary.

11. Stay informed and updated

We've yet to get an official statement from Wayfinder (on Twitter, at least) on this issue since it was brought up. The "blaseball: tcg" tag on Tumblr is full of posts with additional context and information, and Goblin (and other artists!) have made a number of statements regarding their experiences.

Also? Support your fandom artists. Give them a follow.

--

Thanks to Gob and to lofi for reviewing this. Again, if anyone has concerns, additions, or corrections, send them my way.

[nellandvoid]

me sneaking into the kitchen at 3 am for some mac and cheese

i gave the wayfinder a bit of a redesign cause i felt like her old mask may have been a bit clunky, so here’s a quick sketch showing off the new digs! her mask is still broken up into 3 pieces, but is held together magnetically by the visor - each piece can be worn separately, and each has an important purpose (top section mainly intimidation factor lol, middle section is audio and visual processor that translates alien languages and scans area for threats/makeup of landscape respectively, bottom section dimensional translator and oxygen tank plus intimidation factor)

also i updated the purpose of her extra arms - they’re semi-sentient permanent arm braces after a serious injury in the nightmare realm

[tryslora]

What I'm Reading Wednesday...

On the Duck Prints Press reading server, it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday where we all share what we finished in the last week, what we are currently reading, and what we think of these books.

I figured hey, why not bring that to the rest of the world for myself. Because I love yelling about my current reads. And I’ve always got several things in motion at one time, between physical, audio, and ebooks, plus things I’m reading for specific reasons.

Here’s the summary from the last week in visual format (the actual discussion is behind the read-more):

Fiction

I am currently reading Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (from Duck Prints Press). There are so many things to love in this book. The world building packs so much into such a small space. The culture clash between human and shapeshifter is wonderful (and Harley’s shapeshifters truly have a culture all their own). I thought it was going to be a quick read because it’s short, but the language and depth of information have me going slower and savoring every word. That said, I’ve also reached the point where I want to take it in faster, so I find myself spending a little extra time every time I pick it up, just to get a few more pages!

Manga & Graphic Novels

I have one manga and one graphic novel in progress.

I’ve been reading The Complete Elfquest, volume 1 by Wendy & Richard Pini for a little over two weeks now. We have several of these volumes, and my intention is to read one chapter/issue a night, so I am able to savor them slowly, but also get through them. Reading this first volume is like coming home into a fandom from childhood. The first chunk of it was also collected in the original Warp Graphics compilations, and I can’t remember how often I read those back in high school. I’m reaching the parts now where I probably only read the individual issues once or twice, so it’s familiar, but not to the point where I’m like oh yes, I remember gazing at that panel for hours. I still love these elves, and this story, and I cannot wait to get home each day and be allowed to read a chapter. I’m looking forward to when I reach new-to-me material.

I watched the 24 episode anime The Apothecary Diaries and I wasn’t ready to let it go when it was over, so I started reading the manga by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage. I finished volumes 5 & 6 this past week and am currently reading volume 7. I have the remaining already published volumes waiting for when I’m done with this. I adore Maomao and Jinshi, and am incredibly excited to get to the point where canon moves past what is in the anime. That said, getting to revisit events I already watched on TV and linger over what was said and the exact expressions has been soooo good. (And yes, I know the light novels also exist and will be rolling into those in ebook form after the manga; I might be a tad bit obsessed).

Audiobook

A while ago I thought “I should read some TJ Klune” so I checked the library list I had for audiobooks, and the first of his Extraordinaries trilogy was available in audio. I listened to it. I was addicted. I’m now on the third book—Heat Wave—and I find it very very hard to put it down. I can’t listen while working, only while commuting, walking, or doing chores—things that don’t require me to actually think so I can multi-task. But hey, it’s a GREAT way to get me to do my PT since it means fifteen minutes more of audiobook listening! Nick, the POV character, has ADHD and I flail a lot over pretty much everything he thinks and does. I love every character in this series. I love how Klune is using superheroes as an allegory for the queer experience and for racial issues, but at the same time, is actually addressing those issues explicitly. I both want to listen faster to find out what happens, and linger so it doesn’t end.

Ebook

I have been reading Wayfinder by CE Murphy, which is the second in a duology. This is a romance, yes, but it’s another fun culture clash book, this time between humanity and faerie, and I am so here for that. Murphy is an author I used to read a lot from, and I’m trying to work my way through her back catalog slowly because I’ve always enjoyed her style. Accessible and fun. This series is about a woman who has always been able to hear lies (a Truthseeker), and how her talent develops, and how she works with the faerie kingdoms to try to help them (despite some of them not wanting help, and the original situation not being the one she’s actually needed for).

Non-fiction

I have been working my way through three non-fiction books.

One is A Year of Zen by Bonnie Myotai Treace. I had been looking for a journaling prompt book, and decided to give this one a try. I made the difficult decision to write directly in the book itself, then the additional decision to let myself fail if needed. So if I don’t get to answer a prompt on a day, I just answer it the next day. One prompt per day. It’ll take me more than a year to go through it, but that’s okay. The idea is to have me think and write a short paragraph every day, and not feel guilty about messing up. It’s working surprisingly well. Learning to let myself fail has been a big part of my process this year, and hopefully I am learning to let go of some of the anxiety about things needing to be matched and rigid.

The one I am stalled on right now is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. It was recommended as a book that therapists like to use for themselves, not merely recommend to their patients, and it reminded me of the radical acceptance I’m supposed to be practicing (and apparently am, despite myself, according to my therapist after she listened to me). The problem is, it has exercises (doesn’t everything?) and I stalled out because I didn’t have time.

Time is a theme, y’know? And that’s what happened with the last non-fiction book. I’ve been working through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, taking it as a self-guided 12 week course. I’m currently on week 5. However, I did a week of just doing morning notes before I really got started, then I took a week off when everything went haywire in my schedule because of the power outage. So it’s been about seven weeks so far. This week, as I worked on exercises, I found myself really digging in to my emotions about this book. And in the end, I decided that while I can see the value in some things, the book itself is giving me more anxiety about everything to do with my writing, while at the same time making it impossible for me to find time TO write (while following the advice it gives). So. I am no longer doing it as a course, with exercises, but I will finish reading it. And if an exercise appeals, I’ll do it. It’ll still take time, because I’ll probably still read one chapter each weekend, but I am already feeling WAY less stressed and I only made this decision last night.

So…

That’s it for me! What are you reading?

[shallowseeker]

Did you have a meta about the oil lamps in the house Dean and Cas were staying in during Free to be You and Me? I was looking for it, and I couldn't find it. I think it was you.

Oh! Yea!!!! I don't think they're oil lamps, though. They're cheap electric/camping-looking ones.

Funnily enough, I needed to be thinking about this for a THING I"m doing, so thanks for bringing it up.

It's here!

The lantern and the bottle. GAH. Now that I look at this again, there's really just SO MUCH gorgeous "family" house-related Dean-Cas motifs in this stupid episode, I am dying!!!

...

Dean waiting up for Cas with a prominent "spouse" chair in the living room, followed by Dean snapping, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN"

It's the overtones, babes, the undertones!

//

There's an unlit "Cas" lantern, and Dean is represented by refreshments/drink (and prominently by a burnt-out hearth).

This Cas lantern may not be lit on its own, but it's being constantly lit by nature, by GREEN and SUNLIGHT.

The vase that Cas gets to trap Raphael represents Raphael himself, and how they are luring him into a "vessel."

//

Dean and the burnt-out HEARTH and BEER! <3

//

Cas-lantern; Dean-bottle

///

"Two lovers coming home later at night:"

It's night, and the lanterns are now on. Cas is so often associated with WAYFINDING (as is Dean).

///

Here the living room "date/new couple nook" is under attack! Despite the harsh wind, the lantern and beer stand strong

Cas-lantern; Dean-bottle AHHHHHH

sorry for rambling...again

[anthologiemystika]

Pop Culture Magic | Fight the Darkness Charm

"My heart is strong. I'll prove it!"

This spell is inspired by Kingdom Hearts, a well loved Square Enix video game series. More specifically inspired by a character from the Series, Aqua - one who constantly fought the darkness, won many times, and managed to claw her way back out when she was lost... with a little help from her friends.

This spell is to help fight the Darkness in your life. Be that stress, anxiety, or just plain old sadness. Everyone can use a little uplifting.

What you'll need:

• Mesquite incense I use this for protection, healing, and cleansing, though you may substitute for whichever incense you prefer. Or none at all if incense bothers you.

• Aqua blue candle Esoteric meaning of aqua includes happiness, harmony, healing and peace

• A small Star shaped jar I am a sucker for spell jars. The star in this case represents the Wayfinder charm Aqua made for Ventus and Terra. Also acceptable is a regular bottle with a star shaped charm to wrap around or attach to the jar. Ideally the jar will be small enough to make a necklace out of to wear this as a ward.

• Obsidian chips Used for protection, and elimination of negative energy from the self and environment

• Dried Lavender buds Soothing for anxiety, plus smells nice while adding to your jar.

• Dried Green tea leaves These improve your focus and help reduce stress in a spell.

• Pink Himalayan salt Calming, self love

• Fluorite chips These help create order from chaos, relieve stress, aid in focus, and cleanse

As this spell bottle is for cleansing yourself of stress, anxiety, and sadness the best place to start is grounding and centering yourself. There are many ways to do so, and I always recommend choosing your favorite method. I personally like to meditate and visualize for about 10 to 15 minutes before a spell if time allows for it.

Once you've prepared yourself and your work space, light your incense and repeat these words three times:

I can feel the Light May my Heart be my Guiding Key The Darkness Doesn't Interest me

After repeating the rhyme, use the smoke from the incense to cleanse the bottle you're using. Pass the opening over the smoke a few times to catch some in the bottle. Once you've felt you have done this enough times (I usually recommend 3 to 7) turn the jar right side up and let the smoke clear from the inside.

Light your aqua blue candle, and then you can start layering your spell ingredients. The order only matters to the spell caster, but this is the order I would use:

First, a layer of black obsidian chips for eliminating negative energy from yourself and the environment around you.

Then a layer of pink Himalayan salt to cleanse yourself and promote self love.

Followed by a layer of green tea and lavender buds (you can mix the two together) for focus, reduced stress, and soothing anxiety.

Last but not least, a layer of fluorite chips to create order from the chaos causing your darkness.

Place the cork in the bottles opening, and use the wax from the aqua blue candle to seal it. If you used a star shaped bottle, this will be one of your last steps. But if you used a bottle that was a regular shape, then you would attach the star shaped charm and secure it with the wax as well. As you're doing this, you can repeat the rhyme from above three more times.

If the bottle is small enough to wear, you should attach the necklace it will be on after the wax has dried enough to do so, but before you snuff out the candle. Let the candle burn as the wax dries and take that time to visualize and focus on the results you desire from this charm.

[cinnbar-bun]

I just discovered your blog and I already love it! Can I ask you what would be the favorite video games of the groups Destiny, Sea salt and Wayfinder please? What would they play or like? If that's too much feel free to reduce to the characters you like the most or ignore, it's really okay! Thank you and good vibes!

A/n: Woo just slowly gonna try and go through the requests! I added a few extra bonuses, hope you enjoy <3

Multiple KH Characters and Their Favorite Video Games!

Destiny Island Trio: 

Sora: Fighting games- preferably Smash. He mains himself main characters (Mario, Link, Kirby, FE protags). He sucks. He is the guy who button mashes and corners players to beat the hell out of them. 

Riku: Fighting games- preferably Tekken or Street Fighter. Mains Jin or Lee. Attempts to be strategic but gets way too competitive fast and is busy mashing all the buttons off the controller. 

Kairi: Way too good at fighting games. But she’d probably play lots of Pokemon or monster collecting games. She has many setups that are both competitive or just fun ones for a fun challenge. 

Sea Salt Family: 

Roxas: Persona fanboy. He hasn’t played 1-2 but he can’t pick a favorite between 3-5. Plays all the spinoffs or has someone else play them for him. His favorite characters are the protagonists. Hears jazz music and assumes this is a Persona 5 reference. 

Xion: Resident DMC and Souls-like player. Girl is a monster on the controllers despite being just being born. The way she can effortlessly combo and dodge all attacks makes her a fearsome opponent. 

Axel: Mario Kart. Axel is pretty average at video games (unless they’re like, retro or arcade) but Mario Kart? He’s on it like Donkey Kong. He mains Funky Kong. 

Saix: He has two wolves inside him- the logical gamer and the second, more absurd gamer. Sometimes he wants to unwind, so he might pick up a basic platformer like Mario or Sonic, but on the other side- he’s a menace in a Warriors game. He’s hacking and slashing. He’s killing everyone in his path. Also, he’s a completionist.  He has to get the best markings and everything. Won’t settle for less. 

Wayfinder Trio: 

Terra: Minecraft and fighting games. He tries his best lmao. He’s just got pretty big hands so often he messes up with combos but he’s also pretty impatient and tends to spam certain moves.

Aqua: Rhythm games definitely. Watch her effortlessly get all perfect scores in one try. Even the hardest OSU! map has nothing on Aqua. She also kicks ass at fighting games. 

Ventus: He likes Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Mario Party. He always loses at almost any game against his friends though. 

Bonus Characters: 

Namine: I feel like she enjoys visual novels and Okami. She really loves aesthetic games and is a patient player. 

Xemnas: does not play video games beyond Candy Crush or Solitaire. You kids and your “Splatoons” or “Bayonettas”, go pick up an old Final Fantasy game smh. 

Xigbar: Call of Duty. Fortnite. PUBG. Overwatch. He’s a menace and plays all sorts of FPS games. His sniping abilities IRL translate very well into games. Also likes the Hitman games. 

Vexen: Bookworm and civilization manager games. He’s big on Age of Empires and is a top talent within the community. He loves playing as the Vikings or Mayans for competitive play. He’s also made many custom maps. 

Zexion: Tower Defense managers and Ace Attorney. He loves deducing the crime or finding the best way to defend his base with the minimum amount of units possible. 

Xaldin: He doesn’t play games (lie). He plays romantic visual novels. Plays all kinds of them. Otomes too. He is a lonely man. Also loves cooking games. 

Lexaeus: farming games. He just has a fun time playing Story of Seasons. Rune Factory is nice too but he prefers SoS because he loves the farming aspect more. 

Demyx: Guitar Hero. No argument. This man did all the crazy achievements and was going at it for days.

Luxord: Yeah yeah solitaire and gambling- have you considered he loves playing the Yakuza games? Well now you do. He loves the games dearly and cherishes them and likes to be the biggest Yakuza on the block. Also yeah, he plays lot of gacha games. 

Marluxia: Doesn’t really play video games, but he’d most likely play some horror games with Larxene or town management games. 

Larxene: Horror games or multiplayer games where she can troll people. Banned from multiple servers and people refuse to play with her minus Marluxia. Aesthetically though she loves Trish from DMC and thinks Vergil is number one. 

[stobinesque]

WIP Weekend!

Tagged by @eriquin, thank you!!

THE RULES

In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

THE WIPS

Jeff is Steve's Bi Awakening AU

wigwag [Steve's Big Gay Sex Adventure]

Wayfinder [S4 Fix-it, Lucas POV]

Spicy Six Summer Challenge: Rockie Edition

Spicy Six Summer Challenge: Stobin Edition

Not tagging anyone specific this time around, but if you see this and want to do it please tag me in! (I'm serious! Treat this as a tag!)

THE SNIPPET

from the JISBA AU (god I need to title this fic)

Steve rolls his eyes. “Right, because ‘pretty and violent�� is so much better than ‘pretty and athletic.’”

"Okay, first of all, 'violent' was not supposed to be the takeaway there, protective was. And second of all, you're definitely at least part of the reason I passed our chem test."

Steve scoffs. "Please, I'm sure you would have passed even if you got every single molecule diagram wrong."

Jeff shrugs. "Maybe, but my point stands: we helped each other. Maybe you're not, like, good at chemistry, but you're good at visualizing things in a way that I'm not. So I bet you're good at other things you’re not giving yourself credit for, too."

Steve frowns, staring off into space as he turns Jeff's words over in his head. It's not like he's ever felt particularly bad about the fact that he's a reasonably good athlete with a nice face and excellent hair, and that's about the sum of things. It's just what's true. It's what his parents, and teachers, and coaches, and flings, and even Nancy have spent his whole life telling him. Not even discouragingly, for the most part. But it chafes sometimes. Because all the people in his life now seem to have a better understanding of the world and how it works than he does. Or they have stronger ambitions and bigger dreams than he ever has. He's always been resigned to the idea that if all else fails he'll just wind up working for his dad. He doesn't want that. But it's easy. He'll work a boring 9 to 5, get married, have a few kids, and settle down and stay in Hawkins.

Well. Maybe he'll move away from Hawkins.

"If I say there's more to me than a pretty face can we drop this conversation?"

"Sure thing, Harrington."

Steve nods. “Thanks.”

“So are you going to?”

“Am I going to what?”

Jeff shoots a shit-eating grin. “Admit that you’re more than just a pretty face.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Fine. Yeah, I’m more than just a pretty face, asshole. I’ve also got a good head of hair.”

Jeff laughs. It makes the corners of his eyes wrinkle in a way that Steve finds distracting, for some reason. “You almost made it through an entire conversation without being a dick, Harrington.”

Steve tosses his hair back. “It’s all part of the charm.”

[secondwhisper]

I'm currently attending a training on accommodating pedestrians in road work zones. It's really interesting to see how (ADA-compliant) accessible pedestrian infrastructure implementation is discussed in professional engineering spaces (as opposed to general disability spaces).

We have three groups of disabled road (+sidewalk) users that we must focus on design for: visually impaired & blind pedestrians, mobility impaired pedestrians, and cognitively impaired pedestrians. In this context, mobility impairments also include walking unsteadily, slowly, or with low endurance/stamina.

Generally, we must aim to provide the following accommodations for disabled pedestrians. For the visually impaired: high-contrast signage & markings, ground-level channelization as a "shoreline", a smooth and level walking surface, no protruding objects, smooth and stable hand guides / railings, and auditory and tactile guides at crossings or other complex maneuvers. For the mobility impaired: no protruding objects, no side barriers that could interfere with manual wheelchair or crutch use, a smooth level and grippy walking surface, smooth and stable hand guides / railings, and "refuges" on particularly long routes. For the cognitively impaired: high-contrast signage & markings that are clean and concise, arrows that point in exactly the correct direction, and channelization that reduces opportunities for someone to accidentally end up in a traffic lane.

We see some similarities across access needs: clear signage / guidance, barriers or other channelization to make wayfinding easier, no protruding objects, smooth and stable surfaces.

There's also one very glaring conflict in access needs: channelization. Barriers that reach the ground, and barriers with railings, help blind & visually impaired pedestrians move in the correct direction with confidence. Barriers to channelize the pedestrian detour path help cognitively impaired pedestrians keep within pedestrian zones and move confidently to the end of the detour. Barriers with railings can provide support for unsteady and fatigued pedestrians. But barriers at the edge of the pedestrian route give cane, crutch, and wheelchair users just one more thing to whack their knuckles, elbows, and devices on, and can reduce their ability to turn or recenter themselves, along with removing the ability of able-bodied pedestrians to get out of their way in narrow places.

I don't have some kind of big conclusion here, I just thought it was interesting to see that cognitively disabled pedestrians are included among those whom sidewalk closures can affect uniquely negatively, and to see a frank discussion of how not everyone with vision & mobility disabilities are helped by each other's accommodations. Within the broader context of "work zones are super inaccessible we have to start doing it right."

[grad604-amber]

Week Two: SDL

For this Week’s SDL task it is to build on what we were doing for last weeks SDL. which was to find ten visual examples of work by other creatives, this week it is to find 10 examples by creatives from Aotearoa.

1. Emma Kaniuk

Emma Kanuik is based in Auckland, Aotearoa. Kanuik is one half of the design studio Akin and an online store called Dogdogdog, this is in partnership with Tana Mitchell. She is also the founder of Tradespeople.

Kanuik’s approach is based on the simple principle of  “great ideas, crafted well”. She has worked previously at Special Group and Designworks. Kanuik has a broad experience across all areas of design from art direction, brand identity, packaging, editorial, wayfinding, customer experience, environments, and launch and activation programmes. Her work has been awarded locally and globally across all disciplines, including being awarded Best Award’s highest honour which is a purple pin of distinction for graphic design.

Her work at Akin Studios is what I connect to the most, Akin studio state that they are a studio dedicated to creating simple and smart brand solutions that grab people’s attention. An example of her work within Akin Studio is for the brand ‘All good organics’. The brand visuals feature fun illustrations, characters, types and colours. This is why as a creative I am drawn/ inspired by her work, the playful and simplistic but effective approach is seen throughout her work.

https://emmakaniuk.com/about/ 

2. McCarthy Studio

Mccarthy Studio is a design studio based in Christchurch, Aotearoa. The studio is about ‘creating meaningful brand, campaign and digital experiences to engage and inspire. The specialise in a range of areas. Such as Advertising, Art direction, Brand identity, brand strategy, campaigns, copywriting, illustrations, moving images, photography, packaging, social media and websites.

Some of their works above are why I find this creative studio very influential, they love the idea of work being engaging and open for all. The art history month project was a simple idea that had a very large impact, reminding people that art can come in many different shapes and forms and from many different kind of people.

https://www.mccarthy.studio

3. Tyrone Ohia

Tyrone Ohia was born in Tauranga and raised in Whanganui. Tyrone Ohia studied Computer Graphic Design at UCOL. Since graduating Tyrone has worked at various design studios in Wellington and is now part of the team at award-winning design studio Alt Group in Auckland. He has been honing his skills on a wide range of projects, “some large, some medium, and some so small you can hardly see them”. I am inspired by this creative as the importance of culture, specifically our countries culture/ his own in his work is.

https://britomart.org/tyrone-ohia/

4.Miriama Grace-Smith

Miriama Grace-Smith is a full-time artist, based in Wellington and is a recognisable  Maori actress featuring in many contemporary locally produced films and tv shows. She who explores many areas within the creative arts. She is a curator, muralist, illustrator, fashion designer, film costume artist and art director. She is currently  based in Pōneke Wellington where she works from her studio at Toi Pōneke.

I love her illustrative style and how that changes depending on the project, her core values like Aotearoa Environment and representing Māori culture shine in her work.

https://www.miriamagracesmithportfolio.com

5. Chris Flack

Chris Flack was born and raised in Dunedin, then moved to Christchurch when seeing the Design and Arts college there. His work shows how he works with a diverse group of clients as no two projects are similar. What is similar in his work, however, is his values the importance of portraying diversity and creating for the community to help a community shines in his work and it is something that I find very influential about him.

https://designersinstitute.nz/interview/southern-stories-chris-flack/

6. Kate Van Der Drift

Kate Van Der Drift is a photographer who is based in New Zealand, her work feels very whimsical and calming. Although photography isn’t a form of art that I would consider myself good at, her work has this beauty that I find to be very influential.

https://myart.co.nz/story/artist-kate-van-der-drift/

7.Catherine Griffith

Catherine Griffiths, Pākehā, is an Aotearoa New Zealand artist, typographer, designer, educator, curator, writer, publisher, activist and feminist. Catherine studied Visual Communication Design at Wellington Polytechnic during the mid-80s, set up a studio space with two other graduates, and then work for ked several years in London. She returned to Wellington as a senior designer, and later set up her own studio practice in 1995 which she runs independently, and has returned to after a two-year stint in a full-time teaching position in Wellington.

The first works of Griffiths that introduced me to her was her posters pointing out how the best awards only included 3 women, among the 40 men. This kind of push for equality is something I value so much and think is so important to be called out and seen in work.

https://www.catherinegriffiths.co.nz/00-the-typographer-&-designer.html

8. Hōhua Ropate Kurene 

Hōhua Ropate Kurene is a queer indigenous artist whose practice across fashion photography, creative writing and art is steadily gaining recognition. Following an introduction to the renowned art collective Fafswag in Christchurch, Hōhua went from studying apiculture in secondary school to moving to Tāmaki Makaurau to become a member of the collective.

From a young age, being in a state of constant flux made Hōhua attuned to the patterns and rhythms of new surroundings. His image-making manifests through sound, as simple as setting a playlist for a road trip, or photoshoot, or taking in the sound of an environment which sets an intention towards the type of image he hopes to capture. From there, he uses creative writing as a tool of reflection and remembering. “Migrating firstly from Porirua to Luatuanu’u in Sāmoa and later to Ōtautahi all before the age of 12. I learned to distinguish their systems from one another, some kind of natural order to things — what the land would give, what the land might need and sometimes what it would take.” 


https://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/hohua-ropate-kurene

9.Osborne Shiwan

Founded in 2006, Osborne Shiwan is an Auckland-based brand agency specialising in strategic thinking and art direction. Creative Directors Lloyd Osborne and Shabnam Shiwan have worked with some of New Zealand’s most influential brands and their work has been recognised internationally within the areas of commerce, arts and culture.

https://www.osborneshiwan.com/about-us

10. Pete McDonald

Pete Mcdonald is a Christchurch-based freelance designer, illustrator and animator who has created a massive and massively varied body of work. I have recently come across his work. I love his illustrative style as it adds a lot of personality to not only brands but around the public.

https://www.petejmcdonald.com