#Coin's notes

[coinandcandle]

Paradigm Time! - What is a Paradigm?

TL;DR: Paradigms are how you make sense of magic and how it fits into the world in your experiences. They aren't right or wrong and they often change!

Paradigm: a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind

Note: There are a few different definitions of paradigm depending on the field you're talking about. In the case of magic, we are using the definition above.

Paradigms are essentially how you make sense of the world around you. In magic, these paradigms are ways in which someone understands magic, how it works, and how it is used in the world.

Other people have used words like “framework”, or “beliefs/belief system”. Whatever you call it is fine!

Paradigms can and often do change over time, maybe you used to believe “xyz”, but now you’re thinking more “abc”. This doesn't make everything that you did while you believed in “xyz” invalid, it just means you understand it differently now.

Since paradigms are basically belief systems, they are not factual and are not “right” or “wrong” they simply are. One person may disagree with another, who may disagree with someone else, who may have similar but slightly different experiences than another. More than anything else, paradigms are fluid.

Furthermore, paradigms are fluid not just within ourselves but within communities too!

Here’s an example:

Say everyone in x community generally agrees that crystals hold power. However, some may believe that crystals only hold power once charged, like how a cup can only hold water once filled. While others may believe there is an inherent power within the crystal. Others in turn might believe that some crystals hold power and others don’t. Yet they all still believe the paradigm that crystals hold power.

Now let’s take a few paradigms about correspondences as another example.

In one witch’s paradigm, they might be used as ingredients that hold inherent power. -> “I am using the magical properties inherent to basil to power my money jar.” In another, the correspondences are spirits that you petition to help power the magical working. -> “I am working with the spirit of basil and asking them to help with my money jar.” In another, the correspondences are offerings that you give to a spirit that you’re petitioning. -> “I am using basil as an offering to a spirit to help with my money jar.” In yet another the correspondences are spirits that you don’t even need to petition, their very presence influences the spell. -> “I’m using basil in this spell because the spirit of basil will help influence my money jar.”

Here are some other examples of paradigms:

Spirit-Working sorcery, where spirits are petitioned for aid, and the strength of workings tends to depend on the depth of the relationship developed with the spirit, and/or success in evoking them in that instance.

Thinking or focusing on your intent in your head is fine, writing it down is better, but speaking it aloud is best.

Energy is the battery of magic. Magic is the change caused by whatever you’re doing but energy is what powers that change, be it a spell, prayer, whatever.

Gods can be called upon and petitioned for help with a spell, but the relationship between the caster and the god will determine the strength of the spell or their willingness to help. Otherwise, you can try to appeal to them with offerings to make up for the lack of a relationship, though their help will still not be as strong as if there were a pre-existing relationship.

Inanimate objects do not have spirits, but animals, plants, fungi, and humans do.

Again, these are not universal paradigms, they are just examples. I honestly don't think there even is a universal paradigm when it comes to magic and witchcraft.

Thank you to @windvexer @friend-crow @stagkingswife and @rose-colored-tarot for your help in writing this post!

[sailoreuterpe]

Using the bathroom in general is a human right and should be enshrined as such and I'm not joking. Too many groups of people are denied bathroom breaks or the use of bathrooms entirely--disabled people, blue-collar workers, children, homeless people, prisoners, students, the elderly. I'm surely missing other groups. Not using the bathroom when needed can cause serious, long-term damage, not to mention death. Free, clean, accessible bathrooms should be available everywhere. It's fucking cruel to deny someone the use of the bathroom, regardless of the reasoning. I'd rather every student in the world goof off and every homeless person make a mess and every worker "steal company time" than let one person suffer because they're denied the right to fucking pee in peace.

[freetobeafcknriot]

FIVE & BEN ft. checking up on your little brother.

[tshortik]

A devil without a name and a body of gold, dubbed "Coin" by the one he chose as his champion.

[anomalymon]

The Plural Community Needs to Write More Essays and Make More Resources

This has been a pretty big push in the alterhuman community, but hasn't quite reached the plural community yet. So

Systems: Write about your experiences! Post them!

It doesn't have to be good or coherent, but we want to see more experiences that aren't just bland, blanket positivity posts or term coining with zero substance. Some of our favorite writings we've read have had poor grammar and disjointed paragraphs!

Reasons to write about your experiences:

It can make people who have that experience both realize they're not alone and learn ways they can explore that experience

It can be education for people who don't experience that so they can learn what it's like

It gives more potential for citation for those who are making more comprehensive resources

They can be used several years down the line to track trends and events within the plural community

Also want to combat anti-endos? Write about your experiences. Humanize yourself (for lack of a better term). Create solidarity with others and encourage them to be out about themselves. Don't let psychiatric texts, syscourse rants, and simple definitions be the only information about your group!

We'll tack on what we're interested in seeing, but feel free to reblog and add anything too:

Guides! Guides on how your system does things, or guides that can help other systems

How plurality intersects with other disabilities or neurodivergence

Headspace tours, art about your headspace, collages

The effects drugs or medication has on your system

Non-traditional roles, or even how traditional roles do their day to day tasks

Different types of plurality intersecting (i.e. systems who fit more than one of DID, endogenic multiplicity, medianhood, soulbonding, etc)

Spirituality and religion intersecting with plurality

Seriously, whatever you want to talk about

[froggos-are-superior]

Not becoming the thing you sought to destroy or destroying the thing you sought to become, but a secret third thing: in an effort to destroy the thing you accidentally become it without realizing until it consumes you completely and there's nothing left of the person you once were or your original intentions and now the lines are blurred between greater and lesser evils. In this essay I will

[pixlatedvampire]

You gave those wounds to your god, Enki. Did you think they would heal so easily?

(Uh Oh! Someone gave the priest catholic guilt!)

[galedekarios]

gale, waterdeep & coinage

just musings on gale's means as well as waterdeep lore bc i love waterdeep:

Gale: Believe it or not, but I witnessed a similar standoff back at the Yawning Portal. Of course, an establishment like that invites all sorts of outlandish entertainments. Player: What's the Yawning Portal Gale: An inn in Waterdeep. Never a dull moment there. Adventurers come from all over Faerûn to try their luck down the well: Leads into the Undermountain, you see - full of death, danger, and vast amounts of treasure. Hard to resist. Player: What was the standoff about? Gale: Oh, a drow, a dragonborn, and a cleric of Cyric walk into a bar. Your standard fare. Maybe someone was cheating at cards, maybe it was some weird lovers' quarrel. In any case, out came the crossbow, and a hush fell over the entire room.devnote Player: What happened next? Gale: I stood up and yelled: 'Shadowdark ale for everyone!' The crowd cheered, the tension drained into five dozen tankards, and soon all was well again. Gale: In a place like the Yawning Portal, the most powerful magic is calling for a round of drinks. Gale: Mind you, all I did was call for ale, but you went and stood in front of that crossbow. I'd drink to that.

i will definitely take a look at the yawning portal itself at a later date (as well as other points of interest within the city) bc it's very interesting as a focal point in waterdhavian history and society.

while we can only speculate about what gale's background in terms of means, wealth and standing looked like since things like tutors and even maids were not uncommon in waterdhavian society, it is interesting to note that he - whatever his personal means at the time this event took place - felt the need to defuse the brewing fight with 'five dozen tankards'.

we do actually know how much one such tankard costs at the yawning portal:

[source]

17cp x 60 = 1020cp

this was interesting to me in terms of this meant in actual terms of coinage and wealth and money spent.

here's an overview of waterdeep's various coins:

source: volo's waterdeep enchiridion

gale spent over a 1000 nibs/copper pieces that evening (or more than one sun/platinum coin) to de-escalate a potentially lethal fight.

to put that into perspective, i'm adding this reference of prices here:

source: volo's waterdeep enchiridion

gale also attended blackstaff academy, with elminster as his mentor. the academy had costs attached with it:

Acceptance to the Academy was predicated on either demonstrating extraordinary magical aptitude (those who could not cast arcane spells were very rarely admitted) or having a particularly compelling personal history. Joining the Academy was free, however monthly dues were required to continue attendance. These fees started at 10 gp per month and increased as a student gained seniority and required more advanced tutelage. In addition, it was a requirement that any new spell that was discovered or researched by an apprentice had to be added to Blackstaff Tower's library. [source]

ten gold pieces per month as fees, although with gale being elminster's mentee, he may have chosen to assist gale and morena partially or fully with any costs that blackstaff academy may have charged.

it does sound, however his childhood may have looked like with a presumably absent father and a mother with her hands full with a young genius, able to conjure rabbits as a babe, summoning a tressym, a magma mephit who set a room on fire, as well as casting a level 3 spell (fireball) at age 8 or younger, that gale at least during the height of his career as a wizard, lived comfortably.

ending this with more food for thought and a banter between gale and karlach:

Gale: They say wealth offers a form of magic. Alas, it's one I've rarely dabbled in. Karlach: Nor I. Never had more than a few coppers in the city, and any soul coins in Avernus went straight to Zariel. Gale: Make no mistake. Souls are sold for coins up here as well. All too cheaply, in most cases.

[atelierlili]

I really hope that Katniss one day gets her exile lifted. Idk I think it’s so sad that she unwillingly gave up so much for the rebellion and she can’t even see or experience the new free Panem.

I want her to have a real victory tour with Peeta. Maybe they could have a proper one as a honeymoon trip 🥲

[ironraven]

udon in the moss

[coinandcandle]

Sympathetic Magic - Coin's Notes

Hi-res download of infographic available on my ko-fi for all supporters!

What is Sympathetic Magic?

The idea of sympathetic magic, the term was likely coined by James George Frazer in his book The Golden Bough (1889). Though Richard Andree wrote of sympathy-enchantment in 1882, and the idea existed in some form or another since ancient times.

The definition of sympathetic magic in the merriam-webster dictionary is magic based on the assumption that a person or thing can be supernaturally affected through its name or an object representing it.

Types of Sympathetic Magic

Similarity: That which resembles something can represent or substitute that thing. Such as a citrine to represent the sun or a walnut for the brain.

Contagion/Contact: That which comes in contact with something can represent or substitute that thing. Such as moon water, water that is charged under the moon to hold its power and likeness.

Imitation: Close to similarity except it often involves specifically creating something to look like that thing such as idols, effigies, poppets, etc.

Correspondence: The idea that something can influence another thing due to their resemblance or relationship. Such as oranges and the sun or Aphrodite and roses.

[smallidarityfan]

sos smallidarity.... save me.......

Transcript:

(about reviving with the fate coins)

Jimmy: So you're telling me... you're telling me that because i spoke to someone else you'd go for Fwhip first and not me. Right, guys you're making enemies of me already, this is— this is— why would you not get me?

Scott: I don't— I don't quite know how me coming here giving you two stacks of steak FOR FREE is me making an ENEMY of you??

Jimmy: You said you wouldn't give me the coin, and you would save Fwhip.

Scott: Okay if I die and Sausage dies, who would you come to save?

Jimmy: I'd come to you.

Scott: Okay I die and Oli dies.

Jimmy: *pauses*

Scott: Yeah,

Jimmy: Wait lemme think about it, let me think about it... I'd come to you! I'd come to you. He called me a silly man in his episode one—

Scott: Me or Joel dies—

Jimmy: *immediately* I'd go to Joel. I'd run to Joel. I'd run— I'd frolic through the fields to Joel. um I'd run to him. But that's okay!

Scott: If chat ever needed confirmation that Flower Husbands is dead; that was it right there.

Jimmy: *laughing* I die and Joel dies—

Scott: Him not only saying he'd pick Joel but describing it that you would frolic through fields to him like that kind of level? I'm like yeah it's dead it's gone.

Jimmy: I full sprint, I break records. To be fair I haven't even seen Joel in this series yet I don't even know where he lives

[somecunttookmyurl]

best prank my nan ever pulled was getting my granddad a pack of 100 cigarettes (if you've never smoked, you can buy 100 packs which is 5 packets of 20 encased in a plastic wrap, or a box)

she very carefully unstuck the outer covering and slid out all the packets

then she equally carefully undid the individual plastic wraps on the packets from the bottom (again, if you've never smoked, there is one of those little pull tabs at the top to take the top part off, but the bottom is folded over and stuck)

doing this without ripping the plastic is very difficult

she slid out all of the packets from their plastic gowns

she very carefully opened each box so as to not rip or damage it

she carefully folded back the inner paper

she removed every single cigarette

in one box, she replaced the contents with candy cigarettes

and then, painstakingly, she slid each box back into its plastic wrap

re-folded and stuck the plastic at the bottom

put them back in the outer plastic, with the candy cigarette one at the bottom (so as to be last) and restuck that

and gave the cigrarettes to my granddad

[anotherpluralrq]

CompAnti

[Comp-Anti]

CompAnti is a CompID (def under cut) that means you Identify as an Anti (radqueer), unwillingly!

This is self-indulgent coin, but can be used by anyone, so long as it’s in good faith!!

flag colors based off the Rq and Anti-Rq flags, as well as the grayscale from the og CompID flag (I hated the flag so I made alts! 3rd is my fav but use whichever lol)

^antirq flag

^comp id flag CompID (from compelled) is a "lighter" version of ForcedID. CompID is an identity with which you have to identify unwillingly, usually with some to little choice. It may be similar to TransNullID, but TransNullID is more focused on the urge/desire to stop/not being X, while CompID is more focused on being/identifying as X, but unwillingly. You also may be CompX without desire to stop being/identifying as X.

CompID Coining Post

[calware]

i'm desperate to make one of those "do you think we're friends in every universe" but "do you think you made me in every universe" with hal and dirk

[playhousemassacrez]

Freddy and friends but as Smiling Critters