#SPELL AESTHETIC SUPREMACY

[wisteria-lodge]

I LOVE the version of Lucius in your fic Prison of the Phoenix. He's different from a lot of portrayals I've seen. Why did you decide to write him how you did?

A lot of the fun of writing a book-accurate fix-it fic comes from taking the events of the book, and removing JKRs (simplistic, misleading, sometimes just weird) narrative framing. Slytherins = baddies, Gryffindors = goodies, you know. 

This is especially fun with Lucius Malfoy, who just like… isn’t very evil? Chamber of Secrets is his most villainous book, and I’ll get to that, but otherwise? He tries (unsuccessfully) to get the animal that attacked his kid killed. He donates to hospitals (but in like, an evil way.) He is a hilariously incompetent Death Eater, and then he's Voldemort’s punching bag. 

That’s kind of the point of Lucius. He looks the part. He commits to the aesthetics of the thing, with the hair and the peacocks and the snake-wand-cane. He likes the mystique of walking into a room and knowing that you know (but can’t prove) he’s a dark wizard. It allows him to be… kinda lazy. He can coast on his family name, money, reputation, privilege. I really think that if you sat Lucius Malfoy down and asked him to walk you through all the wizard-supremacy talking points he wouldn’t be able to do it. He’ll toss around words like “mudblood” and “mudblood-lover” no problem, but in the end he doesn’t really care. Lucius is not a true believer. The way the world is set up benefits him tremendously and he doesn’t want Voldemort back. That’s just text:

“Use your brains, Ron,” said Bill. “If they really were Death Eaters… I bet they’d be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they’d ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives… I don’t reckon he’d be over-pleased with them, do you?”

Lucius and friends had too much to drink at a sporting event, put on the old outfits (again with the aesthetics) and started levitating muggles. Which obviously isn’t GOOD, but they’re not killing or torturing, or furthering any kind of agenda. It’s important that Barty is so insulted and pissed off by the way they’re basically playing Dark Wizard that he casts the Dark Mark to “show [them] what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it.” Which kicks off most of the events of the book. 

Prison of the Phoenix is going to have a companion, parallel fic told from Harry’s POV (tentatively titled Harry Potter and Malfoy’s Suspicious Interest in Werewolves.) Lucius does show up in that one, and I was honestly surprised by how much more frightening and intimidating he is when filtered through Harry’s perspective. Because with a Severus POV… when Severus is used to spending time around Voldemort, Greyback, Bellatrix, honestly Dumbledore and Sirius Black…. Lucius is not scary. Lucius wants to buy presents for his son, go to high-profile events with his beautiful wife, and wear a variety of snake-themed accessories and extravagant hats. 

I wanted a kind of college-roommates-who-stayed-friends feel for the Severus + Lucius relationship, because they are friends. Sirius calls Severus Lucius’ “lapdog,” and Narcissa calls him Lucius’ “oldest friend.” Lucius is also part of the welcoming committee when Severus is first sorted into Slytherin. He’s five years older (I think Jason Isaacs is the only Harry Potter adult the same age as the character he plays), which would have affected the dynamic between him and Severus a lot in school. Personally, I think it makes sense for Lucius to be a little protective of this brilliant half-blood kid with no money. And as an adult, there’s some guilt mixed in there as well. Severus probably would not have been sucked into the Voldemort thing nearly as deep or nearly as fast if it hadn’t been for Lucius, and the war kind of destroyed him. Lucius remembers a younger Severus who was modding potions, inventing spells, coming up with cheeky nicknames for himself, and that person is gone. That’s a big part of the reason he’s so invested in the Severus/Remus relationship in Prison of the Phoenix. Something about Remus has managed to wake up parts of that younger Severus, and Lucius thinks that’s fantastic.

I also think Lucius might be the character who knows Voldemort the best. He’s one of the only Death Eaters who Voldemort calls by their first name (Bellatrix, Severus, and Draco are the others) and he’s weirdly familiar with his “slippery friend” Lucius, addressing the whole speech about how/why he returned to him, for some reason? Anything that helps Voldemort make sense as a person I’ll take, and to me it makes sense that young Tom Riddle charmed Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius’ father, first. The dates are right, and he’s exactly Tom’s type - rich, pureblood, probably easily flattered (let’s be honest) and sitting on a pile of magical artifacts. It’s very Hepzibah Smith vibes, is what I’m saying. And rich, posh, popular seventeen year olds don’t join cults. But if Lucius’ father was already in a cult… 

It also makes sense to me that Tom Riddle got sort of stuck when he killed Marvolo Gaunt, and made his first horcrux at sixteen. He has this fascination with sixteen year old pureblood wizards (so Barty, Draco, and Lucius would have fit this profile.) He sort of wants to be them, but also sort of wants to break them? It’s messy, and complicated. It’s creepy and compelling, that Lucius is aging but this spectre that’s dominated his life isn’t. 

And so when Lucius gives Ginny the diary in Book 2… it makes sense that he’s just trying to get rid of it. He was just at Borgin and Burkes selling dark artifacts, but knows that the diary is worse. He needs to make sure it can’t possibly be traced back to him. So he gives it to the daughter of the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. (It is an enchanted muggle artifact, after all.) If Arthur Weasley finds it and deals with it, fine. If Ginny is discovered with it in a way that blows up in Arthur’s face, also fine. If it does get to Hogwarts and does open the Chamber of Secrets - well Draco is going to be fine, and it might undermine Dumbledore. If it was really important to Lucius that the diary rid the school of muggleborns… he would have given it to Draco and had him use it. Or given it to Draco, and told him to leave it somewhere for an enemy to find. But Lucius doesn’t do that, because he doesn’t want Voldemort back and his politics just aren’t that important to him. 

The one trait I did give Lucius that doesn’t go back to the books is just being madly in love with Narcissa. Lucius is an unrepentant wife guy. (And I mean… it doesn’t contradict anything. There isn’t anything in the books to suggest that he isn’t a wife guy.)  I honestly did that for structural reasons. I’m writing a romance with Severus, who has the emotional awareness of a stack of roofing tiles. He just really, really needed a friend he could ask for relationship advice. 

[ovaettrgrimoire]

Queer Witch’s Manifesto 2.0 (2023)

(Written in 2021 originally sourced from another manifesto online, this was adjusted for my own needs back then, now updated again to better fit the needs of 2023 and so forth. Finished this edit up for the Full Super Sturgeon Moon of Aug 1st ~ 3rd 2023, as I re-investigated my life’s values and what made up who I am for my 32nd solar return on July 24th. Enjoy. If this echoes true with you, you are allowed to use this manifesto for yourself too. It is open and free to use and change as you need. Take care. -O) ---- There are INFINITE genders or lack thereof and sexual identities. Each one deserves the same space and respect as the next. Each one brings something unique and necessary to a circle should they choose to share their magic with us. We are not limited by binarism. White supremacy upholds ideals and expectations that harm EVERYONE and must fall. Christo-fascists seek out only furthering this harm in our communities. We must NOT let it continue. Even though white supremacy harms everyone, white people must not center themselves in discussions or plans for taking it down. We must center the voices of those most marginalized by white supremacy first and foremost Because we are fighting white supremacy, queer magicians must work hard not to appropriate sacred religious tools, artifacts, aesthetics, practices, or deities that do not belong to us.    Sex magic is powerful, beautiful, and queer. It should not be censored. Like anything sexual, we must hold up the idea that informed and enthusiastic consent is mandatory.    Our queered-up version of sex magic also fights rape culture, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and cisnormativity. Though we are anti-capitalist we recognize the constraints of the society we live in and know that money magic is often critical and empowering for those living in the margins. We recognize that the Goddess does not equal “womb worship” and that ANYONE can invoke “Goddess energy.” Goddess energy is intersectional. We recognize that some witches may have physical, emotional, or mental limits that cannot be overcome with spirituality. We welcome these witches to bring their whole, real and authentic selves into a magical space and cast spells in a way that works best for them. Magic is not diminished by disability. Disabled witchcraft is powerful, immeasurably so. All bodies are capable and deserving of magic and joy in their lives. We recognize that individual traumas may need to be healed before we move on to collective work. Global climate change is killing us all and we MUST protect and heal the Earth. Hierarchies do not work in a queer magical context. We are equals even if our jobs differ. MAGIC IS A TOOL FOR PERSONAL HEALING THAT LEADS TO EMPOWERMENT. This empowerment enables us to focus on social progress, empowering others, and collective liberation.

[grey-sorcery]

Suggested Reading

*- Recommended

Spell Dictation* Visualization Conceptualization Vs. Visualization Basics of Spellcasting Researching Witchcraft* Online Research Tips*

Disclaimer

This article is written primarily from my personal opinion which is based on my observations, as well as the input of a plethora of other witches in the community. 

Internet Vs. Reality

It is commonplace for online witchcraft content to be about one’s personal practice. Stories, spells, philosophies, and aesthetics make up a massive majority of available content. For many, myself included, witchcraft is a form of escapism, especially for those who live in poverty or under oppression. Unfortunately, this leads to a dramatization of content for a great deal of content creators. Because of this, there is fear-mongering about spiritwork, exaggeration about the effects & effectiveness of spellwork, and unrealistic expectations of what witchcraft should look like. Furthermore, the prevailing culture about witchcraft is heavily rooted in white supremacy, appropriation, and classism; which, over the last decade or so, has been largely due to the gradual integration of New Age and New Thought philosophies and practices. Misinformation and unwarranted gatekeeping are rampant, leading to a tendency for all witchcraft content to be palatable, fluffy, inefficient, ineffective, vague, and/or simplistic.

Spell Dictation Online

It is so important for fledgling witches to understand that, due to the way spells are recorded online and in books, they will not have the same effects for them as it did the author of those spells. It is incredibly difficult to dictate spells accurately enough for them to be precisely reproducible. It is in responsible practice to use found spells as inspirations for spells rather than actual guides. If a spell online mentions requiring visualization, it definitely wouldn’t be wise to try to reproduce it. I have already thoroughly covered this topic, if you’d like to read further see the suggested reading section.

Old Grimoires & Archaic Metaphysics

For many practitioners, “Traditional” witchcraft seems more potent or powerful. This is most noticeable in the Ceremonial and Trad Craft communities. All the while failing to understand that actual witchcraft traditions are a cultural phenomenon, and not something that can be learned through a book, with seldom exceptions through recreationist practices. Like many religious and scientific texts of antiquity, grimoires and books on magical philosophies are going to be written through their own colloquial and cultural lenses, making them significantly less applicable in a modern practice. The study of these texts are great to gain a glimpse into the practices that others have done before us, but it is important to realize that just because content is written through their own contemporary cultural filter, doesn’t excuse the oppression and bigotted subjects and perspectives often found in older texts. It is impossible and irresponsible to try to separate content from their author’s mentality. Study of these texts should be through an academic pursuit, and not one of application.

What if My Personal Practice IS My Content?

For a great many of creators, especially online, writing content about their personal practice is the easiest thing to do, as doing so provides social protection and plausible deniability when it comes to their assertions. Unfortunately, this allows for the commodification of misinformation and placation of imitation and pretense. Because of the evolution of modern metaphysics, alongside its expression in available content, witchcraft has become heavily reliant on consumerism. When making content from your personal practice, it is imperative to have an extensive disclaimer for those just getting into witchcraft that states the origins of the subject matter and that it is to serve as inspiration and not to be attempted directly.

I Read Something Online That Invalidates My Practice

Witchcraft is an incredibly diverse subject due to the overwhelming number of cultural traditions and individual vantage points. When researching, it will not be uncommon to come across some content that makes you feel invalidated in your craft. For some, this is definitely warranted, specifically for those who take part in appropriative, destructive, or oppressive practices and philosophies such as: Wicca, Ceremonial Magick, New Thought, New Age, Theosophy, Nihilism & Racist Neo-Paganism. For others, there are two options: continue on or take the time to digest the content and then see if it aids in your practice or not. Reacting emotionally to your practice being invalidated by online content does not help anyone, nor is it anyone’s problem but your own. It is so important to approach the study of magic critically and rationally. It is only in its application that magic can be taken by a muse. Remember that you curate your own internet experience.

Aesthetics, Lifestyle, & Practice

Witchcraft is an action, but in practice it is built on one’s philosophy, faith, lifestyle, etc. This is why everyone’s craft looks and feels different. For some witchcraft is an entire lifestyle that is lived out in the open; while for others, it is a precious secret skill. It is also a commodity. Many have, or wish to have, a witchy aesthetic regardless of if they practice or not. Aesthetics are a tool and are by no means necessary for practice. They make us feel good and help us obtain or maintain headspace for workings. Like all concepts within witchcraft, what classifies as a witchy aesthetic can vary wildly. When searching or feeling for an aesthetic, it is best to find what helps you feel confident in your working so that you can channel your intent (not desire) more thoroughly.  

Efficiency & Effectiveness

So much witchcraft is practiced inefficiently, that isn’t any concern of mine, or anyone else’s frankly. If practicing inefficiently is okay with you, then that's valid. The issue with inefficient or ineffective practices only becomes an issue when that practice is expressed online in an educational format for others to consume or when an efficient or ineffective practice are vivaciously or adamantly defended on a public platform. 

Freedom & Pragmatism

As sentient and intelligent organisms, we are all allowed to have our own UPG, faith, practices, perspectives, opinions, philosophies, etc. Doing so is unavoidable. Having the freedom to decide what is and is not accepted as part of our personal crafts is entirely within our discretion. When researching witchcraft, rather than approaching information from a mindset of “this person is telling me how to practice”, it would be significantly more beneficial for everyone to use a “let me try this and see if it makes a difference in my practice” kind of mindset. Without the freedom to find how to express and project ourselves, witchcraft cannot function as there is a lack of intent. If the means in which our intent is projected is inharmonious with the self, then it also will not function. Our freedom of expression and experimentation is what allows us all to grow and develop. Finding that sweet spot is going to look different for everyone. Sometimes the only method that works for someone is the least efficient method, and that’s okay. Do what is practical for you, but remember that you are responsible for the content you publish. Self-awareness is incredibly important in this way. 

If you read this whole article, thank you. If this article makes you mad, good. Identify yourself. You are part of the problem. 

To learn more about me, my services, and/or find my informational guides on witchcraft, click here!

[sitp-recs]

A Case of You by @epitomereally

Harry/Draco (2022, Explicit, 97k)

Draco was doing just fine working as an Unspeakable in Paris, hanging out with his living and ghostly pals, inventing new spells, and definitely not thinking about Potter. Then, Lucius just had to break out of prison and turn his world upside down. Now, Draco has to return to England, where he is forced to confront how family ties bind us—and one infuriatingly fit Harry Potter.

Potter grinned up at him, a flash of quicksilver. This wasn’t at all like Draco ever thought this would be like: Potter thinking he was good, Potter smiling at him, Potter laying his hand gently on him, Potter wanting him. It made him feel frantic and out of control. He didn’t know how to act at all; with Smith, it had been awful and desperate and mean. He suddenly felt, after Potter’s breakdown, that he couldn’t be awful or mean, not right now.

All hail the long fic king!!!! This 100k fic caught me completely off guard by how invested I felt in something this long (sadly not my usual these days) as Wireless got closed to wrapping up. It deserves a spotlight in my single recs for that feat alone but I also really really wanted to celebrate epitome’s first fic back in the fandom after 15 years (starting with a bang!!!) especially because I’ve seen her reccing many wonderful fics lately and it’s a thrill to have someone this talented around again! Before getting into it I also wanna link the amazing rec @romaine2424 did for this fic earlier this week, check it here!

Now, how could I resist this fic looking at those tags - case fic, break up/make up, Unspeakable Draco? Non-linear narrative? Blood magic? Joni Mitchell? Sign me up, please! I’m so so happy that I jumped right in because oh my goodness, what a delightful and thrilling ride this was! The way the author combines excellent plot with the slow unravel of Draco and Harry’s relationship is addictive and will keep you hooked from start to end, which is why I gotta say 97k felt shorter as I was devouring this. The tension building in both main plot and UST (hello casual sparring, this is every Drarry reader’s wet dream 🔥) is superb and a masterclass in anticipation while filling out the blanks about their complicated past with a dual narrative strategy.

I couldn’t decide which timeline I was more invested in, I just wanted to learn everything about this competent, bossy and mysterious Harry, so edgy 🤤 and this lovely redeemed Draco, fierce, stubborn, earnest, a great friend who’s learned how to own his life and decisions. Their voices are excellent, the chemistry is off the charts and absolutely scorching, I love how they work together on the case while dancing around their feelings, trying not to let it affect the investigation and team dynamics. Beyond the side relationships - in my opinion one of the major highlights in this fic, kudos to all those charming, nuanced and flawed characters - the Paris landscape and general descriptions make the fic so much more immersive! Draco’s life abroad jumps to life in the tiniest aesthetic details and I immediately fell in love with the OCs, not to mention Lucius’ plot line and house elves supremacy as a bonus! They’re so creative and charming, I had a lot of fun with these side stories.

On a separate note, I really really loved this take on break up/make up Drarry. Not only we got to see their Auror training and how their tentative friendship started fresh out of school, I think the author gave their relationship a very much appreciated depth and nuance throughout the years, showing why being pulled apart helped them grow more confident and allowed them to establish healthier relationships, and to learn how to trust each other in order to be properly together. No one’s at fault here, it just wasn’t the right time as both characters had to mature and become the men they are right now. It was an engaging and really refreshing approach to the whole enemies to lovers dynamic while keeping the tension very much alive and firing sparks, and I loved every minute of it!

Exciting plot, ultimate UST, masterful character building, delicious smut, and a heartwarming and earned happy ending. This is everything Drarry fans are looking for and some, a really well-crafted long fic that deserves all the love and appreciation for all it has accomplished. What are you waiting for? Happy readings!

Read on AO3

[fernthewhimsical]

A Queer Witch Manifesto

There are infinite genders and sexual identities. Each one deserves the same space and respect as the next. Each one brings something unique and necessary to a circle should they choose to do magic with us.

White supremacy upholds ideals and expectations that harm everyone, and must fall. Even though white supremacy harms everyone, white people must not center themselves in discussion of it or in plans or spellwork for making it fall.

Because we are fighting white supremacy, queer magicians must work hard not to appropriate sacred religious artifacts, aesthetics, and even deities that do not belong to us.

Sex magick is powerful and beautiful, and like anything sexual, most hold up the idea that informed and enthusiastic consent is mandatory. Our queered-up version of sex magic also fights rape culture, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and cisnormativity.

Though we are anti-capitalist we recognize the constraints of the society we live in and know that money magic is often critical and empowering for those living in the margins.

We recognize that Goddess does not equal womb worship and that anyone can invoke Goddess energy.

We recognize that some witches may have physical, emotional, or mental limits that cannot be overcome with spirituality. We welcome these witches to bring their whole, real selves into a magical space and cast spells in the way that works best for them.

We recognize that individual traumas may need to be healed before we move on to collective work.

Queer witchcraft can and does include manifesting personal desires so long as they don't impede someone else's autonomy and consent. People who have suffered and been marginalized deserve pleasure, and magic is a great tool for bringing that into being. Manifesting those personal desires is often necessary in a healing journey that needs to happen before we can become empowered.

Magic is a tool for personal healing that leads to empowerment. This empowerment enables us to focus on social progress, empowering others, and collective liberation.

Global climate change is killing us all and we must protect and attempt to heal the Earth. This must be a magical priority for queer witchcraft.

Hierarchies do not work in a queer magical context. We are equals, even if our jobs in a group working are different.

All bodies are capable of and deserving of magic. All bodies are capable of and deserving of the joy and manifestation magic can bring

Source: Cassandra Snow, Queering your Craft

[realcube]

What BNHA Heroes have their s/o saved as in their phone

Class 1A x Reader

+ Aizawa and Shinsou

tw// cussing, cringe smh, lots of love <3 

Class 1A

Yuga Aoyama 

he has you saved as ‘my ✨star✨’

and honestly you love it because he calls you that in real life too 

Mina Ashido 

she has you saved as ‘bubs 💞💓💖💝💘💕’

 the only reason there isn’t more hearts was because of the limit smh

she changes it every few weeks to a new pet name though

also she calls you that irl sometimes

Tsuyu Asui

she has you saved as ‘my flower 🌺’

honestly, the only reason she put you as that rather than your name because of your intense love for flora

every date you take Tsuyu on is always to somewhere with beautiful scenery and an abundance of flowers

Tenya Iida 

he has you saved as ‘beef stew’

he originally had you saved as ‘(Y/N) (L/N)’ 

but you showed him that you had him saved as ‘Honey’ so he wanted to save you under a pet name too

however, he couldn’t really think of one so he asked for you assistance and you told him that most cute pet names come from food

“So, what food do I remind you of, Iida?” 

“Beef stew.” 

Needless to say you both were laughing your asses off for a while after that 

but it’s still cute because beef stew is his favourite food just like you are his favourite person

Ochako Uraraka

she has you saved as ‘(L/N) <3 ’

she wanted to use a heart emoticon but her flip-phone doesn’t let her smh

Also she doesn’t have a pet name for you yet but she is working on it 

like she tried calling you ‘baby girl’ but then you explained to her the sexual undertones to that name so she stopped and she’s been too embarrassed since then to try again 

Mashirao Ojiro

he has you saved as ‘tail boy’s s/o 🤪’

y’all had a whole-ass discussion about this one time lmao

y’all were brainstorming ideas for what you should save each other as in your phones

you didn’t want to have something basic like ‘babe’ or ‘my heart🥰’ but rather something funny and you suggested (jokingly) to save his contact as ‘tail boy’

and rather than being offended like you thought he’d be, you both ended up laughing your asses of together for a solid 5 minutes (at least)

so you saved his contact as that and since he couldn’t come up with a funny nickname in relation to your quirk, he just saved you as ‘tail boy’s s/o🤪’

 Denki Kaminari 

he has you saved as ‘ASH CECHUM 😩😳💦🌚💓🧀'

plz don’t ask about the emojis idek

anyway, he saw that you saved him as ‘Pikachu <3′ which makes sense considering his quirk..

so he took it upon himself to save your contact as - in his own words - “That guy who owns the Pikachu from Pokémon’ 

however, despite the fact he has watched Pokémon before, he had no idea how to spell Ash’s second name and apparently the thought never came him that; ‘hey, maybe I should google it.’

so he just sounded it out 

as for the all caps, contrary to popular belief , he does know how to turn it off

he just chooses not to for the aesthetic and also it takes a lot of effort 

that is why he doesn’t use proper punctuation either 

Eijiro Kirishima

he has you saved as ‘love bug’

honestly, you’re not too sure of when or why he changed your contact name after y’all started dating but..

you thought it was cute but..a bit cringe

obviously you didn’t say anything about it though, you weren’t trying to be mean to your boyfriend for no reason

it’s not like he called you that irl

however, he’d be out of his mind if he thought you were gonna save him as something like that 

the best he’ll get from you is ‘Kiri babe 🤘' (get it? bc...rock!)

Kouji Koda 

he has you saved as��‘love bug’

ASKJFCWB YOU THINK IT IS OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ADORABLE OML

like it makes sense because he like talks to insects and stuff and you’re his lil love bug cause you are his lover and stuff hhhhh

also because of the size difference between you and him, i mean, you are basically the size of an insect compared to him 

in short, Koda supremacy  🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️

Rikidou Satou

he has you saved as ‘sugar pie’ 

honestly, poor man

he was completely clueless when you asked him to save you as something cute 

like, he know what you meant...but he had no idea what to go for 

so you chose for him 👍

and you made a pretty good decision tbh I mean, it’s cute! it relates to his quirk and all

and he has started to call you that irl sometimes and it always makes your heart go brrrrrrr

Mezou Shouji 

he has you saved as ‘hunk’ 

ok, i know i said Satou was a poor man but let me just say

THIS POOR MAN 

you told him it’d be cute if you both saved each other as cute pet names in your phones and dead ass him response ‘you’re not my pet though..’

AAAAAAAAAAA

so after a lot of explaining, as an example you whipped out your own phone and showed him how you had saved him as ‘hunk’ 

...he really went and just copied you

you thought that was so funny and precious though so you didn’t ask him to change it

Kyouka Jirou 

she has you saved as ‘my melody 🎶’

ok, so it started when she noticed that you use the same pen everyday - a My Melody one

she thought that was so fucking adorable and she kinda started teasing you for it; not that you minded though

she also thought it was so cute when you’d get all flustered 

so one day she just decided to change your contact name to that 

it also kinda tied in with her love for music (but mostly her love for you uwu)

Hanta Sero

he has you saved as ‘my honey nutter butter biscuit’

after Kirishima called his s/o ‘love bug’ infront of y’all that one time, you both spent the next hour taking the piss and laughing at how over-the-top couple nicknames are sometimes 

so just #for the meme he saved your contact as a hyperbole of what those cringe couple pet names are like

oh and you have him saved as ‘My beloved sweet peach taco’

Fumikage Tokoyami

he has you saved as ‘Helena’

yeah, he wanted to be edgy and save your contact after a MCR song

(no, he does not know that Helena is about Gerard’s grandmother but don’t you dare tell him)

Shoto Todoroki

he has you saved as ‘(Y/N) (L/N) 💖’

you texted him something during lunch one time to see his reaction while you were sitting next to him but then you noticed that your name in his phone was simply ‘(Y/N) (L/N)’

you mentioned it briefly but you didn’t make a fuss out of it because it really wasn’t a big deal

however, he asked to see what his name in your phone was and you showed him

you had saved him as ‘Babey ( •̀ ω •́ )✧’

he went home and did some research on some good pet names to save you as in his phone

after that, his search history kinda looked like;

‘pet names’

‘pet names for humans’

‘pet names for lovers’

‘cute nicknames for my girlfriend’

‘cute emoticons’

he deadass came in the next day and the first thing he did was pull out his phone and show you the emoji he put next to your name

“Look, (L/N). I found this emoticon and put it next to your contact name in my phone.”

yes, he sound like boomer..obvs

he spends 90% of his free time training rather than on his phone 

and the time that he is on his phone, he isn’t using emojis, he is searching shit like 

‘how to hack into a credit card without the PIN’

Tooru Hagakure

she saves you as ‘❤😘’

no, she doesn’t need to save you as your name to remember who you are 

she’s not a peasant

Katsuki Bakugo

he has you saved as ‘pretty stupid face’

originally it was just ‘stupid face’

but you noticed it and just dropped a subtle comment like “hey, that’s mean.”

so he came in the next day with ‘pretty’ added to the start

“i am genuinely too nice to you sometimes.” he’d say

“THE STUPID FACE PART IS STILL THERE”

“I KNOW BUT I ADDED PRETTY TO THE START!!”

“Wow, tch, such I gentleman-”

“I know-HEY WAIT WAS THAT SARCASM?!”

Izuku Midoriya 

he has you saved as ‘sweetest love muffin’

you that one couple i mentioned in Sero’s headcanons?

yeah, that’s y’all

you are both literally that couple

“No, you hang up.”

“No, you hang up!”

“Nooo, cause I’ll miss you”

“I’ll miss you moreeee”

he literally threw a bunch of his favourite adjectives into a pet name lol

also your contact name for him is something on a similar wavelength

Minoru Mineta

I know most y’all would’ve even give him your number lol

but for those who would 🤮

he has you saved as ‘sweet cheeks’ or sumn 

Momo Yaoyorozu

she has you saved as ‘My McMuffin’

HOL UP LET ME EXPLAIN

ok so she let you take her to McDonald’s cause you wanted to see her reaction since she is used to gourmet cuisine or whatever

so it was sure to be entertaining 

and it was 

but not in a good way

she was almost sick after she had a bite of a big mac and then she tried to wash it down with the Sprite but then she fainted for like a solid 10 seconds

once she came back, she obviously wanted to leave..so you did 

A year later, y’all are in the town and both of you are starving 

But Momo realised that she didn’t have her card on her or any money but that was fine because at least you had your debit card on you 

You had enough money on it for a taxi back to Momos place and a McMuffin each

Obviously she didn’t want one but when you started eating in front of her, of course she wanted a taste

and so it was love at first bite

she loved it so much so of course you bought another one for her and she consumed it in a millisecond (not literally)

so now she has your contact saved as the one thing competing against you for her love - a McMuffin

Shota Aizawa

unfortunately he does not have your contact saved as ‘kitten’

instead, in his phone you are saved as ‘The One  💙’

simple, yet it effectively shows his admiration - just the way he likes it

 and he only added the emoji to make your name stand out more so he could easily tell whether he was gonna ignore the following message or not

because if Mike is texting him telling his that he needs the extremely important documents that Aizawa keeps in his coded filing cabinet, Shota will be like -.-

but if you text him asking for him to pick up chocolate on his way home, he’ll be like 🏃‍♂️

Hitoshi Shinso 

he has you saved as ‘big daddy’

plz don’t ask 

it’s an inside joke between you and him

okay well, if you must know 

y’all were trying to come up with the most absurd nicknames for each other that kinda sound legit 

some other gems 

‘Muscleman’

‘Big scary snookums’

‘sexy giant’

[heyvivalapluto]

rose granger-weasley headcanons:

ravenclaw

her middle name is minerva because of professor mcgonagall

she hates when people call her “rosie”. ron is the only one allowed to call her that

she’s daddy’s little girl. and she loves to be.

but hermione is her best friend. and no, it’s not weird

cat lover!!!!

she’s a bit smaller than albus, but still tall

either a black powerful woman or a fiery redheaded. either way, she has beautiful freckles

one of the brightest minds of the wizard community.

her favorite colors are also the same colors as her lgbt flag: purple blue and pink.

she’s a bissexual disaster.

i mean, she knows how to flirt and stuff, but she falls in love way too quickly and becomes a mess about her feelings. a total romantic

she actually accidentally flirts and half the world falls in love with her

her favorite uncle and aunt are bill and fleur

she loves the beach and the countryside

her patronous and animagus is a ginger cat

loves long showers

has a mug collection

avid reader

FANFICTION FANFICTION FANFICTION

cooks better than molly herself, but she’ll never agree with it, because “there’s no better food than granny’s”

makes part of the rare group of people that looks great in yellow

seems to be fragile, but is the most badass person people will ever meet

invented “looks like a cinnamon roll, but could actually kill you” trope

she likes so many things that she has no ideia what to do for a living. sometimes she wants to have her own inn at some beach, sometimes to be a quidditch player and sometimes to be a journalist

*feminist*

her favorite fruit is mangoes

she is lowkey in love with scorpius

she’s so gentle, so brave.

heart of gold

although she probably will kick ass and take names anytime, anyplace. she’s a total hot head, even if she seems so delicate

plays chess with her father, whenever she can. she always lets him win

pretty brown eyes.

terrible at taking care of plants

her favorite subject at hogwarts is potions, but she sucks at chemistry. her favorite muggle subject is english literature

she did go to a muggle school before attending hogwarts

rose is a great writer

smart mouth

she’s always exhausted because she’s fighting the patriarchy

devil in disguise was made specifically for her. she sure looks angelical and is good hearted, but boi is she bad tempered

her voice is really unique. it’s deep, but somehow sweet and delicate. she talks and it seems like she’s singing

seriously she got it so bad for scorpius. she’s so in love

knows how to dance ballet, but doesn’t really like it, because of all the toxic behaviors of that universe

she’s overconfident at the most ridiculous times

her over confidence is about “yeah, of course i can do this”, but she actually can’t. like seriously, never dare this girl. ever.

she’s an oblivious heartbreaker. she sure is gorgeous and people tend to fall easy for her (i mean, come on), but she tends to not notice people who might have a lowkey crush on her, because she only has eyes for those she’s fallen for (for now is scorpius)

she’s very straightforward about her thoughts on any subject

dreams about a big wedding

she always loses her keys. no one knows how she does it, but she does.

her favorite flowers are lilies

her favorite show is new girl and has a major crush on cece

“i might have a tiny little crush on scorpius”

bonus: scorpius likes her back. he just sucks at flirting. or communicating at all

she’s addicted to sitcoms

she has the horrible habit of biting her nails

she never gets sick. it doesn’t even make sense

big brain. fierce mind. i’m serious, she’s a genius

rose will always help anyone in need.

“‘dude’ but like... romantically”

her favorite ice cream flavor is coconut

goofy, overconfident, flirtatious and desperate for approval: that’s her aesthetic. that’s it

“men should never have an opinion on anything.” and “i’ll be nicer, if you’re smarter” are her mottos.

she is the queen of self love, but she’s still human and still is ron weasley’s daughter. so she eventually stops believing in herself and thinks she will never be good enough

she just wants to make her parents proud

she just wants to protect and honor their legacy.

oblivious? duh

she actually sucks at giving advice. why people still come to her? but of course rose will always be there for anyone

her laugh is way too loud, but she’s never ashamed of it.

knows fluent french, because of her aunt fleur. she actually goes almost every summer to france to visit gabrielle, along with fleur and her cousins: dominique, victoire, teddy and louis

rose actually learned french because she realized how left out fleur was around the weasleys. they didn’t seem to appreciate her and rose couldn’t stand by that

i mean, fleur is awesome and rose knows it.

she hates to wear her hair in ponytails. she just hates it

she actually can make any spells without her wand. she just uses it for the aesthetic

she used braces for a while, because of her grandparents

rose is always exhausted. she needs at least 12 hours of sleep to be rested, but at the same time, she manages to sleep only 3-4hours per night. constantly

she is a workaholic, thus her awful sleep schedule

always fighting with roxanne, but they are really close. they fight because they love each other

her favorite cousins are albus, louis and james

jealous type

but is terrified about having a toxic behavior

advocate of those without a voice

pancakes supremacy

hates to see blood

actually, rose doesn’t even see james as her cousin because they are so close.

she sometimes believes they are platonic soulmates.

they get along so well it astounds anyone who sees them together

they are best friends

okay, so james and rose’s relationship is so strong and they love each other so much. it’s unmatched. of course albus is her favorite cousin and friend, but with james? he is her soulmate, simple as that

“SOULMATES DO NOT HAVE TO BE ROMANTIC, DAMN IT”

james and rose’s duo is about how easy they connect. they are both bad tempered and ultra kind, and also believe in “be gay, do crimes” motto. he never lets her feel alone and is the first to hear her problems and vice versa; she says he is her older and male version.

rose’s is captain of her quidditch team. she’s one of the chasers.

she’s very competitive

she’s very protective of her friends

rose will always take care of the ones she loves

rose is big fan of elton john

“this boy got me fuckt up” / “what boy?” / “william shakespeare.”

brutally honest

imagine anne shirley mixed with katara.

[kendelias]

fandombend + oliver + fairy tail [the aesthetic of this in my head is s'cool so i wanna know what you think]

[oh my god i LOVE this]

okay so the thing about oliver is that he's a little hellion so he fits RIGHT in at the fairy tail guild hall. screaming, yelling, causing a ruckus, finding his own lil found family that he loves and adores. he LOVES it.

i kinda wanna keep his ears but he'd scrap the beanie i think bc it's normal there. meanwhile his magic maybe... history magic? like somehow he can find out a person's history through spells? maybe more advanced spells could find out their powers etc? this isn't a real fairy tail oc so it doesn't need to be super fleshed out but idk im kinda into it

he definitely goes on missions with cana like i can feel it. that boy needs an alpha female bestie and she is IT. he also hangs out with levy, mirajane, max, and the thunder legion when they drop by. he avoids juvia like the plague and generally does not care for team natsu's shenanigans (though he does love lucy and wish she had better taste).

okay but hear me out: HIBIKI ENDGAME SUPREMACY. he will NOT hear otherwise (sorry jenny love you tho boo). his type is traumatized pretty boys what more do you want from him. he would get that boy SO much therapy.

he's not an s class wizard but it's not out of the cards for him to become one. i don't think he'd go to tenrou though, so that means he's back at home for the timeskip. his greatest joy in life is getting to hold it over cana that he's older than her now

send me an oc for a fandombend!

[olderwitch]

A QUEER WITCH MANIFESTO

There are infinite genders and sexual identities.

Each one deserves the same space and respect as the next.

Each one brings something unique and necessary to a circle should they choose to do magick with us.

White supremacy upholds ideals and expectations that harm everyone, and must fall. Even though white supremacy harms everyone, white people must not center themselves in discussion of it or in plans or spellwork for making it fall.

Because we are fighting white supremacy, queer magicians must work hard not to appropriate sacred religious artifacts, aesthetics, and even dieties that do not belong to us.”

Sex magick is powerful and beautiful, and like anything sexual, most hold up the idea that informed and enthusiastic consent is mandatory.

Our queered-up version of sex magick also fights rape culture, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and cisnormativity.

Though we are anti-capitalist we recognize the constraints of the society we live in and know that money magick is often critical and empowering for those living in the margins.

We recognize that Goddess does not equal womb worship and that anyone can invoke Goddess energy.

We recognize that some witches may have physical, emotional, or mental limits that cannot be overcome with spirituality.

We welcome these witches to bring their whole, real selves into a magickal space and cast spells in the way that works best for them.

We recognize that individual traumas may need to be healed before we move on to collective work.

Queer witchcraft can and does include manifesting personal desires so long as they don't impede someone else's autonomy and consent.

People who have suffered and been marginalized deserve pleasure, and magick is a great tool for bringing that into being.

Manifesting those personal desires is often necessary in a healing journey that needs to happen before we can become empowered.

Magick is a tool for personal healing that leads to empowerment.

This empowerment enables us to focus on social progress, empowering others, and collective liberation.

Global climate change is killing us all and we must protect and attempt to heal the Earth.

This must be a magickal priority for queer witchcraft. Hierarchies do not work in a queer magickal context.

We are equals, even if our jobs in a group working are different. All bodies are capable of and deserving of magick.

All bodies are capable of and deserving of the joy and manifestation magick can bring.”

— Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins by Cassandra Snow

[standingbythedoor-blog]

The Hegemonic Fantasm Created by the Word Nigga. (Condensed)

Words are like spells. Words spoken with the right syncopation, tone, and rhythm can make someone dance, cry, feel pride, disgust, or pleasure. There is power in words. After those feelings have long left one's emotional realm, the terms associated with those emotions remain. Like chameleons, some words do not disappear; they mutate into something that is befitting their surroundings for protection. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. eloquently expressed that, "A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used." (160) This quote precisely describes the life of the word Nigga. Nigga is woven into the fabric of Western society and has worn different hats at different times. One may even say that it has not taken off any of those mentioned hats yet. Nigga means different things to different people based on their knowledge of the word, age, cultural background, and lived experiences.

In the following essay entitled, "The hegemonic fantasm created by the word Nigga”, I will explore the phenomenality of non-African American people using Nigga within the Hip-hop aesthetic; and identify all, if any, rules for utilizing the word. I will argue that hip-hop culture has created a hegemonic fantasm with the use of the term Nigga. A hegemonic fantasm, as defined by Shurrmann, is an "authoritative representation that serves, during a given linguistic era, to constitute the phenomenality of phenomena and thereby to legitimize all theoretical and practical rules" (6). We will learn how the use of the word Nigga has been transferred from oppressor to the oppressed and back again under the cloak of hip-hop culture. In this paper, I use the term Hip-hop aesthetic liberally as it refers to all manners of expression within hip-hop culture, including fashion, vernacular, dance, visual art, and musical objects, within and outside of rap music itself. I will implore Nietzsche's idea of freedom and nihilism as my counter-argument. I will then use the Hip-hop song "Sucka Nigga" by A Tribe Call Quest to further my exploration of the word and its use in Hip-hop music to both celebrate friendship and to slander. I will conclude with Mbebe to construct a call to action to those who may feel compelled to walk backward on what Beverly Daniel Tatum refers to as "The moving walkway of racism." 

I should also bring clarification to my use of the term "one." In these writings, one will represent an African American. This point is important to identify because I am an African American who subscribes to Hip-hop culture. Therefore I cannot speak on behalf of those who do not share racial or cultural similarities. The words in this writing were penned with African Americans in mind; however, this text can be utilized by non-African Americans to explore further the history and the use of the term Nigga in an effort to combat racism. Before I delve into the word Nigga, it is crucial that I provide a caveat that will show what led me to discover the hegemonic fantasm created by the word Nigga.

I am an African American male who teaches Latino students predominantly. As a 5th grade teacher, I have had to have conversations about race with all of my classes. The talks typically stem from me overhearing a group of them say the word Nigga while signing a song. After having this conversation a couple of times with them, what seemed to puzzle me was how they were using it. Schürmann writes, "The double bind arises from singularities though not as a dispersion of givens, but as dispersive functions (610). My Latino students were using the term in the same way that I have used the word when talking to my close friends and family. It made me think about a couple of things. First, do they know what the word means in historical respect? Secondly, if they do know what it means, why are they claiming a term that has caused great anguish to a group of people for themselves? Soon after, I discovered a YouTube video of a group of white kids rapping a song, and I realized that when the rapper said the word Nigga, they too said the word Nigga--while smiling. After this experience, I realized one thing that both instances had in common; Hip-hop. Subsequently, I asked myself, did Hip-hop normalize the word Nigga? Is being a Nigga the cool thing now?

How does an African American, navigate this complex social landscape in a world where a name can either make you a man or a slave -- friend, or a foe. I overheard my students again using the word Nigga. I found myself caught in a double bind. Schrumann describes a double-bind as when, "The hero sees the conflicting laws, and—at the moment of tragic denial—then blinds himself toward one of them, fixing his gaze on the other. (27) I reached this conclusion based on two factors. First, I am an African American, and I should not allow non-African American people to use it; I should discipline them for using the word. Secondly, I am their teacher; I shouldn't get upset based upon the context in which they are using the term; they may not know the history of the word and its racial implication, and that could be a teachable moment. How can I navigate this dilemma not only in my classroom but with other people I may encounter?

I have been asked on two occasions by non-African Americans, "Why can't I say it?". This question brings to the surface one concern: "Why would a non-African American want to say it? Is it the first amendment rights granted to all Americans by the Constitution of the United States? The desire to say what they want when they want to? Is it the need to feel as if they belong to a particular cadre of friends? Is it them being facetious? Or are they truly seeking knowledge to use to combat racism? The answers to these questions can not come from me. For again, I can not speak for or from the position of a non-African American. However, I can show the impact of the word Nigga in the lives of African Americans; The historical origins of the word Nigga and how one could react to hearing the word. 

Since slavery's beginning, the word Nigger has been used as a derogatory term for Black people. This fact appears in a myriad of ways throughout history. However, for some, the term functioned as a source of power (i.e., White oppressors using the term to assert dominance). For African Americans, the word was a reminder that you were "less than" in society. However, among the African American population, the word gave a sense of unity--knowing we were all facing the similar struggles of being oppressed. While this writing focuses on the word Nigga used in a Hip hop context, one cannot get to Nigga without first visiting Nigger. Nigger is a six-letter word derived from the Latin term meaning black. However, the concept of Nigger is a weapon of mass destruction. It is the shorthand for a field of knowledge that, for over 500 years, across every continent, dedicated itself to the progression of white supremacy and the belittlement of dark-skinned people. While before the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the term described something with a dark hue, it has been ingrained in our psyche to mean something negative. In the series entitled Strength In Numbers by Knowledge Bennett, the artist utilizes vast black canvas to represent members of his family and a sense of togetherness. However, if looked at the paintings through an eye trained to see black as a symbol of despair or nothingness, it would appear to be nothing more than a black canvas. One could look in the Oxford dictionary and discover how these negative connotations have fueled the weight of the word Nigger. The intersection of the negative connotations and the usage by African Americans is where the dilemma lies. Do we ignore a set of derogatory definitions to make room for the more amicable meanings of the word? The intertwined uses and implications of Nigger and Nigga are where this discussion occurs--a hegemonic fantasm.

According to Schürmann, words have no meaning alone in their singular state. He writes, "Solon" and "Moses" are not definable, no more than are the objects of demonstratives such as "this" and "that"; the class in which we arrange them, however, is definable." (9) To Schürmann, the word Nigger would have no definite meaning in its solitude. Not until Nigger is chained to other singularities does its identity appear. For instance, if one were to hear someone belting out the word Nigga in a room without knowing the individual's identity, the word Nigga would not have an identity. Only when the individual who is saying the word is revealed can someone begin to assume to identify the intentions behind the use of Nigga. Furthermore, the individual's intentions for the term impacts its meaning significantly. If it happens to be a non-African American, one may define the word differently than if it was an African American. One would also have to consider the setting. Would the meaning the word Nigga mean something different if the environment was a Hip-hop show and those two people were next to one another reciting the same lyrics? Or does Nigga, on its own, have a set of multiple singularities that immediately shapes someone's idea of the term? 

For some, Nigga is a cultural slang term of solidarity or kinship. For others, Nigga is nothing more than a painful reminder of the brutal plight faced by African Americans at the hands of white oppressors. Some people see no distinguishing features between Nigga and Nigger. For someone who has personally experienced times of racism attached to that word, anything remotely close to the word Nigger can bring back painful memories depending on who says it.

 The popularity of Hip-hop culture and its frequent use made the term Nigga transition from being a term shared by African Americans among African Americans or white supremacy ideology to a name that represents other cultures' comradery. With this stance, it can be argued that the word Nigga has morphed into a hegemonic fantasm. Schürmann writes, "The one rests in itself and thereby imposes an order within which mortals, in turn, posit names and laws." (53) This quote speaks directly to why my Latino students feel comfortable using the word. They say Nigga among themselves within a closed circle--therefore, they create their boundaries and laws regarding the word's use. Either that is the case, or they assume that their subscription to Hip-hop culture gives them the same rights as other members (i.e., African Americans) within the Hip-hop community. Based on the plethora of uses for the term nigga, are they seeing themselves as these stereotypical figures created by white supremacy for Black people? Have African American practitioners of Hip-hop made the pain of Black people the "in" thing? Is hip-hop to blame?

"Sucka Nigga," a song by Hip-hop group a Tribe Called Quest, presents to the listener a sonic tapestry that tells the story of the word Nigga from the perspective of a Black man in his late teens. This particular selection is essential because it speaks to someone who is not only creating but also ingesting Hip-hop music during its "Golden Years," approximately 1986 -1995; the beginning of Hip-hop's commercialization. The musical group's lead, Q-tip, speaks to the double-bind he finds himself in when he says the word Nigga. He writes, "Yo, I start to flinch, as I try not to say it / But my lips is like the oowop as I start to spray it." (A Tribe Called Quest) A oowop is slang for an automatic gun. Q-tip, speaks to the double-bind a Black person may encounter while saying Nigga highlights the complexity of its effects. In the first stanza, one has to ask, why would he flinch?

He is aware of the historical ramifications of the word Nigga. He has a sense of pride and power that comes from using such a weighted term. The term serves as artistic weaponry that is both compelling and dangerous. In this instance, Q-tip must decide if he is going to take the position of historical reverence and avoid the word or use the ever-tempting word and embrace its modern social popularity. The double bind yet again.

This is a dilemma of Q-tip's moral consciousness, which is "the consciousness that harbors a precursive practical knowledge in its activities, brought to bear on its obligations and prohibitions. "(Schürmann 383). One could associate Q-tip's paradigm with the story of Antigone and her allegiance to the rules of familial piety (Schürmann 3). When he says Nigga, he is aware that he is reverberating the notions instilled by white supremacy, which, in return, is causing harm and degradation to African Americans as a whole.

On the other hand, he does not find this to be reason enough to stop saying the word because of the era in which he lives. Instead, he exercises his privilege to take ownership of the word despite its negative essence. He writes, "Other niggas in the community think it's crummy/ But I don't, neither does the youth cause we / Em-brace adversity it goes right with the race / And being that we use it as a term of endearment." (A Tribe Called Quest,1993) If Q-tip were to stop using the word Nigga, he would be relinquishing his Hip-hop authenticity--primarily since Hip-hop was founded based on defying adversity. There is no double-bind unless the both-and of the two conflicting laws exhausts the field of possibilities. (Schürmann 28)

In my original document, I presented the idea of choice between two of our thinkers, Hegel, and Nietzche. For the sake of the argument, I selected Nietzche for this rendition. Unlike Hegel, who believes one should acknowledge the total person, including their history, Nietzche thinks that the path to freedom is not to acknowledge the past. (Nietzsche 159)Throughout Nietzche's writings, he refers to this idea of nihilism. Nihilism essentially is the denial of traditional belief systems. Nietzche wrote, "For the historical audit brings so much to light which is false and absurd, violent and inhuman, that the condition of pious illusion falls to pieces." (134) Nietzsche expresses that to be free; one must fail to acknowledge all of the things that construct those conventional beliefs; through this process, one can arrive at freedom and grant others theirs as well. However, one should want to not accept something because of the pain an event or person has caused them. For Nietzche, "it is an error to consider "social distress" or "physiological desperation" or, worse, corruption, as the cause of nihilism." (11) When my non-African American students use the word, should I not acknowledge it? Should I put aside the rapes, murders, kidnappings, and lynchings that I associate with the term Nigga? On the other hand, should I forget about the events in my life that converted my friends to "my niggas?" According to Nietzsche, I should if I want to be free. He writes, "Therefore, it is possible to live almost without remembering and live happy, as evidenced by the animal, but it is still impossible to live without forgetting" (62). However, this dilemma is not quickly resolved with Nietzsche's view of freedom. If freedom is ascertained through discontinuation of my acknowledgment of the distress caused by the word Nigga, I am also failing to acknowledge the sense of exclusive community that was meant when African Americans took ownership of the word. This "freedom" that can be felt by one comes at a cost--denial of those who fought to change the connotation of the word.

Someone may find this idea unworthy of any significant attention. However, the impact of this word produces a devastating blow. The effect of racism is more than cross-burning, black bodies hanging from southern trees, or unwarranted police shootings of Black people. Racism is alive and living off of the deeds and ideas of those who perpetuate its malicious cycle of oppression. Mbembe writes, "In fact, race does not exist as a physical, anthropological, or genetic fact. However, it is not just a useful fiction, a phantasmagoric construction, or an ideological projection whose function is to draw attention away from conflicts judged to be more real - the struggle between classes or genders, for example."

Racism is an idea that we bring to life through our beliefs, actions, and conversations. One could compare it to the story of the creature living in the hillside that the villagers created to keep people out of the woods. However, through these stories, the villagers began to manifest interactions or sightings with this creature. They begin to build weapons, forts, and rituals to ward off this creature because it is now real. Over time, these weapons and rituals become ingrained in the citizens' everyday lives because they made the monster real. One thing to keep in mind is that the myth of the creature was created to control the villagers. Was racism and the word Nigger designed to control us? My answer is undoubted. While racism may be a fantasm, it is a reality that we all deal with, and it has to be acknowledged.

[alixmap-blog]

Reading Report number 2

4. On page 9, McLuhan asserts: "the content of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium". Pick an example from the text that shows what he means by this. Do you agree with this view? Why (or why not)?

If we take the definition that medium in plural is media, clearly the “content of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium”. For instance, in an adviser, we don’t see the importance of the light (the medium) but just the content (the message). There is thus a kind of hierarchy presupposed with Content>Media>medium. Because of the supremacy of the message, we tend to forget the characteristics of the medium, this is why we fail to study media.

This is increased by the fact that the content of any medium is always another medium, there is thus a permanent connection between mediums, as the author said, speech is the content of writing, writing is the content of print and print itself is the content of telegraph. This connection lost us as we are used to classify and divide in order to control. Cubism makes it very clear that the medium is the message, since for the first time, it shows the sensory awareness of the whole, an artwork in its entirety.  

To illustrate his theory, McLuhan uses the example of electric light is pure information, without content, it shows the existence of a pure medium, light. It is a medium without messageunless it is used to spell out some verbal ad or name. It means that the “content” of any medium is always another medium. Before its existence it was difficult to see that the message wasn’t only the content, it is the medium, we have to view it as a change of scale. Understand this aspect makes us see that the medium shapes controlling the form of human association and thus, human action. A certain kind of medium will raise your sensibility more or less. For example, the cinema underlines certain aspects like the oral and visual, at the contrary of the four-dimension (4D) cinema that uses the touch feeling but let less space to the imagination. Those differences shape the human interaction that results. This is why it is too easy to affirm that the content of the medium is linked to the characteristic of the medium.

We thus proved the importance that the message is the content is a medium, and that this is primordial in order to study media. But we have not studied the importance of the word “blind”. As we’ve said in the introduction, the importance of this second medium (second in the cognitive process) hides the primordial existence of the first medium. Slowly we are realizing that the nature of the medium isn’t a benign information. Internet is a medium and is completely biased, so is the newspaper (leftish or not). The problem of that blindness is that we forgot that a medium uniform the population, the example of the French newspapers that uniformed the French population to the importance of the Republic is perfect. Mediums (media) uniforms the cultural matrix in which it operates (unless the oriental one), and the unawareness of the internal psychic and social effects of media is worrying. The example of Sarnoff shows that the enemy is external and invisible, as it is difficult to understand the true nature of the medium, often we are blinded by its aesthetical appearance, and paradoxically the importance of aesthetics is forgotten (or invisible). Media are a manipulation, as there is an imbrication of mediums in a media. Media have shaped history, unless there is an adult education that would be useful to counterforce to the popular press, it is difficult.

Finally, there is the effect of a change of perception with time. Only the artist, an expert, is capable to see the imbrication of mediums, their individual importance that varies with the changes of perception. For instance, if we want to get rid of the sense of perception of our own culture, we have to go to a society where technology hasn’t shaped their perception. There is a permanent equilibrium between the type of communication and the capacity of the individual’s own reaction influenced by those (permanent like newspapers) media.

Because it is difficult to understand that the medium is the message, it is difficult to understand that the nature of the medium in itself is hidden by the content. We are then more likely to be manipulated; as we are more tend to focus on the obvious, and the cascade effects of medium.

Nonetheless, some medium can have zero content, like the pure light or the light bulb that creates an environment by its mere presence. And sometimes the nature of the medium is more important that other medium, because of the conventional importance that we attach to it for instance the Carré Blanc sur fond blanc. You have a message attached to nature of the medium, art, a painting, and the monetarization of it.

Even if communication and its aesthetic form is primordial, it isn’t always more important than the message. If not, we wouldn’t have different form of medium, but the one that would be the most efficient.

[cozyburrowvibes]

Urban Hedge Witch Aesthetic

Plants growing through pavement cracks.

Spray paints sigils in forgotten alleys to protect the neighborhood against gentrification.

Knows every magic shop, occult bookstore, and fortune teller within a ten mile radius of their apartment. 

Enchants subway tokens with spells for safe travel.

Charges crystals on the fire escape.

Probably busy hexing the patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy right now. 

Feeds stray cats. 

Loves to explore abandoned buildings. 

Always dyeing their hair. 

Tarot readings in Denny’s at 3 am. 

Can find all the ingredients necessary for any spell at the corner bodega. 

Combat boots

[innkeeping]

rules: answer 21 questions then tag 21 people u want to get to know better

tagged by: @mittelman thank u!!

nickname: kark or seb

zodiac: gemini

height: 5′4

last movie i saw: bohemian rhapsody

last thing i googled: 'sci-fi gothic’

favorite musician: rav and kill bill

song stuck in my head: bishop’s knife trick by fall out boy

other blogs: none

do i get asks: never.!! epic guys thanks

following: 18

followers: 48 (over half are random spam bots)

amount of sleep: uhhhh it changes a lot

lucky number: 87

what i’m wearing: big sweatshirt blanket thing

dream job: forensic pathologist

dream trip: england so i can see twoti live or so i can go to insomnia

favorite food: sunflower seeds

play any instruments?: clarinet

languages: english and basic latin if that counts?????

favorite songs: “geddit” or “the commodity of tenacity” by rav, good luck chuck by kill bill, the f2 diss track by stephen tries, the beers by the front bottoms, hurt by oliver tree, walking the dog by fun., walking the dog II by fun., drunken lament by ludo, constant headache by joyce manor, point/counterpoint by streetlight manifesto, stray the skies by vola, i feel so by boxcar racer, what went wrong by blink-182, boy division by my chemical romance, where are my fucking pills? by death spells, i am going to kill the president of the united states of america by leathermouth, saint bernard by lincoln, absinthe by idkhow, pink by waterparks, i can’t decide by scissor sisters, supremacy by muse, the party ended by london above.....i could just list my entire fucking playlist if needed

random fact: i own a 2ft tall pikachu plushie

describe urself as aesthetic things: the feeling after leaving a concert, midwestern gothic, stupid drawings you’ll never finish

tag 21 ppl: i dont even have that many mutuals dude uhhhh @boojersey @elliotaldersonsbf @blackcloudbyjuly @gayfoolz

[level99games]

Player Archetypes - Deques, Shur, Cardine, and Morrey

Many of us are familiar with the classic Johnny/Timmy/Spike archetypes shared by Mark Rosewater in his now-famous article for Wizards of the Coast. While these archetypes work great for Magic, every company is a bit different. One of the exciting truths about being game designers is that we get to choose who we serve and who we build our games to attract.

Most of Level 99 Games’ fans fall into one of these archetypes, or are split across two of them. Aside from the three main archetypes, there is one additional meta-archetype, for a total of four. To describe them, I’ve used familiar characters from Millennium Blades, who were designed with these motivations in mind. Unlike the Rosewater archetypes, our archetypes are less about what players engage with in the games, and instead focus on why they engage with the games in the first place. And of course, we have a bit more ground to cover, since we’re designing entire game experiences and not just cards and expansions.

Our three major archetypes are based around our three-part philosophy of Design, Development, and Discovery. The fourth archetype is based on Community, which ties all the others together.

All of our archetypes have a few things in common. They’re all creative gamers who don’t want to just have a game, but to really own it and make it a part of their lifestyles. A game isn’t complete for them until they engage with it ‘off the table’. We’ve tailored our games specifically to be what they’re looking for–games with replayability, variety, and deep lore.

Take a look, and see where you fall on the spectrum!

Deques - Designer

Deques plays a game to make something. He plays to win, but winning isn’t the end goal. Instead, building a deck, piloting a character, or executing a combo that expresses his personality is his main goal. 

Deques channels his creativity to extend a game. Being able to build a scenario or a fighter to show friends is Deques’s favorite aspect of a game. He’s most at home in games where he can control the entire experience, and invite his friends to play in his “custom setup” or “homebrew mode.” These situations, where he can play the host and guide his friends through a ‘design’ of his own making stimulate his creativity and invite him to play the designer with a custom toolset. He may even create custom expansions or extra content for his favorite games and share them on the web for others to download and try for themselves.

To appeal to Deques, a game needs to have a wide variety of viable, playable options or setups. There need to be multiple ways to win, or at least, the possibility to go in heavily on some strategies and neglect others. Asymmetric sides, and especially modular parts to a game’s setup and rules, appeal to Deques’s aesthetics.

Within our line, Deques’s favorite games would be Millennium Blades and Argent. He’s the kind of player who might design his own BattleCON fighter or Argent scenario. He loves the extra modes in BattleCON (though not as much the core gameplay), and enjoys setting up the timeline in Temporal Odyssey, or building a cube in Pixel Tactics.

Shur - Developer

As a competitive player, Shur plays games to win, but winning isn’t her ultimate goal. For Shur, winning is the proof that she’s achieved her actual goal: Mastery. The developer player wants to dig into the systems and understand them completely in order to experience high-level competition. This competition isn’t a struggle for supremacy–it’s a testing of theory, understanding, and tactical skills.

Shur considers the game’s balance as a code to unravel, and she leverages her creativity to crack that code. She is the kind of player who prints her own reference cards for game content, writes long strategy articles, or analyzes matchups and card relationships. She may even create a database or spreadsheet to analyze cards statistically and study optimal plays. She isn’t afraid of sharing these things with others who seek mastery–she welcomes the challenge and hopes that more people will embrace the search.

To appeal to Shur, a game needs strong balance and a variety of viable play strategies. If mastery is achieved too easily, the game will bore her. If it is gated by random elements or other factors beyond her control, the game will lose her interest. A game needs simple systems that are easy to see and latch on to in order to pique her initial interest. It needs to keep revealing more depth under extended scrutiny to hold it. A game needs to continuously present content or challenges to test and expand her skills. Luckily in competitive games, the supply of challenges comes in the form of new rivals, which are effectively endless as long as the game boasts a strong community. However, Shur doesn’t really care if a game is competitive or cooperative as long as it challenges her to master and exploit its systems.

Within our line, Shur’s favorite games would be Exceed, BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Temporal Odyssey. In these games, players start with ‘fair’ fixed resources, and it is the choices they make, their skills, which determine the course of the game. It is possible to ‘get good’ at all of these games, and it requires her to acquire and improve her skills, not acquire more cards. 

Cardine - Discoverer

Cardine is fascinated to discover the worlds within games and unravel the secret stories that are contained in these worlds. Winning or losing is less important to Cardine than the other two types, because she plays a game to experience the world. When two fighters clash, she wants to know what circumstances must have brought them together. 

Cardine channels her creativity to dig deeper into the world. She speculates on lore, draws fan art, writes fiction, and delves into the scenarios and situations hinted at in the game’s lore. She wants to know about the world and its little details because the story draws her in and she wants to become even more immersed in that fantasy. That’s not to say that she isn’t interested in the games themselves–the gameplay is the original window to explore the world, and she keeps returning to it for inspiration.

To appeal to Cardine, a game needs to have a deep lore, but one that is not revealed too explicitly, and which includes room for interpretation and speculation. The game needs to give her the tools to play out that lore. It has to then support that journey with flavor text, art, and flexibility of choice and strategy. Ideally, playing through the game in this way should create for her a unique experience, and should reveal to her something new about the game’s world.

Being able to get into the character of the game when playing is important to Cardine. When she plays an aggressive faction in a game, she feels a need to play them aggressively–even when it’s not the smartest move. Conversely, she’ll be upset if the ‘right’ way to play a particular fighter, card, or faction is out of step with its expressed lore.

Cardine doesn’t have favorite games, but instead, favorite worlds. In our lineup, the World of Indines and its persistent story excites her. The expanding, whimsical world of Millennium Blades engages her. The prospect of a new, deep world in Seventh Cross fills her with anticipation. 

Morrey - Organizer

Morrey is a little different than the other archetypes in the way he interacts with games. As someone who is an experienced hand at games he has–in a sense–completed his own journey. Now, he is more concerned with bringing people together and enjoying their company and patronage. He enjoys watching other players improve their skills, explore their creativity, and delve into the lore of games. His passion is to bring a community together and enable others.

Morrey’s creativity is expressed in how he brings friends together. He may be the host of a game night, the owner of a store, the organizer of an event, or the judge of a tournament. In any case, he likes to see players come together and play. He experiences their triumphs, growth, and discovery vicariously. He’s excited to provide special rewards to those who participate, and endeavors to make each experience unique and rewarding. He may undertake it as his own task to create reference sheets for players, custom box inserts, player dashboards, or game organizers to enable easier play and better presentation.

To appeal to Morrey, a game needs to have qualities that inspire his players. When he organizes an event, players need to get interested in the game that they’re going to play. For this reason, the game needs to be exciting in its box, and inviting when set up on the table. It needs to be ergonomic–with clear, teachable rules and a simple setup and breakdown. A special promo or a new expansion are useful insofar as they excite his guests, but he would rather have organizer trays and a great unboxing experience than more content. And of course, anything that’s custom-made by the game’s creators for his event is a big win.

Morrey’s favorite games in our line are Millennium Blades and Argent, because he can turn these into a real event for his home game night. I suspect that he’s going to really enjoy Empyreal: Spells & Steam and Seventh Cross as well. 

From a business side, he appreciates Exceed, BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Temporal Odyssey because he can bring the competitive players in his circles together in his shop and get extra content from the organized play program. Exceed is especially nice, since he can give out free demo decks to invite new players directly into the event.

Missing Archetypes

There are plenty of ‘whys’ that aren’t expressed here. There are players that really play just to win. There are players that play to learn new skills or trivia. Some play just to meet people and engage in social activity. Some buy games more like art collectors than players. These motivations certainly exist–but they aren’t our targets. 

Our focus is on making games and creating a welcoming experience for the creative gamer, as expressed in these four archetypes. There are a lot of game publishers out there serving other archetypes, and it’s not necessary for us to be all things to all players. 

Likewise, many players outside of our four target archetypes will appreciate our games–when you design good games and good products, people will gravitate to them for a variety of reasons. This list just serves to give us a sense of direction when we need to make choices between two features or two products.

In Conclusion

In creating and sharing these personas, I hope to give our team better guidance to understand who they’re making games for, how to speak to these fans, and how to anticipate reactions to the decisions we make in design, development, content creation, and marketing. Hopefully they’ve also resonated with you to some degree. Who do you see yourself as when you sit down to the table?

[pomrania]

Drow lore

In my setting, I make a distinction between "drow" and "dark elves". “Dark elf” is an elf subrace, while "drow" specifically refers to cultists of the Spider Queen.

(Also I use the term "Spider Queen" because I can never spell the actual name right and it gets frustrating.)

Dark elves weren't an "original" elf subrace, but the result of the Spider Queen's whims and desires. She changed elves that where already there into how she wanted them to be, and then forcibly brought most of her "chosen" with her when she was kicked out. The luckiest dark elves were those who avoided her "embrace"; they were able to continue with their lives, wherever they might be. The next-luckiest were the dark elves who could quickly escape the Spider Queen. Over the years, dark elves escaped from the Spider Queen's various chosen lairs in the Underdark, and now there isn’t a single line left of unbroken captivity.

Even before the Spider Queen was recognized as evil, she was selfish and had no consideration for others. She decided that elves would be cooler if they were in her favourite colours and had better darkvision, and she didn't bother to ask any of them if they actually wanted to be transformed.

The sunlight sensitivity was not intentional, but rather a natural consequences of the eye structure with improved darkvision, one that the Spider Queen did not care enough to try and work around; after all, why would anybody care to go out in the SUN when there were CAVES around.

Dark elf skin tones come in shades of grey and purple and blue, tending toward dull and dark ends of the spectrum, because the Spider Queen wanted them to have the same colours as her favourite spiders.

Some dark elves choose to live in the Underdark, despite the drow, because it's away from the sun, and it is quite beautiful in its own way. Most dark elves however live on the surface, either nocturnally or in shaded areas.

All other things being equal -- location, potential threat, personal drive, etc -- dark elves strive most adamantly against the drow, compared to other elves.

There’s only one other group which hates the drow as much as dark elves do, and that is worshippers of any and all non-Spider Queen spider-related deities. They hate the drow for taking something holy to them, and corrupting it (in the case of neutral- or good-aligned worshippers) and/or claiming it as their own.

The drow are literally a cult, dedicated to the Spider Queen. That cult revolves around three main tenets: a) elves, and especially dark elves as her "chosen", are superior to all other life forms; b) dark is good and light is bad; and c) spiders. “Elven supremacy” is both their primary recruiting tool and the cause of many of their atrocities. “Light is bad” determines what they consider a valuable environment, and shapes their rituals and their tortures and their ritual tortures. There's no direction or philosophical principle with "spiders", but it heavily influences their aesthetic.

Some people are raised in the cult, and grow up not knowing anything else. Some of those are the offspring of drow, and some of them were abducted as young children in order to "keep up the population". Dark elf children are most commonly targeted in that case, but in a pinch they'll steal any elf who seems young enough to be malleable.

Aside from being born into it, some people decide to join the cult of the Spider Queen. Almost all of them are elves who were attracted by the rhetoric of racial superiority, and wanted to be a part of something that would value them.

Non-elves who join the drow are incredibly rare, because they would have to accept that they’ll always be the lowest people on the totem pole, regardless of what they can bring or do. Those rare few non-elves are almost always either half-elves who are grudgingly accepted because of their “polluted” heritage, or cruel outcasts who want to hurt people and not get hurt for it. Or both.

Drow communities tend to have minimal communication with each other. This has the side benefit (for everyone who isn't drow) of preventing them from ganging up on anyone, but it's probably intended to reduce the risk of being found out, or keep them from tearing each other apart.

At any given moment, each instance of drow society is a step or two away from collapsing in on itself, what with the violence and literally-cutthroat competition and demon goddess who eggs it on whenever she interacts with her followers.

[ephillipsresearch]

BLOC PROJETCS HARSH LIGHT- NOTES The concluding webinar of our December installment will welcome artists Verity Birt and Una Hamilton, and researcher Dr Edwin Coomasaru in conversation. Variously working on gender, British identity, folklore and the occult, the speakers will be reflecting on the “E” of ACE—Arts Council England—and that which constitutes “Englishness”. The conversation will self-reflexively think through these English textures and their adoption in sub cultural contexts, including white supremacist narratives of “blood and soil” nativism, as well as feminist and black metal re-inscriptions of a more ecologically entangled landscape.

Question – how the occult has shaped their respective ideas of myth landscape and English identity

Verity Birt - reading ridley walker- inspiration, novel written by russel hoborn, imagining post apocalyptic future in the dark ages, written in phonetic language, returning to an oral history- did a residency in Newcastle with newbridge project, running experimental workshops at prehistoric sites with a community choir – thinking about how features of the landscape impact improvisation – what can happen when you allow for more imaginative and experimental exchange with these sites installation at black tower projects mapped through memory, dream space, tracing the contour lines of the space, exploring the notion of giving/receiving from the landscape - ceramic offerings – recreated the channel in ceramic, vaginal shape references strong feminine energy- workshop not directly documented. – choreographed performances in space in the summer equinox 2019 performance looking at deep time/ fragments of lineages, evolution, how they are continued and transmitted, questioning enlightenment, theory of time as progress – battersea pleasure gardens – live improvised performance to text piece a mash of feminist theory, myth, fiction, archeology uncommon ground – attempt to confront dark side of mythology within the English psyche – white horse stone kent- during research came across white supremacist group that used to guard the site- 2 chanel video – follows icon of the white horse and its relation to alt white narratives and history in mythology – also included fragments of conversions with ethan d white about alt right pagan rituals and beliefs at these sites – anglo saxon mythology Una Hamilton helle - 2009/10 – makes work in landscape, place, nature and how we encode them with our own theories and experiences – the lay archive, ‘after math’ or ‘trauma’ photography- events can linger on in places and can you capture this through camera, looking at political troubles in Ireland. Attempt to explore what could be captured on camera, lay lines connecting places of worship etc, energy lines, ufo sightings, can you capture any of this in images? Short film   the return from Annwn, 2015, inspired by sci-fi and the English landscape. Sacred sites, mound burials, paces of energy, becoming the forest- long term art project interrogating sense of belonging what is heritage, connecting with the landscape - looked to black metal genre that uses landscapes/ Nordic aesthetics – looking at how topography and environments influence people – short stories about black metalists worshipping spruce trees - zine , becoming the forest to explore those ideas more critically, - commissioned essays about the topic from different political, cultural and scientific perspectives commissioned by waltham and epping forest to do installation that looked at epping forest as the peoples forest, and how human narratives have shaped the forest – workshops, performance

Dr Edwin coomasaru Complicated relationship to concept of Englishness 2018 – research driven by questions of ‘why has occult imagery become so importanct for feminist art and activism? What might this renewed interest in the supernatural from across the political spectrum tell us about the current crisis of British identity, shaped by colonial narratives, enlightened Europeans spreading rational modernity while committing oppression murder and theft 18/19 – courtold project on politics of gender and race in brexit visual culture – interested in the way artists responded to issue of irish border in eu negotiations – rita duffy collabed with women of both sides of irish border to create installation that straddled the border – knitted votive figures on the black line bridge – image above from derry 10 exhibition Kerry powell Williams on tarot, held supernatural performance on walker plinth, looked at history of somerset house – building once hq for royal navy and hmrc, all implicated in histories of empire increased interest in supernaturalism a response to corporate wellness culture, welfare state cutbacks and precarious employment – as feminist and anti racist activism surged in 2010, so did far right extremist, brexit articulated and exacerbate crisis of British identity, colonial/rational/modern narratives against those considered supernatural, other or primitive, created conceptual binary between magic and science 1876,eng traveler William h Dixon –‘ if we wish to see order and freedom , science and civilization preserved, we should give first thought to what improves the white mans growth and increase the white man’s strength - gina rippons gendered brain – challenged idea that science was ever neutral or objective, it s all implicated with power and projection feminist and anti racist artists are turning to the occult to reclaim/ challenge the myths that underpin patriarchal white supremacy

How do materials beings and sites become co-opted into story and myth? what stories and myths can artists today extract from the land that will forge a path for post Brexit Britain that is inclusive healing and open and how does this approach include a celebration of Englishness.

VB -Turned to the supernatural and tarot as a way of generating hope in a very hopeless situation- the 2008 recession – allows for mystery, imagination and nuance – using tarot to guide the work, relinquish control – don’t see it as a supernatural things, it’s a way of connecting with natural forces, seeing it in a post modern, materialist light

UH – mysticism as opposition to the narratives the nation tells themselves – also retaining a sense of imagination, not buying into protestant work ethic – productivity is everything – found this is in occult theories – trying to understand what we are actually listening to in occult stories and myths- who’s histories are these? DC- family interested in se Asian forms of spirituality , became interested aspects of activist that used the occult as an insult and those that were interested din magic –  bbc article ‘brexit leads to resurgence in tarot’ intense uncertainty about the future and finding ways to narrate a story to the self – there is nobody NOT engaging in magical thinking – storytelling and the ability of narratives to conceptually present the world to us in different ways Vb storytelling – critical awareness of the falsehood of truths, hierarchy of belief and value we assign to certain myths over other revisiting feminist myth making trajectory – how it has shifted between waves, changing ideas of gender, how gender and myth are intertwined, etc  how myths have sedimented in the body – whiteness embodiment  - how can we excavate that? Romanticism of neo paganism – grey areas between liberal left and alt white spaces  

Englishness, an important part of brexit is the tensions between Englishness and brutishness – England drove the vote but Wales also voted leave

VB- looking for line of flight from Englishness- stuck with facing own white Englishness – (not proud of heritage?) coming from rural working class land based peasantry – most family were brexiteers, ideas of people living in different worlds – respective the world view but navigating conversations of black lives matter. Huge disconnect between rural and urban landscape – trying to reconfigure clashes in own identity rural/urban recent work ‘crossings’ about encountering rural landscape after being urbanized

UH– myth of the nation state – disconnect with place? Disenfranchisement – enclosures, uprooting, urbanization, industries disappears – possibilities for community eroded at every corner for a hundred years – what does place/ local place mean? Nobody has that deep rooted relationship with the land anymore?

DC – anxiety about living off the land – spells about butter,- sense of powerlessness and feeling out of control  -the occult has very specific histories and its consciously appropriated

mass displacement in the industrial revolution -

are myths just replaced with others? Everything is myth – there is no objective reality

VB – counter myth making, everything is myth, these are imaginative worlds, capitalism is a shared belief – counter myths – opens up new potentials

the enlightenment was created to enable imperialism and capitalism - how can we generate new worlds that cater to non-conforming folk –modern myths have been generate to support the cis white able man