#am i too early? well i am definitely not the earliest.

[spyeriasecret]

8 sideways is ∞

[alpaca-clouds]

The history of Solarpunk

Okay, I guess this has to be said, because the people will always claim the same wrong thing: No, Solarpunk did not "start out as an aesthetic". Jesus, where the hell does this claim even come from? Like, honestly, I am asking.

Solarpunk started out as a genre, that yes, did also include design elements, but also literary elements. A vaguely defined literary genre, but a genre never the less.

And I am not even talking about those early books that we today also claim under the Solarpunk umbrella. So, no, I am not talking about Ursula K. LeGuin, even though she definitely was a big influence on the genre.

The actual history of Solarpunk goes something like that: In the late 1990s and early 2000s the term "Ecopunk" was coined, which was used to refer to books that kinda fit into the Cyberpunk genre umbrella, but were more focused on ecological themes. This was less focused on the "high tech, high life" mantra that Solarpunk ended up with, but it was SciFi stories, that were focused on people interacting with the environment. Often set to a backdrop of environmental apocalypse. Now, other than Solarpunk just a bit later, this genre never got that well defined (especially with Solarpunk kinda taking over the role). As such there is only a handful of things that ever officially called themselves Ecopunk.

At the same time, though, the same sort of thought was picked up in the Brazilian science fiction scene, where the idea was further developed. Both artistically, where it got a lot of influence from the Amazofuturism movement, but also as an ideology. In this there were the ideas from Ecopunk as the "scifi in the ecological collaps" in there, but also the idea of "scifi with technology that allows us to live within the changing world/allows us to live more in harmony with nature".

Now, we do not really know who came up with the idea of naming this "Solarpunk". From all I can find the earliest mention of the term "Solarpunk" that is still online today is in this article from the Blog Republic of Bees. But given the way the blogger talks about it, it is clear there was some vague definition of the genre before it.

These days it is kinda argued about whether that title originally arose in Brazil or in the Anglosphere. But it seems very likely that the term was coined between 2006 and 2008, coming either out of the Brazilian movement around Ecopunk or out of the English Steampunk movement (specifically the literary branch of the Steampunk genre).

In the following years it was thrown around for a bit (there is an archived Wired article from 2009, that mentions the term once, as well as one other article), but for the moment there was not a lot happening in this regard.

Until 2012, when the Brazilian Solarpunk movement really started to bloom and at the same time in Italy Commando Jugendstil made their appearance. In 2012 in Brazil the anthology "Solarpunk: Histórias ecológicas e fantásticas em um mundo sustentável" was released (that did get an English translation not too long ago) establishing some groundwork for the genre. And Commando Jugendstil, who describe themselves as both a "Communication Project" and an "Art Movement", started to work on Solarpunk in Italy. Now, Commando Jugendstil is a bit more complicated than just one or the other. As they very much were a big influence on some of the aesthetic concepts, but also were releasing short stories and did some actual punky political action within Italy.

And all of that was happening in 2012, where the term really started to take off.

And only after this, in 2014, Solarpunk became this aesthetic we know today, when a (now defuct) tumblr blog started posting photos, artworks and other aesthetical things under the caption of Solarpunk. Especially as it was the first time the term was widely used within the Anglosphere.

Undoubtedly: This was probably how most people first learned of Solarpunk... But it was not how Solarpunk started. So, please stop spreading that myth.

The reason this bothers me so much is, that it so widely ignores how this movement definitely has its roots within Latin America and specifically Brazil. Instead this myth basically tries to claim Solarpunk as a thing that fully and completely originated within the anglosphere. Which is just is not.

And yes, there was artistic aspects to that early Solarpunk movement, too. But also a literary and political aspectt. That is not something that was put onto a term that was originally an aesthetic - but rather it was something that was there from the very beginning.

Again: There has been an artistic and aesthetic aspect in Solarpunk from the very beginning, yes. But there has been a literary and political aspect in it the entire time, too. And trying to divorce Solarpunk from those things is just wrong and also... kinda misses the point.

So, please. Just stop claiming that entire "it has been an aesthetic first" thing. Solarpunk is a genre of fiction, it is a political movement, just as much as it is an artistic movement. Always has been. And there has always been punk in it. So, please, stop acting as if Solarpunk is just "pretty artistic vibes". It is not.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, I guess.

[spirk-trek]

hii this is really random but i'm writting a paper on star trek fanfiction from the 60s/70s and i was wondering if there were any fics youd recommend? are there any like iconic, keystone fics that are really significant to the fandom? (i'm having a bit of trouble sourcing pre-internet fics)

Hi! I'll try to help the best I can but I am by no means an expert- in fact, many people who end up seeing this may have better/more information so I'll extend it to any of them to answer as well :)

Disclaimer: many of the following links contain nsfw content!!!

Here is page 1 and page 2 of what might be the first known k/s fanfic published in Grup fanzine (1974). Grup is credited as being the first Star Trek fanzine with adult content. This fic, A Fragment Out of Time by Diane Marchant was vague enough that it had to be clarified as k/s in a later edition, but the author did do so.

Spockanalia is always a good source for early fandom. It is the earliest and best preserved example of fanzine content (beginning in 1967 before the second season had even aired). I'd definitely say that makes it influential! So much more can be found on the internet archive and on fanlore. Copies of Spockanalia found their ways into the hands of many people involved in the show, including Roddenberry himself.

Gayle F is a prolific fanzine artist (one of my favorites) for k/s and is also influential to k/s writing. She was behind the Cosmic Fuck Series (yes really lol) which begins with Desert Heat (1976) in which Spock prematurely enters his second Pon Farr with only Jim available to him. This is the first mention (that I know of) of Spock's "double ridges" which are still a fanon element of his anatomy today (fanlore link here).

Alexis Fegan Black is another name to know, but is actually the pen name for author Della Van Hise. She did a lot of her work in the 80s and beyond, so I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but I think she's very influential. You may know about her licensed trek novel Killing Time (1982) because the first edition was recalled for being way too gay (changes between the two versions are best documented here imo).

Jenna Sinclair was very influential but again, a lot of her works came a little later than what you're looking for (note: ao3 does NOT have the correct dates, you'll need to find those separately).

A few more links to throw at you:

List of Star Trek Fanzines

List of Star Trek SLASH Fanzines

Captain's Log (1968)

The Crewman's Log (1967)

Spock's Showcase (1968)

Spock's Underground (1968-71)

The Sensuous Vulcan (slash zine, 1977)

Thrust (slash zine, 1978)

I hope all these links work and at least something I mentioned is helpful for you!! Good luck! I'd love to hear about your research if you're so inclined to share :)

[tw1l1te]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓷𝓼- 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 1

These are from the FinalPromise!Au. Some will be directly from the og Linked Universe, as I don't envision my story as straying tooooo far from the original. I might add more in the future, but these are the ones that I am thinking of for now! This is part 1/3, which includes Time, Twilight, and Wild! :3

Warnings: mention of scars

⋆｡°✩

𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊

Mans in his early 30s in terms of appearance (actual age is unclear)

Speaks Hylian well but writing? Not so much. Growing up in Kokiri Forest doesn't really help in terms of school smarts, so he had Wars and Sky teach him a bit later down the line.

Has a slight Southern accent, way less prominent than Twilight's though. It comes out more when he's tired or being more flirty (Or doing it on purpose to fluster Y/n.)

Him and Malon are exes? It was a situationship, they didn't really put a word on it. She was there after his quest to support him and keep a roof over his head. They're more like family/friends now

Very tall. We're talking over 6 foot here, and he will also use that to tower over Y/n. They're into that

Also pretty muscular. He was more lean muscle when he was a teen/young adult, but he's bulked up especially since donning the armor.

Has rib tattoos, similar to the Deity markings on his face.

Only has his lobes pierced, however he wants to experiment with more piercings like Twilight.

Has some scarring on his stomach from the battle at the Water Temple, its faded over the years but its still noticeable if you look hard enough

Doesn't sleep well, so takes over night watch a lot. Twilight has to stop him from not sleeping for over 48-hours as that gets him into dangerous mental space territory.

I wanna say he's one of the first member of the chain to feel something for Y/n. I see a lot of pics placing him last usually, but I feel like he's one of the first, especially having tons of time to think about it at night and being the eldest.

Although he's one of the earliest to reveal his feelings to Y/n, he's still processing and taking it slow in terms of bringing it up to the rest of the group.

𝖙𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙

Time's his great great grandfather?? Some great, he's not quite sure

Twilight's in his early/mid 20's

His hair is a brown-gray mix, the grey becoming more prominent ever since his first time shifting into his Wolf form.

Southern drawl, need I say more

Ears are pierced, has double lobe piercings and an upper cartilage piecing

Pretty tall, close to 6 foot, maybe 5' 11"

Other than the Twili markings on his face, he has a small tattoo of a hoof to commemorate for Epona on his ankle

His markings do extend down his spine and upper arms which make a delicious sight when he's training or above Y/n

Some scarring on his legs and arms from his journey, one longer scar on his right ear from a close call with a Twilight creature once.

Senses are like tripled ever since becoming Wolfie, mr. cowboy can smell things like a mile away.

Similar to Time in terms of build, maybe slightly leaner because of his height

However his voice is the deepest of the group. Mans got the range in octaves and that sexy rasp that he will use to his advantage

Like his ancestor, one of the first to have/admit feelings toward Y/n

However, having a Wolf form also speeds up the feelings of protectiveness obsessiveness... and certain other things.

Has such a sweet tooth.

Loves chocolate so much but ever since Wolfie happened, he can barely eat any 'cause he got that dog in him

Protective of Wild too, other than Y/n, he's probably the only other person that knows what he's been through

𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖉

18-19 years old, his adventure has just recently finished

His hair is longer than in his quest to save the princess, though definitely more choppy and wolf cut-like when not in his ponytail

Definitely more lean muscle in terms of build, and is probably average in height

Has triple pieced lobes and a few cartilage piercings, plans on getting more

Left side of his body is heavily scarred, partially deaf in his left ear. Also tends to lose feeling in his left arm and leg, so he prefers to use his right side

Can actually read and speak Hylian How do you think he read everyone's diaries

As we all know, he's one of the best cooks in Hyrule and can cook almost anything, but his favorite thing to make has got to be meat curry and a simple nut cake.

After you came along and introduced him to your foods??? Oh boy he's never been so excited-

Somehow made your favorite foods better than they already were

Closer with Twilight and Legend

Takes longer to catch feelings for you, as the mere concept of feeling toward another person is still a confusing topic for him since his slumber

One of the last ones to catch feelings for you, partially in denial because his belief of not being good enough for you/being very harsh on himself

Twilight almost immediately catches onto Wild's attraction towards you, Wild's not the best at masking nervousness around you

⋆｡°✩

[ollieofthebeholder]

I realize this is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but: I don't think Chester and Norris are Jon and Martin. Not from the original TMA, anyway.

In the first place, there's been so much emphasis put on the fact that you don't have to listen to TMA to get TMAGP that I feel like hinging a major plot twist on...something you'd have had to listen to the entirety of TMA to fully understand would be kind of unfair. And they've been calling it a "side-quel", not a "sequel". Besides, the whole beauty of MAG 200 was the ambiguity of the ending, and I can't see Jonny or Alex being keen to give a definite answer now. As they've said, "the text is the text".

In universe, the timing doesn't add up, either. The Eyepocalypse began October of 2018, and while obviously time didn't mean anything after that, I think Jonny said he'd envisioned it as being six to eight months between MAG 160 and MAG 200. Something like that. Either way, we're talking 2019 sometime that...whatever happened, happened. Alice said the voices only started "about a year ago", and the time stamps on the forum thread from TMAGP 001 were all dated 2022. Even if that was a thread that just got locked a couple hours before Chester read it to Sam, it still means the talking started around 2021 at the earliest. You could make an argument that they needed time to recover even a little of themselves, but two years?

I think it's more likely that they were someone involved in The Magnus Institute of this world. That maybe they were part of some study and...didn't come out of it well. That something happened to them relatively recently and they're trying to reach out to someone who can help them, who can fix it.

I dunno. I guess we'll find out. I just feel like it's too early to pin any one theory down as confirmed, and I am worried that if too many older fans get too hung up on the idea of it being JMart - of this being "somewhere else" - and then it turns out not to be them at all, there's going to be a massive fandom outcry about something that never existed outside of people's heads.

[emmabirb8]

Ok ok, but have you thought about the fact that throughout the series, Nandor has saved or protected Guillermo's life just as much as Guillermo has saved and protected Nandor's? Because I have, and I am feeling Ways about it.

Obviously, Guillermo has always gone  above and beyond for Nandor as far as familiar duties go, and he has slain countless vamps to protect not only Nandor but also the rest of the household. It's a given and it's been a given from the start that Guillermo would do anything to keep Nandor (and his other housemates by extension) safe. He has outright said they are his found family, and it definitely shows. 

Well, in a slightly subtler way, the case is the same for Nandor. God, the things that Nandor has done for Guillermo - the risks he's taken, the knee-jerk reactions, the choices he's made? It is profound.

Consider that Nandor a. as a vamp is not expected to care about his familiar beyond using him as a tool to get things done, b. believes acting "aloof," aka unbothered and unconcerned, is key, and most importantly c. struggles heavily with identifying, working through, and expressing his emotions. AND YET, without even stopping to think about it, he:

Stepped in to stop that hungry vamp at Simon's club (Manhattan Night Club)

Refused to let Guillermo be eaten by the Vampiric Council (The Trial)

Stopped Topher from drowning him (Resurrection)

Kept Guillermo's slaying a secret after discovering that he had dusted Carol (The Return)

Told Celeste to "be kind to Guillermo" when he thought she was gonna be his new vampire mistress (arguably, this counts bc he was making an effort to ensure Guillermo would be treated well and kept alive under Celeste's watch) (Collaboration)

Defended him against the wrath of Nadja and Laszlo (the housemates Nandor has known, lived with, and loved for far longer than he's known Guillermo) who were 100% prepared to kill him every single night for a month while he was imprisoned in the basement (The Prisoner)

"Yanked" Guillermo away from the line of fire when he was acting as bait for The Sire and attempted to fix the situation himself (The Escape)

Immediately dove into the sewage hole in the floor to rescue Guillermo when he fell in (Reunited)

Volunteered to battle him in place of a more dangerous vampire at the Night Market (The Night Market)

Made sure he was okay at the end of the fight after pretending to snap his neck (The Night Market)

Nandor is the KING of repression, but actions speak louder than words, babes. This is not even counting the times he has shown outward kindness, affection for, and attachment to Guillermo to the point where it's entirely too conspicuous for anyone to believe he's not in love with him. (Tho he's apparently managed to fool himself well enough, hasn't he? lmao) 

Hell, I'm in a listing mood - let's recount those moments too, shall we?

Just off the top of my head, Nandor has canonically also:

Made Guillermo a glitter portrait depicting the two of them together as vampires as a gift to celebrate his anniversary of becoming his familiar (that he was clearly proud of and excited about and that clearly took a lot of effort and planning ❤) in the very first episode 

Held him up above his head to help him reach higher places when dusting and held him up in front of a mirror so he could experience the sensation of flying (like what vampire does that fr???? he was down bad even in the earliest eps) 

Become a blubbering mess worrying where Guillermo was while high on drug blood 

On multiple occasions actually took him flying by wrapping his arms tenderly around him 👀, then admitted he was his friend out loud in front of Nadja and the camera crew as early as ep 4 after feeling guilty about accidentally dropping him during a flight

Played chess with him (and it's implied this is a regular thing for them 🥹)

Been visibly upset each time Guillermo has left - it's heavily implied he missed even the smallest gestures like the hand holding, and he outright verbally expressed his hurt feelings in front of the entire Theatre des Vampires

Been distraught enough after the Celeste situation that he attempted to "win" Guillermo back first by talking to him and then by giving him another gift with the "beating off" pillow, and then actually complied with Guillermo's requests to be more respected and given breaks after that

Taken the time to go down and keep Guillermo company while he was imprisoned in the basement and made a genuine attempt to give him better quality food

Urged Nadja and Laszlo to treat Guillermo with more respect and to try to take an interest in his life at the casino

Reacted in a way that wasn't even the slightest bit angry (and in fact, he appeared grateful for it besides becoming excessively horny on main) about The Slap

Said he has "grown to have some affection for" Guillermo out loud to his face (which, for someone as repressed as Nandor, is huge)

Offered a very blatantly romantic turning scenario in which he expressed a desire to share soil with Guillermo, which, again, is huge 

Become markedly upset that Guillermo never showed up at the train station to accompany him on his trip

Started making steps in the direction of reversing their dynamic in s4 by doing things like helping Guillermo dry off and getting him a glass of water after he fell into the hole, paying more genuine attention to him and his life, expressing a desire for Nadja and Laszlo to be more serious and respectful of him, valuing his input (esp for the dick wish), and being appreciative of all the work he has constantly put in for him (whenever using his new penis 😏) 

Offered Guillermo the position of best man at his wedding which was clearly of utmost importance to Nandor, even more so than finding someone to marry in the first place 

Actually remembered the exact amount of years Guillermo has been his familiar/bodyguard and called him his "closest companion" in front of lots of other (arguably dangerous) vampires 

Been so excited and proud of Guillermo's moves when he was battling other familiars at the Night Market to the point of exclaiming "that's my fucking guy!"

Called Guillermo his friend out loud again when he got visibly worried he may have killed him

Admitted to Guillermo that he was afraid right before his wedding (!!!!), looked at Guillermo longingly/lovingly, accidentally revealed his desire to literally hug Guillermo close and kiss his face through his wish about Marwa (!!!!!!), and took a moment to whisper sweet nothings to Guillermo and cover him up when he discovered he'd fallen asleep (!!!!!!!!!)

Dorkily but sweetly prevented Guillermo from falling in the bg shot of Go Flip Yourself (like, truly, why would he care omfgggg he's so in love it's making him look stupid)

Actually made a very misguided but solid follow-through attempt to fix the Freddie situation as soon as he realized how upset Guillermo was about it

IT'S JUST SOOOO MUCH!!! I've been going through the series highlighting Nandermo moments for creative idea purposes in these last few weeks, and I can honestly say that I believe there are possibly more instances where Nandor has hinted at or displayed his feelings toward Guillermo than there are of Guillermo hinting at or displaying his feelings for Nandor. It's fucking insane you guys. 💖

[accio-victuuri]

some cpns in my head today…. 🍭🍬

not @ them proving that they do read what’s on the internet. with yibo who spoke about reading what people posted about him when he was sick. also zz who shared a review about ygy that he liked and then his thoughts about melons. they do have time to look and read. i just hope they don’t get too caught up in some doom scrolling and check more about the good things people say about their works.

it wouldn’t hurt if they visit the bjyx supertopic too lol . which we suspect they do. 🙈🙈🙈

there is also some talk about how WYB is in today’s road show. of course he is still coughing and there is still some trace of him being sick but the fuck. look at him. in HD and unedited, this is sick yibo? so handsome! He was also smiley and attentive. speaking so well. amazing.

the speculation is, for the past days, GG is doing Condor Heroes work early. Like 7:00 or 8:00 AM. then on the 26th, when WYB had to cancel, he arrived 9:00 AM. Then when WYB went back to work, XZ arrived at CH set before noon. people are thinking XZ gave extra time to be with WYB today before he has to join the One and Only promos again. and that’s why, even if the sickness is still there, our WYB was still in a good mood. 😌

THEM. 💓💓💓

Da Peng attending a 10:05 showing of One and Only. It could be because it’s the earliest showing in the morning but I love how he’s not scared of 1005. knowing how certain people got “mad” about him for being “cpf-friendly” when he’s really just a decent human being who appreciates those who support the film.

BUT WHAT I DEFINITELY WANNA TALK ABOUT IS FREAKIN KAI XIAO ZAO POST. This one. ⬇️

the logical explanation : the post is about chengdu world university games. which coincidentally, yibo made a promotional vcr for.

the cpn explanation:

1. The freakin time it was posted 18:00 ( YIBO ) and the premiere day of One and Only. They could have easily used 10:05 to represent XZ like they usually do but somehow they used 18:00.

2. Spicy Wonton which is what they ate during CQL filming.

3. How the color RED is the theme of it. I’m thinking how the E-Mark dance crew are wearing all red jackets in the finals ( if you see the trailers ).

4. Youth??? Dreams??? Enthusiasm??? Uhmmm. These buzz words scream One and Only to me.

-END.

[tyrantisterror]

Early Wizard School Mysteries Concept Art Pt. 1: 2017 & 2018

Wizard School Mysteries Book 3: Wicked Witchcraft has been available for purchase in paperback and kindle editions for about a week now, and to do my due diligence as this series' author, editor, and marketing executive, I've gotta make a post about it to annoy you all with so that maybe more people read it and build up a bigger audience for the next one.

So! To accomplish that in a way I find palatable, I've dug up some very old concept art for the series, and am going to parade it out for your enjoyment! Come, look upon my old art and despair be inspired to buy my books!

We're going to start with the earliest sketches I could find, which is from 2017. I kind of adore how ridiculously enormous I made James's hat in this early sketch - it's so huge that he actually has a strap to keep it on his head (look close, you can see it!). His design has a lot of touches from Wizardmon that didn't make it to the final product, namely the abundance of stitches and false faces on his outfit. He's also got a sort of ascot which I'm pretty sure is an homage to Fred from Scooby Doo, because he's in the same role as Fred in our Mystery Solving Teens group. Jesus, that's a big hat.

2017 Ivan doesn't seem too different on a surface glance, though his outfit feels too clean/new to me. It looks nice, but doesn't convey a lot of his character to me.

Ew, 2017 Gretchen, why are you white? Well, ok, the clear answer is because you're just Wizard Velma Dinkley at this point, but hey, at least you've got your iconic scarf!

Jesus Crumbs, I really did not give my human characters enough skull above the eyes to contain a proper brain, did I? A lot of Margot's key visuals are still present here - the gauntlet, the high collar, the partially armored boots - but just, you know, a bit worse, a bit less uniquely designed. She's called Joan at this point because hey, it's from 2017, when the author who everyone associated with wizard schools whose first name happens to be Joanne hadn't gone fully mask off about being a TERF yet, and I could name a wizard character I like "Joan" without worrying that people might think it's a reference to said writer (when it was intended as a reference to Joan of Arc instead).

2017 Rodrigo is pretty recognizable, actually. Kinda weird to me that I had his look pinned down so early compared to the others - though his staff here definitely doesn't fit his status as the most well-off wizard of the bunch, so I can see why I changed it to something more sleek later.

By contrast, 2017 Serena is basically a completely different character on every level. No magical girl trappings, no pigtails, I don't think she was even Asian yet. The name "Cerrigwen" had been given to at least one other character I ended up scrapping for a different project before this, and I'd thought I found a home for it here, but obviously not (though a Cerrigwen did get mentioned as a historical important wizard in WSM Book 2, so maybe I'll find a story for her eventually). Serena's role in the Mystery Solving Teens dynamic is "the weird one," but for whatever reason I wrote "the Joy and the Laughter" here instead. I do think Serena's personality is shining from this design, even if none of the actual details are recognizable - the manic bubbliness here would carry on in all future designs.

Charlotte also looks recognizable at first glance, and I think in some ways she's more explicitly monstrous/nonhuman here. I don't know if that's to her benefit, though? The gangly limbs feel very awkward, like they don't quite fit her frame, and her face is a bit too inexpressive (also holy shit that hat is hilariously too small, it's the opposite of 2017 James's hat). I like the hairy feet and fingers, but it does kinda bog down her design with unnecessary detail.

Holy Christ 2017 Polybeus, you're a fucking nightmare. What's going on with your face? And why are you so skinny? Why are all these people so goddamn skinny?

Let's move to the next year, I don't like looking at this guy. He looks like he'd be voiced by Pauly Shore or Andy Dick. Awful.

2018 James takes the 2017 design and refines it a bit - still has the ascot, has even MORE Wizardmon style false faces and stitches, still has the enormous hat, just all tightened up a bit. I think the problem with this look comes through when comparing the polished design with the sketches I abandoned halfway through above it - namely, the freaky Wizardmon look just doesn't fit with the quiet, deep-thinking personality James is supposed to exude. It looks rad as hell, yes, but it's flashy and chaotic in an attention-claiming way, which doesn't fit James's analytical nature. Good design elements that just didn't fit the character they were slapped onto.

2018 Ivan is also a refinement of his 2017 self, and I like his wacky little pose here - it really communicates his accident prone nature. But he still feels too polished, the outfit can be pushed farther.

Gretchen's looking a bit more like herself now - she's got more layers draping over her body, longer hair to cover her face, and the little tassels on the end of her scarf. Is she still white, or was I just a coward who thought I could just give her a dark skin tone while still drawing her with a straight bob cut and call it good? Not sure.

Margot's getting closer to her current self too - slightly longer face and nose, a bun where her pony tail will eventually go, and I think she's got broader shoulders than her first design? The gauntlet still doesn't feel like it's got the right personality but it's a bit more unique than the first take, and that's progress.

The only big differences I see with 2018 Rodrigo and his current self - beyond the fact that I got better at drawing humans (still not enough room in this drawing's cranium for a human brain) - is that I kinda toned him down from here. This Rodrigo's more or less his current self, but more flamboyant.

Alright, Serena's definitely Asian here, and her costume feels more distinct than her 2017 self, but still doesn't really match her personality. I definitely wanted her outfit to showcase her energetic nature, but the big bulky layers just don't fit. She needs bows and ribbons!

Ok, Charlotte's coming together better too! Still a bit too awkardly gangly, but her face is getting that sweet, friendly look a bit better.

oh thank god

2018 Polybeus is such an upgrade. His outfit's pretty close to what he'd end with, and he's beginning to get that onion-esque hairdo his modern self has, although here it's a bit more like devil horns, befitting his status as an antagonist-turned-ally. Still too thin, though, you gotta start weight training Poly!

That's it for part 1! Next we're skipping to 2020, because for whatever reason I don't have any sketches from 2019.

[dizaryswrites]

I have a confession to make!

I don’t know how obvious it is, but I actually haven’t read any comics 😅 I know, I know haha, it’s just I haven’t had the time! Luckily, I mostly follow blogs that I know are comic readers so I know what’s fanon and canon mostly. But since I will have free time in the summer, I was wondering if you have any recommendations on what to read and where to start?

Oh man I WISH I could be one of those blogs who snaps out the long scroll that just rolls down the hallway with a concise cross referenced list of top hits from every era and where to start with each character! But I am a book hoarder with not enough time on my hands so I haven't even read half of what I have, let alone all the back issues 😅

Here's some stuff that I really enjoyed as a new-to-comics-and-DC reader and in general (in mostly chronological order because that's how I arrange my comic books):

Batman: Dark Victory

I really enjoyed the mystery and early Batman days, plus Dick Grayson's debut! He is a delight. I didn't read Long Halloween which comes before this so I missed some context but I picked it up easy enough (also according to some reviews the mystery can be repetitive if you have read Long Halloween sooo win for me ig?)

Robin: Year One

I am determined to read this one soon. I've heard great things about it though so it's being added

Batman: Prodigal

I read this without reading a single page of Knightfall because I was getting interested in Nightwing and this was the earliest book that my library had available (I have given up on a chronological reading order since those early foolish days). I knew nothing and still really enjoyed Dick!Bats and Robin!Tim together. I need to reread this soon

Formerly Known as the Justice League

A limited run, 6 issues I think. Honestly I should just say Justice League International in general but I started with this mini for Booster Gold and Blue Beetle after seeing some funny panels online and I fell in love with that whole cast of losers (affectionate). It's not BatFam but so so fun to read (and JLI has some really poignant moments too)

Young Justice: A League of Their Own

SO FUN. Tim and friends dealing with just ridiculous scenarios LOL I'm only halfway through but it's great

Batman: Hush

I haven't read a lot of just Batman titles but I enjoyed Hush. It had some good character moments for Bruce that helped me understand the way he thinks a little more. I also hear Bruce Wayne: Murder/Fugitive is very very good but I haven't gotten around to it yet (a running theme)

Batgirl: Point Blank

Cass is a treat. This was the first volume I found of her's, haven't read the others yet, but even lacking context I really enjoyed her as the main character and her interactions with Steph, Babs, and Bruce.

Teen Titans (Geoff Johns)

This was one of the first series I started reading and it was a good intro for me, a completely new DC fan. It's Tim and his friends but more serious than YJ. I've read vol 1-2 and part of 3

Under The Red Hood

Classic for good reason. I haven't finished it yet (teehee) but the first half has been entertaining. Jason has had some um... interesting writing in his time. But I really enjoy the way he's written here. It's a good baseline imo. I've heard Lost Days is also good

Nightwing (Tomasi run)

I love Tomasi and this run was a lot of fun. Dick is funny while not losing his serious, capable edge, he interacts with people in his circles, and has some interesting introspection moments. There's a weird part of the plot about midway that definitely uses bad Asian stereotypes which is so disappointing. But after that it gets normal again 😅

Batman & Robin

This comes right after Tomasi's run and it's a mixed bag for me. It's definitely interesting seeing Dick and Damian learning to work together but I was still new to DC with little context for things and was also *so* put off by the art style that I don't remember it well. But I thought I'd add it anyway since it's an iconic moment for Dick!Bats

Batman and Robin (Tomasi)

I adore Bruce and Damian struggling together to discover what being father and son looks like for them. I adore Damian having growth. That's volumes 1-3. 4 is post Damian's death (and damn issue 1 is a well written look at grief), I haven't read 5 or beyond yet.

Nightwing (Rebirth)

The first Nightwing title I read. Looking back, the characterization is a bit weak in some areas, doesn't quite match how he's written in older runs, but it had good moments and kept me entertained. Especially!!! In vol 3 with Humphries's Judge arc

For more current runs, I'm really enjoying World's Finest. Waid's writing is good and Mora's art is just *cartoon heart eyes*. Bats, Supes, and teenage Dick Grayson are a fun trio. Amid other runs that had me tearing my hair out in disappointment or frustration, WF is a breath of fresh air.

Titans United: Bloodpact is a 6 issue limited that was also a really nice read. It's Dick's Titans but Tim is there too and I enjoyed everyone's writing.

The Human Target (Tom King) but honestly I was just losing my mind over Greg Smallwood's art and paneling the entire time. A masterpiece. I want to frame every page. I cheered when he posted inspiration threads on Twitter.

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen

It's not Batfam but hear me out!!!! This comic had some of the sweetest moments between Supes and Jimmy and I wanted to grab literally anybody by the shoulders and shake them until they looked at the Lois, Clark, & Jimmy in the helicopter panel and GOT IT!!! Also it is so delightfully wacky and funny, I was genuinely laughing out loud. Steve's Lieber's art is the perfect pairing with Matt Fraction's writing.

AND SPEAKING OF!

This isn't DC at all but it's the series that made me (and so many others) really love comics and their storytelling potential. Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run, volumes 1-4. Between his writing and David Aja's artwork and color theory (and Steve Lieber's guest issue that literally gut punched me and changed how I saw later parts of the story, it was never just a filler issue to me, Steve) you get a great story that says so much with so little (in the best way) and is a visual treat as well. Chef's kiss.

Some other non-DC comics I really enjoyed are Die (imagine Jumanji but D&D and novels and oh look the consequence of your actions has grown up), Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 (I am not a horror girly but I really enjoyed this, in no small part because of Dell'edera's art), Eight Billion Genies (the world population hits 8 billion and now everyone gets a genie, what could go possibly wrong), and Paper Girls which I'm about 2/3 through (picture stranger things but with time travel, spaceships?, and oh shit is future me lying??)

Damn, I guess I really did have a scroll's worth. 😭 Anyway, my recommendation for where to start with this list is...what does your library have available? Don't forget about the Hoopla app too, that's where I read some of these digitally. Or the used bookstore which is where I got 90% of my comics from.

But seriously! Just pick whatever sounds the most fun or has the character(s) you're the most interested in and go from there. Skip around on the timeline or go in chronological order. Whatever floats your boat! I think that's the really unique thing about comics. Plus if you can't figure out the context of what you're missing or what is happening simultaneously (because writers & editorial used to care a little more) you can do a quick google or (and I wish I had this with Batgirl) @cephalog0d has a pinned timeline master list. Incredible.

[misscammiedawn]

what is your hypno origin story? (have you shared it before?)

Cobbled together from some old posts, as I couldn't find a definitive "this is our origin" post:

From our post on why we love Hypnotic Theory

My earliest days online I remember reading up on subliminal advertising techniques and going down a rabbit hole of "Painted Ice Cubes" and other such things which seemed too weird to be true.

From there I ended up reading Subliminal Seduction in my late teens out of curiosity and was kind of fascinated by the concepts at play. I was already well and truly fascinated with hypnosis but hypnosis was this magical spell that was cast by magicians. This psuedo-science of advertising execs promising that glimpses of sharks and phallus' would unlock the secrets to sales was my first and unfortunate step into understanding the theory behind it all.

Next step was of course M.K Ultra which is 100% a meme in today's hypnokink community and at best an aesthetic for serious torture-brainwashing play which is at a much higher level of anything than I'm really capable of. But it cited itself. Which got me looking into the history of Mesmer and Braid and then onto a bloke named Milton Erickson...

Archive.org had a lot of his stuff. In fact all of his stuff.

Between Erickson in my textbooks and Derren Brown on my television, right at the start of his career when the fascination of mentalism was still tied heavily to hypnosis (and early Derren Brown was a Fae and a bit of an ass XD) my earliest teachers were pretty bad at consent. Which lead to certain expectations of hypnosis which lead to me picking bad partners at the start of my career.

But Erickson's stuff compelled me.

Early 20s Camden used a lot of Ericksonian speech patterns in her play. Though back then she was only really hypnotizing people under compulsion and usually while hypnotized to channel or outright become a character.

The fact I read medical journals is the moment I knew this fascination had evolved into a life altering obsession. That this was my One Thing.

It was the studies of Erickson working on participants with amputated limbs to study the phantom limb theory that really got me to sit up and pay attention to the science behind it.

At this point of my life I'd been studying on surgeries being performed with hypnosis (a terrifying concept. When I have my surgery I will be hypnotized to go under for the anesthesia like a good girl) and I had seen EKG readings that proved that hypnosis changes the way that the brain scans.

Every step of my life I have leaned on evidence and proof and every step of my study into hypnosis taught me it was not fantasy. It was reality and the more I accepted that the better I was at both hypnotizing, free of doubt and insecurity, and being hypnotized, trusting it works.

I still struggle with that. A lot. Thinking I am just acting or following along. But the more I read the better I feel.

I got my certification at the age of 23. I am not a fan of George Kappas (his work is misogynistic to my eyes) but his school taught me for a year (one of my classmates and the person I studied with for my finals is actually another high profile member of the online hypnosis community) and taught me the most important lesson any school has ever taught me:

I ALREADY KNOW THIS.

I was 23 years old and knew as much as the instructors. That was a good feeling.

Also my classmate and I are still friends. We're not super close, but she and I are in contact. I spent some time with them at a recent hypnosis event. It means a lot to me that even though my name and gender changed, they still remember me.

In my 30s I moved on from academic hypnosis materials to community driven information. I have read Lee & Pynch's book on Amnesia, sleepingirl's Brainwashing and NLP books and of course Wiseguy's Mind Play. I've also taken Wiseguy's class, though didn't bother taking my final. Which was a good use of $1,200.

Every now and again Sleepyhead will show up and just put a book in my hand. I think her copy of The Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism has graduated into my copy of The Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnotism (Sleepy, you can have your books back at any time).

These days I am lazy and can't really read much. I'm studying therapy more than anything with my latest obsessions being Janina Fischer and Melissa Tiers; Tiers herself being a world class hypnotist that many of our top community members have spent big bucks to train under.

-

From our post on Truth Spells

My earliest hypno-fantasy was to have a hypnotherapist ask me if I was in love with someone (who I did not really have feelings for, but social pressure and all that jazz) and I kept that silly little 14 year old's dream in my heart.

-

From a set of Hypno Asks

1. How long have you been into hypnosis?

Since I was a teenager at least. I used to fantasize about hypnotherapists taking me deep and asking me the truth to questions which were too emotionally complex for me to untangle myself. I used to stare out of windows and think of pendulums and grandfather clocks. I got into the hypnosis community when I was about 19 via Yahoo Groups and kinda followed the growth and pilgramage from platform to platform.

I guess I did kind of get the therapist honesty thing happen to me one time, but that's another story and you'll have to ask for it specifically.

2. Describe your first experience with hypnosis

I remember when I was young I couldn't really move my computer or stretch audio cables, so I needed to make a little cot for myself in the corner of the room. I was awful in my early days. Just listened to files without care for my safety. I just wanted an escape. I bought 45 minute files. I recall one framed like a bank heist with pink mist seeping into the vault of my brain to change things. Predated Inception, even. I was always scared neighbors would hear so I put the speakers on the ground and pulled headphones in and just slept away. I had tons of rituals in the early days, scented candles, boiling baths, anything to try and make it work better. I was AMAZING at visualizing back in those days. I would just get absorbed in the fantasy.

My first interactive partner was an RP buddy on Yahoo Groups who became my first Master. He kept me for about 5 years. I adored him. Did everything he wanted. Even to my own detriment. He was an awful human. I am ashamed I followed him.

My first IRL session was with the woman I married. There was the golden glow of an American sunset pouring through her window as the heaviness of a 12 hour journey across the planet to see her was catching up with me. Her parents were going to drop me off at the hotel to sleep. She thought she could keep me there with her if I fell asleep. She stroked my brow. Cooed for me to just relax. I sank into her lap. It was pure peace and serenity. She tells me she snuck in our first kiss while I was under.

3. Are there any TV shows/movies/books you liked when you were younger that you think got you into hypnosis?

There was like a Magic Block on TV when I was growing up. Masked Magician SECRETS UNVEALED, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna. I watched every week and was fascinated. I loved magic as a child. But it was all the mystic allure and not real. At least until one of my mum's friends was telling her about being on the McKenna show, a show where they hypnotize people in the audience and do skits. British Broadcast Standards do not allow the airing of any hypnosis so they always made it seem secret and taboo, hidden behind a blurry screen and mum's friend had THE SECRETS. So I listened (she had a Pepsi that night so couldn't go on stage) and was just fascinated. It was not just real magic, it was something that could work on anyone. That real person who was in my life had witnessed it and could have "gone under". I remember my obsession was born in the childish awe of that story.

That should cover it, I believe.

[daimyosprincess]

HOLD ON umm not to come in unannounced but do you have any boba fic recommendations asking for a friend 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙏🙏

NEVER apologize for coming in my inbox asking for Boba content because I always vibrating with need to talk about the daddy in chief!!!

Under the cut are some off the top of my head (you can check out my #fanfic tag too) and I will reblog with additional recs if I think of them.

All are 18+ and Boba x F!Reader unless noted, and in no particular order.

Homecoming by @thefact0rygirl

I would pay real money for the chance to read all of Vee's fics for the first time again. Her masterlist is my go to when I crave that good Boba 🌶️.

Afflictions by @rexxdjarin

This Empire-era fic lives rent free in my head. Julie gives me my regular Boba fix with her trove of thots and drabbles in her masterlist.

Verman'alor by @galacticgraffiti

Deliciously spicy read with lots of cool Mando'a used. Gala has some other great Boba pieces listed in their masterlist as well.

Hurts So Good by @saradika

Honestly I can't pick my favorite of her Boba fics, this is just the first one I had saved. The Little Mess duo is also amazing fucking hot.

The Duality of Us by @acatalystrising

You can really tell how much Eliza loves Boba in her writing! She's got a few other series and oneshots in her masterlist.

Tea Shop series by @pickleprickle

You want the sweetest Boba fluff you can imagine? Look no further than this series!! Brings a smile to my face every time I see a new part. Check out Lee's masterlist too.

A Simple Thing by iridan [Boba Fett x Din Djarin]

This fic... whew. I binged it in two weeks and I still have yet to fully recover. Excellent world building and FEELINGS. i am also into bobadin now

A Pillar of Salt by acomplicatedprofession

One of the most achingly beautiful things I've ever read. 10/10 in the feelings department.

I Know What You Like by millennialfalcon

Let's just say I found out that I'm definitely into that.

Rescue of the Wretched by @mando-cyare

One of the earliest Boba fics I read when I rediscovered my undying love for obsession with Boba when the Mandalorian came out, and this is still one of my all-time favs.

Bred by the King by Much_Ado_Abt_Novels

Another early fic. Guess I'm into that now too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And last but not least I want to give a shout out to all the creators out their sharing their content with us!! Thank you for giving me the serotonin I need to survive 💖

[kiwiana-writes]

9 books

Thanks @cricketnationrise and @clottedcreamfudge for the incredibly rude, actually, tags, because I have never chosen a favourite anything in my life. (Also, CCF literally tagged me WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF DOING THIS after cricket's tag from like two days ago, so I'm digging the wavelength synchronicity.)

Because I'm incapable of favourites, what you're getting is 9 more obscure books, not in a 'I'm cooler than you' way but in a 'please y'all go love these books as much as I do and give me more people to flail with about them' way.

Sevenwaters Saga by Juliet Marillier -- yes I'm listing a whole series as one book, fucking fight me. *Stefon voice* This series has everything! Historical high fantasy! Intergenerational stories! Romance romance romance! A canon side queer couple in fucking fifth century-ish Ireland! Slide into my DMs if you want trigger/content warnings or a more detailed synopsis, I am incapable of being normal about this series. Also if you read my swans fic you'll find parts of the first book in the series very familiar. (Also also, I once did a podfic for this series which has the dubious honour of being the only thing I’ve ever put on AO3 with zero comments, there's your random fact for the day!)

Rōmeo rāua ko Hurieta translated by Te Haumihiata Mason -- yes, this one's niche as it's in te reo Māori, but I'd be deeply remiss if I didn't have Shakespeare somewhere on this list despite me claiming I was going obscure. It translates the essence of the story rather than word for word and has a side-by-side with te reo Pākehā (English) which results in some absolutely delightful idiom usage.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach -- always a good reread if I want to feel like I'm a part of a wider universe. Also the reason for my seagull tattoo!

How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid -- I don't even know how to describe this one other than a must-read, which seems trite as fuck but here we are.

Meet Me Under The Ombu Tree by Santa Montefiore -- I first found this in my high school library which is fucking wild considering the plot. Another one to slide into my DMs for trigger/content warnings if needed but an incredibly well-written story with some of the most fleshed-out side characters I've read in this genre.

Mouthful of Forevers by Clementine von Radics -- absolutely incredible poetry, like, every damn one.

Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Witi Ihimaera -- another one I found way too early in the school library and the earliest overtly queer book I remember reading!

The C.H.E.R.U.B. series by Robert Muchamore -- idk how popular this one was actually? So this might be one everyone knows, but if not and you wanna read some wild YA about child spies, this will keep you fed.

I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale and its sequels -- definitely not obscure to my fellow Kiwi but I'm not sure how much play it got outside of Aotearoa. Please read these books. Based on a very real religious cult (the author also wrote a nonfiction book about Gloriavale and how it got started) the shifts in perspectives between the different books in the series really do paint a vivid picture of the realities and nuances of it.

A lot of the usual suspects have already been tagged but I'm a nosy motherfucker so tagging @myheartalivewrites @maxbegone @ships-to-sail @celeritas2997 @rmd-writes @lilythesilly @nontoxic-writes @sherryvalli @orchidscript @inexplicablymine @stereopticons @cha-melodius @daisymae-12 @jettestar @swearphil @laurie-on-a-lark @suseagull04 and literally anyone who wants to share some of their faves with me!

[randomvarious]

Today's mix:

Feed Your Head by Michael Dog 1993 Psybient / Ambient / Tribal Ambient / Dub / Downtempo / New Age / Trance

Well, it's definitely not my cuppa, folks, but if you want some early 90s UK spacey ambient acid chillout psychedelia, the Planet Dog label's Feed Your Head series definitely seems like a good place to look. Coming out of a hippy-ish British space rock tradition, Planet Dog, like a whole lot of other UK labels that launched at around roughly the same time, originally started out as uniquely quirky and eclectic club nights, first under the name of Club Dog in the mid-80s, and then as the more popular Megadog afterwards. And here for 1993, the biggest brain behind the operation, Michael Dog, puts together a partially mixed set that reflects upon his new label's then-current electronically-driven state.

Similar to what the San Francisco underground had been putting down at around the same time—as the Haight-Ashbury Grateful Dead spirit of the 60s collided with the contemporaneous techno-libertarian vision of Silicon Valley—this comp pulls ambient, dub, spiritually new-agey eastern tribal sounds, and trance all together, yielding a linked crop of tunes that feels fit for something like Burning Man, which is a festival that you couldn't pay me to ever attend, unless it was enough for me to quit my day job and explore the history of modern music full-time! 😁

And speaking of San Francisco, it also can't be ignored where this series' title obviously derived itself from: Grace Slick's repeated, finishing line on the late 60s psych rock staple, "White Rabbit," by SF heroes Jefferson Airplane.

(by the way, isn't it bonkers that the same band that made that song would transition to Jefferson Starship, and then just Starship, and then release that ridiculous early 80s hit of "We Built This City" too?!)

Anyhoo, I don't mind cyberhippy music altogether, but I'm much more partial to the downtempo side than I am to the ambient one, which means that I prefer the music to have some kind of consistent drumbeat that I can nod my head along to. And the only song on this album that really seems to hit me in that regard comes courtesy of the one-and-only Banco de Gaia, an inimitable pro's pro when it comes to that beautifully lush and psychedelic globally-quilted chillout sound. A more well-known Washington, D.C. duo like Thievery Corporation would take a similar approach to newer generations and masterfully enmesh themselves in that massive global chillout scene that would flourish between the late 90s and mid-2000s, but a song like BdG's "Qurna (Haj Ali's Birthday Mix)" is more or less emblematic of where that type of sound comes from, as it lays beautiful blends of psychedelic and string synths alongside nature sounds, hand-drums, and my sought after steady backbeat 😎.

Another thing worth mentioning here is that even though I don't really like this mix very much, kudos still need to go out to Michael Dog for how he went about making it, because rather than just doing normal transitions like almost every DJ does, he went out of his own way to create passages himself to link these songs together to make the whole experience feel more seamless. Not the first time I've heard of this happening—in fact, some in-house person did it for one of those pre-Jock Jams, MTV Party to Go mixes at Tommy Boy a couple years afterwards—but definitely not a commonplace practice by any means.

Also, the liner notes on this release give a shout out to Beyond Records, another UK label that was in a similar vein to Planet Dog at the same time, whose own Ambient Dub series inspired PD to put out this Feed Your Head one. I prefer Ambient Dub as a whole over this first volume of FYH, and you can find a bunch of my favorites from that series in the earliest sections of my own coveted 90s Downtempo playlists—word to the wise, though: the YouTube one has more Ambient Dub stuff than the Spotify one, including an extra super tasty cut from Banco de Gaia himself 😋.

And one other thing I wanna mention here is how a lot of the music on this album seems to have come from offshoots and side projects of already well-established psychedelic and space rock acts. Astralasia, the group that opens this comp up, are from the Magic Mushroom Band, duo System 7 came from Gong, and Eat Static, Nodens Ictus, and The Ullulators were all directly linked to Ozric Tentacles. All part of the same UK scene and all traveling along this sort of newfangled psychedelic electronic club thing together too. Interesting times, to say the least.

So, once again, not the biggest fan of this broad, early 90s psychonautic ambient vibe, but if that's your thing, or you think that it very well might be your thing, this release feels like a pretty wide-ranging and exemplary capsule of it.

Listen to the full mix here.

Highlights:

Banco de Gaia - "Qurna (Haj Ali's Birthday Mix)"

[tomes-of-the-spiral]

WIZARD101 LORE FILES - THE SCHOOL OF LIFE

In my thirst for more Wizard101 lore, I've been compiling a heck load of information about various things and it's frankly become a mess. One of my first endeavors was to find resources about the Schools of Magic. This first rabbit-hole was about the School of Life. As a disclaimer, my main school is not Life, it is actually Balance. However, I've recently made a Life wizard and wanted to scrape the barrel for lore that I could potentially use for their story.

This is a working "document", and is separated into 4 sections:

I. Information given from the game

II. Theories

III. My own ideas

IV. Sources

Things will be updated as I find more stuff or if I have more ideas (which I definitely will).

I. INFORMATION GIVEN FROM THE GAME

From the official Wizard101 website, the School of Life is described as follows:

“Life is spirit, the force of awareness and existence. It is about constant growth and movement. Practitioners of Life Magic, known as Theurgists, are positive, enthusiastic people who seek to appreciate the simple pleasures. At times, however, they can be too flighty or frivolous when circumstances demand otherwise. Theurgists use Songs to breathe life and spirit into a vessel. Unlike other magic, which relies on summoning, coercing, or beseeching, Life Magic harnesses the power of the Song of Creation to create something new. Scholars believe that Theurgy channels the tapestry of music from which the Spiral was created, and that in echoing portions of the great symphony, a Wizard can bring forth and create Life where none previously existed.

Life Magic rests between Fire and Storm, for the spark of Life comes from those two forces.”

And I believe this is from when you first pick Life as your school:

“The Life School will train its student wizards to heal themselves and other players. Life Wizards are given the ability to heal themselves the most effectively, as well as the unique ability to heal other players. Combined with this, they do low to moderate damage attack spells with extremely high accuracy rates. They also possess the sole group heal spells.

Life Wizards are often Social, Charming, Funny and Spiritual. Famous Theurgists include Queen Titania, Leonardo DaVinci, and Thomas Jefferson. Life Wizards are great at healing themselves and others.”

From the History of Life Magic:

“Life Magic was said to have been discovered by the earliest inhabitants of Ravenwood, guided by none other than Grandfather Tree himself. He instructed his early disciples to plant trees and tend to a grove to learn the complex interactions of all living things. As these early Theurges advanced in their studies, so too did their gardens improve, eventually sprouting the sentient Spell Trees. Not just of Life Magic, but all of the Schools. Each tree embodied a new form of magic, a new aspect of existence. It was through their growth, study, and teaching that Magical Law was tested, explored, and codified.”

From one of the Life School Quests:

Moolinda Wu: “Music is the language of Life. When we sing, our Songs can take form, and with each new Song, a spirit is born! Imps, Pixies, Sprites… the Fairy spirits are the essence of Music.”

Lady Oriel: “Greetings, little one. I am Lady Oriel, Princess of the Seraphs. We are the Guardians of Life. We protect the Song of the Universe and seek out those who will help us keep our World alive.”

The Rota of Reading:

“Summer is coming in. Loudly sing, Cuckoo! The seed grows and the meadow blooms, and the woods spring anew!”

II. THEORIES

Life Magic is, in my opinion, the School of Music. Their symphonies and their songs uplift organisms and give them the courage to grow. Theurgists breathe vigor into others and are strong in their convictions. Movement and change are the tunes they dance to, proving time and time again that it is difficult for them to remain stagnant.

The History of Life Magic states that Life Magic was discovered by some of the earliest inhabitants of Ravenwood. While I believe this to be true for the world of Wizard City itself, I believe that Life Magic, whether spoken of in a different font, existed in the Spiral. This is based off the running theory I have that every living thing is made of magic, that all one must do is channel what they have within in order to wield it. Older worlds such as Azteca would apply here.

Throughout the story of Azteca you’ll read that many Aztecasaurs say they heard the Song of Creation, which is directly tied to Life Magic. Perhaps they formed their own version of Life Magic? We truly don’t know. Maybe the “earliest inhabitants” of Ravenwood were from Azteca? Or at least knew a shred of the teachings and influences of that world? Again, we don’t know. There’s a reason why this section is called “theories”.

Another interesting part of the lore is that the School trees were first sprouted by none other than the newly formed disciples of Life Magic. This seems to supplement my theory mentioned above. Furthermore, at the epicenter of each School tree is Life Magic. Many things come back to Life Magic. However, did they also create Niles, the Balance tree? Who is not in Ravenwood, but in Krokotopia?

Moolinda Wu says that music is the language of Life. This has me thinking that perhaps the Theurgists best weapon is not a staff but a musical weapon. In the game we have flutes and guitars of many shapes and colors. Ocarinas would be viable for Theurgists as well. In one of the first Life quests, you make a flute from Blossom’s branches.

Life Magic also reminds me much of White Mages from the Final Fantasy Series. See here:

“Conjury is an art that takes life and the living for its domain. Its primary purpose is the salving of hurts and the granting of protection. Adventurers such as yourself oft stand upon the front lines of battle. Owing to this, you are like to find yourself in many situations wherein a capacity for healing would be advantageous. Mind you, there is more to conjury than that. By harnessing the power of earth, wind, and water, conjurers are also capable of weaving spells that wreak havoc. In terms of sheer destructive power, conjury may pale in comparison to thaumaturgy, but its capacity to defend one against aggression more than compensates for this relative shortcoming.” – E-Sumi-Yan

Theurgists should want themselves to be known and have the uniqueness to stand out from a crowd. Their songs should be used to not only heal but to draw attention and command. Generals, leaders, commanders, and the like can utilize Life Magic in this way.

Here’s another part of conjury that I find interesting:

“Conjury calls upon the elements of earth, wind, and water and concentrates them to a potency at which spells can be weaved. Through practiced meditation on the essences of creation, conjurers draw forth and absorb aether from their immediate surroundings. A wand or cane made from unworked wood is then utilized to focus the aether until it manifests as the desired spell. Versed also in magicks that restore and strengthen, conjurers are regarded as accomplished healers.”

Life Magic, through Songs, can be similar to Conjury in that it can bring together Fire and Storm magic and blend them to a point where Life is sparked, where certain spells can be achieved. Note that while Conjurers/White Mages in FFXIV draw their power from the surrounding aether, it is not the same as Theurgists in Wizard101. Theurgists use the power they have within them to put into their Songs. However, like Conjury, it can be theorized that the best Life weapon is not only a musical instrument, but one made of a certain wood. This wood could be different for the specific Theurgist.

III. MY OWN IDEAS

This section will be the section that is most edited. I will make sure to provide changelogs at the beginning of this post.

IDEA ONE - To begin, I had this idea of a potential fairy world that existed in the Spiral. Recall that Moolinda Wu says that spirits are born from Songs. Specific spirits include Imps, Pixies, Sprites, Fairies, etc… There could be a world based off of this! A magical, whimsical world, perhaps one that’s sort of bug-like in nature. This “fairy world” would be the antithesis of Khrysalis. Furthermore, my idea was that this world would’ve been part of Khrysalis before being separated in some way.

The fairy world would feature a story based off of A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, maybe from a different point of view, or with another plot element added in.

IDEA TWO – Many Theurgists have some sort of Imp, Pixie, or Fairy ancestor in their lineage. Because of this, they are shorter individuals with more dainty features, and pointed ears. They are shorter than other Wizards, and depending on how closely tied they are to their spiritual family, could even have wings.

IDEA THREE – Theurgists have a natural green thumb, whether they choose to admit it or not. It is up to them if they wish to pursue an agricultural hobby, but the more they practice Life Magic the better. These individuals, with time and practice, are able to communicate with surrounding flora and fauna. I believe it is much like how some people in FFXIV’s setting can talk to the elemental sprites that are most prevalent in The Black Shroud and other settings. While some can distinctly make out words and sentences, most people who can communicate with the elemental sprites are only capable of feeling their emotions.

IV: SOURCES

https://finalbastion.com/wizard101-guides/understanding-lore-life-school/

https://wizard101.fandom.com/wiki/School_of_Life

https://www.wizard101.com/game/magic-lore

https://finalbastion.com/wizard101-guides/w101-analysis/the-lore-you-know-an-updated-look-at-the-schools-of-magic/

https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/Quest:Introduction_to_Life

Thanks for reading!

[stoopid-turtle]

I've seen people theorize as part of the devil's timeline (which I don't really subscribe to, but am curious about) that ggdd were pretending not to know each other beforehand when they started filming CQL and that that would explain why they got more familiar over time but also so quickly in the BTS. To me this would explain a couple things (like sharing phones so soon) but creates so many more questions that I have a hard time buying it. Mainly: I 100% understand why they wouldn't want to tell fans/the world at large any more details about their personal lives/relationship, since it's not our business, but I can't figure out why they'd like... act in front of the whole rest of the cast as strangers. I don't *think* it would make it seem like one gave the other any advantage in the casting process, but what do I know? And I can't think of a lot of other reasons for acting that elaborate/long-term. I was wondering if you had any takes on this?

Also! I wanted to say thanks again for your posts so far and I respect that it's not something you plan to keep doing, but I was (hoping) wondering if you were thinking about sticking around in the fandom as more of a spectator? I'm also a new turtle as of like 5 months ago so it's nice not to be the only one still going 🤯 over some of the BTS in 2023 when it's ancient news to everyone else. Thanks again for your hard work on your posts and timeline!

Hi!

Do they share phones really early? The earliest I saw was 7.7, though I'm not especially eagle-eyed. Beyond that instance and dd using gg's phone while the cast ate lunch on 8.2, I didn't notice either of them sharing phones in the videos I saw.

I guess I'm the odd one out bc I don't think they became familiar unusually fast. It seems like a reasonable timeline for the age they're at, from my experience. So I don't see the need to have an explanation for that since I don't see anything out of the norm in how their relationship progresses.

That's probably why I take the Devil's Timeline as interesting speculation but not much more.

But your main point is definitely a sticking point for me too.

Spitballing it, maybe they wanted to hide the nature of their relationship at first until they realized it was a gay-friendly set. But even then, why act like they don't know each other at all? They have a reasonable explanation for how they'd be acquainted: they met on DDU a year before. I'm not sure why they'd play coy.

Of course, behind the scenes industry stuff is always a wild card. We don't know what we don't know, and maybe gg and dd had a good reason to pretend they didn't know each other at all. I'm not well-versed enough in c-ent to even have a guess as to what that might be, but I assume it's possible.

At the same time, they later seem open about their relationship on set, even having couple fights and flirting while surrounded by cast and crew. So why hide things at the beginning?

I've been watching through some more of the daily bts on another playlist, and gg and dd act how I'd expect 2 reserved people to act on the first few days of working together. Of course, that's real subjective to assess, so somebody else could come away with a completely different impression of how they're acting. But, personally, I don't see anything that needs any explanation.

re: your second para: I'll probably go back to lurking. I have a primary tumblr acct that I use to lurk on a bunch of fandoms. I already followed the bjyx tags and a lot of the turtles on that acct before setting this up. I definitely plan to keep up with the boys, but I don't foresee posting that much in the future.

(I reserve the right to give in to my impulses and hunker down for the long-haul, though.)

I always get to a fandom late! I missed all the excitement when the bts first came out, but I still feel hype when I come across new-to-me stuff. I'm happy to enthuse with others!

[brookebeebe-blog]

July 21st - Independent Excursion, Tai Chi and Meditation

This morning I woke up still sick. I mostly have a sore throat, so it’s not the worst but it’s still a bit annoying. Still, I am an academic weapon, so an illness could not stop me. I got up at 5 am because when we got here I remembered seeing people doing Tai Chi super early in the morning. I knew this was what I wanted to talk about for my independent excursion blog post, so I woke up extremely early in order to make it to a park and get to witness it. I walked to the first park next to the hotel, but unfortunately, no one was there. I ended up walking about half a mile to a bigger park when I found people doing Tai Chi and meditating. I will expand more on this in the academic reflection portion of the blog, but I sat here for about 2 hours and just enjoyed the nature and the scenery and observed the Tai Chi and meditation taking place. I also ended up talking to my friends in the park because it was about 8 pm for them. I hadn’t talked to them in a while, so it was really nice to catch up. Then, I walked back, but it was some poor planning on my part. I wore sweatpants because I figured it wouldn’t be too hot super early in the morning. I underestimated how long I would be staying in the park, so by the time I was walking back, I was sweating like crazy. I stopped at a 7/11 for some food and Super Supau (which is my new favorite drink and I am going to crave it when I go back to the States). When I finally got back to the hotel, I ate my food and then fell back asleep. I hadn’t gotten the best sleep because I’ve been sick and I want to get as much rest as I can on this free day so I am ready for the activities tomorrow (I am so excited for the zoo). For the rest of the day I plan on getting some food, finishing a bunch of assignments, and resting so I can get better as quickly as possible. 

Academic Reflection

Tai Chi is a Chinese form of martial art. It is a low-impact, slow-motion exercise. Not only does it focus on movement, but it also centers breathing as well. Because of this, it is popular among older people because it is an exercise that is extremely good for you and will not lead to injury or take your breath away. It is also extremely good for physical well-being, but since I am majoring in psychology, I will be focusing on the mental benefits that can arise from the practice of Tai Chi. I found an interesting scientific study on how Tai Chi affects mental well-being. According to the study, Tai Chi interventions show reductions in depression and anxiety (Sani, Yusoff, Norhayati, Zainudin, 2023). Not only do they reduce these mental ailments, but they improve general mental and physical well-being. Tai Chi could be utilized as a treatment for depression, along with therapy and health education. Tai Chi is extremely popular in Taiwan, especially early in the morning. It is hard to miss it. The fluid movements and centered activity could catch anyone’s attention. The earliest reference to Tai Chi is from the T’ang Dynasty (618-960 AD). When reflecting on how this is similar to my culture, Americans also partake in exercise to stimulate mental well-being. In fact, most therapists and psychologists strongly recommend it. Most Americans go to the gym, run, or play sports in order to feel mentally and physically healthy. It is definitely also different in a way though too. Unlike the American exercises, Tai Chi is low impact, which means it can be carried on to old age. Also, Tai Chi focuses on centering breathing and focusing on bodily sensations, which is not something incredibly common in most American practices. We do have yoga, which is probably the most similar exercise we share with Tai Chi, but one last major difference is the popularity. It is easy to find someone doing Tai Chi in Taiwan, especially in parks and areas where reconnecting with nature is no problem. It is much more rare to find Americans practicing yoga in a normal park. We have an obesity problem in the United States, in fact, we have more than double the obesity rate compared to Taiwan, and it has a good amount to do with the different cultures. They put an emphasis on working out and meditation, while Americans put it on the back burner. I chose this for my independent excursion because mental and physical health is important to me. As a psychology major, I care about my own mental health and the mental health of others. I firmly believe physical exercise is extremely beneficial for humans, which is constantly backed up by scientific studies. I not only admire Tai Chi, but I also admire Taiwanese culture for putting an emphasis on it. I will attach pictures of the Tai Chi I saw, but the faces of the people partaking in it will not be included to protect their privacy. 

Citations

Sani, N. A., Yusoff, S. S. M., Norhayati, M. N., & Zainudin, A. M. (2023). Tai Chi Exercise for Mental and Physical Well-Being in Patients with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 2828. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042828

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi