#and heres to hopefully more falk art. hopefully

[bucketinyourwalls]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FALK YOU STUPID OLD MAN 🗣🗣🗣💥💥💥

Close up + ref under cut 🫶

[mystery-salad]

Okay this is going under a read-more cause my altoholic ass made uh...29.5 new characters this year (the .5 will be explained at the end of the list)! Help I'm drowning...

QUAILLE (mirror pronouns): Commander who's living in a world where each dragons death leads to a direct magical explosion and fallout zone. Pure magic is volatile and radioactive. It takes the duty upon itself to keep others from having to get involved. Has every disease.

RIAGAIN (he/him butch): Commander who's from the same tree of Malyck, washed up on Claw island many years before the main plot started. Got mordremfied in HoT! Has venomous fangs/mandibles, several new eyes, and a lot of hotness <3

STIXX (they/them plural): Commander who gave up their solo life to share a body with Vlast after he died. Has many traits of the dragon and can often be heard holding conversation with themself. Similar to revenants but much more physical and irreversible, there is no channeling, Vlast is really here in this physical body now yippee~

BIG TIDDY DRAGON GF (any pronouns): the dragon, the tiddy, the gf herself <3

CARDINAL AZADI (she/her): Listen it's a long story and I've put a lot of work into fleshing it all out, but Azadi leads a group of Dream extremists uwu

BUBBLEGUM LICH (she/her): She's been a keyfarm character for years, but gaining the bubblegum dye made her a permanent staple now!

GOTH MALL RAT (any pronouns): Listen, I feel this is pretty self explanatory and you can track when they came into existence lmao

BLOODSTONE FEM (she/her): Several friends and I have made a band called the Bloodstone Fems and my gorgeous gal here plays the bass! They all do bloodstone dust after shows and will get their audiences high on it during shows. Consensual and informed doping is fun uvu

FENG TAOMIN (she/her): A saltspray dragon exploring the world! She leans more draconic even in her human form, unless specifically under cover.

GREER CM (he/it/they): a fun easter egg along with @ascalonianpicnic Decima CM, based on the suspicious twins you can run into as ghosts from the white mantle!

LET'S DECAY LOVINGLY (any pronouns): the herald and avatar of decay and renewal. You might spot them after major disasters, or just before things go wrong. He will help foster the regrowth and renewal afterwards. If you're lucky you might catch her attention enough for a discussion on the beauty of rot and decay!

SAPPHIC VAMP (she/her): another one I think needs no explanation <3 a VAMPire~

DIA (it/they/gender neutral terms): it's a sylvari with a uniquely adept skill of adaptation, able to pull traits instantaneously from any beast they bond with. Looks nothing like when it emerged from their pod, happy with the ever-changing way of things! Maximum small creature energy.

GEARR FIADH (they/them plural): A sylvari tied strongly to life who bonded with the remnants of the Void once it was vanquished. The void can not fully vanish any more than life can, and so they shall keep the balance together.

ASAKA THE ROTGROWER (it/its): One of Zhaitans great draconic heralds/scions!

RAGNIKK (she/her): I have no plot yet, I just think she's really hot and will one day hopefully justify having her take up a slot!

SIGNE OF THE UNKNOWN (she/he): Cursed by a witch who kept her as a guard dog for years, morphed into a horrid twisted version of werewolf creature (based on the RE8 vârcolac), it is now his natural form. Only the wearing of a very elaborate pinch collar can sustain her old norn form for any amount of time.

FIRSTBORN FALKE (they/them): I imagine this is one of my most known from this year, partially thanks to rostomanologist's AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS art. They were a firstborn who thought they could do it all...until they stretched too thin, and their mind shattered as completely as their illusions.

CARADOC (it/its): Human who made its vivisection/dissection kink its whole personality, all scarred the fuck up but I'm a little lazy rn to do a proper edit!

TARTARY BAROMETZ (any pronouns): Based on the vegetable lamb of tartary!

SIUVEYN (he/him): A smuggler who got caught in the crosshairs of the scarlet debacle and came out with a nasty case of Scarlet's Rasp, respirator never comes off. Has no regrets, still a prolific smuggler!

SIOIR (any pronouns): Unicorn :3

ENNYET (she/her): An asura who touched the eternal alchemy, and instead of coming out broken came out understanding it far too well.

KESSEX (she/her): a handsome woman, haven't used her yet but I'm simply swooning.

COYOTE ARSON (she/they): Thought the words would make a cool name! No use yet, still contemplating...

SIMIA (he/him): now that the face was FINALLY FIXED he's back!!! I love my lil monkey charr, he's a riot~

VAGAINA STRIPEREND (she/her): I got the name suggested on a charr name generator and had to do a doubletake, I hope everyone else who sees her does the same <3

GWRTHRYFELWYR (she/he/they): she's been a member of the Pale Reavers since it was formed, got a lil mordrem'd in the jungle but doin dandy!

SAZUR THE IMMORTAL (he/him): Made just today, I think he's really neat <3

And now for the .5!

LEAF (they/them): So I made Leaf in 2023, but they went through a really specific leveling challenge that took 72 hours! They were unleashed at level 80 into the full world of gw2 in 2024 after which they became an actual character on my roster YIPPEE!!!!!!

I did this last year and it was pretty fun. So let's do it again.

Not that you need a reason to talk about your characters, but I know some people can be a little bit shy about holding their kids up to the sun and going "Look what I made!". Reblog and show off any characters you made this year. Tell us their story, why you made em, where they fit in to your Tyria!

<3

[agentfreckles]

This or That Game: Wayhaven Edition

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE, TWO, AND THREE (DEMO) AND/OR CHARACTER INFO FROM SERA’S ASKS

Hey guys! @agentfreckles here with a new ask game that’ll hopefully give you something fun to do while we anxiously await Book Three’s release. I’ve come up with 50 this or that questions off the top of my head ranging from respectable to ridiculous for your entertainment. Have your followers send you an ask containing a number and tell us which of the two options you would choose. Answers can be made in the form of simply stating the choice, detailed explanations, edits, moodboards, art, fics, anything! Go nuts! Hope you enjoy :)

1. Roast Bobby yourself or watch Bobby get roasted by your LI? 

2. Clothing shopping with F or antiquing with N?  

3. Join Unit Alpha for a mission or spend the day with Elidor at the Facility? 

4. Wild night out with F and M or quiet night in with A and N?

5. Let N serenade you on the violin or convince M to play you a song on the saxophone? 

6. UB beach episode or UB holiday special (featuring the holiday of your choice)?

7. Travel back in time and meet Knight!A or 1700s!N?

8. Give F a TikTok or an Instagram? 

9. Soft!M or Soft!A?

10. Have Tina as your wingwoman or Verda as your wingman?

11. Make A repair all of the objects of yours they break by hand or break an object of theirs every time they break one of yours? 

12. Have N teach you the human language of your choice or have F teach you Echolian?

13. Lose Rook at a young age and grow up with Rebecca or lose Rebecca at a young age and grow up with Rook?

14. UB movie night or UB game night?

15. Have you and your LI’s first ‘I love you’ take place during a quiet moment or an emotionally tense moment (ex: in the middle of a high-stakes mission)?

16. Who is more deserving of the fandom’s thirst: Murphy or Falk?

17. Punch Bobby or punch Mayor Friedman?

18. Take F on a road trip to the Big City or go camping with M? 

19. Go wine tasting with A or check out a museum with N?

20. Get baked goodies at Haley’s Bakery or get drinks at Laycott Bar and Grill?

21. Up your Agency clearance level or your Supernatural tier?

22. Who’s got the better internet browser history: F or M?

23. Find out more about the members of Unit Alpha or the ex member of Unit Bravo?

24. Wear N’s leather jacket or M’s leather jacket? 

25. F’s occasional nervous and clumsy flirting or N’s occasional ultra suggestive flirting? 

26. A’s emotional constipation or M misinterpreting deeper emotions as some strange brand of horny? 

27. Conspire with F to celebrate UB’s birthdays or have UB get together to celebrate your birthday? 

28. Have a sweet family bonding moment with N and F or a battle royale sparring match with A and M? 

29. Sit through one of A’s dad lectures or one of N’s mom lectures?

30. Set Tina up with a supernatural or a non-romanced UB member?

31. LT route with A and M, F and N, M and N, F and M, or F and A?

32. Get gentle advice from N or brutally honest advice from M?

33. A’s cheek dimples or F’s butt dimples?

34. Who is the superior BFF: A, N, F, or M?

35. Stay loyal to the Agency or betray the Agency? 

36. Learn about A being betrayed or why F has no desire to return to the Echo World?

37. Find out what’s up with M’s missing memories or N’s issue with blood? 

38. Have your LI be called away on a mission and leave you without them for a month or be called away on a mission yourself and leave your LI without you for a month? 

39. Get a detailed flashback of A meeting N, A and N meeting M, or A, N, and M meeting F?

40. Rogue!UB AU or Villain!Detective AU?

41. Pet all the dogs with N or pet all the cats with A?

42. Have F’s charm or M’s confidence? 

43. Take UB out for paintball or mini golf? 

44. Take a group photo with UB to frame and put on your desk at the station or take a romantic photo of you and your LI to place in your apartment?

45. A and N’s dynamic or F and M’s dynamic?

46. N and M’s dynamic or F and A’s dynamic?

47. Have Rebecca live through the series or die partway through for the drama?

48. Ask your LI to move into your apartment or be asked by your LI to move into the Warehouse?  

49. Keep your job as Detective or quit and work for the Agency full time? 

50. See TWC adapted into a live-action series or an animated series? 

[haberdashing]

Under And Over

Irene’s investigation of the dirt monster leads her to unexpected places. A Mabel/Heart of Ether crossover, and spiritual sequel to Birds of a Feather, though it should be readable without having read that first.

on AO3

Irene knew that going back into the forest alone (not counting the phone in her hand, cracked but still recording just fine) was probably- no, definitely a terrible idea.

But Irene also knew that there had been more to that living pile of dirt and branches than a family of rabbits, no matter what Aden thought, and she wanted to prove it, to learn the truth of what lay within the forest.

She had her phone, she had her radio, she would be fine. Probably. Hopefully.

“So, my big monster-hunting trek with Aden yesterday was... kind of a bust.” Irene laughed a little to herself at that understatement. Aden probably thought she was crazy before, if he hadn’t already come to that conclusion. “Maybe the problem was that two of us were there, and it didn’t want to show itself to both of us at once--strength in numbers and all that. Maybe I have to be alone to see it.”

Irene clutched her phone tightly as she added, “Well, I’m not entirely alone, am I? I have you, Rose. I’m recording this for you, after all, even if... if you’ll probably never hear it.”

A soft sigh emerged from Irene’s lips as she approached the spot where she’d seen the monster before. “The pile is still there, same as before. Doesn’t look like much right now, not when it’s standing still. I can see how Aden thought it was just a rabbit’s warren, though I still think... well, this should help me figure out the truth, one way or another.”

Irene looked at the pile of dirt and branches for a moment before turning around, making a point of looking away from it. “Aden was right about one thing, though, staring at it probably isn’t going to help. I was looking away when it started moving before, so...”

Irene waited for a moment, watching the trees shake in the breeze. The branches behind her rustled, the noise growing as she hesitated to look back.

“Okay, let’s see. If it really is just a bunch of rabbits living in there, I swear-”

Irene never got the chance to finish that sentence.

The ground underneath the branches moved and swelled, and Irene had to suppress her initial instinct to run away--she’d done that already, and it hadn’t gotten her any answers, only a series of new questions that remained unanswered. Instead, she watched the mass of dirt rise and writhe, moving slowly but steadily in her direction-

Until its movement suddenly because fast and steady, faster than Irene could manage to outrun (especially with her ankle still aching from the previous day’s fall), and this time, when the chase was over, Irene wasn’t the victor.

Her phone flew out of her hand, falling unceremoniously to the forest floor and shattering; Irene winced at the sight of it, even as the ground pulled her under. Aden was right, she should have backed up all of her recordings, but, well, it was too late now.

The earth engulfed her, and soon Irene was falling and falling and falling, with thickly-packed dirt on all sides of her, no sign of when her fall was going to end-

Until it suddenly did, leaving her on... was that a wood floor?

The landing wasn’t as bad as Irene had feared, but then, that wasn’t saying much. At least she was still conscious at the end of it all. At least she was able to get up afterwards, even if it made her muscles groan.

“I... I don’t know where I am now. Under the dirt, somewhere, it pulled me in, but it- it looks just like someone’s house, with light streaming through all the cracks in the walls. And symbols. Lots of weird symbols all over the walls... maybe Valencia would recognize them all, but I sure don’t.” Irene laughed at that, a sharp ugly laugh.

“I don’t know why I’m still talking to you. Even if my phone’s still working somewhere, there’s no way it could hear me from down here... it won’t have any of this, it’ll just seem like I... disappeared.”

Irene paused for a moment as the words sank in.

“Is that what happened to you, Rose? One mishap, one run-in with the wrong monster, and then you’re gone forever? Do they even have monsters like that in Seattle?” Irene made herself laugh, though she wasn’t feeling it.

“I don’t know what these symbols mean, I was kind of hoping one of them would look like a rose, that I could take that as some sort of- of cosmic sign or whatever, but no such luck. There is a rabbit, though, made of white light, shining through the wood. Follow the white rabbit, right? Like in Alice in Wonderland? It’s as good a plan as any, I figure.”

The rabbit symbols were all facing the same way, so Irene wandered in that direction, examining the area around her as she walked. The walls looked like those of an old wooden house, but some of them were leaking water through the seams, while others had--was that a deer there, hiding in the walls?

Whatever this was, it was definitely not a normal house, even if it might have looked that way at a glance.

The first door is the door of stone.

Out of nowhere, a wall of stone appeared in front of Irene--a wall of stone that, upon closer examination, she recognized.

“Oh, it’s--remember that park by our house that closed after sunset, or said it did, with the gate and those big stone walls? I can- I can see the mark you made here, Rose, from that time you stepped wrong when we were breaking in, and that one chunk of rock came off, and you sprained your ankle getting down after... what is that doing here?”

Irene shook her head. “Doesn’t matter, I suppose. What matters is, there’s something engraved on it now, and I know that wasn’t there before. It says...”

“My first is in fire, in frenzy and fame,

My last is in knowledge, in kindness, in knack.

A silence is central to knowing my name,

An absence once heard within learning or lack.

My whole is a term used for calling one’s kin,

And calling us, too, if you dare to begin.”

Irene let out a long sigh. “Christ, it’s a riddle. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a goddamned riddle-”

A deep breath, slowly exhaled, then another. “It’s fine, I can do this, I can handle this. Let’s see. Fire, frenzy, fame--all start with F, so it must be a word starting with that... and ending with K, then? Though two of those are silent Ks, good thing this was written out so I could see them... maybe that’s what that whole ‘silence is central’ thing is about, a, a silent letter in the center of the word?”

Irene started pacing back and forth, though her eyes remained fixed on the wall. “Starts with F, ends in K, silent letter somewhere in there probably... unless it’s a word that means silence or something instead... ‘an absence once heard within learning or lack’... a silent L, maybe, or, or they’ve both got the letter A too I guess? ‘Calling one’s kin’... ‘calling us too’... it’d be a lot easier if I knew who this ‘us’ was in the first place...”

Irene ran one finger against the cold stone of the wall as she paced. “F, L, K... throw a vowel in there, you get falk, felk, filk, folk, fulk... Folk, is that it? Calling one’s kin, like, folks... or, or maybe the ‘us’ is supposed to be the fair folk, from old-timey folklore, or something?”

The door rumbled before disappearing as abruptly as it had appeared in the first place, and Irene stepped forward into the space it had been occupying, continuing to head in the direction that the rabbit symbols were facing.

“Okay. See, I said I could handle it, right? There you go. Riddle: handled.”

Not long after, though, another wall appeared, this one made of darkened brick.

“...I jinxed it, didn’t I? Of course. Of course we weren’t done with the riddles. That’d be too easy. Alright, what do we have here...”

“My first is a pronoun, assumed when untold,

That rhymes with another that’s hidden behind.

My second is beauty man coaxed to unfold,

A thing once created for others to find.

I live in your insides, in shadow and bone,

Yet I carry tidings of love when I’m shown.”

Another deep sigh. “Alright, uh. pronouns. We’ve got I, me, you, he, she, they... ‘assumed when untold’ could be a lot of those, really... But rhyming you’ve just got he, she, me... I guess some people use he as the default? Unless it’s not a pronouns it’s rhyming with, but I’m not sure what else ‘another that’s hidden behind’ could be... so, starting with he, maybe?”

“‘Beauty man coaxed to unfold’... nope, not getting that bit, though I’m guessing it’s another word. So, two words, first one is he... ‘I live in your insides’, ick... wait, ‘tidings of love’... hearts are inside of us, but they’re symbols of love... He, art- art is beauty... Is that it? Heart?”

Again, the wall rumbled and fell away, and Irene walked forward.

This time, though, the corridor ended not in front of another wall, but in front of a door.

The third door is the door of nature.

“Is that my office door? Sure looks the part, though it’s a pretty generic-looking door I guess, just plain wood... and, yup, we’ve got another riddle:”

“I once went above, heading towards the sky,

But also am found growing close to the ground.

As past becomes present, no longer I fly,

And much has been made of my name’s simple sound.

One lost but not found, one here and yet far,

I know that you seek me, wherever you are.”

“These just keep getting tougher, don’t they?” Irene shook her head with a shaky laugh. “‘Past becomes present’... so it, it used to fly, to go upwards, but it doesn’t anymore? And now it’s near the ground? ‘Simple sound’, so probably a short word...”

Irene leaned against the wooden door, letting out a long breath as she looked at the carved letters. “I bet you’re better at riddles than I am, Rose. You always did like wordplay and such, you’d probably have this figured out in a heartbeat...”

A beat, and then it clicked. “Wait- Rose. Rose as in rising, but past tense, grows near the ground, ‘a rose by any other name’... ‘One lost but not found, one here and yet far’... I am seeking you, Rose. I always will. Is that you, Rose? Are you the answer?”

The door squeaked open, and Irene saw a chaotic scene unfolding behind it.

It looked like there was a party of some sort going on there. Music, lights, all the stops pulled out. But a lot of the guests looked far from your usual party-goers, and some of them didn’t even look human...

Irene took a few tentative steps forward, but she didn’t even notice the door closing behind her.

No, what she noticed was a familiar face chatting with two extravagantly-dressed woman Irene didn’t know, a face that made Irene’s heart ache and yet also made it whole again.

“Rose?”

“Irene!”

Rose’s embrace was warm and firm and right, and Irene never wanted it to end.

[teal-skull]

My answers on Powerwolf asks

Original post here by @emmalovesfandoms​

No one asked me to do this, but I wanted to do this so badly so here we go:

1. How long have you been a fan? 

I’m a freaking newbie in the fandom and the answer will be embarasing: about two months.

2. Favourite Powerwolf-related picture? (post it)

This is a though one. It’s either this cute huggie picture:

Or this because of the beautiful asthetic:

3. Who is your favourite band member? Why?

It’s propably Attila or Falk. Attila’s voice is something marvelous and they both have charming personalities!

4. Do you write fanfiction? Who do you ship?

I don’t really writie fanfiction or ship (in this fandom). I have writen heavily PW inspired short story that is in the middle of a translation progess from finnish to english and hopefully it will be on the internet one day. But that’s probably conna be it. Fanart is more for me than fanfiction.

5. Which is your favourite song?

There’s a big list of those. But I’m gonna name Army of the night.

6. Which is your favourite album?

Bless & Possessed.

7. Have you seen them live? When? What was it like?

As for now, unfortunely no. In the future, yes! They write their songs with the idea of “would we want to play this live?” and otherwise simbly love playing live and want to make an amazing show, so it would be a waste not to go!

8. Favourite inside joke?

Most likely Falk and doors.

9. Favourite headcanon?

Matthew and sugar.

10. Favourite song off Return In Bloodred?

Son of the morning star

11. Favourite song off Lupus Dei?

We take it from the living

12. Favourite song off Bible Of The Beast?

Raise your fist, Evangelist

13. Favourite song off   Blood Of The Saints?

Sanctified with Dynamite

14. Favourite song off   Preachers Of The Night?

Preachers of the night is hard one, because all the songs equally good and the whole album is very solid. But let’s say....Extatum Et Oratum

15. Favourite song off   Blessed And Possessed?

I already said Army of the night so: Higher than Heaven.

16. Favourite song off The Sacrament Of Sin?

Killers with the cross

17. Favourite bonus track? (Orchestral versions, bonus tracks off History Of Heresy II, etc)

Orchestral version of Raise your fist, Evangelist. I literaly cried when I heard that for the first time.

18. Favourite Communio Lupatum cover?

Nata Vimpi Cvrmid / IRA Sancti cover by Eluveitie. That song has such a strong goth and folk asthetic and Eluveite really knew how to make the song their own. It’s fantastic.

19. Favourite makeup era?

I pay more attention to costumes than make up tbh so based on that I would say that I really like the look of their costumes around Bless & Possessed.

20. Favourite song performed live?

Raise your fist, Evangelist

21. Do you have any merch? Show meeee!

I have a hoodie with PW sing in right sleeve and two wolfheads like Ying and Yang on the back. And of course powerwolf logo on the front.

22. Do you have a Powerwolf-related lockscreen/homescreen/desktop wallpaper? If yes, what is it?

I have B&P album cover on my computer backround.

23. Favourite lyrics?

“Born to set the world on fire”

“Hollow the damned in the art of salvation Fallen and banned and the angels die first Servant in life and elated in Eden cursed Slaves in the light from beyond Bury the night in imperial hunger Do or die in this fortress of fear Cannot deny all the wonders are sacred burst Under the weight of this world”

“Would you die for Heavy Metal? Then hear our call Raise your horns for master Satan Till the heavens fall”

“ Stand and scream for all the world today “

24. Favourite melody/instrumental?

The instumental part in Night of the werewolfs.

25. Are you in the FB meme group? Which is your favourite meme?

Nope, I don’t have FB, otherwise would be there and spam the hell out of it with my shitty PW memes.

PW memes are just Quality™

As for favorite, it’s this, because of the effort used in this needs to be appreciated:

26. Favourite Wolfsnächte 2018 recap video?

Wien, because I love that elevator scene.

27. Favourite interview?

This one with Roel.

28. Favourite A Day With Powerwolf video?

Ghäääh, propably part 2 where they are recording the drums because Attilla Blessing the studio was great.

29. Have you seen the documentary? Did you like it?

Not yet, but I plan to buy it this summer.

30. Favourite fanart?

Everything.

31. Best song to rage to?

I don’t actually see PW as a band I can really rage to. Their music is dark and epic but not as aggressive as some other artists I listen. But to name one, I would say Kreuzfeuer

32. Best song for walking fast/running after the bus?

I have a funny story for this:

I was actually late for bus and I see how it goes to the stop. I image how I turn to a wolf and hop on a roof of a house next to me and run to the buss, hop on the roof and dick my long nails on to the metal while enjoying the wind blowing though my fur. Obiously that isn’t possible but that was because I was listening to PW. I can’t remember the song though.

But I would say that Higher than Heaven is a good pick for running because of the fast tempo it has.

33. Have you ever cried over a song? Which one?

YES! Here’s a list:

Raise your fist, Evangelist (Orchestral version)

Where the wild wolfs have come

Stossgebet

IRA Sancti (Orchestral version)

34. Which was the first song you’ve heard?

The universe decided to give me Raise your fist, Evangelist on spotify. First I was like: “Hey, this is a coll intro” Then slowly I started liking the whole song. Then I listened rest of Bibble of the Beast and grew to like them. And then I went to youtube list “popular songs” and the game was lost after that point.

35. Which song made you fall in love with them?

Army of the night was the final nail to be hit as I was crusified as a PW fan.

36. Which song would you like to see them cover?

Phantom of the Opera. Simbly because Attilas opera backround and because they have Phantom of the funeral in Boold of the Saints. And because metal covers of musical songs are awesome.

37. Do you want a Powerwolf christmas album in your life?

I’m not sure. We have Raskasta Joulua thing here in Finland where metal artist make metal covers of chrismass songs and you kinda grow tired of it since it’s every year. Though it would be Powerwolf...

38. Do you have a Powerwolf tattoo? Post a pic???

Nope.

39. Have you ever DIY-ed something? A t-shirt, necklace, etc?

I don’t know it it counts that I made a necklace for Falk in art class, since we were tasked to make a accecory for a popular person...

It can’t be worn because the paint doesn’t stick in it and it has already broken. It’s also rather heavy. So it was more like 3D fanart than necklace...

I have plans for making a black stola with PW sing in it because it would be cool.

40. Which season goes best with Powerwolf’s music?

Autum or Summer, because summer is consert season.

and now my own add:

41. Favorite album cover?

Bless & Possessed

[taijispearman]

The Teachers Dilemma

Just a little something that I posted in another forum. Thought I should cross post it here as well. The ultimate goal of an instructor or teacher is, arguably, to disseminate the corpus of knowledge and tradition that they have accumulated to the next generation. Hopefully to the point where their student will surpass them in terms of skill and knowledge. This all sounds simple enough, if slightly idealised. The problem comes to bear when the teacher realises that he cannot teach their students in the same manner that they where taught. This being something that can be taken on multiple levels. On the most granular level, you have the whole "You can't step in the same river twice" deal. The teacher is not his own instructor, nor is the student the same as the teacher once was. The situations present during the transmission from the previous generation to the current generation and the current generation to the future generation are quite different. Though the transmission must persist. The teacher might have been originally been instructed through week long intensive retreats or perhaps as a live in student. Usually undergoing a very harsh and rigorous training curriculum to facilitate the transformation of the body and acquisition of certain integral skills. On the other hand, most modern students are rarely of the live in variety any more due to the requirements of modern society. I once had an opportunity to become a uchi-deshi under Barrish-sensei at Tsubaki America Jinja. An opportunity that I simultaneously regret yet am glad that I did not take. A matter for another time, I guess. Weekend, and sometimes slightly longer, intensive courses are still fairly common. This being how I managed to acquire what little skill I have in Bagua Zhang and Xingyi Quan from Andrea Falk. I also know of quite a few individuals that have attended Sam Masich's courses. In some cases this is the only mechanism by which some areas can get instruction. Though, for the most part it seems that most students these days learn through the format of a weekly class. With classes usually being a few times a week and rarely more than two or three hours long, at most. When we compare the sheer amount of hours logged in training between the individual that has been a live in student for three months versus the individual that has undergone two three-hour classes per week for a year the difference is astounding. Concentrated bouts of training can go and produce quite dramatic results even when compared to a similar amount of time logged over a much longer period of time. The various pros and cons between these two different systems of training can be discussed at another time, in addition to weighing how well they are in terms of producing long term change. Now, of course, students will practice on their own at home. I know that I practiced, and still practice, a fair amount of basic jibengong and qigong on a daily basis for the longest time. Something that is, arguably, one of the few things that is keeping me standing at the present moment. Though even then the amount of raw training time does not compare. One can also question how often students practice jibengong as well as the associated qigong and forms routines on their own. Then one also has to look at what actual practices are being undertaken. The instructor probably remembers the hours upon hours that they spent in stance training, or the endless hours spent walking the circle, or the endless laps of repetitions of one particular technique up and down the gym. Not to mention all the time spent training with the heavy spear and sabre. As well as the endless number of squats that would be have been practiced. There is also a story of how Yang Jian Hou and Ban Hou where originally instructed on practicing the form underneath a table when they where children. That, along with other strict training regimes causing the Yang brothers to attempt to run away from home or attempt to commit suicide. Given the harshness of this particular style of training took it seems fairly reasonable to assume that it is not practiced widely in the modern day. There seem to be a few cases where this is not the case. Though they do seem to be few and far apart. When my instructor, Steve Higgins, was learning the Cannon Fist under Jou Tsung Hwa they where practicing the form by holding each posture for a minute before emitting a fajin and moving to the next move. Given that the Canon Fist is sixty-something odd moves long, not counting repetitions of movements, this is an endeavour that takes the better portion of an hour and a half. A particular practice that had quite a number of individuals having to stop for a break every half hour or so at best, or at worst retching and vomiting. My instructor asked master Jou, “So, would you teach all of your beginner students this way?” To which Jou apparently responded, “Yes! Yes! Every beginner student should be taught in this manner. Though if you do, you not have many beginner students.” A response that can be taken on a couple of different levels. Then one also has to realize is that most instructors in the martial arts usually have had exposure and training in multiple different styles before they started teaching. A trend that is particularly prevalent in many of the Chinese internal art styles due to the fact that one generally segways from the harder and more external styles such as Tongbei Quan, Chang Quan, Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and the like into the more internal styles of Xingyi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Taiji Quan. That foundation in another martial is something that is very often deeply integral towards their further practice in the internal arts. Some will very often say that you have to unlearn particular body mechanics and structural habits in order to progress in the internal arts. I do not think that is particularly the case. Rather it should be something that is taken with you and further polished and refined. When an instructor goes and looks at this vast corpus of material that they have accumulated over the decades, very often material that has been handed down from a number of different master and potentially including material from styles that they no longer practice they have to make the decision of what portion of that material they choose to teach. You see more extreme versions of this when you look at radical revisions of martial traditions. What Morihei Ueshiba did with his understanding of Japanese swordsmanship and Daito ryu Aiki Jujutsu and changing it into Aikido is fascinating. Not to mention the fact that he went and reformulated things over the years as well so that the material that was passed down to his students when he began teaching is quite different from what material he presented in his later years. Then you have what Bruce Lee did with a multitude of different martial traditions and reformulated it all into Jeet Kune Do. Also in delving into Xinyi Liuhe Quan I really wonder what was going on inside the head of the individual that worked towards reformulating it into Xingyi Quan. So here we have the teachers dilemma: how do they authentically transmit the material that they where taught to their students, knowing that they cannot necessarily teach their students in the same manner that they where taught in the first place?

[craftsguide]

Make Cardboard Robot Puppets that Move!

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Make Cardboard Robot Puppets that Move!

Learn how to create fun robot puppets that actually MOVE using cardboard and other recycled materials in this make and play project for kids by Danielle Falk of Little Ginger Studio.

Any art teacher will sing the praises of humble ol’ cardboard as a brilliant material for art-making.

A cardboard box has endless possibilities for re-invention as a fort, rocket, shop or whatever.

Cardboard can easily be cut, glued, painted, decorated and shaped into almost anything little imaginations can come up with. And it lends itself especially well to puppet-making as it is strong but still easy to manipulate.

And kids love puppets.

You’ve heard me rave on about how much children enjoy creating and playing with puppets before, and these robot puppets I’m about to show you are no exception.

It’s especially fun to create extra-large robots so that children can hide behind their robot puppets and get really lost in role-playing their characters.

Waste not, want not!

This puppet-making activity is mostly made with recycled materials so you can feel good about not purchasing too many materials & being thrifty too! It is suitable for 4 year olds (with some assistance) to 12 year olds.

How to Make Cardboard Robot Puppets

MATERIALS

lots of medium weight cardboard (ie: that is still “cuttable” with scissors). Depending on the age of the children you might wish to pre-cut some into “robot shapes”: squares, rectangles, triangles, long limbs etc. scissors acrylic paint, tempera paint or tempera paint sticks a good quality high temp hot glue gun & glue gun sticks (teacher use only). Low temp mini guns won’t be strong enough. school glue or wood glue & glue sticks RECYCLED MATERIALS! The more the better: bottle tops, champagne bottle cages, jar lids, popsicle sticks, coffee cup holders, cardboard packing materials, cardboard rolls, egg cartons, silver bubble wrap – old nuts & bolts and screws would look amazing too! washi tape, pom poms, pipe cleaners, colored construction paper (for added color) or aluminum foil to add bling! 20 inch long dowel per puppet thick kitchen wooden skewers strong and thick duct tape – I love this brand especially (mostly because of the pretty colors!) lots of split pins and something sharp to make holes in the cardboard (I used a Phillips head screwdriver). I like these long split pins as they are easier for kids to use.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Create the robot body + limbs

Begin by selecting a large square or rectangle for the body and head shape. A responsible adult will need to attach this with a hot glue gun.

Next, choose some limbs and attach the hands and feet in the same way. We took our time arranging & re-arranging our pieces until we thought our robots had enough “personality” (Kookiness? Whimsy?).

2. Decorate the robot

Kids can decorate their robots using paint, paint sticks, paper, washi tape, silver bubblewrap & foil in any way they like. It’s best to direct them towards using smaller pieces & ensure everything is attached properly (with glue).

However in terms of how to decorate their puppets, I take a lot of pleasure in presenting children with a wealth of exciting materials. Then I step right back to watch their creativity in action! I’m always amazed at how innovative kids are.

The real magic happens in the second “layer” of decorating when children add details such as:

Eyes: coffee cup holders & bottle tops Buttons & Dials: bottle tops & jar lids on the robot body Antennae: pipe cleaners,  metals bits etc.

These materials will all need to be hot glued on by a responsible adult.

3. Attach the limbs to the body

Carefully line up the limbs and body and make holes at the ends of each limb (not too close to the edge).  Create holes in the right places on the body as well.

Line up the holes and attach the limbs by sliding the split pins through both holes and splitting the pin at the back to hold in place. Kids LOVE doing this bit, but will probably need help to press down the pin firmly.

Pro tip: Pop some duct tape on top to hold the split pin in place.

4. Attach the dowel stick

Once again, that handy responsible adult will have to use the hot glue gun to attach the dowel puppet handle. It’s also a good idea to add duct tape here for extra strength.

Pro tip: Be sure the glue dries sufficiently before attempting to use the handle. I also added a wooden skewer (rammed into the edge of a cardboard hand so kids can move one of the arms).

5. Play with the robot puppets

It’s playtime! Create some silly robot voices, have fun moving the robot puppets arms and maybe make a funny Robot Puppet Show.

Enjoy!

About the Author

Danielle Falk, from Little Ginger Studio, is an Art Educator from Sydney, Australia. She has a background in Primary (Elementary) Education, is a cardboard hoarder, and loves any fluorescent art supply. Her business name, “Little Ginger Studio,” is named after her daughter (who hopefully will forgive her mum in time).

She started her Children’s Art School nine years ago when she realized many students lacked adequate opportunities for creativity in the day-to-day curriculum.

Little Ginger Studio hosts after-school visual arts programs that explore all manner of making, as well as exciting school holiday (vacation) workshops with a focus on big, messy creativity & contemporary crafts. Danielle loves nothing more than letting children of all ages loose on a pile of shiny new (or recycled!) art materials and watching their creativity ignite.

Follow Little Ginger Studio on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

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