#but ALSO I realized that 'those' blogs are no better than those western 'warriors' I despise and they become narrow-minded too in the end

[katyspersonal]

[bakudekuficlibrary]

hi there!! I love the blog, it’s so helpful when I’m in a fanfic mood. I was wondering if you had any bkdk royalty au’s? preferably completed! thank you so much! :)

Hello! Here are some Royalty AU’s 😊 I’ll separate the ones that are complete and the ones that aren’t! 

-Ellie

24 Works.

Completed

the last dragon-blood king by claimedbydaryl ( E | 107,009 | 13/13 )

Katsuki Bakugou was the alpha heir to a forgotten throne, reigning lord and warden of the Fyre Isles, a famed warrior of vicious repute in the Western Seas, and he would be wed to Izuku Midoriya by the day’s end.

Ignite Me by Kreativekilljoy ( M | 2,249 | 1/1 )

The flames steadied and warmed them both.

An Oasis for You and Me by SecretKiwi ( E | 5,309 | 1/1 )

A prince and his retainer form a bond and grow closer than expected.

Don’t Threaten Him with a Good Time by Philander_Jack ( M | 7,031 | 1/1 )

It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.

The thought crossed his mind at a million miles a second as the Berserker Prince Bakugou looked down on him, in the most literal sense. He was just supposed to deliver a message to the prince but if the prince kept on glaring down upon him like a rat under his boot he was sure that he’d meet his doom soon. What happened to the saying “DON’T kill the messenger”?

Well, he’d learn from the prince himself that the he does have the decency to take heed of the saying, but there’s no saying stating you shouldn’t or couldn’t fuck the fiery messenger boy with green hair and eyes.

SeriesPart 1 of Caught by a Red String

I Like You Deku, damn it by AjhayLee ( T | 8,364 | 1/1 )

Bakugou Katsuki dreams about his past self as a prince and liking his attendant childhood friend. The thing is, he couldn’t confess his feelings and he wasn’t able to tell him. Upon realizing that he also like the present Midoriya in the process, he does what his past self couldn’t do the fourth time he woke up from the dream.

[Major Character Death]

silk by holdingoutforahero ( G | 669 | 1/1 )

Katsuki is anxious, Izuku can recognize that even from the slightest signs. He is going to snap any second and this time Izuku has to let it slide instead of letting out a weary sigh and a sharp “Kacchan”. Katsuki’s hand is slightly trembling as he ties the obi of his inner underrobe. Izuku steps closer to him and pulls the narrow belt out of his hands.

“Here, let me.“

Katsuki-hime(dere) by TouchofFever (UntappedChaos) ( M | 661 | 1/1 )

Prince Izuku is a total deredere and it’s why all the kingdom of Yuuei adores him.

Grand General Katsuki is a total himedere, and they’re still working on that.

SeriesPart 2 of AU Tropes: BNHA

WIP/On Hiatus/Abandoned

[On Hiatus] And He Was Magnificent by Skaii, SugarbabyIzuku( E | 4,134+ | 1/? )

Midoriya Izuku is an omega slave, born into a life of subservience. He’s trapped, never to reach his dreams of something more; until he’s thrust headfirst into the world of Bakugou Katsuki, the crown prince of Incendium Kingdom. Now, Izuku must adjust to a new life as Katsuki’s slave—while a war that threatens to shake the land looms on the horizon.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

Remember Me by Blue_Writer ( M | 59,287+ | 22/? )

It had been years since Bakugou was exiled from his home and became the savage dragon king, but one good thing finally came to his life when he met Izuku again. The only issue, is that he doesn’t remember him.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

Eyes on Fire by glamour_weeb ( E | 11,020+ | 3/? )

Izuku is the ruler of a peaceful city, a city that stands no chance against the Dread King Katsuki and his barbarian horde. In order to save his people, Izuku hatches a dangerous plan to seduce the King. What he does not know is that he is exactly what the Dread King Katsuki has been searching for this whole time.

The Rarity by bittybitt39 ( E | 29,111+ | 8/? )

Midoriya Izuku had been promised at the age of four to his once dear friend, Bakugou Katsuki. Their mothers thought it smart to betroth the two in the hopes that Izuku would be protected and taught in the safety of the guards Mitsuki could provide until the day he was old enough to come to the south kingdom. After all, it was not everyday that the rarity of a male omega was born within these times.

Izuku grows up knowing he is promised, and has vague memories of his alpha from his younger days. He is also gifted, in more ways than one when his teacher Toshinori confronts his mother with Izuku being named as his successor. But a war breaks out between the kingdoms of the north and east, and the betrothed are separated far longer than the royal family would have hoped. But the war raging keeps them separated besides a few letters that are received from those that were brave enough to run through the war lands.

For the Sake of Peace by MochiUs ( T | 38,922+ | 9/? )

Some marry for love. Some marry because it was arranged for them. And some marry for the sake of peace.

Forsaken by FeatheredKit ( E | 28,393+ | 4/14 )

While on a journey in the forest to find a magical herb, Izuku becomes entangled in a less-than-ideal situation and is forced to accept help from none other than his old flame — the warrior king.

Needless to say, today isn’t going as well as Izuku had hoped.

Selected by Currently_Underrated ( E | 3,229+ | 1/? )

The day that the letter came was the day that Izuku’s life changed forever. Prince Bakugou Katsuki was finally of age to take a mate and a queen, but this Selection would be different because the rare male Omega’s could finally participate in the selection process.

But what if Izuku didn’t want to be a royalty?

SeriesPart 1 of BNHA BakuDeku Selection Ft. Omegaverse

Death of a Berserker by Philander_Jack ( M | 26,033+ | 3/? )

It had been three days, three days since he had met the berserker prince, three days since he lost his virgin status to said prince.

He was pissed yes but he’ll find out soon enough that he has bigger things to worry about when the might of the Black Alliance rises like a black shadow across the Dragon Liege’s land of Sagevsal. He’s going to have to fight his hardest alongside the desert people with the help of his comrades and All Might himself to fight off this calamity.

Toss in some mention of the fact that he’s also found out to be the soulmate of the Berserker Prince Katsuki Bakugou and yeah, life from now on is going to be one hell of a ride for him.

SeriesPart 2 of Caught by a Red String

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

[Abandoned] Uneasy Lies the Head by Valainistima ( T | 2,808 | 2/? )

They say a crown bears the weight of the people. Wearing it alone is a challenge itself, but two heads are better than one, right?

Papa said to knock you out by kewltie ( G | 7,270+ | 1/? )

Midoriya Kasumi may be only eight and a quarter year old but here are what she already know: one, she’s the prettiest and most charming little girl in the world; two, her Papa is the best and deserves only the best so that’s why the gods blessed him with Kasumi in the first place; and three, the constantly scowling man that often appear on their TV screen is her other father.

SeriesPart 8 of Gravitation

[On Hiatus] drabbles and drabbles by Agent_Fluff ( Not Rated | 4,977+ | 9/? )

A collection of writing prompts sent to me on my tumblr! Typically gonna be BakuDeku prompts, but other pairings may pop up as well. Not all will be canon compliant either!

[Underage]

Tearstained Petals by FeatheredKit ( E | 10,370+ | 2/? )

Upon returning home for the first time in years, Izuku expects things to be the same as when he’d left, but they aren’t. Not only has the village he once knew so well become an economic wasteland, but now the entire kingdom is under the rule of his childhood best friend—who no longer seems to give a damn about him.

Handful of Courage by ChestnutPatronus14 ( M | 5,035+ | 2/? )

Izuku Midoriya is one of the rare few who cannot use magic, but he had always wanted to travel. Ever since he was little he was always exploring, and when he is finally able to travel to the capital city, he is beyond excited. His plans are thrown away when he meets the prince of the Dragon Lands, Katsuki Bakugo, laying injured by the side of the road.

Izuku makes him a promise, that he would get him home no matter what, but Bakugo is having a hard time trusting an outsider. What neither of them expects, is what happens once they return to the Dragon Lands.

SeriesPart 2 of Into the Dragon Lands

His Kingdom by ElopeToTheSea ( M | 6,038+ | 2/15 )

"The kingdom or him?” Ochako asked. Her voice was low, full of disdain. “What will you chose?”

Izuku smiled, there was no fear in him. There was nothing he could ever regret in that second.

“My answer hasn’t changed, princess,” he responded. “And it never will.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Pitiful.”

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

The Dragon King’s mate by twilightwings ( E | 16,765+ | 5/? )

Izuku decides to go after a rare flower that only grows, on a mountain in the Dragon King’s territory. She discovers someone from her past living with the dragon, she is plunged into his world where she fell in love with him all over again. however there a noble knight who wants her hand in marriage. But However, there something sinister in the wake, when is a threaten force from the past is threating to return.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

[Abandoned] flame of love by howitzerimpact ( T | 2,854 | 4/? )

The Dragon Kingdom has braved through decades, centuries even: reigning as formidable yet compassionate above all else.

But when the wars start, everything becomes a ticking time bomb - the kingdom, its peace and its young heir’s need to take action. Heavy is the head that wears the crown but the prince is not alone. What will he learn of his companion, and will he regain his world once lost to chaos?

Will Bakugou Katsuki and his army be able to withstand the race against time? Or will his kingdom fall with all efforts futile?

Ever Ever After by Agent_Fluff ( T | 1,265+ | 1/10 )

Izuku is from the enchanted land of Yuuei, where he spends his days chasing the happily ever after he saw in his dreams. After being rescued from a troll by a handsome prince, Izuku decides that maybe this could be it. However, King Endeavor is not yet ready to lose his crown, so he banishes Izuku to a place where there are no happy endings: New York City.

SeriesPart 1 of Enchanted AU

[braindamageforbeginners]

more FAQ

Cycle 10, Day 13

So, I spent this morning hanging out writer-y people and I was asked such a good question, I thought I’d use it as another FAQ. As always, I can only answer for myself on these things, ask a physician or real grown-up if you have any doubts. And to all my friends and family who think I’d use a blog to update my health status if things go bad - that’s what Instagram is for, people.

Q: What will my cancer treatment be like?

A; Exceptionally and amazingly unpleasant, I should imagine. Even though I don’t really like the whole “warfare/warrior” metaphor, there is one useful thing about it. I’ve heard from enough combat veterans - in various ways and media that, no matter how well it’s described, surviving modern warfare is indescribable to anyone who doesn’t have prior experience. Same goes here - until you survive a terminal illness, or get that fatal phone call, you really don’t know what it’ll be like, no matter how good I am at describing it. All I can tell you with any certainty is that you will have to develop a completely unassailable faith that you will outlast this thing. From that, you can get start developing the sort of pig-headed stubbornness you’re going to need to win this thing and carve out some sort of normal life. Having said that, I’d also say that you might have to modify your life and life goals, like Data in the game Strategema, in the immortal Trek episode “Peak Performance,” when he (Data) successfully challenges the annoying bureaucrat/ambassador caricature to a rematch: “ I was playing for a standoff, a draw. While Kolrami was dedicated to winning, I was able to pass up obvious avenues of advancement, then settle for a balance. Theoretically, I should be able to challenge him indefinitely. ” It sucks that you might have to put your life on hold in a potentially-never-ending stand-off with a disease, And I’m not going to argue that life is worth living - that’s your decision, and there are potential long-term constraints to my survival that I wouldn’t consider acceptable, but you might. Also, keep in mind, that same episode has the line, “ It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life. “ These are dangerous diseases - deadly if mistreated or mishandled, and frequently deadly even with the bestest care. You’re going to have to see those sort of statistics like “90% fatality rate” and say, “Fuck that, I’ll take those odds, someone hold my seat while I get a drink.” Of course, it’s easy to say that now. However, more to the point of the question, I’ve had a multicourse treatment starting with neurosurgery, then radiation and chemo, and maintenance chemo. After each step, you’re likely to get a week or two off to recover before your doctors review the results, and clear you for the next step. Treasure those weeks off, they might be your only progression-free moments where it looks like you’re on the upswing. And remember, the phrase, “I would recommend more treatment” is a good thing. Cancer patients only get sent three places: home, the hospital, or the hospice. More treatment and hospitals are bad, expensive, and dangerous, but they beat the hell out of 33% of the options.In my case - in the case of most chronic cancer patients - I’m not wild about five years of chemo, but it does beat the alternatives. When our post-Mastodon species talks about “killer instinct,” it’s usually in some unhelpful motivational seminar. No one talks about it for what it really is - coldly, and grimly doing whatever is necessary to outlast your enemy, which, in this case, is a rogue bit of you. Nietzsche talked about “will to power,” and it’s been used in conjunction with some horrific rhetoric and movements, but I’d advise you to embrace it if it’s the only way to get home again.  However, my treatment has been: 1. Neurosurgery 2. 4 weeks off 3. Initial chemoradiation for 6 weeks (that’s brutal) 4, a few weeks off 5. maintenance chemo consisting of 5 days of Temodar and three marizomib infusions 6, ?

Q: Do you ready things about your disease differently than you do other biomedical studies and/or literature?

A. Oh, fuck, yes. I once read that the tell-tale sign of privilege is ignorance (about their privilege and those in a harder circumstances)(which, as someone who’s had a few of those permanently revoked - there was a time when the words “third floor” didn’t have me looking for an elevator)(still, a limp and/or ankle braces definitely beats that horrifying walker). In the same way, an ability to classify knowledge as “academic” is a sign of intellectual privilege (or complacence, which is the next step of privilege). I am absurdly invested in anything I read about GBM. Or cancer. Like, I understand - and kind of agree with - the old rule about not allowing physicians to treat their family members. You’re not going to exhibit the same degree of clarity and judgment. Same thing for me - I’m nigh-immortal on my good days (or with a morale boost), and, potentially dead on the bad ones. It’s exhausing, but, at the same time, i don’t know why we exhibit such disinterest in other areas (Ladies, I’m still single). You are either 1000% focused and committed, or not a all. You know what doctors call cancer patients who successfully complete half of their required treatment before giving up? “Dead.” There’s a good chance you’ll die, anyway, not committing to a treatment course once you’ve started is just a very expensive form of lengthy suicide. Additionally, even though I still use clinicaltrials.org and PubMed as my primary-source services on such things, I’m not as interested as I used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am still absolutely interested in any new developments in my disease or treatment plan - I literally spent a few hours every week on those sites, but, in August, after John McCain died - from the same disease - and GBM treatment studies went from a few dozen on the FDA page to hundreds - I really started to believe - still do - that If I can just live long enough, healthily enough, science will catch up with me.

Additionally, there aren’t many cases of brain cancer of any sort, so you have to take a less methodical, statistical approach, and start looking at the outliers. I call this the Jack Lallane vs biochemistry approach. Stick with me. So, many years ago, a biochem professor in grad school pointed out that, according to the studies, there was no benefit to the sort of excessive protein consumption promoted by body builders, athletes, and other healthy-looking people. I probably should have realized this was coming from a 5′ middle-aged British man who looked the part, and taken it with a grain of salt. At a friend’s encouragement, I did start taking the supplements and what-not, and, as it turns out, further investigation and research showed that protein doesn’t promote muscle growth, unless it’s consumed within an hour of the workout. This is one of those cases where having incomplete information - as my professor did, as eventual research showed - is actually worse than ignorance. To that end, even though I try to keep current on research and development on GBM, I’m less interested in conventional wisdom and studies, and more on what the statistical outliers suggest. This is not to suggest for a minute that you will be better-informed than researchers - again, when the Warlocks or Mad Scientist say “No,” I usually take them at their word. But GBM research is a very weird and strange area of cancer research (again, it was nigh-impossible to find physicians who would agree to treat the disease as aggressively as they could; so we’re talking about a cancer that’s only been formally studied by epidiomology and science for 20-odd years), so I’ve gone with trying to track down data on those few outliers who outlived the 14-24 month life expectancy (also, good news, a recent study showed that almost 30% of us live for at least two years post-diagnosis), and figuring out how they did it. So far - and this is useful - the major commonalities are that they did successfully get a medical team to take them seriously, treat them aggressively, and they survived the treatment, which is still almost as-likely to kill you as the disease. They all also stressed the importance of “complementary medicine” in addition to the real stuff. So, again, full disclosure, I am not a fan of “alternative medicine,” which is when you get the unproven or unstudied stuff instead of traditional Western Medicine, but I am a massive fan of “complementary medicine” which is when you use the freaky stuff in addition to the established, standard stuff (and a crazy hallucinogenic, experimental chemo trial would qualify, I think). “Eating healthy” and “staying psychotically active” are also included in that category. We can talk about fad diets and nutrition, but, again, just going old-school Jack Lallane, I try to get 7-10 servings of raw fruits and vegetables (I really don’t think the “raw” part is very important, but it would take time and energy to cook them, and I’d rather that go into writing or research)(which reminds me, I have to look into photo enhancement/editing techniques this week). “Coffee” is also not on anyone’s nutritionally-recommended list, which makes me ponder how those researchers survived their patients. And such things aren’t studied by most researchers; I don’t think that’s because there’s any insidious pharmacy conspiracy, I just think it’s hard to find qualified patients (again, the rules governing these things are usually established by human rights laws and treaties, add the various dos and don’ts of a clinical trial selection into you reach anothe order of magnitude for cost and lack of returns), and, in many cases, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. With one notable exception. In addition to being a massive fan of fitness and nutrition as a way to keep healthy and vital enough to convince your physicians to douse you in Agent Orange, I’ve also become a major proponent of medical marijuana. Again, not because it’ll cure cancer, but because it’s better at treating some of the nastier side-effects than established pharmaceuticals (and it’s telling that the shift comes just as a lot of lawmakers and pharmaceutical giants start divesting themselves of standard stuff and invest in medical marijuana development and research). And what I didn’t know at the beginning, that I wished I did now, is that the side-effects and problem stack up in standard chemoradiation. It was harder to drag myself to the infusion center on Cycle 9 than Cycle 5. But I was there.

[madmaxstudy]

Final Blog: Mad Max, Then and Now

When Mad Max: Fury Road hit theaters in 2015, the general public seemed to like the film immensely - it received a 8.1/10 on IMDb, and a 97% on rotten tomatoes. It ended up being the highest-grossing film in the Mad Max franchise, and yet the success of the film can almost fully be credited to the pioneering influence and impact of the first film in the franchise: Mad Max (1979). Daniel Chadwick-Shubat notes in a classic film review of the original film, “When Mad Max opened in the U.S., it came out of nowhere, taking the country and movie world by storm. It immediately became a cult item...a new type of film, an uncompromisingly brutal, post-apocalyptic action thriller from an unknown director at the time, George Miller” (Chadwick-Shubat). Now we have had many cult classic films in America - just take The Room (2003) for example. But the reason that this cult classic became so popular that it spurred sequels and reboots is fascinating. However, it is essential to consider the most recent film in the series. It is significant to note that Fury Road is technically a reboot of the original film. While it is not a remake, the concepts, history, and general atmosphere of the film are inspired from the original film. Many may argue that it finds more inspiration aesthetically from the second film, Mad Max 2 (1982), also known as The Road Warrior. In the second film, the main crisis of fuel scarcity that appears in Fury Road has begun and become more prevalent. As Vox writer Emily Todd VanDerWerff notes, in Mad Max 2, “...the energy crisis has worsened to the point where fuel has become a precious, hard-to-find resource. Max, hardened by his experiences in the first film, comes upon a band of settlers and ends up helping them survive attacks by a gang led by someone known as ‘the Humungus’” (VanDerWerff). After seeing Fury Road, this connection becomes more prevalent as the similarities appear, especially in the costuming and prominent conflict of the film in addition to the main storyline and primary crisis is established. As VanDerWerff also notes, “All four films tell self-contained stories, and everything you need to know about Max is conveyed in the first five minutes of Fury Road. Having seen the earlier films will certainly enhance your viewing experience, but it's not necessary to have a great time” (VanDerWerff). Fury Road, therefore, was able to attract audiences outside of the original trilogy as it presented an action film for car enthusiasts and Mad Max enthusiasts alike, increasing its box office revenue. However, this did not mean that everyone came to see the film.

While many outside the franchise might see the storyline of the films as nothing more than just one big car chase, VanDerWerff actually took the time to consider the statistics and screen time of chase scenes, finding surprising results.

Even while Fury Road does contain the most time on chase scenes than any of the other films in the franchise, the total time of chase scenes of its predecessor, Beyond The Thunderdome only contained 13% of chase scenes, while the staggering 87% of the film was actual plot and story. And this story, of course, dates all the way back to the original Mad Max film in 1979.

The significance of the original, as previously and briefly stated, is immensely important. As The Conversation writer Gemma Blackwood states, “Much has been written on the way that the Mad Max movies managed to blend high-concept mythic and epic narrative with daggy snatches of local humour and down-to-earth dialogue to appeal to both national Australian and overseas audiences. It is easy enough to see why Mel Gibson’s Max on his legendary suicidal missions serves as a cipher for both the international hard-boiled hero and for the American Western hero” (Blackwood). While the story and concept of a post-apocalyptic anti-hero gained popularity among the audience, the film’s visuals are also almost unmatched by any other film. It can be argued that the visuals are almost equally as important to the plot, since the environment aids in moving the plot forward. While Blackwood notes the limitations of the spectacle of the film, she also notes that the extended periods of time that contain dialogue and other elements that aid to create a full and rich film world. And, in its most basic sense of the meaning, without the original film, Fury Road would not have been made. Because of the immense success of the first three films, the creators were able to receive larger budgets and more freedoms to create relatively higher-quality sequels and reboots. 

And these reboots are indeed very anticipated. Sequels, while they have notoriously been harbingers of the downfall of many franchises, have always been hotly anticipated and highly attended. Take, for instance, the Star Wars saga. Many die-hard fans of the franchise are not the biggest fans of the newest installments of the series; however, the films still remained relative successes due to open-minded fans and those new to the film world and lore. This is largely due to the fact that many sequels contain references to the older films for the dedicated fans, yet they are also easy to understand for those new to the story. This concept is once again realized and put into effect in the Mad Max franchise - the reboot style of Fury Road allows for it current films’ success. As one critic Benjamin Moore notes in his excitement for the upcoming Fury Road, he says “...here was a trailer that felt right at home in the world of Road Warrior, that didn't depend on computer-generated effects like a crutch, but also looked stunning and action-packed in a way that no movie from the 1980s would've been capable of. The marketing for Fury Road reminds us of those old Mad Max movies...” (Moore). Clearly, there was immense hype and excitement behind this film. I remember seeing the trailers and feeling very excited, and yet felt a lack of interest due to my lack of experience and history with the franchise. However, I will give credit where credit is due. The film had a budget almost 4 times larger than the third installment of Thunderdome, and made almost 3 times of its budget back in box office gross. But the question still remains: does a larger budget, and by extension, better effects and more ability to create spectacle, equal a more successful film? 

It seems, especially in the current decade, that more and more films, with the larger budgets and bigger following that they have, seem to rely more on special effects, CGI, and artificial imaging to create the spectacle. Take, for instance, this video of the before and after CGI effects. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VBVoDW9bs

As you can notice, some of the biggest hits of the year like Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Fast and Furious 7 (2015) are on this list. It is almost unbelievable to see how much of these films, even films that try to be realistically accurate like the film about Mt. Emerest, is digitally created in post-production. 

So, with Fury Road having such a huge budget and a relatively decent success, it should include a lot of CGI, right? Wrong. In his interview with George Miller, writer Ian Failes notes  “‘I’ve been joking recently about how the film has been promoted as being a live action stunt driven film – which it is,’ says Jackson. ‘But also how there’s so little CGI in the film. The reality is that there’s 2000 VFX shots in the film. A very large number of those shots are very simple clean-ups and fixes and wire removals and painting out tire tracks from previous shots, but there are a big number of big VFX shots as well’” (Failes). This once again harkens back to Moore’s point of Fury Road’s trailer using practical effects. So while there is so much CGI in the film, most of it is less of re-creating and generating main character and action, and more focused on creating the environment and atmosphere surrounding the practical effects. Take, for instance, the photo of the war rig crashing into the canyon. 

This photo shows a surprising lack of CGI, as the bulk and main spectacle of the stunt is practical. Many more of these photos, including before and after photos, can be seen in Failes’ article. In addition, this short video highlights the relatively minor differences between the film with and without practical effects. Usually, when showing huge explosions or major catastrophes like a war rig crashing, it would be CGI. But not for Mad Max.

https://youtu.be/ent02yItm60 

Part of what made the original Mad Max so appealing was the realistic nature and practical effects, which spurred the practical effects used in the latest release in 2015. So where did all of that budget go if so little of Fury Road is CGI? Once explanation could be the creation and customization of the cars used in the film. Just take a look at the cars used in the film, from the very first film all the way to Fury Road. 

These cars are almost completely practical, all the way from the smallest buggy to the enormous war rig. All in all, 150 cars were hand-built and customized for Fury Road. However, in continuing with the theme of this blog, we must remember the beginnings of the franchise. The budget for the initial, very first film in the series was a mere $350,000. Mazda Bongo’s own personal van was actually smashed in the first film during the first chase scene, since they didn’t have the budget to do multiple takes or buy cars just to crash them in the film. Consider this chart for the budgets and gross of each of the Mad Max films, adjusted for inflation. 

Now with this, the relationship between budget, CGI, and the success of the film becomes an interesting topic to discuss. While the first ever film had an incredibly small budget and a huge success margin by using almost completely practical effects, Fury Road has essentially followed in the footsteps of the original. By using so many practical effects, the films have retained their appeal and realistic nature. Even with an enormous budget, it is almost all put into practical effects and creating an immersive environment. Kristen Thompson is a close coworker with David Borwell, an America film historian and film theorist that has written a number of volumes on film theory. Thompson, on her and Borwell’s joint blog on “Observations of Film Art,” notes that the directors and visual effects artists were adamant about not using CGI when it was trying to simulate something that adhered to the laws of physics. “Miller commented, ‘We don’t defy the laws of physics–there are no flying human beings, no spacecraft–so it doesn’t make sense to do it as CGI. We’ve got real vehicles and real humans in a real desert, and you hope that all that texture will be up there on the screen.’ Miller had in fact assumed that he would have to create the ‘pole cat’ sequence, which has men perched on long, swaying poles atop speeding vehicles. Action unit director Guy Norris, however, shot a test scene on video, with no CGI” (Thompson). Once again, the main action and stunts of the film are realistic and non-CGI. Comparing it once again to the Avengers franchise, Robert Downy Junior needs to do little to no stunts at all, since his suit is almost completely CGI - all the directors need is his voiceover to add into the action. But for Fury Road, the directors were adamant about using most of the budget they received for practical effects and the creation of a rich movie atmosphere.

Ultimately, because Fury Road followed so closely to its predecessor’s footsteps in regards to the way they were made, it was able to find relative success, and the reason for this almost runs contrast to the reason that many current blockbusters are doing so well. The creators and directors of Mad Max basically created a popular post-apocalyptic genre due to the necessity of having a small budget and using scraps and donated items and junk to create their atmosphere. This western, post-apocalyptic setting created the film world that would eventually become a staple of the franchise. As J. Emmet Winn notes in her journal article, “Westerns may be viewed as having two main ingredients: the hero and the locale. These two elements are often defined, in large part, by their appearance. The stark landscape, six-guns, hats, horses and leather are all part of the iconography that create the style and sense of the Western” (Winn). The key elements of westerns, while Fury Road and the rest of the films in the franchise are definitely not westerns in the classical sense of the word, they certainly draw inspiration from the deserted, dusty locale and the renegade main character. As Winn notes, the film benefits from a desolate, western-like environment. This, once again, stems from the aesthetic that was created by the low-budget, scavenger-type costuming, cars, and stunts. 

This extensive quote from VanDerWerff again sums up this argument entirely. “In almost every case, if you see something happening on screen in Fury Road, somebody really went out and performed it. Computer-generated effects are mostly used for scenes that would simply be too cost-prohibitive to actually film on location, like the one involving a giant sandstorm..This gives Fury Road a palpable sense of reality that has been missing from too many action movies in recent years. When cars smash into each other, it's real. When characters dip from tall poles mounted into the backs of vehicles into cars beside them to snatch up passengers, that's also real...There's nothing inherently wrong with computer-generated effects, but far too many movies use them as a crutch to depict absolutely anything at all. That means everything skews toward being as ‘awesome’ as possible — and when that happens, nothing is” (VanDerWerff). And this, in line with the very first film in the franchise in 1979, can be credited as the main reason why Fury Road did as well as it did. With a staggering budget, especially compared to the budgets in the past and the diminishing returns of the films as seen from the chart of budgets and gross revenues, this film drew upon what made it so popular and successful in the first place in order to create an incredibly immersive film environment that captivates and thrills audiences with every crash and explosion. 

Blackwood, Gemma. “How Mad Max Wrote the Script for the Action Blockbuster.” The Conversation, 7 May 2015. https://theconversation.com/how-mad-max-wrote-the-script-For-the-action-blockbuster-40627. Accessed 21 November 2019.

Chadwick-Shubat, Daniel. “Classic Review: Mad Max (1979).” Get Reel Movies, 29 March 2016. https://getreelmovies.com/classic-review-mad-max-1979/. Accessed 21 November 2019.

Failes, Ian. “A graphic tale: the visual effects of Mad Max: Fury Road.” FX Guide, 29 May 2015. www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/a-graphic-tale-the-visual-effects-of-mad-max-fury-road/. Accessed 21 November 2019.

“Mad Max: Fury Road Without Special Effects is Still Freaking Awesome.” YouTube, uploaded by Sploid, 5 June 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ent02yItm60&feature=youtu.be.

Moore, Benjamin. “Take Note, Hollywood: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is How You Do A Decades-Late Sequel.” Forbes, 31 March 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminmoore/2015/03/31/mad-max-4-fury-road-best-decades-late-sequel/#7365d2913d0. Accessed 21 November 2019.

“Movies That Look Nothing Like You’d Expect Before Special Effects.” YouTube, uploaded by Trend Central, 29 September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VBVoDW9bs.

Thompson, Kelly. “The Waning Thrills of CGI,” David Wordwell’s Website on Cinema: Observations on Film Art. 24 May 2015. www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2015/05/24/the-waning-thrills-of-cgi/?fbclid=IwAR2WtUxyo7l17VkRbk8zXEVQ2dRLF68zJ9AmY2sjEKKahUtN_TjYq1rQo. Accessed 21 November 2019.

VanDerWerff, Emily Todd. “The Violent, Beautiful World of the Must-See New Movie Mad Max: Fury Road, Explained,” Vox, 15 May 2015. www.vox.com/2015/5/15/ 8612481/mad-max-review-fury-road. Accessed 21 November 2019.

Winn, J. Emmett. “Mad Max, Reaganism, and The Road Warrior.” Kinema, Fall 1997. 

[theasatrucommunity]

What are the old Norse/Germanic holidays and when do they fall???Btw beautiful blog.

Here is a simplified wheel of the year.

And here is some more in-depth information from The Asatru Alliance

SnowMoon/January

Snowmoon 3,

Charming of the Plow: This is the date of an agricultural ritual performed in Northern Europe from ancient times. Grains and cakes were offered for the soil’s fertility, and the Sky Father and Earth Mother were invoked to that end. Meditate upon your dependence on the soil, and crumble upon the earth a piece of bread as you call upon Odin, Frigga and the Land Spirits to heal the Earth and keep it from harm.

Snowmoon 9,

Day of Remembrance for Raud the Strong: Raud was a landowner in Norway who was put to death by (St.) Olaf Tryggvason for his loyalty to Asatru by having a snake forced down his throat. Rauds lands were then confiscated in the name of the king and his monks. Raise a horn in honor of Raud and all of his kinsmen who gave their lives, rather then submit to the enforced love of the kristjan empire.

Snowmoon 14,

Thorrablot: This holiday began the Old Norse month of Snorri. It is still observed in Iceland with parties and a mid-winter feast. It is of course sacred to Thorr and the ancient Icelandic Winter Spirit of Thorri. On this day we should perform blot to Thorr and invite the mighty Asaman to the feast.

Horning / February

Horning 2,

Barri: This is the day we celebrate the wooing by Ingvi Freyr of the maiden Gerd, a symbolic marriage of the Vanir God of Fertility with the Mother Earth. It is a festival of fertility, the planted seed and the plowed furrow. For those of you who garden, this is the time to plant seeds indoors, to later be transplanted in the summer garden.

Horning 9,

Day of Remembrance for Eyvind Kinnrifi: Olaf tortured him to death by placing a bowl of red-hot embers on his stomach until his body burst open. Eyvind’s crime was a steadfast loyalty to the Old Gods. A good day to reflect on kristjan kindness.

Horning 14,

Feast of Vali: This feast originally celebrated the death of Hothr at the hands of Vali. This late winter festival relates to the triumphant return of the light of the sun over the dark days of winter. Today it is traditional celebration of the family. A time for the customary exchange of cards and gifts with loved ones. It is also a time for the renewal of marriage vows and an occasion for marriages.

Lenting / March

Lenting 9,

Day of Remembrance for Oliver the Martyr: He was an adherent of Asatru who persisted in organizing underground sacrifices to the Gods and Goddesses despite decrees by St Olaf the Lawbreaker forbidding such activities. Betrayed by an informer, he was killed by Olaf’s men while preparing for the Spring sacrifice in the village of Maerin Norway. Many other men whose names are lost to us were also killed, mutilated, or exiled for taking part in such sacrifices.

Lenting 20,

High Feast of Ostara: This is the Spring Equinox. The end of Winter and the beginning of the season of rebirth. Today we honor Frigga, Freya and Nerthus with blot and feast. Pour a libation of mead onto the Earth; celebrate the rebirth of nature, Asatru, and the new hopes of our Folk.

Lenting 28,

Ragnar Lodbrok Day: Ragnar was one of the legends most famous Vikings. On this day in Runic Year 1145 he raided Paris. It just happened to be Easter Sunday. Today toast Ragnar and read from his Saga.

Ostara / April

Ostara 9,

Day of Remembrance for Jarl Hakon of Norway: As ruler of the western part of the realm, Hakon restored the worship of the Old Gods and cast out the alien religion. In the process, the common folk regained political liberties which were erased under the kristjan yoke, and the flame of our Troth burned brighter in an era of gathering gloom. It may be that Hakon’s defense of our ancestral ways helped encourage the survival of our traditions in Iceland, where they eventually became the seeds of modern day Asatru. On this day reflect on how the actions of the individual can impact world events and the future of Odinn’s Nation.

Ostara 15,

Sigrblot/Sumarsdag: Today we celebrate the first day of Summer in the Old Icelandic calendar. In Iceland it had strong agricultural overtones, but elsewhere in the Nordic world, it was a time to sacrifice to Odinn for victory in the summer voyages and battles.

Ostara 22,

Yggdrasil Day: On this day we realize the great significance that the World Tree plays in our culture, heritage, and native spirituality. It is from the World Tree that we came, and it shelters and nurtures the Asatru today, and will offer refuge to the Folk come Ragnarok. Trees are the lungs as well as the soul of Midgard. Plant a tree today, nurture it, and protect it. In this act the Folk must abide.

Ostara 30,

Walburg: this is better known as Walpurgisnacht or May Eve. Walberg is a goddess of our folk combining some of the traits of Her better-known peers. Reflect on this day on Freya, Hel, and Frigga as the repository of the glorious dead, and you will have an idea of Wulburg’s nature. On this day pour a horn of mead upon the earth in memory of our heroes.

Merrymoon / May

Merrymoon 1,

May Day: The first of May is a time of great celebration all across Europe, as the fields get greener and the flowers decorate the landscape with colorful confusion. Freya turns her kindly face to us after the night of Walburg. Celebrate the birth of Spring and the gifts of Freya on this day.

Merrymoon 9,

Day of Remembrance for Guthroth: One of the upland minor kings. Guthroth had to the audacity to make a speech opposing the policies of Olaf Tryggvason, who at the time was busy killing people who did not want to become kristjans. For exercising his Gods given rights to worship his tribal Gods, Guthroth was captured and his tongue was cut out. Use your tongue for the Gods today! Sing their praises and recite some heroic poetry, tell someone of the Gods glory, and call a kinsman to keep in touch.

Merrymoon 20,

Frigga Blot: Today we rejoice in the warmth and splendor of Spring. A traditional time for a Kindred campout, perform blot to honor the AllMother and thank Her for the health and vitality of the Family, Kindred and Tribe.

Midyear / June

Midyear 8,

Lindisfarne Day: On this day in the year 1043 Runic Era (793 CE) three Viking ships raided the Isle of Lindisfarne, officially opening what is the Viking Age. Toast these brave warriors who began the noble resistance of the alien invasion of the Northlands and sought rightful revenge for the slaughter of the Saxons by Charlamange.

Midyear 9,

Day of Remembrance for Sigurd the Volsung: He is the model Germanic hero. His wooing of the Valkyrie Brynhild, the winning of the treasure of the Nibelungs, and the constant theme of Odinic initiation that weaves itself throughout his story are priceless parts of our Asatru heritage, that provide endless material for contemplation and inspiration for action.

Midyear 21,

Midsummer: This is the longest day and the shortest night of the year: Now Sunna begins its ling decline, sliding into the darkness which will culminate six months from now at Yule. Identifying the sun with the brightness of Baldur, we celebrate in honor of both. Hold blot to Baldur and High Feast. This was the traditional time for holding the AlThing in ancient times.

Haymoon / July

Haymoon 4,

Founder’s Day: On this day we honor the unselfish personal sacrifice and unswerving dedication to our Folk exemplified by the founders of modern era Asatru, H. Rud Mills of Australia, Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson and Thorsteinn Guthjonson of Iceland. On this day reflect on just what YOU can do to promote the growth of our ancestral religion and protect our sacred heritage and traditions.

Haymoon 9,

Day of Remembrance for Unn the Deep Minded: Unn was a powerful figure from the Laxdaela Saga who emigrated to Scotland to avoid the hostility of King Harald Finehair. She established dynasties in the Orkney and Faroe Islands by carefully marrying off her grand daughters. As a settler in Iceland she continued to exhibit all those traits which were her hallmark-strong will, a determination to control, dignity, and a noble character. In the last days of her life, she established a mighty line choosing one of her grandsons as her heir. She died during his wedding celebration, presumable accomplishing her goals and worked out her orlog here in Midgard. She received a typical Nordic ship burial, surrounded by her treasure and her reputation for great deeds.

Haymoon 29,

Stikklestad Day: Olaf the Lawbreaker (“St. Olaf”) was killed at the battle of Stikklestad on this date in the year 1280 R.E. Olaf acquired a reputation for killing, maiming, and exiling his fellow Norwegians who would not convert to Christianity, and for carrying an army with him in violation of the law to help him accomplish his oppression. Today honor the Asatru martyrs who died rather then submit to gray slavery. Also honor the warriors who brought justice to the Lawbreaker.

Harvest / August

Harvest 1,

Freyfaxi: Freyfaxi marked the time of the harvest in ancient Iceland. Today the Asatru observe this date as a celebration of their harvest with blot to Freyr and a grand Feast from the gardens and the fields.

Harvest 9,

Day of Remembrance for Radbod: On this date we honor Radbod a king of Frisia what was an early target kristjan missionaries. Just before his baptism ceremony, he asked the clergy what fate his befallen ancestors who died loyal to Asatru. The missionaries replied that Radbod’s Heathen ancestors were burning in Hell-to which the king replied: “Then I will rather live there with my ancestors than go to heaven with a parcel of beggars.” The baptism was cancelled, the aliens expelled, and Frisia remained free. Drink a horn this day in memory of Radbod.

Shedding / September

Shedding 9,

Day of Remembrance for Herman of the Cherusci: Few mortals have privileged to serve our Folk as did Herman, a leader of the tribe called the Cherusci. We he defeated Varus’ three Roman Legions in 9 C.E. he blocked our amalgamation into the Mediterranean morass. Herman was very aware of his duties not only as a member of his tribe but also as an Asaman - indeed the two were probably inseparable with him. Shedding is the ideal time to give him praise, because the crucial battle for which he is remembered was fought during this month.

Shedding 23,

Winter Finding: The Fall Equinox; Summer and Winter balance for a moment and the cold, old man wins - for now. Brace yourself for longer nights and the onset, eventually, of the cold and darkness of Winter. Do blot to Odin for inspiration to get through your personal lean times, whenever they may strike. This is the traditional time for Fall Fest and the Second Harvest Feast.

Hunting / October

Hunting 8,

Day of Remembrance for Erik the Red: Praise the stalwart founder of Greenland, and father of Leif, the founder of Vinland. Erik remained loyal to Thor even when his wife left the Gods and refused to sleep with her Heathen husband. Pause in memory of Erik today; drink a toast to his honor. No doubt he gets enough warmth in Har’s Hall to make up for his wife’s coldness.

Hunting 9,

Day of Remembrance for Leif Erikson: this is a day that even the U.S. Government admits who should dedicate to the man who beat Columbus to the shores of Vinland by over 500 years. Don’t let it slide quietly - write your local newspapers and share the word of the Norse colonies with neighbors and friends.

Hunting 14,

Winter Nights/Vetrablot: In the Old Icelandic Calendar, winter begins on the Satyrday between Hunting 11th and 17th. Winter Nights celebrates the bounty of the harvest and honors Freya and the fertility and protective spirits called Disir, that She leads (often the Disir are seen as our female ancestors). Give glory to Freya and pour a libation of ale, milk, or mead into the soil an offering to the Disir and the Earth itself.

Fogmoon / November

Fogmoon 9,

Day of Remembrance for Queen Sigrith of Sweden: When Olaf the Lawbreaker had been king of Norway for three years, he asked Queen Sigrith of Sweden to marry him. She agreed, but when he insisted that she give up her ancestral Gods Sigrith replied, “I do not mean to abandon the faith I have led, and my kinsmen before me. Nor shall I object to your belief in the god you prefer.” As usual Heathen tolerance was met with kristjan imprecations and a blow to the face. The wedding was off - depriving Olaf of political power that could have sped the christianization of Scandinavia. As it were, history tells us that the Heathens held on for over 300 more years in the Northlands. Hail Sigrith, defender of Asatru, and women of stubborn virtue!

Fogmoon 11,

Feast of the Einherjar: The chosen heroes who sit in Odin’s Hall are the Einherjar. Today we honor those dead kin who gave their lives for Family and Folk. If you have friends or family who died in battle, visit their graves today, if that is not possible, drink a libation in their memory.

Fogmoon 23,

Feast of Ullr: The Feast of Ullr is to celebrate the Hunt and to gain personal luck needed for success. Weapons are dedicated on this day to Ullr, God of the Bow. If your hunting arms were blessed by the luck of the God of the Hunt, your family and tribe shared the bounty with a Blot and Feast to Ullr.

Yule / December

Yule 9,

Day of Remembrance for Egil Skallagrimsson: Odin was his God, and the blood of berserks and shape-shifters ran in his family. His lust for gold and for fames was insatiable. Yet the same man was passionately moved by the love of his friends and generously opened handed to those who found his favor. The same brain that seethed with war-fury also composed skaldic poetry capable of calming angry kings. Can it be by accident that Egil worshipped Odin, the great solver of paradoxes and riddles? Indeed all Asafolk - but especially those who follow the one-eyed God of battle and magic - can learn much from the life of this amazing man.

Yule 21,

Mother Night: As the night before the Winter Solstice, this is the time when the New Year is born. We honor the beginning of Sunnas return and the breaking of Winter’s spell. This is a time to honor Thor and Freyr, celebrate by Blot, Sumbel, and High Feast. Burn a Yule Log and jump the flames for luck and purification.

Yule 22,

High Feast of Yule - Beginning of Runic Year - Sacred to Thorr and Freyr

Yule 31,

Twelfth Night: This culminates the traditional twelve days of Yule. Each day of which is a month of the preceding year in miniature. Reflect on the past year. Take stock and lay a course for the future. Make New Years resolutions in the old way by swearing your oath on Freyr’s boar or on your Hammer.

[theonyxpath]

Don’t worry, there’s lots to get excited about, but no bad emergency Mayday! alerts. Unless the cover of Rites of Renown‘s charging Garou scares you. Which it could!

I just couldn’t resist the title for the blog, since it is May 1st as I write this.

We actually have so many projects going out in so many stages that it’s quite the whirlwind: I’m still making sure that the Deluxe Exalted 3rd KS packages all get to their backers, Changeling 20th‘s Backer PDF is just about ready to be sent out to those KS backers, we’re expecting the Prince’s Gambit pledge confirmations from Kickstarter so we can create the PG BackerKit site (and meanwhile, Justin, Eddy, and Matthew Dawkins are writing up the additional Clan cards), and we seem to be putting out the “companion” books that all came out of Kickstarters about every other week!

Like Lore of the Bloodlines (went on sale last week), CofD: Dark Eras Companion (going on sale this week), and the V20 Dark Ages Companion (at approvals at WWP).

And then we’re working on getting all the pieces together for our next Kickstarter for Monarchies of Mau, the companion game to, and set in the same world as, Pugmire. So all the phases of Kickstarter-dom are happening at once.

    Mage 20th Book of Secrets illustration by Eric Lofgren.

    Meanwhile, you may have missed that the first of the new Exalted 3rd books’ monthly sections went on sale Saturday: this one is a character named Harrowing Silence for the Adversaries of the Righteous book. That’s the antagonists book, and we’re releasing sections each month you can purchase as PDFs until we get them all out and we’ll combine them into a regular book (PDF and PoD versions). We’re still weighing how these micro-transactions will affect how we will sell the completed book.

The other Exalted 3rd new book is Hundred Devils Night Parade, the bestiary, and that first section will be out soon. We’re looking at some of these sections being single characters and creatures with others having several, and still others describing groups.

    Changeling 20th Clurichaun art by Kieron Yanner

      Now fortunately, we set up an outside team to handle our first forays into getting ebooks onto Amazon, pretty much specifically because of just how many projects we are juggling in the PDF/PoD/book arena. They’re able to focus on what needs doing to make that happen, and we’ll be getting Wave 2 of our fiction up there in about a month. If you buy your electronic fiction from Amazon, please check out the links in the BLURBS! section below.

Or if you know someone who loves reading about Horror and/or Urban Fantasy, even if they aren’t gamers, let them know these books are now on Amazon. And please, please, please: leave some kind of a review – any kind of review. Let’s get some attention for our worlds!

Huge round of applause for Valerie Tate and Bill Bridges for making it happen!

We’re going to see just how this experiment on Amazon goes, and we might look to add game books (which are very different animals in terms of layout), start trying some of the other sales options Amazon offers, or even look to another sales venue. But first we gather info from this.

    Dagger of Spiragos (Scarred Lands) art by Brian LeBlanc

      Finally, the V20 Bundle of Holding is now live, today, and there’s a link below for that as well. We’ve been really happy with our various Bundle of Holding sales, especially since every one of them has included donations to worthy charities. It’s a great way to get a whole bunch of PDFs at great prices and gives folks a chance to try out some of our projects they might not be aware of (or be into if any given PDF was just offered on its own).

Seriously, so much stuff is happening – thanks for taking part in all this with us!

  BLURBS!

  KICKSTARTER!

Right now, Fast Eddy Webb and I have been putting together the way we want to set up the Kickstarter for Monarchies of Mau, the companion game to Pugmire and set in the same world. If you have things you’d like to see us include in the Monarchies of Mau KS, like certain Rewards or Stretch Goals, please let us know!

  ON SALE!

ON AMAZON:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

    BUNDLE OF HOLDING:

The Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition Bundle of Holding just started today, and what a fantastic deal they have on our V20 line of PDFs! Plus, a percentage of every sale goes to charity! Here’s the link, check it out: http://ift.tt/2poCr8c

      Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!

      This Wednesday, the Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras Companion will arrive in PDF and PoD physical book versions at DriveThruRPG.com!

The Dark Eras Companion presents eleven new Eras for the Chronicles of Darkness. Stretching from Ancient Rome and Egypt through the Black Death, the Thirty Years War, the Reconstruction, and the Russian Revolution, the Companion showcases even more of the secret history of this eldritch world. Included in each era are “snapshots” of the various supernatural creatures, including vampires, changelings, mummies, and demons. Also included are lists of inspirational media to help you put these Eras in context for your troupe.

Open the Dark Eras Companion and take another look back in time.

    V20 Lore of the Bloodlines awaits in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2pj8UuA

Lore of the Bloodlines is a single volume (created via Kickstarter) that revisits some of the bloodlines in Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, providing story hooks, character concepts, history, and bloodline-specific rules. The secrets of the Baali, Daughters of Cacophony, Gargoyles, Harbingers of Skulls, Kiasyd, Salubri, Samedi, and True Brujah are now yours.

Lore of the Bloodlines includes:

• The history, lore, and nightly practices of nine bloodlines, told from the perspective of the Kindred themselves.

• New combo Disciplines, powers, Merits, Flaws, and other rules specific to each bloodline.

• Revisions and updates of more classic Vampire: The Masquerade material to V20.

      Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial, PoD and PDF versions is now on sale on DTRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO

This book includes: 

An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.

A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.

Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.

    From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Beneath the Skin (Demon and Skinchangers 1486-1502 Aztec Empire). Ahuitzotl sits on the throne at the height of the Aztec Empire, overseeing his sorcerer-priests’ sacrifices and the endless flower wars his jaguar and eagle warriors carry out in his name to keep the altars well-supplied with victims. The gears of the Aztec Empire turn smoothly and inexorably, but not everything is what it pretends to be. Skinchangers take the shapes of animals to run the wilds or bring down human prey, the Unchained cobble together identities from stolen lives, and stranger things still lurk in the deserts and jungles beyond the walls of Tenochtitlan.

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p79i1O

  From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Into the Cold (Demon: the Descent 1961 Berlin). East Germany erects a wall against its Western counterpart, turning West Berlin into an island within its own country. As the Cold War heats up, demons find themselves the targets of increasing human scrutiny, and begin to realize that the God-Machine’s plans didn’t end with the War.

On sale now in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p70sBl

      Beasts are added to Hunter: the Vigil with Hunter: Tooth and Nail, coming atcha in PDF and physical book Pod versions on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2nwetoP

Tooth and Nail is a bonus chapter/companion book to the previous released Hunter: Mortal Remains that explores antagonists inspired by the Beast: the Primordial RPG.

Hunter: Tooth and Nail includes:

Fiction and story hooks to bring these beasts of legend to your Hunter: The Vigil chronicle.

New bestial Dread Powers.

New Compacts and Conspiracies which hunt the monsters, but also sometimes hunt the zealous heroes that hunt as well.

      The Secrets of the Covenants for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd REVEALED this Wednesday on DTRPG! Physical copy PoD version coming to DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2gbQjus

Vampires gather under many banners. But five have endured the tumult of Western history better than any other. The Carthian Movement. The Circle of the Crone. The Invictus. The Lancea et Sanctum. The Ordo Dracul. Each has its fierce devotees, its jealous rivals, and its relentless enemies. Now,for the first time, the covenants speak for themselves.

This book includes:

A variety of stories from each of the covenants, all told in their own words.

Never-before revealed secrets, like the fate of the Prince of New Orleans.

New blood sorcery, oaths, and other hidden powers of the covenants.

      CONVENTIONS!

Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

        And now, the new project status updates!

    DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Redlines

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Second Draft

V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Development

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

  Editing:

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

  Post-Editing Development:

  CtD C20 Jumpstart (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

    Indexing:

      ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – Waiting on the last of Mark’s halfs.

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – AD’d

VTR: Thousand Years of Night –Sketches incoming.

Cavaliers of Mars – AD’d(ish) and some finals for monsters coming in…

Monarchies of Mau Early Access – Got a couple of finals in along with some sketch revisions.

BtP Building a Legend – More sketches and finals…

Wraith 20 – AD’d

W20 Changing Ways

Ex3 Monthly Stuff – Sketches and finals incoming…

Storypath Brochure

VDA Jumpstart

Scion Origins – AD’d the fulls

  Marketing Stuff

  In Layout

M20 Art Book – In progress…

Dagger of Spiragos (5e) – Inputting 1st proof fixes and working on cover.

  Proofing

V20 Dark Ages Companion – At WW for approval.

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology

M20 Book of Secrets

Dagger of Spiragos (PF)– 2nd Proof.

  At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Dark Eras: To the Strongest – PoD proof on the way.

Dark Eras Companion – PoD and PDF versions going on sales Weds on DTRPG .

W20 Song of Unmaking – PoD proof on the way.

EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – PoD proof on the way.

C20 Anthology – Out to backers, gathering errata.

C20 – PDF out to backers this week.

Pugmire – At Press

Pugmire Screen – At Press

Pugmire Cards & Dice – At Press

Dark Eras: The Wolf & Raven– PoD proof on the way.

      TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: MAY DAY! May Day! May Day.

[johnchiarello]

Socrates [Text]

SOCRATES

[Post below]

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  [Links to all my sites at the bottom of this post]

  NOTE- Every so often some of my sites think I am Spam- or a Bot- I am not. My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam. I post 8 videos a night to many of my sites, and text posts 3 times a week. I realize that is a lot for some sites, yet this is the system I felt the Lord led me into. I NEVER take money- or ask for money- ever. Everything is free- to some sites this makes a difference- so I wanted to say that here.  Thank You- John.

 [TODAY’S POST BEGINS HERE]

 Socrates was born around 469-470 BCE.

He is famous for introducing a way of learning that engaged the students in a dialogue- the question would be put on the table- and thru rigorous debate- you would come to an understanding thru the process of questioning.

 This is referred to as the Socratic Method.

Socrates came on the scene during the famous Spartan wars.

 The other day I watched the movie 300- which depicts the battle between the city state of Athens against the city/state of Sparta.

As you know- the Athenians suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Spartans.

The Spartans were outmanned by the Athenians- but their motto was ‘come back with your shields- or on them’.

 They were a true warrior nation- trained to fight from their youth- and this defeat sent the people of Athens into a time of disillusionment.

 They questioned the power of their gods- and a sort of malaise fell over Athens after the defeat.

 This was when Socrates entered the fray- when the people had many questions about life.

 He was called the Gadfly of Athens- a title that would also be given to the 19th century Danish father of existentialism- Soren Kierkegaard.

 They were called Gadfly’s- because they were like flies that would pester you- and elicit a response.

 The leadership of Athens saw Socrates as one that was stirring up the youth of his day- and creating discontent among the populace.

 He rejected the many god’s of the day- but did have a belief in a single deity- he- like the Christians 4 centuries later- would be accused of atheism- because of his rejection of multiple god’s.

 He was sentenced to death in 399 BCE- and his form of execution was drinking Hemlock.

 His most famous student- Plato- spoke with him before his death.

 Many were surprised at how willingly Socrates faced his demise- and this willingness had a great impact on those who witnessed it.

 Socrates never wrote anything- but most of what we do know about him comes from the writing of others- most notably from Plato’s Dialogues.

Plato wrote down what Socrates taught- In his writings we see Socrates engaging in this method with various people- thus the name of Plato’s works- Dialogues.

 There is a debate about how much of what was written about him was actually true- Plato did add his own ideas into these debates- and the controversy about this is so strong that we actually have a name for it- the ‘Socratic Problem’.

During the time of the disillusionment of the Athenians- there were a group of philosophers known as the Sophists.

 The word comes from Sophia- meaning wisdom.

 Philosophy itself means The Love of Wisdom.

In our day the words Sophomore- Sophistry and Sophisticated are derived from this root word.

 The Sophists were the original Pragmatists.

 Pragmatism is a form of belief that says ‘do what works- regardless of the ethical implications’.

We will get to Pragmatism at the end of this whole series on Philosophy.

 But for now- we see the division between what Socrates taught- and the Sophists.

 Socrates did indeed teach a form of Ethics- which contrasted with the Sophists.

He said that the pursuit of virtue was better than the pursuit of wealth- much like the words of Jesus ‘what does it profit a man if he gain the world- and lose his soul’.

 His most famous saying is ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’.

 He emphasized the importance of mind over body- which inspired Plato’s philosophy of dividing reality into 2 separate realms- the world of senses and the world of ideas.

 Socrates actually challenged the Democratic process- he believed it better for the wise men- the Philosopher Kings- to run the show.

Athens did have a form of Democracy at the time- and because of the rise of the Sophists- and the itinerant teachers- you had sort of an election process- much like in our day- where those who would attain office were those who spoke the best- and made the best public argument.

 We elect judges and stuff in our day- and even presidents- not because they are the most capable- but because they ran the best campaign.

 So- in a way I agree with Socrates- at times I think we need a better process of electing those to higher office- then the one we have now.

 It’s important to note that even though we started this study with Thales- and in the study of Western philosophy it’s commonly understood to have started with Thales.

 Yet- Socrates seems to be the Father of philosophy in many ways.

He probably has had the most influence in the field philosophy- and the 2 great philosophers that we’ll get to next come right out from the heels of Socrates [Plato and Aristotle].

 Why is this important to note?

As we progress in this study- and get closer to the 19th/20th century philosophers- we will see a trend- away from the idea that there are actually any ethical values- moral virtues- or ‘right or wrong’.

 These philosophers dabbled with the idea that values themselves are the cause of man’s problems [Freud].

 So- keep in mind- one of the main streams of thought in the early stages of philosophy was that values were indeed the main thing- Socrates challenged the Sophists of his day- he said that moral virtue was very important- that to live life with the values of courage- honesty- self-denial- these were the things that made men good- noble.

 The bible says ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ ‘those that seek the Lord understand all things’.

 Christian tradition would agree with Socrates in many ways- Jesus showed us that the virtue of service to others- to love your fellow man- to honor God- that these were indeed the heart of the matter.

 Socrates feared the loss of virtue in society- that if we simply lived for the present time- with no higher values [a form of hedonism] then the foundations of society will erode.

He also believed that it was good to question things- not to simply believe a thing for the sake of believing.

 Over time- thru debate and the discourse of other people- he believed you would get to the truth.

 The bible says ‘in the multitude of counselors there is safety’.

 Yeah- as people have a conversation- as they dialogue- often times they themselves come up with the answer to the question.

 The apostle Paul penned the letter to young Timothy- he said ‘preach the word- in doing this you will save yourself- and those that hear you’.

 Yeah- when you engage- and even try and teach others- this will have an effect on you too- the actual act of engaging- of teaching- often brings more insight to the one doing the communicating- then the ones who hear.

 Yeah- I like Socrates- he believed in what he taught- he drank the Hemlock- knowing full well that his life would pass- but he had belief- faith- that after death man would pass over into another realm- a much better one.

 No- he was not ‘Christian’ in the traditional sense of the word- but he was about as close as you could get- for his time.

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 Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on-  Copy text- download video links- make complete copies of my books/studies and posts- everything is copyrighted by me- I give permission for all to copy and share as much as you like- I just ask that nothing be sold. We live in an online world- yet- there is only one internet- meaning if it ever goes down- the only access to the teachings are what others have copied or downloaded- so feel free to copy and download as much as you want- it’s all free-

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I am not a ‘bot’- I’m John- so please- if you are on the verge of deleting something- my contact email is ccoutreach87@gmail.com - contact me first- thank you- John

[hermanwatts]

Sensor Sweep: Alan Moore, Louis L’amour, Conan Pastiches, Robots

Super Heroes (BBC): Is it embarrassing for adults to like superheroes? According to Alan Moore – creator of the Watchmen series and widely considered one of the greatest comic book writers – it is. He says superheroes are perfectly fine for 12 or 13-year-olds but adults should think again. “I think the impact of superheroes on popular culture is both tremendously embarrassing and not a little worrying,” he says.

Folklore (The 13th Floor): The ancient lore of the indigenous peoples of North America are as varied and far-reaching as the continent itself, and unless you’re well-versed in native lore, you might not realize how many of those tales are populated by horrifying spirits, ghosts, witches, demons and monsters… and since we’re in the scare business, we’re going to share the most nightmarish ones with you.

Westerns (Crimereads): Some of the difficulties the fiction magazines were experiencing were due to a prewar invention: the paperback book. The Western “dime novels” and “railway novels” (so named because they were sold in train stations) of the nineteenth century were early experiments in this form. True success, however, had to wait until the 1930s, when a pair of innovations were introduced: an effective glue strip used to bind the book together and the adoption of a distribution model invented by magazine publishers.

Fiction (Goodman Games): What makes those stories pastiche instead of fanfic, I suppose, is that many of these writers were paid to write it and the result was distributed widely. You would assume that meant that the work was well-edited and had some kind of consistency, but a lot of people, me among them, would tell you you’re wrong.  Some writers don’t quite get the character, or want to change him, or don’t understand that he actually does change, age to age, and is capable of greater subtlety/humor/intellect than is popularly assumed (just as REH’s writing is more complex than popularly imagined).

Men’s Adventure Fiction (Paperback Warrior): “The idea that genre fiction is somehow inferior in quality to so-called mainstream fiction, and is not as literary, is artificial bull-puckey,” Hayes said. “Mainstream also is genre, psychological studies, social issues, etc. are all genres, and most of that is not as entertaining as other genres. Entertainment is the primary objective of all fiction, the other, lesser goal being enlightenment, which should never dominate the story. If you have a cause to espouse, the proper literary form is an essay or a non-fictional book.”

Pulp Magazines (Dark Worlds Quarterly): I’ve been spending a lot of time amongst the Pulps lately. And it begs the question: what is the appeal of these old, flaking, brown books? One thing strikes me immediately, the collector’s mania that says, “I want them all!” Since Pulp magazines are no longer produced it is a finite proposition to own a “complete Weird Tales” if not a cheap one. But this doesn’t explain everything. The idea of a rare magazine or comic sealed in plastic, unreadable, priced at, say, $1000.00, makes it no more interesting than a rare coin or a bearer bond.

SF RPG (Trollsmyth): Treasure is easy in fantasy realms. Usually, it’s great piles of gold coins, gleaming gems, and works of art. Back in the middle of the 20th century, when the future was nuclear, space powers feuded over fissionables the way 20th century powers fought over oil. Later, when the power of the future shifted from fission to fusion, He3 became the thing to fight over.

A. Merritt (DMR Books): What a difference a century makes, eh? A well-respected book reviewer for “The Newspaper of Record” published that glowing endorsement for the very first hardcover edition of A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool. As I’ve explained elsewhere, the book itself was a “fix-up” novel merging Merritt’s original novelette of “The Moon Pool” with the novella/short novel, “The Conquest of the Moon Pool”. Let’s see what else the reviewer has to say…

Pulp Fiction (Grey Dog Tales): This book opens with an excellent and very informative introduction by Garyn G. Roberts Ph.D., in which he gives a very detailed background of Farmer’s love for and relationship with Pulp fiction. Without wanting to repeat too much of the information in that introduction, it’s worth mentioning here that Greatheart Silver was Farmer’s homage to the great pulp heroes of the 1930s.

Gaming (Jeffro’s Space Gaming Blog): Long, long ago I heard rumor of them in the introduction of GURPS. Elements of Melee and Wizard are of course baked into the classic Second Edition GURPS Basic Set and first edition GURPS Fantasy. But strangely enough, the group of high school buddies that went hog wild playing Car Wars and Ogre and Illuminati somehow never went beyond doing anything else beyond creating a few 100 point characters with those gaming materials that were supposed to be Steve Jackson’s magnum opus and the ultimate testament to his design genius.

H. P. Lovecraft (Slashfilm): During an interview with Coming Soon, SpectreVision’s Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah revealed tentative plans for a Lovecraft trilogy, adding that Color Out of Space director Richard Stanely might be involved as well. Wood and Noah said that if there’s “enough of an appetite for these things, and we can keep them going and make at least three of them” because Lovecraft is “such an important voice in horror.”

Folklore (Blog That Time Forgot): Ah, that most feared & beloved of Scottish beasties, the Wild Haggis. Elusive yet ubiquitous, they’re rare enough to be seldom seen in the wild, yet populous enough to feed 5.4 million Scots every Burns’ Night. Some say they are small furry mammals, others that they are little birds with vestigial wings; some say their right (or left) legs are longer than the others to facilitate mountain navigation at the cost of reproductive opportunity, while others suppose that they have only three legs, or even no legs at all; there are those who compare their call with the drone of the bagpipes, and others who equate it with a whistly twittering.

Small Press (Rawle Nyanzi): There’s a particular short story magazine that chugs along like a little engine that could. In spite of financial challenges and some less-than-stellar sales figures, it keeps on keeping on through periodic crowdfunds and targeted marketing. I’m talking about Cirsova, the Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense, founded in 2016 by P. Alexander, a Twitter buddy of mine who did the interior formatting for both of my novels Sword & Flower and Shining Tomorrow.

RPG (Goodman Games): The third book in the Alphabet series is now ready for pre-order! The Cthulhu Alphabet is an organized book of madness that you can incorporate into any role-playing game, Dungeon Crawl Classics or otherwise! The Cthulhu Alphabet is a collection of random tables to inspire your role-playing game, structured around an abecedarian theme. If you are a player navigating an uncaring universe, a haunted setting, or a horror-filled dungeon, you will find new ideas for your character and adventures.

Tolkien (Tolkien and Fantasy): I’m using the term “Tolkienian resonances” in this post’s title to refer to some things that predate Tolkien’s own relevant works, but are certainly not influences. They could perhaps be called precursors, but that seems too expansive a term. In any case, a few of these works with such resonances are interesting, and I recount them here. First, there is the discovery by Mark Hooker of the poem “The Orc and His Globular Island.” Hooker wrote about it in the November 2019 issue of Beyond Bree. The poem is interesting not only for its use of the word orc, but for the orc’s similarities to Gollum in The Hobbit.

H. P. Lovecraft (Sacnoth’s Scriptorium): Despite enjoying him as a good read, Lovecraft left Williams out of SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE, his monograph surveying the field, which he was expanding and revising at the time. Doubtless Williams did not make the final cut because Lovecraft had concluded that CW was really not a horror writer at all and also that only committed Xians wd fully appreciate these novels (Lovecraft himself was an atheist and nihilist).

Tarzan (DMR Books): As I stated this time last year, a significant portion of Tarzan fandom considers November 22 to be the ape-lord’s “real” birthday. That’s fine with me. It makes a perfectly good excuse to talk about my favorite works of Tarzanic art. I considered going through my faves in the order I first discovered them, but it was long enough ago—and much of it was in a fairly short span of time—that I decided to go chronologically as they were first published. Thus, the iconic cover for the first McClurg edition of Tarzan of the Apes has to start things out.

Pulp Art (Dark Worlds Quarterly): The first Pulp magazine to offer robot stories was not a purely Science Fiction mag but Weird Tales, which featured the first robotic brain, giant robots and robot despots in Edmond Hamilton’s “The Metal Giants” and Ray Cummings’ “The Robot God”.

Fiction (Don Herron): The other day Brian Leno mentioned that he’d heard good things about the novel Relic by Preston & Child — but even more specifically, he got the major tip-off from me.  I found the novel much, much better than the movie and could not believe that the movie cut out the role of Pendergast, an FBI guy who for all practical purposes may as well be Sherlock Holmes. My god, the best character. I could not believe it, and I still cannot believe it — who’d buy rights to The Hound of the Baskervilles and then delete Sherlock? What genius does that?

Ian Fleming (Mystery File): Thunderball was the eighth James Bond novel and followed a break after Goldfinger where the new James Bond had been a collection of short stories, For Your Eyes Only. In fact Thunderball was the result of the author’s dwindling enthusiasm for his creation after a series of bitter disappointments about Bond’s screen fortunes. A proposed Hitchcock film of From Russia With Love had fallen through (Hitchcock ended up doing North by Northwest instead), and while sales for the Bond novels had rocketed with Doctor No and Goldfinger, the television series pilot “Commander Jamaica” that fell through had become the plot of Doctor No.

Weapons (Pulp Rev): Swords are cool. That alone would be enough reason to include swords in fiction. And you can’t have a street samurai without a sword. But my preferred aesthetic, that of the military technothriller, demands greater justification than just ‘cool’. And for good reason: soldiers must justify every piece of gear they carry on a mission. Unnecessary gear just slows you down and takes up space.

Sensor Sweep: Alan Moore, Louis L’amour, Conan Pastiches, Robots published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[magicmorningmeteora]

M3 10th Anniversary Project Production Red Diary #11

In this entry, Magi-Kat examines various aspects of the Magical Girl and Witch archetypes for the sake of the project.

Masterpost

Greetings, Citizens of the Universe!

It’s been a long time since I said anything about this project, I realize... is what I’d say if this was actually a while. (Granted, the previous entry was delayed for about two weeks so it’d might as well have been a while.)

Witches and Fairy Godmothers

One of the first places I looked in my investigation was the “fairy godmother” archetype, which I will admit is a really strange place to be looking at for an idol narrative. 

If I may be honest, the “fairy godmother” motif was partially born out of a scrapped post idea about “the Fairy Godmother of Wota/H!P” who’d granted the wishes of the fanbase. (This was in 2007-2008 when there were a lot of complaints. Things calmed down by the time I started blogging again, though recent months are making me want to revisit the idea. In fact, one reason that post never got off the ground is because the requests are so numerous!)

Heading back to this, the “fairy godmother” archetype is perfect for the idea of a regular girl becoming something more with the help of a “magic” hand. The figure is a form of the donor archetype, a magical helper or (to use terminology from Joseph Campbell) “Supernatural Aid.”

One thing I like is that in regards to the “fairy godmother” figure in fairy tales, the word “mahoutsukai” (often translated as “magician,” “witch,” “wizard,” etc) is often used in Japanese. This works well for my purposes as in regards to the character who’ll be Mei/May-May’s “fairy godmother” (who will be referred to as “Sei” in the rest of this post as the images pretty much gave it away), I wanted to blend aspects of the Witch archetype as well (hence the dissection of other tales involving witches i.e. Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid).

Curse of the Witches

The second (formerly third) image is more of a way to help focus my thoughts. It’s more of a mantra to remind me of how idols can be an angel or a devil, depending on the perspective of the viewer. One person’s kamioshi (all-time favorite member, or at least the one that garner’s a person’s attention the most) is another’s “can’t stand her”dol of the day — and such feelings run through the spectrum in any way. Aces are especially prone to polarizing a base, especially across international lines, and even “underdogs” can have this treatment.

Also, if you’re familiar with the references in said third second image, keep it hush-hush, will you? ;) Let’s keep it between us Magical Girl fans and let the curious find out for themselves. (Besides, the very act of unveiling such mantras is controversial, in of itself.)

“Sheeeeeeeeeeeeee’s a Magical Girl”

Magical Girls come in all shapes and sizes and as part of the dissection, I looked into those forms. While the Idol aspect is the most obvious subtype for the purposes of this work, I had intended to reference all of the archetypes.

(I do realize that portions of this may sound familiar to diehard fans of the genre and I’ve skipped/missed a few significant examples. Feel free to add to the conversation.)

Witch

The Magical Girl genre itself can trace its roots to the 1960s and what is widely considered the first magical girl anime is Mahoutsukai Sally (Sally The Witch), created by Gigantor creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama as a result of the popularity of Bewitched among girls in Japan. (ANGERME fans should be familiar with that name as its theme song was famously covered by them as part of the Idol Matsuri event in 2015.)

The Witch archetype of Magical Girl relied a lot on the aspect of wish fulfillment and fantasy. It's centered around the use of everyday magic in life, resembling more like the slice of life fare than what typically pops up in a Westerner's mind when they hear the words "magical girl."

That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist anymore! There’s a few recent Magical Girl series about magic-using girls out now, like the new Cardcaptor Sakura anime and Little Witch Academia.

As for Wish Upon a Meteor, we can find two examples in the form of our mains. Sei and Mei embody the “Witch” aspect of the Magical Girl simply because “magic” is the core of their existence. (Of course, Sei is closer to a traditional witch than her beneficiary Mei, due to her role as a “fairy godmother” figure to her.)

Idol

Another type of Magical Girl is the Magical Idol archetype with one major progenitor being Creamy Mami. In addition to helping codify the Magical Idol archetype, it was an early instance of anime being used as a marketing tool for an idol (something that continues to this day. Hiya, Kira☆Revo fans~!).

In many instances, going with the wish fulfillment aspect, many of the early iterations of this had the girl transform into an older version of herself.

Obviously, Mei, Akari, Fuyuko all embody the Idol aspects the most. After all, being an idol is their modus operandi, their Call to Adventure in their individual Monomyths. Granted, like later Magical Idols (except maybe Lilpri, who are closer to the early “age-up” stuff), the girls remain their respective ages, but the same principles apply.

Warrior

The Warrior variant of the Magical Girl is arguably the most well-known of all, especially among Westerners. While Sailor Moon codified a lot of the tropes used in modern Magical Girl titles (and is an influential title), there were few predecessors, one of the most well-known being Devilman creator Go Nagai's Cutey Honey. In fact, after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars ended, a new anime adaptation of Cutey Honey called "Cutey Honey Flash" aired in its timeslot,  which was made with virtually the same staff as the outgoing Sailor Moon (along with being squarely a shoujo series, unlike CH's shonen beginnings).

Much like any seminal series, Sailor Moon would influence other popular Warrior-type MG series like Precure, Wedding Peach, and… too many others to name, but you probably know if you’re every bit as into the genre as I am.

As for our Magical Warriors, two come to mind: Akari and Fuyuko. One thought that often came to me was having Akari and Fuyuko secretly plot to expose Mei and Sei (they are vampires after all), acting as the Van Helsings to Mei and Sei’s Dracula. (Oddly enough, Mei’s very existence came from the “Dracula-chan” jokes surrounding Tamura Meimi and her “fangs.” I suppose it’s only fair that we’d have at least one Helsing-chan.)

Putting It All Together

Throughout it all, the magical girl has been a symbol fantasy and power. The Magical Witch uses magic to enhance daily life. The idol uses magic to enhance their career (if only to get their feet in the door -- the Magical Idol still has to improve their technical craft like the rest of us Muggles). The Magical Warrior uses magic to turn the tide of battle. In the end, one core thing is this: magic is what you make of it and mastering it is tantamount to mastering your personal growth (what MG story isn't some form of a coming of age story?) and in the end... isn't that what magic is about, making our lives (and ourselves) better for the long run?

You can follow the project using the tag #m3-10th-anniversary-project, either by following said tag/search, bookmarking the section, or via RSS.

Anyway, thank you for reading all of this and your support so far. I hope you’ll like the finished product once it arrives!