#its about the meaning imbued upon it

[chongoblog]

The definition of “art” is incredibly abstract and varies from person to person, but if it doesn’t include South Park, then I think it’s being too gatekeepy

[windvexer]

Crafts of the Witch Useful to Learn

Welcome to December 25th, here's some stuff about witchcraft to think about because you're on your phone looking for a distraction :)

So anyway here's stuff that's really useful to learn how to do before you actually need it because putting it all together for the first time on game day is stressful.

Creation and Desecration of a Poppet

A poppet is a deeply sympathetic representation of someone or something (usually another person).

According to the law of sympathy, whatever you do to the poppet will happen to the person it represents. You could cleanse and bless it, or smite it.

Poppets can be made in a wide variety of ways, from paper dolls, to clay figurines, to crocheted stuffies - anything you like. They also must be worked over magically to link them to their target.

The most ideal poppet is decorated to look very similar to the thing it represents, and is imbued with a taglock (such as hair, nail clippings, footprint dust, etc).

Learning Prompts:

The handicraft of creating the poppet - start with any arts and crafts you're interested in and see if they'll work for you

Practice making several poppets - you do not need to consecrate them. How easy is it for you to decorate it just like the real person? How easy is it for you to include taglocks?

Find a disposal plan. ""Voodoo dolls"" are steeped in public awareness; will it be safe for you to throw away the poppet in the trash when you're done with it?

Consecration or enlivening poppet as target. Find or develop a ritual to fill the poppet with magical life so that it becomes the target. Practice this once or twice (perhaps on a poppet of yourself, to cast blessings or prosperity magic on yourself)

Desecration or severing link. Find or develop a ritual to end the sympathetic link between the poppet and its target. Practice this once or twice.

Storage and tending of enlivened poppets. They are alive and they act like it. If you intend to have poppets sitting around for long-term spells or to use as-needed, you will need a system of storing them so that they "go to sleep" and remain undisturbed until you need them.

Consecration, In General

Here I mean "consecration" to be an act of magic which anoints an object as sacred unto a purpose, and therefore primed for magical use. In crude terms: you're making an object magical and giving it a purpose at the same time.

Consecration is a very useful thing to know how to do. In and of itself it can form a kind of minor enchantment (I consecrate this mug of oolong tea to be a potion of survival +1), but it can also prepare the way for powerful enchantments (I consecrate this ring to become a divine protector, ready to receive the powerful enchantment I soon cast upon it).

Learning Prompts:

Find or create a minor consecration spell which can be cast in under a minute. Strive to obtain one which is covert and can be done even in the presence of others. (Perhaps we could call this a 'cantrip'). Such a spell tends to be suitable for moving fate a few degrees over, or to dig a shallow pool in the tides of reality.

Find or create a hefty consecration spell. Consider what abilities or access you have that allows you to redefine the fate and purpose of an object. Contemplation of this spell can provide great insight into one's own belief and path. Such a spell may completely reorient fate, and carve new channels into the waterways of reality.

Practice minor consecrations on 5 different types of objects. Consecrating the tea, that's easy - stir it a few times. But how to consecrate a hairbrush? How to consecrate a mirror?

Practice major consecration twice, unto two very different domains. Perhaps a pepper oil of fiery smiting, and a crystal bracelet of deep soothing. This is an opportunity to compare and contrast the powers you raise when you work within different domains.

Desecration, In General; and Spell Reversal

To make profane; as in, to remove the magic from something and make it no more than a lump of physical matter, or a meaningless event like scattered dust on the winds of fate.

In my opinion, all witches should learn this - "don't raise up what you can't put down" also includes "don't enchant shit if you don't know how to undo enchantments."

To know how to nullify magic also means you can nullify unwanted and harmful things around you, and take the force and energy out of them.

Learning Prompts:

Find or create a minor desecration spell, one that you can cast on the fly and without tools or ingredients. Such a spell may be like a slapping a broom on a dusty rug; it will shake free things not tightly held.

Find or create a major desecration spell. Such a spell is like steam cleaning and shampooing a rug; it must remove every particle of magic and leave nothing behind but stripped fibers.

Practice minor desecrations 5 times in day-to-day life, targeting stank vibes and irritating situations that do not serve you.

Practice minor consecrations and desecrations 5 times by consecrating a stone, candle, etc., unto a magical purpose, and then removing the consecration.

Find an opportunity to cast a major desecration, which you may find the opportunity to do the next time the need for banishment comes up; or when sorting through old magical tools you no longer need, etc.

Find or create a solid spell reversal, one that you can use without having to have physical spell remnants on hand. Note that reverse to sender is not the same as nullifying your own magic.

Binding Divination Tools to Veracity, and Sundry Divination Management

Or if you like, binding veracity to divination tools. Binding is not baneful magic. Binding means to attach one thing to another thing, or to prevent something from being ways.

You can cast a binding on your divination tools to constrain them to only tell the truth, to truly peer beyond the veil, and only deliver what it can see; and never reflect your personal whims.

There's plenty of magic you can cast for your divinatory tools to make your life easier.

Prepare a binding spell to constrain a divination tool to only reflect the kind of truth you want. Do you want a tarot deck to only show your true state of mind? Do you want a set of runes to only read the will of the gods? Do you want your charm set to only read on the future, and not the past?

Find or create a protection spell to stop undue influence on a divination tool. This does not mean "evil spirits are manipulating your reading." Undue influence also means the strong emotions of querents, random psychic garbage, and the like; but it can also have an impact on the way you phrase questions and work with the tool itself.

Find or create a spell to enchant your tool as a magical seer/oracle. You can use a tarot deck out of the box, of course. You can also enchant it to be a magical object that obtains truth from mystical sources. Try it and see if you like the difference.

Find or create a charging ritual to revitalize your divination tools. This is a good opportunity to examine elemental energies; what kinds of energies are best suited to the purposes of divination and seeing beyond? The full moon is classically used for such purposes. Challenge yourself to recharge your divination tools once a month for 3 months, and see if you like the difference.

Blessing, In General

You have the power to generate and coalesce benevolent and helpful energies, and to distribute them into the world around you. You can bless anything you like, and perhaps the more the merrier; it's a very fine way to transform a space, and put love into the world.

Try considering blessings to have 2 parts; the first is to evoke a desirable force, and the second is to apply the force in a certain way: You could evoke the winter dawn as a blessing power, and then ask it to do something specific (provide a calm day, to make wise choices, to avoid bad traffic, etc).

Write your own minor blessing spell that you can perform in a minute or less. Try centering this blessing around a wonderful and benevolent force, whether it be a certain god, mushrooms, unconditional love, and so forth.

Write a separate minor blessing spell using a very different focus. Try the deep blue calming waters of the deep ocean, or the sprightly breezes of alpine hills, or the feeling of the first sip of a perfect bowl of soup; but make it have really different vibes from the first blessing.

Practice both minor blessings and see the difference. Challenge yourself to use each blessing cantrip 5 times. Try clustering the blessings to fill a space with that kind of energy (such as five items on desk blessed under the alpine breeze, and five items in the bathroom blessed under the deep ocean). Can you feel a difference in the spaces as you move in and out of them?

Write a major blessing using the various benevolent and lovely powers of your practice. This is another good opportunity to explore your practice. When you are in need of love, kindness, grace, and softness, what part of your path rises to meet your needs?

The Big Practice

Consecrate a poppet unto yourself. Bind and enchant a divination tool to be a powerful oracle of truth, and read on the most helpful equipment the poppet needs (RPG style: weapon, armor, familiar, potion?).

Whatever the answer, make a tiny container spell which serves the purpose. Consecrate it to be the tool that the poppet (you) needs.

Give the enchanted container spell to the poppet and cast a blessing on it, to be empowered with the new tool it has been granted in life.

Carefully store the poppet and its tool.

Periodically, perhaps between 1 to 6 times a year, recharge your divination tool and discern what new tools the poppet might need. Desecrate the old tool if you need to (or let them stack up), and consecrate new tools.

Keep the poppet and its tools for as long as you like, carefully severing the link between yourself and it when you're done with it.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Worldbuilding Vocabulary

Abeyance:  When the audience temporarily suspends their questions about made-up words or worldbuilding details with the implicit understanding that they will be answered later in the story.

Absorption:  The two-way street wherein the audience is immersed in the created world and is picking up the author’s metaphoric building blocks to recreate the concept in their head.

Acculturation:  When an adult assimilates into another culture.

Additive:  When something has been added to a secondary world, usually in the form of magic or fantasy species.

Affinity:  A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon marriage.

Aggregate Inconsistencies:  When audiences pick up internal inconsistencies not within the same story but from multiple sources within the shared universe.

Anachronism:  Details that do not conform to their time period or culture.

Analogue Culture: Real-life cultures that the creator emulates in their work and then applies their fantasy conceits to.

Ancestor Worship:  The belief that deceased ancestors still exist, are still a part of the family, and can intervene within the living world on their descendants’ behalf.

Animism:  The belief that all objects, creatures, and places are imbued with a spiritual essence.

Apex Predator:  The predator at the top of a food web that no other creature naturally feeds upon. Two apex predators cannot exist in the same niche.

Apologetics:  In worldbuilding, the attempt to explain inconsistencies in terms of existing canon.

Appropriated Culture:  Using a culture as a whole that the creator is not a member of. Different from an analogue culture in that the analogue is changed by the creator and used respectfully.

Artifacts:  In worldbuilding, the observable ways a culture behaves due to their cultural worldview. This can include politics, economics, religion, education, arts, humanities, and linguistics, along with many other cultural norms.

Ascendant:  In worldbuilding, a world that the magic is increasing in power and influence.

Assimilation:  When an individual rejects their original culture and adopts the cultural norms and beliefs of the dominant culture.

Author Authority:  When an author demonstrates expert-level knowledge in a field to their audience.

Author Worldview:  What Mark J. P. Wolf calls “not only the ideas and ideologies of the world’s inhabitants, but also those which the author is expressing through the world’s structure of events.”

Autocracy:  A government in which supreme power concentrates in the hands of one individual or polity.

Avatar:  The embodiment of a deity in another form, usually humanoid.

B-C

Bible:  In the field of television writing, a series guidebook that usually includes the pitch, character descriptions, a synopsis, as well as worldbuilding details.

Biome:  The vegetation and animals that exists within a region. Terrestrial biomes include: forest (tropical, temperate, or boreal), grassland, desert, and tundra.

Black Box:  In information processing, when a system is viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs without any understanding as to its internal workings.

Bottom-Up:  In design, where the granular, base elements of the system are created first, then grouping them together into larger constructs over and over until a pattern forms. Also known as “pantsing” in writing and worldbuilding because the creator is building by the seat of their pants.

Callback:  From standup comedy where the punchline in a joke used earlier in the set is alluded to again, eliciting another laugh from the reframing of what was already familiar.

Canon:  The core doctrine for the world when conflicting information arises. Usually what the original creator made takes canonical precedence over subsequent additions. 

Capitalism:  The economic system wherein individuals own the means of production.

Chekhov's Gun:  Often understood to mean that something must be introduced previously if it will have significance later in a narrative, but meant by the playwright that nothing should be included in the story that is not completely necessary. 

Climate:  The temperature and rainfall in regions over approximately 30 years. Classified as tropical (high temperature and high precipitation), dry (high temperature and low precipitation), temperate (mid temperature and mid precipitation), continental (in the center of large continents with warm summers and cold winters), and polar (low temperatures and low precipitation).

Commercial Fiction:  The style of fiction that includes all genre fiction, the aim of which is entertainment. Often fast-paced and plot-driven.

Compelling:  One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how well the core concept and subsequent details maintain audience interest.

Complete:  One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with the sense that the world is lived in, has a sense of history, and continues on even when the story ends.

Complexity Creep:  When material gradually grows in complexity over its lifetime, raising the bar of entry for new people experiencing the material for the first time.

Conceits:  Where a story deviates from reality. Usually the focus of the fiction by being what the author intends on exploring in their works.

Conlanguage:  A constructed language created specifically for a story world.

Consanguinity:  A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon a shared genetic lineage.

Consistent:  One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how well the material maintains its own internal logic as established by the fantasy conceits.

Constructed World:  A fictional world that does not exist but was created by someone.

Continuity:  A gestalt term for perception where the mind fills in obvious blanks to make a unified whole.

Convergent Evolution:  When two or more species develop analogous features to deal with their environment.

Co-Residency:  A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon shared space.

Cosmology:  The study of mapping the universe and our place in it.

Cost:  In worldbuilding, when a character must risk or sacrifice something for magic to take effect.

Creative:  One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how and to what extent the constructed world deviates from the real world.

Credibility Threshold:  Where worldbuilding details must only appear plausible to a general audience rather than demonstrating expert-level knowledge.

Cultural Identity:  An individual’s self-concept as distinct from others based upon nationality, ethnicity, social class, generation, and locality.

Cultural Universals:  Traits, patterns, and institutions prevalent throughout humankind.

Customs:  Informal rules of behavior that people take part in without thinking about it.

D-F

Deity:  The most powerful of metaphysical entities, deities often exist in pantheons, have thematic powers based upon their roles, and few weaknesses or limitations.

Descendent:  In terms of magic, the idea that the most powerful magics are from ages past and that magic is on the decline in terms of power and influence.

Despotism:  An economic system wherein an individual or institution controls the laws and resources of an area.

Deus Ex Machina:  A plot device in which an unexpected power, event, or deity intervenes to save a hopeless situation. 

Differentiation:  When one culture forms part of their identity by contrasting themselves with another nearby culture.

Divergent:  When the creator alters something in the development of the world but it remains very similar to the real world in every detail but this fantasy conceit. For instance, a world that resembles our own but made up of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans.

Divine:  The belief that something is of, from, or like a god.

Democracy:  A government in which the people elect a governing body in some fashion.

Early Adoption:  When an inventor or culture creates a technology long before their analogue culture did in the real world.

Easter Egg:  A hidden message, image, or feature that is meant to be hunted for within the material.

Economics:  The study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Education:  A form of socialization in which we teach the youth what they need to know to become functioning members of society.

Effective Worldbuilding:  When (a) the immersive state is never disrupted for the audience, or when (b) the immersive state is disrupted with a positive result.

Element X:  N. K. Jemisin’s concept of when fantasy elements diverge from the real world. Similar to fantasy conceits.

Emic:  An account of a cultural idea, concept, behavior, or belief documented as if from within the culture.

Empires:  Multinational states with political hegemony over other ethnicities, cultures, or nations.

Encyclopedic Impulse:  The consumer’s desire to know everything about the world or the author’s desire to expound upon all the worldbuilding details.

Ephemera:  Transitionary materials that are not meant to exist for long term, such as advertisements, diary entries, letters, posters, and the like.

Ethnicity:  A group that identifies with each other based on presumed similarities such as a shared language, ancestry, history, society, or social treatment within an area. Ethnicities are not dependent upon, but are often associated with, certain taxonomic traits or physiological similarities within those groups.

Etic:  When cultural ideas, concepts, behaviors, or beliefs are documented from outside the cultural milieu as a passive observer with an eye for similarities between all cultures

Exsecting:  When the creator removes something that exists in the real world from the created world.

Extrapolation:  In worldbuilding, the belief that any fantasy conceit should be followed to its natural conclusion.

Face Validity:  When worldbuilding detail appears believable upon immediate examination. See Credibility Threshold.

Fan Service:  Material included in a story that serves no narrative purpose other than to please fans.

Fantasy Conceit:  What the creator intends to explore in the world, it is where the constructed world deviates from the real world, usually in the form of geography, biology, physics, metaphysics, technology, or culture.

Fantasy Function:  When analogue cultures are filtered through fantasy conceits to populate the created world with its output details.

Fetishes:  Items imbued with cultural significance and power.

First Principles:  Core belief and value systems within a culture that are often unconscious until confronted.

Flavor Text:  Texts within stories, video games, role-playing games, and action figures that add depth by providing a sense of history but do not alter the game mechanics or story in a substantial way.

Feudalism:  An economic system wherein there is a division between the lords that protect the vassals that work the land in exchange for protection.

Four Cs of Worldbuilding:  See Creative, Complete, Consistent, and Compelling.

G-L

Gender:  A social construct of how cultures differentiate the sexes.

Generalist:  When every individual in a society has the same basic job, which is providing their daily caloric intake. A staple of hunter and gatherers and in contrast to specialists.

Generation:  A social cohort group based around the period in which children grow up, become adults, and bear children of their own. Because of this shared timeframe and significant events in their lives, generations often share a similar worldview within the general culture.

Genre Expectation:  The qualities audiences expect of their genres to be considered successful, i.e. is the thriller thrilling or the romance romantic. For fantasy and science fiction, the genre expectation is worldbuilding.

Goldilocks Zone:  The habitable zone around a star where the temperature is right for water to exist in liquid form. 

Group:  Two or more individuals who share a collective sense of unity via interacting with each other because of shared similar characteristics.

Habitat:  The ecosystem or ecological community creatures exist in.

Handwave:  A writing term for explaining crucial events dismissively with minimal details.

Handwavium:  As opposed to the handwave, when everything else in the imagined world fits logically together with the exception of the fantasy conceit, which the audience must then accept to continue on with the story.

Hard Deduction:  When there is no narrator and no character bringing the worldbuilding details to the audience’s attention, who must then piece together the world rules based upon the provided details alone.

Hard Impart:  When information is imparted to the audience through narrative text, usually through the narrator or the internal thoughts of characters.

Hero Props:  Items that are necessary for a scene to take place, making them integral to the story.

Heroic Theory of Invention:  When inventors and discoverers of scientific developments are treated as solitary geniuses rather than products of good luck or a part of a team.

High-Concept:  A term from the film industry meaning an idea needs lots of background details, usually compiled from the worldbuilding, to be explained for the core concept to be compelling.

Hybrid:  (a) In biology, a living thing bred together from two different species, which is not able to produce its own viable offspring. (b) A method the author can employ to get details across to the audience in which it appears they are using a hard or soft impart, but the audience deduces are not correct, which then casts provided information into doubt and adds new nuance.

Iceberg Theory:  The theory proffered by Hemingway that so long as the author is aware of the underlying ideas, they can cut away anything from the story and it will still make sense. Usually interpreted to mean one only needs to reveal 10% of worldbuilding details or backstory.

Illusion of Completeness:  The sense that the world is complete and that all questions can be answered within it rather than the creator explicitly spelling out all the details.

Immersion:  The altered state in which the audience feels they are physically present in a non-physical world.

Ineffective Worldbuilding:  When worldbuilding details become obvious to the consumer, thus breaking the sense of immersion and reminding them of the real world. This can be caused by internal inconsistencies or from reality incursions.

Info Dump:  A sudden overwhelming quantity of backstory or background information supplied in a short timeframe.

Info Dump Equity:  The idea that an author should not reveal worldbuilding information until the audience craves it, thus being able to deliver an info dump without anyone complaining.

In-Group:  The other people an individual identifies with. While they may not share the exact worldview, they share the same first principles in understanding the world around them.

Innovation:  The drive for change, usually technological, but also socially.

Inside-Out:  How audiences process worldbuilding details, in that they pertain to the immediate understanding of the scene, which are then pieced together into an understanding of the world.

Inspired Worldbuilding:  The top form of worldbuilding, which invites additional audience interaction via their imagination after the story has concluded.

Institutions:  Stable organizations of individuals formed for a shared purpose, usually by performing specific, reoccurring patterns of behavior.

Integration:  When an individual adopts the cultural norms and beliefs of the dominant culture while still retaining their original culture.

Interconnection:  When the threads of worldbuilding are tied together cohesively. Part of Sanderson’s third law of magic systems.

Interquel:  Stories set in an existing world but that do not connect with the original story.

Intraquel:  Stories set in an existing world that fill in gaps in the existing story.

Kinship:  How social relationships organize into groups, roles, and families. Usually consisting of consanguinity, affinity, or co-residency.

Limitations:  Checks put upon magical powers, usually in the form of weaknesses and costs. Sanderson maintains in his second law that limitations are more dramatically important than powers.

Linguistics:  The study of languages.

Literary Fiction:  The style of fiction that aims for awards, considers itself art, focuses on the prose, and is usually slowly paced.

Locality:  The small-scale community in which the individuals in a group grew up, usually comprising of a town, neighborhood, or block, which differentiates them from others in the surrounding area.

M-O

Macroworldbuilding:  The first of the stages N. K. Jemisin breaks her worldbuilding process into, which consists of planet, continents, climate, and ecology.

Magic:  Change wrought through unnatural means.

Magic Point Systems:  Magic systems where the casters have a set amount of energy, usually referred to as mana, to spend on their effects.

Magical Thinking:  The belief people can affect change the world around them through thoughts and behaviors.

Mana:  A frequent generalized term for the finite resource magic users spend on their magical effects.

Marginalization:  When an individual rejects both their original culture and the dominant culture.

Mary Sue/ Marty Sue:  Originally a created character for fanfic who has no flaws and is inserted into interactions with the canonical characters. Now an insult leveled at characters consumers don’t like, usually claiming they are overly capable and without flaws.

Masquerade:  A term taking from the World of Darkness RPG wherein the existence of magic is hidden from the general populous.

Metaphysics:  In worldbuilding, dealing with deities, spirits, cosmology, and the afterlife. In essence, creatures and locations that do not abide by understandings of biology or physics.

Microworldbuilding:  The second of the stages N. K. Jemisin breaks her worldbuilding process into, which consists of species, morphology, raciation, acculturation, power, and role.

Monotheism:  The belief in a single deity only.

Mystery Box:  The theory proffered by JJ Abrams that mystery drives audience interest, which will keep them invested in a story so long as they are promised elucidation later.

Mythopeia:  Constructed mythologies, lores, and histories within created worlds.

Nationality:  How an individual relates to their state. A component of cultural identity.

Nominal Change:  A superficial change in the secondary world that contributes nothing to the worldbuilding.

Norms:  What is considered acceptable group behavior and what people should and should not do in their social surroundings.

Oligarchy:  A government in which power rests in a small group of people like the nobility, wealthy, or religious leaders.

One-Off:  An intentional inconsistency meant to highlight the aberration as separate from the established worldbuilding.

Out-Group:  Those that do not share the same collective worldview, which are often mistrusted or viewed with outright hostility.

Overlaid Worlds:  Constructed worlds with real-world locations but with the addition of fantasy elements.

P-R

Pantheon:  A categorization of collected deities based upon the culture that worships them

Pantsers:  Creators who build or write without a clear outcome in mind. See Bottom-Up.

Pidgin Language:  A grammatically simplified language used for trade that comprises vocabularies drawn from numerous languages.

Planet of Hats:  The trope of treating a species or world as monolithic and with one defining trait.

Planners:  Worldbuilders or writers who have a clear plan once they start creating. See Top-Down.

Politics:  The decision-making process within groups and individuals involving power structures.

Polytheism:  The belief of multiple gods, usually inhabiting a pantheon.

Porcelain Argument:  In worldbuilding, the belief that technology stagnates at the level at which magic or a fantasy conceit is introduced.

Portal Fantasy:  A subgenre in which the characters from the real world travel to a secondary world.

Prequel:  Stories set in an existing world that precede the original story. They do not need to connect to the original story but often do.

Primary Sexual Characteristics:  The sex organs used in reproduction.

Primary World:  The real world in which we all reside and draw our experience from.

Prime Mover:  A conceit that cannot be removed without the story world falling apart.

Profane:  Something that is religiously blasphemous or obscene.

Prologue:  An opening sequence in a narrative that establishes background details to create context, clarification, and miscellaneous information for the audience

Promise of the Premise:  The term coined by Blake Snyder for the point in the story when the setup is complete and it examines its core conceits. An author breaks the promise of the premise when the story is not about the promised core concepts.

Pull Factors:  Factors that draw immigrants to an area.

Purple Prose:  Descriptions that becomes overly ornate and extravagant, to the point they break the sense of immersion by drawing attention to themselves.

Push Factors:  Factors that drive immigrants out of an area.

Race:  (a) In biology, a grouping of populations below the level of subspecies, and is rather imprecise in distinguishing the differences between them. (b) In the fantasy genre, usually understood to mean “species.”

Racial Attributes:  The assumption that any one fantasy race shares not only certain abilities like flight or the capacity to speak with animals, but certain demeanors, temperaments, and biases.

Reality Incursions:  When the outside world interjects itself into the created fantasy experience to remind the consumer that this is indeed a made-up world. They usually occur when the consumer has expert knowledge in a field that is not depicted correctly in the narrative.

Reciprocity:  When people respond to actions with similar actions. This can be positive, as in the exchanging of gifts, or negative, as with punitive eye-for-an-eye punishments for crimes.

Relativism:  The belief there is no real objective universal truth and that we base all understanding upon perception and consideration.

Religion:  The cultural system of behaviors, morals, ethics, and worldview in which humans deal with supernatural, metaphysical, and spiritual conceptions.

Retcon:  Short for “retroactive continuity,” the term comes from comic books when previous canon or facts are ignored or contradicted so as to assimilate new stories or understandings in current storylines.

Reverberations and Repercussions:  The understanding that any change within a world creates many expected and unexpected changes to the whole.

Rituals:  Formal customs often involving gestures, words, and objects performed in a traditional sequence.

Rule of Cool:  The understanding that the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief for a given element is directly proportional to its level of “coolness.”

Rule of Law:  The idea that laws extend to the lawmakers as well as the general populous.

Rule of Three:  In worldbuilding, the concept coined by Randy Ellefson in which an author should alter at least three components of a trope to make it their own.

S

Saturation:  Mark J. P. Wolf’s term for when there are simply too many details for the audience to fully absorb, which he maintains makes the world stronger since it invites the audience to reexperience the material again and again to glean something new each time.

Scarcity:  When people put higher value on rare things and assign lesser value to things in abundance.

Secondary Sexual Characteristics:  The distinguishing traits that distinguish the sexes, such as human males’ facial hair or females’ breasts.

Secondary World:  A created world that does not exist.

Selection:  In biology, the preferential survival and reproduction or elimination of individuals with certain traits. Can be either artificial, natural, positive, or negative.

Separation:  When an individual rejects the dominant culture in favor of preserving their original culture, which often leads to minority enclaves within the dominant culture

Sequel:  Stories set in an existing world that follow the original story. They do not need to connect to the original story but often do.

Set Piece:  An iconic scene that exemplifies the story even though it might not actually be necessary to the story itself.

Shamanism:  The belief that specific individuals have access to and influence over the spiritual realm, usually derived by ritual and entering altered states.

Show Don't Tell:  The understanding that the audience prefers to experience the worldbuilding details and storytelling events in action rather than having them explained.

Smeerp:  Unnecessarily renaming something to make it seem exotic. Derived from James Blish’s sarcastic use of the term when describing rabbits.

Smeerp Hole:  When one seemingly minor change contributes to a whole slew of other changes on the author’s part that add little to the audience experience as a whole.

Social Class:  The hierarchal social stratification of groups, usually manifesting as upper, middle, and lower classes.

Socialism:  The economic system in which the workers or government own and manage the means of production.

Socialization:  The process in which a group passes on the worldviews, norms, and customs to their children.

Soft Deduction:  When a character with knowledge of the worldbuilding takes action based upon specific information to get the worldbuilding rules across to the audience.

Soft Impart:  Information presented to the audience not through narrative text but through a trustworthy side character or source. Can often come about from an overheard conversation or explanation from another character.

Specialization:  The divisions of labor and creation of occupations when the population does not individually have to account for their daily caloric intake. As opposed to generalist.

Species:  A group of living creatures capable of exchanging genetic material and producing viable offspring.

Speculative Fiction:  An umbrella term for fiction that inject elements into the story that do not exist in the real world. Fantasy, science fiction, horror, historical fiction, alternative history, and dystopian and utopian fiction are just a few genres that qualify as speculative fiction.

Spotlighted/Lampshaded:  A potentially troublesome concept or idea that is intentionally brought to the audience’s attention before it becomes problematic to highlight that it is intended as a fantasy conceit rather than an accidental anachronism.

Stasis:  The drive to maintain the current order, be it social, political, or technological.

States:  Organized governments overseeing a specific territory that can interact with other states.

Streamlining:  Part of Sanderson’s third law of magic in which worldbuilding details should be accounted for by already existing fantasy conceits instead of creating whole new conceits.

Suspension of Disbelief:  When an audience makes a choice to suspend their critical faculties to allow for a patently unreal concept to be considered logical for the sake of entertainment.

T-W

Taming:  When an animal has been taught to tolerate human presence. As opposed to domestication.

Technobabble:  When a character spouts a number of details to establish their expert credentials in the field. Technobabble is not meant to be understood by either the audience or the other characters, only to establish the character’s authority on the subject.

Terra De Facto:  The implicit understanding that anything that is not accounted for by a fantasy conceit must therefore abide by the rules of the primary world.

Terrain:  The vertical and horizontal proportions of land masses, which includes how high it is above sea level and at what slope.

Theocracy:  A government where the religious leaders and practices control the laws in addition to the religious norms and rituals.

Toehold Details:  Descriptors that specifically trigger the assumption of an analogue culture and time period, and therefore help the audience to mentally populate the scene.

Top-Down:  In design, when the underlying idea or system is formed on a grand scale, then with all subsequent subsystems being added and refined until everything is mapped out. Also referred to as “planner” or “engineer” when it comes to writing or worldbuilding. 

Totems:  Imbued emblems representing a group of people tied to a specific spirit.

Transmedial:  When a story or world exists in multiple mediums.  

Tropes:  Reoccurring motifs, images, plots, and characterization that exist within a genre.

Unchanged:  When the creator does not use a particular fantasy conceit and leaves their created world the same as the real world in regards to this fantasy conceit. See Terra De Facto.

Unobtanium:  In engineering, the term used for materials or technologies that do not yet exist but will one day solve current problems. Frequently used in science fiction worldbuilding.

Upmarket Fiction:  The style of fiction that aims for creating discussion. It often blends literary and commercial fiction, deals with universal themes, has accessible language, and is character-driven.

Weakness:  Limiting factors that diminish the power or the person using it. Part of Sanderson’s second law of magic.

Worldbuilding Capital:  Time and mental energy sunk into a world, which is why authors frequently reuse the existing world instead of forming a new one for subsequent stories.

Worldbuilding Kudzu:  When too many worldbuilding choke out the pertinent information by sheer volume, thus disrupting immersion.

Worldview:   How a society or individual orients their knowledge and point of view towards the world. This includes philosophy, fundamentals, existential postulates, values and ethics, ideology, and attitude. It encompasses the concept of why the world works the way it does and the “correct” way to act within it.

Worship:  The act of religious devotion towards a deity or ideal.

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists

[ddarker-dreams]

random yan chrollo blurb because i can't stop thinking about him even if i try . 🙏

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“… Are you still sure?”

“I’m still sure.”

“Swear to me.” 

“I swear.”

“That wasn’t sincere enough… swear… swear on the Troupe. In the name of their, uh, honor, or whatever.”

“Honor?” The word sounds humorous coming from Chrollo’s lips. “Very well. I swear on the honor of the Phantom Troupe that I won’t go back on my word.” 

You sit across from a formidable opponent. Fate has decreed this your lot, so you’ve taken what has been forcibly thrust upon you and sworn to crush it. However, at this stage, you’ve modified your parameters to be more realistic. The new, somewhat more obtainable goal is to leave a dent. Or a scratch, perhaps. 

For this dream to be realized, risks must be taken. The risk in this case is a willingness to interact with a man named Chrollo Lucilfer. His is a species defined by its tenacity. Through trial and error, you’ve concluded that typical avenues of escape aren’t in the cards. Nothing concerning the life you lead now is ordinary, so creativity and a solid vision are paramount. 

Your adversary sits leaning forward, his elbow on the table, forearm extending upward, and palm open. He observes you with the degree of amusement he always does, content in waiting for you to make the first move. 

You take a deep breath. Oxygen floods your being and blood circulates in full force. Every system in your body is primed and ready, there’ll be no better window, so you take it, springing into action. 

Contact is made with his outstretched palm. You steady your footwork for better balance, then pull, demanding everything your muscles can deliver and then some. This immense exertion of force is the culmination of your efforts. Hours of scheming by the window, exercising self-control not to pour salt on his strawberries so he’d be more affable to your requests, running mental calculations and simulations… 

… Alas, it’s not enough. 

You pitched a pseudo arm wrestling competition where you could use any means necessary to make him budge. You didn’t dare stipulate that you successfully pull his arm down, your hubris doesn’t extend that far; but the slightest movement on his part would spell your victory. A victory that’d have him fulfill any request your overactive imagination could conjure up. These terms and conditions were smoothed out in a verbal binding contract. 

His countenance is the same as it would be if he were flipping through a book or pulling his phone from his pocket — entirely casual. He isn’t even straining himself to maintain this stalemate. It’s possible that his physical strength is simply beyond your understanding, as is that parapsychological phenomena he refers to as Nen. 

“What,” you heave, disbelief coloring your tone, “Is your body made out of?” 

“Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen—” 

“It was rhetorical, Mr. Alchemist,” you cut him off. 

He simply shrugs and smiles. Somehow, his arm still hasn’t moved an inch throughout that exchange. The thought of this metric gives you pause. An idea is sown and imbued with life in the span of a few seconds. 

“Ah, that’s the expression you get before you say something endearing,” he comments, almost dreamily. 

You ignore him and straighten up, ready to argue over technicalities like your life depends on it. Seeing that you’ve abandoned your previous scheme, he relaxes back into the chair. 

“I have a case. How do we know your arm didn’t move… an atom to the side?” 

Chrollo tilts his head. “An atom?” 

“Yes. If an inch is a unit of measurement, there has to be something smaller. So maybe your arm didn’t move an inch, but it moved the width of an atom. Are you following me?” 

“...” 

You barely comprehend it. 

One second, you’re standing, the next, you’re sitting, with arms and a familiar cologne engulfing you. You can feel the low rumbling of his chest. He chuckles into your ear and secures you tighter against him upon sensing your instinct to struggle. Scowling, you cross your arms while he regains his composure. 

“Don’t be cross with me, dear,” he smooths out your shirt, as if it’d exonerate him of his transgressions. “I’m not laughing at you. You’re just… everything. Everything I need. I’m sorry. Please finish your point.” 

“Court’s adjourned.” 

“That’s a shame. When might it reopen?”

“Never, you’re sentenced to death. No appeals.”  

“I thought you opposed capital punishment?” 

“Each second that has passed since this conversation began has regressed my views by a decade each.” 

"I'll just have to hold onto you for the time being then."

All you can muster the strength to do is sigh.

[lxmelle]

Gojo’s letters & the implied parting message (Part 2)

I came across a view on Twitter (now X) that was interesting that I probably would have never thought of myself. While I may not agree with it 100% on its own, I can totally see the value in it and I wanted to share it here, seeing as how others may appreciate the perspective too. I’ve added my own thoughts which you’re welcome to read… Then you can make up your own mind about your personal interpretation 😊

So the sentiment is as follows:

At the end of HI, past-Gojo casually went up to Megumi to tell him that he killed his father, showing us that he is a little tactless. But, upon being told what Megumi wanted, he respected that Megumi didn’t want to know and accepted this for 10 years.

Despite that; however, we can infer from things we have been shown that he has always wanted Megumi to know. He was probably waiting for a good time. (As we know, Gojo doesn’t really impose his view onto others.)

Knowing there had to be a time where this message was delivered, he prepped the letter that would only be delivered if he (Gojo) died.

And what better timing & purpose, if it could help Megumi absolve any guilt he might have over (his body) killing Gojo? (Because him being dead meant Megumi likely killed him, thanks to Sukuna.)

According to the person whose Twt I read, they felt that Megumi’s laughing reaction was due to Gojo’s uncharacteristic consideration for him.

In other words, he was relaying it after he died to Megumi as a way to say: You got this cuz I’m dead. “And if you think your father is out there somewhere, he isn’t. It was me who killed him. Soz!” So don’t feel guilty.

Hm. Well, this was kind of echoed in at least another tweet and there were a few who made it out as if this was a fitting interpretation.

I also gathered from my last post on this subject, that Megumi was chuckling out of fondness, like “Geez, that’s so typical of you, sensei.”

But I do personally think it’s important to underline the fact that Gojo has always put in the effort to understand people even if he struggled to show it, or showed it clumsily. (Just like, “have you had too much somen?” - as said to Geto, back in the day.) So maybe it seemed uncharacteristic to Megumi, but I hope as a reader, we understand that Gojo had his own ways of being kind.

After all who can blame him if he didn’t quite fully understand what it meant to have blood family, being separated from his own? Born as an anomaly - a mutant amongst mutants. Who felt like others (flowers) couldn’t never comprehend a creature — and who could, unless they were bestowed with some monstrous skill themselves? (Like Geto, and Gojo had hoped, Sukuna... but the latter clung onto his stubborn self-protective belief of not needing “love” (compassion) until the very end, choosing to die instead of taking Yuji’s hand - another post on this another time).

And Gojo, after having been told last words from Toji and Geto about the importance of family, he may have gathered that it was better for Nobara and Megumi to know, than to have it concealed from them. Hence, the letters.

Know your family. Then decide who your family really is.

My own thoughts about the theory are as such: Gojo may have really wanted to tell Megumi that it was he who killed his father, because this was the only person he killed without a reason. (…that we know of: Gojo was canonically shown to have only killed two humans - Toji & Geto).

After Geto left, the parting message was: “don’t kill anyone other than me” - in other words, don’t do what I did, because that will make you lonely. If you need to kill, kill if there is a clear purpose or meaning in it.

This was his last lesson delivered to Gojo. We know his parting phrase was imbued with meaning due to everything we saw in HI and the draft words that Gege released from chapter (78) - important enough to make it to the exhibition and Gojo’s JUMP GIGA Character Book.

Geto played a significant role in him smartening up, how to connect with others, how to empathise with people, to think about what his responsibilities were as someone with strength.

So Gojo telling Megumi this was almost as if to say: you can stop wondering about him now; you weren’t left behind. I killed your father. You don’t have to feel responsible for it because there was meaning in it too.

In words Gojo might use: I killed him, you killed me. We’re even!

I guess it’s not only because Megumi couldn’t help it being Sukuna’s vessel. But also that he avenged his father’s death. All of Megumi’s thoughts relating to his father and Tsumiki as above: Retribution, karma, discipline… fairness and Megumi deserved happiness too.

And he chose to live again, starting by living for Yuji. A new purpose�� he didn’t want Yuji to be lonely.

A loneliness I think he knew all too well.

He can add on more family after that. Nobara. Etc.

That’s it I guess. Thoughts?

[fivemanbanned]

Five Man Banned is LIVE! on the indie webcomics platform Fables.

...and we will be spending the rest of the story unpacking that sentence.

Once upon a time, Captain Finn O'Reilly was the greatest pirate known to the four seas. While raiding an East India Company ship, Finn and his inner circle (including our narrator Tristom Hamel, a transmasculine poet quietly in love with Finn) witness an angel fall from the heavens, headless and bleeding. The angel imbues each of them with its final gift - a shard of the Music of the Cosmos. The five of them become much more than ordinary sailors: immortals, magically charged heroes...and targets of a mysterious man called the Godkeeper, who knows far more about Finn O'Reilly than he should.

But angels are byproducts, a sign of celestial order. If they're falling...that means the universe is slowly but surely crumbling apart. Circa 1980, the situation gets significantly worse - but what can the crew of the Bonny Rachel do about it?

Maybe they should start a band?

(Please read the damn thing, it's a labor of love. I took two years out of my life to learn to draw passably well for this comic - I think I managed "passably!" - and I'd be really happy if you all came along to watch me improve. Let's all work hard at a craft we love, it makes life worth living!)

The first issue of the comic is up, and the second will come in a few days. From then on, the comic will update with complete issues on a monthly basis.

[pen-and-umbra]

Here’s a particular detail to wonder about. How does Sephiroth gain access to the Jenova chamber when he arrives at the Mako reactor after pillaging Nibelheim?

We don't see him using any keycards or entering any passwords. There are no mechanical locks or keys to speak of. We don't see him tampering with any remote terminals in the mansion or the reactor itself. There is no indication that he is using voice commands either. He simply says "Mother, I have come for you. Now, open the way for me", and it magically opens after he's dealt with Tifa.

Interestingly, there is an odd device attached in front of the Jenova tube that resembles the entity and appears to be linked to some type of circuitry. When Sephiroth plucks it away, we see tubes and cables rupturing and leaking liquid.

Based on the FFVII Remake, we know that Hojo had extensively experimented with Jenova cells, even imbuing machinery with them, as witnessed at the Drum. The evidence suggests that its organics can, in some cases, interact with various devices.

This raises the question whether Jenova's chamber was connected to the entire reactor complex, or at least the portion housing the test subject pods. If this is true, the phrase "Now, open the way for me" takes on a far more sinister meaning. Even more disturbingly, it raises yet another troubling possibility. Who's to say that if Jenova could tamper with the sealed door, it couldn't also tamper with the pod system? In other words, what if the creature was responsible for the entire alleged "reactor malfunction"?.. [some additional speculation on Jenova being “awake”]

Another potential conspiracy theory emerged immediately after the original game was released. What if Hojo orchestrated the Nibelheim mission? While there is no solid evidence that Hojo or his assistants recently visited the site (the townspeople would have likely noticed the visit or the helicopters heading towards reactor H-pad), Sephiroth goes out of his way to emphasize that the Nibelheim reactor is unique in that it is under Research & Development jurisdiction rather than Urban Development dept.

R&D most likely had a remote monitoring/control system for the chamber environment. Hojo, in particular, has expressed an interest in Palmer's testimony that Sephiroth was seen walking the halls of ShinRA headquarters, famously stating that he would like to see Sephiroth and Aerith produce an offspring.

Later in OG, Hojo was shown to be fascinated by his pet theory of Reunion being played out. As a result, it's not unreasonable to speculate that Hojo may have specifically arranged for Sephiroth to be dispatched to Nibelheim to observe Jenova specimens come into contact and its corollary. If there were security cameras in the Jenova chamber, Hojo might have been able to remotely unlock the door [upon seeing Sephiroth approach].

It is indeed a terrifying possibility that Hojo could be directly responsible for the Nibelheim tragedy. Before Crisis Core and Genesis, In OG, prior to Genesis stuff being introduced, it seemed suspicious to send two top SOLDIER members to a remote and dilapidated reactor to investigate reported monster sightings.

@pen-and-umbra

[opencommunion]

July 2014

Gaza-based writer Hedaya Shamun writes — although her writing rituals have disappeared — about the world she sees around her in the first and second nights of “Operation Protective Edge.”

"You all slaughtered Gaza, you all reaped from her heart and you shut your doors and ears in her face. You saw that she is a black spot on your beautiful lives and she has become a burden on your hearts and wellbeing. Before the aggression all of you contributed to her disappointment and you perceived the nourishment of the small children as begging. You said what had not been said about her, but every time she would remind you that she is greater than calling you out on your sins. For who among us is sinless, O gentlemen? But she is a rose whose delightful fragrance wafted with the sea of blood that restored your senses and your love and perhaps your hatred. Some have expressed this hatred and some retreated and some turned a blind eye and some unsheathed their strength to extract her nectar with the hissing of the Israeli warplanes.

... How will we return to life its splendor after the bodies of the young are stolen? He carries his body in his hands and needs no coffin. His hands have become a coffin for his child shrouded in white cloth. He walks with his head high and his tears flowing. But he is lucky that he is still alive to pay his child the last honors. Entire families were buried in their homes and no one remained to pay them these last honors.  It is so simple. In this civilized world of international rights and conventions and the right to life and the right to housing and the right to education and the right of expression, these rights are not for Palestinians but for someone else…

Who really cares about women running in prayer clothes, the ones at hand when they escaped from the black hatred descending upon them from the top of a rocket shattering her dreams and making them a morsel appropriate for suffering and oppression and pain. She carries a child; she carries a bloody heart; she carries pain. She forgets an elderly person and she forgets her own heart in the corner of the house. She is afraid to look back so that she does not see her loved ones imbued with their blood. She runs and keeps running without end because if she stops she will never run again.

There are no spaces for life. No place to return. All of Gaza bids farewell to herself every night and congratulates those who remain alive the morning of another day. They inspect their bodies then run their hands over the living. They close their eyes then open them, and once again call the members of their families one by one…so that the memory of their names does not fail and their spirits do not disappear. Who cries for whom? The unlucky are left alone to survive without a family as it was martyred in its entirety.

... A bloody night in Rafah. The shelling has not stopped nor did it go silent. I write a word and I am delirious with words. Where do we live? And why this abominable silence towards our death? Is our death that cheap? Do our lives mean anything to anyone? Is it enough that you cry, shed tears, and that a choking in the heart come upon you? You are the hope to scream loudly against Israeli murder and terrorism. You are the hope to translate the sufferings of these people and their lives that disappeared in a push of a button by a pilot playing frivolously in his warplane like a spoiled child does with an expensive toy. He kills, destroys, and takes revenge on the children of Palestine.

A bloody night. This is my account of just one night. Would you bear another night?"

[hollowed-theory-hall]

hello-ellow!

due to your interest in alchemy, do you have theory why Peter used what he used to resurrect Voldemort? ok with Harry blood, but other, what it have to mean? what substance was in cauldron before Peter pull Voldemort in?

Hello!

Okay, so I actually have, like, a bit of a headcanon about the potion and why Voldy is snake-faced post-resurrection since I don't believe the Horcruxes caused his body to look like that, but that it was because Peter messed up the potion.

As I mentioned in the past, in Alchemy, everything is alive and comprised of 3 parts:

Salt - Body

Mercury - Spirit

Sulfur - Soul

So, the soul already exists — we have a wraith Voldy who is already a complete soul.

And we have a rudimentary body that holds this soul, which is also an ingredient of this potion. I believe it gives, like, the basic instructions of how the body should be made ie two arms, two legs, and a head. It's a body component that is the template the potion builds upon.

Then we have "bone of the father". This is another salt component. I think this is there for the genetics portion. It's the closest body part to a blood relative of Voldemort, so it's there to represent what his body was before his death. An image of the past.

"Flesh of the servant" is an odd one because Wormtail just drops his entire hand in, which, really, he shouldn't have to, because the ritual stipulates "flesh", and I think that's purposeful. Bones are templates, building blocks, flesh is what covers it. It symbolizes life in a way, which is why I think it's both a salt component and a mercury component. Again, the entire hand is dropped in, blood, bones, and flesh, all different ingredients that Wormtail chucked into the potion together but that should symbolize life and devotion in general. (It's Likley a finger might've been enough but Voldemort told Wormtail to chuck his whole hand in to mess with him. I think Voldy would do something like that)

Harry's blood is a spirit component as blood represents life and it's also imbued with Lily's sacrifice magic which Voldemort wants to circumvent (which is life-related magic). But Harry's blood is a soul component as well because of the Horcrux, Voldy doesn't know that though. This might affect the potion negatively as it might set it out of balance.

We also know the potion included Nagini's venum and I think this is where Wormtail messed up.

Medieval alchemists believed the mindset you have while making a potion, or doing any alchemical process affects the results. This is why it was of utmost importance to keep anyone other than yourself out of the lab so they don't mess it up by just thinking the wrong things. Especially if the procedure is a more complex one. This is that intent aspect I always mention magic having. How your thoughts and feelings affect the magic you produce.

So, the reason I headcanon for why Voldy is snake-faced post-resurrection is because Wormtail added Nagini's venom as a body component when he should've added it as a soul component due to her being a Horcrux. Her venom was supposed to strengthen the bond between the new body and Voldemort's soul, and I believe it still did that. I just also think Wormtail thought her venom was there to help create the body, and he mixed it into the potion under this wrong impression and it butched how the body looks as a result.

At least, that's my headcanon on why he looks like a snake and not like a creepy DILF.

As for other ingredients that were in the potion, I think it shares some of its ingredients with the Phlagaton Potion I theorize is part of the Horcrux-making process.

There would probably be healing ingredients such as Dittany, dragon liver, valerian root, and mint.

And there would be ingredients corresponding to resurrection and rebirth. If you can get Pheonix ashes, all the better, but if not ingredients such as Saffron spice, Hyacinth flowers, or Golden crocus flowers could also work assuming you burn them into a fine dry powder that is almost white in color.

As the ritual we witness in the graveyard covers the components needed for the actual body creation, there probably aren't many ingredients already in the potion related to that.

[scribeofmorpheus]

Bellanaris [Part 2]

N.B: The "Your hands are cold" moment is a call back to chapter 3 in Harellan. Though the plot about the Ring of Obliteration can be skipped over, it's the main plot behind "Not Some Fanciful Story", so read that first if you don't want spoilers (though I haven't posted the final chapter yet)! Summary: Lavellan is given a clue by Varric that Solas might have been in Rivain, searching for an artefact (takes place before "The Missing" comic). While there, she's betrayed by her Rivaini informant who is revealed to be a cult leader seeking revenge against "the Dread Wolf's Whore"--who he discovered was the Inquisitor because of old sketches Solas had left behind in the deep roads. The ring is destroyed in an effort to break the blood-magic-fueled block against the Fade. [Part 1] [AO3]

They had returned to the Fade, slipping past its membrane with ease.

It seemed impossible, and yet there they were, finally in that other world he had once wished for their spirits to be joined.

A torrent of emotions washed through her, wringing her spirit at the final crescendo.

Revas emerged disoriented.

Grateful for the sense of touch, her arm was still anchored to Solas’ shoulder when she stumbled backwards. He’d been quick to pull her towards him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face under her chin.

Solas was bent so awkwardly, his weight growing heavier with each shuddering breath, his form sinking deeper into her embrace.

She had almost forgotten how tall he was. Perhaps he had grown taller in the years they’d been apart. Perhaps she’d shrunk.

From over his shoulder, she could see how different the Fade was from how she remembered it, how strange it was.

Not blinding as it had been the first time she’d been drawn in. And not tainted by the crippling fear and confusion of the Fear demon's powers the last time they’d both journeyed into it, side by side. But a different thing altogether.

This iteration of the Fade still affected her to her very core, but it was stripped of all the dangers she'd anticipated. No giant spiders or wailing spirits. Somehow new, faded beyond compare, but imbued with something ephemeral, just as powerful as any fear, maybe more so. It wasn’t frightening but familiar. Like coming home without the memory of ever having one. A warped understanding of belonging. One that was trying to reach out through the clamour of confusion and the ringing madness of concern. A snuffed flame trying hard to burn as it used to once before, a long, long time ago.

These were his sensations that were passing through her. The repressed emotions left behind from the one-man war still waging under his armour. Obstacles of atonement.

The entire expanse was exactly as he’d phrased it. Empty. Greyed. There wasn’t the weight of mist in the air, the dryness of summer, the crisp coolness of a breeze. It was simply still. An expanse of colourless light and shifting space.

They stood on what looked to be the solid ground of a floating ruin with incredible similarity to that of Skyhold.

As the Veil closed behind them—the last one they’d ever close together, side by side—she heard Solas sigh in deliverance before he sunk to his knees, slowly pulling her down with him.

Once they were grounded, Revas turned to him, panicked. She opened her mouth to speak, to utter his name, call to her heart, but she was unsure if her voice would carry. Then, as he wrapped his arms around his frame, his breathing turning ragged, eyes shining with what should have been the glassy violet of a lavender field, she found her focal point. Doubts be damned.

She placed her hand upon his cheek, meaning to wipe the tears that had begun to flow as ardently as a waterfall, but the image had conjured that same feeling she had in Crestwood; when she’d been left alone with her reflection, bare-faced, hurt. That had been one of the few times in her life when the only solace for her pain had been to sit in the misery.

Suddenly, a large halla statue rose from a sea of empty void, bringing with it the faintest of colour. The kind of crystal blue that had built the waters of Crestwood.

Without knowing how, she managed to make her will manifest in the Fade.

Solas, too weak and bloodied to notice this, let out another heart-wrenching sob. He could not keep up the guise any longer, he could not feign being the ageless beacon of determination she had always seen him as.

With little effort, he collapsed onto her, his head resting against her folded thighs.

“It’s okay,” she whispered into his ear before placing a kiss to his temple, and then to his cheek. “You fought long enough. We both did. Rest now.”

“Vhen’an… I am so sorry,” he whimpered, hand gripping her sides with such strength, such care. “All those years you spent… All the things I never got a chance to tell you. So much pain! And I am the cause.”

“And despite it all, we endured.”

“But I turned away!” he shrunk further into himself, knees rising up to press closer to his chest. He had shut his eyes too tight, like a child afraid.

When she was younger, she had often imagined grabbing him by the cuff, bitter and enraged, demanding answers to all the questions that refused to leave her in the dead of night. Why was it so easy for him to leave? Was she not enough? Did he dream of her? But now, now there was just the old pain, the subtle sting.

“Did you? Truly?” she tucked her fingers under her jaw and pulled his face towards her. “Open your eyes, my love.”

He did. They became transfixed on the scars across her face, the ones she had gotten after he’d removed the vallaslin, after she’d adorned the Ring of Obliteration from Dorian, after Varric’s first letter that led her to Rivain, when the Fade had been closed to her.

Revas fought the urge to turn away and hide the discomfort which resided behind each line and curve that had been made by the necromancer’s blade. Though it had been years, the trauma lingered. On bad days, it made it difficult to face old friends or walk past polished mirrors. On the good days, it was the scar she used to remind herself that all things can heal with time given the right impulse.

Refusing to hide behind her hair as she had done out of habit throughout the years, Revas’ index finger trembled above the curling lines scarred into her forehead, “It happened a long time ago.”

“I know,” he sighed, tears rolling on either side of his face. He balled his hand into a fist in the air, biting down hard enough to form tension in his jaw. And then another sob eked out, “I should have been there to stop it…”

“Don’t say that,” she kept her voice steadfast in the face of the brewing storm inside her. Seeing pain was a daily occurrence for her, but nothing cut her as deeply as seeing it come from him. O, how foolish she’d been when she was younger and full of anger. How foolish indeed, if this was what she had once wished upon him, Yet, she had been right. For them to share these moments, the dinan’shiral had to break him. Lightly, she explained: “Without these scars, I might not have been able to share this with you. You see, I know you never truly turned away from me. You showed me that.”

Revas thought back to Rivain and the Cave of Misfortune, to the strange figure that had interrupted Regillus' ritual that attempted to tap into remnants of the Fade magic she had once possessed. The same figure who’d taken an arrow to the side as Sera unknowingly stuck Revas’ saviour with an arrow. A scar she was sure she’d find if Solas removed his armour.

“There was a time when I had been trapped,” she recounted. “A stranger in a strange land, seeking remnants of her past, trusting those I knew little of, risking the little time of peace the world felt obliged to offer me. And when I found it, what I had been unintentionally searching for—that love you undoubtedly carried, etched so beautifully on countless pieces of paper—I knew I had found what I was looking for. Proof. Proof that you still cared. And when I awoke on that ritual table, alive, able to dream again… I knew it had been you who saved me. I do not know how you sensed me with the ring, but I am grateful you did. You gave me more time to be with those I loved. You made me realise my mistakes. And I could only hope to do the same for you… before it was too late.”

“A spirit such as yours could not remain shrouded from me forever,” he reached up to touch a stray curl that had slipped from behind her ear. “I hear your song, even when there is nothing but the quiet. Rare and marvellous… the life we could have shared had I not been so blinded by my duty—”

“There is nothing but time for us now,” she reassured him. “This is the end of the dinan’shiral, for us both. This journey, these first steps that have never been shared between two of our kind before, we make our own. La ghilana ma var lath. We choose this. Together. And together we will form a bright and lasting new world. Even here.”

“How can you be so certain?” he sighed softly.

“Look,” she gestured to the world slowly forming around them.

A pantheon of shining new pathways and hopeful young colours bled into the grey. Muted, ever-so-slightly fading, but still filled with the promise of blooming deeper, perhaps into shades of things other than regret, that was the first sign. Perhaps the green of envy or joy would creep as the vines did in Skyhold. Then maybe the yellow of warmth, like Josephine’s silk dresses, would sway with the passing of time. And then red of passion and blood—desire and rage—that colour she was certain would bleed through. Beyond that, the possibilities were endless.

Where he saw nothing, Lavellan saw a canvas still forming.  

“Try as I might,” he shuddered, enraptured at the golden shimmer that formed far off in the horizon, “I could never manifest colour.”

Softly, she pressed her lips to his, imbuing their kiss with every emotion she carried, good and bad, and the sky above them turned a shade brighter.

“This is the power of our love.”

Hearing those words, seeing the introductions of colour, Solas relented whatever reservations he may have had and simply wept under the shelter of his lover’s gaze.

[serpentface]

In what context would you have effigies of evil spirits? Or objects carrying curses in general

I haven't really specifically invoked folk religious practices in the Wardi sphere (though a lot of what I've talked about includes it), a LOT of stuff revolving around curses is derived from folk magic traditions.

Folk religion here means magical/spiritual practices that develop out of common practice and may be Informed by religious doctrine but not Controlled by it. The Faith of the Seven Faced God is a state religion, but its broader sphere includes dozens of folk traditions (some heavily informed by and interactive with core doctrine, and some that are very distinct from core doctrine and have developed independently, or are heavily syncretic with foreign practices, older Wardi practices, or those of other native groups).

There's also major separation between the practices of priesthoods and lay folk (even in the urban context in which religious authority is based). This divide is fairly stark across class lines (as the upper classes are heavily integrated with the priesthoods, and Most priesthoods take their members from nobility (with Galenii being the only major exception)). However, virtually all members of society will include Some folk religious aspects in their practice. For example, the wearing of skimmer-woman amulets is Not derived from official doctrine, it is Not a canonical representation of Pelennaumache (with whom it is usually associated) this is just a very widespread folk practice (to the point that many priests wear them too). The Faith of the Seven Faced God is not proselytizing and prioritizes core orthopraxy being maintained (both on a public and private level, but the private levels are not actively policed). So these folk practices are not condemned unless they outright defy/supercede expected elements of practice.

This is the context for a lot of what I'm talking about wrt curses and magical practices outside of official rites. So like, belief in curses and evil spirits is basically ubiquitous in the Imperial Wardi cultural sphere, but folk traditions have unique ways of dealing with these threats (or inflicting these threats upon an intended target) while religious doctrine attempts to address these via blessings and public rites.

So to actually answer the question: a very common folk religious practice is to produce effigies of an offending evil spirit as means of confronting it. Some variants attempt to specifically trap it within the effigy in order to contain or destroy it, others attempt to wield power over it via the effigy (sometimes to destroy it, sometimes to redirect it to another target). Other effigies representing evil spirits in general are used to scare off real ones (the hats of the new years dancers are an example of this that has found a place in official public rites).

Attempts to cast spells and inflict curses usually involves objects as mechanisms. This most commonly comes in the form of writing your intent on a small object (frequently pieces of broken pottery, which is easy to come by) and then burying or hiding it in a secure and relevant location (ie- a curse or love spell might be buried near the home of your target). If it's targeted, parts of the other person's body (most commonly hair, best case scenario blood) will be bound to it in order to direct the spell. Somewhat lazier curse and spell attempts involve scrawling your desired effect onto a public wall as graffiti. The outer walls of temple grounds are sometimes targeted specifically for this purpose in hopes of getting God directly involved (this is Not Condoned, though will not get you executed like defacing the temple itself).

Other methods involve attempting to imbue a nondescript object with the intended curse/spell (often in order to get it close to the target without being questioned). This often integrates aspects of traditional medicine, using the Essence of various items (plants, animal parts, minerals, etc) to imbue an object with their effect (usually while speaking your intended spell/curse. Some folk traditions involve animal sacrifice to work magic- the animal is killed in offering to one of God's Faces (which are often interpreted more like a pantheon in common practice, especially those distanced from religious centers) so that the deity will perform the desired effect, imbue an object with the desired effect, etc. This IS condemned as heretical- official doctrine holds that ONLY priests can perform killing sacrifices, a layman does not have the necessary education and practice to do so properly, and attempting to is at best disrespectful and at worst spiritual defacement to the body of God (which the animal becomes at the moment of death). (Laymen can buy or provide animals to be offered on their behalf, but themselves can only offer their own blood or food/drink/flowers/incense/etc). It's particularly heretical when done to inflict curses - doctrine holds that God does not curse and only maintains order and blesses, curses and other spiritual harm come from being partly severed from God's influence and/or disruption of the body's living spirit (something all people are susceptible to). Laymen (and unofficial priesthoods/sects) sometimes do this regardless in secrecy (and it's very common in rural parts of the region with little access to religious centers), under the belief that this will make their magic substantially more powerful.

Bottom line is there are all sorts of methods to make cursed objects, so it's pretty common that people will find objects suspected of being cursed (or that actually Have been placed with intent to inflict a curse/spell), and in that context need methods of breaking the curse. Blessings from a priest are thought to dispel most common attachments to the body, but this is not always accessible and the object itself must be neutralized. This is sometimes accomplished by simply Putting It Somewhere Else so it becomes another person's problem, but there's a chance that the curse could be highly directed to oneself (maybe bound with your hair or etc). Most practices include a combination of neutralizing, destruction, and purification. Neutralizing is done via deflection (like the method mentioned in the prev post, though there are many other strategies), at which point the object may be safely destroyed. Lingering attachments are removed through self purification (at the most basic, this is performing one of the gestures against evil and bathing oneself).

The wearing of most apotropaic amulets hope to prevent curses from reaching their targets from the get-go. The pelatoche works to deflect the evil eye and minor evil spirits and curses, the phallus imbues masculine protection of the sanctity of the body, transforms bad luck into good, and threatens reprisal for curses. etc. These kinds of amulets are worn on all levels of society, but tend to be relied upon more fully by the upper classes (which are more closely looped in with the priesthood/state religion). Someone like Janeys wears at Least one pelatoche amulet constantly for protection but thinks most other folk-magic attempts to dispel curses are silly commoner superstitions, any harm that cannot be prevented by this sort of protection needs an official blessing and purification to be dispelled.

[aevumisles]

╰┈➤ AEVUM ISLES :: OCTOBER FESTIVAL ❂

With the autumn season comes change. All around the Isle, canopies begin to transform into canvases of brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. A cold breeze blows from the north, prompting the need for warm clothes and spiced drinks. The earth begins to grow quiet in light of the coming slumber, allowing the twin moons to shine throughout the longer nights.  But just because the world slows doesn’t mean that its residents do . . . Please refer to the ARCANUS ISLE COMPENDIUM for creature and plant references.

Overview.

During the peak of the autumn season comes a celebration of bountiful harvests and the memories of loved ones. The Yestereve Harvest occurs in October, featuring various fall activities with plenty of food and traditions that honor those who came before, and celebrate the blessings we have today. 

Spiced and sweet foods flood the streets during this season of giving thanks. This is particularly true as the Gladus Feast approaches. A three-day celebration across Aevum Isle, where families come together to enjoy bountiful harvests and tall tales of history. Many Aercon also enjoy the Spirits Jubilee, a celebration of ancestors and the legacies that have been brought into the present day. Every family celebrates a little differently, but there is plenty of fun to be had anywhere an Echo looks. 

Activities:

Spirits Jubilee

Spirits Jubilee is a two-week-long party ( from Oct. 2nd - 19th ) dedicated to honoring ancestors, legacies, and the magic that dwells in all denizens of Aevum. Participants are encouraged to share gifts of candy, celebrate with parties and events, and dedicate time to honor the lives of those who came before. Many families will build temporary memorial shrines filled with flowers, food, candles, and other decorations to remember their ancestors. Others will focus on the family members around in the present with parties and fun traditions. 

During this time, children of all ages dress up in costumes. These can all range from historical figures, jobs, legends, fictional characters, and more. Some of these costumes may also include Echoes who are of Ardent rank or higher! The kids will go from door to door, collecting sweets from those who are giving them out (any household that has lights on) after they say the phrase “ Spice and Sweets! ”. 

Echoes can expect little ones to make appearances at their doorsteps, though this activity is not just limited to the younger crowd. Adults and teens may participate, too. All across the city, people are hosting costume parties and competitions showing off people's creative talents. 

Some places may also offer the following kind of candy: 

Effect Candies: These treats may appear to be just the same as ordinary candies at first glance, but upon further inspection, these have a rainbow, shimmering glow about them. These candies are imbued with magical properties, bringing to life parts of your costume for as long as you eat them.  The originator of the candies is unknown, but it can be assumed it might have been a historical alchemist. Though their name has been lost to time, their legacy lives on with fervor! These treats are a community favorite during Yestereve Harvest, especially by those who seek the spice side of this activity.  EXAMPLE: - If you are dressed as a ghost, then eating the candy may allow you to phase through walls.  - If you are dressed as a pirate, you will find yourself gifted with a sword and stuck in talking in pirate speak. - If you are dressed as a dragon your wings will help you fly and you can breathe fire. Note: These candies can be received at any time and can be activated at any time during the duration of the festival. These candies do not transform the person into their costume, but rather create an extra effect to enhance the costume.  They will only work while the Echo is in a costume.  Candies may be saved after the event is complete, but they will lose their shine and magic and will taste bitter instead of sweet.

Downtown Arcanus.

The Fall Festival 

All throughout Downtown Arcanus, the streets come alive with the celebration of the autumn season. All of the shops and cafes sell all manner of autumn decor and fall-flavored favorites, following the shifting colors and cooling temperatures. Even the Archives get into the spirit by decorating the tables with pumpkin arrangements and harvest-themed displays.

Arcanus University is hosting a widespread Fall Festival, run by the student clubs with aid from the faculty. Each club has a different activity associated with it. The art club hosts face painting, the culinary program makes pumpkin pastries, the book club passes out fall books, the chess club has a giant chess board, etc. 

There are also plenty of carnival games to compete for prizes and a few small rides. There is a petting zoo hosted by the Whisperwind Hacienda for visitors to see. The Festival also has a section of booths dedicated to local artists selling home decor. There is plenty of fall fun to explore here as the university continues in full swing of its new semester.

Meanwhile, the Aurora Amphitheater will be hosting multiple locally directed and staffed performances. Everything from dance recitals to Shakespearean dramas, and even musical theater is welcome. Every day has a different show. 

The St. Azalea’s Foundation is also working in tandem with Fanalean farmers to host weekly food drives to provide warm meals and materials for those in need. During the Gladus Feast, they will be hosting a massive celebration buffet style for local Aercon and Echoes alike.

Rosewood District.

Twilight Screams

Several of the clubs within Rosewood have come together to host a special event called the Twilight Screams! The buildings have been decorated and refurbished into haunted houses for the season, filled with volunteers dressed up as monsters and ghouls meant to frighten visitors. Many of the costumes have been enhanced by effect candies, though the actors are not supposed to touch the visitors. That hasn’t stopped rumors from circulating that members of the Venom Rings have infiltrated the party intent on causing a bit of a ruckus. 

These “haunted houses” are hosted all throughout the month, and are typically busiest in the late evenings. Food and drinks are served outside the venues, usually trying to promote business to the bars, clubs, hotels, and other amenities of the Rosewood District. There are four main clubs that people can visit. Each has different themes to them. The following houses are listed in order of least scary to most scary.

After Tea Party - Decorated to mimic a high-end mansion, every ghost and ghoul is invited to the mansion for a high tea. Share in spooktacular blends and sweets that will be to die for! Or partake in a ballroom dance with music that will send shivers up your spine. These ghosts seem lost in their ways, spending eternity in a happy death. The halls seem never-ending, created by illusions of mirrors, fog, and projections that make it easy to get lost. 

Junkyard Jumpscare - The loudest and most eclectic of the houses. Actors pose as monsters and humans wearing thick layers of torn garments and junk armor, shouting about anarchy and rebellion and purging society of the status quo. They prefer to get into your face and utilize plenty of pyrotechnics and effects in order to make themselves known. Wars are always being fought. Will you pick a side? 

Raided Temple - An Egyptian-style tomb with many of a Pharaoh's treasures, creating a unique decor and plenty of puzzles for the visitors to solve. There’s a lot of story in this house, detailing the betrayal of the pharaoh by his best friend who stole his wife and kingdom and now his animated corpse seeks vengeance. The actors here wear long cloaks and dark masks to hide their faces, with trailing scarves behind them. Do not touch the treasure! Lest the curse of the pharaoh’s wrath fall upon you!

Nuclear Science Facility - After an accident with a nuclear reactor, this house’s whole facility has become engulfed in radiation, causing everything inside to become mutated. As visitors travel through the space, they may see some morally questionable experiments that occurred in the various rooms. Toxic goop and monsters can be found everywhere, making this house the hardest one to complete. 

Lunar Coast.

Memirror Fog 

While the cities and forests celebrate, the Lunar Coast finds itself growing dormant. Creatures retreat to warmer waters while fewer visitors make their way to the beaches. The Comet Promenade remains active (as the show must go on!), but something else stirs in the air. 

Across the Arcus Cove sets a permanent fog, visible regardless of the weather in the area. The Kruptos Lighthouse is always visible during this time along Quill Pillar Shores, caused by the imbalance of Aether at play. Sailors tell stories about the Memirror Fog. An autumn phenomenon that settles over the shores of Arcanus. After watching the seas for long enough, visions of the past begin to appear. For Echoes, this can mean they can see glimmers of people, objects, or even places that belong to their homeworld. Beckoning them out to sea to follow them.

Going out on a ship will eventually lead you to Arcus Cove, where the visions will persist. If an Echo is drawn even further in, they will find themselves among the ruins of the old Aether Temple on the coast. Here, Echoes may relive experiences from their past while under the fog's enchantment. The mists can only rely on the memories of the Echo and will replay as they were perceived at that moment. Even if the Echo behaves differently now than in their memory, it will continue onward, as if it is playing a recording. The memories are unable to be shared unless both Echos were present for the featured memory. However, anyone viewing from the outside may be able to break the enchantment.

In order to break out of a Memirror on one’s own, the entire memory must be played from start to end. Trying to break out before the memory has fully played out will result in the fog following the Echo as a shadow no matter where they go until the Echo finishes what it started.

Fanalea.

Gladus Feast

One of the most sacred and treasured celebrations of Fanalean locals is the Gladus Feast ( from Oct. 28th-30th ).  The Gladus Feast is a prime time for loved ones all around Arcanus to gather together and celebrate a plentiful harvest. Fanaleans go all out when it comes to the food of the feast. Most of which prominently feature local harvests such as:

Sapeng Cheeses, Mushroom Medleys, Whole Yaffle Hog Hams, Gourm Turkeys, Pecus Grain Breads, Perlbery Sauce, Star Fruit Pastries, Arcana Pumpkin Pies, and a variety of classic fall favorite veggies and dishes. Mulled wines and spiced drinks are also provided by the Honeyglow Meadery.

There is plenty more to do during the Gladus Feast than eat plenty of food. While farmers prepare the fields to rest for winter and finish up the harvests, they also utilize the space to host all sorts of fun activities. 

Pumpkin Patches - available for Echoes to purchase pumpkins. Carving stations are also available to create fun and unique designs into the pumpkin’s face. Each participant’s pumpkin will come with a complimentary candle.

Corn Mazes - mazes with varying levels of difficulty. Participants who get to the end of the maze will be given snacks of their choice!

Bulb Beetle Gazing - Join sightseers across the Fanalean Fields to watch the Bulb Beetles fly and sing their mating songs.

Hay Rides - pulled by falcaniform-drawn wagons, these hay rides travel all around Vesper Town Farmlands to marvel at the dall decor and wheat fields. 

S’more Making - Join the Fanaleans in Vesper Town Plaza as they share spooky stories and old legends around the central bonfire!  

Wreath Making - Echoes can make a beautiful fall-themed wreath with materials supplied by the locals including ribbons, wires, and other wreath accessories.

Candle Making - Echoes can make custom, wonderfully scented candles to give to their friends or keep to remind them of their loved ones.

Everyone is invited to participate, especially when it comes to cooking!

Aether Reserve.

Totem Poles 

“Find yourself through the eyes of another. “ the ancient texts say. 

Throughout Silverbrook Hollow, totems stand scattered across the forest, each bearing carvings of all manner of creature. The origins of the Totems are unknown to locals, and all denizens will claim that these totems have always been there, and certainly have heard warnings to not get too close. Particularly when their eyes mimic candlelight.

Exclusively during October, the totems’ Aether stir once more. Echoes who venture into Silverbrook will eventually note that the eyes of each animal seem to always be following them. This is true no matter where they walk. Should an Echo make eye contact within five feet of the pole, or should they touch the carvings, the Echo will find themselves face to face with their own personal Alter. Soon, they will become engulfed in the totem’s light. Above the canopy, a small orange-and-gold aurora borealis lights, filled with the silhouettes of animals and other creatures..

When the aurora diminishes, the Echo will find themselves transformed into their Alter. Without an Alter Totem, the transformation lasts for three days. After which, their normal form will be restored. 

Echoes with shapeshifting powers will also find themselves unable to restore themselves.) 

Echoes who are already anthropomorphic in nature (or otherwise animalistic) will find themselves with a humanoid form for the duration of the effect.

However, for Echoes who have an Alter Totem from the Tent of Wonders, they will be able to freely shift in and out of this form.

Merchant Town.

The Tent of Wonders

In the middle of the market a mysterious red tent, draped in ornate purple fabrics and lanterns, has appeared. This is run by Maxamillia La Mystica, an eccentric woman who speaks exclusively in rhymes. Upon entering the tent, hanging all along the walls are various wooden carvings of all kinds of creatures and beings. These are called Alter Totems and are made partially from Echo Wood. Curiously, she already has a totem just for you.

Alter Totems

A piece of wood with mysterious symbols carved into it. All echoes may be allowed to receive a totem with or without explicitly venturing into the tent in threads or drabbles, but they may only ever receive one. 

Upon contact, the wood will shift and morph into the likeness of the Echo’s Spirit Creature. Also known as an “Alter”. These can be real, or mythological creatures. Examples of mythological creatures can include dragons, mermaids, centaurs, gorgons, griffons, pegasi, unicorns, phoenixes, sphinxes, banshees, and more!

These may also be animals found in the Aevum Compendium (marked with a plant, fire, or star emoji) or common animals from the echos homeworld.

The Totem itself does not appear to do much in your hands, apart from you feeling yourself drawn to Silverbrook Hollow… 

What each totem manifests into is entirely up to mun discretion.

Each Echo can only have one Alter Totem at any given time.

If the choice of creature changes during the events of the Festival, the Totem will shift accordingly. 

If a mun changes their mind about their Muse’s Alter after the events of the Festival, the Totem may be changed once by visiting the Totem Poles in Silverbrooke. After that change, it cannot be changed again until the next Yestereve Harvest.

Alter Totems cannot be destroyed, traded between, or gifted to other Echoes. If a Totem happens to get lost, it will reappear on the bedside table of Echo’s house.

NOTE: While all Echoes will be given one for the duration of the event, if members wish to keep their muse’s totem beyond the event, they will need to submit a Totem Voucher to the Marketplace (with proof of participation in this festival). Upon voucher submission, the Alter Totem will come with five charges that, in-universe, would last up to ten minutes. The Echo will see the totem’s power diminish by the candlelight in its eye. More charges may be purchased for 100 emblems after the voucher’s submission.

Autumn Flora + Fauna.

Bulb Beetles

Flying bugs whose entire bodies glow a bright, yellow-orange light. They are brighter than fireflies, and will also chirp a little tune during mating season. In the middle of September, they hatch into Bulb Larvae before burrowing underground to morph into their adult forms.

Throughout October, the Bulb Beetles fill the sky, shining their lights while they are looking for mates. Once they find a mate, they will lay their eggs underground. These eggs will remain dormant and incubate until the next autumn. 

Gourm Turkey

An Arcanus variant of turkey sporting brilliant purple feathers that ombre to resemble a sunset. They’re typically temperamental animals and require a very specific environment in order to be raised happily. They are so picky about this, that most farmers do not find it to be a worthwhile endeavor. Wild Gourm Turkeys live in Deep Fanalea and love to cause mischief to passersby. They are fiercely protective of their chicks and will use their sharp claws to attack anything that gets too close. They nest typically under trees, their eggs taking on the same ombre effect as an adult’s feathers.  They are crepuscular in nature, being mostly active during dawn or dusk. 

Yestereve  Mushrooms

During autumn, a slew of mushrooms grow in odd places all across Arcanus Isle. These mushrooms are harvested by the locals for use in cooking. They are edible, but all have strange flavors, and are notably striking in appearance. 

Mushroom species include:

- Bunco: A flat mushroom with a large cap colored in a red-to-orange gradient. It is noted as being incredibly spicy, and has an equally strong aroma. - Cozen: A very long mushroom with a glowing blue cap. It is noted for having a minty/cold flavor. - Gull: A mushroom with multiple small golden heads that almost sound like a bell when touched. They have an intense bitter flavor. - Rook: A mushroom with a sphere shaped, purple. It leaves behind a purple stain if it touches any clothes or fabric. It has a sweet, fruity flavor. - Wile: A mushroom that looks like it has been turned inside out. It is a striking, pure white. It has a very salty taste. 

Arcana Pumpkins

An orange and white striped pumpkin with green colored seeds inside. Some variations may also feature speckles. These pumpkins grow from a white vine that flowers and leaves. They are a favorite ingredient in many fall-themed dishes, having a similar but typically more savory taste than a normal pumpkin. Arcana Pumpkins are native to Arcanus Isle.

They are also a feature in the popular tradition of Pumpkin Carving as they rot significantly slower than normal pumpkins. When a candle is placed inside and lit, legends say that you can hear the voice of a loved one from your past speak to you.

[k-s-morgan]

hii, there’s something that’s been on my mind since the last chapter. When Tom slapped Harry, there was an immediate tension imbued into the scene. Was this intentional? I saw some other comments expressing kinda the same thought, like waiting for the other shoe to drop, yet it was hardly touched upon. As Harry says a slap is not much compared to cursing him, so I figured this anticlimax was just a case of readers applying real-world lenses to fiction. though after the latest snippet I’m unsure

Hi! Oh, rest assured that this abusive element of their relationship is carefully planned and it will have its repercussions and resolution.

Tom is a person who uses a variety of tactics. He's extremely smart and perceptive, so he looks for a unique approach to everyone. Slowly, gradually, he lures his victims into a web of abuse that they are unable to leave willingly. Look at his followers: they adore him and cling to him even though he humiliates them, dehumanizes them, treats them like servants, and is often cruel or downright violent. These followers are all powerful and more or less educated individuals who would have never thought they'd agree to be treated like this - but the shift in their relationship with Tom happened so gradually that they turned into lapdogs without realizing it. They are ready to fight to death for his attention.

Harry is different, and Tom knows it. He understands that the approach he uses on his followers would not work in this situation: Harry is not interested in the same things, he rebels against authority, and if pushed, he's going to push back.

So Tom chose another way. He's testing the boundaries, observing how far he can bend Harry, what he can do to him until it becomes too much. He decided to mix his abuse with his actually-genuine feeling of care - and it worked.

Harry is vulnerable to people who care about him. If Tom tortured him, duelled him, he would have responded. But these little violent acts just leave him in stupor because it's something new, and worse, it happens at the background of affection.

When Tom slapped Harry, it was because he was jealous of the attention Harry could potentially give to someone else; he also used Harry's anger to help him understand his magic better. When he broke his finger, it was because he was angry at Harry's refusal to stand up for himself. Tom is specifically allowing himself to get violent in the moments where he shows care to Harry, and this confuses Harry and makes his responses apathetic. He truly doesn't know what to do with it - he understands it's wrong, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal after everything he lived through; it doesn't feel like something relevant when he knows what Tom is actually capable of, and a part of him is even flattered because it's proof that he's affecting Tom and that he means something to him. Harry doesn't know what an appropriate reaction should be here, and he doesn't want to blow things out of proportion when they are making progress.

This is how abusive relationships are often born. Little by little, one act of violence or restriction after another. Harry is going to get entangled in Tom's seductive web of abuse just like his followers, but unlike them, sooner or later, he'll snap out of it, and he'll fight back. And sooner or later, Tom will understand that he can't have the relationship he wants with Harry if he keeps resorting to his old tricks.

[dailycharacteroption]

Pact Witch (Witch Archetype)

(art by HollyBell on DeviantArt)

The nature of witch magic is that the witch is granted their power through a pact with a patron of some kind, offering magical knowledge that taps into the oldest arcane secrets that were made known to mortals. Sometimes these patrons are fey, sometimes they are powerful magical entities, and sometimes they are even the servants of the various outer planes.

While they may still have a specific entity that acts as their patron, there are some witches that bind themselves not just to the patron but to an entire plane of existence, tapping into the energies of which to empower themselves and to gain the aid of its denizens.

In this way, the witch essentially swears an oath to the ideals that reflect that plane, from the righteousness of heaven to the selfish whims of the Abyss. Moreover, since they also get to pick their improved familiar later on, their specific oath may vary slightly. An abyssal pact witch with a quasit familiar has very different goals to one with a cynthigot.

Some may seek this pact merely for the power that aligns with their purposes, but others may see it as a higher calling to devote oneself to a cause. Either way, we’ll see what that looks like momentarily!

Getting right into it, the witch must choose one of the outer planes to bond with, and must maintain a similar moral compass to keep on the good side of their patron and keep their patron spells and their upgraded familiar (which, depending on how you interpret that, might either revert their familiar to their original form or outright deprive the witch of their familiar and therefore ability to prepare spells until atonement is offered).

Speaking of which, the patron does not offer the typical spells of a patron, instead offering a specific set tied to this archetype. These include protection against an opposing alignment, distortions in time, imbuing oneself with planar energies, conjuring aligned outsider allies for long-term services, as well as planar travel, banishing foes, and even opening up entire gates for a short while.

Additionally, the witch gains cosmetic features that reflect the plane they have bonded with, marking them as otherworldly even though the specifics vary even between witches of the same plane.

Finally, their bond also infuses their familiar, causing them to transform into an appropriate minor outsider familiar native to the plane, retaining all memory and intelligence, but in a different form. The options are not just vanilla celestials/monitors/fiends either. You can get a cassisian angel, a tripurasura asura, cynthigot qlippoth, or doru div if those suit your philosophy better.

This archetype gives up the customization of your patron spells, but gets you a free improved familiar, so that’s nice. As it stands, your exact hex and spell list will vary based on what plane you are bonding with, but the nature of the planar patron spells means you can benefit a lot from calling upon extra planar firepower ahead of time, as long as you’re willing to put up with the cost of doing so. If that appeals to you, give it a shot!

Being a pact witch feels a bit different than an ordinary witch since your patron’s goals are very expressly known. In this way it almost feels like an arcane flavor of cleric, the witch being a devotee of the appropriate philosophy. Now that I think about it, this archetype might have subtly helped confirm the development of the witch as a variable tradition caster in Second Edition.

The Silken Sanctuary is a rarity in the Darkness Below, a place of respite and comfort, though with it’s majority drider population surfacers may not immediately realize it. It was founded when it’s leader, a drider witch named Cynvali accepted a pact with The Kind Hand, goddess of benevolence and redemption.

To the worry of many, the a feud has erupted between the birelu (a spirit of both nature and humanity) and a local witch guardian named Grisela. The spirit is upset that Grisela has made a pact with the realm of the Free Wilds rather than a patron of “pure” nature, but Grisela argues that her pact will do just as well serving to protect the area she has sworn to protect.

Infernal runes and circles at each murder scene point investigators to some sort of occult activity in the latest spree of murders, but they are barking up the wrong tree by assuming that the killer worships a power of diabolic nature. In truth, they are just making use of it for their own ends, and it’s not even devils they are bargaining with, but rather, a rare pact with the plane of shadow and the pain-obsessed velstracs.

[ozfi]

agito is about the potential of humanity. while presented as a physical thing, of breaking the bounds of what it means to be human, what it uses this to talk about is metaphorical evolution- a capacity to accept change, and the ability to see a future.

within the main three's ability to be unbending in their will is where they show themselves as protagonists, as those who can see a future that exists and live for it. its when you get stuck in the past you stop wanting to see a future at all.

it may be true that losing his memory gave shouichi a perspective nobody else had- of a person who couldnt run away to his past like anyone else in despair - but amnesia can make you feel a lot of other things, and you can wallow in it just as well as any other tragedy. when shouichi gets his memory back, he DOES start backpedaling! he starts briefly trying to live in the past alongside his sister, starts wishing he desperately wasnt agito, before realizing that, yes, the others are right, hes saved countless people with these hands including other people like him and his sister. theres no reason to fear an uncertain future when its something you make yourself, and nobody else has the right to take someone elses future away. and then continues to fight to protect those futures with a brave mind and decided heart.

ryou feels the same- at first he chases the truth of the akatsuki because he has lost everything, turned into something unrecognizable and monstrous, and everyone he loves is dead. but hes steadfast and doesnt give up, even with his uncertainty, even when he Fucking Dies. twice. he stands back up and keeps pulling himself forward by the skin of his fingers. he may initially come to an incorrect conclusion- that humans shouldnt fight with the agito (humans are the agito) - but ultimately he sheds not only that but all other despair for his situation. this isnt the end of anything at all. he will fight. he will continue living. "being normal is good enough for me". flowers dont have a reason to bloom. despite all his loss, the world is still worth living in, despite the pain he's suffered.

this is why kino dies before the ending, i think. even with his change of heart (and i think masato's arm keeping him from committing even worse crimes was his own guilt, not literally being haunted.) he couldnt escape the past, and could not envision a future, so what was his reason to continue living? but he is still admirable in the way of encouraging others to move forward where he could not.

hikawa is different. hes not agito! he wanted to be agito in a way not even agitos wanted to be agito. but hikawa wasnt arbitrarily imbued with the seed of agito. hikawa does not have the capacity to transcend his own humanity and become something more... well, does he? no and yes, he doesnt have that power, but acting as G3-X gives him something similar. even through hikawas doubt in his own ability throughout the entire season, and often his own faults and missteps, he always stands back up, he always tries again, and he never stops fighting for what he believes in. dont you know, hes hikawa makoto? he was so human perfection had to come down and meet him, and he never let go of that chance!

agito presents humanity's natural potential to grow beyond itself, gills is a "failed" agito that continues fighting despite his incomplete nature, and G3(-X) is humanity surpassing itself through its own will.

through these individual storylines first paralleling each other and then converging upon a single point of "refusing to give up your future" despite the pain and suffering you will surely face in not only the past behind but the future in front, agito tries to paint a picture of the world that is, not the world to come, and argue that while we dont know what will come in the future, humanity is worth fighting for anyway, because they're stronger than anyone thinks. and, realistically, there is no higher power that can take our evolution from us, so all we can do is create the best future we can.

and within such a message, i couldnt help but think of one of my favorite shows of all time.

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gale: 'Something of the sheen of Elysium missing, isn't there?'

First time noticing this, but they put a morally ambiguous god of ambition and his domain on Elysium?

This Elysium:

'It is the source of the River Ocean. It is a place of ultimate goodness. It is a land so pleasant you may never want to leave. Elysium is the most strongly good-aligned plane of the Great Wheel, a place of good untrammelled by issues of law or chaos. On this plane doing well by others is more highly valued than any other ideal. [...] It is usually a peaceful place, and tranquillity seems to seep into the bones and souls of those that cross it.' - Manual of the Planes

Elysium has a brainwashing effect on those within its boundaries that imbues them with a sense of contentment and tranquillity, that will eventually leave them totally peaceful and without drive in a sort of mindless eternal bliss.

And absolutely none of that strikes me as compatible with blanket ambition.

'Elysium is also the home of deities devoted to the cause of good.'

Player: 'What of those with evil ambitions? Do you encourage them too?' Gale, 'avoiding the question': 'I am the god of ambition, not of the consequences of ambition. Nor am I the arbiter of good or evil, for that matter.'

Gale: 'I assure you, this is merely the prelude to a far grander vision. Elysium's in for something of a shake-up.'

I don't think the planes themselves are going to agree with that, somehow.

I mean he can set up shop there, but I wouldn't get comfortable on Elysium if I were him, because many if not most of his petitioners are not going to mesh with the plane (which actively turns on beings that don't conform to the zoned out bliss vibe) and he's unlikely to mesh with many of the other gods that live here - one of whom is Mystra herself. Like Eldath and Chauntea are both laid back humble types.

I'd put Gale down as True Neutral, anyway, so the most strongly aligned Good plane seems off to begin with.

Of course now I'm wondering which plane would work for him it's Banehold

The Nine Hells are the go-to for the ambitious, but of course we're dealing with ambition of every flavour, not just the desperation or pride that lands you in eternal damnation.

...petitioners characterised by ambition are usually Gehenna's like in Banehold.

Hmm... The Lower Planes do kind of work best (not every power down there is Evil, just most). On the other hand Ysgard (CG/CN) maybe? It's a bit battle-orientated, but struggle and aiming for glory is a big part of the plane. And Limbo (CN) is all about imposing your will upon the raw chaos; the might work.