#its really well crafted and i used a lot of stuff i learned from it in Seer: Recall vis a vis choice and the seer's relationship with time

[panticwritten]

I'm putting my soul on the line with this one but Bones of Black Marrow by oxfordRoulette. It's one of those fics that I knew it was a terrible porn with plot fic going into it but like. The plot is intense. 'Supernatural being will genuinely love you and will still wring you out and smother you until you die and you cant even be mad because its in the nature of the being' all wrapped up in House of Leaves level of editing and formatting. i asked for this i asked for this i asked for this over and over and flashes of fear when you see what the thing is doing to you and when its all over can you forgive it? for all the things it has done in the past just because it wants to be better in the future just for you all for you?

we were banned from talking about it in a discord server because it kept dominating the nsfw channel's conversation. i was disappointed because i just wanted to talk about the overarching themes. the formatting changed the way i think about storytelling and the way the plot distills changed the way i think about writing relationships and the essence of choice in a story

fuck it everyone tell me about one fanfic which has changed your brain chemistry

[voltronisanobsession]

So you like my ideas, huh? Well, I hope I can continue to create some good ones for you! I shall try my best 🫡

Oh! I do have one request in mind, how about Percy being paired with reader who’s the child of Athena? Yes, yes, I know an amazing half-blood known as Annabeth exists but I had something in mind.

We all know how children of Athena are seen as wise, intellectual, clever, and combative people but what if the reader was different than that? There’s several types of intelligence after all, so what if they specialized in emotional intelligence and craft?

I can see them being insecure of their “abilities” since they know their siblings can do better, and even fear that Athena herself is disappointed in them, but, while Percy thought it was strange at first, he soon found himself enjoying those traits.

I mean, with their emotional intelligence, the reader knows when he’s upset no matter how hard he tries to hide it, and they tend to give him gifts like Melinoe!reader. They’re probably usually architectural models, weavings, mini sculptures of what he enjoys… You know all that good stuff. They probably gifted him something as something to remember them by when he went on a quest… but I’ll leave that up to you.

Combat practice to bond/as dates 👀?

Also, I’m not sure if you saw, but I like long headcanons so stop apologizing and keep it up!/lh

Poor all of your thoughts into it if you have to or want, I like it!

Percy with a Child of Athena!Reader

I literally LOVE these detailed asks UGGHHH!! I love the idea of instead having a different form of intelligence as a child of athena like damn😍 I'm getting used to brain dumping on these, its a work in progress🙈

Sorry for answering so late😭

Lowkey this reader sticks out like a sore thumb amongst their siblings😭

I like to think that most Athena kids are usually on the more serious sides, so it surprises a lot of campers outside of the Athena cabin to see Reader extremely expressive!

While the other Athena children spend their time devising tactical plans for big camp games, reader is just on the side doodling architectural designs and whatnot

They aren’t as involved in what their siblings do because it doesn’t interest them much

Like whenever they try and ask for readers opinions and start using big ass words, they just smile and nod cuz they had no idea what the others were saying

Athena's children are extremely intelligent so its difficult for reader to be on the same wave length as their siblings

It lowkey makes them feel like an outcast in their cabin because they cant really connect with their siblings like they do with each other while they talk about subjects beyond reader’s comprehension

Constantly being surrounded by books, scrolls and maps full of knowledge, reader often beats themselves over not being able to comprehend and show interest in wanting to learn about these types of things

They’re led to believing that they are a defect amongst their mothers children (crying)

They are always surrounded by reminders of their own inabilities to match their sibling’s intelligence which is why they spend little time in the Athena cabin, and even littler time with their siblings

Readers only saving grace is that they are always in tune with peoples emotions and feelings, no matter how well or little they know the people around them

Whether its feelings of anxiousness, sadness, quiet anger, or happiness, reader always seems to know how a person is feeling!

The first time Percy meets reader is when he spots them at the crafting hut

Being one of his first activities in the beginning of the day, he notices how reader is always there before anyone else

Percy probably thought you were apart of the Hephaestus cabin or something like that with how many times he’s seen you sculpting and carving away at a new project every other day

So he’s surprised when you reveal that you’re actually a child of Athena

He would definitely notice how you distance yourself from your siblings, especially during breakfast, lunch and dinner

He’s good friends with Annabeth so he sees the differences between you, her and your siblings

While she and her siblings are more closed off and have their noses stuck up a new book everyday, your always seen drawing or weaving a new tapestry for your cabin

You show your emotions more openly compared to their more dismissive nature as well!

He definitely sees you as the 'social butterfly' of the Athena cabin

The more time he spends with reader though, he notices just how in tune they are with his feelings

He could give the smallest, most insignificant indication that he's had a bad day and you'd be able to read him like an open book

It's easy talking to you about his conflicting emotions, your patience and thoughtful expression gives him more confidence to just let everything out

I think he would definitely fall for how empathetic you are in many situations

You've made many friends with campers from different cabins because of this quality trait! Always learning and understanding a situation/conflict that arises, you're always able to resolve the problems that makes it fair for all parties involved

Despite this, Percy is confused and a bit surprised to find out that you're actually insecure about this dominating trait of yours

"What?! It's literally the best thing about you though!"

"I know but its just! My siblings aren't the way I am. They're able to actually use their skills for something. All I can do is listen to people and make friends. That's nothing special. I'm useless."

It PAINS him to hear you say that because its obvious you don't understand the importance of being as emotionally intelligent as you are

He makes it his mission to show you just how many people you've helped, to show you that you have a reason to be proud of what you're able to do!

You slowly open yourself more after hearing all his reassurance, from him and other people around camp

It's definitely a positive change as you have a pep to your step now. You engage with you siblings more now that you have a confidence in your own abilities.

You make him many sculptures as thank you gifts! Even when he says that you don't need to, you cant help admit that enjoy giving him these gifts with a nervous smile

You've made him a mini version Riptide and even have given him a small owl pendant

You were hesitant to give him the pendant because it seemed more intimate compared to your other gifts, but he happily accepted it with a soft smile

AND WHEN HE PUT THE PENDANT ON IN FRONT OF YOU YOUR HEART NEARLY LEPT OUT OF YOUR CHEST I CCANNTTT

I think reader would be pretty aware of Percy's feelings for them which makes them feel fuzzy

So imagine how you feel when Percy pulls up to you one late afternoon after not seeing him for the entire day to give you a small pendant of his own

The sculpting of the trident is definitely more crude and less detailed compared to the one you gave him, something Percy abashedly admits but you wave him off

"It's beautiful, thank you Percy."

"No problem, now we're matching!"

You're aware of your own feelings for him as you are aware of his feelings for you, so it doesn't take long for a confession to happen

I mean matching pendants? come on bro its so painfully obvious to everyone

Percy falls for who reader is, not because their a child of Athena

He doesn't care that you're different from your siblings because he understands everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses

You still represent Athena with pride and he'll happily support you till the end

PERCY IS SUCH A GREEN FLAG IN GENERAL I LOVE WRITING FOR HIM💔💔

[calliemity]

Orin Scrivello's Lost Head Prop: A Masterpost

Written and researched by Calliope Avery

Content Warning: Very very mild and low quality special effects gore, implied violence, uncanny valley stuff(?), Orin Scrivello's face.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) has an unfortunate reputation of leaving a lot of really cool things on the cutting room floor. The most infamous would be the movie's original ending, a beautiful and impressive sequence of puppetry that ended up completely scrapped. However, today we're talking about a prop that never made it into the final movie in any form:

Orin Scrivello's Decapitated Head!!!

Pictured above are the only 2 photos of the prop in its original state that I can find at the moment. The left photo was taken for promotion and advertising purposes, and the right image is actually a Topps trading card! (Which I have a physical copy of, hehe!)

To put it bluntly, I am slightly (very) obsessed with this prop head. There's so much mystery around it, and everything I've managed to dig up both fascinates me and makes me very upset. So much thought and hard creative work was put into the creation of this thing, and it was left completely left out and forgotten! I desperately want more people to be aware of this, so here is my big and (hopefully) well organized masterpost on everything for your learning pleasure. Alright, let's talk about some heads!!!!!!!!!

Forming a Timeline

The earliest mention of the head can be found in an early draft of the movie script, dated February 14th, 1985. There's plenty of concepts in this script that never seemed to get past this draft, but the severed head concept was not one of them. Here, take a look!

source

This section, found on page 66 of the script, not only established the existence of the head, but also establishes the facial expression it will later take on! Clearly, this concept was good enough to be held onto once actual production started, which is good for us! If it wasn't, then this post would be a lot shorter.

Early production of the prop began after the actors were cast, as face molds of Steve Martin were created as bases for the head.

source for the left image - source for the right image

Oooo, check these guys out!!! The left one is made of plaster, and the right one is made of rubber. The website sourcing these images included a quote from Steve Martin about the casting process. Here's the full provided quote:

"These molds were taken of my head for Little Shop of Horrors. It was cast on the lot at Pinewood Studios outside of London, and I got exceedingly claustrophobic during the casting. My entire head was covered with plaster and two straws were placed in my nose for breathing. Argh." - Steve Martin

I unfortunately don't have much information about the crafting process of the prop. I'm currently trying to track down anyone who could've worked on it, but the few people I've managed to contact haven't responded to me yet. So I can't say anything concrete about who worked on it and what went into creating it. The only thing I can assume somewhat confidently is that the creation of the prop happened around the same time as filming for Orin's scenes. It would allow them to make the face molds and also match up Martin's post-mortem Orin face with the facial expression of the prop.

Here's where it starts going downhill. From what I've found, the prop was never filmed with its face toward the camera. In the workprint that I accessed from the Internet Archive, the prop appears for 2 shots, and both of them only show the back of the head. Take a look:

source - timestamp: 1:02:59

[Video description: a low quality, slightly green tinted video depicting a deleted scene from Little Shop of Horrors (1986) where Seymour is feeding the decapitated head of the dentist, Orin Scrivello, to the plant. The video starts with a man in glasses reaching into a garbage can and pulling out a dark-haired decapitated head, holding it upside-down by the fabric on its neck. The head is faced away from the camera, so only the back of its hair is visible. There are vines flailing in the foreground of the shot. The video cuts to a shot of the plant puppet laughing silently. The video cuts again to a shot of the man slowly shuffling forward while dangling the head in front and away from himself. The plant is seen on the left side, still laughing and flailing its vines. Throughout the video, there are brief flashes of light that resemble lightning. The video's audio only consists of thunder noises and an unidentifiable sound that resembles chewing noises. End ID.]

My best guess for this choice is maybe it isn't as convincing when filmed? In the photos it looks really well made and realistic, but perhaps it didn't come across that way during shots. Regardless, the head was still in the film at this point, so that counts for something!

But as you and I both know, those 2 shots were left on the cutting room floor, completely removed from the final product. The prop was left completely unused and unspoken of... except for one instance.

Remember the trading card I mentioned at the beginning? It's a part of a full set of trading cards that were made and distributed by the brand Topps. Back when the movie first came out, you could buy a pack of 5 mystery Little Shop of Horrors themed trading cards, along with a stick of bubblegum. This 44-card set is notable for featuring a lot, and I mean a LOT of images from cut movie scenes. There's photos of the original ending, there's photos from the cut sequence The Meek Shall Inhereit, and of course there's also the card featuring the prop head! However, those 2 sequences would later be rediscovered, cleaned up, and then added into the Director's Cut rerelease of the movie. The prop head wouldn't get this treatment, staying obscured, unknown, and unmentioned.

Fast forward about 30 years. A certain unused movie prop would be offered in an auction, allowing us to not only see high-quality photos of said prop in its current state, but also to allow us to know the exact materials it was made of! Without further ado, I present Orin Scrivello's decapitated head, circa 2018:

source

This absolute freak of a guy was up for auction at the "Profiles in History: Icons and Legends of Hollywood" auction on June 5th, 2018. No one ended up buying it (I would. I need to buy it actually. Please sell it to me.), but the auction gives us some absolutely divine information about the prop, such as what it's made of and its dimensions! Here's a quote from the auction website describing its materials:

"Vintage original hollow cast resin character head painted in realistic flesh tones with brown eyebrows and eyes. The 13 x 8 x 9 in. head has been polyfoam filled for stability. Exhibiting cracks to the crown, which is brittle and with other wear and age. A striking likeness of Steve Martin. In vintage good condition."

How neat! The high-resolution images allow us to see the detailed sculpting of the prop, which is still evident and impressive with its age and missing parts! The creases on the forehead, and around the mouth and eyes, the realistically colored teeth, this was clearly sculpted with a lot of attention to detail. I would've loved to have an image like this back in the prop's prime, back when it still had hair and a fresh coat of paint.

Why was it Scrapped?

This is entirely just me theorizing, but I have a feeling it's for the same reason the original ending got snubbed.

If you take the time to watch the archived workprint, you'll find a lot of cuts and changes were made that changed the tone of the whole finished project. Orin's death and dismemberment scenes got edited down a lot. Shots of him struggling and knocking things down as he falls to the ground got cut, the voiceline where he begs Seymour for help is gone. The shot where Orin's legs jolt when Seymour brings down the axe is gone too.

It's not just Orin-related scenes either! Mushnik no longer cries out for Seymour when being killed and eaten, and that's ignoring how different the scene happens in the stage musical. And obviously, the entire ending got changed so that Audrey and Seymour survive, leading to the cut of the magnificent ending sequence where all the Audrey II's destroy New York. In a way, the film got murdered and gutted of any of its real horror, with attempts to cover up any of the blood they couldn't scrub out.

In the movie's later quest to rebrand as a softer version of itself, it only makes sense that 2 shots of a decapitated head wouldn't make it. The appearance of the dismembered leg made it through, probably because it's less gruesome, but a head is... different. I obviously think it should've been kept it in, along with almost everything they trimmed from the workprint, but alas.

Tldr, they cut the head off of the movie because it wasn't funny enough.

Conclusion

This is where the information I have ends, unfortunately. I do have more research routes I would like to take, but one of them involves desperately contacting random people who I suspect could've been involved (I've tried this, I've gotten no responses from those who I've managed to find an email for), and the other route involves taking a road trip to the actual goddamn Library of Congress, which is not something I can do right now or even in the near future. So this is probably as far as I'm getting!

However! If I find anything new, this post will be updated and/or remade again, depending on how big or little the info is. For now, I think this is good enough to share, and maybe letting people know will encourage others to research this prop as well! It'll probably be easier if it's not just me, y'know.

I'll finish by saying that I think research and preservation of art like this is very important. While it's common for cool artistic things to end up cut from movies, I think preserving that those cool things existed in the first place is something worth doing. Even though this prop head was a very small part of the movie, it's clear a lot went into creating it! I feel bad that I'm not able to credit any person or people for their work, but I hope getting the word out about it will do some justice.

If you've read this whole thing, thank you so much! I appreciate your interest and I thank you for taking the time to read all this. I hope you found it as interesting and fascinating as I do!

Oh, by the way, if this post looks familiar at all, you've probably seen the original version of this post I made awhile ago. I wasn't happy with the formatting of that post, and I ended up making too many discoveries to just continue updating it. I'll keep the original up to preserve it, but reblogs will be off for it, as I want this version to be the one to go around. Thanks!

[ardienothesieno]

post game isat thoughts i have

what the title says i have thoughts in my brain and i want to share them

isafrin date thing pretty much immediately post-game: sif should get to be sick for at least a week. and the party fusses over them the whole time and it's adorable and then i think one night. sif should turn to isa and ask if he wants to hang out. hehe and sif brings isa to go look at the stars this time! and it's sort of like isa's friendquest but this time they are actually snuggling. and not just talking about isa, they're talking bout sif too some of the stuff isa says is reminiscent of the loops which freaks sif out a bit. but it just makes them happy to hear isabeau talk and he would share some things that happened in the loops-- wholesome things of course i think it'd still be a while before they opened up about the uh. the worse shit. but stuff like teaching bonnie to fight, finding out they were allergic to pineapple the hard way (isa would be freaked by this but sif finds it hilarious), maybe tell him about wish craft and color theory, the change god helping them out, bombing the king, etc etc. the nice stuff. AND THEN. I THINK THE ISA USING A SHOOTING STAR AS A DISTRACTION THING SHOULD HAPPEN-- BUT ITS REAL THIS TIME <3 like sif looks up and it's a whole freaking meteor shower... and isa tells them to make a wish, to which they respond "i'm not messing with that again for a looooong time" :)))) and i just think that should culminate in isa carrying a sleeping sif back to either the clocktower or the house, wherever the family has set up shop... njhgfcftyhujkuhgvfcdfty i love them they're so cute

LOOP THOUGHTS. i dont know if i am committing to this hc, but i think it would be cool if loop and siffrin became a system of sorts? i know very little about plurality so i dont really know what im talking about... if i get anything wrong please tell me! but ive got yet another scene in mind like right before the party leaves dormont to go pick up nille, sif visits the favor tree one last time. just. reminiscing. and mira would come along and find him and they'd have a talk! not specifically about loop, but loop would definitely come up in the conversation and then at some point sif says that loop mentioned that they'd be coming back and is like "i wonder when we'll see them again" and loop just screams HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW and shoves siffrin out of front jhugtfcvfdxscfgthbnygvh i think loop should still get to have their own body and autonomy and stuff, i just think they should also be able to just show up in sif's head. and vice versa i think eventually sif figures out how to do it as well and they just get to constantly bother each other from a shared headspace dcgbnjuytfg

and. and then i think that can lead into a lot of sad wholesome moments where sif lets loop be siffrin for a little while. like the party is sitting around a campfire telling stories and being happy, sif notices loop hanging around in the headspace, and lets them drive for a bit. i dont think they'd do it very often or for super long or anything but. hgfcdxcfgybhnj. they should get to be siffrin every once in a while too. as time goes on and they become more of their own person they do it less and less, but for the first few months to a year or so it's comforting to be able to be surrounded by versions of their past family, if only for a bit as i said. i dont know what im talking about really so if i said anything badly or if any of these ideas are bad please let me know

time craft shenanigans i think sif (and loop) should get to keep time craft powers after the loops end not to like. the extreme that the loops were. but like how sif will loop back like five minutes if they screw something up socially-- i think they should get to keep that EXCEPT. the party learns to pick up on what time craft feels like. so if theyre ever talking to sif and boom weird time craft feeling and sif is in a wildly different emotional state they can just go "sif. did you loop back. what happened." i think it would be a good. like. starting therapy point? them having a toxic coping mechanism for when things go badly and the rest of the group helping him work through those situations instead of avoiding avoiding avoiding and i think loop should keep it for the memes (and trauma reasons. but mostly the memes.)

it would get better with time, as siffrin (and loop) gets more and more comfortable with being uncomfortable and messing up and learning to work through the anxiety and and and then that could lead to a big situation a few years in the future when the group splits up. and sif is TERRIFIED that the loops will start again i dont think the group would ever split up for good though. they're a family!!! they're not gonna just leave each other behind after another few months of traveling!!!! that just means all the suffering sif went through was for nothing!!!!! and yeah, they cant stay together forever. i know. but even after splitting up they'd still definitely have family reunions like every other tuesday

BUT SIF AND ISA NEVER SPLIT UP EVER. NOT EVEN FOR FIVE MINUTES they get bonded and go on to open a boutique/trinket shop <3

[icewindandboringhorror]

Well! I started remodeling the house sooo long ago (original post of it back in 2018), then got distracted and forgot it in the closet for a long time, ignored it on and off, etc... Then, finally finished the house in 2022. THEN, I forgot about the pictures I took of it in 2022, and am now posting them in 2024.. A good example of how the timeline of my side craft projects usually go lol

But, at least I do have the photos now, so... finally sharing them ! 

I just used a blue sheet as a 'sky' and a green sweater with some fake flowers on it to try to look like it was on grass lol...

(more images under the readmore)

The bedroom-

The library/potion room -

The living room area-

Then the little kitchen

The pictures are not very good, but these are the best I could find? I filmed a video of me working on the whole thing (who knows when that will be out..if it took me TWO years just to post the photos lol), so I think while I was taking the pictures, I was thinking “eh, they don’t have to be great, since I’ll show it in more detail in the video :3″, but now I kind of regret not having more actual detail shots or anything.

(sidenote: I'm pretty sure I've posted better pictures of some of the individual rooms before though too? sometime before I had added the finishing touches but when they were basically done and looked almost the same as these. so maybe it's okay that these are kind of bad lol)

I think progress on it also stalled a bit due to the pandemic starting, since like 90% of the stuff in here is random things I found at the bins (giant goodwill donation center where you dig through tubs of various items all thrown together), so once I couldn’t go out to the bins anymore, I lost my method of hunting for new items, and just had to work with whatever scraps I already had or could make myself with very few materials/tools.  The bins is a really large and always crowded place, so it's still not safe for me to go with current community transmission levels lol... who knows when I shall be able to use it to get dirt cheap crafting supplies ever again.. T o T

ANYWAY! It was a fun little project, even though of course it's a little rough around the edges and not exactly as I'd envisioned lol. As usual, I always enjoy the MAKING of things the most, yet then have no idea what to do with the finished project, since the process is what's enjoyable to me.

I think I'm going to take all the glued down furniture out of it and then repaint it, then maybe donate the base house back to the same thrift store I found it at. Like completing some sort of crafting circle of life or something lol

slowly making some progress on the doll house I’m trying to remodel! 

[year2000electronics]

I was thinking about this for a little bit but what would happen if Reverse Mabel (especially post-weirdmageddon) meets Anti-Mabel.

Seeing some call Reverse Mabel "evil" I feel this would be a very intresting interaction, Reverse Mabel may see her as someone she could of easily become.

ahh, the "anti" dimension. i ruminated on the concept a LOT back when lost legends first released! i think theres an amateurish fic i wrote somewhere in my files of anti-mabel getting basically-adopted by a one of us au ford BUT I CANT FIND IT.

excuse the opportunity im taking to rant about the idea of anti mabel as a whole lol, but... [continued under cut!]

her dimension is a little confusing to think about sometimes, because the story she comes from, don't dimension it, i think a lot of us can widely agree was almost too much of a "pivot" in a direction we didnt really need to go? it's focusing on addressing mabel's "selfishness", especially in the wake of that flood of mabel hate that started picking up steam, but i feel like the version of mabel that exists in don't dimension it is just... not very true or accurate to the actual character. it feels like a very extended "sorry we had mabel make a rash decision in the heat of the moment that the characters forgave her for because they understand and love her. we will now proceed to have a dimension of all mabels where theyre portrayed as so self-absorbed that theyre all stuck on that dimension with no hope of returning home." excuse my dramatic wording but i swear to god that's what it feels like! and that's what it READS like!

mabel got "caught up in her own mabelness"? she gets distracted with crafts and cats like a SQUIRREL?? the idea of her neglecting those around her being put directly next to her going "i caused an entire apocalypse just to get one more day of summer?" SHE WAS GOING TO LOSE TOUCH WITH HER BROTHER. SHE WAS GETTING LIED TO AND TRICKED BY A GUY WHO HAS LITERALLY BEEN TRYING TO START THE APOCALYPSE FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS NOW. its really ridiculous and it doesnt play well at ALL. this kind of thing really shows to me how trying to please bad-faith critics will literally only make the end product worse.

"but what does that have to do with anti mabel though?" well, anti-mabel's "evil" kinda gets affected by the moral of this story, don't you think? if they arent getting mabel right, then what is this ultimate "anti-mabel" really going to be? not really a reflection of any mabel i know. that's for sure.

but that aside, looking at everything that we know about anti-mabel, her dimension is kinda... played off as a joke? she feels a lot more like a joke character to me more than anything at this point lol

not that i really needed that much development from a one-off antagonist from a silly gravity falls comic but like. how is anti-mabel literally SUPERVILLAIN-TIER EVIL? what? where is she getting the resources for this?? and then you have the rest of her family who are all just like, chill? and its like WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON ANYMORE.

anyways. back to trying to answer the question i was literally asked. i think post-weirdmageddon mabel would see anti-mabel in a different light, thats for sure. anti-mabel's family is nothing like her! maybe she's just lonely. rev mabel knows you can't just get away with doing evil stuff, at least she's learning that, but i think some part of her would sympathize with her deep down

[zarvasace]

It’s “appreciate yourself” hours! Pick five pieces of writing/art that you’ve done that you love and talk about them! ❤️❤️❤️

Ahhhh okay, thank you!! 💜🌻 I finally have a free moment (aka work is slow) so I'm going to work on drafting this out :) I have far too much art I'm proud of—I'm at a stage in my progress right now where I think my art looks pretty awesome. So this list will be stuff from my Greatest Hits collection on AO3. In order of oldest to newest, I think:

incandescently happy

An LU post-adventure work, one of the first longer fics I posted. I released one chapter a day over the summer of 2022, so a lot of the notes have something about my day in them. It's about 30k all told.

I absolutely adored expanding on what the boys might do after the whole LU adventure happens (though I did forget about the fact that I think Time and Malon have a kid during this time!) This work features some proto-Shatterproof stuff, like Wind having a prosthetic leg and Four starting to specialize in crafting prosthetics/disability aids. I gave Hyrule longer hair and a job making maps for the royal family. Legend got another adventure but also started a magic garden/orchard, which pulls in more business than Ravio's stuff. Four and his grandpa adopted a single mother and her two kids. Man I went off with some of these headcanons. I've always considered writing more in this world, but I think it stands very well on its own. Maybe someday I might revisit and rewrite it with some of my new skills. :)

Rise and Shine and Fall

Whumptober 2022, focused entirely on LU! Guys this thing is almost 78k. I realize now that most people pre-plan or pre-write for things like Whumptober, but I wrote these one by one every day, which was extra-hard because I had both college classes and a day job at the time. I came up with some fun AUs, learned a lot about writing (especially whump), and proved to myself that I can do hard things like this!! I've adored doing daily challenges since, though I haven't done it in a while. I look forward to this year's whumptober though!

I really like the table of contents in the first chapter—it makes things easy to find. I know individual works are probably more accessible, but I was still getting to know AO3, and those big numbers are fun. XD I have a hard time picking favorites, because I really went off on these, but I'd say a couple of them are:

Chp 3, "Right Here" about Sky

Chp 7, "Proof of Life" about Four and Shadow

Chp 18, "I'm onwy a babey :(" about Wind

Chp 21, "6:13" about Hyrule and Time

Chp 26, "Silence is Golden" about Wild

Chp 31-32, "The Worst Thing About Earth" about Legend, but kind of more specifically the rewrite/expansion I did last year... haha...

The Marvelous Misadventures of Wind and His Merry Band or Maybe-Human Heroes

It's been a while since I updated this story (56k, 6/8 chapters), but it's constantly on my mind. I've started chapter 7 twice, and I know what I want to happen, but I am easily distracted by the siren call of some other whump fics. XD

I freaking love this story, though. I really want to finish it. It's kind of an... experiment? I guess? I want to get published someday, and I picture myself writing middle-grade novels. This story is sort of my attempt to hit that tone. Also I just love Wind so so so much. Let him be cool!!

Blood-Sucker's Guide to High School

56k Four Swords completed story! I wrote this in a frenzy of like two or three weeks, then took another two to edit. It takes plot points from a vampire novel I enjoyed and twists and applies them to a story about Shadow and the Four Swords manga boys. I'm very proud of what I accomplished here, and that it's a complete story! I think it worked out really well. I learned a lot about plotting and handling larger stories, and it helped that I had the half-remembered structure of an existing novel to use as training wheels.

I love the worldbuilding in this story! The premise is that Shadow is an evil soulless vampire from a (rather abusive, not that he sees it) family of the same, but then he gets the ability to walk in the sunshine. He's assigned to go to high school for a while to get a feast for the vampire gala, but meanwhile he's developing a conscience and getting very attached to these human boys. I think I did a good job. I love rereading this, every scene is just so fun! :)

Counterbalance

55k exactly of a stupid LU darks AU. This started life as a series of oneshots and then the plot progressively got more and more convoluted and I love these stupid boys so much. The plot is very much not tight, in contrast to Blood-Sucker's Guide, but I learned a lot about how I write and how I like to plan with this one, too.

The characters are stupid and the plot is just kinda silly and there is both a bathhouse scene AND a spa scene. Legend blows up multiple things, my lovely nasty little Dark Links need smacks and therapy, and Prince has a legitimately emotional moment at the end. I love how it turned out, it's like an ugly little stuffed animal I made and hug until the eyes pop out.

That's five but I would be extremely remiss if I did not also mention something from Shatterproof:

The Incredible Shrinking Chain

About 10k, this is entry 31/68 in my series Shatterproof, which is a close-canon AU in which each of the boys has a different physical disability. This series also plays into my publishing ambitions, because whatever I publish will very likely have some disability representation. I'm rather passionate about it, actually! Shatterproof is close to my heart, and I'm so honored that so many people seem to love it too. :) I need to work on the next entry again!!

This entry in particular is so much fun. In it, the whole Chain sans Four is stuck mouse-sized, and Four has to travel out to Twilight's castle with them to get Dusk to help break the curse. They all have to figure out how to navigate while tiny, and Four pulls some very silly stunts. I love them.

Anyway, there's my list!! I've written a lot over the last like two and a half years, and I'm so so glad that I get to be here and part of this community. The LU fandom as a whole (or at least the parts I've seen!) is so welcoming and positive and I try to give back where I can! I'm going to suggest looking through my bookmarks and ultimate rec list collection to find some new favorites from some very talented authors! :) (oof I need to update the collection soon!! I've been seeing some awesome stuff!)

[fl3shm4id3n]

Bₑᵢₙg ᵢₙ ₐ ᵣₑₗₐₜᵢₒₙₛₕᵢₚ wᵢₜₕ ₐᵣcₑₑ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴀʀᴄᴇᴇ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Tw: None ♡

A/N: Due to the lack of Arcee fics/hcs, I took the liberty into writing about her, I love her and she deserves all the love (in my opinion). I haven't seen the movie yet, but there is a minor spoiler in the beginning.

Masterlist

During your time with the Autobots and the Maximals, you and Arcee somewhat had a mutual relationship, but as time passed, you both grew feelings for each other.

After everything that happened, you and Arcee both end up in an official romantic relationship.

Arcee is new to this human relationship, so you might have to tell her how human courting is different than Cybertron courting.

Believe it or not, she is very curious about human relationship, she's done her own kind of research, she's learned about the many love languages such as words compliments, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch.

I see her as being the gift giving type, but she's not giving you just anything, she's learned that gifts should have meaning to them. So she pays close attentions to your liking and she began to gift you stuff that you really like. Majority of the time, she learns how to hand craft stuff for you.

Once she gave you a motorcycle helmet of your favorite color and added some stickers/drawings of stuff you like. She loved the look on your face, seen you happy makes her happy.

Another thing she likes if physical touch, she wasn't very used to it, but once she met you? She loves it. Besides you riding her in her motorcycle form, she likes to pull you into a hug and give you a small kiss on the cheek.

Your date nights are mostly of you and her going on a ride in her motorcycle form, it's fine if you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, she's the one driving you around safely, but if you want to learn how, she'll learn hoe to teach you.

Wherever you go, she goes. If you go to work, she doesn't mind waiting until your break and when your shift is over. You wanna to go out with friends? She doesn't mind waiting for you outside where you and your friends are at.

She prefers to watch you from afar, not in a creepy way, but in a more safety way. Arcee wants to protect you from any harm, she doesn't mind exposing herself to the world, as long as you're safe.

Arcee will be interested in your hobbies. She'll ask many questions about how stuff works and how you manage to do what you do. She'd want to be a part of your hobbies, whether its the small bit of help or participance. She loves the idea that you and her are spending time together.

She also love anything that you gift her, she'll cherish it as if it was the more precious and priceless thing in existence. For example, if it's a sticker or a kind of necklace that she can wear both autobot and motorcycle form, she'll never take it off.

Kiss her, she likes that A LOT. If you do, she'll get all flattered and her eyes turn into little hearts when you kiss her anywhere. Whether is lips, cheek, nose, etc.

Another thing, if you were to know how to ride a motorcycle yourself, she'd get jealous, just a bit. The whole time she'll probably glare at your motorcycle as well as to try and hide your vehicle.

She knows that you love her more than your non living motorcycle.

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

May Week 4: Changing it Up

This week we will change it up from the depth of divination we've dived into the rest of this month and do some fun practical activities as summer gets on in full. Along with that we will still be doing the gem/ herb/ other study we normally do, but this week will be a lot of hands on stuff! So let's get our hands dirty witches!

Monday - What's in the cauldron?

Practical - Pick one of those Witchy recipes you see floating around, or just any recipe you'd like really! One you haven't made before or have been wanting to make for a while, and make it! I'm making honey lavender bread this week, along with a maple butter pork butt, cut into thick slices and kebab'd with some onion, pineapple and jalapeno! Write out the recipe, the directions, and if it has any ritual connotations/ magical associations or purpose, add those to the recipe!

Research/ New Page - Herb Study - Pick another herb from your list and go nuts! Study everything about it from its history and myths around it, to how to grow it and what its associations are!

Tuesday - Artsy Fartsy Witchy Stuff

Practical - Is there any craft you've seen on the internet or in a movie or show or even in a book that you've wanted to make that pertains to your craft and your practice? What is a better way to celebrate your craft than to get out and do it! Get the materials, make the craft and write up a little snippet about it and its purpose/ uses in your grimoire!

Practical/ Mental Health - Yeah, that's right, we care about mental health. Get up, get out, and enjoy the outdoors! Take a walk, drink some water, take your meds, take a nap and relax! Life can get so busy and it is just as important to take care of ourselves, mentally, emotionally and physically as it is to take care of the myriad tasks we have going on.

Wednesday - Dirty Hands? The doing is the thing!

Practical- Ya know all those herbs we've been studying. Well, at least where I live it is summertime. So if you're able, even if it is in a small planter in the house, get some herbs and plant them! Basil, lavender, lemon balm, thyme, sage, anything! Plant em and care for them. It can help give you a better understanding of the herb to watch it grow and care for it!

Thursday - Candles and incense and crystals, OH MY!

Practical - Okay, so its not all writing and research for this challenge. Getting your hands dirty is sometimes the best way to learn! So get a ritual, or spell (make one if you need to and want to!) and perform it! DO the thing. Whatever it is and whatever it is for, add it to your grimoire if you'd like! My grimoire is a few different books that collectively make up the things that pertains to my practice. I keep my spells and rituals in one book. My information in another. Recipes in yet another. Divination/ dreams in yet another. It's a nice little collection. But however you do it, make a page for your spell or ritual. Do it in your lab book if need be so you can look back at it and change it, expand d on it if need be.

Friday - Music, is it magic?

Practical/ Rest - Is there any music that you use to feel Witchy? Is there any music that helps you get in the zone? Make a playlist, or several if you're extra organized, and just put it on and listen to it. Feel it. Really get into the music.

Research/ New Page - Gem study/ Other - Whether it is the gem you're doing or another form of study, take time to really discover all you can about the topic you've chosen. Myths, legends, practical and magical uses! History, physical properties, all of it!

Gosh that's a lot even this week! I'm proud of all of you keeping up with this challenge and can't wait to keep going for the second half of the year! We're nearing that halfway point! Keep up the great work everyone and if you ever have any suggestions or ideas of just want to chat about the challenge, reach out to me on this blog or my main @thehazeldruid

Good luck and happy crafting witches!

-Mod Hazel

[leo-fie]

Is Furiosa another Fury Road? (Guide of autistic folk)

Yes and no!

Furiosa has a different structure. Rather than a relentless chase for most of the movie, it's an episodic narrative over about 15 years. So it's not getting your heart pumping constantly with barely any breathers in between. It has actual plot. And dialogue.

That's not to say that Fury Road is lacking in any way. Rather the fact that it's basically a silent film with barely any plot, but loads of story, is it's greatest strength.

Visually it’s very similar. I don’t know if the filmmakers reused the cars they build for Fury Road or if they rebuild them, but there are several vehicles we already know. I don’t doubt for a second that most of the stuff we see on screen is practical. It has a similar feel of realness than Fury Road. Almost, more on that later.

Because we know where Furiosa ends up and the filmmakers know we know, they expect us to have watched Fury Road (or the many dissections of it, like by Innuendo Studios) recently. Fury Road is the Tankobon, Furiosa is the Databook.

Yes, we get more information about basically every aspect of the wasteland. We see more of the Citadel, we see the Bulletfarm and Gastown. We learn more about the inner workings of Immortan Joe's system. Sadly we do not see how our beloved War Rig gets build. But it's predecessor.

Furiosa expects the audience to pay close attention. The setting and pay-off, the flow of the action, the faces of characters, everything shown will come back in some way. That is of course just basic film craft, but even the simple things are nice if they are done well. I only saw Furiosa once so far, but I’m fairly certain repeat viewings will only reveal more nice setings and pay-offs, instead of plot holes.

Now to the feel. Because I’m not used to seeing movies on the big screen, it’s possible that the following is just me. But I thought the visual style of Furiosa leaned more into the hyper-real, almost mythical or into magical realism. Of course Fury Road already had the colour grade cranked up to where the sand was orange and fire was blood red. But it still felt incredibly real and tactile. Which is what set it apart back then from the shiny CGI of superhero movies. There were still weird elements in Fury Road, Max’s indestructibility, the sudden sandstorm with a lightning tornado in it, etc. But Furiosa in its visuals leans in a little bit more.

Could be because the story is canonically told to us by the History Man. Could be that the sweeping vistas of various locations are more clearly computer generated due to the sheer scale. Could be the camera work. Could be that we spend a lot more time in the actual fortresses of the wasteland, rather than just the War Rig, which we know to be a real object. Could be me.

I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m saying it’s different. The shot in the trailer, of young Furiosa picking a peach, that feeling is what I’m talking about.

Also the music. Tom Holkenborg returns for the music, but there is very little of it. I didn’t really pay attention much, but the massive Fury Road score is missing almost completely. Or I didn’t notice. I’m not a music person.

Anyway: Go watch it in the cinema, if you’re able. It’s an incredibly well made action blockbuster that takes full advantage of decades of lore. It’s firing on all cylinders. It explains the world of Fury Road more, but doesn’t get dry or takes away the intrigue. All the actors showed up for it. Anya Taylor-Joy is great, we all know that. Chris Hemsworth gives Dementus so much personality and gravitas that I only now realize he would have ended as a Joker-clone with another actor. John Burke as Praetorian Jack has a couple minutes and a couple lines and he makes it count. We also have returning actors such as Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Angus Sampson as Organic Mechanic, John Howard as the People Eater. Sadly Richard Carter (the Bullet Farmer) and Hugh Keays-Byrne (Immortan Joe) could not return.

[rudycomics]

Rudy Recs: Witch Watch (and its bittersweet love story)

I've written in the past before about some of the things I've been reading in shonen jump, You and I are Polar Opposites as an example, and the current generation of manga in their lineup right now has some interesting stuff going on. Somehow, Witch Watch is not one of the manga I hear other people talking about as often as the others and I think that's a real shame!

Kenta Shinohara has 2 award winning manga under his belt and even though his concepts don't have this really intense fantastical hook and his art isn't clamoring for attention in the ways things like Chainsaw Man or Dandadan do, I think Witch Watch has incredible range. It's part romance, part slapstick comedy/gag manga, and part shonen battle manga all together, bouncing back and forth between these different styles each chapter.

I always felt like it was just really solidly put together and consistently entertaining (except for when the story focuses on some side characters writing fan doujinshi which bores me to DEATH), but the thing that made me feel like I needed to write about it was the way the series handles the romance between the two main characters, Nico, the witch given a prophesized control over every type of magic, and Morihito, her childhood friend and chosen protector because he happens to be one of the last Ogres in the world.

I'm going to be talking spoilers for things that happened in recent chapters, so be warned!

I will put a warning when I get to it, but I like writing about these things because I personally think getting someone to gush about specific instances of well executed craft gets me more interested in checking out new things than anything else.

The basic setup to their romance is that Nico has a crush on Morihito (which she calls Moi and I'll use this nickname for convenience) and she begins living with him as her mother received a prophecy that some evil force will try to use Nico and her unnatural powers for evil purposes that will ultimately bring her harm in the process. Moi is chosen to be Nico's familiar to protect her from whatever this vague danger may end up being, but we see their personalities clash right away. She's very aware of him and he seems very stone-walled and closed off, despite their being some sort of connection between them from childhood.

The two get into a lot of wacky situations as Nico attends school and continuously uses her powers to try to help classmates with their personal troubles and they make some new friends along the way with their own special powers. The household of just the two of them grows into a house of 4 boys and Nico, with two other girls making frequent appearances. We learn about all these characters and their quirks and see how they are all invested in helping Nico try to form a relationship with Moi. It's not until a good handful of chapters later that we learn that in typical Nico fashion, she had somehow ended up putting a curse on Moi when they were children that locked Moi into being "best friends forever" with Nico, essentially kneecapping any romantic growth from sprouting from Moi.

It's not that important to what I wanted to talk about, but I do think this is such a fun story device because it completely fits in line with everything we've learned about Nico and what every wacky situation stems from in this series: Nico somehow uses her magic in ways that challenge the intuitive way the powers would seem to work and creating unintended effects on top of what the power is supposed to do. Nico's bond with Moi ever since they were children has also become the reason that nothing will ever happen between them.

EXCEPT... All of their new friends have sussed the situation out and form a plan to break through the curse and free Moi to accept the feelings that are actually blocked off inside his heart that they all know are there. They even have this fun visual metaphor of a heart with a valve leaking romantic feelings that gets repeated all through this arc.

They try some things to get Moi to over flow with feelings faster than the curse can repress them which is fun but ultimately fruitless, only for Moi to accidentally being able to listen in to Nico tell everyone that she loves him because of all his flaws that are center to his insecurities that make him close up. It's a beautiful moment that caps it off with using that visual metaphor again to really push emotion to the reader and I thought this was so effective!

From here on, I think what I want to talk about is spoilery enough that I should put a marker here for people that don't want to see anymore before reading:

**SPOILER WARNING!!**

The two both have feelings for each other at this point and Moi wants to confess to Nico now, but tragedy strikes as the big bad makes his move to attack Nico and friends which ends up costing Moi his life as he gets shot in the chest with a gun. Nico uses her powers to heal him at the cost of something of her own and what she ends up giving up is her time, which includes her memories, and turns back into a 5 year old.

The group find out that Nico can be restored to her natural state by collecting these magic butterflies that escaped from her body during her spell, and here is where I think this series does something that really grabbed me.

I read a LOT of manga. Like, scouring for new stuff to read every day. Comics are my primary source of entertainment and I read a LOT of romance stories. One of the things that I feel like authors have to consider when writing compelling romance is how to get readers to connect with characters enough to also want to see those characters get into a relationship. In general, I think a lot of this connection buildup happens AFTER characters get together and you have to just get accept the weak initial romantic beginning (like Galaxy Next Door for example), OR the story spends its whole lifetime creating their bonds slowly and ends right as they get together which annoys me, personally (hoping this one doesn't do that, but we will have to see).

What I think Witch Watch does here is so striking and unique; Nico and the gang put in so much effort in between their escapades to get these two characters together so that they can be happy. Right when things lock into place, it all comes to a halt and resets, but what doesn't get reset is the readers' understanding and connections to these characters. We're already invested in Nico and Moi and we get a second chance to see these characters form a loving connection in a really unique way that feels unpredictable as Nico slowly regains her age and memories back. It's got a bittersweet tone to it as Moi doesn't get to express his love in the way that he wants to, but we get to see such a complex form of love develop as he takes the role of a caretaker for little Nico. Love is more than romance or attraction and getting a chance to put that trope away for a bit to do something different is so refreshing. It really builds out something so much more complete and more befitting of a seinen maybe, rather than a shonen with fight scenes and mythical characters.

This current arc is the beginning of part 2 of Witch Watch, with the big bad leaving the group alone because Nico is useless to him as a child with no control over magic. We know this peace will come to an end when Nico is restored to her proper age, but we get to see the characters all get up to their silly antics again with child Nico in the mix now. It's a really cool shakeup that adds new life to the slapstick comedy bits that make up most of the story, putting the action in the back seat again for now. This is the most recent chapter at the time of me writing this (chapter 133), and seeing Moi's perspective as the point of view in contrast to Nico's experiences so far is really gripping to me. This final page of the chapter is what did it for me:

It hurts, but it's love. The pain is temporary, all for the goal of being together when it's all over, with a connection deeper than anything that they would have formed otherwise.

Please go give Witch Watch a read! It's really fun!!

[agerehome]

hi! how about headcanons for poly frank and eddie with a so who regresses to a toddler, but also sometimes pet regresses to a dog. theyre nonverbal for both, but for the toddler, they have a paci and a teddy bear they always carry around. and when they are a dog, they act kinda like those large, lazy ones and like to chew and drool on things! and no matter how they regress, physical affection is their favorite. (feel free to ignore if its too long lmao)

So so sorry that i took so long!!

It's not too long!! Thank you for being my first headcannons

Eddie & Frank x S/O (romantic poly) who Age regresses to a toddler & pet regresses{nonverbal for both}

Y/N is gender neutral pronouns!

༄ • -———⌈-⌋———- • ༄

•I believe it took a bit into the relationship before y/n told them about both of the regressions. Of course obviously they're both accepting!!

•def became your caregivers if you wanted them too if you didnt they would have just been chill with you doing your own things no judgment to their partner.

•but for this they're your caregivers! And very sweet about  it

༄ • -———⌈-⌋———- • ༄

Age regression toddler stuff!

•I feel like its a range of 2-4 age wise 

•with being nonverbal you usually keep your paci in 24/7

•And only this one you did have your old paci but i felt like eddie learned to custom decorate one just for you that quickly became your favorite!

•And the teddy you carry around frank puts one of his old butterfly bow ties they no longer wear on the teddy

•both of them smother your forehead and cheeks with kisses, cuddle and care for you lots

•Eddie is designated to keep you distracted if your teddy is in the wash and you regress then. From doing arts and crafts, playing blocks, etc 

•while Frank usually comes in with a fresh clean teddy , butterfly bow tie and all for you to snuggle with when it's nap time or bedtime

•overall very attentive,very caring and you get all the love,cuddles and hugs you could want.

༄ • -———⌈-⌋———- • ༄

Puppy regression!

•this one took a bit more getting use to and of course if your okay with it get toy ideas from barnaby since well he's a big ole dog himself (which i feel like if you trust barnaby def sometimes with him while frank n eddie are busy but you don't wanna be a pup alone)

•You know those human(or well in this case puppet? Lol) size dog beds they def get you one of those to nap/sleep in.

•one rule though when a pup is that you're not allowed in frank's little study cause they love you really but the chance of getting drool on his things or getting chewed on they don't wanna take.

•Eddie loves to treat ya if you are one of those big ole puppies that aren't lap dogs but try to be anyways and smother you with affection and puppy talk.

•Frank takes abit to warm up but geny scratches n pets your head, they have an easier time with you regressing to a toddler, but he loves ya lots to learn how to care for you while you puppy regress too.

•Frank probably looks into safe chew toys or gets ya chewelry when you wanna be more discreet.

•overall all you get just as much love as a pup as well even though there's a learning curve here.

༄ • -———⌈-⌋———- • ༄

In the end these two love you dearly and showers their partner with so much love and affection probably makes an old room into a regression room that mixes both your styles of regression but you usually come right into your guys room during bedtime.

And that i think Eddie takes the change a bit easier then frank but they both just wanna make you happy and loved.

[windvexer]

do you think its good to try doing one spell a week or once every two weeks? as a way to force yourself to practice. what spells would you recommend for that? im so passive i have a hard time thinking what i could do with spells.

Thoughts, in no particular order:

I suspect readers are going to take issue with your use of the word "force," but I empathize with wanting to develop a regular practice and needing a kick in the pants to engage. If you'll give me the time to drone on about what constitutes useful practice, I may have some actually helpful suggestions at the end.

If you're talking about witchcraft as a whole, there is a ton of stuff to do in order to practice and improve skills in sorcery which is not actual spellwork.

Practicing divination, psychism, energy work, and spirit communication (if you believe in spirits) are all useful to learn. They will also help you improve your spellwork (for example, by being able to use divination to clearly understand the outcome of a potential spell; or from being able to use energy work and psychism to "see" a spell as you are casting it).

But for many people, practicing those things often - including casting spells often - can be very draining. So it may be worthwhile to explore other things you can practice, which can still directly improve spellwork: practical crafts (as about any handy skill can be applied to further your magical craft), learning to write and format rituals and spells, studying magical texts, and so on.

Learning your local area and making friends with the land is yet another thing which can vastly improve spellwork, but which in and of itself isn't a spell.

Furthermore, many people may not really consider it to be "spellwork," but working on various magical skills - like crafting tools, amulets, and talismans; developing ritual formats to petition spirits; gaining and working with familiar or helper spirits, and so on, also help improve spellwork.

Consider the utility of learning the land, making friends with a river spirit, ritually collecting a stone from that river, hand-crafting the stone into a piece of jewelry, and finally magically consecrating the jewelry into a powerfully protective amulet. This requires many skills, only one of which is casting an actual spell.

You may also want to consider that if you end up working with a lot of long-term magic, like enchanted amulets and container spells, maintaining those spells is also going to take time and energy - not to mention a place to store them.

Trying to cast two or three spells a month may also cause you to run into issues of verifiability. Was your promotion because of your prosperity spell, your bad-boss-begone spell, or your good luck spell? What about the protection against malice ward, or the road-opener? Good results are good, but it's also good to be able to actually know what is working for you and what isn't. So I think that's something to consider.

If you do not have much experience with spell work, you may not know that spellcasting skills are not automatically interchangeable across types of magic. If you spend a year focusing on quick results spells for small changes in your life, you may get really good at that - but not necessarily good at other more long term forms of magic. It's not a bad thing, but it's good to be aware that you should practice the kind of magic you want to get good at, and not assume those skills will translate to all types of magic.

Then of course there are types of spells meant to be cast over a long period of time. Consider a planetary spell meant to be worked over the same day of the week, for multiple weeks. Would you count that as one spell, or one spell a week?

Well, anyway. All that being said, I do not think it is a bad idea to do a sort of 52 spells a year challenge. I can see a lot of pitfalls, but what's that thing people are always saying? Fuck around and find out? Find out about this, why not.

Now here is my actual answer to your question:

In regards to your passive mindset, try reframing your experiences from "it is what it is" to "I can change that." Start carrying around a notepad and make notes of things in your life that may irritate you, but that you've always just brushed over.

Make a list of all the tools and items you want for your magical practice. If there is something on the list you do not have, you can cast a spell to conjure it into your life.

If there is something on the list you already have, you can cast a spell to magically upgrade or improve it.

You can get practice by enchanting spell vessels without actually activating them. A simple example is a prosperity candle - you can enchant it and store it for later use. (This also gives experience with learning how to store magical items). Consider the utility of enchanting planetary candles under the correct day and hour, and storing them for when you need them.

If you just want to work magic and have no particular need, you can plan ahead and capitalize on opportune timings. Consider spending a month crafting a ward vessel, then waiting to enchant it on a very good astrological appointment.

If you've got local friends who are spiritually inclined, you can also prepare spell vessels for them. If you are considering a future in being the "village witch," this is very good practice for learning how to instruct others how to care for and use spell vessels that someone else has prepared.

You can cast the same spell over and over, including on the same spell vessel. So maybe you cast a prosperity spell candle and it doesn't seem to work. You can recast the identical spell over and over again as many times as you want. A good spell is like a good recipe - you can make it as many times as you please, and the more you work with it, the better you get at casting it. So you don't need to find 52 unique spells - and you might be better off sticking with a few you want to learn to work well.

If you've enchanted an amulet or talisman or container, you can also re-cast the same spell on it over and over again.

Other magical activities, like learning auric shielding and energy glamours, are very good for practice. These types of magic tend to fade quickly (often, within a day) and are a very fun way to experiment with magic.

Witches often enjoy little "tricks" to make their life easier, such as ensuring a parking spot is held free at a busy lot. These tricks are rarely cast with a candle and incantations, but rather are worked up in the moment, even in public spaces. Learning to develop a few tricks for yourself is fun, and very practical.

[shizuokadivision]

It was a lot of work getting his giant crate of a gift and himself into Shizuoka, much less into the Kito family's manor. Yet here he was, standing alone in the spacious tatami room. Yano felt just an ounce of stress lifted from his shoulders now that he had accomplished the first step to his plans. Only an ounce, seeing that he knew this birthday surprise could easily be a big mistake on his part. Putting aside the fact that he was in some strange, unspecified relationship with a yakuza boss, he was growing more worried that the pounding in his chest was not fear, but something much, much worse.

“This is just courtesy. The Shizuoka team always spoils me f-for some reason… I gotta return the favor. Yeah, that's all. Nothing else. Just hand over the present and do my thing-”

“Hey there, Yano.”

The poor man froze in his spot at the utterance of his name. As Yano turned to face the voice, he couldn't help but shrink into himself once he saw the Kito-gumi boss watching him from the door.

“H-Hey Sakura…”

He stood silently, taking in her appearance. But before any of his mixed thoughts could form Yano began to panic as Sakura slowly approached him. Stopping her from doing or saying anything, the artist grabs her arms to keep her at a distance.

“W-Wait! Don't you want to see my present?” Motioning his head to the large wooden crate, he nervously rambled. “I wanted to get it out of the box before you got here but I guess your men were faster… It's nothing bad! Just needed to be packed well so it wouldn't break…”

With some effort and a lot of complaining that he could get it out for her, Yano revealed a new piece he had crafted: A large decorative mirror with a glass frame. Most strikingly, a large blue dragon sparkled along the left side of the amber frame, its mouth open in a silent cry.

Standing off to the side, Yano let her stare at his work. At that moment he used her distraction to his advantage to bumble around with the last part of the gift… Technically, it was just him, but he was putting in the extra effort of offering himself up with a collar and leash set that quickly fastened around his neck. Clearing his throat, he nervously stepped forward with the chain in hand.

“A-And of course… Knowing you don't really care about that stuff, you can have me… Whatever you want. Just for tonight! I-I can't stay here too long, since I have to be at an auction t-tomorrow. I'm doing this stuff since it's convenient you know? Seeing I am in the city for a few days-”

In an instant the end of the leash was snatched up by Sakura, yanking Yano close in a strangled yelp. Staring up at her, he felt the start of fresh tears collect in the corners of his eyes as all he could gasp under her intense gaze was a bewildered, pathetic, “H…H-Happy birthday?”

“Reika you bitch. You fucking knew didn't you?” Sakura thought as she stared down at Yano. She gave the chain another harsh tug as Sakura imagined the smug look on Reika’s face when she learned she was correct. Still, she wasn’t going to waste the gift Yano was offering to her, and well as much as she hated to admit Reika’s gift was going to be very useful at the moment. 

“I hope you know offering yourself to me like this was dangerous Yano but don't worry I’ll be gentle well at least in the beginning.” Sakura purred. Forcing Yano onto his feet Sakura walked out of the room dragging Yano using the chain collar like he was some sort of dog behind her to her personal quarters not at all caring that quite a few of her men were staring at the scene in front of them. 

“Should we…should we worry for Ietsuna?” Lucille questioned somewhat bewildered at the sight in front of her. 

“Lucy I love you dear but the Boss has been needing something like this for a while now.” Hikaru grinned glad that Sakura was going to get some tonight. 

“Agree but come on not even a little bit of sympathy for the man?” 

“I’m only questioning the Boss’ taste in men.” 

“Fengzhui rude.”

“You can't say you aren't thinking the same thing.” 

“Sensitive crybabies Nurarihyon supposes the Boss could do worse.” 

“Don’t ruin this for her you 5.” Shinji scolded from behind them causing all to slightly jump. “She’s trying her best here even if not what most people expect.”

“Do you have an opinion of this Shinji-san?” Irina questioned.

“My opinion of this is that I would like to get grandchildren.”

“SHINJI-SAN??!!”

[dailycass-cain]

I do apologize for taking so long for this, but I had a rough second half last week and took time to recharge mentally.

That said here are my thoughts on Spirit World #5!

I think the only negatives I have for the issue is that well the next issue is the final one, and I want to know so much! So much more on Xanthe. Spirit World. Jade Court (though we get A LOT of info dump this issue). There's just SO much happening in this series.

Like I really don't want this series to end, and kind of want a sequel series to just be announced. Because writer Alyssa Wong just is giving us so much lore that I want them to continue on. Obviously, the stuff introduced this issue with Xanthe.

But to go deeper into Jade Court and Po Po. Like, they hook me this issue with the revelations of what Po Po is, and I want more. One more issue isn't enough for that.

Xanthe is a character and this series is really making me want to do a deep dive further in Chinese mythology and the like because the stuff Wong has introduced in the series got me craving to learn more and see what they incorporated into this series.

Plus I kind of want to see how Xanthe met John Constantine. More Xanthe interacting with Cass's world. Of course, Cass continued interaction with this side of Chinese mythology. It is all rather exciting for ALL of this.

Like I don't feel cheated at all if Wong doesn't answer the stuff they seeded earlier with Cass having been in this place but losing her memories. Not to mention the warped way she "died". Like I want DC to give Wong just even more glorious room to tell this ALL.

Give me that double dose of Wong with both Cass/Xanthe. Two mini-series by Wong. One being a sequel to this, and the other just letting Wong go to town on a solo Cass series (literally its the character's anniversary). They showed us the readers they write an EXCEPTIONAL Cass.

Cass while her role is mostly downplayed this issue (I don't mind it) with what she gets is still to be freed by Xanthe from the last issue's shenanigans. Do I wish there were more people "tethered" to Cass? Yes (Harper, Tim, Dick, and *ahem* Shiva).

But I'll take my Duke Thomas brotherly crumb THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Also, Babs being more prominent than Bruce too.

I feel like I have to stop gushing on Wong's writing to also give due to artist Haining. What they've done in this series and lead-up? The designs and visuals throughout this series? Like, the way he can switch from comedy to action to horror.

Just really exceptional stuff.

Not to mention the designs he's spitting out with all the members of the Jade Court? Like, given how unique and interesting the visuals set up each member is WHY I want to know more. Add to that the heavy introduced this issue too (I want Cass to fight him).

The same goes to the colors by Sebastian Cheng. They make the art by Haining pop even more and give a visceral feel to what Wong crafts with this world.

Spirit World continues to be this amazing series that should be talked out more. It's introducing a new character in Xanthe, and renewing an old concept for modern audiences. Besides giving us the goods on Cass/John.

I'm truly gonna be sad to see this series go next month. But MAN what a ride this has been! I can't wait to see how this all ends!

[iviarelleblr]

A case study in what may or may not be hyperfixation.

So, every once in a while, like many of us I'm sure, I get seized by an idea, and it will not let me go until I see it through. Today, that was a short series of jumps from problem to solution:

Bought a new tote bag I want to use often -> straps too short to put over my arm -> could make a new long shoulder strap out of fabric -> no matching fabric in mom's stash -> knitting and crochet are too stretchy to make good straps -> ...could I weave something?

So I started googling for stuff like "improvised loom" and discovered cardboard looms are totally a thing! But, I need something on which I can weave a single piece maybe 1.5 meters (~5 feet) long, and cardboard looms seem best set up for like, maybe 15-30 cm (6-12 inches) at most lest the loom bend and the warp threads be too loose and messy. But, in a scrap woodwork loom, there was a really funky heddle piece, and I saw it and said... wait, why couldn't I just have a piece that functions as both heddle and bobbin, to hold the extra length?

So I built myself a one-use cardboard loom. (Pictures taken before gluing, some adjustments were made in assembly like lining up the base pieces.)

Lots of slits in the base piece so I can adjust the warp threads if they're too close together initially or to move to one side or the other if the starting spot becomes unstable. The base will sit in a slot in my lap desk for stability. The bobbin piece will float in my lap or on the floor while I work a weft. It's almost more like a knotwork friendship bracelet setup than a traditional loom.

Will it be perfect? Heck no! But it will be recycling scraps of yarns I already have from old projects instead of throwing them out, and it will be handmade custom work as I learn an entirely new to me craft. Plus, the cardboard just has a little glue to hold the layers together, and can still be recycled if I don't want to hold onto it as proof I Learned A Thing.

It's not even the first time I've made a normally fancy craft tool out of cardboard. Well, last time it also involved a chopstick and a screw hook for picture wire, because I wanted to try spinning some roving I'd acquired too much of for thrummed mittens. And honestly? It might not have much weight, but a chopstick and round of cardboard made a drop spindle that worked just fine to spin up like 200 grams of wool roving. The more it spun, the more weight it had all on its own. I still have that spindle, though roving is pretty expensive to get my hands on these days and I don't have any intention of keeping up the spinning habit.

Make bad art, do it with whatever you have on hand, and wear and display it proudly because you learned something new and made the world a little bit weirder.