#the magic in the mundane

[unearthlycreaturee]

the hocus-pocus of the universe ~Laura Gilpin

[knotty-et-al]

Vanishing memories - shades of shattered deception

puzzling oneself,

piece by piece;

finding remedy

in the process

of coming at peace

with one's own shattered perception:

deceptive, it was.

Now, where to start?

How to assembly the pieces of oneself?

brick by brick;

There is so much life

in-between all these shrapnels.

Coming to realize:

"I was born to destroy,

just as much as I was born to create."

There has been a will

to find a way to unfold oneself,

an intrinsic will to live,

despite all objective and subjective futility.

Life will find its way.

As I wade in swamps of shrapnel,

and while I seem to dissolve

my essence will feed the patterns

that nourish life,

- the flowers, the trees, the birds,...

and my essence will return,

multiplied, feeding on its own,

by giving

and returning.

There is so much magic in the mundane,

so much beauty in the broken.

[2024/07/19]

[caffeccino]

A copic doodle of 'Otai

She's soon to be Sunrise's coworker and pal, but we're a little ways from her in the comic proper

[khaire-traveler]

Specifically referring to a deity worship perspective, the "mundane over magical" mindset is useful...until it isn't. It's a great tool if you tend to overthink what is or isn't a sign, but if you lean too hard into it you run the risk of believing that nothing is a sign or that there is no magic in the world, in any shape or form. This statement was shoved so far down my throat in the beginning of my practice that I've actually had to actively unlearn parts of it because I immediately ignore a sign, interpreting it as a purely "mundane" occurrence. I felt that if I chose to believe it was a sign, it was unrealistic and egotistical of me (these things are not true, btw; believing you received a sign doesn't inherently make you unrealistic or egotistical).

This mindset isn't a fix-all. Sometimes it causes more problems than it solves, by robbing you of your sense of wonder. Remember the importance of "mundane over magical", but don't take it so seriously that you stop seeing any magic in the world around you because magic does exist. It exists in the way the sun shines brightly through tree leaves, it exists in the excited eyes of a dog seeing their owner for the first time in years, it exists in the honey-sweet whistle of a morning songbird. Magic is everywhere, if you look for it, even if it's not in the way often seen in fairytales, and it is, in fact, ok to look for it.

[grotesque-grimoire]

Magical correspondences are only valid within a magic belief structure and have little-to-no validity outside of that structure.

There may be reasons why an herb corresponds to xyz in some belief systems, but that doesn't mean that the herb has those abilities within chemistry and/or medicine.

Don't fucking consume an herb based only on it's magical correspondence.

Do not consume an herb without doing the proper research into interactions, contraindications, side-effects, preparation, and dosage.

Don't start taking herbal medicine without consulting your physician first.

"Witch" and "herbalist" are not synonyms.

"Herbalist" and "doctor" are not synonyms.

"Natural" does not mean "harmless".

Mundane > Magical, always, no exceptions.

[wandering-free-and-queer]

The Mundane Beside the Magical:

You want to learn magic and witchcraft, awesome! Go you! You wanna know what's important though? Learning the mundane at the same time as the magical.

I'm a firm believer in learning as much as you can about the things you're working with. To know a paintbrush, you have to paint. To learn an instrument, you have to play it. Anything you work with is a tool that, in an ideal scenario, will become an extension of yourself. You want to be in tune with your tools, you want to understand them as much as possible. It's learning how the tools respond to your interference. When you know these things inside and out, that, to me, is when you become an expert. Don't just learn the meanings of things, learn the reasons behind the meanings. Look up the etymology of that magic word you saw before you do the spell. Learn the historical uses of that herb and connect that to whatever its correspondence is. Learn why things are the way they are.

You want to learn ocean magic? Learn about the tides while you're at it. Learn how the ocean behaves, understand the sheer power behind the waves, the creatures of the ocean and all of the treasures you can find on the seashore.

Thinking about getting into green craft? Don't just learn about the magical uses of plants, learn about botany, and how to identify plants, understand how plants grow and thrive, and how different plants exist in nature.

Considering animal magic? Learn the Latin name of the species, maybe check out their anatomy while you're at it. Where does this animal find its niche? What does it eat, where does it sleep?

Getting into forest witchcraft? Learn about your local forests and trees. What kinds of forests there are, what preserving a forest can look like. Can you identify any trees of your own? How do different trees propagate?

How about weather magic? Learn meteorology, how to identify storm clouds, what atmospheric pressure does. Start to observe changes in the weather daily, how weather affects the wildlife around you.

Cosmic witchcraft more your vibe? Learn a little about space, study a map of the stars, learn the constellations in your night sky. Branch off into learning astronomy and cosmology, learn about planetary systems other than our own. If you want to keep it basic, learn the time it takes each planet to complete a rotation and revolution.

Crystals seem to be up your alley? Don't stop at the metaphysical properties, learn their scientific properties as well. Where can these crystals be mined? How rare are they? Can you tell the difference between imitations and the real deal? What's their number on the Mohs hardness scale?

Whatever you want to learn, branch out further than the magical. The mundane is just as, if not more important.

~Wander

[oswinsdolma]

the merlin fandom truly are the most unhinged (affectionate) subsect of people on the internet. any other fandom you post a rambling meta post and it will get maybe like two or three notes. say that same thing and tag it #bbc merlin and a tide of furies descend upon it and rip it to shreds hungrily like starved maenads in a bacchanalia. you give these bitches something even resembling literary analysis and they become possessed by a violent hunger and go immediately insane. truly the best way to engage with fandom if you ask me

[sysig]

Blood sugar levels (Patreon)

[unearthlycreaturee]

the hocus-pocus of the universe ~Laura Gilpin

[the-golden-comet]

✨Friday Kiss Tag 💋✨

Hello, lovelies! Happy Friday to you. ❤️

I hope you are all gave yourself kindness and support this week, just as our kissing characters have done. Keep spreading the love, and treat yourselves well so that you may treat others with respect and care 💛💫✨

Thank you to everyone who has tagged me this week: @noxxytocin for a favorites tag, @justabigoldnerd , @jev-urisk , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @aalinaaaaaa , and @pippinoftheshire for a WIP Wednesday tag, @the-inkwell-variable for a Last Line tag, @wyked-ao3 , @gioiaalbanoart , @theink-stainedfolk for a mixed fried writing share, @willtheweaver @ominous-feychild @cowboybrunch and @mysticstarlightduck for your multitags, and @drchenquill for a writing share tag! I appreciate you all 💛✨

For everyone who tagged me this week that I may have missed, thank you so much again! 💛✨

Now, onto the smoochin 💋✨

Rules: From your Story/WIP, share a kiss. It can be any kiss, from familial pecks on the cheek, forehead kisses, platonic smooches, to full-blown makeouts. Spread the love! ❤️

For those of you that don’t have a kiss ready, no worries! You can treat this tag as a writing share instead! 💚

Rules: Share a snippet of your writing!

Draft 2 of YWIMC is almost complete, so I figured I’d celebrate with a smooch from Ali and Noah 🧞‍♂️✨

“‘Uhibuk….” Noah closed his eyes as Ali leaned in for another gentle kiss.

“‘Uhibuk….” Ali whispered against his lover’s luscious lips, connecting them in a slow, methodical rhythm.

‘Ali….’ Noah hummed in his mind as he moaned into the kiss. ‘….make me yours.’

Ali smirked into the kiss as a low rumble escaped his own throat. ‘Is this a wish, Noah, or a command?’

‘A command.’

‘In that case, who am I to refuse?’

Leaving this tag +open and gently alerting the tag list. Happy smoochin, and spread the love far and wide 💛💫✨

✨👇Tag List for writing snippets below. DM me if you’d like to be added👇✨

Tag List for writing tidbits (lmk if you want + or -)

@autism-purgatory , @jev-urisk , @talesofsorrowandofruin , @ragin-cajun-fangirl , @wyked-ao3 ,

@glasshouses-and-stones , @alinacapellabooks , @gioiaalbanoart , @tragedycoded , @deanwax ,

@dyrewrites , @honeybewrites , @drchenquill , @paeliae-occasionally , @lychhiker-writes ,

@thatuselesshuman , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @phynewrites , @zackprincebooks , @fantasy-things-and-such ,

@finickyfelix , @billybatsonmylove , @madi-konrad , @houseplantblank , @far-cry-from-finality ,

@froggy-pposto , @fractured-shield , @avaseofpeonies , @topazadine , @thecoolerlucky ,

@theaistired , @somethingclevermahogony , @noxxytocin , @the-inkwell-variable , @seastarblue ,

@leahnardo-da-veggie , @addicted2coke-theothercoke , @illarian-rambling , @mysticstarlightduck , @the-letterbox-archives ,

@ominous-feychild , @saturnine-saturneight , @words-after-midnight , @hemlocks-grove , @cowboybrunch ,

@yourpenpaldee , @moltenwrites , @pixies-love-envy , @davycoquette , @writeahurricane ,

@nczaversnick , @greenfinchwriter , @oliolioxenfreewrites , @lavender-gloom , @smellyrottentrees ,

@aintgonnatakethis , @thecomfywriter , @pluppsauthor , @michellekarnold , @flurrysahin ,

@authorcoledipalo , @jadeglas , @spookyceph , @astramachina , @48lexr ,

@inseasofgreen , @agirlandherquill , @saebasanart , @leatafandom , @justabigoldnerd ,

@pippinoftheshire , @just-emis-blog, @aalinaaaaa , @badscientist , @dearunreliablenarrator ,

@worlds-tallest-fairy , @rhikasa , @eccaiia , @theink-stainedfolk , @theverumproject ,

@theprissythumbelina , @riveriafalll , @revenancy , @inadequatecowboy , @amielbjacobs ,

@patternwelded-quill , @sugarchains , @garthcelyn , @prettytothink-so , @the-inkwell-variable ,

@winvyre , @speaknowbuckley , @lamuradex , @wintherlywords , @sharkblizzardblogs ,

@dragoninatrenchcoat , @darekasama , @recklessgirl56 , @kokoass , @ziote ,

@paletteofseaglass , @basketcase1880 ,

@twopercentboy , @mxtansy , @menaceofmemory , @unfilteredmoonchild , @blerdsong ,

@iamwhimsy , @beansmakesthings , @birdycage , @tiagems , @narkaholic ,

@irolynn , @petitprincess1 , @macinchiz , @owlsandwich , @stephtuckerauthor,

@sarandipitywrites , @mauvecatfic , @finchwrites , @aurumni-writes , @uiraya ,

@justanotherchangeling , @ahopelessnecromantic , @ryns-ramblings

[caffeccino]

Sunrise plays Connect on repeat for strength, but even that can't fix a broken heart

[lady-quen]

"NO! You cannot roast a hotdog over the Commander's personal portal to hell!"

"For the hundredth time it's NOT a portal to hell, Taimi!"

[moonlit-tulip]

A gimmick which I think would be interesting in a visual novel: small variation in the visual designs of the sprites and backgrounds based on who's narrating a given scene. Not large variations, mostly—buildings are going to have generally the same architecture, people are going to have generally the same outfits, et cetera—but lots of details shifting around on the margins, showing the texture of the characters' thought-processes through the visual design of the world as they see it, rather than only through the text of their narration.

So, for example, one could have one viewpoint character be unusually faceblind, and portray this by having all the sprites have Same-Face Syndrome when viewed from their perspective, even as they hold onto more variation face-wise in everyone else's perspectives. One could have one viewpoint character who's unusually conscious of the fine details of their physical environment, and portray this by drawing the environment-art with much more fiddly detail when in their perspective, showing wood-grain and electrical wiring and other such things which are abstracted away in others' perspectives of the same areas. Et cetera.

[mariyekos]

I like to imagine Dante's able to use some basic magic beyond just typical demonic stuff. In the opening of DMC1, a magic circle appears below Trish when Dante shoots the motorcycle back at her, so I like to think Dante knows some basic spells, wards, and the like. For the most part he uses it for little things like making a special lock for his Devil Arm vault, maybe heating up soup or a drink that's gone cold, and so on, rather than any combat things. Dante's spells are not at all refined and he doesn't have a natural talent for it, per se, but he has a lot of power he can put into things so he often ends up brute forcing whatever it is. It's not necessarily efficient, but it works, and that's all he cares about. He's not really interested in most precise or specific things.

Vergil on the other hand has a lot more control and a much greater interest in magic in general. A post DMC5 Vergil (and pre DMC3) would use magic a lot more often, and without as much prep. He spent a lot of time learning different charms etc. to use in daily life, and he's a lot more elegant about it. Some he learned when on the run and trying to hide from demons, while others he learned when trying to track down Sparda, and others still he learned for purely convenience reasons. Post DMC5 he gets a lot more into it than he did pre DMC3 when it was more a thing of survival, even if it had the convenience aspect back then too. He's the kind of person who would learn spells for the sake of knowing them, and while he prefers using demonic abilities in combat, he might try to learn a magical combat spell or two just to see what it's like. He mostly sticks to practical things though (which sit on the border of practicality, but he considers them practical, uses them often, and makes Dante's magic look like child's play).

On the magical third (regrown!) hand, Nero's absolutely horrible at magic, to the point of not being able to do basically anything. He's got the magical reserves, but unlike Vergil who can cast precise spells with relatively little effort, or Dante who gets through spells by basically overloading them until they work, Nero just can't get magic to work for him at all. Lessons with Vergil end with him stomping out when he gets fed up with Vergil commenting on how easy it should be, while attempts to get Dante to explain how he casts magic end in frustration when Dante's explanations basically start and end at "I dunno, it, it just works." Sure Nero can memorize and draw a warding sigil perfectly, but any and all attempts to get it to actually do anything end in failure.

Kyrie, in a reveal that surprises everyone, most of all herself, is apparently extremely talented at magic, which she does not know until she sees Nero trying and failing to activate a warding sigil Vergil taught him, puts a finger on it so she can trace over it as she reviews Nero's work in case he messed something up, and inadvertently activates it. After that they end up doing some testing and discover Kyrie is a natural when it comes to magic. The only problem is that while casting spells, activating sigils, and the like come easily to her, her magical reserves are rather small, limiting what she's able to do. When she first activates the sigil Nero had drawn, she ends up unable to get up and Nero has to carry her to bed (which she insists he doesn't have to do, because she just needs a minute to catch her breath, but he insists on)

Nico is stoked to hear about this and ends up figuring out a way to essentially fit Kyrie and Nero with a magic converter that allows Kyrie to draw on the magical reserves Nero can't utilize so that she can use them for whatever she wants to. While Kyrie isn't someone who really cares to use magic for things in her daily life like Dante and Vergil, she does use it to make little charms for the kids, and to establish wards around the house to protect them from demon attacks and other small misfortunes. She and Vergil end up bonding a little bit as he teaches her the spells and other bits of magic Nero was never able to pick up on.

(Vergil himself feels a mixture of pride at how quickly she picks up on things with his instruction, and jealousy when he sees how good she is at things first or second try when he knows it took him a good five or ten attempts to get it down when he was first learning. Kyrie notices and tells him that he's still much better than her in the long run since he's able to use magic without needing a separate "battery" to power him, but Nero absolutely digs into Vergil about it when Kyrie isn't there. Dante meanwhile finds it all hilarious. But he and Nero are pretty proud of Kyrie too.)

[jasper-pagan-witch]

My best advice for advancing mages of any stripe: Get off of social media and out of the "New Age & Spirituality" section of the bookstore, as these things are so focused on the basic stuff. Don't hold yourself back at the 101 level forever.

Instead, find people you disagree with on how magic works. Discuss topics and enjoy your differences.

Use things for magic that other people won't understand.

Find or make up the most fucked up magic thing you can think of and work from there.

The more your craft, path, or other form of magic deviates from the "normal" 101 stuff, the better.