#Episode: Wizard Underground

[toa-archive]

Couldn't crosspost this yesterday due to feeling awful and turns out had forgotten to add it to the move over list too. Whoops. Ah well since it's been requested might as well fix that now.

Something curious you might notice in the Wizards episode Wizard Underground are these wand designs that pop up on the various monitors. Not only that, there are strange purple light effects as well that appear to be more fancy than anything. Weirdly specific, right?

Well there's a reason for it! As is often the case not just in the Tales of Arcadia franchise but animation in general what you're seeing is in fact repurposed concept art! Even more specifically, it's from this sheet showing Zoe's wand by Isaac Orloff. Prop is still being used by the Technomancers but it'll always be hers in a sense.

Source

How can we be so sure it's for Zoe and not anybody else? Well it's that arm being used for scale. A perfect match for the Camelot!Zoe orthographic by Andy Murray and also further confirmation, outside the small cameo, that model exists :)

Source

[stars-and-darkness]

the thing about caitlyn fucking kiramman is that i don't even LIKE her, but i also can't stop thinking about her. she could've been SO GREAT. like in s1 i didn't particularly care about her (she was just ... there. there was nothing offensive about her character, she just didn't stand out among all the others in the main cast), but in s2???? so much of what goes on with her in s2 is just so utterly delicious and right up my alley ... in theory. in concept.

but the execution is just so utterly atrocious, and combined with the rest of s2's general idiocy, it makes me so furious, but i still can't not think about the WHAT IF, ya know?

what if we maybe deferred the magical hive mind robots and the wizard cult and the multiverse to the next show (or never ... never's good) and the focus remained on piltover and zaun. what if we had a season or two more, so that the necessity of a redemption within the next six 40 min episodes didn't bog cait down (or ... you know. no redemption arc. i actually prefer that. let her be evil, lmao.)

if they had spent the time and the effort into actually exploring her inner world in order for us to see her slow descent into fascism, it could've been SO GOOD. if they had taken this kind, painfully naive yet so well-intentioned girl who descended down into zaun and saw the suffering inflicted by the system she herself has benefited from her entire life, put her through an event that actually challenges both her ingrained kindness and the newly-formed awareness of the oppressive dynamic that permeates the society she lives in and then asked the question: is caitlyn kiramman the sort of person who can suffer a huge personal loss like her mother due to this exact oppressive dynamic and still come out recognising that it's a symptom of the system her mother, PERSONALLY, propagated?

and if the answer is no, like s2 attempts to do, if, as someone much funnier than i am said somewhere on this webbed site, she takes zaun lives matter out of her instagram bio ... that's okay. hell, for me, a known enjoyer of characters who are terrible people, it's excellent. it takes the s1 character i didn't much care for and makes her into someone i would be extremely intrigued by.

but ... that's not what happens. or rather, an arc that would require a lot of work to do justice is so condensed that she goes from 0 to 100 in one 40 min episode, and i understand why it's so hard to swallow for so many people. and the worst part is that i can SEE the outline of what could've been, and it makes the switch that much more jarring. cait seemed to be going in one direction, until the memorial attack when she did a complete 180. worse than that, when she decided to form her sexy lil copaganda war crimes task force, she immediately pulled out the big guns.

(i have seen ... so much discussion on how much harm unleashing the grey on zaun actually did, and in case my opinion is somehow relevant to this discussion let me just come out and say:

how do you think gas works? we are shown, explicitly on screen, cait and the war crimes gang release it in the streets of an underground city where her family controls the vents. i think any discussion that doesn't conclude with yes, caitlyn did in fact bring unfathomable harm to hundreds if not thousands of people is a waste of time.)

more than that, while cait herself doesn't live in our world, the creators who wrote and animated this, and the viewers who saw it do, and we all have a cultural awareness of chemical warfare and its associations. it's insane to me that people go against common sense to defend her here, both because i don't think it can be defended unless you have a HEAVY case of fave-can-do-no-wrong goggles on, but also for me personally because ... why would we want to? she's finally being interesting.

all that said, and i cannot overemphasise this enough, gassing zaun should've been a moral event horizon for cait. it should've been the point at which even the people around her--most notably, bloody VI--turn on her. it should not have been the very first thing she does.

hell, she establishes the task force specifically BECAUSE she believes that the council attack, in mel's own words, was an act of one deranged individual, and she wants a small force that can extract/kill jinx, rather than a full-scale invasion that is going to harm innocents. so WHY is the first thing she and the task force do EXACTLY THAT?

the war crimes task force should have been shown to struggle in zaun for an extended period of time, during which cait grows more strained, as do her relationships with her loved ones. she should have been shown struggling with ptsd from the dinner party and guilt over not taking that shot at jinx when she had the chance. vi is the one who convinced her not to--what if she finds herself blaming her for that. what if vi (this post isn't about her so i'm struggling so bad not to derail it completely but oh my poor girl what did they do to you) is pulling away from her, more and more conflicted about what they're doing, both on a systematic level as enforcers rampaging through the undercity and on a personal level as an older sister (just give me vi actually struggling with being an enforcer, PLS, give me her feeling cornered and seeing no other way forward, give me SOMETHING). it would bring in an interesting bit of interpersonal conflict for caitvi that isn't predicated on cait fucking punching vi only for it to never come up again.

point is, we should have seen cait struggling under the weight of being the head of her house, the weight of expectations, the weight of her guilt, we should have seen her barely holding together and feeling like everyone in her life is against her (again! vi!), BEFORE she makes the choice to unleash the grey, to do exactly what she formed the task force to prevent, to take something her mother built to actually do some good (pls insert all the arguments why the kiramman vents are fucked up actually here, i'm too tired to bring them up) and turn it against zaunites, in her mother's memory.

moral. event. horizon.

(insert here something about how jinx turning the grey back onto piltover should've been a major moment for HER, and something to actually lock in all those unconnected and thematically insignificant cait-jinx parallels. how we should've seen her struggling just as much with her own rage and hate, which all stems from guilt--because cait isn't the only one who lost a parent that night. how that moment should have been a CHOICE jinx makes, not just a terrorist attack but the moment in which she chooses to fight for zaun--for selfish reasons, of course, because she's not an idealist, she's not a revolutionary--but does her motivation really matter if the result is an actual resistance movement? look, i have even more thoughts on jinx than i do cait, and if i go on i'll never stop so let's just--let's just go back to cait.)

instead, the gassing is the first thing she does, it's shown to us within a single music video, and then she's being hailed as a dictator. and as rushed a job as the first three episodes do in establishing how she got there, what really pisses me off about cait in s2 and what prompted me to furiously type up a post about a stupid cartoon when i should be translating latin texts for class is ... what now?

the timeskip between ep 3 and 4 is the most fascinating bit here! here's where she's at her angriest--her guilt is eating her alive, because she didn't take that shot, because she alienated vi (what a nice way to say she punched her and left her curling up in pain, alone, wow), everything that made her angry is still there, she still sees jinx's face in her nightmares, except now she has the ultimate power. she has avenues opened up to her that she didn't up until now, and she has ambessa whispering in her ear, fuelling her rage for her own purposes.

this should have been caitlyn at her worst. just as angry as before, just as guilty, but with the full power of a city under martial law under her fingertips.

in a world where we have revolutionary!jinx, we could've had the scene where cait lets ambessa put the Cloak of Dictatorship around her shoulders intersped with flashes of jinx digging out silco's old coat and shrugging it on. caitlyn's cloak hangs heavy and just keeps dragging her deeper underwater as she chokes on her own rage, but jinx nuzzles into the collar of her coat. caitlyn's cloak is a shackle; jinx's coat is a comfort as much as a promise.

in a world where we have revolutionary!jinx, we could've had cait have actual war on her hands.

(it doesn't even have to be jinx. i mean, i WANT it to be, but the war could happen without her, too. i just need IT to happen instead of arcane age of ultron.)

and this could do wonders for her character from so many directions--it could fuel her hatred more because zaunites aren't just rolling over as they did when she gassed them, now they're fighting back, and they're fighting dirty. it could push her deeper into ambessa's embrace because she sure as hell doesn't know anything about warfare, so isn't it lucky she has a decorated general as her mentor?

this is where i get to one more thing i'd have loved to see and that's ... no redemption. not every villain needs redemption, and they sure as hell don't need it to be sympathetic.

because arcane only had two seasons to work with, and because we HAD to have cait redeemed by the end, we get to see none of what would realistically have been her worst era. instead, when we meet her again in ep4 she is already tired, already done with all this, already disillusioned with ambessa. the most interesting part of her arc is completely skipped over in favour of a "redemption arc", and i use the that phrase HIGHLY ironically, given that it was less of an arc and more of someone from the writers' room pointing a gun at my forehead and threatening to shoot if i didn't agree with them that she was redeemed now and that it's all roses and daisies from now on.

ultimately ... i don't WANT her redeemed, but if we must, then i wish more thought and time and effort went into it, just as i wish it did with her descent.

and you know what? caitlyn as the main villain of s2 might've fit nicely into the whole theme of monster you created from s1. of how revolutionary ideas are significantly easier to hold onto when someone you love isn't at stake. you know, all the things that would make the big-collar-and-injured-eye visual parallels s2 draws to silco actually make a lick of sense.

s2 cait stumbles through a multi-season arc in nine episodes, and about as gracefully as a broken-legged foal.

[koifishstick]

THE "HOGWARTS: THE REALITY SHOW" FILM CREW

a hogwarts university club. master list

deep within the hallowed halls of hogwarts, where magic and mystery intertwine, there exists a group of students so secretive and audacious, they’ve created an underground sensation unlike anything seen before: hogwarts: the reality show. this clandestine group of aspiring filmmakers and drama enthusiasts has managed to sneak cameras around the school, capturing the juicy, over-the-top drama that naturally unfolds between students—unbeknownst to the rest of the school.

CREW. the crew behind hogwarts: the reality show is an eclectic group of students with an array of talents, from charming charisma to quick thinking and advanced spellwork. they’re united by a single goal: to document the true, unfiltered chaos of student life at hogwarts and turn it into a wizarding world version of reality television.

the crew operates under the radar, gathering footage of everything from quarrels in the great hall to romantic mishaps to outrageous dueling club antics. they’re a tight-knit team that meets in secret, using a complex system of magic to avoid detection. enchanted cameras, disguised as everyday objects like enchanted portraits or ordinary books, are scattered all over hogwarts. in corridors, in the library, even in the bathroom—no moment of high drama goes unrecorded. they’ve even enchanted a few house-elves to help them retrieve footage from hard-to-reach spots (for a small “tip,” of course).

FILMING. the group’s success is built on their ability to stay invisible. they’ve spent countless hours perfecting their spells, using invisibility charms, silent levitation, and even a few disillusionment charms to follow their subjects undetected. their cameras are so discreet, the students they film rarely notice they’re being followed. a mirror that captures reflections but doesn’t show the people around it, a floating book that records audio from across the room—all of these tools come together to create an impressive “spy” network that lets the crew capture every emotional outburst, dramatic conversation, and spontaneous outburst of magic.

but it’s not all magic tricks and secrecy. the crew has also learned to leverage their relationships with certain students who crave the spotlight. these students often “accidentally” find themselves in situations that are tailor-made for hogwarts: the reality show, providing prime footage for the crew to edit into explosive episodes.

THE SHOW. the episodes of hogwarts: the reality show are carefully curated to deliver maximum entertainment. each episode is full of dramatic moments, epic confrontations, and carefully constructed narrative arcs that highlight the larger-than-life personalities of the hogwarts student body. the crew edits the footage into mini-drama documentaries, making sure to emphasize every bit of conflict and awkwardness.

for example, an episode might start with the tension between two rival students—perhaps a gryffindor and a slytherin—who’ve been feuding over something trivial, like a stolen spellbook or an accidental hex. the episode will slowly build, cutting between their conversations, the gossip spreading through the halls, and snippets of their magical mishaps (a misplaced charm that causes a group of students to uncontrollably burst into song, for example).

each episode ends with a cliffhanger, of course. will the two rivals make amends, or will their rivalry escalate into an all-out duel in the great hall? will the romantic interest between two students bloom into something more, or will one of them get embarrassed by an ill-timed love potion?

but the drama isn’t confined to just arguments and crushes. there are episodes about classes gone wrong—like the time a potions class accidentally turned half the students into chickens (a very juicy episode) or the infamous dueling club drama that involved an impromptu duel between the heads of houses over a disagreement about students’ “fighting styles.” some episodes even delve into the day-to-day struggles of hogwarts students, like trying to avoid being caught by professor snape while sneaking into the restricted section of the library, or attempting to complete a homework assignment while under the influence of an accidental sleeping charm.

BROADCASTING. the true brilliance of the crew is how they’ve managed to broadcast the episodes to the student body—discreetly, of course. they’ve enchanted an old, forgotten magical mirror in the common room of each house to display the episodes during the most unexpected times—usually when students are relaxing between classes or during late-night study sessions. the mirrors are programmed to show the latest episode as a “random” event, though the students quickly figure out that the episodes are highly anticipated.

sometimes, during dinner in the great hall, an enchanted mirror will flash to life, casting shadows of hogwarts: the reality show onto the walls, much to the amusement (or horror) of those featured. no student is safe from the show’s scrutiny, but it’s all in good fun—mostly. many students laugh it off, while others cringe and whisper about who might be next to have their most embarrassing moment aired for all to see.

the episodes are released weekly, but the production crew always leaves little surprises for their viewers. occasionally, they’ll leak a “bonus” episode that wasn’t meant to air yet, offering an even more unfiltered look at what’s really happening behind the scenes at hogwarts.

IMPACT. despite the secrecy and the drama, the show has united the student body in a unique way. students gossip about the latest episodes, discuss their favorite moments, and speculate about who’s going to be featured next. the crew is careful to keep the show lighthearted, so even if some students are caught in less-than-flattering situations, they know that it’s all in the name of entertainment.

however, as the episodes gain popularity, there’s growing concern about who might start catching on. a few professors have become suspicious, and some students are beginning to notice that certain events seem to have a way of getting “perfectly captured” on film. will the crew’s secret remain intact, or will their reality TV empire come crashing down?

the question looms: will hogwarts: the reality show ever face the wrath of those who prefer their drama to remain unseen? or will it continue to thrive, capturing the chaotic heart of hogwarts for years to come? one thing’s for sure—the drama is only just beginning.

[sonicranger1]

Okay so remember this post by Aaron Waltke? That contained this image

Well I thought since it isn’t in the best reading quality, that i would retype everything to make it easier since i think it contains a lot of cool stuff so-

WIZARDS - SEASON GRID

Date: 6/14/18

Logline

101 SPELLBOUND: MERLIN summons our heroes to Camelot to save the world from an ancient evil- a trio of wizards known as THE ARCANE ORDER, who are pursuing the Trollhunters.

We learn the secret history of wizards, Merlin and MORGANA.

Notes for 101

- The tale is interrupted when the Arcane Order attacks Camelot. In the magical chaos, DOUXIE, ARCHIE, CLAIRE and STEVE escape into the past.

- In the present, TOBY, BLINKY, AARGH, MERLIN and a FROZEN JIM are pursued by the Arcane Order and THE BLACK KNIGHT.

102 HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Stuck in Medieval Camelot, Douxie and Claire must help PAST MERLIN construct the Amulet and find a way home, all while keeping their time-traveling secret.

Meanwhile in the present, our heroes protect Jim from the Black Knight and the Arcane Order, and go to KREL for help.

Notes for 102

- Douxie encounters his past self. hilarity and mistaken identities ensue.

- Feeling powerless without her Shadow Staff, Claire wonders if they can change the past.

- IN THE PAST: Our heroes meet a young would-be Troll Wizard, CALLISTA.

103 LADY OF THE LAKE: Looking for a way home, Douxie, Claire and Steve seek out the LADY OF THE LAKE- but she’s revealed to be a dangerous monster.

Meanwhile in the present: Toby and the team head to the ruins of Trollmarket seeking a cure for Jim. There they encounter: STRICKLER.

Notes for 103

- Eager to empower herself, Claire asks Douxie to tutor her in the way of magic.

- Now aware of our heroes’ plan, Morgana steals the - Daylight stone, preventing the creation of the Amulet.

- During their adventure, Claire and Douxie connect with the Arcane Order’s ICE WIZARD. This will pay off with them joining the heros later in the season.

104 BATTLE ROYALE: Arthur hosts a festival to raise his Kingdom's spirits, but Douxie worries they need to get the Daylight stone back before THE BATTLE OF KILLAHEAD BRIDGE. Our heroes are pulled to compete, but a Gumm-gumm attack turns the contest into something more deadly.

Notes for 104

- Steve, now a KNIGHT, competes alongside the other KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE.

- This episode sets the table for the Battle of Killahead Bridge.

- IN THE PRESENT: Our heroes learn the Black Knight and the Arcane Order wants Jim’s Amulet to resurrect Morgana.

105 BACK TO THE PRESENT: Douxie and Claire must ensure Gunmar is defeated at Killahead, the Amulet is created, DEYA is chosen, Morgana is sealed away and they safely get home.

Meanwhile in the present, our heroes are in a final standoff against the Arcane Order to prevent them from getting Jim and the Amulet.

Notes for 105

- Arthur heroically “dies” in the Battle of Killahead Bridge, a setup for his return as the Black Knight in the second half.

- IN THE PRESENT: Though our heroes fend off the Arcane Order, a weakened Jim is taken by the Black Knight.

106 BREAKING AND ENTERING: With our heroes reassembled in PRESENT DAY, Jim and his Amulet are taken by the Arcane Order. Our heroes attempt to sneak into Morgana’s FLYING CASTLE to rescue him- but to their surprise, Jim is corrupted into a BEAST.

Victorious, the Arcane Order uses the Amulet to free MORGANA from the Shadow Realm and escape.

Notes for 106

- Our heroes get unlikely help from OLD CALLISTA, who seeks them out in present day as she pursues the Arcane Order.

- Morgana plans to usher in a chaotic age of magic by breaking MERLIN’S SEALS, Ancient relics he used to lock away magic from other wizards.

- After his Amulet is taken, Jim becomes vulnerable to the Black Knight’s corruption and he transforms into a hulking beast, serving Morgana.

107 WIZARD UNDERGROUND: With Morgana free and Merlin unsure what to do, Douxie and the others seek answers to stop her and save Jim in a modern day WIZARD TOWN hidden amongst the humans- but they soon discover Douxie, Merlin and Claire are less than welcome there.

Notes for 107

- We learn Morgana and The Order have come to the same wizard town, in pursuit of the FIRST SEAL which is hidden there.

- Among the modern wizards is the RECORD STORE GIRL. She and the others there distrust Merlin, because he banished them during Arthurian times.

- Note: the seals are physical objects, hidden around the world, each representing a type of elemental magic used by the wizards of the Arcane Order.

108 DINNER WITH A DEMIGOD: Our heroes discover the SECOND SEAL is held by an all-powerful DJINN. In his domain, they can’t use magic and are at the mercy of his crazy whims. Heroes and villains must undergo his strange tests of worthiness to get the relic.

Meanwhile, the supercharged ICE WIZARD unleashes a BLIZZARD across Arcadia.

Notes for 108

- Elsewhere, the Ice Wizard’s powers are unleashed by activating the FIRST SEAL. He loses control and the Wizard Town is caught in an endless snowstorm, and only TOBY and his team can stop him by showing him the error of his ways.

109 DRAGON’S DEN: The THIRD SEAL is guarded by an ancient dragon- one Archie knows all too well… his father. Douxie must make a hard decision on whether to slay the creature, or allow Morgana’s victory.

In the heat of battle, The Black Knight reveals himself to be an undead KING ARTHUR, striking down Merlin.

Notes for 109

- After the Ice Wizard’s defeat in the previous episode, Morgana worries her plan is in jeopardy and offers to take the Arcane Order’s power for her own

- MERLIN DIES tragically, and our heroes- especially Douxie- deal with the loss

110 THE BATTLE FOR MAGIC: With Merlin’s seals open, Morgana and the Arcane Order are nearly unstoppable. Douxie, Claire and our heroes battle for the fate of magic and the world.

Notes for 110

- An epic sky castle battle ensues between Camelot and Morgana’s Tower.

- Douxie and Claire become their own wizards.

- The power of the seals is too much for Morgana to control. In the end, she loses her magic. Some of the Arcane Order fall, some seek redemption.

- In a moment of desperation, our heroes call for reinforcements, which arrive from New Trollmarket and Akiridion-5.

- Using her newfound magic, Claire removes the beastly corruption from Jim (who turns back to human). Upon doing so, the Amulet chooses Claire as the next Trollhunter.

NOTE - REMOVE CLAIRE GETTING AMULET

TALES OF ARCADIA: THE MOVIE: The seals are broken, the titans are unleashed on Arcadia. Our heroes form an uneasy alliance with Morgana in a battle to save our world.

Douxie and Morgana team up to undo the destruction by returning to the past and changing fate itself, creating a new reality for everyone.

Notes for TOA: THE MOVIE

- Steve embraces his knightly honor and sacrifices himself.

Douxie & Archie

101 Spellbound: Douxie is underestimated by Merlin. Deep down, he is eager to prove himself a worthy wizard in his own right.

102 History in the Making: Stuck in the past, Douxie reluctantly becomes the leader of the group. The apprentice must now become the teacher.

103 Lady of the Lake: Unsure what to do, Douxie ignores Merlin’s advice to avoid The Lady of the Lake, not realizing it’s a monster.

104 Battle Royale: As Camelot is invaded, Douxie takes the initiative to steal back the Daylight Stone from Morgana.

105 Back to the Present: Douxie rises as leader, succeeding for the first time, making sure he and his friends escape to the present.

106 Breaking and Entering: Eager to prove how he’s grown after returning from the past, Douxie overextends himself and contributes to losing Jim

107 Wizard Underground: Douxie sees the aftermath of Merlin’s banishment of wizards in the town, and realizes Merlin’s plans have consequences

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Douxie questions Merlin’s methodology, forming a rift between them. Morgana seeds doubt in him.

109 Dragon’s Den: Douxie deals with his mentor dying, never receiving the approval he wanted.

110 The Battle for Magic: Douxie realizes he never needed Merlin’s approval to become his own wizard. He finds his own way.

Claire

101 Spellbound: Claire feels powerless without her Shadow Staff and blames herself for not protecting Jim.

102 History in the Making: Claire is eager to try anything to help her friends in the present, even change the past.

103 Lady of the Lake: tired of feeling helpless, Claire begins her lessons in magic, tutored by Douxie.

104 Battle Royale: Claire struggles to learn magic, wanting to not become like Morgana but still empower herself.

105 Back to the Present: Claire helps seal Morgana away with her own unique magic. Though she still has a lot to learn about the arcane arts.

106 Breaking and Entering: Claire dives into her fledgling magic abilities, but fears becoming like Morgana.

107 Wizard Underground: When Claire loses Jim, she grows determined to bring him back with magic, against all hope.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Claire and Morgana square off, and Claire confronts her worst nightmare.

109 Dragon’s Den: In an hour of desperation, Claire finally hones her own school of magic.

110 The Battle for Magic: Claire finally overcomes her inner fears, trust herself, and unlocks her power to save Jim from beasthood.

Jim

101 Spellbound: Jim is gravely injured and put in stasis. He relies on his friends to keep him safe.

104 Battle Royale: The friends’ cure for Jim’s corruption fails. With the Arcane Order close, all seems lost.

105 Back to the Present: Jim emerges from his crystal to save his friends, but this allows The Black Knight’s magical corruption to spread and Jim falls.

106 Breaking and Entering: Jim is transformed into a beast, becoming his friend’s worst nightmare.

107 to 109: Jim’s humanity is completely lost, his inner demons manifested.

110 The Battle for Magic: Jim is finally saved by Claire’s magic, and finds peace in his returned humanity.

Callista

102 History in the Making: In the past, Callista is interested in learning magic, but Arthur forbids it.

103 Lady of the Lake: Though she helps our heroes as a lone wolf, she questions Douxie’s unorthodox methods.

104 Battle Royale: Callista helps Claire let go of her guilt about Jim and become a better sorceress

105 Back to the Present: Callista decides not to hide her taboo magic and joins the fight, a fierce warrior and new ally.

106 Breaking and Entering: Callista returns after centuries to help them contend with the Arcane Order, but is still a lone wolf.

107 Wizard Underground: Callista finds kindred spirits amongst the outcast magicians in the hidden wizard town.

109 Dragon’s Den: With Merlin’s death and the heroes on the defense, Callista must rise to the occasion as a hero.

110 The Battle for Magic: Callista ascends to becoming a leader in her own right, ready to lead the fight as the head of the wizard underground.

Blinky & Aargh

102 History in the Making: In the present, Blinky and Aargh battle the Arcane Order and struggle to defend Jim.

103 Lady of the Lake: IN THE PAST: Aargh and Blinky are mortal enemies.

105 Back to the Present: Aargh kills Gunmar’s GUMM-GUMM GENERAL to save Blinky. This is the start of their friendship.

106 Breaking and Entering: Blinky and Aargh come to terms with the desperate times they’re in and provide comfort and hope to Toby and the others.

107 to 109: Blinky and Aargh struggle to keep the group united as relationships are strained by difficult circumstances.

110 The Battle for Magic: With the day saved, Aargh and Blinky resume their journey to rebuild Trollmarket

Steve

101 Spellbound: Steve considers himself a hero, but still doesn’t act like one.

102 History in the Making: Steve begins his tutelage as a true knight, learning the ways of chivalry.

103 Lady of the Lake: Wanting to be a knight, Steve struggles to be noble

104 Battle Royale: Steve enters the knights’ tournament, proving himself worthy to lead the charge in the Battle of Killahead.

105 Back to the Present: Now an official knight, Steve helps in the battle.

106 to 107: Steve tries to put his newfound knighthood into practice, but still has a lot to learn.

110 The Battle for Magic: Steve finally learns what it means to be a hero, and forms a new Knights of the Round Table.

Toby

101 Spellbound: Toby has a bittersweet reunion with his friends, but must now find his way without them.

103 Lady of the Lake: Toby is reluctant to take on a leadership role and tries foisting the responsibility on others. This fails

105 Back to the Present: Toby finally accepts his role as Protector of Arcadia and leads his friends as they fight back against the Arcane Order.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Toby makes a connection with the Ice Wizard, realizing there is humanity in everyone.

110 The Battle for Magic: Toby finally gets the reunion he always wanted with Jim and Claire and the Trollhunters.

Merlin

101 Spellbound: Merlin stubbornly believes he knows what’s best, and refuses to admit he isn’t always right.

103 Lady of the Lake: Now aware, Merlin sees Douxie’s time travel mishap as further proof of his ineptitude. He continues to believe he must do everything himself.

104 Battle Royale: Merlin is surprised at Douxie’s resourcefulness, but refuses to give him acknowledgment

106 Breaking and Entering: Merlin and Douxie don’t see eye to eye on the solution to Morgana.

107 Wizard Underground: Merlin reveals for the first time he’s lost foresight into the future.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Merlin fails to see Douxie’s potential, continues to dismiss him.

109 Dragons’s Den: Merlin dies tragically, too late to see the error of his ways.

Morgana

102 History in the Making: Morgana believes magic should be wild and free, no matter who it endangers.

103 Lady of the Lake: Spurred on by Douxie and Claire’s involvement, Morgana changes tactics from previous history, now deadlier than ever.

105 Back to the Present: Sealed away in the past, Morgana makes strategic moves to ensure her return in the present.

106 Breaking and Entering: Morgana is released from her imprisonment.

107 Wizard Underground: Morgana sets about her plans to bring about an age of chaos and magic by opening Merlin’s seals.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Morgana begins to wonder if she can depend on the Arcane Order and trust the Black Knight.

109 Dragon’s Den: Morgana's paranoia that her plans will fail pushes her to take the Arcanes Order’s power for herself. When her brother kills her mentor, the victory feels empty.

110 The Battle for Magic: Sobered by Merlin’s death, Morgana doubles down on her plan to assume all magic for herself- only to lose control and her abilities with magic.

Arthur

102 History in the Making: he sees his kingdom torn apart by magical creatures. He declares war on all magic that won’t serve the crown.

103 Lady of the Lake: Arthur feels deeply betrayed by his sister Morgana, and doubles down on his war on magic.

105 Back to the Present: The magical war “kills” Arthur, tragically.

106 Breaking and Entering: As the Black Knight, he heralds Morgana’s return but a hint of a deeper relationship.

107 Wizard Underground: Morgana is overjoyed to her reunion with him, but he remains distant.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: As Morgana begins to lose herself in her magical ambitions, The Black Knight issues a warning.

109 Dragon’s Den: The Black Knight reveals himself as Arthur, kept alive through dark magics. He kills Merlin.

110 The Battle for Magic: The Black Knight reveals to Morgan he hates his present condition and yearns for death. His life is a curse, and wants it all to end.

The Arcane Order

101 Spellbound: Loyal followers of Morgana, they attack our heroes, in pursuit of Jim.

103 Lady of the Lake: We learn about the Arcane Order in their battles with our heroes and see why they fight for Morgana.

105 Back to the Present: PRESENT: The wizards attack Jim and his friends but are driven away by the last second return of Douxie and Co.

106 Breaking and Entering: The Arcane Order believe Morgana will be the key to their freedom as wizards.

107 Wizard Underground: The Ice Wizard encounters our heroes in the quest for his seal, and gets more than he bargained for when it unlocks his potential.

108 Dinner with a Demigod: Morgana’s ambitions begin to cause dissention in the ranks of the Arcane Order.

109 Dragon’s Den: The Arcane Order splinters as Morgana tightens her grip. The Ice Wizard goes rogue.

110 The Battle for Magic: Some die, some live and seek redemption.

——————————

If you read this far than I salute you, have a cookie 🍪

[its-ya-girl-phoeni]

@zay-does-things

Every episode of the GF AU in a nutshell:

Season 1

Tourist Trapped: Local woman gets transported into a sleepy town in Oregon, more news at 11

The Legend Of The Gobblewonker: Bonnie tries to bond with her new friends and they almost get murdered by a lake monster

Headhunters: Bonnie, Dipper and Mabel try to figure out how the wax got axed

The Hand That Rocks The Mabel: Local woman tries to fistfight fat Southern child

The Inconveniencing: Turns out breaking into a haunted convenience store isn't the best idea, who knew?

Dipper Vs. Manliness: Dipper tries to be "manly" while Bonnie thinks it's all a bunch of bs

Double Dipper: Dipper clones himself and Bonnie gets really confused

Irrational Treasure: Local woman and two kids spill some serious tea on the richest family in town

The Time Traveller's Pig: Dipper and Mabel screw around with time travel while Bonnie grows increasingly worried about them messing up the past

Fight Fighters: Dipper brings a video game character to life despite Bonnie's warnings

Little Dipper: Dipper wants to be taller, and discovers a magic height-altering crystal! Oh, and also Bonnie fights a weird alternate version of herself that came out of a cursed mirror

Summerween: A cryptid made of candy tries to eat people and Bonnie realizes she's basically a mom/older sister to the twins at this point

Boss Mabel: Mabel runs the Mystery Shack for three days, and chaos ensues

Bottomless Pit!: Undertale but not really

The Deep End: Mabel tries to get with a merman while Bonnie is the best wingwoman

Carpet Diem: Aw hell nah the goobers got Freaky Friday-ed

Boyz Crazy: Mabel gets her own pet boy band and Bonnie is concerned

The Land Before Swine: Everybody goes on an adventure underground to find Waddles and Bonnie fistfights a T-Rex or some shit

Dreamscaperers: Bonnie meets Bill Cipher and immediately dislikes him

Gideon Rises: Local woman punches child in the face

Season 2

Scary-oke: "GOD DAMMIT, DIPPER!"

Into The Bunker: basically The Thing but if it was rated TV-Y7

The Golf War: Bonnie punts a golf ball dude with the voice of Remy

Sock Opera: Dipper gets possessed and Bonnie is terrified

Soos And The Real Girl: Bonnie has seen enough haunted dating sims to know where this is going

Little Gift Shop Of Horrors: Bonnie is a supporting character in several tales designed to sell Stan's merchandise

Society Of The Blind Eye: "Okay, maaaaybe you guys shouldn't Fuck Around and Find Out with the memory-erasing gun. Just a suggestion."

Blendin's Game: Three goobers try to cheer up their friend on his birthday by fighting to the death in an interdimensional colosseum

The Love God: Bonnie is concerned while Mabel tries to literally drug two people

Northwest Mansion Mystery: The Scooby Gang try to solve a mystery and nearly everyone gets turned into wood and almost die

Not What He Seems: Bonnie watches family drama unfold

A Tale Of Two Stans: Bonnie finally gets to meet the man who wrote the journals

Dungeons, Dungeons And More Dungeons: The gang plays D&D with wizard Weird Al

The Stanchurian Candidate: Stan tries to become president and some morally questionable mind control is involved

The Last Mabelcorn: Bonnie and the girls beat the shit out of unicorns to get their hair as a Dorito Demon repellent

Roadside Attraction: Stan gets catfished by a spider woman and Bonnie has to rescue his dumb ass

Dipper And Mabel Vs. The Future: Bonnie witnesses family drama 2: growing up and the fear of it boogaloo

Weirdmageddon: Dipper and Bonnie try to survive the apocalypse

Escape From Reality: Bonnie and the gang try to free Mabel from her personalized prison

Take Back The Falls: Everything's pretty much the same, except Bonnie spits in the Bill statue's eye at the end as a final "fuck you" to him

[royallygray]

Scar HC S10E12

actually welcome to Scar Says Sus Stuff

this was supposed to be me talking about my favorite parts or parts I want to share but it's just the sus parts and several things that I specifically liked

like. a rly in depth AO3 comment except with a YouTube video.

spoilers for his video

(I haven't watched most of scar's episodes so far)

-- --

1:01 "grant me access to the hole" scar. scar please. your wording. fix it. but also never change we love you but oh my god SCAR

it is actually triggering me that he's just casually on three hearts. my man PLEASE EAT

3:53 "I'm gonna wait for [Grian] inside of his mouth"

5:38 "well now Skizz and my bits are all mixed together"

6:06 "I fall for it EVERY time, by the way" -Skizz. I love Scar and Skizz, the two gullible-est people bonding over how they're gullible. It's genuinely somehow wholesome.

6:20 "something of substance was gonna come from this"

6:44 SKIZZ COME ON MAN I HAD FAITH IN YOU WHAT THE HECK

6:51 There was PASSION in this. Scar go off on them YEAH

7:33 how did I know he was gonna be one block off. rip scar you tried o7

7:40 "he didn't get inside my hole at all" SCAR.

8:17 "we could get six horns" the word horns sounds like hoards. and also kind of the other word.

8:39 (for one frame) the inside of scars face is cursed

10:17 THAT WAS SMOOTH THAT WAS SO SMOOTH IM OBSESSED??? SCAR YOURE A MAGICIAN. A WIZARD. THAT SNAP. IM OBSESSED.

but also. scar. why do you have a tnt minecart as decoration. scar I don't have high hopes for this room. scar you come from the Life series. scar. it's gonna die. someone's gonna shoot it with a flame bow I guarantee it

10:46 LMAO the way he tried to say cartographer sounds so. like. idk endearing or smth idk. Like he tried to breathe in and talk at the same time.

11:05 "I've just realized I kind of look like a composter" that is the entire clip by the way. all you out of context makers, I need that in there. idk if it'll be as funny as it is in here, because seriously, the delivery of having literally no other context other than it just being a random thought that popped into Scar's head is so funny to me

11:41 scar at the goat horn shop what will he do. I'm not mad scar. I think you're an adult who is making decisions with their fictional money. and you deserve it. you deserve that goat horn.

11:52 I lied put it back

12:44 WAIT YOURE GONNA PUT TURTLES AND DOLPHINS IN HERE THATS SICK I LOVE IT

in seventh grade we did an essay on whether zoos are good or bad and while I do love scars character in this I literally cannot stop thinking about it :(

13:15 SCAR THAT WAS TOO SMOOTH I--OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THATS SUCH A COOL TRANSITION AND ALSO THE SOUND EFFECT OH MY GODSSSSS

ALSO YOU SWIRLED TO SUCH A COOL NEW THING WHAT THE HECK WOW LIKE OKAY

wait oh my god it's a sink?? the water and lava?? oh my god??

14:55 damn Gem and Grian's spike has grown

15:35 scar I don't think you remember where your stuff is in the first place. at least like this it'll look cool. although the underground weird chest monster has character and I actually kinda like it in the same way that I like when my floor is a mess because it just feels inhabited and has personality

15:58 oh my god scar you transition god

16:33 scar why are you there

16:35 Etho I appreciate you LMAO

17:19 Etho have you seen Skizz's storage. it's. bad. like. it is worse than Scar's. Genuinely. It gives me pain.

17:25 THE PEARL DOORS. THE BOATEM PEARL DOORRSSSS also scar going through the middle even tho Etho literally opened the other door for him LMAO

17:32 ah yes dig when there is an entrance yes yes

17:43 honey roofs. I see you're obsessed with Joel's gift mr. slab.

this scene is actually amazing. I've never seen Etho and scar interact 1 on 1 (I don't watch a lot of Scar, and I have watched Etho a total of approximately once. his videos are rly long) and also just. Etho's system is so cool.

also Etho's storage system is adorable :D

I like both storage systems. Etho's is significantly more functional (and less likely to explode, scar that minecart is making me wary) but I really enjoy the aesthetic of Scar's.

thank you for coming to Royal says stuff, go watch scar's video, it's great.

[instantpansies]

oz kids episode three. it's called 'underground adventure' i have no idea what to expect. more nomes? quox? dorothy and the wizard references??? we'll find out

[dykerory]

jlu cartoon of all time honestly. they're just constantly throwing comic book spaghetti at the wall in the hopes that the episode pans out somehow. in one i watched tonight supergirl, stargirl, pat, and green lantern all get sucked underground into a jules verne style center of the earth arrangement where a wizard named Deimos who dresses like slutty dracula commands an army of ray gun wielding dino men to fight against some conan the barbarian ass people, one of whom is a vietnam vet, and like tertiary to all this is that silver banshee and metallo are ALSO there and want to get a piece of big kryptonite that the barbarians are guarding

[flushthethrone]

Episode 421 - Southern Vangard Radio

BANG! @southernvangard radio Ep421! Doebeneezer Scrooge and Ed Cratchit are at your service for the holiday season, Vangardians. Doe has the lab spruced up with that Chrimmus cheer and this week finds us dropping THREE WORLD EXCLUSIVES from the likes of the DOOKIE BROS, CJ THE CYNIC, CHONG WIZARD, ZILLA ROCCA & MILC. Don’t say we never gave you anything - and YOU WAAAAALCOME! #SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard // southernvangard.com // @southernvangard on all platforms #hiphop #undergroundhiphop #boombap

Recorded live Dec 1, 2024 @ Dirty Blanket Studios, Marietta, GA

southernvangard.com

@southernvangard on all platforms

#SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard

twitter/IG: @southernvangard @jondoeatl @cappuccinomeeks

Pre-Game Beats - Ant

Talk Break Inst. - "Camera-L" - Chef Mike

"Southern Vangard Theme" - Bobby Homack & The Southern Vangard All-Stars

"Courtesy Call" - Skyzoo ft. Chuck D (prod. The Dagger)

"Panthers" - Nejma Nefertiti, Double A.B. & Dub Sonata ft. Muja Messiah & Tone Spliff

"The Whole Truth" - Dookie Bros** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"The Hellfire" - Nowaah The Flood & Stu Bangas

"Fire In The Sky" - Shottie x Money Mogly

Talk Break Inst - "Diabolik" - Chef Mike

"Willrow Hood" - Stress Eater (Esoteric, DJ 7L & Kool Keith)

"Let Me Show Ya" - CJ the Cynic** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Break" - Doza The Drum Dealer & Crise P ft. Kaeson Skrilla

"Ice Bullet Theory" - Estee Nack x Giallo Point

"Ayinde At The March" - Skyzoo (prod. Marc NFinit)

"DJ Grazzhoppa Intermission" -  El Da Sensei & MentPlus ft. DJ Grazzhoppa

"Canseco" - Paten Locke

Talk Break Inst. - Jail Break" - Chef Mike

"At The Pool Hall (Remix) - Midnight Sons ft. Milc** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Breathe Easy" - ToneyBoi ft. Mickey Diamond

"Channel 3" - Codenine x BoneWeso ft.. Writeous Ruler

"The Criteria" - Nowaah The Flood & Stu Bangas

"Craters" - Sean Boog & Rob Viktum ft. Writeous Ruler

"Paranoia" - Ghost Of The Machine ft. Weapon E.S.P

"Gucci Gambinos" - Mickey Diamond & Big Ghost Ltd ft. Pro Dillinger

Talk Break Inst. - Gimme The Hotdog" - Chef Mike

SOUNDCLOUD

SHORT LINK: https://on.soundcloud.com/eJUQ49CdqU51Ur5t7

APPLE PODCASTS

SPOTIFY PODCASTS

YOUTUBE

TWITCH

MIXCLOUD

[wonderousmonarch]

Kamen Rider Wizard Thoughts #4

he really is showing off his sorcery...

Episode 10

- got the girlfriend in call for this one, she hasn't watched any of it but it's still fun

- bro got the totem of undying

- Phoenix is crashing the FUCK out

- "He's shown his true colors: Red!"

- do the government have a fucking Chaos Emerald?

- Koyomi has hella drip

- uh oh the cops are here

- THEYRE GETTING HIS ASS!

- why this guy's face in the center of his damn body

- he rock!!!

- BIG! PLEASE!

- worlds worst vacation

- oh hey. this is one of the places from The Museum in Double

- leave it to the government to see the hero as a potential threat.

- ooh, Naoki has been a Gate before???

- why are the phantoms restricted to Tokyo?

- Naoki's dad was probably killed by a phantom

- mmm. classic underground factory...

- OH SHIT

- Did this phantom kill his dad? and was his dad also a Gate?

- Haruto coming in clutch

- oh he's busting out the big guns

- BIG SWORD LMAO

- time for his T-Pose Beam

- I'm very intrigued as to what Kizaki did to Naoki's dad

Episode 11

- what is this guy's deal. can he get off Haruto's ass for one second

- this show is making me want donuts

- government man is too stupid and stinky to use the rings

- the rings don't make a wizard the wizard makes the ring

- oh that is not the real Naoki. they're definitely setting a trap for Haruto

- your feeble guns are useless

- fold this man like an omelette. pack him up like a suitcase

- did they just not have Naoki's actor for this episode? he isn't saying anything either

- wuh oh phoenix time!

- oh I was right. that wasn't actually Naoki.

- I love Haruto's fit in this episode. it goes hard

- they made a pact over the chaos emerald so Kizaki would protect his son.... how nice

- dad of the year 2012

- Kizaki you dumbass.

- ATTACK OF THE LITTLE GUYS!!!! THE LITTLE BLORBOS

- THEY CAN FUSE???

- Damnit Rinko. you can quick draw faster than that

- Rip Naoki's Dad, what a goat.

- oops despair time

- hm. y'know I like Kizaki a little more now. not so much that I want him to keep showing up but he's got some points back.

- two guns!

- oh I thought he did the devil may cry pose

- HIS BIG BEAM ATTACK!

- holy shit the fucking hand monster

- I love this thing

- oh this is the first dragon usage since they became a real team. that's nice :D

- time for dragon to become a big foot... why can it do this

- down low, too slow, fucker.

- HE WANTS TO BE A FED??? BAD ENDING!!!!

- oooh new ring ... oh NVM it's still a rock

- earth, fire, water, air, and.... green

Episode 12:

- I need a donut...

- NEW RING TIME :O

- woah! Duos ring!

- oh... stupei ace defective is on the case

- what kind of style is Haruto wearing. i love his little shawls

- oooh I like Valkyrie's design

- ooh sweets shop? call Shoma

- uh oh the ghoul has appeared. he wants the scrumptious treats

- Valkyrie is being so polite.... oh NVM

- THE TREATS!!!!! NOOOOOOO

- Shoma would fucking kill this guy in a second

- man I gotta stop watching shows with major food content at times when I cannot get food. I'm fucking hungry

- damn the food industry sucks. the monsters don't help

- Shunpei sweep

- Haruto should learn some kind of repair spell. it would solve so many problems

- holy shit. this guy is totally the phantom. no one asks for that much

- yeah. he's the phantom. what a fucker

- WAIT THE OWNER WAS THE GATE!!!! FUCK

- oh hey it's that one street where Tycoon and Buffa have a friendly interaction

- I love Haruto's big stupid gun. such a doohickey. thingamajig ass weapon

- copy is such a cool spell

- ooooh GREEN MODE

- gun Shunpei a gun too. let him help

- taking a hostage. what a bastard.

Episode 13

- next I get to watch the movie ;3

- i simply wouldn't be taken hostage. just wouldn't happen to me

- damn he just gave up

- oh they're going to kill Tetsuya

- Shunpei sad arc :(

- uh oh. devious woman has heard

- oh she's about to fold him like paper. she's about to turn his ass into a crane

- funky ass camera angle

- DAMN. STRONG ASS PLASTIC CHAIRS

- "Haruto's my hope" bro in any other context that is the most homosexual thing you can say. although it still is.

- LOCK IN TETSUYA. make the most banger treat ever

- he's making the hope manju qahhhhahahhseh

- awwawawawawaa this is so sweet

- Valkyrie is about to show up sometime soon. this might be bad.

- THE STEAMER THING IN THE BACKGROUND AS HE TURNS FIRE HEHEGEH

- Shunpei! Lock In!

- oh hey it's the place where Gemn tried Hyper Muteki that one time. How Interesting.

- MY GOAT! HE CAUGHT IT

- my boys. I love them.

- THE WINGS!!! HOLY SHITTT

- this series is so fucking cool man.

- the fucking Cyclone.... my goat.

- he got hired :D yayyy

- officially the assistant now.. oh joyous day

I love this series so much. it is so heartwarming and fun and I love just watching Haruto fight.

next up is Movie War Ultimatum.

[toa-archive]

This week's storyboards has us heading off to the Wizards episode Wizard Underground by Bianca Siercke (@ biancasiercke) and it's a bit of a special one... :)

No hints what it is this time but when you know, You Know. Where would be the fun in spoiling that?

[dankdungeonsrpg]

Magicians in The Raven (1963)

Have you ever listened to the Sword Breaker podcast? You should, but more on that later.

Recently…

Spencer of the Keep Off The Borderlands podcast hosted a Movie Monday call in episode.

The idea behind these episodes is that once a month the podcast host picks a movie and all the listeners watch it. Then they call in to the show to share their thoughts. Since this is primarily a gaming podcast there’s an optional topic of how elements of the movie can inform our gaming.

Spencer is, I believe, the third person to take up the mantle of Movie Monday. With the previous host being Jason of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast.

This month’s movie was Roger Corman’s The Raven from 1963.

I adore this film. It’s fun and full of petty wizards…also has nothing to do with the Poe poem, but that’s okay.

The Renaissance Wizard

One of the things that strikes me about the film is that it’s set in 1506, which is in the renaissance rather than the middle ages as I would have expected for the subject matter.

This allows the movie to do two very interesting things:

We get all the trappings of the middle ages fantasy, like castles and magic

Magic gets to be viewed as a science, or more specifically, a leisurely academic pursuit

To further drive the point home that wizards are rich academics, each magic-user in the film has a doctorate.

Boris Karloff plays a dastardly sorcerer opposite Vincent Price’s kindly magician. They’re both excellent in the film and their motivations are perfectly mundane.

Price just wants to “practice his magic quietly at home”. Whereas Karloff, the head of a brotherhood of magicians, is envious of Price’s magical powers. He doesn’t want anyone to be a threat to his position in the brotherhood and seeks to coerce Price’s knowledge.

There’s no global conquest or ancient prophecy. The Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers seems to be little more than a social club. Peter Lorre’s character (also a treat in the film) even mentions how wizards meet each other at conventions. It all conjures up images of an academic society or elks lodge.

So Karloff’s character is willing to do horrible things so he can…stay president of a social club? So he can get speaking invitations to conferences and have his academic papers peer reviewed. Probably good money in being the keynote speaker at the college of alchemy’s commencement.

This is peak petty wizard comedy to me. Very reminiscent of Jack Vance’s Dying Earth, specifically Rhialto the Marvellous.

Never Let Writing Go To Waste

Now I love silly wizard stuff, particularly organizations. The absurdist bureaucracy really tickles me.

This brings us back to Sword Breaker. In this all-killer no-filler podcast Logan generates lists around a single topic per episode. It’s all incredibly usable stuff. Wonder if he’s ever published it somewhere…

Anyway, for the gaming aspect of my Movie Monday call, I decided to create a table of magical societies in keeping with the mood of the film. Here they are, for your amusement:

d6 magical societies

1 - The Hermetic Order of Psychonautics

A loose knit collective of high level magic-users seeking to transcend the physical world. Meetings take place in total silence on underground lakes which are used like a giant sensory deprivation tank. Magicians then project their spirits and “sail” on metaphysical yachts in the astral sea, where they discuss enlightenment and free-form jazz. Members often dress in bright colors and carry tuning forks.

2 - The Grand Priory of Illuminates

Chaos magicians who seek to undo their alignment’s negative public perception. Specializing in happy accidents, this group uses subtle magic to alter the course of events in positive but unexpected ways. To become part of the organization, applicants must successfully add to an ever more complex Rube Goldberg machine.

3 - The Society of Reformed Diabolists

Demon worshippers, dread necromancers, and blood magicians trying to turn over a new leaf banded together to form this support group. Members meet regularly to share their experiences with foul sorcery and celebrate monthly or yearly mine stones of being evil-magic free. They also speak at local magic colleges about the dangers of dark rituals.

4 - The Brotherhood of Neptune

These far-seeing astrologers wear blue robes, are excellent swimmers, and perform divination through use of tide pools. They revere the number 8 and as such must spend 8 days a year in meditation, meet every 8 months in groups of no more or less than 8, and establish headquarters 8 blocks from any coastal city center.

5 - The Ancient Order of Pseudepigraphas (soo-di-pig-ra-fa’s)

If you’ve ever wondered how magical knowledge stays so hidden and confusing, it’s probably because of this secret society. Its members spend their time placing errors into magical texts, thwarting efforts to translate or catalog arcane information, and misattributing manuscripts. The extreme secrecy of this sect prevents meetings but they still communicate through scribbles in returned library books.

6 - The Unseen Eye

The least secret secret order you’ll ever see. These occultists are typically high society ladder climbers who seek to manipulate global events from the shadows. However, their attempts at subterfuge are undone by their need to be recognized. Meeting fliers are often posted everywhere and initiates are sent home with all manner of branded merchandise, including wristbands, tea cozies, and hats.

[quietpagan]

in the first episode of trollhunters we learn eli sees the fight in the canal to some extent. do you think he saw it in What Falls And What Grows? did he catch a glimpse of Alex too? iirc it says she's hidden from onlookers but what about when kanjigar is following her??

I don't have a super-deep answer to that pertaining to the plot of my story in particular right now. BUT I don't think that the people of Arcadia are as oblivious as the supernatural denizens seem to think or would like to believe. The city, for one, has features and buildings that don't really match up with the population size, such as the enormous high school and ridiculously huge museum. That thing belongs in New York, not a smallish-city like Arcadia. (And I'm aware that populating a city properly within the graphic confines and budget of a Netflix show would be unattainable but we're talking lore here, not pragmatics.)

We have to remember that in the book, there was an actual 'Milk Carton Epidemic' because of all of the kids who got eaten went missing. There's a huge community of trolls living under the city. I surmise that Arcadia used to be much more densely populated, but after so many children disappeared and weird things were happening, a lot of people moved away, and the ones who stayed take into account that things don't away add up.

Was Jim really the only one who noticed the Stalking flying around? Does nobody look out their window at night, or go to dinner late in the evening? Did nobody notice Bular walking into a residential neighborhood to peek into the Lake house's kitchen window? Goblins ate an entire truck without anybody seeing? And does NOBODY notice all of the weird shit that Nomura stuffs into that museum? There's an underground Changeling cult-house and a wizard base, too.

I posit that the Arcadians are used to things being a little strange in their lovely little city, and firmly choose to ignore it. Eli goes against the grain and actively tries to find out what it is, but he is the exception. Some homeless guy or early-morning jogger definitely noticed a big lumbering rock in glowy armor stumbling around and decided I Do Not See. At least one group of dudes coming back from the bar noticed Alex dragging along a sheet-covered Kanjigar toward the canal, and swiftly turned to walk down another street.

Arcadia draws weird folk for a reason, and the residents are very dedicated to Not Having A Clue. If you pretend you don't see it, it may pretend that it didn't see you, too.

[cogentranting]

My 2023 Reads

See below for the full list of the books I read and a 1-2 sentence review of each.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Italicized- reread

Cloud Cuckoo Land (Anthony Doerr) - It's like a combination of All the Light We Cannot See, Cloud Atlas and The Book Thief, except not quite as good as any of those. Good, just not as good.

The Stolen Heir (Holly Black) - Highly recommend if YA fantasy romance is your thing

On the Incarnation (Athanasius of Alexander) - one of the foundational works of early Christian theology

Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro) - Beautiful, and lovely, and thoughtful and bittersweet

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo (Tolkien translation) - technically this is poetry but its also narrative so I grouped it with fiction. Green Knight is very fun. Pearl is quite boring.

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution (Louise Perry) - I highly recommend this, just be cautious because it has some very frank discussions of some very hard topics so there's a whole bunch of language and trigger warnings attached to this recommendation

Justification Reconsidered: Rethinking a Pauline Theme (Stephen Westerholm) - I'm going to be honest-- I don't remember what I thought of this book. It was for school and I also did a bunch of research on the topic and I don't remember what part of that research this constituted.

A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (J.I. Packer) - I read a few chapters of this for a research project last year and liked it enough to buy myself a copy and read the whole thing for fun

The Warden and the Wolf King (Andrew Peterson) - Book 3 of this series (this is 4) remains my favorite but this one is really good and is a beautiful culmination of the themes

The Elements of Eloquence (Mark Forsyth) - About as good as a book that is just explaining various rhetorical figures can be.

The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Richard Bauckham) -THIS book right here I want to read again. This book made me fall in love with Revelation.

King of Scars (Leigh Bardugo) -It's the reason why I'm very upset over the cancellation of the Shadow and Bone tv series (because I won't get to see more of my boy Nikolai) but it's fine

The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims (Rebecca McLaughlin) - A very useful book, very accessible

Rule of Wolves (Leigh Bardugo) - But seriously I love Nikolai and I mostly really enjoyed this duology.

The Waste Land and Other Early Poems (T.S. Eliot) - So many words saying so many things and maybe I'll know what they mean if I read this another 30 or 40 times.

Notes From Underground (Fyodor Dostoevsky) - Very different from other Dostoevsky but fascinating in its own way

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Emmuska Orczy) - It's a romp

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue - genuinely very very helpful to me and just randomly was emailed to me as a pdf by some site that I ended up on the email list for

The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan) - I do not have faith in this series being good over time but at book 2 they're fun

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) -It really is that good.

Original Sin: A Cultural History (Alan Jacobs) - a really interesting exploration of the idea

Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis) - The Space Trilogy is great because it just has such a different feel from most of the other sci fi I've read

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been (Jackie Hill Perry) - Perry has such a lovely poetic way of telling her story

Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (Karen Swallow Prior) - This book is really lovely and peaceful and reflective

A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) -honestly was not very impressed by this. It was fine.

Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) - If you're really into the Russian classics, I would recommend this, but there's like 6 others I would recommend first.

Firefly: Big Damn Hero (James Lovegrove, Nancy Holder) -If you want the book equivalent of a solid but not stand-out filler episode of Firefly

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (Ken Liu) -I ranked all of the short stories in this on my blog if you search for it. Some are great. Some are not.

All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) - It's really really good. A book you just want to sit with.

The Chalice of the Gods (Rick Riordan) - Kinda the same vibe as the Firefly one. It's good to see Percy again, it's a fun time, it's not taking any big swings or doing anything particularly new. But I did really enjoy the thematic linking of which gods were chosen to be a part of the story.

Dracula (Bram Stoker) - It's Tumblr, I don't need to review this here.

Biblical Critical Theory: How The Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture (Christopher Watkin) - This book is really big but it has so much good stuff in it. Well worth the read.

An Experiment in Criticism (C.S. Lewis) - There was quite I while through this one where I was not really jiving with it, but then at the end he pulls it together and I really like where he ends up, as evidenced by quoting half of it on posts here.

Poems (C.S. Lewis) - I'm not good enough at reading poetry to review it. There's a few in here that I quite liked though.

For teaching-

1. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)- it's still great. After reading it who knows how many times, it's just so good.

2. The Crucible (Arthur Miller)- The character work in here is fantastic, and I really do like it a lot, but if Miller understood grace a bit better? the ending could be phenomenal.

3. Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah)- It's not my favorite but it is really powerful and worth reading and the kids were really invested in it

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground Episode 16: Bug!

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): Robotnik’s latest scheme is using robot flies to take control of mobian minds and turn them against their friends! The Sonic Underground plans to stop him, but Manic’s impulsiveness gets him infected. Can Sonic and Sonia save their brother and the day?

Don’t let the summary or the outcome fool you. This is a Manic episode, and a surprisingly not bad one, if you think about it more than the show wants you to.

So. An interesting thing about this series, which this episode highlights: in most contemporary media, Sonic’s problem is that he does everything on his own, and he needs to learn to rely on his friends. In Sonic Underground, he’s actually fine with teamwork, but the unspoken reality is that he’s actually more effective when he goes off on his own. Manic is the one called out as needing to rely on his team more.

Usually the series doesn’t call him out on this. But it’s fairly well done, to give credit where due, because Manic is the squishy wizard of the triplets: he has a lot of power with his drums, but he’s physically weak, emotionally vulnerable, and the slowest mentally. Whenever he goes off on his own, even in spaces he knows like the black market, he always ends up putting either himself or someone else in danger.

I’m just saying. In a better, more developed show, Manic absolutely could have had an amazing character arc of resentment and misused power and redemption. Sonic Prime!Nines says what.

This is another episode that feels like it was set earlier in the series than the ones that came before it, because Manic doesn’t know Sonic can use airgear hover boards (and probably better than him). He just doesn’t because he’s faster on foot. And their bond doesn’t seem as tight. It’s interesting.

Ah, this is Rudy’s episode. I’d forgotten him. I had also forgotten where I got the Resistance secret code phrase “The party’s at Mother’s, and the musicians are down the hall”. I’ve just always liked it for some reason, I don’t know why.

Rudy is a water dragon, talks about bottle flies, and has a quite broad but surprisingly believable north-eastern Australian accent, for… reasons. I therefore assume the triplets are in Downunda, which is a region from the Archie comics. They also refer to Freedom Fighters in this episode, which is another Archie invention. Enjoy it, folks. But again, is Mobius a kingdom or a world? You will never know…

So. Manic is bitter because Sonic doesn’t need help after getting on Manic’s case about the buddy system. And he goes off on his own to show Sonic up. If this had been more than an episode, it would have been a great arc, I AM JUST SAYING.

He of course gets bitten by the robot fly, while Sonic easily catches the one going after him.

Side note, real bottle fly bites are an absolute BITCH. This episode does not do them justice.

Meanwhile, Sonic reports to Rudy that his village and all the people in it are gone, and once again, this is treated (hammily but) seriously. This series didn’t dwell on them, but it never denied the realities of the world it was presenting.

We get some very quick explanation of the flies. They’re injecting a serum, a full dose of which only lasts an hour. Just long enough for people to march up and into the robotocisor. Robotnik modifies one so that Manic will get re-dosed every hour until he can capture the other two.

But it’s less than a day and only one radio in before Manic’s found out, of course, and when the serum wears off he doesn’t remember anything. The climax moves on as if none of this ever happened.

The song: Never Give Up. In contrast to the last few songs, this one isn’t quite so grating on the ears, and absolutely could have been an early 90s-style fight-the-man anthem. Kick-butt guitar solo. Reminding you that the Sonic Underground’s songs are—in canon—supposed to exist to inspire resistance and morale. Even if they come with a strong dose of magic firepower.

The day saved, the group heads back to Rudy’s village, and a few survivors pop out of the rubble. So not quite the downer it would normally be, though there is a low-key implication that they lost a lot of important people.

Meanwhile, the hedgehogs are trying to impart the lesson on Manic that him going off alone could have gone really badly, but he decides to prank them by playing zombie again. Which is supposedly funny but… really shouldn’t be. Honestly. Pick a lane, Trashfire.

Come back tomorrow if you're interested!

[gearlessjunkdogjoe]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE. Repost with the information of your muse, including headcanons, etc. if you fail to achieve some of the facts, add some other of your own!

Contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2!

NAME: Joe (Real name unknown.), also goes by Junk Dog (JNK.DOG) as a ring name. Uses Nomad as a ring name in the second season.

NICKNAME: "Bottom Rank" (by Sachio and the other orphans when he was in Megalonia), "champ" and "that stubborn bastard" by his coach Nanbu, and some nicknames are verse and relationship dependent.

TITLE(S):  Champion. In verses where he's married, it's Mr.

AGE: 22 in season 1, 29 in season 2. His exact age is unknown, and 22 is an estimate, given it's the age on his fake ID.

SPECIES: Human

SEX: Male

NATIONALITY: Unknown.

INTERESTS: Riding around on his motorcycle, training, spending time with the orphans and Sachio, hanging out with his coach, boxing, dogs. In season 2 it's largely the same, but riding around in his truck instead of his motorcycle. Also visits The Casa when he has a chance, as they helped him in season 2.

PROFESSION: An illegal/underground turned professional boxer. In his other verses, it varies--a wizard in his Fairy Tail verse, for instance.

BODY TYPE: Muscular and toned from working out and boxing. Six pack abs, etc.

EYES: Light brown

HAIR: Black and curly. For the majority of season 2, he's got long hair that reaches his shoulder. He also has a beard for the majority of season 2. It's thick but isn't too long.

SKIN: Tan with darker scars on his face, arms, chest and back.

POSTURE: He maintains a pretty straight posture except for when he's relaxing, then he'll maybe slouch or lean over a little.

HEIGHT: 5’11"

VOICE: His voice is a baritone. It deepens sometimes depending on whether he's angry, intrigued, yelling, or otherwise emotional. He only yells when he's angry.

SIGNATURE OUTFIT: For the first season, he has white sweatpants on with white knee pads and an orange stripe down the sides. He wears the pants with a blue belt, the straps of a parachute around his thighs, and a red t shirt. He wears a green coat over his shirt and has brown boots on. He also has a white T shirt as well.

For the second season, he wears a white long sleeve shirt under a red short sleeve shirt. He wears a green button down shirt over the T shirt, and sometimes wears a brown coat with fur on the collar. He also has a pair of seemingly leather gloves that he also wears occasionally. In one of the later episodes, he wears a white short sleeve shirt with black rings on the sleeves. When he boxes, he mostly wears his black jeans, which have holes in the kneecaps and tape around his left thigh. He also wears black sweatpants with a white stripe going down the legs when he boxes in the last episode.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Verse dependent

COMPANIONS: In-universe: Sachio and the other orphans (Bonjiri, Santa, and Oicho), his coach Nanbu, his coach's first protege Aragaki, and his rival Yuri. His other companions are verse dependent.

ANTAGONISTS: In-universe, Yuri, his boxing rival. Other than that, his antagonists are verse dependent.

STRENGTHS: Warm, trusting, loyal, willing to help others, protective of those he cares about, has a charisma to him that encourages others to be better versions of themselves, also has a pure love for boxing, gives hope to people and in return is given hope back by those he's inspired, is more mature and aware of his actions in season 2, unlearns his pattern of self destructive behavior and toxic masculinity in season 2, makes friends out of his boxing rivals, is a gifted boxer, is kind to women and kids (though he was initially dismissive of Sachio when he first met him).

WEAKNESSES: Stubborn, can shut others out due to not wanting to hurt them more than he already has, is hardheaded in season 1, loves a good fight and will look for opportunities to throw down, won't hesitate to start something if he feels it'll challenge him, rides his bike too fast when he's angry and crashes frequently which causes him to fall off (pattern of self destructive behavior in sesaons 1 and 2), is initially wary of and doesn't trust/like the upper class in the beginning of season 1, but gets over it.

FRUITS: Apples mostly. He doesn't seem too picky about other fruits though.

DRINKS: Water and tea. He doesn't strike me as a soda kind of guy. (My headcanon is that he drank soda once and it didn't end well for him, so he avoids it.)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Joe doesn't drink in season 1, but he drinks more in season 2. He only has a beer or two occasionally, and also used alcohol as a way to numb his pain in between seasons and in the beginning of season 2.

SMOKES: No

DRUGS: Has an addiction to painkillers in season 2. He recovers from it, though.

DRIVER'S LICENSE: He doesn't have a license but drives both his motorcycle and his coach's truck.

Tagged by: @chronicparagon

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do it!