#dev mentor

[askanyofficial]

Bí quyết thuê IT Mentor giỏi nhất - nâng tầm sự nghiệp công nghệ!

Bài viết sau đây sẽ cho bạn biết IT Mentor là gì, công việc của IT mentor, tìm IT Mentor ở đâu và giải đáp FAQ - câu hỏi thường gặp về IT mentor.

Xem thêm: https://askany.com/blog/it-mentor

[camp-camp-out-of-context]

Sometimes I think that the FOP: A New Wish community would LOVE Camp Camp since the Dev and Max parallels run deep, but then I remember that nobody talks about Camp Camp anymore! The mentor/neglected child relationship they crave is right there! Dadvid walked so Peri and Dev could run, okay!!

[miodiodavinci]

laying down by a brook with one hand in the water like some kind of tragic prince , , , , , ,

[questdesign]

actually im deleting that because i don't think im expressing myself very well after staying up extremely late but tldr i think game industry conditions, trends, and technology have far far more to do with studios changing over time than the specific devs that work there.

[drawingnikki]

Concept Art Association is raising money to help artists fight Ai companies. Please share and/or bid! https://www.ebay.com/usr/supporthumanartists

[tvmblrsillyman]

There should be a coach that's like a therapist or social worker but they help you practice carrying conversations

[inthevoidzone]

Hey so I really love how Davrin's vallaslin is handled in Veilguard and how it ties into not only his arc, but his internal conflict between two halves and the choice at the end of his character quest.

First of all, I'm gonna say god/Creator rather than Evanuris for this post because I'm not talking about the actual historical elves with all the associated baggage and atrocities, but the maybe-false but still culturally meaningful constructs the Dalish created out of ancient half-remembered history to be their gods. In reality and even most fantasy, Gods aren't literally real, but are always meaningful. In universe, vallaslin are unique. In opposition to the default set that a player character gets to choose between and is also applied to generic NPCs, Dalish characters with bespoke facemorphs have unique vallaslin designs. Identifiying a particular Dalish elf's vallaslin in-universe isn't so much checking a chart for an exact match as it is studying the design elements and recognizing the symbology of a given Creator. Elgar'nan is represented by a play of light and darkness. Mythal by the boughs of a great tree. Falon'din by a design that is "as above, so below." And Andruil and Ghilan'nain are represented by a bow and horns respectively, as the hunter and the mother of halla. Writers have confirmed that Bellara and Cyrian's vallaslin honour Dirthamen, god of secrets, mysteries, and lore. And of course they did! It's pretty obvious where these two truth-seekers would be aligned. But the same writers were cagey about answering who Davrin's tattoos represent, and I think this is on purpose, because Davrin's vallaslin are meant to be ambiguous.

Assume they're for Andruil, the hunter who loved testing herself against stronger and stronger foes, who was revered by the Dalish as a warrior and a protector and who could never bear to remain at home. You can see the curve of the bow, the point of the arrow. Now, assume they're for Ghilan'nain, the nurturing creative spirit who created the gentle halla and then cared for them as if they were her own children. Now you see the delicate lines curving up into the shape of horns, crowned by a second set at the top.

(Davrin's mentor, Eldrin, wearing Ghilan'nain's vallaslin, alongside a render of the player character's options for Andruil's Vallaslin.)

You see where I'm going, right? This is Davrin's character arc! His internal conflict! The brave and fearless warrior ready to throw himself into the arms of death vs the caring and soft-hearted surrogate father to a magical creature. The young man who couldn't bear to stay with his clan vs the boy who sang to the halla. And the choice he and Rook make together at the end of his quest, where Davrin's conflict is reflected onto Assan and the other griffons. Brave fighter or nurturing caretaker? The hunter or the shepherd? Schrodinger's vallaslin. Devs won't clarify which it's intended to be because it's intended to be both.

[squidthusiast]

Ok, but why do I imagine Eight being the unofficial child of Pearl x Marina?

Because I imagine Eight was minding their business and all of a sudden, Pearl would slam the paper down and said “You’re adopted now”

Basically OTH at the start of their world tour haha, I love that they took Eight with them.

I have more detailed thoughts under the cut for those interested in my ramblings, analysis and interpretations of the characters.

Disclaimer: This is my own take on it, don’t let it ruin your fun!

I personally don’t really subscribe to the fandom’s ‘pearlina moms’ headcanon.

On the one hand, I am an absolute sucker for the ‘found family’ trope, and I definitely think Agent 8 and OTH fit in it!

On the other hand, I think people immediately put Pearl and Marina into the ‘parenthood’ box, a little too eagerly. Not saying this specific ask is that, btw, it just reminded me of some instances i’ve seen.

I personally think that the relationship between OTH and Agent 8 is a little more nuanced & sibling-esque, for the following reasons:

1. Within canon, we often see 8 being referred to as a friend by both Pearl and Marina.

Pearl does it more explicitly (see that one interview at her house), whereas with Marina it’s more insinuated (ex. In the Side Order dev diaries, she starts calling Agent 8 as ‘Eight’, which is stated to be a name used by their friends).

Pearl seems to be an accidental-duck-parent of sorts who haphazardly collects octoling teenagers & young musical talent. It goes in line with her whole mentor-esque leader personality, and i’m sure these disoriented teens find relief in an idol who seemingly knows what she’s doing (she really doesn’t).

However she doesn’t act in a parental manner. More-so like your estranged gay cousin who hit it big in another country and is down to show your queer little butt the ropes.

Marina on the other hand seems to have a more empathetic approach with Agent 8 (opposite to Pearl’s brashness). Marina clearly connects with Agent 8 through their shared experience as defected octoling soldiers, and probably sees her younger self in them. She’s already caring as it is, but this is accentuated during octo expansion given the circumstances.

I feel however that, unlike Pearl, Marina has a bit of a harder time actually forming a bond with Eight at the beginning. Their similarities (seemingly) end at their shared experience, and probably leaves Marina awkwardly wondering how to approach them further. What we can assume though is that they become closer friends during OTH’s world tour, given the events described in the Memverse Dev Diaries.

Meeting Eight during difficult circumstances (OE) and helping them get out creates a sense of camaraderie between them, which probably devolves into genuine care, established friendship and a strong bond amongst the three overtime.

2. Pearl and Marina are very career-centric both in Splat 2 and 3.

It is reasonable that the two young idols, who see their fame and musical recognition rise spectacularly & fast, are not particularly interested in settling down at this point in their lives.

Now entering her late 20s, Pearl is most definitely still interested in keeping the ball rolling with Off the Hook’s international success. Her character often points towards restlessness, freedom and discovery. There has definitely been character development in regards to her maturity in Splatoon 3, but these aforementioned traits are still ever present in her demeanour & decision-making.

Marina on the other hand can be seen slowly blossoming from a supporting character to being her own person. She definitely develops more self-confidence by Splatoon 3, but is still naturally bashful. It’s clear that she is allowing herself to explore & open up to new things for her own sake. She remains a caring and somewhat nurturing individual, but she is at a stage where she’s learning to live for herself and not for others.

Parenthood (and all the responsibilities and sacrifices it entails) at this moment of their lives would probably freak Pearl out, and stunt Marina’s personal growth.

3. The age gaps between OTH and Agent 8 are too close for it to create a parent/kid bond.

This makes their relationship a little hazy in regards to roles; 8 is still young enough that they may seek out rolemodels and mentors (still relatively influenceable), but they’re also nearing their 20s. By this point they are fairly self sufficient, have a sense of their personal values & identity, and they are relatively responsible & mature.

Pearl and Marina are 8’s seniors by approximately 4-6 years. However, in Splatoon 2 they’re entering their early 20s and their career has just begun to take off.

They are both still relatively youngsters, albeit older & more mature(? glancing at Pearl) youngsters than 8. This places them in a position where they can guide 8 and offer certain support and resources, but lack the maturity and experience of a full-fledged adult. This would approximate their relationship closer to that of siblings in a family setting.

Pearl & Marina are also less likely to feel a duty towards Eight as an adult would with a child. Instead, the latter’s circumstances are more likely to incite feelings of rapport and compassion as a fellow young inkfish.

Now, with all of this said, I will acknowledge that friendship/found family is MUCH more nuanced than a strict binary.

From personal experience in my last years of college, I did find myself caring for my fellow freshmen as though they were my kids, in certain ways. Hell, I called them my kids.

I acted as a proud parent whenever some of them achieved something, attempted to pass down my knowledge to them, and was protective of them to a certain extent.

They also annoyed me sometimes, like younger people do haha. And i’m sure I annoyed them too!

So I wouldn’t put it past OTH to call Eight their kid and have this mentor/parent-esque rapport with them in certain circumstances.

This is all based both on canon & my own interpretations of it, but still closely aligned to what has been shown in-game.

So if you have a different interpretation of Agent 8 and OTH, that’s great! I love to see people’s personal headcanons. Ultimately, Agent 8 is meant to be somewhat of a blank slate for the players to mold, with some hinted-at personality traits of their own.

As long as you have fun with these characters, that’s all that matters. This is just my personal opinion on their relationship in-game.

If you read all of this, you deserve the biggest golden star for listening to my incessant yapping 🤲⭐️

Feel free to bother me about this or other opinions you may have in my inbox, just be kind please!

[reallyseally]

trying to mentor junior devs in the age of AI autocomplete is so painful!!! like im way more pro-AI than a lot of takes i see on here but its like. they refuse to think or learn they just see a suggestion and hit tab and then just stare at it unable to figure out why its wrong bc they refuse to make the effort to understand the code ugHhhHh

[lightweaver-chosen-if]

Happy New Year!

So, I definitely missed the deadline I set for myself, and I'm really sorry!

Here's what's been going on the past few months. Ever since I discovered zero drafting (circa November 2024) I've been experimenting with it. While I’ve added a solid 50k words, there was no way I was going to publish it as it was...

Unless you want to read:

mc do circular movements with arms, lightning efx��� then WOOSH they hit a tree and it fucking explodes

I've spent a lot of time lately turning all that into actual sentences and paragraphs. The fact that I really doubled down on making most of the text dynamic also slowed things down. I know people probably only read these games once, but I can't help it!

Writing and coding is hard. I really admire authors who consistently drop huge updates so fast 😫

Right now, I'm still only 70%~ finished with the new content, but since it's been too long, I'll be splitting it.

But for those curious, here's a quick rundown of the new stuff written:

A mini training scene with your chosen RO, where you can learn a move to impress your mentor with (and where a tree fucking explodes).

A 7-day training arc with a strict temporary mentor in preparation for the assessment, ending with a sparring match.

Encounters with the ROs, where you’ll start to learn more about them (sprinkled throughout the story; before, during, and after training).

The omitted content for now is the 7-day training arc and the last RO encounters before the actual assessment. If everything goes well, I might update again this month!

This year, I'm feeling very determined to focus on the game and hopefully finish it (or get close enough). I'm also planning to open a Patreon for regular sneak peeks & dev updates, early access, and some bonus content (little pieces I wrote lately to unwind) for those interested. This is all very new to me, so I'm just testing the waters!

I'll be back on January 15 with the update. For real this time!

For now, here are some sneak peeks!

Thank you for being patient! <3

[tatsugiriroll]

I keep seeing posts abt how “the evils of capitalism” is “missing the point” of mouthwashing . you guys Know a game can have more than one theme/message right? You Know the setting was specifically chosen by the devs for the purpose of the story right? Like it’s not just set dressing?

Do you think there would still be a busted vent for someone to get killed in if the company wasn’t maximizing profit over employees? And locks on the cabin doors? Do you think Anya would have had no one else but curly to turn to if the ship wasn’t being run on a skeleton crew, and there were more people onboard? Would Swansea have been able to keep utility off limits as long as he did? Do you think Anya would have reacted the same to her termination news if she had been fairly compensated and did have savings? would Daisuke have been stuck with a mentor who hated his guts if there was more than one engineer on the job? would the psych evaluations have gone over the same if they’d been conducted by a different doctor so Anya could have gotten hers done too? Do you think the injured curly would have been left alone and defenseless in the medical ward if there were more staff? Would he still be laying in his own bloody unchanged bandages? Do you think jimmy would have gotten away with half the shit he did if there was some semblance of employee rights, and no fear of termination or backlash from accusing him?

like guys this is all just off the top of my head. YES the message of “men will cover for their abuser friends until it’s too late for anyone” is prevalent, timely, and important, but the setting is INTEGRAL to what motivates characters and how they react to the story’s events!!! you cannot separate the two!!!!! can anyone hear me !

[pussy-in-biome]

The intern on our team messed up a simple math thing (no worries, everyone does at 9:30 in the morning) and was like "lol sorry you guys know girlmath" (I'm the only other woman on our team) and I couldnt help myself, I just looked at her and said "girl math? Take yourself seriously." And I feel kinda bad bc she got real sheepish and my boss (our 2:1 was that afternoon, that was when he brought it up) mentioned that it came off rather harshly (he isnt so bad for a guy. He has an 8-year-old daughter and is on the proto-feminist kick some men get in when they have a daughter. He could obvs still be better tho)

I should make time tomorrow to talk to her and tell her I wasnt trying to be an asshole but explain that portraying yourself as incompetent is never going to help you in a corporate environment, especially if you act like its because youre a woman. I wasnt super aggressive but I also don't always mince my words as much as others tend to expect. As a senior Dev I can be a bit stern with my juniors.

I want to make a concerted effort to mentor her in her career. She's so bright but I think she's being held back by a cultural zeitgeist that sees women as incredibly frivolous creatures. I do really think that she can go very far if she takes herself seriously.

[sheydmade]

the Craft of Isobel Gowdie: A Look at Scottish Folk Magic in the 1600s

by Keziah

Those of you readers familiar with Scottish Folk Magic and Traditional Scottish Cunning Ways, or perhaps with the history of witch trials in Scotland, will likely know the name Isobel Gowdie. For those of you who don’t, allow me the honor to introduce you. Known as ‘the Queen of Scottish Witches’ and ‘the Witch of Auldearn’, Isobel Gowdie was a woman whose confessions of witchcraft have gifted us perhaps greater insight into Scottish folkloric beliefs and the folk magic practices of her time than any other account accessible to us.

Little is known about the life and background of Gowdie, aside from the facts that she was the wife of a peasant farmer (John Gilbert), she resided in Lochloy in the Scottish region of Auldearn, and that she gave detailed testimony of her practice of witchcraft in 1662 (the first trial having taken place on the 13th of April). The confession was made in four parts over the course of six weeks. In this piece, we’ll take a look at some of the spells and practices that Gowdie revealed during her trial, diving into the magical craft of Isobel Gowdie.

On Becoming a Witch

In her first confession, Isobel details how she came into the practice of witchery by forging a covenant with the Devil. She states that she first encountered the Devil whilst walking ‘between the farmsteads of Drumdewin’. She then promises to meet the Devil again that night at the kirk, meaning church, in Auldearn. On this night, Isobel made a pact with the Devil, which she describes thusly –

‘The first thing I did was deny my baptism. Then I put one of my hands upon the crown of my head and the other to the sole of my foot and renounced all between my two hands to the Devil. He was in the reader’s desk’ – meaning at the pulpit – ‘with a Black Book in his hand.’

She then tells of another woman present, Margaret Brodie, who was already in covenant with the Devil and who served as a sort of assistant in this ceremony, mentor in Gowdie’s craft thereafter, and a high-ranking member of Gowdie’s coven. Throughout her confessions, Gowdie names other members of her coven along with practitioners from other covens and their locations.

‘Margaret Brodie from Auldearn held me up to the Devil to be baptized. He placed his mark upon my shoulder and sucked my blood from the mark. He spat the blood into his hand. Sprinkling it [the blood] on my head, he said, “I baptize thee, Janet, in my own name.” Her baptism concluded with her being given the baptismal name Janet.

The belief of inheriting the role of Witch through a pact with the Devil is one that appears often in Scottish, English, and Irish folk beliefs from this era, and also appears throughout the Appalachian and Southern United States and other regions of Europe. The act of touching one’s hand to one’s head and the other to one’s foot whilst ‘freely giving all between my hands’ to the Devil is not uncommon in these baptismal rites.

Gowdie states that her powers and the powers of her fellow coven members come directly from the Devil.

‘We get all our power from the Devil. When we ask him for it, we call him ‘Our Lord’.’

On the Devil

Gowdie gives detailed descriptions of her interactions with the Devil and of his appearance. She depicts herself as a servant of the Devil and lists many magical acts she carried out in the Devil’s name. She described him as being cold to the touch and ‘a meikle, blak, roch man’ – being large and hairy with coal-black skin – who ‘had boots and sometimes shoes on his feet – but his feet were always forked and cloven.’

She also explains that the Devil would sometimes appear to her and the others who served him as an animal, and she states that the Devil would come to her house sometimes in the form of a crow or deer ‘or in any other shape, now and then.’ Gowdie goes on to state that the Devil was present at the Sabbats held by Gowdie and her company. She recounts one Candlemas –

‘The Devil sat at the head of the table, and all the coven about.’

In her testimony, particularly during her third confession, Gowdie speaks of having sexual relations with the Devil, as does a fellow coven member, Janet Breadhead, in her own confessions. Isobel gives further detail into the Devil’s anatomy and the instances when she partook in intercourse with the Devil, as well as describing orgies with her coven –

‘He would lie with us in preference of all the multitude; neither had we nor he any kind of shame, but especially he has no shame with him at all.’

On Spirit Companions

Isobel reveals during her second confession, ‘There are thirteen people in my coven, and each one of us has a spirit to wait upon us, when we please to call on him.’ As an aside, many believe that the standard of having 13 members to a coven comes from Isobel Gowdie’s confessions.

During this confession, she describes some of the spirits (though some of the descriptions were omitted from written record) –

Swein: always dressed in grass-green

Rorie: always clothed in yellow

the Roaring Lion: always dressed in sea-green

Mac Hector: a young-looking devil, dressed always in grass-green

Robert the Rule: always dressed in faded dun. He seems to be in command of the rest of the spirits.

Thief of Hell Wait Upon Herself: of whom she gives no description

the Red Reiver: He’s my personal spirit. He waits upon me and is always dressed in black.

Robert the Jacks: always clothed in dun and seems old. He’s a glaikit, goukit (simple-looking, stupid/dumb) spirit!

Laing: of whom she gives no description

Thomas, a Faerie: of whom the description is not included in the written testimony

On Sympathetic Magic

Isobel Gowdie describes an act of sympathetic magic – that is, when one uses an image or item to represent someone and then performs actions (be they symbolic or literal) toward this item or image, actions which will then affect the intended person – that she performed with members of her coven.

She tells that they made a clay effigy or clay doll, with which they intended to ‘kill the Laird (Lord) o’ Park’s male children’. She states,

‘All the Laird’s male children will suffer by it if it isn’t found and broken, as well as those who’ve been born and died already.’

‘John Taylor brought the clay home in his plaid and his wife broke it up into small bits, like meal. She sifted it through a sieve and poured water into it, in the Devil’s name, and kneaded it until it was like rye dough.’

The dough was then shaped and made to resemble the Laird’s sons.

‘It wanted none of a child’s features, and its hands were folded down by its sides. Its texture was like crab or a scraped and scalded piglet.’

In her third confession, Isobel reveals the words that were recited whilst the clay doll was made –

‘The words which we spoke, when we made the doll, for destroying the Laird o’ Park’s male children were thus: ‘In the Devil’s name, we pour this water in among this meal, For lang dying and ill health; We put it into the fire, That it may be burnt both stik and stowre* It shall be burnt, with our will, As any stubble upon a kill.’

*Stik: a stick-like implement or object / (in this context) to be burnt to the point of being destroyed; I’m not sure how stowre should be interpreted from Pitcairn’s work and have had difficulty finding a meaning for this.

‘The Devil taught us the words; and when we learned them, we all fell down upon our knees with our hair about our eyes and our hands lifted up, looking steadfast upon the Devil and still saying the words thrice over, ‘til it [the doll] was made. And then, in the Devil’s name, we put it in the midst of the fire. After it had shriveled a little before the fire, and when it was red-hot like a coal, we took it out in the Devil’s name. ‘Til it be broken, it will be the death of all the male children the the Laird o’ Park will ever get.

‘Cast it over a kirk (church), it will not break until it be broken with an axe, or from such a thing, be a man’s hands. If it is not broken, it will last a hundred years.’

Isobel goes on to describe what actions they performed upon the clay figure, such as putting it in hot embers, holding its face near the fire until it shriveled, and roasting it or parts of it ‘every other day’.

She concludes by informing those at her trial that the doll was still being practiced upon and roasted when she was taken in, and that they can find the doll hanging upon a peg in John Taylor’s house, with ‘a clay cradle around it’.

Her account is corroborated by the testimony of Janet Breadhead. After describing the doll, she shares,

‘It was put near the flames until it was dry and wrinkled. Then we placed it on the hot coals until it was hard. Then we took it from the fire and wrapped it in a cloth and hid it away on a shelf or sometimes under a chest. Every day, we would wet it then roast it and bake it, and every other day we would turn it at the fire, until the bairn was dead. Then we hid it [the doll] away and didn’t touch it until the next bairn was born.’

She states that they would do the same with the doll within six months of the child’s birth, continuing their practice of roasting the doll ‘until the new bairn died too.’

In a later confession, Isobel reveals their purpose in doing this was to make the Laird o’ Parks heirless.

On Taking the Form of an Animal

Isobel Gowdie mentions taking on the shape of various animals, an act she performed along with members of her coven. Though she mentions multiple types of animals she can take the shape of, the animal she is most famously remembered for presenting herself as is the hare, the form which the Devil had her take when he sent her on an errand, as relayed in her third confession. To this day, artworks in honor of Gowdie still feature the hare.

She describes an instance when she took on the form of a jackdaw to gain access to the dye-house of a neighbor in Auldearn, while two other women with her had taken the shapes of a hare and a cat.

During her second confession, Isobel describes how she would take on the shape of a hare –

‘When we go into hare-shape, we say: "I shall go into a hare, With sorrow and sych (sigh) and meikel (great, much) care; And I shall go in the Devil’s name, Aye while I come hame (home) again." And instantly we start into a hare.’

To change back, she would say:

‘Hare, hare, God send thee care. I am in a hare’s likeness now, But I shall be a woman even now. Hare, hare, God send thee care.’

To turn into a cat, she recited this three times:

‘I shall turn into a cat, With sorrow and sych and a black shot; And I shall go in the Devil’s name, Aye while I come hame again.’

To turn back from a cat:

‘Cat, cat, God send thee black shot. I am in a cat’s likeness now, But I shall be in a woman’s likeness even now. Cat, cat, God send thee black shot.’

To turn into a crow, ‘we say three times:

I shall turn into a crow, With sorrow and sych and a black throw; And I shall go in the Devil’s name, Aye while I come hame again.’

And to turn back from a crow:

‘Crow, crow, God send thee black throw. I am in a crow’s likeness now, But I shall be in a woman’s likeness even now. Crow, crow, God send thee black throw.’

Isobel also explains that when she or her fellow witches are in their animal forms, they can cause whomever they like to join them in that form by saying, ‘I conjure thee, Go with me!’ whilst with them or in their house. ‘And they instantly turn into what we are, either cats, hare, crows…, and go with us wherever we want.’

On Raising the Wind

Isobel explains how she and her coven members would raise and control the wind by wetting a cloth rag in water. They then took a laundry stick and ‘knocked the rag upon the stane (stone), saying three times:

I knock this rag upon the stane, To raise the wind in the Devil’s name – It shall not lie until I please again!’

When they wanted to calm or lay the wind again, they would dry the rag and say three times:

We lay the wind in the Devil’s name It shall not rise ‘til we like to raise it again!’

On Fevers

To rid one of a fever, Gowdie revealed that she would say three times:

‘I forbid the quaking fevers, the sea-fevers, the land-fevers, and all the fevers that ever God ordained; out of the head, out of the heart, out of the back, out of the sides, out of the kidneys, out of the thighs, from the points of the fingers to the nibs of the toes – out shall all fevers go. In Saint Peter’s name, Saint Paul’s name, and all the saints of Heaven. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost!’

On Magical Travel

Accounts of magical travel across great distances or into the realms of the sidhe-folk are not uncommon amongst folk and traditional practices throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Gowdie gives a few such accounts. In the first, she describes how her coven met and yoked a puddock-plough (a plough drawn by frogs).

‘The Devil held the plough and John Young from Mebelstown, our Officer, drew it. Puddocks drew the plough, like oxen. The traces were made of dog grass. Its coulter was made from a half-gelded ram’s horn and a bit of horn was used as its blade. We went around two or three times with all of us in the coven going all the while up and down with the plough, praying to the Devil for the fruit of that land, and that thistles and briars might grow there.’

In another account of magical travel, Gowdie details how her coven would place a blade of grass, straw, or a cairn stalk on the ground between their feet and stand over it, saying, “Horse and Hattock, in the Devil’s Name!” or “Horse and hattock, horse and go; horse and pellatis, ho! Ho!” This would transform the grass or straw into a horse that they could then ride. The horses would also be able to fly –

‘...and we would fly away wherever we would, like straw flying about on the highway.’

She also proclaims that if they were to pass anyone and be seen during such a flight, that unless the person was quick in blessing themselves, the coven would ‘shoot them dead if we want. Anyone shot by us, their soul goes to Heaven but their body stays with us – they will fly to us like horses as small as straws.’

These accounts are but a portion of what Isobel Gowdie spoke on in her confessions. While I would love to dig into everything she revealed, that’s simply far too much for a blog post. I highly recommend, though, that you do look into the records of her confessions if this piece interested you. You’ll find explanations as to how she and the women of her coven used charmed broom sticks in their beds to keep their husbands from noticing their absence in the night; the making of Elf-shots or Elf-arrows, and how Isobel and others were instructed in how to use said tools against others; explanations as to how one can take the strength from someone’s ale and put it in the drink of another, and how one can steal the yield from another’s farm; along with the ‘salacious’ accounts of Isobel’s intimate encounters with the Devil, and so very much more.

Sources & Further Information:

‘Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, Vol. 3, Pt. 2’ - Pitcairn, Robert, Esq.

'The Black Book of Isobel Gowdie and Other Scottish Spells and Charms' - Mills, Ash William

'Narratives of Sorcery and Magic - Volume 2' -Wright, Thomas

‘The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth-Century Scotland’ - Wilby, Emma

‘1Scot1Not’ podcast episode ‘Isobel Gowdie: the NAUGHTIEST Girl of the Entire 17th Century’

[carnyx-int]

The wait is over! (Finally) Introducing Carnyx Interactive, a BRAND NEW game development studio made up of queer and neurodiverse game and art industry powerhouses. Founded around the goal of amplifying voices hushed by colonialism, our games emphasize the innate worth in every being. 

As a studio, we are passionate about making the games we want to play, and driven by the lightning-in-a-bottle feeling of experiencing our favourite games for the first time. We’re very intentional about the stories we tell and choose the genres and gameplay that will best support those stories, rather than the other way around. This allows us a flexibility to creatively explore all ideas and the constant ability to grow our skills, game after game. 

The third pillar of Carnyx is mentorship - each of us is coming in with a unique set of experiences and skills, and we strive to create an environment where we both play to our strengths and leave space to mentor and be mentored in return. We grow best when we grow together. 

This ethos drives every part of our business - from the stories we choose to tell, to our approach to research, to the way we treat our coworkers - every person is worth the space and time they occupy. To this end, we strive to create and uphold an environment of compassion, where every voice and idea is considered equitably.  We’re very excited to share our journey with you! Stay tuned for our first two project announcements (one launching this year) and check us out at https://www.carnyxinteractive.com/ and https://carnyxint.itch.io/ for more information and dev blogs.

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[whimscicle]

Varric becoming Viscount of Kirkwall was the perfect progression for his character. Varric loves Kirkwall. It's a shithole, but it's his home, and he loves it. He talks about it all the time in Inquisition. He talks about his friends from Kirkwall, and he talks about Kirkwall in general. He knows it's an awful place, but he's always strived to make it better because he believes, wholeheartedly, that it can be better. Varric is good at politics. He's great with papers and people. It's practically his entire character. Putting him in the position of Viscount is the best possible ending for his character. He's doing what he's good at, for the city he loves. He's finally, after years of watching Kirkwall suffer, making a change for his home, using the skills he learned as a con-man and his natural charisma to his advantage and doing something good, that he has always wanted to do.

!!DATV spoilers under cut!!

And yet, for some god forsaken reason. He's completely abandoned his position in Veilguard? His character Arc was complete. It couldn't have been a more perfect. Let that man retire, let him run Kirkwall in peace! No, instead, he's chasing after the Dreadwolf and playing mentor for Rook (a position which would have been much more suited for The Inquisitor) and the absolute worst part of it? They gave his position as Viscount. To Aveline.

Aveline.

The woman who hates politics. The woman who hates sitting back while she could be out on the battlefield protecting people.

This, to me, is proof that the Veilguard devs didn't understand the characters of the previous games. They brought Varric back for the sake of fanservice and nothing else. He should be in Kirkwall, helping the city he loves so much. Not used as fanservice and a shock value death. He deserved better.

[kirain]

Do you think Spite cares about Rook and the others?

This is an interesting question. Canonically, spirits in general don't feel things the same way mortals do. They certainly have emotions, but they're less complex than ours, often aligning with what type of spirit they are. Spite is a malevolent spirit, therefore his emotions are mainly negative.

That said, since he's linked to a human, it is possible Spite's feelings are influenced by Lucanis, and vice versa. Unfortunately, the game doesn't go into a whole lot of detail on this, which is one of the many complaints I have with the writing. As we've seen from Dragon Age II, Anders was severely influenced by his spirit, to the point that it became lethal to the team, depending on your choices. Moreover, when you try to twist a spirit from its original purpose, it becomes a demon, and I'm forced to wonder if that includes making them feel more complex emotions.

Emmrich believes spirits are capable of expanding beyond their naturally simplistic state, which could very well be true if we consider the Evanuris—but Spite's case is fundamentally different. He doesn't take on a physical form and he didn't leave the Fade of his own accord. Manfred is a spirit of curiosity, making him a benevolent type, and he has no trouble distinguishing right from wrong (even pointing at Hezenkoss and yelling "bad"), but his emotions align with his nature and Emmrich is the perfect mentor, allowing him to fulfill his purpose.

Spite doesn't have the same luxury. Lucanis is an assassin, but he has no interest in harming innocents, he doesn't care about revenge, he isn't sadistic, and he even stops Spite from killing his cousin in a rage. So the questions we should really be asking are: can malevolent spirits feel positive emotions without being corrupted? Would Spite change at all? And was he already twisted from something else when Zara pulled him from the Fade? Solas implies he is or was actually a spirit of determination, but his agreement with Lucanis may have altered his purpose. This was such a missed opportunity that I wish the devs expanded on.

Now, whether or not he cares about Rook and the team, there is a factual answer. I don't even think it's open to interpretation at this point. Years ago, following the lore, I would've said "probably not", but he definitely shows some form of affinity for them, even "missing" Manfred if he dies. Yet the moment that gave me pause when it comes to Spite was in the Heights of Athim, when I neared the giant well. I managed to find a clip and I'd like to explain it.

The spirit in the well is a spirit of despair. These spirits lure people in with promises of something that brings them comfort, like it did to the farmers in the Hossberg Wetlands. In that scene, it's trying to lure Spite in using Rook's scent—meaning Rook is a comfort to Spite. He also gets irrefutably angry at Solas for hurting them. So whether or not this muddles the lore a little, I think it's safe to say Spite absolutely adores Rook.