#only as real as you let it be ( *・°☆ WICCAN / GOD OF MISCHIEF )

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The Art of Witchcraft in Warcraft

Hello, Everyone! With the introduction of Drustvar and the witches who stir up mischief in those troubled woods, I thought it was time to do a piece that reflects my personal take on The Art of Witchcraft in Warcraft. Now, before you’re triggered, keep in mind this is just how I personally roleplay my character. She is a witch of the Old Ways. While many would simply say she is a Harvest Witch, that isn’t entirely accurate either.

Before I get into the ins and outs of my personal spin, witches have always been a grey area of lore. Below are some short little blurbs on what is available out there for the masses, and I’m sure there are a few more snippets in the novels. That said, this is just from an internet search and a spot of digging through lore.

Also, for those looking to start a witch, I highly recommend reading this link, as it has all the basics in one handy place. There is more beyond that article, however, it is beautifully written and gets you pointed in the right direction. Now, let's just into it. 

As of right now, lore-wise, everyone seems to group witches into one of the two categories below:

Harvest Witch is a term used for those who use their nature magic to augment the crops and plant life of an area. In Gilneas especially, once that secluded city reached its industrial age, harvest witches were responsible for keeping the harvests full and bountiful. Without their subtle practices that were shunned, by the Light Worshipping Masses, Gilneas would have suffered famine or worse. 

The Drustvar Witch is the newest witch sighting in our ever expanding world. Now, Harvest Witches, though frowned upon, are wielders of natural magic. Life. Good. Bounty. Think of these as your white witches. Drustvar witches are the opposite. They contort and corrupt their bodies with death magic. For, where there is life… there is also death. And where there is light there is often dark. While Harvest witches help plant life thrive and grow, a Drustvar witch corrupts the harvest and taints the land with her vile magic. 

Now, just because these are the commonly known witches doesn’t mean you have to adhere to being some crop growing hippy or a  dark and crusty hag. Witches in WoW, good or bad, have been pulled from Pagan Beliefs and the modern day Wiccans. This opens up a whole witchy  world of ways you can tailor your character to what best fits your roleplaying needs. Swamp Witch, Hedge Witch, Mind Witch, Sea Witch… have fun with it. 

Here’s my personal choice on how I have built my character’s belief system and magic! 

I went with a more ‘pagan/wiccan’ aspect. Now, for starters, Pagan is a very broad term that is neither good nor bad. Just means instead of worshipping one deity… like The Light, Pagans worship several… like the Wild Gods or Old Gods. Now, for those who  practice life, nature, and fertility like Mac, the Wild Gods are who she puts her “faith” in.  

The Wild Gods  are many and versatile, often taking on a particular strength or aspect and embodying a spirit/beast that has those qualities. Wild Gods is also a loose term as the Trolls refer to these great spirits as Loa. Either way, they are strong nature forces that witches can call upon in a time of need. 

How to Witch 101: Mac’s System

So, time and time again we read that witches have limited magical ability. This does not mean that you are helpless and can only cast some manner of basic acolyte spells that an infant elf could cast straight out of the womb. This simply means if you are going toe to toe with an experienced druid, you’re likely going to find yourself overpowered by their strong affinity for nature magic. It is speculated that humans weren’t entirely meant to wield the power of nature; that said, I keep my god complex in check when it comes to Mac’s magic. She is by no means all powerful, but she is hardly weak either. Below is a brief little system I use to keep her honest… ish. 

Casting Spells

•Basic Spells: These are spells that require no verbalization and are often closer to parlor tricks. They require very little focus and/or energy to maintain. Examples: Soothing Wild Creatures, Spurring Plantlife to Grow, Creating a Witch Light, Initiating a Mental Link/Bridge with a willing participant. 

•Intermediate Spells: These are spells that sometimes require verbalization. For actual vocal spells, I use Gaelic as an Old Ways/Dead Azerothian language because I like the sound better than Old Norse. These spells require basic focus and a slow drain of energy to maintain. Depending on my character’s current physical state these spells could cause her to break a sweat or over exert herself if she is already stretched too thin. Examples: Healing Physical Wounds, Creating a Mental Link/Bridge with an unwilling Participant, Controlling a Wild Creature

•Advanced Spells: These are spells that require a great deal of focus and energy. It is unlikely, after casting such a spell, that Mac would be able to cast anything beyond a basic spell and even those would take a toll and a great deal of effort. These spells are always vocalized, often in a chant included in a ritual. These spells take time and preparation, both for the ritual work, and for the mental/grounding state Mac needs to find herself in. Often for these spells, Mac seems to be in another plane or in deep meditation. While she can hear the world around her, she doesn’t answer to it. Examples: Purification Rituals, Removing a Curse, Contacting Spirits. 

•Mastery Spells: These are spells that require a great deal of focus, however, the energy surpasses anything that Mac possesses. This is where calling upon the gods comes in. This type of magic ALWAYS comes with a price, often it is the caster or the one who requested the spell who pays the price. The Price is determined by the god that is called upon for the favor, given after the spell is cast. The debt must be paid or honored for the spell to be completed. Cheating the gods out of the debt owed results in curses, wrath, or worse. Mac very rarely uses this type of magic as she has paid a steep price in the past for doing so. It’s considered a very last resort for her. Examples: Saving/Bringing someone back from the dead, changing the natural order of things, lifting powerful curses of magic beyond the witches power. 

Power Influxes

So for starters, Mac is afflicted. This particular “gift,” as per lore, has heightened her abilities. Due to the worgen being tied to Elune, this is known to heighten the minor nature magic abilities of Gilnean witches (or other regions) to the point where The Cenarion Circle has welcomed them with open arms and offered to teach them to hone their gifts. This doesn’t mean that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys and girls, but it gets them a step closer.

There are other times or happenings where an influx of power is something I write into my character’s personal magical talent. Some of these are a personal preference from grey areas of lore and some are from pagan traditions and beliefs. 

•Phases of the Moon: The moon can definitely impact Mac’s spellwork. While its waxing and waning hold no real sway over her, the Full Moon is a potent time for her. Due to her affliction, her more primal side begins to show, and as such, her natural gifts are much more prominent. Spells come to her with ease, as if she is a fertile font of energy. While this by no means allows her to cast Mastery Spells with the snap of her fingers, difficult spells such as Advanced are much easier on her body/energy levels. Note: Azeroth has  two moons. The White Lady and The Blue Child. Phases of the moon are in relation to the larger of the two moons as it has been a constant presence, as well as, its ties to Elune. 

•Solstice/Equinox/Holidays/Celestial Events: Because I have derived a great deal of Mac’s system from pagan beliefs, she honors their traditions and important festivals throughout the year. Most, tie in with a specific In-Game Holiday, and Mac simply puts a witchy spin on it. Each festival, or solar event, impacts her magic in specific ways. For Beltane, fertility is boosted. For Imbolc, purification becomes easier. For Samhain, communicating with the spirits becomes easier as the veil between planes thins. Etc. 

•Coven Connection: While Mac is no longer in a coven, at one point she led one. A coven is simply an assemblage of witches. Given Mac’s inability to age and her long years as a practicing witch, she was the head of her coven in Gilneas before the fall. Her coven fell with the affliction, most of her fellow witches finding death rather than the curse. She has not sought out another coven, nor started a new one. However, due to the closely knit connection a coven has, the witches who are a part of one have the ability to share strength, using it to cast spells that would often be beyond an individual's capability. 

Rituals

Now, with spells that require more than just a few words and the wiggling of fingers, there are rituals. These are simply ceremonies passed down to through the ages, to incorporate a more intricate spellwork by ancient steps taken to amplify a spell, honor the gods, or protect the witch from harm while in a “meditative state”. There can be several ways to utilize ritual spellwork through roleplay. Listed below are some of the methods one might see Mac utilize. 

•Offerings: These are benign objects that are offered to the gods as Tribute. A gift to watch over the witch as she practices or perhaps something to honor a specific deity for favor or other personal beliefs/reasons. Example: Leaving food on an altar or tossing it into the fire. Pouring Whiskey/Booze into the Earth/Sea. 

•Personal Objects: These are often used to channel a spell through the item, towards the person it belonged to. Often times these personal items are spelled with an intent, like a Voodoo doll, or destroyed in the process of the cast, like a curse or blessing cast from a distance. 

•Candles, Salt, Herbs: Often these are used for some manner of protection or magical amplification. 

•Sacrifice: This doesn’t mean finding a virgin or slaughtering a lamb, though it could if that is your wish. This is more a price that will be paid to spur the spell into action. Sometimes this is the simple act of offering blood… sacrificing a bit of the witches lifeforce as a show of her commitment. Other Times, the sacrifice exacts a higher price.

•Symbols: Don’t forget your symbolism, loves. Spellwork that requires a ritual is usually vocal and visual. Symbols drawn on the ground with precision or carved into an item for potency. These really add to the ambiance of a casting scene. 

Witches in the World

Now that I’ve covered the basics of how I go about Roleplaying my Witch, I would like to touch base on something rather prickly. I understand this is 2018. However… In World of Warcraft, The Age of Enlightenment… this is not. As per lore, the world in which we play  is a very LIGHT heavy setting. What does this mean for witches? It means they are often frowned upon, misunderstood, shunned, persecuted, or as we’ve seen in Drustvar… cast into the Reenactment of Monty Python.

My personal headcanon for Mac reflects this. While she, at times, will point out her unique practice… she knows her audience. She’s not about to go march through the Cathedral and speak of spells, rituals, and the Wild Gods. It’s best to do a bit of digging and see who falls where on the Witchy Acceptance List. Keep in mind, this means if you are playing a harvest witch… most people are likely going to be okay with you. If you have built a house made of candy in the woods and are eating children after you roast them alive in an oven… chances are you’re not going to have a lot of fans. 

And there we have it! My stance on Warcraft Witchcraft. If you have any questions, feel free to hit up my ASK box. Comments, same thing! If you’ve been triggered and have nothing better to do with your day than bitch and complain about my personal style of witch roleplay, which impacts you in no personal way at all,  please click the following link so that you can convey your thoughts in the preferred method. <Instruction Link!>  

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Loki Collectibles: Key God of Mischief Comics to Own for Marvel Fans

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When you really think about it, there is probably no comics character more responsible for more amazing runs of Marvel books than Asgard’s God of Mischief, Loki Laufeyson. This is partly due to the secretly high concentration of outstanding Thor runs through the ages, but, as you’ll see, Loki is largely responsible on page for the birth of the shared Marvel Comics Universe, which puts their horns in a lot of different comics pies. 

Loki is about to be hotter than ever, which means that key single issues from his comics history are going to become even more collectible than before…and sound investments if you’re hoping to own some pieces of comics history that will appreciate in value over time.

Journey Into Mystery #85

Just two issues prior to this one, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby had relaunched a Twilight Zone-ey anthology book into Marvel’s home for big, booming Norse god superheroics.

Journey Into Mystery #85 continued the development of that world, and brought Thor’s trickster brother into the Marvel U. This is a fairly straightforward Marvel silver age book, with a silly plot and some stunning, boldly imaginative art from King Kirby. The costumes and characters aren’t quite settled in iconography yet, but much of what Loki will become is here in these pages. 

Journey Into Mystery #85 is massively collectible already, and will only be worth more as the show makes him more popular, but it’s also an indelible piece of comics history: Lee and Kirby are really cranking up the Marvel universe here, and you can see the green shoots of the inventiveness and brilliance that makes Kirby the greatest ever on some of these pages. If you’ve got a couple thousand bucks lying around, that is – in addition to being the first appearance of Loki, Journey Into Mystery #85 is the first appearance of Odin, Heimdall, and Balder as well. You’re looking at spending at least $2,000 for a copy, and probably a couple times that if you want one in decent shape.

Buy Journey Into Mystery #85 here.

Avengers #1

There came a day like no other, and that day set the stage for the Marvel Universe as we know it. Avengers #1 is the true birth of the shared Marvel comics world, the first time Marvel characters stopped being guest stars in other books and started existing within them, just off screen. And it’s all because of Loki. Imprisoned on the Isle of Silence by their brother, Loki uses their magic to trick the world into thinking the Hulk is rampaging. That brings together four heroes new to the world: Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp and Iron Man. Those four team up to defeat the God of Mischief, throw him in a lead tank, and then agree to work together moving forward. And the rest was history. 

Avengers #1 was always highly collectible, but it’s also extremely popular, so you’ll have lots of chances to snag a copy if you can’t afford to spend $30,000 on an authentic, quality copy from the 1960s. The book has been reprinted several times, most recently in 2016, with its original cover. And there are convention exclusive reprints with J. Scott Campbell covers (sketch and colored) that can be had for only $30.

Buy Avengers (1963) #1 here.

Thor #353

Walter Simonson may be the definitive Thor storyteller in Marvel history. His behemoth run was the foundation text for arguably the best MCU film, Thor: Ragnarok, and saw him give the defining takes on just about all of Asgard, from Thor himself all the way to minor, secondary villains like Skurge the Executioner or Lorelei. But not many characters did better under Simonson’s watch than Loki. Thor #353 is one of many high points of this run, featuring Loki and Thor fighting alongside Odin to stop Surtur’s rampage. 

Compared to earlier entries on this list, the Simonson run as a whole is MUCH more collector friendly. Thor #353 can be had in perfect condition for cheaper than many new books. In fact, you’re as likely to find this issue as part of a lot of Simonson Thor comics as you are to find it alone. And that’s great – the whole run is worth your time.

Buy Thor #353 here.

Thor (2007) #5

It’s hard to believe now, but there was a period in the early 2000s when Marvel just stopped publishing Thor comics. They ended one run with a magnificent Ragnarok, let Asgard lie dormant for almost 3 years, and then brought the Norse gods back in a big way, and nobody was more changed by that return than Loki. She returned from the post-Ragnarok nothingness as a woman in this issue, written by J. Michael Straczynski and dazzlingly drawn by Olivier Coipel. Expect this to be referenced in the new series.

Thor #5 is almost certainly underpriced as of publication. You can find copies of the regular cover for close to cover price, while the issue’s lone variant by J. Scott Campbell is going for in the $25-$40 range. This is almost certain to go up because of the show, and if Loki spends any serious screen time as a woman, it should go up by a lot. Now might be a good time to get in on the ground floor. 

Buy Thor (2007) #5 here.

Journey Into Mystery #622

No run of Loki stories has likely had a greater influence on the MCU’s take on Loki than what Kieron Gillen did with him, starting at the end of the big Siege crossover, Loki dies at the hands of The Sentry, and is immediately resurrected as a preteen version of himself. From there on, Kid Loki becomes one of the most beloved Marvel comics characters of the past decade: tricky, razor smart, self-aware, and ambiguous.

This issue in particular, with excellent pencils from Doug Brathwaite, is an incredible deep dive on who Loki is and what role they serve in the story of Asgard, and the combination of quality and intermedia importance is helping this issue do some numbers online – the second printing in particular, featuring a photo cover of Tom Hiddleston fully be-horned in his movie Loki getup, is going for between $75 and $100. That will probably calm down some after the show, but I’d bet not by a ton, considering where the story might go.

Buy Journey Into Mystery #622 here.

Young Avengers #1

Gillen’s time shepherding Kid Loki continues as the trickster teen assembles yet another cadre of Avengers. It features a team of Marvel sidekicks and legacy heroes echoing their predecessors – the children of Vision and Scarlet Witch (Wiccan and Speed) and Wiccan’s boyfriend Hulkling; Kate Bishop, the second and better Hawkeye; kid Loki; Noh-Varr, the Marvel Boy from an alternate reality; depowered mutant genius Prodigy; and alternate reality ass kicker Ms. America. 

So between it’s likely importance to the future of the MCU (this team is almost guaranteed to be the foundation of the inevitable Young Avengers MCU entry) and the staggeringly gorgeous art from Jamie McKelvie, this book is a must buy. Fortunately, there are lots of options – Marvel knew this would be a hit when it launched, so they had multiple variant covers (from both Skottie Young and Scott Pilgrim’s Bryan Lee O’Malley, as well as the now-traditional blank sketch variant). You can find original covers for a little over cover price, and variants in the $10-$25 range. The second printing of the first issue – with a black, white and blue sketch version of the O’Malley variant – can be found in that range too.

Buy Young Avengers (2013) #1 here.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #1

If Kieron Gillen’s story is about what Loki means to the story of the Marvel Universe, Al Ewing’s Loki: Agent of Asgard is about what Loki means to their own story. As Young Avengers wrapped, Kid Loki was destroyed and replaced by a Hiddlestonier older version, one obsessed with establishing their own heroism. So they cut a deal: the ruling All-Mother triumvirate in Asgard would wipe old Loki stories from Asgardian records in exchange for Loki completing missions on their behalf on Earth. Agent of Asgard is half heist comic, half deep character piece, with an evil old version of Loki being the series’ recurring villain. Ewing and artist Lee Garbett turn in a witty, fun book that has some of the finest Loki character work in all ten realms. 

Prices on this book have risen steeply of late, likely in anticipation of everything with Loki’s name on it getting hot. As such, you’ll be hard pressed to find a copy of even the first printing going for less than $15, and the real heavy hitter here – the sketch variant of Frank Cho’s Jim Steranko homaging Loki cover – is up over $200.

Buy Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 here.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #8

In this issue of Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s top-tier Marvel run, New York is under attack from Ratatoskr, the trash talking squirrel who runs messages up and down the World Tree. Squirrel Girl battles Ratatoskr’s rumor mongering with the help of Loki, Odinson, Jane Foster Thor, and SG’s roommate, Nancy Whitehead, who it turns out is the author of a great deal of Asgardian fan fiction. Only with all the Norse Gods replaced by cats. Loki, of course, finds this hilarious, and spends the rest of the story with Cat Thor’s head, and it is utterly delightful for everyone except their very frustrated brother. 

It’s not an impactful moment in Loki’s history. It does nothing to the MU’s metanarrative, and until they decide to bring in the Netflix properties and use Squirrel Girl as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s au pair like they did in the comics, this will have nothing to do with the MCU. So you can find this for cheaper than cover price, or as part of lots that are cumulatively MUCH cheaper than cover price. And that’s great: these Squirrel Girl stories were terrific. They’re worth every penny at twice the price.

Buy Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #8 here.

Vote Loki #1

Christopher Hastings and Langdon Foss do something interesting with Loki here: instead of using him to comment on the Marvel Universe, they use them to comment on ours. Vote Loki was a send up of American electoral politics, mocking the…ever-changing nature of the American electorate by having Loki campaign for President as an open, avowed, amoral liar. I’ll be honest, there are moments where this one still lands a little shakily, but it’s certainly improved since its unfortunate release timing (in the middle of the 2016 election). It’s smart and fun, and from the looks of the Loki trailer, probably important. 

Like everything else with Loki in the title, the market has gone a little crazy for these of late. The main covers are going for multiple times the cover price, and the variants (particularly the Valerio Schiti incentive cover for the first issue) up in the 3 and 4 figures. Wild for a book that’s this new.

Buy Vote Loki #1 here.

Thor #4

Some of these books are here because they’re brilliant investigations of comic storytelling, or deeply personal character studies of complex, multifaceted comics characters with a half century of history. And some are on here because they have a scene where Thanos tells the Norse goddess of death “It’s not you, it’s me” in the middle of a sham wedding in Hel. Thor #4 is almost at the big War of the Realms, the culmination of Jason Aaron’s nearly ten years writing Thor, and it’s an absolute blast. If you read the excellent Aaron run from start to finish, this will be one of your favorite issues. 

If you get this issue’s James Harren variant – obtainable at less than $10 – you’ll be very happy with yourself for doing it.

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Buy Thor (2018) #4 here.

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