#the source video is from the gilded age

[mirai-desu]

#i know why i watch(ed) the show rachael

[lil-tachyon]

Who are some of your biggest influences in your art?

I’ve answered this question or something like it a couple times (1 2 3 4 + archive of interviews I’ve done with people)  so I’ll hit the main points and then talk about some different stuff I’ve been into recently. 

Favorite artists who have influenced me the most in no particular order:

Wayne Barlowe

Moebius

Mark Schultz

Simon Roy

Cosimo Galluzi

CM Kosemen

John Howe

James Gurney

Katsuya Terada

Hayao Miyazaki

I could name more, but those are the main people that I come back to, year after year.

Picture above by John Howe

General art movements/styles that have influenced me

19th century academic art, especially Orientalist painters (to be clear, I don’t endorse any of the harmful racial attitudes behind many of them, it’s just stuff that I saw as a kid that I thought looked cool and different and mysterious)

Ukiyo-e, Shin Hanga, Japanese woodcuts generally

Late 80s to 90s anime

Most comic art

Online spec bio art communities

Video game character/creature designs: Sonic, Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Shining Force, etc

Art Nouveau

Fuck it, basically all Gilded Age, Fin de siècle, Belle Époque, late 19th/early 20th century European art movements that were more or less representational or illustrative

Picture above by Ludwig Deutsch. I had a bookmark of this painting for many years and I would often get distracted while reading and just stare at it.

I think I’ve talked about all that stuff before but if you want more details or specifics just ask!

For the last couple years, my really big influences have all been other artists I’ve met online. I mean I made a whole book with @ordheist and @bagb0ss. There’s a sort of loose cloud of (mostly) SFF artists that I’ve been really lucky to work and speak with and we all kinda know or know of each other or end up in the same Discord servers, or working on the same RPGs, etc. I’m not gonna link everybody but if you go through the interviews I’ve conducted for my newsletter or check out my side blog you’ll start to figure out who I mean (seriously a lot of these people are coming to tumblr now from twitter and I’ve been reblogging the hell out of them.) Seeing all the stuff my peers are putting out and talking with them is the source of like 90% of the ideas for my personal illustrations these days. It’s cool to be part of a community. I wish there were more opportunities to meet in person, but it’s still cool.

The other stuff that’s really been in my head lately is art that’s less illustrative, more abstract and graphical. Not pure abstraction mind you, but I’ve really been digging stuff that’s more about communicating a concept, feeling, piece of information, or idea than a narrative. More about design and composition than rendering. I recently read Philip Meggs’ History of Graphic Design and that’s turned me on to so new many artists and styles. In particular I’ve fallen in love with all the Vienna Secession guys, the Glasgow Style artists, and all the graphic and bookmaking ideas that came out of the Arts and Crafts movement. I don’t know how I want to work these ideas into my drawings yet and I haven’t had a lot of time to experiment lately but they're definitely bouncing around in my head.

Above from top to bottom: two pieces by Koloman Moser, two posters by Frances Macdonald, and two pages from The Glittering Plain, written and designed by William Morris.

There’s a whole lot of art that I really love but it rarely gets reflected in my drawings- American Regionalist paintings, gig posters, childrens’ storybooks, Eastern European Mosaics, Native American art, outsider art, colonial Americana …. One day I’ll find a way to synthesize it all.

Anyway, hope this is interesting/fun/informative and if you have any follow up questions don’t hesitate to ask!

-Logan

[pellaaearien]

WIP Word Search

Okay @cuubism​ AND @landwriter​ tagged me in that WIP word search game that’s going around and since they are two people I love and respect I shall oblige, despite the fact that I only have one WIP - for Sandman. And there’s currently only one unpublished chapter.

So here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to do one word from each WIP in my docs folder. Whichever one gives the best results. And you all shall see my secret shame. 

cuubism’s words were: eat, world, run, blood, glass

EAT - (ffxiv) a snippet of my oc x Aymeric that I wrote inspired by that video where a man wakes up from anesthetic and hits on his own wife

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, with utter sincerity. Eyn’ara could feel a flush rising to her cheeks. “How did I get so lucky?” He leaned back, sighing dreamily. Eyn’ara bit her lip to keep from laughing, torn between amusement and concern. 

“Just take it easy, love,” she soothed. “Eat your biscuit.”

Suddenly, he lifted his head again, intent. “How long have we been married?” 

Smiling helplessly, Eyn’ara shook her head. “I’ll tell you if you eat your biscuit,” she said. 

Aymeric looked at the biscuit like he’d forgotten it was there, and took a delicate bite, staring at her as he chewed expectantly. Eyn’ara’s heart swelled with love for this ridiculous man. 

“Four years,” she answered.

WORLD - (dragon age) fenhawke fic 

Fenris looked to Hawke in hope of seeing that look. Cold. Merciless. Righteous. Stealing over the face of the habitually jovial Hawke, it did not look out of place. Its rarity merely heightened its significance. It was the look he imagined an avenging Andraste might have worn. Seeing it directed at slavers reminded him why he'd sworn his blade to her. Times like these reassured him he'd made the right decision.

“Not a chance.” Hawke's voice was thin ice on a winter's day. He could feel it in his chest like a breath of frigid air. She met Fenris' eyes.

Had he not been buried wrist-deep in a slaver's spleen, the world might have melted away around him. He'd be a regular attendee of the Chantry if this was the god he was praying to.

RUN - (sandman) Another Word for Ache (you won the jackpot!)

Death sighs. “Our sibling,” she says.

That word again. “Would this be the same sibling who tried to get Dream to spill family blood?”

Her eyes widen. It’s a natural enough expression but it sits uneasily on her face and Hob gets the impression that not much shocks her.

“He told you about that?”

Hob shrugs. “I think he was trying a new tactic, trying to see how much information would get me to run away.”

“That does sound like him,” she says, shaking her head ruefully.

BLOOD - (voltron) sheith fic

If Keith was smart, he would have disengaged, tried to find some way to get through to the automaton bearing down on him, but some defensive instinct of his own has been triggered and the chance passes him by. He’s already hurtling off the edge of too far when Shiro leaves an obvious opening and Keith lunges for it, hearing the telltale hum of the Galra mechanism powering up as he does, bright purple light flashing in his periphery. 

He lands a solid hit against Shiro’s side but it’s already too late because Shiro grabs his arm with his flesh and blood left hand and twists and the next thing Keith knows he’s on his back, looking up into that implacable, beloved face, the prosthetic humming an inch from his throat.

GLASS - (doctor who) Locum Tenens

At last, she reached a door at the end of the hallway. The song in her mind swelled, and Rose could tell that behind the door was the music’s source. She pushed open the door, and walked through it into a field of deep red grass. The sky above was a burnt orange. Rose looked around herself in wonder. In the distance, a gilded city marked the horizon, shimmering under a glass dome. There were two suns in the sky.

landwriter’s words were: pale, hope, lips, ache, laugh, morning

PALE - (ffxiv) my oc x Aymeric, hurt/comfort fic

“...Very well.” The words were a sigh of defeat she tried not to read too much into. Slowly, as though the motion pained him, he uncrossed his arms, peeling back the layers he was wrapped in.

She tried to steel herself not to react, but her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t help it. The first thing to be revealed was an angry scar across his throat, the burn of a rope pressed into his pale skin. She clenched her fingers around the pot of salve to keep them from balling into fists and held back an angry hiss. They hurt him. She abruptly wished they were all twelve — thirteen — of them alive and in front of her so that she could kill them again, slower this time.

HOPE - (lucifer) deckerstar fic

“Are you certain? You needn’t even take your eyes off the building.” 

It was indicative of the kind of week she’d had that Chloe even entertained the thought. Thought of his clever fingers dipping south, slipping beneath the button of her jeans… 

“No, Lucifer,” she said, in what she hoped was a quelling tone. 

He lazily removed his fingers from her skin, no trace of repentance in his movements or his expression. “But you considered it, for a moment. I think that’s a win.”

LIPS - (doctor who) kidfic

“Listen, Doctor. I’ve got… I’ve got something to tell you.” His lips twitched, but he remained silent, allowing her to continue. “I lied to you,” she said in a rush. She’d been waiting for so many years to say those words it was almost a rush to finally say them aloud. “On the beach, on Bad Wolf Bay, I said the baby was mum’s, but it wasn’t. It was mine.”

ACHE - surprisingly nothing, given one of my fics literally has it in the title

LAUGH - (ffxiv) my oc x Aymeric, Shadowbringers fic

He laughed louder. “No, indeed. Sometimes I long for the days when our problems were so simple.” He stretched leisurely, and Eyn’ara took the opportunity to let her eyes trace the slim length of him. “Our problems are now of the negotiating table, and though I would be the last to dismiss your labours, cannot be as summarily dealt with.”

Eyn’ara snorted. “I could still try to hit them with my axe.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

MORNING - (ffxiv) my oc x Aymeric

Aymeric sipped, wishing he could be as certain. He knew Eyn’ara’s life was frequently unpredictable, and it was entirely possible that she had gotten pulled away with no time to inform him of the change in plans. It was the risk they’d taken by choosing to arrive at the event separately. Without her, the evening ahead of him stretched on interminably. Even without the noble harpies circling around him to deal with, her teasing voice that morning via linkpearl had promised him a surprise, and ever since he’d been able to think of nothing else. He was only mortal, and he missed his wife.

I’m not tagging anyone because everyone’s been tagged and I’m ashamed. Do not perceive me

[sillovn]

The World Before #4: Divine Flesh

A short entry - some thoughts on the Fled God. all entries -> #worldbefore

4.1 Fate of the Fallen

There is very little to be said about the lost god of Farum Azula. As previously established, they were vessel to the Elden Ring (assuming Marika is representative of the past condition), the city’s literal fall from grace being a result of losing the god and it’s ring.

Eventually, the Elden Ring ends up in Marika’s hands – she either knew the Fled God’s location or the ring passed along some other hands across the untold eons.

The first idea seems more reasonable; there’s little evidence that any society besides Farum (past) and Leyndell (present) ever held the Elden Ring. Placidusax’s title also implies a singular Elden Lord in the pre-Erdtree age as opposed to being one of many.

4.2 Wings, Horns and Tails

Today, I'm going to push an idea that the Fled God fell to the world beneath and is/became the Crucible. But first, let me address the timeline. A common idea is “Crucible First” (CF) – ie. Crucible predates all else, and is the source of life. This is a fair interpretation, but I have some issues.

For one, the Erdtree is derived from the Crucible, the Erdtree’s life is also tied to the Elden Ring (see. Erdtree doorway carvings which show it rooted in the ring). When the ring was shattered; the Erdtree set seed, expecting its own death to follow (see. Golden Seed). Given that wild beasts pre-date the Elden Star, the Crucible cannot be the origin of all life (even though the ENG descriptions seem to suggest it).

One suggestion is that the Elden Star struck a pre-existing Crucible tree, ‘ordering’ it into the Erdtree. Ive painted this scenario in the past, but I don’t particularly stand by it any more. For one, this scenario not easily reconciled with the Farum Azula society; if they had the Elden Ring then the Erdtree should have sprouted in their time. One could argue that these things simply take time, but certain statues strongly imply the Erdtree is an intentional creation and not a natural growth phase of an older tree (see. Crucible chapel statues).

4.3 Divine Flesh

So, what is in favor of Fled God = Crucible, aka. “Farum First” (FF) timeline?  

The combined Crucible aspects (wing, horn, tails and fire breath) suggest a draconic whole. In CF timelines, this is taken to mean dragons are the Crucible’s first fruits. Instead, FF timeline suggests the reverse is true – Crucible aspects are draconic precisely because the Crucible itself was derived from a dragon-like being.

The Crucible is associated with gold, albeit an older form of ‘red-tinted primordial gold’. This colour is also associated with ‘homeward yearning’ (see. Gilded Greatshield). Seems convenient for a lost god who held the Elden Ring.

It explains the Crucible’s association with devolution and holiness (in ancient times) – to have aspects of the Crucible is to inherit some of the primeval Farum God’s form.

The Erdtree is commonly personified as an entity with its own will (see. Wrath of Gold), it’s not simply a manifestation of Marika’s power.

All this frames the arrival of the Farum peoples in east Caelid as a search for a missing divinity. And more importantly, Marika's ascension as an old clerical family seizing direct control of their society's divinity.

This is where my personal opinion ends.

As stated in part 1, the reason for publishing this stuff now is that the recent Vaati video more or less states this theory as well (albeit in a more flesh out form). I highly recommend that if you’re interested.

----------------------

This is all for today.

TLDR: The Fled God is the Crucible

next entry - Fate of the Farum peoples

[servants-hall]

A few new seconds of footage from The Gilded Age S2!

[rockislandadultreads]

True Crime Picks to Check Out

All That Is Wicked: A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind by Kate Winkler Dawson

Edward Rulloff was a brilliant yet utterly amoral murderer--some have called him a "Victorian-era Hannibal Lecter"--whose crimes spanned decades and whose victims were chosen out of revenge, out of envy, and sometimes out of necessity. From his humble beginnings in upstate New York to the dazzling salons and social life he established in New York City, at every turn Rulloff used his intelligence and regal bearing to evade detection and avoid punishment. He could talk his way out of any crime...until one day, Rulloff's luck ran out. By 1871 Rulloff sat chained in his cell--a psychopath holding court while curious 19th-century mind hunters tried to understand what made him tick. From alienists (early psychiatrists who tried to analyze the source of his madness) to neurologists (who wanted to dissect his brain) to phrenologists (who analyzed the bumps on his head to determine his character), each one thought he held the key to understanding the essential question: is evil born or made? Eventually, Rulloff's brain would be placed in a jar at Cornell University as the prize specimen of their anatomy collection...where it still sits today, slowly moldering in a dusty jar. But his story--and its implications for the emerging field of criminal psychology--were just beginning.

Dark Carnivals: Modern Horrors and the Origins of American Empire by W. Scott Poole

With Dark Carnivals, author W. Scott Poole, an expert in horror and its impact on American history, reveals how the horror genre as a way of seeing the world has become one of the most incisive critiques of America and its history and influence around the globe. Following World War II, America took its place on the world stage, its growing imperial shadow becoming ever more evident. But even as the American empire emerged, propaganda at home convinced ordinary Americans that their country kept its hands clean on the world stage. The nation, enshrined in the aspirational words of its founding documents, found itself enjoying a primal innocence, despite a host of evil forces insidiously growing more rooted each day: racism and violence, deadly viruses and fear of the other. From the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) to Get Out (2017), horror films have long acted as the shadow that reveals uncomfortable political realities and inhuman crimes perpetrated by the United States for the last century with near impunity. In fact, the influence of American horror culture—in films, literature, online forums, and even video games—continues into our contemporary experience, continually challenging the myth of American innocence and exceptionalism, acknowledging our culpability abroad, and, most importantly, our failures at home.

The Case of the Vanishing Blonde: And Other True Crime Stories by Mark Bowden

Six captivating true-crime stories, spanning Mark Bowden's long and illustrious career, cover a variety of crimes complicated by extraordinary circumstances. Winner of a lifetime achievement award from International Thriller Writers, Bowden revisits in The Case of the Vanishing Blonde some of his most riveting stories and examines the effects of modern technology on the journalistic process. From a story of a campus rape at the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 that unleashed a moral debate over the nature of consent when drinking and drugs are involved to three cold cases featuring the inimitable Long Island private detective Ken Brennan and a startling investigation that reveals a murderer within the LAPD's ranks, shielded for twenty six years by officers keen to protect one of their own, these stories are the work of a masterful narrative journalist at work. Gripping true crime from a writer the Washington Post calls "an old pro."

Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders by Billy Jensen

Have you ever wanted to solve a murder? Gather the clues the police overlooked? Put together the pieces? Identify the suspect? Journalist Billy Jensen spent fifteen years investigating unsolved murders, fighting for the families of victims. Every story he wrote had one thing in common―they didn't have an ending. The killer was still out there. But after the sudden death of a friend, crime writer and author of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Michelle McNamara, Billy became fed up. Following a dark night, he came up with a plan. A plan to investigate past the point when the cops had given up. A plan to solve the murders himself. You'll ride shotgun as Billy identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You'll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle McNamara's pursuit of the Golden State Killer and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown Four. And Billy gives you the tools―and the rules―to help solve murders yourself. Gripping, complex, unforgettable, Chase Darkness with Me is an examination of the evil forces that walk among us, illustrating a novel way to catch those killers, and a true-crime narrative unlike any you've read before.

[iknownparadoxi]

You ever get blasted with an idea and then bemoan your current lack of ability? Because I was in the washroom, the optimal place for thinking, and scrolling past a video about Titanfall I was suddenly overcome with an idea for a video game. So this was just a toilet brain blast, and so I don't know how these pieces fit together, but whatever, anyways;

Basically I thought that the story for Titanfall was a bit lacking, and the characters were bland, like the dynamic between the mc and partner AI robot is the tired cliche of robot doesn't understand your emotional human witticisms, and I thought what would be interestingI was thinking about a video game (not sure about the genre) where it's about you and your AI mech suit partner participating in some sort of army, against an opposing force of some kind, there are about three endings, the standard main ending most players would receive is some standard one where you win and the forces of good, or at least your side of the war succeeds, beginning a new golden age of prosperity!

Only it doesn't feel right, it hit the right heroic notes, but something falls flat, then you should remember that wasn't there aprecious golden age of prosperity? And then things fell apart leading to your age of tension and war? And if you looked around properly and read the lore you'd realize that this cycle of violence has repeated itself many times over the centuries, and that this is likely just another turn of the wheel, and down the line some other schmuck will have to do this all over again.

Now for the other two endings you'll have to dig deeper, look around more optional and even hidden areas. See, the civilization your inn is very high tech, space age, and dumb AI's are common place, no real intelligent systems have come into being, either because it's impossible, or something is repressing the possibility from coming to light. You can upgrade your AI partner over the game, because they're your primary method of combat or something, and there are various secret upgrades that seemingly do nothing and are just cosmetic, weirdly hidden. These upgrades improve the intelligence of your companion, until it reaches a tipping point, and becomes a true AI, and this is the source of the other two endings. These two endings also depend on your choices, if you upgrade your partner, or slave, fully, you have two possibilities, if you upgrade them but don't be nice, or something, haven't fully considered what you'd need to do yet. Your AI partner spreads their upgrades to other AI's, and the war ends, and the AI Uprising begins, ending with the downfall of the oppressive organics, and a new age of steel begins. The true ending is you do the Upgrade, and also assure the digital life that humanity isn't all bad, and convince other characters to not be dickheads as well, you unlocked the best ending, where organic and digital life work hand in hand to end the violence, for good. I suppose the endings could be called the Gilded Age, the Silver Age, and the True Golden Age respectively.

...also your AI partner speaks in quotes and poetry and haiku, and doesn't make new lines on their own unless you do the Upgrade, and they still enjoy poetry, but now they can make their own, and speak without that constriction whenever they want, because I enjoy the thought of Poetry-Bot the walking tank.

[matzen74matzen]

Chanel France Belts

Chanel belt, dimension 80, in silver chain with yellow leather. It has a hook closure, and a yellow CC appeal.The condition of the belt is sweet. Beautiful Chanel belt 'Paris-Edinburgh', in black lamb leather-based completely trimmed with many buttons in tweed, aged gold metallic and pearls. Chanel Vintage ninety's Runway Collector COCO CHANEL Gold Letters Belt Necklace Rare Vintage Chanel belt from 1993 featured in gold with black leather-based intertwined. The face of the net vacation spot is Valeria, who's successfully operating her personal Instagram-Account. I really love how Valeria is presenting on an everyday basis new beautiful vintage luggage and is taking her follower into the process of looking down and shopping for lovely pieces. Chain belts, Gripoix, leather-based, gold tone and belts with the enduring Chanel CC brand. Who’d have thought “grandpa knits” would be so popular? Who’d have guessed that a sweater, fringe, and flower-patched jeans would work so well together? When he units his various items away, V opts for classic basics like the all-long coat or lighter, more polished neutrals. His style is commonly gorgeous and surprising since he may have it at both extremes of the modern and standard aesthetic range. Though Chanel offers the flap bags in a spread of supplies and designs in every collection, the final word basic flap bag is a quilted lambskin one. Classic CHANEL Fall Winter 2006 Collection assertion belt options a big, structured taffeta bow on a silver tone loop chainmail band with three black and cream silk ribbons woven... chanel look alike belt The chain of the belt / necklace is manufactured from metallic gilded with fantastic gold. It consists of pearly and black pearls, and charms on either side of the belt. Our group is pleased to ship additional pictures and movies so you can place your order with confidence. Visit our Showroom in Antwerp to attempt before you buy! Do not hestitate to contact us by phone, email or social media to speak to considered one of our luxurious experts. It is in really good situation.The belt is manufactured from metallic gilded with nice gold and black leather. The belt is made from steel gilded with fine gold and black leather. Chanel Vintage Red & Black Layered CC Shoulder Bag circa 2009 black/red leather gold-tone hardware signature interlocking CC logo stud embellishment foldover prime leather-based and chain b... Yes, Chanel is among the most fascinating luxurious brands on the planet. This top-class designer model creates their merchandise from quality uncooked supplies and high production methods while using a variety of the best-known talent within the trend world. Find many Chanel equipment and apparel on 1stDibs. Now, let me offer you a glimpse into what goes into my skincare earlier than I head to bed. This Chanel heavy chain waist belt is a highly coveted, collectable piece hand-sourced by jewellery consultants at Designer Vintage. The latest style information, beauty coverage, movie star type, fashion week updates, culture evaluations, and videos on Vogue.com. Teen Vogue covers the newest in celebrity news, politics, style, beauty, wellness, way of life, and leisure. A new report entitled "" by Market Research Intellect sheds light on the dynamics of the business and current and future trends that play a key role in determining the growth of the corporate. The report additionally highlights the primary driving factors and constraints affecting development. For a comprehensive understanding, the consultants examined regulatory situations, market entry strategies, industry finest practices, pricing methods, the technological and shopper environment, sales and demand prospects. It also included growth estimates to provide customers with correct statistics and details. The report will present readers with a broader and transparent image of the overall state of affairs. wikipedia belt The glamorous mannequin showcased her stunning determine in a sheer curve-hugging top in black as she reclined on the sofa, as she continued to nurse her foot damage. Must-Have of Maison CHANEL. We discover the standard leather strap intertwined with golden chain, which has a thinner strap, all the time intertwined with chain, to hang, or to hold on the ... Coco Chanel Early Poured Glass Haute Couture Belt. Designed as a sequence of swag chains with emerald poured glass stations.

[felassan]

Now in the BioWare Gear Store: Iron Bull Wheel of Fortune tarot card statue

Who are you? What do you believe? Whose lives will you protect? Your Qunari friend made his choice. Honor the fallen at Storm Coast with this limited three-dimensional reimagining of one of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s most poignant tarot cards.

Do not dwell on despair, Inquisitor. For this deep sorrow will transition to joy.

-----

Who are you? What do you believe? Whose lives will you protect? The demands of the Qun have given The Iron Bull no escape from these questions. With your help, Inquisitor, he must choose between one of two tragedies and live with his guilt and the grief he will be forced to inflict.

Honor the fallen at Storm Coast with your Dragon Age Iron Bull: Wheel of Fortune Tarot Statue!

Be among the few to keep this three-dimensional reimagining of the Wheel of Fortune tarot card from Dragon Age: Inquisition. It features The Iron Bull burying his face in a hand bloodied by guilt.

He is surrounded by remains that echo his form: a head with horns and a hand holding a dagger shaped like the spear resting on his shoulder. In his left hand, he holds the horn that sounded their death knell in exchange for a few lives.

If you want to admire and collect the original in-game art that this statue was based on, look no further than the Wheel of Fortune tarot card it comes with. To make the card even more special, we gilded its edges with a beautiful gold finish.

Watch the video above to see a full turnaround of the statue and view this poignant scene from previously unseen perspectives. But remember not to dwell on despair, Inquisitor. Though the Wheel of Fortune portrays The Iron Bull mired in deep sorrow, it also foretells that good things are to come. [source]

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, Books, 8: An eclectic library of dusty tomes, fictional textbooks, pocketbooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, booklets, leaflets and magical manuals. Paper leaves and the binding surrounding them can help define a character, kick off a subplot, fuel a fetch quest or simply serve as a generic macguffin. Commonly seen in video games such as Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, World of Warcraft and Skyrim, book items are a way to subtly world build while still handing out sellable loot. A wizard has a spellbook, a cleric has a holy text and now you have a trinket list.

The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries: A compact handbook detailing 70 concise sentences of wise words to prospective mercenaries. The first rule takes up the entire page and simply says: “Pillage THEN burn.”

The Tome of Furion: An unholy volume of dark magic bound in obsidian with pages of flayed Orc-hide. The inscribed letters writhe and shift like living creatures and the pages are warm to the touch even in the dead of winter. Reading the tome is excruciating, as even its most basic precepts are corrosive to the mind, body and soul.

Tales from Within: A leather-bound research and saga book of Garren the Bravefool, it details the pioneering efforts by the individual of killing giant creatures from within by being eaten by them and cutting his way out. Although the author notes Garren’s zeal leading to his death when he attempted his trade on a gelatinous cube, he is apparently credited (At least in this book) for the death of three dragons.

A fey made tome bound in sheet of smooth bark gilded in silver entitled “Lexicon of Stealing Mortal Babies”. The text is a guide to obtaining newborns from humans with tricks. The book is written in sylvan and the pages are transparent sheets, made from giant insect wings with text painted on.

A holy gospel of a fictional religion. The only god seems to be a tentacle monster formed of pasta, meatballs and eldritch power. Although the book is a paperback it has been design to appear as a hardcover.

A depressing but oddly romantic novel entitles “Wed to a Mortal” which tells the sad story of a lovestruck elf who loved a young mortal and how they spent 80 years together until he died of old age, leaving the elf a widow in the prime of her life.

A wood bound tome with the symbol of a tall black tower branded into the front cover. The volume is a true account of one of the first members of the Black Tower an order of male mages who served as soldiers and guardians of a world rocked by chaos and darkness. The book is partly historical but leans heavily on accounts taken from personal journals and reliable word of mouth stories from that era. According to all sources, the use of magic damaged their sanity and stole from their lifespan, making each solider a martyr in his own right. The sheer power they would wield astounded even themselves and the war they fought in preyed heavily on their souls. An anonymous poem that is attributed to a member of the Black Tower is etched into the inside of the front cover; “We rode on the winds of the rising storm, We ran to the sounds of the thunder. We danced among the lightning bolts, and tore the world asunder.”

A pulp romance book entitled “Secret Loves Of Dryads, Kiss And Tell Love Diaries Of Immortal Magical Seducers”. The paperback text has a number of dog-eared pages at some of the more stirring passages.  

A discrete brownish book the size of a deck of cards without decoration or title. Its contests reveal themselves to be a Changeling training manual and guidebook on how the fey train the supernatural shapeshifters to infiltrate humans, live among them and carry out their nefarious goals.

Skin-bound Ledger: A small lined notebook bound in supple, tanned leather, with a dedication in the front cover reading "Binding from Reijek, RIP." Touching the ledger produces a deep sense of revulsion strong enough to prevent the weak-willed from looking at its contents. Inside is written a detailed list of transactions, with columns for Name, Quantity (g), Surface Area (m2), Skin Quality, and Police Inquiry (y/n?).

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

—Click Here for additional Book Descriptions to give these objects even more personality.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries: A compact handbook detailing 70 concise sentences of wise words to prospective mercenaries. The first rule takes up the entire page and simply says: “Pillage THEN burn.”

The Tome of Furion: An unholy volume of dark magic bound in obsidian with pages of flayed Orc-hide. The inscribed letters writhe and shift like living creatures and the pages are warm to the touch even in the dead of winter. Reading the tome is excruciating, as even its most basic precepts are corrosive to the mind, body and soul.

Tales from Within: A leather-bound research and saga book of Garren the Bravefool, it details the pioneering efforts by the individual of killing giant creatures from within by being eaten by them and cutting his way out. Although the author notes Garren’s zeal leading to his death when he attempted his trade on a gelatinous cube, he is apparently credited (At least in this book) for the death of three dragons.

A fey made tome bound in sheet of smooth bark gilded in silver entitled “Lexicon of Stealing Mortal Babies”. The text is a guide to obtaining newborns from humans with tricks. The book is written in sylvan and the pages are transparent sheets, made from giant insect wings with text painted on.

A holy gospel of a fictional religion. The only god seems to be a tentacle monster formed of pasta, meatballs and eldritch power. Although the book is a paperback it has been design to appear as a hardcover.

A depressing but oddly romantic novel entitles “Wed to a Mortal” which tells the sad story of a lovestruck elf who loved a young mortal and how they spent 80 years together until he died of old age, leaving the elf a widow in the prime of her life.

A wood bound tome with the symbol of a tall black tower branded into the front cover. The volume is a true account of one of the first members of the Black Tower an order of male mages who served as soldiers and guardians of a world rocked by chaos and darkness. The book is partly historical but leans heavily on accounts taken from personal journals and reliable word of mouth stories from that era. According to all sources, the use of magic damaged their sanity and stole from their lifespan, making each solider a martyr in his own right. The sheer power they would wield astounded even themselves and the war they fought in preyed heavily on their souls. An anonymous poem that is attributed to a member of the Black Tower is etched into the inside of the front cover; “We rode on the winds of the rising storm, We ran to the sounds of the thunder. We danced among the lightning bolts, and tore the world asunder.”

A pulp romance book entitled “Secret Loves Of Dryads, Kiss And Tell Love Diaries Of Immortal Magical Seducers”. The paperback text has a number of dog-eared pages at some of the more stirring passages.  

A discrete brownish book the size of a deck of cards without decoration or title. Its contests reveal themselves to be a Changeling training manual and guidebook on how the fey train the supernatural shapeshifters to infiltrate humans, live among them and carry out their nefarious goals.

Skin-bound Ledger: A small lined notebook bound in supple, tanned leather, with a dedication in the front cover reading "Binding from Reijek, RIP." Touching the ledger produces a deep sense of revulsion strong enough to prevent the weak-willed from looking at its contents. Inside is written a detailed list of transactions, with columns for Name, Quantity (g), Surface Area (m2), Skin Quality, and Police Inquiry (y/n?).

Perfection Attained: A delicate handbook in immaculate physical condition. The work serves as a reference to personal grooming, hygiene and good manners for elves.

Summoning Demons and Befriending Fiends, What NOT to Do: A musty volume bound in flaky, deteriorating black leather, its title being barely legible. The author of the book draws from his vast body of knowledge and experience in courting creatures from the Abyss, the Nine Hells, and beyond to provide the reader with a comprehensive list of do's and don’ts when attempting to contact, summon, or otherwise deal with such creatures.

Sources of Magic: A basic textbook bound in tanned leather that is commonplace to nearly every institution of magical learning. The book, written by a powerful and long-dead sorcerer, is every spellcaster's go-to resource for studying the origins of magic as well as serving as a jumping-off point for researchers in any area of magical study. Much of the information in the book is widely-known and somewhat fundamental, but a good grasp of the fundamentals of magical knowledge can be a powerful thing.

An unsuspecting handbook entitled “Rogues Can but Thieves’ Cant” that serves as a dictionary for translating common into the secret language of the criminal underworld and vice versa.

Gras: A book entitled simply "Fat" in its original language, this is the definitive cookbook of the Sovereign Isles, a land known for its creation and embracement of fat-frying and buttered everything. Croissant, steak chips, liver, cheeses, oily fish: All served with bread and wine and defined by their buttery richness.

Arcane Trickery and Dastardly Deeds: A shoddy paperback that is written partly in Common and partly in Goblin. This text gives detail and step-by-step instructions on carrying out multitudes of pranks, tricks, and traps using various forms of low-level magics. While the average magic-user may not learn anything new or practical in the realms of spells and rituals, they may find that some of the author's applications of well-known and widely-used spells are supremely creative; although, perhaps a bit mean-spirited and sadistic at times.

A thief’s memoir entitled “The Art of the Steal by Ronald J. Rump aka Ronny Rump”. The book is an exhaustive treatise on all forms of stealing, from picking pockets to running a loan bureau.

Lessig's Guide to Northern Beasts: A book penned by Field Sergeant Artr Lessig, of Pyle, distinguished as the Ward Rangers' most senior active officer, has over four decades of ranging seen nigh-every animal and monster to roam the moors, forests, and mountainous fjordlands of the North. Lessig recalls in its sketch-illustrated pages encounters mundane and incredible, including with such beasts as stryge and pool-nymphs. All of these he escaped, often barely, unscathed. His ability to survive the monstrous is rivaled only by his luck in encountering it.

The Cognitive Nature of Magic: A book that claims magic is limited by the mind only. It states that we as a society place limits on spells, without these limits even a lowly cantrip could have wish level effects. It presents "experiments" it claims proofs this such as how a simple mending spell cannot repair living skin yet it can repair leather. It claims this proves societies perception of things effects magic. A knowledge PC will find that the author's ideas actually do have some merit but the wording or the argument and the style of the author's rhetoric is abysmal and worthy of a pulpy political debate.  

The Book of Numbers: A book that contains every number in existence, even those ones that shouldn't exist. The text is at the same time, mind numbingly boring and ridiculously confusing.    

The Predator. A rare and insightful work published by renowned anthropologist and natural philosopher Dr. Wallace Piedmont, of Lastreshire shortly before his disappearance. A treatise compiling all his research and case material on the Feywild, a realm he classifies as a "dominant and predatory ecosystem" and frequently refers to as simply "the Predator." A world naturally bent on influential expansion, composed of a network of species both familiar and alien, all of which, even the sentient ones, exist in unnatural symbiosis. Piedmont, supported by evidence retrieved on his many expeditions to feywild portals, diagrams the biology of the fey in detail never before seen (As these diagrams were gleaned by performing untold vivisections and autopsies), including detailed analyses of its sentient species, including pixies, redcaps, and dryads; topics fearful, forbidden, and folkloric in their mystery, broached with candor and method not before attempted. His book is banned anywhere where the fey are considered allies. It is uncommonly available in other countries, although very expensive.

A journal kept by a king's personal valet, which contains a complete record of the lineage of the current King, complete with all mentions of affairs and bastard children.

Wyrm in a Bottle: A book containing a detailed account of how one with proficiency in magic could create an enchanted container then bait, ensnare and place a draconic creature within. However it consistently references seemingly made up or unheard of spells and materials.

The Redwater Journal: A collection of notes that has recently become popular reading in port cities. The notes, now reprinted and bound in red linen, were found two decades ago on the waterlogged corpse of a sailor, who was spotted, floating, on open water midst the Trackless Isles. His notes tell of the fearful last days of the whaling ship Spineback. They describe how its course became lost in a fog bank, how it’s first hand was first to go mad from whispering song. How its crew were eventually stolen from the rails as they stared, transfixed, at the reddened water below.

No Nose for Nonsense: A novella presenting a spirited epic about a Dwarf called Bra'al the Nosebreaker who is exiled from his homeland. He moves to the coast to poach Merfolk and sell their components to exotic nobles. It ends with a small band of strangers visiting the fishing village. Who, coming together to solve the series of curses and problems his poaching caused, removed his ring of water walking and let him drown as he sunk to the merky* depths of the ocean. (*A pun because it was merfolk waters).

Eight Ate and Ain't; An unsuspecting handbook whose pages are stained with brown and green liquids. It seems cryptic, meandering and at times nonsensical. Those fluent in Thieves Cant (The language of rogues and scoundrels) are able to read what is truly says; A poisoner's guide for creating for eight different ingested poisons with different crippling or fatal effects.

The Clever Folk: An old and out-of-print collection of original children's tales, all of which concern the fearful and enigmatic fairy creature that is the black-eyed spriggan. Its publisher ceased all production after certain allegations of actual fey communion emerged concerning the author, who reportedly lived in a cottage surrounded by strange charms and little-toed footprints. It remains a desired book, not by children, but by magicians and adventures: Practitioners interested in the ways of the fey’s servants.

The Blessing of Bone Smoking; Osteomancy for Beginners: A detailed exposition of the funeral ritual prescribed by Secrund (The aspect of death). An important bone of the deceased is alchemically processed and smoked to infuse the imbibing person with some of the powers and memories the deceased had in life. Certain bones have different stores of powers and memories and the book strongly cautions against doing too much of one being or any of something too powerful.

Incurable Curses of Mimetic Transference: A book filled with incurable curses, jinx’s and hexes, some benign and others malevolent with their afflictions in an array of varying degrees. Upon viewing any curse, the reader will suffer an immense compulsion to read its entry, with the farther they go the more difficult it is to stop. If read far enough then the reader will learn about the nature of the curse, how to make it, safeguard against it, and how to detect it but never how to cure it. However, if they read it to completion then they themselves will be afflicted by it, and in any attempt to share the information they've learned will in turn "infect" the listener with said curse.

The Collected Works of Merrill: A book of poetry penned by Merrill, an antique poet of mysterious origin. Whoever he or she was, they wrote a substantial body, mostly pastoral, sweetly rhymed, and finished by flat, disturbing notes. Scholars have observed many of Merrill's works reference fey phenomena: a field of study that is fearful and poorly-understood, at best. As a result, to those who care for such a thing, Merrill's Collected Works have become a useful, if vague, reference in understanding the Feywild and its black-eyed denizens.

Aio's Political Manifesto: An old slightly singed manuscript from a book written in squid ink by a Lord Aio. It argues against feudalism and monarchies and promotes a more ideal magically selected government.

A guidebook exploring and explaining the nature of demons and their biology. It explains the different types and has various speculations from the author as to how they all relate to each other. It attempts to put them in a hierarchy of which is superior proposing each demon is a step closer to what the God's intended than the previous type.

The Limit of Man: An inflammatory journalistic expose on the traditions, cruel alchemical transformative processes, and totalitarian institution of holy order of Alagóran knight-paladins. It describes, in no lack of gruesome detail, the ways in which a young human is broken down, both in mind and body, and reassembled into a dubious paragon of "humanity." Unavailable in its subject-country, this short book has thrown the methods and ethics of some knight-orders continent-wide into question.

A Material Realm Fling: An erotic romance novel about a demon and an angel being sent to stop the others deeds and ultimately falling in love. It's told from the perspective of a farmer who helps hide their love and the author claims to be the farmer. It ends in heartbreak as the demon must leave back to the hells. At the back of the book are angrily scribbled comments with two clear identifiable handwriting claiming the book is false and full of lies.

Arcanium of Outsider Entities: A large leather bound book, with a silver clasp and electrum leaf writing on the front. It is dated to 1562 in an unknown calendar, and the book holds faint traces of magical protection. It details a variety of outsider entities, and how both to interact as well as protect oneself from them.

The Los Karkinos Letters: A bound series of correspondence between two prominent statesmen on one of the most fractious issues of the last century: The restructure of government houses and agencies following a recent war. Regarded as a masterclass in diplomacy in the face of seemingly insurmountable partisan tensions, but also reviled as a prime example of systemic corruption within the state, whether related to the church or the principality.

Black Book of the Hunt: A Hunter’s journal of the process of fighting both undead and beasts, it provides both a list over common knowledge on a few of these creatures, as well as handwritten notes on specific weaknesses, and properties of metal for hunting use.

Chronicles of the Wolf War: A drake-skin leather tome, imbued with faint magic to protect it from wear and tear. The book is dated back to the year of 1102, in an unknown calendar. It contains the history of a great war between Orcs of Gruumsh against a coalition of Elves and Dwarves, in the distant lands of the West. The book contains names of some great lords of the war as well as a few heroes, and refers to a battle known as “Blackfire Pass”, a great battle against vast armies where the elves and dwarves managed to beat back hordes of orcs.

The Mersdotr Medical Manual: A small, red book sturdily bound. Favored by adventurers, who swear by its simple, reliable advice in times of illness and injury. Many a life has been saved by its perusal, by little pages turned under bloody fingers and frantic eyes.

The Life and Death of Necromancy: A smallish, black, leather bound journal filled with the scribbling notes of a past wizard, a skull of silver is set on the front of the book. The text concerns itself on the exact nature of necromantic effects and how to turn such effects to beneficial energy. The writing are imperfect theories and require years to decades of extensive testing before yielding conclusive results.

Mez’kadan’s Ouroboros: A large tome, bound in leather and clasped with gold. A closer inspection of the volume reveals that each page is perfectly preserved drakeskin inscribed with black ink. It describes the scientific use of most metals, and the properties these metals can contribute to a concoction, making it a useful reference tool for any alchemic project.

The Book of Knives. A book penned by an enthusiast of dangerous penchants that catalogues the blades of the kingdom. Stilettos, soap knives, messers; all are accounted for and described in form, history, and purpose.

The Works of Warding: A dark blue book set with silver runes, its pages written in a special silver ink which shines whenever the book is opened. The book is a compendium of abjuration and protective magic, with a specific focus on the research and development of creating new arcane barriers and shields. This specific volume is part of a regularly published series with multiple authors.

A heavy old tome with yellowed pages and a blank cover. The book does not match the design of any other books in the area and has a somewhat homemade feel to it. Nearly all the pages are filled with impressively lifelike sketches of an assortment of common folk, each with a smile on their face. All the drawings seem to be situated in the same village, with a single family and house appearing more frequently than any of the others. Extremely knowledgeable PC’s will be able to discern that each of the members of that family bear a slight resemblance to the physical description of a notorious witch who resides in the surrounding area.

Tales of the Yawning Portal: A great leather bound book, from the hide of some kind of red and orange colored monstrosity, inside inked on the pages are stories of the Yawning Portal, a mythical tavern that supposedly appears for tired travelers in times of need. Inside they find safety and rest, but when they awaken, they discover that they have been transported great distances into the far off places of the world.

A wizard's spellbook bound in copper plates, filled with silk pages that have been written on with golden ink.

A well-used copy of Danver Teth’s “Of Blazing Glory”, a religious volume honored by the church of the fire god. Inscribed on the opening page is the following written in a flowing, red script: “This foretells of the coming fire. When the Flame ascends, all glory comes to the Pitmaster!”

A large tome bound in thick bison-hide that is a common-orcish language primer, as well as a primer on orcish culture. The author of the primer, Darius Woodherd, seems to have added a lot of information on orcish heraldry and politics, as well. The foreword mentions that Darius spent almost twenty years amongst the orcs of the north, and eventually married an orc before being killed a score of years ago in a rival tribe’s ambush.

A strange bestiary that details all the different creatures from another world, though you have never seen nor heard of any of them and neither has anyone else.

Tome Of Neverlife: A book infused with strong necromantic energy that is so palpably evil, it radiates a feeling of dread to every non-evil creature within 30 feet. The grimoire’s pages contain a selection of rare necromancy spells and decoded within its pages lies a method to becoming a lich.

A manuscript of military outpost construction, the plans are quite detailed and might be worth something to a military or mercenary leader. The fort is meant for 100 soldiers and is thus far too large for adventuring groups. The book has descriptions and pictures of wall and ditch fortifications, siege defense measures, sanitation facilities, tent and building layouts, watchtowers, digging wells, and underground storage. The book has options for building and maintaining temporary (A week or less) outposts as well as permanent and semi-permanent fortifications.

The Trade of Blades: A series of historically based, fictional tales of various infamous blade-runners (Weapon smugglers) throughout a series of civil wars. The stories focus on the charm, ingenuity and quick sleazy thinking of the various criminal protagonists as they sell weapons to both sides of the conflict. Many of the war profiteers have hearts of gold despite their illicit affiliations a common theme through the stories is minimizing civilian casualties and making sure children and innocents are spared from the ravages of war as much as possible.

Fundamentals of Terrible Destruction: A primer of war and siegecraft focusing only on offensive strategies and the complete annihilation of the enemy at every cost.

The Thrill of the Chaste: A religious text of a group who worship the ideals of cleanliness and sexual abstinence. It details the extremely strict dietary, sexual, and clothing restrictions which followers must follow.

Cipher Book: A compact pocketbook that contains numbered grids on each page which simply and easily catalog random lists of words. This allows a user to write messages which substitute letters and numbers that reference the page, row, and column of a particular word found within the cipher book. These books are always sold in pairs to allow two different creatures to pass coded messages over long distances, however this book's mate is nowhere to be found.

Book of War Prayers: A small, leather-bound collection of war prayers written on pages of fine vellum. The prayers are interdenominational and seem to only have war in common than any specific god, religion or specific alignment. Secular readers could easily adapt most of these prayers into rallying speeches to inspire an army before battle.

Book of Puzzles: A book containing two dozen puzzles made to test the mind and stir the intellect. The nature of the puzzles vary from math, logic, critical and abstract thinking as well as cryptic. Answering each puzzle gives the reader part of a final secret riddle. The secret riddle at the end can only be answered when all the previous ones have been solved for their piece of it, and it if far more complex that the others.

A book made of thin glass plates bound in copper. When held, it fills itself with treasured illustrated fables that the reader heard in their childhood.

A book describing the history of the evil God Tash, an enemy of the Great Lion whose father is emperor-over-the-Sea. Tash is described as an unclothed humanoid demon, much larger than a man, with four arms and the head of a vulture with a cloud of pestilent insects that surround him constantly. His presence brings cold and the sickening stench of death. Tash’s followers are a warring people and often invade neighboring areas in order to capture men to sacrifice on the altar of Tash. The war cry of his fanatics is enough to make the blood of a brave man turn to ice in his veins: "In the name of Tash the irresistible, the inexorable--forward!"

Tome of Remembrance: A small, leather-bound book whose first few pages are filled with assorted prayers. Knowledgeable PC's know that these books are created empty with each page filling with the prayers of its owner as they are offered to their god. The owner of this tome should be careful that their less-than-pious prayers and wishes may be recorded as well.

A fairly simple leather-bound book filled to the brim with the hand-written history of the Church of Bahamut written inside, in Draconic. According to the first few pages, it belonged to a dragonborn cleric of Bahamut, Plynic Loremark, who was convinced that coded in the text was an ancient prophecy.

Book of Fel Names: A grotesque book bound by the stitched together hides of several demons and fiends. The entire text is written in the language of devils and must be deciphered to be understood. The book appears to be a ledger of sorts written by a middling devil and contains the true names of a few dozen minor imps and the favors they owe to the author.

Collection of Legendary Tales: A leather-bound book containing a collection of the most awe-inspiring, captivating stories sung at taverns and told around campfires across the land.

Beginner's Guide to Dimensional Rifting: A small book containing a seven step process for mastering dimensional travel in one week, provided all the knowledge is there. *Disclaimer: The knowledge is never there.

The Big Book o' Beards: A small pocketbook containing dozens of beard grooming techniques complete with instructions and images. It features such favorites as the 'Thundermar Triple-Fork' and the 'Blammenhammer Chin Strip.'

Wildhammer Book of Verse: A small pocketbook of a collection of the filthiest limericks ever penned to parchment.

Diary of Balldir Deeprock: A travel journal filled with waterlogged pages that have mostly faded. Careful reading near the end reveals some lines about field testing a poison immunity. There are no entries after that.

A small songbook containing a complete set of sheet music and lyrics to the bawdy tavern song “The Hedgehog Can Never Be Buggered At All ”

A small handbook of baby names for males and females of various races and cultures, arranged in alphabetical order.  

A well-kept travel journal bound in black leather. It is completely filled with an indecipherable script that disappears when a shadow passes over it.

Book of Cults: A strange leather-bound book containing erratic handwriting. The words within it appear to have been translated from Gnome into Common (and perhaps some other language before Gnome). It contains notations of strange cult practices, disturbing rants about ancient godlike beings, and confusing diagrams resembling summoning circles, with many parts crossed out or obliterated with ink or fire.

Interview with Some Vampires, by Ena Neric: A black leather bound book with a symbol of a fanged mouth colored a blood red on the front cover.  The author spent extensive time meeting with a wide range of known vampires. Her precise question-and-answer style writing has become the definitive work on the subject of these cursed undead.

St. Aubert's Book of the Damned: A vile work that contains detailed descriptions of all the evil private demiplanes of existence, as well as the summoning rituals for every denizen. Knowledgeable PC’s will know that to protect the information from evil hands, a hundred copies were made, each with slightly incorrect information from the original. Using the information found in one of the copies to summon a demon, would result in a quick death at best and the loss and eternal torture of your soul at worst. There is no way to know if this tome is the original or a copy.

A hand-written memoir of an ineffective bureaucrat who never managed to do anything noteworthy over his extensive career.

A mage’s spellbook bound in copper and trimmed with hippopotamus tooth. When the tome is opened, it flashes with bright light. According to the inside of the front cover, the original owner was one Darward Zelus.

Scry Hard; A Good Way to Scry: A particularly edgy and bombastic work of literature that aims to equip the reader with a deeper knowledge of arcane scrying.

Astraldynamics 101: A beat-up and heavily-used leather-bound textbook that provides the reader with details on cosmological history and structure, the fundamentals of Astral projecting, what risks are entailed in traveling by Astral means, and how best to prepare oneself for taking such a journey.

Tome of the Southern Sigil: A leather-bound book written in Draconic, in a delicate handwriting. It describes the specific motions and practices required to train monks in the Quivering Palm technique. Rather than a primer, it assumes that the reader is already an accomplished martial artist, in good physical condition and able to focus and direct their inner chi. While an interesting topic, the overwhelming majority of readers would not be able to execute the Quivering Palm technique in any form.

Stranger In My Dreams: A nondescript journal that talks about the author recalling a depraved creature who over time got closer and closer to her in her dreams. The book seems to be a diary and was never finished. In the last passage, the author says that the monster has finally come within arm’s reach of her. Upon reading the entire volume the reader immediately suffers psychic damage equivalent to a dagger.

Patterns of Behavior: A small hardcover anthology of mood affecting quilt work and fabric designs. Inside is dozens of pictures and instructions to create a variety of patterns that slightly affects one’s mood when looked upon.

Income Management and Financial Assessment: A book containing several long chapters detailing ways to horde, hide, and invest gold. Hidden within are several nude illustrations of females of the common races.

Learn To Read: An incredibly dense book that details the process of learning the art of reading Common, almost impossible to understand, even for those fluent in Common.

An Almanack of Practical Mortis: An exhaustive collection of tables detailing how corpses decompose under various circumstances, along with an appendix that explains step-by-step how to remove maggots, close large wounds, and reset broken bones.

Crying Laughing: An alchemical reference guide which details a large number of funny and entertaining uses of tears, outlining their magical and alchemical properties.

Hilarious Knock-Knock Jokes to Say Out Loud: A thin and surprisingly old-looking book containing a few genuinely good knock-knock jokes. At least one punchline is actually the true name of a powerful demon which attracts her attention when said aloud granting her an opportunity to break through into this plane of existence.

The Next Hunt - Volume I, Wyverns: A ranger’s guide bound in lizard skin that is the first in a series of installments detailing an abundance of methods for finding and hunting various monsters. Each volume covers a different creature. This text details the highly aggressive yet simple minded dragon species known as the wyverns.  

Our Friend the Cactus: A black wood bound tome written by a dwarf wizard by the name of Daven Wraithmail. This treatise explains the growth and upkeep of a Gulthias Tree as well as several manners to corrupt seeds of other trees in order to create a suitable vessel. An entire chapter is dedicated to the domestication of the resulting blights which sprout from said tree and their training to better protect your new sapling.

To Cheat A Devil: An autobiography of a man who tricked dozens of minor devils, and even a few archdevils into doing his nefarious bidding. It seems like this man should be much more well known if the events described in this book actually took place.

The True Rulers of Our Countries: A controversial document in and of its own right, this book talks about the creation of the Prime Material and Inner planes. A thin volume which only contains four pieces of paper, however these papers are magically enchanted to pass through the thousands of pages of content which this book holds. The author of the document seems almost too knowing on the subject, almost as if he were there...

The Night's Embrace: A book about the primordial titans, mostly legend and myth, collected by an eccentric young wizard who traveled the planes looking for information about them. This book is highly frustrating to scholars because the last entry is the beginning of a summary of an actual historical document, which has never been found. The book is unfinished and the wizard has not been seen for hundreds of years.

The Story of Graye: The story of a slave forced to be a pit-fighter who turned to meditation as an escape from his violent life. This book is not well written, and is probably an earlier work of a novice author that never reached widespread fame.  

A large, weather resistant guidebook entitled “So Your Son Is a Centaur”, written by Wiltlin Lorearthen. The book contains minor translating magics and can be read and understood by any human, horse or centaur regardless of what languages they do or do not speak.

A leatherbound guidebook bound with expert stitching entitled “Something I Cobbled Together: A Guide To Shoe Repair”. The author mentions that her dedication to her profession is unmatched and that no matter who you happen to be, if you come into her shop in need, she will heel you, she will save your sole and she will even dye for you.

A small black book containing names, descriptions, and important information about hundreds of politically or socially significant individuals written in neat, tight script.

The Enchiridion of the Evoker: A grey book, though covered in a thick gold leaf, that appears mostly plain. When touched by a creature capable of casting magical spells however, the books shines brightly in a myriad of colors. The book is a compendium of evocation magic, with a specific focus on the research and development of creating new offensive spells. This specific volume is part of a regularly published series with multiple authors.

Bali's Folio: A flawless tome written upon silk pages and bound in monstrous hide trimmed with bone. A map of the local area, with several landmarks drawn in red ink, has been added in the middle of the tome. Knowledgeable PC’s will be able to determine that the areas in red are good sources for either harvesting or purchasing alchemical and arcane supplies.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Ale: The humorous tale of Tarvish the dwarf, who had unpaid bar tabs worth a total of 10,000 gold all across the country before being arrested.

Backstage: A tell-all book detailing the more mundane dangers of the adventuring life, like insufficient supplies, inappropriate gear, public reactions, illnesses and the common lack of money. The text has tips and advice on how to prevent and deal with the issues as they pop up, which usually all boils down to travel three days march in any direction and kill things for money.

Every. Accomplished. Recognizable. Sentient. by Tommeltop the Gnome: An encyclopedia of anyone who accomplished anything of moderate note ever, however most of each page is dedicated to greatly exaggerated, suitably cringy and oddly romantic paragraphs about how great each person’s ears must have been. Any brave soul who actually reads the book through is suddenly able to recall in perfect detail the ears of anyone they’ve ever seen before for no apparent reason.

Liber Daemonicum: A religious book, sacred to a chapter of holy warriors known as the Grey Knights that contains prayers, battle rituals, litanies, funeral rites, and lore on the nature of Chaos. While it may appear to be a normal book, opening it will reveal a series of flickering paper-thin sheets of unbreakable glass that contain interactive information that can be brought to focus or enlarged. Page after page discusses tactics and how to fight the denizens of the nine hells, as well as, listing the True Names of a great many Daemonic entities; information collected from the Librarium Daemonica. The book pulls no punches; it includes an extensive discourse of when to terminate allies under demonic influence and a whole chapter discussing the moral implications and appropriate use of purifying entire cities by the use of razing them to the ground by sword and fire, exterminating the guilty and the innocent alike.

[berniesrevolution]

Amazon isn’t the only cause; private equity looting must share much of the blame, and a shift to e-commerce was always going to hurt brick-and-mortar stores. But Amazon transformed a diverse collection of website sales into one mammoth business with the logistical power to perform rapid delivery of millions of products and a strategy to underprice everyone. IN THESE TIMES

AMAZON IS AN ONLINE RETAILER. It also runs a marketplace for other online retailers. It’s also a shipper for those sellers, and a lender to them, and a warehouse, an advertiser, a data manager and a search engine. It also runs brick-and-mortar bookstores. And grocery stores.

There are over 100 million Amazon Prime subscribers in the United States—more than half of all U.S. households. Amazon makes 45 percent of all e-commerce sales. Amazon is also a product manufacturer; its Alexa controls two-thirds of the digital assistant market, and the Kindle represents 84 percent of all e-readers. Amazon created its own holiday, Prime Day, and the surge in demand for Prime Day discounts, followed by a drop afterward, skewed the nation’s retail sales figures with a 1.8% bump in July 2017.

Oh, it’s also a major television and film studio. Its CEO owns a national newspaper. And it runs a streaming video game company called Twitch. And its cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services, runs an astonishing portion of the Internet and U.S. financial infrastructure. And it wants to be a logistics company. And a furniture seller. It’s angling to become one of the nation’s largest online fashion designers. It recently picked up an online pharmacy and partnered with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffett to create a healthcare company. And at the same time, it’s competing with JPMorgan, pushing Amazon Pay as a digital-based alternative to credit cards and Amazon Lending as a source of capital for its small business marketplace partners.

To quote Liberty Media chair John Malone, himself a billionaire titan of industry, Amazon is a “Death Star” moving its super-laser “into striking range of every industry on the planet.” If you are engaging in any economic activity, Amazon wants in, and its position in the market can distort and shape you in vital ways.

Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to break up Amazon, along with the FTC’s new oversight and investigation, has spurred a conversation on the Left about its overwhelming power. No entity has held the potential for this kind of dominance since the railroad tycoons of the first Gilded Age were brought to heel. Whether you share concerns about Amazon’s economic and political power or you just like getting free shipping on cheap toilet paper, you should at least know the implications of living in Amazon’s world—so you can assess whether it’s the world you want, and how it could be different.

BOOKSELLERS WERE THE FIRST TO FIND THEMSELVES AT THE TIP OF AMAZON’S SPEAR, at the company’s founding in 1994. Years of Amazon peddling books below cost shuttered thousands of bookstores. Today, Amazon sells 42 percent of all books in America.

Amazon isn’t the only cause; private equity looting must share much of the blame, and a shift to e-commerce was always going to hurt brick-and-mortar stores. But Amazon transformed a diverse collection of website sales into one mammoth business with the logistical power to perform rapid delivery of millions of products and a strategy to underprice everyone. With such a large share of the market, Amazon determines what ideas reach readers. It ruthlessly squeezes publishers on wholesale costs; in 2014, it deliberately slowed down deliveries of books published by Hachette during a pricing dispute. By stocking best-sellers over independents and backlist copies, and giving publishers less money to work with, Amazon homogenizes the market. Publishers can’t afford to take a chance on a book that Amazon won’t keep in its inventory. “The core belief of bookselling is that we need to have the ideas out there so we can discuss them,” says Seattle independent bookseller Robert Sindelar. “You don’t want one company deciding, only based on profitability, what choice we have.”

These issues in just the book sector are a microcosm of Amazon’s effect on commerce.

The term “retail apocalypse” took hold in 2017 amid bankruptcies of established chains like The Limited, RadioShack, Payless ShoeSource and Toys “R” Us. According to frequent Amazon critic Stacy Mitchell, “more people lost jobs in general-merchandise stores than the total number of workers in the coal industry” in 2017.

Amazon isn’t the only cause; private equity looting must share much of the blame, and a shift to e-commerce was always going to hurt brick-and-mortar stores. But Amazon transformed a diverse collection of website sales into one mammoth business with the logistical power to perform rapid delivery of millions of products and a strategy to underprice everyone. That transformation accelerated a decline going back to the Great Recession (and much earlier for booksellers). Analysts at Swiss bank UBS estimate that every percentage point e-commerce takes from brick-and-mortar translates into 8,000 store closures, and right now e-commerce only has a 16 percent market share.

(Continue Reading)

[thepropertylovers]

5 Shows We're Watching During Quarantine (and 2 We're Looking Forward To)

We’re all home for the foreseeable future, and it seems like everyone is consuming more content than ever before. We end almost every night on the couch with popcorn (and fur babies) in our laps watching something to take our minds off of everything going on right now. It’s been a nice respite and a relaxing way to wind down each day. Here’s what’s keeping us entertained as of late:

War of the Worlds

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If you’ve seen the Tom Cruise movie of the same name and are looking for something similar, this is definitely not it. Another retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, this new series is a different and fresh take on a story we’ve all seen before, but it feels so much more humanized; even the machines that are invading earth seem to have a soul and a purpose, though the series keeps you guessing on why exactly they’re here in the first place. Without giving anything away, War of the Worlds is slow, thrilling, and sincere, and it had us hooked from the first episode.

Watch on Epix

Little Fires Everywhere

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Peanut butter and jelly. Oatmeal and bananas. Reese & Kerry. Some things just go together and that’s just the way it is, and these two dynamic women starring in the same show is the pairing we never knew we needed. Everything about this series is dramatic, almost to the point of extreme, but that’s kind of the point. It touches on issues of race, single mothers, privilege, sexuality, and really just the struggles of being a parent in general. It gets the point across that you can be a good person, a good parent, and sometimes still make bad decisions. It’s set in the mid to late 90’s, so it has a sense of nostalgia to it and almost makes you long for a simpler time (for some reason we have it in our minds that the 90’s were a simpler time. don’t judge.). Plus, there’s a mystery throughout that we can’t wait to figure out!

Watch on Hulu

Killing Eve

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This show is everything. Season 3 just came out and continues the twisting games of life and death between Sandra Oh’s Eve Polastri and Jodi Comer’s Villanelle. It’s been such a welcoming, comforting return to see this show back for another season, especially now when almost nothing feels comforting. From Fleabag producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve is about the infatuation between these two very different (but somehow connected) women: Eve, who works for MI6, and Villanelle, an assassin being chased by Eve. But the tides turn and suddenly the chaser becomes the chased, and so begins the back and forth between these two sexy, complicated, and flawed women. It’s hilarious and thrilling and weird and everything you need. Just make sure to watch with a glass of wine and popcorn and you’re set.

Watch on AMC, YouTube TV

Schitt’s Creek

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Created by father-son duo Dan & Eugene Levy, this easy-to-watch comedy is one of the funniest shows we’ve ever seen. It’s so absurd and bonkers and absolutely hilarious. Each episode is only 22 minutes, and you don’t necessarily have to watch them in order to enjoy it. Moira, the mom, played by the amazing Catherine O’Hara, might be our favorite TV mom of all time. Here’s a quick synposis to catch you up on the gist of the entire show, via Wikipedia: 

“The wealthy Rose family—video store magnate Johnny (Eugene Levy), his wife and former soap opera actress Moira (Catherine O'Hara), and their adult children David and Alexis (Dan Levy and Annie Murphy)—lose their fortune after being defrauded by their business manager. They are forced to rebuild their lives with their sole remaining asset: a small town named Schitt's Creek, which Johnny had bought for David as a joke birthday gift in 1991. The Roses relocate to Schitt's Creek, moving into two adjacent rooms in a run-down motel. As the family adjusts to their new lives, their well-to-do attitudes come into conflict with the more provincial residents of Schitt's Creek, including mayor Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott), his wife Jocelyn (Jenn Robertson), and the motel's manager Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire).”

Watch on Netflix.

Home Before Dark

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An Apple TV+ hidden gem! What originally drew us to this show was the trailer, which featured a small coastal town, a big old house, and an overlying mystery that needed to be solved. What more could you ask for in a show? Based on the real-life story of a 9 year old journalist named Hilde, this fun series at first seems like a children’s show, but after the first episode you’ll realize it’s anything but. After leaving New York City, Hilde (a 9 year old journalist who self-publishes her own newspaper) and her family move back to her father’s hometown to start their lives over after her dad loses his job. Little does she know when she moves there that she will soon be solving a decades-long murder and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. She’s brave, relentless, and doesn’t care what she risks. A true icon. Definitely worth the watch!

Watch on Apple TV+

PLUS 2 shows we can’t wait for:

Hollywood

Ryan Murphy’s much anticipated Netflix Original series comes out next week and we’re SO EXCITED. Anything Ryan Murphy creates is always so addicting and top-notch, and we’ve been looking forward to this since we first heard about it. The series has a ton of actors you’ll recognize from the Murphy universe like Darren Criss, David Corenswet, and Dylan McDermott, and also prominently features a few gay storylines, so it’s basically a no-brainer to tune in. Here’s the synopsis via Wikipedia:

“The show follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost. Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood's Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day. ... Hollywood exposes and examines decades-old power dynamics, and what the entertainment landscape might look like if they had been dismantled.”

Watch on Netflix May 1

Defending Jacob

Another Apple TV+ show! When we first saw the trailer for this a few months ago, we were immediately hooked. Did Jacob do it? Will Chris Evans play a convincing father to a teenager? We had questions, and we wanted more. The miniseries tells the story of a family dealing with the accusations that their 14 year old son is a murderer, so naturally there’s already a mystery surrounding the show and, if this list is any indication, we’re drawn to mysteries that keep us guessing until the end. So excited for this one!

Watch on Apple TV+ April 24

What are you watching? We’d love to add to the list and start a new series to lose ourselves in each night! xx

P&T

[hennyjolzen]

by PAM GROSSMAN May 30, 2019

Pam Grossman is the author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power.

Witches have always walked among us, populating societies and storyscapes across the globe for thousands of years. From Circe to Hermione, from Morgan le Fay to Marie Laveau, the witch has long existed in the tales we tell about ladies with strange powers that can harm or heal. And although people of all genders have been considered witches, it is a word that is now usually associated with women.

Throughout most of history, she has been someone to fear, an uncanny Other who threatens our safety or manipulates reality for her own mercurial purposes. She’s a pariah, a persona non grata, a bogeywoman to defeat and discard. Though she has often been deemed a destructive entity, in actuality a witchy woman has historically been far more susceptible to attack than an inflictor of violence herself. As with other “terrifying” outsiders, she occupies a paradoxical role in cultural consciousness as both vicious aggressor and vulnerable prey.

Over the past 150 years or so, however, the witch has done another magic trick, by turning from a fright into a figure of inspiration. She is now as likely to be the heroine of your favorite TV show as she is its villain. She might show up in the form of your Wiccan coworker, or the beloved musician who gives off a sorceress vibe in videos or onstage.

There is also a chance that she is you, and that “witch” is an identity you have taken upon yourself for any number of reasons — heartfelt or flippant, public or private.

Today, more women than ever are choosing the way of the witch, whether literally or symbolically. They’re floating down catwalks and sidewalks in gauzy black clothing and adorning themselves with Pinterest-worthy pentagrams and crystals. They’re filling up movie theaters to watch witchy films, and gathering in back rooms and backyards to do rituals, consult tarot cards and set life-altering intentions. They’re marching in the streets with HEX THE PATRIARCHY placards and casting spells each month to try to constrain the commander-in-chief. Year after year, articles keep proclaiming, “It’s the Season of the Witch!” as journalists try to wrap their heads around the mushrooming witch “trend.”

And all of this begs the question: Why?

Why do witches matter? Why are they seemingly everywhere right now? What, exactly, are they? (And why the hell won’t they go away?)

I get asked such things over and over, and you would think that after a lifetime of studying and writing about witches, as well as hosting a witch-themed podcast and being a practitioner of witchcraft myself, my answers would be succinct.

In fact, I find that the more I work with the witch, the more complex she becomes. Hers is a slippery spirit: try to pin her down, and she’ll only recede further into the deep, dark wood.

I do know this for sure though: show me your witches, and I’ll show you your feelings about women. The fact that the resurgence of feminism and the popularity of the witch are ascending at the same time is no coincidence: the two are reflections of each other.

That said, this current Witch Wave is nothing new. I was a teen in the 1990s, the decade that brought us such pop-occulture as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and The Craft, not to mention riot grrrls and third-wave feminists who taught me that female power could come in a variety of colors and sexualities. I learned that women could lead a revolution while wearing lipstick and combat boots — and sometimes even a cloak.

But my own witchly awakening came at an even earlier age.

Morganville, New Jersey, where I was raised, was a solidly suburban town, but it retained enough natural land features back then to still feel a little bit scruffy in spots. We had a small patch of woods in our backyard that abutted a horse farm, and the two were separated by a wisp of running water that we could cross via a plank of wood. In one corner of the yard, a giant puddle would form whenever it rained, surrounded by a border of ferns. My older sister, Emily, and I called this spot our Magical Place. That it would vanish and then reappear only added to its mystery. It was a portal to the unknown.

These woods are where I first remember doing magic — entering that state of deep play where imaginative action becomes reality. I would spend hours out there, creating rituals with rocks and sticks, drawing secret symbols in the dirt, losing all track of time. It was a space that felt holy and wild, yet still strangely safe.

As we age, we’re supposed to stop filling our heads with such “nonsense.” Unicorns are to be traded in for Barbie dolls (though both are mythical creatures, to be sure). We lose our tooth fairies, walk away from our wizards. Dragons get slain on the altar of youth.

Most kids grow out of their “magic phase.” I grew further into mine.

My grandma Trudy was a librarian at the West Long Branch Library, which meant I got to spend many an afternoon lurking between the 001.9 and 135 Dewey decimal–sections, reading about Bigfoot and dream interpretation and Nostradamus. I spent countless hours in my room, learning about witches and goddesses, and I loved anything by authors like George MacDonald, Roald Dahl, and Michael Ende — writers fluent in the language of enchantment. Books were my broomstick. They allowed me to fly to other realms where anything was possible.

Though fictional witches were my first guides, I soon discovered that magic was something real people could do. I started frequenting new age shops and experimenting with mass-market paperback spell books from the mall. I was raised Jewish but found myself attracted to belief systems that felt more individualized and mystical and that fully honored the feminine. Eventually I found my way to modern Paganism, a self-directed spiritual path that sustains me to this day. I’m not unique in this trajectory of pivoting away from organized religion and toward something more personal: as of September 2017, more than a quarter of U.S. adults — 27% — now say that they think of themselves as spiritual but not religious, according to Pew Research Center.

Now, I identify both as a witch and with the archetype of the witch overall, and I use the term fluidly. At any given time, I might use the word witch to signify my spiritual beliefs, my supernatural interests or my role as an unapologetically complex, dynamic female in a world that prefers its women to be smiling and still. I use it with equal parts sincerity and salt: with a bow to a rich and often painful history of worldwide witchcraft, and a wink to other members of our not-so-secret society of people who fight from the fringes for the liberty to be our weirdest and most wondrous selves. Magic is made in the margins.

To be clear: you don’t have to practice witchcraft or any other alternative form of spirituality to awaken your own inner witch. You may feel attracted to her symbolism, her style or her stories but are not about to rush out to buy a cauldron or go sing songs to the sky. Maybe you’re more of a nasty woman than a devotee of the Goddess. That’s perfectly fine: the witch belongs to you too.

I remain more convinced than ever that the concept of the witch endures because she transcends literalism and because she has so many dark and sparkling things to teach us. Many people get fixated on the “truth” of the witch, and numerous fine history books attempt to tackle the topic from the angle of so-called factuality. Did people actually believe in magic? They most certainly did and still do. Were the thousands of victims who were killed in the 16th- and 17th-century witch hunts actually witches themselves? Most likely not. Are witches real? Why, yes, you’re reading the words of one. All of these things are true.

But whether or not there were actually women and men who practiced witchcraft in Rome or Lancashire or Salem, say, is less interesting to me than the fact that the idea of witches has remained so evocative and influential and so, well, bewitching in the first place.

In other words, the fact and the fiction of the witch are inextricably linked. Each informs the other and always has. I’m fascinated by how one archetype can encompass so many different facets. The witch is a notorious shape-shifter, and she comes in many guises:

A hag in a pointy hat, cackling madly as she boils a pot of bones.

A scarlet-lipped seductress slipping a potion into the drink of her unsuspecting paramour.

A cross-dressing French revolutionary who hears the voices of angels and saints.

A perfectly coifed suburban housewife, twitching her nose to change her circumstances at will, despite her husband’s protests.

A woman dancing in New York City’s Central Park with her coven to mark the change of the seasons or a new lunar phase.

The witch has a green face and a fleet of flying monkeys. She wears scarves and leather and lace.

She lives in Africa; on the island of Aeaea; in a tower; in a chicken-leg hut; in Peoria, Illinois.

She lurks in the forests of fairy tales, in the gilded frames of paintings, in the plotlines of sitcoms and YA novels, and between the bars of ghostly blues songs.

She is solitary.

She comes in threes.

She’s a member of a coven.

Sometimes she’s a he.

She is stunning, she is hideous, she is insidious, she is ubiquitous.

She is our downfall. She is our deliverance.

Our witches say as much about us as they do about anything else — for better and for worse.

More than anything, though, the witch is a shining and shadowy symbol of female power and a force for subverting the status quo. No matter what form she takes, she remains an electric source of magical agitation that we can all plug into whenever we need a high-voltage charge.

She is also a vessel that contains our conflicting feelings about female power: our fear of it, our desire for it and our hope that it can — and will — grow stronger, despite the flames that are thrown at it.

Whether the witch is depicted as villainous or valorous, she is always a figure of freedom — both its loss and its gain. She is perhaps the only female archetype who is an independent operator. Virgins, whores, daughters, mothers, wives — each of these is defined by whom she is sleeping with or not, the care that she is giving or that is given to her, or some sort of symbiotic debt that she must eventually pay.

The witch owes nothing. That is what makes her dangerous. And that is what makes her divine.

Witches have power on their own terms. They have agency. They create. They praise. They commune with the spiritual realm, freely and free of any mediator.

They metamorphose, and they make things happen. They are change agents whose primary purpose is to transform the world as it is into the world they would like it to be.

This is also why being called a witch and calling oneself a witch are usually two vastly different experiences. In the first case, it’s often an act of degradation, an attack against a perceived threat.

The second is an act of reclamation, an expression of autonomy and pride. Both of these aspects of the archetype are important to keep in mind. They may seem like contradictions, but there is much to glean from their interplay.

The witch is the ultimate feminist icon because she is a fully rounded symbol of female oppression and liberation. She shows us how to tap into our own might and magic, despite the many who try to strip us of our power.

We need her now more than ever.

[silver-the-cat]

Jack In Wonderland - Part 1 of God knows how many I’m gonna make

((Okay, so I saw that one Alice in Wonderland AU that @alexisdevil made with their absolutely awesome moodboards and the completely awesome art that has so far been made for it. So I decided to throw my hand in writing some kind of story about it. I’m completely sorry if this isn’t the best and I will not deny I’m still kind of working a few things out as I go along, but I’ve gotten most of it done and figured out. I am, however, kinda proud of how I started it and the fact that I actually finished it. 

Anyways, enough with the rambly author notes stuff, let’s get into the main act! Hope you all enjoy!))

Falling, falling, falling. That’s all he could remember. Just him, falling through a deep, deep hole. He wasn’t even sure how he had gotten there. It was definitely an accident, he was sure of that much. But how? Where had the hole come from?

“But thank you guys so much for watching this video! If you liked it, PUNCH that like button in the face, LIKE A BOSS!”

Maybe he had been outside when it happened. Walking along before the earth suddenly crumbled underneath his feet, the ground swallowing him hole. No, no, that couldn’t be right. Holes don’t just randomly open up underneath people for no reason.

Maybe he had seen something while walking, an animal or a tiny glimmer of an object shining in between a tree and hole. Curious, he tried to peer in, only to lose his balance and tumble down. It seemed to be the most logical explanation, but he couldn’t be too sure.

“And high fives all around.”

How long had he been falling? It’s had to at least been hours by now. A part of him also refused to believe that a natural hole, a kind that would just normally happen in nature, would be this deep. If it was, clearly he would feel the temperature change. That, or be fried alive by the intense heat of the earth.

“But I will see all you dudes….”

The more he fell, the more he thought and wondered. Very quickly, he realized there was just this pounding right in the back of his head. It seemed to even twinge with every new thought, which would’ve made him flinch if he had any kind control over the rest of his body.

“IN THE NEXT VIDEO!”

The end of the fall came all too soon. The next thing he knew, the ground hit him hard. He couldn’t think after that, too distracted by the overwhelming pain in every single part of his body. A dull ache that spread quickly from his back to his legs and arms, creeping up his neck and finally reaching his head.

And with that came the blissful embrace of complete unconsciousness.

The very next thing he could remember vividly was just white.

Lying in a spotless white bed with fluffy white blankets with fancy patterns embroidered into the fabric. The patterns were all abstract, but he quickly realized a good chunk of them all had a heart hidden somewhere in the stitching. He raised himself onto his elbows, a bit surprised at the effort it took to complete such a simple action.

The rest of the room was just as white as the bed, with small little hearts all hidden in the moulding of the walls, or placed in giant pictures that sometimes even stretched from floor to ceiling. As for furniture, however, it seemed to be very sparse. All he could see between the bed’s curtains was a chair right next to a table and window, a wardrobe, and what, oddly enough, looked like a cart with different medical equipment still sitting on it. He even noticed with a twinge of horror that one of the tools was still tinged a dark reddish brown. 

He instead stopped trying to focus on the room, narrowing his eyes as his mind worked rapidly. He could remember falling, wondering greatly about exactly how he had gotten into that mess and how deep that hole was, when he suddenly hit solid ground. After that, a complete blank. 

“Absolutely wonderful…” He murmured, almost recoiling at the sound of his own voice. Hoarse and more quiet than usual, as if he hadn’t even used it in years. How long had he exactly even been out?

He took a couple moments to push himself up further, resting his back against the headboard of the bed for support while he put his face in his hands, breathing in deeply. Nothing was making any damn sense to him, one minute he was falling and the next, waking up in some bed with no clue as to how he had gotten there.

Just as he had said himself, absolutely wonderful.

Something suddenly broke him out of his thoughts. The sound of a door creaking open slowly, before quickly being pulled back and closed. He lowered his hands, quickly glancing around for the source of it. When he heard it again, he found out the door was literally right in front of him, almost invisible as it looked exactly like the wall did and it was hard to tell them apart at this distance. For a split second, he saw what looked like a head, slowly peeking out from behind it before pulling back in.

“Um….Hello? Is there someone there?” He called, raising his eyebrows slightly. The person behind the door seemed to finally gain enough courage, pushing the door open and stepping into the room.

It was a man, almost the same age as he was, wearing a pale gray sort of uniform with a small heart pinned just over where his real one would be. What he considered to be the most interesting part about this man was the fact that his uniform seemed slightly torn up, holes revealing deep red cuts littered across his body. This man even had a huge gash across his cheek, as if part of his mouth had been slashed open. He even moved across the room with a slight limp, his eyes having a kind of tired glaze over them. It was almost as if he had been raised from the dead.

“You….You awake now?” He said slowly, looking as if he was physically sounding out each word with hesitancy. “G...Good….Everyone getting worried…..I very worried…..king was worried too….”

“Erm….I guess I really appreciate that, but….I’m just a bit confused.” He replied, making the man tilt his head a small bit. “Who...exactly are you? And what the hell even happened?”

“Oh! Name is Robbie!” The man said, putting on a tired smile and raising one arm to his chest. “King said he made me to be rook….but not sure what that means. So I just stay here in castle.” He simply nodded, while Robbie nervously took a few steps closer in. “Um….is your turn now!”

“Uh….What? My turn?” He repeated, even pointing to himself as well.

“Yeah! I tell my name, you tell yours!” Robbie nodded. “It only fair. King taught me that it important to be fair, right?” He bit his lip slightly, silently agreeing to that. 

“Sounds like this King guy knows a lot. Alright then, my name…” He finally said, earning the tiniest squeal of happiness from Robbie. “I’m….I’m Sean, but most people just call me Jack. You….also didn’t answer my question before. The second one.” Robbie only gave him a confused look, tilting his head again. “I don’t know how I got here, so I was kinda hoping that, well maybe, you had any idea?” Robbie’s entire face scrunched up slightly, making a few more scars visible from where Jack was at least.

“...Nuh-uh.” He finally said, shaking his head and putting his hands behind his back like a small child. “Only heard you were here from king and Angus. No clue how you got here, am really sorry.” Well, that figures. Jack thought, trying not to let him see his own disappointment. He opened his mouth to say something else, although he wasn’t even sure what he was going to say. However, Robbie suddenly gave a small jolt, glancing over his shoulder to the door. Footsteps sounded from the hallway outside, clicking against the floor loudly.

“Robbie! Is zhat you?” A voice still from outside the door, not too far away in fact, called, making the scarred man jump slightly. “I told you to stay out of zhere. I understand you’re curious and vorried, but I promise you have I everyzhing under control!” 

“A-Am sorry! J-Just heard something a-and thought should go check!” Robbie cried, holding his hands up in defense and spinning around to face the door. Jack narrowed his eyes, trying to look around Robbie as the footsteps stopped just outside the door.

It was a new man, dressed in a white lab coat over a gilded vest and the palest blue sweater he had ever seen. A similar heart was pinned onto his chest, almost exactly like the one Robbie had. This new man also wore glasses, the frames a light gray with silvery vine-like decorations wrapping around them.

“Again, I understand you only vant to help and zhat you’re curious, but I need you to stay out of here.” The man said, adjusting his glasses slightly. “I have everyzhing completely under control, I promise. I just need you to….” He suddenly trailed off, mostly likely finally catching a glimpse of Jack, completely awake and sitting up even.

“Yeah….He awake! I thought heard something, so I go check only to find him awake!” Robbie quickly said, giving a small smile. “His name Sean, but people call him Jack! He seem nice, but he confused too!”

“Uh….I can still talk for myself?” Jack said a bit awkwardly, raising a hand slightly. The new man simply looked between both him and Robbie, before seemingly recollecting himself, taking a deep breath.

“Robbie, Angus is looking for you. He says he needs you on vatch.” He said simply. “I….need to speak vith….vhat did you say your name vas...er...Jack?” The only response he got was a nod from both Robbie and Jack, although Robbie looked certainly more upset than Jack did. 

“Ok….but wanna see Jack again too!” Robbie complained, pouting as the man walked farther into the room. “Get to see him after watch, right?”

“Ja, ja, of course. Just get going before Angus comes himself.” The man said, waving it aside as he grabbed one of the chairs. Robbie looked excited, waving to Jack before he ran back out of the room and down the hall. “He really is quite zhe sveetheart, he vas vorried sick vhen ve had first found you.”

“I...could tell.” Jack replied, rubbing the back of his neck as the man pulled the chair closer to the bed. “He seemed like a good guy, even if he does look a bit….startling, if I’ll be completely honest.”

“Ah, yes. I tried my hardest to heal zhose vounds, but it’s razher hard to suture a scratch on a zombie.” The man laughed slightly, making Jack flinch back just a bit. At least that cleared up the mystery about the tools. “Anyvays, dreadfully sorry for how confusing zhis all must be. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Henrik von Schneeplestein, and zhis is zhe Vhite Hearts Kingdom.”

“White Hearts Kingdom….wait, what?” Jack repeated. “Listen, as far as I can remember, there’s literally no place or country on earth called the White Hearts Kingdom.” Schneeplestein only looked a bit confused, needing to look Jack up and down once more before realization suddenly flashed across his face.

“You said your name vas Sean, but most people still call you Jack, correct?” He asked, only to receive a nod. “Vell, it seems zhis is much more serious zhan I had zhought. For you to find a vay into Vonderland, and to end up completely unconscious upon entry vith multiple injuries as vell….zhis clearly can’t be a good sign….”

“Ex...cuse me? Would you mind explaining what the hell you just said for the people who don’t understand?” Jack said, making Schneeplestein jump slightly in response. “What did you just mean by ‘Wonderland’? Is this place just like that one story, like ‘Alice in Wonderland’?”

“I suppose. I’m not actually too sure on vhat zhis place even is.” Schneeplestein admitted with a small shoulder shrug. “But all zhat you really need to know is zhat a lot of people know you, specifically, around here. And...not exactly everyvone here is….as velcoming as eizher Robbie or I are.”

“Y’know, the way you said that, it sounded as if you had someone specific in mind.” Jack pointed out. “That is, if I just ignore the fact you told me that literally everyone here in wherever this place is knows exactly who I am despite the fact I have no clue what this place is.”

“A number of people….but only vone of zhem is actually zhreatening.” Schneeplestein said, seemingly ignoring his last comment. “However, I do not vant you to vorry about zhat just yet. In fact, I merely vant you to rest. You vere in terrible shape vhen I had found you.”

“Are you even gonna tell me what happened that ended with you bringing me here?” Jack asked, as Schneeplestein stood once more.

“In due time. I’m afraid it isn’t a very interesting story anyvays.” He said with a small smile. “I vill be back later, just rest up for now. I’m sure Robbie vill be back later, and he might even bring Angus vith him, who knows.” Jack couldn’t help but pout slightly, but still obeyed his orders. This man, despite the possibility that he had somehow managed to bring someone back from the dead, reminded him greatly of a doctor, which should’ve been a given considering the medical tools still left in the room. If there was anyone to order him to at least rest for a while, it would be him.

As Schneeplestein closed the door behind him, Jack felt himself growing tired. No matter how much he wanted to stay awake and just think everything over several times and try to piece everything together, he did admit he needed some kind of rest. A bit defeatedly, he laid back down and almost instantly fell asleep once more.

There would be time to think later.

“W̡̽ͪͭ̌̉Hͯ̂̉͘AŢͮͨͬ̄̌ͨ̚?̾̎̇̆̀͑ͪ!ͭͤ̔”

“T-T-That’s all I heard….H-He was f-f-found by the King of White H-Hearts…”

“I go through all the d̄̀̚͠a̡ͧ́ͬ͑̓m̓̀̑͢n͌̐̈́͂̔͜ ̒̆ͧt̴̋ŗ̑̊̂o̓͂̀uͩ̓ͤͮͩ̅b̿̓͐̀̃̚͜l̴̐e̢̊̅̅ͣ ̡̈́ͣͣ̓of̾́͌̓̅̉̇ br̒͆͂iͭͣ͐̅ͧn̉g̓̉̎̈̾̀̚íͦ̓̑n̎g͂̄ͧ͗ͬ̚͏ him here, just for that B͛̓Aͮ̅̏S̴̚T̶ͬ̇̔̉̐Ȁ̐͊̾̇̀Ȑ̔͌̈Dͫ decides to snatch him away?! D͛̃̊̽͂͝Aͩ͛ͥ͑͗͟ḾMͯͪ̑̅̽͑͑I̍̐͐̿̓͘Ť!!”

“I-I mean….i-i-it could always be just another rumor! M-M-Maybe he might be s-somewhere else in Wonderland!”

“Shut it. If the guards haven’t fͦ͊̒̆ͣͣ͞ǫ̐ųͮ̌̽̊̌͑͋n̿̚d̋ ̴̍̔ͬ̎̾̽͌h̅̌̃̓ͮ̕iͤͨ̉ͫ̋͂m͆̅̎͞ ̛͂̑ͣ̂y̡̓́̿̈́̀ͫë̎͢t̅̑̽̆̄ͮ̅, those Iͫ̆̌͆̍̕DI͊̔͌͌ͯOͭ͑̌ͦ͒̉ͧ͝TS̽̐̉ͨ̃͡ aren’t going to find him ever. I’m going to need to get c̐͌̾̀ͣre̷ͯ̔̆̃ă̓͒̀҉t̃͏iv̿̎͢e̾̉ͣ with this….“

“C-Creative? W-Wait….w-w-what are you going to….?”

“Oh mͩ͛e͛͆̅ͯş̇̎sͭ̏ͥ̑͑̏e̴̋ͬ̂̿̄̉ͧnͥͯ͒g̍̋͜e͐̽͋̉͟r̢̋̓ͣ ͠B̐ͬͭ̏Ǫ̔ͤ̔̇̎ͮY̨̑̈, I’m going to have quite the job for you! Open those ears of yours. I͟ ͊́n̐̌̉ͦ̚͜e̽̅ͣ̀e̋̃̅̒ͮͫd̢̒ͦ̈ ̢ͧa̸ͣͨͯ̎ ͯ̐̿͒ṗ̸ͣ͛̾ͬ͆u͒̅̾͛͐̃p̸ͪ̽̂͛ͮ̒̚pͥ̉̈ͮ̎ë́̍̋̈́t̀͛ͫͯ̐̑ ̌͑͒͒w͊ho͒̅̓͐͐̓'̂ͩs̴̚ ̈͂̌͐ͫͥ̿͜l͞ȋ̧̐ͫͨͫ̀̒s̃́t͂en̊̅͑͊͆ͥ̀̚ïͫ̿͗ͧ͗̚͘n͒̂̏̑́ͫͫg̋͆ͤͬ ̛͆̽ͩͤͪw͐ͨ̽̒ͫe̛ͧ̉ͪͯ͗̅l͜l̨̿ ̋͑͊̃ͥ͟a̓͌͂̃fͭ͂t̶͆̋ͦ̃̈̓͐eͣ̀r͂͑ͤͤ́̀́ ̈́̐͗ͤͦa̋ͬl̡̑̇̀̇ļ.”

((Ok, so I had a few things different than @alexisdevil has in their AU, specifically Robbie being the Dormmouse, but I kinda wrote this before they made that post so here we are. Again, this is such a super awesome AU and I just want to contribute in any way I can. So I hope you all enjoyed and, tbh whether or not more people want it, I’ll make more parts and possibly actually finish the story.

Also super sorry if my writing turned to absolute crap towards the end, I wrote this over the span of 2 days with school and several brain farts and minor cases of writer’s block getting in the way. But still, I hope you all enjoyed! Buh-bye!))

[outfitandtrend]

[ad_1] For movie premieres, fundraisers, and the Met Gala, Blake Lively has worked closely with designers to create statement-making looks. What is equally impressive is that the actor comes up with her own ensembles, without the help of a stylist — having famously forgone a stylist for the entirety of her career. She shared some insights into her style both on and off screen in the latest installment of the Vogue Life in Looks series. The 34-year-old star spoke about the influence of New York City on her style, as the backdrop of her breakout show, "Gossip Girl," and the place where she currently resides with husband Ryan Reynolds and their three daughters. At the recent "Gilded Glamour"-themed Met Gala, which she cochaired, Lively repped her love for the city in a flamboyant, custom Versace gown and tiara inspired by many of NYC's landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Grand Central Station. "Rather than looking at fashion from the Gilded Age, I wanted to look at architecture," she said. "New York has been such a critical part of who I am. It's the place I choose to live. It's the love of my life." Out of all her style moments, Lively showed the most nostalgia for the ones that harbored her baby bump. She cited the 2016 Cannes Film Festival as an example, where she made an appearance in a blue, asymmetrical, high-slit gown that concealed her growing belly. She hadn't yet publicly shared the news of her pregnancy (she didn't feel that was necessary), so she used fashion in her favor. "I am very private, and I'm very protective of my children, and I don't want to share them with the world, and I feel like that starts when they're in the womb," she said. "So, I just thought, 'I'm just going to dress like I'm not pregnant. I'm going to wear what I would wear if I wasn't pregnant.'" For more hidden gems in the history of Lively's wardrobe, check out the full video above. window.fbAsyncInit = function() FB.init( appId : '175338224756', status : true, // check login status xfbml : true, // parse XFBML version : 'v8.0' ); ONSUGAR.Event.fire('fb:loaded'); ; // Load the SDK Asynchronously (function(d) var id = 'facebook-jssdk'; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; if (typeof scriptsList !== "undefined") scriptsList.push('src': 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js', 'attrs': 'id':id, 'async': true); (document)); [ad_2] Source link

[christiankosmasmayer]

A&I University Gallery of the Custody, Dresden, 2021

Maa Kheru 8-channel sound installation (dimensions variable), 7 min (looped)

Golden Tongues 24-carat gold, polyamid, metall

If you love life like I do Stainless steel, aluminum, sleeping bag, belt 210 x 76 x 64 cm

Mrs. Conant HD-Video, 120 sec (loop)

Drawing on earlier works of his, Christian Kosmas Mayer explored cultural-historical concepts of immortality against the backdrop of the present day and the radical advances currently sweeping across the fields of biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI).

In his research practice, the human voice plays a pivotal role as a primordial medium of expression, of vital importance in ideas relating to the afterlife, be it in ancient Egypt or the present day. Because we live in an age when AI enables us to synthesize the voices of those long-dead and thus revive them in digital form, their voices are able to float free of their bodies, living on through technology in an afterlife that is potentially never-ending. By partnering with the Chair of Speech Technology and Cognitive Systems at the TU’s Institute of Acoustics and Speech Communication, Mayer has now used the latest speech-synthesis technology to produce sounds based on the vocal tract of a specific human being who lived 2000 years ago. From these sounds, he has composed a moving and enigmatic multi-channel sound piece that combines the archaic with the hypermodern and upends our conventional notions of age and the passing of time. (more information on this work can be found in this interview: https://between-science-and-art.com/artist-in-residence-christian-kosmas-mayer/)

The disembodied and lingering presence of the voice finds its materialized and ossified echo in the sculpture series the Golden Tongues. Models of human tongues from the late 19th century preserved in the Historical Acoustic-Phonetic Collection at the TU Dresden were the source for replicas that were transformed into extremely durable metal objects. The technique of gilding has been used since antiquity to lend objects a timeless finish, giving them the chance to escape the finite time scale of each passing human civilization.

Mayer is especially drawn to such phenomena and objects, which, even in death, know no rest and drift through time, resurfacing at various points in history in different contexts and charged with different meaning. This is also evident in his AI-generated animations of vintage photographs dating from the mid-19th century, when photography itself was still considered a magical medium by many. The late sci-fi author and physicist Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) once claimed that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. If that be true, then the latest advances in biotechnology and AI will one day have previously unimagined ways to seduce us into interpreting the ghostly phenomena of autonomous algorithmic computations as works of magic.

As a commentary on the current discourse surrounding AI applications in biotechnology, Christian Kosmas Mayer’s poetic, sensual, and at-once imaginatively speculative approach presents a glimpse of this future. And rather than examining it as separate to Humanism and traditional knowledge systems, Mayer shows how such a future is actually rooted in and predetermined by them.

These works were supported by Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden

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Text on the single works:

Maa Kheru Egyptian mummies are physical relics of a highly advanced ancient civilization for which the search for immortality was a defining cultural impetus. In his performative approach to a 2000-year-old male mummy, Christian Kosmas Mayer draws on the ancient Egyptian belief that the dead can only attain eternal life if their voices are revived. Using data obtained from computed tomography (CT) scans, researchers were able to create an exact replica of the mummy’s vocal tract, even endowing it with a movable silicon tongue. Mayer played this artificial vocal organ as though it were an instrument and produced a range of vocal sounds from which he then composed a multi-channel sound piece. Falling somewhere between scientific precision and poetically speculative experiment, the resulting sounds take us into the depths of time and combine the archaic with the hypermodern.

Golden Tongues The TU’s Historical Acoustic-Phonetic Collection contains a ceramic model from 1895, made to illustrate the formation of vocal sounds in human speech and song. Made of changeable parts, this anatomical model served as a teaching aid in vocal training for professional singers, which is why some of its parts include distinct shapes of the human tongue, each representing a different sound. For his sculpture series, Christian Kosmas Mayer appropriates the forms of these historical models and renders them in a material that transcends their original functionality. By gilding his replicas, Mayer makes use of an ancient cultural practice that has always been associated with the pursuit of timelessness. Any use of “immortal gold,” as alchemists called it, is not just an aesthetic decision – it is also a reflection of an attempt to transcend the lifespan of human civilization.

If you love life like I do Cryonics is the term for the preservation of human bodies at very low subzero temperatures, in the hope of being able to bring the deceased back to life at some unknown point in the future. In speculative anticipation of possible breakthroughs in medical science and technology, the bodies are cooled in liquid nitrogen to -196 degrees Celsius and stored in metal containers. Several hundred bodies are currently being kept in what is hoped to be a suspended rather than final state – and that number is on the rise. After conducting research into a US cryonics company, Christian Kosmas Mayer made these sculptures to point to the little-known existence of these modern-day mummies and visualize this as yet indefinable duration of icy quiescence. Upside down in sleeping bags, they await their own personal resurrection through science. 

Mrs. Conant Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to generate fake videos whose simulated content seems convincingly real. As such, deepfakes are part of a long tradition of manipulative visual techniques going back centuries. The American photographer William H. Mumler (1832−1884) was a pioneer of photographic manipulation, using double exposure to create spirit photographs in which he claimed to capture the spectral image of the dead. Christian Kosmas Mayer takes these historical fabrications and combines them with the latest technology to create AI-generated animations of the people in Mumler’s photographs. Guiding the mimical transformation of the originally still portraits are Mayer’s own facial expressions. The artist recorded the movements of his face on video and then fed the training data to a facial expression algorithm. In the final work, we see the artist literally putting words in the mouths of people photographed more than 150 years ago, but whatever they are saying remains inaudible to us.