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teabutmakeitazure · 2 months

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Zuri's Declassified University Survival Guide

This is a post about survival tips in university (undergraduate), especially if you're an international student living alone in a different country in this circumstance. I will be adding onto this later on if there's something I want to add, so keep an eye out for update reblogs of this I guess.

General Tips:

it's okay to make mistakes. you are here to learn and grow. no one is perfect, especially in the first and second year of their studies. those are mandatory experimental years. you're not expected to get magically mature and perfect when you get to university (or college for you americans). be kind to yourself and analyse your mistakes instead of beating yourself over them.

don't bother too much about your wardrobe. just wear whatever's comfortable. you might think people care but no one does. more than half of the people at campus will be in sweats or pyjamas and if someone IS dressed up, they're probably arts kids or business majors and they're the ones with the least workload (yes i am dissing you guys I've seen your workloads stop lying).

put yourself in uncomfortable social situations. yes i said that. the only reason i somewhat learnt to make small talk and learnt to talk to strangers is because I go to every single social event that I can. it's not necessary to make friends in all of them. just talk to people, exchange contacts, laugh while the event lasts even if you never see them again. this is how you survive in the lonely dorm life. and if you make an actual good friend? amazing! it paid off. even if it didn't you'll probably network and build rapport and have acquaintances from different majors.

if you're an ethnic minority, don't be afraid. I cannot stress this enough. don't be afraid to be there and take up space. you are there because you deserve to be and qualified. sure, it sucks at times because a good amount of people won't interact with you because you're 'different' but the international students will and trust me they're the coolest bunch to be friends with (I have 0 such friends so far). most times you will have to take the initiative to talk and sometimes they won't respond or worse flat out ignore you but don't let that get you down. just don't interact with them again. the world is big. not everyone will like you and accept you. find the ones that will.

eggs and milk are your best friend. a glass of milk everyday and 2 eggs. make that a staple. eggs are also very versatile for recipes. more on that in the recipes section. also yoghurt. a smol cup of yoghurt everyday too and nuts whenever you can buy them.

always have a few pack of instant noodles at home. sometimes you have deadlines or you forgot to cook or need a quick dinner because there's so much to do and you didn't get groceries. always keep them in stock. they're a quick fix for food. I'm not promoting them for frequent dinner but it's better than starving. just eat the noodles man. there's already so much shit to keep track of just eat the damn noodles.

incorporate veggies into everything food. they're good for you. if you're like me and don't like veggies, experiment with different recipes and find the one you like best. one good way is fried rice or rice with mushrooms, veggies, and meat in the rice cooker (I don't own a rice cooker when I'm writing this). just eat your veggies and thank me later. if you don't wanna cut them up, get a pack of frozen veggies. it's better than nothing. baby steps.

meal plan. if I don't plan my entire week's food on sunday night, I do it the night before for the next day. eat out as less as you can. homemade is better even if you're a horrible cook. practice makes perfect and you'll be grateful for learning a few basic cooking skills along with your degree later on. cooking your own food also gives you the liberty to add more veggies or save money.

treat yourself to stuff sometimes. yes you deserve it even if you don't meet your goals. you're trying. be kind to yourself. get that boba.

study everything done the week by that week's weekend. do the day's content that same day and don't lag behind. utilise reading week and read. don't slack off please I'm begging you. I'll even get on my knees if I have to.

you're gonna miss home and it sucks. yes you will be having your fourth mental breakdown of the week on a wednesday night and you will be alone or hiding under the blanket as your roommate is asleep. you're gonna have to tough it out soldier. I see you and I feel you. it gets easier with time and when you're doing better, you'll feel relieved for toughing through. it's so lonely sometimes and it sucks but it's worth the pain. don't lose hope.

seniors are your friends. they will give you forbidden knowledge for free. from hidden places with good food or convenience things or just life advice exclusive to your institute, they have it all. they're also generally very friendly so don't be afraid to interact with them.

annoy the living hell out of your professor during office hours if need be and utilise the student help room for help. your tutors will be happy to help you so don't be shy to ask for help. they will appreciate you coming to them, trust me. as for your professor, they're lonely people. go to office hours if you need to, chat, ask them what you need. they'll appreciate your presence and happily help you.

the security guards and cleaning staff will be witnesses to your worst states (freshly out of bed or haven't showered in 2 days) but they don't care. they're just happy to be of service and have you around. be kind to them. greet them whenever you pass by.

sometimes coffee is bad.

if your classes start at noon or later, get an hour of exercise in the morning at around 8 or 9 am. the serotonin that will hit you will be unreal. trust me.

make local friends. they're cool people and friendly and very helpful and accommodating. I may be biased but it's true.

being a student helper, student tutor, or a research assistant looks good on your resume and helps you win more scholarships.

put headphones on when in public if you don't want to end up talking to someone you might bump into. it works.

your body also has rights. treat it with care. don't abuse it. nourish it. you should take care of your body like you would a loved one. feed it good things, clean it everyday, and so on. when you feel good by taking care of yourself, you still do better and feel more confident. wash your hair with a set schedule and use good products.

make your wardrobe easier. hang your usual shirts and maybe wear the one in front each day, the previous day's being hung in the back or in the laundry basket. it saves time.

there's no shame in not having stuff. I still don't own a proper laundry basket it all goes into an IKEA bag. you live in a dorm, not a house. sometimes not having every single kind of furniture or accessory isn't bad. don't compare your setup to others. if it's convenient, clean, and homey, it's good. you don't need those expensive lights or those expensive posters to make it seem cool. what you have and what you may collect among the way is enough.

notes on paper are better than laptop or ipad

take breaks. be kind to yourself. it is you for yourself. treat yourself with love.

manage your time by designating time blocks to a certain task. it might not always work but it will help create some discipline in the routine.

having a set everyday routine helps. you don't have to think what to do, thus saving you brain power.

use a semester planner for deadlines and important information. it's useful. I highly recommend. I also have a template if anyone wants.

write down your thoughts, what's bothering you, your feelings, everything on a piece of paper or journal at the end of the day. it'll help process your emotions and you won't have to let the thoughts and emotions fester inside you, slowly simmering and coming to a boil. remember, you are your best friend.

Recipes to help you stay afloat (they're all quick and easy dw):

right off the bat I want to say boiled jasmine rice with sunny side up eggs. you drizzle a pinch of salt onto the yolk, break it over the rice, mix it with the rice and eat it and it's just *chef's kiss*. definitely a comfort food and a very easy quick dinner.

a lot of these I found while scrolling through instagram and some are from when I was trying to lose weight. hope they're helpful!

oyakodon

one pot rice cooker rice with veggies

veggie and meat single serve in one pot

chicken wrap (primarily for weight loss I think)

chicken gyros (this guy makes amazing food)

minced meat weight loss meal prep

chickpeas (chana masala. this shit is bussin i swear)

something tomato + onion + egg

one pot veggie rice (recommended)

chicken shawarma (not dorm friendly cooking but looks delicious)

egg sandwich in one pan

potato marraka (THIS IS SO GOOD)

one pot rice cooker with meat and veggies

daal

chicken and rice

pizza style chicken wrap

five different chicken marinades for meal prep

one pot biryani

takeout style egg fried rice

rice cooker carbonara

one pot yoghurt curry chicken rice

weight loss chicken shawarma

healthier mac and cheese

chicken fajita

chicken tikka masala crunch tacos

one pan braised eggs

air fryer garlic bread pizza

another veggie and rice in rice cooker

fried rice recipe

hainanese inspired chicken rice in rice cooker

tomato orzo(?)

creamy tomato pasta

tomato and egg rice

mushroom sauce (can be eaten with rice)

creamy tomato tortellini

grilled cheese sandwich

#yes im referring to ned's declassified school survival guide #damn i miss that show #this is more for myself than anyone else #i got to compile all the recipes with this as an excuse nice #anyway hope this helped #i know I'm a yandere writing blog but i can also be helpful sometimes #zuri's declassified university survival guide #took me 2 hours but meh #college tips #university tips

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romanceandshenanigans · 10 months

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Writer Q&A Game

Thanks to @clairelsonao3 for tagging me!

1. What motivates you to write?

I'm not exactly sure tbh. It almost feels like a compulsion. There are days where I simply do not feel good in my body if I haven't written anything. Then there are others where I can't bring myself to write because I'm too tired or too distracted from life. Honestly the second I get a clear head and enough time to myself, I'll start writing.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

This isn't from my WIP, but from a fanfic I wrote a while ago. I want to try to find a way to incorporate it into something. Not sure where though.

“I know this seems like it’s coming out of nowhere,” he said, “but promise it’s not. I’ve had a long time to think about it. A few years, actually. I guess, I just didn’t realize how deep I was in it until about five minutes ago.”

She kept silent, but the simple fact she hadn’t told him to get out gave him the confidence to keep going. .

“I meant it when I said I’m crazy about you. I like that you take your sugar with a drop of coffee. I like how you sing to yourself when you’re happy. I like that you never seem to get cold. I like that you never lose your head under fire, but still need me to get rid of spiders. I like that you can laugh at yourself. I like that you can laugh at me. Hell, I like that you’re perfectly willing to slap my face if the situation calls for it.

I like so many things about you Liz, and that’s just the stuff I found out on accident. I can only imagine the stuff I’d learn if I started loving you on purpose."

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

I really do enjoy writing Finn. The boy just makes my smile.

Close second is another OC which I wrote for fanfic who I want to save and put someplace else, Lucy. She's my softest girl who has a lot of love to give. Might figure out a way to put her in this regency setting somewhere, but who knows.

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The first draft spree. The moment when you get an idea and you have write it down as quickly as possible. It's rough and definitely will need some editing, but that rush cannot be topped. It just feels satisfying to exorcise even the smallest of scenes out of my body.

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Dialogue, hands down. It's at least the part I've gotten the most compliments on.

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

I've only just started to dip my toe in, but I really do love answering asks. I like seeing other writer's process and knowing I'm not alone. It's just fun!

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I've been using Scrivener and it's really helped me keep everything organized. I have a very conspiracy board way of drafting, so having all my random snippets in one place really helps.

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

Not sure world building is my strong suit for this current WIP. I suppose I'm enjoying expanding the world of the theatre, but I admittedly need to do more research.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Write anyway. It doesn't have to be the scene that's giving you trouble. It doesn't even have to be for the piece you're trying to focus on, just don't get out of the habit of writing. Once you lose that momentum, it takes a long time to get it back.

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

Gotta give a shout out to @clairelsonao3 for being so welcoming in my introduction to the writeblr community. And @janec23, for being one of the few specifically romance writers to reach out.

But I really can't begin to thank all the people who have followed me from my fanfic blog over to this one. It really means so much to know people are interested in reading anything I put out there.

@flapjacques, @jo-harrington, @can-of-pringles, @handahbear, @auroramagpie, @justanothersadperson93, @sad-cat-hours, @ghostface001, @theowlwhocameback, @mattmurdocksscars, @roruna, @everything-intertwined, @sweetjedi, @arcanerazil, @vibratingbonesbis, @delirious0pandemonium, @llovelykenobi, @geek-girl7, @mixedupanddown

Know that I love and appreciate you all.

I'm also going to leave this an OPEN tag to anyone who wants to do this, and especially invite everyone who I have tagged above. (and

#tag game #writeblr #wip: untitled regency romance #writeblr asks #about the author #writeblr tag game

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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Why Your Spells Don’t Work

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet -- no results. What gives?

Failed spells happen to the best of us, and for a variety of reasons. But a spell gone wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that magic isn’t real or that you’re bad at witchcraft. Magic is complicated, and there are a lot of reasons it might not behave the way you want it to. Here are some of the most common causes of ineffective spells:

1. Lack of real-world follow through

Magic is meant to be used as a tool to supplement your mundane efforts -- not as a substitute for them. How can you expect your job hunting spell to bring in results if you aren’t applying for jobs?

Magic does not exist in a vacuum, and it can’t make something out of nothing. If a spell doesn’t bring you the desired result, make sure that your non-magical actions are aligned with what you are trying to manifest.

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well... magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

If your intention is unrealistic for where you are right now, try splitting it up into a multi-step process. No spell is going to make you a billionaire overnight, but magic could help you get hired at a better paying job... and then get promoted... and then get offered a profitable side gig... etc. Starting small and working your way up is always going to produce stronger results, because you laid the foundation first.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific

Whether you use written petitions or spoken incantations, clearly stating your intention is an important part (maybe THE most important part) of any spell or ritual. A good intention is specific enough to get you the results you want, but open enough to let those results manifest naturally.

Let’s say you do a money spell, and your intention for the spell is simply, “I have more money.” If you find a penny on the ground the next day and pick it up, technically that is more money than you had before. A better alternative would be to use an intention like, “I have enough money to buy ___,” or “I have enough money for everything I need and want.”

Using an intention that is too specific creates the opposite problem. Let’s say you want to manifest a scholarship to a specific school. You do a candle spell with the intention, “I have been chosen for the John Smith Scholarship at Jane Doe University.” But maybe the John Smith scholarship had already been awarded by the time you did your spell. Maybe there’s another scholarship at the same school that would be a better fit for you, or maybe you’re eligible for a grant that would make tuition more affordable. A better intention for your spell would be “I have enough financial aid to easily and affordably attend Jane Doe University.”

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility.

4. Lack of focus/concentration

We all know the struggle. You’ve been planning this ritual forever, and it’s finally the full moon, but you’ve got a really full schedule today. If you hurry, you can probably squeeze it into the thirty minute window between school and work, right?

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right?

Not so much. Rushed, lazy, and/or half-assed spells rarely, if ever, work. Spells revolve around the raising and direction of energy, and that requires two things: a clear intention (see above) and intense focus on that intention. If you don’t have the time/energy/mental capacity to focus, it’s best to take a break, have a self care day, and come back to your spell some other time.

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue.

Whenever you are doing magic on yourself, it’s important that your mindset is aligned with your intentions. You can do love spells all day long, but if deep down you don’t believe that you’re worthy of love, that belief is going to block your spells from working. This is why mindfulness, psychology, and self care are all such important parts of a successful witchcraft practice. It’s also why I recommend doing the mental work before you sit down to ritual.

If you did a spell on yourself, or are trying to manifest something for yourself, and it just isn’t working, I highly recommend setting some time aside for journaling and meditation and asking yourself 1.) if this is really what you want, and 2.) if you truly believe that you can have it.

The whole mindset thing gets even more tricky when you’re doing magic on behalf of another person, because their energy is also at work in the situation and could be at odds with yours. For example, if you do a spell to help a friend land a job, but that friend believes that they’re totally underqualified and could never get it, they probably won’t get the job even if you did everything “right” in your spell.

This should go without saying, but it is extremely unethical to use magic to mess around in someone else’s head. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, they need to be open to it. If someone is blocking the spells you do on their behalf, all you can do is try to be supportive and find other ways to help them out.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

If a spell goes wrong, it will almost always be for one of the above reasons. But maybe you did everything “right” -- you did the mental work first, had a strong, realistic intention, put lots of focus into your spell, and followed through in real life -- and you still aren’t seeing results. There are a couple of other things that could be blocking your spells, but they’re very uncommon so I’m not going to talk about them in as much detail. These may be things you want to look into if you really, genuinely can’t think of any other cause.

It’s possible that another witch has done magic that cancels out or blocks yours. This is not common, and it does NOT mean that someone has cursed you. It could be as simple as two witches unknowingly casting spells with opposite intentions, which end up cancelling each other out. (For example, maybe two different people both cast a spell to get the same job. Obviously, they can’t both get that job.) This is why it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a protective element into your spells to block outside interference.

There is a very, very remote possibility that someone has placed a curse on you specifically to block your magic. However -- and I cannot stress this enough -- this is VERY uncommon. If you were cursed you would know it, or at least know that something was very wrong in your life. If you feel like you have been cursed or hexed, I recommend looking into uncrossing spells, which are specifically designed to undo negative magic.

It’s also possible that a higher power is intervening. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a deity, although it certainly could be. Most witches believe in some form of fate or destiny, and it’s possible that your spell didn’t work because what you asked for is not in alignment with your destiny. In these situations, really the only thing you can do is surrender to the bigger picture.

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saphirered · 3 years

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HI, Its me again! I was wondering if you could kinda do a another part of the Eldritch Knight fic. Something like some more scenarios of essek fanboying over reader? ( Watching reader save a bunch of civilians by catching/lifting up a HUGE boulder that was about to crush the civilians, out smarting a evil wizard, helping essek with a spell he couldn't get right?) Sorry if this is long! Do whatever you want with this and I hope you have an amazing day ( pls drink some water!)

Hya! I hope you like this one and sorry it took so long (Hope the word count makes up for that part 😝). I tried to incorporate as many of these aspects as I could and keep it consistent so I hope it worked and you like the outcome. Thanks and have an amazing day yourself and stay hydrated! 😘

“So what is it about this spell that’s so difficult? You’ve never had any trouble transcribing spells in the past.” You walk beside Essek as you go down the street, or float in his case.

It’s a lovely evening in Asarius, the darkness of night a necessity to those sensitive to sunlight. The City of Beasts leaves much to be desired, especially compared to Rosohna to which it doesn’t even hold a candle but it’s a nice evening no less and you get to spend more time with your favourite Shadowhand wizard so you’re not complaining.

“I don’t have any trouble transcribing spells. If I did, I’d seriously question your faith in me and my credibility as a praised magic user prodigy.” You smile at the last part. Whereas to anyone else those words may have pinged as arrogance and an ego beyond a healthy standard, you clearly hear a slight gulp and sense of defensiveness to his wording, a sense of doubt.

“Essek, if anything your capabilities have spoken for themselves. As a humble student of Dunamis with a limited understanding of the beauty of the craft even I can say so. I don’t question your skills.” From the corner of your eye you can almost see him let out a breath of relieve as you continue.

“However, I must question your sanity slightly for willingly coming to Asarius. What is it you so desperately need you couldn’t get in Rosohna and don’t get me wrong, I like spending time with you, but why am I here?” A smile creeps onto his face but quickly turns neutral at the realisation you’re in a public space with watching eyes all around. You understand.

“I’m in the process of creating a new spell of my own device. I’ve run out of materials and bought up the last of the stock in Rosohna, which I’ve also already gone through. Now why I asked you to come along, I cannot carry everything on my own and do not trust the careless hands of guards and servants to properly handle such delicate materials with proper consideration and gentleness.”

“Oh, so you need me to look pretty and flex so you can ogle and admire me again? You should have just asked. I’d happily let you watch another sparring session or training. The company would be much more selective and you wouldn’t need to fight to keep that expression on your face like your life depended on it.” You try to whisper in all seriousness but can’t help some giggles cracking your voice. Essek’s eyes go wide for a second and the faintest blush creeps onto his cheeks, something he cannot hide. He quickly glances to the left and right to make sure no one’s noticed. Luckily no one did.

“Perhaps you could save such proclamations in more private company… for my sake…” The last part he speaks under his breath but you can still just barely hear the words.

You finally find the shop. Essek immediately approaches the person behind the counter as you look around. There are some magical items placed on what once may have been plush velvet pillows but the velvet is crushed in places. The glass displays show finger prints and dust and grime at the corners, not properly cleaned for a long time. The wooden floor is sticky in some places and this is one of those moments where you wish you could float like Essek. You browse while he finishes up.

While you browse and get to one of the larger displays another customer at the display next to, still quite some space away from you suddenly moves away to an entirely different display case on the other side of the room. Weird. You glance over but don’t think anything serious of it but keep an eye out regardless.

Essek signals for you he’s done and on the counter you see several huge stacks of paper and an the equivalent of a bucket worth of ink in several bottles. Mentally figuring out how you’re going to carry this much, not because of the weight but solely the awkward size and shape of the stacks of paper you undo your cloak and begin to stack up the paper in one large stack onto the centre of your cloak and one smaller stack, compared to the bigger one that is, that you put to the side. The shopkeeper offers you some twine rope to keep the pages secure in their stack. and you begin folding your cloak around the bigger stack so it’s fully covered. You take the corners and tie them securely in a knot around your waist while using the closure ties to cross them over your chest and around your back where they tie. A makeshift backpack but secure and safe in a way the paper won’t get damaged. You grab the remaining stack from the counter and carry it in your arms.

“You carry the ink. Let’s not risk it spilling over the paper or this will all have been for nothing.” Essek picks up the ink and you let him take the lead out of the shop holding the door open with a quick mage hand. Outside you walk side by side once more.

You see Essek side glance you several times but you’re unsure whether it’s because he’s making sure you’re not falling behind, you’re doing alright, if the paper isn’t getting damaged or simply watch the defined flexing muscles of your arms and shoulders as you walk, unbothered by the weight of what could by far exceed a person’s weight in materials.

You’re nearing the Aurora Hold, your way back to Rosohna when you see something from the corner of your eye; the same person you saw in the shop… they’re sticking to the shadows moving from building to building and blending into the crowd when possible to avoid detection, their eyes trained on you or more like Essek. Essek seems to have caught on to the person trailing you too.

“We’re being followed.” Essek states under his breath so only you can hear.

“That we are. Same person as from the shop. What’s the plan?” You say back, the both of you acting none the wiser to your stalker.

“Get to the Hold. Aurora Watch will be more present the closer we get. They’re less likely to try anything in the open.” He floats along eyes trained on your destination. Though, he doesn’t sound too sure about it stalling whatever your follower is planning.

You glance around briefly having lost track of them but find them picking up pace towards you. Deciding not to wait and see what’s coming next you move the heavy stack of paper over balancing it on your lower arm, between your hand and body while grabbing Essek’s arm with your now free one, you pick up pace and run pulling him along with you as you push people aside and weave through them for the quickest path to the Aurora Hold.

“Let’s hope your right.” You tell Essek as the person follows behind you picking up pace as well. By passing and pushing through certain people you manage to make it more difficult for them to follow and hope to draw enough attention from the Aurora Watch or really anyone bothered enough to pick a fight so the stalker will lose interest or opportunity. Casting anything major right here is a big no go with the amount people in the street and you’re still too far away for anything targeted specifically towards them. Luckily for you, they’re in the same boat when it comes to targeting the two of you yet you’re hoping they’re not stupid enough to cause severe collateral damage.

You’re approaching the square to the Aurora Hold and see more guards. You shout for one of them to stop as they pass by you and hand them the stack of paper in your one arm, the guard buckles under the weight as you untie the fastenings of your cloak and then the one around your waist setting it down besides them. The Aurora Hold is still aways away on the other side of the square and with how busy it is you’d never make it there without them catching up.

“What are you doing?” Essek asks you as he shushes the guard. The guard recognises Essek’s station and immediately obeys his command.

“We’re not going to make it in time. Not without them getting to us first. Confrontation it is.” You take out your sword and toss the sheath to the side. Essek nods and tells the guard to get call reinforcements to subtly clear the square as much as possible. Luckily conflicts and fights in the open in Asarius are about as common as the rain falling from the sky so no one will bother to get in the middle of this.

You take place a few steps in front of Essek to the side and wait. Both of you keep an eye on your chaser watching them draw closer as you stay put. Once within range Essek attempts to cast hold person on them but it fails.

You can see their eyes narrow as they continue to approach determined. They take out some components and begin casting a spell before you can do anything a bright streak fires from their finger. You manage to dodge into a dive roll avoiding most of the impact but others around you weren’t so lucky. Essek barely managed to get out of the brunt of it too. The buildings and watchtower to your side have begun to catch fire. The people who managed to get out of the explosion quickly begin dragging people out of the way to safety clearing the way between you and the person.

“Worry about your paper. I got this.” You look at Essek over your shoulder who manages to quench the flames of your cloak protecting the precious paper. You twirl your sword twice to feel the familiar balance and pull of gravity you’ve grown accustomed to.

Approaching the caster after you and Essek you keep a safe distance between you and them. At least, as safe as it can be when someone is clearly capable of some ranged attacks.

“I’ve nothing against you. Get out of my way so I can finish my job and I might let you live.” You hear the faintest hint of a Zemnian accent. Volstrucker. Great. Now you’re dealing with an assassin.

“Sorry. Not gonna happen. Go back to wherever you came from and tell your superiors to stay away and I’ll let you live. If you don’t, I’ll make sure your remains will be returned to your next of kin for a proper burial instead of being fed to the moorbounders.” They step closers to you and you step back keeping the same amount of distance between you.

“How very kind of you. I think I’ll pass.” They sneer. You take that as your cue and run close sword swinging. They manage to deflect the first blow with a shield spell but the second one strikes true and sends them off their feet. They get up quickly and send a firebolt your way but you’re quick enough to avoid that one. You swing again and hit their side, coming around with a second hit you step in close and use your momentum to shift to the side and swipe at their legs sending them to the ground once more.

A blade apparates in their hand, getting up they slash at you. You try to block the first blow but it still hits cutting across your shoulder. The second hit comes for the side of your leg. You have no way of deflecting this one so you take it and use the opportunity to elbow them in the face, sweeping their feet from under them. They look up to you blood beginning to stream out of their nose.

“Why don’t you just help me? You seem friendly enough. I could use an ally right now.” They speak in a sweet voice, trying to cast some kind of charm on you and you feel it take in your brain but fight it off. You’re not so easily charmed. You stab down through their abdomen and they cry out in pain. Removing your blade the Aurora Watch rushes over to the two of you and you take a step back. People fill back into the square to see what happened and you walk back over to Essek.

You let the Watch deal with the assassin as you inspect the paper covered by your cloak. The cloak is partially scorched but the paper survived.

“You know, when you said sometimes people send assassins after you and they occasionally manage to make it past defences I thought you were joking.” Essek gives you a deadpanned expression.

“I wish I was. My apologies. I should have been more careful and many thanks for valiantly protecting my life and my materials. I do not think I could have wished for a more capable and amazing protector.” You give him a wink.

The conversation is cut short by ruckus from the Aurora Watch and the assassin. The assassin is fighting back and manages to cast a spell aimed at Essek. You’re quick enough to cast the resilient sphere spell on Essek providing a shimmering protective barrier around him. A second attack from the assassin goes wide and strikes the burning watchtower.

The watchtower begins to fall overhead. Thinking quickly to keep yourself, the guards and the people having gathered around from being crushed by a flaming building you hold your sword horizontal above your head, take out your gold dust and throw it into the air onto the sword and speak the words. You let go of the sword and duck down yelling for everyone to do the same. As a reflex you use your arms to protect yourself from the impact but the impact never came.

You feel the scorching heat of the flames and looking up you see the burning watchtower stationary in the air balanced on your sword high above your head. Quickly rushing out from under. You see the assassin trying to get one final attempt the protective sphere around Essek gone. You grab a dagger from the belt of one of the nearby guards and toss it at the assassin. The dagger strikes true and the target drops.

Walking up to Essek you reach down to the fallen assassin, twist the blade and pull it out dropping it to the side.

“Told you to leave while you still could. No second chances.” You mutter as you look over Essek.

“Are you alright?” You ask Essek whose gaze is trained on you. He’s covered in soot and ash greys his usually pristine white hair but seems otherwise unharmed. He didn’t have time to react and retaliate the attempt made by the assassin.

“I seem to once again have you to thank for saving my life. You are absolutely magnificent. Your clever use of your resources is unrivalled. As is your care and willingness to protect those around you. You truly are an angel in disguise.” He composes himself brushing the gathered ash from his cloak as the guards and people work to heal the wounded and quench the fires. You pick up the wrapped stack of paper and look at Essek.

“Let’s go inside and get your paper secure and safe away from the scorching heat. I want my sword back once they’re done or the spell ends and they have another solution.” You begin leading the way to the Aurora Hold but stop until Essek catches up to you.

“And you can keep those compliments coming. I’ll consider them payment for saving your life twice? On this day alone? How many is that total now?” You give him a wink and blow him a kiss as you watch the all too familiar blush come back on his cheeks as his back straightens and you continue on your way side by side.

#critical role x reader #mighty nein x reader #essek thelyss x reader #critrole x reader #essek x reader

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madelion · 3 years

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hey, i'm an artist (or so i'm pretending to be) and i absolutely ADORE your art style and the way you draw so beautifully. What are some tips or what is some advice you could give me on anatomy, use of color or digital drawing generally? I've posted my art like once but I was so nervous of what people might think of it I made something super different to my actual style, so if you scroll on my page don't find it because i hate it lmao

Anyway, I would really like to hear what's some advice you have to give!

Hi!!! First of all, thank you so much for your sweet comment it means so much to hear that 🥺

So my bIGGEST TIPS I can possibly give (this is gonna be long I apologize in advance):

1. always always always use references.

I cannot stress this tip enough.

Whether it‘s for a certain pose you want to draw: you can go on Pinterest/google to find poses, clothing ideas, hairstyles, lighting, scenery. use references for EVERYTHING. no matter what people say it is not cheating. Sometimes we luck out and we magically draw the poses straight from our brain, but honestly that’s rare.

And it doesnt all have to be from real life. You can take inspiration from other artist whose styles you look up to/admire. For me that’s viria94(Instagram), aleikats, alexiakhodanian(twitter), spidertams(instagram) and many others! Obviously you don’t want to copy your inspirations, but you can learn so much from just observing their artwork :) Your inspirations will most likely change dramatically overtime because your art style will grow as you continue to improve. These inspirations are going to be a mashup of things you like about each individual style. And eventually, you’ll learn how to incorporate some of those elements into your own art which in turn: helps you find your own voice/style with your artwork.

but also, don’t forget to not copy them exactly lol. It’s one thing to “copy” an art style as a way to personally practice in your own time (which is totally okay to do!) But there is definitely a fine line between practicing/outright copying and claiming it as your own work. I hope that made sense???

2. Redraws

this is something I only just started doing, but it has helped my artwork improve immensely. I redraw scenes from shows and movies that I love (which I will get to this tip in a second). And then because the scene is already set for you, it helps you not only practice anatomy (especially if you’re referencing real people), but also lighting, setting up compositions, and in general practicing this over time will help you refine your art style!

3. Draw from life

Not everyone has a realistic art style, nor do they need to have one. However, it is important to understand the ”rules” before you can break them. And what I mean by that is that by practicing realistic anatomy, you get to understand proportions/how the body works in relation to itself. Because even though everyone is shaped differently from each other, there is still an overall similarity we all have with one another. And honestly all you have to do will go into my next point:

4. watch tutorials

Cannot even tell you how many tutorials I have watched over the years. I will forever be on YouTube trying to learn how to do something. this honestly goes with the references section because it just helps so so so much. Having someone show you exactly what to do is so beneficial because they’ll move you through the exact motions you need to do to get to the end result. I remember when I first started really getting into art, I loved drawing realistic eyes and lips. so I watched tutorials of that all the time and now it’s pretty much second nature to me.

since you asked about the use of color, anatomy, and digital drawing… this is gonna be golden for helping you okay. I might have taken a color theory class a couple quarters ago at school… but trust me I’m still winging the whole color thing. howEVER, tutorials will be your best friend when it comes to these things I pROMISE.

5. TAKE BREAKS

please for the love of all things do not push yourself to be creative when your mind refuses to do so. some of our best work/ideas appear when we’re bored or doing something else entirely.

taking a break means go do something else you enjoy. For me that’s: playing my favorite video game, watching my favorite show/movie, reading a book, talking to my friends or family, baking, writing. just do something else!

the moment you try to force yourself to finish a drawing when you’re really not in the mindset to do so (unless this thing you’re drawing is for school… that’s an entirely different thing trust me lol), you’re just going to lead yourself into an art block. So many artists pressure themselves to draw everyday because yeah it can lead to improvement, but back in my anne with an e days when I felt pressured to put out fan art consistently for the show, it led me to what was probably my longest art block EVER. and it sucks because I ender up losing the inspiration to draw for a show that I loved a lot. So always remember to pace yourself and take care of yourself before anything else <3

6. Draw what you love

so often we feel pressured to draw what others want us to draw. But that shouldn’t matter. yes, it’s good to be aware of the people that may look at your art/follow your art account, but that should never dictate the work that you create.

for some people they love drawing original characters and creating stories, others might only love drawing animals, some people have certain themes in their artwork, and others, like me, purely like drawing fan art.

when you draw something you love, your artwork will always turn out better because that means you’re having fun making it.

and for me personally, I cannot whip out original characters for the life of me unless it’s for a grade LOL. So when it comes to drawing, that’s why I stick to fan art.

NOW I KNOW THIS WAS SUPER SUPER LONG but I really hoped this helped in some sense!!!

But thank you so much for asking, I’m always more than happy to give out some advice/tips :) I’m looking forward to seeing more art from you!

#art tips #digital art #anatomy #lighting #art style #i really rambled for six points but I seriously hope this helps AH

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dornish-queen · 3 years

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Pedro Pascal - La Vanguardia

With Javier Peña's mustache as his hallmark, the 'Narcos' and 'Game of Thrones' actor is filming in Budapest with Nicolas Cage and Paco León

Pascal, cultured, seductive and reflective, repeats as Loewe's ambassador for its Solo Mercurio perfume and is a model for 'Magazine Lifestyle'

SYLVIA MARTI 12/13/2020 06:00

Casual striped jacket, tousled hair, exquisite punctuality, and a room in Budapest. There is something about this man, generous in smiles and answers, great talkative, attractive without clichés. Pedro Pascal, 45 years old and face success. He shot The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in the Hungarian capital with Nicolas Cage and Paco León, who apparently encouraged the show a lot; We see him without seeing him in the Star Wars universe as a galactic bounty hunter in The Mandalorian and he is Maxwell Lord, the eighties villain of Wonder Woman 1984 , perhaps the only blockbuster that, if nothing goes wrong, will make us happy Christmas.

Session in Budapest The Chilean actor shoots 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' in the Hungarian capital with Nicolas Cage and Paco León

(full article and photos under the cut)

Chilean by birth, his family left the country fleeing the Pinochet dictatorship when he was a baby. Brief passage through Denmark and new life in San Antonio (Texas). Normal when speaking in your mother tongue some words in English slip through. Think before answering a question without losing spontaneity or being afraid of silence. An art.

There is still Javier Peña's mustache, which catapulted him to fame from Narcos , and you can recognize that little point of joyous irony of Prince Oberyn Martell, who almost ended the Mountain in Game of Thrones . Two roles that have opened doors that he has managed to keep safe from slamming doors and have allowed him to skip the toll of stereotyped roles. Today Pascal, well trained in theater and loved by the cameras, can do whatever he wants. Even dedicating a Saturday to star in a fashion shoot and speak exclusively for Lifetsyle Magazine .

"Nobody knows me but everyone thinks they know me," he said when he debuted as the face of Solo Loewe perfume. Introduce yourself with four words.”

I do not define myself only by them, but I am contradictory, faithful, loyal, sensitive and, at times, a bit geek.

What would surprise me about you if you knew him better?

That although I live life and enjoy family, friends and social connections a lot, I have a lonely point. I like having my space and the option of staying a day at home in a relaxed and cocoon plan .

“Even though I live life and really enjoy family, friends and social connections, I have a lonely point.”

With Covid-19, many of us are already a little tired of staying at home ...

Yes, now that I don't have much choice to go out, I'm afraid of not being able to go back to the theater, to a party, to a dinner with many people ... I really regret those times that, instead of going out, I stayed at home.

Which character has left the most impression on you?

I miss Peña, from Narcos . It was my first leading role, the first time I had time to develop the character, create his energy, his style ... They gave me a lot of freedom to shape it, even if it was based on a real person. I was able to work on it, make it my own, create the tone, invent and deepen.

Do you easily get rid of them when filming is over?

When I was younger I was very clear that they had to be left at work, that the character had to be separated from the person. I thought that with age it would get easier and easier but, surprisingly, the opposite happens to me: it gets harder and harder. Energy cannot always be organized the way we would like and I have to admit that I take some of my characters home with me.

Have you incorporated any of their phrases into your life?

Maxwell Lord has a very attractive in Wonder Woman 1984 : "Everything is fine, but it could be better."

Very eighties. Like the one Gordon Gekko said on Wall Street (1987): "If you want a friend, buy yourself a dog." Have we advanced or are we already for the fourth pet?

We have come a long way. I am very inspired by young people, their strength to face in an original way that win, win and win system that reached a monstrous level in the eighties. Today's young people go deeper into the need to respect a planet in which we all live together and the obligation to take care of it.

“Young people inspire me, they deepen the need to respect a planet and the obligation to care for it.”

I see you optimistic ...

I am a realistic and hard-working optimist. My first impression is that the glass is half empty, I have to find arguments to see it half full.

Is it true that you drew the comic strips to interact with them as a method to immerse yourself in your character in 'Wonder Woman 1984'?

I made a book with images from the eighties and sixties, comic book drawings, papers, erasers, colored pencils, markers and vignettes to better understand what it was to be a man of that decade, how his attitude was forged ... It was a way to focus to live up to what Patty (Jenkins, the director) asked for, which was a lot, and not lose sight of it. I'm a horrible cartoonist, but I had to do something practical to study, understand, and develop the character.

What does a script or a role have to have to get their attention?

Sense of humor. Even if it is a drama, a hero, a villain ... Humor immediately hooks me.

A good shield to go through life ...

The best. It is the most important thing to survive.

Do you remember the last time you laughed out loud?

Paco León immediately came to mind. When he's on set, here in Budapest, we are all happier and we laugh a lot. The entire production loves it. It has made filming more fun.

“When Paco León is on set, here in Budapest, we are all happier and we laugh a lot”

What fascinates you most about the Star Wars universe?

Nostalgia, the huge audience it has, the ability to reach so many people. It reflects our childlike imagination without limits. Create more and more worlds with all kinds of people and species. He is capable of casting the universe

What is your definition of success?

Have a healthy relationship with yourself. Nothing matters if you don't love yourself.

What would you have done if you had not succeeded as an actor? Did you have a plan B?

No. Perhaps the only thing that could have been useful to others is acting as a literature teacher, as a counselor or advisor for people who need help ... I am a bit of a therapist with my friends. And it must work, because they come back. I have a lot of common sense.

What is elegance to you? Has your relationship with Loewe influenced the way you dress?

In that of elegance I am a student, I am learning. I wear what is comfortable but I also have very finite taste and, when motivated, I really like to express myself with style. And when it comes to style, Loewe is on top of everything.

Something material that would save from a fire.

A book. I always have one on hand. Now I am rereading The Magic Mountain , by Thomas Mann. Literature is one of my passions. It is an extension of life. The problem would be to choose only one, there are so many! My identity is made by inspirations from authors, actors, dancers, the art world, the sea ... There is no self without the influence of all the things that inspire me.

“The sea is what I like the most in life. I have respect, curiosity and love for him on a religious level.”

The sea…

It's what I like the most in life. I have respect, curiosity and love for him on a religious level.

If he gets lost, I know where to look for him.

On a boat in the middle of the sea, on an island, on the beach in Chile ... Everything related to water. One of the first smells I remember, although I don't know if it's too attractive, is the chlorine in the pool.

What is your fastest way to disconnect?

Losing your mobile phone. I fell down the stairs in Dubrovnik and at first it was like, "Oh noooo." But then I thought, "Well, a week without him." I had a certain feeling of liberation. Not having to be aware of e-mails, messages ... I find it very strong that people communicate even through a direct message from Instagram. I refuse.

Now that you quote them, how are you getting along with the networks? (He has 1.5 million followers on Intagram)

I am quite active, I use it when I have a good time, but also to express myself and to give my opinion.

“I will say goodbye to the year with a kiss and raising the middle finger. He has treated me well but the collective suffering and fear this year….”

What is your favorite word?

Oxymoron. I like its meaning and its sound

Who would you like to shut up, as you did in the first Loewe Solo ad?

Personally, I would love to shut up that heavy, bad voice, the imp that we all have in our heads. That it's nice to have him and that, and I know he will never go away, but it would be nice if he shut up sometimes. Collectively I think we would all like to shut up one person.

Trump?

I suppose.

What have you learned from this rare year?

That you cannot live without human contact. For me the deep and simple connections with my friends and family is the only thing that matters.

How will you fire him?

With a kiss and raising the middle finger. He has treated me very well but the collective suffering and fear this year….

*article translated with google chrome. Source of article*

#Pedro Pascal #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #la vanguardia #magazine article #article #magazine lifestyle #maxwell lord #ww84 #the mandalorian #din djarin #lavanguardia.com

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grimoire2020aa · 4 years

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Why your spells don’t work

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet -- no results. What gives?

1. Lack of real-world follow through

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well... magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility.

4. Lack of focus/concentration

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right?

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

#witch tips #witchery #witch #witchblr #useful #spellwork #spell

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witchofbonesandkeys · 3 years

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Hi do you have any tips for beginning witches ? Blog posts with good information or links to reliable books ? It's such a big world and it's hard to know where to start . Bones and crystals both really interest me as a witch

I’ve been thinking about how to answer this. You’re right it’s such a big world of witchcraft, which makes it hard for me to know what to point you towards. I guess I’ll just tell you a few things that I wish someone had told me when I was starting out:

—Read. Lots and lots and lots of stuff. Blog posts, books, articles. Read witchy history, read about different paths and practices and types of witchcraft. But, and this is a big but: be immortally suspicious of anyone who claims to know the true history of witchcraft without any legitimate sources to back it up (a lot of what people try to claim as Ancient Tradition was made up in, like, the 1970s). And be equally suspicious of anyone claiming Their Way of Witching is the One True Way.

—This goes into the latter point I made above: above all, trust your own instincts and what you like/connect with when it comes to building your practice. What drew me to witchcraft is how DIY it can be, so anyone trying to tell me I must be Initiated in the(ir) Sacred Rites to be a witch can fuck right off.

—Now, there are certain traditions (that wouldn’t necessarily label themselves witchcraft, but that have some similar practices to a lot of witches) that are closed traditions, that you cannot practice unless you have been invited/taught/initiated, and you should learn what they are because cultural appropriation is not cool, and neither is messing with stuff you can’t possibly understand. It’s also good to know that there are similar, non-appropriative practices to a lot of those things. Like, if you are not Native American and aren’t part of a specific tribal religious tradition, you can’t smudge—but you can smoke cleanse! You can’t have a spirit animal, but you can have an animal guide, or a spirit guide that takes an animal form. If you aren’t a practitioner of voudou, you shouldn’t be drawing veves—but you can sure as heck make sigils! Etc.

—But really, other than appropriation and the like, pretty much anything can go into your craft. Think about what you are into in a non-magical capacity—your interests and aesthetics and skills—and incorporate those into your craft. And don’t be afraid to experiment! I know, a lot of witches will tell you not to experiment, because of Spooky Bad Stuff that could happen, but from personal experience, the worst that happens is usually just that something you try doesn’t work. You have to be more careful about things with practical consequences than things with mystical consequences. Like, don’t leave a candle burning when you’re not home, don’t drink some homemade herbal tea without learning all the side-effects and interactions of the various herbs, stuff like that. But you’re not going to try out a money spell and accidentally summon a demon. At least...probably not. And if you do...you have a cool new demon pal! (I’m joking. Sorta.)

Anyway. Experiment, trust your instincts, trust your interests. Not everything that works for one witch will work for another. Maybe you’ll try out working with deities and then realize it’s not for you, or vice versa. Maybe you’ll think about doing a curse but then feel uncomfortable and realize that’s not your jam, or vice versa. Maybe you’ll be doing a spell that calls for an herb that you have no connection with, so then you think of an herb that represents that thing for you. Maybe you’ll try out tarot and then realize a different form of divination works better for you, or even that you aren’t particularly into divination at all.

And don’t try to narrow yourself down too much as to what Type of witch you are. Those Witch Type lists can be fun, and even helpful, to sort of direct yourself in the beginning, but you can be more than one (or even two or three) types. And you might not necessarily know at the start what type of witch you are, and/or it might change over time as you develop new interests and skills (of both the magical and mundane varieties). I only just this past year figured out that art witchery is a huge part of my craft, and I’ve been practicing for 25 years now!

—You mentioned that you’re interested in bones and crystals. If you’re going to be purchasing either of those things, make sure you do your research on where you’re getting them from, and that they’re ethically sourced, because both those things unfortunately have some pretty sketchy situations surrounding them sometimes. By the same token, if you’re searching for your own bones and rocks, make sure where you’re getting them is an ethical choice. If you’re looking for bones, animal bones found by the roadside is probably okay, but don’t be grabbing bones from a cemetery. If you find a cool rock, don’t take it unless you know a. it’s a place where you’re allowed to remove stuff, and b. it won’t be disrupting the natural environment. (Side note, this is another area where you can sometimes trust your instincts. Not to get all woo-woo—though we are talking witchcraft here—but this past summer I was at the beach collecting rocks, and I found this really gorgeous one resting in a hollowed out tree trunk. I picked it up, and immediately got this sense of “Nope, nope, I need to put it back, the spirits of this place left it there for a reason.” And I put it back. And then found a bunch of other gorgeous rocks, all of which seemed perfectly fine with being picked up.)

—So, in summation: read, experiment, trust your instincts, research, and play! Witchcraft can be fun! It doesn’t have to be a super serious thing. Or rather, you can be serious about it and be playful at the same time.

As far as other witch/witch-adjacent blogs I’d recommend, here are some of my favorites:

@upthewitchypunx @breelandwalker @lemonbalmgirl @heatherwitch @hillbillyoracle @adapembroke @grimoirebabylon @yourwitchmama @hellboundwitch @the-illuminated-witch

Hope this helps! Happy witching!

#replies #asks #anon #witch tips #beginning witches #beginning witchcraft #my thoughts

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yegarts · 3 years

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“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Hunter Cardinal

The magic of collaboration and connection starts with an encounter. If you’re an artist reading this, you likely have goosebumps. If you’re the artist who said it, you’re Hunter Cardinal, a sakāwithiniwak (Woodland Cree) theatre artist, hailing from Sucker Creek Cree First Nation. Though his name has been on the lips of Fringe Theatre fans since 2018, he’s most recently gained attention for his and his sister’s newest co-endeavour, Naheyawin. With clients including the Legislative Assembly Office, Naheyawin offers sustainable, Indigenous-based solutions for businesses and institutions working to improve diversity and inclusions and reinvigorate the spirit of Treaty into their organizations.

Regardless of whether he’s writing a play or teaching a workshop, it’s the questions Hunter asks that change the approaches people take. Those skills, paired with his belief that storytellers tell stories for those who need them, help us value our shared histories. Playwright, actor, and myth architect, this week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Hunter Cardinal.

How did you first get involved in the YEG arts community?

I got my start in high school at Strathcona Composite High School! Through the different musicals and training opportunities during that time, I found myself surrounded by incredible teachers and artists from this vibrant community. This often results in me getting to work with people I’ve looked up to for a very long time—something that never gets old for me.

You describe yourself as an Indigenous myth-architect. What does that involve, and what’s the significance of the title?

Myth-architecture is an extension of the teachings we’ve gained from our Elders, who have told us that storytellers tell stories for those who need them. Myth architecture begins with a question that feels important but is without an answer and challenges us to craft a narrative that provides some sort of response. Often, this looks like “completing,” “expanding,” or “setting up” a pre-existing myth. With the play Lake of the Strangers, for example, we completed the myth of Mista Muskwa (The Big Bear) as we tried to answer the question: Why should we heal when there is so much darkness?

Looking back on your success as a first-time playwright with Fringe Theatre, what advice would you give aspiring playwrights?

I would encourage people to use everything they can about themselves and who they are as a person when crafting a story. So often we’re encouraged to leave who we are and whatever we’re bringing with us ‘at the door’ so that we can perform at our best. However, in my experience, the personal is highly universal.

Tell us a little about how Naheyawin came to be and what one of the highlights has been for you.

Naheyawin came from the ways in which my sister and I wanted to combine our passions—storytelling and system thinking—and be of service to our communities. The word Naheyawin, which can be said to translate into ‘the act of being Cree,’ was inspired by a phrase in our family.

That phrase is “When the people forget, the language remembers,” which reminds us that we can look to aspects of who we are—like our language—for guidance and tools to help us with the challenges we’re faced with today. What this looks like today is providing Indigenous-based solutions for the improvement of diversity and inclusion in businesses and organizations across Turtle Island (North America). This can take the form of webinars or us working with organizations on the unique challenges and opportunities they have to better incorporate Indigenous ideas or peoples into their work. I would say a highlight for me is whenever I get the opportunity to facilitate a webinar. I am so honoured to take part in the journey of learning that folx embark on—and so inspired by their open minds and hearts during our time together.

When you’re working with Edmonton businesses or community groups, what do you help them understand about Indigenous spirit.

For me, the most important thing is recognizing the gaps in world views of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We often forget that Indigenous peoples have an entirely different way of looking at the world, so when we are talking about certain things like art, land stewardship, or Treaty—though we are using the same words, we are relating to them in entirely different ways. So recognizing these gaps gives us the opportunity to build those metaphoric bridges that lead to a deeper understanding and innovative solutions.

Did you always want to combine your passions for your work and your culture into your artistry?

Combing my culture into my work was fairly recent for me. I was raised with regular, but not frequent, exposure to things like smudging, going to sweat lodges, and visiting family up north at Sucker Creek First Nation. But it wasn’t until I was struggling with a role for a small project that was exploring Chekhov’s Three Sisters that I saw the utility of my culture and identity. For the entire process, I felt like the worst actor in the whole world (an all too familiar feeling)—every choice I made felt awkward and contrived, and nothing felt authentic or realized. When debriefing with my director at the time, he drew a connection between my character’s love of Latin and my love of Indigenous languages—and then everything changed for me. I felt like I had permission to use parts of myself that I otherwise would have ignored because I didn’t think it would be useful or appropriate (kind of tragic when I think about it). I then explored using parts of my identity as an Indigenous 20-something male as the backbone of my role as Hamlet at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival and felt like I could bring something very unique and grounded to that role.

What role has mentorship played in your life? Is there a piece of advice that you carry with you?

Mentorship has guided me entirely through my career—so it would be difficult to pin down just one piece of advice. But if I had to pick one, it would be the late Brent Carver sharing with me that in order to be fully present in a scene, an actor cannot leave themselves at the door. The bits of your life, emotions, etc., that you carry with you throughout the day can be fuel for creating beautiful, authentic, and singular moments on the stage. In that teaching, I walked away with the feeling that I am more than enough, and every single part of who I am and where my life has taken me is valuable.

What excites you most about the YEG arts scene right now?

The community. Edmonton has such a thriving scene here—and I would attribute that to the wonderful people that make this such an incredible ecosystem. All the success I’ve been fortunate to experience was all given to me (freely, without question) by those in this community—the roles, experiences, training, and connections.

A lot of the themes in your work seem to focus on the benefits of talking and listening—the richness of understanding. How have you seen that turn into meaningful change.

Talking and listening—whether as an actor, artist, or just a human going about their day—allows you to take a moment to connect with whoever or whatever is around you. That moment of reflection can also allow you to ground yourself in who you are, the values you enter a space with, etc., while at the same time allowing others to be different and unique themselves. I find that this moment to remember that you are connected—yet distinct—can really help folx become a more rooted ally, actor, or person. Often this can be done by asking yourself things like: what or who brought me here? How? What is my goal? What or who is around me?

Why do you choose to live and work in Edmonton?

I’m living here because this is where my friends and family are! When I’ve travelled or lived in other cities, I have always missed the sense of community here. Plus, the cost of living here is much more reasonable than Toronto or Vancouver. Also, I have a great connection to a local farmer for some very high quality, grass-fed beef.

What kind of city do you hope to help Edmonton become?

I hope this city becomes a place where folx feel connected to the larger stories that we’re connected to as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The richness of our shared histories makes me so excited to be here, and I really hope that people feel that in the future when they think about their connection to this place. Not only that, I hope that they feel a sense of wonder at the futures that await us.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! Click here to learn more about Hunter Cardinal and Nahayawin

About Hunter Cardinal

Hunter Cardinal is a sakāwithiniwak (Woodland Cree) theatrical artist hailing from Sucker Creek Cree First Nation and currently based in Edmonton, Alberta. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting degree from the University of Alberta, class of 2015, Hunter has performed across Canada and off-Broadway in New York. Recent stage credits include Titus Bouffonious (Theatre Network), Lake of the Strangers (Naheyawin and Fringe Theatre) and Hamlet (Freewill Shakespeare Festival). He is humbled by the steadfast support of his community, with notable achievements to date including the 2020 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role in a Comedy for his work as Fink in Titus Bouffonious, the 2019 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding New Play given to Lake of the Strangers, his first play co-written with his sister and dubbed Edmonton’s Best Actor by Vue Weekly in 2018.

#yeg #yegarts #edmonton #edmontonarts #yegtheatre #IAmYegArts #artistfeature #IndigenousArtist

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ofcloudsandstars · 4 years

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Amber and orchard for the fall asks!

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

Hahaha this is like cracking open pandora’s box. I feel like I have too many.

I think my primary one though is I absolutely despise capitalism’s affect on witchcraft. I DO NOT think it’s made it more accessible for people, I feel like the only very minor positive thing is that you can now tell people you are a witch and into tarot cards and they won’t find you as weird anymore. Otherwise people don’t realize how capitalism is a force that actually strips culture of it’s meaning in order to sell it for profit and it’s affects on this practice has left a lot of damage not just to some aspects that are sacred but towards the earth since it’s a practice that works really closely with nature.

(added a read more to spare you poor scrolling souls from my rant lol)

Anyway what crapitalism does is it takes a culture and turns it into an easily consumable concept- almost like a brand, so that as long as you slap something ‘witchy’ seeming together then it qualifies as that brand. It boils everything down to an aesthetic. And no one has to actually believe in it anymore, or practice it or make any effort towards learning it or incorporating it into their lives. As long as they buy into the brand or embody the aesthetic then they count. Sometimes you can try to express that some traditions and materials and such do have meaning (I mean of course they do no one just sat around and made this shit up) people kind of have this nihilistic view that’s fed from this weird modern capitalist society that like: nothing truly has meaning anymore. But it’s like they are feeding this consumerist culture by repeating this mindset and gaslighting others when they appropriate magical practices or other cultures that are still very much alive and still tended to (often by indigenous people still being prosecuted) that are focused on working with the earth.

Then you see this ripple effect on places like instagram or the big mainstream like magazines and shit and do not get me wrong cause there are a lot of cool and creative people that practice this that are on there but there is so much cashing into this field now and oversaturation that comes with seedy and shady background stories that show creators being completely disingenuous because they really just want to make money. And then going back to my point that this practice works closely with nature, capitalism exploited the fact that we like working with certain herbs, woods, crystals etc and is overharvesting and mining and tainting the very tools that we want to work with, with greed, pollution, child slavery etc. And it’s irritating cause you can make your own tools and don’t have to import anything and you can tell everyone how bad some industries are but they don’t listen cause they are buying into capitalism’s lie that they can sell you anything at a price, even if it’s sacred. Then if you try to defend your point they tell you that this is the only way it can be accessible to everyone, but it’s NOT accessible to everyone, it strips it away from people that could be working with these tools for generations and protecting the climates that these guides and resources for the tools grow in. It also disempowers people in their craft to begin with because witchcraft is about finding that connection to your own power and magic and the bridge with the universe’s power and magic and when you venture down into this practice you will find tools and guides local to you and find ways to make your own magical tools but capitalism disempowers us by telling us that we are not legit until we can put a price tag on it. So people don’t believe in their ability to find the sacred in themselves or nature, they just keep consuming whatever herb bundle or tool capitalism spits at them because it’s the only way to feel legit in this culture.

And then since it’s seen more of a title or aesthetic and less of a way of life or set of ethics or practice, you have people interested in this spiritual or witchy community that don’t do any work or want to work on themselves that bring their shadow baggage into it. So you get racism seeping into it, homophobia, I also am so fucking confused how TRANSPHOBIA has made its way into here like transfolx are magical by just existing they are walking manifestations and works of alchemy like wtf; and like if you guys were friends with any queer people and hung out with them, they get the idea of magic, ritual and manifestation so well cause so much of their daily life already embodies some of that. But that’s a whole other topic. I vibed well with my queer friends on this and they were the only ones I could talk to about it before witchcraft became mainstream.

Then in general it’s seen as like radical if you tell people that are supposedly practicing witches that our energies should be focusing on restoring balance and we should put our energy towards healing nature or towards human rights (since humans are apart of nature) you will literally have witches being like: don’t tell me what to do!!! Like!! Gurl wtf lmaoo I don’t know how people claim to be empaths or into this but they don’t see that maybe if there was a so called “Great Awakening” to “Empower Ourselves” that’s probably what the fucking point was? Not to say that you need to spend every waking moment protesting (another contribution of capitalism- showing some kind of documented proof on social media that you stand for something instead of little daily actions embedded into your everyday life) but you can find ways to change your daily patterns to make space for the societal change that’s coming to bring in a more compassionate world and better community. But since we are so indoctrinated in this consumerist culture, so many people don’t know how to incorporate their values into their everyday lives anymore. It’s all about quantity and showing off on social media. And that negatively impacts witchcraft cause witchcraft is a daily practice you do little things for everyday that just gets embedded into your everyday life, but people get confused and think to be legit it’s something you gotta buy into or show off as proof with stylistic rituals and of course for many people that’s exhausting or financially inaccessible.

And for the sake of clarity cause the internet hates using critical thinking sometimes, of COURSE you can have a fun and flashy craft I’m not saying you can’t, but there is a massive imbalance here I am pointing out with how people are developing insecurities because they cannot attain this aesthetic overnight without dropping a shit ton of money. Yes witchcraft is very aesthetic-heavy but that’s because it’s a really creative practice that people pour their creativity and energy into and capitalism saw a way to put a price tag on it and now it’s confusing everyone else that’s mistaking this as something else to consume in exchange for money.

And then I hate that I feel often I cannot talk about this cause instead of people using their critical thinking braincells and realizing how bad capitalism is, they somehow turn this conversation into thinking that I just don’t like when a culture becomes mainstream cause not everyone should enjoy a culture or whatever and it’s like fucking hell of course I would LOVE more witches and to have more people into celebrating nature or finding their own magic and connecting to the universe and whatever, but capitalism isn’t helping at all. It’s separating us from it’s connection and the meaning behind it’s practice. (Also one day I dream of living in a witchy town or community so yeah, the more the merrier, but right now with capitalism, this method is not the way to get into this practice lol).

You really see the negative effects of capitalism marketing witchcraft because people now treat it as like this commodity they can jump into without finding a way to genuinely connect with it cause it’s all just a gimmick until the next zeitgeist. This either manifests in two ways where they think they can just buy a book or read some posts and not do any work on themselves or thinking on stuff like cultural appropriation so when they start experimenting they might bring harm to themselves by evoking spirits that do not want to work with them, or taking in some sacred herb or substance that can fuck them up leaving deep psychological damage or death- or they can harm others in a myriad of ways.

Then the other way it manifests are people feeling like witchcraft is suddenly inaccessible because you need money to practice it because capitalism put that veil over their eyes. It’s now another thing gatekept by money. So they try to reclaim it by being like: it’s just a title you can slap on yourself; but they give capitalism more power because that’s what capitalism was doing all along by stripping the meaning. Stripping it down to a concept that only matters as a label that evokes a brand or idea but not an actual practice. In a way it’s very counter culture to not buy into the aesthetic or put in effort anymore. Even if you want to put in effort you feel like you are not good enough cause you will never fit capitalism’s standards of quantity and money to spend to showcase it on the internet to feel legit. So people develop this no-effort approach to it. And ONCE AGAIN for clarity for the internet’s lack of critical thinking and jumping to conclusions I am NOT referring to anything like spoony witchcraft or energy based witchcraft (I am an energy witch primarily thank you very much) I am talking about people calling themselves witches but then when you want to sit down and chat about the craft they have a blank stare cause they were never serious and sometimes judge you for how much you cared about it cause they don’t really believe in it anyway. Not even cause it’s woowoo it’s cause capitalism doesn’t make you believe any anything anymore. The only thing it wants you to believe in is money and what you can consume with it.

And then when people online try to talk about this and point out it’s a practice these guys get angry with you like you are gatekeeping but it’s like BITCH it’s a FREE FUCKING PRACTICE like GO TALK TO A TREE go COLLECT A ROCK YOU FOUND IN THE CLEAR STREAM OF A BABBLING BROOK and maybe you’d CALM THE FUCK DOWN. Capitalism making it seem like you gotta buy all this shit to be seen as legit is not what this practice is about and it makes me upset how there is like this massive group of people that want to access this culture but are so lethargic about actually doing anything because they are disenchanted and it’s really because they are mentally bogged down by capitalism’s grip on it making them feel like they aren’t shit cause they can’t afford all that bullshit that ain’t gonna help them anyway so they just call themselves witches to get them 2 drops of serotonin and feel included but never really go anywhere beyond that cause capitalism strips the fucking joy and meaning out of everything. The only reason why this bothers me is cause I could be staying in my lane drinking my herbs and shit and chilling but then people either judge me for the effort I put into my practice’s aesthetics thinking I am shallow and buying into this or they think I am being reckless and dangerous believing in something not real by practicing a craft that tbh has a lot of dangerous aspects to it so it’s not rated E for everyone. Like you can fit it to what you want it to be since it’s your journey but it’s always been a bit edgy in some ways and it’s annoying when you get people judging you now for your lifestyle or they wonder why you are so invested cause they don’t get it.

Anyway that was a rant but you asked for it lol.

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

Get some more weed

Thanks for the asks lol. Kept the last one short haha but it’s true I have been trying to manifest for a while after my quarantine rations went out. Here are the autumnal asks if anyone else wants to ask or reblog them!

#capitalism

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adyo34 · 3 years

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How to Love Yourself: 15 Tips for Developing Self Love

Do You Really Love Yourself?

Do you think that loving yourself is selfish? Many of us have been taught that tending to our own needs first is wrong. The truth is that learning to love yourself is not selfish, it is in fact the key to a free and happy life.

Do you want to discover how to cultivate a deep sense of love for yourself? Do you long to radiate confidence and security in your life? It is so easy to fall into the trap of self-doubt, procrastination and negativity. Once we start comparing ourselves to others we find it even harder to find self love.

Why is it Important to Develop Self Love?

Many people do not realize how linked the law of attraction and self love are. You know that everything is energy and vibration in this universe, so doesn’t it make sense that through love you will flow pure energy? When you feel good within you feel good about everything else too. Everything is a reflection of your perceptions, beliefs and vibrations.

It is not selfish to love yourself first, it is essential, and we’re not talking about arrogance or telling people how awesome you are! We’re talking about accepting yourself on a deep human level and treating yourself with respect.

When you love yourself you create self-confidence, self-worth and compassion. One of the biggest problems we all face in this age of Instagram and facebook is about validating ourselves through the approval of others. When we are constantly comparing our lives to other peoples or have worth tied up in their opinions of us, we are setting ourselves up for misery. The answer is to have that sense of self so cemented that nothing anyone can say or do can knock you from your knowledge of who you are and what you are worth. That deep place of self-love is the starting place for all miracles!

We’re going to show you some simple ways to incorporate self love into your life and grow your self esteem for a happy life.

When you learn how to love yourself, the law of attraction will suddenly seem to work to your benefit much more. That’s because when you fuel your desires with optimism (because you just 100% know that you are worthy!), you allow positive things to flow to you with much more ease.

How to Love Yourself: 15 Tips for Developing Self Love

1. Train Yourself Positive Everyday write down 3 positive things about yourself. These can be anything from achievements in life to friendships you value or physical/ character traits you admire in yourself. The reason this helps is that it trains you to look for and appreciate the positive over the negative in your life. Imagine what it would feel like to praise instead of criticize yourself!

2. Take Yourself Somewhere New Instead of waiting for the right moment or person to come along, why not just go to the movies or try a new restaurant on your own? When you can break through insecurities you have about doing these things solo, you deepen that connection to your true self. You discover the part of you that loves who you are unconditionally.

3. Travel Setting off on a trip alone is a wonderful way to cultivate self love and get to know yourself. It’s even better if you also take in a new culture or unknown destination as you will be forced to strip down any preconceptions you may have about others and yourself. Throwing yourself into the unknown is brave and takes confidence, you will find out a lot about yourself on a deep level.

4. Journal Writing is a proven therapeutic way of releasing tension and negativity. It is amazing to process your feelings and emotions about yourself and your life through journaling. You can also go back and see how you worked through challenges and learned from any bad experiences.

5. Mirror Work Every morning go to the mirror and look straight into your eyes and say to your reflection “I love you, just as you are and I want to be your friend.” You can choose your own words of course, but the effect of this is incredibly powerful. Some people may find it very challenging at first, but keep at it and feel your self esteem and confidence soar.

6. Create a Vision Board When you don’t love yourself you don’t believe you can have the things you want in life. Creating a personal vision board of everything you dream of is a wonderful way to get excited about your future. Why not include images of things you already have that you love and are proud of? This can help you to identify with your vision and not see it as just an unattainable dream.

7. Meditate Every Day Meditating on a regular basis is like food for the mind and soul. We all know it by now, but how many of us actually can say we do it enough? When you get into a healthy practice of calming your mind you start to feel who you really are on a deep level and how you connect with everything else in the world.

8. Listen to Your Gut Another benefit of meditation is being able to recognize your instincts for what they are and listening to them. When you develop the ability to trust your own intuition, you foster self love. Knowing how to trust your gut is to stand in your own power and own it.

9. Regular Self Care Self love is much more than getting a haircut and a mani-pedi, however taking the time to respect and honour your physical body with loving gestures that make you feel good is highly recommended. Confidence and beauty do start within, but sometimes looking good can help you feel better on the inside when you are struggling with self-esteem.

10. List Your Accomplishments

Don’t be too shy to give yourself a little credit where credit is due. Write a list of everything you are proud of, whether it’s an educational or work achievement or simply learning a new recipe or deciding to master a yoga position. Big and small accomplishments are all worthy of praise, no matter what they are.

11. Practice Forgiveness Forgiveness is vital to your mental and emotional health. Holding onto resentment towards others only hurts you in the long run. Equally, identify where you beat up on yourself for choices you regret or whatever toxic thoughts you have about your past, and then decide to let them go. Tell yourself you are just another human on a journey of life and love yourself through all your mistakes.

12. Don’t be Afraid to Say No A lot of stress can be avoided when you realize it’s ok to say no sometimes. If you don’t feel like going out or feel overwhelmed, listen to that and take it as a sign to spend some time alone getting grounded again. You cannot please everybody and you need to make sure you are being true to yourself first.

13. Leave Your Comfort Zone On the flip side of the above point, say yes occasionally when you normally say no. You can tell (if you’re listening to your gut) whether your ‘no’s’ are coming from a place of fear or a genuine desire not to do something. Try saying yes to something out of the ordinary for you and see how it feels to challenge yourself in new ways.

14. List Positive Traits in all Your Friends This is a fun one to do in a couple or with a friend. Sit down together for 5 minutes and list the strong qualities and positive aspects that you each identify in the other. This can be an amazing way to bond in relationships and also has the uplifting effect of raising your own self esteem.

15. Be Childlike

Find a photo of yourself as a child and really study it. Try to remember what that little person dreamed of, what they believed and wished for. See the innocence and light in your young eyes and find that place in you now, that place of purity and playfulness. Self love never went away it just got pushed aside. When you remember your childlike innocence, worries seem to fade away.

You might find some of these suggestions scary at first, perhaps you shy away from some of our tips because they threaten your normal way of thinking and behaving. The bottomline is you will feel so much happier and more positive in your life if you work on developing love for yourself.

Once you master some of the ways to create self love you will realise how crucial it is to own who you are and shine your authentic light in the world.

Bonus Tip – Try using love to create the things you desire. For example, tell yourself that you are going to love yourself into the best version of you. You want a bigger house? A soul mate? A new job? A dream vacation? Love them all into existence. You can draw them, write about them, dream about them, whatever you choose, just as long as when you think of them you feel the vibration of love not lack. Love the life you desire into existence with your unfailing belief in your own magnificence.

Click on the link here to discover more about how “Manifestation Magic” can help you

#law of attraction #manifestation magic #personal transformation #law of abundance #love yourself #love #advice #universe #manifest #appreciate #frequence and brainwaves

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mid-tier-works · 4 years

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Mulan (2020), the movie that made my head hurt

After spending a good chunk of money to go watch this at a cinema with the family, I can safely say one thing.

It sucks.

Characters were flat, scenes didn't make sense, and Disney's effort to incorporate more adult themes into the movie ended up making it sexist, historically inaccurate, and flat-out annoying.

Because I have too much time on my hands, here we go, part by part. Since I don't have much knowledge of cinematography or camera stuff, I'm going to stick to the content itself. And that alone is quite a lot.

(Spoilers below this line. You sure you want to continue?)

(Right, fine. Here we go.)

Opening scene

Quick recap: Young Mulan helps herd chickens in her household. Chicken does as chickens do, resulting in Mulan needing to employ her "chi" superpowers to catch it.

I can forgive the action scene, but what I cannot forgive is how extraordinary they made her. Mulan's story was supposed to be about a regular girl whose courage drives her to do amazing things. This here, getting powers without even having to train, and just making her better than everyone from the beginning, should have been the first sign that this was going to suck. I ignored it. How naive of me.

That word again. That fucking word. Being Chinese, I am getting very tired of each and every western movie studio adding this in as an explanation for otherworldly Asian powers. Besides, I'm pretty sure that "chi" isn't just something you're born with, but I've been out of touch for too long, so I'll have to let this pass.

Mention of the word 'witch'. 'Demon' would be more fitting in an ancient Chinese setting.

Matchmaker, and stuff

Recap: Mulan, now a young woman, has to get married off to bring honour to her family and also hide her "chi" powers away.

More showing off of powers as she successfully catches falling teapots and teacups.

Instead of the cricket, this scene's interruption is caused by Mulan trying to catch a spider before it could land and scare her sister. Oh, she has a sister. I don't remember her much. She's just kind of there.

Going off to war

Recap: Mulan's father gets drafted, she goes in his place under cover of night and travels far, far away to get to the army camp.

Nothing much, except that the guardian dragon has been replaced with a phoenix. That would be fine, except:

During her travels, Mulan sees some random phoenix flying around. It was supposed to symbolize her ancestors' protection, but it just looks dumb.

Army camp stuff

Recap: Mulan arrives at army camp. Shenanigans ensue.

Beats up another guy for calling her 'little man', which is not even an insult. I think this was supposed to showcase how threatened she felt, but it's just too jarring to be taken seriously.

She does not struggle with practice. Just looks like she's enjoying herself. And where are those three friends? The ones we know and lo-

Oh, they've been replaced by some guy called Hong Hui. Don't remember much about him except he doesn't know how to talk to girls and asks Mulan for advice.

Mulan shows off "chi" powers during practice. Instead of getting reprimanded, she gains the favour of her battalion commander. Soldiers fight as a unit, not as individuals. You're not going to get special treatment for being slightly better than everyone else. Showing off during practice will get you into trouble.

Attempted building of chemistry between her and Hong Hui. Result is a miserable failure.

Battle and stuff

Recap: Mulan's battalion finds out that a battalion close to theirs got annihilated by the Rourans. Oh, the Huns are replaced by Rourans. And it turns out that Shan Yu, now called Bori Khan, has a bird that is also a shapeshifter woman. I like her, and it's totally not because she's pretty. Oh, and she gets a redemption arc that fails terribly, but more on that later.

In the cartoon, the scene of the battlefield and dead soldiers is cut to after the musical number 'Girl Worth Fighting For'. It's brilliant, and it really shows how those untrained soldiers went from boys just messing around to men that are willing to put down their lives for their country. In the live-action movie, that scene is just cut to with no explanation. It's just there.

Battle commences. A few Rourans flee. Commander tells Mulan's wing to go after them for reasons. Just an excuse for her to show off more powers as her comrades get killed off one by one. Oh, and it's to set up this next scene:

Solo encounter with the shapeshifter (called a 'witch'. Hmph.). The parallels between the heroine and the villain is thrown into the audiences' faces because heaven forbid you do some extra thinking to make that conclusion yourself. No, really. It just goes like 'You are woman and I am woman. We are both forced to hide magic powers so we are same.' Witch kills her with a knife to the heart. But since the phoenix is protecting her, she resurrects and saves her remaining comrades with the old avalanche trick.

Because 'a lie can only live so long', she exposes herself and her commander tells her to leave. Doesn't even consider execution. The stakes cannot be lower.

More stupid stuff

Recap: After riding off into the sunset, Mulan encounters the witch. Repeat 'You are woman and I am woman. We are both forced to hide magic powers so we are same.' Mulan refuses to turn to the dark side. Witch accidentally exposes Top Secret Rouran Plans™. Mulan goes to find commander.

Commander doesn't just ignore her. And he gives her a chance to redeem herself. I hate this for many reasons.

One elite squad, including Mulan, is sent to the Imperial City to foil Top Secret Rouran Plans™. Because of course.

They encounter more Rourans but none of them die. The rest of the squad let Mulan go alone to save the emperor because Disney needed to show off those special effects, which, by the way, weren't remarkable.

Mulan encounters witch (again). Repeat of Stupid Stuff, except witch is considering leaving Rourans because, hey, if this girl exposed her true self and still survived, maybe she didn't need to work for Rourans who hate her for being woman. 'There is a place for people like us.' Please.

Mulan goes after emperor who is tied to stick and about to be burned. Bori Khan (discount Shan Yu) fires an arrow at Mulan, but the witch, having served her purpose to the plot, takes the arrow for Mulan and dies.

Emperor is rescued and everyone is happy. Yay.

Reward time

Recap: Mulan achieves honour for family. Everyone is happy.

This was the point where my brain stopped processing what I was seeing.

Major Issues:

Giving Mulan powers sends the wrong message. Instead of 'Girls, you can do anything you put your mind to', it's 'Girls, you can only fight if you have special powers'. Plus the ‘not like other girls’ subtext gets louder and louder with each scene.

The witch character just sounds hasty.

Dialogue is awful. Everything is horribly scripted.

Nobody has much personality. They all speak the same and have the same facial expressions. Doesn't help that Mulan's actress does not have very good acting skills.

No Li Shang.

#mulan 2020 #movie review #rant #pls stop disney #i am begging you

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x1-imaginesreturns · 5 years

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An Evening Dance - Seungwoo Quantum Leap Spin-Off

Masterlist

Pairing: Seungwoo x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,712

Notes: There is a lot of stuff from the series incorporated, but I tried to make the fluffy part good so maybe people who don’t read the series can read this!! I also had a really good idea for a piece of art I could do for this... but I can’t draw that good lol

Song Recommendation: Can You Hear My Heart - Epik High (Feat. LEE HI)

Quantum Leap : The Beginning

You and Seungwoo had been travelling from reality to reality, trying to find the whereabouts of Talo and kdqmbg. Unfortunately, you had no leads, even as you asked the people who lived within each reality. However, something that greatly confused you was there was no version of you in any world you went to. You had spotted Seungwoo on multiple occasions, and the other boys showed their faces a couple of times as well.

‘But why not me?,’ you thought to yourself, ‘Surely I exist in one of these realities…’

Although you had no answers to your serious questions, Seungwoo told you many stories as you travelled in and between realities and you told some of your favorite memories in return. And while scrounging up some of your tales from the back of your mind, a fuzzy memory appeared in your head.

It was quite clear Talo had messed with it or even altered it, but the more you looked at it, the more you could start to see a picture in your mind. You had identified that it definitely took place at the flower shop near your residence and that there was a person standing in front of the front door, offering you a charming yellow daisy.

You hadn’t had much time to think about it, however, as today had been quite a busy day. Yunseo had managed to take you into two different realities and of course, it hadn’t amounted to any new leads. Since her powers were still on cooldown, you and Seungwoo were forced to find somewhere to stay in the current reality you were in. Luckily, you had quickly been taken in by a nice old lady.

This realm was quite different, you had to admit. Everything was brightly colored, and everyone had little pictures underneath their right eye, depicting what kind of powers they possessed. There were drops of water, little crystals, tiny flames, and many more. Everyone from this place was also insanely beautiful and retained their good looks even into old age, like the lady you were staying with.

She had a small flower underneath her eye, and her long, white hair had flowers woven into it. The three of you were currently eating what you assumed was dinner, but you had no complaints. Whatever she had served you tasted like cinnamon rolls for some reason, but you didn’t want to ask and get an answer you didn’t want.

The dinner had been mostly silent before she spoke up, “I can tell that neither of you are from here, that much is obvious.” Her eyes wistfully cast up before she says, “I’m unsure how much help I can be, but I can tell you’re on the search for Talo and kdqmbg.”

You and Seungwoo instantly turn to each other, gaping, but before you can say anything, the lady continues, “Just as my grandson is. They once terrorized our lands, but once they knew what they were looking for wasn’t here, they simply wiped our memories and moved to the next realm.”

“My grandson was born with the ability to move from one reality to the next. It doesn’t extend much further than that, but he would often leave to explore other places. He happened to leave on the day our memories were wiped, and so, he remembers everything from the time they were here.”

“He left only about two years ago to try and find them. He never returns home, and I’ve been forced to pretend as if my own grandson is dead,” she says, pausing for a split second to let Seungwoo and I process this before continuing, “While I cannot definitively point you in the direction of where my grandson is, I know he resides in a world where there are no natural magical powers. If you manage to find him, I’m sure he will be more than ready to fight for your cause.” A silence settles among the three of you before you finally say, “Thank you, ma’am. We’ll try and find your grandson and bring him back to you if we can.” She simply smiles at your words and says, “Thank you dear. Let me show you to your rooms.”

After you had gotten settled in the temporary rooms, you and Seungwoo were left with nothing to do but think. You turned back and forth on the bed you were laying on, and you couldn’t help but feel both hope and despair. ‘On one hand, we’ve gotten a lead,’ you thought, ‘But on the other hand, we don’t know where to go with it in the first place.’

You rubbed your eyes frustratedly, trying to push away the tears of hopelessness that were forming in your eyes. ‘I need some fresh air,’ you thought. Without saying anything to Seungwoo, you walked out of the room you were sharing and eventually made your way into the backyard of the property.

It overlooked a valley, and the horizon was spectacularly colored with the hues of a late sunset. The backyard was also filled with different colored roses, and each one of them had little dots of glitter covering the petals. You honestly couldn’t believe how saturated this world was and how beautiful everything appeared to be.

You breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh air of the mountains. As you exhaled slowly, you mind started drifting back towards your mission and you sighed. ‘I just can’t seem to get my mind off of it,’ you think, ‘But how can I not? I have so many worries…’

Turning around slowly, you started to take a step back towards the door, but before you did, you noticed Seungwoo standing in the doorway. “What are you doing y/n?” he asks, stepping down from his position to walk towards you.

“Just getting a breath of fresh air,” you say as Seungwoo stands next to you, facing the fading sunset. “It sure seems like you almost got more stressed coming out here,” he says, tilting his head at you. “W-well, you know, it’s just a lot of pressure to like stop an evil villain that I’ve never even really seen before.”

He smiles at you and says, “Yeah, it definitely is. But we’ve got each other, don’t we? If we work hard, we’ll find them in no time, but if we’re divided and slow, we’ll never get anything done. So, while we’re seeing all of these amazing places, let’s make the most of it, okay?”

Your face heats up slightly at his words, but before he says anything else, he starts floating. He turns himself to face you, the sunset colors surrounding him as he held his hand out to you and says…

“Dance with me, y/n.”

You reach your hand out without thinking twice, and you instantly feel the gravity on you fade. He smiles at you gently, taking your other hand in his delicately. The two of you gaze into each other’s eyes, the hues of the sunset reflected in both of your irises.

After a few seconds, you look down shyly, your cheeks a rosy pink, before realizing how high you and Seungwoo were flying. A slow, sweet song surrounds the two of you, and you immediately look up at Seungwoo in surprise. “W-what? Is that you making that Seungwoo?” you ask confusedly. He smiles sheepishly, a slight blush dusting his cheeks, before saying, “I’ve had Makani teach me a few things over the years.”

The tune picked up in pace once he had spoken, and Seungwoo moved one of his arms around your waist while the other held your still connected hands outwards. He started out by doing a simple step, allowing you to easily follow.

The two of you swayed from side to side, concentrating on the feel of the music and each other’s presence. Your heart felt warm and the sunset’s final glow made Seungwoo somehow look more attractive. “I’m going to spin you,” Seungwoo says quietly, almost as if he didn’t want to break the silence. You nod in response, and he elegantly twists you around before you instantly go back to the basic step.

You fell into a rhythm, Seungwoo spinning you around on every 4th beat. Your eyes eventually closed at some point and all you could feel was Seungwoo’s arm around you and all you could hear was the soft tune of the song and Seungwoo’s steady breathing from above you.

Soon enough, the sunset had disappeared beyond the horizon, and you and Seungwoo continued dancing among the many different colored stars, this reality’s three moons shining down on you. The song moved from fast to slow as it played out and you followed the song perfectly, almost as if you were a machine.

Suddenly, the music came to a pause, and Seungwoo slowly brought the two of you to a stop. You looked up at him again and his eyes were glowing their usual tawny color. His smile made its way back onto his face and he brought your still connected hands to his lips, your hand on top.

He pressed a soft but firm kiss to your hand, and a warm feeling spread throughout your entire body, your face heating up considerably more than the rest of your body. As he removed his lips, he flashed you one last smile before he turned around, flying back towards the ground quickly, you holding onto your still connected hand tightly.

But as you were flying down, your mind flew back, hitting the spot where that one memory had been. You were thrown into the memory, and this time it appeared in color. The flowers in front of the shop were vibrant, and you were clearly making your way towards the entrance, where someone was currently standing.

And as you looked at their face, you immediately knew who it was.

You were thrown back into reality as soon as you realized, and Seungwoo had just landed, meaning your feet were just about to touch the ground. You somehow landed smoothly, your mind still feeling fuzzy from the sudden throwback. “You went out for a second there y/n, what happened?” Seungwoo asks, looking at you concernedly.

“Seungwoo,” you start, “I think I knew you in my original reality.”

(Part 1) (Part 2) (̵̨̱̣̬̘̫͍̖͚̮͉̮͍̮̽́̋̔̈́̒́̓̅͝ͅʇ̷̢̨̰͍̳̲̗͓̞̫̇̆͋͂̚͝n̶̛̥̥̟̬̺͕̫̔̏̀̉̓̌̇̊̓̕͝ȏ̸̧̭̯͍̜͖̖̤̼̤̯̬̖́̉̉̕ ̶͋̏͂̔̃͋̏̎̐̐́͜ɥ̶̨̧̡̡̛̪̣̣̗̼̥͖̠͑̈́͘͠͝ɔ̴̖̼̹͍̼͎̞̹͉͔͋̐̃̽ʇ̴̢̰̦̞͙̹̤̬̓͑̈́̓̈́͑͜ɐ̵̪̈́̄̔ʍ) (Part 3) (An Evening Dance)

#x1 #x1net #x1 imagines #x1 imagine #x1 scenarios #x1 reactions #han seungwoo #x1 seungoo #victon seungwoo #seungwoo #victon #victon imagines #victon scenarios #victon reactions

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blackcat-in-the-rain · 5 years

Text

Writing your Craft

going through the list created by @baduhennasraven

1. What draws me to witchcraft?

I’ve honestly always been drawn to it, even before I knew the word for it. It just always made sense to me from a very young age.

2. How do I see the divine?

I believe that there are many spirits, energies, Gods, and Goddesses in the world. People have connections to them, and often it’s to one particular or more that are their patron Deities.

3. What in witchcraft makes me happy?

When I’m able to help others by giving them a spell or by knowing.

4. Do I want to follow a path that has to do with a little nature, or a lot of nature?

I follow a path that has a good deal to do with nature.

5. What areas of witchcraft would I like to learn more about?

I’m not very good at knowing plants and their properties

6. Where do my witchy talents lie?

My talents lie more in things I don’t have any control over like reading minds and just knowing things. But i’m also good with spirit sensing and divination

7. What kind of deities, if any, do I want to honor?

My patron Goddess is the Morrighan

8. How do I believe magic works?

Through will and energies, everything is connected by threads and with the right energies you can manipulate them or read them.

9. Simple or elaborate spells/rituals? Why?

Depends on the reason. Though sometimes the more simple spells can cost the most energy (says the Witch who fell asleep during her last ritual because she asked for a vision). Really, whatever it takes to get your energies up and flowing and working for you.

10. What are my views on cursing/hexing?

Do it.

11. Do I want to practice something similar to my ancestors?

I don’t know what they practiced... but I do want to talk to my Grandma before her memory goes anymore. She often used to talk about how she and I were sensitive, but I was never given the opportunity to look into what she means by that.

12. What are the basic morals and ethics I feel I should live by?

The world is harsh enough, I can be a gentle force within. However I also believe in “don’t fuck with the Witch” mentality.

13. What in nature am I drawn to; the ocean, animals, the trees, etc?

Rain, the moon, stones, animals, rivers, shadows, and fire.

14. Which (witchy) holidays, if any, would I like to celebrate and how?

I want to celebrate more of them

15. How do I believe divination works?

It’s like a spider web, I am currently reading your current path (tarot cards). If we want to discuss changes I need to pull out my oracle cards though as those are the only ones that I can get to talk about different possibilities.

16. Would I like to work with a group some of the time, all of the time or not at all?

I suppose this leads me to my insecurities. I enjoy working with groups even though they make me second guess myself on some things. So most of the time I like working by myself in the dead of the night like I used to growing up.

17. Which aspects of witchcraft appeal to me most, which the least?

The most: controlling myself and the weird things I have done. The least? Memorizing certain plants and their properties and which ones combined together is a no go.

18. What do I believe happens to us when we die?

I think that depends on which Deities you’re attached to. If you’re attached to someone like the Abrahamic God then you have the heaven hell debate. However I believe I’ll be going through reincarnation.

19. How do I see mythological creatures?

Some of them are cryptids that we just haven’t found yet. Some of them are energies and spirits.

20. When do I feel most magical?

When I’m walking barefoot in the rain feeling everything around me as the rain soaks into my clothes and weighs it down.

There’s one memory that I have where I was dancing in the rain in the trailer park when I was 11. I had skipped into my prettiest dress and went twirling in it, and just singing into the wind and feeling the electric pressure of the storm. Only to suddenly stop. Make eye contact with a black cat and was watching me. Upon seeing me looking at it, the cat got up and slowly crossed the road with me watching and then disappeared into the shadows going into the backyard of our trailer home. That is a moment in my mind filled with magick.

21. How much is witchcraft woven into my daily life; is this too much, too little or just enough?

I think it’s too little. I don’t really have a daily devotion as I’d like. I have an emergency witch kit in my car, but it is in need of updating and replenishing.

22. What kind of witch do I feel I am?

I don’t know... probably closer to a HedgeWitch. A little urban, a little thrift, a little nature based. I’m trying to go through traditional training and they want me to focus on Divination.

23. Which texts/quotes best describe my current path?

I honestly can’t think of any.

24. Do I like research and gathering info, or do I like things handed to me?

I mean... who doesn’t like things being handed to them? But I think I like something in the middle, I like researching and drawing my own conclusions, but often I have trouble finding resources to go through. I have a strange problem where I’ll try and try to search for something and then someone else searches it with me right there. Same words. And NOW the item in question pulls up for them. I think it has to do with my initials being EMP by birth and I have had many instances where I lived up to it.

25. Which things about witchcraft worry or scare me?

Not being ready in the case of emergency. I’ve been a Witch for 25 years and I feel woefully unprepared should there be demon activity.

26. What is my favourite element?

Water is probably my favorite element, despite my fear of big bodies of water and the times I’ve almost drowned.

27. How do I see gender (roles) in witchcraft?

Meh. What gender roles. I see them more in the lines of defense and offense. Archetypes! The Healer, the Fighter, the Seer, the Thief, etc.

28. Am I interested more in magic, or spirituality?

To me they’re more or less the same thing. I need to know more about the Morrighan for my spirituality, but I have many gaps in my knowledge of magick as well.

29. Do I like to be told how to do things, or would I rather figure it out on my own?

For science! Magickal science. Figure things out and let things blow up in my face so I get a feel for what should be handled how.

30. What rules, if any, do I live by when it comes to witchcraft and magic?

Don’t ask if you’re not ready for the consequences.

31. What do I gain from witchcraft and magic?

Feeling more in touch with myself.

32. Formal or informal rituals/spells? Why?

Depends on the occasion. I go very formal for Coven rituals/spells because then it’s uniform between all of us. I go informal for stuff by myself because it’s how I feel my relationship with the spirits are.

33. What subject do I love to study?

Silly as it is, I love creatures. Cryptids, spirits, mythological creatures. All the legends and the stories.

34. What is my favourite type of magic; candle, sympathetic, sigils, etc?

Color magic is my favorite fall back. That way I can see how I’m feeling and work some magic into the cloth of what I’m wearing that day. Not feeling good? Pulling out the grey for some invisibility magick.

35. What would my perfect witchy day be like?

Waking up to it raining, eating breakfast and drinking a warm drink while watching it fall with my kitties curled up next to me. Going to run some errands and help a few strangers along the way. Go for a walk late at night and feel the lingering thrum of the storm and smell the richness that is left behind, kind of exposing the wounds of my environment so I can experience it’s health for myself. Then curl up with the kitties eating something tasty while watching some Witchy media.

36. Would I want to be dedicated/initiated?

Have been. Honestly it’s not all that, but I do like my Coven members.

37. Who do I honor (ex: deities, ancestors, myself, etc), and how do I, or would I like to, honor them?

I really want to get some kind of daily devotion going for the Morrighan. But I also should get a self care ritual going so I can start the healing process and mending my spirit and physical self.

38. How do I create a sacred/witchy space?

I sing. I harmonize with the energies and I bless the space.

39. What do I believe is needed for a succesful spell/ritual?

Intent. Enough tools that you feel confident with. Doubt is the best way to hinder yourself and curse your work.

40. Which cultures do I draw from in my witchcraft?

I don’t know. I just work the neopagan wiccan stuff I’ve read with what I was doing before I could read.

41. What is my learning style; books, websites, videos, more hands-on?

Hands on, video, books, but honestly if you could give me it in story form it will never be forgotten. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I wish there was more Witchy memoirs out there.

42. What, if anything, in my mundane life influences my witchcraft?

Everything probably. The pain and wear and tear on my body makes it hard to do everything I want to do.

43. What are my hobbys, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?

I like to write, I like to craft things, learn new crafts. I’ve already incorporated them a bit, though I would like to do more Witch writing.

44. Where do my non-witchy talents lie, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?

I am good at writing, so I can use that to create more Witch media that I want? I cannot incorporate my perler beading due to the plastic and how easily they melt. I’ve already incorporated my singing, even though I don’t particularly think of it as a talent.

45. What would my dream witchy life look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?

I first need to konmari my place to help the flow of energies. Learn more about different aspects that I’m lacking. Get my anxiety under control and handle my emotional healing that needs to take place so I can better help others. Address my caffeine and sugar addiction so that tea is enough and I don’t need all these creams and sugars in my coffee.

I would love to one day be the lady that people came to more when they need help.

46. What would my dream sacred space/witchy home look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?

I guess that’s not too far from the one above. I just want the energy to flow better, more comfy pillows and plants.

47. What symbols correspond with me; runes, animals, flowers, gemstones, etc?

Not sure if i feel comfortable sharing all that lol

48. Am I an open and proud witch, or do I (need to) hide my craft?

I’m usually a very proud and open Witch, though I have to hide it at work since I’m now at a very religious school that probably wouldn’t take too kindly to this. I spent most of my life having to hide it so I’m not terribly keen on having to do it all again.

49. What are my favourite witchy items/tools; divination tool, ritual tool, décor, clothing, etc?

I actually need to replace my very witchy hoody lol. It had sigils on the inside and was huge and comfy and would help make me feel comfortable enough to focus on my craft.

50. What is holding me back in my craft?

Insecurities really. Worried about people judging me, when I know that shouldn’t matter to me. I was in an online coven once and it turned into a cult and really did a number on my self esteem.

51. What is my pre-spell/ritual routine?

A walk or a drive to get my energies flowing and amped up.

52. What are my ultimate witchy goals and how can I work towards them?

I want to be someone others can come to. So I need to make a list of things that I’m not knowledgeable on and start working towards them. Of which I already have an extensive list created for what I consider would be my ultimate grimoire so I could just work on filling that out as it would also help fill in my gaps of knowledge.

Also to be more helpful to others I first need to heal and work on myself. So a ritual set up to address my self esteem and physical ailments would be ideal.

I also need to get used to offering what I know instead of waiting for those rare moments someone is drawn to me and asks for help not knowing if I can help them or not.

#writeyourwitchcraft #witchcraft

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cosplayinamerica · 6 years

Photo

Star Guardian Urgot is the one skin concept that I have been dying to see come to life since the Star Guardians first arrived in League of Legends. Urgot is notorious for being this grotesque, unpopular character in League -- both in lore and in gameplay. The thought that Urgot could become a Star Guardian-- a beautiful, graceful, magical defender against darkness -- was so absurd that Riot Games swore it would never be a thing beyond community memes. I disagree completely! Urgot is a half machine, barely alive monstrosity, but he is still very much HUMAN. If the First Star called upon Urgot to wield the powers of a Star Guardian, I am confident he would accept. The human nature of Urgot would desire strength, confidence, power, beauty, all the things that becoming a Star Guardian entails. I can't stand the idea that Urgot will never be a Star Guardian because Riot decided he can't become one. If he is human, he has dreams. If he dreams of becoming a Star Guardian, I would hate to be the one to tell him that he can't!

I started designing the skin myself by trying to picture what Urgot's Star Guardian skin would look/feel like if Riot were to sit down and ACTUALLY make it happen. Most of the memes depict SG Urgot being drenched in pink, ruffles, bows, etc. But I wanted to find a 100% believable spot for this skin within the Star Guardian universe. I studied the visual language of official Star Guardian skins for months to guide his armor design choices and primary color palette. There were no Guardians with a yellow-ish, acid green color scheme, which fits Urgot's aesthetic and lore perfectly.(I did throw a little pink into the armor as a nod to the memes though :D) I got to have extra fun with the design because I did a female version, which gave the baldy badass Urgot an excuse to rock a skirt and some epic pigtails.

Star Guardian Urgot is constructed almost entirely out of EVA foam, Wonderflex and PVC pipe. Due to its size, I needed to prioritize lightweight materials. I struggled to find a solution to turn my two legs into his six! My solution was constructing a "skirt" out of sturdy ABS and aluminum for the legs to attach to. Again, because of the size, I needed to make sure everything could break down as small as possible. I made so many trips to Home Depot looking for bolts and PVC joints, the employees know me by name now. I also incorporated my favorite part of costuming: LEDS!!!!! Star Guardians should shine brighter than all others, so there are 254 animated LEDs on Stargot, and over 9000 rhinestones!

Because this design came 100% from my heart and imagination, I was TERRIFIED to bring Urgot to Anime Expo. After obsessing over the costume for years, I felt like I was about to share a very intimate part of my soul with people who either wouldn't get it or would flat out reject it. I am very shy about sharing my work with others, and overall really bad at social media, so I was floored at how many people ran up to me at the con to say they had been following Urgot's progress on Facebook and Instagram. I even had one person approach me and ask me if I was THE Leah Stevo, because he was a huge fan! That was MINDBLOWING. People actually were liking my crazy costume idea!!

It turns out that not only did AX attendees ABSOLUTELY LOVE the build, but Riot loved it as well! More than anyone else, Rioters were so supportive and just plain excited to see the build in person, because apparently they had all been following my progress forever. Thank you Riot <3

I also was interviewed by Anime Expo for the AX Live stream on Twitch, and I was shocked when my friend pointed out that the interview with Star Guardian Urgot had more views on Twitch than any of AX's official guests and programming. Holy crap!

A couple standout moments from AX: I am proud to say that after years of trying, I finally constructed a costume that was dubbed a Fire Hazard by AX Staff. The crowd around Urgot was so huge that I had to be moved repeatedly to not impede traffic. I also remember a very, VERY heated argument on Friday that took place behind me, where two friends were arguing about whether Urgot was a character from World of Warcraft or a Pokemon. I feel bad that I was not able to intervene because I'm fairly certain that friendship ended over it. Sorry guys.

Before I discovered the art of costuming, my life was paralyzed by severe social anxiety and depression. I literally could not bear to leave my house, even to check the mail. Video games became my most beloved hobby and pretty much the only way I was able to make friends. I loved these games so much that I wanted nothing more than to experience them on a corporeal level, and discovered that cosplay and propmaking was something that fused ALL of my passions together! Developing the skills to fabricate and design armor slowly but surely built up my self confidence, and from the second I finally set foot in a convention covered head to toe in yoga mats the community has embraced me, lifted me up, and become my family. Because of cosplay, I discovered my worth as a person, found my calling and for the first time I can look at myself in the mirror and feel incredibly proud of who I am. I'm THE Leah Stevo! WOO!

As cosplayers, we have the power to express passion for our fandoms that screens and pages cannot. Cosplay is not only a way to faithfully recreate characters that we love, it is the PERFECT medium for making your original ideas for those characters come to life! Do not let yourself be fooled by the idea that you have to be a certain gender, skin color, or body type to do these characters justice. I am an average girl with only two legs and I think I made a great Urgot. I know it sounds so cliche but I cannot stress enough that the only person who has any right to say how you cosplay is you.

--- Leah Stevo

Photo : https://www.instagram.com/jprizick/

#league of legends #Urgot #cosplay

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