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ijustdragon · 4 years

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What crystals can help me see ghosts?

1. Labradorite

Labradorite is known for aiding in manifestation, astral travel, dream work and protection. Labradorite is a particularly excellent stone to work with when you are reaching out to spirit guides, ascended masters, and the higher casts of angels. Communing with ancestral spirits is also made much easier with the aid of this stone and it can be placed on the ancestral altar to help translate messages form the dead.

2. Smokey Quartz

Smokey Quartz is highly sought after by metaphysicians due to its soft and subtle ability to remove blockages of the mind and heart, and is particularly good at helping one achieve deep levels of meditation and focus. Smoky Quartz is one of the best stones to work with when you are reaching out to tree spirits, faerie spirits, and ghosts that are stuck on our plane. Specifically this stone is useful when attempting to find a spirit that wants to talk to you, and therefor should be brought when investigating paranormal activity. Smoky quartz is also an excellent stone to have on the skin when channelling faerie and should be placed over the third eye when seeking to discern messages from the faerie realms.

3. Moldavite

Moldavite is a crystal ally that comes from a meteorite that landed in Moldova, Russia over 14.8 million years ago and is known for being one of the most unique crystals on the planet. Moldavite is prized for its incredible ability to speed up the process of spiritual evolution, increasing the rate of energy circulation within the subtle body, and connecting those who work with it to high-vibrational spiritual allies. Moldavite has a wide range of uses and is known for interacting with each practitioner differently. When on the skin it amplifies the will power of the magician. It is known specifically for its incredibly high vibrational properties that not only help us to raise our frequency but also more easily communicate with angels and channel their "divine will." This makes this stone particularly beneficial for those who perform exorcisms and banishments.

4. Selenite

Selenite is a member of the Gypsum family and though fragile, packs quite the energetic punch. Used most often to assist in cleansings, energy clearing, psychic development, and astral travel, Selenite has a long history of sharing its vibration with spiritual seekers of all kinds. Particularly, Selenite is a useful tool during past life recall or regression, warding off negative spiritual entities, and/or facilitating spiritual connections of all kinds. Selenite is helpful to us as we work with the spirit world because it removes psychic blockages and helps to correct the flow of energy between ourselves and the spirits with which we are working. Lower frequency entities are not likely to stick around when you break out a Selenite wand and it can be placed around the home to ward off these beings as well as malicious magic.

5. Lapis-Lazuli

A sacred stone to the ancient Egyptians, Lapis-Lazuli has been a beloved ally for thousands of years and often contains traces of Pyrite. Known for its ability to help us make sense of deeper spiritual and philosophical concepts, find our place in the world, protecting us from psychic attack, and for elevating the psychic senses, Lapis is one of the most popular stones for practitioners to work with on the planet. It works well at activating all chakras, particularly the Heart, Throat and Third Eye, making it excellent at assisting the endocrine, muscular, and skeletal systems. Lapis-Lazuli is the stone to work with when seeking control over unruly spirit activity in a home or environment. Its ability to dominate the immediate surrounding area will increase your psychic power and impede the movement of other competing frequencies. This stone also makes a sturdy vessel for spirits of the friendly variety and can be fashioned into statues for this purpose.

6. Jasper

All Jaspers carry with them the energetic properties of wholeness, completion, and deep connection. They also aide in all forms of astral or psychic flight and are known to boost the natural abilities found in each of us.

When working with spirits, Ocean Jasper helps specifically with the dead who don't understand they are dead or who are stuck on our plane. It facilitates the "crossing over" of the spirit by helping it to understand the circumstances surrounding its state of being.

Red Jasper is particularly beneficial for those who work against oppression of any kind. It aides those who are in fear of danger find safety and is known for helping us remember dreams. Red Jasper is particularly helpful when dealing with demonic spirits or any other spirit you with to employ for low-magic. It is known for its ability to aid the magician's strength of will power and for adding density to the frequency of that magician, placing them on top.

Picture Jasper is particularly beneficial for those who work with past-lives, hypnosis, trance, and the realms of the mind. It is also known for helping those who have heavy responsibilities carry the weight when it feels too much. Picture Jasper is particularly helpful when traveling the spirit worlds as it can be used to both speed your travel time as well as to help you retain the information shared with you there. It can also be used to help channel spirit beings from any plane and should be kept on the spirit altar to help stabilize mediumship abilities.

7. Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a highly protective stone with a long history of keeping those who have it close safe from physical and spiritual harm. In general, all types of tourmaline will assist in the production of life force and the manifestation of higher-ideals and harder-to-reach goals.

When working with the spirit world Black Tourmaline has a long history of protecting magicians from both demonic forces as well as the dark spells that usually come with them. In addition to its incredibly protective properties this stone is also known to stimulate the production of psychic life force and when worn on the skin can be a fierce ally when discovering the internal psychic world.

When working with the spirit world, Pink Tourmaline will assist in the introduction to spirit allies from the Angelic and Faery realms. It should be programmed to do this and then placed in a magical canter around the home.

We can work with Brown Tourmaline to help us meet Genius Loci and other spirits related to the earth and mountains like Trolls, Gnomes, and Elves.

Green Tourmaline makes an excellent addition to crystal grids that seek to bridge the worlds of the dense physical plane and connect to the Faery realms. It can be worn to attract these spirits to you as well.

In spirit work, Watermelon Tourmaline is an incredibly powerful ally, especially when working with spirits that are hard to find. Wear Watermelon Tourmaline to attract spirits of all kinds to you and place in a wand to gain the ability to command them. Place on the altar to assist in any type of spirit communication, or place in the bottom of a bowl of water for scrying.

Just to name a few :)

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trixcuomo · 4 years

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Haris Pilton’s evil little secret

Now on Desperate Alt’s Lives... how Haris Pilton pulled it off all these years!

Trixany wanted to crash through the front door and tear all through Haris’ house, tracking mud on everything. But she made herself cut the engine. “Am I dropping you off, or?”

Haris wasn’t so happy either, but she was better at recovering from that. “Eh, it does make sense. Siggy would go for the secret Goblin biker-chick in sparkly red stillettos. You won him fair and square.” She winked and waggled a hand for Trixany to follow her in. “After party?”

“Just the two of us? Won’t I get clapped in irons for trespassing the moment I step on your perfect platinum carpet?”

The secret mansion of Haris Pilton tucked away in the Ghostlands, behind an ‘enchanted avenue’ which was all the rage in recent Silvermoon magazines… secret residences or even nightclubs folded into another dimension almost… No problems with paparazzi here. Sig talked about having one built but it also seemed sort of pretentious to him.

Sig didn’t know what pretentious was though, refusing to put honey on his toast unless it was from his own personal Boralus beehives…

Trixany pushed that thought aside. She would work on Sig. He could stand to get grittier. She’d sell it to him as getting to know his audience of normal people better.

Now, Sharpen? He was a Night Elf man who did not refuse honey in any form. He just loved it for what it was. ‘Nature’s best gift…’

Sharpen was her best friend. When had that happened? But Sharpen had not been there for any part of her courtship with Sig Nicious.

Trixany set that feeling aside too.

Haris handed her a glass of liquor, and it did smell expensive. Then, she began to lead them upstairs. “Oh my goddesses, I can’t believe I’m showing you this. But I needed a drink first before I actually showed another mortal being what I go through. Come on, you’ll think it’s hot!”

Trixany wanted to slap Haris. That feeling was easy to keep handy, funnily enough.

But Haris had her smokey eyes and her clever mind behind all that, and her outfit was intelligently put together, as well. Trixany hated to admire those things about her. That, and this was clearly not about to be a sleepover party. She sensed a highly intellectual pursuit was afoot. Some plan, some trap…

“Ladies? You decent?” Haris joked, before pushing the door open.

Trixany almost dropped her glass of whisky. Then, she remembered it was whisky and she took the drink she needed.

All over this small room were screens, all manner of Gnomish equipment. And, the fiercely intelligent people to go with it. A team of Gnome ladies, in matching uniforms. There was a Gnome man too, but he was halfway in a machine, supposedly repairing something, but Gnomes never looked like they were actually fixing things, not to Trixany’s eyes. Sparks and popped wires were coming from there.

“Every Horde A celebrity, even Thrall, has one of these. Or, he outsources it to another company. Anyway, this a… ‘gossip closet.’”

Cute name for something that legit looked like the operations room for Sargeras’ second coming.

Oh, but in pink.

#desperate-alts-lives

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othmeralia · 4 years

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Happy National Library Week!

The theme of this year’s National Library Week is finding your place in the library. We are celebrating that theme this week by sharing some of the stories of our Othmer Library staff - how they found their place in libraries and what their remote workplace looks like currently. There will also be plenty of shelfies and animal photos. We hope you enjoy! We would love to hear your library stories as well! How have you found your place at the library? Share it with us!

Victoria here! I started at the Othmer Library of Chemical History in 2011 when I was hired as a Library Assistant. I had no professional library work experience at the time and I had just been accepted to Drexel University’s Master’s program for Library and Information Science. Flash forward nine years and I find myself the Head of Technical Services. My responsibilities include cataloging, coordinating book donations to the library, and overseeing quality control of our catalog. In addition to technical services, I assist with social media content planning and library outreach. When we hold library pop-ups or other public programs, I’m usually the person running the craft table or making the buttons. While working from home these last few weeks, I’ve been concentrating on database clean-up, social media content, and collections analysis projects.

The bookshelves seen in this post are from my makeshift home office. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, books on American history topics, my beloved technical services textbooks, guides on gnomes and fairies – they all make up my personal book collection (which consists of many more books than are shown here).

I currently share my office space with two friendly (and vocal) felines, Itchy Boots and Smokey Joe, as well as a fluffy dog named Jimmy. They are pawsitively pawsome coworkers. They definitely make my work day quite interesting!

#national library week #librarians #othmer library #behind the scenes #finding my place in the library #nlw 20 #nlw #libraries #shlefie #othmeralia

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jamiebluewind · 4 years

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Fantasy High Locations 2.13

A lot of the following locations were discussed in my 2.12 location post. I'm only putting the additions to those below. For previous information, go here

***

As always, let me know if I need to edit or add anything and tag/ask/PM me about art and stories so I can check them out!

***

Arborly

Law is the counsel of elders, Nuathura the Fox, and the leader of the rangers (who is currently Mira Silverbough)

Tinkers Hall

Massive turning gears

Bubbling beakers of different brightly colored liquids

Accordion flaps pump into strange brass pipes

Clockwork things including a clockwork toy which bounced off a desk (gnomes went after it)

1st layer of hell

Accessed by the party through a portal in the briar wall left by Vraz the Mean

The sky is like the surface of the ocean but with roiling fire

Meteors rain down on a blasted smoke and ash rock red landscape of craters

The Bottomless Pit (aka Gortholax's domain and house)

Two towers, spiked wrought iron things, and an iron gate.

The structure is small for castle but large for gatehouse

Structure sits in the middle of an enormous dark open botomless pit

Above the pit, there is a swirling smokey orifice of fire with a vast torrent of wailing mutiliated souls pouring out, screaming in horror as they are birthed from the firy womb and fall into the black nothingness forever.

As they fall, the souls try to stab and slit each other's throats with shards of bone or beat each other to death in order to climb up and avoid their fate (evil people - such as murderers, theives, and liars - who were as insatiable as Gortholax will be rent asunder and punished until they are turned into lemures, aka the foot soilders of hell)

A spiral road goes around the outside of the pit and spirals down like a quarry road

Doors are built into the craggy ledge, devilish gates built into the wall as the stairs spiral down, each door leading to rooms and halls (one of which has a hot tub)

Security code is 667. The number pad that says "Foolish would the mortal be to punch upon me numbers three."

Has an imp valet (Retch Rot) which can be summoned with blood

Adaine's Mom's room at the Owl and Harp

Blood spatter on the walls

Candles that were completely burned down

Images carved into the walls

Non detection runes placed (to keep elves off the trail)

The remains of two rituals, one to kill Killian and one to put the Devil's Heart (with Gortholax) inside Killian.

A blank piece of parchment on a small desk (Adaine used the pencil trick to reveal what it said)

Ashes in a trashcan which were burned using a cantrip (original message was "Aelwen is with me. You are betrayed. You have no other choice darling. Come with us.")

Research and extremely old velum grave robber type medical diagrams written in a character based language (possibly centaur) with an image of a disected and dismembered centaur with dark, very scary looking cat symbols behind the eyes, in the ears, on the tongue, deep in the sinuses, and on the spine.

Synod of Spyre

Meeting place for wizards

Endless starry void

Staircase of clear glass with a little shimmer of luminescence and the slightest tinge of blue. The stairs lead up to a massive 200 foot wide carved disc of glass hanging in space. A bunch of other staircases lead away from the disc before they just end. At first, only Adaine's staircase leads to anything (a crackling blue door), but then another door opens at the end of a staircase (which Ayda walks through)

Tall crystal muniré (curse your huge vocabulary Brennan Lee Mulligan! I spent so long trying to find the word you said and I'm pretty sure that's not it!) and dolmans that were carved from standing stones around the disc.

Looks very intentional and shaped with perfect glass and crystal (all the slight blue tinge luminescence) instead of craggy natural

#fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fantasy high live #d20 locations #d20 descriptions #descriptions

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tabletoptrinketsbyjj · 5 years

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Trinkets, 29: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

A Random Musical Instrument that sounds slightly different to everyone that hears it.

An aged stone tablet containing fragments of text of the Sargonne Prophecies. The fragments speaks of “…an armada of horrors swollen and grey and hungry so hungry so thirsty, they know, they KNOW, THEY KNOW…”

A life sized owl made of frosted glass that smells of fresh snowflakes.

A tube of bamboo has been carefully sealed at both ends with wax. Scratched into the side are the words “Miskin's Stash”. The tube contains a pair of clean, dry socks and underwear.

A one gallon cask of Dreamwine, an alcoholic beverage enjoyed by the High Elves. Known for being a smokey, aromatic wine, its taste is almost unbearably sweet, flowing down one's throat like liquid smoke. The bouquet is described as 'that of a wild forest where creatures of legend still roam free", conjuring images of fabulous gardens, sun-dappled glades, and the scent of honeysuckle and jasmine.

A box containing a small pair of gold hoop earrings. A paper inside says “Lidia's first”.

A jade mirror that exaggerates the features of those who looked into it in order to reveal their true nature through a sort of magical caricature. An honorable and virtuous person would appear stronger, taller, and more fair in visage. A selfish, greedy individual would appear smaller, with cruel, conniving features. Those with an injury or disability that they had allowed to cripple their spirit would appear withered and weak, while those who had overcome their disability would appear in perfect health.

A musical rattle made from a cloven hoof that smells faintly of brimstone.

A wicker basket containing several loafs of weighty bread wrapped in a thin blanket. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize it as Stonebread, a type of baked good made by dwarves. Usually made into round loaves, this foodstuff is so foul-tasting that only dwarfs can eat it. In fact, it is rumored that it is made using rock dust rather than flour. However, to the dwarfs, it is hearty fare that is very fortifying. In addition, it keeps extremely well.

A horrid war banner that seems to be little more than a leather rag on a totem pole, but closer inspection reveals foul stains that drip and splash as the bearer moves. The whole of the vile hide throbs and oozes a greenish tinted fluid.

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

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

A Random Musical Instrument that sounds slightly different to everyone that hears it.

A life sized owl made of frosted glass that smells of fresh snowflakes.

A tube of bamboo has been carefully sealed at both ends with wax. Scratched into the side are the words “Miskin's Stash”. The tube contains a pair of clean, dry socks and underwear.

A box containing a small pair of gold hoop earrings. A paper inside says “Lidia's first”.

A musical rattle made from a cloven hoof that smells faintly of brimstone.

A thick treant root with glowing green veins.

A pair of small steel balls that vibrate when touched together.

A delicate glass orb containing numerous exotic feathers arranged in a overlapping circular pattern.

A fortune-telling stone with a two closed, feminine eyes.

A writing quill ending in a grasping hand rather than a sharpened tip.

A two-faced silver coin with the image of a fox. When it is flipped, the face of the creature who flipped it appears in place of the fox for a minute before returning to normal.

A wooden mouse carving, that when coming into contact with cheese makes a ear-piercing squeak.

A sinister looking lute whose head ends in a wicked spike. The cords are thicker than average and made from thin, woven steel wires. The neck is much longer than normal, and mimics the appearance of a spine. The base is unlike the normal rounded body of a lute, and is pointed and made of a mildly glowing purple rock. The top half of the body is much larger and than bottom, and ends much more jaggedly. The instrument seems to hum with electric power when wielded and any songs played on this lute sound distorted and powerful.

A massive scarlet lobster claw, the length of a grown man's arm.

A hand mirror crafted with a pewter handle and backing with intricate engraving. The reflective surface seems to be a silvery metal that never burnishes or scratches and all reflections appear dimmed and shadowy.

A heavy, bronze mask that lets out a deep, sonorous ring when struck.

A dark iron flask bearing numerous engravings of arcane runes with silver inlay. It is filled with a sparkling crimson fluid that tastes of sweet, fresh berry juice.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a common soldier in military of the local kingdom. The section containing the soldier's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A hollow bronze tube that emits a resounding chime when struck against a hard surface. The chime has an elaborate handle resembling an angel whose wings surround it.

A white porcelain mask with a large pair of eye-holes with black streaks running down to a mouth stretched into a too-wide black grin. The eye holes are filled in with an opaque black substance, yet the bearer is able to see without issue. When worn, glowing red pupils appear in the eyes, and move as if they belonged to the bearer.

A small ivory idol that depicts three tentacles wrapped around each other.

A pair of pink baby booties encased in a glass prism. The glass is stained with dried tears and dirtied by skin oils suggesting that is has been handled regularly.

A deer shaped badge, carved from the antler of the animal that it resembles.

A wooden and metal icosahedron (20 sided die) that measures about six inches in diameter. Each face of the crux is carved with a different rune, and when one looks upon the thing, the observer has the unsettling sensation that they can see too many or too few sides at once.

A small pouch containing the knucklebones of a deceased human monk who, in life, was renown for her wisdom and skill in combat.

A fist-sized kidney stone that was passed by a dragon.

A bundle of centaur skins tied together with reins and wrapped in a protective oilskin case.

An onyx gemstone that radiates unnatural energy.

A small tin full of wrapped caramels, one of which is wrapped delicately in silver leaf.

A large painting of a young boy petting a Cocker Spaniel. Both the boy's and dog's eyes are painted black, but somehow still seem to follow whoever walks past it.

A pair of fluffy earmuffs made from the pelt of a lynx.

A fist-sized brass orb of interlinking whirling cogs.

A small wheel of cheese that was aged in a cave. The cheese cloth is covered in bat guano, but the label insists that it is good for you and adds to the interesting texture.

A set of child's toy tools made of cork. The set consists of a hammer, pry bar, screwdrivers, and a strip of measuring cloth.

A small, decorative pocket knife with a blunt blade made of mother of pearl. Although not functional, it is absolutely gorgeous.

A small metal cube that, when placed on a flat surface, will emit a cool and humidifying water vapor.

A thumb sized spherical glass globe that accurately displays the planet. The land is painted gold and the water is painted silver.

A palm sized replica of the world etched on a flat maple disk. The land is painted gold and the water is painted silver.

A gnome sized pair of spectacles. The glass lenses are in the shape of gears and each are stained in a different Bright Colors.

A padded carry bag containing a hanging set of carved oval bells and a pair of light wooden hammers. Knowledgeable PC's will recognize the musical instrument as a tocken, which is most common in underground cultures, where the resonant tones can carry.

A set of reusable, long, fake nails that are made of turquoise.

A perfectly preserved rabbit skull, encased in a glass cube.

A thumb sized, winged pig figurine made of black marble.

A black velvet bag containing six beef bullion cubes. When a cube is put into a large pot of boiling water, it becomes a hearty and delicious stew.

A raven's feather that is hot to the touch.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers and licenses denoting that the bearer is legally allowed to cast magic anywhere in the local kingdom. The papers do stipulate that the bearer is fully responsible for the results of cast magic and that no spell can be woven that would violate an existing law. The section containing the bearer's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A magically preserved orchid blossom that never withers, set atop a steel pin.

A wooden box containing a dozen thick candles made from a blend of rare wax from the giant bees of fabled Ind, mixed with the swear of scholars. When they burn, a musky odor rises from the flames.

A double-headed, skin, hand drum fitted with handles along its side.

An empty crystal phial that glows with a strange blue light.

A tall winged banner pole with hollowed-bone decorations that emit shrill, eerie shrieks when wind passes through them.

A slender silverwood wand covered with many lines of winding runes of ancient script.

A heavy granite flute of dwarven design.

A goat shaped idol, fashioned from the horn of the animal that it resembles.

A fist sized obsidian ball that offers a terrible glimpse into the Realm of Chaos, revealing fragments of the future in the swirling vortex of maddening energies.

A one gallon cask of Blood Wine brewed by the dark elves. Knowledgeable PC’s are aware the drink is called this because the vine the grapes come from is said to smell like congealed blood.

A white satin glove with no visible seams, that can be easily turned inside-out to wear on a left or right hand.

A candle flame that’s somehow been preserved and encased in a glass cube. The glass is always warm to the touch but never enough to burn. If the glass is shattered, the flame burns on it's own for a moment before extinguishing itself.

A strange ivory-graven rattle-drum shaped like an hourglass, whose discordant music is rumored to bring madness and death, when used during rites of dark magic.

A fanged humanoid skull covered with scrimshawed infernal writing.

A large and imposing hand fan, colored deep blue, and decorated with the image of waves.

A flute made of coarse unfinished bamboo, engraved around its circumference with unreadable sigils. A red silken cord is tied around it just below the mouthpiece. The instrument's songs are always soothing, resting the weary minds of those who listened to its melodious tones.

A pickled and dried human hand of a murderer, tightly clutching a tallow candle made from his fat, made with one of the murderer's hairs for a wick.

A deck of cards wrapped in a maroon velvet cloth and stored in a dark stained oak holding box, that features a simple yet elegant crest with the third eye motif of the divination school of magic.

A charred and withered hand of a long-dead witch wearing a manacle loosely clamped around the wrist connected to a second manacle, always swaying and sliding, however, it never falls through and cannot be pulled out.

A set of hunting knives that are in pristine condition except for the gnaw marks on the handles.

A twisted sacred icon of black metal, scorched and pitted as if by the heat of some great forge or furnace. Arcane symbols of power are etched into its surface, writhing around each other and intertwining as if alive. At the icon's apex is a single crystal eye, whose cold gaze constantly searches the area for enemies.

An attractive statuette depicting an androgynous figure standing with one arm covering the chest and the other covering the groin. Made from smooth jade, it is an exquisite piece of art, but an insightful PC can sense that there is more to this idol, something far more wicked than its appearance would suggest

A thick braid of dark mermaid hair entwined with kelp and sea shells that regularly drips salt water.

A white and blue porcelain doll that seems to be the smallest from a set of nesting dolls.

A glass doorknob taken from a haunted house, that occasionally lets out pained moaning noises.

A large glass jar filled with pumpkin seeds, one of which has sprouted.

A tall pole bearing a tattered banner consisting of crude stitching and daubed tribal markings. Knowledgeable PC’s can identify it as being orcish in origin and echoes of their bloodlust and aggression remain bound to its fabric.

A porcelain mortar and pestle decorated with a painted pattern of dancing faeries.

A small handwoven basket with a removable silk lining.

A perfectly preserved locust encased in a small glass cube. It's wings are fully spread and extended as if it was flying. A creature holding the dead insect is filled with a deep, primal hunger that can never be satisfied so long as the locust is carried.

A gnarled and ancient mage’s staff holding a rough gem that pulses with Randomly Colored light.

A simple brass bell that when rung, mimics the sound of a goat bleating.

A foul collar sized for a human or a huge dog that is studded with spikes on the inside and out. Made from interlinked pieces of iron and brass, the spikes are covered in old blood and bits of skin and hair.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a taxpaying citizen in good standing and a landowner and resident of the local kingdom. The section containing the citizen's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A tiny sailing ship made of fine crystal inside a bottle with no clear way it got in there. It shimmers in the sunlight and radiates mysterious magic.

A glass flask with a loose paper label marked, “Captain's 'Special' Rum Cocktail”. It smells and tastes like a mix of Rum, ginger and honey. Exactly what makes it special, is not clear.

A fierce looking tribal mask that appears to be an exotic depiction of a lion with oversized teeth.

A bag of milky white marbles with long swirls of pale pinks, reds, blues, greens, and purples decorating them. Though not made from real pearls, they reflect light in a vaguely enchanting manner.

A statuette carved from white wood and splintered at the base. It depicts an aged man leaning forward and cupping an ear, as if listening intently for threats.

A small bag filled with assorted types of many-sided dice. Most of them are weighted to bring up high rolls frequently.

A deck of cards that feature intricate and often sexually explicit drawings to indicate suit and number. They have women, men, orcs, dwarfs, elves, kobolds....

A medium ceramic mug with an odd, almost organic looking shape, ostensibly fragile and unstable. Upon closer examination, the mug seems seems nigh indestructible, and when filled with liquid, stays perfectly upright on any surface, although it will move around.

A silver-like paintbrush with bone-white bristles ends on the other side with a small filament connected to a needle that must be pierced into the vein of its wielder. The paintbrush draws the blood out of the potential artist and channels it into an inner receptacle then into the bristle allowing the artist to easily paint in their own fresh blood or that of another.

A buffalo shaped stamp, made from the horn of the animal that it resembles.

A perfectly preserved, iridescent emerald green, praying mantis, encased in a small glass prism. It's reared back on it's hind legs and it's claws are extended, eternally frozen mid strike.

A bundle of minotaur skins tied together with strips of leather and wrapped in a protective oilskin case.

A well-made paperweight cast from brass. It has a tiny illusion spell that suspends an image of a proud, three masted warship sailing above it.

Seastone Chalice: A two-handled drinking cup is wrought from some sort of pale blue-green material and inlaid with gold. The outside is rimmed with salt crystals which regenerate when brushed away, but these don't seem to affect the chalice itself. When water is placed into the cup, it is instantly rendered salty and undrinkable. In addition, the cup produces deafening sounds of surf until it is emptied. Non-water beverages, such as alcohol, milk, juice, etc. are unaffected.

A used and bloodstained crossbow bolt, encased in a glass rectangle. It’s probably a war trophy of some sort and realistically should be mounted on some sort of plaque denoting the bolt's significance.

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dweemeister · 4 years

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2019 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (final)

*breathes deeply*

TAGGING: @cokwong; @dansmonarbre; @emilylime5; @fredsbarandgrill; @halfwaythruthedark; @ideallaedi; @introspectivemeltdown; @loveless422 (of @classicladiesofcolor administering); @maximiliani; @memetoilet; @mindo80; @monkeysmadeofcheese; @myluckyerror; @nazur; @phendranaedge; @plus-low-overthrow; @shadesofhappy; @stephdgray; @themusicmoviesportsguy; @theybecomestories; @umgeschrieben; @underblackwings; @yellanimal.

And also tagging a few first-timers or those who haven’t done this in a while: @astorytellertothestars; @bitch-genius; @dog-of-ulthar; @ineedanumbrella; @jayb3; @kataka-taka; @nudehearth; @shootingstarvenator; @thethirdman8; @thewolfofelectricavenue; @voicetalentbrendan; and @wehadfacesthen.

This is not the latest we've ever started the final round, but here we go!

For those who participated in the preliminary, I thank you for your time, but we're not done quite yet. The madness has only begun. After a chaotic end to the preliminary round in which contenders crashed out and unheralded underdogs rose in the final hours, who knows who takes this final? For the uninitiated, I have an Oscar-like ceremony on my blog celebrating all the movies of that year’s Movie Odyssey (all the movies I saw for the first time in their entirety) at the year’s end. For the last five years, I have asked family and friends to help out with the Best Original Song category - because in all other categories, you'd be forced to watch entire movies to decide it. This is a musical thank-you to those, who have contributed, in their own ways, to support the Movie Odyssey and me over the last calendar year.

I normally would have known if I would have asked folks to help participate in MOABOS around the end of summer. But due to work commitments, I had no idea whether or not we would be doing this as late as mid-October. I consider it very fortunate we were able to get this off the ground this year - some of you, interestingly enough, look forward to this every year for some strange reason.

As a result of this year's limitations, this is the one of the most monolingual fields we've ever had in a final. But that's not to besmirch the quality of music seen here. In one notable piece of MOABOS trivia, a Vietnamese-language song has reached the final for the first time. A record two songs in the final are from a documentary film (albeit they are from the same documentary).

INSTRUCTIONS Please rank (#1-15) your choices in order. The top ten songs will receive nominations. The tabulation method used in the preliminary round is being used for the final only as the second tiebreaker (the tabulation method that will be used principally for the final - aka "single transferable vote" - is described in the "PS"). There is no minimum or maximum amount of songs you can rank, but because of the nature of single transferable vote, it is highly recommended to rank as many songs as possible, rather than only one or two. Those who rank fewer songs run a greater risk of their ballots being discarded as I am counting the ballots. Again, this is all described in the "PS". Why not implement at a minimum number of songs to rank? Well, I believe in giving you folks as much freedom as possible.

Please consider to the best of your ability: how musically interesting the song is (including and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration); its lyrics; context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films); choreography/dance direction (if applicable); and the song's cultural impact/life outside the film (if applicable, and by far the least important factor). Imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song. I encourage you to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it’s always fun to read reactions to individual songs, and it usually makes the process (for everyone) more enjoyable!

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, December 31 at 7 PM Pacific Time / 5 PM Hawai'i / 6 PM Alaska / 9 PM Central / 10 PM Eastern. If you're across the Atlantic, that's New Year's Day at 3 AM GMT / 4 AM CET / 5 AM EET. There will be no deadline extensions.

The fifteen finalists (to access the below via YouTube playlist, click here... please keep in mind many of these finalists are meant to be watched and listened to):

“Are We Dancing?”, music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, The Happiest Millionaire (1967)

Performed by John Davidson and Leslie Ann Warren

After convincing her father to let her attend boarding school, Cordy Biddle (Warren) meets Angier “Angie” Buchanan Duke (Davidson in his film debut) at a social dance. Cordy, stressing herself too much in believing that she must go out of her way to attract a boy, is pleasantly surprised by Angie’s taking to her. Just before the song, she initially dismisses waltzes as a dance, “for old people” - repeating a line her father said once. The song’s melody is quoted occasionally in the film’s score.

“Crazy World”, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, Victor/Victoria (1982)

Performed by Julie Andrews

Victoria Grant (Andrews) is a woman playing a man named “Victor” who is impersonating a woman. Victoria, as Victor, has become the hit vaudeville act of Paris. This is Victoria’s first performance as “Victor” not pretending to be a woman. Is your head spinning yet?

“Detroit”, music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, The Happiest Millionaire

Performed by John Davidson and Lesley Ann Warren

(partial use in film)

Lovebirds Cordy Biddle (Warren) and Angier “Angie” Buchanan Duke (Davidson in his film debut) have been discussing their future together. Angie does not want to inherit his father’s tobacco business - instead wishing to head to Detroit to be a part of the automotive industry (the film is set in 1916, as the city was booming because of the auto industry).

“East Bound and Down”, music and lyrics by Jerry Reed and Dick Feller, Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Performed by Jerry Reed

This is the theme song for this comedy, which also describes the plot somewhat. Smokey and the Bandit is about two truckers - “Bandit” (Burt Reynolds) and “Snowman” (Reed) - who have been offered $80,000 by a rich Texan to pick up 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas and return to Atlanta within twenty-eight hours. In 1977, Coors was only found in the Western U.S. and transporting it across Southern state lines was illegal (giving Coors a mystique in the Eastern U.S.).

“I Dug a Ditch”, music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Lew Brown and Ralph Freed, Thousands Cheer (1943)

Performed by the Kay Kyser Band, Kathryn Grayson, Georgia Carroll, Harry Babbitt, Sully Mason, M.A. Bogue, and chorus

NOTE: An entirely separate song, “Should I”, is integrated from 3:04-3:36.

Apologies for the text overlaying the video. The second half of Thousands Cheer is essentially an elaborate revue musical performance for American World War II troops in which the film’s initial pretense of attempting a story is entirely dropped. “I Dug a Ditch” is one of the songs appearing in the film’s second half.

“I Wish I Didn’t Love You So”, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, The Perils of Pauline (1947)

Performed by Betty Hutton

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Based on the life of silent film actress Pearl White (played by Hutton), The Perils of Pauline sees Pearl become a star in silent serial films, garnering worldwide popularity. Complications with Pearl’s engagement and impending wedding/honeymoon with her partner force her to break the engagement and leave the film industry. Much later - far from Hollywood, feeling down - she auditions for a Paris nightclub with this song.

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”, music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin, Rocketman (2019)

Performed by Elton John and Taron Egerton

This is the first song played over the end credits of this biopic of Elton John. This is John and Taupin’s (John’s songwriting partner through the 1960s-1990s) first collaboration outside the Sherlock Gnomes series for this decade.

“The Joint Is Really Jumpin’ in Carnegie Hall”, music and lyrics by Roger Edens, Ralph Blane, and Hugh Martin, Thousands Cheer (1943)

Performed by Judy Garland and Jose Iturbi

The second half of Thousands Cheer - where this song is found - is essentially an elaborate revue musical performance for American World War II troops in which the film’s initial pretense of attempting a story is entirely dropped.

“Le Jazz Hot!”, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, Victor/Victoria (1982)

Performed by Julie Andrews

Victoria Grant (Andrews) is making her Parisian debut playing a man named “Victor” who is impersonating a woman. The scheme was hatched by her friend, Carroll “Toddy” Todd (Robert Preston) - both of them desperate for money, and Toddy is the only one who knows that “Victor” is Victoria. Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, James Garner, and John Rhys-Davies, and Alex Karras are present in this scene.

“The Next Right Thing”, music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Frozen II (2019)

Performed by Kristen Bell

Anna (Bell) has seemingly lost her friends and her sister at what is the lowest point in the film. Uncertain what to do, she recalls a small piece of advice that leads her forward.

“The Place Where Lost Things Go”, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns

(Initial performance) / (reprise)

Performed by Emily Blunt; reprise by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This is a lullaby sung by Mary Poppins (Blunt) to the Banks children, who have lost their mother before the events of the film. The song was inspired by an idea from P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins novels, in which Poppins takes Jane and Michael Banks (the aunt and father of the Banks children for this film, respectively) to the moon. There, they learn that the dark side of the moon is where things get lost. The song is referenced occasionally in the film’s score.

“The Shady Dame from Seville”, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, Victor/Victoria (1982)

(Initial performance) / (reprise to be watched at your own spoiler-y risk)*

Performed by Julie Andrews; reprise by Robert Preston

*watch at your own spoiler-y risk because it gives away the film’s comical musical ending

Victoria Grant (Andrews), after making her Parisian debut playing a man named “Victor” who is impersonating a woman, has become the hit vaudeville act of Paris. This is one of her signature performances. Preston’s reprise - which appears near the film’s conclusion - was done in one take, hence his sweaty and fatigued appearance at the end.

“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, music and lyrics by Stephen Stills, Woodstock (1970)

(an excerpt of how this song is framed in the film)

Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Brief Spanish lyrics sung in counterpoint

Directed by Michael Wadleigh, Woodstock was the official documentary film for the eponymous August 1969 music festival. The festival organizers retained film distribution and music recording rights. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” refers to Stills’ thoughts towards his imminent breakup with folk singer Judy Collins. This song is composed in the form of a classical music suite (in layman’s terms, it sounds like an ordered collection of separate songs in one).

“Trường Tương Tư”, music and lyrics by Leon Le, Song Lang

Performed by Isaac and Liên Bỉnh Phát

Lyrics in Vietnamese

English translation and context are in the link.

“Woodstock”, music and lyrics by Joni Mitchell, Woodstock

Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

This song appears in the end credits to Woodstock - the official documentary film for the eponymous August 1969 musical festival.

The winner is somewhere above. They will join a list that includes the following past winners:

2018: "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

2017: “Remember Me (Recuérdame)”, Coco (2017)

2016: "Stayin' Alive", Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2015: "Amhrán Na Farraige”, Song of the Sea (2014)

2014: "Rainbow Connection", The Muppet Movie (1979)

2013: “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In the Money)”,Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Go forth and listen! You may submit your responses in any way, as long as they come in before the deadline. I am free to answer any questions about anything you have about the process.

Happy listening, and have a happy holiday season as we conclude this decade (already?)!

TABULATION Like the preliminary... a respondent’s first choice receives 10 points, the second choice receives 9, the third choice receives 8, etc. HOWEVER, this points system is used only for tiebreaker purposes.

The winner is determined by a process called single transferable vote (the Academy Awards uses this method to choose a Best Picture winner, visually represented here - you should really watch this video if the below doesn't make sense... which it probably won't):

All #1 picks from all voters are tabulated. A song needs more than half of all aggregate votes to win (50% of all votes plus one... i.e. if there are thirty respondents, sixteen #1 votes are needed to win on the first count).

If there is no winner after the first count (as is most likely), the song(s) with the fewest #1 votes or points is/are eliminated. Placement will be determined by the tiebreakers described below. Then, we look at the ballots of those who voted for the last-placed song(s). Their votes then go to the highest-remaining and non-eliminated song on their ballot.

This process (in step #2) repeats until one song has secured 50% plus one of all votes. We keep eliminating nominees and transfer votes to the highest-ranked, non-eliminated song on each ballot. NOTE: It is possible after several rounds of counting that respondents who did not entirely fill in their ballots will have wasted their votes at the end of the process. For example, if a person voted the second-to-last place song as their #1, ranked no other songs, and the count has exceeded two rounds, their ballot is discarded (lowering the vote threshold needed to win), and they have no say in which song ultimately is the winner.

A song wins when it reaches more than fifty percent of all #1 and re-distributed votes.

Tiebreakers: 1) first song to receive 50% plus one of all #1 and transferred votes; 2) total points earned; 3) total #1 votes; 4) placement on my ballot; 5) placement on my sister’s ballot; 6) tie declared

#2019 Movie Odyssey Awards

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