AI art
Silent they stood, surveying the quiet countryside. It was a matter of time before they would be discovered, yet it mattered not to them; the world would have changed so drastically by that point that none of the sentients would have been much interested.
The Helpful Hippocampus spell is a lifesaver for those who can’t swim.
Are you or your adventurers embarking on an ocean voyage? Here’s some magic to help you out.
| Magic Items |
Clover of the Sea: A rare ocean plant that looks like an oversized, dark green, 4-leafed clover. It grows in sandy, shallow inlets and is used as a component in luck spells.
Figurehead of the Eel: A large wooden statue of a coiled moray eel that is painted in shades of purple and green and gilded with gold. When fastened to the prow of a ship, it melds itself to it and doubles both the ship’s speed and the degree to which it can make evasive maneuvers. Flute of the Zephyr: When played on a boat, a light breeze rises to fill the sails in the direction the flute player wants to travel. Has no effect on rowed boats. Ring of the Ray: The wearer can: 1) summon and command any kind of ray – manta rays, stingrays, etc. 2) shapechange into a ray of their own body size and weight; 3) breathe underwater while wearing it; and 4) deliver an electric shock like a torpedo ray. The ring looks like it’s made of tarnished silver set with pale blue pearls. Shoes of the Tide: These ordinary-looking shoes tell the wearer if the tide is moving in or out by pointing the owner toward, or away, from the sea. Summon Merfeline: Usable only in seas or oceans. Will call a sealion, seatiger, or the similar to the caster’s area. Wand of The Becalmer: Has two uses. 1) Calms the waves on a stretch of water for a few hours and 2) stops arguments between characters. |
| Spells |
Eradicate Barnacles: Makes pesky barnacles disappear from a 10’ x 10’ section of ship, seawall, pier, or sea animal. At higher levels, the area of removal increases.
Helpful Hippocampus: Summons a hippocampus to give aid to the caster. The caster can command the creature telepathically to do tasks but can’t order it to risk its life. Doing so will cause the spell to be broken. Hull Survival: Holds the damaged hill of a ship together long enough for it to reach port. Reptile Ballast: Changes the ballast within a ship’s hull into a horde of slithering snakes, lizards, turtles, and, depending on the caster’s level, crocodilians. A very nefarious spell that affects the whole ship. Subaquatic Trail: Creates a trail on the bottom of a body of water chosen adventurers can sense and follow from the surface. Wave of Steam: A spell favored by mages who specialize in elemental water magic. It changes an oncoming ocean wave into steam before it crashes on the shore; any beings caught in the wave are cooked alive. |
Poor little rich girl
The tragic life of 1960s It Girl and trendsetter Alice Ormsby-Gore, and the dickiness of Eric Clapton.
John Scalzi on the perils of idol worship.
Early puberty in girls linked to a chemical commonly used to scent bath products and perfumes.
Do you want to watch a certain show but don’t know who or what streams it? Try JustWatch.
It ended sooner than I wanted. However there is lots of leftover material for next year’s three-month extravaganza!
I’ll close with this delicious AI-generated version of The White Witch’s bento box. Made of polished and ornamented silver, it contains plenty of raw fish (tuna and salmon filets), hardboiled eggs, roe, oysters, pickled garlic, and nuts and fried dates, all kept cool with fresh snow. Turkish delight is seen to the side.
French first editions of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1952) and Prince Caspian (1953)
Many first edition Narnia books published in other countries had unique, enchanting artwork that was never repeated for further printings. These covers for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (shortened to The Lion and the White Witch) and Prince Caspian have a light, airy, featherweight feel that seems more appropriate for a book of nursery rhymes than a pre-teen fantasy.
As with these LWW illustrations by Maxim Mitrofanov, there are deviations from what’s in the actual text. On the left, Aslan wears a superhero-like cape complete with a button fastener on which the letter A is seen and, rather awkwardly, he holds the pommel of a sword in his paws. The White Witch is seen sneaking around in the back on top of a small rise as a crow flies up and away into the sky. There was some indication in the text that birds were the White Witch’s spies, so likely the artist read the book; but why that cape on Aslan?
On the other cover, one of the Bulgey Bears dances with a fox in a sort of bacchanal as Caspian, Trumpkin, and Trufflehunter approach. This may be the Wild Romp for all I know, but the latter three weren’t present. There were no foxes mentioned in the book either.
Yet I can’t help but like them. Here’s a full view of the gorgeous LWW artwork.
Ruby of Tash apple, one of Narnia’s most profitable exports.
Since there was an apple orchard at Cair Paravel (as detailed in Prince Caspian) there must have been Narnian varieties of apples, right?
| Ruby of Tash |
Named for the Calorman deity (not that the Narnians really believe in him) this apple is large, bright red, sweet, and juicy, and the flesh inside is tinted red as well, with a white stripe. It ripens at the end of August and is good for both eating out of hand and baking. |
| Jona Brick |
Another large apple, with a winelike flavor and pale, meaty flesh. Tends to form a slightly squashed shape like a pumpkin. The skin is brownish red, often with a yellow cast. Narnians use it mainly for cider though when ripe it makes a good snacking apple. |
| Lady Nutmeg |
Mid-sized apple with a yellow skin and spicy flavor. Drought-resistant. The trees are compact and respond well to pruning. Most farmhouses will have one or two of these trees. |
| Dawncrunch | A smallish pink apple that often displays yellow bands. Ripens at mid-Autumn and overwinters well in a cool cellar. |
| Posy | Small apples with a distinct five-sided shape, varying between green and yellow. The taste is slightly sour but children like it. |
| Sweet Sorceress |
A pale green apple, almost chartreuse, with smooth, waxy skin and delicious aroma. Not only good to eat, it’s also dried and made into potpourries and apple chips. |
| Moss-of-Memory | Equivalent to a Granny Smith apple, but darker and sweeter. Mostly used for baking. |
That’s Dutch for “White Witch.” The theater production below was staged in the Netherlands.
Obviously, it was a childrens theater project, going by the youth of the extras who are playing the reindeer and dwarves. Interestingly the witch has black hair as in Pauline Baynes’ depictions.
And here’s yet another Scandinavian version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with child actors playing both Aslan’s followers and the witch’s malevolent army. Obviously this is the scene where the witch claims Edmund as a traitor. Note Maugrim watching behind the witch’s left arm.
Here the witch is plotting with her henchcreatures, who are girls dressed in black leather jackets and tights. I wonder if this children’s theater project was inspired by the harder-core GothPunk one in the post below? It seems to be.
That’s Norwegian for “White Witch.” And she’s the showstopper character in this very oddly staged Norwegian version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, even though she’s not exactly white. Actually, none of the winter scenes are.
Click to see full size version, you really have to!
Here she’s using a variant of the Vulcan Mind Meld on poor Edmund, who looks about to weep in his fur coat which is most assuredly authentic given the country it’s staged in. She’s a different sort of witch, more demented and matronly, dressed in funereal Victorian garb. The creatures behind her are what I guess to be a sort of Greek chorus. From the pics of the production they double as both Talking Beasts and the witch’s goon squad.
Overall a very Goth/Mad Max vibe.
Click to see full size version, you really have to!
Aslan (center) and his lieutenant, along with two of the Talking Beasts.
Click to see full size version, you really have to!
The Pevensies — in furs — face off against the Beasts, or supernatural creatures, not sure which. It seems a lot of liberties were taken with the script. I don’t know about you, but it seems nightmare-inducing.
The creative world of drag culture offers some unique takes on wintry femme fatales. Here’s some I found.
First, drag queen artist Raja Gemini, alluring inside or outside of drag.
Pangina Heals in an Asian-based costume.
Paul Quin as a Goth White Witch. I like the fur shoulder pads and mirrored crown.
Sasha Velour rocking a Winter ensemble with lots of texture.
I’ve been saving up artwork of desert landscapes, cities, and caravans, but they all tended to blend together. Typical of concept art. So, I really did blend them together.
