i borked my own print in the @spiralzine LOL, it's all pixelly, and it's probably something i did when i was putting the whole zine's layout together :'] so here's the actual art !
+ just a reminder that theres a verrrry limited stock of extra zines in the shop right now !
False Godhood in Wizard101 (spoilers for arc 4 and Selenopolis an Frankenstein)
I just watched a video essay on the sexual politics of Frankenstein and i want to speak :3
So it is a surprise to no one that the story of Wizard101 is often times very bigoted. However, there is a difference between a bigoted story and bigoted characters. Wizard101 can be both of these things, neither of these things, and one/the other.
I'm willing to argue in the case of the Old One. Dasein, Khonsu, and the Schism that is a matter of Bigoted characters.
First off, I wanna get this out of the way. Already a deplorable image and yet I don't blame it for existing! I'll explain, spoilers up ahead
From what I can tell, this is probably your average P101 trying to figure out how the Aztecasaurs got here as well as their Pyramids. And the assumptions is Old One, Aliens, or da Gnomes. Already racist implications here, as it assumes that the Aztecasaurs did not build their cities and places of worship with their own hands and yet, Wizard101 proves this wrong through it's mainline and Library quests.
it is confirmed in the Azteca library quest that there was first the first world and the first beings, that's where the Aztecasaurs roamed
we could extrapolate from this data to connect it to "History of LIfe Magic" where it is stated that the first diciples of Bartleby were given seeds tend into a grove and study the complex relationships of life, eventually creating the Ravenwood (the spell trees) and as such, these diciples are possibly Aztecasaurs and so that disproves Aliens, Gnomes, and the Old One being involved. it is more so that Bartelby was involved as the Aztecasaurs created their own civilization on the First World.
However, the fact that this denisen mentioned these conspiracies still do matter, as the Wizard, these unknowable Gods do become very knowable and tangible. Though I think we should talk about the False Gods starting with Khonsu.
First! Astral Magic!!! i.e. the schools of the Stars, Sun, and Moon. It's pretty commonly believed that the Celestians have domain over Astral Magic. But they do not: The obelisks in Zafaria and in Azeteca (and the Alcazar, Eclipse Tower, and Solar Arc in Khrysallis) completely blow that out of the water. It can be argued that Zafaria is similar to Azetca is being closer to the three Gods of the Spiral because Zafaria actually has cave paintings of Spider and his Sons.
Azteca is much older than any other world in the Spiral (Lord of Night) and they use gold to channel the Astral Magics not to mention that both Zafaria and Azteca have stronger and more potent spells from said obelisks than ANYTHING we find in Celestia even if it is limited. after all, Qybrun is the main Astral School trainer and Khonsu's mastery over the Moon (considering the shit he can pull with literal souls and divine beings). As such, it leads me to believe that Celestians merely advanced and pushed the limits of Astral Magic despite not being the people who created it.
As we see in Khrysallis, the Astral Magics are a direct contrast to Shadow. Neither of them exist without the other
The brightest light casts the darkest shadow" as stated in the Solar Arc
back to Khonsu, it is clear that once he escaped Celestia and came upon Krokotopia that he needed to appeal to the locals as well as the Pantheon of Gods here. Thus, needed to create a city that channels the moon and the pantheon in contrast to the Tuts on the Mainland. We can also extrapolate that Khonsu did not make these structures, building it himself or imagining the aesthetics: he borrowed from the Kroks: that is an important distinction because the Aliens-Built-The-Pyramids conspiracy assumes that Aliens, well, built them and not the Egyptians. Sure, he used Moon Magic to split souls and create the Avatar that would build Selenopolis, but that's about as true the conspiracy as it gets. We can also see in his final words to the Wizard that he never even CONSIDERED Bartelby summoning the wizard as a possiblity. God is notably unpresent.
Khonsu creates nothing new by creating Selenopolis or using Moon Magic in this way. He is simplying assuming godhood by warping what the Gods already gave. He took the fruits and poisoned them for his own gain
A common theme in the Schism is nostalgia and escapism (Wallaru notably says "fuck that") and what is Fascism if not a really fucked up ideology built on those two things: everyone wants to go back to the first world. Maybe things would be simpler. Times were simpler in the Roman Era. But we can't turn back the clock without divine intervention, and even then, you can't control the Gods. Not really. They are beyond understanding. They are essentially a Doomsday cult: suicial in nature, like a snake eating it's own tail.
(fuck this story is convoluted)
I'm essentially trying to say what Judge Veg said in Wallaru to Kroaker: "The First World is an escapist fantasy"
And then, there is the Old One, where all of the symbolism points to and it all makes him out to be a God.I mean come on.
These mosaics were made and the iconography is pointing to Godhood, The shape of a crucifix, the sun behind him, and the lemurs worshiping him is very telling
is divinity is based on a few things
He is believed to be as old as the Spial itself (His tendrils run through all points in history as if he had witnessed the birth of the Spiral) Perhaps Immortal,
2. He can create worlds,
3. Perhaps there is a way forward
and even the Manticore reflects some of this philosophy (we'll get to that later). Once again, all of these points are blown out of the fucking water. The moment we meet him is the moment he gets swallowed by Dasein, effectively killing him as The Nothing rejects Everything and is as such oblivion. He coud never create new worlds, such as how Frankenstein could never really create new life, how Khonsu could never create Moon Magic, simply borrow and twist what already exists in his own image.
pervert.
all of these characters are fucking perverts I swear, homophobes thinking about gay sex more than gay people type shit
Even as he creates Lemuria, he's really just stealing from smaller worlds in the Skyway to fit together like puzzle pieces that don't really fit together, creating bibles and instructions in those worlds, experimenting with the creatures that are there, hiding them all away and injecting mana (there has got to be some sexual symbolism in there) as if hiding his creation from God (he is, bro literally creates a mechanism that makes a hole in Bartelby's memory), hiding his sin and his mistake and much like Frankenstein, (while mostly vaguely hinted at given Dasein's initial obsession) only feels regret for the monster he created, for the people that he has fooled
it is implied that there is regret. Yet, we can see through the Old One's diaries/memories just how he saw Lemuria: a eugenics project, he made himself God, at the top of the hierchy, and was trying to creating a Scion, his Jesus; but ultimately, since spiral peoples are fallible, he could never really find that scion. Like people depending on AI to create their propaganda, removing the artist, who they see as lesser, from the equation, he too removed Stallion Quartermane. He threw away the League of Heros, and especially the "Failures" and rejects in Heap.
Just, the cosmic dread one could feel when they come face to face with the labs. The manders were right to chase the Old One away, he was a demon that created this world, ultimately leading to suffering: entirely unnecessary, entirely manufactured.
He only has his tendrils in history of Lemuria, yet another False God, only to be replaced by God himself for his transgressions (I do believe that you as the Divine Paradox bringing Dasein was in a way, divine punishment of the Old One's rape of the Spiral.)
He had to go to the Dreaming to gain such inspiration for the world synthesizer and make it play the song of creation: divine tools that were never his. only warping such things.
Dasein is the antithesis of the characters discussed so far :D
Unlike the Old One or Khonsu or any of the colonizers, he is a God (a part of the pantheon of the Spiral) In fact, I'm actually more willing to argue that Dasein is more representative of Kabala than the Schism. (I would love to elaborate more on this, but alas, I am not well versed in Jewish mysticism, but I do know that a lot of modern day cults take inspiration from Kabala)
he is also a consequence of the actions of egotistical men and divine intervention, Dasein after all, is a creature of contradictions, a walking paradox if you will ;)
Bro does things that he wishes most other characters could do in the story: Mirror the Wizard. He combined with the song of creation and they did not destroy each other, in fact, it created a new world: Novus
(side note, I think the Pekrons and the Spell Weaving quests lead back to him somehow, but that's for another time tehe)
While the rest of the spiral sees him as an invasive pressence, he's really just taking what already exists in the Spiral and creating something new with it for the benefit of the Spiral. Hence the combination spells. He offers himself, his riches, his resources, his friendship with open arms. But the Spiral exploits him.
(Novus is just one of those worlds where if you think about it too hard, the implications are fucking horrifying)
He creates heavens to the whims of the Spiral, and once again he is warped and traumatized by it, even the Wizard nopes the fuck out of Novus.
While Dasein has the ability to destroy, he choses not to. He learned from the wizard compassion, empathy, and even mercy (despite first learning of Violence) He even cares for agency. To love him is not compulsory. Much like in Judaism, the way Dasein wants to be treated is less like a father figure with the belt, who has resources but must be feared (The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom) and more like "Sup God"
I don't think its a mistake that the Worlds that choose to colonize Dasein are noteably catholic which is based around the fear of God and a fear of fucking up. (My friend wakes up every morning as wonders if God is mad at them) and as such, I don't think it's a mistake that the thing that these colonizers focus on is how they will be punished; assuming that violence is the natural state of people and of a divine being. Likewise, I don't think it's a mistake that Dasein decided to threaten violence to reason with the colonizers.
Have you guys played Fear and Hunger? Maybe even Fallout?
I think you all know how these games deal with the concept of Unity, right?
I believe the Manticore is similar to the Old One, both of them understand that you can't go back to the first world, they both believe that things fit together like puzzle pieces, they believe that things used to be simpler.
Technically, Dasein and the Manticore want the same things: Unity. Dasein wants for people to get along and that all of this fighiting over land and riches is pointless!!! The Manticore believes that because of the titans, everything became split, war like, no one can agree on anything. As such the Spiral is tainted with evil things; but their ideas horribly diverge. Because Dasein wants community, friends (Sup God), autonomy. While the Manticore wants conformity and purity: things would be so much better if we were unified, if there was peace.
like no dude, conformity is fucking ugly, do people not have free will? Doesn't it make life worth living to discover yourself? to learn? to create? to adventure? Is it not the duty of the average person to always be growing? To always be changing?
it is a fucking bittersweet moment when horrible people die. On one hand the suffering at their hands end, but they could also never change. if a fascist were to give up their ideology and stop hurting people, an antifascist would leave them alone. Won't break bread or be friends, but that political violence stops.
"There is nothing more special pure in the world than unconditional love, perhaps there is a love that could save you, but whether you are willing to accept it is another question entirely" - Ladiva, Granblue
man that battle in the invading fleets in Novus is cool but nothing will ever hit home and stick with me like empyrea and all the events tying together in a neat bow and coming to the accumulation of what happens in empyrea. That was honestly some of the most tuff shit I ever experienced in a kids game and the story and characters, art designs I will make sure they're tattooed to the inside of my brain forever. I absolutely adored empyrea
writer: Brian Michael Bendis | artist [penciller & inker]: Jacob Edgar | colorist: K.J. Díaz | letterer: Joshua Reed | assistant editor(s): Chuck Howitt-lease and Misha Gehr | editor: Daniel Chabon | designer: Rick DeLucco | digital art technician: Tyler Li | Jinxworld publisher: Alisa Bendis | Dark Horse publisher: Mike Richardson | publishing company: Jinxworld [Dark Horse Comics]
