Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2024-05-29
As introductions get rolling, Elf channels in from the Quantum Downs—this week without Bearsnake or Dotta. However, Entropy and Tadmajor also join him onstage.
Housekeeping
Updated Map, Digital Wings, & The 150th Episode of Wizard Wednesday
He starts with a few updates, noting that Madotsuki has updated the map on Wizzypedia to now include new locations. Elf says that Magus Wazir has also fixed the VRM models of the Wizards who were having odd distortion issues. Entropy says he'll be glad not to see those "digital wings" posted in the Secret Tower any more. Elf says it was a more difficult thing to fix than you might imagine. Tadmajor then makes note that it's the 150th Wizard Wednesday!
Entropy Returns, Brand Overhaul, & 3D Warrior Update
Elf welcomes Entropy back from time away celebrating a wedding as well as his own anniversary. Elf says the Forgotten Runes socials kind of died while he was away, even though he tried to "man the ship" himself. Entropy adds that Wizard Wednesday recordings are now up to date on YouTube. He requests comments and other engagement on the videos, as it helps the channel to grow.
Elf also says that a whole team is working on the official website to give it a fresh coat of paint. Elf notes that the team is trying to overhaul the brand in general, starting with the website—noting the team they are working with is called "Moonbase."
Elf says that 3D Warrior production is still underway, noting that on release the team is planning an event like the Nightmare Run Halloween event that happened around the launch of 3D Souls. He says they learned a lot from the first event, and the team share event stories.
Celebrities Return to Crypto
The Team Talks Iggy Azalea's Coin
Elf then brings up Iggy Azalea (and other celebrity personalities) who have started talking about crypto. He says what really made NFTs "pop off" in the last cycle is when celebrities began buying. He asks if that is happening again. Jitcy says he feels like it's too soon. Jitcy goes on to say that you can hope or theorize that if it begins with celebrities, it will get to political leaders—he notes Trump's recent pivot to speaking about Bitcoin consistently. He says it's interesting to see a political shift outside of the peak of the bull market.
Mado asks if Elf brings this up because he's trying to get Paris Hilton to join the cult, alluding to a previous discussion about giving her an honorary Warrior. Mado notes that in the last cycle, celebrity appearances in crypto seemed to have at least some forethought—even if they all tanked to 0 in the end. Now, they just launch a coin on Day 1, which he points out seems much more extractive.
Cult Questions
Magic Systems, Spellcasting, & Ancient Worlds
Following this, Elf launches into Lore Questions from the Cult:
He begins with a "Lore rant" covering the amount of time spells take to cast, major Earth landmarks in the Runiverse, and lost civilizations like Atlantis and Mu. Elf says that the time it takes to cast spells is dependent upon the type of spell and the talents of the Wizard casting them. He says that there are a bunch of different Magic "systems" at play, though he goes on to note that there is no System that defines it, like an Art. Elf says that the different Magical Influences in the Runiverse are Color Magic, Rune Magic, and Magic based on Specialties like Druidry, Necromancy, Chronomancy, Shamanism, Sorcery, etc. He says each Wizard's Magic is created by combinations of these influences.
The Singularity & Ancient Worlds
Elf notes a post of a diagram that he "found in the Blue Bastion" that depicts the Singularity Event. He says to make note that there is a white light being refracted through a Chroma Crystal to form all of the 6 colors of Magic. This forms the “new world.” Elf says that ironically, this Singularity event which brought the Wizards into the world is also the same force that eradicates them. He says a “godlike consciousness will bend reality” but eventually pass over, leaving a new world in its wake. Elf says remains of modern monuments may exist in the Runiverse, but they are not 1:1. He notes the team at Bisonic has been having fun with this fact in the Runiverse game.
Elf speaks about the lost worlds of the Runiverse, which he says is a fun mystery that he has written into the show. He says that we, right now, are Atlantis. We are Shangri-La. We are El Dorado. He wonders if the ancients were all referring to the same place. Elf says that Wizards who have Origins tied to these lost worlds may have travelled to them in their own mindscapes—and if so, that its identity will reflect their own cultural biases. He says this is why we see so many versions of these lost worlds.
Bearsnake at Consensus
Bearsnake then joins the show from Consensus in Austin, TX. He says it’s very cool, very professional, very corporate, very serious. He says that Forgotten Runes has a demo booth for the Forgotten Runiverse game in a great spot on the floor. Bear says the team flew Nalgene in to help man the booth with Bisonic, and he also mentions speaking on a panel that morning and having meetings with VCs, “because it’s always good to have VCs lined up if needed.”
Bear also says that he’s not in love with the mouse at the demo station, and laughs that he is currently on his way to go get a new one for the booth. He speaks about the positive feedback they’ve received on the game, and notes they’re right beside the Parallel booth as well. Bearsnake lists a handful of Wizards that are also at Consensus and says that it’s just good to “get out and talk.” He says he wanted to pop in before the Space ended.
Elf notes the disconnect between these kinds of professional events and the broader image of crypto. Bearsnake says that Consensus isn’t corporate in a bad way, but it’s corporate in a professional way. Bear says he also saw Bitboy and says he wanted to “suckerpunch him in the jaw” and asks if that would be good promotion and stating, “My fists are registered weapons.” The conversation segues to more about crypto combat briefly before returning to Bitboy. Elf says that when he was first starting in crypto, he found value in Bitboy’s content, but now he just finds him hilarious, like “a clown car crashing into a burning building.”
Tad Speaks About the Cult
Tadmajor then speaks a bit about the Cult, its conduit to the part of us that wants to create, and then shares kind words about many Wizards in the community before ending with, “This Cult is fucking fire,” and apologizing for swearing onstage. He says he’s feeling the Magic. Elf says “Rune of Up Only,” and notes there are upcoming “tectonic shifts” to the project.
Cult Content Chronicle
Then the show winds down with the Cult Content Chronicle—art from within the Forgotten Runes community aggregated every week by Tania del Rio.