Image 1 — "The Rose Codes: Book of Initiations" by Mariya Nurislamova:
Image 2 — "The Rose Codes: Book of Initiations" by Mariya Nurislamova:

"The Rose Codes: Book of Initiations" by Mariya Nurislamova:

Despite being an atheist-antitheist myself, I have a strong interest in New Age beliefs because I think they present an interesting glimpse into the way that people understand and make sense of themselves and the universe.

The funny thing is that I was agreeing with this reviewer for the first sentence, since I was also rather disappointed and annoyed that this book claims to be providing a new feminist, goddess-centered faith system to the reader only to shortly claim that its "goddess" is the creation of a male-pronouned "Architect" who created the universe. Seemed like a pretty egregious lapse in imagination and common sense to me. (The last few parts about the historical treatment of women and the need for women to forge their own paths isn't bad either.)

However, the subsequent spin into transphobic New Age babbling is absolutely sending me lol. I love how the reviewer sounds so much like an Evangelical preacher telling someone to repent to Christ to save their soul, yet from the complete opposite side of the spiritual political compass.

I don't know if describing men as "wormholes sucking the divine energy of the stars" was supposed to invoke the image of an Eldritch-Freudian penis-shaped Dune-esque space-worm-monster, but it did and I feel so blessed to now carry the knowledge of the funniest thing in the fucking universe with me. I hate the transphobia, but the transphobia is simply too crazy to truly get mad at.

u/Lady_Beatnik — 4 days ago

Saw while scrolling, reminded me of Dr. Mary Malone

Just a cool image.

I hope that one day Pullman decides to explore what happened to Mary and Will. Though I understand that that would be quite a bit more complicated of a story to write given it would need to adhere to real world rules.

u/Lady_Beatnik — 9 days ago

Could Euripides's "The Bacchae" be considered a kind of folk horror?

Obviously it's not in the strictest sense, since Greek mythology arguably is part of the "folk" in folk horror in question generally, but there are some striking parallels in their tropes.

A cult in a far off wilderness, an unknown and dangerous new god associated with madness, modern civilized order threatened by that wild cult/god's power, mild witchy vibes with the female followers, primal acts of violence.

At the very least, even if you can't consider it proper folk horror, I think it will still be an entertaining addition to anyone who is drawn to these kinds of vibes.

en.wikipedia.org
u/Lady_Beatnik — 22 days ago

It was pretty hard, but I did it. Hard to beat the first ever song that made you fall in love with them, though.

u/Lady_Beatnik — 24 days ago

Imagining having a miniature unicorn as a daemon

I've heard that daemons were partially inspired by famous of paintings of ladies with animals, such as "Lady with an Ermine" by Da Vinci and "Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling" by Hans Holbein, which made me recently think of "Portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn" by Raphael. At one point, Pan turns into a miniature dragon during a fight between Lyra and some other children, and Asta combines a few different animal features when Malcolm is a child, so there is some evidence that daemons can turn into mythical creatures.

All this to say that there are few lengths I would not go to to have a cute puppy-sized unicorn as my eternal companion!! I want to BELIEVE!!

u/Lady_Beatnik — 28 days ago

Alpha vs. Traveler, which has been better in your experience?

I already own the Alpha, and it's great and all, but I mostly got it because it was relatively cheaper than the other Freewrite devices at the time. Like most people, I've been most interested in the Traveler, personally due to its larger screen (it's easier for me to keep track of my thoughts/words when I can see more of them at once) and clamshell build (I'm constantly on the go and would feel more comfortable carrying it around -- well, that's why it's called the Traveler after all!), but have always been on the fence due to mixed reviews.

I have enough money saved up for one finally, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy one when I already own the Alpha, or if it would just be an impulsive waste for an identical or inferior product. I've seen some people outright claim the Alpha is better.

People who have used both, what have your experiences been?

reddit.com
u/Lady_Beatnik — 2 months ago

Insanely jealous of this

So clever to turn a Tim Burton Red Queen funko into this. I wish it was real so I could add it to my own collection.

youtube.com
u/Lady_Beatnik — 3 months ago