elsandifer

[elsandifer]

Have you snagged yourself a copy of Moore & Moore's Bumper Book of Magic yet?

Yeah. Gorgeous book, and by miles the best general introduction to magic I’ve read.

[elsandifer]

chances you'll get back to the cyberpunk book at some point?

Unlikely for 2025 at least

[elsandifer]

What part will the Harley Quinn fart comic play in the magical war?

None whatsoever

[elsandifer]

Are you doing a December playlist this year?

I do them every other year at most

[elsandifer]

certainly not the biggest takeaway from this essay or even the most scathing remark. but its the one that ressonated the most with me personally. the problems with inclusive heathenry are the same as those within the Democratic party and neo-liberal orgs more broadly. the problem being less with bigotry and exclusion and more to do with appearing to be bigoted. bringing up an issue is a worse sin than causing it. and among other points she makes, is the reason i have not attended or been a part of any heathen event or organization for over a decade and have absolutely no intention of doing so in the future

the entire thing is well worth a read

[elsandifer]

I’ll full disclosure this one; I went heavily on the assessment of the person I was referring to with the “some of my best friends are Runers” line, which was that the Gild is not in practice fash. I’m not entirely convinced by that assessment, and I wasn’t when I wrote the essay either, but it seemed the best way to handle the issue within that piece. Ultimately, I was aware that this was a rabbit hole you could go very deep on—and I appreciate greatly that you did. I was also aware that it was beside the point to a great extent. I looked into the history of rune yoga, for instance, and ultimately concluded that “Kummer and Marby were pretty fash but also got thrown into a concentration camp for being slightly the wrong flavor of fash” was just going to overcomplicate things. And more broadly, I wasn’t comfortable accusing Rancid Vibes of being a cryptofascist, not least cause I don’t think he is.

So I went with the “sketch but not blatantly fash” position because it was the safe one that neither ignored the issue nor risked overplaying my hand, and it let me keep the Gild from overshadowing everything else in the essay.

But I sure as fuck wouldn’t want to be a member, and that’s not just cause I wouldn’t be caught dead doing rune yoga.

It occurs to me that I've not posted my diss novella about the five years I spent attempting to find a place in the heathen community here. So, um, here, have a twenty thousand word gonzo journalist epic about the nature of religious experience, toxic communities, and spiritual disappointment.

[elsandifer]

Does Luigi Mangione have any impact on the implications of Neoreaction a Basilisk?

That really depends on whether he’s a turning point or an aberration.

[elsandifer]

Suppose David Carron puts a hit out on you, what would you do then?

Be unexpectedly impressed, then dead. I have a lot of questions about this scenario though.

[elsandifer]

I'm about to start reading the Marston Wonder Woman for the first time and wanted to ask: How do you view the development of the strip? Does it start good and stay at that level or does it improve as it goes? What would you consider the peak period for Marston?

I’ve not read those comics in over a decade, so I couldn’t honestly tell you. I think I broadly remember it declining over Marston’s run, but fairly slowly.

[elsandifer]

It occurs to me that I've not posted my diss novella about the five years I spent attempting to find a place in the heathen community here. So, um, here, have a twenty thousand word gonzo journalist epic about the nature of religious experience, toxic communities, and spiritual disappointment.

[elsandifer]

what are your thoughts on the whole "the magician is male, magic is female" bit in Promethea?

It’s inherited pretty straight from Crowley. Not exactly my favorite notion, but I don’t really vibe with gender essentialism in magic in general as you can imagine.

[elsandifer]

Has there been much response to today's piece from among the Thing community?

Assorted changes to both my and Penn's Facebook friends lists, so they're reading it.

[elsandifer]

I just wanted to say: your latest post was gutwrenching and beautiful and darkly funny, as ever, and I’m sorry you went through that experience: but if it’s not too personal, and at the risk of being off the cuff - even just whilst reading it, it made me rethink and understand - and not understand - my own personal attitudes toward community and religion, in a way I am glad for, that I want to learn from, embrace, so thank you.

Thank you. It means a lot.

[elsandifer]

What did you make of that animated Zack Snyder Norse show?

Can't honestly say "watch a bunch of viking shit" has been my mood over the past few months.

[elsandifer]

"New" is a really weird choice of words here.

Source: Common Lives Lesbian Lives; A Lesbian Quarterly ( #29 - Winter 1989 )

[elsandifer]

This is possibly the greatest work of philosophical pessimism ever.

[elsandifer]

Wasn't "red bicycle when you were 12" meant to foreshadow a plotline RTD came up with where the Doctor had been manipulating Rose's timeline or something? Either way the criticism is weird to me, because it seems like part of being a Doctor Who fan has historically meant looking past the sometimes uncomfortable implications of the Doctor-Companion relationships.

That plot was, iirc, the one pitched by Paul Abbott in a script that never got made.

As for the larger issue, we all know none of the basic tropes of Doctor Who apply to Moffat episodes because those must be read with the most bafflingly hostile lens imaginable.

Which is to say, I stand by my accusation of paranoia.