Scribble #78

The highs and lows of being a geek: Feeling ambivalently giddy with joy and guilty for buying so much crap on the internet.

(Yeah, managing money can seem like a curse.)

My Sailor Moon Crystal Tarot Deck - a handful

Pick a card, any card.

In the name of the moon, I'll guide you!

Graphic Novel Review - 'Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of the Fire Prince' by Kevin Panetta (Writer), Paulina Ganucheau (Artist), Sarah Stern (Artist)

Yeah! I finally got the sequel to one of my favourite comics!

And I have to say, it is very different from what I expected, and I barely knew what to expect to begin with. Basically, it's about how our five kickass girls of the Zodiac Starforce (of America?), Emma, Kim, Molly, Savi and Lily, have to fight monsters, and then a Big Bad named Pavos (the titular fire prince), a blue-skinned, pink-haired metrosexual, summoned by Diana's minions from the last volume. He was formerly betrothed to the dark goddess Cimmeria. Unsurprisingly, she is not the only goddess not to appear in this instalment; Astra is AWOL, too, powerful guardian and caring mentor that she is.

Normal lives, normal friendships, and normal relationships clash with the supernatural threat and terror. But then the Zodiac Starforce of England turn up in their own spaceship, and appear to want to help the teenage girl heroes. But there is distrust and ulterior motives all around. Secrets and hormones. But they learn to work together and everything works out fine in the end. Or does it?

'Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of the Fire Prince' is very dramatic and fun. A lot of action is on display, but it doesn't detract from the character pieces and development.

The leader Emma, aka Gemini, is, out of the blue, having boy trouble, and she appears to have grown much more violent and aggressive after the events of the first volume. But her confidence, sensitivity, and protectiveness of her friends always shine through.

Kim, aka Taurus, is brilliant; we see her family and home problems, her adorable and supportive relationship with her boyfriend (we need more of this portrayed in media in general), and her ambition to be a wrestler - we need stories about lady wrestlers, please! Plus she has Sailor Moon's Moon Stick in her room - a fun little detail!

Molly, aka Ares, is more fleshed out than in the previous instalment; she is given more to do, has meaningful interactions with her friends, especially Emma, and the foreshadowings of her future development are excellently done. What direction is the writer taking her?

Savi, aka Pieces, has a pet tortoise named Hellboy. Oh, and she's as cute and tomboyish as ever, and her relationship with Lily, aka Libra, the newest member of the Starforce, is realistic and ultimately positive; the message is that communication is the key to making any relationship work.

The outgoing Savi and the shy Lily, who doubts being special and important to the team, work wonders together as lovers. Nice 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' namedrop, too.

Really, everything about these girls and their friendship with one another is charming.

In this volume we meet some new characters: Capricorn (no other name given), the older leader of the Starforce of Britain; Sam, aka Cancer, the male medic and healer; Alex, aka Aquarius, the blue-haired archer; Jack, aka Leo, the ladies man; Lux Han, aka Sagittarius, a funny and sarcastic whip girl (in more ways than one); and Jenny, aka Virgo, the distrustful grouch of the team who cannot let go of the past.

Each of these magical people, more experienced that Emma and her magical girls, are diverse, and some subvert gender stereotypes, such as Sam being the healer who doesn't really fight, and Lux is a tracker. I've wanted to see British magical girls since forever, as well! Not a lot is revealed about them yet, however. Regardless, they, along with everyone else in 'Zodiac Starforce', would make fun playable characters in a fighting game.

The villains are certainly memorable. Before even getting to the fire prince, we have Alice... and there's no real point in talking about Cimmeria's other rejected minions, because Alice steals every panel she's in. From barely having a presence in the previous 'Zodiac Starforce' adventure, here she is a leader, and certifiably insane and mad with power. Like a demented, psychopathic Alice in Wonderland, dressed in black. Clearly she was inspired by evil blonde characters in shows like 'Buffy'.

Pavos, the flamboyant and narcissistic demon, freed from his five-hundred-years-prison by Alice in a blood-sacrifice ritual meant to summon Cimmeria, can be annoying and OTT - meant to parody 'Sailor Moon' villains - but he has his funny moments. His deadly powers and drive to remorselessly kill anyone in his path make him a legitimate threat.

Any complaints I have about 'Cries of the Fire Prince' can be overlooked and understood in reflection and hindsight. Though I'm not sure about Emma's hetero love life and where it's going. The High School Detective Club from the first volume went nowhere in volume 2, except to have the only HSDC member to appear in it (who was literally in the background previously) serve as Emma's failing relationship. Where did that come from? How? But yeah, the club of ordinary teens who are fans of the Zodiac Starforce and can potentially be a help to the girls - they are brushed aside to make way for the other Starforce team.

Also, who made the creative decision to have one character say, "I think [spoiler name] is hurt", when the person they are referring to is bloodied, beaten and unconscious in their arms? You THINK they're hurt!?

And volume 2 ends in a cliffhanger. *sigh*.

But I am excited as to where the storyline goes next. Mostly in regards to Emma and Molly. Let Kim be a wrestler, too!

Oh yeah, and I do ship Emma and Molly. They are great together, as best friends, developing into something more, hopefully?

'Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of the Fire Prince' does its job - I am craving for more of this new magical girl team! Seeing as I am usually majorly disappointed by sequels, that is astronomical praise coming from me. The character work is strong, if limited due to issue length, and so are the action and drama. The artwork is lovely, colourful and expressive as ever.

So while I don't think it's as good as volume 1, it is a worthy sequel to the 2016 hit.

If this franchise doesn't become famous in the comics sphere, if not beyond, merely due to its genre, then I don't know what to believe in anymore. Magical girls are cool, as I've stated many, many times before. 'Sailor Moon' and its silk ilk and influences are heavenly gifts!

Final Score: 4/5

Non-Fiction Review - 'Whispers of Healing Oracle Cards' by Angela Hartfield, Josephine Wall

Not a book review. But:

Beautiful art on the cards. Fifty in this pack, each as diverse as the last.

The 'Whispers of Healing Oracle Cards' by Angela Hartfield and Josephine Wall are about health and spirituality. Self-love and support as well. 

I admit to not having really used these yet (and healing oracle cards are not the same as tarot, apparently), but I already feel that they will have a calming effect on me (or maybe that's the perfume on the new deck). Ahead are some lifestyle changes, and finding new ways to look after my health, physically, emotionally and mentally. Most of all, I'll just remember to breathe and sleep; not so many late nights on the computer on a work day. Less stress and moodiness coming on my path. Balance and happiness might be around the corner, in time.

The little instruction manual is loving and positive, explaining each magical, peaceful, fairy-like card. 

I was drawn to these particular cards, and did they choose me?

Final Score: 4/5

Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Useless Magic' by Florence Welch

2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



'The stars
The moon
They have all been blown out
You left me in the dark.
No dawn
No day
I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart.' (Cosmic Love)



Magical, haunting stream of consciousness. Right up my moondust alley.

I like the songs of Florence and the Machine ('Shake it Out' is my absolute favourite), and the lead singer and songwriter, Florence Welch, really sounds like a wonderful and interesting person. Like my teenage self writing songs and poems that are dark and meaningful, or I thought that they were. Florence has talent that shines all the way through - in her music, writing and art. And she's English, like me!



'No more dreaming like a girl
So in love with the wrong world.

Snow White's stitching up the circuit boards
Synapses slipping through the hidden door
Snow White's stitching up your circuit board.' (Blinding)



'Useless Magic' is like Florence's scrapbook, filled with her old notes, photos, drawings, paintings and sketches, as well as Florence and the Machine's song lyrics, which are the finished product. And poems. A beautiful, introspective and gothically-inclined mind that is lost, lonely, scared yet in love with the sadness of the world. It can come up with the most extraordinary images and themes. It's like Deviant Art in the old and mystical book form.

'Useless Magic' is mesmerizing and spellbinding. It can be looked into at any page, any time, and what emerges will... interest you, to say the least.



'Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way
I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play.

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself.
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn.

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out
Oooh whoa.
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out
Oooh whoa.
And it's hard to dance
With a devil on your back
So shake him off
Oh whoa.' (Shake It Out)



So many positive messages about hope and love for something seemingly weird and macabre as well. Florence Welch is one of my newest heroes. Someone so multi-talented needs to be recognized.



Best quotes:

'2 knives in a gift box.'

'The Amazing Self Destructo Girl:
She's not here to save the world.
If there's a bad decision to be made, you can be sure she'll make it!
If there's a promise to be kept, you can be sure she'll break it.'

'No one is not loved.'

'Become a Beacon.
Keep that flame alive.
The future is within you.
It burns bright in your heart.

Raise your love.
Hold it high.
Let it shine for miles and miles.

You are not alone x.'

'One grand moment is all I ask.'

'A crucifix and the Hollywood sign. At least we'll always have that between us.'

'Too fast for freedom.'

'Passive aggressive cups of tea.'

'I have only ever tried to show you beauty.'

'I see angels everywhere.
They walk the street without their wings.
I met one crying in a hotel bar
Trying to explain things.'

'I could fall in love with a plastic bag, if it paid me some attention.'

'The lazy buttered toast smell of someone you love.'

'Chaos magic.'

'Anti-fuck boy magic magic!'

'My mind has claws and sets of teeth
If left unchecked it will eat and eat:
Depressive Packman.'

'I guess I won't write poetry, I'll just stare at my phone for fucking eternity.'

'Songs can be incredibly prophetic,
Like subconscious warnings
Or messages to myself,
But I often don't know what I'm trying to say till years later.
Or a prediction comes true and I couldn't do anything to stop it,
So it seems like a kind of useless magic.'



'Useless Magic' - A rustic packaged gift from the forests and the city streets and flats. A notebook filled with reality and fairy tales, made interchangeable.

A book by someone who is both an idealist and a realist; a genius.

Final Score: 5/5

Scribble #77

Another day, and another, and another, and another where I'm glad that I don't use Twitter. I never will. It is a toxic, nightmarish cesspool over-brimming with abuse, harassment, bigotry, hypocrisy, ignorance, unfathomable vitriol, and everything evil that humanity has to offer, and worse more.

Internet comments hurt. Innocent lives have been destroyed because of platforms like Twitter. Platforms, especially on social media, are a privilege, and are therefore vulnerable to abuse by those with more time on their hands than a molecule of a conscience picking on easy targets; and who wish to watch the world burn for their own personal amusement. Like ants on a sweet. Or vultures on a carcass.

Twitter apocalypse: Twitter is trash. We have to do better than this. Or it may be the end of us.

Book Review - 'Les Misérables' by Victor Hugo

Well, I did it. I read another long-ass classic. 

I finished two long-ass classic books within a year.

'Les Misérables' is easier to get into than 'War and Peace', and is far more interesting and entertaining. It took me just five months to finish its over-1200-pages, instead of a year and three months, so that should tell you something. Also prior to reading I was familiar with the story and main characters, since I really like the musical and its 2012 film adaptation. 

'Les Misérables', the original book, threads many great themes into its narrative - poverty, war, freedom, redemption, forgiveness, the depths of humanity, religion, politics, philosophy, ways to be a family and a community, friendship, companionship, charity, and revolution - which still have relevance to this day. The times when the author inevitably does go on diatribes and historical infodumps in chapters, it isn't so dense, irrelevant and dull that it takes you out of the story entirely. Victor Hugo came across as more open-minded, more passionate, and less cynical an historian than Leo Tolstoy as well.

The characters - Jean Valjean, Javert, Marius, Thenardier, Gavroche, Cosette, Enjolras, Fantine, the Bishop of Digne, Fauchelevent, Mabeuf, and Gillenormand (Marius's grandfather), among others - are given such raw, distinguishable personalities, and so much thought and emotion (as well as sufferings), it should be praised to the heavens. I liked these people, even the ignorant and despicable. 

Gavroche is even more of an adaptable, charming, witty, brave, snarky little lad than he is in the musical. He is a ray of light and hope in a grey, dirty, selfish, greedy, and uncaring world. 

The main hero, Jean Valjean, is fascinating. He is an admirable human - more than that, he is a testament to the limitless capabilities of the human soul. He is charitable and altruistic throughout the book, after his revelation in life early on, thanks to the kindly Bishop, leaving his past as a convict behind him; a past which, along with his tortured conscience, will catch up to him eventually, even after decades. Jean Valjean, whose physical strength matches his almost-unshakable emotional and mental power, is a fatherly hero worth rooting for. 

Young student, and a baron's and a colonel's heir, Marius Pontmercy, for all intents and purposes, should have been unbearably whiny and annoying. But due to Hugo's writing and understanding of youth and humanity, he is one of the most endearing and believable characters. He is simple, narrow-minded and stubborn, but wants to improve his flaws, and ultimately he does. Marius represents a hope for change and growth, even in his shallowness, and stalkerish behaviour towards the naive Cosette. 

Police Inspector Javert is an unstoppable force of nature; a man made of stone, embodying unchanging convictions and values, who sees the world only in black and white. Javert is like a scary yet revered bull, hard and oppressive but in the most positive way; as you read 'Les Misérables' you really feel his presence on every page he appears in.

Whilst reading 'Les Misérables', I was surprised by how funny it could be at times, though that might have been mostly unintentional. The novel contains some witty dialogue, banter and insight between the characters, but then there are moments such as Fantine's death: now, in the musical, her death scene is one of the most tragic and heartbreaking in the whole thing, where she is given the time and respect she deserves on her deathbed; and in the book, it happens suddenly in one small paragraph, when a bedridden and vaguely-dying Fantine receives bad news concerning her daughter (Cosette) and a man (Valjean) she had come to trust and depend on, and she just whimpers and--bangs her head, she's dead, Jim. It's kind of comical. 

A weird whiplash, to say the least.

While I enjoyed 'Les Misérables' for the most part, I have to say that after a third of the way through, I gradually started to lose interest. I don't know, maybe the build-up to the 1830s Paris revolution and the barricades was getting tedious, the history lessons too long-winded and on-the-nose, and the characters' actions making less sense as the book went on. 

Valjean's reasons and motivations for suddenly joining the barricades were details that needed to be expanded on, more than other details especially. 

Eponine, one of the main characters in the musical, is merely a named footnote here: she is the Thenardiers' eldest daughter, grown up to be poor and miserable with her criminal family, who meets and falls for Marius, who barely pays her any attention because she's plain and poor, and she sabotages the delivery of a letter to his beloved, pretty and privileged Cosette, dresses as a boy to join the fight on the barricades (off-page), and then she dies in Marius's arms after saving him. And that's it. That's all there is to know about her character. We hardly get any insight into Eponine - even the more minor players get chapters dedicated to their thought processes and backstories - and her famous 'Rain will make the flowers grow' death scene in the musical is yet another footnote in the book. Nobody, especially Marius, pays her any mind after he lightly kisses her on the forehead when she dies. After she sacrificed herself to save him. What a prick.

I tried to keep an open mind in regards to the sexism in the novel, and the time it was written. It still got a bit much. For example, older, big and/or "ugly" women are either ridiculed or villainized or both, like Madame Thenardier (who dies off-page near the end, with literally no explanation as to how, unlike the musical where she lives and happily goes on to be her husband's partner-in-crime). Mme Thenardier is an abuser who is routinely abused and ordered about herself by her smaller, less tough and more weaselly husband. Older women who are servants or unmarried family members to the main men are also repeatedly ignored and pushed to the side or out of a scene entirely. 

It is said in the text a lot that women need to be protected by their fathers and then by their husbands. Women are the weaker, fairer sex - that is a statement in 'Les Misérables', presented as fact. 

Cosette, as a child, as "the Lark", starts off interesting and "plain"; a little girl coping with terrible abuse at the hands of Mme Thenardier, until she is rescued by Valjean, who raises her as his daughter, in mild wealth and happiness (plus the years of hiding and education in a convent). As a teenager, Marius disregards Cosette in passing on the streets. But then she conveniently "blooms", and becomes so damn pretty that Marius is instantly infatuated with her and can't live without her. 

The relationship between Marius and Cosette is more developed in the book than in the musical, where it's love-at-first-sight and boom! marriage ten-minutes-stage-time-together later. The book's romance can be sweet, despite Marius's stalking. However, the previously suffering-yet-independent Cosette comes to exist as a man's property - Valjean's and then Marius's - and that is her character arc. Plus she's beautiful and young, the very ideal of femininity and pure goodness in a woman. Barf. 

For all the author's talk about "progress" and how vital it is for humanity to survive, the gender roles being left unexamined and unchallenged sure felt like an oversight.

At least, in the case of Fantine, Hugo barely avoids slut-shaming by describing prostitution as a ditch-poor, despairing and desperate last resort available to women stuck in poverty: they are the victims, unfairly treated, monstrously abused, not to be blamed for their tragic circumstances. Though whether prostitution should be described exclusively as like devil's work for the lowest of the low, always taken advantaged of, is another can of worms entirely...

There are also whole chapters dedicated to the history of Paris sewers, I'm not joking. And the last thirty pages of the novel are literally Hugo explaining his own themes and theories he'd already expounded throughout 'Les Misérables'. Did a lot of writers in the 17th-19th centuries not trust in their reader's intelligence? Or believe in subtext? Though education, not to mention wealthy and healthy experiences, were very limited to an extreme number of people back then; on the other hand, gigantic infodumps are not what people read stories for, even back then, I'm sure. I suppose it's my limited free time and short-attention span talking. I still tolerated these parts more than I did with 'War and Peace' and its fifty-pages of nothing at the end of its run.

And in this day and age, I can't support a piece of work that is pro-Republican, no matter the time period it was written. 'Les Misérables' = How certain things can change drastically, for the better and for the worse.

In conclusion, in spite of my enjoyment turning sour and bored, resulting in mixed feelings overall, I still recommend 'Les Misérables'. Whether you are a fan of the famous musical that spawned from it or not. It is a rich and passionate study on the human condition, the rich and the poor, classism, politics, progress, freedom and happiness, the need for revolutions, rebellion and uprisings in every generation, faith, life, and death. The histories it teaches us about tyrants and dictators and the dangers they pose - past, present and future - are needed right now. 

Past literature and "classics" do still need to be read and listened to. They can be viewed as beacons of hope, as well as warnings. Backwards thinking only leads to stunted growth, misery, hatred and ignorance for everyone.

Final Score: 3/5

Scribble #76

"I sure love love triangles!" said no one ever.

I never knew how much I loved the sound of rain. The break in the heat is needed here. I will never complain about the cold again.

Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Practical Magic: A Beginner's Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells' by Nikki Van De Car (Writer), Katie Vernon (Illustrator)

'An Enchanted Introduction for Casual Clairvoyants and Weekend Witches.'



This takes me back to my teenage years, when I was mystical-and-astrology-curious. Starry-eyed.

Everything in 'Practical Magic: A Beginner's Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells' is exactly what it says on the tin. It is brief and simple in informing each topic, but the writing treats its readers like adults. It spoke to me on a profound, nostalgic, and, strangely enough, grounded level. 

For anyone who might be at least a little curious about magic, energy, chakras, auras, crystals, herbs, tarot cards, pagan holidays, astrology, horoscopes, dreams, lucid dreaming, and palmistry; the book validates it. It is about focus, meditation, believing, healing, and finding your true self; and finding a healthy balance in your life - in mind and body - over many things. Love most of all.

For a starting point, 'Practical Magic' is mature, yet personal enough to keep the reader engaged. Very interesting stuff. A tiny but beautiful treasure, full of lovely discoveries. I might buy a tarot card deck or two after reading this.

It doesn't cover everything to do with witchcraft or mystical forces, of course; there is no list of gods and goddesses to idealize or invoke. It is not entirely a universal experience. It could have better explained what smudge sticks/wands are, too, among other details. But there are always some new things that even experienced and well-versed witches or witch experts can find out in different books, and 'Practical Magic' is no exception.

The refined mystique, that is this witch book.

Nice illustrations, as well.

A positive and honest review that reaches out to different people, so mote it be.

Blessed be.

Final Score: 4.5/5

Last of the figurine and plush collection (for now ;)

She-Ra! Wonder Woman! plus TV DVD collection

Anime, and other plushies :)

Rosalina and Dixie Kong

Apparently sent from the heavens, by this lighting :D

By the blondes! of games!

My Superheroine collection

(And Rosalina got in there as well)

Stuff on my Wall (spot other trinkets as well)

Me after swimming for the first time in ages, in my Luna Lovegood glasses!

What else to do in the hottest weather ever?

ALOY!

Coco Bandicoot

My merchandise concerning the girl genius bandicoot herself.

Scribble #75

The worst thing about the world ending before your eyes - as in, everything is dead and there is just. too. much. horrifying. horseshit going on in the world, and you are just. so. fucking. tired of it all? Feeling powerless to stop it. Or you try to do something good, no matter how little a good deed it is, to show that morality isn't dead, and it isn't making a lick of difference. And nobody cares about you and what you do. You are ordinary, insignificant, not super in anyway, try as you might be somebody important, and this frustrates you immensely.

Common sense, human decency, facts, truth, progress - these are dying, and you feel powerless to save humanity, which is on the brink of collapse. It might already be too late to try to change anything, for we as a species are now broken beyond repair, and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

At least there are many artists and activists who are striving to change things for the better for the world right now. Pop culture can save us, as insane as that statement sounds. Pop culture isn't merely escapism - which is also toxic and dangerous for our times - it reflects social and political truths. Everything is political - this has always been the case, and the sooner we all realize this, the sooner progress can happen. The sooner 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Hunger Games will stop becoming a reality.

We have always been warned by artists. It is time to finally start listening.

Never forget history. Never forget the past.