the fire that never goes out

KILL AI AND REBLOG AND CREATE ART IN 2026

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I once again participated in the Carry On Discord Valentine Exchange. Last year, I sent out Baz, so this year was Simon's turn.

Fun facts:

Every sequin is individually handsewn.

A pipe cleaner in his tail makes it pose-able.

He's also a brooch! (Because who doesn't want this adorable little peach on their lapel?)

I mass produced each of his components one at a time, but the wings were the biggest pain (for reasons that should be obvious). Here are some in-progress pics of my work station. Pictures do not do the sparkle justice!

Now everyone please cross your fingers and cast a little "safe and sound!" so each of these will arrive in one piece to their new home!

"Like this?" Simon answered.

For @erotic-grope-fest, I decided to create a sequel to my 2026 CO Discord Valentines, which you can find here. Safe to say, Simon understood the assignment. Happy EGF indeed, Bazzy.

More fun angles below the cut!

Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re rooting for you! ❤️

For this year’s CO server valentine exchange I made Watford pennant flags! I’ve been wanting to make them for a while and I’m super happy with how they came out! Here’s some process photos!

Soft Snowbaz for Valentine's day 🩷

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made a snowbaz themed Victorian puzzle purse for this year's Carry On valentine exchange 💌

[more pictures below]

something that pre-dates jkr

young wizards by diane duane

wizard's hall by jane yolen

a wizard of earthsea by ursula k leguin

the worst witch by jill murphy

the dark is rising by susan cooper

something for adults that is darker and edgier

the scholomance by naomi novik

magic for liars by sarah gailey

rivers of london by ben aaronovitch

an unkindness of magicians by kat howard

babel by rf kuang

vita nostra by marina and sergey dyachenko

ninth house by leigh bardugo

something for middle schoolers

witchlings by claribel a. ortega

the last fallen star by graci kim

the school for good and evil by soman chainani

the marvellers by dhonielle clayton

charlie bone by jenny nimo

maya and the rising dark by maya barron

something for young adults

hex hall by rachel hawkins

the old kingdom by garth nix

the left-handed booksellers of london by garth nix

the whispering dark by kelly andrew

in other lands by sarah rees brennan

the demon king by cinda williams chima

how to succeed in witchcraft by aislinn brophy

witch haven by sasha peyton smith

legendborn by tracy deonn

Nsibidi Scripts series (Akata Witch/Warrior/Woman) by Nnedi Okorafor (highly recommend)

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett is about Esk who inherited a wizards staff even tho she's a girl. it's an odd one tho, ngl.

the ones below are teacher and apprentice stories rather than off to a school to learn with the masses.

Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy (is old so might be showing its age)

the Mancer books by Don Callander (Pyromancer, Aquamancer, Aeromancer, Geomancer, Marbleheart) might be hard to find but they were cute.

And the Tiffany Aching quintet by Terry Pratchett starting with the Wee Free Men, which has Tiffany being apprenticed with different witches after a big adventure to save her baby brother. (love these books)

The Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C Wrede

More adult-oriented stories;

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey (500 kingdom series) (has romance)

The Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey

Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede

The Cecilia and Kate novels by Patricia C Wrede (victorian epistolary books)

the Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal (Austenish setting but with magic)

Riddle-Master series by Patricia A McKillip

The Warlock of Gramarye series by Christopher Stasheff (sci-fi with magic, probably hasn't aged the best but I haven't read them in ages)

A Wizard in Rhyme series by Christopher Stasheff (old, sci-fi with magic, alternate history)

The Dragon and the George by Gordon R Dickson (again, old)

And her Immortals series!

I'm so excited to finally post the piece I did for the Carry On valentine's exchange from last year 💖💖💖💖💖 Hope y'all like it gang 🫰🫰

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