#kostej

Will-'o-the-wisp of Bratislava is one of my all time favorites written by Lenona Štiblaríková. Urban fantasy with slavic mythology (like. Bludička. Vodník. Upíri. Kostej. Poludnica. like. Hello??), great mother-daughters relationship, an unromanticized friendship between a man and a woman, bit of a romance, bit of adventure and a fukton of humor. It's very easy to read, you won't be able to put it down. I like to call this kind of book a "book in swimsuit" - underdressed for most occasions but perfect for holidays (or any other day). It's a rather heartwarming read, sprinkled with perly ducha - pearls of spirit (something really funny, not an in-joke, but more like iconic quote or a phrase. Napr. this exchange from movie Pacho, hybský zbojník:

- Daj sem bičík! (Give me (here) the whip!)

- Nedám bičík! (I won't give away the whip!)

- Daj sem bičík!!

- Riť Paľovu! (lit. Paul's ass; Not in a world and you can kiss my behind while you're on the way)). I recommend it if you can speak a bit or understand (Slováci a Česi, prudko odporúčam, zaštíte sa. Východniarske perpetuum mobile? "Vypi, bo naľato, naľej bo vypito...").

From the cover (excuse my translation. I tried. I died. Hope it was worth it.) :

"Will-'o-the-wisp Malvína works in Bratislava as a tourist guide. She tangles the ways of uncomfortable customers and similarly gets rid of annoying passers-by. Sometimes she uses the services of taxidriver and [as my sis has called him] emo-mage (emotion-mage) Alexander and drops by a café called 'Pod Lipou' (Under the Lime-tree), whose owner, Branislav, has sold his soul for the formula for the best coffee in the world. She tries to keep both of her friends away from Serb Zlatko Zebić, owner of the cruise ship Damijana, anchored on Danube.

The world of magical beings - The Others - set in the present-day Bratislava catches the attention of reader from the first page to the last, not only by the story but also by humor so typical for Lenona Štiblaríková, a bit cynical, a bit sarcastic but always above the situation.

It's no surprise that the author impressed the judges of Karel Čapek's Prize 2013 so much, that she had won with ease in category 'nouvelle' and became the absolute winner of the competition and the prize-winner of the prestigious Mlok award.

Similarly, the story (counte) "Dříme na loži z měděných drátů..." (She slumbers on a bed of copper wires....) by Tereza Matoušková, put in the second part of the publication can be proud of the most precious laurel-wreath, first place in the competition "Sieň ohňa - Draci, vlci a bájne tvory" (Hall of Fire - Dragons, wolfs and mythical creatures) held at Slavcon 2014. Scifi from a planet on which ended not only garbage but also 'uncomfortable' people, offers a story of hope, that can be born even in a hopeless world. "

-Katarína Soyka

Product Mock Up- Armour Spell Seals

This is an idea I’ve had rambling around in my head awhile, based on the Purity Seals of Warhammer 40K, but also with some real world basis, mostly ofuda in the East and prayer scrolls in Medieval Christianity.

The inspiration is ribbons of parchement, inscribed with prayers or spells and affixed to armor with wax seals. The execution of the product would be sigils made into iron-on patches, with canvas ribbons, with a spell or invocation written on them.

This particular mock up uses a new sigil based on the story of Kosciej, the Deathless, a sort of lich-wizard of Slavic myth who gained immortality through hiding his soul in a needle. The needle was then placed inside an egg, which was inside of a duck, which was in turn placed inside a hare, which finally was put into an iron chest and the whole thing buried beneath an oak tree. The idea being that you couldn’t kill or seriously injure him, without first finding his soul.

The sigil is made from his name, Kosciej, and the spell seal has the following invocation, in Polish (well, Google translated into Polish)-

“I have hidden my soul inside a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare, inside an iron chest, beneath a green oak tree. No harm may come to me lest it first find that needle”