2/23/26 - RSS?

"Hey Phantom, why don't you have an RSS feed? You obviously like to mimic a lot of other sites that do have RSS feeds." Well you see, the regular updates that I provide on my website tend to be here on the diary page, and while the idea of someone popping in to skim my diary for advice is fine to me, the idea of being able to subscribe and read my thoughts in real time gives me existencial dread! It might not make sense, but yes I have considered adding it and decided against the idea.

2/21/26 - GENIE

No words. I lied about how much I paid for her (but still not as much as you may think) to my family. Shes one of the most beautiful things Ive ever seen. I know shes a knockoff strat, I dont care about the Fender name, she'll play just as beautifully. I wish I could wax poetic, but it's like looking at your wife on your wedding day, what am I supposed to say?

2/13/26 - Friday the 13th

Jason Vorhees is my Valentine tomorrow. 💖

2/3/26 - Procrastination tips

I added a whole page on dnd today, but I wanted to rattle off some of the most helpful procrastination tips for a full update.
* Split it into smaller tasks. What EXACTLY has to get done
* Organize by deadline. What has to get done first, has to get done first.
* Don't think about the after. Trying to bribe myself has never worked, but if I act like there is nothing else in the world except this task I have to do, it makes it easier to complete.

2/2/26 - Unmedicated

Early last month I decided to stop taking my meds, which normally I wouldn't talk about because thats such a personal topic, but I have some thoughts to work out, so here we are. I did it for a handful of mixed reasons, I no longer have health insurance so I was going to run out regardless, I wanted to have the control to decide that I would deal with the effects at that time and not later when I didnt have the time or space to handle it. Another is simply how, like I said, I'm back at school and I hate everything about this, so I didn't see the point while knowing how little its done for me in the past in this context. Last reason is bullshit. I know it is, and I would never say this about anyone elses medication, but I feel like should be fine without it. I have this sense of 'why are you taking medication to manage your anger, if you snap and scream and break things it means youre an abusive piece of shit' and maybe I am, but apparently I'm an abusive piece of shit whos tried to fix it with various meds and therapy options. I don't know, this feels far too complex. I'm trying to focus on figuring out a way to get my hands on hormones now, so at least I have a distraction.

1/13/26 - School

My classes started yesterday. As usual, I have an intrinsic mental connection between my college and suicide conceptually. Maybe it's because of how many times a student I knew killed themselves on campus. Maybe it's because I hate half of the people here.

12/28/25 - My Birthday. I Guess.

It has come to pass. I'm 26. My birthday was better than expected, good cake and good videogames.

12/14/25 - BBFs Birthday

My best friends birthday was today, so we decided we would all trade gifts for her since we struggle to get together and we all have December birthdays. A gift that stood out is from her mom, she got each of us a bracelet with a QR code, the bracelet sales went towards turtle conservation and you get to track your assigned turtle with the code. Another friend and I both got this turtle, so heres a link so we can all watch Shirleen living her best turtle life together.

12/12/25 - Sticker Update

I bought some new stickers! I just wanted to show off how my laptop looks with them. Also, I've been thinking about seeking an autism diagnosis, but I'm not sure considering the way things are currently going in the US, I think it might be a very bad idea.

12/1/25 - The First

Well, it's December. My least favorite time of year, with everything that makes me anxious and sick feeling. Can we go back to autumn, anyone? Thankfully I at least have most of my holiday shopping done, thank goodness for Etsy. Today I still have some monthly tasks to get done that I'm dreading like emailing my academic advisor, plus I work tonight, but hopefully I'm lucky and no one at work will talk about the holidays. I'm also dreading that I know my name will be on a list of people at work whos birthdays are in December, I just hope since it's towards the bottom I can be a little sneaky. Off to figure out what a good gift is when you have a friend who is now engaged...

11/22/25 - Sensory Nightmares

Some things at work have really been a struggle for me recently. I feel like I have to acknowledge that I'm more sensitive to some things than other people, and at work dealing with them has been difficult. A big one for me is smell, I am around dog food a lot at work and even the tiniest whiff of dog food can make me an absolute misery. I know a lot of people are senstive to sounds, but at work I cant help but ask my manager if there is any way to turn the regular speakers down since its nighttime, it shouldn't bother anyone being a little more quiet, but the 'regular' volume is so incredibly loud to me, and I HATE loud noises.

11/20/25 - Room Designs

These are some screenshots from the game My Dream Setup, I really enjoy getting to plan and design cute rooms. Lots of people in the Steam community show off rooms that I would consider works of art that theyve built using creative methods to work "out of bounds" by propping things up to create second floors or multi-room creations. These are my own humble little designs though.

11/19/25 - My Plants!

11/16/25 - Skincare

Today I thought I would talk about skincare. The extreme multi step routines are harmless, but I dont think they do much good, just drain your wallet. Personally I do have a favorite brand, but I keep it simple. Moisturize, use body and hand lotion and plenty of lip balm. Here's some of my favorite products.

11/15/25 - My favorite foods

When I started my new job they had me fill out a sheet about myself, with most of the questions about what food I like. I was surprised I struggled so much, so I decided to make a collage here.

10/31/25 - Happy Halloween!

Todays movie is Halloween of course! Any Michael Myers movie works, if you have a favorite. (Note: Gosh I want to try this bath bomb...)

10/30/25 - Halloween Eve

Movie options: The Crow, or The Craft if you don't want sad. Today I got to go to a Halloween party! It was a lot of fun and I left with a bag of candy.

10/29/25 - On Break ATM

Jennifers Body, or The Ring if you want a classic.

10/28/25 - Still Sleepy

Todays Movie is The Addams Family if you want something more tame, or Terrifier if you want to go big. It would feel wrong if I didn't give an alternate option to Terrifier.

10/27/25 - Everything Hurts

Movie is Childs Play or any sequel. I'm gonna go sleep for a million years.

10/26/25 - Halloween Week

This is the last week before Halloween! Time to start reccing the heavy hitters and have lots of alternate options, todays movie is Scream, or even a Scream marathon.

10/25/25 - A Day Off

A day of no work before working again tomorrow, yippee! Movie: An American Werewolf in London. Glamgoria shop link.

10/24/25 - Woohoo

Todays movie is The Candyman. The night shift went great, I'm exhausted and have to work again tonight so nothing more to add, but good vibes and lots of love.

10/23/25 - Life Changes

Today is my first day of the new job! I have to leave soon but I wanted to post my update first. Todays movie is The Evil Dead. I was throwing up earlier so wish me luck on my first overnight shift please.

10/22/25 - New Loading Screen

Movie: REC.

10/21/25 - Nothing new

Movie: GhostWatch or The Fly.

10/20/25 - Exhausted

Movie: Ginger Snaps.

10/19/25 - Job Training Today

I really liked Jake, Consuela, and Megan. :( I'm glad Alan is still in it, I hope he wins. Movie: Predator or The Boy if you want spooky.

10/18/25 - Traditions

Pretty much the only Halloween tradition my mom and I have been able to keep alive is that we watch Halloween Baking Championship together, and I'm happy that today we started this years season of it. My least favorite baker was removed early, and so far all of my favorites remain. Movie: Alien (1979)

10/17/25 - Auto Update Posts Is Fixed

LOTS of updates to the site today, and Nightmare On Elm Street is gracing our screens today. Also I am getting a horrible persistent itch telling me to learn more about ammature/HAM radio...

10/16/25 - Puppy Time

I've been dogsitting recently, and she's sooo cute. I wanted to show off the hairstyle and color I'm aiming for here too, which is the reason for the images. Todays movie is Friday the 13th.

 

10/15/25 - Movie Only

I enjoyed the movie yesterday so much. Todays movie is My Bloody Valentine.

10/14/25 - Haunted By Daylight

I have spent a ridiculous amount of today playing this years Haunted By Daylight and watching Twitch streams of it to earn drops. They even sent out an email with a code for a Halloween charm, it's sooo cute and I love it. I'm off to a friends house and this friends favorite series I'm pretty sure is TCM, so todays horror movie is the 2003 Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

10/13/25 - Gallery Populated

I massively increased the gallery through last night and today. Today I'm watching Hostel.

10/12/25 - Site updates

Todays movie is The Conjuring, not much else to say as I've been busy updating the desktop with resources and adding lots and lots of new buttons and stamps to the gallery.

10/11/25 - Camping

Today I've been camping with my family. Kids in costumes are going from site to site trick or treating, decorations are up, one site even set up a foux sewer grate with a pennywise mask in it and is attaching treat bags to red balloons. Just a fun day with fun people. In honor of the coolest decorated campsite, todays movie is Stephan Kings IT. The original though, not the remake, even if I love Bill Skarsgard.

10/10/25 - A Couple Quotes

"Art is our spirited protest, our gallant attempt to teach nature her proper place" - Oscar Wilde
Movie: The Rite
Zoltar cards printout link.

10/9/25 - Wahoo!

I didn't have time to watch the movie last night (I fell asleep) but I DID get the job! Yippee, time to spend too much at Spirit Halloween! In all seriousness, I needed it, and I'm really happy. I'm officially a night shift worker! I won't get any answers today from the medical appointment, but hey, I'm probably fine. Today I'll probably catch up on the movie I didn't watch yesterday, so I'll leave you with a recommendation. One of my favorite corny 2000s horror movies of all time is House of Wax 2005. Bo Sinclair my beloved, I could make that man worse, and Paris Hilton is in it!

10/8/25 - Big Changes

Tonight I have an interview, this has been my best chance at getting a job in a long time, and tomorrow I have a doctors appointment to finally find out if something suspicious I've had for years is life threatening once and for all. I've been sick all day with nerves, but I'm telling myself these are good things. I won't be getting home from my interview until nearly 2am, but I'll be watching today's horror movie then. I haven't yet seen Late Night With the Devil, but it seems applicable, so that might be tonights film. Goodnight to everyone going to sleep before me.

10/7/25 - Movie Only

Todays movie: VHS! A real update coming tomorrow.

10/6/25 - A Moodboard

This moodboard captured the feeling of Halloween that I love so well, I just had to share it. I've been doing my usual song and dance of figuring out exactly what I want from Spirit Halloween, and I always take pictures so I can rent the books there from alternate sources. So far the things I've settled on as really wanting are a Michael Myers costume (maybe I'll get one to hand out candy) and some Ouija merch, either the purse or hair clips, either way it's all so cute. Todays movie is Saw. Have a good night, everyone!

10/5/25 - Stickerssss

A sticker sheet I made, here for anyone to use! Any time you're proud, slap a sticker on that bad boy. Today I'm watching the Japanese film Audition.

10/4/25 - Boop 2.0 Commemoration

Today I went to a pumpkin patch and picked out one to carve! I also picked up a spooky crochet kit but I'm learning that I am absolute dogshit at things that don't require muscles or computers, so we'll see how that turns out. Maybe I'll post a picture here. Anyway, I'm like 70% sure that anyone reading this would be more familiar with Neocities than Tumblr, so let me introduce you to the Boop counter! On Halloween last year we all got to smack each others blogs as spooky cats. And for todays movie: my mother is trying to demand Jeepers Creepers, but I'm not big on that one, so personally I'LL be watching As Above So Below. Cheers!

10/3/25 - Decorating

Today I'll show you my button and sticker collections! (With a couple charms mixed in) Today I'm watching Heart Eyes.

10/2/25 - Planning

For todays movie I'll be watching Cabin Fever.

10/1/2025 - Halloween Checklist (From my blog)

• Eat squash soup/pumpkin roll/other autumn foods.
• Make leaf stamps
• Watch horror movies (One every day of October if you have the time)
• Play Haunted by Daylight/Phasmophobias Quest/Other games Halloween events
• Wear a costume on Halloween (Full costume or low-key, either works)
• Pass out candy to kids at night/carry and share a bag of candy corn during the day
• Carve a pumpkin
• Do a corn maze/hay ride/attend a party
• Decorate!
• Visit Spirit Halloween to look around and try the animatronics
• Watch The Chainsaw Awards

I also wanted to add: If youre keeping up with my blog posts, you might want to go to the home page of my website and click where it says "Pastel Goth". Theres a list of themes, and the "Classic Goth" theme is for Halloween! I think for todays movie I'll be starting with Hellraiser.

9/30/25 - One More Day

To be honest, today I just want to share this image with you. I suppose its also worth mentioning for the first time in a while, I've been consistently hitting my steps goal (or at least thats what Google tells me) and I think thats worth being proud of.

9/29/25 - Sticking With It

I missed a few days of posting because I've been busy, but I'm still posting and I'm linking some of my past rants and reviews. I can't promise an update every day, but I will when I have something to say. The quotes below are itching at my brain to be used for lyric inspo.

1. The Song of Achilles

   LINK - My favorite quotes
   I imagine tearing down our tent, smashing the lyre, stabbing myself in the stomach and bleeding to death. I want to see his face broken with grief and regret. I want to shatter the cold mask of stone that has slipped down over the boy I knew. He has given her to Agamemnon knowing what will happen. Now he expects that I will wait here, impotent and obedient. The last image I see is of Hector, leaning seriously over me, twisting his spear inside me as if he is stirring a pot. The last thing I think is: Achilles.Menelaus has something in his arms. A grass-stained foot hangs loose. Locks of tousled hair have slipped from the makeshift shroud. The numbness now is merciful. The last few moments of it. Then, the fall. All he can see is the bloodstained cloth. With a roar he throws Antilochus from him, he knocks down Menelaus. He falls on the body. The knowledge rushes up in him, choking off breath. A scream comes, tearing its way out. And then another, and another. He seizes his hair in his hands and yanks it from his head. Golden strands fall onto the bloody corpse. Patroclus, he says, Patroclus. Patroclus. Over and over until it is sound only. Achilles' eyes lift. They are bloodshot and dead. "I wish he had let you all die." Agamemnon is too shocked to answer. Odysseus steps into the silence. "We will leave you to mourn, Prince Achilles." "I hope that Hector kills you." The breath rasps in his throat. "Do you think I do not hope the same?" he asks. He weeps as he lifts me onto our bed. My corpse sags; it is warm in the tent, and the smell will come soon. He does not seem to care. He holds me all night long. And I think: do not fear for Troy. It is only Hector that he wants. Hector, and Hector alone. When Hector is dead, he will stop. No, I beg him. It is his own death he holds, his own blood that will spill. He does not hear me. "There are no bargains between lions and men. I will kill you and eat you raw." You have killed him and taken your vengeance. It is enough." "It will never be enough," Achilles. I cannot bear to see you grieving. His limbs twitch and shudder. Give us both peace. Burn me and bury me. I will wait for you among the shades. I will-But already he is waking. "Patroclus! Wait! I am here!" He shakes the body beside him. When I do not answer, he weeps again. "Do you know what I have borne to make you great? And now you would destroy it for this?" She points at my festering body, her face tight with disgust. I am done. There is no more I can do to save you." Her black eyes seem to contract, like dying stars. "I am glad that he is dead," she says.Priam's eyes find the other body, mine, lying on the bed. He hesitates a moment. "That is--your friend?" "Philtatos," Achilles says, sharply. Most beloved.When they are gone, he slumps next to me, his face against my belly. My skin grows slippery under the steady fall of his tears. The next day he carries me to the pyre. He collects my ashes himself, though this is a woman's duty. He puts them in a golden um, the finest in our camp, and turns to the watching Greeks. "When I am dead, I charge you to mingle our ashes and bury us together."Achilles hears the faint hum of its passage a second before it strikes. He turns his head a little, as if to watch it come. He closes his eyes and feels its point push through his skin, parting thick muscle, worming its way past the interlacing fingers of his ribs. There, at last, is his heart. Blood spills between shoulder blades, dark and slick as oil. Achilles smiles as his face strikes the earth."On the hill," Odysseus says. Menelaus nods. "A fitting place for them.""Them?" There is a slight pause. "Your father and his companion. Patroclus." Do not let it be so. Do not leave me here without him. The kings exchange glances. "Very well," Agamemnon says. "It shall be as you say." I am air and thought and can do nothing.In the darkness, shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.
   

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2. Aesthetic, Evil, and Homosexuality

   LINK - My favorite quotes
   "The word 'aesthetic,' which comes from the Greek meaning 'to perceive.'" "The art is more important than the artist, aestheticism tells us" "Elegance is more important than suffering." "Aestheticism, as a movement, is about seeing more of the beauty in the world than most people notice, since, for example, most people don’t really notice a good-looking font, or a talented colorist for a comic book, or a nice use of enjambment." "Walter Pater, who said that all art aspires to the condition of music—to a state of abstraction free of content." "Being true to ourselves, Pater suggests, keeps us from new impressions and new opinions." "“The Art of Killing” Andrea Zanzin overviews the way in which Harris’s crime novels were always about art." "If art is the end, then people can be a means to an end, and using people as a means to an end is the definition of immorality." "Hannibal’s murder scenes are too beautiful, audacious, and unrealistic to be sad or funny. On Fuller’s Hannibal, the viewer must accept the show’s apparent unconscious premise, which is that all the killers attended the same highbrow MFA sculpture program, a program that values aesthetic, and emotional, distance. Paglia says that Wilde’s Dorian Gray “is the fullest study of the Decadent erotic principle: the transformation of person into object d’art,” 73" "loss of identity is total and communicated with the most abstract imagery (3.6). They are no longer human; they are pure symmetrical design, mirror images blending into each other, part of what rock critic Perry Meisel calls Pater’s “psychedelic sublime”:" "That cave where people sit in the dark, facing the same direction, watching illusions on the wall projected from a man-made light source is not a place of ignorance and fear, as Plato thought. It is a movie theater.49 It is not a prison. It is the temple of the aesthete. The phrase “Art-for-Art’s Sake” lives in Latin above the roaring lion at the start of every MGM movie" "Dante placed homosexuals and misers on the same level of hell because he saw the sins as fundamentally similar: unproductive love. In the Christian tradition the purpose of love and sex is procreation" "The show makes this stark distinction over and over: you live on after your death through your art or through your children, but not both." "“Each man kills the thing he loves” writes Wilde." "Wilde (via his character Gilbert) on music: 'After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own.'" “Art is our spirited protest, our gallant attempt to teach Nature her proper place.” "Oscar Wilde, in “The Critic as Artist,” wrote that the highest form of art criticism “treats the work of art simply as a starting point for a new creation.” Harold Bloom will expand this into saying that the only proper response to a poem is another poem, and he considers his critical work about poetry to be a 'severe poem.'" “Moral grounds are always the last refuge of people with no sense of beauty.” "If we really want to experience all that experience has to offer—which might include religiously or morally forbidden foods, challenging art, drugs, homosexuality, or murder—we must lose ourselves."
   "“The Quinto Quarto evolved from necessity to become high tradition” (3.3), and Hannibal serves it in the fashion of a triple Michelin star restaurant. This is what Fuller is doing with Harris’s novels and the movies: translating them into a higher sphere, from fantastic pulp to high art." "Mads Mikkelsen says Hannibal is “doing what the rest of us should have done our whole life, except for the killing thing, I guess. Embracing life. Every second is an opportunity for beauty.” “He’s a happy man,” Mikkelsen says, “I have rarely given life to a character that is as happy as him.” 197 Elsewhere he says “There is no reason to listen to boring music, you may as well listen to fantastic music, or drink a fantastic glass of wine. And for that reason [for Hannibal] banality is sin.”"" "His mental space is not a place where he returns to his murders, but where he calls up excellent singers he has heard. He tells Will (quoting Harris): Hannibal: If I’m ever apprehended, my memory palace will serve as more than a mnemonic system. I will live there. Will: Could you be happy there? Hannibal: All the paths, chambers, are not lovely, light, and bright. In the walls of our hearts and brains, danger waits. There are holes in the floor of the mind. (2.13; H48)" "Zachary Quinto yells at Bedelia that “This is culty and weird” (3.10) and he is referring to therapy, but that goes double for the show he is in. The Red Dragon himself calls Hannibal’s press notices “unfair reviews” (3.10), and Reba laments that “people don’t pay attention” (3.9), which feel like digs on the mainstream viewing audience. Fuller would surely endorse Oscar Wilde, who said, “Art should never try to be popular. The public should try to make itself artistic.”" "Tobias tries to kill Hannibal with a cello string, and Hannibal stabs him with a pen before crushing his skull with a sculpture of a stag—their whole fight uses art and the tools of art rather than any conventional weapons. That connection of art and violence is of course central to Dorian Gray, where striking the painting kills the subject of the portrait.” "This is the under girding of the poetic language in Hannibal. It is a universe where every word matters. It is an indictment of the sloppy language used by other shows and other people as insufficient tools to figure out the answers to the questions Hannibal is asking, and insufficient to build the kind of world Hannibal is building, one more perfect and more beautiful than our own."
   "In the middle of season 3, Will sits in Hannibal’s kitchen, where Hannibal killed Abigail in front of him, and where Jack and Alana were brutalized. Alana enters in a wheelchair, still reeling from being attacked, and Will explains his friendship with Hannibal. Their conversation could be any defeated Aesthete talking to any Social Justice Activist, as given below: Bloom: Friendship with Hannibal is blackmail elevated to the level of love. Will: A mutually unspoken pact to ignore the worst in each other in order to continue to enjoy the best. Bloom: After everything he's done, can you still ignore the worst in him? Will: I came here to be alone, Alana. (3.4)"
   

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3. Crush

   LINK - My favorite quotes
   "I couldnt get the boy to kill me, but I wore his jacket for the longest time"
   "Okay so I'm the dragon, big deal"
   "Forget the dragon, leave the gun on the table, this has nothing to do with happiness"
   "You do this, you do. You take the things you love and tear them apart"
   "I wanted to fall down right there, but I knew you wouldn't catch me because you're dead"
   "You are a fever I am learning to live with"
   "I don't really blame you for being dead but you can't have your sweater back"
   "I took the bullet for all the wrong reasons, I’d just as soon kill you myself"
   "Do I have to tie your arms down? Do I have to stick my tongue in your mouth like the hand of a thief"
   "This is not harmless. You are not breathing"
   "don't leave the room until I come back from the dead for you. I will come back from the dead for you"
   "the parentheses all clicking shut behind you"
   "I wanted to hurt you, but the victory is that I could not stomach it"
   

   ---

4. Cryptozoology Rant

   LINK

   Cryptozoology is the search for and study of animals who haven't been proven to currently exist, whether that be because its supposedly extinct or because people say its straight up bullshit.

   I fucking love cryptids. Here's my personal ranking of just some of the cryptids in the notebook Ive been keeping since I was 20, with anecdotes.

   1. Mongolian Death Worm. Hell yeah baybee, its worm time. Its a Tartar sand boa I'm gonna be so real with you right now. That's what it actually is and I love it. Wiggle on, little buddies. 10/10
   2. Thunderbirds. Either the Teratornis lived WAY longer than we think OR its an Andean Condor, but either way, I love Big Ass Bird. 10/10 The picture that made me love them:

   

   There's supposedly a picture very similar to this but its a cowboy with the bird nailed to a barn, they say it was in a newspaper in the old west and I would kill to see it.

   3) Kraken. Its a giant squid. Not much to say, I just love that for years people went "There's big ass squids" and no one believed them and then a guy straight up CUT OFF A TENTACLE and brought it back and people STILL didn't believe him. How much does your town have to think you're crazy for a whole leg to convince NO ONE. 9/10 very cool

   4) Flatwoods monster. I'm gonna be real with you I think this ones made up but I love how cunty they are. Unrateable/10 for being fake but 9/10 for queen vibes.

   

   5) Fresno Night Walkers. We don't know! We have videos of these little guys and no one knows what they are!! 11/10 for cuteness, 9/10 for engaging as hell.

   

   6) Mothman. I'm not talking about him everyone knows him I want to peg him yadda yadda onward!

   7) Aliens. They are real. Like I've given pretty reasonable explanations so far but there's military videos?? The Italian government possibly got in a shootout with them? I think we need to just accept this and move on, in 2018 I graduated high school and even our current events professor just let us write about aliens because they'll probably be confirmed in our lifetime. 7/10 We need new info on them, I'm losing interest

   

   8) Loch Ness Monster. She is not real BUT searches for her have funded so much actual research about the ecosystem she deserves a spot anyway. 7/10 Everyone say "Thank you Nessie"

   9) Ozark Howler. This is only up here because I love cats, I don't think its anything other than tall tales, but if new evidence came out I would move it up to top 3. 5/10 I love cats

   

   10) Goatman and Jersey Devil. Lets be real its the same thing and its both someones way of saying they saw the devil in their small town. 4/10 for consistency.

   11) Dover Demon. This gets to be on this list because it made some people think the Rake is based in reality (its not) and I think that's funny. 3/10 for funniness and alliteration.

   12) Loveland Frog Man. People said it was a 4 foot tall frog man. It was definitely an iguana missing a tail from a predator. 3/10 People should have figured that one out sooner.

   13) Bigfoot. Oh my GOD shut up about him. Its all Bigfoot, skunk ape, yeti, batsquach, its all Bigfoot and I'm so tired of him. Give everyone else here some love, would you? This guys so pretentious. 1/10 I hate how hes taken over the study of cryptids.

   My personal favorite who hasn't been mentioned yet: Chupacabra. It MIGHT be a coyote with mange and the people who claim to have taxidermied ones definitely have coyotes. "But Mark, if that's the case why do you love it? What makes this different?" This is the cryptid where the evidence matches up the LEAST. There's too many different accounts, and there's reason to believe there may actually (FOR ONCE) be a legitimate genetic mutation to create some kind of dog creature in the area. I could do a whole post about them alone but I want you to do your own research and enjoy what you find.

   

   Now go forth and spread the good word of animals that may or may not be real!

   ---

5. Wiccapedia

   LINK

   

   WICCAPEDIA: A modern-day white witches guide
   

   A book review from a (not white, I adore my hexes and curses too much) witch

   [[MORE]]

   Throughout this book the terms wiccan and witch are used interchangeably which I will acknowledge is factually incorrect however seeing as the book is on beginner magic I wont throw a fit over. The book is not a book on the history of the occult or witchcraft, which absolutely would have to make that distinction right off the bat. Im hoping that any baby witches would know better and start with history before moving on to reading about how to start practicing and be able to acknowledge this small but aggravating misstep themselves.

   Complaints I've had:

   • The phase "So mote it be" shows up incessantly. I understand this is how they close out their spells but its not something all, or even most practitioners do and so it became a weight on the writing itself very fast.
   • Page 65- 'dark occultists make new moons unusable with chaos magic' (this is paraphrased, other quotes are direct from the book) is the general message in a small chapter here. It isn't dwelled upon or explained, or ever brought up again, though it did take me by surprise, it would have been simple enough to leave those two or three sentences out which is why this shows up on my list.
   • On pages 85 and 245 they don't encourage but they do mention that 'some people' prefer to use bottled water instead of tap because its "more pure". Something about it just felt weird considering as witches, aren't we expected to protect the nature we love so much?
   • On page 180 the phrase "gypsies" was used a few times in a paragraph, now I know nothing about this issue, and I could be entirely wrong but I believe recently it came to be understood that this is a slur. Now, I do not believe that this was done with any ill intent, just naivety to the issue, which is understandable if you've not done much research further into Roma culture, but it did seem worth mentioning since I don't want someone to jump into this book and be slapped in the face by a slur they didn't expect to see. (Before anyone attacks me, I spelled out the word because if you don't, a block system won't grab it and hide it from people who have the word blocked. Miss me with your performative acts of caring.)

   Some notes I have:

   • In the candle magic area, specifically pages 70 and 71, I felt the correspondences were mostly accurate though there was some discrepancies I've seen between lots of mainstream sources vs this book on the colors blue and purple. This can change person to person of course but I want to take notes on EVERYTHING I see. (I don't have as much experience as either of these women, I have only been practicing for about 7 or 8ish years, I am just going off of the sheer massive amount of information I take in since I've read so many different accounts)
   • In the index spiders are listed as being page 215, I found in my book they were actually 125, this could be based on the specific print of it that I purchased.
   • Ley-lines don't appear in the index but there is mention of them which was the only thing I felt deserved a spot in there that didn't have it. (Page 121)
   • Page 5 says "Wicca is an open-minded faith that you can fine-tune to suit your own needs. There is no specific rule book to follow," so it is made very clear that they are telling you to take all information on practicing with a pinch of salt (heh, get it? Salt?) I mention this because several reviews also claim that they make many sweeping statements on 'all witches believe-' this or that, which I wasn't even able to find in this book despite the disclaimer.
   • On page 155 I found a sweeping statement, the only one I was able to find, though admittedly I didn't read the one chapter on angels. "wiccans do not believe that the devil exists" is the quote, which yes, is annoying but when you consider that they used 'wicca' and not 'witch' in this case, is accurate. Some witches believe in the devil, true.
   • This book is class-aware, there is comments on higher prices and notes on what isn't worth it, on how several things aren't really necessary, and with enough research and intent, you can make anything work even on a budget.
   • Its worth noting that this book does have a gender binary but not aggressively. There's a couple notes of 'for girls do this, for boys do that' scenarios but its not overly talked about and its clearly not meant with any malice the same way they mentioned a husband marrying a wife in the area on handfastings. These instructions are simple enough to change for your own situation and as a gay trans man I can tell you with assurance it doesn't feel uncomfortable, just kind of like a relative who cares about you and is unaware of anything beyond 'boy' and 'girl'.
   • Page 2 refers to their own practice as "angelic wicca". I am mentioning this as it is stated clearly right there at the beginning. I saw several reviews of the book complaining that it wasn't made clear enough that they didn't practice traditional wicca. Nuff said, you just didn't read the intro and that's your own problem.
   • As for "angelic wicca", I saw several reviews claiming the book is just FULL of information on angels. I will admit, I didn't read the chapter on angels, but i took a sticky note to mark the whole thing and clarify how much actually talks about them. Below is a picture of my book with the sticky note, as you can see its quite small and no bigger than the focus on any other average kind of magic, and they are not mentioned throughout the book, just offhandedly a few times in the divination section, and it is easy enough to ignore. I would say this book is definitely not defined by this and you could get the book and be happy with the rest of the content even if, like me, you have no interest in angels.

   

   What this book did well:

   • I feel like one of this books biggest strengths is its huge range of commentary. It covers lots of different types of witchcraft and does a pretty decent job hitting the basics. I also appreciate the personal stories, I wasn't expecting a informative book to make me laugh but here we are.

   What I would say to a baby witch reading this guide:

   • Research online more. Read everything you can. Check out moonlight academy. The more research you do before doing anything, the better.
   • Make a witch bottle. Just in case. A little extra protection is grand. https://moonlightacademy.tumblr.com/post/155321188310/witch-bottle
   • Don't bother reading the first appendix. It's the only, and I mean only, part of the book I genuinely believe isn't helpful and does potentially more harm than good with it's complete criticism of any witch who strays to a slightly darker side of magic now and then.

   Wiccapedia doesn't cover every option obviously, there's thousands of ways to practice at least, however another book that does an alright job going over lots of different options and doesn't repeat what we have already seen in Wiccapedia is The Beginners Guide to Divination.

   

   Closing notes and final rating:

   Mmm. Maybe a 4/5 stars. 3/5 if I'm being stingy. The information isn't perfect but they do a fantastic job explaining intention even if they pretty much never use the word "intention" itself and the information is at least decent. Worth a read if you really are a beginner or if they have a chapter on something specific you're interested in, my main reason for buying the book is I'm interested in trying a pendulum and I understand that their chapter on it is very well done. (I found it very concise and helpful.) I will say most reviews I've seen are waaay too harsh though. If I could change just one thing I would remove the first appendix entirely and leave the rest.

   Sidenote for fun, the symbols on the cover:

   The symbols on the cover are never explained in the book aside from the main pentacle, so I thought I would put a name to each so people can do their own research. Clockwise starting at the top, we see the triple-goddess, the triskelion, the horned god, the celtic knot, and the wheel of the year.

   Image credit

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6. Books not in my home library yet that totally should be

   ---

   1. Four
   2. The Graveyard Book
   3. Gone Girl
   4. The Cruel Prince
   5. Matched
   6. The Selection
   7. The Maze Runner
   8. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles)
   9. Fanboy and Goth Girl
   10. Fangirl
   11. The Bone Witch

   ---

9/26/25 - Struggling

The worst thing about mental illness in my particular experience is it never goes away, but sometimes its hard to see, even for the person experiencing it. I don't recognize it when I skip my usual second, third, and fourth cups of coffee and just sip a little bit of water all day, but it becomes apparent when I'm shirking duties and getting yelled at for not completing tasks, and later in the eventual private breakdown. It's not just me who goes through this and yet every one of us feels so alone when it happens. Well, I'm metaphorically reaching out and handing you a tissue. We're sharing the after-cry headache. Sometimes you feel like the superhero in a marvel movie, and sometimes you feel a little too much like a depression documentary. Or maybe I just shouldn't have watched Boy Interrupted.

9/25/25 - A Challenge

When I made this website I decided to challenge myself to attempt to make it interact with as many senses as possible. You know the five senses we all learned as children, taste, sight, sound, smell, and touch. Well, I'm trying to trick our brains into experiencing them here to help make this an escape. I am most proud of smell, when you to to the "About" page, you might not even notice but in the background vanilla flowers, lavender sprigs, and coffee beans rain down, hopefully making you subconsciously smell it. On the same page I chose pictures of my cats where they look extra fluffy, to make it so you can almost feel them. On the "Café" page theres a youtube video embedded at the bottom, if you play it theres ambient coffee shop sounds, and I also added a pinterest feed to help really sell the visual aspect. That just leaves taste. In my opinion taste is the hardest sense to play on, and I don't have a really good dedicated option for it. Right now, the best I have is just the searchable "food" tag on the main page. If you think of a good way I could add taste, please let me know!

9/24/25 - Abiogenesis

I should review Phasmophobia. Yes, that is the only thing I have to report. I'm depressed and job hunting, give me a break. W069LNIC150002161038132

About Me

It's not a typo, its a portmanteau. Pomona is the Roman goddess of good harvest, specifically as it applies to orchard fruit. Her name is derived from "pomum" which outright means orchard fruit, usually in reference to apples. I grew up on an orchard farm, and the people who worked on the farm were my family and some men my grandpa knew, who spent the summers on my grandparents farm and the winters in Mexico. They were my neighbors, and I picked up some basic Spanish, promesa is the Spanish direct translation for "promise". Pomona + Promesa = Pomesa

When I was a little kid, maybe 8 or 9, my older brother introduced me to computer games. At the time my favorite was Fish Tycoon, it came free on our old Windows PC, my mom got me games that came on disks, mostly childrens art programs, and I loved them. When I got the hang of how to use our dial-up internet I played things like Webkinz, Build a Bear, Disney.com, and American Girl University, and when I was a preteen my dad decided to make me my own email, so I've had a Google account since 2012 as well. I have memories of playing Solitare and Purble Place on the laptop my father built, and of asking my grandparents if I could play 39 clues on the desktop in their office, computers have been a major piece of my life for a long time. I have always prefered sitting inside doing puzzles on a computer over running around outside, and for a while I found it embarassing, but I've grown to appreciate the experiences I had. The oldest friend I have I met while we played computer games side by side in the middle school library on its new computers.

You can call me Pomesa or Phantom. I'm a year old genderfluid TMLM from the Northeast USA. (The age is a script, its always accurate) In the past I've worked several IT jobs, so you might see some of those habits showing up in how I run this. On my website you can see me having a blast rambling about things I love like coffee, cats, code, and horror. Some goals a person can have are short term, like how I want to buy a Tea Tree Plant or learn more about electrical responses. Others aren't so cut and dry. I'm including my bucket list here so you can get a better idea of who I am as a person, since the goals make the person.

• Go Skydiving
• Have a Picnic in a Cemetary
• Attend a Drive-In Horror Movie Showing
• See My Favorite Franchises (Halloween, Scream) in Theaters (COMPLETE)
• Go See A Famous Rock Band Perform (COMPLETE) (BOC)
• Go See A Local Rock Band Perform (Does my own count?)
• Get Snake Bite Piercings
• Get a Nostril Piercing (COMPLETE)
• Get a Tattoo of One of my Knives
• Get a Tattoo of My Cats (COMPLETE)

On the far left is Bear (Male), on the far right is Boo (Female), and the cat in the middle of both pictures is my sweet boy Motive, he's the glue that holds us together.