Tarot Readings, Magic Princes, and Kickbutt Evil Scientists

Chase Bailey

I’m all about tapping into the mysterious unknown and trying to make sense of the nonsensical, which is why this week I’m sharing my current appetite for pick-a-card tarot-reading videos on YouTube. There are tons of channels that you can choose from, but my particular favorite is Charmed Intuition Tarot. There are readings for all types of things, and I just watched her video “September 2019 Predictions.” You’re encouraged to take a breath, clear your mind, and choose one of three decks, which she’ll then do a reading for in tandem with a charm casting.

Part ASMR, part opportunity for a little self-introspection, I really have come to enjoy watching these videos and seeing how her predictions align with my personal goals (I’m big into manifesting right now). Her voice is super calming, and, if anything, it’s a great way to visualize positivity for oneself. I’m not saying her September predictions are correct (we’re still in August!), but I am saying I’ve latched onto her positive message about as much as I desperately latch onto a good result on a BuzzFeed quiz.

Zoe Nepolello

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a diehard V.E./Victoria Schwab fan. This woman can write anything, and I’m all-too-eager to read it. Her most recent venture is a medium that’s relatively new to me, but that doesn’t make me any less obsessed with it—comics.

With The Steel Prince, Schwab has created a kickass prequel to her Shades of Magic series. And while I absolutely recommend that trilogy (guys, it’s so good), these comics stand completely on their own.

The story follows young prince Maxim Maresh as he’s sent to a violent and unmanageable port city in his kingdom, with orders from his father to cut his military teeth in this lawless environment. As of now, the comics are set to have three arcs (The Steel Prince, Night of Knives, and Rebel Army), and with two of those arcs already being out (and the first bound up as a graphic novel), now’s a great time to get started!

These comics excel in so many ways. The world is built spectacularly, especially for people who have never been introduced to this world’s complicated magic system; the panels are used perfectly to tell the story, nailing the layout, pacing, camera angle, and overall cohesion of each story of Maxim Marersh; and, not least of all, the art here is just fantastic. With these comics, Schwab has really shown her talent and versatility in all manner of storytelling. Whether you’re a comic enthusiast or just starting out, I highly recommend picking up these gems.

Giancarlo Riccobon

A Town Called Panic is a movie for adults that haven’t grown out of playing with toys. After a lot of films that try a little too hard to be photorealistic (looking at you, Lion King remake!), I find it refreshing to see a stop-motion film that makes no effort to hide the fact that it’s stop-motion. It’s designed to look like the animators grabbed some plastic action figures and a video camera and started goofing off. The characters waddle around on their plastic bases like the army men from Toy Story. Here’s the plot (though I use that term loosely here). When Cowboy and Indian realize that they forgot to give a birthday gift to Horse (who is the closest thing to a responsible adult in this world), they mistakenly order 50 million bricks when they only meant to order 50, thus triggering a chaotic chain of events. In any other movie, the nonsensical plot would have been a death blow. Here, it makes perfect sense, as if the story is being told by a six-year-old who is making it up as he goes. Kickbutt evil scientists? An underwater department store? Sure, why not? In fact, “Sure, why not?” is the motto of the entire movie.