Welcome back fellow Witches and Pagans! We hope you enjoyed your weekend! This week for Airy Monday we've brought you a whole gamut of stories featuring magic and religion in pop culture. Read on to learn how one self-defined "urban hipster" got involved with witchcraft, which popular villains were most successful, and how the animated series Steven Universe has developed some of the most complex protagonists in television. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Witchcraft is not for the faint of heart, claims an anonymous writer for Bust, who details her first experience with the Craft in this article. After initially seeking out the "witch" lifestyle out of a sense of curiosity and daring, the author learned that being a witch is often rewarding, but it requires a lot of hard work.
One of Marvel's most popular rising stars is also it's quirkiest. Over at Comics Alliance, Matt D. Wilson takes some time to talk with writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson, the two architects behind the recent (and very successful) comic The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl, featuring the titular squirrel-communicating mutant. Follow the link to read more about the character's appeal and what's changing for her in light of the Marvel universe's recent tossup.
What would have happened if Lucy and Edmund Pevensie hadn't stumbled into the magical wardrobe in Digory Kirke's house? Could the Mayor of Sunnydale have triumphed? Which villains came closest to victory before those meddling heroes intervened? Feminist website The Mary Sue has the details.
Is online harassment a given? To we just assume it's part of the internet's culture and not something we can solve? Hold on a minute, says video game designer Jeffrey Lin, that's not the way it has to be. Over at re/code Lin talks about the roots of bigotry and harassment online and why we need to fight it.
Are you watching the fantasy series Steven Universe? If so you might find this recap of some of the most recent episodes by io9's James Whitbrook interesting. In it he discusses how Steven Universe, despite its light and family-friendly nature, is full of surprising depths.