We're honored that New Zealand poet Edwin Z. Canary makes a cameo in this episode of Grave Mood Rings.

We're honored by this review over at Dabodab:

In an unexpected yet delightful twist of nostalgia and absurdity, Jonathan Caws-Elwitt has introduced us to “Grave Mood Rings,” a web series crafted alongside Craig Conley and Michael Warwick (of Captive Audience and Mystery Arts fame). This series is a carriage ride of humor that blends vampire lore with the most iconic clichés of the 1970s.

For a bit of personal context—as someone who was once nicknamed Barnabas Collins by schoolmates due to my hair—this show resonates on a unique level. Watching “Grave Mood Rings” feels like revisiting a beloved, albeit twisted, chapter of television history.

Each “emptive” episode runs just a few minutes but is packed with layered seventies tropes presented through gauze-lensed scenes. You can viscount on each episode to deliver absurd twists and puns forced through plastic teeth. The Viscount playing an invisible organ and singing with said teeth quickly became my favorite recurring element. His character embodies the blend of humor and homage that makes this series so engaging.

The artist or label describes the show as a mix of vampire humor and 1970s elements such as pet rocks, lava lamps, disco music, bell-bottom pants, mirror balls, and mood rings. (And that’s just the credits preface). “Grave Mood Rings” cleverly parodies slow-moving Gothic soap operas like “Dark Shadows” and the Canadian series “Strange Paradise.” This creative concoction culminates in a series that is both a satire and a love letter to the past.

The setting—a castle—hosts a colorful array of characters, including:

• A Groovy Doctor: A phlebotomist who adds a tongue-in-cheek nod to the show’s vampiric theme.
• A Jolly Housekeeper: Complete with her own laugh track, she brings a meta-comedic touch reminiscent of classic sitcoms.
• A Werewolf Vicar: Infusing the Gothic atmosphere with humorous howls.
• An Arch-Nemesis Riddler: Donning a Sphinx mask, he adds an aura of mystery and mischief.

Corny wordplay, bizarre sing-alongs, and even haunted doughnuts punctuate the proceedings. The humor is in line with sketch comedy classics like MadTV, Kids in the Hall, and SCTV, making “Grave Mood Rings” a refreshing addition to the genre.

Jonathan’s invitation to explore the series led me to the Grave Mood Rings playlist on YouTube. It’s a surreal journey into a world where vampires groove with werewolves and laugh-tracked housekeepers. It’s an experience replete with humor, nostalgia, and a touch of the absurd. Whether you have a penchant for Gothic soap operas or a soft spot for 1970s kitsch, this series offers a uniquely entertaining escape.

So, if you’re intrigued by the idea of witnessing a Viscount sing through plastic teeth or simply crave a good laugh, “Grave Mood Rings” is well worth your time. Dive into this wonderfully off-the-wall sendup and prepare for a nostalgic, yet refreshingly original ride.

We're honored for our Magic Words: A Dictionary to be citied in a BBC News Brasil article about the magic word abracadabra.

Our very own Grave Mood Rings has been hailed on Reddit as a genuine WTF series and likened to the hilarious cult horror series The Heart, She Holler from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

"I feel as though my whole day will be different from here on, just don't know what or how as yet" —BigCrackZ

"Unsettlingly fascinating for sure" —No-Bees

"Bizarre performances" —Percolated_aspie

Reminiscent of the weird VHS tape in The Ring series —alinearis

Catch up with this playlist of all the episodes to date.

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited on the very first page of ‘Awake Your Faith’: Word-Magic in Shakespeare’s Late Plays, a doctoral thesis by Rana Banna, 2024.

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited and recommended in Energy Magick: A Basic & Advanced Guide for Witches & Pagans.

We're honored to be epigraphed in I Don't Know How to Behave by Michael Blouin.

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited in Trigger Warning by Mick Hume.

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited in the Encyclopedia of Mythological Objects by Theresa Bane.

We're honored that our One-Letter Words: A Dictionary is cited in Dr. C. Savithri's "The Language Structure of Sanskrit and Dravidian Languages" (Inam: Multidisciplinary International E-Journal of Tamil Studies).  

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited in Samadova Shaxnoza's "Some Opinions and Comments on Linguistic Means of Magic and Witchcraft in Fairy Tales" (Golden Brain Scientific Journal).  

We're honored to have been featured on Eli Ro's podcast:

I have a book on Astragalomancy that I really like, Astragalomancy: A Loaded Guide: Intriguing Readings of 21 Discrete Dice Throws by Craig Conley and it’s a whole lot of history and some filler, to be honest, but it’s well-written and easy to follow and it is a straightforward guide to dice reading or bone reading. But there’s a bit in there that gives a really good overview ...

There is perhaps no better way to conjure up the spirit of great antiquity than to roll dice. The very ancient game of throwing knucklebones dates back to the Trojan War, if we are to take Sophocles’ word. The original knucklebone was technically a bone in a sheep’s ankle, the astragalus, hence divination by astragalomancy. The great Greek philosopher Plato traced dice even farther back, to the ibis-headed Egyptian god Thoth, inventor of magic and writing and science, divine arbitrator, judge of the dead, and maintainer of the universe. Plato himself played dice not only with cubes but also tetrahedrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, and icosahedrons-the famous “Platonic solids” of geometry. 

Plato said, “God geometrizes,” and that’s a key to why dice have always been associated with divination--the geometric solids, as building blocks of the universe, embody truths on higher planes. Over the centuries, several rules have been associated with throwing dice for divination. However, it is entirely a matter of personal choice whether these are followed or ignored. Many of these rules are arbitrary and were probably developed to add mystery and significance to divination by dice. Do not be afraid to develop your own guidelines, nor to be completely spontaneous, using the dice in different ways according to your instincts at the time. Trusting your instincts is the best way to get a good reading.

In other words, we can go through some common interpretations for certain dice throws and formations, but the more we do it, the more we can and should begin to interpret things using our own intuition and experiences. And that’s the truth for absolutely every kind of divination that we will ever do. The guidelines are just that; they’re guides. They are not the law. Our own sixth sense is always the authority, we should always trust our instincts when it conflicts with the so-called rules. 

We're honored to be citied un Akash Kumar's "Il perché del gioco": Chess and Medievalism in Calvino’s Le città invisibili and Lezioni americane (2023).  See If a Chessman Were a Word: A Chess-Calvino Dictionary.

Thanks to El-Draco-Bizarro for reading our booklet Of Feeding & Caring For Sheet Ghosts as a sheet ghost!

Thanks to GajoobZine for spotlighting our new collaboration with Sigfus of Sweden.

We're honored that the Danish band Cat in a Cage is studying our How to Be Your Own Cat.

We're honored that the Danish band Cat in a Cage picked up a copy of our How to Be Your Own Cat.

Thanks to Corwin Watts, who, after watching the Neons Gone Mad game walkthrough, imagined a neon cat surfing down an erupting volcano.  We tried it — and it all went off with a bang.