The Sian from Atlantis

@parthenoid

Queen. Writer of things, wearer of tight shiny trousers. Them/they, queer/here. Asking the Question in Bodies. Have some form talking about folk horror.

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The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Jul 6

*Weird Scam Thread!* OK so yesterday I got this email claiming to be from @johngwynneauthor.bsky.social. (No shade intended, I'd not heard of him, but important thing is he's a real, respected author with actual fans.) Obviously, it's AI. But can we take a moment to look at how weird it is? 1/

1/3 An email purporting to be from the author John Gwynne entitled "Exploring how myths continue to shape every generation"

The first part reads:

"Hello Sian,

I recently came across your work while exploring books that examine the cultural life of enduring myths, and Atlantis Through Time immediately stood out to me. I was especially drawn to your approach of following the legend of Atlantis across centuries, not as a question of proving or disproving its existence, but as a reflection of how each generation reshapes myths to express its own hopes, fears, and imagination. Tracing its influence from Plato through occult traditions, spiritualism, fantasy, and popular culture makes for a fascinating perspective, and it struck me as the kind of work that hasn't received the visibility it deserves."

Second part of an email purporting to be from the author John Gwynne (2/3):

It reads:

"I am also interested in how you are experiencing visibility right now. Books like Atlantis Through Time often attract readers who enjoy thoughtful historical research as much as compelling storytelling. Have you found that the book is reaching the readers who connect most deeply with those ideas, or does it still feel like there is a gap between the work and the people it was written for?

I am an author as well, based in East Sussex on the south coast of the UK, and I value conversations like this because they tend to go beyond surface level and into what really matters in this space. I also work with JAO Literary Liaison and StoryReach Agency, where they oversee the marketing and reader outreach for my own books while studying how meaningful books connect with the readers who will value them most. If you are ever curious, you can also take a look at my own work here:

(Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Gwynne/author/B00A7RL2X0?)

If you ever feel it would be worthwhile, you can also reach out to the team at JAO Literary Liaison or StoryReach Agency. They enjoy genuine conversations with fellow authors just as much as I do, and I thought I would mention that should the opportunity ever feel natural.

If you are open to it, I would genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts whenever you have the time."

Third part of a fraudulent email purporting to be from the author John Gwynne (3/3)

The closing text reads:

"Wishing you continued clarity and momentum in the work you are doing.

Regards

John Gwynne
A British Fantasy Best Seller Author"

Beneath that is the photo of Mr Gwynne from his Wikipedia page and an email address that isn't the one his real website says you can reach him at, although it says here "I personally respond only theough this email. My social media platforms are managed by my media and marketing team."

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 9

Prediction, Magazine for Astrology and the Occult, Nov. 1966 edition, p.46. John Pendragon fields readers' letters in the Occult Question Time column, and makes one of those risky calls that the mag was so famous for.

A letter and response from Prediction Magazine, November 1966, p.46:

"BEAT IN TIME

One of the Beatles has said that his Group [sic] is more popular than Jesus Christ. What are your views on this statement?"

The answer reads: "The 'popularity' of Christ has already endured for nearly 2,009 years. The little day of these tousle-headed song merchants is already on the wane. In 2,000 years many of 'earth's proud empires' have passed away, so what chance has the cacophonous kingdom of the Beatles? They will be lucky if their reign lasts 2,000 days."

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Mar 12

One dealbreaker for me: when otherwise serious animes occasionally break the animation style in service of an intensely grating tonal shift Anime fan friends have been confused that I should be annoyed by it, because they say it's just a thing in anime. It yeeted me from Demon Slayer and FMA:B.

A comedic moment from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood by way of example. Three characters are drawn in very simple outline, and with faces that are barely emojis.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Mar 6

But recently, I just, yknow, started kicking back by building and tricking out Gunpla. The giant robot kits. I don't really know the lore, but you get curious, right? 2/

A hand holding a built and weathered Master Grade MS Zaku II Char Aznable Custom ver 2.0, a model of a salmon and red mecha. This one is about 20cm tall and is weathered and panel lined. Pretty nicely if I say so myself.

The leg of a built, panel lined and weathered Master Grade MS Zaku II Char Aznable Custom ver 2.0, a 1/100 scale model kit depicting a salmon, black and red mecha from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam.

The rocket backpack of a built, panel lined and weathered Master Grade MS Zaku II Char Aznable Custom ver 2.0, a 1/100 scale model kit depicting a salmon, black and red mecha from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam.

A hand holding a built, panel lined and weathered Master Grade MS Zaku II Char Aznable Custom ver 2.0, a 1/100 scale model kit depicting a salmon, black and red mecha from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam. This time it's shown from the right hand side and clearly displays the arms of the Principality of Zeon over a bunch of kill markings.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Feb 9

I'm watching Farscape for the first time in like 20 years, and it holds up brilliantly, frankly, but one thing I didn’t remember is that one way you knew Scorpius was the most evil jerk in the universe was the running theme that he never, ever paid his freelancers. Not joking. He is a BAD client.

Wayne Pygram as Scorpius in Farscape (1999-2004). A man, shown in head and shoulders sneers. He has an emaciated wrinkled, skull-like face and thin black lips. He is wearing a futuristic leather harness-like mask and a shiny black uniform. It's a pretty kinky getup, frankly, but Farscape was like that.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Feb 9

Seen: KEEPER (Osgood Perkins, US, 2025). ...not a keeper. A handful of spectacular images and a decent ending isn't enough to hang a movie on. Big disappointment.

Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland as Liz and Malcolm in KEEPER (Osgood Perkins, US 2025). Standing on the other side of a window, they face us at a slightly skewed angle and look off into the middle distance, to the right. Liz wears a red sweater and a teal scarf. Her dark hair is short and wavy. She has an uncertain expression. Malcolm wears a green-grey knitted sweater. He has greying hair and beard, and looks content.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Feb 8

Seen: RED ROOMS (Pascal Laplante, Canada, 2023), an absolute belter of a film that deals with subjects that seem depressingly contemporary. A traumatic watch, sure, but it does everything right. Can't recommend enough.

Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne in RED ROOMS (Pascal Laplante, Canada, 2023). Central in the frame is the face of a young woman with high cheekbones and an angular jaw, her long brown hair parted in the middle. She has a passive expression. She wears computer headphones and a black shirt. She sits in a darkened room, and her face is bathed in red light. You can see tiny reflections of her computer screen in her eyes.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Jan 4

It's almost like my offspring made me watch it so he wouldn't have to endure it alone ...

A WhatsApp conversation

Me: I've made it through to episode 7

Me: _Nancy_ is gunning people down with an M16

Me: This is _awful_, Matt

Me: I know sharing suffering with those you love is a thing but whyyyy

Me: HOW IS VECNA DEAD AND THERE'S STILL ANOTHER FRICKING HOUR OF THIS, MATT

Me: They've graduated

There's still another half hour to go (exhausted emoji)

My son: IT GETS WORSE

My son: NOTHING HAPPENS

My son: NOTHING.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Jan 1

He's enjoying my pain

Two WhatsApps from me:
> I'm into episode 3 and I don't think I can take another 5 hours of this
> I'm literally screaming at the screen "STOP EXPLAINING THE PLOT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD"

A response from my son, quote-replying the previous text message and responding:
"HAHAHA"

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Jan 1

My son is encouraging me to watch Stranger Things Season 5 and I got two and a half episodes in and I can't take any more of this. I have caught myself begging the screen out loud for everyone to stop explaining what's literally on the screen to each other EVERY FIVE SECONDS.

Two WhatsApp messages. They read:

"Watch Stranger Things"
"The ending is 'Game of Thrones bad'"

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Dec 19

Received: four copies of TRUTH AND SOUL: A ROBERT DOWNEY SR. READER courtesy of editor and Senpai @kierlajanisse.bsky.social, containing my essay about Robert Downey Sr's Twilight Zone episodes. I wrote it before I came out, but KLJ made sure to correct my name at the last minute. Grateful.

A hand holding a copy of Janisse and Emms eds. Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr. Reader (Spectacular Optical: Pender Island BC, 2025) It is a blue paperback volume. Its cover design features a black and white photograph of a young Robert Downey Sr. In the bottom left hand corner, raising a hand, out of which a flow of orange and green energy is flowing towards the top right hand corner of the cover. The title is contained within the splash of colour on the top right. The names of the editors, Kier-La Janisse and Clint Emms, are printed in white on the bottom right, on a design that looks like overlaid strips of white paper.

A picture of page 281 of Janisse and Emms eds. Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr. Reader (Spectacular Optical: Pender Island BC, 2025) showing the title of the essay "Carnivalesque Fantasies: Robert Downey Sr.'s Time in the Twilight Zone, by Sian Ingham. The title of the essay is superimposed on an image of a 1980s style TV with a psychedelic design on the screen.

A stack of four copies of Janisse and Emms eds. Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr. Reader (Spectacular Optical: Pender Island BC, 2025) on a kitchen table, with the spines visible. They are blue paperbacks, and the title is prominently displayed in large black serif capital letters with a white ampersand. The Spectacular Optical imprint is visible at the bottom of the spine.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Dec 1

Once again, happy Cyber Men Day to all who celebrate

Three Cybermen from the 1983 Doctor Who story Earthshock, standing around a console above which is projected, tinted red, a close up image of the Fifth Doctor

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 30

I mean look, when @accordingtojond.bsky.social sent me this, I could do it without a thought and I don't know what that says about me, don't reply telling me

A screenshot of a Twitter post from 2021 by Jeff Maurer (@JeffMightbeWrong) showing a faked CAPTCHA with the caption "Select all squares with: Bishops who dissented from the Christological findings of the first councils of Nicaea". The grid is overlaid on a Mediaeval painting of the Nicaean council from a church.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 27

Relevant section:

Part of an interview between Sian Ingham and Ari Aster from the MotelX Horror Festival, Lisbon, 2019, published at Sian's Room 207 Press blog (https://www.room207press.com/2020/06/we-dont-go-back-93-midsommar-2019.html)

The relevant section reads:

AA: I made a decision to not watch any folk horror films before I made Midsommar. I had seen them all before – but it had been about ten years since I had seen – really, any of them. I knew them but kind of wanted to stay away from them, while also paying homage to an extent, and acknowledging what came before. It was sort of important to me to just stay clear of them.
HDI: Were you perhaps acknowledging hazy memories of having seen those films rather than the films themselves?
AA: In a way. I mean, certainly the connection between Midsommar and The Wicker Man is pretty clear. And if anything, that was sort of the key for me to – breaking the film open, because at the time I was concerned with – writing – a breakup movie, and wanting to find an appropriate framework, you know, over which to drape this kind of more personal material. And I am a genre filmmaker. I was approached by a Swedish production company, called B-Reel, that wanted me to make a folk horror film set in Sweden. And that was exciting to me for a lot of reasons. But when I – you know when I sat down and I engaged with the exercise of, you know, imagining what my folk horror might be. It was almost immediate how I made the connection between the film I had been trying to form and that structure.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 26

Just been to see The Carpenter's Son (2025). My friends and I had the cinema entirely to ourselves. It was objectively terrible, and the shot of a dead Nic Cage with a halo needs to be a meme. I absolutely adored it. I love an apocryphal gospel, me, and this did not disappoint me.

Nic Cage as the Carpenter in The Carpenter's Son (2025). A grizzled, long-haired, bearded Cage gives an intense and quintessentially Cagey expression against a blue sky.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 23

Went looking up some occult stuff from the shelf for a friend and was reminded of how no one ever seems to have picked up on how the Outer Gods in Grant Morrison's early #2000AD series Zenith are directly lifted from the demon illustrations in Peter Carroll's Psychonaut.

An illustration from Peter Carroll’s 1982 chaos magic text Psychonaut, rendered by Brian Ward (Liber Null/Psychonaut, combined edition, San Francisco: Red Wheel/Weiser, 1987: p124), showing an abstract representation of a round-headed, grinning demon with piggy eyes over a blade drawn as part of a chaos symbol and a geometric figure that looks like pillars.

A frame from Grant Morrison's Zenith, Phase 1, episode 4 (2000AD no.539, September 12 1987), drawn by Steve Yeowell, showing three Lovecraftian gods looming over planet earth. All three are taken directly from Brian Ward's 1982 illustrations for Psychonaut. The grinning demon from the other image is centrally shown.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 22

Just cos an incredibly weird scifi show that got abruptly cancelled on a massive cliffhanger because of a change in leadership at the network and hasn't been talked about for years MIGHT have Blu-ray boxsets, that doesn't mean anyone would actually *buy* them... Oh. Yeah. As you were.

The Blu-Ray boxsets of the two seasons of cancelled HBO Max show Raised by Wolves (2020 and 2022), on a wooden table.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Nov 3

Bugonia: I think I saw a bunch of reviews that said only, "WTAF was that ending" and all I could think was, you didn't see Save the Green Planet, did you? Saw it tonight. Interesting in that it keeps the main plot points but is actually somehow *less* cynical and bleak than the original.

Emma Stone as Michelle in Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2025). She is shown in closeup. She has a shaved head and her entire face and head are slathered in white insect bite cream. She is touching her scalp with her left hand and looking off screen above right.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Oct 11

Subservience (2024) This is 3 films for 3 I've seen recently featuring sexy robogirls (the others being Companion and AI Rising, and no, I have no excuse for that second one) where the moral is DO NOT JAILBREAK YOUR LOVE ROBOT You'd think people would learn Oh, also it's TERRIBLE

Megan Fox as Alice in Subservience (2024). She stands in a bathroom. Shown from the head and shoulders, she is wearing a maid uniform. Yhe right side of her face is damaged, revealing ill defined roboty technology under torn artificial skin. Her right eye is silver rather than brown like the other one.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Sep 30

I just finished the Mae Martin cult brainwashing/prison school show Wayward on Netflix. And it was OK, but also: how is it that a 100min film can create characters who grow and engage you and still stick a satisfying ending while a miniseries three or four times as long doesn't manage to do that?

Toni Collette as creepy cult leader/torture school principal Evelyn in Netflix series Wayward. Seen in 3/4 head and shoulders, she sits on a dining chair in a low-lit room and has an assessing expression. She wears a brown shirt and glasses with large frames.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Aug 24

Have just been to see Together (Michael Shanks, 2025). It's a movie with some excruciating, gut churning moments that I could only watch through my fingers. Also, loads of hilarious body horror that made me absolutely *cackle* in glee. What? Yes, I am all right. Why do you ask.

Close up of the faces of Dave Franco (left) and Alison Brie (right) in the 2025 film Together. They face each other in front of a dark background. They have expressions of anguish and fear. Their skin is unhealthy looking and slick with sweat.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Aug 23

Maybe I should start posting legendary bits from Prediction Magazine. Here's a letter from November 1966's Occult Question Time. Prediction, indeed.

A letter from Occult Question Time, Prediction November 1966, Page 46. It reads:
BEAT IN TIME
"One of the Beatles has said that his Group [sic] is more popular than Jesus Christ. What are your views on this statement?—G.J., London S.E.9."

Occult expert John Pendragon's reply reads:
"The 'popularity' of Christ has already endured for nearly 2,000 years. The little day of these tousle-headed song merchants is already on the wane. In 2,000 years many of 'earth's proud empires' have passed away, so what chance has the cacophonous kingdom of the Beatles? They will be lucky if their reign lasts 2,000 days."

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Aug 14

Love and Rockets is great isn't it? That's the post.

My hand, holding my copy of Love and Rockets Vol.1, Music for Mechanics, credited to Los Bros Hernandez. The cover, drawn by Jaime in a clean style, is a police line up showing four of the Locas characters: Izzy, Maggie, Hopey and Penny Century.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Aug 1

I have completed and sent to the publisher my Atlantis book.

A partial screenshot of the word count of a Google Docs file. It reads 86538 words.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 17

Submarine. Most of the locations are filmed within an hour of me

A still from the 2010 film Submarine, featuring the boy and the girl from the movie holding hands

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 17

Miniature examples 3/

A painted example of the 2006 Rackham Miniatures model S'Erum, an anthropomorphic snake with worn bronze armour and a large rifle.

A painted example of a Rackham Miniatures model, Sasia Samaris, a witch floating in midair on a giant cloak which also has giant bladed mechanical claws on its back.

A painted example of the Bestiarum Miniatures model the Exterminator, a moustached dad bod guy with a flamethrower.

A painted example of a 54mm scale model by Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures, a Sea Elf Lord, a delicate elf with a green cloak that obscures his face.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 14

OK, so we at @sitrws.bsky.social are piloting a project to maintain a library of off road wheelchairs, supporting disabled folx to have access to outdoor spaces and events. Can you help us out? Shares are as good as monies. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-the-a...

A header from the Crowdfunder page Help the All-Terrain Wheelchair Project (www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-the-all-terrain-wheelchair-project). The picture beneath it is taken by someone sitting in a wheelchair. It shows a pair of knees in camo trousers on a rugged all terrain wheelchair with an orange frame and mountain bike wheels, on grass covered ground.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 6

Last night I was in a room for a showing of Repo: The Genetic Opera (2008). I had never seen it before. The main feeling was a deep, wounding feeling of insult at the realisation at all the times that I told people I loved Repo Man (1984) and they thought I was talking about *that*. Uuuugh.

Sarah Brightman as Blind Mags in Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008), shown from the chest up in front of a dark blue digitally rendered background. She has black, elaborately dressed hair and wears over-the-top goth makeup with black lipstick and dramatic black eyeshadow with two inch long false lashes. She has uncanny silver contact lenses. She is wearing a black spiked choker and a black ball gown with large feathers covering the bodice.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Apr 3

I don't share my hobbies here much but recently I have been painting models with artists' oil paints and getting a great deal of pleasure from it. I thought I'd post some.

a 54mm miniature of an elf king in a green cloak, holding a long halberd, painted with artists' oil paints. this model is the Sea Elf Lord by Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures, c.1991.

a model in 32mm scale from Rackhamcs Confrontation range: S'Erum the Ophidian. he is a large snake, holding a long musket. an armoured dome rises on his back. His scales have a pattern like a rattlesnake's and he is on a base covered in rusty earth

a figure from Rackham Miniatures's Confrontation game, c.2001. Sasia Samaris is a baldheaded woman in high armoured boots and long strapped sleeves. she wears an armoured and strapped bodysuit. her cloak is huge and rising from it are mechanical claws. the model is painted with artists' oil paints in a strictly limited palette.

The Sian from Atlantis@parthenoid· Mar 4

This was shared on another social by @seathem.bsky.social the other day and it has weighed hard on me. I was 44, you see. The thing is, the thing that's dwelled with me, is that you might think that learning this will help you. But it's fair to say, sometimes it ruins your life. 1/