Zalka Csenge Virág
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fabulatrix.bsky.social
Zalka Csenge Virág
@fabulatrix.bsky.social
240 followers 260 following 67 posts
Professional storyteller, author. Folktales, mythology, epics. Tabletop role-playing games. Minerals and non-fiction books. Comics. Women's history. Hyperfocusing on niche topics. Old English Sheepdog. Hungarian.
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Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
blaftrakesh.bsky.social
When I was researching my book Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India, I learned of a 1000-year-old myth about Roman tech being used to build killer robots to guard the Buddha's remains in Pataliputra, and a Hungarian folklorist read my book & got excited about it, & she managed to dig up a🧵(1/3)
Romanised Pali manuscript of the Lokapannati Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India p. 60 Bhoota Vahana Yanta Bhoota Vahana Yanta means “spirit movement machine.” The term is used for several varieties of robot drone assassins and sword-wielding machine- men mentioned in the Lokapannati, a Pali-language text written between 1000 and 1200 CE by Saddhammaghosa of Thaton, but concerning events that took place much earlier, around 500 to 200 BCE. According to the story, robots were first invented by engineers of the early Roman Republic. These robots were used for commerce, in agriculture, as a police force, and as executioners. The secret of how to build these spirit-engines was fiercely protected. If any engineer dared to take the designs out of the city, one of his own executioner robots would come after him and kill him. At that time, in Pataliputra (then in the kingdom of Magadha, now Patna in the state of Bihar), there lived a young man who had heard of the Romans’ magical androids. He became so determined to learn the secrets of their manufacture and share them with the people of Magadha that he arranged his own death. Then, on his deathbed, he vowed to be reincarnated as a Roman. This indeed took place. In his new life, the man grew up to join the Roman guild of engineers. He even married the daughter of the Master Robot-Maker, and had a son by her. Once he learned the secrets of the Bhoota Vahana Yanta, the man resolved to transfer the information back to Pataliputra. But he was well aware that now, since he was a member of the guild, he would be killed as soon as he left. So he cut a gash in his thigh, inserted the plans in his flesh, and sewed the wound back up.
October 5, 2025 at 1:21 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
And while on the topic of pop culture: I am deeply angry that Exceptional X-men and Nyx got slashed so soon. No one cares about yet another post-apocalyptic storyline. Let the new mutant teens do their new mutant teen things in peace. Jeebus.

😡
#comics #Marvel #Xmen
September 20, 2025 at 8:19 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Also, what was people's problem with Marvel's #Echo series? I am only starting it but I really like it ao far. Also, epic fight scenes.

#Marvel #TV #TVShows
September 20, 2025 at 8:17 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Season 2 of #GenV is off to a strong start

All I'm saying is if they do something to Jordan I'm gonna lose my shit

#TV #TheBoys #TVShows
September 20, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
legendarywednes1.bsky.social
💫This week's theme is breakups! Join us Wednesday for #LegendaryWednesday with your romantic anguish legends, your lost lover tales, divorce traditions, grief rituals, heartbreaks, & sorrowful deities. Share a #legend #folklore #quote #fairytale #poetry #film #art #mythology
Oil painting: Disappointed Love. By Francis Danby. 1821.
September 15, 2025 at 10:20 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Okay unsolicited #Xmen opinion:

If you are hating on Exceptional X-men because you think "the Uncanny X-men teens could beat them", then congratulations, you have missed the points of BOTH series by a mile.

I said what I said.

#ExceptionalXmen #UncannyXmen #comics #Marvel
September 4, 2025 at 11:22 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Hungarian #FolktaleMoment

I just found a folktale that explains why dogs like to eat plums, and cats like to eat mushrooms.

Dog and cat owners, is this a thing?...

#folklore #folktales #cats #dogs #pets
August 22, 2025 at 6:03 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
I finally found an Emperor card I can get behind.

#tarot #MagpieTarot #shiny #cards
A tarot card featuring Smokey the Bear sitting on a throne of logs. In one paw he holds a shovel, in the other an apple, and there is a squirrel at his feet. There is a rainbow in the background, and the card is scattered with holographic shiny rainbow colored sparkles.
August 13, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
mythologymonday.thefolklore.cafe.ap.brid.gy
Hello, Myth Lovers! Join us Monday for the theme: SLEEP! Which myths feature sleep or slumbering? Write out your story and use the hashtag #mythologymonday for boosts. If joining from BlueSky: follow @ap.brid.gy so we can interact with your posts. See you […]

[Original post on thefolklore.cafe]
Oil painting of two humans and a dog asleep by a lake with four swans in the background. One human is blond, dressed in white and a rose and green overcoat while the other has dark hair and a white dress with a light blue overcoat. The scene is peaceful and quiet.
August 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
New #MagpieTarot haul came in 😊😊 I am having a great time with this new hobby. And people are very sweet and they send extra cards and stickers along. Such a fun community.

And look at my two new favorite Strength cards!

#tarot
Photo of 20 tarot cards from various decks spread out on a desk. They represent different art syles from cartoon through embroidery to art nouveau Two Strength cards from two different tarot decks. One is a collage style card with the vintage photo of a sturdy woman in a pink Victorian (?) dress, with red flowers in her hair, holding a large shark and a snake in her hands. The other is a realistic digital art style card featuring a black man and a lion in a cyberpunk type setting. Both have variois bits of tech built in, including what looks like a prosthetic leg for the man, and the lion has elaborate antlers.
August 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Also hello fellow #ttrpg players 😊
My top favorite games are:

1. Changeling: The Dreaming
2. Scion
3. 7th Sea
4. Werewolf: The Apocalypse
5. Imma put D&D here because that's mostly what we play 😀

#gaming #games #DnD #WoD
August 10, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
threeravenspod.bsky.social
Thank you for this week's banquet of #FolkyFriday posts! 🖤

Next Friday on the 15/8 the Perseid Meteor Shower will be a feature of the night sky - the 'House of Perseus.'

Our theme then will be 'Celestial Folklore.'

Tag related lore, art and customs #FolkyFriday for shares from 10am-6pm UK time!
a zodiac circle with the signs of the zodiac inside
ALT: a zodiac circle with the signs of the zodiac inside
media.tenor.com
August 9, 2025 at 9:25 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
My favorite thing about Bluesky so far: There are actual Changeling: The Dreaming fans around here!! I have been so alone for so many years...

#ttrpg #CtD #Changeling #gaming
August 10, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
jaimehoerricks.bsky.social
Alt: A Tumblr exchange. First user, binah-lance, quotes: “You just want every fictional character to be gay!” and replies, “No, of course not, don’t be silly. That would be unrealistic. I want a lot of them to be lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, and asexual, too.” Second user, nurikokairu, responds: “Yeah, exactly. People aren’t just either straight or homosexual.” Finding films and television shows that portray authentic queerness—rather than a checkbox version of it—can feel like searching for a rare mineral. Too often, LGBTQ+ representation is shaped to reassure straight audiences: the “safe” queer character, the “palatable” romance, the neatly tied arc that doesn’t disrupt the dominant cultural frame. We end up with identities as set dressing, or characters whose queerness exists solely in a subtext that’s whispered rather than spoken aloud. The industry congratulates itself for “inclusion” while keeping queerness comfortably on the sidelines. When we do get explicitly queer stories, they’re frequently filtered through the lens of trauma, tragedy, or the straight gaze. Joyful, messy, ordinary queer life—the friendships, the inside jokes, the casual intimacy—rarely survives the edit. Queer characters become symbols before they are people, their arcs written to educate or inspire tolerance, rather than to exist as fully human within the narrative. Authentic queerness disrupts these tropes: it is varied, intersectional, and refuses to be flattened into a single coming-out plotline or tragic ending. And that’s the heart of the frustration behind memes like this one. Real life isn’t a binary where people are straight or gay, cis or trans, “normal” or “other.” The spectrum of identities, orientations, and experiences is vast—and deserves to be depicted with the same range and complexity as straight, cisgender characters have enjoyed for decades. Until then, queer audiences will continue to comb through media, hunting for rare moments that feel like home.
August 8, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
jessica-p-robinson.bsky.social
I spent some time to finally write that blog post I've been thinking about writing for the last month. Here it is - all about my experience at the 2025 National Storytelling Network Conference.
jessicapiscitellirobinson.com/the-2025-nsn...
August 9, 2025 at 8:12 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Hungarian #FolktaleMoment of the day:

Our hero has to wrestle a fairy prince to get back the moonlight which is hidden under the prince's tongue.

I can see the fanfiction from a mile away...

#folklore #folktales
August 9, 2025 at 7:25 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
I'm divorcing Meta and decided to be more active here because it feels better. So. Hi again!

I'm Csenge, professional storyteller from Hungary. I also publish folktale and myth collections. Interests are books, paganism, magpie tarot, role-playing games, geekery.

#folklore #mythology #storytelling
August 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
So today's #FolkyFriday theme is food, and all I have to say is:

The world of Hungarian folktales includes a Bacon Tree and also a Bacon Castle.

In both stories the bacon is nibbled by thieves, and a prince has to go investigate the crime.

🥓🌳🥓🏰🥓

#folklore #Hungary #folktales
August 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
popheist.com
Revry's new drag king competition show #KingOfDrag is scrappy, hilarious, revolutionary, and more than a 'Drag Race' pastiche.
'King of Drag' Is the Drag Show We Need Right Now - Pop Heist
Revry's new drag king competition show is scrappy, hilarious, revolutionary, and more than a 'Drag Race' pastiche.
buff.ly
July 17, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
threeravenspod.bsky.social
Friends, it's #FolkyFriday!

Our theme today is "Folkloric Food!" Let us glut ourselves with stories and fill the day's belly with peculiarity!

From goblin fruit and Lembas bread to gingerbread houses and magic beans, tag related lore, art and customs #FolkyFriday for shares from 10am-6pm UK time!
a cartoon of snow white holding a shoe and a knife .
ALT: a cartoon of snow white holding a shoe and a knife .
media.tenor.com
August 8, 2025 at 7:33 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
So I recently got into magpie tarot and I have been swapping cards with people which is hella fun! Here is the first batch of traded cards that came in the mail 😊

Anyone else doing magpie tarot around here?

#tarot #magpietarot #cards
Photo of several tarot cards from different decks spread out on a table. They all feature different symbols and art styles, for example, one has Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas as 8 of Swords, and another is just a photo of a yeti crab.
August 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Zalka Csenge Virág
polenth.bsky.social
WERECOCKROACH has an aroace agender lead, aliens and gentle vibes. Friendship focused.

www.polenthblake.com/words/cockro...

EVERYDAY ALIENS is a flash fiction collection about weird aliens. Often experimental.

www.polenthblake.com/words/aliens...

#PrideBookFair #QueerBookSky #BookSky #Pride
The cover of WERECOCKROACH by Polenth Blake is at an angle on a green background. The cover has hand drawn letters and a hissing cockroach drawn in brown and black wax crayon. Captions surround the cover in a childish messy font with arrows pointing at things. Captions pointing at the cockroach: wiggly antennae, cute face, little feets, tough outside, squishy soft inside, danger attack spikes, more little feets. Captions pointing at the title: i love wax crayons, beautiful hand drawn letters. Captions for the book: friendship, this book is ace, aliens wearing hats, gentle, full of yay, sarcastic, buy this book (trust me i'm a professional). The cover of EVERYDAY ALIENS by Polenth Blake is on a black background. The cover has a complex doodle of alien life in rainbow colours on black, drawn by the author. The title and author are in a black box in the centre, with an alien worm separating the two. Captions surround the cover in the same rainbow font. Captions pointing at the book cover read: Xenofiction, Weird, Flash Fiction, Citations, Speculative Biology, Slice-of-(Alien)Life, Poetry, Starfish Aliens and Very Alien Aliens. A caption points across the cover to the worm which reads: Fred.
June 1, 2025 at 8:08 PM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
The moral of 5 entire seasons of #You is that if you manage to knock out a creep, always triple tap them.
May 1, 2025 at 5:45 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
Last one in the #WomesEpics series!
Z'Ebyanzi

Haya epic about a woman whose husband is killed in battle. She pretends to fall in love with the enemy, and marries him in order to find a way to exact her revenge.

Read:
multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2025/04/z-is...

#AtoZChallenge
A green, orange and blue geometric frame with text: "Z is for Z'Ebyanzi (a.k.a. Nyakandalo): A Haya epic from Tanzania about a woman who takes revenge for her husband's death in battle. #WomensEpics "
April 30, 2025 at 5:08 AM
fabulatrix.bsky.social
#WomensEpics: The Yi epic of Ashima

Ahsima is kidnapped by an evil man to force her into marriage with his son. Her brother sets out to rescue her, and while she valiantly resists the marriage he finds a way to save her.

Read:
multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2025/04/y-is...

#AtoZChallenge
Photo of a river surrounded by cliffs and forests, with text: "Y is for the Yi (Sani) epic of Ashima: The story of a beautiful girl kidnapped to be forced into marriage. She resists, and manages to escape with the help of her brother; the story, instead of tragedy, ends in transformation. #WomensEpics "
April 29, 2025 at 7:06 AM