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Was not a fan of the new Shadow Milk costume at first, but it’s slowly growing on me, specifically as a potential alternate universe where Shadow Milk fell into repression.

First, there’s the outfit itself. Shadow Milk, as we know him, is obviously associated with Satan (the snake form referencing Eve and the apple, opposing Jesus/Mary figure Pure Vanilla, the tree of knowledge, etc etc). He abandoned his duties as a religious figure. So, why does his crown have a cross on it? Plus, the fact that he is now a king with a sword, as opposed to an androgynous jester with theatrical associations. He’s so much more traditionally masculine — his hair is even cut short.

Which is kind of horrific, in and of itself, right? We know that his hair is alive; would that not be akin to cutting off a limb? And he looks so tired… Shadow Milk has bags under his eyes in his usual form, of course, but it’s the eyebags in combination with the small smile, upturned eyebrows, and the scar.

We can assume that this version of Shadow Milk is some sort of soft roleswap with Eternal Sugar. Perhaps, in this universe, Shadow Milk feels he is unable to be loved unless he scrubs all of his traditionally-queer forms of self-expression away?

... What does that say about Eternal Sugar, and her relationship to gender expression?

Emailed in sick. It took a while to get the dogs back inside. First Bella came in, and Gracie refused to come in. Then Bella went back out and Gracie came in. I finally got them both in. Fed us all.

Slept until 2 PM. I was dreaming that I was writing a book set in New Zealand and was doing research to get the character right. I have never been to New Zealand but would like to go. (I tend to have vivid dreams when I'm sick.)

My nose is running, and Oliver is sitting on my tissues. Sigh.

I received a message that the home sleep study was “non-diagnostic” and they want to do an in-house sleep study. Also sigh. They called me already but they’re out until April.

Home Depot does closet consultations. I’d like one after I get the library room together and cull my clothes.

Had a bite to eat. Took some DayQuil and Emergen-C. Gracie ran out of the bedroom, which was good because she’s less restful to sleep with than Bella, but I wouldn’t want to kick her out.

Slept until 6:30 PM. I dreamed that I was on a smaller cruise ship and fell for someone who worked there. They weren’t allowed to get involved with guests, so we were trying to work it out. Let the dogs out. I’m trying to decide whether to go to work in the morning. I guess that I’ll decide tomorrow morning.

I’m telling the dogs that they’re my two clowns.

Fed us all. I’m going to go back to bed soon. I seriously need sleep.

I’m looking forward to the Olympic ice skating.

hello my flist! i had such high hopes for the new year and, just, pfft. it's

snowflake_challenge season and i haven't even posted for that. oy.

anyway i hope your 2026 has been decent-to-good so far or at least not worse than 2025.

for new year's i went to my sister's and we went out for dinner (delish) and watched a lot of lotr, pausing only to watch the ball drop in times square. i like a good tradition but she may or may not want to do something different this year. we'll see. and for christmas she came to my house and we drove around to look at people's holiday lights and got chinese takeout and watched wake up, dead man on netflix because we both felt too meh to go out. (i liked it but i think i liked the first one the best.) and like four days before that my cousin's youngest kid got married in dc and i brought a cold with me and lost my voice at the wedding. wtf. that made it very difficult to talk to cousins which did not stop me. but it also meant i was still sick or recovering for the entirety of my time off. whiiine. at least i had two weeks off to cough up a lung and sit on my couch and be tired, rather than having to take sick days or work from home a lot. but still! i had a lot of time off and couldn't even enjoy most of it! and i had plans! which were mostly "watch tv, work on holiday project for writing group, start pumpkin spice cross stitch". sigh.

(while in dc my sister and i did a little sightseeing, which included a farmer's market down the street from the hotel - it was SO WINDY but there were lots of dogs - a walk around the washington monument, a stroll down the reflecting pool, and a little talk by a park ranger in the lincoln memorial.)

we got snow a couple times tho, that was nice. i'm a big fan of waking up to snow on the ground. :D especially new year's day! it was just enough to shovel but if it had been, say, four inches, i would've enjoyed that too.

during my time off i met admin s who works at the libraries for lunch and a week later i met one of the admins m for lunch and both of those things were really nice, partly because i enjoy a lunch out and partly because it was just nice to see people. and i never see admin s because i don't work with her any more. i also had mexican brunch with

tamalinn and friend a and friend a's hubs and that was fun and also delicious. and saturday i got a haircut. :D

before the haircut i went to cousins j&m's for brunch and to say hi and goodbye to their kids before they went back to school, and friday night my sister and i took cousin p on dad's side out for dinner for her birthday. it was yummy (i had black pasta with shrimp and calamari) and they brought cousin p a slice of flourless chocolate cake for her birthday. my sister and i ate most of it.

work re-entry was fine and going to campus was weird because it's been like three weeks since i was there. classes don't start until february so it's very quiet but again, it's nice to see people.

things i did in november and december:

went record album/antique shopping with tamalinn and friend a and bought the go-gos' beauty and the beat, heart's little queen, and a cookbook from the 50s full of buffet recipes
saw wicked pt 1 (again) in preparation for seeing wicked pt 2
went out to dinner with my sister and cousin j (of j&m)
fetched the mothership at the airport for tday
went out for bday dinner with mom, sister, cousins j&r, and the aforementioned lone cousin j
got snowed on in harvard square :DDD
had brunch with cousins from mom's side
bought a dress for the wedding
did not need to buy shoes
had dinner with cousins from dad's side
had mom and sister over for dinner (i made pork chops because i could)
went to j&m's for tday
ate a lot
saw wicked pt 2 (not bad but i liked pt 1 better, also why did the story have to be two movies?)
went to snowport (boston holiday market, down by the seaport) where i bought a print of a pickle sign and saw the lobster nativity
borrowed a bolero jacket from one of the admins m for the wedding because the dress is sleeveless and it was a jewish wedding and i'd have to cover my shoulders
went to the holiday market at the somerville armory and bought a blockprint of a medieval looking fish and a print of my favorite local bridge
one of the vendors had a print with a drawing of a guillotine and the legend "a better world is possible!" heh.
watched red one (so cute, so silly)
went to friend r's to watch the thin man because it's set around christmas and while i don't know how successful it was as a murder mystery i liked nick and nora as a couple and overall enjoyed it
saw the housemaid (had some twists i appreciated and i liked it)
curled lots, made a couple good shots and a lot more acceptable-to-missed shots
finished the lowdown (liked it, recommend it, didn't love the way the murder plot shook out)
watched talasmasca: the secret order (partly because of elizabeth mcgovern going "talamasssca" in the trailers) (mostly liked it altho i didn't really like the protagonist - he thought he was the smartest person in the room and every time he got in over his head, which was pretty much the entire show, women showed up to get him out of trouble)
watched hysteria! (about a high school heavy metal garage band that pretends to be a satanic cult to get fans, and then shit goes off the rails) (it's set in 1987 and got a lot of the satanic panic right but was otherwise only glancingly historical which made me twitch. was fun altho did i mention it went totally off the rails?)
rewatched stranger things s1-s4 with folks on discord in preparation for s5
watched s5 (i have mixed feelings about the season as a whole but i was pretty satisfied with how it ended)

so this news is massachusetts based and one of my friends even works for massdot and DID NOT TELL ME and i had to learn from a snowflake challenge from someone who doesn't even live here and now i share with you the winners of the name-a-snowplow contest. the entries all came from public school classrooms (k-8) and the plows are in service this winter. sleet caroline! clearopathra! you're killing me squalls! read and giggle.

speaking of mass, the boston aquarium built an old folks home for their geriatric penguins. how cute is that?

in the wake of dump and his administration cutting funding to universities mackenzie scott (aka the former mrs jeff bezos) donated $80m to howard university, an hbcu (historically black colleges and universities, for the non-americans in the audience), which is one of the biggest single donations in the school's history. she got billions of dollars when she split from jeff and she's definitely using her powers for good.

i know thanksgiving was last year and these are probably quite sold out but i must share the "no-thanks" jell-o molds. you could get ~~canberry~~ canned cranberry jelly, pecan pie, and brussel sprouts. i don't like brussel sprouts at all but the round little molds are so cute.

joe keery officiated a wedding in his scoops ahoy uniform. for the stranger things fen in the audience. :D

i must share one of the scariest videos i've ever seen - a guy climbing up and then skiing down mt everest with no supplemental oxygen. i'm sorry, but watching him ski down that mountain, especially from the top, is fucking terrifying. i'm not afraid of heights but absolutely not, no way.

sir david attenborough sends a hedgehog on its way. to end with something cute.

dave grohl vs animal drum battle. and something fun. :D

Current Mood: SO BEHIND
Current Music: the kitchen timer is ticking

Back from the 6 month eye dr visit. Yeah, glaucoma still there, come back in July. Dilated eyes,dilated the hell out of my eyes. Very cautious drive home. The visit seems so far away, and then it's here.

threeforthememories is off to a great start! You have until January 24th to make your own post. I made mine today about my 2025.

2) Speaking of things to rec, saw the film House of Dynamite and thought it was wonderfully done –- except for the ending. ( Read more... )

I do think that its structure was helpful, given that just 10 minutes in there is a lot starting to go on, and it helped to have it reinforced with repeated elements.

3) Another yes from me was for the series The Beast in Me. This is mostly because I thought it was particularly well done. I'm not a big fan of the murderous husband/neighbor type thriller because they're always guilty and one of my DNW is gaslighting elements. But I thought this was a particularly well developed story and one with less "shocking twist!" than unexpected surprises that relate to character development.

4) The documentary about the making of Frozen 2 was very interesting, and rather surprising, in seeing how Disney approaches making an animated film. I'd think that -- given the costs and enormous amount of labor -- they would have a script nailed down before starting. And not just a draft, but one that had been run past the internal focus groups, had a table reading done by the cast, etc. Instead they scrapped tons of work from animators, some of which took them a year, because they kept veering back and forth on elements of the story, rewriting the central songs, etc. ( Read more... )

5) The re-release of the Beatles Anthology on Disney+ promised a new episode and remastered footage. It certainly looked very good, but as I'd seen it during its 1990s release, I noticed more about the big gaps in it. ( Read more... )

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346/365: Tollhouse plaque, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is the plaque that marks where the tollhouse once stood on the Wribbenhall (eastern) end of Bewdley Bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford, as was the bridge itself, and built in the last years of the 18th century. Modernisation works in 1960 saw it demolished, despite a fairly energetic campaign by Bewdley Civic Society; the society put up this plaque and shaped paving in 2002. The only decent photo I can find of the tollhouse before its demolition is on this Facebook page, which should be visible without an account. (I haven't got one, after all!)

Current Mood: awake

The extra legs for my bed arrived late this afternoon. I have ascertained that they are the right length (not too long) and that they should be easy enough to fit, but I won't do it until tomorrow because I don't feel like dismantling my nicely made bed this evening.

We had a tiny amount of snow last night - just enough to lightly cover the roads and yards, but little enough that it was almost all gone by the middle of the day today. Then by the afternoon the temperature was about 5C/40F and there went the rest of it.

Funny story about Aria: she is far from a fluent reader yet, but this afternoon she was reading on the school bus and didn't realise the bus was at her stop until the driver called out to her. (My daughter picked up the other two from school because they were carrying their musical instruments, and they normally walk home on Mondays if they are not burdened with instruments.)

⌈ Secret Post #6947 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 38 secrets from Secret Submission Post #992.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Over the course of May and June 1824 Anne Butler, then aged sixteen, took a trip from London to relatives in Burntisland in Fife, by way of Cheltenham, Birmingham, Lichfield, Derby (where she hung out with the Philosophical Society), the Peak District and York, in the company of her godmother, Mrs Vaughan. In her letters she comments on all these places, as well as Edinburgh - so, if you're interested in what impression the journey might have made on a teenage girl in the Regency period, and what kinds of tourist activities were available, sit back and read on. You will get some leeches as a bonus.

(In what follows I've taken out passages that don't relate directly the journey, and I've added a few annotations where I hope it will be helpful.)

30 April 1824 [London]

My dear Weeden,

I have a few minutes to spare this morning and therefore take the opportunity of writing to you. I am to set of tomorrow about 4 o’clock with Tom & William, but the latter is only going as far as the coach with me, & Tom is going all the way to Cheltenham. I think that instead of Tom taking care of me, I shall have to take care of him.(1) He is not accustomed to travelling, and to add to his trouble he will have to sleep at the inn, & look after himself all Sunday I believe, for as Mrs Vaughan is only upon a visit herself, I do not think she will be able to ask him to go home with us. He is to return on Monday. …

I remain

Your affectionate sister

Anne V. Butler

(1) At this point Anne is 16 years old, and younger brother Tom (her protector) only 14.

--------------------

13 May 1824

My dear Tom

Many thanks for your nice letter which we received yesterday. I am glad to hear that you arrived safely in London. I dare say you were not sorry to reach home after so long and dull a day. … I am sorry to say that Mrs Vaughan is rather fatigued by the journey, but I hope after a few days rest she will be quite recovered. We slept at Birmingham on Monday night and set off for Derby at 7 the next morning and therefore had no opportunity of seeing the place, but what I did see gave me no favourable opinion of it. We passed through Litchfield and while they changed horses we had time to see the outside of the beautiful Cathedral. I wish we had had time to go inside to see the monuments.

We arrived here [Derby] at about 12 o'clock on Tuesday, and Mr & Mrs Finlay came at night. We all went yesterday to see the Porcelain Manufactory which is extremely interesting. We saw the whole process from the making [?] of the clay to the beautiful china that we see in the shops. There was a boy only 14 years old who painted landscapes beautifully. You can have no idea of the number of hands a cup must go through before it is finished. We did not leave Cheltenham till ?? o’clock, and therefore had time to see the public rooms, & Dr White would write our names in the book of arrivals, so that perhaps you have seen them in the newspaper. We also went with Dr & Mrs White to the pump room and walks which were crowded with people. The Bishop of Bangor and the Duke of Buccleuch were there. I tasted the water at ????. I did not much like it but it only tastes a little salt.

There are several pretty old churches at Derby, and the church of All Saints is something like our new church at Chelsea. Mr Holworthy(1) has a very pretty place here called Green Hill, it is just before you enter the town, the house is very large and he has a beautiful garden. …

I believe we going in a day or two to see the Marble works and the silk and lace??? Manufactories, so that I shall not close this letter till I have seen something more. We are going today to see the Infirmary, which I believe is the finest in England. Kean & some of the London actors were in Derby last week, but the people here give very little encouragement to the theatre. I observe that the inhabitants of this place pronounce it as if it were spelt Darby, and not Derby: they have a very peculiar manner of speaking, and I remark that they generally put the letter G at the end of their words, thus they say thing-ge, king-ge, &c.

Dr Forester(2) is a very odd man, do you remember the way Gordon used to talk sometimes for fun? Well he speaks much in the same manner, he puts me sometimes in mind of Willets, he makes the same kind of faces, and stoops as he does when he sits with his legs crossed. I can assure you he is a man of some consequence here. He made the plan of the infirmary, and ??? giving a donation of 50£. He attends as Physician to the Infirmary for nothing. He belongs to the order of Knights-Templars, and there are only six of the order in England. I think that Gordon would be delighted to see him, he understands every kind of machinery and gives up much of his time to the study of it. …

I am writing this in my room with one of my fingers quite dead with the cold so that I can hardly hold my pen. I really think I shall have chilblains again if this weather continues. We had a dinner party on Wednesday and we are to have another today (Friday). We have had an invitation for tomorrow but I do not know whether we shall go yet. We are a good large party of ourselves. Mrs & Mrs Holworthy and Miss Wright (Mrs H’s sister),(3) Mr & Mrs Finlay, Mrs Vaughan & myself. Dr Forester’s grounds touch those of Mr Holworthy. Mr H has several pets as a Dog, a Duck, some pigeons & some partridges, and an old poney aged 40 years, all these live on the lawn before the house. I think of all these the greatest pet is the Duck, it follows him about wherever he goes, and will even come in at the dining and drawing room windows if they are open as they reach to the ground. His dog is a pointer and is called Don. Mr H has an open chaise and a close carriage, and Mr Finlay has his, so that some day we are to go in a large party for a drive.

I believe we are going to Buxton from this, & then to York and afterwards upon a visit to some friends of Mrs Vaughan. So tell Mrs Read with my best love, that I do not know what I shall do for white frocks, as I have only one and that is almost dirty, & I shall not be able to get it washed in a day here as I could at home. …

Believe me to be your ever affectionate sister Anne V. Butler

(1) James Holworthy (1781–1841), artist and close friend of Turner.
(2) Dr Richard Forester (1771-1843). President of the Derby Philosophical Society from 1815.
(3) Anne Holworthy (nee Wright) was the niece of Joseph Wright of Derby.

--------------------

30 June 1824 [Burntisland, Fife]

My dear Weeden

Many thanks for your nice long letter, which I fear you will think I ought to have answered sooner. This was my intention, but several things have occurred to prevent me. I think I am always unlucky, I do not know whether I mentioned in my last letter a fall I had, when in Edinburgh. As I was stepping out of a coach at Mrs Charteris’s door, the step was not firm and it slipped from under my foot, so that I fell down, & hurt my arm upon the corner of the pavement, it was stiff for some days but is now well; I think that if it had not been noticed in time it would have been very bad; but I had some egg skin put on it immediately.

About 10 days ago, as I wished to be friends with Mrs Boog’s dog, I went to see it fed by the servant, who said that it was very quiet, & would not bite, so ventured to pat it; at first it was very good natured, but after a little while, it found out that I was a stranger, snarled & snapped at me, happily it did not bite me though it hit me a very hard blow upon the face with its mouth, & tore my frock very much; I felt the effects of the blow for some days, & the pain was so great at first that I thought he had bit me. The servant beat him from me, or I do not think I should have got off so well as I did.

My finger that was so bad is nearly well, but I shall not be able to use it for some time. Last Saturday I found that the third finger of the same hand was beginning to swell & looked very red. I felt pain in it, the night before, but as I had been working, I thought that I might have run my needle into it, but as it got worse, on Saturday, Mrs Vaughan sent for the doctor, Mr Philp [?], to see it, & he said I must have two leeches on it directly, before it got worse. Jane Boog gave up 4 hours of her time which is now very precious to put them on my finger, & after all, we could only make one of them stick on, but it had the desired effect, for the next day the pain was almost gone, & on Monday it was quite well. I hope I shall meet with no more accidents, or I shall grow quite idle, not being able to work or do any thing that requires my hand.

You will have seen in the letter I wrote to Papa from Edinburgh, that Jane Boog is going to be married, in less than a fortnight, so you may suppose we are very busy just now. William Boog is coming next Wednesday. I believe he is to be the best man, you will not perhaps know what this means; it answers to the best maid or Bride’s maid who attends the Lady, so the best man should attend the gentleman.

Mr Sadler went up in a baloon [sic] at Edinburgh on Monday; this is a very uncommon sight in Scotland, I believe it is the first that has been seen here large enough to carry any body in it; and therefore attracted great attention. The gardener who was at Mrs Charteris’s that day, was heard talking about it very much, he said he thought it was very presumptuous in Sadler to try to get to Heaven that way (for he thought that this was what Sadler was trying to do) but that he was in his master’s territory; and he only hoped he would return safe. When asked who he meant by Mr Sadler’s master, he said, “the Devil.” Perhaps you have seen an account of the ascent in the newspapers. It crossed the firth, & at one time appeared quite near, we could distinguish two people in it and that it looked as if it were made of a plaid; but this was not without the assistance of a good telescope. …

In answer to your question as to where the Derbyshire spar comes from, I must tell you it is principally taken from the Peak Hole, which cavern is under Peveril Castle. This is a most extraordinary place, but perhaps you have seen pictures of it, nothing however but the reality can give you a true idea of its wonders. I am sorry that we did not go into the interior of this astonishing place, but it would have been very disagreeable to pass so far under ground, in a narrow passage walking almost double, till we came to the boat, which is only large enough to hold one at a time, & the person who is thus conveyed is obliged to lie down (as the passage is not high enough to allow him to sit up) and he must be pushed along by a man who walks behind the boat in the water, after proceeding some way in this manner we should have entered a very spacious cavern. If the party had all been young, we might have done this, but the fatigue would have been too great for Mr & Mrs Finlay, Mrs Vaughan, & Mrs Holworthy. I think that when the bustle of Jane’s wedding is over, I must again read “Peveril of the Peak.” I only heard parts of it, but did not read it through when we had it at home, & therefore do not remember much of it.

I cannot describe to you the beauty of York Minster, it is really grand beyond description, but I have a York guide, that Mrs Vaughan bought for me, & when I return home you shall read it. You will see from the last letter, (or I believe it was the one before it) that I wrote to Papa, the danger we were in at Wakefield, by the falling of three of the horses, & therefore I shall not say more upon the subject. …

This is a very pretty place & when I am able I hope to take some views which I think you will be pleased with. I intend to collect some shells for Isabella when we go down to the sands, which are about 5 minutes walk off. But we have only been once that way, and then we had not time to stop to pick them up; I hear that there are some very pretty shells to be found, and I hope they will amuse little Isabella. I shall expect to see a very great improvement in her at my return, I hope she is learning to work as well as read now. Fanny will be able to teach her now that she is at home. I believe when we return it will be by sea. This will be a change, but I like travelling by land better. However the steam boats are very large.

When we were at Edinburgh we went to see the Castle, we went up the Calton Hill & Salisbury Crags, but have not yet been up Arthur’s Seat, which I believe a very great Tickler (as Mr Finlay would say) but I hope before we leave Scotland, that I shall be able to say, I have been up it. This Hill has a very grand appearance from all sides, as it is in the form of a lion couching. The eye, nose & mouth are very distinctly seen, the form of the head is altogether very good & and the front paws are very perfect. Princes Street is like our Bond Street, a fashionable lounge where all the Dandies in Edinburgh go to walk. But Bond Street must not be compared to it in length or beauty. It is said that the King was particularly struck with it. George Street is also very beautiful, having at one end Melville’s Monument & at the other St George’s Church. I suppose you know that all the houses in Edinburgh are built of stone but this street loses much of its beauty from having from having St Andrew’s Church (which is situated in the middle of it) project, & the Physicians’ Hall, which is directly opposite, recede. Thus the people say that the modesty of the Physicians & the forwardness of the Clergy have spoilt the finest street in Europe.

There is a very high hill near here called the Bin[n], but we have not yet been up it, but we have been over several of the smaller ones. I can assure you we did not pass your birthday without thinking of you, but all drank your health. Stirling Christie’s was on the same day, but he is a year younger than you and Elizabeth Dawes’ birthday is on the 22 we thought of her also. There has been a very dreadful fire in Edinburgh last week, such a one has not been known here for 34 years. Pray remember me to Papa, Mrs Read, Tom, Fanny and George. I hope little Isabella will remember me when I return. … Mrs Boog & Mrs Vaughan & all friends here desire to be kindly remembered to Papa, they have all asked very particularly after you. I hope you will think this a long letter, I have been nearly all day writing it. I remain your very affectionate sister.

Anne V. Butler

Noncon cancon...

I look forward to Star Wars introducing Hothkey. Sticks instead of lightsabers! Skating instead of Force tricks!

Honestly, "the Autobots and Decepticons are now rival hockey teams, and Megatron and Optimus are having a secret affair" wouldn't even be the weirdest plotline Transformers has ever done. I'd watch that movie.

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sexual abuse and rape culture
UK Politics
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and related current events

Discussion of UK politics related sexual abuse and rape culture should go into one properly labeled subthread.

Audio and transcript here.

Kat Spada: Today, I’m talking to Rachel Manija Brown, a writer who’s published over 30 books, and opened up Paper & Clay Bookshop in late 2024. Rachel, will you tell me about why you decided to open a bookshop?

Rachel Brown: I had never intended to open a bookshop. I always thought it was one of those idle daydreams that people who love reading and books have. I never planned to actually do it because I didn’t think it would be successful—they frequently go out of business. But after I moved to Crestline, which is a very small town in the California mountains, the little town did not have a bookshop.

It had a shop that was kind of a bookshop. I would say about ten percent of its inventory was books, but it was primarily gifts and herbs and crystals and things like that. But it had a really great atmosphere, people loved it, the people who worked there were really great. And all the kids in town used to hang out there, especially the queer and trans and otherwise kind of misfit kids. And I used to hang out there.

[When it went] out of business, I was so sad at the idea of the mountain losing its only bookshop. Especially the thought that all the queer, trans, bookish, and otherwise misfit teenagers, like I had once been, were going to lose their safe space.

I started daydreaming about opening it myself, and I thought, I love this idea so much, maybe in a couple of years when I have actual preparation, I’ll open a bookshop. Then I realized it was at was such a good location, that I would never get that good of a location again. It’s smack in the middle of the tourist district, every person who visits Crestline walks right past it.

Unfortunately, this was all while I was in Bulgaria for a month. So, I spent some time frantically trying to take over the lease, which was extremely difficult from another country. I couldn’t take possession of the shop until November 1st, and I really wanted to open it in time to get all the Christmas customers. And I have a tiny house, so I couldn’t really buy very much, because I had no place to put it. So I took possession of the shop on November 1st, and I opened on November 14th.

I've posted the rest of the edited transcript below the cut. ( Read more... )

Diseased grimdark English-language sourcebooks by Christian Eichhorn for the artpunk tabletop fantasy roleplaying game Mörk Borg!

Bundle of Holding: Eichhorn Mork Borg

Public

This really shouldn't be the case but as far as I can tell, I am in at least the top 5% (maybe even considerably smaller than that) of people regarding knowledge of what went on during the production of The Last House on the Left. I have achieved this not through formal expertise or through special access, but by merely:

1) Going through the DVD/Blu-ray extras systematically
2) Reading all of David Szulkin's making-of book
3) Spending more than three minutes searching for evidence

Given Last House was the film that launched Wes Craven's career in horror, it is absolutely absurd how useless the horror and cinema media have been, for decades, in interrogating what happened away from the fictional story. Wes Craven himself should have been asked far more searching questions than he was.

This criticism applies to cinema academics too. It's deeply ironic, in a bad way, that there have been so many people writing papers and articles about the way Mari is portrayed in the story from various progressive and feminist viewpoints, yet almost none writing about the serious abuse by men of the real young woman who played Mari.

The fact that the most likely place to find details of what Sandra Peabody endured is in listicles is a terrible indictment of how badly so-called "serious" horror and cinema media have failed.

Current Mood: discontent

I buy primroses and pots full of bulbs as soon as they are available, it does so much for my mood to have them where I can see them from the couch. I have daffodils, grape hyacinths, a couple of different hyacinths and these netted irises.

Current Mood: chill
Current Music: Baldur's Gate 3 soundtrack

Posted by Michala Garrison

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-threatens-rare-forests-in-argentina/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1190417

Two thick plumes of gray wildfire smoke spread from Patagonia's forested, snow-capped mountains in the middle of the scene into Argentina's brown, drier plains to the right.

January 8, 2026

Summer is usually peak tourism season in Argentina’s Chubut province, a time when hikers and sightseers arrive to explore glacial lakes and cirques, alpine valleys, and towering forests. In January 2026, however, some visitors to the remote Patagonian region instead found themselves fleeing raging wildland fires.

On January 8, 2026, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of smoke billowing from two large fires burning in and around Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. NASA satellites began detecting widespread fire activity in the area on January 6.

The more southerly blaze was spreading east on ridges between Lago Rivadavia, Lago Futalaufquen, and Lago Menéndez; the more northerly fire was burning on steep hillsides around Lago Epuyén. All of the lakes occupy U-shaped glacial troughs, valleys with unusually flat bases and steep sides carved by glacial and periglacial erosion. Satellite-based estimates from the Global Wildfire Information System indicate that fires charred more than 175 square kilometers (67 square miles) across Patagonia between January 5 and 8.

The ridges are blanketed with temperate Patagonian Andean forest, including sections of Valdivian rainforest, with rare stands of alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides). A type of cypress, these huge, slow-growing conifers are the second-longest-lived trees on Earth, with some surviving for more than 3,600 years. According to UNESCO documents, Los Alerces National Park protects 36 percent of Argentina’s alerce forests, including stands with the greatest genetic variability on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The park’s forests also contain exclusive genetic variants and the oldest individuals in the country.

News outlets and the national park reported challenging weather conditions for firefighters on the ground, who faced high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds in recent days. Standardized Precipitation Index data from the National Integrated Drought Information System show that unusually dry conditions over the past several months have likely primed vegetation to burn. News outlets reported that at least 3,000 tourists had to be evacuated from a lake resort near Lago Epuyén.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

References & Resources

Argentina (2026) Parque Nacional Los Alerces. Accessed January 9, 2026.
Buenos Aires Herald (2026, January 8) Wildfires in Patagonia: 3,000 tourists evacuated as flames consume Chubut forests. Accessed January 9, 2026.
El Destape (2026, January 5) “Situación explosiva o extremadamente crítica”: alerta por posibles incendios en casi toda la Argentina en el verano. Accessed January 9, 2026.
France24 (2026, January 7) 3,000 tourists evacuated as Argentine Patagonia battles wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
LM Neuquén (2026, January 8) Incendios forestales: los lugares habilitados para el turismo en la cordillera. Accessed January 9, 2026.
NASA Earthdata (2026) Wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
Noticias Ambientales (2026, January 8) Alert for fires in Chubut: nearly 2000 hectares devastated, 3000 evacuated, and the fire doesn’t stop. Accessed January 9, 2026.
ReliefWeb (2026, January 8) Argentina – Wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
UNESCO (2017) Los Alerces National Park. Accessed January 9, 2026.

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The Bear Gulch fire spread through dense forest and filled skies with smoke in northwestern Washington state.

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The post Fire Threatens Rare Forests in Argentina appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-threatens-rare-forests-in-argentina/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1190417

Posted by ldauphin

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/ganges-delta-under-a-winter-shroud-of-fog/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189997

A satellite image of the Ganges Delta shows a T-shaped area of low white clouds. At the bottom, clouds extend over the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal in parallel rows.

January 6, 2026

Winter weather took hold across the Indo-Gangetic Plain in early January 2026, bringing dense fog and cold temperatures to much of the flat, fertile lands that span from Pakistan and northern India to Bangladesh.

This image shows low-lying clouds over the delta on the morning of January 6, captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Dense fog, particularly radiation fog, is common this time of year, forming when ground temperatures are cool, winds are light, and moisture is abundant near the surface. The meteorological departments of both Bangladesh and India called for moderate to very dense fog over the region that day amid an ongoing cold wave.

Other relatively low-level clouds extend from the land areas and over the Bay of Bengal. These long, parallel bands of clouds, known as cloud streets, can form when cold air passes over warmer open water, gaining heat and moisture. Rising thermals ascend until they reach a temperature inversion that acts like a lid, forcing the air to roll into long, parallel rotating cylinders. Clouds develop where the air rises, while clear skies appear where the air sinks.

While it appears scenic from above, foggy conditions can pose hazards and snarl daily life for people on the ground. For instance, dense fog early in the month caused major disruptions at the international airport in Dhaka, according to local news reports. Similar disruptions, along with travel delays on roads and railways, were reported in parts of northern, central, and eastern India.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

References & Resources

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (2026, January 5) Weather Forecast Valid For 120 Hours Commencing 06 PM of 05.01.2026. Accessed January 8, 2026.
Dhaka Tribune (2026, January 2) Flights diverted one after another as dense fog disrupts Dhaka airport operations. Accessed January 8, 2026.
India Meteorological Department (2026, January 5) Press Release. Accessed January 8, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2024, January 18) Fog Blankets the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Accessed January 8, 2026.
The New Indian Express (2026, January 4) Cold wave persist in Delhi, northern India, flights disrupted amid dense fog. Accessed January 8, 2026.

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The post Ganges Delta Under a Winter Shroud of Fog appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/ganges-delta-under-a-winter-shroud-of-fog/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189997

Posted by Michala Garrison

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/meltwater-turns-iceberg-a-23a-blue/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189639

December 26, 2025

The year that iceberg A-23A first broke away from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, and the movie Top Gun was setting box office records. Forty years later, the massive tabular berg—one of the largest and longest-lived bergs ever tracked by scientists—is sopping with blue meltwater and on the verge of complete disintegration as it drifts in the South Atlantic between the eastern tip of South America and South Georgia island.

When it first detached from Antarctica in 1986, the berg was nearly twice the size of Rhode Island—about 4,000 square kilometers. Estimates from the U.S. National Ice Center put the berg’s area at 1,182 square kilometers (456 square miles) in early January 2026, following the breakup of several sizable pieces in July, August, and September of 2025 as it moved into relatively warm summer conditions by December.

When the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of what remained of the waterlogged berg on December 26, 2025, extensive pools of blue meltwater were visible on its surface. Though much smaller than it once was, what remains is still among the largest icebergs in the ocean, covering an area larger than New York City. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a photograph showing a closer view (below) of the iceberg a day later, with an even more extensive melt pool.

The “blue-mush” areas are likely the result of ongoing disintegration events, explained Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “You have the weight of the water sitting inside cracks in the ice and forcing them open,” he said. Note also the thin white line around the outer edge of the iceberg seemingly holding in blue meltwater—a “rampart-moat” pattern caused by an upward bending of the iceberg plate as its edges melt at the waterline.

December 27, 2025

The striking linear patterns of blue and white across the berg are likely related to striations that were scoured hundreds of years ago when the ice was part of a glacier dragging across Antarctic bedrock.

“The striations formed parallel to the direction of flow, which ultimately created subtle ridges and valleys on the top of the iceberg that now direct the flow of meltwater,” explained Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow & Ice Data Center. “It’s impressive that these striations still show up after so much time has passed, massive amounts of snow have fallen, and a great deal of melting has occurred from below,” added retired University of Maryland Baltimore County scientist Chris Shuman.

The MODIS image suggests that the ailing iceberg has also sprung a leak. The white area to its left may be the result of what Shuman described as a “blowout.” The weight of the water pooling at the top of the towering iceberg would have created enough pressure at the edges to punch through. The blowout may have allowed meltwater to spill tens of meters down to the ocean surface in what researchers call a “freshwater discharge plume,” where it mixed with the mélange of ice bits floating next to the iceberg.

Scientists say these signs indicate the iceberg could be just days or weeks from disintegrating completely. “I certainly don’t expect A-23A to last through the austral summer,” said Shuman, noting that the season typically brings clearer skies and warmer air and water temperatures—factors that accelerate the disintegration process in an area known among ice experts as a “graveyard” for icebergs. It’s already in water that’s about 3 degrees Celsius and riding currents that are pushing it toward even warmer waters that will eat away at it quickly, added Meier.

Even by Antarctic standards, A-23A has had a long, winding journey full of unexpected chapters that have improved scientists’ understanding of the “megabergs” occasionally released into the Southern Ocean. After grounding in the shallow waters of the Weddell Sea for more than 30 years, A-23A broke free in 2020, then spent several months in a twirling ocean vortex called a Taylor column. It eventually spun away and headed north, nearly colliding with South Georgia island and lodging in shallow waters for several months before escaping into the open ocean, where it has been rapidly breaking apart throughout 2025.

Scientists who have been tracking the berg for their entire careers see its imminent demise as a bittersweet moment. “I’m incredibly grateful that we’ve had the satellite resources in place that have allowed us to track it and document its evolution so closely,” said Shuman. “A-23A faces the same fate as other Antarctic bergs, but its path has been remarkably long and eventful. It’s hard to believe it won’t be with us much longer.”

Even as A-23A fades, other massive bergs are parked or drifting along the Antarctic shoreline. Several, including A-81, B22A, and D15A, are each larger than 1,500 square kilometers and sit waiting for their moment to break free and begin their journey north.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. ISS Astronaut photograph ISS074-E-8943 was acquired on December 27, 2025, with a Nikon Z 9 digital camera using a focal length of 500 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 74 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Adam Voiland.

References and Resources

AP News (2025, September 4) Most enduring and biggest iceberg breaks apart, with more splintering to come in its death spiral. Accessed January 7, 2026.
British Antarctic Survey (2025, March 4) World’s largest iceberg grounds near sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. Accessed January 7, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2025, September 24) A Giant Iceberg’s Final Drift. Accessed January 7, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2025, August 1) Antarctic Iceberg Downsizes. Accessed January 7, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2025, May 6) Antarctic Iceberg Loses Its Edge. Accessed January 7, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2015, February 6) Flipped, Dirty, Amazing Icebergs. Accessed January 7, 2026.
NPR (2025, September 5) The world’s oldest and largest iceberg will soon be no more. Accessed January 7, 2026.
Scambos, T., et al. (2025) How to train your iceberg: Iceberg A23a drift track in 2024. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 106(8), S357–S400.
Scambos, T., et al. (2005) ICESat profiles of tabular iceberg margins and iceberg breakup at low latitudes. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(23).
USA Today (2025, September 4) World’s largest iceberg, A23a, breaks. See satellite and aerial views. Accessed January 7, 2026.
U.S. National Ice Center (2026, January 7) Antarctic Iceberg Data. Accessed January 7, 2026.

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After a long, turbulent journey, Antarctic Iceberg A-23A is signaling its demise as it floats in the South Atlantic.

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The post Meltwater Turns Iceberg A-23A Blue appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/meltwater-turns-iceberg-a-23a-blue/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189639

Posted by ldauphin

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/algae-swirls-across-a-south-african-reservoir/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189300

June 2022-July 2023

On clear days in Hartbeespoort, South Africa, satellite images often reveal a reservoir with shades of deep blue interrupted by drifting patches of vivid green. Over the years, these shifting features have included algae blooms—which can affect water quality, ecosystems, and nearby human communities—along with several types of invasive aquatic plants.

In this animation, from June 2022 to July 2023, aquatic plants proliferate, move around the reservoir, and then fade. The animation is composed of images from Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS), a NASA product that combines imagery from the NASA/USGS Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2A, 2B, and 2C satellites.

The green masses can also contain varying amounts of algae, an umbrella term for photosynthetic organisms that live in water, encompassing everything from single-celled cyanobacteria to seaweed. They play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. But when colonies of algae spread too widely or release harmful toxins, they can threaten the very environments they support. These colonies are known as harmful algal blooms, or HABs.

Some HABs are toxic and often are part of a process called eutrophication. Eutrophication begins when there are too many nutrients in an ecosystem—because of agricultural runoff and other inputs—leading to a rapid growth of algae.

“It’s like having a garden,” said Bridget Seegers, a NASA scientist who studies cyanobacteria in freshwater ecosystems. “If you add a lot of nutrients, you’re going to have a lot of growth.”

Eventually, the algae die off. As decomposers break down the dead algae, they consume oxygen, which can lead to hypoxia and the formation of dead zones.

A satellite image of a mostly brown landscape features a dark-blue reservoir partially covered by bright green algae in the north and center.

August 10, 2022

Such conditions have been documented at the Hartbeespoortdam (Hartbeespoort Dam) reservoir, located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) west of Pretoria and used primarily for recreation and irrigation. It also hosts large mats of invasive water hyacinths and, more recently, the invasive plant Salvinia minima. While these aquatic plants do not produce toxins, they do contribute to eutrophication when they die and decompose.

Harmful algal blooms can affect ecosystem health and human lives and livelihoods. In April 2023, South African authorities linked a large fish kill in Hartbeespoort to low oxygen levels caused by excessive algal growth. More broadly, HABs in drinking water reservoirs can reduce water availability and raise water treatment costs, while swimming in HAB-infested waters can cause rashes, and pets or livestock that drink it may fall ill or die.

One 2022 paper published in Remote Sensing examined algae in the reservoir from 1980 to 2020 using Landsat data. “This is a reservoir that has always been monitored heavily by the local department of water resources,” said Adam Ali, the lead author of the paper. The research used satellite data to provide a big-picture view of conditions across the entire reservoir over long time scales. Using 40 years of Landsat data, the researchers found that the biggest drivers of algal growth were total phosphorus content—a nutrient found in runoff—and water temperature, with blooms typically expanding in the warm summer months and subsiding in the winter.

They also identified key trends over space and time. Algal productivity was higher near Krokodilrivier (Crocodile River) inflows and in the western part of the reservoir due to golf course runoff and restricted water circulation, demonstrating how HABs are influenced by runoff and river inputs. Large blooms occurred between 1982 and 1986, when total phosphorus levels were high. A bioremediation program in the late 1980s succeeded in limiting algae growth, but after funding ended in the late 1990s, harmful algal blooms spiked again in the early 2000s.

To track algae from space, the researchers analyzed the water’s color by measuring different wavelengths of light. From this, they estimated the concentration of chlorophyll-a, a common pigment in algae, and used these values to approximate algae biomass over time. Although water samples remain necessary to confirm that a bloom is harmful, satellite data can help scientists understand the drivers of harmful algal blooms, especially in remote regions where regular ground monitoring is expensive and time intensive.

New and forthcoming NASA missions promise to advance space-based water quality monitoring. The next Landsat satellite is expected to measure wavelengths specifically designed to detect HABs. NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, launched in 2024, collects data in hundreds of precise wavelength bands in the visible spectrum, which can help scientists identify the type of algae that comprise a certain bloom—a key factor in determining toxicity. Given PACE’s spatial resolution, the data is most useful in coastal areas or larger inland water bodies. Ali is working with researchers at NASA Ames to integrate PACE into future studies.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on January 13, 2026, to note the presence of the plant Salvinia minima.

Animation by Ross Walter/Landsat Science Office Support, using data from the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) product. HLS is funded by NASA and is a deliverable of the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), an interagency effort of the U.S. Government dedicated to identifying and addressing Earth observation needs across U.S. civilian federal agencies. Still image by Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Madeleine Gregory/Landsat Science Office Support.

References & Resources

Ali, K., et al. (2022) Integrating In Situ and Current Generation Satellite Data for Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Hartbeespoort Dam, Crocodile River Basin, South Africa. Remote Sensing, 14(17), 4277.
Coetzee, J.A., et al. (2022) Into Africa: Salvinia minima Baker (Salviniaceae) invades South Africa. BioInvasions Records, 11(14), 1011-1018.
NOAA (2016, April 27) What is a harmful algal bloom? Accessed January 6, 2026.
South African Government (2023, April 26) Water and Sanitation releases investigation report on cause of fish-kill at Hartbeespoort Dam. Accessed January 6, 2026.

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The post Plants and Algae Swirl Across a South African Reservoir appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/algae-swirls-across-a-south-african-reservoir/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189300

Posted by ldauphin

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/reaching-the-precipice-in-angola/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1189006

This satellite image centers on the serrated edge of the Huila plateau in Angola. The sheer cliff wall forms a rough C shape and is highlighted by dark shadows and a band of green vegetation. The lowlands to the left are tan-colored arid coastal plains, and the more-temperate plateau on the right side is greener.

June 19-20, 2025

In southwestern Angola, an expanse of coastal plains comes to an abrupt end at a natural barrier. The Huíla plateau soars above the lowlands to elevations of around 2,300 meters (7,500 feet). The sharp transition results in dramatic landscapes and a sudden change from an arid environment to more-temperate climes.

The serrated edge of the Huíla plateau zigzags through this image, which is a mosaic of scenes acquired on June 19 and 20, 2025, with the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) and OLI on the Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 satellites, respectively. Areas around the plateau’s edges appear green with vegetation. But the landscape tends to look much browner by late September, at the end of the region’s dry season, during which almost no rain falls.

This topography is part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa, a 5,000-kilometer-long feature running roughly parallel to the continent’s edge. From Angola, it extends south through Namibia, across South Africa, and then northeast into Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The image below, acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite, shows a longer segment of the escarpment in Angola.

A satellite image of southwestern Angola shows light-colored coastal desert to the left and a darker plateau to the right. These are separated by a jagged boundary tinged with green, part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa. The Atlantic Ocean, mostly cloud-covered, runs along the left edge of the image.

June 20, 2025

Scientists believe the escarpment formed after the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana in the Jurassic period. Since then, erosion has worn away at the continental margin such that the escarpment now sits 50 to 200 kilometers (30 to 120 miles) back from the coast.

This Angolan section of the escarpment features dizzying, yet beautiful, landscapes. Tundavala Gap, a gouge eroded into the cliff line (below), is one of the most iconic with its well-framed view of the plains below. The precipice also presents a substantial obstacle to transportation. A stretch of the Namibe-Lubango Road overcomes this challenge with a series of scenic hairpin turns climbing to Serra da Leba pass near the town of Leba.

Sheer cliff walls on the right and left sides of this photograph make a V shape in the foreground. Some light green shrubs grow from cracks in the rock. The ground visible in the opening between the cliffs is far below.

March 11, 2014

Lubango, one of Angola’s largest cities, occupies a valley on the Huíla plateau. In addition to its remarkable natural surroundings, the city boasts a diverse mix of cultures, striking architecture, and a wide variety of locally produced foods.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey, and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Photo of Tundavala Gap © jbdodane.com. Story by Lindsey Doermann.