#between the moon & nyc

[jackabelle73]

Hello, @rockitmans !!

I am finally revealing myself as your Klaine Secret Santa, and only four days late. I'm so sorry I kept you waiting, but your gift fic is finally here.

When I saw your wish list, I immediately zeroed in on New York City, adult professionals, and Broadway. And I decided that this was a great opportunity to add to my Between the Moon and New York City verse. I finished that fic in 2019, but I had several ideas for what could have happened after the events in that story. I've never written any of those ideas, till now. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to get at least one plot bunny out of my head.

I hope you had a happy holiday season, and wish you the happiest New Year. May 2024 be a better year for all of us.

@klainesecretsanta2023

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Coprophagic AI crisis

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TORONTO on Mar 22, then with LAURA POITRAS in NYC on Mar 24, then Anaheim, and more!

A key requirement for being a science fiction writer without losing your mind is the ability to distinguish between science fiction (futuristic thought experiments) and predictions. SF writers who lack this trait come to fancy themselves fortune-tellers who SEE! THE! FUTURE!

The thing is, sf writers cheat. We palm cards in order to set up pulp adventure stories that let us indulge our thought experiments. These palmed cards – say, faster-than-light drives or time-machines – are narrative devices, not scientifically grounded proposals.

Historically, the fact that some people – both writers and readers – couldn't tell the difference wasn't all that important, because people who fell prey to the sf-as-prophecy delusion didn't have the power to re-orient our society around their mistaken beliefs. But with the rise and rise of sf-obsessed tech billionaires who keep trying to invent the torment nexus, sf writers are starting to be more vocal about distinguishing between our made-up funny stories and predictions (AKA "cyberpunk is a warning, not a suggestion"):

https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2023/11/dont-create-the-torment-nexus.html

In that spirit, I'd like to point to how one of sf's most frequently palmed cards has become a commonplace of the AI crowd. That sleight of hand is: "add enough compute and the computer will wake up." This is a shopworn cliche of sf, the idea that once a computer matches the human brain for "complexity" or "power" (or some other simple-seeming but profoundly nebulous metric), the computer will become conscious. Think of "Mike" in Heinlein's *The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress#Plot

For people inflating the current AI hype bubble, this idea that making the AI "more powerful" will correct its defects is key. Whenever an AI "hallucinates" in a way that seems to disqualify it from the high-value applications that justify the torrent of investment in the field, boosters say, "Sure, the AI isn't good enough…yet. But once we shovel an order of magnitude more training data into the hopper, we'll solve that, because (as everyone knows) making the computer 'more powerful' solves the AI problem":

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

As the lawyers say, this "cites facts not in evidence." But let's stipulate that it's true for a moment. If all we need to make the AI better is more training data, is that something we can count on? Consider the problem of "botshit," Andre Spicer and co's very useful coinage describing "inaccurate or fabricated content" shat out at scale by AIs:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4678265

"Botshit" was coined last December, but the internet is already drowning in it. Desperate people, confronted with an economy modeled on a high-speed game of musical chairs in which the opportunities for a decent livelihood grow ever scarcer, are being scammed into generating mountains of botshit in the hopes of securing the elusive "passive income":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/15/passive-income-brainworms/#four-hour-work-week

Botshit can be produced at a scale and velocity that beggars the imagination. Consider that Amazon has had to cap the number of self-published "books" an author can submit to a mere three books per day:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/20/amazon-restricts-authors-from-self-publishing-more-than-three-books-a-day-after-ai-concerns

As the web becomes an anaerobic lagoon for botshit, the quantum of human-generated "content" in any internet core sample is dwindling to homeopathic levels. Even sources considered to be nominally high-quality, from Cnet articles to legal briefs, are contaminated with botshit:

https://theconversation.com/ai-is-creating-fake-legal-cases-and-making-its-way-into-real-courtrooms-with-disastrous-results-225080

Ironically, AI companies are setting themselves up for this problem. Google and Microsoft's full-court press for "AI powered search" imagines a future for the web in which search-engines stop returning links to web-pages, and instead summarize their content. The question is, why the fuck would anyone write the web if the only "person" who can find what they write is an AI's crawler, which ingests the writing for its own training, but has no interest in steering readers to see what you've written? If AI search ever becomes a thing, the open web will become an AI CAFO and search crawlers will increasingly end up imbibing the contents of its manure lagoon.

This problem has been a long time coming. Just over a year ago, Jathan Sadowski coined the term "Habsburg AI" to describe a model trained on the output of another model:

https://twitter.com/jathansadowski/status/1625245803211272194

There's a certain intuitive case for this being a bad idea, akin to feeding cows a slurry made of the diseased brains of other cows:

https://www.cdc.gov/prions/bse/index.html

But "The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget," a recent paper, goes beyond the ick factor of AI that is fed on botshit and delves into the mathematical consequences of AI coprophagia:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.17493

Co-author Ross Anderson summarizes the finding neatly: "using model-generated content in training causes irreversible defects":

https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2023/06/06/will-gpt-models-choke-on-their-own-exhaust/

Which is all to say: even if you accept the mystical proposition that more training data "solves" the AI problems that constitute total unsuitability for high-value applications that justify the trillions in valuation analysts are touting, that training data is going to be ever-more elusive.

What's more, while the proposition that "more training data will linearly improve the quality of AI predictions" is a mere article of faith, "training an AI on the output of another AI makes it exponentially worse" is a matter of fact.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/14/14/inhuman-centipede#enshittibottification

Image: Plamenart (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Double_Mobius_Strip.JPG

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC Pick a Ride: Your Next Big Adventure 🌌🌠🌃

Thank you for voting in my latest poll! I'm surprised and glad to see that Next Big Adventure won by a landslide! Seeing as we have the New Moon in Sagittarius on the 12th, it makes sense that we are collectively interested in seeing what the next chapter has in store. Please note that some of these other topics mentioned in my polls may appear in future pick a card readings, so stay tuned.

So without further ado, let's get into our piles! Pretend as though you are a Knight from your favorite tarot deck about to embark on your next journey. Please choose your mode of transportation:

1 - Plane 2 - Ship 3 - Motorbike 4 - Train

Pile 1 - Plane

Cards: Re-Evaluate, Pencil Sketch, The Pilgrim, Ceres - Nurture, Patience, 26. Protection - Finding What's Important; I Magician, 10 of Pentacles, 4 of Pentacles, XIX The Sun Channeled Locations: Canada, Singapore, Morocco, Ukraine, Australia, Philippines, UK, New Zealand, NYC, South Korea

Hi pile 1, you've chosen to travel by air, bypassing all the long troublesome routes. After all, the sky's the limit! Isn't it nice to measure your distance by how the crow flies sometimes? You're ready to catapult yourself into the next big adventure; I can tell there's a lot of excitement to see what's ahead here. You'd rather get to the next phase of your life instantly yet with ease. This is likely the pile with big career goals, especially if moving or actual traveling will be in the big picture. Maybe you're dreaming of traveling by plane as part of your future dream job? You don't just want to get there, as great as that is--it has to be done with intention.

You're in the process of drawing out what your next life would look like. The future seems full of creative possibilities, but with Pencil Sketch next to Re-evaluate, you're being asked to pay attention to the details. How do you want things to go one month from now, and one year from now? As great as it would be to have an entire decade mapped out, it's unrealistic, but it doesn't mean you can't draft some concepts. You should have something in mind, though, instead of setting out with a knapsack and praying for the best. If your next career or long term project could be anything you wanted, are you going to hop into something for 10 years that doesn't end up panning out in your favor, or would you rather delicately test something for a year before diving in? Moving forward can be exciting, but if you're going by plane, you will need some coordinates.

I think your reading is super straightforward, pile 1. You've got a lucky edge going for you with the tarot cards here. Whatever kind of career goal you have in mind, you may have a chance to "make it big" at some point. That won't come without a lot of foresight and careful investment, however. Don't try to rush into any big decisions right off the bat. I occasionally see the Magician card as the one signifying "read between the lines". If any contracts get involved, be very careful and read thoroughly. Don't be afraid to ask questions or seek clarification. The ones giving you the contact would rather see you jump in it blind, but you've got the crafty Magician energy to help you out during this retrograde period.

As eager as you are to begin your next journey, you're being asked to consider what you want to grow over the long term. This reading wants to shift the focus away from the end goal, even if there's a message here about acting with intention. Setting intention doesn't mean straying away from the present moment to only consider what happens in the end. Part of paying attention to detail means being aware and present in what's happening around you. The present moment is a crucial aspect of your growth period, and it wants you to gently guard after and care for your goal as though it were a plant. You know the fruit of the plant will be ready to eat when it's there and fully ripened, but in the meantime you can enjoy its flowers and fresh budding leaves.

Enjoy the gentle growth process, because once you do start to take off, you may be shocked by how high you'll find yourself in mere seconds. The initial lift of the plane as it begins to run with the sky can give you a wonky feeling like your whole world is shifting and moving with you. Your sense of time can change, requiring adjustment. If you're unprepared, the change could feel overwhelming. Make sure that by the time you're ready for that big takeoff in your work or projects, you will have built up a solid foundation to ground you once you're ready to come back down to earth. That's how you'll build lasting success in your life's next adventure. Stay optimistic, because that positive shift could come sooner than you think!

Pile 2 - Ship

Cards: Limitless, Calla, The Alchemist, 10. Capricorn - Achieve, Express Love, 11. Invention - Burning with Passion; X Wheel of Fortune, 4 of Wands, VII Chariot, 10 of Swords Channeled Locations: India, Greece, Ethiopia, Thailand, Spain, Iceland, Turkey, Croatia, South Africa

The seas are calling you, pile 2, calmly asking you to take only what's truly needed with you. The water's may be choppy, but out in the expansive blue seas, you can feel connected to the coasts of the entire world. With a firm grasp of the ship's wheel, you designate yourself captain as you adjust your sails and set your sights for the hidden treasure that lies ahead--or perhaps beneath your anchor. You're entering your next big adventure lit up with grand ideas for what to do all laid out on your map. Over the vast horizon, anything could happen, and you could find yourself shaking hands with anybody new. This pile may be seeking proposals or offers of some kind, ones that will let you dream bigger than you have before. This pile likely has a good idea of where to go next, or at least some interesting things written down.

These cards ask you to make peace with some aspect of your past. It could be that whatever you had planned before didn't entirely work out in your favor. As much as the online community talks about how rejection is divine protection, sometimes having plans fall apart is not going to feel good, even when you're just glad it's over with. The worst thing can be the feeling of not knowing what to expect after a fall. But your next chapter is showing a lot of promise in things to come, so don't let your past be the omen of your future. The tides are turning right now, and if you can focus on what you'd like to accomplish next, you'll be able to shift those tides in your favor. The first step is to see that you've survived the bad times, and that in itself makes you a victor. With that, you can move ahead with more confidence than before.

That's the thing about Capricorn energy: it thrives in conditions that others would consider too harsh or demanding. It's the drive to take the roughest materials and make diamonds from them. Once you can decide to make peace with what you've gone through, you can take the nuggets of wisdom you've garnered to make a beautiful new path for yourself. You dissolve the worst of your experiences and bring them together to make it better, as the Alchemist card suggests. The difficult times and failed attempts were not for waste; you've gained a lot of valuable growth that will provide a smoother current toward success in your next endeavor. This could be the pile that wants to start a business. Please know that simply starting a business, or even taking the first steps to plan one, takes a lot of guts already. If you've managed to go that far, congratulations! It takes a lot of hard work for a new business to be survive the long haul. So celebrate your milestones, no matter how small they seem.

Part of what makes this next chapter so fortuitous for you is how the energy is transiting through. You could be hit with a wave of inspiration from out of nowhere. If you've been stuck in one place without any wind to carry you through the fog, be prepared for that big splash! All hiccups set aside, you're still brimming with a lot of zeal for your next idea. You may even receive a cascade of insight, so be sure to write these things down as they come. You never know if something silly and small could end up helping you out later on. Your next big adventure is going to put the spark back in you, with a feeling of having a second chance at life, as Calla lilies represent rebirth. Don't be afraid to get excited over what's to come, pile 2. Your faith that things will work out for the better is contagious, as is your gratitude for the accomplishments you've made so far.

Pile 3 - Motorbike

Cards: Breathe, Snowboard, The Heir (Rx), 5. Leo - Shine, Balance, 21. Resilience - Finding Your Limits; 6 of Cups, Queen of Cups, Page of Wands, XIII Death Channeled Locations: Mexico, Italy, Midwest US, France, Norway, Egypt, Chile, Brazil

Your pile is like the fiery passion of the wands suit. Independent and bold, you chose to take open road for your next adventure, blazing a new path in front of your very eyes. You have an eagerness to take the world by storm, going wherever your first impulse wishes to carry you. This pile has a lot of drive to move forward to the next chapter with as much speed as possible, optimistic to find that next golden opportunity. And you're not afraid of a little showboating along the way. You even have the Snowboard palette card, which is a sport involving nothing but speeding down slopes and catching incredible air. This pile is the most excited for their next adventure.

Except actually, pile 3, you're being asked to slow down a little bit. And I get it! I get that this message can be so frustrating when you see what looks to be an endless highway yet the speed limit says 55. That might be a good pace for many folks, but for this pile it's not nearly enough! The thing to keep in mind is that this process of moderating your pace is for your overall benefit. See, you have the only reversed archetype card in all the piles. The card speaks of untapped potential, which is still there. It's simply saying that whatever you're seeking to do next, you're not totally ready because there is too much you're still carrying with you. To go with the motorbike analogy again, any leftover baggage from your past is going to weigh you down so it's in your benefit to review what you have before you can move forward. The more you let it go, the faster you'll be able to pick up the pace.

You have a lot to be proud of with how far you've come already. This pile likely thrives on challenges and sees overcoming them as a big part of spiritual development. Which can be true in many cases, and you demonstrate clearly that you're not afraid of what's to come next. It may come as a shock to you that your next chapter might be a little more quiet than expected. This is likely because, if you've gone through a lot of growth in your last chapter, it makes sense to have some downtime to balance things out. The Queen of Cups can be introverted energy, but she knows how to use her alone time to replenish her soul with art and meditation. You may have more time to spend by yourself steeped in creative drive rather than trying to accomplish too many things in the outer world.

This is one of the more spiritually oriented piles; over this next big phase in your life, your creative skills may flourish and evolve to another level. Maybe for a while you've been inclined towards artistic pursuits, but feel a desire to expand upon what you're already doing. With this energy, you're in alignment to have more time and energy to devote towards passions like painting, sports, or music. In this way, you can take that immense enthusiastic drive from the Page of Wands and channel it into something constructive or purposeful, even if you don't intend to monetize it.

Your next big adventure is tackling the speed limits that exist within you: the self imposed beliefs that tell you how fast you can go or where you're allowed to proceed. Thing is, in your inner world, you have a lot more freedom than you would on any highway. You can choose for yourself how you wish to manifest your passions into the world, and you can decide how much or how little passion you put into your work. Things like imposter syndrome can be their own mountains to climb, and this time around you're more geared up than ever to take it on. Once the spiritual mountains have been overcome, you'll be able to top anything the next chapter in life brings you.

Pile 4 - Train

Cards: Nucleus, Billiard Green, The Gambler, 44. Sixth House - Sustainability, Trust, 1. Vision - Contemplating the Future; XVIII The Moon, 10 of Wands, 3 Cups, XV The Devil Channeled Locations: West US, Sweden, Japan, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovenia, China, Germany, Switzerland

You've picked the solid, earthy pile of moving forward to your next adventure by train. Locomotion is slow but it's steady and reliable with time. Fully embodying the principles of inertia, once it moves it keeps moving, but it takes a lot of initial effort to get things going. Something you've worked on is slow going, but you're close or nearing the finish line. Once this is accomplished, things will move much more smoothly for you without so much push. Your next chapter will be steady, but it will be easier than before because it's already in motion.

I find this pile intriguing, y'all. You have Gambler above the Billiard card, and the Devil card shows a casino as well. It's almost bringing to mind old train heist movies. There's action, adventure, mystery, and a lot of fun here in this pile. Your next big adventure could involve having more chances to go out and have fun with friends. You could meet new friends around this time who will have a lot of extra pep in their step. They'll get you out of your shell if you've been in one for a while. Alternatively, if you see yourself as a party loving daredevil already, this new friendship may slow you down and protect you a little, in a good sense. They'll either be the head to your heart, or the heart to your head.

This pile is definitely more inclined to go with the flow in the next chapter. I almost typed 'glow' on accident, so perhaps you'll also experience basking in a 'glow' of some kind. You could be overcoming a huge obstacle at this time and look forward to more unstructured down time. You're encouraged to take time to enjoy yourself before moving to the next phase, but to also balance it out by taking moments to see where you'd rather go next. It's easy, after a huge achievement, to lose pace once the "now what?" sign is reached on your path. Go-with-the-flow doesn't necessarily mean 'fuck around and see what happens', lol. Try to find a middle ground here between playing and planning.

Your work-life balance will likely have some kind of pressure valve released like steam. You've had to really push for what you wanted this year. When opportunities looked scant, you had to tap in to your own power and immense resources to pull through. You've done so in flying colors. So your desire for freedom and thrills after a hard chapter is totally understandable. If you're not finished with something, there's almost a temptation here to run from it now and deal with it later. This isn't recommended; push through to the end because soon you will find yourself on the other side basking in the glow, and relaxing will be so much easier once you're fully done.

There's also advice to not get too carried away with material desires here. Your next chapter may have your finances fluctuating up and down, so try to stay steady with investments. If a windfall comes in, don't spend it all in a day. The Trust card here is talking about how you trust yourself with your resources and energy. When you're able to carry a greater amount with more responsibility, more will be added to you in due time. You're being asked to make small and consistent investments with wherever you're putting your value and resources into. Nothing wrong with wanting to splurge on something nice of course, especially if you've been working hard and you want to reward yourself. This is more to do with long term investments over the next few years.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

Decks Used: Tarotwave, Starcodes Astro Oracle, Citadel Oracle, StarDragons, Opal Oracle, Starlight Messages, Color Palette cards

[mysticstronomy]

WHAT IS THE SLOWEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE??

Blog#394

Saturday, April 20th, 2024.

Welcome back,

For centuries, physicists thought there was no limit to how fast an object could travel. But Einstein showed that the universe does, in fact, have a speed limit: the speed of light in a vacuum (that is, empty space). Nothing can travel faster than 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second).

Only massless particles, including photons, which make up light, can travel at that speed. It's impossible to accelerate any material object up to the speed of light because it would take an infinite amount of energy to do so.

So as it turns out, Einstein could never have caught up with the beam of light that captured his imagination as a teenager!

How long does it take to get to the Moon? Light travels the 380,000 kilometers (240,000 miles) between the Moon and the Earth in 1.3 seconds. It would take a person more than nine years of continuous walking to travel this distance.

Light: 1.3 seconds

Electron: 2.9 minutes

Space shuttle (orbital speed): 14 hours

Sound (70°F): 13 days

Passenger jet: 18 days

NYC subway car (maximum speed): 220 days

Human (walking): 9 years

The faster an object travels, the more massive it becomes. As an accelerating object gains mass and thus becomes heavier, it takes more and more energy to increase its speed. It would take an infinite amount of energy to make an object reach the speed of light.

Originally published on

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, April 24th, 2024)

"HOW FAST DOES LIGHT TRAVEL??"

[lutaviacosplay]

Cosplay Fabric Shopping Masterpost

Alright, here we go--a master list of as many (verified) fabric stores as I can think of, and what they specialize in! I will be focusing on fabric stores, as a notions shopping list will come at a later date. They'll be sorted by Name | Types of Fabrics | Brief description, and primarily US-based, though some overseas, so here we go:

--- "JACK OF ALL TRADES" FABRICS ---

Fabric Wholesale Direct | [Various, Budget] | Lots of all kinds of things, specialization in more inexpensive fabrics. Their rayon challis is a great lining fabric, and their poly dupioni is one of the most popular, but they have a little of everything. Processing takes a HOT SECOND, shipping is okay at best.

Fashion Fabrics Club | [Various, Mixed] | Have bought several weird things from here, including various velvets and wools. Great for non-stretch things. Pricing is average, but their sales are amazing if you catch it; shipping is a little slower.

Zelouf Fabrics | [Various, Budget] | A newer fabric store, has literally EVERY SHADE IMAGINABLE of some fabrics, such as their poly taffeta. Also, their swatches are MASSIVE, like half yards or something. If you need a specific color and know your material, try this place out.

Denver Fabrics | [Various, Mixed] | Similar to Fashion Fabrics Club, HUGE variety of stuff. The search feature is not the best but I've found some good gems here, and well categorized.

Sy Fabrics | [Various, Budget] | Similar to Fabric Wholesale Direct! The site is hideous, but very comparable in quality--great basics.

Cali Fabrics | [Various, Budget] | Ships FAST, great for lots of yardage or cheaper mockups. Smaller selection but still plenty to look at.

--- STRETCH FABRICS ---

Blue Moon Fabrics | [Stretch, Formal] | LOTS of stretch fabric, but specifically stretch sequins and very "funky" fabrics. Sales are few and far in between but if you need something glittery or with sequins that can stretch, this is the place.

Spandex House | [Stretch] | Comparable (but not to be confused with) Spandex World, located in the Bronx in NYC if you wanna go and visit! As the name says, lots of stretch fabric, some very unique; this is where I got my stretch glitter tie dye velvet for Exarch's arm. Pricing is "meh".

Spandex World | [Stretch, Basics] | Comparable with Spandex House, but located in the NYC Garment District if you wanna visit! I actually prefer Spandex World as far as /quality/--great for basic stuff like stretch scuba and power mesh or milliskin. Pricing is "meh".

MJTrends | [Stretch, Vinyl/Pleather, Latex] | THE place to go to for things like latex, vinyl, pleather, and stretchy stuff in that avenue. Great for "liquid look" or stuff like Eva plugsuits.

--- FUR FABRICS ---

Big Z Fabrics | [Fur, Various, Fun Colors] | They actually have things BESIDES fur, but I'm going to recommend their fur specifically due to the large selection, at various price points. This is where furries shop, if that gives any nudge to how legit it is.

Shannon Fabrics | [Fur, Pricey, Naturals] | Primarily used for stuff like blankets BUT does have some weirder patterns, in more neutral colors. Their long pile fur in particular is quite nice to work with.

--- SILK + FANCY FABRICS ---

Silk Baron | [Various, Pricey, Real] | You've heard of it, but here it is--the go-to spot (minus literally ordering from an Indian seller) for real silks of various types. Expect at minimum $18/yard for their dupionis and around $22/yard for their taffetas and to go upward from there. Color is unprecedented; if you need a duochromatic silk or a specific type, from organza to matka, go here.

Dharma Trading | [Raw, Budget, Real] | Primarily a dye seller, Dharma also specifically sells raw and finished silks in white, natural, and some in black. These are made to be dyed and come in various finishes, but their raw silk in particular is a great budget option for projects and takes to dye well.

Fancy Styles Fabric | [Pricey, Various] | Though this place also carries poly, specializes in real silk too. Lots of taffeta, dupioni, jacquard, the type of stuff you'd see on a baroque wallpaper. Great sales/deals on their IG, so check there before buying. Pricing is sometimes a bit overpriced, so wait for sales.

Promenade Fabrics | [Pricey, Various] | A "better customer service" version of Fancy Styles, with a storefront in New Orleans. Also has good trim selection. Fair mix of real and false silks, good luxury stuff.

Mood Fabrics | [Various, Pricey] | Mood is my go-to for when I want a luxury fabric OR if I want a strong brocade or jacquard that a "simple" pattern won't do for me. There are however some great sales every now and then, including clearance. Every swatch order also comes with a 10% off coupon! As a bonus, their button and trim selection isn't bad, so save yourself some shopping.

VincyStore | [Various, Unique] | This is their Etsy, although they do have an Ali storefront, the prices are very close. Very "weird" unique fabrics, mainly poly silks folded in weird ways or the kinda stuff you'd see on fantasy gowns. Good unique finds.

--- OTHER SPECIFIC STORES ---

Tandy Leather | [Leather, Pricey, Accessories] | It's real leather, and mostly heavier weight, but you can occasionally find good deals here. They do have physical stores and often the stores have BETTER deals. Less apparel weight in my experience.

District Leathers | [Leather, Pricey, Apparel] | Also real leather, and a good various selection, including a physical storefront. I really like their very light suede and similar stuff--good for cloaks, etc.

Fabrics Store | [Linen, Mixed] | This site has other stuff, but, JUST BUY YOUR LINEN FROM HERE. It's great quality, has EVERY color and weight, has both hourly and daily deals, often has coupons. If you need linen, go here.

Sewstine | [Historical, Mixed] | This site has a nice masterlist of historical fabric resources, so I'll share it here to explore rather than link everything individually.

Seattle Fabrics | [Outdoor, Mixed] | Primarily outdoor and "technical" fabrics, which makes this a great candidate for sci-fi, star wars, and any other more "modern" garment you're making in that realm.

~~~ More will probably be added over time, but here's our starting line! Feel free to comment and share your own! ~~~

[st-armand]

Author’s Notes: Earth-138 & 138B are the same, Hobie lives in New London (NY after British V.E.N.O.M associates take over the city alongside NYC Venom affiliates).
The magical girl references in this head cannon are Sailor Moon after the final season; Post Sailor Galaxia, technically from a worldbuilding head canon I have of the scouts after Neo Tokyo.

Hobie Brown x Magical Girl!Reader Headcanons Part 1

This one is for all my hobie lovers, feast well.

Tags: Fem implied reader with the term ‘magical girl’, Reader is portrayed as Sailor Saturn, black reader but can be read as any and all

Warnings: Magical girls are scary, Mentions of Violence, Political Ideologies, Light Gore, LONG ASF

• Hobie isn’t naive, he lives in a multiverse with infinite possibilities and circumstances, even in his own earth and its surrounding universe there exists mutants, heroes, chaos and beings of extraordinary skills and abilities.

• So its safe to say he isn’t necessarily surprised, but he is amused by the prospect of worlds where the boundaries between reality, the alchemical, and the magical are thinner than what most would even be able to theorize it to be.

I have two ideas of how Hobie meets you:

1. He meets you through another spider—Senshi Araneus aka the Red Spider Nebula one who instead of a traditional spider suit, they have a transformation-based suit, so they’re more likely to be seen out of transformation than in it, since it’s an almost instantaneous change.

So let’s say there’s a dangerous anomaly running amuck in the magical spider’s universe, which is where he meets their friends, comrades, and you.

• The Spider team all have this collective idea that the world where you come from is filled with childlike wonder, and merriment, due to the kind, accommodating and just nature of Araneus, are shocked upon arrival.

(For now at least) it is similar our current world set in an unknown future timeline, the world is amidst a revolution for the fall of economic systems and classes to one founded by the people under a magical galactic ordinance.

New York and Japan are the largest ungoverned magical cities renamed Millennium Lenapehoking and Neo Tokyo.

• The politics of your world fascinates Hobie. You exist in a timeline ripe for molding society into the shape of liberation, and to do so taking up a mantle to fight oppression on earth and across constellations, this ABSOLUTELY riles Hobie up.

He lead a liberative revolution in his own world, and still has to fight fascists to keep peace within his community, so he sees the mantle that magical people uphold on a galactic scale, he empathizes and genuinely respects your fight and struggle.

• The more time he spends in your world, the more he falls in love with it— from the crystalline structures, to the modes of space travel, and especially the clothes that are made to replicate the fashion eras of planets, he finds it especially amusing that punk is classified as a vintage, but he is enthralled at by the future of punk and how the style evolves to match the magical and futuristic styles of the people and aliens on the planet.

• CONSTANTLY asks Senshi Araneus for weekly correspondence between the two of you, it starts off sweet with exchanging gifts from each other’s worlds, then evolves into having whole conversations with Araneus being the messenger between the two of you.

They get annoyed with it quickly, and opts to give Hobie an unlicensed multiverse communication device from your world, he uses it, but shrugs his shoulder languidly and says something along the lines of, “Don’t need it mate, jus’ made my own.”

• Has a group chat with Araneus, you and some other Senshi where you all listen to him complain about Miguel and talk about how terrible his politics are, recently Hobie spends HOURS complaining about the Miles incident (it’s still a sore spot),

but you all like to spam Hobie with photos of creatures and other beings yall meet, your private messages consists of selfies of your mundane days, your day job, updating him on the fun you have with other senshi, but his favorites are the photos you take, face sweaty, styled hair ragged, and your uniform in tatters after a particularly hard battle, flecks of magic flittering in your determined eyes you remind him of a predator, confident in its stride after a good hunt.

2. You also live in Earth-138(B) and while the public information around Magical People is limited to anecdotes from people’s experiences with magical girls, or comics around those who’ve seen them in action, little to none is known about the pretty vigilantes plowing through villains, criminals, corruption, slavery, and fascists.

• You live in New London, your family lived there before the British occupation when NYC became NL.

It was essentially the same, but the difference can be spotted between residential slang, and state sanctioned zoning.

• You’ve been a magical girl since 12, you spent your entire life fighting monsters, corrupted humans, other magical peoples, cops, government spies, you name it, and you’ve fought it and lived, you’re quite privileged in that aspect

• You became a senshi after a traumatic event, cornered in an alley, moments from death, or whatever gruesome ideas your assailant could think of, your body couldn’t handle the stress and anxiety, your star crystal was activated to protect its owner.

When you came to, all that remained were disintegrated bodies and chunks of flesh.

• The first time Hobie meets you, he’s an older teen, mostly accustomed to his duties as Spiderman of his world, and New London, aiding him in the fight against a beast, a V.E.N.O.M synthesized Chimera, in all of its many headed and limbed glory, had attacked the city.

Hobie did his best to contain it, but a monster with few weak points and unpredictable strikes, his spidey senses were a bit overwhelmed.

• Just as he is in the most compromising position battling the enemy, having no aid, and focusing on keep bystanders safe, you came down upon him like a rapture, a visage of death amongst its ghastly horse.

You take down the Chimera with an earth-shattering blow, severing its head with an immaculately clean cut.

• To Hobie you are the visage of destruction, the essence of a vengeful deity that graces its people with salvation, but severs those unworthy of it.

He is enamored by your strength, adoration graces his masked face, but before he gets a quip in to break the ice, you depart—fly really, leaving him with the carcass.

• Hobie only ever sees you in your senshi uniform during fights with extraordinary powers and abilities, or public demonstrations, keeping protestors safe, killing off cops, and helping to rebuild infrastructure in NL.

• Hobie does see you often out of uniform, specifically at a store ‘Clash & Kill’ where many punks go to craft, and barter for accessories.

He always sees you admiring the leatherwork of the items, even smelling them, he learns later you do this to verify if its real leather, this always makes him laugh, he loves to tease you about it too, “You smellin’ the wares again, huh?”

• He won’t know your identity as a magical girl until he’s transparent about his role as Spiderman, this will cause clashes in the relationship that’s fostered between the two of you, but love is a work in progress right?

Comments, Questions, Criticisms?? Im still getting used to formating on tumblr posts so im always down to listen to tips and advice

[littleseasiren]

You've told your parents?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: none, only fluff

Words: Approximately 700 words

A/N: Flufftober Alternative Prompt: "You've told your parents?" Thanks @flufftober for this challenge. Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from my tag list. Thanks for reading!

When Bucky told you to pack a bag for the weekend, you weren't too surprised. Today is a special day, your 1st anniversary as a couple. What surprises you is that you are on a ferry, departing NYC. 

In less than 10 minutes, you see your destination, a beautiful island with amazing green space in between small buildings. You're ecstatic, you've always wanted to visit Governors Island, but never had the opportunity to.

When you exit the ferry, you and Bucky grab your keys and head to your accommodations. 

The Outlook Villa was beautiful, wood surrounded the beautiful glass doors, making it feel like a cross between a cosy cabin and a spacious open-plan apartment. 

When the day starts to fade away, Bucky takes a seat on the Villa's porch and pulls you onto his lap, wrapping a blanket around the two of you to protect you from the light wind outside. 

"It's so quiet up here. I thought it might freak me out, but it's quite peaceful," Bucky admits as he pulls you closer. 

"It is, it's amazing. Thank you for bringing me here."

"Anything for you, my Luna." The two of you fall into a comfortable silence, listening to the soft pings and chirps of bats flying around in search of insects for their dinner. The bats are so graceful, turning around mid-flight in complete silence.

"I sometimes can't believe how much this island's changed. When I was younger, this island was a reminder of the war. There were barracks and training areas. There was even a railroad at a stage. Now, instead of being used by the Army, it's the perfect getaway for the public." His smile is beautiful, showing how happy he is at the change.

"It must be strange, remembering what it was then and seeing it as it is now." You rub your hand through his hair, softly massaging his scalp and making him sigh in happiness."Honestly?  Sometimes, it's a bit much, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Everything in my life led me to you. I wouldn't change that for the world."

"You're so sweet Bucky. Don't let the others find out you're so romantic. You'd never live that down."

When he laughs, you feel his whole body moving beneath you, making you giggle, too.

"You want romance?" He asks you, blue eyes twinkling with love.

"Uh-huh." 

At your answer, he cups your cheek, his thumb rubbing the underside of your chin. "You've always been my Luna, my moon. You're the light radiating in the ever-present darkness, leading me home, to you." His gaze is powerful like he's trying to stare into your soul. "But you've become more than that. You're the sun, and I'm a planet spinning around you, stuck in your orbit, unable to see anything but you. I never want to deviate from your orbit because I love you with everything that I am."

When a small tear runs down your cheek, he gently rubs it away with his thumb. It takes a moment for you to remember how to speak.

"Jeez, Bucky, that's..." you don't know how to reply to that without sounding like an idiot. "I love you too," you say as you reach up and kiss him. "When you meet my parents, you better bring this romantic side with you," you mumble as you lay your head on his chest. When he stills beneath you, you worry that you've said something wrong.

"You've told your parents? About me?"

You sit up so you can see his anxious expression. "Of course, Bucky. You're the love of my life. Someday soon, I want you to meet them too."

"Do they know who I am?"

You're unsure of where he's heading with this. "Yes..."

"And they're... okay with that? With... me?"

"Bucky, they know all about you. They know that what happened in the past wasn't you. They know that you're a good man. And most importantly, they know that you love me and that I love you."

"I... oh."

"l love you, Bucky. Now and for the many years to come." You lean back in his arms, the two of you watching the twinkling stars under the light of a full moon.

Tag List:

@morganmofresh

@dottirose

@cjand10

@buggy14

@crazyunsexycool

@tripleoyaa

@mandijo17

@fluffysucker

@moviegurl2002

@unkasworld

@midnightskyewolf

[sgiandubh]

Coping with the situation

When faced with an abysmal crisis situation, such as the very recent evolution of the Hollywood strike, people make do as they can.

Herself is definitely going to the NYCC. The Poisoned Pen, her very talkative bookstore back home in AZ confirmed it yesterday, in a Facebook post:

Also, no surprise here, the 'new travel story' is, of course...

With Sir Peter Jackson's foreword. The NZ writer, director and producer of the LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies. Now, I would immediately want to read that, if not the rest of that book. S must be over the moon, and so should we - not bad for the boy. Not bad at all.

I still have no clue about why Herself is going to the NYCC and how could she promote her trade there, in such a strange landscape. The only explanation I could have imagined, without breaking the SAG-AFTRA's statement of conduct, would have been a sort of hastily cobbled event, featuring the OL writers and Herself, of course. But she is not listed anywhere on the infernal (and ineptly conceived) schedule of events and her website only mentions a writer's conference in Surrey, Canada (not UK). Strange.

At least, I suppose S is not going to be in NYC anytime soon. Not at this event, to be clear:

But I see that the partnership with The Tasting Alliance, via The Reserve Bar, is really working, as I predicted. And rather well. And no more shilling in person, at least for the moment. A thunderous round of applause.

Clanlands NZ promo will be surely something I am going to follow very closely. For all sorts of reasons, the interaction between S and McTavish being the most obvious one.

[stirlinqs]

BLUE MOON! A SOCIAL MEDIA AU

PENELOPE CATTON; AN NYC NATIVE, WRITER, AND A LOYAL LOVER TO EVERYONE ALWAYS (MOSTLY)

plans change for her dramatically when she’s cheated on by her long-term boyfriend of three years—in which adam hann, her guitar-holding best friend and member of a pretentious indie band, invites her out to their sold out shows at madison square garden!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: this is not intended to be serious (yet) — it’ll be a mix between social media & literate, mainly because i want you to be able to connect to penelope & see my visions for her! enjoy the first chapter!

MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INTERNET. . .

[plastyi]

Murder-cons (a Murder Drones Transformers Au)

-Info:

all Transformer characters from all Transformers media exist within the same universe

the timeline is set in the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons

they inhabit an Autobot colony on a planet called Copper Alloy 09 with the 2 original moons in the show orbiting around it. It’s always snowy

they are a Cybertronian race called Workerbots with special traits: have artificial hair and mustache, all the bots have visor that can express their emotions through their eyes appearing on the visor, and the most special trait of all, the power to reproduce by just simply inject their own codes into a protoform (that meant N and Uzi could have a child), and same goes for the Decepticons on this colony

-SD-N’s infos:

feeds on energon

good at combat

V is N’s younger sister, J is his older sister

a goofy Decepticon who thought that Megatron’s way of leading the Cybertronian race will change Cybertron itself, but after seeing how he treats the people, he with V go rebellious but ended up captured by the DJD and then experimented on

-Uzi’s infos:

good at creating high-tech weapons

her full name is Uzi-Dorman (to not resemble the word “door”)

she has parents: Khan-Dorman (an old Autobot, mechanic, construction worker, leader of the W.D.F (the Wokerbots Defense Force)) and Nori-Dorman (also a rebellious Decepticon who also sees the ways of Megatron is wrong)

-Character designs:

N, Uzi

V, J (beast solver form)

Thad, Lizzy, Khan, Nori

Tommy-Doe

Niz (Nuzi fankid)

Nyc, Bebe (Nuzi fankids)

Young Khan

Badass Khan

Ron

-Parallel Au: Combiners' war.

-Murder-cons comics.

-Chapters:

Chapter 1: The unsuccessful experiments (->digital version<-)

Chapter 2: Confession, hunger

[monstersinthecosmos]

Okay so like your fics about Armand pegging Daniel are my Roman Empire and Armand just shows up with the strap right. But I GOTTA KNOW what was Armand’s experience like shopping for that item, how many stores did he go to, did he do research, did he ask the clerks weirdo questions??? How did he settle on the item, did he deliberate over realistic veiny dildos vs simple colorful silicone???

Inquiring minds need your headcanons!!! 🥸

fdfjhsDGA what an honor omg

So!!!!!!! Pardon this obnoxious little break down of where this shows up in my fics but I have some behind the scenes knowledge I can share that I carried between stories LOL. Okay so there are 4 fics that revolve around the first time they used a strap on, and the idea is planted in my FIRST FIC ON AO3 Moon Above, Sun Below where it’s literally just the last paragraph of the fic, they’re taking a walk, Armand sees a sex shop, and he’s like OMG!!!!! :D

Down Below is the DIRECT sequel to that moment, it picks up with Daniel’s POV immediately knowing that Armand IS going to be asking weirdo questions! And he’s like, oh my christ I can’t do this lol, and he goes to wait outside.

The cashier asked me if I knew what to do with them. He told me to be ‘Safe, Sane, & Consensual.’ It was on a sign at the register.” Daniel chuckled a little. “Why did he say this to me?”

LIKE WHO KNOWS WHAT ALL HE FUCKIN TALKED ABOUT IN THERE, I just always imagined him doing his Armand thing, wanting to catalog everything and learn everything and see and touch everything. The answer is yes, he did ask a million questions, yes, the cashier was a little freaked out, because even when we all like to say that no one can be weird in NYC, I think Armand was very fucking weird and uncanny in a way that actually did stick out to people.

And then the MAIN EVENT if you will is The Lotus Eater/Dust of the Saturn which contain the alternate POVs of the same scene. In The Lotus Eater, I tried to create a timeline and imply that this is one of Armand’s Things for a while that he’s interested in, like he wants to go to different shops and see things and buy things. They play with cuffs and restraints earlier in the fic because Armand wanted to play with them, and then later on Armand wants to WATCH ALL THE PORN, and he gets the strap on idea from seeing how Daniel reacts to it when they watch a video, so he goes out to find one. 

I don’t think I said so in the fics but I imagined that Armand wanted to find one that was like the one in the video, so there was possibly a very odd Armand-eseque interrogation of the retail worker. LOL. Probably him describing it in an Armand way and the guy is like “……. Uh????????????? You mean a dildo? Like a black dildo? Okay?” 

I wish I still had my notes and stuff because I know I had a few photos I had used for reference to describe it and I can’t find them now. I do know that I searched like 1980s sex toys/dildos/strap-ons pretty extensively because I wanted to make it historically accurate. I looked up pictures of sex shops to get an idea of how different they are from today and what the selection was like. I also had been looking up vintage lesbian porn to see strap ons because I was curious how the harness technology was different, like if they looked different, if they were sturdy, if they seemed weird and floppy, etc. So if I recall, the one I described in the fic was just like one I’d seen in an actual porno LOL, and so I want to submit that idea forward to say that Armand was trying to find one like the one int he video. 

It says this in The Lotus Eater, too:

The man at the register wanted to see Armand’s ID to make sure he was old enough before engaging in conversation. He explained how to affix the implement to the harness, and told Armand how he should “start with something smaller” and tell his “girlfriend” to be “careful” the first few times. But no, no, the size is fine, don’t worry, we’re experienced, it isn’t a problem, thank you, no thank you we don’t need condoms, yes I’m sure.

Cause like does ARMAND KNOW THAT HE ASKS WEIRDO QUESTIONS?? Did that guy think Armand was the weirdest customer he had all week and Armand didn’t even register it? Lol. This is, after all!!!, a story about Armand re-entering human society and learning how to People.

So yeah I like to think he was picky, but he was looking for the one in the video, which is the one I saw in a video LOL and also that like, from my research at  the time I don’t think sex shops were like the glittery COCK EMPORIUMS of today, so like some of these decisions like what color it was or how veiny it was might have not really been a huge decision because there might not have been a huge selection. And I think like, in this situation in particular, even though Armand has been trolling Daniel for a while and fucking with him, I think this is one of the big moments for them (in the Usherverse anyway lol) when he starts like being a little more serious about his feelings and seeing Daniel in a new way, and curious about how this will feel for himself as well, so I don’t think it was appropriate to go with like a monster dong or ones with bumps or anything wild like that, I think he went simple. They got into all the other weird ones later! :D

Here's some photos from the early 80s I found that helped me make all these decisions and sculpt my mental images, for your Devil's Minion needs!

Also these links have some really cool photos of SEEDY RAUNCHY 80S NYC that I think about constantly and tbh maybe I've exposed a plot hole that HOW DID ARMAND HANGOUT IN NEW YORK AT ALL WITHOUT SEEING THIS BECAUSE THEY WERE EVERYWHERE but we'll pretend he was so hyperfocused on Daniel & his own lil hobbies that he had tunnel vision lol don't @ me

[christinaroseandrews]

So Gilded Age Season 2... Spoilers ahead.

I've been watching my pretty costumed crack and enjoying it, but one thing has been niggling at the back of my mind: How FUCKING Fast everything is happening this season. Like OMG so fucking fast. Or at least it feels fast, Julian Fellows (JFell) is not good on the specifics. But plots are simultaneously too slow and too fast (Poor Jack and his clock) or just so fast as to be OMG (Ada and Reverend Forte)

And because I can't let it lie I started looking shit up. Because we have two concrete dates for this season and dammit, I'm gonna use them. (As a note, I wanted to also use when Porter Hall at Tuskegee was dedicated, but all I could find (even on Tuskegee's website) was that it was built by students in 1883 and demolished in 1905. The first is when the season starts: Easter Sunday 1883. Which was March 25, 1883 just so everyone is on the same page.

The second is when the Brooklyn Bridge Opened - May 24, 1883.

So two months. Two bloody months.

Only two months for the following:

Ada to meet, be courted by, marry, have a honey moon, and be widowed by Reverend Luke Forte played by the chronically tragic ending actor Robert Sean Leonard.

Larry to have a grand affair with one of his clients enough so that he'd want to marry her and for it to be gossip.

Oscar to meet, court, and be conned by the lovely Maud Beaton.

Everything with the Duke. Like OMG...

Jack and his clock. Sure he worked on the clock for weeks. But then he had to go to the patent office and get a response via the mail then have Bannister get someone from the horological institute come out. The waiting via mail and the government bureaucracy alone will take a month and it was addressed in a single episode.

ALL OF THE TRAVEL. Yes, the railroads helped with this, but it only shortened things from months and weeks to days and hours depending on distance. It'd still be a multiple day journey from NYC to Tuskegee, Alabama.

Like I get that JFell wanted to include certain things in his story, and sure some of the stuff that I listed can go faster. But all of it?

In particular things like the U.S. Mail system which had to go from NYC to DC, get checked, get rejected, a letter of rejection to be written, then sent back to NYC. Today, in the year of our Lord & Lady 2023, it takes a letter to travel between NYC & Washington DC approximately 3-5 days (1 day processing at DC, 1 day transit, 1 day processing, 1 day delivery (some of these can be faster depending on when drop off/delivery occur). (BTW I know mail, I worked for the post office doing tech support and my father worked for them for 25 years and set up the computer systems that tracked mail cross country.)

So all of this to say that things are moving fast this season. It isn't just me. And like a I get that things moved quickly, especially in regards to romance, but bureaucracy is never quick and this is a hill I will die on.

Still... even more than that. Poor Ada!!! I loved my gentle middle-aged romance with the woman being older than the man (or at least the actress being older than the actor). *Wails* She deserved more time!!!

[3rdeyeblaque]

On May 8th, we also venerate Ancestor Robert Johnson on his 112th birthday 🎉

A renowned ICON of Hoodoo History, Culture, & Folklore, and a Delta Blue's legend, Robert Johnson's storied yet brief success has cemented him at the crossroads of Hoodoo Folklore & American History. He is known for his exceptionally eerie singing & masterful guitar play amid living a hard and fast life; after having struck a deal with the Devil to become one of the greatest Blue's musicians of all time.

According to Hoodoo Folklore, it was a cool October night when Robert Johnson walked alone with his guitar down a dark road in the Mississippi River Delta on a full moon night to the crossroads at Highways 49 & 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. As he walks he thinks about his sorrow. He thinks about the jeers & shouts for him to get off stage. In his misery, he cries out into the night. For his weakness, jealousy, fear, & the anguish of failure. But he’s not alone. Here, he meets the Devil. The Devil heard his cry & appeared, offering to fashion him a talent so he could play unlike any other in exchange for his soul. Thus Robert Johnson rose to fame as the King of the Delta Blues.

Robert Johnson was the eleventh child of his mother's children & born out of wedlock. He was born and grew up with his mother in Hazlehurst, Mississippi until he left to stay with his father for a time in Memphis,TN. His childhood is largely a mystery. Those that knew of him, claimed that he took up the diddley bow (a wire attached to nails sticking out of houses), as music was his life long interest.

As a teen, Robert Johnson met fellow Blue's legend Son House and Willie Brown. They became his musical mentors as they played in small towns throughout the Mississippi Delta. Thus began his showmanship & his iconic fusion of singing, guitar-playing, & songwriting. From then on he lived the life he sang about, the life a mysterious traveling musician. Though as the old folks of the era would say,  “The Blues was never meant to be taken seriously or reflectively. It was simply a force, expressing the deepest roots of their lives”. That there are only 3 known photos of him in existence only adds to his mystery.

By 1931 he was a popular name in bars and nightclubs throughout the region. While passing through Jackson, Mississippi in 1936, Robert Johnson caught the eye of a talent scout who'd go on to arranged his first recording session, which went on to selling 5,000 copies throughout the region. This was the very 1st time that  Robert Johnson's singing voice & guitar play was recorded. Despite his short life & career, he became a major influence on Blue's & Rock N Roll in the '60s & '70s. He'd go on to influence the likes of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, and Eric Clapton. In 1961 Columbia Records released, King of Delta Blues, which was a compilation of his early recordings; spanning just 29 cut between 1936-1938.

In 1938, a music producer at Columbia Records learned about his recordings & sought him out to perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC in front of an all-Black crowd. Unfortunately, Robert Johnson passed away the night before the show was set.

To this day, the cause of his death remains in dispute. Some say he was shot dead by the man of a paramour he'd messed around with. Others say it was a poison that killed him. His death certificate, however, officially states that his cause of death was Syphilis. Still, whether literally or figuratively, there are those who believe that the Devil did in fact collect his due.

At the time of his death, his grave remained unmarked thus no exumation effort could ever conclude with 100% certainty that the uncovered remains are his. Today, what has long-since been presumed to be his remains, is buried in Little Zion Baptist Church's cemetary, in Greenwood, Mississippi. 

"I pray that my redeemer will come and take me from my grave" - Robert Johnson’s final words

We pour libations & give him💐 today as we celebrate him for his legendary contributions to the art, history, and lore of Blue's & Black Culture. May we elevate him in light & healing.

Offering suggestions: listen to/share his music, play Mississippi Delta Blue's , & menthol cigarettes paired with dark liquor

*Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.

[jadeazora]

Some new info from this Year's GO Fest!

Real world events will be held in Sendai, Japan (May30-Jun2), Madrid, Spain (Jun14-16) and NYC (Jul5-7), with the Global Event running from Jul13-14.

Marshadow special research will be available for all event ticket holders.

Trainers who purchase a Global ticket by May 6—and play between Apr30 and May6—will receive Timed Research that awards early access to a new avatar item: a Sun Crown! There will also be an additional set of timed research between May31 and Jun6 that rewards an additional avatar item: a Moon Crown!

Shiny Jangmo-o will be available for the first time!

Here's the Habitat list: Dawn Meadow encounters are: Pidgey, Pikachu wearing a sun crown, Hoothoot, Hoppip, Girafarig, Wingull, Snivy, Cottonee, Ducklett, Ferroseed, Axew, Galarian Stunfisk, Heatmor, and Inkay. Shining Day is: Charmander, Dratini, Sunkern, Dunsparce, Hisuian Sneasel, Solrock, Budew, Helioptile, Tyrunt, Dedenne, Yungoos, Fomantis, and Jangmo-o. Creeping Dusk: Pikachu wearing a moon crown, Eevee, Spinarak, Volbeat, Illumise, Gible, Venipede, Emolga, Litwick, Golett, Durant, Espurr, Phantump, and Grubbin. Darkest Night is: Alolan Rattata, Gligar,Sneasel, Teddiursa, Mudkip, Carvanha, Lunatone, Deino, Binacle, Amaura, Carbink, Crabrawler, and Morelull! These will be available to all players regardless of whether they have a ticket or not.

Also, some bonuses (also available to all players): one-hour lure modules, field research themed on the habitats, and surprise snapshot encounters.

For the ticket holders, there's special incense encounters like the various Unown, Maractus, Corsola, Rockruff, and Vullaby.

Other exclusive bonuses include: Increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon, up to six Special Trades can be made each day, habitat-themed Collection Challenge, 9 free Raid Passes from spinning Photo Discs at Gyms, and special 7 km Eggs.

Article here!

[foxes-that-run]

2021 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, or years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024..

18 January - Coney Island released as a single.

14 February Olivia at Harry’s house with luggage. Don't worry Darling filming wraps. On the 21st Taylor Lover tour cancelled.

10 March Instead of congratulating Harry on the nomination Zayn posted “F the Grammys”

15 March -Talk at the Grammys, Taylor and Harry part of small group of attendees. Harry goes over to Taylor and they are polite, Harry seems a little awkward and says “well it was nice to see you”. He keeps looking at her during his acceptance speech for record of the year.

Taylor wrote High Infidelity and WCS with Aaron Dessner while in LA for the Grammy's, when she saw Harry & J Mayer.

Niall and Liam congratulate Harry on his Grammy win, Zayn and Louis do not.

31 March - architect of Harry’s Erskine House renovations posts photos of the interior to their website. It has a black, wood pale grey palette with pink stairs

April 27 - Joe leaves UK to Belfast to film.

May 11 - HS & TS both at Brit awards (the 26th was a blood moon)

May 24 - Joe and Taylor seem together in Paris

21 June - Harry wrapped My Policeman in Italy, started in Feb. Released 1 September 2022. Holiday in Italy

2 July - renegade released

8 July - Harry and Olivia on yacht and in Italy

9 August - 26 August Harry in studio maybe mixing Harry's House in the behind scenes photos here you can see outfits he wore in LA on these dates.

4 September – 22 July 2023 - Love on Tour

9 September - Taylor at Toronto Film Festival and to premiere all too well

11 September - Harry at Toronto Film Festival to premiere My policeman, talks about wasted time being the worst thing in presser

17 September - wildest dreams TV released. Harry and Olivia in Phili with Xander, max and family

22 September - first heart kiss since 2018! St Paul - Falling, with Two Ghosts intro (4:31). Then again weekly till the end of the year

25 September - Taylor London Lena's wedding.

29 September - & 1 Oct Harry played Nashville and wore a white satin outfit, he played with his rings while performing Beautiful. Harry plays To Be so Lonely for 9 shows then never again, including Nashville N2 and NY. In Nashville looks up.

2 October - Harry recorded Satellite at Cave Studios in Nashville

22 October - one more photo of Taylor and joe in the bathroom leaked (the proper selfie), photos from 2016 leaked in 2020

26 October - Taylor posts TikTok "Autumn Lovers RISE" as a reenactment of a 27 September 2017 Tumblr post. She writes lyrics to ATW "just between us did the love affair maim you" "and Plaid stuff and ankle boots" she's wearing a skirt but says 'stuff' plaid shirts and ankle Chelsea boots is Harry in 2011-2013. And "Maroon/Hunter Green" The ATW move included a book coming out 13 years later about the love affair.

1 November - rumors Harry and OW fighting

12 November - Red TV released Harry wears red in his show on the 11th. All Too Well Short Film premiere Dylan O'Brien (who is in ATW film) is included in this footage of Austin and Dylan cheering when Jack plays Question..? in the Studio. Appears on Fallon and says she easter eggs 3 years in advance in reference to ATW.

16 November - Pleasing launch with Harry on bike photo on cover of Dazed

17 November – Taylor leaves NYC for Panama to go see Joe. Taylor posts a drunk TikTok from Panama. On the 20th she went to the national theater and leaves on the 22nd. Joe stays and films. Midnights written while gone

21 November - Last time Taylor is photographed in public for 3 months is the SNL performance for All too Well

25 November Rolling Stone noted the Haylor call and response “the long-running songwriting badminton between her and Harry Allegedly is pop call-and-response the way it ought to be”

28 November- 13 December Harry MIA. OW seen alone in LA

1 December Taylor wore Gucci lion ring to Zoe’s kravitz birthday throwback photo shared day after YLM date identified by Jack.

5 December - You're losing me written. Love on Tour in Buenos Aires

Continue to 2022

[damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog]

your honor, i need more isabel! specifically her as a mom!! what’s she like with her kids? i have to know now too 👀

SCREAMINGGG, I don’t think about her as a mom as much as I should 💚💚

Isabel had always wanted to be a mother, so when she met Ominis her brain was kinda like “ok yeah you definitely want kids and you specifically want kids with him despite his kinda fucked up genes” LMAO. It was really hard for them to get Isabel pregnant thanks to Ominis’ uhh hereditary past, but they managed to have three kids Isabel loves to the moon and back.

Isabel is the most protective mother ever. She’s already on high alert because of the Gaunts hating her for stealing Ominis away from them, so from the moment she has Joseph, their oldest, she’s ready to go full mama bear at a moment’s notice. I like to think she’s also the type who would march straight over to Hogwarts if she found out any of her kids were being picked on by a professor or other faculty member lol.

She knows her kids are extremely smart, with two being in Slytherin and one in Ravenclaw, and she knows firsthand the importance of keeping up with non-magical studies, even after starting at Hogwarts. Her kids all studied for half days in the summer with tutors so they were adequately prepared for life outside of just getting a Ministry job. Isabel is really passionate about making sure they have a good foundation in legal and financial matters, and Ominis insists they are all well-read and understand philosophy, writing, etc.

Joseph especially needs a lot of help, having inherited Ominis’ dark magic-induced blindness. Having a special needs kid certainly made things more complicated, but Isabel would have done it all over again just to see Joseph thrive and turn out as well as he did. Jane is much more like her father in both appearance and personality, and there is sometimes some friction between Isabel and her daughter. Despite their clashes sometimes, though, they still love each other dearly and share a special bond, since Jane is isabel’s only daughter. Theodore gets along really well with both his parents, being a sort of peacekeeper type. He was a bit timid and shy as a child, preferring to cling to the hem of Isabel’s skirt wherever she went. As an adult, however, he’s confident and extremely grateful to his parents for pushing him so hard, even if he didn’t enjoy trying to do arithmetic in the middle of July when his friends all got to play outside.

A lot of her conflict as a parent comes from the fact that she and Ominis are forced to continue taking late-night Ministry assignments just to keep their family safe. There were many times when they would both be running on very little rest and they’d have a very short temper with their kids who couldn’t fully grasp why Isabel and Ominis had to do what they did. They did get lots of help from Isabel’s family and Sebastian, so it wasn’t always so dire, but there were many times when Isabel wasn’t sure if she was going to make it, and all she really needed was just some time to cuddle up with Ominis and rest.

Any time the family can spend together is really a big deal, and Isabel loves getting to dress up their kids in nice outfits and go visit London or, if they have more time, NYC to see Mara, Natty, Annalise and Louis. :)