Stuart Townsend as Lestat de Lioncourt in Queen of the Damned (2002) dir. Michael Rymer
I know, I know, gatekeeping the outdoors, that's supposedly bad, right, but I think if you show up to do a hike and you brought a portable speaker with you to play music while you hike, I think, like hear me out, there should be a gate, and someone at the gate should keep you from doing the hike.
playing music in public should get strong social disapproval
Recorded music, anyway. Live music is different rules. If you want to lug an entire cello up a mountain you can do whatever the hell you want.
Carrying a speaker on a hike to make everyone listen to your bullshit, and simply sitting under a tree and playing a fiddle in the woods, are two activities so different they may as well not exist in the same world.
I think the critical difference is that the bringing of recorded music with you ties the space to Elsewhere, whereas the creation of live music with an instrument you brought both binds you to the space, and drags everyone who hears you play into it as well.
I think you're right.
Yeah I'll accept this into my belief system.
man this is like the worst year for tech and websites
discord is forcing a username change that no one wants, twitch nearly banned sponsored streams, imgur is banning NSFW and removing old pics, reddit is restricting their API usage and killing off all mobile apps, apple introducing some shitty overpriced AR headset, the amount of fuckups twitter is doing i cant even count on my own two hands its all becoming too much i hate technology i hate you silicon valley
The Discord change is good tho, it’s finally just a username and not username#random numbers
It’s not, actually. It’s terrible.
Those “random numbers” allow multiple people to use similar/the same usernames with a differentiator at the end, so you can be bob#1212 instead of having to be bob12121212, which makes it possible for your friends to easily @bob. Without the #1234, you end up with the ‘firstnamebunchofnumbers’ phenomenon, which is truly annoying. Where before it would just assign you four numbers, now you have to either guess a unique differentiator which is more difficult to remember, or come up with another name.
Those random numbers also mean that it’s hard for people to find you and harass you with DM requests/friend requests/unsolicited DMs. That may not be a problem for you, but I’m sure not looking forward to some of the random assholes on the internet who love to bother me trying to find me when there’s no longer a #9756 (not my differentiator, lol) at the end of my Discord login.
Sure, I could pick a different username on Discord from everywhere else I’ve ever been on the internet for the past 25 years, but why should I have to do that in order to not be harassed, when the present system already protects me from random harassment? It’s a change with no upside for me and lots of downsides.
Likewise, there’s an issue of impersonators, because getting your new username is ‘first come, first serve.’ I’m sure there will be no problems with impersonation or blocking someone from taking the username they’ve used everywhere, or people impersonating others for the purposes of harassment and defamation!
Hey, did you know that on places which use unique usernames like this, there’s always a black market for desirable usernames? Do you have any idea how much money changes hands over URLs and usernames? Did you know that a grandpa was killed (he died from a heart attack brought on by the stress) after teenagers SWATted him because he wouldn’t sell them his Twitter username? I literally sold my old professional top-level URL, the one connected to my deadname, for three thousand dollars.
Anytime a black market opportunity opens up, spam and abuse skyrocket. I will bet you money right now that once this change goes through, you’re going to see a huge increase in phishing, spam, etc. so that scammers can get hold of 'desirable’ usernames and then either sell them back to the people they stole them from, or sell them to others. Why do I think that’ll happen? Because it already happens everywhere else:
Sonderman targeted at least five people across the country, demanding they give up their social media handles, according to an indictment. Herring was the only victim who died. If the person surrendered the handle, Sonderman would then put it up for sale on internet forums, the indictment stated. If they refused, Sonderman and his co-conspirator would “bombard the owner with repeated phone calls and text messages” and harass them in an attempt to get them to change their mind, according to the indictment.
Did you know that a lot of people were paying for Nitro specifically so they could have custom number discriminators, so once that’s gone, there will be no reason for a lot of those people to continue to pay for Nitro, so in terms of money, Discord is shooting themselves in the foot again. They think they’re going to be able to present Discord as a social media site rather than a messaging service, and… like… none of the users actually want that, because that’s not what Discord is to them.
Last (well, last of the things I feel like writing about, but actually not last of the reasons this is an ill-advised idea) but not least, this actually reduces the system’s capacity for unique and understandable usernames! It used to be that you could have bob#0001-9999, and then bob1#0001-9999, but now you only have bob, bob1, bob2. That doesn’t even take into account that they’re doing away with capital letters, so where before you had bob#0001-9999 AND Bob#0001-9999, now you only have bob, bob1, bob2, etc. They’ve actually reduced their capacity for unique usernames, which seems weird in terms of creating opportunity for growth.
Edited to add: oh hey look, I was already right!
Another thing that seems to be quite interesting; users who will soonest have access to this feature (still primarily Discord staff, partners, affiliates, etc) are operating on a reservation basis – claiming their username, so that it can’t be taken by another high-priority user. Thing is, there are some well-known personalities, in addition to production studios, business groups, etc. that are unable to access their own names because, turns out, someone beat them to the punch. Public statements from indie title, Rust Lake’s team, reads, “A warning for all the indie devs waiting to claim their own username, we just received an email that we, as Verified Owners, could finally submit a new username and wow… ‘rustylake’ is already taken!” In addition, several partners have discovered names like “markiplier” (a well-known YouTube content creator and online personality) were not reserved early, and now, the affected individual(s) will not have access to their identifying name on this platform.
Anyway, I’m checking out new chat platforms because this is about to be a whole fucking mess.
Correct. The company is not your friend. You may be friends with your colleagues, with your boss, and that’s fine. The reason I’ve stayed at my company for a long time is the people I get to work with. But the corporate entity is not your friend.
I get tasked with finding savings every goddamn quarter. And we’re not talking staples and printer paper. More quarters than not, I have to work out how to make our revised cost targets. If I’m lucky, we have vacancies we can freeze or shut down. If I’m not, it’s colleagues who need to be made redundant. Because market analysts say that we should have a higher margin to be market competitive. So you get taskings from finance to squeeze out ever single dollar saving you can. And it’s the same at every other company, no matter the happy clappy “we’re so chill” marketing.
Your employer is. Not. Your. Friend.
Know your rights. Unionise.
clambistro
Ahh, it’s back
i have disproportionately strong feelings about this.
every time i say “nah i’m not gonna watch it again.” BUT I STILL DO EVERY TIME.
YEAUGH
Mimming from Singapore
A couple months ago I received an email from Mimming's person in Singapore. Mimming is an almost 40 year old teddy bear, and she's been very well loved... and hugged.
This is what Mimming looked like when she was young:
And this is what she looked like at the start of 2023:
As you can see, she lost a lot of weight and fur from hugs over the years. Her eyes have cataracts (you'll see those better later), her nose is dangling due to muzzle shrinkage, and she has some pretty significant wounds she usually keeps under her shirt. But she's still a very cuddly bear with an endearing expression.
Her person was hoping to get Mimming recovered in new fur, so she could be hugged and have adventures for at least 40 more years. A new nose and new eyes were under consideration, and we agreed starting with a spa (especially since her stuffing was so compressed, was probably in order. So... Mimming found a flight with her buddy Little Mimming to keep her company (you'll see her later) and headed across the Pacific to CA. While Mimming is well travelled, this was a first solo Pacific flight, and so it was bit scary, hence the company. It actually took less than a week for her to arrive!
She started with her bubble bath, that way new fur would match her cleaned fur color.
You can see her cataracts, particularly in her right eye, and how loose and chipped her nose is here.
Next was deciding if she would get a new nose and eyes, or keep her originals. Turns out, there were many nose options. Smooth like nose, flocked/velvety, size differences:
Her person opted for a new, velvety, triangular nose. For her eyes, there was really only one option, new or not. I can usually get pretty good color matches, but Mimming's eyes had also faded, so new eyes would be a touch brighter. Once eyes or a nose come out, they can't go back in, and with recovering it's best to remove them before recovering, so this was a decision that needed to be made before fur choice. Here's the eye option next to her original eye:
Mimming's person opted for two new eyes. We agreed to preserve her old eyes and nose in her heart with a bit of her stuffing. But first, she needed new fur. Here were some of the white fur options:
Mimming's person went with the thick white faux fur, and surgery proceeded. For her brown patch, I had furs to match all of the white fur options, so we were all set there.
Here's her heart being made and installed:
And here are the first photos of Mimming in all new fur. She still has open seams, so her chubbiness can be adjusted:
While she sits naturally like in her baby photos, she can also lay flat like she could when she arrived. Chubbiness approved, Mimming got dressed and went outside for a photo shoot. She was well traveled, but had never been to California, and she wanted some photos as souvenirs. Little Mimming joined her for the photo shoot (those were the first tulips of the season):
And those adorable knitted overalls? Those are Mimming's regular travel clothes that she arrived in. Good thing that knit stretches. I particularly liked the little teddy bear buttons to hold the straps.
Mimming and Little Mimming flew home and again, it was a fast trip, just 5 days! Here they are safe and sound, albeit a little jet lagged, with their friends:
Her person wrote:
Thank you so much!! She looks amazing! We are so happy we got to spend the rest of our lifetime with her - another 40+ years!! Thank you Doctor Beth for taking great care of her. You’re such a blessing to all of us! Praying for your good health and good life. Stay happy and blessed!
(ID provided in Alt)
A Library with a deadly enchantment.
A fae lord who wants in.
A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.
In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu's village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile–her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a fae lord.
She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.
As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two fae males to survive. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.
More pre-order links are incoming as they generate.
----------
Hey booklr! I'm posting this on behalf of my friend Analeigh Sbrana (@literaryxqueen on insta), who doesn't have a Tumblr. Her debut novel, Lore of the Wilds, went live for pre-order this morning, and I'd love it if we could show it some love.
Analeigh tried for two years to sell her story to trad-pub, but the vibe was that trad-pub didn't want to take the risk on a Black Fae fantasy adventure set in a breathtakingly descriptive magic kingdom in a market currently flooded with white fairy romances. So, she took matters into her own hands and joined the ranks of self-pub.
Full disclosure: I worked on this book as a proofreader, and I loved every minute of it. I kept forgetting I was supposed to be working and reading ahead. I scheduled a week to finish reading it in did it in 3 days, and the only reason it took so long was that I had to actually pause and work on it 😅.
So, if you like:
-🍄cottage core -✨fairy core -📚light/dark academia vibes -🌈a diverse cast of lgbtqia+ Black characters -💘romance -🧝🏾♀️ being kidnapped by a fairy prince to tidy up his cursed/enchanted library and coming into your own magical powers as a result, then Lore of the Wilds might just be for you!
Here, have a sneak peek of what the physical books will look like:
(ID in alt) The book will eventually be available in eBook, paperback, and hardback--Ana's just having a time getting the links to generate. I'll post them as soon as they're live.
Please do consider giving LoTW some love. It's such a fantastic book, and I'd love to see it thrive where trad-pub left it to fail. Thank you 💖
AAAAH Tumblr! Ana is at #28 best seller right now in one of her categories; if we can push a little more, we can get her to #1!
And also just to answer some of your other questions:
-Yes, there is an issue with the paperbacks having weird dates; Ana is talking to Ingram Spark about it; it is an error on their end.
-Yes, the book will be available through other online retailers-- links just take a while to generate sometimes, and Amazon was the first one up. I'll add more links to the OG post when they go live.
Thank you so much to everyone reblogging and pre-ordering 🥰
Narcissus taking a selfie is the ACTUAL best.
These are REALLY cool
These are art in themselves, in a some of them point out what lockdown was like for us, they’re expressed themselves in a really cool way. But I think these are going to be talked about in the future.
I am in love w the way pre 2000s films have that hazy feel to them. hd honestly kills the vibe
I think that’s one of the reasons why “period” media that’s marketed off the Aesthetic sometimes bothers me.......like they get the music, the clothing, the cars......and yet it always feels like something is missing
like,
vs
or even compare the early x files to the reboot
something is just lost with the crispness
someone in the tags said early spn vs new supernatural and tbh 100% yes !!
vs
I never realized how much I missed the grainy undersaturated filing ...... “good lighting” and sharpness strike again
Seasons 1-3 were shot on 35mm film
4-15 were all shot on digital cameras, a change that the network insisted on
Yeah the exact thing that changed is that all the old stuff was recorded on film and all the new stuff was recorded on digital media.
i was going to say the film thing and the someone brought up supernatural and i was like "nah" and then @aphony-cree out here dropping that bomb.... in *2005,* to *2008?* there was a show shooting on film???? god you guys MOST shows went though this transition in the 90s how the fuck was SPN on FILM
In the 2000s dramatic shows had a good shot of convincing networks to let them use film. The network still had film cameras they’d bought and maybe hadn’t gotten enough use out of before the switch to digital. Most dramas can’t be shot entirely in the studio, they need to go on location, so it made sense to let them use the older cameras while the new expensive digital cameras stayed in the studio where they were safer
Supernatural wanted the 35mm film aesthetic and hated when they were forced to switch to digital
They just recently released a 4K version of Lord of the Rings and they’re so Crisp. None of those soft fantasy vibes
one of my least favorite things about these 4k updates to films (especially ones that used actual film) is that they also go and try to do color correction. like there’s a REASON that some scenes are heavily blue saturated. that wasn’t purely an effect of using film, but also a choice during the editing process. color is just as important to a movie as anything else.
it’s the exact reason why the matrix was shot with blue heavily filtered out to give that greenish-gray appearance, which added to the feel for a grungey dystopian machine-ruled future. The 4k version of it still has that there for the most part, but you can tell they did some color correction too and it throws off the entire vibe.
not to mention 4k updates of older movies REALLY makes the CGI stand out in a bad way and often times reveals imperfections in makeup that they knew, at the time, wouldn’t be noticed once everything was edited and it hit the big screens.
There's something a theatrical costumer told me about, the 10 foot rule. As long as the costume can pass muster from 10 feet away, it's good enough. Too sharp attention ruins the illusion.
Douglas Trumbull, one of the most significant pioneers in hyperrealistic film, readily acknowledged the importance of the 'imperfect' look of technologies like 35mm for certain genres:
There’s a lot of discussion now, because Peter Jackson has been showing 48 frame "Hobbit" material – some people feel – and I say I understand it, and I’ve experienced it with Showscan – I made a film called "Leonardo’s Dream" about that, 30 years ago – which was a costume, period drama about Leonardo DaVinci – and it was very... weird, in that it felt like live theatre. It wasn’t a movie – it was a window onto Leonardo’s laboratory. And I concluded then that maybe that wasn’t the appropriate way to go.
michaelcorleonee
remember that time that spock said “this is about sex” but he couldn’t say sex so instead he said “biology” and kirk clearly knew what he meant but was awkwardly like “what kind of biology” and spock got this look on his face like ‘oh lordy i’m not dealing with this today’ and said “vulcan biology” and kirk can’t say the word sex either so he goes “u mean the biology of vulcans” and then they stood there in silence for ten seconds like a pair of fucking idiots
Someone in my fb chicken group has a little bearded bantam that likes to sit on shoulders so they did a pirate photoshoot and I am losing it
Just look at it!! THE LITTLE HAT!!!
I think the logic here is:
>we save people from fires
>fires can kill anyone, including queer people
>we also save queer people from fires
And in an age where paramedics legally refused to save the life of a trans car crash victim, that’s an important sentiment to state
Grabs a sharpie and adds “And Neither Do We”
Don’t worry, it’s there lol.
"But helping poor people should be voluntary."
And even when it is, people still have a problem with it.
I went back and did some digging, because it occured to me that I didn't know the date reference of this story and, sadly, there are way too many stories about school lunch debt that they're easy to mix up.
This particular story was from July 2019 (I reblogged it Sept 2022).
There was a relevant update within a week of the scandal: public outrage was swift, the embarrassed school board redacted the outrageous allusions to indebted students ending up in foster care, and it accepted the CEO's $20k donation.
It doesnt change the fact that the very concept of "school lunch debt" is disturbing and inhumane (and there are still stories about children...with lunch debt...). And clearly, the district changed it's tone because it didn't like the bad PR. But figured it was helpful to have more info and context.
Here are some of the relevant sources; each offer bits of info unique to each specific source:
Did I just employ the "Treat Them Like You are A Kindergarten Teacher Again" method with my insurance company today? I surely did. Did it work? Probably better than intended because I made an actual doctor feel contrite.
So, my insurance has been trying to not cover my SNRI because it is new on the market and no generic available yet, so pricey.
I apply for a refill and the request gets locked for review. Again. For the 3rd time.
This time I call and immediately ask to speak to the actual doctor making these clinical decisions. Very politely. Must be a slow day because they allow it.
ME: [Teacher voice] I'm calling in regards to the SNRI you have placed a lock on. Why was this decision made?
DOC: Well, there are dozens of other medications on the market in that tier, and far cheaper for you and [insurer]. We have sent a request to your doctor to consider alternatives.
ME: I am aware of that. So, can you do me a HUGE favor and look up my prescription history really quickly and tell me how many SSRIs and SNRIs were only filled once in 2022 for me, showing they were poorly tolerated?
DOC: It looks like eight.
ME: Great job! Now, can you please look at my genetic test for psychiatric drug tolerance and tell me how many medications are listed in the safe category?
DOC: Two.
ME: Awesome! Now, can you tell me what type that other drug is that I'm not taking?
DOC: Yeah, totally, it's an MAOI.
ME: That's correct, you're really knowledgeable! Should I be taking something as dangerous as an MAOI with my other medications, or even just in general?
DOC: It's contraindicated for sure.
ME: It is! So true! So, last question since you've been incredibly smart and helpful. Is it less expensive for [insurer] to pay out for the medication knowing they already get a huge manufacturer discount anyway, or is it more expensive for them to pay for me to need potentially long-term inpatient psychiatric care?
DOC: I'll clear the code, ma'am and flag it as medically necessary. I'm sorry about this.
ME: I appreciate you SO MUCH. You have a great day now.
WALGREENS PHARMACY TECH WITH 5 NOSE RINGS AND PURPLE HAIR STARING AT ME: ........... OKAY! It'll be ready in five minutes. You wanna come work here?
Adobe Premiere is like a horse
hates being alive. expensive. designed to run fast. does not. makes me feel like a girl in a mid 2000s horse girl movie going shhh shhh in the only one who understands you. it’s okay girl. and then it bites my fingers.
u okay bud?
It crashed as soon as I made this post i’m gonna feed my editing software oats 👍. from my hand 🫴
she needs all the strength she can get for the big race (rendering 4k clips)
godspeed for your ailing horse daughter 😔😔😔
Our blessed tumblr
A holy site
Nah nah nah, you ain’t hiding this in the tags
Not one of the 7 deadly sins, but a secret 8th sin
sorry what
Hi,
It’s you friendly neighbor fanfic author here. In the light of this apparent new trend of people feeding unfinished fics to AI to get an “ending,” and some people even talking about “blanket permissions,” let me just say this:
I EXPLICITLY FORBID ANYONE TO FEED MY FICS TO AI. DUDE, THAT IS ABOUT THE LEAST RESPECTFUL THING YOU CAN DO. IF YOU DO IT, SHALL YOU BE EXCOMMUNICATED FROM YOUR FANDOM AND WALK ON LEGOS BAREFOOT TILL THE END OF DAYS.
That is my anti-permission.
Thank you for your attention.
As above, so below.
Yes, I know I only update OBIS like once a year, but that’s because I’m a busy, stressed adult.
The kind of busy, stressed adult that works full-time and hasn’t taken a vacation day in almost a year, while simultaneously having a bunch of other random stuff wearing me down (taxes, assorted family drama, health issues, rent doubling in eight years, clearing tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills and attorney fees, that kind of joy and delight).
Despite the above, I still work on my story whenever I have time. My chapters are crafted with love and care, and painstaking detail, and I think they’re worth the wait.
While I appreciate that it’s a long wait between updates, if you really can’t be bothered to bear with me while I write it in between the parts where I need to live my life, and are so impatient that you would rather have AI bastardize original ideas on the cheap than wait for the real thing, you should probably take your need for instant gratification elsewhere and write your own damn story.
With your words.
Not mine (which would require my permission, which you do not have), and definitely not AI’s (which would invariably do a substandard job of imitating my writing style, write a million words of nonsense, and then abruptly choke to death on the plot).
I would like to make it expressly clear that if anyone’s going to choke to death on the plot of my story around here, it’s going to be me.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while the next chapter drives me still further into a spiral of madness, which I have come to understand is an integral part of the creative process.
Cheers!
Dubs 🍓
i wish i could telepathically communicate to all the young gays that watching Xena is worth it even with our much higher standards today for lgbt characters in media. the cast crew writers and showrunners never panicked when they discovered that their characters were driven by romantic love and were pulled back only by the network to prevent it from becoming textual. by season 4 they established them as souls in love reincarnated together forever and never tried in earnest to pair them with men. by the end of season 5 they stopped that altogether. by season 6, it is as explicit as they were able to make it given the restraints at the time, and they did so much to signal to queer audiences that Xena and Gabrielle were one of us. like Xena presenting Gabrielle, a lover of written word, with a poem by Sappho as a gift (and becoming adorably shy and blushing as she reads it).
there is so much joy in seeing just how effectively they were able to convey the romantic nature of their love and companionship despite the opposition. physical attraction is clear in the s6 episodes “Who’s Gurkhan” and “When Fates Collide”. “When Fates Collide” and “Return of the Valkyrie” are so dizzyingly and overtly romantic that i still can’t believe they pulled it off. when viewed in its full context it is really an epic and beautiful love story. :)
