#2024 has been a great year for Gravity Falls

[hkthatgffan]

The image used in the background of the Gravity Falls logo HAS BEEN FOUND!!

It's located in France!!

I made a thread on Twitter explaining the full story and how I even asked Ian Worrel and Alex Hirsch about it, but lemme run down quickly how it was found and where it is!

After 3 years of searching with some friends on and off, we had no real luck. I've been working on a video about it for a while but decided to try one more time. My friend @trickengf suggested looking at international logos as they may have more of the image available and sure enough...we found logos like the Japanese and Russian GF logo had more visible detail of the image.

From that, Tricken made a remake of the image and used it to find it. He ended up finding the source at about 3AM for me, lol!

My friend Fried Oreos then confirmed the image was old enough to fit the criteria of pre GF pilot, by determining the image was on the Textures website it was sourced from since 2008!

Then, my friend Alex M managed to buy the HD image and we were able to analyze its metadata for more info!

Turns out, the image, called "LandscapeMountains0009," was taken by a Nikon D70 camera on April 18, 2007!

THE GRAVITY FALLS LOGO IMAGE IS ALMOST 18 YEARS OLD!!

From there, we began looking for the location. The meta data had no location, but other images taken around the same time showed signs of maybe the location being in Europe.

After over a day of searching, Tricken, Alex M and Oreos FOUND IT!!

The location of the image is a mountain range near the town of Sers, France...near the border with Spain.

Exact coordinates of the closest viewable angle of the image is 42°54'23.2"N 0°06'05.6"E

This is a major discovery and one I cannot believe we did. While this search was started by me in 2021 with some friends, it was TrickenGF, Alex M and Fried Oreos who deserve all the credit for this discovery! They were the geniuses who tracked all of this down and were able to connect the dots to get to this point.

You guys are amazing and I am beyond grateful for all of this.

Finding this image means that fans can now recreate the Gravity Falls logo as they want with anything they want. For example, Tricken made this for me using the image :D

Or, you can do this, lol

We now have it!

For 12 years as we looked at the Gravity Falls logo...we were in reality looking at a mountain in France...NOT Oregon!

So, I guess this is a major W for France but sorry, Pacific Northwest, Gravity Falls is actually French, lol!

I still can't believe we found this. I'm so happy :P

[ot3]

Hey! The link to your FAQ wasn't working for me so I don't know if this question has been asked before. I really appreciate your perspectives on AI art. Do you happen to have any resources that you read/listened to on intellectual property rights and the issues with it? I just don't really know where to start with it.

[heres where i cut out a big paragraph of me, once again, bitching about how blog pages don't work on the tumblr app and i think that's fucking stupid]

anyway i dont have any generalized sources on the subject but the tl;dr of it is: intellectual property rights exclusively benefit people who have the resources to pursue sustained litigation. 99% of the time, what IP law is being used for is to reinforce corporate ownership of work that was done by their employees.

the whole disco elysium debacle is a great case study.

The shareholders of ZA/UM accused the trio of, among other things, intending to steal intellectual property (IP) from the company — a curious accusation, considering that the world of the game is based off of a novel written by Kurvitz himself. The case of Disco Elysium illustrates the shortcomings of IP rights as protection for artists. Consequently, it contains a lot of lessons for the labor movement when it comes to the arts, and serves as a reminder that creative workers are, at the end of the day, workers. But this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a human story about the intimate consequences of capitalist exploitation. “I got my soul ripped out of me,” Kurvitz told me over Zoom in April of 2023. “I got my skull cracked open and my brain lifted out of it by a fifty-five-year-old financial criminal.”

another example: alex norris of webcomic name, which you will probably recognize when you see it, has been raising hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past several years to try and keep up with the protracted legal battle over maintaining ownership of his own work.

I have been fighting this case since 2019. It arose out of an agreement to make a boardgame based on my webcomic in 2017 but the publishing company has used this as an opportunity to take all of my intellectual property, and has even claimed ownership of Webcomic Name as a whole. I can't go into more detail here, but the details of the case are publicly available to read online.

Then, in a 2024 update:

I have essentially won the main case based on the decisions made last summer. The Judge has clearly stated that I own my comics, and that the other party has infringed on my copyright. It is not over yet, as there are still a few things that need to happen. Hopefully things will all be wrapped up this year. After 6 years of legal battling, I can’t wait to be free of all of this. Hopefully, this second case will backfire, and they will be sanctioned for filing it. But to get to that point requires a frustratingly large amount of work, time and money.

An interesting thing about both of these two specific instances is that they involve creators who had entire bodies of work produced around the specific IPs that were stolen from them before they even began partnering with corporate entities to produce works. which is insane! you can spend years writing novels, drawing comics, and if a company comes in with enough lawyers they can own those ideas.

this is pretty distinctly different to me than instances of work you do while being employed by a corporate entity being owned by that corporate entity, because at least you know what you're getting into there to some degree, but i still think that's bad too. consider stuff like the owl house and gravity falls, two disney shows made by people who very very clearly did not like working for disney. disney owns their ideas, their characters, their worlds, because that's the price you pay for having an animated show produced.

essentially it's very very clear upon even the slightest examination that intellectual property in no way exists to codify who the creator responsible for specific creative concepts or works is. it exists to turn nebulous things like 'ideas' into market commodities, and to funnel the profits made by the labor of individual artists and writers into corporate bank accounts.

the only person who has ever really benefited from IP law as an individual trying to lay claim to their own work is ken penders, who notoriously won his suit to have ownership of characters and storylines he created. heartbreaking: Worst Person You Know Gets An Unequivocally Deserved Legal W.

The comics continued under Flynn’s direction as if nothing happened, but things started looking grim in late 2012, when Archie suddenly fired its entire legal team. The company had been unable to produce Penders’ work-for-hire contract, which would have given control of his creations to Sega. Penders claimed the contract had never existed. A heavily circulated Tumblr post outlining the case (which has been corroborated as a reliable source by Penders) explains that while Archie did provide a photocopy of a contract allegedly signed by Penders in 1996, Penders claimed that the document was a forgery. That it was neither an original copy nor a contract from the beginning of the writer’s tenure at Archie meant that its validity was questionable. Making things worse, Archie couldn’t produce an original copy of any previous contributor’s contract, meaning that any writer or artist who had worked on the Archie Sonic line could potentially follow in Penders’s footsteps and reclaim their work. “So are you saying prior counsel blew it?” the presiding judge asked Archie counsel Joshua Paul in a May 2013 court session. His reply was unequivocal: “Absolutely, your Honor.”

So yeah. Owning the work you do as an artist is only something that happens when the people trying to profit off of it show unprecedented and staggering level of incompetence in their legal teams.

Then, alongside not owning the concepts and ideas you produce while working with corporate entities, there's the issue of NDA regarding specific pieces you've produced. This causes a LOT of trouble for freelance illustrators/character designers/concept artists, etc. Looking for work is very hard when the past three years of pieces you've drawn can't be added to your portfolio. Some people have password protected pages on their portfolios that they use for NDA work, but I believe the right to do this varies depending on your contract. I'm not 100% sure. In cases where the project you worked on eventually comes out, that's one thing, but there will be instances where the entire project gets canned after all the work is done, but is still under NDA so essentially all of your work has been taken from you, crumpled up into a ball by a studio executive, thrown in the trash can, and legally you are not allowed to go pick it out of the bin and try and flatten it out again.

This has all been pretty art-focused because that's the kind of circles I run in and where a lot of my interests lie but the truth is none of this is even remotely close to as evil IP law gets. I've saved the most egregious for last: The Lakota Language Consortium

The Lakota Language Consortium had promised to preserve the tribe’s native language and had spent years gathering recordings of elders, including Taken Alive’s grandmother, to create a new, standardized Lakota dictionary and textbooks.  But when Taken Alive, 35, asked for copies, he was shocked to learn that the consortium, run by a white man, had copyrighted the language materials, which were based on generations of Lakota tradition. The traditional knowledge gathered from the tribe was now being sold back to it in the form of textbooks.

When you're in defense of IP law, this is what you're siding with. This is the rational endpoint of IP and it is neither a fluke nor an example of the concept being twisted against its original design. Art, culture, language, it belongs to whoever is most capable of turning it into a product. The economic incentives of producing and distributing arts and culture demand this is how things be.

Meya says his work is a vital tool in preserving the Lakota language, which did not previously have a standardized written form. He estimated that there are fewer than 1,500 fluent Lakota speakers left and that over the last decade and a half, the organization has helped add 50 to 100 more. “Just because money is involved in it does not inherently make it an evil thing,” Meya said in a recent interview with NBC News. Most of the products his organizations make are free, he said, but the cost of printing textbooks has to come from somewhere. “That tends to be sometimes part of the rhetoric, ‘Oh, there’s money involved. It must be, you know, part of the overall colonization effort.’ Well, you know, that’s just not realistic.”

Artists looking to force their way into the class of people who gets protected by these laws are not looking out for their community. They are not protecting anything but their own perceived financial interests. Intellectual property will never, ever benefit the most marginalized members of creative communities and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is huffing some serious copium.

Frankly, I don't believe anyone can or should 'own' things like Ideas or Specific Aesthetic Flairs. But even if you do believe in that, IP law isn't the framework for handling it.

[eregyrn-falls]

Gravity Falls Revival Prospects Teased by Disney TV Boss (Exclusive)

By Russ Milheim Posted: June 05, 2024

(From "The Direct", original article linked above.) While Gravity Falls may have ended in 2014 on the Disney Channel, fans are still hoping for a revival—thankfully, that doesn't look too far out of reach, at least according to an update from a top Disney executive. The series may have ended in 2014, but since then, creator Alex Hirsch has published several books in the universe. This included Gravity Falls: Tales of the Strange and Unexplained, Lost Legends, and Journal 3. In fact, another book is even coming out later this year, called The Book of Bill, which tells the story of the show from the perspective of the big bad. However, while books are great and all, a continuation of the show would absolutely thrill the franchise’s fanbase. In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim while promoting the release of Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, Executive Vice President of Television Animation and Disney Branded Television Meredith Roberts gave a hopeful update on a possible Gravity Falls revival. She confirmed that they’re “in conversations with [creator] Alex [Hirsch]” before ending with an encouraging “never say never:” “You know, we're in conversations with Alex. He's about to publish a book with Disney on his project. And we also do some shorts. So never say never.”

What Could Be Next for Gravity Falls? While the update is a small one, plenty of fans will be thrilled to see even a slight glimmer of home. Sure, the new book releases are exciting, but not nearly as much as having the show back. If the show were to return, creator Alex Hirsch would likely want to introduce a new threat other than Bill. Admittedly, that's a high bar to clear. Perhaps a continuation would also age its leading characters, Dipper and Mabel. However, having older leads could transform Gravity Falls into a much different, more adult-based narrative. Either way, there's plenty of demand from fans to see the world of Gravity Falls again. Hopefully, that's something Disney can capitalize on sooner rather than later.

Since this is going around, and I haven't seen it posted here... well, here you go. What does it mean? Nobody knows! It may not mean anything. It's hard to tell whether this is just a Disney exec making noises for promotional purposes or what. I honestly would take this with a grain of salt until or unless Alex himself posts or tweets about it.

(My own thoughts: to be worthwhile, I strongly feel that any new Gravity Falls content would need to have the involvement of Alex Hirsch AND a good chunk of the other folks who worked on the show. People like Rob Renzetti, and others like Matt Braly, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Emmy Ciceriega, Dana Terrace, Matt Chapman, Jeff Rowe, etc. etc. It would probably be difficult to impossible to get everyone back, unless it was for a very limited project, like a TV-movie or something.

I'm not saying they would ALL need to be back, and I do also think you could find some new folks to work on the project who would be very good replacements for some of the original crew who might not be able to come back. But, I've said many, many times: Gravity Falls was not the work of only one man. I respect the hell out of Alex Hirsch, but, the show that we love had contributions from a lot of other people that went into creating the final product. If what we want is something as good as the original show, then I think it would need input from those people.

And even then, we still have to keep in mind that it can be difficult to recapture lightning in a bottle. Even if they got back a majority of the original team, it's 10 years later (ish), and all of those folks have been through a lot, and most haven't been working with each other. There's a groove that the crew of the show got into at the time, and they'd have to recapture that groove. It would be different in at least SOME ways. Maybe a GOOD different! A lot would depend on the enthusiasm they had for doing it.)

So, we'll see! Keep an eye out, though, for more news.

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 10

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

WARNING: This is a long chapter

First - Prev - Next

Ch.10

“Do you remember how you came to Gravity Falls in the first place?”

“I was just passing by.”

“Yes, but this town is isolated, and you have no means of transportation.”

“Trainhopping, I was hiding on a train for two days I think, maybe three? Decided to jump off here.”

“Do you know why you decided to do that here, and not anywhere else?”

“...”

“Stan?”

“It’s funny, specs - a couple months back, I’d already been with my pal Rick for a while, right? Just one heist, escapade, or criminal venture after another, for seven months straight. And it was great while it lasted, but then he asked me if I wanted to stay with him in another dim- someplace far away. And I wanted to, ya know? There’s always been this itch in the back of my mind that I wanted to go around the world on some grand adventure, and he was offering that to me on a silver platter. But I told him no.”

“And why was that, Stan?”

“...It’s stupid.”

“I wouldn’t call any of your reasoning stupid, I’m not here to judge you.”

“...I always wanted to go on an adventure- but something was missing. It’s like- I dunno if it’s intuition or some spiritual mumbo jumbo, it’s like I’m looking for something. But I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

“Do you have an idea what it could be?”

“A part of… me? I’m missing something. Not just my memories- but something else. I think I might have made a promise, I just… don’t remember what it was, or who I promised to. I guess I’ve been drifting around trying to find it.”

“And you felt it was in Gravity Falls?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. There’s something weird here… I just wanted to check this place out, is all.”

“I see. What did you say your relationship with this Rick was like?”

“You don’t need to be jealous, F. We were just friends. Okay, maybe we were kind of an item for a week at most, but that guy isn’t just self-destructive; he’s like a train that wrecks onto a freeway, he can never just destroy himself, he has to wreck the people around him too and create an absolute shit show. Even I have a limit with that shit.”

“You really need to stop putting yourself down like that, Stan. You only ever seem to say negative things about yourself, it ain’t good for you.”

“There isn’t anything good to say, stretch.”

“Don’t sell yourself one egg short of a basket, now. Y’know, your-. Uh, Stanford was telling me that you’re quite clever. He used a trick to get you down here in the first place, but he also said that he wouldn’t be able to trick you again.”

“I should have seen his fake-out coming… I’ll give it to him, it was a good one. But I’m not going to underestimate him, because crazy like his should never be underestimated. What’s he up to anyways? He went to that room that’s always locked.”

“That’s his private study. I believe he goes there when he wants to be alone.”

“...Didn’t he live by himself? Why did he already have that?”

“Can’t say, maybe it’s a quiet and calm space for him.”

(...)

“HE HAS RISEN BABY GIRL.”

“Bill, please stop calling me that. It’s unprofessional.”

“Come on Sixer, at least let the Goo Goo Dolls soundtrack play.”

“The what?”

“Ooop! My bad, it’s not 1998 or 2024 yet. How can I help you today, Fordsy? You haven’t called me in a few weeks.”

“There’s a mindscape I need to access.”

“Oh boy, it’s not usually you who wants to poke around other humans' brains, always prattling on about ethics and consent. What’s the occasion?”

“...You know everything I know when we’re in the mindscape, you already know the answer.”

“Yes, but I still want you to say it out loud. Clearly and concisely, so your dialogue can be read on screen.”

“... I need to get into the mind of my brother, Stanley. He has amnesia, and our leading theory is that it’s due to psychological trauma. But he has been through so much trauma we’re having trouble isolating the definitive event that would have started this.”

“And why wouldn’t he just share that with his beloved twin brother?”

“He does not remember me.”

“Oooh, then he is just like you! Isn't it just precious when twins are twinning?”

“I never forgot about him.”

“Oh Sixer… You might as well have.”

“Just take me to his mind, Cipher… Please.”

“Anything for you, baby boy!”

SNAP

(...)

“So your memories are only clear to a certain point?”

“Yeah. Rick found me wandering around the woods in a ‘catatonic state’, and snapped me out of it. Everything before that… I can remember being on the street, I can remember all the stuff I did, maybe out to a decade? But there’s a lot of holes, lotsa different names I used. And before the streets? Nothing.”

“And when did Rick find you in the woods?”

“What month is it?”

“June.”

“Last May - so about 13 months?”

(...)

“Okay Fordsy he hasn’t made a deal with me so we can’t go too deep, or his mental defenses are just gonna shove us out.”

“Bill, I already know that, why are you explaining it to me?”

“You know; doesn’t mean they know. Unless this is a re-read. In which case; welcome back. Glad you loved or hated it the first time.”

“You are… Beyond comprehension, Bill Cipher.”

“That’s what you love about me though.”

“You have my begrudging, professional respect.”

“From your aspec ass, that’s practically love.”

“Aspe-”

“Oooh! Lookie here, a memory door opened up. He must be opening up to someone right now. Let's barge in haphazardly.”

(...)

“Okay Stan, this might be difficult. But if you ever feel distressed, let me know and we can try grounding techniques okay?’

“You got it, F.”

“Now close your eyes, think back to when you and Rick parted ways.”

(...)

“Sanchez?! How does Stan know-.”

“You know this hilarious crossover character? I already know the answer, but for no particular reason I need you to tell me out loud how you know him.”

“His wife Diane was part one of my PhD programs. She was always so bright and pleasant, but her husband was a nightmare when she brought him around. He was always saying that school wasn’t for smart people, and rubbed his inventions and intelligence in our face.”

“And how is she these days?”

“She passed away from a garage fire a few years ago, her and her little girl. I almost sent him a condolences, but he was such an unpleasant asshole I could not make myself do so.”

“Come on Stan- think about it! You, me, Bird Person, Squanchy-  sci-fi adventures, drugs, bitches. Whattaya say? Let’s ditch this dimension, there isn’t anything for us here anymore.”

“Dimension-?”

“Shh, Fordsy, just let it play out.”

“I… I can’t Rick.”

“Why not?”

“There’s… something here.”

“Did you remember something?”

“I don’t remember who, but I think I’m looking for someone.”

“Stanny-Boy, we’ve been through this before. No one knows you, everywhere we’ve been, ‘cept for the fake names. You should just cut your losses.”

“Wherever we go, we go together.”

“What was that-?”

“Just the distorted voice of his subconscious. It’s probably not important.”

“I’m sorry. But there’s a piece of me missing, and I think it’s still here in this dimension somewhere.”

“You know your credits don’t have monetary value here.”

“I know.”

“And I can’t leave you a space cruiser. You’ll have to walk or steal a car.”

“Either is fine. I’ve done it before.”

“Stan… Are you sure?”

“Here. Take all my credits, you’ll get more out of it than me.”

“You want your dusters back?”

“Trade me.”

“Wait, you don’t want your transdimensional watch anymore?”

“If the pigs catch me, I don’t need them asking too many questions.”

“You know that doesn’t just give you dimensional coordinates and time zones, right? There’s a pulse wave in it that can shatter force fields.”

“Pft, what are the chances I’d ever need that?”

“Ooof, he really fumbled the bag there.”

“My muse, please.”

*Rick takes the watch and gives Stan a pair of brass knuckles*

“Thanks Rick… Hey, it was nice while it lasted.”

“Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“I hope you find that bastard, Prime. Give him the hell he deserves.”

“...Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll miss you too, pal.”

(...)

“Alright, how are you feeling Stan?”

“So far so good.”

“Okay, now let’s go further back. You said your first clear memory is when you met him, let’s go back to that.”

“I was in the back of his shi- iiitty car, I felt like I’d just smoked an entire carton of cigarettes, but in a bad way..”

(...)

“It just- stopped?”

“He’s remembering something else. Just look for another door.”

“Here we go.”

“Wha- where…?”

“Oh hey you’re awake.”

“-’re, you?”

“You’re one tough son of a bitch, y’know? Most of the people I tase end up dead, but you just passed out.”

“You… tased me? Are you a cop?”

“Hell no. I tased you because you attacked me in the woods. Damn near ripped my head off.”

“The woods..?”

“You were wandering around in a catatonic state, can’t tell you how long.”

“A what state?”

“This isn’t going anywhere. Can you tell me your name?”

“It’s…? I... Malone. Wait. It’s- Stan.”

“Stan Malone huh? My name’s Rick Sanchez.”

(...)

“Stan keep your eyes closed. I want you to try to remember what happened before this.”

“Alright…”

“What’s something you can remember? Something you saw, felt, heard?”

“My chest felt really tight…”

(...)

“What is this?”

“Ahh. A pit memory. This is something his brain wants to forget, but can’t permanently delete.”

“So it is a repressed memory?”

“Yes. He’s trying to think about it… but unconsciously, he really doesn’t want to.”

“What happens if we jump in?”

“Sixer, where's your sense of adventure? If it gets too dangerous I’ll just pull us out.”

“Do you swear?”

“Just gimme the word.”

“Which word?”

“Let’s go with ‘defenestrate’ this time.”

‘W̷̷H̷̷Y̷ ̷I̷̷S̷̷N̷'̷T̷ ̷I̷̷T̷ ̷W̷̷O̷̷R̷̷K̷̷I̷̷N̷̷G̷?! ̷W̷̷H̷̷Y̷-?’

S̷̷C̷̷R̷̷E̷̷E̷̷C̷̷H̷

‘̷C̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷-’  

‘̷t̷̷r̷̷a̷̷p̷̷p̷̷e̷̷d̷’  

‘̷c̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷ ̷b̷̷r̷̷e̷̷a̷̷t̷̷h̷̷e̷-’

*brief flash of a pile of burnt paper ash in Stan’s hands, which are shaking*

“We can’t stay here Fordsy, he’s closing up again.”

“Just one more second-!”

“Might as well, it’s [--- ---- ------ - ---].”

“[--- ---] going to die here. Stan[--- -------- -----], if you don’t [---- - ---- ---- --] in the next minute you will die.”

“That voice-?”

“We’re leaving now, Sixer! DEFENESTRATE!”

SNAP

(...)

“Stan? Stan calm down-! It’s okay! Remember where you are.”

“C-Can’t breathe-”

“Yes you can, just breathe with me. In- out. In- out. Just like that. There we go.”

“I’m sorry Fiddleford, I can’t do it. I can’t. I can’t. ”

To be continued…

[adventuremaker21]

Trix Week 2024 appreciation (1, 5, and 6)

This AU is from my crossover fanfiction, Gravity Winx (Gravity Falls/Winx Club crossover), So expect some bonus names. Takes place after the great split between the three ancestors and their descendants plus Pacifica Northwest, the witch of metal. While this may showcase one day, this is in fact representing the whole week because I don't have individual; days planned. ------------------------------------------------------------- The deed has been done. Thanks to brave actions, and a stupid plan, the eight Winx club fairies, the six specialists, Pacifica, and the three headmasters have successfully split Icy, Darcy, and Stormy from their horrible ancestors Belladonna, Liliss, and Tharma. They were puppets on strings, but now they were free from their vile influence. The words that were said earlier in the night still echo through their minds. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO US!!" Belladonna roared at Pacifica. "I hope looking for the dragon's flame was worth it BECAUSE YOU JUST BURNT YOUR BDIRGE WITH YOUR DECEDENTS!!" Pacifica roared back at them while standing in front of Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, shielding them from their awful family members. But at the dorm itself, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy were just lying on the couch together, thinking for themselves for the first time in over a year. Pacifica was looking at the three of them while she was in the kitchen trying to get some drinks for the four of them. "It's been an hour, and I still can't believe it," Darcy said as she looked at her hands. "I can't hear or feel Tharma's presence in me." "Yeah, no kidding," Stormy said, agreeing with her. "My lightning is now free to roam wherever it may please. Even without Liliss's presence." As for Icy, she remembered what Griffin told her about why she made a deal with Belladonna. Why she did what she thought was right. To free her blood sister Sapphy from her frozen curse. Now that she knew Belladonna was the cause of it, Icy snapped and went after her ancestor. She would have died if it were not for the fairies, specialists, the teachers, and even Pacifica's interference. Thanks to them, they're free. Thanks to Pacifica, they're free. "It was pretty nice for Headwitchstress Griffin to let you three stay here," Pacifica said as she came back to them with some Pitt Cola. "Pacifica..." Icy said as she saw Pacifica come to her and looked away. "Why..." "The soda?" Pacifica asked. "It was all we had." "Why did you save us?" Icy said as she looked at her. "I'm sorry?" Pacifica asked as she saw them sitting up. "Pacifica, witches are meant to betray," Darcy said to her. "Friends, students, teachers, figures of authority. Witches betray witches."

"You should have left us to our fates," Stormy said, feeling sorry for herself. At that moment, Pacifica came over to her and gave her a pretty tight hug. "DO NOT!! EVER!! SAY THAT AGAIN!!" Pacifica yelled at Stormy. Stormy was confused at Pacifica's actions to them. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy lied, cheated, threatened, fought, and tricked their way up here. Sure, they had their ancestors, but Darcy was right. They were witches. They betray. Pacifica, however, did not do that. "Why do you care so much about us?" Darcy asked Pacifica. "We're mean. We trick people. We're witches." "You three saved my life from my awful parents," Pacifica said as she used her metallic scarf to bring Icy and Darcy closer to the hug. "I just want to save you from your awful ancestors in return." "Why?" Icy asked her. "Because, sisters," Pacifica said as she started tearing up. "I love all of you. You've been a family to me since my parents tossed me to the wolves. You gave me magic, a home, more classes, safety." Pacifica then hugged them even tighter. "You gave me life." Icy, Darcy, and Stormy were all shocked at this. Pacifica, at any time, could have said or done anything to knock them down a few pegs. But instead, she stayed by their side and made sure they were free, just like how they freed her from Preston and Priscilla. At that moment, all three of the older witches started bawling their eyes out. They were loved by their sister, and in return, their sister loved them. Freed from familial influence, they found sisterhood in one another. They were the Trix. Isabella "Icy" Everfrost. Darcy Void. Stormy Tempest. Pacifica Northwest.

[bangers2]

Weekly Music Roundup 28/6/24 :)

Heya! I've had a lot more free time lately to listen to some new music, so I'm going to be sharing what I listen to each week through a Friday Tumblr post. I'm aiming to listen to an album (or EP, compilation, DJ mix, etc etc) a day, and this week my schedule wasn't perfect, but I found a lot of great stuff nonetheless and want to talk about it!

Look at this pic I took omg. just wanted 2 share ^_^

Tinashe - BB/ANG3L (2023)

I'd always been aware of Tinashe, but hadn't taken the time to deep dive into her discography until she dropped the Nasty remix EP (JANE REMOVER REMIX????). "Nasty" is a banger obviously, but a lot of stuff on BB/ANG3L is excellent as well! She traverses so many genres with ease and excels at each of them. This is such a diverse showing, and it's very concise as well, having a runtime of just 20 minutes. I feel like anyone can find something they vibe with on here. Personally, my favourite track was "Gravity," a song with gentle vocals juxtaposed with a bit of a breakbeat moment. I always love a breakbeat and was shocked to hear one on here. Overall, BB/ANG3L was short enough to leave me wanting more, but in a good way. I hope that she builds upon this sound and vibe with her next album! I'm super excited to listen to Quantum Baby and listen to the rest of Nashe's discography.

Jane Remover - jane_remover_heatwave.zip [NTS Radio] (2024)

Real ones know that I am Jane Remover's no.1 fan. That is a vast exaggeration, but I love her music to bits and greatly enjoy these DJ sets she does. Each one has a different vibe and the ones she's been doing lately have been my favourites ever. The mixing is immaculate and the tracks she mashes up are always so unexpected but go so well together. I really loved heatwave, especially the mashup between her song "Lips" and the Carti song "Different Day." So damn hard. These sets are always the highlight of my month and always become mainstays in my DJ mix rotation. Give it a listen!

Mk.gee - Two Star & the Dream Police (2024)

I was a little intimidated to listen to Mk.gee (Mike Gordon), since I've heard so many great things about him. However, I heard "Are You Looking Up" in Jane Remover's new DJ mix and fell in love with it instantly. The guitar playing intrigued me since it sounded so...different to what I'm used to. The control Mike has over his instrument is phenomenal and allows him to create these really unique sounds and textures. There's a wonderful energy to all of these songs that I can't quite place. Due in part to the interesting guitar sounds, but also the really distant-sounding vocals, nostalgic melodies, and bits of noise peppered about, this album vaguely reminds me of something that would be heard in an empty building. Not the backrooms or anything, but like...a quiet mall in the suburbs. Is that weird? Probably. On songs like "Candy" the melodies sound really 80s to me for whatever reason, and...I don't know. The nostalgia? Regardless of whether I've placed the vibe or not, Two Star is a wonderful collection of hopeful, sweet guitar melodies interspersed with little bits of noise. I need more people to get on the Mk.gee train RIGHT NOW. What are you even doing with your life if you haven't listened to this? I can seriously see Mike becoming an all-time great.

lil hero - pawwwfect! (EP) (2023)

Okay, this is another one I found from Jane's set. "big flirt" is such a bop, and it sounds kind of familiar to me (upon further research, the song went viral in 2022 ish...I have no recollection of that year tbh.). It's a song that instantly puts a smile on your face with its sweet bubblegum production and wonderful vocals. This whole EP sounds like bright pink. There are pitched-up samples, bouncy uptempo grooves, and cute lyrics about falling in love all across pawwwfect, and I eat that shit up. I need lil hero and PinkPantheress to collab; I feel like that could change my life. All in all, it's a great 16-minute project that makes me feel like a...chihuahua in a pink purse. Which is exactly how I want to feel. Excited to hear what lil hero does next! :3

Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

I've definitely listened to In Rainbows before but I don't think I ever properly digested it. It's an overwhelming album to take in upon first listen. I revisited it a couple days ago after not really liking it the first time I listened to it, and needless to say it clicked for me. I still need to listen to this a couple thousand more times to really get it, but as of right now I think In Rainbows is an excellent and innovative record that is as thought-provoking lyrically as it is gorgeous sonically. The whole album made me feel like I was spinning. I don't know why or how, but I physically felt sort of dizzy, like the world was trembling around me. Strange how music can do that. It's magic.

Not on free Soundcloud smh

Jelani Aryeh - The Sweater Club (2024)

I got this album in my Apple Music (do NOT judge me or you're BLOCKED. STOP IT.) recommended before it came out and was really drawn to the album art. As the no.1 "person lying on grass" fan and president of "person lying on grass" NATION I was intrigued, but also had absolutely no idea who Jelani Aryeh was hahah. I presaved but didn't listen to any of his discography and just listened to it when I realized it was out. The Sweater Club is a wonderful collection of indie pop jams that are warm and summery. The art matches the music super well - I felt like I was lying in the grass on a breezy summer morning as I listened, and am definitely turned on to more of Jelani's music now. Holy shit this was such a gorgeous record.

Kevin Abstract - Blanket (2023)

I listened to this at like...2 am and have no recollection of it, other than that it was filled with jams. I really liked "The Greys." Will probably have more to say about it after another listen hahaha.

Couldn't find this on Soundcloud, sorry!

Okayyyy and that was every album I listened to this week! (minus the relistens...which there were many of lol.) I hope you enjoyed reading my little ramblings and I hope you have a great week to come :)

Now i am going to sleep. In the morning i will listen to tonight's new releases. Today is stacked tbh

[taiblogcomics]

'Til Voodeath Dew We Part

Hey there, mighty mutanimals. It's a Saturday upload, and you know what that means. Hopefully this'll be better than the last one we covered. Coz, like, these ones haven't missed yet. Yeah, it's that time of year again~

Mountain Dew VooDew 2024

It's our mystery flavour of the year, as usual! Finally, our spooky hooded mascot has run out of fingers. So unless they want to do a tie-in with Gravity Falls, I guess we have to settle for a six-shaped eyeball in his palm. Otherwise, I love that they keep remixing this art concept with different spooky colours. Can't really see it on this image, but the art on the other side is tentacles. So I hope this isn't octopus- or Cthulhu-flavoured~

A mystery flavour doesn't leave us with much to speculate or ramble about, so let's just crack this one open~

Ooh. Real nice hit on this one. I use this comparison a lot, but it really has that powdery "Jell-O/Kool-Aid before mixing" smell. Maybe Pixy Stix? I think they've done that one before. Very distinct, though, and a good scent.

Flavour's great, too! Pretty sure they've also done Skittles before, but this really has that taste of, like, the grape Skittles. Like, that moment when you crack the outer shell and taste the shattered parts and inner flavour at the same time? Somehow they have managed to capture that as a Mountain Dew flavour.

I've espoused before that Pitch Black has always been my very favourite Mountain Dew, and grape is a great soda flavour in general. This isn't exactly like Pitch Black, but it's good. This one's definitely worth your time, and it'll be worth my time to get more of this. Definitely more treat than trick~

[charlottejacksonfineart]

Max Cole, "Twilight," 2023 acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole, "Silver," 2024, acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole, "Red Rock," 2023, acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole: Jacob's Ladder

November 8 - December 13, 2024

Artist's Reception: Friday, November 8, 5-7 PM

Black, soft and seamless as a midnight polar sky. The smooth gray of slick-washed river stones. Fine precise lines in tonal gray, taupe, brown – the colors of dust, of raincloud, and granite, the blackened patinas of desert varnish on rock. The slender slice of a bright white line across the dark – as of an impossible white bird sewing a line across a stormy sky.

These paintings, with their painstaking precision of geometric shapes and intricate lines, feel like compositions of time: some meeting place between the geological evolution of mountains and the centuries long generational construction of cathedrals. They have the affect of stones, relics, or ruins. Solid. Freighted with a weight of memory and existence. These works appear as antidotes to a common state of fleeting, depthless, ethereal, soap bubble contemporary life, an opposite and remedy of the Gertrude Stein idiom, “There is no there, there.” Max Cole’s paintings, most assuredly, are filled with thereness.

Too often works of such minimal geometric abstraction might read as mechanical. A hard edge produced through tools or machines. But Max Cole’s precision is human, hand drawn. There is a breathing quality, a quality of touch, that emanates from even its most exact lines. This quality of essences, of Platonic forms, is achieved rather from care, from time, from practice, and from a life lived in ascetic service to art.

The paintings included in Max Cole’s new exhibition, Jacob’s Ladder, continue a process of breaking open the Greek Cross forms which she began exploring in 2015. Here the cruciform structure is apparent but broken into and interrupted by tonal and linear blocks. In a deep, moody piece like Nightfall the form seems to sink away, falling into its dark background. This experience contrasts with Redrock, where the form pops out at us, with its banded blocks of earth-toned lines, which seem to rise three-dimensionally off the canvas.

The naming of the exhibition is not incidental. For Cole, the story of Jacob’s Ladder provides both a personal and philosophical/spiritual touchstone. The story, of a great ladder in the sky appearing to Jacob, appears in all the Abrahamic religions. Cole recounts a vivid memory from her childhood of singing the old spiritual, We are climbing Jacob’s Ladder, at the top of her lungs with a group of her friends. For Cole, the story is important as a parable for the ascetic life which provides a pathway to heaven. She writes, “In this case, the art itself becomes the deed. In a large sense, art is the same journey... the painting itself becomes a step up the ladder. In my opinion, this is a component of all good art. A search for a way to get beyond the purely emotional, intellectual or decorative and which has always been my goal. This has been a lifelong journey.”

It is easy to understand then how these paintings, with their inherent depth and gravity, could only be what they are as the result of years of focus, study, and attention. Each gesture, each stroke, is the result of lived experience, is a kinetic expression of a life lived in pursuit of art as spiritual endeavor, simultaneously purposeful and joyous. 

[mystery-twin-mystery-bags]

NEW FAQ HERE

Calling all Gravity Falls fan artists for a charity project benefiting Palestine!

[EDIT 8/30/2024: We have been overwhelmed with some AMAZING support! Due to the large, unexpectedly high number of applications we've already received, we decided to close applications at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sept. 1st, so we can have ample time to review everyone's submissions. Thank you, all!]

Hello, Hana Hyperfixates here! I’m a YouTuber with videos focusing mainly on Gravity Falls and fandom culture. But I’m also a Palestinian person who has been heartbroken watching the violence unfold in Gaza. So far more than 40,000 people have been killed, and countless more have been injured, starved, displaced and oppressed under the threat of genocide.

I want to do something about it, and if this fandom is what I know it to be, I’m sure others do, too. 

The Gravity Falls fandom has had no shortage of wonderful, generous efforts to extend aid to various charities and to those in need. Through my ten years in this fandom I’ve seen calendars and zines and similar projects be sold, with hundreds of dollars being raised.

So I am happy to announce a new fundraising effort: Mystery Twin Mystery Bags. 

The idea: bring in artists from across the fandom to design pins, stickers, charms, posters and more. These items would be pre-ordered, purchased, randomly assorted into mystery bags and shipped out to fans like you!  Options would exist at differently-priced tiers, for you to buy anything from a handful of random stickers, to a big box of everything, and the funds would all go to a great cause!

After shipping out items, 100% of the profits for this project would be split 50/50 between these two funds for aid and relief in Gaza.

Watermelon Relief: Aid for Displaced Families in Gaza 

The Sameer Project - Tents for Palestine refugees

[Edit: As Watermelon Relief is no longer accepting donations, all proceeds will go to the Sameer Project)

As the situation in the Gaza is ever-evolving and needs change, we might add other charities onto this roster. We will be transparent if this ever happens. The most important thing is getting the money where it is needed the most.

We need artists and graphic designers with a wide range: Remember, the plan is to make everything from stickers to posters! 

If you would like to be a part of this project, either as an artist, as a manufacturing manager, or as a mod, please apply with this link:

Before you apply, I also want to make something clear: Our ability to extend compassion and aid to Palestinian refugees is not at all at odds with our commitment against antisemitism. We condemn any antisemitic rhetoric in our space, in our replies, in our askbox and (once established) in our Discord, and that rhetoric is not welcome here. 

Our condemnation of the horrific actions of the government of Israel does NOT mean that we can’t protect and stand with our Jewish friends and community members. Likewise, us standing against antisemitism does not mean we can’t extend empathy and funding to the refugees of Palestine. People are dying, to help them is to be human. 

So do your part to help! Apply above to be an organizer (bonus points if you have experience managing a large fandom project), as an artist (bonus points if you’ve made art for a big fandom project before), or as a manufacturing manager (bonus points if you have experience with selling stickers/pins/etc.)! 

And if you can’t apply, please reblog this to give us a boost! Spread the word! And follow this account for more updates!

Application link

Thank you!

[EDIT 8/30/2024: We have been overwhelmed with some AMAZING support! Due to the large, unexpectedly high number of applications we've already received, we decided to close applications at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sept. 1st, so we can have ample time to review everyone's submissions. Thank you, all!]

[snehagoogle]

For about 4 billion years

For about 4 billion years, the earth experienced an environment similar to the acidic era. Then what is the reason for the sudden formation of oceans on earth for the last 4 billion years?

After the Earth's surface had cooled to a temperature below the boiling point of water, rain began to fall—and continued to fall for centuries. As the water drained into the great hollows in the Earth's surface, the primeval ocean came into existence. The forces of gravity prevented the water from leaving the planet.16 Jun 2024

Origin of water on Earth

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Origin_of_water_on_...

what is the reason for the sudden formation of oceans on earth for the last 4 billion years? from en.wikipedia.org

Extraplanetary sources

Water has a much lower condensation temperature than other materials that compose the terrestrial planets in the Solar System, such as iron and silicates. The region of the protoplanetary disk closest to the Sun was very hot early in the history of the Solar System, and it is not feasible that oceans of water condensed with the Earth as it formed. Further from the young Sun where temperatures were lower, water could condense and form icy planetesimals. The boundary of the region where ice could form in the early Solar System is known as the frost line (or snow line), and is located in the modern asteroid belt, between about 2.7 and 3.1 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.[23][24] It is therefore necessary that objects forming beyond the frost line–such as comets, trans-Neptunian objects, and water-rich meteoroids (protoplanets)–delivered water to Earth. However, the timing of this delivery is still in question.

One hypothesis claims that Earth accreted (gradually grew by accumulation of) icy planetesimals about 4.5 billion years ago, when it was 60 to 90% of its current size.[21] In this scenario, Earth was able to retain water in some form throughout accretion and major impact events. This hypothesis is supported by similarities in the abundance and the isotope ratios of water between the oldest known carbonaceous chondrite meteorites and meteorites from Vesta, both of which originate from the Solar System's asteroid belt.[25][26] It is also supported by studies of osmium isotope ratios, which suggest that a sizeable quantity of water was contained in the material that Earth accreted early on.[27][28] Measurements of the chemical composition of lunar samples collected by the Apollo 15 and 17 missions further support this, and indicate that water was already present on Earth before the Moon was formed.[29]

One problem with this hypothesis is that the noble gas isotope ratios of Earth's atmosphere are different from those of its mantle, which suggests they were formed from different sources.[30][31] To explain this observation, a so-called "late veneer" theory has been proposed in which water was delivered much later in Earth's history, after the Moon-forming impact. However, the current understanding of Earth's formation allows for less than 1% of Earth's material accreting after the Moon formed, implying that the material accreted later must have been very water-rich. Models of early Solar System dynamics have shown that icy asteroids could have been delivered to the inner Solar System (including Earth) during this period if Jupiter migrated closer to the Sun.[32]

Yet a third hypothesis, supported by evidence from molybdenum isotope ratios, suggests that the Earth gained most of its water from the same interplanetary collision that caused the formation of the Moon.[33]

The evidence from 2019 shows that the molybdenum isotopic composition of the Earth's mantle originates from the outer Solar System, likely having brought water to Earth. The explanation is that Theia, the planet said in the giant-impact hypothesis to have collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago forming the Moon, may have originated in the outer Solar System rather than in the inner Solar System, bringing water and carbon-based materials with it.[33]

Sudden changes on Earth can happen due to the effect of light in the atmosphere

Actually all these reactions are happening due to the speed of light

That is why the most important part of the reaction is the speed of light

Translate Hindi

लगभग 4 अरब वर्ष तक धरती एसिड युग जैसा वातावरण बीताता था

फिर धरती में अचानक महासगर बनने का कारण क्या है पीछले 4 अरब वर्षों तक

पृथ्वी की सतह के पानी के क्वथनांक से नीचे के तापमान तक ठंडा होने के बाद, बारिश होने लगी - और सदियों तक गिरती रही। जैसे-जैसे पानी पृथ्वी की सतह के बड़े गड्ढों में बहता गया, आदिम महासागर अस्तित्व में आया। गुरुत्वाकर्षण की शक्तियों ने पानी को ग्रह से बाहर जाने से रोक दिया।16 जून 2024

पृथ्वी पर पानी की उत्पत्ति

विकिपीडिया

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Origin_of_water_on_...

पिछले 4 अरब वर्षों में पृथ्वी पर अचानक महासागरों के बनने का क्या कारण है? en.wikipedia.org से

अतिरिक्त ग्रहीय स्रोत

पानी का संघनन तापमान सौर मंडल में स्थलीय ग्रहों को बनाने वाली अन्य सामग्रियों, जैसे लोहा और सिलिकेट की तुलना में बहुत कम होता है। सौर मंडल के इतिहास में सूर्य के सबसे निकट प्रोटोप्लेनेटरी डिस्क का क्षेत्र बहुत गर्म था, और यह संभव नहीं है कि पृथ्वी के बनने के साथ ही पानी के महासागर भी संघनित हो गए हों। युवा सूर्य से आगे जहां तापमान कम था, पानी संघनित हो सकता था और बर्फीले ग्रहों का निर्माण कर सकता था। उस क्षेत्र की सीमा जहां प्रारंभिक सौर मंडल में बर्फ बन सकती थी उसे फ्रॉस्ट लाइन (या स्नो लाइन) के रूप में जाना जाता है, और यह आधुनिक क्षुद्रग्रह बेल्ट में सूर्य से लगभग 2.7 और 3.1 खगोल इकाइयों (एयू) के बीच स्थित है।[23][24] इसलिए यह आवश्यक है कि फ्रॉस्ट लाइन से आगे बनने वाली वस्तुएं- जैसे धूमकेतु, ट्रांस-नेप्च्यूनियन ऑब्जेक्ट्स, और पानी से भरपूर उल्कापिंड (प्रोटोप्लेनेट)-पृथ्वी पर पानी पहुंचाएं। हालांकि, इस वितरण का समय अभी भी सवालों के घेरे में है।

एक परिकल्पना का दावा है कि पृथ्वी ने लगभग 4.5 अरब साल पहले बर्फीले ग्रहों को संचित (धीरे-धीरे जमा होकर बड़ा) किया यह परिकल्पना सबसे पुराने ज्ञात कार्बनयुक्त चोंड्राइट उल्कापिंडों और वेस्टा के उल्कापिंडों के बीच पानी की प्रचुरता और आइसोटोप अनुपात में समानताओं द्वारा समर्थित है, जो दोनों सौर मंडल के क्षुद्रग्रह बेल्ट से उत्पन्न होते हैं।[२५][२६] यह ऑस्मियम आइसोटोप अनुपातों के अध्ययनों से भी समर्थित है, जो सुझाव देते हैं कि पृथ्वी द्वारा प्रारंभिक रूप से एकत्रित सामग्री में पानी की एक बड़ी मात्रा निहित थी।[२७][२८] अपोलो १५ और १७ मिशनों द्वारा एकत्र चंद्र नमूनों की रासायनिक संरचना के मापन इसे और समर्थन देते हैं, और संकेत देते हैं कि चंद्रमा के बनने से पहले ही पृथ्वी पर पानी मौजूद था।[२९] इस परिकल्पना के साथ एक समस्या यह है कि पृथ्वी के वायुमंडल के नोबल गैस आइसोटोप अनुपात इसके मेंटल से भिन्न हैं हालांकि, पृथ्वी के निर्माण की वर्तमान समझ चंद्रमा के बनने के बाद पृथ्वी की 1% से भी कम सामग्री के एकत्र होने की अनुमति देती है, जिसका अर्थ है कि बाद में एकत्रित सामग्री में बहुत अधिक पानी रहा होगा। प्रारंभिक सौर मंडल की गतिशीलता के मॉडल ने दिखाया है कि यदि बृहस्पति सूर्य के करीब चला जाता तो इस अवधि के दौरान बर्फीले क्षुद्रग्रह आंतरिक सौर मंडल (पृथ्वी सहित) तक पहुँच सकते थे।[32]

फिर भी एक तीसरी परिकल्पना, जो मोलिब्डेनम आइसोटोप अनुपातों के साक्ष्य द्वारा समर्थित है, यह सुझाव देती है कि पृथ्वी ने अपना अधिकांश पानी उसी अंतरग्रहीय टकराव से प्राप्त किया जिसने चंद्रमा का निर्माण किया।[33]

2019 के साक्ष्य से पता चलता है कि पृथ्वी के मेंटल की मोलिब्डेनम समस्थानिक संरचना बाहरी सौर मंडल से उत्पन्न होती है, जो संभवतः पृथ्वी पर पानी लेकर आई है। व्याख्या यह है कि थिया, वह ग्रह जिसके बारे में विशाल-प्रभाव परिकल्पना में कहा गया था कि 4.5 अरब साल पहले पृथ्वी से टकराकर चंद्रमा बना था, संभवतः आंतरिक सौर मंडल के बजाय बाहरी सौर मंडल में उत्पन्न हुआ था, और अपने साथ पानी और कार्बन-आधारित पदार्थ लाया था।[33]

धरती में ही अचानक बदलाव वातावरण में रोशनी के प्रभाव से ऐसा हो सकता है

असल में यह सारे रिएक्शन असल में रोशनी की गति के कारण हो रहा है

इसलिए ही तो रिएक्शन का सबसे ज्यादा महत्वपूर्ण अंश ही है रोशनी की गति

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (March 24th, 2024)

This week, we try to catch up on two weeks of music and add a whole bunch of first impressions (Sum 41, The Early November, Strung Out, and more). The supporter Q&A post can be found here. If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here. A Few Things * It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote a newsletter. Last Monday was my, audible sigh, forty-first birthday. So, the past few weekends have been tied up with quite a bit of family time on top of the usual errands, and I just ran out of hours to sit down and write. I don’t know how to put that idea of being 41 into words. Last year had me feeling things, and this year was a little more of the same. It went by faster. My hair is getting a little grayer. But I still have my family and health and consider myself extremely lucky. Most of my gifts were records or band hoodies (shocking), but Hannah got me some of the New Found Glory Coffee, and I was shockingly impressed with it. A lot of “band coffee” I’ve tried in the past has been over-roasted or very clearly not fresh. This was neither and had an excellent flavor to it. Would recommend. My mom gave me a few of these vinyl record containers, and they’re fantastic. Perfect for stacking, and I’m using them to store some of my overstocks that won’t fit on the shelves (I know, I know). I also had a pretty incredible steak dinner and added some albums to my collection, which I’ve wanted for a long time. The funny thing is, after just a couple of years of putting band merch on my wishlists and now multiple holidays and birthdays passing, my wardrobe has more band-related clothes in it than I ever did back in the AbsolutePunk heyday. And I’m not complaining; I’ve embraced becoming that guy. * I was enthralled with this article on the “two-handed bowler,” and I’ve never followed that sport at all. Fascinating stuff. And this podcast episode with Howard Benson talking about producing Hellow, Rockview and it being one of the first albums ever recorded using ProTools was great. In Case You Missed It * Lauren Mayberry – “Change Shapes” * Cyrus Bolooki on New Podcast * Interview: Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World * Review: Yellowcard / Hammock – A Hopeful Sign * Ben Folds Announces New Tour * New Interview With Green Day * Review: Blink-182 – One More Time… * Sharp Eyes – “Past Your Best” (Video Premiere) * Interview: Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy * Albums in Stores – Mar 22nd, 2024 Music Thoughts * Interesting articles jumped to the top of the popularity list last week. What spiked those in particular? I’ll see if I see anything interesting in the referral stats. * OK, let’s start with music from two weeks ago. Kacey Musgraves released Deeper Well, and I think it’s a welcome return. I tried, I did, but I could not get into her previous album at all. This has a very lovely, breezy feel to it. Some of the lyrics don’t work for me (the gravity bong line pulls me out every time), but the whole album is like a warm spring evening. Comforting. Justin Timberlake’s new album is also better than his previous one, but not by much. It’s too long. Bloated. In massive need of restraint and editing. There are individual songs on it that I like, but as an album, I find it a bit of a slog to get through. * This week we have The Gaslight Anthem dropping History Books (Short Stories) and my word is it good. Produced by Butch Walker? A cover of “Ocean Eyes”? A reworked version of “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts”? Like, come on. An embarrassment of riches here. The full thing is a win, top to bottom, and add me to the chorus of people hoping Butch will produce a full-length from these guys at some point. Ruston Kelly’s collection of b-sides, Weakness, etc., is just as impressive. I’ve been playing both of these back-to-back all weekend. * And now for a string of first impressions: Sasha Alex Sloan’s upcoming album, Me Again, reminds me a lot of Kacey’s new album. It has that… https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-march-24th-2024/

[hkthatgffan]

The Gravity Falls logo is iconic. But within it is an image that for years has left fans wondering if it is real or not. Over the past 3 years, me and some friends have been searching for it and at long last...it's been FOUND!

This is the story of how we did it!

My original post on the discovery!

A Special Thanks to @trickengf, Alex M, Fried_Oreos, innerlmnt, PhizzyBear, Lynn the Lynn, N7Spongy and everyone who helped us along the way on Reddit, Twitter, Discord and more. Thank you also to SalC1 for inspiring this whole search!

That GF FAN in Gravity Falls logo style created by TrickenGF for me. Thanks, bro :)

[darlenefblog]

Interesting tidbits from 1814 London. Helen Conway of the Regency Reader included these 3 items she found in the British Newspaper Archive.

"Happy New Year! As we enter 2024, I thought it would be fun to look back 210 years to January 1814. London and the surrounding area started the year with extraordinarily long-lasting and dense fog. This is from the Nottingham Gazette of January 7, 1814:

Eighteen Hundred and Thirteen, I bid you adieu,

In the dark to eternity jog;

Before you took leave you had got out of sight,

And now you are lost in a fog.

The fog cleared on January 4, only to be succeeded by snowstorms, as reported in The Champion of January 15, 1814:

“The snow fell on Monday and Tuesday night, in the west of England, to a greater depth that has been known in that district for the last forty years; it being twelve feet deep in the middle of the road of Halldown, four miles beyond Exeter. The fall of snow in Wales has been nearly equal.

The masses of ice and snow have accumulated in such quantities at London-bridge, on the upper side, that it is nearly impossible for barges or boats to pass up.

A pig was on Thursday seen sailing down the river Thames, between Westminster and Blackfriars Bridge, on a large fragment of ice, with great gravity. He occasionally squeaked with peculiar shrillness, which a waterman construing into a hail for a pilot, he put off, and after a long contest with the floating masses of snow, succeeded in delivering the swinish navigator from his perilous situation.”

Attention was diverted from the weather by newspaper reports of a grand event at Belvoir Castle to celebrate the baptism of the 4-month-old Marquis of Granby and the 36th birthday of his father, the Duke of Rutland. The baby's Godfathers, the Prince Regent and the Duke of York, were among the 200 guests who converged on the Castle and the Archbishop of Canterbury was there to perform the ceremony. The reports wax lyrical about gun salutes, pealing bells and the huge amounts of food and drink imbibed during three days of feasting. This from the Sussex Advertiser of January 10, 1814:

"The passages of the house reminded one of a Castle taken by storm; and the young Marquis, the Noble Host, and the Prince Regent, were toasted until articulation ceased."

For more information about these or other events, the British Newspaper Archive is a wonderful resource.

Helen Conway, Regency Reader editor."

Also in 1814 the Thames River in London froze over and hosted the Frost Fair. I found this information on Wikipedia.

"The Frost Fair of 1814, by Luke Clenell.

The frost fair of 1814 began on 1 February, and lasted four days, between Blackfriars Bridge and London Bridge. An elephant was led across the river below Blackfriars. Temperatures had been below freezing every night from 27 December 1813 to 7 February 1814 and numerous Londoners made their way onto the frozen Thames.

Tradesmen of all types set up booths to sell their wares, and peddlers circulated through the crowd. Food and drink was being sold including beef, Brunswick Mum, coffee, gin, gingerbread, hot apples, Old Tom gin, roast mutton, hot chocolate, purl (wormwood ale), and black tea. Activities included dancing and nine-pin bowling.

As the ice broke up starting on 5 February, several people drowned."

[phroyd]

Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States. He will be inaugurated on January 20 and take power at noon that day. There is nothing, legally, that Trump can do to stop that.

What Trump and his feckless Republican Party might do illegally to try to overturn the results of the election and prevent Biden from taking power is a different matter. Trump has evidently intimidated the administrator of the General Services Administration into refusing to acknowledge Biden’s victory and thus prevent his team from starting the transition process. Only a smattering of Republicans have acknowledged that Biden won, and most of those who have, like George W. Bush, no longer hold any political power. Trump has already filed a raft of baseless lawsuits. His people are drumming up talk of some kind of Electoral College devilry to overthrow the popular will. And Trump fired the secretary of defense, Mike Esper, yesterday, which seems like the kind of thing one does before launching a coup d’état.

Years of watching Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory gives many the sinking feeling that “it’s happening, again.” But rational thought tells us that these Trump gambits, all of them, are pointless. Biden won and his ascension to power is now inevitable, whether Trump accedes to that reality or not. As a wise man once sang: Gravity always wins.

Still, we’ve all seen Trump wriggle out of approximately a billion other defeats and scandals. He’s exposed the weakness of our democratic institutions, revealing just how useless they are in the face of his norm-breaking assaults. So it feels somehow naive to believe that his loss at the ballot box will translate into his loss of an actual job. It feels smart to consider that he might have a secret plan to retain that job, despite being voted out of it. Trump is the Michael Myers of our politics: He can’t be defeated, because the horror movie franchise makes too much money to ever end.

And yet, despite all this, I have gone to bed every night since Friday confident that President-elect Biden will become President Biden. I’ve come to this peace over the objection of my amygdala, which is the part of the brain that screams in fear and anxiety and tries to overpower rational thought. Here’s what I tell myself in order to help me sleep at night. Perhaps these are conversations others can have to achieve my level of forced serenity. (Amygdala in bold italics.)

Who won the election?

Joe Biden.

Who won the election if we only count legal votes?

Only legal votes are being counted. Joe Biden won those.

What about the possibility of a recount in swing states like Michigan or Pennsylvania?

Recounts traditionally do not change more than a thousand votes. Even if we’ve gone completely through the looking glass and this recount changes an unprecedented number of votes, like 5,000, which is completely unheard of, Biden’s margin of victory is too great to overcome. A recount would not change the result in states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin. If Trump wants to lose twice, that’s up to him.

What about all the lawsuits, especially the ones they keep filing in Arizona and Pennsylvania?

Trump’s election lawsuits fall, broadly, into three categories: lawsuits alleging poll watchers were too far away, lawsuits complaining about the established rules for submitting mail-in ballots, and lawsuits alleging Trump voters were denied their vote because of some kind of ballot machine malfunction.

None of these lawsuits provide evidence of massive voter fraud. None of the lawsuits provide evidence of voter fraud at all. Some of the lawsuits allege some accidents, but the remedy for those accidents is counting more votes, not fewer. Trump’s claims that his poll watchers were not allowed to watch the counting of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania is flatly untrue, and his lawyers have had to admit in court that they were allowed in the room. They’ve been reduced to arguing that their poll watchers were not close enough, which, whatever. The remedy for that is to move them closer, not throw out tens of thousands of votes.

In fact, none of the Trump lawsuits allege anything that can be used to throw out tens of thousands of votes. Throwing out votes that have already been counted is not something that courts do. We can recount votes, this time with Trump watchers breathing down the necks of ballot counters and giving them Covid-19, but again, recounts don’t usually change the balance of votes by all that much.

The important thing to ask with each new Trump lawsuit is this: What is the remedy? If the remedy is “throw away tens of thousands of votes from people whose votes were clear in their choice and timely in their submission,” then that lawsuit is going nowhere. And if the remedy is not throwing out those entirely timely and legal votes, then the lawsuit will not change the results of the election.

Why would the Trump people be pushing these lawsuits if there was no chance for them to change the outcome?

Because Trump people are dumb? Hanlon’s Razor tells us: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

Joking aside, there might be many malicious reasons for the Trump campaign to be pushing lawsuits they know are destined to fail. Stirring up doubt in Biden’s victory is a prelude to refusing to acknowledge his authority as president. Trump, or one of his kids, or somebody “Trump-approved” is surely going to run for president in 2024, and making Trump’s rabid, white-supremacist base feel like the election was “stolen” from them has a political upside as they fight for their new “Lost Cause.”

And, there’s also the grift. Trump’s campaign is broke. They’ve literally written checks they can’t cash. Trump doesn’t like spending his own money on these things (to the extent he actually has any). These lawsuits purportedly challenging the election are a huge money-making opportunity for the Trump campaign. If you read the fine print on the new fundraising e-mails Trump’s campaign is sending out to supporters, they say that “60 percent of contributions” will go toward retiring campaign debt.

Would the Trump campaign put America through 70 days of trauma to make a buck? You better believe it. The whole Trump presidency is a guerrilla marketing campaign for the Trump brand that went too far.

But the Republican Senate is going along. This is just like impeachment. Republicans wouldn’t remove Trump then and they won’t now.

Well, it’s not up to Republicans to remove Trump from office. The Constitution does all that work on January 20. Joe Biden is the president on that day whether Republicans acknowledge it or not.

But now Bill Barr has gotten in on the game, and he is the worst of Trump’s henchman.

Yes.

He’s given federal prosecutors the green light to open up investigations into possible voter fraud.

So?

SO?

There wasn’t election fraud. Trump’s legal team has no evidence of election fraud and has no money to investigate to find such evidence, so they’re using the taxpayers’ money to look for it. But Barr’s prosecutors won’t find anything because there’s nothing there. This is going to turn out the same way it did when Barr investigated but didn’t arrest Hunter or Joe Biden.

The head of the Election Crimes Branch, Richard Pilger, resigned. That should tell us how wrong this is. But Barr is not going to succeeded. It’s just another thing to remember in 70 days when Barr is out of a job. We should arrest him and charge him with abuse of power.

What if Trump refuses to leave the White House?

Biden can be president from Delaware until the White House runs out of cheeseburgers. He’ll come out of hiding eventually.

But what if Republicans never acknowledged that Biden is the president?

How’s that different from the way they treated Barack Obama?

Good point, but what about a re-vote? I’ve seen MAGA people online calling for a re-vote.

Re-voting is not a thing. There is no statutory or constitutional language that can compel a nationwide re-vote. States will certify the results of their elections in the coming weeks. And then the Electoral College will meet on December 14 in a pro-forma session to…

WHAT ABOUT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

Damn it.

Can Republican state legislatures put forward a slate of electors who will vote for Trump even though Biden won those states?

Let’s be very clear: The states get to choose how they will determine their own electors, but that determination has to be made before the election. A state with a Republican legislature—let’s say, Pennsylvania—could have decided to choose electors based on a simple vote of the legislature. In fact, Republican legislators contemplated doing such a thing. But they didn’t. Instead they decided, like every other state, to let the popular will in their state determine the slate of electors.

They can’t change the method of picking electors after the election has taken place. Remember, when voters showed up to vote, they technically weren’t voting for “Joe Biden” or “Donald Trump” but for a slate of electors who would vote for Biden or Trump. If Pennsylvania wanted to change those rules, it would have had to tell its voters before they voted. It can’t run a bait-and-switch on an election. It can’t say that a vote for Biden’s electors was actually a vote for the Pennsylvania legislature to choose the electors. This is an election, not a Groupon.

The only legal recourse, which some Republicans are arguing for, is to determine that the voters “failed to make a choice” on which slate of electors to nominate, or that the results of that choice are somehow unclear. But the results will be clear once Pennsylvania certifies its election results (and, in this case, the governor and secretary of state, who certifies the results, are Democrats). It will be a close election, but voters made a choice and that choice will be clear upon certification.

States have until December 8 to certify the results of their elections.

But what if Pennsylvania’s Republican legislators insist that the results weren’t clear? Would the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority allow the state’s Republican legislature to choose a Republican slate of electors, even though it’s unconstitutional?

Maybe? Conservatives on the Supreme Court act in bad faith all the time. But consider that Biden has likely won this election with 306 electoral votes. For this gambit to work, legislatures in Pennsylvania and at least two of the other states Biden won would have to submit a slate of Trump electors. The Supreme Court would have to OK this upending of the popular will three times in total. That’s incredibly unlikely and would spark almost immediate civil unrest directed right at the Supreme Court, which has no army to enforce its rulings.

Well, what’s our plan for that?

My dude, I don’t have a plan for “nothing matters anymore.” The end of democratic self-government is not a thing one has a legal plan for. That’s like asking what my plan is for closing a demonic hell mouth that opens in my backyard. Die. My plan would be to die. I’m not Keanu Reeves.

What if Trump fires FBI Director Chris Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel and gets the “deep state” to keep him in power indefinitely?

I’m not Kiefer Sutherland either. I cannot find the mole.

What if Trump launches a full-scale coup d’état and uses the military to keep him in power?

Then we’re at war. Honestly, what do you want from me? Yes, there is a non-zero chance that Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election leads to a civil war and, in such a conflict, Abigail Spanberger forms a Vichy government to “compromise” with Trump supporters, and I have to pilot a jet carrying Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez off of Naboo in hopes of finding friendly Jedis willing to fight for our cause.

But there is no legitimate way for Trump to stay in power now. There’s no peaceful way for Trump to stay in power. Either he’s gone on January 20 or he remains atop a military junta willing to use violence to enforce his will.

This makes you feel better?

I find it comforting that a full-scale military takeover is now the only way for Trump to stay in power. Because if there’s one thing I know about Trump, it’s that he is a coward. President Bone Spurs is not the guy to cross the Rubicon.

I look at it this way: Captain von Trapp hiked his enormous family over the Alps to get away; all I have to do is drive my people to the Thousand Islands Bridge while we all sing “Edelweiss.” Thinking much beyond that is pointless.

Well, you could get your lazy ass on the elliptical trainer in case you’re needed to fight.

Don’t start this with me again. Goodbye.

Phroyd

[barryallenis]

A Different Time

What would happen if 2020 Barry Allen met 2049 Iris West-Allen?

Trial and Error. That had been the basis of the last few weeks facing the daunting and nearly unprecedented goal of creating an artificial speed force. 

Now this was not frivolous trial and error; whims being thrown at the wall to see if they’d stick. Every idea was planned, calculated, fervently scribbled across a dry erase board before ever being tested.

However, this particular trial was their biggest risk yet. Risky, in that it would take the most out of Barry’s rapidly depleting speed to attempt. But it was the best idea they had thought of in weeks. And as his powers depleted with every clock tick, it became more and more essential that they find an answer. 

That is how Barry ended up here, in this unintended destination, clad in red suit, fixed in the front entryway he had left from just this morning. 

How had he ended here? Back in the loft?

Unless...

Barry moved quickly deeper into the foyer, though not sure exactly what he was searching for at such a rapid pace. He ignored the angry light flashing from his wrist watch as he scanned the open loft in front of him. 

What could prove this was the speed force? 

A sun beam caught a glass vase on the table that sat comfortably behind a very different sofa than Barry remembered. His eyes gravitated towards the light stream, bringing into view all the tables contents. He slowly removed his cowl to get better vision. A glass vase full of seemingly fake flowers, a few books (gold etched titles illegible in the sunlight) and a few framed pictures. One, housed a familiar portrait of him and Iris laughing in the park, the other, however, was a picture he had no memory of taking. 

There was the couch he remembered, and on it, he and Iris, beaming towards the camera. Or rather, he was beaming towards the camera, and Iris was beaming towards the dark curled bundle that sat on her lap. 

The feeling that hit him was indescribable, but it was, unmistakably, unlike the dreamlike wonder Ramsey had dangled in front of him in a child's mobile. It felt … real. The dimbles on his cheeks, the loving gaze Iris placed on their daughter, the squint of the baby’s eyes that looked as though she were just about to laugh, it all felt too visceral. There was no mirage involved this time. 

“B - Barry?”

Barry spun around through the haze that picture had created around him to another sight that shook him to his core. His wife, older and grayer, but unmistakable, the wife he had seen just this morning, in that very spot, whipping toothpaste from her mouth as she stumbled down the stairs for her to-go cup of coffee.

This was surely the future, Barry thought. The light on his wrist flashed darker, but Barry didn't pay it any mind. Maybe things had corrected after all. He, and Iris and Nora all in the future together... 

“Iris.”

She darted her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry I just - it’s been so long since I’ve heard you say my name.” 

And there, almost like twisting a healing wound, Barry felt the same feeling he had when grabbing for the daughter he couldn’t hold. But this wasn’t a mirage, he reminded himself painfully, this was real.

“What - what year is it?” 

“2049. What year are you …?” 

“2020.” 

Iris bit her lip.

“So you don’t even know -“ 

“About Nora?” Barry finished. 

Her eyes widened. “You - you know about Nora?”

“She - she came back in time to 2019 but she - you don’t know any of this, do you?”

She shook her head, her eyes moistening, she closed them like the saturation was making it unbearable to see. “God what have I done?” 

Barry stepped closer to her, her body stiffened like she was receiving an unwanted approach by a stranger on the street.

“I’m sorry.” She croaked. “It’s just been so long I -”

What was this timeline? Nora was alive but he was … gone? The idea that another crisis would take him away from his family when he had been given a new lease on life felt like being stabbed, a feeling which he did in fact have a real life comparison to. He had so many questions that he knew he shouldn’t ask. But one, currently, beat out the rest.

“Where is Nora?” 

Tears were falling now, openly, Iris shook her head again, “She ran out that door, just before - all because I kept…” she met Barry’s eyes again, and in their gaze her resolve shifted. Her back straightened as she stared pointedly at the face she hadn’t seen for decades. “I protected our daughter above everything, like we said, the best I could -“ 

Barry’s throat felt tight, “I know.” 

Iris huffed a laugh while liquid in her eyes remained. “You know? How do you know?” 

“Because I know you.” 

Her locked eyes on the super-heroic man were not met with grasping reassurance but instead oozed with sincerity. He truly did know her, every part, or at least, the Iris she has been in 2020. If she were honest, she wasn’t sure she could even remember who that was. What stood in front of her was Barry, undoubtedly. But it wasn’t her Barry. This Barry belonged to an Iris from another time. Her Barry, the one that was supposed to grow grey streaks and wrinkles with her, that was her Barry, and he was not here.

“Aren’t you gonna ask?” She said suddenly.

“Ask what?” 

“Where you are?” 

“I don’t think I -“ 

“Crisis.” Iris blurted, feeling an unwavering lack of care for the fact that revelations such as these could lead to lapses in the timeline. Maybe it was the cumulation of the last 30 years or maybe it was simply the last few minutes, but she didn’t give the words a second thought as they escaped her mouth. “The newspaper headline we couldn’t change this time.” 

It was then that Barry realized what he was in was not his future. It was a future. A previous one, one that no longer existed. And staring at his tear stained wife, knowing his daughter had just stood where he stood, he couldn’t quite tell whether that made him happy ... or sad. 

What he was in was real, at a time. But it wasn’t real anymore. 

“Iris...” What could he say? And if he had really entered a now extinct timeline what did it even matter? However, looking at his wife’s tear stained cheeks it felt like it mattered a great deal. So as his mind raced thinking through the 30 year gap that stood between them, he too, blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Because it was already what he had spent the last several months telling her. “You are an amazing mother.” 

Tears filled again. She felt like she was back in 2024, right back to one of the last nights she had with her husband. They laid across a couch she couldn’t bear to sleep on again as he cradled their sleeping daughter in his arms for one of the very last times…. 

“I did what I had to do, to keep her safe. Maybe it wasn’t the right choice but after everything... Barry I couldn’t risk - I couldn’t risk losing her too.”

Barry’s mind felt waves of emotions all at once. Heartbroken, knowing Nora’s fate, and heartbroken, knowing decisions he made had put Iris in this much pain. 

That was real. He did that. 

“I’m sorry Iris. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there. That I put you in a place where you had to make that decision. I’m sorry … that I wasn’t there to see our daughter grow up. That I left you - that I left our family.” He swallowed hard, “And I know 30 years later maybe this doesn’t mean anything, and I deserve that. But I need you to know how proud I am of you. Of all that I know you accomplished in your journalistic career, and of the amazing, intelligent, kindhearted daughter you raised. Iris I saw the kind of person she is, right now. She didn’t get that from me.” 

It suddenly became unbearable to look at him. The red suit, the puff of hair he’d leave bouncing about, the dimples that were still there, so young, just the way she remembered them. She honed her sight on floor lines. 

“Please ... ” she kept her eyes trained downward, weighing the gravity of the words she so wanted to say. “Please … don’t do it. If I can ask anything of you, it would be to please… choose a different path.”

Between the look on her daughter's face as she sped away and the stark reminder she had just been slapped with right in front of her, Iris suddenly felt more desperate than she had in 30 years. She was ready to rewrite time for a different outcome. To bring him back. She’d risk any disturbances her plea may cause. 

Finally, Barry found a small sliver of hope in a promise he actually could make. 

“Iris I will always come running home to you. No matter what.”

[meklarian]

2017 Eclipse Story & Postmortem Kickoff: 2400 Days until the April 8th, 2024 Eclipse

A lot of words on my eclipse experience behind the cut (sorry mobile users).

Over 30 years ago as a little boy, I recall seeing a documentary about some past eclipse, possibly the previous one in the US in 1979, but possibly even older. This documentary featured a number of scientists and photographers trying to capture images of the eclipse. One of the fascinating things was the sheer anticipation of everyone captured in the video as totality approached, and of course the awe of seeing totality. I can’t be certain that some of the excitement wasn’t staged for the purpose of the documentary (now that I’ve seen totality, it’s weird that everyone’s backs were so lit in the film- it’s totally dark out during the real thing). After seeing that documentary, I made up my mind that I was going to see an eclipse someday.

About five years ago, I started doing some eclipse planning, mostly research. Some of the things I researched: Weather Conditions, Path of Eclipse, and Lodging. Originally I was hoping to see the 2015 eclipse in the Faroe Islands, but I knew I likely couldn’t make it happen. I set my aim on the 2017 eclipse in the US.

Three years ago, looking over my budget and projections, I felt I could probably try to photograph the eclipse, but there were some complications due to my employer being in dire straits (they eventually folded). I sat on the decision for a year, waiting to see if conditions would change, as I was trying to also prioritize making a move from the east coast (Massachusetts) to the west coast (California). At this time I thought maybe I could just snap a few shots on film, not having to worry about solar filters as I would only shoot totality, and really just attending as a casual observer.

Two years ago, I landed a new job and also negotiated terms that would put me in California by the time the eclipse would roll around. Most significantly, being in California would mean driving to the best viewing spots would only be three days of driving away at most, versus three to six days from the east coast. After landing this job, I started working on finding out what gear I would need to actually shoot an eclipse.

A year and a half ago, after completing my move to California, I bought a DSLR again (the Nikon D500). Other cameras I considered were the Nikon D5, Nikon D4S, Nikon Df, and Nikon D810. From prior experience of having taken shots of the moon at 200mm on a crop sensor, I figured I would probably need the option of getting more reach, but I felt ISO performance would also be necessary. This turned out to be a rather prescient decision (see below note #3 on bracketing). Last, frame rate is rather important to be able to have the option to make use of lucky imaging. Only the D500 could meet all these criteria.

About a year ago, I drove out to Wyoming to scout the city of Riverton and the surrounding area for sites to view the eclipse. I made sure to also note the position of the sun at about 11:00am (during July) to get an idea of where I might be setup and where I’d be pointing during the eclipse. I visited a Raspberry farm in the area that had a location where I could maximize time spent in totality. The owner seemed nice enough and was already well informed about the eclipse- another person had shown up six years prior, scouting locations, and one other person had shown up a year prior to my visit, also looking for locations. He mentioned that he had also been contacted by travel agents seeking to find a location for a large group of scientists. He assured me that we could keep in touch and when I left Riverton later that day, I felt satisfied that I had secured a spot to view the eclipse.

Eleven months ago, I bought a 300mm f/2.8 lens and set of teleconverters (1.4x and 2x), and started learning how to shoot with that lens. My intent was to use this lens as my backup, just in case something happened to my main lens (which I hadn’t bought yet). I don’t use this lens very much anymore, but it was good to get this experience, and it also taught me a lot in what to expect in super-telephoto lenses. The first lesson learned from this period was that supports and straps for a large lens are a huge deal. I looked at a number of rigs and harnesses before settling on a strap made by Vulture Equipment Works. I highly recommend them- they’re the only strap maker that has an offering that can easily handle such large lenses; and incidentally make straps that can also resist being cut by knives (theft was something I considered, seeing as the gear I would be carrying would be worth about $18,000 new- I didn’t pay nearly that much though, whew).

Almost ten months ago, I went birding with @hiimles and some of his friends and really started getting used to handling large lenses and also learning how people shoot birds. I owe everything I’ve learned about birding to him and his friends and to @fatchance‘s astute observations and commentary on birding over the time I’ve known him on tumblr.

Eight months ago, I was still agonizing over whether to go with 400mm f/2.8 versus a 600mm f/4 for the eclipse. While the 600mm is 1/3rd closer in reach, the one stop advantage of the 400mm is hard to ignore for all shooting situations, not just the eclipse. I found a 600mm at a very good price from a trustworthy seller on ebay and went for it. When the lens arrived it was much bigger than expected in person. I decided to buy a dedicated strap just for it and started hunting for a gimbal and tripod for it.

Six months ago, I found a gimbal and tripod at reasonable prices for my supertelephoto lens. I started making a point of going out every other week or so to get used to handling and transporting the lens.

Three months ago, I bought solar filter film and started looking for ways to put it to use with my lenses.

Two months ago I made a filter from the solar filter sheet and a HVAC reducer pipe and I posted my first sun image here on tumblr.

A little more than a month ago I started looking for solar viewers for friends. It was nearly too late. Fortunately I found a local dealer (Agena Astroproducts) who was able to hook me up.

Less than four weeks ago, I started buying all the other non-photography stuff I would need for the eclipse. Cloth to use as dark-cloths and also as dust covers for my gear, folding chairs, and some snacks.

Three weeks and four days ago, I embarked on my trip.

Three weeks and a day ago, I saw the eclipse with my own eyes and also took pictures. I couldn’t believe I had done it all- I nearly cried.

First, some things that could have gone better in my experience at the 2017 eclipse:

Bring a better timer - I used my iPhone to alert me to take a round of pictures about every 5 minutes, slowly decreasing that interval down to 3 minutes or so. However, because I had to unlock my phone to reset the timer and change the interval, my intervals were not quite 5 minutes on the dot and this also cost me some time near the start of totality.

Study the totality exposure table more - I missed out on shots of bailey’s beads and the diamond ring because I didn’t realize the solar filter had to be off during the very last seconds of totality, and because I was afraid of getting zapped in the eye.

Bracket wider - I did brackets at ISO 200 between 1/1000 - 1/8000s, at f/4.5; this was on the short end and while I did get a little bit of the corona, I could have captured so much more. I had enough time to try and go as deep as 1/60s, which would give me 4.5 more stops of reach, potentially enough to get 50% more corona. In addition, I could have also bracketed the other way, going to f/16 and 1/8000s and working my way back to isolate the chromosphere and solar flares at the edge of totality.

Don’t turn the lens during totality! - If I had bracketed wide enough, turning the lens would have increased the difficulty of post-process stacking by an order of magnitude. I did turn it back after realizing this was likely going to be problematic, and yet I didn’t do any HDR, but next time I will be sure to tighten my gear so I don’t inadvertently do this. I’ve noted that a number of people rotate their images so the widest flares are extended more horizontally, but I’m unsure this is wise because the view sun will also rotate a little bit during incidence. I think it is best to have a fixed point of reference at the start, and also to shoot an image that reflects what people on the ground see.

Use the center column for my tripod - Close to totality, I was no longer able to tilt my lens up far enough to keep tracking the sun due to its high position in the sky. A year prior during my scouting trip I estimated the sun would be up at about 60 degrees of elevation (which turned out to be correct for post-eclipse), but didn’t account that my setup wouldn’t let me look up higher than about +55 degrees due to interference with my tripod legs. With use of the center column, I could go higher and also raise the center of gravity on my gimbal to match. To remedy this at the time, I reoriented the tripod and lowered one rear leg to get additional inclination, with the additional risk that my tripod might fall over.

Here are some things that went great, whether purposefully or inadvertently:

Have a backup location handy - The original site where I was going to see the eclipse was a raspberry farm about 20 miles east-northeast of where I ended up; the guy stopped answering his phone sometime between last contact and the day of the eclipse. Thankfully I managed to find another site with reasonable viewing conditions the night before as the region had setup a website to promote a number of local ranchers who had setup campgrounds. It only took me 30 minutes to secure another location.

Have another person look out for changes in the sun - Thanks again to @fromtheplains for keeping an eye on everything while I was busy attending to gear and setting up.

Weather - It was cloudy at the start of the eclipse, but the location was favorable for clouds burning off by the time totality would start, which they did. This was the thing I researched the most. Wyoming and Idaho were the only two candidate states that met my weather criteria (and also personal experience driving through the area vs the midwest and southern states).

Lodging - I called one hotel that said to call a year in advance exactly 372 days ahead (365 days + 1 week) and continued calling every day until bookings opened so I could secure a room. On a lark, looking for backup locations to make additional reservations, I did another sweep 358 days prior (365 days - 1 week) and couldn’t find anyone willing to accept reservations as everyone was booked.

Gear - I managed to get nearly 300 frames in during totality, for a sustained frame rate of 2.25 fps over 2:05 mm:ss, including time spent adjusting exposure settings, removing my Solar Filter, gawking at the eclipse for about 15 seconds, and time at the end replacing my Solar Filter. I estimate my max fps peaked at Camera limits (~10fps), and that my actual sustained rate was close to 5fps. During my shooting I noticed that I hit the buffer limit at least 7 times. During these slowdowns I tried to hold back a little on shooting by using these moments to adjust my bracketing while the Camera spooled off portions of the buffer. There are very few cameras and configurations that can perform in such conditions- I’m glad I went with the gear that I did. Overall, 16gb of RAWs (778 frames) were captured during the three and a half hour session observing the Eclipse.

Looking forward to 2024, here are my notes on observations and priorities for the next Eclipse:

Texas - Texas is basically the only worthwhile place to view the eclipse if you intend to take pictures. All other states along the path from Texas through Michigan through Maine have worse weather patterns during April, and even Texas is less than ideal (80% sunny days in April vs 91% for Riverton, WY in August).

Terrain - Looking at a topo map for Texas, there is a ridge that zig-zags with the path of the eclipse in the southern portions of the state. While good totality is possible over much of the state, the best spots are going to be high-elevation (over the ridge) no further east than Kerrville, TX, away from any major bodies of water. This should provide the best viewing conditions possible, hopefully minimizing heat and atmospheric distortion. Lower lying areas east of Kerrville and the ridge / eclipse lines will have at least 1600 ft of additional atmosphere to manage. In addition, the eclipse will be occurring in the west-southwest skies, ending only a half hour from sunset. I expect there to be fewer potential obstructions at higher elevations, and the elevation climb is much lower west of Kerrville than east (1200ft over a horizon of 150-200mi vs 1600ft over 80mi in the eclipse path).

Lodging - Lodging is going to be extremely tough to secure for this area of the state as any other eclipse chaser is going to notice the same details I have, and there are not enough rooms for every photographer and party out of state. As an out-of-state visitor, it is important to book a room and not rely on a campground as campground arrangements might disappear or overbook before the eclipse (see note above about the Raspberry farm guy).

No Contingency - Because the meridian for the eclipse starts at Mexican border on the south end and passes close to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Ft.Worth, and Texarkana on the north end of Texas (basically all major population centers in TX), there is little hope of traveling to another location if the weather forecast is bad the day of the eclipse. Might as well setup and hope for the best once in the area.

Rain - Given the season (Spring) and historic precip/cloud averages (2.5″+ / 20%) for that area of Texas, it is possible there may be rain during the day of the eclipse. You can be assured I will be carrying tarps for this event.

There’s 2400 days to go until the next eclipse. If you missed out on totality in 2017, now is as good a time as any to start thinking about whether you want to try and catch it in 2024 and where you will attend. I hope that you get to see it and that your planning is as successful as can be.