#west coast craft fair

[ashs-cardboard-box]

Severed Innocence

~ Stanford Pines/Male!Reader ~ Horror/Gore (Day 3) ~ Implied fucked up romance. ~ 2k words TW/CW: DISTURBING CONTENT. Stanford yandere behavior, obsession, HEAVILY implied religious-esq worship, dehumanizing reader? kidnapping, suggestive comment, noncon kiss at the end, implied cannibalism. If Tumblr had a dead dove tag, this could probably classify. Proceed with caution. NOT CANON TO THE GRAVITY FALLS STORYLINE. An alternate AU. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How long had it been since that night? You were perfect. You were His devoted creation. What ever happened to you? You couldn’t remember. Who were you? Furthermore, *what* were you? A possession. His treasure. His prized creation, that’s what. Stanford cherished you. He put in the effort to make you into something great; something that could withstand even the harshest of punishments. Ones that couldn’t harm your physical being, of course. He knew that. He had never dreamt of causing your pain, but sometimes things needed to happen in order to take steps forward. You knew that, right? It didn’t seem so. A flaw. One single kink in a wire to cause His charade to come crumbling to pieces. What a shame… you were so close to being perfect. Everything He’d put his life’s work towards, all for this? He was upset. But, not at you –*Never* at you– At his own failures. Of course wires were bound to kink once inserted into the muscular system. A simple mistake on His part. He’d just have to fix it and kiss away your tears later. You had known Stanford for a long while. At least, you think so. It’s hard to discern what’s real and what Stanford had put into your head. You vaguely recall meeting him and F[REDACTED] in…what was it again? Why couldn’t you just remember? It’s not like Stanford could tell you the truth. No.. that’d just be spitting in the face of all of His carefully crafted lies! Meeting some little weirdo, “Fiddleford”, meeting His brother hiding in some motel–the failure that he is–even going to college with Him. He’d made it all up. After graduating from West Coast Tech, going back to New Jersey to brag catch up with His family, especially to see how little Sherman was faring. Stanley had tried and failed to break His perpetual motion machine when they were younger, which almost got him kicked out, but Filbrick, for once, had mercy. Though, they never talked anymore. He decided to move to a quaint town in Oregon called ‘Gravity Falls’ in search of pure solitude. It was quiet..mostly. Right up until He met you. Truthfully, He didn’t remember the exact meeting. He was getting older now, but He knew you wouldn’t care. You couldn’t. You were unable to. Though, despite the fuzziness, He remembered becoming immediately enamored with you. The way you spoke, the way you gesticulated, your hair, your smile, your voice..and right then, He decided He needed to have you. He’d spent a fair few nights rutting into His pillow, just thinking about you, right up until He got the courage to finally break into your house one very special night. You were so cute when you slept, how was He supposed to just leave you there?

Ever since, Stanford had been nothing but loving to you. Keeping you fed, housing you, bathing you, holding you. Up until the night you found an old picture of him with a clone? ‘Stan O’ War’.. What a silly name. He looked so young then. But, deeper inside the drawer, there were notes. Things about human anatomy, notes on conductivity of wires and tubing, the boiling point of blood, the symptoms of shock, all sorts of prototypes on his crafts… you became aware of what you shouldn’t have.

Stanford thought you were trying to spite Him. How could you try to peel the wires out of your arm? The ones He’d meticulously put into you with such care? Didn’t you love Him? He hated having to restrain you, but it was for your own good. Why couldn’t you see that? Having to strap you down with a chain around your limbs and your throat, to the wide table in the center of His “lab”, as He calls it.

“Why do you make me do this to you, sweetpea? You know how much I hate hurting you...” Stanford coos as He gently pinches your cheek in His calloused, six-fingered hand. His other hand securing a leather strap over your forehead, keeping your head still. “Let me go!” you plead, but a harsh slap across the cheek forces you to shut up again.

Stanford’s brow furrows in irritation, tugging the slack of the belt to make sure the strap is tight. He wouldn’t want you escaping and accidentally hurting yourself, after all.

“Good boys remember their place, doll.” He scolds as He maneuvers His hand down to the base of your skull, burying His fingers in your hair, feeling around for something unknown to you. “Reprogramming you could take a while.” Stanford muses to Himself, a grin splitting across His lips as His fingertips finally locate His small microchip in your skin. It was the first time He brought your attention to it; knowing your sudden tendency to pick at His work to pull it out of your skin, He didn’t want to risk it whilst you were unrestrained.

“Reprogramming..?” You mumble with a thick swallow, feeling a lump in your throat as terror rips through you. Stanford only nods, as if He hadn’t inserted a chip into your spinal column. Admittedly, He’d made you more android than human.

After that first night He’d kidnapped brought you home, you fought like an animal. That’s no way for a pet to act, He felt. What, with all of your thrashing and biting and screaming, He couldn’t just leave you like that. He took time out of His life, time you never appreciated, to meticulously shape you back together. He made you perfect. You were nothing without His work. If He was everything, your Savior, what were you?

“I tried to be nice to you.” Stanford grunts as he moves just out of your field of view. You can hear the stretch of elastic, which you assume to be gloves, and the clatter of metal against metal. “I tried to treat you with care. I even tried to give you a little freedom to fully express what little humanity you had left.”

Tugging against your chains, your heart sped up. You needed to get out of here. This guy was nuts. Your head was still foggy, as if you’d just woken up from a long nap. You could hardly remember much of your past anymore, but it didn’t matter in the moment. Your breathing was ragged in your panic, your eyes stung with unshed tears.

“Still.” Stanford finally comes back into your view, pulling a metal service cart with him. A gloved hand wrapping around your forearm, His thumb digging in painfully into your skin, with intent to stop your writhing. “You were so close to becoming complete. Something desirable.” He spits harshly, lip curling back into a sneer. You were such a pretty boy. It was a damn shame you made Him do this to you. “Though, I’m not surprised you turned out this way. Always so defiant, you were…” Stanford mumbles under his breath, finally pulling His hand from your arm as you begin to freeze up, trusting you won’t struggle anymore. “But it’s okay!” He reassures. It was like a switch had been flipped. From being the nastiest man God you’d ever met, to washing away your woes in an instant. “It’s okay, because I can fix you again!” He explains, a prideful glint in his yellow eyes. Black pupils dilating immensely as a grin splits across His face. “I’ll untangle everything inside you. I can put you back together!” “But,” He continues. “It might hurt a little bit.” Picking up another leather strap off of His cart, He leans over and forces it between your teeth to bite down on. You don’t really have much of a choice. The feeling of your molars sinking into the fibers of the leather belt makes your skin prickle with goosebumps of discomfort, your tears starting to fall.

“You'll be fine, sweetpea.. You'll be fixed in no time.” Stanford whispers, swiping a thumb across your tear streaked cheek in hopes to comfort you. He can feel His heart clench in His chest, just wanting to hold you again, but that would have to wait.

Turning back to His cart, He picks up the shiny scalpel, running His index finger over the sharp blade scrutinizingly. He wouldn't want it to be dull when He begins to cut.

Moving His hand back down to your forearm, feeling exactly for the knot in your wire. His fingers trailing up and down your skin, gentle caresses in contrast to His intentions.

Finally sinking His blade into your skin, cutting through you with ease. In an instant, your blood begins to seep out of the burning wound. Your muffled screams ring out behind the belt stuffed between your teeth, trying helplessly to tug at your restraints, making your chains rattle around your neck and throat.

Stanford cuts into your flesh with ease, yellow eyes peering down at you scrutinizingly. His blade cuts through each layer of flesh with a surgeon-like precision. The sound of your blood hitting the floor echoes in your head, each drop falling into the blossoming puddle.

“Such a good boy..” He murmurs under his breath, not entirely sure you could hear Him over your thrashing. Your vision starts to tunnel as His blade sinks into your muscle, finally reaching the wires inside. The minute kink was enough to make you short circuit, it seems.

Your muscle spasms as it's cut into, your brain protesting against it but unable to stop it. From the bend of your elbow, to the inside of your wrist, gaped like a fish, down to the bone.

Stanford gingerly pulls apart your skin and muscle to see down inside you, it makes His heart race and pants tighten with a twisted satisfaction. Grinning madly as His finger tips caress your bone, He can't help himself. Leaning down and sweetly kissing your exposed bone, your tangy blood coating His lips.

“I could just eat you up, doll. You taste just as good as you look.” He whispers, His tongue darting out and lapping at your blood. Standing up straight again, His fingers prod painfully at your muscle, pulling the tendons apart like shredded chicken, spotting the wire much more easily.

Setting His bloody scalpel down, letting you bleed freely onto the floor, He picks up His tweezers, using them to press-bend the wire, straightening it out again.

“There we go. Now, was that so hard?” Stanford inquires rhetorically, chuckling to himself. His voice rings in your ears, your brain trying desperately to block out the searing pain shooting up your arm. You'd stopped crying by now, which definitely makes Him feel better.

Replacing His tweezers with a needle and thread, He pushes the needle tip into your tendons, working meticulously to sew everything back together. The pain is almost dull in comparison, your hand feeling like pins and needles stabbing into it from nerve damage.

His fingertips feel hot to the touch, melting right through His gloves, pressing right up against your exposed blood vessels, but you can hardly think long enough to understand what's going on. Searing your vessels back together with an inhuman ability. He's experienced, but not enough to fix *everything*.

Sewing your muscles closed around your bone, followed by your skin. Though, instead of wiping you clean, He leans back down and runs His tongue over your fresh stitches, feeling the cross pattern weaving in and out of your flesh.

Your frazzled brain can hardly register it anymore. Stanford's presence is one your brain tries to block out entirely, but His yellow eyes pierce your subconscious. Trailing slimy kisses up your arm, leaving bloody kiss prints up your bicep, over your clothed pectoral muscle, your cheek, then your lips, even if you don't kiss back.

One of His hands slides up your chest, to the back of your neck, then to the base of your skull, feeling for that same chip and pressing the tiny button. In an instant, it feels like your pain is swept away, returning to your numb, complaint state. The wires in your muscles connect back to your chip, your programming forcing you to remain obedient, like a good pet should, as you kiss Him back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tumblr was FIGHTING with me on this one gang Return to masterlist

[darkangel1791]

Why Actors Are Going on Strike

BY LAURA ZORNOSA

Time.com

UPDATED: JULY 12, 2023 4:37 PM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JULY 12, 2023 4:28 PM EDT

Just after midnight on the West Coast, the contracts between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expired—meaning that a deal between the two had not been reached. SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee unanimously voted to recommend a strike to its national board, which is expected to formally announce the strike on Thursday.

On June 5, nearly 65,000 of the approximately 160,000 members that make up SAG-AFTRA approved a strike authorization with a 97.91% “yes” vote. The union includes actors, dancers, DJs, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals.

Two days later, SAG-AFTRA entered negotiations on its agreement with the AMPTP, including Amazon/MGM, Apple, NBCUniversal, Disney/ABC/Fox, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, and Warner Brothers. On June 30, the contracts between the two were extended, and they now expire at midnight on Wednesday.

“There has been a sea change in the entertainment industry, from the proliferation of streaming platforms to the recent explosion of generative AI, and at stake is the ability of our members to make a living,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, said in a letter about the strike authorization referendum. “We must ensure that new developments in the entertainment industry are not used to devalue or disrespect the performers who bring productions to life.”

On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA agreed to AMPTP’s last-minute request for federal mediation, which would bring in a neutral third party to help work toward a compromise. SAG-AFTRA clarified, though, that it would not extend the negotiations for a second time.

“We will not be distracted from negotiating in good faith to secure a fair and just deal by the expiration of our agreement,” the guild said in a press release. “We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.”

Among SAG-AFTRA’s demands are increased minimum pay rates, increased streaming residuals (neither of which have kept up with inflation), and improved working conditions. Royalty payments, which are contingent on the number of a show’s reruns, are no longer reliable. Streaming, which has shifted to shorter seasons over longer periods of time, has made less work available to actors. And union members want guarantees from studio and production companies about how, exactly, artificial intelligence will be used—they want to protect their likenesses and make sure they are well compensated when any of their work is used to train AI.

On June 27, more than 300 actors—including Meryl Streep, Quinta Brunson, and Jennifer Lawrence—signed a letter to the SAG-AFTRA Leadership and Negotiating Committee stating that “SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.”

“We hope you’ve heard the message from us: This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” the letter reads. “We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”

When was the last time SAG-AFTRA went on strike?

SAG-AFTRA has a long history of strikes and boycotts. In 2021, the union barred Donald Trump from ever rejoining because he obstructed the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden—and because of his attacks on journalists. (Trump had resigned from the group earlier that month.)

In 2018, SAG-AFTRA announced a strike against the global advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty after the advertising agency stated that it would no longer honor its long-standing contract with the union. Ten months later, the advertising agency agreed to sign SAG-AFTRA’s new commercials contract.

SAG and AFTRA, which merged in 2012, went on strike together for the first time in 2016, against eleven American video game developers and publishers, which became the longest strike within SAG.

In 2000, before they merged, SAG and AFTRA issued a controversial six-month work stoppage over the protocol for paying actors who appear in TV commercials. Twenty years prior, SAG and AFTRA jointly called for a successful boycott against 1980s’ Emmy Awards, striking for an increase in minimum salaries.

How the ongoing writers’ strike factors in

In 1960, SAG went on strike against AMPTP over pay, joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which had already been on strike for more than a month with similar demands, largely over pay rates. That marked the first industry-wide strike in Hollywood.

In a historical echo, today, the WGA has been on strike since early May. If SAG-AFTRA’s demands are not met this time around, it will join the WGA on strike, bringing Hollywood to a near standstill. In preparation, SAG-AFTRA has called for volunteers to serve as strike captains, and WGA captains—already on strike at several studios—have offered training from the picket lines.

What this means for movies and TV shows

If SAG-AFTRA members do go on strike, any film or TV production that has not already been halted by the WGA strike will essentially shut down. Overseas productions, in particular, where studios have tried to continue shooting some shows without WGA writer-producers, are likely to feel the impact.

[libraryofcirclaria]

533

Library of Circlaria

Remikra Timeline

Moorland: 500-510

In December 499, Fotoram, King of Moorland since 478, signed a treaty with Martenian Emperor Petrician, establishing peace between the two countries. To reinforce the terms of such, King Fotoram established New Cotts, a fortress-city in the West, to counter enemy attacks, as well as an unnamed frontier settlement on the West Coast for agents spying on Marten. It was during the first decade of the sixth century that Moorland became more of a firmly established civilization, as Cotts and New Cotts became centers of trade. To the latter came the Khaps, who brought whale blubber, animal furs, and the commodities made from silver pines. In exchange, the Moorlanders traded spellfire artifacts, buffalo furs, and grains. As a result, trade guilds began to expand, as more members joined them. Guild posts emerged throughout Cotts into surrounding villages, and then along the newly established trade route to New Cotts.

However, problems began to arise, as guild owners acquired more wealth and wanted to expand. They had a desire for more property in the city blocks of Cotts, so that they could have more of their members in closer proximity for tighter control of their wealth. They petitioned to King Fotoram, who obliged by granting them city blocks inhabited at the time by members of the working class. Such residents were forced out of their dwellings, as spellcrafters hired by the guild owners demolished the dwellings and built guild "palaces," in which the guild owners moved. Initially, they had promised to share these places with their members, harnessing cooperation; but once the buildings were complete, they were reserved only for the owners and their families. To pay for such expenses, they dramatically raised crafting fees from their members. Angered by this, members left the guilds and began practicing their crafts illegally. When informed of this, King Fotoram issued an order where villages, homes, and city blocks were raided, and mass numbers of illegal former-members arrested and imprisoned. Some of the ringleaders were even executed.

Some outlaws, though, escaped the raids and arrests, and traveled to the frontier settlement on the Coast. Here, such a place was mostly underground, embedded into a mountain. Most of the people of duty were spellcrafters, assigned by the King, who considered them outcasts. As a result, these people begrudged the King and secretly traded with the Martenians. They helped to conceal the influx of outlaws and established large underground trade posts.

Among the influx was a man named Kitor, who was a spy for the King. Upon discovery of the underground guilds, he immediately relayed information of such to the King, who sent an army to attack the settlement and slaughter most of its inhabitants. In the wake of this, the King raised taxes on merchant and working classes to help pay for the resulting guild owner "losses" of the underground operation, eliminated taxes altogether for the guild owners, and enacted a law requiring every Moorlander to join a guild, paying fees accordingly.

Queen Aemsdena

Originally a lower-class merchant, Aemsdena gathered a lot of followers when she publicly decried the King's actions for unfairly catering to the guild owners. She called upon these followers to rebel and demand the King for a fair compromise. In April 512, Aemsdena and her followers gathered around the King's palace with a signed petition demanding the repeal of such unfair laws, to which the King responded with the order for their arrests. Aemsdena was imprisoned.

However, such imprisonment did not last long. In November 513, Aemsdena, having learned spellcrafting earlier in life, used such skills to escape. Subsequently, she helped many of her followers leave undetected and began organizing them into an army. In May 515, Aemsdena and her forces launched a surprise attack from within the walls of the King's Palace, which came under the onslaught of her spellcrafters, assassins, and archers. It was an unnamed assassin who ended the life of King Fotoram. The King's forces retaliated as they attempted to instill another King. But with reinforcements outside Palace walls as well, Aemsdena handily defeated them. In June, she crowned herself the Queen of Moorland, and immediately enacted new laws. Of these measures were the allowance for the establishment of independent guilds, heavy taxes against guild owners, and lower taxes on merchants and guild members. Meanwhile, laborers paid no taxes.

King Mundor

In retaliation to this, the guild owners hired indigenous Moorlandish mercenaries and assembled an army outside of Cotts. In October 517, such a force defeated Cotts as an assassin killed Queen Aemsdena, while Mundor, owner of the Fighters' Guild, made himself the King. King Mundor of Moorland avenged the policies of his predecessor by criminalizing the independent guilds, taxing ninety percent of merchant and guild member revenues, and utilized taxpayer gold, silver, and copper to pay guild owners for their expensive properties and their retirements. Meanwhile, the laborers were divided into groups of serfs to work on guild owners' properties, as well as the land of other wealthy entities.

Queen Ledana

Ledana, sister of Aemsdena, gathered spellcrafters from all around Cotts, and dispatched them to various underground meeting places, where they began training willing serfs, each in multiple skills of spellfire combat, including archery, basic spellcrafting, and dagger-fighting. Subsequently, the new recruits were organized into armies; and, in November 520, they overthrew Cotts, assassinating King Mundor. Ledana then became the Queen.

Beginning in January 521, Queen Ledana taxed guild owners based on their owned expensive palace properties, eliminated taxes for merchants, guild members, and serfs, and placed a limit on what guild owners could charge their members in guild fees.

The Establishment of West Moorland

To compensate for the new tax expenses, the guild owners sold their luxurious "palaces" and re-established themselves in the city of New Cotts. Here, they bought city blocks and converted them into similar "palaces" and began charging high fees to their members. Furthermore, they took possession of city streets, charging tolls for citizens and passerby alike. In January 528, Queen Ledana issued orders for these guild owners to cease the street tolls, pay property taxes on the new "palaces," and to pay large fines for the high fees charged upon the members. The guild owners refused; so, in November 529, the Queen dispatched Moorlandish forces, who captured New Cotts and enforced her laws.

Estemor, the new owner of the Fighters' Guild, recruited indigenous mercenaries, but, unlike his predecessor, trained his recruits with tactics similar to those of Ledana's forces. He, furthermore, created more distinct divisions in his army, equipping some with swords and shields, and others with bows and arrows, while having a division of spellcrafters as well. In January 531, he launched a surprise attack on one of the main supply lines to the Queen's forces in New Cotts, weakening her divisions. In March, Estemor's forces captured New Cotts, and immediately began preparations for the Queen's retaliation. As expected, one year later, Queen Ledana's forces attempted to re-capture the city, but were confronted about halfway to the place by Estemor's soldiers, who inflicted heavy casualties. The Queen surrendered the battlefront and called for a treaty.

In June 533, Estemor and Queen Ledana signed a peace treaty, which established a boundary between Moorland and the territory gained by Estemor. Such the latter would be known as the nation of West Moorland. In October 533, Estemor called a council with the other incumbent guild owners in New Cotts. Such a Council was unelected by the people and was established as the government of West Moorland. Meeting once a year, they made all of the trade decisions, and punished defectors and cheaters, with lethal force if determined necessary.

<- 532 <- || -> 535 ->

[etrey]

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https://srewtv6w.blogspot.com/2024/07/exploring-mcq-muse-your-guide-to.html 

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[theeverlastingshade]

Blue Lips- Schoolboy Q

No matter how old I get, or who I’m talking about, I still can’t help but particularly admire great new records from artists who were once releasing great work but had fallen off somewhat since their last notable work. Beyond the surface level “comeback” narrative, there’s something inspiring and ultimately very human about creative peaks and pitfalls that refreshingly sidesteps the black and white binary conducive to pop culture which champions the notion of a short shelf life and a definitive expiration date. The story is far from set in stone while an artist is still engaged with their craft, and it’s a fool’s errand to outright dismiss the future work of an artist due to a perceived misfire at any point after they released something that you connected with. It’s been 5 years since Schoolboy Q’s dull, cruise-control rendered yawn of a record, Crash Talk, which unfortunately capped off what was previously nearly a decade of good to great records that helped largely define the sound of west coast hip-hop throughout the 2010s. Q’s recently released LP 6th Blue Lips, which features more than its fair share of his best music to date, is not only among the most satisfying course corrections of the decade so far (up there with Animal Collective’s Time Skiffs and Yo La Tengo’s This Stupid World), but it’s also among the year’s biggest highlights so far. But don’t call BL a comeback; this is a recalibration of the highest order.

Q’s music has always swung wildly from the giddy exuberance of party anthems to bone-chilling street missives with a rich, multifaceted perspective in the eye of the storm as the connective tissue, but BL sidesteps this dichotomy altogether by embracing a rejuvenated, ambitious spirit. BL spans 18 songs in 53 minutes, opening with a sunny sampledelic interlude devoid of bars, and closes with an r&b slow jam; it’s an excessive and occasionally messy affair, but the indulgence is the point, and throughout this dense web of sonics is a rapper in complete control of his craft continuing to push against his limitations. These songs unfold with unpredictable angles and are often propelled by predominantly jazz-heavy samples that work to demolish any lingering perception of Q as a one-dimensional weed-rapper. The single “Yeern 101” is catnip for any MC worth their salt and Q tears it to shreds, rapping in an urgent double time flow like his life depended on it. On the other side of the spectrum are subdued cruisers like “Blueslides” and “Nunu”, which are imbued with great melodies and plenty of negative space to luxuriate in between the blistering verses on either side. And the Freddie Gibbs assisted “Ohio” is a prog rap epic that moves through 3 disparate movements with finesse and precision, and not only does it not collapse under the weight of its ambition, but Q coasts through the off-kilter arrangements with the ease of a flawless Super Mario Bros speed run. Not everything on BL works, but the highs are sublime and the misfires are far and few between.

While Q brings his A game to BL, he’s also assisted by a plethora of collaborators that elevate his vision at nearly every turn. “Pop”, the 2nd track (and first actual song) is basically just Q teeing up Rico Nasty for an characteristically visceral verse, while “Foux” reunites Q with Ab-Soul who finds his groove again within the midst of the busy, percussion-heavy instrumental. Childish Major sustain the sinister allure of the prickly, penultimate “Pig Feet”, while Gibbs, a rapper known for consistently excellent features, outdoes himself on the obtuse, aforementioned “Ohio” with a gleefully dexterous verse. The beats, courtesy of an all-star team of producers that include the likes of The Alchemist, Beat Butcha, Cardo, DJ Kahlil and many others, range from psychedelic to soulful to funky to nasty with a zealous, crate digging acumen that narrowly avoids exuding an overwhelming sense of disjointed whiplash throughout its eclectic sonic sprawl. BL unfolds closer to a grab bag compilation that showcases how adeptly Q can navigate a plethora of different beats and moods than a tight front to back listening experience, and what he sacrifices in terms of lean cohesion he more than makes up for in satisfying risks that pay off far more often than not. Q has been a great rapper for well over a decade now, but he’s never showcased his ability to rap over anything thrown his way quite like he showcases throughout BL.

Throughout the bulk of BL Q preoccupies himself with surveying how he got to where he is, and contends with the pervasive fear that everything that he’s worked for could dissipate in the blink of an eye. On “Blueslides”, Q succinctly lays out the anxiety at the record’s core right in the first verse “Better climb out that hole before you fuck up your blessings/’Fore you realize that it’s over and start to get desperate/Keep your mind, body on pressure, give your time when it’s needed/Know a man gon’ be a man, if he don’t work, he ain’t eatin’” which is juxtaposed superbly against the song’s lush veneer. On “Cooties” Q’s gaze turns outwards toward societal decay and the concerns of trying to raise a child in our late-stage capitalist hellscape “Mass shootings, when will they stop it? Hmm/’Nother child gone for unlimited profits/Rather keep my kid home before you fuck up the process” over another richly-rendered beat, while “Time killers” and “Pig feet” are chilling calls to arms against snitches and cops that serve as stark reminders of Q’s tumultuous past. BL slowly reveals itself as Q’s most personal and introspective project to date in addition to being his most ambitious, and it’s a testament to his tenacity that he was able to make a record this accomplished this late into his career. BL probably won’t achieve the sort of cultural cachet that Habits and Contradictions did, nor the sort of old head cred that something like Blank Face LP inspires, but through its knotty, unorthodox presentation it reveals itself as Q’s best work yet.

Essentials: “Ohio” ft. Freddie Gibbs, “Yeern 101”, “Pig Feet” ft. Childish Major

[johnjankovic1]

Mining Gold with Mail Subsidies

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

The maritime sector was equally held aloft by industrial policy in the shape of contracts for sea captains to make a routine of servicing ports regardless of whether their boats were laden with goods. These crafts would be christened ‘packet ships’ for hauling mail to their destinations in acquiescence to a strict schedule. This quasi-public procurement authorized by the 1845 Act of Congress saw firms enter contractual agreements with government to sail with regularity between cities as the heralds of news and the bringers of goods to populations that would have otherwise been left oblivious to the goings-on of the world. This early form of correspondence was a manifestation of Congress consolidating nationhood through the bilateral trade of distant cities. Prior to this seminal piece of legislation meant to subsidize the steamship industry packet lines had long been tasked with plying the waters between New York, Liverpool, London and Le Havre on transcontinental routes. Departures hewed to high standards of punctuality unlike previous norms when the weather and clime dictated the days for setting sail. Packet lines put America on the path towards industrialization early in its formative years since the clockwork flow of trade that ensued left no scintilla of idleness from an ad hoc calendar to hamper commerce.

The first industrial policy in a series of them to seed the steamship sector bestowed authority upon the Postmaster General to unilaterally recruit ship outfits for mail service. Before long this mandate by itself proved toothless to bootstrap growth when the full spectrum of government patronage was required in what was to be a zero-sum game of curating winners. It behooved Congress to mount the financial backing for a few handpicked companies if the venture had any likelihood of success despite the appearance of crony capitalism when some firms were to be forsaken of such strategic investment. This plank was perforce a function of two imperatives: (1) increasing the fleet size of steamships that would be repurposed in the event of war for the Navy hence the appellation of quasi-public procurement; (2) the unification of California and Oregon with the rest of the country. Likened to a centripetal force the 1847 Act of Congress culminated in the creation of postal routes snaking along the Eastern Seaboard off the continental shelf to link major cities from New York all the way to Astoria in Oregon. The advent of steamships emblematized the sine quo non of America’s Manifest Destiny whose Weltanschauung called for the colonization of geography in short order to make way for a national identity. Westernmost states would no more be left unmoored from the workings of the young nation.

Vast distances fragmented the American body politic in the mid-19th century whereby bringing the West Coast into the fold of the Union took precedence. What better method to actualize this lofty ambition than by a transcontinental link on water as a precursor to railways. California’s charm for statehood lay in its auriferous topography that beguiled a cottage-industry of miners amidst the Gold Rush. Oregon’s wilderness on the other hand was extolled as Eden for its fertile lands when homesteaders Americanized the West. The 2,170-mile Oregon Trail fraught with perils would cement the country’s sovereignty over the frontier. Upon the judicious use of industrial policy what came to manifest were broad implications where in one respect shipping boomed and in the other gold operations saw gains from speedier supply chains. The federal government’s repudiation of laissez-faire economics in this instance from its proper patronage of the maritime industry became integral to America’s development. In 1847 the Pacific Mail Steamship Company was conferred a ten-year mail subsidy of $190k per annum to ferry goods from the western shore of Panama’s Isthmus onto California and Oregon. The eastern leg of the journey would be manned by the United States Mail Steamship Company which was granted $290k each year (Bacon 2023; Kemble 1949).

Since this expedition preceded the Panama Canal’s arrival by fifty years the umbilical cord that bound the East and West Coasts was sundered in two giving a wide berth to the lengthier journey around Cape Horn. The sixty miles of the Panama’s Isthmus would instead be overlanded by argonauts and mules alike as a land nexus for the two discrete routes. Wet seasons saw canoes being commissioned along the Chagres River to make the journey less arduous. Upon embarking a second boat destined for the terminus the trip could then be completed in its entirety. Subsidies earmarked for this endeavour were lifelines for steamships bereft of which the budding industry would have floundered in the absence of such fiscal injections. When economic viability is marginal as it belies the law of supply and demand it is at this juncture where industrial policy’s merits reveal themselves. If risk exceeds reward no investor of sound mind would partake in the adventurism where liabilities are too great. If a company is projected to operate at a loss or at a break-even point without having some purchase on profitability within a reasonable time horizon then no amount of capital investment could be justified. In the vignette of steamships their profit margins would have been mediocre if not non-existent were subsidies forfeited.

Behold the ledger where an average trip to Panama for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company from the West Coast approximated $38k of which $35k was recouped from passenger revenue. Within spitting distance of solvency it was only with the addition of mail subsidies that a salubrious buffer of profit was purveyed as a source of income. Later in 1876 the value proposition of passenger and freight service cleared well above the threshold of yearly expenses by $60k where government succour made the whole venture that much more lucrative (Chandler and Potash 2007: 34). It was Congress which thereby midwifed the steamship industry, kindled the Gold Rush upon streamlining supply chains and united the country in one fell swoop. By discarding entry barriers to markets the government made conditions more amiable where opportunity costs would have been too high not to jockey for the chance of being a first mover in the industry. No longer were steamships mere curiosities but rather they were held in greater esteem after having wed New York to San Francisco in a thirty-five-day and later a twenty-one-day trip (Kemble 1938). No sooner did the duopoly of steamship companies sail its maiden voyages along the two routes that the Gold Rush caused a frenzy of demand for transport between the Pacific and Atlantic seaboards.

[raspberryspace]

11/18/23 - West Coast Craft

Met venders from all over! Much more varied than the last fair - Happy to see some familiar faces too, support the locals. My favorite part was building a dried flower arrangement, will probably post it later.

[crimechannels]

By • Olalekan Fagbade In the recently released Henley Passport Index for Q2 2023, the Nigerian passport rose from its previous 100th position to 91st among the 199 countries and 227 travel destinations studied. The index showed The Gambia, leading the ECOWAS, ranked 72nd, Sierra Leone at 74th, Cabo Verde at 75th, Ghana at 76th, Benin at 78th, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast at 79th, Guinea at 80th, Senegal and Togo at 81st, Niger at 82nd, Mali and Guinea Bissau at 83rd, Liberia at 87th and Nigeria at 91st. However, there are visa-free countries accessible to all Nigerian passport holders. With just a valid passport, you can gain entry into these countries without having to stress yourself over a visa. Some may, however, be required to apply for a visa at their point of entry. 1. RWANDA Rwandan government has waived entry visas to Nigerians, other Africans and members of the Commonwealth in a bid to promote the ease of doing business and attract investors into the Central/Eastern African Community 2. DJIBOUTI In East Africa, one of the best places to visit from Nigeria is Djibouti Nigerian citizens who are planning a trip to Djibouti aren’t required to apply for a visa if they wish to go for short stays (tourism). But it’s required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA or eVisa) before entering Djibouti. The country has beautiful places to visit such as Lake Assal, which is the lowest point on land in Africa. In the world, it is only the third after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. 3. CAPE VERDE A visa is not required for Nigerian passport holders visiting Cape Verde for a short-term stay: 90 days. Cape Verde is an island country that is found on the West African coast. It is one of the most welcoming tourist destinations on the continent as it has great weather and beautiful spots that you could have a splendid vacation. 4. BURKINA FASO A visa is NOT required for Nigerian passport holders visiting Burkina Faso for a short-term stay. The country plays host to the International Arts and Crafts Fair, Ouagadougou which is regarded as one of the most important African handicraft fairs. 5. BENIN REPUBLIC As a Nigerian passport holder, you can visit Benin Republic and stay for 3 months without a visa. A country located close to Nigeria, there are a number of tourist attractions in the country that may interest you like the nominated UNESCO World Heritage site named Pendjari National Park. 6. BURUNDI Nigerians are allowed a visit to Burundi for 30 days without a visa requirement. The country is known for its craft works that serve as a great gift option for tourists. From shields, baskets and masks to statues and pottery. An important part of the culture in Burundi is drumming, the Royal Drummers of Burundi have been performing for 40 years. The oral tradition of the country through poetry, storytelling and songs is also something worth enjoying. 7. CAMEROON Nigerian citizens do not need a tourist visa when travelling to Cameroon. Cameroon Visa free is free for Nigerian citizens. With this visit visa stay is usually short with a period of 90 days. Applicant is not required to be present when applying for Cameroon Visa free. Enjoy a great time in Cameroon. Check out the National Museum & Mvog-Betsi Zoo in Yaounde or the La Pagode Maritime Museum in Douala. There are a number of wildlife species ranging from lions and antelopes to snakes and birds, you will find at any of the parks. 8. COTE D’IVOIRE Ivory Coast visa is not required for Nigerian citizens. Nigerian passport holders do not need to apply for a visa. Nice places to visit in Ivory Coast: The beach resorts of Assinie, the Parc National de Tai, valleys of Man and the artsy Grand Bassam are some of the breathtaking tourist attractions you can see in Cote d’ivoire. You may also enjoy the lagoon boat tour or visit the open markets in Treichville or Cocody.

9. COMOROS You can travel to Comoros without a visa but you can get the visa on arrival. Comoros Island is made up of four developed islands with white sandy beaches, giant fruit bats, volcanoes, and rainforests. Enjoy one of the best adventures on Comoros Island and make memories of a lifetime. 10. BARBADOS Nigerian nationals do not require a visa to travel to Barbados for a period of 180 days. However, they need to possess a passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond their intended date of exit from Barbados.   #countries #Nigeria #passport #tourists #Visafree

[brews-and-pubs]

Faction Brewing, Alameda CA

25 June 2023

Haley and I stopped in here briefly after the lunch at Speisekammer and I (of course) got a flight:

These are described from the 12:00 position, going clockwise:

Helles (German Style Helles Lager, 5.4%) - This was a great example of this style, very refreshing on a sunny day sitting outdoors.

Thank You Wave (West Coast Pale Ale, 5.8%) - Here's another great brew, almost an IPA but really a less bitter Pale Ale with hops typical of a West Coast IPA.

Cockamamie IPA (West Coast IPA, 7.2%) - It was good, but not the best of the five in my opinion; there was too much bitterness for my taste today.

Alec Norton (Märzen, 5.8%) - I would have put this earlier in the flight; I think the flavor was drowned out by the Pale Ale and the IPA. It was a bit more delicate than the two that preceded it.

Anomaly (Coffee Stout, 6.5%) - The name is very fitting! This is truly an anomaly, a pale-colored brew that is actually a strongly-flavored coffee stout with cacao and lactose, pushed on nitro. The more I had of it, the more I liked it!

Here's their full beer list from the visit:

Faction is a great place for families and there were indeed lots of families there when we stopped in. There was also a craft fair indoors but we didn't have time to peruse it. Maybe next time!

[polaroidjay]

Created a gifaroid of Chaz when I saw him at West Coast Craft Fair SF this past weekend.

[sstephcc]

https://sstephcc.blogspot.com/

Seven Sundays Studios. 

[welcometowinstanleyslighthouse]

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

The Cape Disappointment Light is a lighthouse on Cape Disappointment near the mouth of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington.

The light was constructed in 1856 and it was the eighth active light to be lit on the West Coast. The light at Cape Disappointment has had its fair share of incidents; many of which were recorded by its first keeper, Joh Boyd. Such incidents include having to stay nights within the unheated tower during the winter months due to distance from the keepers dwelling to a fifteen-inch gun installed for the Civil War discharging and shattering several panel of glass in the lantern room.

The Cape Disappointment Light has not always been the sight of tragedy. Captain J.W. “Joel” Munson tended as lighthouse keeper from 1865 to 1877. During his career ,on March 15, 1865, the ship Industry wrecked near the cape, only seven survived of its twenty four people aboard. Greatly disturbed at the fact that many more could have been saved if the cape had a lifesaving station, Captain Munson repaired a old longboat using money he raised from playing the fiddle at parties along with building a boathouse to store it.

On May 5, 1866, the W.B. Scranton, loaded with eight hundred tons of freight from San Francisco, was driven into the middle sands of the bar. Keeper Munson launched his craft with a few other men and was able to rescue the entire crew. Ironically, Captain Paul Corno of the Scranton was also one of the seven survivors of the Industry.

Through Munson’s efforts, a lifesaving station was established at Cape Disappointment in 1871, and his famous craft became part of the station’s initial equipment. The tradition of lifesaving continues today at the Coast Guard lifeboat station and training school located on the cape.

Cape Disappointment’s distinctive black horizontal band was added around 1930 to distinguish it from North Head Lighthouse, located just two miles to the north. The Coast Guard planned to discontinue the light in 1965, claiming that the Columbia River Lightship and entrance range lights were sufficient to mark the river, but protests by the Columbia River Bar Pilots kept the light in service. The light was automated in 1973, but the patriarch of Northwest lighthouses, still equipped with its fourth-order lens, remains active to this day.

On May 11, 1792, American Robert Gray, a seafarer more interested in finding furs for the China market than the honor of discovery, was the first European to successfully cross the bar, and the river was named after his ship, the Columbia Rediviva.

A prominent cape on the north side of the river’s mouth helps mark the entrance to the river. Named “Kah’eese” by the local Indians, and then Cape San Rogue by Bruno de Heceta in 1775, the cape received its current name from Captain John Meares. After vainly trying to seek shelter from a turbulent sea on July 6, 1788, Meares wrote, “Disappointment continued to accompany us…we can safely exert that no river San Rogue exists.” Out of frustration, Meares christened the cape, “Cape Disappointment.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LighthouseFriends.com

Wikipedia

[junktrait]

kory isaacs for @poetic-falls bachelor challenge. find his sim city feature below.

In this series of issues from Sim City, we take you from subject to producer, highlighting the creative people who work to make this magazine a reality. One of our digital cover stars is Kory Isaacs, frequent photographer for our magazine.

It is a cold, windy morning barely lit by sunlight in San Myshuno when I meet Kory Isaacs on the street outside his apartment, as he insists on coming down to meet me himself rather than buzzing me up. I’ve done enough interviews with stars to wonder if generous or calculated, trying to craft my perception of him from the first moment we interact. When I tell him this, he laughs. “Thank you for your honesty! Let’s say the first one.”

Isaacs, a photographer put on the map by his Sim City cover shoot of Vanessa Jeong, is equipped with a commanding charm, helped along by his unwavering gaze but softened by his boyish flop of hair and deep belly laugh. It is no wonder he sometimes ends up in front of the camera, appearing as a model in some publications he shoots for. Of these forays, he says with a wry smile, “It seemed to me I should have some insight into what my subjects experience when I photograph them. Only fair, right?” And for what he thinks of being a model? “It’s not for me. Though I did appreciate the ego boost.”

Isaacs, and his portfolio, make it clear to me that jobs were not falling from the sky for a while. After being born and raised in San Myshuno by high-rollers and philanthropists Titus and Catherine Isaacs, he vacated the city, and his parent’s shadow, for sunny Del Sol Valley. There, his lack of brand name clout left him with few prospects. “There were a lot of moments I thought I was going to have to run back to SanMy with my tail between my legs,” he says while looking past me instead of at me. “But my family has too much pride for that. Better to resolve to push through instead.”

And push through he did. A few months of persistence led to a few local paper gigs, which led to friends requesting his services for their shoots, and finally, Isaacs was noticed on his merit rather than the name that had propelled him to such heights in San Myshuno. Despite a burgeoning career on the West Coast, Isaacs soon moved back to his hometown.

“Now I’m known for something different,” he says of bringing his fame back to his old stomping grounds. “So I don’t mind as much when people know my name, because, now chances are good they know it for reasons I’m happy about. Plus, he says, pushing the ashtray on the coffee table aside with his index finger, “my parents and I kind of run in different circles.” His apartment is small and away from the expensive lofts of Soho, and the more he talks about the Isaacs, the more it feels like a deliberate choice.

This, he says, is key to his success. His portfolio is full of arresting but simple portraits of stars against blank backgrounds, mouths cracked in bared-teeth smiles or pulled into frowns, with preppy popstars made up in rocker gear or indie kids straightened into suits. “It’s not pushing boundaries or being contrarian for it’s own sake. The design meetings are always very honest. I want something from them that’s real, and I want something they haven’t done before. I’m not interested in taking a shot someone else will a year down the line. I want to be the guy that helps people learn something about themselves.”

Despite this position, there is an invisible, immutable veil hovering over the coffee table between us. I ask if he’s used to opening up as his subjects are. The laugh that follows is much quieter than before. “Is it that obvious?” I nod. “Well, parents with a...strict style and a lot of baggage will teach you to keep things to yourself.”

He still doesn’t think it’s too much of him to ask the same from the people he invites onto set. “I tend to work with photographers that are a lot more lenient than me, I’ll say that.” I don’t feel any ill will from him when I leave, regardless of my questioning, nor when we meet later in the week for him to shoot his self-portraits for this issue. When engaging with the camera, his machine of choice, he becomes imbued with purpose, shifting from the easy but guarded young man I met with into a seasoned pro. I can see why so many people want to step in front of the lens.

***

and here’s all his actual info!

aspiration - friend of the world

traits - outgoing, self-absorbed, ambitious

zodiac - aries sun

favorite song - what’s love got to do with it, tina turner

27 y/o, 5′10″, bisexual

and a couple of cas pics to top it off~

[thatwitchyaunt]

Makeup for Magick/Ritual p3: Beltane

We made it to Beltane, you guys! We did it! Is this actually going to go up in time without my computer freaking out? Only time will tell. And no, I didn't get a better phone.

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I stole my sisters. ANYWAY!!!

It's the last of the three fertility sabbats (along with Imbolc and Ostara). And that's fertility in all its forms, by the way, not just the baby-making kind. You need fertile soil to for just about any kind of plant to grow, after all. The main colors that I, personally, associate with Beltane are bright/summery reds, lush greens, and… white. All colors of fertility, growth, passion, shmex… as you do. However! The entire rainbow spectrum is fair game. Think of all the colorful flowers, plants, and trees and stuff. For instance, just looking out my widow from where I'm typing this, you got the green of the new leaves on the tree, the reddish-orange color of the little helicopter seed fellas hanging from it, and little yellow, almost white, flowers on the bush in the neighbor's yard.

Any of the more nude palettes from Ostara are still in play. And DAMMIT! The picture's cut off at the edges. Because of course it is, why wouldn't it be? *groan* Whatever, let's get into Colourpop.

Top: Strawberry Shake, Main Squeeze, Orange You Glad?, Uh Huh Honey

Middle: Just My Luck, Blue Moon, It's My Pleasure, Oh La La

Bottom: Yes, Please!

If the red/green thing is what you wanna go for, grab the Just My Luck palette and either Strawberry Shake or Main Squeeze and you're good. And of course, as the rainbow spectrum goes, there it is. Hell, if you have the Fade into Hue palette, just grab that. I don't have it because, though the eyeshadow formula is decent for the price, there are pressed glitters in the palette. And unlike the BH eyeshadow formula, I don't think the CP formula is good enough to make up for the handful of arts-and-crafts-herpes shades you have to deal with in this palette.

Yes, Please! is here because Beltane is also a fire festival and this a cute and cheap fiery palette.

On to Give Me Glow!

Top: Summer Vibes, Extra Spicy

Bottom: Vintage Rose,Vivid Rose

Where there is the CP Yes, Please! Palette, there is the Give Me Glow Extra Spicy palette. Unfortunately, she's no longer available, but it's a great pick for this fire festival if you have it.

Kindly excuse the busted pans in my Summer Vibes palette, but a good chunk of these shades could work for Beltane. You can take it fiery or flowery, depending on what you're going for.

And if you want to look like a stereotypical flower fairy (and I mean that in the best possible way), the sister Rose palettes are the palettes to grab.

Now let's get the single-palettes out of the way.

Tarte's Tartelette Toasted palette is another one of those fire festival palettes, except more of a warm toned nude version of one as opposed to the bright fiery colors of Yes, Please! and Extra Spicy.

The Too Faced Life's a Festival palette is just full of great brights and those fun duochromes. Definitely the time to pull it out if you have it.

And then there's the ABH Modern Renaissance palette. This palette will give you serious vintage flower fairy vibes, and was the first time I got said vibe while using a palette. Okay,technically that was when I used the Makeup Revolution dupe palette, but that formula was utter trash.

And as for the ABH sub-brand, Norvina…

We got two. The Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 3, and the Pro Pigment Mini Palette Vol. 3.

The Mini's cherry reds, green and pinks and beautiful, and that white has a cherry red duochrome to it. Ignore the pressed glitter in the middle of the top row, the shades are pretty enough not to.

The larger Vol. 3 has some nice bright greens, reds, etc. that makes it great for the lushness of Beltane, even though it's meant to be a fall palette. Which it's also great for, but we'll get to that in a future post.

Now for BH Cosmetics!

Top: Trendy in Tokyo, Chillin' in Chicago

Bottom: Mimosa

Trendy in Tokyo is the typical rainbow palette, except the shimmers are more satin than metallic, so not my favorite of their Travel palettes.

Chillin' in Chicago would make a pretty good fire festival palette, and lays in between Tartelette Toasted and Extra Spicy/Yes, Please!. It's not as nude as Toasted but not as bright as the two others.

Mimosa's pinks with orange and yellow pops could give you a bright, flowery look.

And now the last of the palettes, Juvia's Place!

Left Column (Top to Bottom): The Masquerade Mini, The Magic Mini

Middle Column (Top to Bottom): The Zulu, The Festival,The Sweet Pinks

Right Column (Top to Bottom): The Warrior III, The Chocolates, The Violets

The Masquerade Mini's top two colorful rows are what you're reaching for if you want to do a fully colorful Beltane look, but can be paired with the bottom nudes if all you want (or can do because work or whatever) is a little pop of color. For The Magic Mini, you're looking at the top two rows, which are the warmer rows, and the purple duochrome (Faso) and the green (Buzo) in the bottom, cooler toned rows.

Both The Zulu and The Warrior III are beautiful colorful palettes. In Warrior III, I'd stick with the top six mattes. That green and red are beautiful, and that pink is almost neon in real life. The entire Zulu palette is good for brighter plant/flower looks. And that pink/gold duochrome in the bottom left corner? So beautiful.

In The Festival palette, I'd say all the shades except the metallic black, the deeper metallic teal, and the matte mustard gold. The red, pink and oranges are so beautiful and rich, guys! And that metallic white and gold? *chef kiss* But, guess what palette is getting pulled out for Samhain. X3!

The Chocolates, Violets and Sweet Pinks are basically companion palettes. The Chocolates have some "rich, fertile soil" vibes if you want to bring that into the look, while The Violets are fairly floral and The Sweet Pinks are more bright pops with a more floral matte and shimmer shade (top right, bottom left). The two pinky floral shades could actually be cute with the Violets, now that I think about it.

And finally, the singles! A few days ago, my first Terra Moons singles order arrived, but since I haven't really got to play with them much they won't be included in this one. Though they, as well as my first order of singles from Looxi beauty, will probably start showing up in my next post. Okay, Shroud singles first!

Top: Enigma, Azura, Vigor, Ignite, Vigil

Bottom: Oracle, Pillow Talk, Scrumptious, Magnetism, Soulstone

Pillow Talk, Scrumptious and Magnetism aren't pressed glitters, but definitely act and remove like they are. So, if you pick these up when Shroud reopens, keep that in mind.

Enigma (purple with a blue shift)

Azura (teal blue with a green shift)

Vigor (bright lemon-lime soda green)

Ignite (fiery copper)

Vigil (yellow-gold)

Oracle (champagne gold)

Pillow Talk (deep purple with a gold shift)

Scrumptious (coral red with a gold shift)

Magnetism (aqua green with a gold shift)

Soulstone (magenta)

And finishing off, Give Me Glow singles!

Column 1

My Sunshine (pale sunny yellow metallic)

Lucky Charm (light yellow metallic)

Lemon Lime (electric green with shifts of banana yellow)

Limeade (lime green)

Column 2

Peach Glaze (pale icy peach)

You're Cheesy (Mac n Cheese orange)

Havana (deep coral metallic)

Low Battery (neutral-toned, medium-dark red)

Column 3

Pink Frosting (icy bubble gum pink)

Heartbreaker (electric hot pink)

West Coast (deep vivid coral)

Floral Coral (peachy-pink coral)

Column 4

Strawberry Lollipop (reddish pink)

Pink Lemonade (pink base with electric gold a baby blue shifts)

Icicle (icy white)

Marshmallow (pure white)

Column 5

Pretty Little Lilac (icy lavender)

Electric Purple (neon pastel purple)

Bubbles (true icy blue)

Sky High (bright sky blue)

Column 6

Toxic (deep neon purple)

Purple Hills (a pure deep electric purple)

Under the Sea (deep sea blue)

Starboy (deep cobalt blue)

And we've reached the end of the Beltane post! Fun fact, the Beltane crossquarter day is on May 4th so, still relevant right? Yes? No? Maybe so? The fact that I was able to get this done by Beltane is a miracle in and of itself. Use these as color story inspiration for your own looks, maybe repost with palettes/singles you've found in your own stash, and I'll see you in the next one!

[k-m-k]

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Starting October 1st & through the weekend, 13 USA west coast local #filmcrew unions will be voting YES or NO on a strike authorization. Each 'local' represents different skilled crafts people who work behind-the-scenes on TV, film, commercials, and other entertainment. Collectively, these local unions are all under the umbrella of @iatse which is an International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. These are the hair & makeup, costume, lighting, grips, medics, sound & video techs, script supervisors, production coordinators, set painters & construction workers, set teachers, editors, art directors, cinematographers, & others whose names you see (& don't see) scrolling in the credits of your favorite shows. These unsung superheroes, many of whom only make minimum wage (or slightly above), often work 16+ hour days. They are exhausted & have no life outside of work, work, work. They are in new contract negotiations with billion dollar studios & streamers (aka AMPTP - the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers). The 13 local #iatse unions are fighting for better work conditions & pay. (See @ia_stories to learn more.) Negotiations have been going on all summer. The latest negotiations have stalled with AMPTP simply not coming back to the bargaining table. If 75% or more of each local's members vote YES on a strike authorization it will empower IATSE leaders with the ability to call a labor strike should the need arise. Voting YES sends an important message to the AMPTP to get back to the table and hammer out a fair deal. TEAM MCKIDD encourages IATSE film crews to vote YES!! https://www.instagram.com/p/CUcSpZ0jHeF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[phoebehalliwell]

Do Penn and Dency have like more a of sisterly than a cousin one since they’re so close in age (and they kinda grew up together since they only a few months apart). And like on a slightly different topic, what does Penn think of Dove? Did Penn and Dency share friends in Magic school or did they run in opposite circles?

tl;dr yeah they’re more sisterly & penn and dove don’t really like each other that much, & penn and dency definitely ran in different circles, especially as they got older. there’s like. a full on deep dive under the cut. i highly recommend u read if u wanna know why penn’s Like That & her complex relationship with both dency & dove, but um. it’s 3.7k words. but u should read it♥

i would definitely say they’re more sisters than they are cousins because like. i don’t know how close y’all are with your cousins. but like. cousinship is really not what i’d call a solid unbreakable fraternal bond you know? like penn and dency are like. 2.5 months apart so They Are The Same Age (even tho dency’s born in 02 & penn’s born in 03) and also because while in dency’s early years there is a phoebe/coop thread running, it still takes a while for those two to enter a committed relationship and move out so for the first. three? or so years of their lives, dency and penn literally shared a bedroom in the manor like they were raised kinda like twins just from a proximity standpoint. and then, of course, since they’re the same age and all, they hit milestones at the same time & are always in the same school year (which i feel like both these girls went to private schools which are like. always catholic schools idk if this is universal but like. i feel like in sf almost every single private school is tied to a church but maybe i just don’t know that many people who went to private school. and yes this is because i just really really want dency to go to a catholic school her being the antichrist so to speak all that i want her to be genuinely afraid that if she touches holy water she’ll burn it’s fun (it doesn’t burn her, for the record. she like. tried when she was 9/10 and it’s like one of those things like you know how you can lick your fingers and pinch out a candle flame so as a kid you wanna try it and you have saliva all over your fingers and you keep going in a chickening out because that’s fire!! that’s a flame!! what the fuck!!! so its a back and forth until you just gotta do it yeah that she ends up like plunging her full hand in when the plan was kinda only dip a finger but good news! she’s fine she does not burn with holy water.) maybe they go to public high school but like. private elementary and/or middle school. because high school who cares but going to a catholic middle school will leave the funniest long term effects on people).

and then, of course, magic school. they both go to magic school. which as i’ve stated before i think there are many magic schools this magic school is tethered to san francisco and i think really any west coast witches will attend that school but there aren’t That Many so class sizes are still like. 30 kids. and then, of course, as this is Charm School (as so it is dubbed as it is the school run by the charmed ones) they do kinda host their fair share of magical events which is mainly like the elders being like okay can we all get together let’s host a yule celebration here which they do in this world but not in the canon!gen2 due to one major defining factor: penn. because like. she’s the twice blessed man. magic literally shut down just like globally for a full day when she was born (dency actually retained a limited amount of magic as you know she has a bit of source. it’s a magic source. but like. very little it was insanely dampened). but you know globally no one really knew this was coming all of magic was left standing there with their dick in their hands until it turned back on and now there’s only one question: what the fuck was that? and the answer was a baby literally so powerful was born that all magic rested for a day to welcome this child. the twice blessed has arrived. And That’s A Big Fucking Deal! and again: the elders don’t really like the charmed ones all that much bit of a two way street here because the charmed ones don’t like them so they would love to take away this ability maybe save it for a rainy day with a family they don’t already have a dicey history with but um. source’s heir is right there. so we’re gonna keep the twice blessed in tact. but yeah basically the elders have kind of these magical holidays at magic school and penn has to be in attendance just because she’s kinda the representation of the best of good magic. she’s an idol everyone can kinda get behind you know rejuvenate the spirit of good magic unite the witches behind one figurehead.

which, for the record, piper and leo are Not Really Game for because what the fuck so it’s like. at first when the elders are like. let’s host a litha celebration here invite magical families around the world extend olive branches so to speak you know it also tells the underworld that good magic is strong on united really keeps them at bay (because they really have yet to recover from s7/s8 there’s still not centralized ruler demon/monster attacks have been way down and quite frankly the sisters wanna keep it that way. they love a world where their lives aren’t constantly at risk). so initially they’re like yeah sure they bring their kids because what are they gonna hire a babysitter the kids can be there and like. everyone fawns over penn. and penn initially loves it because like you’re 7 who doesn’t love being special being the center of attention. but piper & leo are like 😐 because they’re starting to see the game the elders are playing but you know. in the early years penn really likes going to these. i should state penn’s full name is actually melinda penelope halliwell and when she was young she did go by melinda but she really didn’t like how much she was compared to melinda warren esp with all the twice-blessed stuff (she also has leo’s hair color (i.e. blonde) so she does look a lot like her ancestor) so around 13 14 or so she starts going by penelope which people shorten to penny which is just another ancestor to be compared to so she shortens that to penn. so yeah through the elementary school era i think penn really likes attending these functions she likes being liked and piper and leo are like no really you don’t have to go in fact we’d prefer it if you’d stayed home but she’s like 9 she doesn’t get the minutia of it and she’ll like cry if she can’t go to the fun party. by the time she hits middle school tho she’s like no this shit is draining lmao can all these adults back off. but then like. by the time she hits high school she’s kinda caught on and if it’s her being a charming, polite, dazzling little twice blessed that keeps good magic solid and the underworld at bay, she can play that role. she will play that role. but now there’s a sense of duty to it.

so. i’m still talking. i think it magic school penn was really popular because she was like a household name you know, that and like she’s really got her father’s kind heart and can play mediator like her mother so she kinda can do the saintlike role given to her (which again is something she starts at a young age not realizing what all this is before and it grows into the core of who she is & now it’s inseparable. it’s kinda like the male gaze. but the elder gaze. even pretending you aren't catering to elder fantasies is an elder fantasy: pretending you're unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. you are a witch with an elder inside watching a witch. you are your own voyeur. lmao. haha but yeah penn has a really big circle but while people fawn over penn they are inherently distrustful of dency because again these are kids and they get their opinions from their parents. and some parents really don’t want the source of all evil going to school and learning alongside their kids. and this is kinda penn’s crucial flaw is she was kinda always taught to be so temperate that when people are mean to dency, she doesn’t like. go to bat for dency. she mediates. she’ll mediate in a situation where someone is clearly in the wrong but is like. let’s reach a peaceful agreement let’s try to see both sides because you know her parents especially leo raised her with this peace love & understanding mentality and she’s so young she doesn’t get the nuance of situations.

so, rather than kinda sit and field catty comments from other witches in penn’s social circle & watch penn try to turn this into some kind of socratic seminar on how we’re all different and we should all try to understand each other dency kinda just voluntarily breaks from penn’s circle. it’s not too difficult as not that many people really wanted her anyway and also she’s not always in the same classes as them as she needs lots of private tutoring to kind of. you know. hone her demon powers, which function differently.

and then this is where we bring in dove who is a witch with no active powers and two mortal parents, so she doesn’t actually realize it’s weird not to have active powers until she reaches magic school (after being enrolled by paige, who has basically assorted sidequests going at all time where she like. finds witches who don’t have the resources to learn the craft proper and rather than let them just risk it she enrolls them in her school. she does this in canon!gen2 as well that’s kinda like her whitelighter job as i don’t think she has too too many Charges in a traditional whitelighter sense). and then a bit of history on dove her parents are fucking loaded. the type of rich you eat, not just upper middle class. and her dad does fuck knows what tech shit in the silicon valley and her mom’s basically just a socialite. so dove, like penn, from a very young age learns the art of being the little doll at the party. we’re sitting this baby down at the grand piano and you’re all gonna coo and aww as she knocks out für elise okay? but the primary difference between penn & dove is dove was being coached. dove knew from a very young age what she was doing. penn was just what the john mulaney quote shiny and dumb and easy to trick? yeah. piper and leo didn’t want her there they didn’t want her exposed to like the notion of white magic politics, dove’s mother on the other hand basically trained her in the art of the social kill.

So. dove as a kid gets to magic school and kinda quickly realizes she’s not like the other kids. and yes, there are some late bloomers, but like. she’s really not like the other kids i mean she’s a witch with no lineage and no active powers and everyone else seems to have family friends and people they already know and she’s alone. so. ever the social strategist, she aligns herself with penn. and dove joined about late elementary school early middle school so she got contact with dency before she broke, but she knows her mostly by reputation because dove loves gossip and there’s a lot to be whispered about dency. unfortunately, there’s also a lot to be whispered about her. and it’s usually like. if you’re a late bloomer and you don’t have an active power, by the time you hit puberty one develops (there’s also like. the other marker is when the brain stops developing around age 25 sometimes power develop then and dove’s currently like 24 so she’s lowkey still holding out for that one). but dove kinda goes through puberty and doesn’t get an active power and now kids are calling her dud and this is where penn’s middle road logic fails her again because she just. she’ll be kind to dove and be like that’s really mean and they shouldn’t have said that, but she’ll also speak kindly to the bullies and be like hey that’s not nice don’t say that. and dove is not a temperate person so when she’s attacked she goes for the jugular. and penn pulls out again this peace love & understanding card like i understand you’re upset but you shouldn’t stoop to their level you should try to always be understanding because you don’t know what they’re going through and it pisses dove off because penn literally has no backbone. like she’s never really seen penn stand for anything and quite frankly she’s a little pissed about it because she specifically befriended penn for like protection for a place in the magical community and penn just like. does not offer that because she’s just do spineless.

so i think dove kinda just slowly distances herself from penn and penn doesn’t really do anything to keep friends so to speak because as the twice blessed kids kind of just flock to her she’s definitely got a really weird dynamic just with others as a whole so it’s like when dove stops invited penn over for playdates it’s not like penn’s gonna Start inviting dove over for playdates because that’s simply not how penn’s mind works. also almost all her playdates from like a really young age were really weird because it was just witches being like oh my god let’s set up a cute little playdate for our kids i’ll bring them over at 1 and piper and leo were game because you know yay socialization for my daughter, but you know it quickly became obvious that it wasn’t for the kids. like it was for these parents who get to be in the halliwell manor talking to a charmed one, the twice blessed is right there, & it was kind of sickening. so yeah. that happened one too many times. but like the further dove drifted from penn kind of the less she held her tongue because you know penn’s so kind and temperate that she really doesn’t like hearing insults quick jabs you know like obviously. but dove’s great at it. and yeah, there are kids dove just doesn’t like because they’re dicks to her. so when they go after dency, dove’s immediately ready to tear them to bits. it’s kind of like sticking up for the little man, but it’s more just like attacking the bully bc now you have a reason to. but what surprises dove is dency also has some bite to her words, dency also fights back. which dove again ever the social strategist thinks dency shouldn’t to that because she already has the title of the source’s heir hanging over her it’s not wise to pour fuel on that fire but at the same time she’s glad dency just like. does fight back. is a dick about it. she loves that she’s someone who doesn’t play the social game, someone who’s true to herself and isn’t going to water herself down in order to be liked by other people. you know dency’s got backbone she’s got chutzpah and dove loves to see it after everyone in magic school who are all just like. 11 year old sycophants finally someone who’s real. so i think dove and dency kind of become besties as they willingly mark themselves as the social outcasts who just. do what they want to do. it’s like dency’s basically a demon and dove’s basically mortal and together they’re just having like. a great fucking time. i think they really like each other. it’s also dove’s first friendship that literally has no exterior advantage if anything it brings down her stock but she doesn’t care because dency’s just like cool man.

and then nowadays they’re all like 24 and dency and dove live together dency works as a freelance journalist (even though elise is constantly offering her a permanent position at the bay mirror, dency doesn’t accept it because she “doesn’t want a nepotism job” to which elise is like dency i wouldn’t offer you the job if i didn’t think you were any good my own niece has been trying to get an internship here for two years but she writes absolute drivel okay i don’t want you here because you’re my goddaughter i want you here because you’re an excellent writer. but dency still always turns her down because she doesn’t like the optics. she still spends a lot of time a the bay mirror just because i really love the visual of punk rock antichrist rolling up to the bay mirror and immediately getting the biggest hug from elise when most employees have yet to even see elise smile) & then dove on the other hand 100% has a nepotism job she like does pr for her dad’s company. penn i think works in piper’s kitchen as a line cook where she literally like addresses her mom like yes chef all that like people don’t know she’s the owner’s daughter hell they barely know her name and she kinda loves it like that.

and dency and penn definitely have this kind of testy relationship because dency never leaves well enough alone. i mean that’s literally her job right as a journalist, but it carries over into magic too & penn hates it because someday dency’s gonna get herself killed. but the fact of the matter is their fighting styles are not compatible. penn and dency are not good side by side in a fight & dency would much rather work alone. but, if penn knows anything, she’s gonna be there. she refuses to let dency go in alone because if dency dies and there was something she could have done about it she’d never forgive herself. this is why dency doesn’t go to penn for healing anymore because again they can’t lie to each other given their lie detector power, so rather than get penn involved dency goes to her friend jack who is both a mortal & and nurse & went to like the same private elementary school as dency, tho i think he was in on a lottery. And. Of Course. there is a vice versa going on here because dency does not tell penn things because like. if penn dies because she was following dency into some dangerous battle she’d never forgive herself. because, quite honestly, dency knows she’s powerful. she has a skill set that practically no one has the ability to counter. but also. she’s the source’s heir. penn’s the twice blessed. the world needs penn a lot more than it needs her, you know? dency does kind of view herself as more expendable than penn, you know again penn is the embodiment of all good magic and the story’s definitely been spun that penn and the elders kind of unifying good magic, creating a strong bond keeps the underworld at bay. penn’s death would be a devastating blow. and on top of that, penn’s really not a fighter. dency is, she’s great at it. and you know, if penn was always running headfirst into battles like dency, it really would be a mirror relationship but penn really does not practice magic outside of magic school. so that’s not a concern. but yeah. given this fact that penn is really more important symbol-wise & the fact they do not fight well together & the fact penn’s just not great at fighting & she does not remotely know the demonic world like dency does, dency really does try to keep her cousin in the dark as much as possible.

dove and penn kind of in the present have a bit of a rivalry going at least penn considers it a rivalry because penn genuinely considers them equals, dove on the other hand does not because penn is the twice blessed and dove is a witch without powers but yeah. no one really can argue the way they argue because it really doesn’t sound like an argument it’s like. written down it can seem like a perfectly friendly conversation but there is kind of this intense vein of malice running through most of their interactions. which, while we’re kind of positioned to side with dove because she’s more of a main character than penn is, she’s besties with our protagonist, also i love her, dove is definitely the instigator. and it’s not like penn’s deserving of any of dove’s harassment but dove is just still really bitter about how penn was supposed to be her shelter as a young girl but penn never stands up for anything leaving dove really vulnerable as a kid. which she has not ever voiced to penn, penn just thinks dove’s a bitch (which she is, but like,) but at the same time penn almost always seeks dove out or even invites her (not directly, but rather by extension by insisting dency has to come no no you have to come listen you can bring a friend okay but you have to be there. because dency will only ever bring dove.) to these magical functions because a) dove’s kind of already so low on the food chain that she’s really fine with making snide comments to the faces of these really pretentious parents who are only in it for power and optics. like penn always has to pretend not to smile when dove makes the comments she always wished she could say just like. to an elder’s face. and then on top of that, dove’s about the only person who doesn’t view penn as sacred, and by extension, now that they’re older, dove is about the only person penn doesn’t have to act sacred around (outside of her own family, obvi). like. penn has piper’s bitchiness. she just never gets to say what’s on her mind because she’s too busy being The Twice Blessed. unless she’s around dency & dove & co, where nobody cares who she is, and she can be kind of the dick she is. she’s not as temperate as she seems.