I’m excited to say that in Summer 2021, I will boldly go where no Signum University prof has...
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Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs
By Silvertree
Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101 Thanks!- 5 comments
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Tacky swap 2020
Do you like skincare, cosmetics, or makeup? Would you like a little self care bundle? I usually use witch hazel in the morning, facial cleanse during night shower, a light moisturizer usually with salicylic acid at night (super oily skin), and sometimes I’ll use an acne sheet mask. Most make up slides off & now will come off on my mask, so I live in bright colored eye liner, love nyx & urban decay liners (love UD’s matte back “perversion” eyeliner). Is there an author or a series that you have recently fallen in love with or really want to read?
cherise sinclair, masters of the shadowlands or her other books. I tend to get books at the library, mainly eaudiobooks through their apps these days, but her stuff (erotica) tends not to be there. Is my (BPAL) wishlist up to date? I kinda gave up on it & try to focus on what I do try & like. My top picks I think are more or less current. Chocolate and orange?
Yes! One of my faves Hand-written decant labels? Sure! Walnuts or pecans?
Love them both —————// 11-17 If I were to knit you something, what colors do you prefer? (for fingerless mitts or shawlette) black, gray, crimson, rainbow Do you appreciate self striping or gradients? (yeah, most of my yarn is self striping or gradient, I have very few semi-solid anymore and I ditched pretty much all of my variegated because I hate the way it knits up.) yes, very muchly love variation & dimension Any yarn preferences? (merino, acrylic, merino silk, merino cashmere, etc) nope Knit Headbands. Sure keep my hair out of my Dave Christmas colors: not really, I’m partial to red though. I use both candles & wax. Prefer wax for my burners
Lush and bath & body: I like the lush scent honey I washed the kids. l prefer shower gel, but soap is good too. pbsw: sorbetto is good but not my fave. I am addicted to sugar spider sugar scrub. Also like tree hut sugar scrub. enable me with your fave foodie/chocolate scented sugar scrub. Sugar scrub is my fave shower item. I haven’t met a fruitcake I like yet.
im a dog person, though don’t currently have a dog. Want a pug. favorite Christmas aesthetic: I love decorated trees, Christmas lights, candy cane patterns, ugly & cable knit sweaters, poinsettias, & the grinch.
The House of Night, Watchmen, and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
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12 days swap
Love the thought but never end up using them. Silly Post it’s would get more use.
Face masks (like the kind that come one to a package? Sure
Anything from Sock Dreams? opaque black tights ——
11-11
Thoughts about lovely bespoke cleansing scrubs a la Sugar Spider (https://sugarspider.shop/) or PBSW sorbets? love love love sugar spider!!!!! Pbsw sorbetto are nice too. How about literary writing gloves? don’t even know what they are, probably not Tokidoki, anyone? Other cute kawaii goodness? Plushies, blind boxes, etc?. love tokidoki, have a tote bag, prefer usable things but blind boxes would be nice too, little figures I could put on my desk. Fun cloth masks? Holiday themed or no? Favorite style? Yes & yes!! Colorful, goth, holiday, unicorn, rainbow, Plague doctor, sugar skull, Santa, elves, trees, lights, love it all ——————- 11/10 10:30pm Would you be interested in trying out anything from Nocturne Alchemy Lab? (http://nocturnealchemy.com ) love their chocolate & raspberry & rice milk notes. Just bought a ton of pumpkin scent samples from Ajevie
2. Would you like a batch of home-made bath salts? (if you have allergies / skin sensitivities, rest assured, I can make them with pure epsom salts and pure essential oils- just tell me what you'd like - or what to avoid) no thank you.
3. Anything catch your eye from Dandelion Chocolate? (https://store.dandelionchocolate.com/pages/home) Not a fan of dark choco 4. What's a thing you always tell yourself you're going to get just for you but haven't yet? Name one thing under $10 and one thing over $10 Fillable tea bags What's your favorite type of chocolate? (milk, white, dark, with nuts, with fruit, flavored chocolate, etc.) white, milk with caramel or pb, peppermint bark, Anything sweet really 2. How do you feel about stationery? (letter sets, stickers, pens, etc.) Love it, cute papers envelopes, & stickers 3. If you had to pick a favorite flavor (sweet, spicy, sour, savory, salty) what would it be? Wicked sweet tooth 4. What's one food/flavor that you absolutely hate or dislike strongly? Plain vinegar, (pickled things are fine but like salt & vinegar trips) New Question -- For the purposes of this swap (not trying to start an international perfume debate), is honey a gourmand note? it falls in gourmand, it’s edible, but I amp it & am not a fan of honey perfumes. ————————————— 11-9 8:28pm PBSW has their Yuletide Winter collection out sans candles (http://paintboxsoapworks.com/new-limited-edition/2020-yuletide-winter-limited-editions/) that are coming soon. Is there anything you'd like? Also any scents you'd like as candles when they come out? Sugar scrub, I can never have enough. Comfort & joy; sozzled; white snow If you like incense what type to you use? Stick/cone/loose? No thank you, bugs my allergies Do you have a favorite animal? sloth, hedgehog, Would you like gloves/mittens/scarf/winter hat? all of them, black or rainbow, just lost my favorite winter hat. Do you prefer loose leaf tea or bagged? either is fine.
Happy birthday, Kurt Vonnegut!
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12 Days of Christmas 2020
Face masks (like the kind that come one to a package? I actually have quite a few that I've never used. I'm definitely not opposed.
Anything from Sock Dreams? I do love me some socks, especially with fun designs. I think I have a wishlist in my wishlist blog.
12 Days of Christmas Questions
Tokidoki, anyone? Other cute kawaii goodness? Plushies, blind boxes, etc?. I'm not a huge tokidoki fan but I love generic cute japanese blind boxes. I have this little tabby cat statuette and a little grey cat that hangs off your glass that I love. I love plush but I'm also kind of running out of room lol. Fun cloth masks? Holiday themed or no? Favorite style? YES YES YES! The only good thing about this pandemic is that mask wearing is now acceptable. I've been wearing masks in winter and just as fashion accessories for years. So I love me some fun festive masks for the season. For non holiday masks I like gothy/kawaii/fantasy themed masks. My oldest mast is an all black on with gold studs along the edge. I'd love some more simple fashiony ones like that. Also used to have a fuzzy pink one with a giant plush lollipop on it. You could surprisingly still breath through it. Journals or Sketchpads or Sketchbooks - yay or nay? I DO need a new Journal, just haven't been able to decide on one yet lol. I plan to use it to document my great imp testing since I've managed to collect all but like 4 (soon to be all!) of the instock GC imps. I'm into doing bujo so looking for that sort of style.
Face masks (like the kind that come one to a package? I say I like them but I never use them because it means 15-25 minutes without my glasses on OTL So I just keep accumulating a giant hoard for when I start taking my skincare more seriously again
Anything from Sock Dreams? Unfortunately most of their socks don't fit me since I'm rather large. I have a 20.5" circumference just under the knee and most of their stuff for plus size stops at 18/19" The only stuff bigger seems to be the fleece socks and I can't wear that sort of texture on my feet.
Just a reminder that these great dystopian works were meant to be warnings, not suggestions.
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Happy Halloween 2020!
Since many of us are at home due to the pandemic this Halloween, here is a way for us to enjoy some truly spooky and fascinating destinations safely (from Cult of Weird): “10 Strange Places You Can Explore Virtually.” Check this out!
(Source is “Hope Owl’s Well On Halloween" by Yesterdays-Paper.)
Let’s close with an excerpt from “Hallowe’en” by John Kendricks Bangs (1919). You can read the complete poem here.
(Source is “Halloween Greeting” by Yesterdays-Paper.)
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Halloween 2020, Day 30
Look no more for some perfect streaming music for this Halloween season!
Celebrating its 22nd year, “Out ov the Coffin” is hosted by the fabulous DJ Ichabod. What was born as a means of spreading dark and esoteric music to the Nashville area via WRVU, broadcasting from my graduate alma mater, Vanderbilt University (Go ‘Dores!), is now an spine-tingling and atmospheric podcast. Check it out for some perfect seasonal music! You won’t be sorry.
Here is the official description of the show: “’Out ov the Coffin’ is a specialty dark-music radio program, hosted by DJ Ichabod, designed to celebrate dark and interesting styles of music, from the goth perspective. Brand new entries are featured each episode, alongside older favorites and cult classics. Oft-featured sub-genres include: Goth, Gothic rock, deathrock, post-punk, darkwave, ebm, industrial, damnbient / dark ambient, dark metal, neoclassical, ethereal works, film scores, and theatrical experimentation.”
The time has come: The 2020 “Out ov the Coffin” Halloween Special is now available! Here is the official description of the episode: Listen to or download the special here! Pssst! Scroll through earlier shows to find past Halloween specials. Last year’s was brilliant! If you really want to party on (or like it’s) Halloween, you can play several Halloween specials back to back! DJ Ichabod’s regular shows also make for perfectly splendid spooky listening.
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Halloween 2020, Day 29
And here is a brief excerpt, to give you a sense of the atmosphere. - from Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand (2015)
I discuss this novella in my recent Halloween-themed “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast, October 2020′s Episode 645, which you can listen to here.
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Halloween 2020, Day 28
Here are some folk horror viewing recommendations for your day. From Kieran Fisher for Film School Rejects: “10 Great Folk Horror Movies to Watch By Yourself in a Candle-Lit Woodland Cabin.” From William Wright for Alternative Press: “Here Are the Folk Horror Movies Every New Initiate Needs to Watch.” From Adam Scovell for the British Film Institute: “10 Great Lesser-Known Folk Horror Films.” From Shane Scott-Travis for Taste of Cinema: “The 10 Best Folk Horror Movies of All Time.” Today’s reading recommendation list is from Jo Furniss for Crime Reads: “10 Novels Based on Folk Horror.” This quote from the article above seems fitting for the spooky season:
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Halloween 2020, Day 27
And here are a few more atmospheric quotes for the day. There’s this: “I can’t help it when people are frightened,“ says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.” And this: “I was pretending that I did not speak their language; on the moon we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down on the dead dried world.”
And this: I thought that we had somehow not found our way back correctly through the night, that we had somehow lost ourselves and come back through the wrong gap in time, or the wrong door, or the wrong fairy tale. - from We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962)
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Halloween 2020, Day 26
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Halloween 2020, Day 25
Horror during a horrible pandemic? These links suggest that the one may help us cope with the other. I know my heart has been broken to pieces during this tragic time, and I’ve instinctively been seeking out horror to read. Ellie Marney at CrimeReads explains “Why We Read Scary Stories During Covid.” From Kayleigh Dray for Stylist: “Coronavirus: the psychological benefit of watching a traumatic horror film.” From Michael Marshall for New Scientist: “Horror Fans Are Better at Coping with the Coronavirus Pandemic.” From Corinne Sullivan for PopSugar “12 Sci-Fi Books About Pandemics That You Won’t Be Able to Put Down.” Earlier this year, I devoted one of my “Looking Back on Genre History” segments on the StarShipSofa podcast (Episode 613) to “Four Science Fiction Novels to Help Us Think about the Pandemic,” and you can listen to that here. Here’s a favorite quote from a favorite novel, one I reference in the podcast segment above: The entirety of Jack London’s The Scarlet Plague (1912) is available online at Project Gutenberg. Here is an excerpt: - Jack London, The Scarlet Plague (1912)
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Halloween 2020, Day 24
1. Monster, She Wrote: Scholars Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson are the authors of a book I thoroughly enjoyed, Monster, She Wrote, and now they are co-hosts of this wonderfully insightful and informative podcast about women in the horror genre. Don’t miss it!
2. The Goth Librarian: Goths and librarians are two of my favorite kinds of people, and here’s a host who’s both. What’s not to love? “The Goth Librarian Podcast is a weekly podcast covering true crime, oddities, urban legends, haunted places, and other dark peculiarities.” Episode 37 on the “Spanish Flu” is a timely and topical place to start. 3. Bone & Sickle: This podcast “is a celebration of the intersection of horror, folklore, and history. Every episode offers a bounty of frightful tales, fantastic legends, and macabre historical anecdotes harvested by eccentric artist, collector, and rogue folklorist Al Ridenour, author of The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas. Co-host to the show is Sarah Chavez of The Cabinet of Curiosities and Death in the Afternoon. With acerbic wit and a scholarly penchant for the grotesque, Ridenour delves into a wide but carefully curated range of topics that have included: Faust’s deal with the Devil, classical necromancy, murder ballads, ghosts ships, the Victorian obsession with Pan (and mummies), Basque witchcraft, the evolution of gothic vampire literature, and tales of saints carrying their heads after decapitation…” Thanks to Aaron for this excellent recommendation! 4. The Strange and Unusual Podcast: I’ve just started listening to this one, and I’m hooked: “The unknown, it lies at the root of all fear, and has inspired legends, folklore, superstition, mythology, and even murder throughout history. Still today we feel the shadowy presence of our ancestors’ struggles to explain the mysterious in our lives, as we continue to keep fighting to keep our monsters in the dark. Welcome to The Strange and Unusual Podcast, a podcast with a focus on dark history.” 5. The Tomb with a View: This is another recent discovery for me. The official description goes like this: “A podcast about the history, preservation, and culture of American cemeteries hosted by Liz Clappin.” If you’re looking for a good starting place, I recommend the recent, insightful, and timely Episode 54: “Constantly Looking Back: The Gallows Hill Project, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, and Giving A Voice to Innocent Victims”: “Looking at how memorials can give a voice to innocent victims and how good historical research can help us to look back and understand what was previously unknown important facts about the past. The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 are still being learned about and interpreted today as we continue to come to terms with our difficult past.” And here are some of my favorite Halloween-appropriate podcasts that were new in 2019 and remain very much worth exploring! 1. Odd Things I’ve Seen: For years, I have recommended J.W. Ocker’s brilliant Odd Things I’ve Seen website, and now he has a podcast. As he explains, “I visit odd things, I tell their stories, and I tell you how to find them. It’s Odd Things I’ve Seen, but out loud.” Gothic, macabre, and spooky! 2. Ladies of Horror Fiction Podcast: “Ladies of Horror Fiction was created to bring about a multi-dimensional way to support women who either write in the horror genre or review in it.” Check out Episode 2 for “The History of Halloween, Vanishing Hitchhikers and Weeping Widows”!
3. The Full Price Podcast: “The Full Price is a podcast that takes a cultural journey, walking in the shoes of the legend of stage, screen and sound, Vincent Price.” Price is perfect for Halloween, and this podcast is perfect for Price fans! *** Parting thought for the day: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (1908)
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Halloween 2020, Day 23
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Halloween 2020, Day 22
If you’d like to sample a taste from the collection, Tor.com has a spooky excerpt from Rebecca Roanhorse’s story “The Boys From Blood River” here.
Enjoy a couple of eerie snippets. Now let’s go old school… From “The Giaour” by Lord Byron (1813). (Art is “Vampire” by akelataka.)
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Halloween 2020, Day 21
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Halloween 2020, Day 20
Ellis definitely has a wonderful way with words. Here’s an example.
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Halloween 2020, Day 19
Sadie Hartmann has a fantastic suggested Halloween reading list here at LitReactor: “Halloween 2020 Reading List.” Two other books to that deserve to be on any list include the new Weird anthologies from Handheld Press, British Weird: Selected Short Fiction, 1893-1937 edited by James Machin and Women’s Weird 2: More Strange Stories by Women, 1891-1937 edited by Melissa Edmundson. And guess what? Next week, you can take part in the book launch for these two volumes online for free! Weird book launch: Tuesday, 27th October 2020
At 19.30 UK time / 13.30 EST on Tuesday, 27th October, Handheld Press be hosting a Zoom book launch for our two new Weird anthologies, British Weird, edited by James Machin, and Women’s Weird 2, edited by Melissa Edmundson. Kate Macdonald of Handheld Press will be moderating. To sign up to attend this online book launch, go here for details! (Photo by Yours Truly.)
- from “‘Ghosties and Ghoulies’: Uses of the Supernatural in English Fiction” by Mary Butts (1913) in British Weird: Selected Short Fiction, 1893-1937, edited by James Machin
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Halloween 2020, Day 18
For today, here is the atmospheric opening of the short story “Haunted!” by Jack Edwards, originally published in The Weekly Tale Teller #83 (December 3, 1910), as found in Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories edited by Mike Ashley (2018):
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Halloween 2020, Day 17
I can’t recommend this young-adult novel highly enough (for YA and adult readers alike). I laughed and I cried; I also punched the air in triumph three separate times. I want to foist this book on everyone I know. Here is a taste: - from Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (2020) You can read a longer excerpt from Elatsoe here and access a Q&A with Darcie Little Badger and see related videos here. You can also find links to some of Darcie Little Badger’s spooky online short stories on her website here. The book is gorgeously illustrated by artist Rovina Cai.
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