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Think of me with my nose in a book!

@jamesphillimoresumbrella / jamesphillimoresumbrella.tumblr.com

A hodgepodge of stuff, starting with Sherlock going through Pratchett, etc., etc. My fic on AO3 (I write as tepidspongebath).

So it seems like some of you might be interested in learning more about Dreamwidth.

Listen, here's the thing: Dreamwidth is not slick. It is not fancy. Its base code was originally put together some two decades ago or more, and it looks like it. It can't do much with images and definitely not with video—like, I think there's some way to embed video, but I have no idea how to do it, and hosting it on Dreamwidth is, uh...

The point is! Dreamwidth is a lot different from Tumblr. It's closer to Tumblr than it is to Facebook or Instagram, but it's a lot more old-school internet than Tumblr is. And that means that, for anyone who wasn't on the internet some ten, fifteen years ago, there's probably going to be a steep learning curve. It can take more effort to post things there, and more effort to find your people, its image hosting capacity can charitably be described as both "limited" and "poorly organized", and overall it may still never be the kind of website where you, personally, will want to spend a lot of time or do a lot of things. Dreamwidth does not and will never have an app, for pretty much the same reasons as AO3.

But there is one thing I can guarantee, and that is that Dreamwidth is willing to fight for us and our rights. They're already doing so.

If you've ever thought to yourself, "I wish AO3 were an actual social media site," consider checking out Dreamwidth; it's not too far off from that as an idea.

You can host media on squidge.org, which is specifically for hosting fandom media.

While we're on the topic, Proboards is still around, and still free, and still customisable, and still WORKS. Neocities has replaced geocities and is also pretty great (and you can host things from there too if you want).

The old infrastructure is there. We don't have to rely on for-profit social media companies that censor everything all to hell. The tradeoff is YOU can't be a for-profit social media company either. There's no 'reach' there's not 'like and subscribe' there's no 'i want my socialising space to also be my job' nope. It's just socialising.

Finishing up packing for 221b con (because I have to get on the flight directly after work tonight) and I feel a bit like Mrs. Beaver, wanting to bring everything up to and including the sewing machine.

It's not just to have a "do over" that doesn't involve the original cast, it's to cut them out of the royalties. Literally the entire point is to make sure all the money made by Harry Potter goes to transphobes or people willing to work with transphobes.

If you watch it, you are supporting bigotry, hate, and oppression. That's just objective reality. All for a story that you probably have already seen in movie and book form.

There's people in the notes saying they're going to watch it anyway, and you know, I understand how you can start feeling so burned out and numb from the world that it may feel too hard to avoid things that will give you a little immediate relief in some way in order to avoid the long-term impact of funding these things.

But. If you can't bring yourself to avoid watching it, you better at least fucking pirate it.

FYI, Rowling posted this today. She is actively queerphobic, do not support this project in anyway.

I know that this was a foundational thing for so many people. I was one of them. Without Harry Potter, I probably wouldn't be the person I am today.

If you're thinking about watching this anyway because you feel all that nostalgia: It's time to grow up. It's time to move on.

Don't even hate watch it. Make it fail.

It is the easiest thing ever to simply not do anything.

Holmestice is a twice-yearly digital fanworks exchange for the Sherlock Holmes multiverse. The name derives from the fact that the schedule for the exchange revolves around the Summer and Winter solstices. All versions of Sherlock Holmes media are welcome (movies, television shows, books, games, comics, radio dramas, podcasts, etc.). All characters, pairings, and ratings are welcome. All media types that can be exchanged digitally (fic, art, vids, podfic, graphics, original music) are also welcome.

Scamper on over to Dreamwidth and signup for another round. Open until April 14!

DIFFERENT THIS ROUND: The signup period is much longer than usual because two members of the mod team, Coat and Vulgarweed, will be at 221B Con in Atlanta (April 11-14), spreading the word about the exchange and hopefully picking up some new folks. Come talk Holmestice with us!

Follow the link for instructions and rules! Join us for another round if you’re an old hand at this, and be very welcome if you’re new!

No Holmes Barred!

K so not to be dramatic or anything, but there's a free vintage French pattern book available on antiquepatternlibrary so if you like to crochet/weave/make pixel art/tie epic friendship bracelets don't walk- RUN.

It has scenes from aesop's fables! Cherubs doing things! Beheadings! Greek muses! Little farm people! Intricate floral pattern! Goth stained-glass window like patterns! Fun little corner pieces! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee

https://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/C-TT008-180.htm

Oooooh I gotta check this site out

I can't believe more people don't know about the antique pattern library! All those public domain, vintage handiwork books and magazines are scanned in pdf format, and FREE TO DOWNLOAD! Languages include French, Italian, German, and English. It just does need to be mentioned that most of the earlier English publications are British, so American users need to make sure to convert the instructions as necessary. Especially crochet instructions, where a British double crochet is an American single. No, I don't know why 🤣

Publications include (for those who can't see the picture) :

Battenberg Lace, Beading, BerlinWork, Bobbin lace, Bookbinding (yes, bookbinding!!!)

Calligraphy, Carpentry, Crochet, Cross Stitch, Cutwork

Drawing, Dressmaking

Embroidered Net, Embroidery

Filet, Filet Crochet, Flower Arranging

Glass

Hardanger

Irish Crochet

Knitting, Knotting

Lace (soooo many forms of lace making)

Macrame

Paper, Point Lace

Quilting

Ribbonwork

Sewing

Tatting, Tulle Embroidery

Various

Waxwork, Woodworking

Workbasket Magazine -- a publication that usually posted multiple different crafts in each issue.

It's a wonderful site, and I've loved it for nearly 20 years!

Antiquepatternlibrary.org

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