brain on fire

This past month, Parks & Rec has been doing a lot of work on the field adjacent to my school. They have trucks with flatbeds, mowing/tree-cutting/postholing machinery, etc. And when they arrived, I (campus monitor) was told I would need to herd the kids away from the trucks/machinery and basically prevent them from creating a dangerous situation.

So when recess came around and the kids stampeded out the door I held them up and I said (being funny but at the same time serious, you know how it is, kids listen better if you're funny)

"Okay, I know that you're all smart AND mature, right? And talented and good looking? Definitely the smartest and most talented class in this school? (I say this to every class, they're all 'my favorites'.) And because you're SO intelligent and mature, I don't need to actually TELL you that these guys have vehicles and machinery that you need to stay clear of, right? Because I know you figured that out already, and I also know that YOU know how sad I would be if any of you were run over, or squashed, or had a pole fall on you. I would be SO SAD, like, I would probably have to lie down on the floor and cry. So you're not going to make me cry, right? I can trust you to stay away from the trucks and machines no matter where they are on the field? Because you're wonderful and amazing? My favorites? My inspiration?"

And they're laughing at me of course, because I'm being so dramatic. Some of them are "Yes, and-"ing my dramatics and inventing more involved mourning processes I should undertake if any of them get run over. Some of them are yelling at me that they are NOT mature yet and they are VERY STUPID and I should know this.

It's been three weeks. We had one conversation about it. None of them have gone anywhere near the trucks. This is actually in excess of the typical elementary-schooler's working memory and I'm very proud of them. I haven't had to blow the whistle at ONE person for getting too close even when the trucks were literally 40 feet from the actual playground.

so here's the thing, I thought that what this person was asking me was why aren't my popslash stories online?

and I was so profoundly excited to come here and explain all about how I didn't respond for a few months because I was working on my ego death (accelerated by looking in the mirror and reminding myself, "you write hockey rpf.") and so here I was, ready to just Get Over Myself already, the stories are uploaded, and I was SO enlightened and had found love in my heart for all my past selves even though they were very embarrassing, maybe even because they were embarrassing, and then when I re-read this ask it actually wasn't about that at all (more ego death, since no one was really asking to see those stories at all, but I rose above it) and now I'm here because the ask was actually:

hey, look, if you have a moment, what happens in this unfinished untitled turn-of-the-century popslash AU that is based in its entirety on this picture?

and then I responded but tumblr disappeared my post and the ask but I have now come too far and must continue.

Okay, so of course, The Revolution happens and they overthrow the unjust dictatorship they've spent their lives fighting against and install a fair and democratic government and usher in an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity.

Embroidered Sculptures Recreate Lifelike Mushrooms, Lichen, and Fungi in Thread

by Grace Ebert - Colossal, February 25, 2022

Amanda Cobbett suspends a singular moment in the fleeting lives of fungi by stitching their likeness in thread. The textile artist photographs and gathers specimens that she brings back to her Surrey Hills-based studio, where she finds fibers to match pale green lichens and golden chanterelles. Using a free-motion embroidery technique on a sewing machine, she then stitches multiple layers onto a piece of dissolvable fabric that, once the organism is complete, is washed away to leave just the mushroom or mossy bark intact. As a scroll through her Instagram reveals, the resulting sculptures are so realistic in color, shape, and size that it’s difficult to distinguish the artist’s iterations from their counterparts.

Currently, Cobbett is preparing a collection that will head to the Artful Craft exhibition at Make Southwest, which opens on April 2.

I found this nifty little pinking tool at a junk shop the other day for $8.

While it looks very similar to the ones used on 18th century scalloped fabric trim it's definitely not as old as that, and is almost certainly meant for leather. Searching "T Dixon & sons" brings up a lot of leather tools, and I found one website that says the company started in 1843 and went out of business fairly recently. They didn't list any source, but the first result on google books is an 1892 ad in a saddlery trade journal that says "Estab. 1843" at the top. The ad also says "William Dixon & Son (Late of the Firm of T. Dixon & Sons)", so I think mine is from before 1892. In any case it certainly looks hand forged. I haven't looked very hard for more information yet.

pretty incredible that google went from this bountiful source of information to just trotting out blatant factual inaccuracies every time you try to use it. i do not use she/her pronouns. GREAT JOB AI

its funny because when i first posted about my non-dysphoric trans way i was VERY hesitant because its complex and nuanced and i was worried people would take it out of context and flatten it into something incorrect. turns out the people were fine. MACHINES on the other hand cant figure it out

to explain again and help the broken AI machine and then i wont have to talk about it anymore: my preferred pronouns are he/him. my real pronouns are she/her. i prefer to use the wrong pronouns

the reason i do this is because i am not dysphoric and dont need every conversation i have to revolve around gender and my spiritual beliefs about gender. i love my male body even if it does not match my soul. it is a VERY COOL SECOND PLACE and i am pumped as heck on it

the one I was looking for originally also has a summer variant. (artist is Frederick Charles Herrick: 'it is warmer below' is from 1927, 'it is cooler below' is 1926)