Things I Think are Awesome

first crush

Herbert Paus (1860-1946) "A Trip to the Moon" Life Magazine (May 18, 1911) Source

Batman #263 - "Riddler on the Move!" (1975)

(via bsky)

Specifically, as one might guess, a 1200ft range eldritch blast.

You start out warlock, and you take the Eldritch Spear invocation, which says thus: “When you cast eldritch blast, its range is 300ft.”

So now you have a cantrip with a 300ft base range.

Then you take the Spell Sniper feat, which says thus: “When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.”

So our 300ft eldritch blast is now a 600ft eldritch blast.

And then, with your sorcerer levels (or the metamagic adept feat, if you don’t want to multiclass), you take the Distant Spell metamagic, which says thus: “When you cast a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you can spend 1 sorcery point to double the range of the spell.”

So you can spend 1 sorcery point per casting to turn your already 600ft eldritch blast into a 1200ft eldritch blast.

Now. Are there likely to be all that many situations where it’s useful to be able to shoot someone the bones of a quarter mile away? With a cantrip? Probably not. For a start, they might be getting slightly difficult to see at that range. This is more of a ‘cool once-off trick’ than a generally useful thing to sink multiple levels and at least one feat into.

But hey. That one time an enemy spellcaster is trying to escape using the fly spell, it’d be really damned funny to force a concentration check from 1200ft back, just to see if they get to stay in the air. Heh.

And the advantage of it being eldritch blast specifically is that eldritch blast generates multiple beams as it levels, instead of just doing more damage per beam, and each beam gets its own attack role. So, like, even if we’re at disadvantage just for sheer range, once we get up to three or four beams, surely one of ‘em’s gotta hit?

And if you’re a sorlock with Quickened Spell as your other metamagic, you can also quicken a levelled spell to do something else actually useful on the same turn. In case anyone objects to you wasting turns trying to take potshots at the speck on the horizon.

In 2021, Swarovski (the company that makes the very sparkly crystals you see in certain jewelry, on figure-skaters' twinkliest outfits, on red carpet dresses), decided they didn't want the grubby fingers of small-time jewelers, clothing designers and costumers and crafters on their shiny beads and rhinestones anymore. They decided to limit their sales to "luxury" and couture creators, not girls who sell stuff on Etsy. The tenor of their press release on the subject was snide and insulting. Resellers (like your favorite bead shop) would no longer be allowed to carry their product; the average Jane on the street would not be able to purchase them. You could only get them if you had an authorized business agreement that bound you to very strict brand behavior. And those of us who still had good stock of the crystals would no longer be "permitted" to use the brand's name in our listings for sale.

Every bead shop and craft supply place and many, many small clothing makers--wedding shops, prom and dancing dress suppliers, the sort of salt of the Earth mom and pop time machines of shops that are the backbone of the field--scrambled to find something that could replace them. The last of the stock dwindled quickly, all of us grabbing what we could get while there was any chance of it, and then it was gone and we no longer had any access.

I was Big Pissed about it at the time. It was just so goddamn stuck-up, when wholesalers and indie jewelers had made them so much money, when some people I knew--when *I!*--had been brand-loyal for decades. But with no recourse, everyone pivoted fairly quickly, most of us to Preciosa Crystals. Those are Czech, quite sparkly, and considerably less expensive than Swarovski. The faceting method they use is different, but not worse; any differences are hardly noticeable when you're seeing them as a hundred pinpoints of light.

Well, out of nowhere, Swarovski just dropped this: https://www.harmanbeads.com/swarovski-brand-policy-update

"Effective June 1, 2026, Swarovski updated the distribution and brand usage policies introduced in 2021. Businesses may now purchase Swarovski Crystals without signing a Brand Control Agreement, and Authorized Distribution Partners may once again sell Swarovski Crystals to resellers, including bead stores and online retailers. Businesses may also use the Swarovski brand name when following Swarovski’s Proper Use Guidelines. Designers, manufacturers, artists, brands, retailers, and resellers are now eligible to purchase Swarovski Crystals through authorized distribution channels."

They want us back. A lot of the companies who could have kept a brand relationship with them also have swapped to Preciosa, over the last half-decade, in solidarity with indie creators and out of a sour awareness that it could be them, next. And it doesn't hurt that Preciosa was able to expand their line quite a bit now that everyone who wanted sparkle had no choice but to go to them.

And I'm not seeing nearly anyone who intends to return. The feeling is, "Y'all told us to fuck off! Off we fucked! And now, that's what you can do, too!" I'm seeing a lot of "How many of us did you stab in the back?" comments from the people whose money they're hoping to attract.

.....