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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 6h

I think one of the biggest cleavages in our society that no one talks about is the division between those that think powerful people must be held to a higher standard than non-powerful people and those who think powerful people should be flattered and sucked up to.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 5h

It's one of the most iconic film posters ever created, and (as the author observes) is somehow simultaneously non-representative of the actual film while perfectly encapsulating its vibes.

Phineasferatu @phineas.bsky.social · 1d

Need to share for anyone who doesn't know the story of how Drew Struzan painted the poster art for The Thing in less than 24 hours

The Thing | The story behind Drew Struzan's iconic poster

Artist Drew Struzan created an iconic poster for John Carpenter’s The Thing. Incredibly, it was conceived and painted in a matter of hours…

filmstories.co.uk

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 23h

A Master.

Matinee Mode @matineemode.bsky.social · 1d

Take a few minutes to appreciate Drew Struzan creating the original artwork for THE PHANTOM MENACE. Truly a master at work.

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 1d

RIP the legendary Drew Struzan (1947-2025) 😩

Even though we were expecting the news any day now, it makes me very sad. What an artist.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 6h

An unforgettable irony/paradox is that when you pick up something with a title like "Dracula's Dog" and a back cover describing how it's about Dracula's Dog, you somehow still don't expect it to be about Dracula's Dog when you start reading it. The mind tries to protect itself.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 6h

The novelization is one of the funniest things I've ever read, and I honestly don't know if that's an accident made inevitable by the premise, or if the novelist read the screenplay and threw up his hands and deliberately leaned into the ridiculousness because you might as well have fun.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 6h

I've read the novelization, which turned up on a used bookstore shelf when I was in college under the irresistible title "Dracula's Dog". I've not seen the movie, which has Jose Ferrer and (according to Wikipedia) Arlene Martel and makeup effects by Stan Winston(!!). Not sure I'll get around to it.

ZOLTAN: HOUND OF DRACULA (1978; trailer) Reggie Nalder

YouTube video by Video Junkie

youtu.be

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 7h

I've never actually seen the movie it's based on, but I've read (and own) the novelization of Dracula's Dog, one of the funniest things I've ever read though I'm undecided whether that's accidental or if the writer decided, "Ah, the hell with this."

Probably doesn't count as "big" though.

Dracula's Dog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 8h

At Charlie Kirk's posthumous Medal of Freedom ceremony yesterday (dead podcaster wins prize) Trump gave a long speech....which of these things do you think I made up?

1. He talked about how fit Kirk's wife is
2. He compared Kirk to MLK
3. He bragged that he dodged his bullet but Charlie didn't

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Marko Kloos @markokloos.bsky.social · 18h

What makes authoritarianism so appealing to people like these is that under a dictator, they gain status and rise up in the ranks through loyalty instead of competence, and they get to sidestep the social contract because they are rewarded for hurting others in the name of the cause.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 19h

Your regular reminder that what's behind the saying "a few rotten apples" isn't that a few rotten apples in a barrel is a small problem, it's that rotting apples generate chemicals that trigger identical reactions in adjacent apples, quickly spoiling the entire barrel.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22h

Q: Politico reported on a group chat of young Republicans. Does this just reflect some bad apples?

HOCHUL: Some bad apples? These are the future of the GOP. This is so vile it's hard to find the words to put into context ... there's gotta be consequences ... this bullshit has to stop.

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Chaosium @chaosium.bsky.social · 21h

Today is the birthday one of the most talented creators in TTRPGs, Jennell Jaquays, who passed away last year. Jennell was one of our company's earliest artists, and played an prominent role in Chaosium's success over many years, as an illustrator and writer.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 19h

I ain't waiting.

Boo.

PseudoPod @pseudopod.org · 21h

17 days until you can get spooky 👻

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 21h

Donald J. Trump sent an angry mob to threaten and possibly kill him and his colleagues in 2021. Mike Johnson voted against the House article of impeachment that followed. There is no line. Not even where his own neck is concerned.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Q: We've seen images out of Chicago of federal agents shooting faith leaders with pepper balls and arresting journalists. Where's the limit for you on what's acceptable conduct by federal agents?

MIKE JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 22h

Anyway, if he wanted people to think of him kindly when he was gone, maybe he should've been kinder. If he wanted people to remember him as a smarmy shit-stirrer instead, well, job well done.

And now I'll try to go back to forgetting about him again. 'Nuff said.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 22h

It's sort of giving him short shrift, ironically, not to acknowledge that he was perfectly okay with people dying for the sake of the Second Amendment even if his presumption was it would continue to be schoolchildren and not himself.

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 22h

Honestly, this kind of shit makes me want to say derisive things and/or make light of the death of a forgettable troll and provocateur whose existence I'd like to go back to not thinking about, occupying the same place in my thoughts in death as he did during his regrettable life.

US revokes visas for 6 foreigners over Charlie Kirk-related speech

The Trump administration has revoked the visas of six foreigners deemed by U.S. officials to have made derisive comments or made light of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last m...

apnews.com

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Jeremy Ghost Shipp @jeremycshipp.bsky.social · 1d

Hello #portfolioday

I'm Jeremy. I thought I'd share some of the creatures I've made in the past 12 months or so. I designed, hand-sewed, and hand-embroidered all of them.

Here's a lovely photo of a plethora of hand-sewn fabric art creatures. There's a watermelon creature with a red face, eight black seed-like eyes, and a wide mouth with five sharp teeth. There's a white ghost trinket bag covered with purple embroidered flowers. She has a gray face, sparkly black eyes and a little frown. There's a strawberry creature with three bulbous green eyes. There's a watermelon ghost, and a black creature with sharp teeth wearing a bulbous eye earring. There's a large purple creature with many yellow eyes and an open mouth, with a little green creature popping her head out. All the creatures are sitting on green fur and there's a galaxy print fabric in the background.

Here's a photo of four fabric art creations with a black background and a dark red ground. There are two homunculi, one smaller than the other. The large one is gray with big twinkly red eyes and a little frown. The smaller homunculus is green with twinkly red eyes and a little frown. She's holding a rainbow-colored staff with a green stone on the top. The stone appears to be glowing a bit. The other two creatures are white ghosts with gray faces. They have twinkly black eyes and little frowns. They each have two twirly hair wisps coming out of their heads. They're wearing cone-shaped party hats. The hats are black and they're covered with red eyes and there's a red poof on the top. One hat is large and one hat is extremely small.

Here's a photo of fabric art creatures with a white fabric background. There's a cute and creepy mothman with a black body and a gray face with twinkly red eyes and sharp teeth. There's a green Kentucky goblin with a lighter green face and large pointy ears. He has twinkly yellow eyes and he's wearing a black party hat covered with red googly eyes and a big red poof at the top. There's also a red death worm with nine cream-colored eyes and sharp teeth. The tiny homunculus witch is sitting on the worm's head. She's very small, with large twinkly red eyes and a green body. She's wearing a small version of the party hat the goblin's wearing.

Here's a lovely photo of the cosmic ghost bag. She's a black ghost with various stars and planets embroidered on her body. There are little white stars, larger white stars, yellow stars, purple stars, a dark purple planet, a light purple planet, a red planet with a yellow ring. She has a gray moon-like face with large sparkly black eyes and a little frown. She's wearing a black fabric witch hat. She's resting on my palm and there's green fur in the background of the picture.

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Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Martin Longman @booman23.bsky.social · 1d

Perhaps no one in American letters has killed his father and married his mother as many times as David Brooks. @driftglass.bsky.social

martinlongman.substack.com/p/david-broo...

David Brooks Wants to Lead the Revolution

The Republican Party gave him everything, but now he wants a popular uprising to overthrow the Trump regime.

martinlongman.substack.com

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

Machen, Blackwood, and Lovecraft (simultaneously): Well! I'm glad you--
Lovecraft: No, no, go on. You first. You won't mind if I make notes?

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

John Michael Osborne: Yea, I told him about the boots, and not only did he believe me, he kept asking me, were they Martens, were they Solovairs, were they something else, and I don't bleeding know, okay, I don't bleeding know, stop asking me already! SHARRRRRRRON!

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

It's also a trope that goes back to the Founding, with agrarian, rural America being authentic and virtuous, the "real" America by definition, while the cities are suspect, havens of conspiracy and crime, full of people who don't do "real" work, full of corruption and bad influence.

David Mack @davidmackau.bsky.social · 1d

this is definitely true but it’s also true that it’s only politically acceptable in this country to mock cities or blue states. mocking rural/red states is seen as elitist and out-of-touch, even tho most ppl live in cities! as such, i think these rare moments have more staying power.

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 1d

I'm generalizing, but why do conservatives remember political irritations for so much longer than liberals?

It's been 17 years since Obama said some voters "cling to their guns, to their religion" and I heard a senator denounce that last month.

Obvious theory: Media ecosystem puts it on repeat

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

We're in a really weird position in the US right now because of media consolidation, Congressional gerrymandering, and Trump's reality distortion field, but if his health finally catches up with him and Vance ends up in the seat, I think we're going to see the effects of Trump's plurality win.

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

And regardless of what a winning side and media toadies may claim post-election about "mandates" or "will of the electorate," there's a difference between winning by a sliver of votes and an actual landslide, and most people know it.

David @finagle-a-hegel.bsky.social · 1d

Among other issues with the I shouldn't have to vote every time position, I think they don't really grasp that the vote totals are cast by actual people and reflect the level of popular support a candidate has, so that a lost election tends to mean insufficient support for authoritarian takeover

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R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 1d

He's also rare among SF authors for being one whose non-SF is at least as worthy as the SF. My personal favorite Bradbury novel/collection is Dandelion Wine--and I know I'm not alone in that.

Helluva writer.

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