Wait A Minute, They Used Na Na Na In Renfield, A Vampire Movie... Which Presumably Means That They Paid

This is the pinnacle of art.

I mean, it spans the full range of emotion. Mystery and curiosity, struggle and anger, generosity and adorableness, it has it all. And what greater art is there than cats?

babies!!!

art by: watercatlor - pls do not remove credit

I must say, it's pretty poetic that I've gotten to season 6 of Vampire Diaries right before another solar eclipse happens in America. I certainly didn't plan it, but it does feel like my timing is very appropriate with this one. I do have questions about the accuracy of the eclipse portrayal in the show, though. I mean, a solar eclipse did in fact happen on May 10, 1994, and it was visible across much of the country, so that much is accurate. But I don't think Mystic Falls would've had quite as good of a view as they show it having. For reference, here's a map of the May 1994 eclipse path (credit: timeanddate.com):

And, if you'll remember, Mystic Falls is like two hours from my old hometown just a stone's throw north of Lynchburg, Virginia, as seen on the locator spell map (this one's all over tumblr, forgive me for not remembering what blog I grabbed it from):

So if you zoom in on the timeanddate map and pick somewhere closeish to there:

It looks like Mystic Falls would be getting a little over 77% coverage or so. It's also worth noting that the '94 eclipse was an annular eclipse, not a total eclipse like tomorrow's eclipse. That still means that the moon went directly in front of the sun, but it does mean that it was small enough/far enough from earth that you didn't quite get full coverage of the sun (thanks to weather.gov for the nifty graphic):

So, I'm not positive whether it would've looked quite as dark as was shown in the show:

Although, I must admit, in this video I found on youtube of the '94 eclipse, (part of me is shocked to find footage from then but I know I shouldn't be like yes they had cameras in the 90s) it actually looks more similar than I expected it to look, but I imagine it was most likely filmed within the path of totality:

But also, when Kai takes Bonnie to Portland, don't they see the eclipse again there? I couldn't find that clip on youtube just now, but Portland barely had any eclipse--only 42-43% coverage, so it would've been way milder of a visual effect, barely any dimming in the sky noticeable without eclipse glasses.

The funny thing is, the area where I live is going to be sitting right around 80% coverage tomorrow. I was lucky enough to get to travel to Missouri for the 2017 eclipse to get into the path of totality, but I'm afraid that it hasn't worked out for me to do so this year, which is immensely disappointing to me as an astronomy enjoyer, but I do still plan to go to an eclipse party and I'm going to start saving to try and get to Spain for the next total eclipse in 2026, which is going to be right around my 30th birthday (screaming). Anyways, it isn't great, but here's my best picture from the '17 eclipse:

I didn't even have a smartphone yet then, because despite it being 2017, I was somewhat of a luddite, so I had the purple flip phone I so stubbornly clung to and a point-and-click Nikon, but I still think this picture is pretty cool for what it is. Here's the zoom in so you can really see that ring of fire (and my shaking hands doubling the image):

Obviously you can find thousands of better eclipse pictures online, but that one's still special to me because it's mine. Anyways, I'll report back with smart phone pictures from whatever I see of the 80% total eclipse tomorrow to compare and contrast with Mystic Falls's 70% annular eclipse of the 90s, because from what I've heard it's going to be much less impressive than full totality was, but I've yet to watch a partial solar eclipse, so I'll just have to find out. Also, if you happen to have any vampiric loved ones trapped in a magical prison dimension who you need help freeing during the eclipse tomorrow, let me know and I'll see what I can do! ;) Hahaha. Anyways, happy eclipse everyone, and may we all possess sufficient self restraint to avoid eye damage (says the woman who has looked at the sun unprotected so many times and is probably going to go blind because of it some day. I know what I've done lol. Don't be me.)

Happy belated black hole day because I have a bad habit of forgetting things in my drafts! 

Also both the black hole picture and Treasure Planet are still awesome. 

Happy black hole day!!

They are truly fascinating

Currently watching this very cliche (but still decently enjoyable) Christmas movie and it has this horse girl subplot where the older sister is falling in love with horses, but there are these long, lingering shots where she's looking at this female farmhand working with the horses, and she keeps talking about how great and cool that farmhand is, and I can't decide whether it's actually a burgeoning lesbian subplot or just a heavy accidental implication, but it really does feel soooo close to overtly romantic.

Anyways my hot new ship is these two. Time to build it from the ground up ;)

Share my one handed roller skate cartwheel until Hozier sees this and thinks I’m cool

Putting on "The End" and wiping off my makeup in the sharp white light of the hotel room mirror as Gerard sings for me to do so. Thinking about them towelling the bloody bullet hole off of their forehead somewhere, either in a nicer hotel room than this or perhaps on the bus. Picturing all the makeup coming off all the faces of all the fans, rinsing down a thousand drains as adrenaline fades to weariness and the concert high fades to a vague, aching yearning for more. There is a mournfulness at the end of the celebration, but there is yet a celebration in the mourning, a togetherness even still. And after all, is that not what this band is about? The twinned emotions of mourning and rejoicing and the times when the two are inextricable?

Putting on eyeliner this morning for the My Chemical Romance concert and thinking about how many other fans might also be doing this at the same time; thinking about how many fans have done their eyeliner for a show over the years in the past. Thinking about Gerard doing his own eyeliner. Achieving spiritual union with the MCR fandom through slightly messy eyeliner.

So, is the guy with whom Lucy wishes she could set Mina up the owner of the same insane asylum as the one across the street from the castle Jonathan found for our friend the Count, or are there just a lot of insane asylums around in 1890s London?

I was genuinely sad that Mr. Penn got killed off (again), but at least his demise facilitated this great Nygmobblepot moment. Ugh, I don’t know, Mr. Penn was weirdly sweet and I actually quite liked his... odd fondness for/relationship with Oswald, and I’m glad we got this episode where they hashed out their issues. I was happy that Oswald didn’t want to kill him. 

I actually quite like the idea of Penn being part of the accidental party on their secret submarine, too, with Os and Ed and Selena and Barbara and her unborn Jimling (I’m sure she’d strangle me for calling it that but too late) and Penn aaaaalll together in a confined space. Now I want that fic. Maybe I should write that fic... but I’m already working on a season 5 AU with Martin... but maybe I could incorporate this phenomenal cosmic party in an itty bitty submarine? We’ll see.

But anyways, yes. I’m sad for what befell Penn, but the moment of mutual acceptance and maniacal Nygmobblepot laughter that followed had all their strange, dark sweetness. I’m happy to see them bonding back together :)

This almost made me tear up. This was such a fantastic twist to Annabelle’s origin story! When Taliesin’s character first came in I hated him so much (the character; obviously I love Taliesin) because we believe, like Annabelle, that he straight up murdered her and then just left her to figure out how to be a vampire on her own. But man, the reveal that she died in her own fire and he saved her the only way he could? All of the feels. 

Then, of course, the way that Jasper just cares about her so much, and how he works to keep her grounded through this whole emotional interaction, and the way that he points out that she shouldn’t discount herself as a casualty of the cause she believes in... He just cares for her so deeply, in his subtle, quiet way. He gave me so many feels with just a single word. 

victor: you FIREBOMBED a sentor’s building?!?

carver: it was beautiful

annabelle: nobody got hurt!

jasper, so softly i could barely hear him over the crosstalk: you