The Art of Darkness

I Am Link Dump, Hear Me Roar

November 25th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Dracula’s Tango – One-hit wonder Toto Coelo followed up their one hit (“I Eat Cannibals”) with this…thing. Shared with me by Pixel Pixie, with the comment, “I suffered through this, so now you have to too.”

Modern Mimics – The D&D monster disguised as random modern items.

Hey Chickadee! – Some super-cute carved acrylic jewelry with Halloween themes.

Tarot of Cocktails – Deck of Tarot-inspired illustrated cocktail recipe cards.

Guro – NSFW. A look at Japanese “erotic horror” art.

cursed images – A Twitter feed of oddness.

Dyed Bat Embryos – Lovely images of bat embryos with dyed skeletons. They look like something a supervillain would keep as a pet.

Antecedents of Igor – Neat, scholarly history of mad scientists’ assistants.

Mémoires Vives – Short film which follows a man’s journey into the afterlife. (via Spooky Moon)

Anatomical Human Heart – A lovely crotchet pattern.

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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Link Dumps

November 18th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Octopus Headpiece – “Yarncrafting” idea for designing a tentacular hat.

It’s a studded hairbow, with an eyeball, with a skull – It’s also $45 plus shipping and could be DIYd for a fraction of that.

Floral Anatomy Embroideries – Fiber artist Myfanwy embroiders realistic bones and organs decorated with colorful flowers. They’re quite striking.

Beware the Slenderman – Teaser for an upcoming documentary about everybody’s favorite Creepypasta.

Little-known downsides of immortality – I think about the third one a lot in regard to silphium.

Reimagining a Shadowy Medieval Brotherhood That Probably Didn’t Exist – Interesting look at the (alleged) Rosicrucian fraternity.

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners – New book about the things Victorians didn’t discuss in polite society.

Medieval Death Bot – Twitter account which tweets real deaths from Medieval coroners’ rolls.

Accorded Neutral Territory Sign – Replica of the sign that hangs in Harry Dresden’s favorite bar.

Winnie the Pooh Does Hastings – A “lost section” of the Bayeux Tapestry.

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The Call of the Link Dump

November 11th, 2016 by Cobwebs

Bats Do Not Make Good Pets – They’re adorable, but should be admired from afar.

A Study in Scarlet Women – The first in what appears to be a planned series of “feminist Sherlock Holmes” novels.

Ranking Pumpkin Beers – Draft Magazine tasted, reviewed and ranked 86 different pumpkin beers. That’s…that’s a lot of pumpkin beer.

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House – Review of a new thriller involving a young caregiver in a possibly-haunted house. The character of her elderly employer is based on novelist Shirley Jackson. (via Beans)

A Book by its Cover – Interesting look at the practice of binding books in human skin.

The Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Buying a Real Haunted House – An (apparently) serious guide to buying a “real” haunted house.

5 Real-Life Creatures That Could Inspire Science Fiction – An affectionate look at some of the weird creatures who…walk among us (dun dun dun!).

Nightmare Fuel – Roundup of “21 horrifying moments from children’s entertainment.”

Twins in a Bathroom – This is a great, harmless prank if you have a twin lying around handy.

Dark AF Makeup Products to Match Your Soul – Roundup of some attractive colors. (via Burning Prairie)

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Remember to Vote!

November 8th, 2016 by Cobwebs

VoteIf you’re a U.S. citizen, remember to vote today. Don’t put it off. Don’t decide it’s too much trouble. Vote like your future depends on it, because it does.

Not voting will make Benjamin Franklin cry. You don’t want Benjamin Franklin to cry, do you? Look; his lip is already quivering. Go vote, you monster.

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A Link Dump Named Desire

November 4th, 2016 by Cobwebs

8 Macabre Nonfiction Books to Sink Your Teeth Into This Fall – A small selection of interesting-sounding titles.

11 Questions with Elvira – The AV Club interviews Cassandra Peterson about her new “coffin table” book.

Dead Hearts – Short film about true love between a little boy who wants to be a mortician and a blind kung fu aficionado who loves taxidermy.

Terror-Forming – Interesting article on “fear ecology.”

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge – Urban fantasy in which magic is based on booze, and a group of heroic bartenders fight monsters.

Chronicle Cremation Designs – Company which incorporates a loved one’s ashes into ceramic objects like coffee mugs. There’s an article about them here. (Hat tip to pdq)

The Nightmare Machine – Researchers are trying to teach artificial intelligences how to terrify humans. What could possibly go wrong?

I-Scream Cakes – Cakes depicting horrifyingly accurate human hearts, bloated ticks, brains (with attached spinal cord), and other appetizing things.

Vac-tastic Plastic – Vacuformed wall decorations that look like oversized vintage Halloween masks.

Pensieve Wedding Gift – This is such a creative idea.

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Ambient-Mixer

November 2nd, 2016 by Cobwebs

Slytherin Common RoomAmbient sounds are great as background noise when you’re working on some task, and if the ambience you’re interested in is the bridge of the Enterprise or a rainy evening on 221B Baker Street, Ambient-Mixer has you covered.

The site is a community-driven project which works to provide unique audio loops without the need to download apps or software. There are lots of general ambient noise categories like crackling fireplaces and ocean waves, but there’s also a whole section called “Movies and Series” with loops titled “Riding with the Winchesters,” “Slytherin Common Room,” “Late Dinner in Winterfell,” and “Shores of Valinor.”

Many of the other categories are worth exploring: The “At Home” section, for instance, has a loop called “D&D Pub/inn” which includes sounds like clinking glasses and cutlery, footsteps on wood, and a crackling fireplace. That’s a great background piece to set the mood for a new D&D campaign. There are also “Unreal Ambiences” with titles like “Open Space Port” and “Mermaid Song” which could be similarly useful.

The site also allows you to mix tracks to your liking, and upload your own sounds to share with others. The files are all shared under a Creative Commons license, so you can use them to your heart’s content.

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