Laura E. Hall

A basilisk and manticore are fighting in twined over what might be a wizard spell book and two weasels in the foreground.

monsterus2 #basilisk #manticore ink and brush on paper to see soph franz’s version of this monster check out a free patreon post www.patreon.com/posts/144635...

Does anyone have a good sample of a letter of introduction to provide a student to use foreign archives? The AHA claims to have one but it is a broken link. We need one in Spanish, Italian, and German. C'mon, help a girl out, people!

the secret is that people actually still crave this but dragging them away from the skinnerbox that keeps them unhappy is difficult

The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste

The X-Files is genuinely a timelessly good show, because when not focusing on overarching conspiracy plot, they would really just focus on a single concept and quite crucially, it would cast an incredible actor to center the episode around who would be utterly god damn captivating to watch.

Games Done Quick's New Disability and Neurodivergence Special Is An Important Step For Accessible Events - IGN Speedrunning charity drive Games Done Quick is holding a Disability and Neurodivergence Special this weekend, and is an important step for accessibility in gaming events.

Tomorrow, GDQ will be hosting its first disability and neurodivergent-led event. I spoke with the hosts and organizers, exploring the importance of disability representation within the speedrunning community. Read my latest Access Designed on @ign.com here: www.ign.com/articles/gam...

sorry i can't go to that thing tonight. yeah im gonna be busy taking poison damage and cycling through the same three grunting sound effects. yeah.

The Point Reyes Myriorama | 24-Card Illustrated Deck Explore Point Reyes through 24 illustrated cards. Every edge lines up seamlessly to create infinite panoramic landscapes. Includes guidebook.

Thrilled to share the Point Reyes Myriorama: a storytelling art deck inspired by the National Seashore and my love of Philip Pullman. I teamed up with artist Carrie Alyson of Aspenhearted. Preorder now for early 2026 delivery: www.pointreyesmyriorama.com

Always happy to answer questions or clarify something that’s confusing! :)

Solving the puzzles in the book led to the dig site. But they didn’t find the actual buried treasure, the golden hare.

Someone else (who knew the location because of the author’s girlfriend) came along and found the actual prize

If I was a billionaire this is the kind of stuff I’d be funding. The world needs more fun mysteries!

Still, I think a lot of them are independent designers and I’m guessing they’re not playtesting 😅 I do wonder about solve rates!

Most treasure hunt books err on the side of obfuscation/the designer’s familiarity problem, as you point out, in my experience. The Secret from the 80s is still largely unsolved after the author’s passing! More contemporary ones like McSweeney’s were designed to be solved so went (relatively) faster

An older man with a beard holding up a golden rabbit necklace

Williams was briefly reunited with the hare for a 2009 documentary. “It is wonderful to see it after all these years,” he said. “It was a very emotional moment. I had not remembered it being as detailed. The bells jingled and it sparkled in a way I had forgotten.”

A photograph of a golden rabbit necklace, with gems hanging off of it, and shapes of a bird, a sun, a frog, and a mouse

A photograph of a golden rabbit necklace, with gems hanging off of it, and shapes of a bird, a sun, a frog, and a mouse

This is the image of the buried treasure, an intricate golden hare. Its finding was controversial: Two teachers solved the puzzle and dug it up, but overlooked the container. It was then found in the dirt piles by a friend of the author's ex-girlfriend, using her inside knowledge

A page from the book "Masquerade". It shows a man holding two marionette puppets and along the side reads, Jack be nimble, jack (an image of a bee) quick, and jack jumps over the flame

A page from the book "Masquerade". It shows a hare in a field, and around the edge reads, In haste to chase, Jack hare jumps dog, rose blushing, petals tumble upon air

A page from the book "Masquerade". It shows a field at night, with words around the edge reading, I am as cold as earth, as old as earth, and in the earth am I one of six to eight

A page from the book "Masquerade". It shows a woman hanging upside down as animals appear to spill from her head. Around the edge it reads, Round and round I follow you, round and round you follow me

Images from Masquerade (1979) by Kit Williams, an illustrated puzzle book that led clever readers to a buried golden hare. This book was immensely popular upon release and inspired the genre we now call "armchair treasure hunts"

Jewelled golden hare that sparked national treasure hunt set for auction Artist and author Kit Williams hid a golden hare with clues to its precise location given in his 1979 book

Fun news for puzzle fans! The golden hare from the 1979 armchair treasure hunt book Masquerade by Kit Williams will be auctioned at Sotheby's, estimated at a value of £15,000 to £20,000 www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home... (Who wants to crowdfund with me? 👀)

Simply lovely :)

Cannot pick just one, am immediately sewing tiny pockets into my clothes for each of them to ride in

Did you ever locate the answer to this?

Endless Winters by Michael Iantorno A lo-fi ambient hack of EarthBound

Inspired by lo-fi study beats and driven by my desire for peaceful winter ambience, Endless Winters is a simple hack of EarthBound that perpetually pans over a snowy landscape.

Designed for original hardware, it functions as a installation piece that can be quickly installed using a SNES and a CRT.

Speaking as someone who follows a Pete & Pete account already, lol… it’s a very charming show. Great theme music, fun quirky vibes, highly quotable. Also Toby Huss, Michelle Trachtenberg and Iggy Pop!

I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.

Red squirrel wearing a collar sat on a book, surrounded by foliage and pine cones? Marginalia.

Book of Hours
Netherlands, Haarlem, 1445-1460
MS M.1031 fol. 52v.

narrator: 50 years ago...

me: [nods] in 1945

narrator: in 1975...

me: what

NoPro’s 2025 Gift Guide for Immersive Fans & Makers The annual NoPro Gift Guide for the immersive fans and makers in your life!

The holidays are here, and that means it's time to scramble and find the perfect gift for your family & friends.

We're here to help, whether that's helping you find something or to help you drop some big hints to those shopping for you!

The NoPro Gift Guide is here!

Came to this thread to tag you, hehe

Here he is with a hat to make him beautiful

AdventureX 2025 YouTube video by AdventureX

EIGHT HOURS of Adventure X talks start with the always insightful and entertaining Jon Ingold (Inkle, 80 Days, Heaven's Vault, etc etc).

On Story Generation: Concept to plot.

Watch it here:
www.youtube.com/live/MoIph1L... #adventurex #advx25