The Dark Gets In

Cartoonist Graham Annable, known for his Grickle comics, shared a new Halloween-themed sketch showing a marshmallow character out for revenge, playing on the idea of a roasted marshmallow getting back at its tormentor. The darkly funny seasonal doodle is being shared and liked by readers enjoying spooky October humor online.

An artist describes an evening portrait-painting session with their regular group, producing an oil portrait in alla prima technique of a sitter with a dark complexion, something they say they rarely get the chance to paint. They called the session enjoyable and shared the finished work with art communities online.

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has officially confirmed his plan to adapt Stephen King's The Dark Tower as a television series. The horror director, known for The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, has long spoken about adapting King's sprawling eight-book fantasy series, and news outlets are now reporting that the project is moving forward. Fans of the long-gestating adaptation are reacting to the news online.

The Reinickendorf adult education centre in Berlin is promoting its autumn bread-baking course as the days get darker and people seek cosy indoor activities. Participants bake in a teaching kitchen, making nutty dark bread, pretzel pastries, spelt-carrot bread, low-carb rolls and crackers, along with homemade spreads.

Clocks have changed in the UK, temporarily ending the dark early mornings as sunrise shifts earlier. One London runner noted the change while out through the park at sunrise, saying the brighter starts meant the end of the dark mornings they enjoy, though the run itself was pleasant. The twice-yearly clock change always prompts plenty of comment in Britain about lighter or darker mornings and evenings.

A new Master Grade model kit of the Superbia GN-X, a stealth assault landing mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam 00V, has drawn attention after reports detailed its design and GN dagger armaments. Gundam fans in Japan are discussing the kit's dark colour scheme and the prospect of the 00V variant suit finally getting an MG release.

Costco is selling solar-powered mushroom garden lights that glow in backyards after dark, and shoppers are taking notice. The decorative lights charge by day and add a whimsical, fairy-tale touch to outdoor spaces without wiring or added electricity costs. Home and garden writers highlight them as an easy, affordable way to spruce up patios and flowerbeds this season.

The Collaborative Theatre Project has opened a production of Jen Silverman's dark comedy 'The Moors', and a local review is drawing attention to the show. The review invites audiences to 'get lost' in the production, suggesting a moody, atmospheric staging of the play about two sisters and a governess isolated on the English moors. Early critical response appears favorable.

UNHCR is highlighting the story of Lucienne, a refugee whose solar lamp allows her to study after dark, supporting her ambition of getting an education. The agency frames access to simple solar lighting as a practical way to help displaced children keep learning in camps and settlements where electricity is unreliable or absent.

People are sharing how they forced themselves out for exercise despite drizzle, cold, wind and darkness, and ended up very satisfied with themselves afterwards. One runner took the chance to break in a pair of Ibex shoes not worn in nearly a year. The mood is one of quiet triumph over the urge to stay inside, a feeling many in fitness circles clearly relate to.

Readers are discussing the dilemma of finishing Freya Marske's Bodies of Magic ahead of schedule and wanting to dive straight into the new Natasha Pulley novel despite a heavy workload. One reader praised Bodies of Magic for winning over someone who had never enjoyed dark academia, and the choice between starting the next book immediately or getting work done is striking a chord.