#06-26-2021

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Reality-Based Communities

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in CHICAGO with PETER SAGAL next WEDNESDAY (Apr 2), and in BLOOMINGTON next FRIDAY (Apr 4). More tour dates here.

Remember the Global War on Terror? I know, it's been a minute. But there was a time when we were all meant to take terrorism – real terrorism, the knocking-down-buildings kind, not the being-mean-to-Teslas kind – seriously.

Back in the early oughts, I remember picking up a copy of the Financial Times in an airport lounge and flipping through it, and coming across an "advice to corporate management" column in which the question was, "Should I take out terrorism insurance for my business?" The columnist's answer: "The actual risk to your business of a terrorism-related disruption rounds to zero. However: a) your shareholders don't understand this, an b) your insurance company does. That means that you can buy a very large amount of terrorism insurance for a very small amount of money, making this a cheap price to pay to mollify your easily frightened investors."

I never forgot that little piece of writing. It was a powerful reminder that successful large-scale enterprises must attend to the world as it is, not as ideology dictates that it should be. This was – and is – a deeply heterodox position among the ideological defenders of capitalism, who continue to uphold Milton Friedman's maxim that:

Truly important and significant hypotheses will be found to have "assumptions" that are wildly inaccurate descriptive representations of reality, and, in general, the more significant the theory, the more unrealistic the assumptions (in this sense)

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/17/caliper-ai/#racism-machine

These ideologues – who often cross over from boardrooms into governments – are with the GW Bush official who dismissed a journalist as a member of the "reality-based community":

When we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality-based_community

But ultimately, someone has to make investments and plans that take accord of the world as it is, the adversaries they face, the real and material emergencies unfolding around them. When the Pentagon announces that henceforth the climate emergency will take a prime place in its threat assessments and budgets, that's not "the military going woke" – it's the military joining the reality-based community:

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/10/26/the-pentagon-has-to-include-climate-risk-in-all-of-its-plans-and-budgets/

This explains the radical shear between the Wall Street Journal's editorial page – in which you'll learn that governments can't solve any problems and markets solve all problems (including the problem of governments) – and the news reporting within, in which the critical role of the state in regulating and fueling markets is acknowledged.

The tension between the right's ideologues in boardrooms and governments and the operational people in charge of keeping the machines running has only escalated since the War on Terror days. There's an important sense in which leftists – as materialists – are playing the same game as these operational managers of capitalism. Take Thomas Piketty, the socialist economist whose blockbuster 2013 book Capital in the 21st Century argued that rising inequality threatened capitalism itself:

https://memex.craphound.com/2014/06/24/thomas-pikettys-capital-in-the-21st-century/

By analyzing three centuries' worth of capital flows, Piketty showed that when inequality reached a certain tipping point, the result was societal upheaval that continued until so much capital had been destroyed that inequality was reduced (because everyone had been pauperized). Piketty appealed to capitalism's technocrats to institute redistributive programs. His point was that building hospitals and schools was ultimately cheaper than paying for the guard-labor you'd need to keep people from building guillotines outside the gates of your walled estate.

The rise and rise of surveillance tech, and its successors, such as lethal drones and offshore gulags, can be seen as a tacit acknowledgment of Piketty's thesis. By lowering the cost of guard labor, it might possible to stabilize a society with higher levels of inequality, by identifying and neutralizing the people who are radicalized by the system's unfairness before you get an outbreak of guillotines:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/13/better-to-have-loved/#less-lethals

But reality is stubborn. Capitalism's defenders can insist that society will continue to function while wages stagnate and greedflation stokes the cost of living crisis, but ultimately, the military can't afford to have a fighting force that's in hock to payday lender usurers who are tormenting their families with arm-breaker collection calls:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/03/payday-loan-apps-cost-new-yorkers-500-million-plus-new-study-estimates.html

As Stein's Law – a bedrock of finance – has it, "anything that can't go on forever eventually stops." The ideologues of capitalism can insist that Luigi Mangione is a monster and an aberration, an armed freeloader who wants something for nothing. But privately, their own security forces are telling them otherwise.

Writing for The American Prospect, Daniel Boguslaw reports on a leaked intelligence dossier from the Connecticut regional intelligence center – a "fusion center" created as part of the War on Terror – wherein we learn that the American people sees Mangione as a modern Robin Hood:

https://prospect.org/justice/2025-03-27-intelligence-dossier-compares-luigi-mangione-robin-hood/

Many view Thompson as a symbolic representation of both as reports of insurance companies denying life sustaining medication coverage circulate online. It is not an unfair comparison to equate the current reaction toward Mangione to the reactions to Robin Hood, citizens may see Mangione’s alleged actions as an attack against a system designed to work against them.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hM3IZbnzk_cMk7evX2Urnwh5zxhRHpD5/view

The Connecticut fusion center isn't the only part of capitalism's operational wing that's taking notice of this. Today, Ken Klippenstein reports on an FBI threat assessment about the "heightened threat to CEOs":

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-becomes-rent-a-cops-for-ceos

The report comes from the FBI's counter-terrorism wing, which (Klippenstein notes) is in the business of rooting out "pre-crime" – identifying people who haven't committed a crime and neutralizing them. As Klippenstein writes, Trump AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have both vowed to treat anti-Tesla protests as acts of terror. That's the view from the top, but back on the front lines of the Connecticut fusion center, things are more reality-based:

[The public] may view the ensuing manhunt and subsequent arrest of Mangione as NYPD, and largely policing as a whole, as a tool that is willing to expend massive resources to protect the wealthy, while the average citizen is left to their own means for personal security.

Any good investor knows that anything that can't go on forever eventually stops. The only question is: will that halt is a controlled braking action, or a collision with reality's brick wall?

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/03/27/use-your-mentality/#face-up-to-reality

Image: Lee Haywood (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/leehaywood/4659575229/

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

[toskarinarchive]

Toskarin Database

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[f1-chaos]

I’m trying to put together a playlist of songs Oscar mentioned or used in his social media posts. It’s far from complete, let me know songs I should add (and their source please ☺️)

Updated: 26/June

Bancroft - Lemtom (TikTok, 26/Jun)

Still Ridin - Barry Can’t Swim (Instagram, 25/Jun)

Eatin’ Good - Woodcamp (Instagram, 21/Jun)

Swimming Places (Jerome Sydenham Remix) - Julien Jabre (Instagram, 19/JUN)

Cops & Robbers - Sammy Virji, Skepta (Instagram, TikTok, 17/JUN)

Call You Back - Josh Butler, Bontan (Instagram, TikTok, 04/JUN)

Back to Reality - RMS (Instagram, TikTok, 02/JUN)

Like I Like It - Mau P (Instagram, 01/JUN)

Da Funk - Mochakk, Joni (Instagram, TikTok, 31/MAY)

The Process Is The Good Part - geods sorèd (Instagram, 26/MAY)

Pushing On - Oliver $, Jimi Jules, TikTok, 26/MAY)

Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol (Instagram, TikTok, 21/MAY)

Always - JAYC (TikTok, 17/MAY)

Euphoria - Claptone (Instagram, 17/MAY)

Clothouse - Hector CT (TikTok, 15/MAY)

Move Your Body (Future House) - Tchami (TikTok, 06/MAY)

No Bad Vibes - Jazzy, KILIMANJARO (Instagram, 06/MAY)

Oh Honey - Angelo Ferreri (Instagram, 05/MAY)

Back in the Dance - Darius Syrossian (TikTok, 05/May)

Like This - ZARG (Instagram, TikTok, 05/MAY)

So Good - NOSI (Instagram, TikTok, 28/APR) note: it’s the song in the background of the video, not soundtrack

CALMNESS - MVTRIIIX, Kingpin Skinny Pimp (Instagram, TikTok 26/APR)

Shapes (Oh Will) - Sammy Virji (TikTok, 22/APR)

Nostalgia - Sammy Virji, Issey Cross (Instagram, 21/APR)

Stay - FISHER (Instagram, TikTok, 20/APR)

What Does It Take - Cody Wong (TikTok, 14/APR)

Racing Green (Disrupta Remix) - High Contrast (Instagram, TikTok 13/APR)

Rally House - valtis (Instagram, TikTok, 12/APR)

GLUE (DnB) - VULTURE$ (Instagram, TikTok, 11/APR)

Automatic - Silva Bumpa (Instagram, 9/APR)

Rave Out - Turno, Skepsis, Charlotte Plank (Instagram, TikTok, 7/APR)

The Final Countdown - Europe (Oscar’s pick for karaoke song, YouTube, Which Driver Has The Best Karaoke Pick? on F1 channel, 02/APR)

Wacuka - AVAION, Sofiya Nzau (Instagram, TikTok, 24/MAR)

LETS GO - Lykia (Instagram, TikTok, 23/MAR)

Find My Way Home - Sammy Virji (Instagram, 17/MAR)

Ventriloquist - Chris Gresswelll (Instagram, TikTok, 6/MAR) Note: also recommended in the 3/MAR video

Big Dawgs - Hanumankind, Kalmi (Instagram, TikTok, 22/JAN)

Baiana (Sped Up) - Bakermat (TikTok, 17/MAR)

I Guess We’re Not The Same - Sammy Virji (TikTok, 3/MAR)

Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar (Instagram, TikTok, 13/FEB)

Chihiro - Gravagerz (TikTok, 31/JAN)

Real Love - Retrowaves (TikTok, 24/JAN)

The Days (NOTION Remix) - Chrystal (TikTok, 19/JAN) Note: also recommended in the 3/MAR video

Who Loves The Sun - Jo. Ke (TikTok, 13/JAN and 29/JUL)

It’s That Time (FISHER remix) - Marlon Hoffstadt (TikTok, 16/DEC)

Peach - salute, Sammy Virji (TikTok, 10/DEC)

Let Go - Duskus (TikTok, 02/DEC)

If U Need It - Sammy Virji (TikTok, 25/NOV)

Somedays - Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, D.O.D (TikTok, 05/NOV)

Thunderstruck - AC/DC (TikTok, 22/OCT)

Way Down We Go - KALEO (TikTok, 06/OCT)

Let It Happen - Matt Frank & The Manic Moon (TikTok, 24/SEP)

Safe and Sound - Capital Cities (TikTok, 17/SEP) Note: version used was “slowed + reverb”

I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li (TikTok, 18/AUG)

Praise Jah In The Moonlight - YG Marley (TikTok, 25/MAY)

Greedy - Tate McRae (TikTok, 22/MAY)

M to the B - Millie B (TikTok, 28/APR)

Bring It Back - Sosa (UK) (TikTok, 18/APR)

Check Da Method - SonoTWS (TikTok, 16/APR)

Lose Yourself - Eminem (Oscar’s hype song, Ride along with Robert and Oscar - Prema Youtube, 21/OCT 2021)

Streetside - Bru C, Bou (Oscar’s song to fall asleep?, other hype song, Ride along with Robert and Oscar - Prema Youtube, 21/OCT 2021)

Don’t Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin (Oscar’s song for a happy moment, Ride along with Robert and Oscar - Prema Youtube, 21/OCT 2021)

Tri Poloski - Davay (Oscar’s song for sleeping, Ride along with Robert and Oscar - Prema Youtube, 21/OCT 2021)

[staydandy]

The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) - 盗墓笔记2 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : The group of heroes are pulled into another tomb-raiding expedition that takes them beneath the sea. In an ancient Ming Dynasty ship, they encounter monstrous creatures and puzzling traps. Wu Xie opens the box that he obtained from the Seven Star Coffins of Lu Wang's Palace to discover a snake-browed copper fish. Uncle Wu San Xing recounts the strange occurrences over ten years ago when they went on an archaeological expedition to Paracel Islands. Wu Xie leads a team down to the same place to explore a sunken ship where hidden dangers await. (MDL)

Whumpee : Wu Xie played by Neo Hou (center right) • Zhang Qi Ling played by Cheng Yi (center left) • Wang Pang Zi played by Zhang Bo Yu (2nd from right)

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Action, Adventure, Mystery, Supernatural, Bromance

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from books 2, 3 and some of 4 of "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (Daomu Biji) by Kennedy Xu • Suggested watch order of series (not including movies & spin-offs) : -- 1. Mystic Nine (2016) -- 2. The Lost Tomb (2015) >> 3. The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) -- 4. The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note (2021) -- 5. The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) -- 6. Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) -- 7. Tomb of the Sea (2018) -- 8. Reunion: Sound of the Providence (2020) -- 9. Reunion: Sound of the Providence 2 (2020)

Related Lists : The Lost Tomb (2015) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 2: Explore With the Note (2021) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) - Full List • Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) - Full List

Episodes on List : 25 Total Episodes : 40

*Spoilers below*

01 : Wu Xie shocked awake, sweating, from a layered nightmare (nightmare within a nightmare within a nightmare) … Wang Pang Zi knocked out

02 : [nightmare] Wu Xie choked

05 : Unsteady … entrapped in a trance, strangled, broken out of it … Pang Zi knocked over from an explosion … Wu Xie attacked, thrown to the ground, Pang Zi thrown into a wall, Zhang Qi Ling fights; choked & lifted off the ground

06 : [flashback] Passes out

07 : Wu Xie dizzy, entranced … [flashback] head pain, pushed into water … [present] Zhang Qi Ling head pain, recalling forgotten memories … Wu Xie, Zhang Qi Ling, & Pang Zi escaping a collapsing underwater building, stuck on the way out.. Wu Xie unconscious, receives chest compressions, spits up water, knocked to the ground

08 : Recovering from fever (not really shown) … [flashback] cut his own hand

09 : Shocked awake, sweating, from nightmare

11 : (near end) Wu Xie & Pang Zi captured, tied up

12 : … continued from previous ep. ...Wu Xie still captured, tied up … imprisoned.. dehydrated, breathing hard, unsteady.. passes out.. helped to walk

17 : Pang Zi attacked, Wu Xie attacked.. attacked again, knocked out, drowning.. spitting up water … Pang Zi bit by insect

18 : Wu Xie Hit with the butt of a gun, knocked out.. wakes tied up … Pang Zi having a reaction to bug bite; unsteady, arm in hives & paralyzed, passes out … Wu Xie falls, nightmare; wakes trapped in a casket, choked

19 : Drugged, unsteady, passes out, arm nicked & blood taken

21 : Falls, knocked out briefly … Pang Zi entranced into almost killing himself … rolls down a slope

23 : Wu Xie cuts his own hand … dizzy

24 : … continued from previous ep. ... Dizzy … unsteady, holding his head … attacked, choked

26 : Blown back by an explosion, briefly knocked out … falls, hits head, blurry vision, unsteady … cuts his own hand … blown back by an explosion, drowning … wakes in hospital (comedic: with a high-pitched voice from concussion)

28 : Pang Zi's arm in a cast (tho I'm confused as to why)

30 : (near end) Wu Xie knocked out from an explosion … falls into a pit

31 : Pang Zi found unconscious

32 : Found unconscious, head sore from being knocked out

35 : Wu Xie & Pang Zi in a fight; Wu Xie coughs up blood … head pain from noise

36 : Digs out from being buried in snow, head pain.. [flashback] buried in rubble from collapsed tomb, unconscious … [present] rolls down hill, arm hurt.. exhausted, passes out.. headache, collapses … headache … drugged asleep … caught in a trap, hung upside down

37 : Headache … captured … Pang Zi captured, tied up, mouth gagged … Zhang Qi Ling head pain, drugged unconscious

38 : Drugged unconscious … Zhang Qi Ling & Pang Zi trapped in a net, both tied up & hooded

39 : (near end) Wu Xie exhausted, collapses, hypoxia (not enough oxygen), slaps himself, passes out … hallucinating

More Whump Lists for this show: love-me-a-lotta-whump

[seoul-bros]

Jikook Week 51 Complete (26/11-03/12/2024)

Their 51st week in the military is now complete. Today we are looking back at this week in 2021. They were on an extended visit to the USA for an intense schedule of interviews, award shows and four nights of PTD concerts in LA.

It was Autumn 2021 when I discovered BTS so I'm getting nostalgic looking back on those days and especially on this Jimin who holds a special place in my heart.

They left South Korea together on 17/11 and came back separately each with their own Christmas holiday plans. Jin, Jimin & Jungkook were the first to return on 06/12/2021 (SK time). Jikook left the airport together but were separated for COVID quarantine.

On 26/11 Jimin posted himself on the beach at sunset in California. We later found out that jikook made the trip together with Tae.

BTS held four concerts in LA on 27-28/11 and on 01-02/12. It was the first time in two years they had been able to hold a concert with a live audience and as Jimin says that first night was a reminder of how much both they and ARMY had been waiting for the opportunity to meet again face to face. He was left with a profound sense of gratitude. They were back where they belonged and were ready to enjoy every moment to the full.

Day 1 & Day 2 - Anderson Paak came to the concert on Day 1 and Megan thee Stallion performed with them on Day 2.

Day 3 & Day 4 - Halsey came to the concert on Day 3.

On Day 4 Chris Martin performed Our Universe

Throughout Jikook were together - on stage and off stage, at rehearsal and after rehearsal, exercising together late at night and relaxing at the hotel.

The dark days of the COVID pandemic were finally behind them and they were determined to do as much as they could before they would finally enlist. The LA concerts were just the start and were followed concerts in Seoul and Las Vegas in 2022. I was around for all of that but it was these concerts in LA that made me ARMY.

Cr. to OPs

Post Date: 03/12/2024

[alexbkrieger13]

https://www.ruv.is/frettir/ithrottir/2025-06-26-konan-sem-vinnur-alltaf-hun-er-natturulega-sturlud-443253

Lovely words from Glodis :)

The woman who always works: "She's naturally crazy"

Danish captain Pernille Harder has achieved something that few can match. Harder has won league titles ten years in a row in three countries. Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir is her teammate and says Harder is an incredible player.

Pernille Harder achieved this this year by becoming the league champion for the 10th season in a row. This skilled striker is 32 years old and therefore just starting out. She is the captain of the Danish national team, while Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir is her captain at Bayern Munich.

What characterizes Pernille? And how does one win a league championship 10 years in a row, with four teams in three divisions?

Harder, better, faster, stronger

Such a collection of titles is hardly known, whether in men's or women's football. The only one comparable to this is Kingsley Coman, who won the league for 11 consecutive years until something finally went wrong in 2024. Coman won the league with PSG in France, Juventus in Italy and Bayern in Germany from 2013 to 2024.

Coman, however, only played once for PSG and Juventus in the first two titles. Pernille has been a key figure in all ten league titles to date.

It is not at all certain that Bayern will continue to win the league, as the team has won it for the last three years. So Pernille could still add trophies to her collection.

Which ones and who else?

Other examples of players who have won league championships many times in a row, but with one team:

Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller : 11 consecutive years from 2013 to 2024 with Bayern Munich.

Wendie Renard: Renard won 14 consecutive league titles with Lyon from 2006 to 2020. PSG won the title in 2021, but Lyon has won the following seasons. However, Harder's achievement is greater as more teams and countries are involved. Perhaps Harder will eventually top those 14 titles.

Eugénie Le Sommer won the French league 10 times in a row with Lyon from 2009 to 2020.

Barcelona are on a roll and have won the Spanish league six times in a row. Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas, Caroline Graham Hansen and Asisat Oshoala have played for the team all those seasons. But they need to start moving across the Catalan border if they want to top Pernille.

Her wife approaching?

Pernille and her wife Magdalena Eriksson have been playing together for the last few years. They met at Chelsea and went to Bayern together. Eriksson has now won five league titles in a row. She plays in defence, often alongside Glódís Perla.

They attracted a lot of attention when they met as captains with their countries in an international match recently. There, Eriksson took a very hard hit on Harder, who lay on the grass several times. Among other things, they covered each other in set pieces where they fought very hard. Sweden eventually won 2-1.

Will meet at the European Championship

Sweden and Denmark are in Group C at the European Championship in Switzerland, so all eyes will be on the two captains on July 4th at 4:00 PM.

Poland and Germany are the other two teams in the group, so it is clear that a strong team will be left with a sore forehead in this difficult group.

Harder is the all-time leading scorer in the national team's history with 78 goals in 162 games. She is quickly closing in on Katrine Pedersen's record of 210 games.

What does Glodís say?

Glódís and Pernille are key players for Bayern. The Dane played the most minutes for Bayern in the league this year, while Glódís was in fifth place when she was injured towards the end of the season.

Glódís says that Pernille is one of the best players she has ever played with, but it is undeniably fun to annoy her during practice.

"I think I would rank her as one of the best players I've ever played with. She's a total professional. If we start off the field, she's a total perfectionist, does everything right and takes extremely good care of herself."

Her teammates often laugh at her.

Pernille can sometimes be too conscientious.

"We often laugh at her because we always show up for free time in the morning and there are exercises that we have to do. You're supposed to do two or three rounds of the exercises. Most people just go at their own leisurely pace and do some of the exercises. They do some other movement and usually never do three sets. But she always does all the exercises, always three sets and preferably more."

Sometimes gets into a rage during training

No one gets this good without a little bit of competition. Glódís often faces her in training and enjoys getting the better of Pernille.

"But she does all the work you want from your number ten and then she scores all those goals too. She's an amazing player with a huge competitive spirit, absolutely disgustingly competitive. She's taken the piss a few times in training, when she's not working. So it's really fun sometimes not being with her on the team and annoying her."

[atelierlili]

In-Panem/Not Reaped Everlark AUs

Got asked to give some fanfic recommendations for In-Panem/Not Reaped Everlark AUs so here we are. Most of them (if not all of them) are gonna be fluffy and happy tbh because i can't take my pookies being hurt ):

Completed:

A New Path (138k words) by Endlessnightlock

The day after aging out of the Reaping, Katniss crosses paths with Peeta. She thanks him for the bread and to her surprise, a tentative friendship begins.

One of my favourites. I love the direction the author took with this story. Always made me want more!

Go Slow, Peeta (20k words) by Oakfarmer

The era of the Hunger Games has come to an end. How Everlark slowly happened anyway.

This was the one that started it all for me. Short, simple and to the point! A classic in my opinion.

Nothing Owed for a Gift (10k words) by orphaned account

Lately, Merchants have taken to flirting with unwitting Seam folk as a joke, sometimes going so far as to ask them out on a date. I've even heard of a couple instances of a Merchant asking someone from the Seam to marry them, and then laughing hysterically when the poor recipient says 'yes'. So, when Peeta Mellark approaches me after the reaping, red with nerves and pushing his lips together as if he's trying very hard not to do something like laugh, I'm immediately wary. Peeta can't possibly be asking me to marry him for real. ... right?

Urgh. Literally one of my favourite one-shots.

Inevitability (44k words) by Xerxia

What if? What if Peeta and Prim hadn't been reaped?

Definitely not the fluffiest fics in the list, but Katniss absolutely SHINES here. And Peeta stays very true to his character as well. Absolutely worth the read.

It Takes A District (55k words) by MTK4FUN

Thinking her mother is dying, Katniss Everdeen marries Peeta Mellark to keep her sister out of the Community Home.

I love this fic. I don't know what it is, but there's something about it that makes it standout on its own.

Katniss Everdeen Is Not A Stalker (241k words) by MegaAuLover

Katniss as a little problem, she can't stop looking through Peeta's window, trying to find a way to pay her boy with the bread back but as time goes on she realizes she wants more. But there is a problem the District is flooded with Peacekeepers and everyone faces danger as the Capitol tightens its reigns on the district. Can love bloom in the middle of adversity? Or will it shrivel in the face of surmounting danger?

This is the one. Easily one of the bestest AUs imo. Very long read- but I will be naming my first born after the squirrel. The Everlark relationship here is A+++.

Incomplete/Ongoing:

( I know its weird to recommend incomplete fics, some these ones are legitimately my favourite fics and think are still worth the read.)

Cavedweller (79k words) by Jennajuicebox (last update: 2021-01-25)

Her mother once told her she was brave. A word Katniss wouldn't have chosen for herself. Brave implies that you run headlong into the scary unknown. Brave implies you face the things that want you dead. It dredges up thoughts of conquering armies and swords raised over head. Katniss isn't brave. As much as she would never admit it to herself she is scared out of her wits. She is staring into a gaping chasm, waiting for it to swallow her whole.

I love AUs that explore Katniss otherside of the family so much. As always, the Everlark development here is absolutely heartwarming and delicious. 10/10

On the Threshold ( 97k words) by ghtlovesthg (last update: 2020-06-26)

Nineteen and free from the Reapings forever, Katniss finds a token on her doorstep commemorating her passage over the threshold of adulthood. Discovering the identity of the sender will start Katniss on a road that leads toward life's other milestones.

This is exactly how I envisioned Everlark would get together had it not been for the Reapings. So so so so good. There is just enough here to be satisfied that the fic is unfinished ; w;

hope you find something you like! I always have more if you want more to sink your teeth into <3 Happy readings!

@heartforeyes @the-tiny-fangirl

[archivalofsins]

Not sure if this is the right time to ask this but how old are the prisoners now? We know what their age was going into Milgram, but what is it now? Since Mahiru was just short of her birthday

Star and I have been looking for the post where I list the characters ages and birth years though neither of us can find it at the moment I'll link it again if one of us do.

Sakurai, Haruka

Age when brought to Milgram: 17 (said he was this age but didn't really care too much about his own age. So, he wasn't sure. Actively lied about his age is one of the oldest young adult prisoners here. He is older than Mahiru, Futa, and Kotoko.)

Turned: 18 (said he was seventeen in his first voice drama meaning he would have turned eighteen the first year he was in Milgram if this were true. It's not it's fiction he made it up.) Haruka Sakurai was 22 when brought into Milgram and turned 23 during his first two months of incarceration within Milgram.

Birthdate: 06-22-2001 Lying dead bastard- 06-22-1997

Age at demise: would have been 23 (this is based on a lie and inaccurate) 27 or 28 if he passed away after June 22, 2025

Kashiki, Yuno

Age when brought to Milgram: 18

Turned: 19 her first four to five months of incarceration in 2020

Birthdate: 09-02-2001

Current Age: 23 turning 24 on September 02, 2025 (if she lives to see it)

Kajiyama, Futa

The specialist birthday boy. Had his birthday right before being taken to Milgram. His character description on the website says he's twenty. His birthday is on April 19 the first video for Milgram the MILGRAM / Teaser Movie released on April 27, 2020 after Futa's birthday.

So for him to be twenty when he was brought there means the prisoners must have awoken or been brought to Milgram on either the day the MILGRAM -��ルグラム- / PV video came out April 27, 2020 or when the MILGRAM / Jackalope’s “This is the MILGRAM” video came out on May 1, 2020.

Futa's age gives us a big hint for when the prisoners arrived within the prison in that sense.

I believe it was the former since the video released on April 27, 2020 is when we hear Es and all the prisoners for the first time. This also aligns with the beginning of the timelines as well.

20/04/28

Jackalope: Hey, have you been behaving yourselves while you waited? I’ll explain what it is you need to do. ……come back on May 1st at 7pm. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about MILGRAM then. In the meantime, you should bring in as many other people into MILGRAM as you can. You’ll be considering the prisoners’ “sins”…… it’s important to have a lot of different ways of thinking and feeling. You understand, right? Jackalope: ……also, all of you who’ve been calling me a rabbit on Twitter. Just know I remember all your icons……

Age when brought into Milgram: 20 (he would have been twenty for eight days if they were brought here on April 27, 2020 if it was on May 1, 2020 he would have been twenty for twelve days.)

Turned: 21 a few days before one year into his incarceration within Milgram on April 19, 2021.

Birthdate: April 19, 2000

Current age: 24 going on 25 April 19, 2025 (if he lives to see it he more than likely should but who knows if he'll get to twenty-six)

Kusunoki, Mu

Age when brought into Milgram: 16

Turned: 17 going on three months of her incarceration within Milgram.

Birthdate: 07-05-2003

Current Age: 21 going on 22 on July 05, 2025 (If she lives to see it.)

Kirisaki, Shidou

Age when brought into Milgram: 29

Turned: 30 going on six months into his incarcerations at Milgram.

Birthdate: 10-24-1990

Age at demise: 34 would have been 35 October 24, 2025.

Shiina, Mahiru

Age when brought into Milgram: 22

Turned: 23 nine months into her incarceration at Milgram 2021.

Birthdate: 1-17-1998

Age at demise: 26 would have been 27 January 17, 2025

Mukuhara, Kazui

Age when brought into Milgram: 39

Turned: 40 going on four months into his incarceration in Milgram.

Birthdate: 8-05-1980

Current Age: 44 going on 45 August 05, 2025. (If he lives to see it.)

Momose, Amane

Age when brought into Milgram: 12

Turned: 13 going on two months into her incarceration in Milgram.

Birthdate: 6-27-2007

Current Age: 17 going on 18 June 27, 2025. (If she lives to see it.)

Kayano, Mikoto

Age when brought into Milgram: 23

Turned: 24 going on six months into his incarceration at Milgram.

Birthdate: 10-06-1996

Current Age: 28 going on 29 October 06, 2025. (If he lives to see it but let's be real he'll probably outlive everyone here given he's not fully restrained and may probably be less restrained now that he's innocent.)

Yuzuriha, Kotoko

Age when brought into Milgram: 20

Turned: 21 going on eight months into her incarceration at Milgram.

Birthdate: 12-15-1999

Current Age: 25 going on 26 December 15, 2025. (If she lives to see it which she might not but hell if Shidou couldn't extract that fang then she probably gon' be fine.)

Es

Age when Milgram started: 15

Birthday: Unknown

Current Age: 19 going on 20 whenever their birthday is. So literally Futa's age when he did what Es/the audience found him guilty for driving someone to suicide and or instigating someone's death but not killing them directly. Man it would be awkward if they did the exact same thing at the exact same age now wouldn't it- Luckily we don't live in that timeline.

My apologies that this took a bit to answer. I had @apatchworkstar check over it to make sure I was doing the math right before posting just in case I messed up and I did with Mahiru. Now no one will ever know how. Yay always have someone check over your work when you suck at mental math and are greatly out of practice with the subject and art of it.

Hope this is helpful to you and others in some way. Honestly more art of the prisoners at the irl time ages would be great. So maybe this may lead to that or nothing but just more knowledge being out there.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cleantech has an enshittification problem

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

EVs won't save the planet. Ultimately, the material bill for billions of individual vehicles and the unavoidable geometry of more cars-more traffic-more roads-greater distances-more cars dictate that the future of our cities and planet requires public transit – lots of it.

But no matter how much public transit we install, there's always going to be some personal vehicles on the road, and not just bikes, ebikes and scooters. Between deliveries, accessibility, and stubbornly low-density regions, there's going to be a lot of cars, vans and trucks on the road for the foreseeable future, and these should be electric.

Beyond that irreducible minimum of personal vehicles, there's the fact that individuals can't install their own public transit system; in places that lack the political will or means to create working transit, EVs are a way for people to significantly reduce their personal emissions.

In policy circles, EV adoption is treated as a logistical and financial issue, so governments have focused on making EVs affordable and increasing the density of charging stations. As an EV owner, I can affirm that affordability and logistics were important concerns when we were shopping for a car.

But there's a third EV problem that is almost entirely off policy radar: enshittification.

An EV is a rolling computer in a fancy case with a squishy person inside of it. While this can sound scary, there are lots of cool implications for this. For example, your EV could download your local power company's tariff schedule and preferentially charge itself when the rates are lowest; they could also coordinate with the utility to reduce charging when loads are peaking. You can start them with your phone. Your repair technician can run extensive remote diagnostics on them and help you solve many problems from the road. New features can be delivered over the air.

That's just for starters, but there's so much more in the future. After all, the signal virtue of a digital computer is its flexibility. The only computer we know how to make is the Turing complete, universal, Von Neumann machine, which can run every valid program. If a feature is computationally tractable – from automated parallel parking to advanced collision prevention – it can run on a car.

The problem is that this digital flexibility presents a moral hazard to EV manufacturers. EVs are designed to make any kind of unauthorized, owner-selected modification into an IP rights violation ("IP" in this case is "any law that lets me control the conduct of my customers or competitors"):

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

EVs are also designed so that the manufacturer can unilaterally exert control over them or alter their operation. EVs – even more than conventional vehicles – are designed to be remotely killswitched in order to help manufacturers and dealers pressure people into paying their car notes on time:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

Manufacturers can reach into your car and change how much of your battery you can access:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

They can lock your car and have it send its location to a repo man, then greet him by blinking its lights, honking its horn, and pulling out of its parking space:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

And of course, they can detect when you've asked independent mechanic to service your car and then punish you by degrading its functionality:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/06/26/two-of-eight-claims-in-tesla-anti-trust-lawsuit-will-move-forward/

This is "twiddling" – unilaterally and irreversibly altering the functionality of a product or service, secure in the knowledge that IP law will prevent anyone from twiddling back by restoring the gadget to a preferred configuration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The thing is, for an EV, twiddling is the best case scenario. As bad as it is for the company that made your EV to change how it works whenever they feel like picking your pocket, that's infinitely preferable to the manufacturer going bankrupt and bricking your car.

That's what just happened to owners of Fisker EVs, cars that cost $40-70k. Cars are long-term purchases. An EV should last 12-20 years, or even longer if you pay to swap the battery pack. Fisker was founded in 2016 and shipped its first Ocean SUV in 2023. The company is now bankrupt:

https://insideevs.com/news/723669/fisker-inc-bankruptcy-chapter-11-official/

Fisker called its vehicles "software-based cars" and they weren't kidding. Without continuous software updates and server access, those Fisker Ocean SUVs are turning into bricks. What's more, the company designed the car from the ground up to make any kind of independent service and support into a felony, by wrapping the whole thing in overlapping layers of IP. That means that no one can step in with a module that jailbreaks the Fisker and drops in an alternative firmware that will keep the fleet rolling.

This is the third EV risk – not just finance, not just charger infrastructure, but the possibility that any whizzy, cool new EV company will go bust and brick your $70k cleantech investment, irreversibly transforming your car into 5,500 lb worth of e-waste.

This confers a huge advantage onto the big automakers like VW, Kia, Ford, etc. Tesla gets a pass, too, because it achieved critical mass before people started to wise up to the risk of twiddling and bricking. If you're making a serious investment in a product you expect to use for 20 years, are you really gonna buy it from a two-year old startup with six months' capital in the bank?

The incumbency advantage here means that the big automakers won't have any reason to sink a lot of money into R&D, because they won't have to worry about hungry startups with cool new ideas eating their lunches. They can maintain the cozy cartel that has seen cars stagnate for decades, with the majority of "innovation" taking the form of shitty, extractive and ill-starred ideas like touchscreen controls and an accelerator pedal that you have to rent by the month:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/23/23474969/mercedes-car-subscription-faster-acceleration-feature-price

Put that way, it's clear that this isn't an EV problem, it's a cleantech problem. Cleantech has all the problems of EVs: it requires a large capital expenditure, it will be "smart," and it is expected to last for decades. That's rooftop solar, heat-pumps, smart thermostat sensor arrays, and home storage batteries.

And just as with EVs, policymakers have focused on infrastructure and affordability without paying any attention to the enshittification risks. Your rooftop solar will likely be controlled via a Solaredge box – a terrible technology that stops working if it can't reach the internet for a protracted period (that's right, your home solar stops working if the grid fails!).

I found this out the hard way during the covid lockdowns, when Solaredge terminated its 3G cellular contract and notified me that I would have to replace the modem in my system or it would stop working. This was at the height of the supply-chain crisis and there was a long waiting list for any replacement modems, with wifi cards (that used your home internet rather than a cellular connection) completely sold out for most of a year.

There are good reasons to connect rooftop solar arrays to the internet – it's not just so that Solaredge can enshittify my service. Solar arrays that coordinate with the grid can make it much easier and safer to manage a grid that was designed for centralized power production and is being retrofitted for distributed generation, one roof at a time.

But when the imperatives of extraction and efficiency go to war, extraction always wins. After all, the Solaredge system is already in place and solar installers are largely ignorant of, and indifferent to, the reasons that a homeowner might want to directly control and monitor their system via local controls that don't roundtrip through the cloud.

Somewhere in the hindbrain of any prospective solar purchaser is the experience with bricked and enshittified "smart" gadgets, and the knowledge that anything they buy from a cool startup with lots of great ideas for improving production, monitoring, and/or costs poses the risk of having your 20 year investment bricked after just a few years – and, thanks to the extractive imperative, no one will be able to step in and restore your ex-solar array to good working order.

I make the majority of my living from books, which means that my pay is very "lumpy" – I get large sums when I publish a book and very little in between. For many years, I've used these payments to make big purchases, rather than financing them over long periods where I can't predict my income. We've used my book payments to put in solar, then an induction stove, then a battery. We used one to buy out the lease on our EV. And just a month ago, we used the money from my upcoming Enshittification book to put in a heat pump (with enough left over to pay for a pair of long-overdue cataract surgeries, scheduled for the fall).

When we started shopping for heat pumps, it was clear that this was a very exciting sector. First of all, heat pumps are kind of magic, so efficient and effective it's almost surreal. But beyond the basic tech – which has been around since the late 1940s – there is a vast ferment of cool digital features coming from exciting and innovative startups.

By nature, I'm the kid of person who likes these digital features. I started out as a computer programmer, and while I haven't written production code since the previous millennium, I've been in and around the tech industry for my whole adult life. But when it came time to buy a heat-pump – an investment that I expected to last for 20 years or more – there was no way I was going to buy one of these cool new digitally enhanced pumps, no matter how much the reviewers loved them. Sure, they'd work well, but it's precisely because I'm so knowledgeable about high tech that I could see that they would fail very, very badly.

You may think EVs are bullshit, and they are – though there will always be room for some personal vehicles, and it's better for people in transit deserts to drive EVs than gas-guzzlers. You may think rooftop solar is a dead-end and be all-in on utility scale solar (I think we need both, especially given the grid-disrupting extreme climate events on our horizon). But there's still a wide range of cleantech – induction tops, heat pumps, smart thermostats – that are capital intensive, have a long duty cycle, and have good reasons to be digitized and networked.

Take home storage batteries: your utility can push its rate card to your battery every time they change their prices, and your battery can use that information to decide when to let your house tap into the grid, and when to switch over to powering your home with the solar you've stored up during the day. This is a very old and proven pattern in tech: the old Fidonet BBS network used a version of this, with each BBS timing its calls to other nodes to coincide with the cheapest long-distance rates, so that messages for distant systems could be passed on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet

Cleantech is a very dynamic sector, even if its triumphs are largely unheralded. There's a quiet revolution underway in generation, storage and transmission of renewable power, and a complimentary revolution in power-consumption in vehicles and homes:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/12/s-curve/#anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-eventually-stops

But cleantech is too important to leave to the incumbents, who are addicted to enshittification and planned obsolescence. These giant, financialized firms lack the discipline and culture to make products that have the features – and cost savings – to make them appealing to the very wide range of buyers who must transition as soon as possible, for the sake of the very planet.

It's not enough for our policymakers to focus on financing and infrastructure barriers to cleantech adoption. We also need a policy-level response to enshittification.

Ideally, every cleantech device would be designed so that it was impossible to enshittify – which would also make it impossible to brick:

Based on free software (best), or with source code escrowed with a trustee who must release the code if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

All patents in a royalty-free patent-pool (best); or in a trust that will release them into a royalty-free pool if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

No parts-pairing or other DRM permitted (best); or with parts-pairing utilities available to all parties on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best);

All diagnostic and error codes in the public domain, with all codes in the clear within the device (best); or with decoding utilities available on demand to all comers on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best).

There's an obvious business objection to this: it will reduce investment in innovative cleantech because investors will perceive these restrictions as limits on the expected profits of their portfolio companies. It's true: these measures are designed to prevent rent-extraction and other enshittificatory practices by cleantech companies, and to the extent that investors are counting on enshittification rents, this might prevent them from investing.

But that has to be balanced against the way that a general prohibition on enshittificatory practices will inspire consumer confidence in innovative and novel cleantech products, because buyers will know that their investments will be protected over the whole expected lifespan of the product, even if the startup goes bust (nearly every startup goes bust). These measures mean that a company with a cool product will have a much larger customer-base to sell to. Those additional sales more than offset the loss of expected revenue from cheating and screwing your customers by twiddling them to death.

There's also an obvious legal objection to this: creating these policies will require a huge amount of action from Congress and the executive branch, a whole whack of new rules and laws to make them happen, and each will attract court-challenges.

That's also true, though it shouldn't stop us from trying to get legal reforms. As a matter of public policy, it's terrible and fucked up that companies can enshittify the things we buy and leave us with no remedy.

However, we don't have to wait for legal reform to make this work. We can take a shortcut with procurement – the things governments buy with public money. The feds, the states and localities buy a lot of cleantech: for public facilities, for public housing, for public use. Prudent public policy dictates that governments should refuse to buy any tech unless it is designed to be enshittification-resistant.

This is an old and honorable tradition in policymaking. Lincoln insisted that the rifles he bought for the Union Army come with interoperable tooling and ammo, for obvious reasons. No one wants to be the Commander in Chief who shows up on the battlefield and says, "Sorry, boys, war's postponed, our sole supplier decided to stop making ammunition."

By creating a market for enshittification-proof cleantech, governments can ensure that the public always has the option of buying an EV that can't be bricked even if the maker goes bust, a heat-pump whose digital features can be replaced or maintained by a third party of your choosing, a solar controller that coordinates with the grid in ways that serve their owners – not the manufacturers' shareholders.

We're going to have to change a lot to survive the coming years. Sure, there's a lot of scary ways that things can go wrong, but there's plenty about our world that should change, and plenty of ways those changes could be for the better. It's not enough for policymakers to focus on ensuring that we can afford to buy whatever badly thought-through, extractive tech the biggest companies want to foist on us – we also need a focus on making cleantech fit for purpose, truly smart, reliable and resilient.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/26/unplanned-obsolescence/#better-micetraps

Image: 臺灣古寫真上色 (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raid_on_Kagi_City_1945.jpg

Grendelkhan (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_mounted_solar_panels.gk.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[bad268]

Writing Inktober 2024

Official prompts this year were ass, so this one's gonna be fun (sarcasm). I'm only doing like 3 from the actual prompts, so a lot ended up being song prompts.

01/10 Backpack

Jax Teller X Reader (W.C. 547)

02/10 Chains

Arvid Lindblad X Reader (W.C. 448)

03/10 Perfect

Callum Ilott X Reader (W.C. 446)

04/10 Ledge

Spot Conlon X Reader (W.C. 498)

05/10 Enchanted

Clement Novalak X Journalist! Reader (W.C. 463)

06/10 Passport

Max Fewtrell X Reader (W.C. 465)

07/10 Daisies

Ollie Bearman X Verstappen! Reader (W.C. 496)

08/10 Ride

Pezzy X Biker! Reader (W.C. 473)

09/10 Home

Michael Gray X Reader (W.C. 485)

10/10 Laugh

Harry Lewis X Reader (W.C. 476)

11/10 Rain

Corpse Husband X Reader (W.C. 465)

12/10 Drive

Chris Sturniolo X F1 Driver! Reader (W.C. 472)

13/10 Lesbian

Logan Sargeant X Parent! Reader (W.C. 483)

14/10 Here

Sodapop Curtis X Reader (W.C. 464)

15/10 Convince

Noah Sebastian X Reader (W.C. 476)

16/10 Strangers

Colby Brock X Reader (W.C. 486)

17/10 Bracelets

Luke Browning X Reader (W.C. 506)

18/10 Leave

TMR Newt X Reader (W.C. 479)

19/10 Peachy

Simon Minter X Reader (W.C. 454)

20/10 Tackle

Justin Herbert X Reader (W.C. 467)

21/10 Original

Elastic Droid X Reader (W.C. 501)

22/10 Always

Hector Fort X Reader (W.C. 512)

23/10 Picture

Jak Crawford X Dams! Reader (W.C. 553)

24/10 Alone

Marcus Armstrong X Reader (W.C. 554)

25/10 Betrothed

Finn Shelby X Reader (W.C. 466)

26/10 Goal

Fermin Lopez X Reader (W.C. 530)

27/10 Explorer

Big Puffer X Reader (W.C. 455)

28/10 Blindfold

Tadashi Hamada X Fiance! Reader (W.C. 586)

29/10 Pretend

Brad Simpson X Reader (W.C. 591)

30/10 Pumpkin

Paul Aron X Reader (W.C. 493)

31/10 Freak

Franco Colapinto X Reader (W.C. 574)

Bonus: Ending

Lando Norris X Reader (W.C. 509)

Average W.C. 479

Want to read other years’ Inktober stories, check these out:

2021 // 2022 // 2023 

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

[wrestlezon]

Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs Miro & Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford Feud (Oct 2020 - Mar 2021)

Hey, I finally finished putting this together! (its just tv stuff, i missed any twitter tweets)

I've supplied (brief) summaries, hyperlinks, and timestamps for each show, mostly to fite/triller where you can directly watch them if you have an AEW+ sub. If you don't, I tried to include some youtube/twitter alternative links where applicable. I've also left the bilibili video ids from before I got fite/triller, they're in blue.

(My advice: feel free to skip straight to Jan 06 2021.)

It's a looooong post, so its under this readmore. You can also find it as a separate page on my tumblr here. if i end up hosting it anywhere else i'll edit the original post and put a link here as well maybe

by zon :)

-----------------------------

OCT 14 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-anniversary-show-live-results-four-title-matches-322571

The feud begins. The first match of the show is Best Friends vs FTR. Kip and Penelope are… playing… on an arcade cabinet in the arena. Trent accidentally destroys the cabinet while fighting FTR. Kip and Penelope to run off. After the match ends, they return with Miro who beats up Chuck and Trent. After a commercial break, Miro/Kip have a tag match (squash) against Lee Johnson/Sean Maluta and then do a promo about the broken arcade cabinet.

0:16:21 arcade break | 0:20:00 Miro Appears | 0:26:00 Miro/Kip/Penelope postmatch promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-42-20/2p88b/ BV1Rp4y1r7y9

(later on in this show, Orange has a match against Cody for his TNT Championship.)

-----------------------------

OCT 28 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-live-results-world-title-eliminator-semifinals-323741

Returning from supporting Orange Cassidy in his lumberjack match, Best Friends bump into Miro, Kip, and Penelope (MKP, if you will) in the halls. MKP are pretty chill about the whole broken arcade thing and offer them some presents and halloween treats. Chuck and Trent are unamused. MKP then reveal that it was merely a halloween trick™ and beats them up.

1:17:00 best friends + MKP backstage promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-44-20/2p8ac/ BV1j5411L7GM

Also, Orange has a rematch against Cody for that TNT championship since their last match ended due to the time limit. This time its a lumberjack match. Best Friends are present and also take part in the chaos.

54:28 Orange’s match entrance | 57:50 Cody’s entrance (and the rest of the match)

-----------------------------

NOV 2 2020

Excalibur interviews Trent and Miro ahead of their upcoming match on Wednesday over webcam. It’s 6 minutes long, and mostly Excalibur bearing witness to Trent and Miro arguing. Gonna give a shout out to their distinct webcam setups, lol (Trent is using workout earbuds and sitting in what has to be a large dim empty room, Excalibur is in his bedroom, and Miro is in his gamer office with a headset)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N1SZTP8ywc

-----------------------------

NOV 4 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-live-results-full-gear-go-home-show-324296

Trent vs Miro. During the entrances they show a clip from the interview from Nov 2nd. Orange and Chuck are hanging out ringside, as well as Kip and Penelope. Eventually Chuck runs off stage while fighting Kip. Dark Order appear to beat up Orange since hes fighting John Silver at the upcoming Full Gear. Miro scares them off and then defeats Trent with his submission hold. After the match, Miro puts Trent back into his Game Over submission and Chuck runs in to save him. Kip was following close behind. Chuck and Trent get both of their asses kicked. Orange attacks MKP and the two sides split off.

0:23:25 Trent vs Miro | 0:28:00 Chuck leaves | 0:31:00 Dark Order appears | 0:37:23 Match Ends | 39:40 Postmatch ends

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-45-20/2p8cy/ BV1wV41117E7

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NOV 6 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dark-results-daniels-vs-sydal-taylor-vs-johnson-324511

Chuck Taylor fights Lee Johnson on AEW Dark. Nothing MKP-related happens, but at the start Excalibur briefly brings up the ongoing feud Best Friends are having with Miro/Kip/Penelope. Plus its a fun match for AEW Dark.

43:56 Chuck Taylor vs Lee Johnson

https://youtu.be/S_ShrIJ4hVQ?t=2636

-----------------------------

NOV 7 2020

www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-full-gear-live-results-five-title-matches-omega-vs-page-324571

Full Gear! Orange has a match against John Silver. Later on, he gets interviewed by Dasha alongside Best Friends. MKP interrupt the interview– Kip’s mad that Orange’s beef with the Dark Order caused them to show up at the Trent vs Miro match, and that they could’ve hurt Penelope. He asks for an apology from Orange and then immediately slaps him anyway. Best Friends get mad on his behalf but Orange casually says everythings cool and walks with the two of them offscreen. Everyone is confused at how chill he is.

3:09:53 Backstage Interview

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-full-gear-2020/2p83a/ BV18K4y1E7uE

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NOV 11 2020

They play the segment from Full Gear on this Dynamite and announce Kip vs Orange for next week.

1:36:45

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-46-20/2p8ef/

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NOV 18 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-live-results-pac-returns-world-title-contract-signing-325391

Kip Sabian vs Orange Cassidy. Best Friends accompany Orange for his entrance, but return to the back. Miro’s on commentary calling Trent his Young Boy. JR brings up Kip and Penelope’s upcoming marriage. After Orange wins the match, Miro sprints from the commentary table to punch out Orange. Best Friends show up immediately after and MKP run off.

0:26:53 Match Start | 39:50 Match End

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-47-20/2p8ft/ BV1jK4y1j79q

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NOV 24 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dark-results-dark-order-vs-janelakiss-vs-chaos-project-325946

Trent vs Michael Nakazawa Chuck and Orange are hanging around ringside. Not necessarily MKP-related, but Excalibur mentions their feud. The Wrestling Observer article says that Nakazawa sabotaged Trent during his match against Miro way back when, but I’m not sure where that’s specifically mentioned. It’s really just in service of facilitating this goofy comedy match.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1mr41FoLQ&t=1123s

-----------------------------

NOV 25 2020

Miro & Kip’s game livestream is interrupted by OC. Its a trap by the Best Friends!

twitter.com/AEW/status/1331783338214961153

or:

1:11:03

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-48-20/2p8h6/

-----------------------------

DEC 1 2020

Best Friends have an AEW Dark match against Sean Maluta & Adam Priest. Unrelated to the feud, it seems? https://youtu.be/oLW9pywcIYI?t=2722

-----------------------------

DEC 2 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-winter-coming-live-results-moxley-vs-omega-326461

The show starts off with the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale, and it has Orange Cassidy in it. It comes down to him, Wardlow, and MJF, and Orange eliminates Wardlow to end the match and qualify for the dynamite diamond ring match next week. Best Friends come out to pick him up congratulate him. Orange flops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. MKP come out to antagonize them and are held back by every referee.

13:45 Match End | 15:03 Postmatch End

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-49-20/2p8i3/ BV1KK41137KR

-----------------------------

DEC 9 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-live-results-sting-interview-omega-title-win-fallout-327116

The dynamite diamond ring match! Best Friends accompany Orange and hang around ringside along with a group of others to even out the odds as MJF has the entire Inner Circle backing him up. This is a pretty fun match. At the end, Miro comes out to knock Orange out while the ref is preoccupied by ringside chaos, and then MJF takes advantage of this to pin Orange for the win. Best Friends fight with Miro & Kip, but the refs get them away. Miro proceeds to kick the shit out of every security guard.

1:43:36 Orange’s entrance + match start | 1:57:35 Ringside Chaos + Miro Appears

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-50-20/2p8jf/ BV1QK41137mb

unrelated, but MJF has a short promo against Orange at 14:40

-----------------------------

DEC 15 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dark-results-best-friends-vs-chaos-project-shida-vs-king-327711

Best Friends vs Chaos Project fight on this episode of AEW DARK. Miro comes out at the end to yell at them, but the refs keep him away.

1:42:00 Match intro | 1:53:00 Miro Appears

https://youtu.be/7_xHd64xeeQ?t=6171

-----------------------------

DEC 16 2020

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/results/aew-dynamite-live-results-omega-vs-janela-no-dq-match-327716

(trent had a fight against jericho earlier, and had a staredown with ortiz/santana…)

Best Friends do a promo– They’re unhappy about Miro sabotaging Orange Cassidy, and hear that Kip and Penelope’s wedding date is being announced next week, and warn that they’ll also be at that show.

1:41:20 Promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-51-20/2p8ka/ BV1bt4y1k7SC

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DEC 23 2020

Wedding date reveal segment. Best Friends’ intro starts, but its just a prank. They then show Trent being loaded into ambulance.

1:11:00-1:14:55

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-52-20/2p8l5/ BV115411H7PA

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JAN 06 2021

Chuck and Orange give an update on the status of Trent’s injury, Miro and the gang show up. Miro tells Chuck that he needs to stand up for himself instead of hiding behind his friends, or better yet be Miro’s friend and do all his chores. Chuck challenges Miro to a match next week, and Miro accepts with the stipulation that if Chuck loses he’ll have to be his young boy/rookie. Chuck agrees just to get this stupid beef over with faster.

0:24:27-0:26:18

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-01-21/2p8ne/ BV1c54y1s71A

-----------------------------

JAN 13 2021

chuck vs miro. we know who wins– obviously. how would there be a butler segment otherwise?

0:15:20 chuck entrance | 23:02 match ends

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-02-21/2p8oj/ BV1xh411y7XX

You can also just watch the last 3 mins of the match on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vRsizDs838

-----------------------------

JAN 21 2021

We get the Charles Taylor butler reveal during Leyla Hirsch vs Penelope Ford. Orange is in the crowd, rather unhappy. After the match, Miro commands Chuck to enter the the ring and bosses him around. He then forces Chuck to look at Orange in the crowd and say into the mic that Miro is his best friend now.

1:25:22 Penelope Ford Entrance | 1:34:55-1:37:33 Postmatch Promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-03-21/2p8pk/ BV14v4y1f7tr

-----------------------------

FEB 03 2021

Miro and Kip have a short backstage promo about being excited for the wedding. Chuck is standing next to them, miserable. Vickie Guerrero then fetches them for the big wedding.

Miro gets Chuck to bring the champagne, then drinks Chuck’s glass cuz he is working. Miro gets mad at the person sized present hanging round the ring. Chuck says its a wedding gift from him. Miro is on to him, and trashes the gift. Chuck cuffs Miro's leg while he isnt looking, then Chuck turns on them. Orange also appears :)

1:00:12 Wedding Stage Setup | 1:00:56 Backstage Promo + Wedding | 1:12:08 Wedding… Ruined | 1:16:23 (segment end)

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-05-21/2p8sj/ BV1vU4y1x7E8

-----------------------------

FEB 10 2021

Recap of last week’s events.

47:35-49:24 MKP's promo, then Orange and Chuck

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-06-21/2p8tp/ BV1ur4y1N7Fd

-----------------------------

FEB 17 2021

Orange Cassidy vs Luther on dynamite. Chuck and Serpentico are ringside. Neither Miro nor Kip Sabian make an appearance.

-----------------------------

FEB 24 2021

Tony Schiavone has an interview with MKP. They’re very very mad about the wedding. Miro wants to beat up Orange. He says he likes Chuck Taylor and wants him to come back and be a butler for him again. Someone gives tony a note. Its one of those little “will u wrestle us at revolution? y/n/maybe :)” asking-someone-out-in-highschool kind of notes. Miro gets mad and says its childish and that Orange Cassidy is such a bad influence on him. But if Chuck comes home he’ll teach him how to be a man. Miro then crumples up the note and eats it, and then spits it back out at Tony.

37:13-39:35 Promo Segment

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-08-21/2p8w5/ BV1cp4y1H7Qv (0:37:25 ?)

alternatively: https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1364752741889900545

-----------------------------

MAR 03 2021

Revolution 2021 Miro + Kip vs Chuck + Orange match announcement, plus a short backstage promo from Miro.

1:43:26 Miro Promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-09-21/2p8xm/ BV1MK4y1D737

-----------------------------

MAR 08 2021

The Match At Revolution. feat. a lightly bloodied chuck

1:21:54 Marvez backstage interview w/ Chuck and Orange (that leads into the rest of the match) | 1:33:26 Match End

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-revolution-2021/2p8rn/ BV1Pf4y1t7GL

-----------------------------

MAR 10 2021

Chuck and Orange requests a rematch. Arcade Anarchy!

31:30 Promo Start

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-10-21/2p8zg/ BV1rN411Q7c2

alternatively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SGY6GgdLJU

-----------------------------

MAR 17 2021

Marvez interviews Miro about how Chuck and Orange challenged them to a rematch. Miro’s not interested, says he is over it. Kip interrupts and says he super isn’t over it, and is mad that Miro doesnt care and also hurt his wife! Kip accepts the rematch.

1:33:27-1:35:01 Backstage Promo

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-11-21/2p90p/ BV1Cf4y1s7uv

-----------------------------

MAR 24 2021

Video package about the upcoming Arcade Anarchy match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRMbFy4SU8

-----------------------------

MAR 29 2021

AEW DARK miro shows up at the end of orange/chuck’s match. :O https://youtu.be/d2hjXKRuHVY?t=94

-----------------------------

MAR 31 2021

The Arcade Anarchy match! By pinfall or submission only.

1:39:29 Match Intro / Miro + Kip Entrance | (commercial break) | 1:43:34 Orange + Chuck Entrance

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-13-21/2p93m/ BV1yf4y1x7Kq 1:26:40 (?)

supplemental material for the arcade match lol: https://twitter.com/callmekrisstat/status/1377705137792290821

ah damn wtf hold on the tweet’s deleted. here: https://web.archive.org/web/20210914041200/https://twitter.com/callmekrisstat/status/1377705137792290821

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what happens later?

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APR 07 2021

Best Friends interrupt Death Triangle's in-ring promo and start shit up with them (again):

15:18

https://www.trillertv.com/watch/aew-dynamite-episode-14-21/2p94w/ BV16K411w7Ug 0:16:00 (?)

-----------------------------

APR 14 2021

Kip Sabian is nowhere to be found, which Miro finds pretty annoying! He just wants to talk, cmon. Well, since he can’t find him, he’s moving on to challenging anyone in the company holding gold. https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1382498000484851713

-----------------------------

APR 21 2021

miro promo again: https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1385035045799448585

-----------------------------

APR 26 2021

Kris Statlander started feuding with Penelope Ford, too. Here’s a Road to Dynamite where Chuck, Trent, and Orange support Kris through a promo video package. It’s one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYScNUG1ego

-----------------------------

APR 28 2021

Kip goes to see whats up with Miro :) https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1387583461939101698

-----------------------------

Over the course of 2022 you’ll occasionally see a guy in the crowd with a cardboard box on his head. That’s Kip Sabian, out of kayfabe he was dealing with recovering from a shoulder injury? It lasted a while and when he recovered he came back as a my chemical romance lookin’ dude who may or may not have thought the cardboard box was controlling him? The gimmick didn’t get over so it got dropped pretty fast. He also had a short feud again against Orange Cassidy in 2023 when Orange had the All-Atlantic Championship– he got under Orange’s skin so bad! Anyway thats neither here nor there. Thanks for reading!

[calderacitylovers]

Wholesome Zutara Short Stories

Tell Me Where Your Heart Is by badlucksav | Published: 2021-04-12 | 2,363 words

Katara accidentally discovers a secret stash of love letters Zuko has written to an anonymous woman but never sent. Could he be talking about her? “And I can’t help but hope that maybe that’s a sign, that you feel for me as I feel for you. Maybe you’re afraid to put it to words, as I am. But I cannot ever speak these feelings to you unless I know...I won’t put you in that position.”

Tales of Tenderness by emicha | Published: 2021-04-06 | 3,068 words

Toph, Iroh, Sokka, Gran Gran, Aang, and Azula observe how the relationship between Zuko and Katara unfolds over the years. “This is the picture of two souls that have seen too much bad already, who’ve grieved and hurt more than one single lifetime should permit; the picture of two people who still have it in them to hold a person so different from oneself this close.”

MOONTIDES by  MarkedMage | Published: 2020-11-24 | 10K Words

He smells like fire and feels like home. She smells like rain and feels like love. A short story about Zuko and Katara’s first kiss inspired by this and this glorious animation by Hayley Foster Wong.

GOLD by ifyouwereamelody | Published: 2020-11-27 | 3,7K Words

Zuko and Katara’s first kiss in a fall garden.

A Love Story Told in Reverse by cablesscutie | Published: 2021-04-26 | 9,324 words

A collection of sweet outtakes from Zuko and Katara’s life: from their childhoods to becoming parents. “Her head tips to rest on his shoulder, and with his heart in his throat, he gives into the months-old urge to kiss her hair. She makes a happy little hum, and Zuko can’t breathe.”

just say when by hawktasha | Published: 2021-03-16 | 6,131 words

After Sokka and Suki’s wedding, Katara wakes up with the worst hangover of her life, with the best friend she has been harboring feelings in secret for the last few years laying next to her, no clothes at all on either of their bodies. Oh, and she had no idea how they ended up in that predicament.

Engagement Chicken: The Engagement Scheme by DontStopHerNow | Published: 2022-09-18 | 23K words

After a night of commiseration about marriage expectations, Katara and Zuko agree to fake an engagement to get the meddlers off their backs. They'll call Chicken on the arrangement when everyone else objects. This can't last a month! Featuring: meddling friends, heartfelt words cloaked in half-truths, chaperones, Fire Nation engagement traditions, Southern Water Tribe wedding traditions, background couples, and a squid-whale with a mistaken identity

The Dragon of the West’s Guide to Flirting by bluesunflower44 | Published: 2021-05-12 | 4,341 words

“Now. Take very good care of this, it’s a family heirloom. Although no one passed it down to me, since I wrote it, it will be a family heirloom one day. I just know it.” Uncle Iroh is good with the ladies. So taking his advice when it comes to romance should go just fine...right?

Strike a Match by Naladot | Published: 2022-09-03 | 22K

At Republic City's second annual HeiBai festival, Fire Lord Zuko has contracted a matchmaker to find him a permanent political ally—or, well, a wife. He asks Katara to chaperone his meetings. But this arrangement only threatens to reveal the truth: there are a lot of things neither of them have ever dared to talk about.

Seven Years Bad Luck by riathermopolis | Published: 2021-08-08 | 20.6K words

The gaang reunites every summer for a week on Ember Island, which in theory Katara supports whole-heartedly. The only problem is that apparently some higher power on the island is on a mission to humiliate her. At least, that's her best guess for why she suddenly can't act like a normal person around Zuko. Or: Katara repeatedly embarrasses herself in front of Zuko.

Maiden Mother Crone by MoonShoesReyes  | Published: 2021-02-12 | 10,8K Words

Post-canon. After the ravages of war, Katara learns to wear three faces: maiden, mother, and crone. A sweet story of Zuko supporting Katara in her journey of self-discovery and finding a purpose. A sprinkle of Blue Spirit and Painted Lady. "After years of being empty, Katara finally knew who she was - or at least, she knew who she was at the core. Though her cast of masks stayed ever-changing, the Painted Lady was always kind and just."

Bound to Burn by Selemetis | Published: 2020-10-02 | 10,3K Words

Post-canon. Zuko witnesses the kiss between Aang and Katara. Over the coming months Zuko and Katara work their way back together. "Zuko knew he had to let Katara go for her to see where she wanted to stand."

So Close and Still So Far by EKWolf2020| Published: 2022-09-18 | 6,4K Words

It is the ten-year celebration of the end of The Hundred-year-old war. Expectations and excitement are in the air for most of the world. But for Katara, she feels dread as some news has come to her that could change everything. Will she follow with expectations, or will she find that there is another path for her?

The Brave Man Only Once by ifyouwereamelody | Published: 2021-02-19 | 2,2K Words

Firelord Zuko and Ambassador Katara’s first kiss. “He flinches as a voice rips him abruptly out of his own thoughts and drops him back into the meeting; the table of council members is watching him, staring with raised brows that beg the answer to a question he doesn’t know, but Katara refuses to look his way.”

Til Kingdom Come by bluenebulae | Published: 2020-07-26 | Words: 6,2K

Four years after Sozin’s Comet, Katara finds her way home. A proposal story. Supportive Gaang. “I’ve spent four years exploring every corner of this world, Zuko. I’ve been a waterbending master and a shop girl, an assistant in an abbey and an advisor to the Earth King and a whole bunch of people in the Fire colonies still think I’m an actual spirit. I think, now, I just want to be Katara. And that means being here.”

Voyage by amoeve | Published: 2015-07-24 | Words: 4,2K When Zuko asks Katara to marry him, it is for love. But it’s also an alliance that shows the world that the war is truly over, and everyone wants to get in on the fun. For their wedding Zuko and Katara work their way through over-the-top combination of customs and traditions from the four nations. Hilarious and absurd, but wholesome. “She’s a waterbender. When they travel, the little ship skims across the surface of the sea, eating up the miles, and they have ice houses to sleep in every night. He’s a firebender. He lights their way when the fogs descend, keeps them warm when they sleep, and fries the fish she catches in his hands.”

But Who’s Counting? by halfhoursonearth | Published: 2023-12-28 Words: 7K

After the Last Agni Kai Zuko and Katara are waiting for the news from the GAang and get to explore their friendship and growing connection. A tender and beautiful story. “Tears are gathering in her eyes, and a new tightness pulls at Zuko’s chest. Though he still isn’t used to the casual way his new friends touch one another, this is not the first time he has felt the instinct to reach for Katara, in particular—to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder or arm. But wiping tears from her face is something new, and Katara watches him with wide eyes as his hand rises to her cheek.”

happiness (that's all rolled up in you) by soopsiedaisies | Published: 2024-01-17 | 3,8K words

A first kiss story. Zuko and Katara are cooking dinner for the Gaang on the Ember Island. Sweet, thrilling, and beautiful. "She reckons that she likes a lot of things about Zuko. She likes his face, for starters: his nose, his eyes, his mouth. She likes his scar and the way he dresses. She likes how he picks up the slack left by the others like those tasks were his anyway and she likes his smile. She likes the way he kisses and she really likes his hair."

For the Fire Nation | 2019-11-25 | 2,8K words

He falls in love with her for his country before he falls in love with her for himself. A short and beautiful AU story that explores how love and duty aren’t always mutually exclusive.

[ach-thebrother]

Luigi Critone, fumettista e illustratore (1971)

# [*]

[*]

[*]

# https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2021/06/26/

https://www.2dgalleries.com/

[staydandy]

The Lost Tomb 2: Explore With the Note (2021) - 云顶天宫 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : The iron triangle: Wu Xie, Zhang Qi Ling and Wang Pang Zi find themselves on a train headed for the mountainous Korean border in search of a mysterious, mythical palace in a world of glaciers, avalanches, and blizzards. They have no idea why Wu San Sheng has sent the message that brought them all together again, but they soon discover that they are not alone in their search for the peak that holds the palace. As they move deeper within the maze of mountain tunnels, all of them begin to wonder if this adventure will be their final quest. (MDL) AKA : The Lost Tomb 2: Heavenly Palace on the Clouds

Whumpees : Wu Xie played by Bai Shu (center) • Zhang Qi Ling played by Zhao Dong Ze (right) • Wang Pang Zi played by Zhang Bo Yu (left)

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Action, Adventure, Mystery, Supernatural, Bromance

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from book 4 of "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记) by Kennedy Xu (南派三叔) • I think this is my least favorite Wu Xie actor, but I love the actor who plays Pang Zi (it's the same one as in Wrath of the Sea) • Favorite episode is pink • Suggested watch order of series (not including movies & spin-offs) : – 1. Mystic Nine (2016) – 2. The Lost Tomb (2015) – 3. The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) >> 4. The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note (2021) – 5. The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) – 6. Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) – 7. Tomb of the Sea (2018) – 8. Reunion: Sound of the Providence (2020) – 9. Reunion: Sound of the Providence 2 (2020)

Related Lists : The Lost Tomb (2015) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) - Full List • The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) - Full List • Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) - Full List

Episodes on List : 17 Total Episodes : 24

*Spoilers below*

01 : [flashback] Wu Xie trapped in collapsed tomb rubble … [present] hospitalized, conscious but unresponsive, [flashback] trapped in the rubble.. [present] wandering around barefoot, unsteady, dizzy, in & out of consciousness … attacked, cloth over mouth, injected with something; pain, seizure, dropped out of car unconscious … nightmare … rolls down a hill, hits a tree … ensnared in a trap, thrown around & tied up.. Wang Pang Zi tied up & dragged in the same trap … bit by a snake

02 : Face swollen from bee stings … scratched by a poisoned arrow, passes out … cared for, fever

04 : Wu Xie dizzy, unsteady … Wu Xie, Zhang Qi Ling, & Pang Zi exhausted … Wu Xie & Pang Zi knocked out with gas

05 : (at end) Wu Xie & Pang Zi almost fall into a ravine

06 : … continued from previous ep. ... Wu Xie & Pang Zi almost fall into a ravine

08 : Wu Xie exhausted, unsteady … collapses, suffering from hypoxia (low oxygen), passes out.. hallucinating.. dragged down a hill

11 : Falls off a cliff, caught by the safety line

14 : Kicked, hit his head, knocked out … Pang Zi hallucinating … Wu Xie in a daze, unresponsive … (@ 26:30-28:57, 38:43-40:45 gross many-legged bugs, including a giant one .. I srsly had to skip most of this .. I can't with these things) … shock

15 : Pang Zi grabbed by a nasty giant bug … (at end) Wu Xie choked

16 : … continued from previous ep. ... Choked

17 : Qi Ling not feeling well.. cuts his own fingers

18 : Wu Xie grabbed by a monster (thankfully not another bug) & dropped from a great height … (@ 5:14-6:50 more fucking bugs) … wakes, hurt from the fall … passed out/sleeping, wakes coughing, dehydrated, passes out again.. wakes coughing again, chest pain, helped to walk … weaker, blurry vision … wakes from sleep with pain … rib pain, coughing.. Pang Zi sore from being dropped from a great height … Wu Xie has nightmare, pain

19 : (@ 8:23-8:51 gross bug stuff) … Coughing, rib pain … pukes

20 : (near end) Bit

21 : Panic, hyperventilating … attacked … (@ 31:23-32:40, 33:59-35:32 bugs!) falls off a platform, spits up blood.. cared for, chest pain

22 : Coughing, pain

24 : (big bug demon thing) … Held hostage, gun to his head.. Pang Zi tied up

More Whump Lists for this show: love-me-a-lotta-whump

[autumnslance]

LynMars's FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

We're back again! The list and links for all of my completed prompts for this year's FFXIV Write. Stats and ramblings about writing will go under the Read More cut. Eventually these will be revised in some manner and tossed onto Ao3.

Asterisks again mean there's wolship nonsense happening.

01. Steer - Vignettes of less sociable times over Aeryn's life. 02. Horizon - WoL at the end of Ultima Thule, EW 6.0. 03. Tempest - WoL returns to Amaurot to contemplate, EW 6.4. 04. Reticent - C'oretta & Dark Autumn have a chat. Sort of. 05. Stamp - Aeryn finds a memento while cleaning, post-EW 6.0 06. Halcyon - Tanzel, Emelia, & understanding grief. Backstory. 07. Morsel - Zenos heading to Camp Broken Glass, EW 6.0. 08. Free Day! 09. Lend an Ear - Emperor Varis is very much alone. StB patches. 10. Stable - Hydaelyn as the avatar of Light. Endwalker. 11. Surrogate - Weird West AU. Unexpected new roles for the Strikers. 12. Quarry* - Dominants AU. Thavnair comes to Tural's aid. DT 7.0. 13. Butte - Dark Autumn versus seedkin in Xak Tural. DT 7.0. 14. Telling - WoL reflects on Emet-Selch's expected reaction. EW 6.0. 15. Free Day! 16. Third-Rate - Aeryn's annoyed by the Unbound. DT Role Quests. 17. Sally - Dark pays a final visit to a traitor, post-StB 4.1. 18. Hackneyed* - Aeryn, Thancred, & terrible literature. 19. Taken - A young wood warder tries to save his sibling. Backstory. 20. Duel - Wuk Lamat's challenge does not go as expected. DT 7.0. 21. Shade - WoL ruminates on some of their ghosts. Thru DT 7.0. 22. Free Day! 23. On Cloud Nine - A chocobo & her Warrior of Light. End ShB 5.0. 24. Bar - 2 different adventurers starting out. Legacy & ARR. 25. Perpetuity - Aeryn, Deryk, & questions of faith. EW 24man raid. 26. Zip - C'oretta helping out Hamon at the Coliseum. Technically DT. 27. Memory - In a future, music makes Iyna remember. EW Patches. 28. Deleterious - Aeryn & Shale discuss regulators & history. DT 7.0. 29. (Free) Deleterious 2* - Thancred & self-recrimination. ShB 5.0. 30. Two Heads are Better than One - Gulool Ja Ja muses. DT 7.0.

Previous years: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Ended up a touch Aeryn-heavy this year, though Generic WoL, various NPCs, the other OCs, forays in the FC's AUs, and some supporting family cast members make appearances. There's even a callback to a previous FFXIV Write entry. Lots of Endwalker and Dawntrail due to recency bias, but it manages to span the spectrum from backstories through various expansions.

I only did 1 Free Day, due to having 2 solid ideas I ended up writing for that prompt. It was right at the end of my annual birthday vacation week, so I was pretty rested (may also be why they're among the longer entries!). Unusually, the rest of that week's works are not any longer than the others.

I'm also still working on some original writing, though, so that did cut into fanfiction time.

Below 500 words: #2 Horizon (347), #3 Tempest (415), #7 Morsel (499), #10 Stable (400), #13 Butte (477), #14 Telling (355), #17 Sally (464), #20 Duel (499), #24 Bar (462).

500 - 1,000 words: #1 Steer (944), #4 Reticent (581), #5 Stamp (588), #11 Surrogate (964), #12 Quarry (844), #16 Third-Rate (564), #18 Hackneyed (577), #19 Taken (915), #21 Shade (764), #23 On Cloud Nine (728), #25 Perpetuity (958), #26 Zip (592), #27 Memory (810), #30 Two Heads are Better than One (500).

Over 1,000 words: #6 Halcyon (2,479), #9 Lend an Ear (1,326), #28 Deleterious (1,099), #29 Deleterious 2 (1,231).

Shortest: #2 Horizon Longest: #6 Halcyon

Total: 20,382 words. Not my shortest but far from my longest. Comparing with the previous years, I can see a clear improvement in my grasp of both NPC and OC voices, and more confidence in general.

Even so, "Butte", "Sally", "Bar", and "Zip" were the hardest for me this year, and I may need to warm up to them. I love "Halcyon" for a lot of reasons, and am also fond of the lighter offerings in "Duel" and "On Cloud Nine." I like a lot of the others, particularly when trying to get into NPC heads (even if they're really weird places to be ffs, Zenos).

Not too many shippy entries this year, one of them for one of the AUs, one mostly talking about it rather than seeing it, but I like "Hackneyed" a lot as it's been awhile since I've written about Aeryn & Thancred's literary tastes (and opposite ways of treating their books).

These will eventually be revised and added to Ao3, and then we await next year!

[the-bar-sinister]

Big List of Completed Longfics

X-Men: Re-Evolution (116,992 words): 2020s era ‘reboot’ of X-men: Evolution. It initiates its own continuity but keeps many of the themes, situations, and characters from the original show. Completed: 2021-11-15

The Departure of the Great Returned Soul (29,488 words): After returning from the war, Bunny Manders' pseudonymous publications have made certain that the villain AJ Raffles was dead, in the mind of the public, giving the genuine article just the wiggle room needed for he and his companion to disappear from the eyes of the law. Completed: 2024-02-05

Drawing the Line (17,060 words): Otto doesn’t know whether Norman’s (the Goblin’s?) attempt to pull him into a kiss was a ridiculous prank, or a genuine pass at him. Worse still, the Goblin drags him out on a duo heist while the rest of the Six are busy. Its not a date…. is it? Completed: 2022-06-06

The Primrose Path to Hell (94,161 words): In the days leading up to what would be the first outbreak, STARS captain Albert Wesker draws young and naive rookie Rebecca Chambers into his twisted web one step at a time. What develops between them is a gordian knot of twisted emotions; desire, devotion, love, trust, duplicity, control, manipulation, and ultimately, surrender, which threatens to drag the entire S.T.A.R.S. team along in its wake. Completed: 2023-01-14

In Justice We Trust (163,083 words): With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed. Completed: 2024-04-26

Chains of the Dragon (69,630 words): It takes almost four months for Apollo Justice's on-again off-again boyfriend Klavier Gavin to find out why he hasn't seen his favorite herr forehead–or their forensic investigator– in town in a while. When he discovers that Apollo has moved to Kura'in without so much as a goodbye or a phone call, the rockstar hatches a plan with Trucy Wright to swoop into action and rescue the derelict lawyer from his self imposed exile. Completed: 2024-07-09

A Song for Ragpickers and Urchins (42,622 words): When a small-time band of young rogues and thieves take in a lost and lonely fallen noble their twisted star finally begins to rise. Urchins, vagabonds and slaves take up a scoundrel's life under a common banner— the jolly roger Donquixote— to claw their way to something like happiness in the miserable, cold-hearted factory towns of the North Blue. Completed: 2025-01-09

Fire in the Belly, Spirits on the Tongue (86,979 words): Luffy was right when he said that Ace lied about having no regrets. Ace had so many regrets. His spirit was restless. He wasn't ready to die. Sabo promised that he wouldn't leave the Revolutionary army, but what will become of the three of them now that Ace is awake and alive in his heart, and more importantly, his body? Completed: 2025-04-14

Deicide: Onigashima Aftermath (66,368 words): In the aftermath of the raid on Onigashima everything changes. Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head but has difficulty opening up to his friends about his fear. Kid takes on new crew members, and puts his ego aside to find a cure for his first mate while Law searches for a new path forward after his long-time goal becomes a memory. Completed: 2024-08-19

Bleeding, Broken, Mended (91,671 words): Law is certain that he was 'rescued' just so Doflamingo could kill him himself, but Doffy has other plans. As far as he's concerned, Law's decade-long quest for revenge was nothing more than a sad misunderstanding. He wants to remind Law how things used to be. He wants to find a way to bring Law back into the fold-- back to him-- forever. Completed: 2024-09-14

Deicide: Red Shift (113,890 words): A mysterious signal is drawing ships across the Grand Line to a place called Elegia for the first ever concert by the rising star singer, Uta. Following the signal are the Straw Hats and their captain Luffy, who hasn't seen Uta since they were both little children at their idol Shanks' knee. Perhaps this meeting was ordained by fate. Perhaps, in the end, there was only ever one tragic outcome possible. But Luffy has other plans. Completed: 2025-02-03

Deicide: New Horizons (83,190 words): New courses must be decided on. Luffy and the Straw Hats spend some time getting to know their new allies in Cross Guild. Ace works to reform the Spade Pirates. Caesar, Chopper, and Sanji plot with the Donquixotes and the Vinsmokes to bring Ace and Monet, back to life in their own bodies, as well as to save Bonney's dad, Kuma. Shanks reconnects with Buggy and Mihawk after finally regaining his confidence. The Beast Pirates and the Charlottes deal with the aftermath of Wano, and forge a new goal together. Tashigi, Smoker and Zoro all deal with the revelation of Tashigi's past, and Vivi, Buggy and Masked Deuce all finally show up in the same room. Completed: 2025-04-29

Gaia Incognita (37,190 words): The past and present intertwine as Veld and Vincent try to discover what the horrible dreams of a darker Midgar have to do with the life and love that they built together in the aftermath of Hojo's mysterious and untimely demise. Completed: 2025-04-08