#2017/03/09

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Your Meta AI prompts are in a live, public feed

I'm in the home stretch of my 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in PDX TOMORROW (June 20) at BARNES AND NOBLE with BUNNIE HUANG and at the TUALATIN public library on SUNDAY (June 22). After that, it's LONDON (July 1) with TRASHFUTURE'S RILEY QUINN and then a big finish in MANCHESTER on July 2.

Back in 2006, AOL tried something incredibly bold and even more incredibly stupid: they dumped a data-set of 20,000,000 "anonymized" search queries from 650,000 users (yes, AOL had a search engine – there used to be lots of search engines!):

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

The AOL dump was a catastrophe. In an eyeblink, many of the users in the dataset were de-anonymized. The dump revealed personal, intimate and compromising facts about the lives of AOL search users. The AOL dump is notable for many reasons, not least because it jumpstarted the academic and technical discourse about the limits of "de-identifying" datasets by stripping out personally identifying information prior to releasing them for use by business partners, researchers, or the general public.

It turns out that de-identification is fucking hard. Just a couple of datapoints associated with an "anonymous" identifier can be sufficent to de-anonymize the user in question:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1508081113

But firms stubbornly refuse to learn this lesson. They would love it if they could "safely" sell the data they suck up from our everyday activities, so they declare that they can safely do so, and sell giant data-sets, and then bam, the next thing you know, a federal judge's porn-browsing habits are published for all the world to see:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/01/data-browsing-habits-brokers

Indeed, it appears that there may be no way to truly de-identify a data-set:

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/understanding-the-maths-is-crucial-for-protecting-privacy

Which is a serious bummer, given the potential insights to be gleaned from, say, population-scale health records:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/health/data-privacy-protection.html

It's clear that de-identification is not fit for purpose when it comes to these data-sets:

https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~arvindn/publications/precautionary.pdf

But that doesn't mean there's no safe way to data-mine large data-sets. "Trusted research environments" (TREs) can allow researchers to run queries against multiple sensitive databases without ever seeing a copy of the data, and good procedural vetting as to the research questions processed by TREs can protect the privacy of the people in the data:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/01/the-palantir-will-see-you-now/#public-private-partnership

But companies are perennially willing to trade your privacy for a glitzy new product launch. Amazingly, the people who run these companies and design their products seem to have no clue as to how their users use those products. Take Strava, a fitness app that dumped maps of where its users went for runs and revealed a bunch of secret military bases:

https://gizmodo.com/fitness-apps-anonymized-data-dump-accidentally-reveals-1822506098

Or Venmo, which, by default, let anyone see what payments you've sent and received (researchers have a field day just filtering the Venmo firehose for emojis associated with drug buys like "pills" and "little trees"):

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/technology/personaltech/venmo-privacy-oversharing.html

Then there was the time that Etsy decided that it would publish a feed of everything you bought, never once considering that maybe the users buying gigantic handmade dildos shaped like lovecraftian tentacles might not want to advertise their purchase history:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2011/03/etsy-users-irked-after-buyers-purchases-exposed-to-the-world/

But the most persistent, egregious and consequential sinner here is Facebook (naturally). In 2007, Facebook opted its 20,000,000 users into a new system called "Beacon" that published a public feed of every page you looked at on sites that partnered with Facebook:

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

Facebook didn't just publish this – they also lied about it. Then they admitted it and promised to stop, but that was also a lie. They ended up paying $9.5m to settle a lawsuit brought by some of their users, and created a "Digital Trust Foundation" which they funded with another $6.5m. Mark Zuckerberg published a solemn apology and promised that he'd learned his lesson.

Apparently, Zuck is a slow learner.

Depending on which "submit" button you click, Meta's AI chatbot publishes a feed of all the prompts you feed it:

https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/the-meta-ai-app-is-a-privacy-disaster/

Users are clearly hitting this button without understanding that this means that their intimate, compromising queries are being published in a public feed. Techcrunch's Amanda Silberling trawled the feed and found:

"An audio recording of a man in a Southern accent asking, 'Hey, Meta, why do some farts stink more than other farts?'"

"people ask[ing] for help with tax evasion"

"[whether family members would be arrested for their proximity to white-collar crimes"

"how to write a character reference letter for an employee facing legal troubles, with that person’s first and last name included."

While the security researcher Rachel Tobac found "people’s home addresses and sensitive court details, among other private information":

https://twitter.com/racheltobac/status/1933006223109959820

There's no warning about the privacy settings for your AI prompts, and if you use Meta's AI to log in to Meta services like Instagram, it publishes your Instagram search queries as well, including "big booty women."

As Silberling writes, the only saving grace here is that almost no one is using Meta's AI app. The company has only racked up a paltry 6.5m downloads, across its ~3 billion users, after spending tens of billions of dollars developing the app and its underlying technology.

The AI bubble is overdue for a pop:

https://www.wheresyoured.at/measures/

When it does, it will leave behind some kind of residue – cheaper, spin-out, standalone models that will perform many useful functions:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Those standalone models were released as toys by the companies pumping tens of billions into the unsustainable "foundation models," who bet that – despite the worst unit economics of any technology in living memory – these tools would someday become economically viable, capturing a winner-take-all market with trillions of upside. That bet remains a longshot, but the littler "toy" models are beating everyone's expectations by wide margins, with no end in sight:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00259-0

I can easily believe that one enduring use-case for chatbots is as a kind of enhanced diary-cum-therapist. Journalling is a well-regarded therapeutic tactic:

https://www.charliehealth.com/post/cbt-journaling

And the invention of chatbots was instantly followed by ardent fans who found that the benefits of writing out their thoughts were magnified by even primitive responses:

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

Which shouldn't surprise us. After all, divination tools, from the I Ching to tarot to Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's Oblique Strategies deck have been with us for thousands of years: even random responses can make us better thinkers:

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

I make daily, extensive use of my own weird form of random divination:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/31/divination/

The use of chatbots as therapists is not without its risks. Chatbots can – and do – lead vulnerable people into extensive, dangerous, delusional, life-destroying ratholes:

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/

But that's a (disturbing and tragic) minority. A journal that responds to your thoughts with bland, probing prompts would doubtless help many people with their own private reflections. The keyword here, though, is private. Zuckerberg's insatiable, all-annihilating drive to expose our private activities as an attention-harvesting spectacle is poisoning the well, and he's far from alone. The entire AI chatbot sector is so surveillance-crazed that anyone who uses an AI chatbot as a therapist needs their head examined:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/04/01/doctor-robo-blabbermouth/#fool-me-once-etc-etc

AI bosses are the latest and worst offenders in a long and bloody lineage of privacy-hating tech bros. No one should ever, ever, ever trust them with any private or sensitive information. Take Sam Altman, a man whose products routinely barf up the most ghastly privacy invasions imaginable, a completely foreseeable consequence of his totally indiscriminate scraping for training data.

Altman has proposed that conversations with chatbots should be protected with a new kind of "privilege" akin to attorney-client privilege and related forms, such as doctor-patient and confessor-penitent privilege:

https://venturebeat.com/ai/sam-altman-calls-for-ai-privilege-as-openai-clarifies-court-order-to-retain-temporary-and-deleted-chatgpt-sessions/

I'm all for adding new privacy protections for the things we key or speak into information-retrieval services of all types. But Altman is (deliberately) omitting a key aspect of all forms of privilege: they immediately vanish the instant a third party is brought into the conversation. The things you tell your lawyer are priviiliged, unless you discuss them with anyone else, in which case, the privilege disappears.

And of course, all of Altman's products harvest all of our information. Altman is the untrusted third party in every conversation everyone has with one of his chatbots. He is the eternal Carol, forever eavesdropping on Alice and Bob:

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

Altman isn't proposing that chatbots acquire a privilege, in other words – he's proposing that he should acquire this privilege. That he (and he alone) should be able to mine your queries for new training data and other surveillance bounties.

This is like when Zuckerberg directed his lawyers to destroy NYU's "Ad Observer" project, which scraped Facebook to track the spread of paid political misinformation. Zuckerberg denied that this was being done to evade accountability, insisting (with a miraculously straight face) that it was in service to protecting Facebook users' (nonexistent) privacy:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/05/comprehensive-sex-ed/#quis-custodiet-ipsos-zuck

We get it, Sam and Zuck – you love privacy.

We just wish you'd share.

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/2025/06/19/privacy-invasion-by-design#bringing-home-the-beacon

[toskarinarchive]

Toskarin Database

Last updated: 2024-08-25, 23:02+00:00

Current Toskarinlike Count: 44

toskarin-blog - First post (2017-11-14, 08:38)

toskarin - First post (2021-09-08, 21:59)

niraksot - First post (2022-10-25, 23:55)

toskarinfr (original, deleted) - First post (2023-05-26)

toskarinfr - First post (2023-12-08, 14:05)

toskarinpl - First post (2023-12-19, 22:31)

yoskarin - First post (2023-12-21, 04:18)

toskarintetris - First post (2024-02-13, 02:26)

kojmahid - First post (2024-02-14, 21:53)

toskarinalternia - First post (2024-02-15, 00:21)

yamitoskarin - First post (2024-02-16, 21:09)

toskarinus - First post (2024-02-22, 20:41)

shkinamiasuka - First post (2024-02-23, 19:51)

toskarintoast - First post (2024-02-28, 08:14)

toskarinnl - First post (2024-03-01, 16:01)

toskarinjp - First post (2024-03-01, 16:31)

toskarinfrfr - First post (2024-03-01, 21:18)

toskarines - First post (2024-03-01, 21:36)

arturigon - First post (2024-03-01, 23:11)

tossedkarin - First post (2024-03-01, 23:41)

toskarin-gpl - First post (2024-03-02, 01:04)

cambrarin - First post (2024-03-02, 01:47)

toskarinhole - First post (2024-03-02, 01:58)

toskarininthecornerofyourvision - First post (2024-03-02, 04:37)

toskarinkr - First post (2024-03-02, 05:27)

toskarinarchive - First post (2024-03-02, 07:05)

toskarinde - First post (2024-03-02, 18:04)

toskarinternetexplorer (deleted) - First post (2024-03-03, 21:23)

tezkarin - First post (2024-03-04, 19:51)

castgil-cmd - First post (2024-03-05, 01:46)

Oskar In (LinkedIn) - First post (2024-03-05, 20:50)

toskarincoffee - First post (2024-03-06, 01:42)

newtoskarin - First post (2024-03-06, 07:58)

halimedefr - First post (2024-04-13, 00:17)

homumi - First post (2024-05-05, 04:40)

toskalain - First post (2024-05-18, 19:57)

ntriderpt - First post (2024-06-13, 17:00)

ntriderie - First post (2024-06-17, 20:47)

cyberbunes - First post (2024-06-20, 17:18)

bulletliger - First post (2024-06-25, 04:20)

kirikomamurafr - First post (2024-06-25, 07:13)

freyalisefr - First post (2024-06-26, 02:06)

ntriderbr - First post (2024-06-26, 04:03)

toskarinbunny - First post (2024-07-06, 21:09)

ingridgal - First post (2024-08-21, 04:32)

[thealieninhiding]

The Katie McGrath Archives (WIP)

A repository of my ongoing digital archeology & archival work please contact me if you have anything to contribute and buy me a coffee if you value my content

Updates

(last updated 2025-01-14)

2025-01-14

Scans:

2008-10 InStyle (LQ)

2009 DRAMA Magazine (LQ)

2009-10 The Sunday Times Style (Ireland)

2010-10 Tatler

2010-12 InStyle

2011-02 Instyle (LQ)

2011-07 Tatler (LQ)

2011-10 Sunday Independent

2012-03-14 Sci-FiNow

2012-03-23 The Lady Magazine

2024-07-03

Scans:

2014-02-07 London Times - Dracula sets

Audio:

(Un)likeminded 2x02 How to Survive The Apocalypse

2024-05-24

Video:

2017 Katie McGrath interview [CW|KMcGsource]

2017 Supergirl Season 3 Sweet dreams (are made of this) Music Video

2017 CW SDCC Promo Supergirl and Arrow

2019-01-01 The CW Promo Open To All

2021-04-25 Supergirl Season 6 Katie McGrath Lena Luthor

2021-09-15 Supergirl Season 6 Katie McGrath Reflecting on Supergirl

2024-05-22

Audio:

Interview - 2009-07-17 Katie McGrath Mr Media interview

Interview - 2009-10-15 Geek Syndicate Merlin BTS special

Video:

BTS - 2008-10-08 Blue Peter Merlin BTS

Events - 2009 TV Choice Awards Digital Spy interview

Events - Getty Videos of 2009 TV Choice Awards, 2010 Merlin Series 3 launch, 2011 W.E. premiere, 2017 King Arthur Premiere

2024-05-17

Archived interviews

2008-12-07 Tribune Magazine - What Katie Did

2011-10-14 What's on TV - Merlin's Katie McGrath- 'Bad girls have more fun!'

2012-12-03 Fanhattan Blog - Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Series Finale

2018-08-01 The TV Junkies - Supergirl SDCC 2018 Interviews- Lena’s Impractical Lab Outfits, the Return of Reporter Kara and a More Grounded Season 4

Audio

HHush samples

Interview - 2009-2011 Sci-fi Talk rewind merlin the series specials episode 1

Interview - 2011? Merlin S4 Sci-fi talk byte katie mcgrath on morgana

Interview - 2013 BBC Radio 1xtra part 1 & part 2

(Un)likeminded 1x02 While You Were Dreaming

Trees a crowd- Irish folklore segment

Magazine scans

2008-09-20 Radio Times

2009-06-08 TV Week (Aus)

2010-09-05 Sunday Express

2010-09-30 Totally Merlin Magazine

2011-12 Total Film

2012-03-14 Sci-Fi Now

2012-10-06 Radio Times

2013-04-06 Irish independent

2013-09-02 Marie-Claire (UK)

2013-12 Instyle

2013-12 Total Film

Video:

Fans - 2012-04-16 Merlin4 [carlospyrrhus]

Fans - 2017-08-30 Supergirl cast together on set [Joyce Law]

Interview - 2009-09-?? Merlin S2 audio interview with Katie McGrath [BJsRealm] part 1

Interview - 2010-09-06 Merlin Series 3 - BBC Radio 1xtra Interview with Angel Coulby & Katie McGrath [BJsrealm]

Interview - 2011-10-14 Merlin S4 Colin Morgan, Eoin Macken Katie McGrath on The Late Late Show

Interview - 2012-07-15 Colin Morgan and Katie McGrath at SDCC 2012 - innerSPACE [merlinnetwork2]

Interview - 2012-07-18 Katie McGrath Talks Merlin At Comic Con 2012 [ThinkHeroTV]

Interview - 2012-10-25 BBC Radio 1 Breakfast - Colin & Katie part 1 & part 2 [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2012-12-03 Merlin S5 Katie McGrath interview international press day [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2012-12-03 Colin, Bradley, Katie phone interview [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2013-11-09 Katie McGrath on BBC One Saturday Kitchen [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2019-07-22 ENTREVISTA SUPERGIRL Elenco fala sobre a nova temporada [Warner Channel Brasil]

Interview - 2019-07-23 Melissa Benoist Teases Directing An Episode Of 'Supergirl' [ET Canada]

Interview - 2020-02-21 ‘Supergirl’ Celebrates 100th Episode [ET Canada]

Panels - 2011-07-28 Merlin Comic Con 2011 Panel [ThinkHeroTV]

[boxboxluckybird]

List of articles and books that are about Motorsports or Motorsports adjacent

Idk if y'all will have total access to these- I get to them through my university's library database- I'll give titles so you can find them- and if i have links to pdfs, ill put them in too

i will continue to update this list as i continue to read more books and articles :3 also i need to go on my uni laptop to get all the crash and safety books i have on there to put on this list

Motogp-

article about Franco Morbidelli and Joann Zarco's crash in 2020- gives full analysis with the numbers and a discussion of everything (link) Name of Article: Descriptive Kinematic Analysis of the Potentially Tragic Accident at the 2020 Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix Using Low-Cost Instruments: A Brief Report by Marco Gervasi et. al. (2020-10)

article about the myth surrounding Valentino Rossi- (it is in french but there is also an italian version) Name of Article: Valentino Rossi : la construction médiatique du mythe by Charlotte Moge pp. 363-383 (DOI link)

Book Chapter Valentino Rossi: A Uniquely British Look at an Italian Motorsport Legend by Sean Bell in "More than Cricket and Football: International Sport and the Challenge of Celebrity" (2016)

this one is all about the economy and how motogp affects tourism in Indonesia-

Do Satisfied Visitors Intend to Revisit a Large Sports Event? A Case Study of a Large Sports Event in Indonesia by Pahrudin Pahrudin Link to PDF (Article) (2024-12)

Formula One-

Book about racism in sports- (i used this as a main secondary source when researching historic racism in f1) it has an article about Lewis Hamilton and other racism in formula one Title- Race, Racism and Sports Journalism by Neil Farrington (2012) (i recommend his other book about racism in sports social media)

"Technology Innovations and Consumption of Formula 1 as a TV Sport Product" by Christopher Schneiders (2022-09)

Analyzing Brand Strategy on an International Scale: The Sponsorship Performance Cycle in Formula One Racing by Jonathan A Jensen, et. al. (2024-09) (Article)

When Success Is Rare and Competitive: Learning from Others' Success and My Failure at the Speed of Formula One by Micheal A Lapre (2022-12) (Article)

Green Light or black flag? Greenwashing environmental sustainability in Formula One and Formula E by Annals of leisure research(2025-01) (Article)

Technological Discontinuities and Competitive Advantages: A Historical Perspective on Formula 1 Motor Racing 1950-2006 by Mark Jenkins (2010-07) (Article)

Sandwiched Between Sport and Politics: Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, Formula 1, and Non-Democratic Regimes by Hans Erik Naess (2017-05) (Article)

The age-productivity gradient: Evidence from a sample of F1 drivers by Labour economics (2011-08) (Article) pdf link

Book Chapter Chapter 10: Aryton Senna, Alain Prost, and the Spector of Death by Becquer Medak-Seguin, et. al. in "Cultural Exchanges Between Brazil and France" (2016)

Smoke and mirrors: new tobacco products and Formula 1 by The Lancet (2019-05) (Article)

NASCAR-

"If It Ain't Rubbin', It Ain't Racin'" Article about Nascar by Lawrence and Barbara Hugenburg (2008-08)

A comparison of college football and NASCAR consumer profiles: Identity formation and spectatorship motivation by Shaughan A Keaton (2015-03) (Article)

"Sport, Spectacle, and NASCAR Nation: Consumption and the Cultural Politics of Neoliberalism" by Joshua Newman (2011)

Book Chapter Louise Smith: The First Lady of Racing by Suzanne Wise in "South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times" (Volume 3) (2012)

Book Chapter The Most Southern Sport on Earth: NASCAR and the Unions by Dan Pierce in "Southern Cultures : The Fifteenth Anniversary Reader" (2008)

Special interest ones-

"Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness" by Ewan Thomas- pdf- link (2022)

"The future of motorsports: business, politics and society" by Hans Erik Naess, et. al. (2023)

"The Green Transition in Motorsport: Purpose, Politics, and Profit" by Hans Erik Naess, et. al. (2023)

More than "just a driver": A study of professional women racecar drivers' agency in motorsport by Jill Kochanek (2021-01) (Article)

'What on Earth are They Doing in a Racing Car?': Towards an Understanding of Women in Motorsport by Jordan J.K. Matthews, and Elizabeth C.J. Pike (2016-09) (Article)

tag list: @raikkonens @caleb-is-existing @books4ever03

[talknerdytome18]

If You Liked A Good Girl's Guide To Murder, Here's What You Should Read Next!

I think it's very obvious that I'm an AGGGTM fan. And ever since finishing the series in 2023, I've been needing books that have a similar vibe to it.

So, if you've just finished AGGGTM and are now looking for the next thing to help with your AGGGTM hangover, here are my recs for you!

The Naturals Series By Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Status: Completed.

The Naturals: 05/11/2013

Killer Instinct: 04/11/2014

All In: 03/11/2015

Bad Blood: 01/11/2016

Twelve (Novella): 07/11/2017

I feel like every AGGGTM fan (me included) reads this series right after reading AGGGTM. And trust me, you will not regret it.

The series follows Cassie Hobbes - a teenage girl who is recruited to join an elite FBI program that specialises in having teenagers with "natural abilities" to solve cold cases. Each book follows a different case that centres on a specific member, though the books are all written in Cassie's perspective.

This series is around the same level of violence as AGGGTM. There's a bit of graphic description in the "You" chapters, but it's not too gory.

This series is unforgettable and you'll binge it in a week. And then when you finish, you'll cry because you'll miss the characters and the world that you've been brought into.

2. Eleanor Jones Is Not A Murderer Series by Amy Doak

Status: Ongoing Series

Eleanor Jones Is Not A Murderer: 05/09/2023.

Eleanor Jones Can't Keep A Secret: 02/07/2024

UNDERRATED.

This series is genuinely amazing. If you've read AGGGTM and haven't read this, WTF ARE YOU DOING??? GET UP RN AND GO READ IT!!!

The first book follows Eleanor Jones - a teenage girl who has just moved to Cooinda - a small Australian country town. She moves around a lot and because of it, she prefers to stay invisible instead of making friends (she's on her ninth high school in less than five years!!!). However, the first person she does talk to on her first day ends up being stabbed later on, so she's suspected for it cause she was the last person he talked to. So now she has to clear her name and find the real suspect.

The second book is my fave. It picks up off where the first book ended off. Eleanor is now solving a new murder case that Nance (a resident at the local care home that she's volunteering at for a school project) admits to witnessing when she was younger.

Seriously, READ THIS SERIES. Eleanor is such a relatable character. It's such a shame it's so underrated cause it's amazing. The characters are fun, the romance between Eleanor and Troy is exquisite, and the mysteries are insane.

It's not too graphic. I'd say it's a little less graphic than AGGGTM. It covers some topics (drugs, murder, etc), but it's not extremely graphic.

Also, it's an ongoing series. The third book will be out in July. Read the first two before the third comes out!

3. One of Us Is Lying Trilogy (The Bayview Trilogy) by Karen M.McManus

Status: Completed

One Of Us Is Lying: 29/05/2017

One Of Us Is Next: 07/01/2020

One Of Us Is Back: 23/07/2023

Again, every AGGGTM fan has probably read this, but I don't care. If you haven't read it, wtf are you doing? GET UP AND READ IT.

This series was perfection to me. Even after a year, I miss it. I wish I could read it for the first time again. Anyone who can is LUCKY AF AND THAT SHOULD BE ME.

The first book follows four students (Bronwyn, Nate, Addy and Cooper) who've witnessed the death of their classmate Simon, who ran a gossip page and planned to expose their secrets after detention. Now because of it, they're all suspects in his murders and now have to figure out who had killed him.

The second book follows a different cast (Maeve, Knox and Phoebe) but is still thrilling nonetheless. A year after Simon's death, there are copycats attempting to replicate him, but none have succeeded... until now. When a truth or dare game takes over their school, the new trio must stop it before it gets deadly.

And the last book IS THE BEST ONE. It has three perspectives (Addy, Nate and Phoebe). It's now been almost two years since Simon's death. Just when things seem to be finally settling down, a mysterious billboard appears, taunting Bayview. Nobody thinks anything of it, until a member of the Bayview crew suddenly goes missing.

This series is so worth it, honestly. I genuinely wish for there to be one more book because I love the world Karen created with these books. I personally think they're her best work and nothing can change my mind on it.

Please read it. It's about as graphic as AGGGTM. There's some description, but nothing triggering.

4. Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Published: 29/11/2022

If you just finished the AGGGTM trilogy and want more by Holly Jackson, then you're very lucky that she has two standalones (a third coming out in July).

Five Survive wasn't my personal fave, but it's still a great read if you're a Holly fan.

This book follows Red Kenny and her friends who are on a road trip in an RV for spring break. Suddenly, the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They quickly realise that this is no accident and that there is someone out there that knows who they all are and wants one of them dead for a secret they are keeping.

I would say this is around the same level of violence as AGGGTM. It isn't too graphic cause it's a YA novel, but it doesn't shy away from tackling heavy topics to a certain extent.

It's a fun read that you can possibly finish in one sitting. I really reccomend this if you are looking for more works by Holly Jackson!

5. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

Published: 02/04/2024

MY FAVOURITE HOLLY STANDALONE.

If you ever seen negativity about this book and think it isn't worth it, DON'T LISTEN AND JUST READ IT. IT'S SO WORTH IT.

This book follows Bel Price, whose mother (Rachel Price) had disappeared sixteen years ago and has since lived in the shadow of it. However, as a documentary is being filmed about her disappearance, her mother suddenly reappears and has an unbelievable story about where she has been for the past sixteen years.

However, as inconsistencies appear in her story, Bel becomes suspicious and decides to investigate her mother's case to find the truth.

This book starts off slow, I'll admit. However, after 100 pages, you will not stop turning the pages. It's arguably one of Holly's best works and I really think you'd love it if you loved AGGGTM.

Just like Five Survive and AGGGTM, this is around the same level of violence. There is heavy content, but it's not too graphic.

Amazing book. I wish it wasn't so underrated.

6. How To Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Published: 30/08/2022

UNDERRATED.

This one is a little different than AGGGTM, but it's still amazing.

This book follows Alice Lawrence, whose life has fallen apart since her sister's murder last Halloween. Her parents divorced, she lives in a small apartment with her mother, and she has to testify against her sister's killer in court, who all doubt what she saw last Halloween.

However, after being knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike on the day of the testimony, she is brought back to the day her sister died. She now must save her sister from being murdered, while also finding the true identity of the killer.

Unlike AGGGTM, this is a slasher/horror book. There is a mystery going on, but unlike AGGGTM, it's not in the past. You'll be seeing people die, so don't get too attached to anyone.

It's a very fun read. I think I'll reread it sometime this year.

7. Nothing More To Tell by Karen M.McManus

Published: 30/08/2022

BEST STANDALONE BY KAREN.

Out of all Karen's standalones, this one has the closest vibes to AGGGTM. Two Can Keep a Secret does as well but I hated that book (no offence).

This book follows Brynn Gallagher, who has recently moved back to her old hometown after four years. She had left shortly after the shocking murder of her favourite teacher Mr. Larkin, whose body was found by three of her classmates - including her former best friend Tripp. She has always suspected that they weren't telling the full truth of what happened that day.

Now four years later, Brynn has been hired as a intern for a new true-crime show and is determined to find out the full truth behind Mr. Larkin's murder.

This book is one of my faves. It's not too graphic (it's a YA book) and is perfect if you are looking for a book like AGGGTM. I really want a sequel, but I don't think I'll ever get one.

Conclusion

That's all! I hope you all enjoyed. I hope this post helped you with picking your next read if you loved AGGGTM, but weren't sure what to read after it.

Em <33

[seoul-bros]

Happy Birthday Yoongi

Facebook/Weverse Photos (2014 -2024)

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Post Date: 09/03/205 (in SK)

[transspeciesculture]

We keep mentioning how transspecies as a term has existed long before the radqueer & transID communities formed, and started claiming it as part of those communities despite it's actual usage within nonhuman/fictional/unusual human species identifying spaces and objections from said spaces.

As a sort of quick thing to back this up, here are some examples before the year of 2020 (estimated beginnings of the radqueer/transID community)!

All of this excludes troll posting/mockery, and is focused on NH/FICT community's discussions. Some additional content warnings are provided for some of the e-mails, however.

This is not extensive, feel free to show us any other finds (excluding alt.horror.werewolves e-mails, we've already scoured trough everything. There is actually more mentions via that, but all from the same person).

Mentions of term:

01 - "Gender-bender" e-mail, 1999. Included in this section due to the unclearness of if the original author of the e-mail identifies as otherkin or transspecies personally.

[Link] [Link 2] [Archive] [Archive 2]

02 - "On cosmic surgery and personal identity" e-mail, 2005

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

03 - "Da Jakkal's work revisited" e-mail, 1999. Warning: has some outdated terminology/beliefs.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

04 - "Re: Introduction" e-mail, 2002

[Link] [Archive]

05 - "Re: Shifters: in need of Help." e-mail, 1999. Warning: thread has mentions of an un-nameable native American creature.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

06 - "Re: Musing of the Week" e-mail, 1999

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

06 - "Re: define were" e-mail, 1997. Warning: thread has mentions of an un-nameable native American creature. (This is the second time we've have to issue this CW. Sucks.)

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

07 - "Re: Fun with Faith" e-mail, 1997. Same warning as above, unfourtunately.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

08 - "Re: Questions on Were's/Shifting/etc" e-mail 1997. Same warning, a lot of early instances of the word being used seem to all be from this one being, sorry.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

09 - "Re: Slithering into AHWW" e-mail, 1997

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

10 - "Re: Odd Dreams" e-mail, 1998

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

11 - "Shifters: WereBreeds" e-mail, 1999. Warning: has some outdated terminology.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

12 - "On the appropriation of trans narratives by therianthropes" article, 2013. Contrary to the title, it is supportive. It does mention the native creature again due to excerpting an AHWW member's ramblings, so thread with caution.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

13 - "An Introduction to Animality" article, 2009

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

Usage of term for clear self identification (flags and symbols are included):

01 - "Re: A question to everyone out there" e-mail, 1997. Warning once again for mentions of an un-nameable native American creature, and questionable identity that may or may not be considered cultural appropriation (we have no place to say as we are not native). Still, it is an clear account of identification with the label and experiences that'd come to be associated with it.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

02 - "Chewing and biting (and intro)" e-mail, 1999. The poster at the time of posting already specifies that they do not identify with the label anymore, but used to.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

03 - "Transspecies Pride stamp" flag/pride graphic, 2017.

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

04 - "Transspecies Flag" flag, 2018

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

05 - "Why I call myself Transspecies" personal article, 2018

[Link] [Archive] [Archive 2]

06 - "Gender: Furry II (Now With More Scales)

[Archive]

07 - "Real Dragons: Transspeciesism" article, 2001

[Archive]

[calderacitylovers]

Zutara SlowBurn FanFiction: Personal Favs, part I

·        I AM STILL HERE by owedbetter Published: 2017-10-09 | 77K words | 7 Chapters

After the Last Agni Kai K heals Z with the help of bloodbending. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SUMMIT by AJLenoire

Chronicles post-war years, as Gaang and other characters gather for annual summits to keep peace and build relationships between the Four Nations. Katara yearns for a bigger purpose than the Avatar’s companion and slowly grows into a shrewd diplomat. Very sweet slow burn ZK story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        CLOTHE ME IN SEASONS, DRESS ME IN SNOW by sadladybug Published: 2015-01-05 | 62K words | 7 Chapters

Follows old Zuko as he reflects on his life and what would have been if he kept Katara closer. Absolutely beautiful, but also a devastatingly heart-breaking story about loss and pain.

 ·        SILENT DECLARATIONS by Megara Pike (Megara_Pike) Published: 2021-01-20 | 2,6K words

A short story based on animation by Hayley Wong. Z finds K asleep in her study and carries her to bed. Very sweet, gentle story.

 ·        COVERED IN YOU by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-02 | 55K words | 14 Chapters

Eight years after the war Z convinces K to take on a role of a Southern Water Tribe ambassador in the Caldera city. Both are completely clueless about each other’s feelings. Features political talks, big gestures, and a ball. Very cute, sweet slow-burn story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        TEN STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-03 | 29K Words | 12 Chapters

A collection of short stories filling in the gaps between some of the events of ATLAS3 and up to the Last Agni Kai. Features accidental cuddling, embracing in the rain, sharing a bed for warmth, post-Ember Island Theater discussions, being discovered, waiting to be kissed, Suki & Katara being good friends, battle plans, Zuko & Sokka getting drunk, slow burn & angst. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SWAY OF THE SUN by TheBlackBriarSparrow Published: Published: 2019-10-14 | 102K Words | 27 Chapters

Two years post-war Gaang reunites in Caldera city for a secret party in honor of the overworked Fire Lord’s birthday. Rebels attack the palace setting a thrilling consequence of events in motion. Adventures, investigations, and fights ensue. Z & K work together and enlist old friends to help find missing people. Beautiful slow-burn story with an exciting plot.

·        A WARM EMBRACE by ewinkie Published: 2020-10-06 | 19K Words | 7 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite from Southern Riders to the Last Agni Kai. Katara and Zuko have to hide in a cave following their encounter with Yon Rha. Comforting turns to cuddling, which turns to waking up on Appa's tail in each other's arms. Katara is shocked at how comfortable she is. Zuko is shocked that Katara doesn't hate him for it. Features sharing a bed, being discovered, slowburn, and lots of teenage silliness.

 ·        FOLLOWING BLUE by Boogum Published: 2018-11-07 | 39K Words | 10 Chapters

ATLA S2 rewrite. After Katara falls from Appa’s saddle during a pursuit, the Blue Spirit becomes her reluctant companion and helps her reunite with her friends. Ba Sing Se scenes are completely rewritten, and Z ends up joining the Gaang much earlier. Thrilling beginning, sweet middle, average ending.

 ·        ANOTHER WORD FOR ALCHEMY by FanPanda13 Published: 2014-08-19 | 108K words | 24 Chapters

Five years post-war Aang summons old friends for a summit and invites them on a trip to investigate mysterious locations where he experiences loss of bending. Features Gaang setting Z & K up, travelling on Appa like in the olden days, lots of sparring, royal courting, magnificent navy ships & war ballons. Thrilling story with fun banter between old friends. Slowburn, mature content.

 ·        CONSUME ME WITH FIRE, FLOOD ME WITH DESIRE by Dacamia Published: 2020-08-14 | 86K words | 24 Chapters

Steamy ATLAS2 and ATLA S3 rewrite. Z & K accidentally meetup on their way to Ba Sing Se and decide to travel together. Features aged-up characters, lots of intimate scenes, staying in a beautiful cave, helping villagers, betrayal in Ba Sing Se, reunion, forgiveness, etc. Explicit mature content.

 ·        ROOTS AND WINGS by zukoscomet Published: 2020-08-14 | 250K words | 25 Chapters

A series of short stories of Z & K as they grow closer, confess their love for one another and start a family.

 ·        THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE by hiwasseelane Published: 2021-05-02 |29K Words | 13 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite. Sweet, teen-appopriate.

Here’s a link to Part II of my personal favs.

Here’s a link to Wholesome Zutara Short Stories.

[lemoncrushh]

The Entertainer - Story Page

Summary: Set in the 70s, Sky Jones, a young woman from L.A., meets Harry Styles, an up-and-coming musician and frontman for the band Wildfire. Told in first person from Sky's point of view, she shares her journey and what it's like to fall for a rockstar.

Author's Note: This was originally written and posted way back in 2017. An oldie, but I'm finally getting around to finishing the sequel. I figured before I start reposting that, you need the original story. Hopefully there are some newer fans/readers who haven't read this one yet. A ten-part series, each chapter acts as a track from an album. Within each chapter, there will be song lyrics. Be sure to check the bottom of each part to get a list of the songs included. It makes for a great soundtrack, like a movie. This story is very special to me, and I hope you enjoy. Inspired by the song "The Entertainer" by Billy Joel.

I am the entertainer And I know just where I stand Another serenader And another long haired band Today I am your champion I may have won your hearts But I know the game, you’ll forget my name And I won’t be here in another year If I don’t stay on the charts

Reposting daily! Links will be updated as I post.

Track 01 - You Have a Great Collection

Track 02 - Looks Like Rain

Track 03 - Pick a Memory

Track 04 - Pajamas & The Holiday Inn

Track 05 - It's Always Been About the Music

Track 06 - No Concern of Yours

Track 07 - Let's Hit The Road

Track 08 - I Don't Wanna Be Alone

Track 09 - Make Some Beautiful Music

Track 10 - Let's Make the Most of It

The Playlist

Another note: Though this story does include some sex, I would not consider this smutty at all, just in case that's what you're looking for. The sequel, however, will contain a lot so...lol...it's your call.

I do require that you be at least 18 to read my fics though.

MASTERLIST

[alex31624]

2024 is almost done. It has been a weird year for me, there was personal stuff that went wrong, but it also was the year of me joining a fandom.

Being in the Ducktales fandom has been a great experience that helped me recover my passion for writing and gave me the chance to draw.

For that, I'm thankful.

Anyway, is time to check the top ten post of this year. Let's see what's on the list.

10. It's PK!

222 notes for PK debut on Ducktales. He needed to be there for real.

09. Dad...

Yeah, in Ducktales, uncle and dad is almost the same. 238 notes confirm it.

08. Happy birthday Ducktales!

With 239 notes, the 7th anniversary post is my most popular piece of art of the year.

07. Angry birds

241 notes for the lamest joke ever.

06. The gang finally together

I love this edit. A 10 kid adventure would have been the best episode on Ducktales season 4. 242 notes think the same.

05. Webby in Lorcana

We all lost our minds when the Webby card was revealed, as the 282 notes said.

04. Webby and Louie, the siblings ever

Webby and Louie are my favorite characters and I love how real their bond feels. They truly are sister and brother, and they got 312 notes.

03. Comics covers!

The collection of IDW Ducktales covers was well received, looking at the 563 notes it got.

02. To the seas!

I think it was a missoportunity to not have HDL showing more of their marine life. 644 notes agree with me.

01. Dipcifica

Is so funny that a Gravity Falls post is the top post from a Ducktales blog. I had just finished watching GF and I was totally into Dipcifica (I'm still in). I think they made a great couple. And with 645 notes, is my top post from 2024.

There you have it, the top ten post of this year. I hope the next year would be even better.

[stickybasementobject]

Johnny Depp Horror Icon

01. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

02. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

03. Ed Wood (1994)

04. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

05. The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

06. The Ninth Gate (1999)

07. Corpse Bride (2005)

08. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

09. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

10. From Hell (2001)

11. Secret Window (2004)

12. Dark Shadows (2012)

13. Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

14. Transcendence (2014)

15. Marilyn Manson: Kill4Me (2017)

16. London Fields (2018))

17. Tusk (2014)

18. Yoga Hosers (2016)

[black-arcana]

IN THIS MOMENT Announces Summer 2025 U.S. Tour With WARGASM, KAT VON D And THE PRETTY WILD

IN THIS MOMENT has announced the 2025 "Hell Hath No Fury" tour. The 22-city trek, featuring special guests WARGASM, Kat Von D and THE PRETTY WILD, will kick off on July 16 at Epic Events Center in Green Bay, making stops across the U.S. in Nashville, Memphis, Detroit and more before wrapping up in Atlantic City at Tropicana Showroom at Tropicana Atlantic City on August 16.

A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Wednesday, May 7 at 2:00 p.m. EDT and end on Thursday, May 8 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "ITMBBM25" to access tickets before the general public. Check back here on Wednesday for ticketing links to individual shows. General on-sale will be Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m. local time.

"Hell Hath No Fury" tour dates:

Jul. 16 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Events Center Jul. 18 - Cadott, WI - Rock Fest + Jul. 19 - Peoria, IL - Prairie Home Alliance Theater Jul. 20 - Mansfield, OH - Inkcarceration Festival + Jul. 22 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works Jul. 23 - Chattanooga, TN - The Signal Jul. 24 - Chesterfield, MO - The Factory Jul. 26 - Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Stir Cove Jul. 27 - Denver, CO - Unhinged Fest + Jul. 29 - Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre Jul. 30 - Memphis, TN - Graceland Sound Stage Aug. 01 - Dubuque, IA - Q Casino - Back Waters Stage Aug. 02 - Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe Aug. 03 - Wheeling, WV - Capitol Theatre Aug. 05 - Rochester, NY - Kodak Center Theater Aug. 06 - Schenectady, NY - Proctors Theatre Aug. 08 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Temple Theatre Aug. 09 - Hammond, IN - The Venue at Horseshoe Aug. 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Aug. 12 - Richmond, VA - The National Thu Aug 14 - Worcester, MA - Palladium Aug. 15 - Hanover, MD - The Hall at Live! Aug. 16 - Atlantic City, NJ - Tropicana Showroom at Tropicana Atlantic City

+ Festival date

Since coming to life in 2005, the Grammy Award-nominated act IN THIS MOMENT has presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of "mother" figure and frontwoman Maria Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Diimmel. As millions convened upon the group's otherworldly and unforgettable concerts, they quietly emerged as one of the most influential and impactful bands of the 21st century.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood" (2012),the quintet has garnered six gold and platinum singles, followed by a trifecta of Top 25 entries on the Billboard 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). With a total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast to coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Lollapalooza to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner Records) with longtime trusted collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH). Whereas "Ritual" hinted at a bluesy sonic sorcery, "Mother" breathes the activating mantra of an unbreakable spell, commenced on first single "The In-Between".

In 2022, the band released "Blood 1983" (BMG),a reimagined EP commemorating the tenth anniversary of "Blood". Then in 2023, the longtime staples of heavy music released their eighth studio album "Godmode" (BMG),a 10-song record featuring the powerful lead single "The Purge", the band's stunning cover of Björk's "Army Of Me", the collaborative track "Damaged" which features Spencer Charnas of ICE NINE KILLS, and "I Would Die For You", which appears on the soundtrack for "John Wick: Chapter 4".

IN THIS MOMENT recently joined forces with a new label, Better Noise Music, and is working on new music.

Photo credit: Joe Cotela

[the-monkey-ruler]

My Little Monkey King (2017) 我的小小美猴王

Director: Cao Liang / Hong Yun / Wang Fei / Li Gang / Bian Rongtao Screenwriter: Yu Hongyang / Zhang Cancan / Yu Kaixiang / Ren Haixiao / Zhang Qiang / Jiang Zhaoquan Starring: Yang Hong / Tian Bo / Yu Lan / Wan Chun / Yan Mo Mo / Zeng Rong / Wang Junxiang / Chen Xi Genre: Animation Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2017-03-09 (Mainland China) Number of episodes: 12 Single episode length: 22 minutes Type: Reimanging

Summary:

The Little Monkey King is a little monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain. He came to the human world and wanted to learn scientific knowledge and grow himself through living in the human world. The little Monkey King came to the lively temple fair. In order to avoid puppies after him, he turned into a rag doll and jumped into a stall. He happened to be bought home by Dabao's father as Dabao's New Year's gift. In this way, the little Monkey King came to Dabao's home and lived with their whole family. The two, who both loved learning and taking risks, became best friends. Thus, the little Monkey King began a series of stories about learning knowledge and understanding the world with Dabao. This series of cartoons starts from the little things that happen in children's daily life, triggering some basic scientific knowledge about astronomy, geography, chemistry, literature, society and so on. By watching cartoons, young audiences can learn this knowledge in a lively and interesting way, making education and entertainment

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/27003557/

Link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1px411V7MK

[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!

[meddlingmaez]

Hadestown (in 4 Acts)

One of the biggest dilemmas being a Hadestown fan is deciding which soundtrack to have your friends listen to first. Each soundtrack has its advantages, and with such drastic song & character & story differences between productions, the soundtrack you choose to show a friend may lastingly shape what they think of the show.

Fan-compiled Spotify & YouTube playlists have been an answer to this problem, though a limited solution, as the show's story beats may not make sense when simply intercutting between the best versions of songs from different productions. Not to mention the best versions of some songs are not found on Spotify or any officially released soundtrack.

So, three years ago I made a fan edit of the soundtrack backdropped with minimalist visuals and featuring the lyrically best/most dramatically useful versions of each track (in my opinion) to help a new viewer understand the show's plot, aesthetic, structure, and dramatic heart; cutting out certain small story beats to gel individual songs within the context of all other tracks used. The end product is a sum of parts that creates a new shape and whole to my favvvvv musical :3

This is Hadestown (in 4 Acts), a semi-visual fan edit of the Hadestown soundtrack made with the intention of being the most accessible version of the show for someone who hasn't seen or listened to Hadestown before. This was made for you to send to your uninitiated friends, to be their first experience of the show.

Give it a watch and tell me what y'all think! ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

(( i intended to publish this three years ago when i originally made the edit, but alassss, when i uploaded it to youtube the vid got an immediate copyright strike :\ figures. but !! i just discovered that at some point in the last three years the copyright strike was removed? idk why and i'm not gonna question it 😅. i'm pumped though to finally be sharing the edit [albeit three years late] !!!

i've thought in the years since about how i might make different editing choices [especially since the release of the west end soundtrack]. but unfortunately I lost the original premiere pro files on an old hard drive 😭💀😭 so this is sadly the final version. ))

Here's a work cited for the media used:

~ Font: Kraft Nine

~ Flower animation: from the Hadestown website

~ Background: from the Hadestown website

~ Songs:

01 – We Raise Our Cups (Instrumental) – uploaded to YouTube by EJM Instrumentals

02 – Road to Hell – 2019 Original Broadway Cast Recording (OBC)

03 – Any Way the Wind Blows – OBC

04 – Come Home with Me – OBC

05 – Wedding Song – OBC

06 – Epic I – Bootleg of 2016 New York Theatre Workshop Production

07 – Livin' it Up on Top – OBC/2017 New York Theatre Workshop Live Recording (NYTW)

08 – All I've Ever Known – OBC

09 – Way Down Hadestown – OBC/NYTW

10 – A Gathering Storm – OBC

11 – Epic II – NYTW

12 – Chant – NYTW

13 – Hey, Little Songbird – OBC

14 – When the Chips are Down – OBC

15 – Gone, I'm Gone – OBC

16 – Why We Build the Wall – OBC

17 – Way Down Hadestown (Reprise) – OBC

18 – Flowers – OBC

19 – Wait for Me – OBC

20 – Our Lady of the Underground – OBC

21 – Come Home with Me (Reprise) – OBC

22 – Papers – OBC/2010 Righteous Babe Records Concept Album

23 – Nothing Changes – Bootleg of 2016 New York Theatre Workshop Production

24 – If it's True – Phone recording of 2011 America Sings Hadestown Tour uploaded to YouTube by AugustWynde

25 – How Long – OBC

26 – Chant (Reprise) – NYTW

27 – Epic III – NYTW

28 – Lover's Desire – 2010 Righteous Babe Records Concept Album

29 – Promises – OBC

30 – Word to the Wise – OBC

31 – His Kiss the Riot – OBC/NYTW

32 – If You Wanna Walk Out of Hell – OBC

33 – Wait for Me (Reprise) – NYTW

34 – Doubt Comes In – NYTW

35 – Road to Hell (Reprise) – OBC

36 – We Raise Our Cups – OBC

[staydandy]

Candle in the Tomb 4: The Lost Caverns (2020) - 龙岭迷窟 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang and Wang Pang Zi explore a mysterious tomb in the Shaanxi region. Shirley Yang travels to the Longling Maze Grottos to investigate unusual patterns on fossil fragments. On the way, she crosses paths with Hu Ba Yi who along with Wang Pang Zi have just escaped from the ancient city. The trio become companions in another tomb-raiding adventure. (MDL)

Whumpee : Hu Ba Yi played by Pan Yue Ming (3rd from left) • Wang Pang Zi played by Jiang Chao (far left) • Thomas played by Zach Ireland Splittgerber (small top group, torch) • Zhe Gu Shao played by Gao Wei Guang (small top group, blue light stick)

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

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the 2nd volume in the novel series "Candle in the Tomb" (鬼吹灯) by Zhang Mu Ye (天下霸唱). • End credits song : 乾坤暴躁-《龙岭迷窟》影视剧主题曲 by 潘粵明, GAI周延 • TW : Arachnophobia

Related Lists : Candle in the Tomb 1 (2016) - Full List • Candle in the Tomb 2: The Weasel Grave (2017) - Full List • Candle in the Tomb 3: The Wrath of Time (2019) - Full List • Candle in the Tomb 5: The Worm Valley (2021) - Full List • Candle in the Tomb 6: Kunlun Tomb (2022) - Full List

Episodes on List : 10 Total Episodes : 18

*Spoilers below*

03 : Hu Ba Yi & Wang Pang Zi knocked around on a ship in a storm, Pang Zi falls overboard.. Ba Yi exhausted after fighting a monster

04 : Ba Yi & Pang Zi in a fight

05 : (near end) Ba Yi & Pang Zi fall into a cave, tumbling down through a tunnel system

08 : [past] (this story with Thomas is so funny lol) Thomas slapped (Zhe Gu Shao getting shocked 😆).. poked in the stomach & force fed a medicine (all comedic) … Zhe Gu Shao & Thomas hallucinating, Thomas falls into a ravine, saved

09 : [past] (@ 1:30 this whole exchange is so funny 😆 - he's definitely one of the better english actors I've seen for a while in a chinese drama) (near end) Gu Shao spits up blood … Thomas falls & hurts his leg, Gu Shao's arm is eaten off by bugs (would totally watch a whole show of just Gu Shao & Thomas!)

11 : [present] Pang Zi captured, tied up, beat up [not shown].. knocked out … locked in a cage, bit by piranhas

12 : TW: arachnophobia @ 12:10-27:30

13 : (@ 2:05 😆 hahaha I knew it 😆) (TW: arachnophobia @ 2:14-2:22, 3:34-9:28)

14 : Ba Yi tries to hold a stone door dropping down.. Ba Yi & Pang Zi trapped in a room filling with mercury.. Ba Yi dizzy

15 : (TW: arachnophobia @ 21:18-32:53 (end of ep)) Ba Yi & Pang Zi fight a group of monsters; Ba Yi thrown by an explosion

16 : (TW: arachnophobia @ 1:30-8:16) Hurt/exhausted from fighting monster, helped to walk … passes out briefly

17 : Has to climb freestyle, barehanded up a wall with little to no experience.. exhausted … (TW: arachnophobia @ 32:16 (end of ep))

18 : TW: arachnophobia @ 1:32-2:11