#2015 04 08

[agendercryptidlev]

now post the homicide statistics for trans demographics

Alright I'll post some violence stats o7

(From: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/assets/static/trevor01_2022survey_final.pdf)

(From: https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/07/23/op-ed-trans-men-experience-far-more-violence-most-people-assume )

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-day-remembrance-advocates-honor-lives-lost-violence-n938401)

(Stats above relate to fatal violence in 2023, source: https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-expansive-community-in-2023)

(Source: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/sexual-violence-and-suicide-risk-among-lgbtq-young-people/)

(Source: https://dailybruin.com/2021/04/08/ucla-study-finds-transgender-people-face-greater-rates-of-violent-victimization)

Most stats show the biggest indicator of a trans person's likelihood to be murdered in the united states is race, with Black Transgender Women having the highest rate of murder by far.

Of course murder is not the only form of violence that affects the transgender community, sexual violence is most commonly experienced by transgender men which is likely a leading cause of the disproportionately high transmasculine suicide rate.

Violence against transgender people of all kinds is under-reported, especially since if a transgender individual was misgendered by everyone in their life and got murdered there is no one around to affirm what their true gender identity is.

I will never, ever say any transgender identity has it easier than the others, because what makes life "easy" is defined by so many different factors, what we need is solidarity within the trans community because across the board transgender people face violence and discrimination at higher rates than cisgender people.

What we need as a community is to have the space to combat all forms of bigotry and oppression than trans people face, no matter which transgender identity faces that bigotry and violence at the highest rate.

[lesfruitsdores]

Who are the hostages still held by Hamas?

On October 7, 2023, 253 Israelis and foreign nationals were kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas and gazan civilians. Since then, 105 were released in a prisioner exchange deal, 4 were released by Hamas and 3 were rescued.

However, 60 remain in captivity [as of 02/09/24] (4 of those were kidnapped prior to 2023). A recent investigation has concluded that more than a fifth of the hostages are dead and the fate of some other hostages remains unknown. This video explains how doctors determine which hostages are dead, based on the nature of their injury and by analyising footage and the victims' last phone calls. Additionally, during the operation in Gaza, the IDF has recovered the bodies of a few victims and returned to their families for burial.

Since I couldn't find this all in one place, I've compiled a list of: 1) hostages who are presumed alive; 2) hostaged whose death has been reported/confirmed; 3) hostages who were released or rescued. In the group of hostages presumed to be alive who haven't been released, the youngest is 1-year-old Kfir Bibas and the oldest hostage is Iraqi-born 85-year old Shlomo Mansour.

As we learn more information, I'll continue to update this post.

They need to come back home. I'm hoping for more successful rescue operations soon. Keep them in your thoughts.

Hostages still held by Hamas (presumed alive or fate unknown):

(1) (2) (3)

Abraham Eitan Mor (23)

Agam Berger (19)

Alexander (Sasha) Trupanob (28)

Alon Ohel (22)

Arbel Yehoud (28)

Ariel Bibas (4)

Ariel Cunio (26)

Avera Mengistu (37) – Has been held hostage since 2014

Avinathan Or (30)

Bar Kupershtein (22)

Bipin Joshi (23)

Daniel Gilboa (19)

David Cunio (33)

Doron Steinbrecher (30)

Edan Alexander (20)

Eitan Horn (37)

Eli Sharabi (51)

Eliya Cohen (26)

Elkana Bohbot (34)

Evytar David (23)

Gadi Moses (79)

Gali Berman (26)

Guy Gilboa-Dalal (22)

Hamzah Al-Zayadni (22)

Hisham al-Sayed (35) - Has been held hostage since 2015

Yair Horn (45)

Idan Shivi (28)

Itzhk Elgarat (68)

Karina Ariev (19)

Kfir Bibas (1)

Liri Albag (18)

Matan Angrest (21)

Matan Zangauker (24)

Maxim Herkin (35)

Naama Levy (19)

Nimrod Cohen (19)

Oded Lifshitz (83)

Ofer Kalderon (53)

Ohad Ben Ami (55)

Ohad Yahalomi (49)

Omer Neutra (22)

Omer Shem Tov (21)

Omer Wenkert (22)

Omri Miran (46)

Or Levy (33)

Rom Braslavski (19)

Romi Gonen (23)

Sagui Dekel-Chen (35)

Samuel Keith Siegel (64)

Segev Kalfon (25)

Shiri Bibas (32)

Shlomo Mansour (85)

Tal Shoham (38)

Tamir Nimrod (19)

Tsachi Idan (51)

Yagev Kirsht (34)

Yarden Bibas (34)

Yosef Al-Zayadni (53)

Yosef Ohana (23)

Ziv Berman (26)

Hostages confirmed/reported dead:

(Note: I couldn't find a report with the full list, but if you google each individual name you can find sources.)

Abraham Munder (79) - Body recovered on 20/08/24.

Alex Danzig (75) - Body recovered on 20/08/24.

Alexander Lobanov (32)

Almog Sarusi (26)

Alon Shamriz (26) – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Amit Buskila (28) - Likely killed on Oct. 7. Body recovered on 17/05/24.

Amiram Cooper (84) - Status updated on 03/06/24.

Arye Zalmanovich (85) - Death reported by Hamas. He was forced to appear in a propaganda video.

Asaf Hamami (41)

Aviv Atzili (49)

Carmel Gat (39) - Body recovered on 31/08/24.

Chaim Peri (79) - Status updated on 03/06/24.

Daniel Oz (19) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 25/02/24

Daniel Perez (22) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 17/03/24

Dolev Yehoud (35) - Killed on Oct. 7. He was presumed to be a hostage, but his remains were found in Israel after months. Status updated on 03/06/24.

Dror Kaplun (68)

Dror Or (48) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 02/05/24.

Eden Yerushalmi (24) - Body recovered on 31/08/24.

Eden Zecharya (28)

Eitan Levy (53)

Elad Katzir (47) - Murdered by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. His body was recovered in Khan Yunis. Status updated on 06/04/24.

Eliyahu Margalit (75)

Elyakim Libman (23) - Killed on Oct. 7. It was presumed he was a hostage because his body wasn't found, but it was later discovered his remains were accidentally buried with another victim. Status updated on 03/05/24.

Gad Haggai (73)

Guy Iluz (26)

Hadar Goldin (32) - Body held hostage since 2014

Hanan Yablonka (42) - Killed on Oct. 7. Body recovered on 24/05/24.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23) - Body recovered on 31/08/24.

Ilan Weiss (56)

Inbar Haiman (27)

Itay Chen (19) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 12/03/24.

Itay Svirsky (35) – Killed by Hamas in captivity. His body was shown in a propaganda video

Itzik Gelenter (58) - Likely killed on Oct. 7. Body recovered on 17/05/24.

Joshua Loitu Mollel (21) – A released video shows how he was brutally murdered by a group of men on October 7

Judy Weinstein (70)

Kiril Brodski (19)

Lior Rudaeff (61) - Killed on Oct. 7. His body was taken to Gaza. Status updated on 07/05/24.

Maya Goren (56)

Mordechai Yonathan Samerano (21) - Killed on Oct. 7. His body was taken to Gaza.

Nadav Popplewell (51) - Status updated on 03/06/24.

Nik Beizer (19)

Noa Marciano (19) – Her body was found near the Al-Shifa hospital

Michel Nisenbaum (59) - Killed on Oct. 7. Body recovered on 24/05/24.

Muhammed Alatrash (40) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 24/06/24.

Ofir Tzarfati (27)

Ofra Keider (70)

Oren Goldin (34)

Ori Danino (24) - Body recovered on 31/08/24.

Orión Hernandez (30) - Killed on Oct. 7. Body recovered on 24/05/24.

Oron Shaul (30) – Body held hostage since 2014

Ran Gvlli (24)

Ravid Katz (41)

Ron Benjamin (53) - Killed on Oct. 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. Body recovered on 18/05/24.

Ron Scherman (19)

Ronen Engel (54)

Sahar Baruch (24) – Killed by Hamas during a failed hostage rescue operation

Samer Talalka (22) – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Shay Levinson (19)

Shani Louk (22) - Body taken to Gaza. Her body was recovered on 17/05/24.

Sonthaya Oakkharasr - Killed on Oct. 7. Body taken to Gaza. Status updated on 16/05/24.

Sudthisak Rinthalak - Killed on Oct. 7. Body taken to Gaza. Status updated on 16/05/24.

Tal Chaim (42)

Tamir Adar (38)

Tomer Ahimas (20)

Uriel Baruch (35) - Status updated on 26/03/24

Yagev Buchshtab (34)

Yair Yaakov (59) – Killed on Oct. 7. Sons and girlfriend were released. Status updated on 15/02/24.

Yehudit Weiss (65) – Her body was found near the Al-Shifa hospital

Yossi Sharabi (53) – His dead body was shown in a propaganda video

Yoram Metzer (80) - Status updated on 03/06/24.

Yotam Haim – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Ziv Dado (36)

Released/rescued hostages:

(1) (2)

Abigail Edan, 4, American citizen

Ada Sagi, 75

Adi Shoham, 38

Adina Moshe, 72

Agam Goldstein-Almog, 17

Aisha Ziyadne, 17

Alma Avraham, 84

Alma Or, 13

Almog Meir Jan (21) - Rescued by the IDF on 08/06/24.

Amit Shani, 15

Amit Soussana, 40

Andrey Zozlov (27) - Rescued by The IDF on 08/06/24.

Anucha Angkaew

Aviv Asher, 2, German citizen

Aviva Adrienne Siegel, 62

Bancha Kongmanee, Thai national

Bilal Ziyadne, 18

Boonthom Phankhong, Thai national

Buddee Saengboon, Thai national

Chalermchai Sangkaew

Channa Peri, 79

Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48

Clara Marman, 63, Argentine citizen

Daniel Aloni, 44

Dafna Elyakim, 15

Doron Katz Asher, 34, German citizen

Ditza Heiman, 84

Emilia Aloni, 5

Emily Toni Kornberg Hand, 8

Emma Cunio, 3, Argentine citizen

Erez Calderon, 12, French citizen

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, French citizen

Ela Elyakim, 8

Fernando Marman – Rescued by the IDF

Gabriela Leimberg, 59, Argentine citizen

Gal Goldstein-Almog, 11

Gal Tarshansky, 13

Gelienor (Jimmy) Pacheco, 37, Filipino national

Hagar Brodetz, 40

Hanna Katzir, 77

Hila Rotem Shoshani, 12

Ilana Gritzewsky Kimchi, 30

Irena Tati, 73, a Russian citizen, was included on the list but released separately from the exchange deal.

Itay Regev Jerbi, 18

Juckapan Sikena

Judith Raanan, 59 [Released 22/10/23]

Kaid Farhan Alkadi (52) - Rescued by the IDF on 27/08/24.

Karina Engel-Bart, 51, Argentine citizen

Keren Munder, 54

Komkrit Chombua

Kong Saelao

Liam Or, 18

Liat Beinin Atzili, 49, American citizen

Luis Har – Rescued by the IDF

Manee Jirachart

Margalit Mozes, 78, German citizen

Maya Regev Jirbi, 21

Meirav Tal, 53

Mia Leimberg, 17, Argentine citizen

Mia Shem, 21, French citizen

Mika Engel, 18, Argentine citizen

Mongkhol Phajuabboon, Thai national

Moran Stela Yanai, 40

Natalie Raanan, 17 [Released 22/10/23]

Nattaporn Onkaew

Natthawaree Moonkan, Thai national

Naveh Shoham, 8

Nili Margalit, 41

Noa Argamani (26) - Rescued by the IDF on 08/06/24.

Noam Avigdori, 12

Noga Weiss, 18

Noam Or, 17

Noralin Babadilla, 60, born in the Philippines

Nurit Cooper [Released 24/10/23]

Ofri Brodetz, 10

Ohad Munder, 9

Or Yaakov, 16, German citizen

Ori Megidish – Rescued by the IDF

Oriya Brodetz, 4

Owat Suriyasri, 40, father of two

Ofelia Adit Roitman, 77, born in Argentina

Ofir Engel, 17, Dutch citizen

Paiboon Rattanin

Pattanayut Tonsakree

Phonsawan Pinakalo

Ra’aya Rotem, 54

Raz Ben-Ami, 56, German citizen

Rimon Kirsht Buchshtav, 36

Raz Asher, 4, German citizen

Ron Krivoi, 25, an Israeli-Russian citizen, was included on the list, although he was released separately from the exchange deal.

Ruth Munder, 78

Sahar Calderon, 16, French citizen

Santi Boonphrom, Thai national

Sapir Cohen, 29

Shani Goren, 29

Sharon Aloni-Cunio, 34, Argentine citizen

Sharon Hertzman Avigdori, 52

Shlomi Ziv (40) - Rescued by the IDF on 08/06/24.

Shiri Weiss, 53

Shoshan Haran, 67

Surin Kesungnoen

Tal Goldstein-Almog, 8

Tamar Metzger, 78

Uthai Sangnuan, Thai national

Uthai Thunsri, Thai national

Wichai Kalapat, 28, Thai national

Wichian Temthon

Withoon Phumee, 33, Thai national

Yaffa Adar, 85

Yagil Yaakov, 12, German citizen

Yahel Shoham, 3

Yarden Roman-Gat, 35, German citizen

Yelena Trupanov, 50, a Russian citizen, was included on the list but released separately from the exchange deal.

Yocheved Lifshitz [Released 24/10/23]

Yuli Cunio, 3, Argentine citizen

Yuval Brodetz, 8

Yuval Engel, 12, Argentine citizen

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI “art” and uncanniness

TOMORROW (May 14), I'm on a livecast about AI AND ENSHITTIFICATION with TIM O'REILLY; on TOMORROW (May 15), I'm in NORTH HOLLYWOOD for a screening of STEPHANIE KELTON'S FINDING THE MONEY; FRIDAY (May 17), I'm at the INTERNET ARCHIVE in SAN FRANCISCO to keynote the 10th anniversary of the AUTHORS ALLIANCE.

When it comes to AI art (or "art"), it's hard to find a nuanced position that respects creative workers' labor rights, free expression, copyright law's vital exceptions and limitations, and aesthetics.

I am, on balance, opposed to AI art, but there are some important caveats to that position. For starters, I think it's unequivocally wrong – as a matter of law – to say that scraping works and training a model with them infringes copyright. This isn't a moral position (I'll get to that in a second), but rather a technical one.

Break down the steps of training a model and it quickly becomes apparent why it's technically wrong to call this a copyright infringement. First, the act of making transient copies of works – even billions of works – is unequivocally fair use. Unless you think search engines and the Internet Archive shouldn't exist, then you should support scraping at scale:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

And unless you think that Facebook should be allowed to use the law to block projects like Ad Observer, which gathers samples of paid political disinformation, then you should support scraping at scale, even when the site being scraped objects (at least sometimes):

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/06/get-you-coming-and-going/#potemkin-research-program

After making transient copies of lots of works, the next step in AI training is to subject them to mathematical analysis. Again, this isn't a copyright violation.

Making quantitative observations about works is a longstanding, respected and important tool for criticism, analysis, archiving and new acts of creation. Measuring the steady contraction of the vocabulary in successive Agatha Christie novels turns out to offer a fascinating window into her dementia:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/03/agatha-christie-alzheimers-research

Programmatic analysis of scraped online speech is also critical to the burgeoning formal analyses of the language spoken by minorities, producing a vibrant account of the rigorous grammar of dialects that have long been dismissed as "slang":

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373950278_Lexicogrammatical_Analysis_on_African-American_Vernacular_English_Spoken_by_African-Amecian_You-Tubers

Since 1988, UCL Survey of English Language has maintained its "International Corpus of English," and scholars have plumbed its depth to draw important conclusions about the wide variety of Englishes spoken around the world, especially in postcolonial English-speaking countries:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/english-usage/projects/ice.htm

The final step in training a model is publishing the conclusions of the quantitative analysis of the temporarily copied documents as software code. Code itself is a form of expressive speech – and that expressivity is key to the fight for privacy, because the fact that code is speech limits how governments can censor software:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/remembering-case-established-code-speech/

Are models infringing? Well, they certainly can be. In some cases, it's clear that models "memorized" some of the data in their training set, making the fair use, transient copy into an infringing, permanent one. That's generally considered to be the result of a programming error, and it could certainly be prevented (say, by comparing the model to the training data and removing any memorizations that appear).

Not every seeming act of memorization is a memorization, though. While specific models vary widely, the amount of data from each training item retained by the model is very small. For example, Midjourney retains about one byte of information from each image in its training data. If we're talking about a typical low-resolution web image of say, 300kb, that would be one three-hundred-thousandth (0.0000033%) of the original image.

Typically in copyright discussions, when one work contains 0.0000033% of another work, we don't even raise the question of fair use. Rather, we dismiss the use as de minimis (short for de minimis non curat lex or "The law does not concern itself with trifles"):

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

Busting someone who takes 0.0000033% of your work for copyright infringement is like swearing out a trespassing complaint against someone because the edge of their shoe touched one blade of grass on your lawn.

But some works or elements of work appear many times online. For example, the Getty Images watermark appears on millions of similar images of people standing on red carpets and runways, so a model that takes even in infinitesimal sample of each one of those works might still end up being able to produce a whole, recognizable Getty Images watermark.

The same is true for wire-service articles or other widely syndicated texts: there might be dozens or even hundreds of copies of these works in training data, resulting in the memorization of long passages from them.

This might be infringing (we're getting into some gnarly, unprecedented territory here), but again, even if it is, it wouldn't be a big hardship for model makers to post-process their models by comparing them to the training set, deleting any inadvertent memorizations. Even if the resulting model had zero memorizations, this would do nothing to alleviate the (legitimate) concerns of creative workers about the creation and use of these models.

So here's the first nuance in the AI art debate: as a technical matter, training a model isn't a copyright infringement. Creative workers who hope that they can use copyright law to prevent AI from changing the creative labor market are likely to be very disappointed in court:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sarah-silverman-lawsuit-ai-meta-1235669403/

But copyright law isn't a fixed, eternal entity. We write new copyright laws all the time. If current copyright law doesn't prevent the creation of models, what about a future copyright law?

Well, sure, that's a possibility. The first thing to consider is the possible collateral damage of such a law. The legal space for scraping enables a wide range of scholarly, archival, organizational and critical purposes. We'd have to be very careful not to inadvertently ban, say, the scraping of a politician's campaign website, lest we enable liars to run for office and renege on their promises, while they insist that they never made those promises in the first place. We wouldn't want to abolish search engines, or stop creators from scraping their own work off sites that are going away or changing their terms of service.

Now, onto quantitative analysis: counting words and measuring pixels are not activities that you should need permission to perform, with or without a computer, even if the person whose words or pixels you're counting doesn't want you to. You should be able to look as hard as you want at the pixels in Kate Middleton's family photos, or track the rise and fall of the Oxford comma, and you shouldn't need anyone's permission to do so.

Finally, there's publishing the model. There are plenty of published mathematical analyses of large corpuses that are useful and unobjectionable. I love me a good Google n-gram:

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=fantods%2C+heebie-jeebies&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3

And large language models fill all kinds of important niches, like the Human Rights Data Analysis Group's LLM-based work helping the Innocence Project New Orleans' extract data from wrongful conviction case files:

https://hrdag.org/tech-notes/large-language-models-IPNO.html

So that's nuance number two: if we decide to make a new copyright law, we'll need to be very sure that we don't accidentally crush these beneficial activities that don't undermine artistic labor markets.

This brings me to the most important point: passing a new copyright law that requires permission to train an AI won't help creative workers get paid or protect our jobs.

Getty Images pays photographers the least it can get away with. Publishers contracts have transformed by inches into miles-long, ghastly rights grabs that take everything from writers, but still shifts legal risks onto them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/19/reasonable-agreement/

Publishers like the New York Times bitterly oppose their writers' unions:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/new-york-times-stop-union-busting

These large corporations already control the copyrights to gigantic amounts of training data, and they have means, motive and opportunity to license these works for training a model in order to pay us less, and they are engaged in this activity right now:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/technology/apple-ai-news-publishers.html

Big games studios are already acting as though there was a copyright in training data, and requiring their voice actors to begin every recording session with words to the effect of, "I hereby grant permission to train an AI with my voice" and if you don't like it, you can hit the bricks:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d37za/voice-actors-sign-away-rights-to-artificial-intelligence

If you're a creative worker hoping to pay your bills, it doesn't matter whether your wages are eroded by a model produced without paying your employer for the right to do so, or whether your employer got to double dip by selling your work to an AI company to train a model, and then used that model to fire you or erode your wages:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/09/ai-monkeys-paw/#bullied-schoolkids

Individual creative workers rarely have any bargaining leverage over the corporations that license our copyrights. That's why copyright's 40-year expansion (in duration, scope, statutory damages) has resulted in larger, more profitable entertainment companies, and lower payments – in real terms and as a share of the income generated by their work – for creative workers.

As Rebecca Giblin and I write in our book Chokepoint Capitalism, giving creative workers more rights to bargain with against giant corporations that control access to our audiences is like giving your bullied schoolkid extra lunch money – it's just a roundabout way of transferring that money to the bullies:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/what-is-chokepoint-capitalism/

There's an historical precedent for this struggle – the fight over music sampling. 40 years ago, it wasn't clear whether sampling required a copyright license, and early hip-hop artists took samples without permission, the way a horn player might drop a couple bars of a well-known song into a solo.

Many artists were rightfully furious over this. The "heritage acts" (the music industry's euphemism for "Black people") who were most sampled had been given very bad deals and had seen very little of the fortunes generated by their creative labor. Many of them were desperately poor, despite having made millions for their labels. When other musicians started making money off that work, they got mad.

In the decades that followed, the system for sampling changed, partly through court cases and partly through the commercial terms set by the Big Three labels: Sony, Warner and Universal, who control 70% of all music recordings. Today, you generally can't sample without signing up to one of the Big Three (they are reluctant to deal with indies), and that means taking their standard deal, which is very bad, and also signs away your right to control your samples.

So a musician who wants to sample has to sign the bad terms offered by a Big Three label, and then hand $500 out of their advance to one of those Big Three labels for the sample license. That $500 typically doesn't go to another artist – it goes to the label, who share it around their executives and investors. This is a system that makes every artist poorer.

But it gets worse. Putting a price on samples changes the kind of music that can be economically viable. If you wanted to clear all the samples on an album like Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back," or the Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique," you'd have to sell every CD for $150, just to break even:

https://memex.craphound.com/2011/07/08/creative-license-how-the-hell-did-sampling-get-so-screwed-up-and-what-the-hell-do-we-do-about-it/

Sampling licenses don't just make every artist financially worse off, they also prevent the creation of music of the sort that millions of people enjoy. But it gets even worse. Some older, sample-heavy music can't be cleared. Most of De La Soul's catalog wasn't available for 15 years, and even though some of their seminal music came back in March 2022, the band's frontman Trugoy the Dove didn't live to see it – he died in February 2022:

https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/de-la-soul-trugoy-the-dove-dead-at-54.html

This is the third nuance: even if we can craft a model-banning copyright system that doesn't catch a lot of dolphins in its tuna net, it could still make artists poorer off.

Back when sampling started, it wasn't clear whether it would ever be considered artistically important. Early sampling was crude and experimental. Musicians who trained for years to master an instrument were dismissive of the idea that clicking a mouse was "making music." Today, most of us don't question the idea that sampling can produce meaningful art – even musicians who believe in licensing samples.

Having lived through that era, I'm prepared to believe that maybe I'll look back on AI "art" and say, "damn, I can't believe I never thought that could be real art."

But I wouldn't give odds on it.

I don't like AI art. I find it anodyne, boring. As Henry Farrell writes, it's uncanny, and not in a good way:

https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/large-language-models-are-uncanny

Farrell likens the work produced by AIs to the movement of a Ouija board's planchette, something that "seems to have a life of its own, even though its motion is a collective side-effect of the motions of the people whose fingers lightly rest on top of it." This is "spooky-action-at-a-close-up," transforming "collective inputs … into apparently quite specific outputs that are not the intended creation of any conscious mind."

Look, art is irrational in the sense that it speaks to us at some non-rational, or sub-rational level. Caring about the tribulations of imaginary people or being fascinated by pictures of things that don't exist (or that aren't even recognizable) doesn't make any sense. There's a way in which all art is like an optical illusion for our cognition, an imaginary thing that captures us the way a real thing might.

But art is amazing. Making art and experiencing art makes us feel big, numinous, irreducible emotions. Making art keeps me sane. Experiencing art is a precondition for all the joy in my life. Having spent most of my life as a working artist, I've come to the conclusion that the reason for this is that art transmits an approximation of some big, numinous irreducible emotion from an artist's mind to our own. That's it: that's why art is amazing.

AI doesn't have a mind. It doesn't have an intention. The aesthetic choices made by AI aren't choices, they're averages. As Farrell writes, "LLM art sometimes seems to communicate a message, as art does, but it is unclear where that message comes from, or what it means. If it has any meaning at all, it is a meaning that does not stem from organizing intention" (emphasis mine).

Farrell cites Mark Fisher's The Weird and the Eerie, which defines "weird" in easy to understand terms ("that which does not belong") but really grapples with "eerie."

For Fisher, eeriness is "when there is something present where there should be nothing, or is there is nothing present when there should be something." AI art produces the seeming of intention without intending anything. It appears to be an agent, but it has no agency. It's eerie.

Fisher talks about capitalism as eerie. Capital is "conjured out of nothing" but "exerts more influence than any allegedly substantial entity." The "invisible hand" shapes our lives more than any person. The invisible hand is fucking eerie. Capitalism is a system in which insubstantial non-things – corporations – appear to act with intention, often at odds with the intentions of the human beings carrying out those actions.

So will AI art ever be art? I don't know. There's a long tradition of using random or irrational or impersonal inputs as the starting point for human acts of artistic creativity. Think of divination:

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

Or Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies:

http://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html

I love making my little collages for this blog, though I wouldn't call them important art. Nevertheless, piecing together bits of other peoples' work can make fantastic, important work of historical note:

https://www.johnheartfield.com/John-Heartfield-Exhibition/john-heartfield-art/famous-anti-fascist-art/heartfield-posters-aiz

Even though painstakingly cutting out tiny elements from others' images can be a meditative and educational experience, I don't think that using tiny scissors or the lasso tool is what defines the "art" in collage. If you can automate some of this process, it could still be art.

Here's what I do know. Creating an individual bargainable copyright over training will not improve the material conditions of artists' lives – all it will do is change the relative shares of the value we create, shifting some of that value from tech companies that hate us and want us to starve to entertainment companies that hate us and want us to starve.

As an artist, I'm foursquare against anything that stands in the way of making art. As an artistic worker, I'm entirely committed to things that help workers get a fair share of the money their work creates, feed their families and pay their rent.

I think today's AI art is bad, and I think tomorrow's AI art will probably be bad, but even if you disagree (with either proposition), I hope you'll agree that we should be focused on making sure art is legal to make and that artists get paid for it.

Just because copyright won't fix the creative labor market, it doesn't follow that nothing will. If we're worried about labor issues, we can look to labor law to improve our conditions. That's what the Hollywood writers did, in their groundbreaking 2023 strike:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

Now, the writers had an advantage: they are able to engage in "sectoral bargaining," where a union bargains with all the major employers at once. That's illegal in nearly every other kind of labor market. But if we're willing to entertain the possibility of getting a new copyright law passed (that won't make artists better off), why not the possibility of passing a new labor law (that will)? Sure, our bosses won't lobby alongside of us for more labor protection, the way they would for more copyright (think for a moment about what that says about who benefits from copyright versus labor law expansion).

But all workers benefit from expanded labor protection. Rather than going to Congress alongside our bosses from the studios and labels and publishers to demand more copyright, we could go to Congress alongside every kind of worker, from fast-food cashiers to publishing assistants to truck drivers to demand the right to sectoral bargaining. That's a hell of a coalition.

And if we do want to tinker with copyright to change the way training works, let's look at collective licensing, which can't be bargained away, rather than individual rights that can be confiscated at the entrance to our publisher, label or studio's offices. These collective licenses have been a huge success in protecting creative workers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/26/united-we-stand/

Then there's copyright's wildest wild card: The US Copyright Office has repeatedly stated that works made by AIs aren't eligible for copyright, which is the exclusive purview of works of human authorship. This has been affirmed by courts:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/20/everything-made-by-an-ai-is-in-the-public-domain/

Neither AI companies nor entertainment companies will pay creative workers if they don't have to. But for any company contemplating selling an AI-generated work, the fact that it is born in the public domain presents a substantial hurdle, because anyone else is free to take that work and sell it or give it away.

Whether or not AI "art" will ever be good art isn't what our bosses are thinking about when they pay for AI licenses: rather, they are calculating that they have so much market power that they can sell whatever slop the AI makes, and pay less for the AI license than they would make for a human artist's work. As is the case in every industry, AI can't do an artist's job, but an AI salesman can convince an artist's boss to fire the creative worker and replace them with AI:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

They don't care if it's slop – they just care about their bottom line. A studio executive who cancels a widely anticipated film prior to its release to get a tax-credit isn't thinking about artistic integrity. They care about one thing: money. The fact that AI works can be freely copied, sold or given away may not mean much to a creative worker who actually makes their own art, but I assure you, it's the only thing that matters to our bosses.

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/2024/05/13/spooky-action-at-a-close-up/#invisible-hand

[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.

[staydandy]

The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Note (2020) - 终极笔记 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Wu Xie and Wang Pan Zi delve into a web of mysteries tied to his uncle’s past, The Mystic Nine's expedition to Parcel Island, and the disappearance of his friend Zhang Qi Ling. As Wu Xie uncovers dangerous secrets and faces devastating challenges, his journey leads him to unexpected alliances, ancient conspiracies, and a perilous tomb raid in search of the truth. With Zhang Qi Ling’s lost memories and a critical mistake plunging the group into uncertainty, Wu Xie is left at a crossroads, holding onto a faint hope sparked by an intriguing suggestion. (MDL) AKA : Ultimate Chronicles

Whumpee : Wu Xie played by Joseph Zeng (center) • Zhang Qi Ling "Xiao Ge" played by Xiao Yu Liang (2nd from left) • Wang Pang Zi played by Cheng Fang Xu (far left) • Hei Yan Jing "Hei Ye" played by Liu Yu Ning (2nd from right)

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

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from books 5, 6, and 7 of "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记) by Kennedy Xu • 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 2: Explore With the Note (2021) - Full List • Adventure Behind the Bronze Door (2024) - Full List

Episodes on List : 23 Total Episodes : 37

*Spoilers below*

01 : (near end) Wu Xie falls down a few stairs

02 : (near end) Stranded in the dessert, briefly stuck in quicksand.. exhausted, overheated, collapses, passes out

03 : … continued from previous ep. ... Carried

04 : (near end) Trips & rolls down a stone hill

05 : Lost in a dessert, exhausted, overheating, hands shaking; heatstroke, punched … freezing … vertigo.. collapses, passes out

06 : Falls down a cliff, caught (unharmed) … shaking head, dizzy, unsteady, kneels down.. exhausted, dizzy, passes out, infected.. struggling being held down, knocked out with tranquilizer.. carried.. body temp too low, struggling being held down, infection cut off, passes out

07 : Zhang Qi Ling "Xiao Ge" unsteady, Wu Xie unsteady, collapses

08 : Bitten by tons of bugs, which are burned off with hot knife … nightmare

09 : Xiao Ge's shoulder sore … Hei Yan Jing "Hei Ye" unsteady, ear ringing … unsteady, affected by a poisonous gas in the air, stuck sinking in a swamp

10 : Bitten by a snake, collapses … cared for … Wu Xie knocked around by a monster snake

11 : Eyes sore … Hei Ye tied up … Wu Xie temporarily blinded

12 : Rolls down a hill … falls & lands on a rock … carrying a friend, rolls his ankle on a stone … passes out.. infection cut out with hot knife (why'd they have to make it so gross 🤢), biting on a stick to mute his screaming, pain, breathing hard

14 : Finger bleeding, cut on rough iron

16 : Xiao Ge collapsed, traumatized, carried … Wu Xie unsteady … Xiao Ge in and out of consciousness, unresponsive, carried … Wu Xie waking after (not shown) being rescued from the dessert, Xiao Ge still asleep, feverish … unsteady, helped to walk … hospitalized, coma

19 : Wu Xie bit by a spider, Wang Pang Zi bit by a spider, passes out

22 : Wu Xie attacked

23 : Realizes he's been stuck in a hallucination, breaks from the hallucination, is actually still underwater, running out of air … passed out, wakes with a shock … Hei Ye tied up

24 : Xiao Ge's arm cut during a fight … Wu Xie kicked … Xiao Ge exhausted, unsteady, has a cut on his cheek from a fight.. unsteady, supported.. stabbed in the gut, collapses, coughing up blood, carried … (@ 19:00 Wang Pang Zi is a badass who doesn't get near enough credit) … Wu Xie's knuckles bleeding from digging, Xiao Ge passed out.. carried … Pang Zi exhausted & hurt from fighting, passes out … Xiao Ge carried … Pang Zi dragged, Wu Xie collapses … hands wrapped in bandages

25 : Pang Zi & Xiao Ge hospitalised … Pang Zi wound cared for … arm cut.. bit by a spider, passes out

32 : Pang Zi & Xiao Ge in a fight, Pang Zi's arm injured, kicked to the ground, passes out

33 : Wu Xie falls on top of old pottery, injures leg … coughing, rendered mute (temporary) … wounds treated

34 : (at end) In a fight, beat up

35 : … continued from previous ep. ... Fight, bit by a snake, collapses, passes out … Pang Zi's arm cut … Xiao Ge encased in an amber, gasps awake when freed

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

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

ao3 | tumblr tag | my writing

short stories include spoilers from a realm reborn to endwalker. all stories are set in aureia malathar's canon. [❤] = fave entry/fic that I am proud of [g] = general (all audiences), [t] = teen (some language, more difficult themes), [m] = mature (implied sex, sensuality, strong language, and/or violence), [e] = explicit (mature themes, explicit sex scenes)

Week I

— 01. Steer | [G] Ryne x Gaia | 943 words — 02. Horizon | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 2298 words [❤] — 03. Tempest | [M] Sadu x Y'shtola | 1489 words — 04. Reticent | [G] Minfilia x Aureia | 964 words — 05. Stamp | [T] Fordola x Aureia | 1945 words [❤] — 06. Halcyon | [E] Igeyorhm x Iphigeneia (Azem) | 5424 words — 07. Morsel | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 967 words

Week II

— 08. Collapse [FREE DAY] | [T] Thancred POV | 1561 words — 09. Lend an Ear | [T] Aymeric x Aureia | 1617 words — 10. Stable | [T] Sidurgu x Aureia, Rielle | 2086 words [❤] — 11. Surrogate | [E] Thancred x Hilda | 2306 words [❤] — 12. Quarry | [G] Thancred & Ryne | 1408 words [❤] — 13. Butte | [T] Aureia & Avi'li | 820 words — 14. Telling | [T] Aymeric & Artoirel | 1600 words

Week III

— 15. Replacement [FREE DAY] | [G] Emet-Selch POV | 973 words — 16. Third-rate | [G] Lyse & Fordola | 1864 words [❤] — 17. Sally | [T] Rielle POV | 2200 words [❤] — 18. Hackneyed | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1868 words — 19. Taken | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1219 words — 20. Duel | [G] Alisaie & Aureia | 2189 words — 21. Shade | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2015 words [❤]

Week IV

— 22. Threshold [FREE DAY] | [M] Aymeric x Aureia | 1273 words [❤] — 23. On Cloud Nine | [E] Aymeric x Aureia | 2504 words — 24. Bar | [E] Fordola x Aureia | 1522 words [❤] — 25. Perpetuity | [T] Hythlodaeus & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1589 words — 26. Zip | [G] Thancred POV | 1294 words — 27. Memory | [T] Meteion & Aureia | 2135 words [❤] — 28. Deleterious | [G] Venat & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1409 words — 29. Evaporate | [E] Thancred x Aureia | 2010 words — 30. Two Heads Are Better Than One | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2795 words

[ncts-baes]

[ 🩰 ] . . . jiwon’s profile !

basics . . .

name: lee haneul | 이하늘

english name: mia lee

nicknames: neulna, babysitter haneul, ballerineul, han-bit (rabbit), sky, summer blessing, summer queen, waterbomb goddess, wonienonie, 1st ji.

birth: 1996/08/06 | leo

birthplace: ulsan, south korea

residence: seoul, south korea

nationality: korean

mbti: enfp

blood type: A+

languages: korean (mother language), english (basics-learning), japanese (fluent)

family: grandmother and grandfather

career . . .

stage name: jiwon | 지원

positions: main vocalist, lead dancer, visual, face of the group, center, co-leader

representative emoji: 🩰

debut date: 2016/04/09

debut song: the 7th sense (nct u)

drama debut: 2015/04/09 (exo next door)

dramas she participated: business proposal – 2022 (shin hari), true beauty — 2020 (im jookyung), exo next door — 2015 (ji yeonhee), he is psychometric — 2019 (yoon jaein), my demon – 2023 (do dohee)

appearance . . .

face claim: kwon eunbi (soloist, ex-i*zone)

weight: 46kg (101 lbs)

height: 162cm (5’3”)

body modifications: 4 piercings in each ear and two tattoos – left rib and nape of her neck.

social media . . .

instagram: leemoneul

weverse: I AM 1NIE

facts . . .

– she has a strong gyeongsang-do dialect, which often ends up with the members thinking she’s angry or annoyed by something whenever she talks with her accent (it often happens when she’s drunk or tired, she tends to talk with the dialect then).

– she’s considered one of the most successful female soloists in kpop, seeing as every single one of her solo releases since her solo debut have been trending on and off korea.

– she did ballet at a young age, which helped her during her teenage years as she would teach it for the younger kids as a way to make money.

– haneul tends to ‘mom’ the members whenever she can. even johnny himself once said that she would prepare medicine, cook, do laundry and even tidy stuff after them. during the early days - even now, let’s be honest - she would prepare the younger ones’ lunch for school.

– jiwon became a hot topic after one solo performance at the water bomb festival, as people went crazy with her body proportions and confidence on stage. she was named the “waterbomb goddess” by netizens.

– she’s a brand ambassador for vivienne westwood and people went crazy when she was revealed as such. jiwon really fits the vibe of the brand and people can’t help but be in awe of her whenever she appears dressed in the brand’s clothes.

– she’s currently in a relationship and people love her boyfriend, they are public and their relationship was revealed at the annual dispatch couple reveal during the new year.

– as her mom was never really in the picture since she was really young and her dad left when she was only 17, haneul basically raised herself. she never really mentions her parents and no one really know anything about them. though, haneul’s really grateful for her grandparents who were there for her whenever they could.

– jiwon often mentions that she wishes her childhood was different, which is one of the main reasons why she tries to take the burden off the younger members whenever she can. so they can have a somewhat fun childhood, differently from her.

all rights reserved © ncts-baes, 2024

[crevicedwelling]

Can you tell me some slugs that have very unique patterns or body shapes?

some Athoracophoridae:

some Veronicellidae, like my slugs:

Testacella has a shell, but it’s not really doing anything:

Gaeotis is another (entirely unrelated) semi-slug with a wonderful appearance:

and something from the most “typical” family of slugs, Limacidae. probably Europe’s prettiest land gastropod:

[whumpetywhump]

Flowers For Algernon (2015)

Shiratori Sakuto

01:

– Traps his hand in a door, crying

– Scared when someone grabs his collar, crying

– Cut and bruised after being beaten up, taken to the police station, cowering in terror of the officers hitting him

– Triggered, emotional breakdown, “stupid is bad”, sobbing, trips and falls down an incline, comforted

– Distressed, stimming

– Force-fed alcohol, collapses, passes out, carried home

02:

– Distressed while watching his friend get beaten, stimming

– Crying, “I hate stupid. I want to be smart”

03:

– Lying on an operating table for a surgery that will ‘make him smart’, panics and tries to escape, cuts his feet while running away, has the wounds cleaned and treated

– Lying on the operating table again, anaesthetised, passes out

04:

– Wakes up in bed after the surgery with his head bandaged, undergoes several tests to see whether the surgery made him ’smart’

– Injected with medication via the chip implanted behind his ear

– Overstimulated, clutching his head, falls to his knees

– Crying, “I can’t do anything”, comforted

05:

– Betrayed, crying, falls to his knees, comforted

07:

– Smacked in the face by his father figure

08:

– Hallucinating, holding his head, undergoing an MRI scan

– Hallucinating, dizzy, wincing

10:

– Dizzy, hallucinating, wincing in pain

– Hyperventilating, dizzy, trembling, collapses to his knees, hallucinating, migraine

– Needs to be helped into bed due to fatigue, trembling, hallucinating, crying

TW: Contains themes of ableism, child abuse and animal abuse

[wrestlingarsenal]

How great to see Gargano and Ciampa back together as Tag Team partners. They won the straps on the July 5th 2024 episode of Smackdown.

I wrote about Gargano's bromance with Ciampa many times on my Wordpress blog, delving into their matches against the Young Bucks (12/11/2015), TMDK (06/03/2016), The Revival (11/19/2016), and The Dominators (05/10/2017.)

I also wrote about their epic breakup on NXT Takeover on 05/20/2017 and their sexy grudge matches on 04/07/2018 and 08/08/2018. I just love these guys -- I loved seeing them hurt each other and now I love seeing them back together winning gold. A triumphant love story for the ages!

[nontemporary]

2023 04 08 2015.png

[black-arcana]

NIGHTWISH Announces 'Yesterwynde' Album, 'Perfume Of The Timeless' Single

Symphonic metal veterans NIGHTWISH will release their new album, "Yesterwynde", on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio album, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen states: "'Yesterwynde' is a fantastical voyage through time, memory, and the better angels of human nature.

"Three years in the making, we're thrilled beyond words to soon share our tenth album with the world!"

The album's first single, "Perfume Of The Timeless" will arrive on May 21.

"Yesterwynde" track listing:

01. Yesterwynde 02. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 03. The Antikythera Mechanism 04. The Day Of... 05. Perfume Of The Timeless 06. Sway 07. The Children Of 'Ata 08. Something Whispered Follow Me 09. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight

In January, NIGHTWISH drummer Kai Hahto spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." album in an interview with Laureline Tilkin of Tuonela Magazine. He said: "At least it's not gonna be the same as 'Human. :II: Nature.', so… Probably, let's say that we go back to more heavy, heavier things on the new album, but also there's a lot of, again, new winds to blow, so to speak. So, different new elements. But, of course, it's still NIGHTWISH, but, of course, we brought back the big symphony orchestra again to the new upcoming tenth album. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting. And quite challenging music to play as well."

Asked if he is "in a way happy" that he doesn't have to play the new NIGHTWISH songs live right now, in light of the fact that the band is taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future, Kai said: "No, no, no. Totally opposite. I would love to go and play it live. But hopefully the time will come when we go back, charging the batteries first. Of course, it's nice to be home with the kids and wife and dogs, but still, of course, I've always been a player, so I also like to play for the people. But I believe I'm not gonna be bored. So I have a lot of things in the back of my head. Even NIGHTWISH is now taking a break. So, I'm not gonna be bored."

Earlier in January, Hahto told Chaoszine that "it looks like" NIGHTWISH won't play any shows in the next two or three years.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's next studio album.

NIGHTWISH's statement read as follows: "As the 'Human :ll: Nature - World Tour' is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey.

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure."

In December 2022, Holopainen said NIGHTWISH's upcoming follow-up to "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts.

In September 2022, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

In August 2022, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, singer Floor Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

This past October, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl already have a seven-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

[hsslilly-blog]

this is a masterlist of claire-related posts/edits/art. this follows a somewhat chronological order of events, with the first link being the earliest point on her timeline (so far). only plot/character development posts. i’ve organised it in three different parts: pre-hollywood u, throughout the game's timeframe, and post-hollywood u. my timeline for hollywood u has her freshman year at sept/2012 and her graduation at may/2016. most of it is canon compliant but i change things i dislike to fit my interpretation of the timeline. this list will be constantly updated/modified.

general/misc

• claire swanson oc tag • claire swanson inspo side blog • claire’s introduction post (03/10/24) • claire’s ref sheet (04/25/24) • swanson/stewart family tree • claire’s playlist • claire's letterboxd list (09/19/24) • claire’s filmography (provisional post; 08/19/24) • claire lore dump (10/18/24) • claire design notes (11/18/24)

pre hollywood u (feb/1990 — sep/2012)

• newspaper clipping of claire’s first big role (apr/2002) • claire + sebastian photobooth photograph (feb/2008) • claire’s myspace profile page (sep/2009)

hollywood u (sep/2012 — may/2016)

• welcome to hollywood (u) (2012) • hollywood u outfits, part 1 (nd) • hollywood u outfits, part 2 (nd) • claire’s driver’s license (ago/2014) • "clash at sunset" credit cards (jan/2015) • claire for vogue: what's in my bag? (july/2015) • "ticket to ride" film poster (july/2016) • claire for vogue: ticket to ride (aug/2016)

post hollywood u (may/2016 — present)

• "out of time" letterboxd page (2017) • claire at the 70th cannes film festival (may/2017) • claire’s films credit cards (2017-2019) • claire’s wikipedia article (2019) • claire at the 72nd cannes film festival (may/2019) • claire’s award list (up to 2020)

[elle-p]

List of scans

The drive has restricted access to force people to actually ask before using them

Persona Club P3 WIP, entirely scanned

100 link limit...

PERSONA [P3] × [P4] WORLD ANALYZE not scanned

28-29, 30-31, 32-33, 34-35, 36-37

BURN MY DREAD -Reincarnation:PERSONA3-

Obi strip, Cover, introduction, back, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12

Never More -Reincarnation:PERSONA4-

Obi strip, Cover, comments, back, 01, 02, 05, 06, 09, 10, 12

PERSONA3 Original Soundtrack

Cover, introduction, back, Disc 1 comments, Disc 2 comments, Lyrics

A CERTAIN DAY OF SUMMER PERSONA3 ORIGINAL DRAMA CD

All

PERSONA3 CHARACTER DRAMA CD

VOL.1, VOL.3

PERSONA3 DRAMA CD

Vol.2 -Moonlight-

AT1st Persona3 & Persona4 Club Arrange

All

PERSONA3 meets BASS × BASS

All

PERSONA3

Box, 00-03, 04-07, 08-11, 12-17, 18-23, 24-27, 28-35, 36-41

PERSONA3 FES WIP, entirely scanned

Standard box, Append box

Weekly Famitsu

901, disk menu, 906, 910, 912, 916, 920, 922, 929, 959, 961, 965, 969, 1416, 1529, 1538, 1564, 1767, 1817, 1820, 1823, 1834, 1835

Famitsu PS2

210

Famitsu Wave DVD

AUGUST.2006

GameGa

July 2006

Dengeki Playstation not scanned

Vol.357, Vol.359

Newtype

DECEMBER 2013, MAY 2015, FEBRUARY 2016, MARCH 2016

Animedia

February 2016

Cut

APRIL 2015, FEBRUARY 2016

Otomedia

February 2016

Spring of Birth pamphlet

Midsummer Knight's Dream pamphlet

Falling Down pamphlet

Winter of Rebirth pamphlet

Finale Event pamphlet

Midsummer Knight's Dream postcard

Gekkoukan School Trip Guide

Persona 1 CD Drama DUO

Vol. 1, Vol. 2

[pastlight]

S3E1 nbc hannibal livetweet from 2015

gonna watch hannibal hell yeah hell fucking yeah

8:49 PM · Jun 9, 2015

why is this music so intense already they're only scenery shots holy shit

8:55 PM · Jun 9, 2015

who allowed biker!Hannibal I will sue

8:56 PM · Jun 9, 2015

not being able to watch in hd is awful

8:57 PM · Jun 9, 2015

man... the style of everything has been so weird????

8:59 PM · Jun 9, 2015

aaaand this guy is so fucked lmao

9:05 PM · Jun 9, 2015

"I've killed hardly anyone during our residence." THERE HE IS

9:08 PM · Jun 9, 2015

I though Hannibal couldn't get any more pretentious yet here we are

9:11 PM · Jun 9, 2015

I'm .. so confused.....

9:12 PM · Jun 9, 2015

I should've rewatched the last season to remember things more clearly gdi

9:12 PM · Jun 9, 2015

thanks @ the Hannibal staff for never letting us down with the fanservice

9:15 PM · Jun 9, 2015

at least my years of Italian are coming in handy lel

9:18 PM · Jun 9, 2015

Hannibal is finally surrounded by his people. rich assholes with terrible suits.

9:24 PM · Jun 9, 2015

poor hd snails :((

9:24 PM · Jun 9, 2015

why do I think this scarf guy is so hot

9:26 PM · Jun 9, 2015

he sort of reminds me a bit of one of my ocs

9:28 PM · Jun 9, 2015

[no idea which oc i meant]

OH MY GOOOD THIS DINNER IS WORSE THAN THE OBE WIH HANNIBALY WILL AND ALANA

9:29 PM · Jun 9, 2015

holy fuck so that's what happened to her

9:35 PM · Jun 9, 2015

oh maaaaaaaannnnnnn oh man oh man this explains

9:36 PM · Jun 9, 2015

nooooo don't kill the cute flirty guy :((

9:47 PM · Jun 9, 2015

"If only that company was Will Graham." OHHHH OH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

9:53 PM · Jun 9, 2015

I'm definitely gonna watch this again when I've downloaded it in hd and with subs

9:53 PM · Jun 9, 2015

guess who's back

back again

Hanni's back

eat your friends

10:02 PM · Jun 9, 2015

?????? WAIT WHEN

10:04 PM · Jun 9, 2015

there's NO WAY I missed him

10:04 PM · Jun 9, 2015

[here i had an exchange with a friend who pointed out it was Bedelia's patient]

*turns on main computer literally just to download he Hannibal ep in HD*

10:11 PM · Jun 9, 2015

IM GONNA REWATCH IT NOW

12:07 AM · Jun 10, 2015

Dimmond became my fav character in the like, 10 minutes of screen time he got. and then was killed :(

12:45 AM · Jun 10, 2015

*reads him as hella queer cause I fucking can*

12:45 AM · Jun 10, 2015

he was drinking from two glasses of champagne I'm laughing so hard

12:48 AM · Jun 10, 2015

he seems super pretentious yes but who DOESN'T in this episode

12:51 AM · Jun 10, 2015

biker!Hannibal is still too much for me and should be considered illegal

12:54 AM · Jun 10, 2015

Hannibal is not nearly dry enough in this after-shower scene to be getting dressed

1:21 AM · Jun 10, 2015

or do people really do that? cause I make sure to get perfectly dry before putting on clothes..

1:22 AM · Jun 10, 2015

stares at the void when Hannibal didn't want to answer what Will was to him

1:23 AM · Jun 10, 2015

this must be the 5th time I've watched the dinner scene and i STILL CRY

1:33 AM · Jun 10, 2015

ANTHONY'S FACE IMF CLKING

1:33 AM · Jun 10, 2015

you can see and hear Hannibal laughing internally at it, he makes a double take, it's just aMAZING

1:41 AM · Jun 10, 2015

he was a short but sweet blessing. look at his face thinking he just got invited to a threesome.

1:46 AM · Jun 10, 2015

did Bedelia even pay for the shit she bought??

1:55 AM · Jun 10, 2015

also what was up with this random hot policeman

1:58 AM · Jun 10, 2015

oh and those security cameras???

2:01 AM · Jun 10, 2015

ohhh mvm i just read some meta on it. v nice.

4:23 AM · Jun 10, 2015

now that I'm seeing it again... how did her arm go so far into his throat... what was he even planing...

2:02 AM · Jun 10, 2015

man this was so cool

2:08 AM · Jun 10, 2015

my only complaint with Anthony is that he says "la polizia" wrong

2:20 AM · Jun 10, 2015

Abel push Hannibal buttons cause the know he has nothing to lose is so great I love it

2:29 AM · Jun 10, 2015

things I care about from Hannibal: Anthony, Will bring safe, Anthony, Price and Zeller, Anthony, Frederick!!!, Anthony sHUT UP HE ISN'T DEAD

3:59 AM · Jun 10, 2015

characters i refuse to believe are dead despite having seen their butchered corpses: Beverly Katz, Anthony Dimmond.

4:19 AM · Jun 10, 2015

if I was planing on sleeping tonight I'd wish to dream of my sweet thirsty scarf child. alas, I must stay awake and paint.

4:20 AM · Jun 10, 2015

[the timestamp really makes this]

I WASN'T EXPECTING MY OBSESSION FOR HANNIBAL TO COME BACK FULL BLOWN LIKE THIS BUT???? NOICE.

4:39 AM · Jun 10, 2015

[staydandy]

The Lost Tomb (2015) - 盗墓笔记 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Wu Xie is an antique shop owner who comes from a family of tomb raiders. As he continues the family trade with his team of tomb raiders, he finds lost treasures of the Warring States as well as the answers to the tragedies of his family’s past. With the help of his grandfather’s notes and his team – his experienced Uncle Wu Sanxing, San Xing’s loyal helper Pan Zi, the quiet Zhang Qiling, and the resourceful Pang Zi – Wu Xie sets out to find the lost treasures as well as the people responsible for the massacre of his family. (MDL) AKA : Grave Robbers’ Chronicles | Grave Robbery Note

Whumpees : Wu Xie played by Li Yi Feng (center forefront) • Zhang Qi Ling played by Yang Yang (2nd from left) • High Shao [Wu Xie's friend] played by Leon Lee (not pictured) • Pan Zi played by Wei Wei (3rd from right)

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

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from novel 1 of "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记) by Kennedy Xu (南派三叔) • My 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 2: Wrath of the Sea (2019) - 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 : 8 Total Episodes : 10

*Spoilers below*

01 : Wu Xie shot in the arm … punched in the stomach, collapses … High Shao tied up & mouth taped

02 : Wu Xie & High Shao head pain from sharp noise, Wu Xie entranced, kicked into water … Pan Zi attacked & bitten by flesh-eating bug, bug flung onto Wu Xie, bitten … High Shao pukes … Zhang Qi Ling cuts his own hand, collapses … Wu Xie hit in the head & knocked out, nightmare.. Zhang Qi Ling exhausted from blood loss, sleeping.. carried/helped to walk

04 : Pan Zi attacked by corpse-eating bugs, heavily bitten up, helped to walk, bug dug out of a wound (ewww) … Wu Xie attacked & bit (by human)

05 : Dizzy, passes out, was poisoned by bite, given temporary fix … High Shao kicked to the ground … Wu Xie unsteady, helped to walk … dizzy, passes out & falls from a great height, caught … punched, choked, coughing, neck bruised, unconscious

07 : (near end) Head pain, falls

08 : … continued from previous ep. ... Falls, wind knocked out of him by the landing, Zhang Qi Ling cuts his own hand … High Shao tied up … Wu Xie dizzy, passes out

09 : (near end) Tripped

10 : High Shao hit with batons … knocked out with a injection, Wu Xie knocked out with chloroform.. Wu Xie & High Shao kidnapped & tied up.. mouths taped

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