#Site Director James

[dzthenerd490]

File: Pikmin - Water Wraith

SCP#: AJT

Code Name: Second Piece of the [data expunged]

Object Class: Neutralized

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-AJT remains where contained at Site-AA within one of the Keter Storage Units in the lower levels. Only Site Director James, Administrative Staff, and AFA-3 units to the design of Site Director James command are allowed in this level.

The remains of SCP-AJT are stored in a frequency isolation box that is placed inside a safe with a Cavafy Reality Concealment Engine to prevent anyone who is not within the Foundation from comprehending its existence. Only Site Director James and anyone she has approved is capable of comprehending its existence with a specialized drug that only lasts for 5 hours. Anyone not on her personal list that has this drug in their system is to be executed, there will be no exceptions.

Description: SCP-AJT at the time of activation was a strange blob-like monster that took on the form of a short and bald humanoid. However, it originally did not stand like a humanoid but instead placed its arms and legs at the ends of two cylinder-like stones. It seemingly uses these stones specifically to crush tiny creatures. What makes SCP-AJT even more anomalous is that despite being physical, it seems to be connected to another reality. Anyone in our reality can see, hear, and interact with it but none of our scanning technology is able to detect its existence. Not even a Hume level scanner can detect its presence. How this is possible is not well understood. 

Though it is believed to be related to its connection to the [Data Expunged by Order of the O5 Council], which is an Entity of Interest recently labeled as a Level 5 Threat. SCP-AJT was confirmed to be related to this entity when it was discovered to have great hostility to SCP-AEK. A notable trait to all entities related to the [Data Expunged by Order of the O5 Council] is their small size and great hostility towards SPC-AEK. 

SCP-AEK was discovered in 2004 after Site Director James took the SCP-AEK instances out for training. She took them to an area where there was an abundance of SCP-AEW-Alpha and Omega instances reported. She went there with a personal MTF security guard that seemed unnecessary but was insisted on by the O5 Council. Her SCP-AEK instances successfully managed to kill all the SCP-AEK instances however suddenly from the water SCP-AJT appeared and nearly wiped out the SCP-AEK instances due to no one paying attention and their scanners not going off. Shockingly all Site Director James had to do was stomp a lot and SCP-AJT was quickly weakened long enough for her security to take the cylinder stones SCP-AJT rolled on. Afterwards her SCP-AEK instances were able to easily kill what remained.

“Okay I know that was anticlimactic but let me remind you we have evidence that the [Data Expunged by Order of the O5 Council] exists and destroyed the world at least once. It started off weak but because everyone ignored it, it became something too big to handle. So I don’t care what anyone says, I’m not underestimating this thing or any of the anomalies it creates and if you guys do then your all, fucking idiots! Sorry, got a little too into it there, but seriously, I don’t know what the [Data Expunged by Order of the O5 Council] is yet, but I WILL destroy it even if it turns out to be just an angry screaming water drop.” -Site Director James.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[spnscripthunt-inactive]

The Supernatural Script Hunt came from humble origins, a handful of fans banding together to collect and preserve our fandom history, making as many scripts as possible accessible to fans worldwide. Since acquiring our first script over five years ago, and then branching out to involve so many fans supporting the work in the years since, it was always our intent to give it all back, and then some.

When we began this project, the fandom collectively had six scripts from five episodes and a single network outline. In the five years since we bought our first script to add to that collection, we are ending the project with a total of 163 scripts from 147 episodes, casting sides from 50+ episodes, 50+ call sheets, arenas from 18 episodes, and other related documents. A complete list of items in our collection is on the SupernaturalWiki, for a closer look, click here.

The time has come for us to offer everyone a final chance to own their very own priceless souvenir of the show and cast we all love so dearly. In doing so, we also want to honor the largest (hopefully!) legacy of our fandom: using our collective power for good. Which is why we're offering up some very special scripts (and a few other items!) in our collection in a raffle to benefit Undue Medical Debt.

Our initial goal was to raise at least $10,000 so we can erase at least one million dollars in medical debt.  We've met that goal, our stretch goal is to get to $20,000 so we can erase at least two million dollars in medical debt.

How Undue Medical Debt Works:

You make a donation. They use data analytics to pinpoint the debt of those most in need: households that earn less than 4x the federal poverty level or whose debts are 5% or more of annual income.

Undue Medical Debt buys medical debt at a steep discount. They buy debt in bundles, millions of dollars at a time at a fraction of the original cost. This means your donation relieves about 100x its value in medical debt.

Together we wipe out medical debt. People across the country receive letters that their debt has been erased. They have no tax consequences or penalties to consider. Just like that, they're free of medical debt.

For every $10 you donate to Undue Medical Debt, you will 1) be erasing about $1,000 in medical debt and 2) be able to enter our raffle to win one of the items listed below.

Our Campaign Page

Our Raffle Site

Donated by Eric Kripke:

'Pilot' - "Original pilot that got tossed out -- whole different story -- enjoy this alternative reality Sam and Dean." Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Samantha Smith.

2.22 'All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2' - Yellow Revisions. Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padalecki.

3.16 'No Rest for the Wicked' - Goldenrod Revisions. Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padalecki.

4.01 'Lazarus Rising' - Pink Revisions. Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins.

4.22 'Lucifer Rising' - Production Draft. "My director's copy - rare! Enjoy!" Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Rob Benedict.

5.01 'Sympathy for the Devil' - Pink Revisions. Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Rob Benedict.

6.22 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' - Production Draft. Signed by Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Mark Sheppard.

Donated by James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash:

Gotham Knights - 'Pilot' - Double Yellow Revisions. Signed by Misha Collins, Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Fallon Smythe, Tyler DiChiara, Anna Lore, Rahart Adams, Chad Fiveash, and James Stoteraux.

Gotham Knights - 1.13 'Night of the Owls' - Production Draft. Signed by Misha Collins, Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Fallon Smythe, Tyler DiChiara, Anna Lore, Rahart Adams, Chad Fiveash, and James Stoteraux.

Donated by Natalie Abrams:

Gotham Knights - 1.11 'Daddy Issues' - signed by show creator/episode co-writer Natalie Abrams, director America Young, and Misha Collins (Harvey Dent/Two-Face). Two copies donated, two winners. Thank you @deanismybuddy (twitter) for making this happen.

Donated by Jennifer May Nickel:

Signed Gotham Knights costume sketches (8.5" x 11" prints), four winners.

1.08 Harvey Dent tux

Rebecca's 1.13 dress

Duela's 1.09 grenade costume

Carrie/Robin's super suit look

Donated by Robbie Thompson: 

The Winchesters - 1.01 'Pilot' - Final Shooting Script - signed by Robbie Thompson and Jensen Ackles.

The Winchesters - 1.13 'Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye' - signed by Robbie Thompson and Jensen Ackles.

Thank you to @SadieWit (twitter) and Gabe Garza for making this happen.

Scripts Not Donated by Creators:

3.15 'Time is on My Side' - Production Draft signed by Jim Beaver at Creation Tour: Burbank 2024; Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at Jus in Bello 14; Steven Williams at Crossroads 8.

14.14 Ouroboros - Production Draft - donated by @_ninalynne_ (twitter).  

Gotham Knights - 'Pilot' - Pre-Production Draft signed by Misha Collins at Creation Tour: Burbank 2024.

Walker - 'Pilot Script' - signed by Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Richard Speight Jr. at Jus in Bello 14.

Walker: Independence - 'Pilot Script' - Revised Network Draft - signed by Jared Padalecki at Jus in Bello 14; Mark Sheppard at Crossroads 8.

The Winchesters - 'Pilot' - 4th Network Draft signed by Jensen Ackles at Creation Tour: Burbank 2024; Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict at Jus in Bello 14; Jim Beaver and Alexander Calvert at Crossroads 8.

Audio/Visual:

Supernatural: The Complete Series Blu-ray - donated by @HanmeiCui (twitter)

Dick Jr. and the Volunteers' "Fistfights and Hug-Outs" CD - signed by Richard Speight Jr. at Jus in Bello 14, donated by @Julie_Fleming and @EmilieDK87 (twitter)

Rob Benedict "Leave The Light On" CD - signed by Rob Benedict at Jus in Bello 14, donated by @merenwen76AO3 (twitter).

"Saturday Night Special" CD - signed by Louden Swain at Creation Tour: New Jersey 2024.

Autographed Photos and Posters:

Crossroads 8 "Supernatural" cast poster (A3 size) signed by Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard, Julian Richings, Alexander Calvert, Jim Beaver, Rob Benedict, Steven Williams, Corin Nemic, Todd Stashwick, and Cindy Sampson. Donated by @AilesduSoleil (twitter).

Crossroads 8 "The Boys" cast poster (A3) signed by Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara.

Autographed photos from Crossroads 8 donated by @AilesduSoleil, @Julie_Fleming, @PurpleNurpleSPN (twitter):

Rob Benedict, Alexander Calvert, Tomer Capone, Misha Collins, Karen Fukuhara, Corin Nemec, Cindy Sampson (multiple winners)

Books:

Hardcover edition of Good Omens - signed by Neil Gaiman and Mark Sheppard. Thank you to the staff at The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY for being extremely helpful and kind.

Hardcover edition of Death (2022) - written by Neil Gaiman, art by Mike Dringenberg, John Totleben, Mark Buckingham, and Chris Bachalo. Signed by Lisa Berry.

Family Don't End with Blood - signed by Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, and Jim Beaver, donated by @FangasmSPN (twitter).

There'll Be Peace When You are Done - signed by Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Alexander Calvert, and Sebastian Roche, donated by @FangasmSPN (twitter).

Supernatural 15 Seasons: The Crew Member's Souvenir - two copies, two winners. Donated by @HanmeiCui (twitter) and [anon].

Fan Arts and Crafts:

"To Be Continued" t-shirt made and donated by @shitannamakes (twitter), signed by Jensen Ackles at Creation Tour: Burbank 2024. 

The Winchesters canvas print (16 x 22.7 in) designed by BobbysIdjit (tumblr, Redbubble) and signed by Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Richard Speight Jr. Donated by Denim-wrapped Nightmares, a Supernatural Podcast.

Curse boxes made and donated by @TheGreenCooler (twitter):

6" x 4" x 4" - red and white

8.5" x 6" x 5" - brown and black

Supernatural and AKF themed decorative pillar candles made and donated by @TheGreenCooler (twitter): 

4x3 inch short decorative pillar candles set: "Sam and Dean initials"

5x3 inch decorative candle: #AlwaysKeepFighting "Good morning Starshine. You're still here today."

5x3 inch decorative candle: #AlwaysKeepFighting "Hopeful Daisy"

5x3 inch decorative candle: "Men of Letters"

5x3 inch decorative candle: "Carry On Wayward Son"

5x3 inch decorative candle: "We Are Home"

6 x 4 decorative candle: "Impala on a Hunt" (pic 1) (pic 2) (pic 3) 

Rare Actor-Specific Items

AFK pin designed by Phil Sgriccia in 2015 for Jared Padalecki, "only Jared had these pins unless he gave them to you" - donated by @slammtam (twitter)

Jared Padalecki autograph at Creation Austin, donated by @KLFSPNcons off her Gold badge (Row I).

Raffle closes on Sunday, June 30 at 11:59pm (EST). Winners will be drawn by a random number generator, we will submit the names to Undue Medical Debt's development staff to confirm the donations match the caps submitted to us on the Google Form, and we'll contact winners by Saturday, July 6 2024. Winners will have 72 hours to respond, and will be required to provide their physical mailing address and to cover the cost of shipping (for scripts it's currently $9.85 for priority mail insured inside the US, international rates and non-script rates to be determined as necessary). 

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE AND WISH TO DONATE, PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE PRIOR AUTHORIZATION FROM CREDIT/ACCOUNT HOLDER.

As Castiel once told a patron of the Gas N Sip buying a lottery ticket, good luck!

Thank you to our con helpers, we never could have pulled this off without your help: abeautifulswan, AilesduSoleil, deanismybuddy, EmilieDK87, FangasmSPN, HanmeiCui, jennysun23, Julie_Fleming, KLFSPNcons, kreespa, kaurie_mac, marywinchstr, merenwen76AO3, MiaAW90, MysterioAmber, PurpleNurpleSPN, RMelton76, rowwyaboat, SDeeg13, shandataber, SuperWiki, zerbehunter

[mckitterick]

The End Is Near: "News" organizations using AI to create content, firing human writers

source: X

source: X

source: X

an example "story" now comes with this warning:

A new byline showed up Wednesday on io9: “Gizmodo Bot.” The site’s editorial staff had no input or advance notice of the new AI-generator, snuck in by parent company G/O Media.

G/O Media’s AI-generated articles are riddled with errors and outdated information, and block reader comments.

“As you may have seen today, an AI-generated article appeared on io9,” James Whitbrook, deputy editor at io9 and Gizmodo, tweeted. “I was informed approximately 10 minutes beforehand, and no one at io9 played a part in its editing or publication.”

Whitbrook sent a statement to G/O Media along with “a lengthy list of corrections.” In part, his statement said, “The article published on io9 today rejects the very standards this team holds itself to on a daily basis as critics and as reporters. It is shoddily written, it is riddled with basic errors; in closing the comments section off, it denies our readers, the lifeblood of this network, the chance to publicly hold us accountable, and to call this work exactly what it is: embarrassing, unpublishable, disrespectful of both the audience and the people who work here, and a blow to our authority and integrity.”

He continued, “It is shameful that this work has been put to our audience and to our peers in the industry as a window to G/O’s future, and it is shameful that we as a team have had to spend an egregious amount of time away from our actual work to make it clear to you the unacceptable errors made in publishing this piece.”

According to the Gizmodo Media Group Union, affiliated with WGA East, the AI effort has “been pushed by” G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller, recently hired editorial director Merrill Brown, and deputy editorial director Lea Goldman.

In 2019, Spanfeller and private-equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired Gizmodo Media Group (previously Gawker Media) and The Onion.

The Writers Guild of America issued a blistering condemnation of G/O Media’s use of artificial intelligence to generate content.

“These AI-generated posts are only the beginning. Such articles represent an existential threat to journalism. Our members are professionally harmed by G/O Media’s supposed ‘test’ of AI-generated articles.”

WGA added, “But this fight is not only about members in online media. This is the same fight happening in broadcast newsrooms throughout our union. This is the same fight our film, television, and streaming colleagues are waging against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in their strike.”

The union, in its statement, said it “demands an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites,” which include The A.V. Club, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, Quartz, The Root, and The Takeout.

but wait, there's more:

Just weeks after news broke that tech site CNET was secretly using artificial intelligence to produce articles, the company is doing extensive layoffs that include several longtime employees, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. The layoffs total 10 percent of the public masthead.

*

Greedy corporate sleazeballs using artificial intelligence are replacing humans with cost-free machines to barf out garbage content.

This is what end-stage capitalism looks like: An ouroborus of machines feeding machines in a downward spiral, with no room for humans between the teeth of their hungry gears.

Anyone who cares about human life, let alone wants to be a writer, should be getting out the EMP tools and burning down capitalist infrastructure right now before it's too late.

[eugenedebs1920]

“No prior President has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant” Were the words spoken by the late Senator from Arizona, John McCain after the July 2018 summit between President Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. His fellow Arizonan Senator Jeff Flake would say, “I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”

McCain would pass away from an aggressive brain cancer on August 25, 2018. His fellow statesmen would not seek reelection, giving a lengthy em passionate speech condemning “new normal” of the Trump era, saying,  “the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions; the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have all been elected to serve.”

Look at those pictures of Donald Trump! Have you ever seen that lack of overbearing arrogance on his face before!? Putin either makes him soil his diaper with fear, he has dirt on Trump, or our tiny handed tyrant is in love! This has little to do with what we’ll dive into but, just happened to run across Flake’s announcement for not seeking reelection. It was pretty good! Anyway…

With our short attention spans and constant distractions, we may only remember a phrase when we associate the word Russia, and the word Trump. That being the former President’s response to a reporter, saying “Oh! Russia Russia Russia”, that’s my word association image anyway. But yes. Russia Russia Russia.

We’ll go in a reverse chronologicalish order, or most relevant recent order, or whatever order it ends up as. There’s a lot to cover, see how long you make it… 😆

Trump has long had affairs overseas, and no, not the kind he’s known for, but business dealings. After making a series of bad decisions in the later 80’s early 90’s American banks were hesitant to loan to Trump. As it turns out, the Kremlin had their eye on Trump, and had Czech spies working for the Kremlin covertly tail him as early as 1987. Throughout the years Trump Would rely on Russian assistance quite often. From the financial and business side to the political and personal side.

Upon the merger of Trump’s, Truth Social and Digital World Acquisition Corp, Truth Social became, Trump Media and Technology Group. Before the merger Truth Social had been hemorrhaging money, showing significant losses on all quarterly reports.

In late 2021 the social media platform seemed as if it was doomed. In December of 2021, a Christmas miracle occurred in the form of two loans totaling eight million dollars, acting as a lifeline to the failing site.

These loans came as one for $2 million and another $6 million. The $2 million loan was from Paxum Bank, an entity tied with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Paxum Bank is partially owned by a man named Anton Postolnikov, who is related to a man named Aleksandr Smirinov (not the same As Alexander Smirinov that tried to relay Russian misinformation to the FBI, and was subsequently arrested for doing so in the House, Biden impeachment inquiry, political theater headed by James Comer of KY, but a different Smirinov) a former Russian government official, who runs Rosmorport, a Russian shipping company. There was $6 million loan paid by a separate entity by the name of ES Family Trust, who’s director at the time was the very same man who held the title of director at Paxum Bank, the same bank who loaned the smaller $2 million loan. You almost need a poster board with pictures, some tacks and yarn with that one!

In 2023 prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York began an investigation into the Russian based financial backing and Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG). The case is still ongoing.

We’re going to skip out of order here because this is already lacking brevity, so. Let’s turn to the end of Trump’s presidency, in the waning days, after the insurrection, Jan 16-20th.

After the disgraceful behavior Trump had engaged in upon losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump and his remaining staff were scrambling to exit the White House. On Jan the 18th, just two days from Biden’s inauguration, Trump requested the delivery of a binder.

This ten inch thick, treasure trove of documents contained some of the United States most closely guarded information and secrets. So much so that even lawmakers and congressional aides with top secret clearance could only view the binder, and information within, at the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) headquarters in Langley Virginia. Inside were the highest levels of confidentiality and secret information from the United States, its allies, and top secret NATO intelligence as well. It was a collection on Russia, assets working for or against the Kremlin, sources, methods in which the U.S. government received its information and even an assessment of the Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.

Trump’s request was carried out under the care of the Presidents Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Trump’s sociopathic narcissist disorder caused the exiting, disgraced President to feel the need to declassify a host of documents, including the FBI’s investigation into himself and Russia.

White House lawyers and aides hurriedly redacted names, dates, locations as fast as they could knowing the erratic behavior of Trump. His top administration officials would attempt to block the publication of the classified information. The day before leaving office, on Jan 19th, despite pleas from White House officials, aides and staff, as well as out of spite, Trump issued the declassification of nearly all the sensitive material, putting the lives of agents, informants, and sources in jeopardy. Multiple copies of the initial redacted version were printed out and were set to be distributed throughout Washington to Republicans in Congress and to right wing media outlets. The copies that did get sent out were quickly recovered by White House lawyers, demanding that further redactions were necessary.

Minutes before the inauguration of President elect Biden, Meadows rushed to get approval from the Justice Department, hand delivering the redacted copy for final approval.

Suspiciously, in all the chaos of the final 48 hours, and Trump’s temper tantrum, the original, unredacted, ten inch thick binder of the most sensitive material regarding the U.S. and its allies went missing. There’s a redacted copy in the National Archives, but the whereabouts of the original binder remains a mystery.

During the hearings on the criminality that occurred in Trump’s final weeks in office, aide, Cassidy Hutchinson testified that she saw Chief of Staff MarkMeadows leave the White House with the binder, suggesting that her assumption was that he had put the top secret information in a safe, located at his home.

This brings us to our next act… Of sedition.

The declassification and illegal retention of the world’s most secretive binder was not the only act of treason Trump would engage in. After his loss in November and into December Trump had authorized the removal and transport of dozens of boxes of classified information, state secrets, nuclear secrets, U.S. and its allies war plans to various properties he owned.

The FBI was aware of the taking of the documents, after requesting their return several times a warrant was issued to Trump’s Florida “home” Mar-a-lago. It was coordinated out of respect, safety and to not make a spectacle of the raid, that Trump would not be present when the FBI searched his club/home.

What the FBI found was dozens of boxes containing the classified documents as well as other trinkets like magazines and newspaper articles, strewn around, knocked over and spilling in various locations such as a closet, bathroom, his youngest child Barrons’s room and a hidden room containing surveillance equipment for the property.

In thier assessment of the evidence they found 43 empty folders with tabs labeled, Classified, 28 empty folders labeled, Return to Staff Secretary or Military Aide. In the boxes, folders that weren’t empty included, 18 documents marked, Top Secret, 54 marked as, secret, 31 marked as, Confidential, and 11,179 other Government documents, some with photos that weren’t marked.

This case is the most egregious act of sedition of American President in our nations history. A Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, was tasked by the DOJ of heading the case. In a stunning move of partisanship and a complete disregard of standing Jurisprudence, Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, would go against 50 years of precedent and dismiss the case under the grounds the the special counsel was improperly funded. The American people would be denied their right to get the truth about who, what, when and why these documents were retained, missing, and in the condition they were found. The binder talked about earlier was not in the trove of documents found at Mar-a-lago, its location remains unknown.

So yea! Russia Russia Russia… There’s SO much more Russian ties, scandals, shady business dealings to show but. If this is nearly as long to read as it was to write, I’m proud you made it all the way through.

I’ve been saying it for years, Trump is a Russian asset, I even made a bet saying in 20 years if it doesn’t come out that Trump was a Russian asset I owed this person a sloppy, dentureless blowjob (because I’ll be kinda old in 20 years and I assume I’ll have dentures).

Don’t be conned by Americans most notorious conman and give him the chance to steal and share even more of our state secrets. Vote Kamala Harris for President. Blue down ballot for real change in our country.

I may finish this and post the whole thing from 2013 to what we dove in to on my substack, which I’ll try to remember to leave a link in the comments section. Until next time. Let’s hope for the sake of our democracy Trump loses here in 2024 or maybe I’ll see some of you f*cks in Gitmo 😉😅😆☮️🇺🇸

[blueiscoool]

2,000-Year-Old Artifacts Recovered From Well in Rome

The objects, found within the Ostia Antica archaeological site in southern Italy, include burnt animal bones and a carved wooden chalice.

A trove of perfectly preserved ceramics, burnt animal bones and a wooden chalice have been pulled up from a well in Ostia Antica, shedding new light on religious life at the heart of Ancient Rome.

Discarded peach stones, oil lamps and marble fragments dating from the first and second centuries BC were also pulled up from the 3m-deep shaft at Ostia, an ancient port city at the mouth of the Tiber that is now the site of a vast archaeological park.

The well is located outside the ruins of the Temple of Hercules in the archaeological site’s so-called sacred area, once home to Ostia’s most important places of worship. Water at the bottom has preserved the artefacts for centuries.

Specialists were hoisted inside and they then carefully removed the objects. Recovered pig and cattle bones and ceramics showed burn marks, suggesting the animals had been sacrificed, cooked and eaten during banquets honouring deities. “These finds are a direct testament of the ritual activity that took place at the sanctuary,” Alessandro D’Alessio, director of the Ostia Antica archaeological park. “We might have imagined this happened but previously we had no evidence.”

One of the most spectacular discoveries was a carved wooden chalice or funnel. Archaeologists are still trying to determine its precise function. “Refined objects like this are rare given that wood usually deteriorates,” D’Alessio said. “We believe it may have been used as a musical instrument such as a pipe.”

Before Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman empire in 380 AD, Romans typically fulfilled vows to multiple gods, made divine requests and asked for forgiveness by sacrificing animals in designated sacred spaces including altars and temples.

Ostia’s sacred area, which was located near a spring along the Via della Foce road that led towards the coast, was discovered in the late 1930s and is currently being restored with a view to opening it to the public.

D’Alessio said that the newly discovered objects would be restored by specialists from the archaeological park and eventually displayed at the refurbished Museo Ostiense, which is due to reopen by the end of June following a three-year closure.

Massimo Osanna, director of museums at Italy’s culture ministry, said in a statement: “Restoration work [in Ostia Antica] has proved to be a unique opportunity to study and deepen our knowledge of the functions and activities that took place in the sanctuary”.

By James Imam.

[brokehorrorfan]

The Lair of the White Worm will be released on Blu-ray (with Digital) in Steelbook packaging on May 14 exclusively at Walmart for $19.96. Other than the packaging, the disc is identical to Lionsgate's Vestron Video release from 2017.

Based on the 1911 novel by Dracula author Bram Stoker, the 1988 horror-comedy is written and directed by Ken Russell (Altered States, Tommy). Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis, and Stratford Johns star.

Vance Kelly designed the Steelbook art. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the interior layout.

Special features:

Audio commentary with director Ken Russell

Audio commentary with Lisi Russell, in conversation with film historian Matthew Melia

Worm Food: The Effects of The Lair of the White Worm featurette

Interview with editor Peter Davies

Interview with actress Sammi Davis

Trailers From Hell trailer commentary by producer Dan Ireland

Theatrical trailers

Still gallery

James D’Ampton (Hugh Grant) returns to his country castle in England. Legend has it that James’s distant ancestor once slayed the local dragon — a monstrous white worm with a fondness for the sweet flesh of virgins. The young lord dismisses the legend as folklore, until archaeology student Angus Flint explores James’s property and unearths a massive reptilian skull and a pagan snake god’s ancient site of worship. When James’s virtuous girlfriend, Eve Trent (Catherine Oxenberg), suddenly disappears, James and Angus set out to investigate the foreboding cavern said to be the worm’s lair, where a centuries-old mystery begins to uncoil.

Pre-order The Lair of the White Worm.

[consanguinitatum]

DT talk throwback: my interview w/Steve Pang, writer/director/producer of SPACES

This post is the second in the series of posts I'm making to rescue my lost interviews with people who worked with David in his earlier years: you can find the first, with David Blair - the director of Takin' Over The Asylum - right here.

Over half a decade ago now I was a writer for David Tennant News/DT Forum, one of the bigger unofficial fan sites of DT's at the time (now sadly defunct). During my time there, I got the chance in July 2015 to interview Steve Pang - the writer/director/producer of SPACES, a short film David starred in back in 1993. I didn't want this interview to sink into the depths of the Wayback Machine and I thought y'all might enjoy reading it, so here is that interview in its entirety (and if you'd like to see it in its original form, click here.)

Screenshot of SPACES from Moving Image Archive / Steve Pang, Writer-Director-Producer (today, and in a 1993 interview)

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Recently I was able to chat with Steve Pang, the writer, director and editor of SPACES. SPACES is a 1993 short film starring David Tennant as Vinny, a young man working a night shift in a car park in Edinburgh. The film depicts the characters Vinny meets over the course of the night: an older colleague with a troubled past, a bright young girl who uses the empty car park for her violin practice, and a young homeless boy.

Pang won a First Reels funding Award in 1993 from the Scottish Film Council and Scottish Television for the script he submitted for SPACES. First Reels was “a joint short film initiative from Scottish Screen (and its predecessor body the Scottish Film Council) and Scottish Television that was launched during 1991 by the Scottish Film Council in response to a perceived need for small grants to help young and first time film-makers to make or complete their first film or video project.”

Winning the award gave Pang the funds to make SPACES a reality. In the following years he decided to shift gears and move into film and television editing. He began in film as an assistant editor in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and on television in The Vicar of Dibley. Since then he has worked in various editing capacities on a lengthy list of projects including Wonka, Band of Brothers, The Da Vinci Code, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The 10th Kingdom, and Gravity.

How did you hear about the First Reels project? 

The scheme was announced whilst I was at Napier University in Edinburgh studying for my degree. As it was open to students, pretty much everyone on the course applied as it was a rare opportunity to get funding to make films.

It’s my understanding the First Reels project gave filmmakers grants to help them realize their projects, but that the projects didn’t have to be finished films to be submitted.  What stage in its development was SPACES at when you submitted it? Did the grant you won help you film and complete the work or had it already been completed in a rough form? 

As I recall I submitted a script and a supporting application form. Had we not won the grant, I think the film would have still gone ahead in some form but we would not have been able pay the cast or equipment suppliers – which would have undoubtedly had a detrimental effect on the film, in my opinion.

Was SPACES your first film? Take us through its development from idea to reality. How did you decide on it as your submission for First Reels?

It was probably my second or third short, but certainly the most ambitious (everything else before that was really more just fooling around and experimenting with a camera). The goal was to ‘keep things simple’ and come up with an idea that could be shot in one location with a small cast. I had worked part time in a 24hr car park in the past and my experiences in that job were the source material for the film.

SPACES is set in a car park and tells the story of one young man’s night shift. What were your inspirations for the story line?  he ending? Can you share a bit more about what you hoped people would take away from the film?

The short is essentially a dramatisation of a number of real life experiences I had working part time in a 24hr car park in Edinburgh. It sounds like a pretty mundane job, but I worked with some very interesting people and there were one or two unusual incidents. I thought collating everything into a single night would make an interesting short film. I’ve always found night time in cities really fascinating and I thought SPACES would be an original way of depicting that kind of atmosphere and mood. 

Screenshots from SPACES

Were the actors you chose initially the ones that actually appear in the film? How involved were you in choosing the talent, and how did the actors you chose come to your attention? 

We contacted a number of local actors agencies and as I recall the actors in the film were all our first choices for each role. At the time I had no idea who David was or that he was about to become a big star. Looking back, I think he was already making a name for himself as an up-and-coming actor within the industry but as a lowly, newbie film student I didn’t have that ‘inside knowledge’. All I knew was that he seemed remarkably in tune with the character I’d written and came across as incredibly natural in the first audition. The role was his immediately. It was only after the film was completed and submitted that I started hearing comments along the lines of ‘wow you had David Tennant in your short.’

Speaking of actors — David was very young when you worked with him (it’s listed as only his 4th credited role). Was there something that impressed you about this young unknown actor? What about the experience of working with him still stands out for you all these years later?

Working with him – from rehearsal to shoot – was great. We had a tiny budget, a cold, dark location, and it was a night shoot. In hindsight, given that we were a bunch of newbie students and he was about to break through as a major actor, I’m grateful that he was so tolerant of the unsociable hours, the unglamorous location and facilities we had!

I have information that SPACES was shown on television sometime in the latter half of 1993, when Scottish Television ran three half-hour documentaries showing excerpts of the winners from the First Reels. Do you recall if it was shown, and if so, how did you feel seeing your film broadcast?

An excerpt was shown yes, along with a short interview with me. I remember being wracked with nerves on the night of the broadcast and kind of being in shock afterwards. It was probably only a couple of minutes of screen time in total.

Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes sorts of recollections about working on the short?

I remember our equipment causing a short circuit at the location that required us to completely re-order the schedule. And I think our catering consisted of soup and bread for everyone. It was all very basic.

How do you think working on First Reels influenced you in developing your career?

It was an invaluable boost and a great learning experience. Who knows what would have happened had I not received that grant.

For Further Reference:

View Mr. Pang’s IMDb or his extensive CV.

Synopsis from entry on SPACES from the full film record at the Scottish Screen Archive.

A copy of SPACES is held at the Moving Image Archive and can be viewed at the National Library of Scotland. Private and research viewing only.

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And that's that! I hope you all enjoyed this unique insight into SPACES and DT's work with Steve Pang!

[mariacallous]

Less than an hour before JD Vance and Tim Walz took the debate stage on Tuesday, Elon Musk hit pause on his usual shitposting of pro-Trump memes to send a more serious message to his nearly 200 million X followers.

“If you live in Pennsylvania and haven’t registered to vote, you only have 20 days left to do so!” he posted.

“Arizona’s voter registration deadline is only a week away!” he said in a second post a few minutes later.

Musk also included voter registration links for residents. By Wednesday morning, X’s metrics showed that those posts were viewed more than 30 million times, and the links received 1 million views each. Basically: A lot of people saw them. A lot.

It might not be 2008, Obama-style ground game, but it sure is something.

At the beginning of this election cycle, the Ronna McDaniel–led Republican National Committee was planning on building out a vast network of canvassers across the country, but plans changed suddenly when the Trump campaign took over the committee this spring. Instead of putting out the ground game themselves, they’ve dedicated their resources to combating whatever voter fraud they expect to encounter next month. Lately, the RNC’s been holding what they call “Election Integrity Zoom Seminars” instructing supporters on how to spot issues while poll watching.

And the Trump campaign’s been happy to outsource its get-out-the-vote efforts. The Musk-backed America PAC has taken the lead, hiring a few hundred canvassers in battleground states. Turning Point’s political operation is doing work in Arizona and Georgia.

Still, many GOP strategists fear it’s not enough, according to recent Politico reporting, and say they’re worried that Trump’s “paltry” ground game and get-out-the-vote efforts could cost him the election.

In the Politico report, Trump’s political director, James Blair, defended the campaign’s decision to invest less in IRL voter registration, saying that suburban voters, which have often been the focus of canvassing, are already more likely to vote. They just need, Blair says, to be convinced to vote for Trump.

As of this year, 42 US states allow online voter registration—including every contentious battleground state. Digital ads with easy call-to-action buttons linking out to any of these registration sites is definitely cheaper, and easier for the campaign and voters alike. Between Musk’s calls to action, Trump’s own missives online, and all of the campaign’s online initiatives with right-wing creators and influencers, voter registration is quite literally only a click away.

Perhaps even as a gift to Musk, Trump has effectively returned to X over the past few weeks, leveraging the largest online megaphone he’s ever had. On Tuesday evening, Trump posted a link to his campaign’s page asking for volunteers. As of Wednesday afternoon, it’s pinned at the top of his account. This could be the mark of a desperate candidate, but it could still prove to be very effective.

If the polls are correct, this election will be incredibly close. Trump’s base will likely turn out like they did in 2016 and 2020. The challenge is convincing nonvoters to turn out and boost the former president’s numbers. Many of these unlikely voters are young men; men aged 18-24 vote in far fewer numbers than older generations. To find and persuade them, Trump has worked with tough-guy and dude-bro podcasters and influencers whose audiences tend to be the exact people the campaign is trying to reach. Instead of one volunteer with a clipboard getting maybe a few dozen or even a hundred people to register in a day, these guys precisely reach millions of the voters the campaign needs.

In 2008, Barack Obama’s campaign transformed how elections are fought and won with its massive field operation across the country. At the time, traditional methods like phone banking were revolutionary. Now, no one answers their phones. If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know the Kamala Harris campaign has done plenty of similar work online to what we’re seeing from the Trump team and Obama’s ‘08 campaign. The main difference, really, is that they’ve also invested in relational organizing, and are betting on the fact that a combination of random volunteers speaking with strangers, influencers posting to millions, and friends and family members reaching out with talking points will win November. Basically, Harris is casting a wide net while Trump goes all in.

Rather than hanging out at college campuses and grocery stores, it looks like the Trump campaign is betting on the internet to help them reach low-propensity voters. With millions of followers, and that sweet algorithmic luck, the Musk and Paul brothers could very well be Trump’s ace.

[kleio-with-a-k]

A (very basic, incomplete) timeline of the history of fanfiction

Got into fan studies like a month ago, and learning about how fanfiction has changed is definitely my favorite part. I should note that there were works you could classify as fanfiction as early as the eighteenth century, but I'm more interested in the evolution of modern fanfiction.

Beginning of fanfiction as we know it

1960s - 1970s - Women writing Star Trek fanzines basically invent fanfiction, and also the idea of having sex, which no one had thought to do before. Everyone say thank you women. The fandom term "slash" originates from early Kirk/Spock fanfiction. (Kirk SLASH Spock.)

1981 - Several women (because yes, they were also women) receive cease and desist letters from Maureen Garrett, director of the Official Star Wars Fan Club saying that "X-rated" fanfiction is strictly prohibited and that "the word has come down from George Lucas, himself, that STAR WARS pornography is unquestionably unacceptable." This managed to mostly deter people from writing Star Wars smut (until the Internet), an example of what Mel Stanfill calls successful "domestication" of a fanbase.

Fanfiction goes online

1990s - early 2000s - Fanfiction moves online. It is no longer necessary (or preferable) to create fanzines that are sent out to a mailing list - or traded at cons. Obviously people still make physical copies of zines and are still attending cons, but the internet makes available a plethora of free fan-made content. It also becomes harder (although as we shall see, not impossible) for companies to control what types of fanfiction get passed around.

Anne Rice and fair use (and why companies can basically do whatever they want)

2000 - Anne Rice, author of Interview With The Vampire, posts a message on her website stating that she disallows all fanfiction of her works. Several fanfiction writers receive cease and desist letters. The following year, fanfiction.net scrubs all fanfiction of her works from their site.

What Rice did would probably not have stood up to legal scrutiny, but that doesn't really matter. Fair use doesn't really mean shit because companies FREQUENTLY use language that exceeds their actual legal authority as a scare tactic. People don't know what constitutes fair use and even if they did, sites like YouTube (or like fanfiction.net) tend to side with the companies and IP owners. That means that a lot of what gets taken down is fair use but is stuff the IP owner finds objectionable, a la 1980s Lucasfilm. (See Mel Stanfill's Exploiting Fandom, chap. 4 for more about this)

Early mainstreaming of fanfiction: "And when everyone's a nerd...no one will be."

2006 - The infamous Harry Potter fanfiction "My Immortal" is posted on fanfiction.net. I originally thought about putting this here to be funny and cause you kind of have to, but I actually think the widespread ridicule it received is probably indicative of the fact that fanfiction was still seen as something weird and niche. (Yes, I'm aware this is not the only reason it's funny.)

2008 - Iron Man, the first movie of what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hits theaters. I've seen people cite the MCU as the sole reason for the mainstreaming of nerd/geek culture. I think I have to agree, and with the mainstreaming of nerd/geek culture comes the mainstreaming of fanfiction.

2011 - Fifty Shades of Grey is published. The author, E. L. James, is open about the fact that her story started as Twilight fanfiction. This is one of the first (THE first?) books with mainstream success that is essentially published fanfiction.

Fanfiction goes mainstream?

2015ish to present: Is it weird to read or write fanfiction anymore? It doesn't really feel like it. The transformative works website Archive of Our Own has seen a steady increase in the number of visitors to the site every year since the 2010s. (And a lot of people, not just the weirdos, at least have some idea of what AO3 is.) It is no longer as taboo to turn your fanfiction into a published book. Which is remarkable, because as late as 2019, Mel Stanfill (to whom I owe my life) talks about how the ways in which women engage in fandom (fanfiction) are not profitable or career-advancing like the stuff male fans do (video game modding, amateur filmmaking). To me, it looks like that has changed. The fanfiction-turned-books that I've seen get the most snide laughs are After by Anna Todd (2014) and The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (2021). But secure the bag regardless, ladies. We love to see a girlboss winning.

Further Reading (because obviously you're as invested as I am):

Fake Geek Girls: Fandom, Gender, and the Convergence Culture Industry by Suzanne Scott

Exploiting Fandom: How the Media Industry Seeks to Manipulate Fans by Mel Stanfill

Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth by Camille Bacon-Smith

The Fan Fiction Studies Reader ed. Karen Hellokson and Kristina Busse

Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet ed. Karen Hellokson and Kristina Busse

[7a-updates]

my theory for trainee a’s sudden disbandment

Summary of Trainee A’s story:

Trainee A was formed under BigHit and the public was made aware of them in 2021 when the trainees started promoting themselves online

BigHit heavily implied that the boys will debut in 2022. Even kpop prediction sites that use information gathered from kpop companies themselves predicted BigHit to debut a boy group in 2022

However by December 2022, all of Trainee A’s social medias were shut down and the group was disbanded. One by one the trainees save for Jihoon and possibly James all left Hybe as trainees

Now in 2024, Ador’s CEO Min Hee Jin has been asked to resign by Hybe and they have started an investigation on her and her Vice President for allegedly leaking company secrets, idols and trainees private info and a bunch of other things.

Korean media is now looking into her history with hybe and how this whole mess started in the first place.

here’s the summary:

Min Hee Jin joins Hybe in 2019 and they announce she will be making her own girl group in collaboration with Source Music. Allegedly her and Source’s CEO had creative differences and she wanted to be in charge of her own agency.

Hybe created Ador for her and she took Source’s staffs and trainees with her over to Ador allegedly leaving Source to pay off all of their trainees’ debt

Apparently Bang PD and BigHit decided to help out Source and transferred a lot of their employees over to Source to help them get back on their feet. This includes managers, creative directors, etc.

This all happened around 2021 which is when Trainee A just got revealed to the public. At the same time as BigHit was training TA, Bang PD and Source started scouting for a new source music girl group

My theory is that due to BigHit suddenly loosing staff they did not have enough employees to handle BTS, TXT and Trainee A all at the same time. Plus with Bang PD being busy helping Source out with their new group he couldn’t focus his attention on TA and their debut

This is most likely why Trainee A was disbanded so suddenly. BigHit did not expect Hee Jin to pull such a stunt. TA had a huge hiatus before BigHit decided to end the project. The hiatus was most likely due to BigHit reorganizing their staff and in the end they decided that they could not afford to debut TA

Sources:

https://x.com/pimdoongie/status/1782952531527942473?s=46

https://x.com/pimdoongie/status/1782735141535928697?s=46

[dzthenerd490]

File: The Twilight Zone S1 E26 Execution

SCP#: AHW

Code Name: A Reminder That Time Travel Will Always Bite You in the Ass

Object Class: Neutralized

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-AHW has been dismantled due to its dangerous nature. As such no containment procedures will be made for the anomaly. It’s parts and its design will not be researched either as it is too dangerous to even study. In accordance with Temporal laws created and established by the Anomalous Correction and Protection Alliance which the Foundation is a member of, every bit of knowledge on how SCP-AHW's mechanics work has been destroyed. 

Description: SCP-AHW is by all intents and purposes a time machine though it is not a traditional time machine created in past failed attempts or described in fictional media. Instead of being a vehicle or capsule device that sends a person to a different time it instead has the power to pluck someone from a time period and send them to the present or vice versa. Unfortunately, upon creation there was no way to have SCP-AHW control who was plucked or placed where only that it would happen one way or another. This makes SCP-AHW extremely dangerous in that history can be altered to the point of disaster in a matter of seconds if used even once. 

SCP-AHW was discovered in 1960 when a rouge scientist created it and used it to pluck a murderer form the 1880’s into the present. The murderer obviously killed him but was unable to comprehend the modern world so trapped himself in the lab. From retrieved footage of the lab, the Foundation could see that a thief infiltrated the lab and killed the murderer but also sent himself into the past.

Thankfully as SCP-AHW was activated twice, both times releasing temporal wavelengths, the Foundation was able to find and acquire it rather easily. As far as the Foundation can tell this didn’t alter history that much except spawned a legend in 1880 where the murderer was supposed to die. The legend regards an outlaw that mysteriously changed into the devil when he was hanged. Though this has been disregarded as an urban legend and faded into obscurity.

Still, SCP-AHW was declared a temporal threat and needed to be destroyed. It was only thanks to our allies at the Global Occult Coalition that SCP-AHW was dismantled properly without causing a temporal rift or other dangerous temporal anomalies. No knowledge about how SCP-AHW was made, how it was dismantled, or how it even works is to be shared. All info, even insignificant info on its functionality, is to be found and erased in all forms. Instead, the only knowledge on SCP-AHW that is to be shared is the danger of temporal anomalies as well as time travel in general.

"Humanity is still far too young to understand even the most basic anomalies but unfortunately even the Foundation cannot begin to comprehend the damage temporal anomalies can accomplish if used incorrectly. For all we know, incorrect use of temporal based anomalies is exactly what caused The Reset. Though we should consider ourselves lucky that whatever The Reset was it only reversed time and didn't erase all of reality. I know we all have a lingering desire to go back in time so that we can prevent ourselves form suffering through our mistakes. But in my 70 years of working at the Foundation has taught me anything... nothing is worth the risk." -Site Director James

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[spnscripthunt-inactive]

Gotham Knights - 1.11 "Daddy Issues" - two scripts donated by James Stotereaux, Chad Fiveash and Natalie Abrams to our raffle benefitting Undue Medical Debt, both signed by co-writer Natalie Abrams and director America Young. Both to be signed by Misha Collins at Creation Tour: New Jersey 2024. Two winners.

Every dollar donated to Undue Medical Debt wipes out $100 of medical debt: since our campaign opened on April 24 we've raised enough to abolish over $1 million in medical debt nationwide.

To donate to our fundraising campaign:

Raffle/Prize Info (closes June 30):

h/t Thank you @deanismybuddy for making these prizes possible 💚

[oscarwetnwilde]

A radio show starring James Wilby, originally from 1998 is now available (for the moment) to listen to at the links above. Taken from the site:

It tells the story of narcissistic Sir Willoughby Patterne’s search for a bride. In an era when young women were effectively trafficked between fathers and suitors, he is torn between his feelings for sentimental Laetitia and strong-willed Clara. When he eventually pins one down to an engagement, Sir Willoughby is baffled at her attempts to extract herself from the arrangement.

Stars James Wilby [Poldark] as Sir Willoughby Patterne, Keeley Hawes [Orphan Black: Echoes] as Clara and Nickie Rainsford [Skellig] as Laetitia, alongside Simon Ludders, Hannah Gordon, Bill Wallis, Robert Patterson, Lawmary Champion, Christine Pritchard, Anna North, June Barrie, Giles Thomas, Paul Nicholson and Leo Brightmore.

Dramatised by Jane Dauncey

Director: Alison Hindell

A BBC Wales production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.

[blueiscoool]

Scottish Coin Hoard Could be Linked to 1692's Glencoe Massacre

Coins found under a fireplace may have been hidden there by a victim of the infamous Massacre of Glencoe, according to archaeologists.

Almost 40 members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed in February 1692 after soldiers were ordered to attack them.

A student discovered the money at the site of a house linked to the clan's chief.

Lucy Ankers was on her first dig when she made the find.

The 36 coins were inside a pot which had a small round pebble as a lid and had been placed beneath a hearth stone slab in the fireplace.

The discovery was made in August during an excavation at the site of the ruined house, led by archaeologists from the University of Glasgow.

The property was associated with clan chief Alasdair Ruadh "MacIain" MacDonald of Glencoe.

He was among the estimated 38 people killed in the massacre.

Ms Ankers said: "As a first experience of a dig, Glencoe was amazing.

"The two weeks I spent digging solidified that I want to pursue a career within archaeology."

She added: "I wasn't expecting such an exciting find as one of my firsts, and I don't think I will ever beat the feeling of seeing the coins peeking out of the dirt in the pot."

The MacDonalds were targeted because of their support for the exiled King James VII of Scotland and II of England.

The clan backed the restoration of the Stuart dynasty to the British throne and had taken part in the first Jacobite Rising of 1689.

Historians say they were late delivering an oath of allegiance to the Protestant King William III, and had been branded as rebels by the Secretary of Scotland, Sir John Dalrymple.

In late January 1692, about 120 soldiers from the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot arrived in Glencoe from Invergarry led by Capt Robert Campbell of Glen Lyon.

The troops were billeted with members of the clan, before turning on their hosts on 13 February.

Some people tried to escape in a snow blizzard to nearby glens, including Gleann Leac-na-muidhe, where the coin hoard was found.

The University of Glasgow has suggested a number of reasons why the money could be connected to the massacre.

None of the coins were minted after the 1680s, which has led archaeologists to suggest they were most likely deposited under the fireplace either just before or during the killings for safekeeping.

The archaeologists also said whoever buried the coins did not return for them, possibly indicating they were among the victims of the massacre.

The coins are dated from the late 1500s through to the 1680s, and include pieces from the reigns of Elizabeth I, James VI and I, Charles I, the Cromwellian Commonwealth, and Charles II.

There were also coins from France and the Spanish Netherlands, as well as one coin which appears to have originated in the Papal States.

Dr Michael Given, a co-director of the archaeological project in Glencoe, said: "These exciting finds give us a rare glimpse of a single, dramatic event.

"Here's what seems an ordinary rural house, but it has a grand fireplace, impressive floor slabs, and exotic pottery imported from the Netherlands and Germany.

"And they've gathered up an amazing collection of coins in a little pot and buried them under the fireplace.

"It's a real privilege, as archaeologists, to hold in our hands these objects that were so much part of people's lives in the past."

University of Glasgow excavations director Edward Stewart added: "The excavation of MacIain's Summerhouse allows us to better understand the importance of these uplands to local elites.

"The scale of this structure and the wealth of artefacts uncovered within suggest this was a place where the MacDonald chiefs could entertain with feasting, gambling, hunting and libations.

"The discovery of this coin hoard within the structure adds an exciting dimension to this story.

"However, ordinary and everyday finds within this structure such as spindle whorls for making thread, a pitch fork and a dress pin, speak to the everyday lives of those who lived here, worked the land and minded the cattle."

[cumaeansibyl]

I don't know how Late Night with the Devil will fare with people who don't own a shirt of their favorite defunct '70s horror studio, but I loved it

(Amicus Pictures, masters of the horror anthology. Yes, I designed it myself.)

David Dastmalchian in a tan blazer looks like a sleazy Carl Sagan and I dig it so much. There's a Satanic cult leader with Anton LaVey's middle name and a skeptic who would be a libel on James Randi if he were still alive. The special effects are all either '70s-era practical work or look like they could be. Raw red meat for the degens and sickos who miss the days of bullshit like To the Devil, a Daughter and The Devil's Rain.

Now. The movie does make some use of AI-generated art (for a few of the "bumper" images that go between a show and the ad break). Some people are mad about this. I am not. I haven't been as angry about AI art as a lot of people in the first place, and then, well... look. I've watched movies that stole props, plots, music, dialogue, even actual footage from other movies. I've watched movies that earned the director a conviction for animal cruelty. Shit, I've watched movies where the directors should've caught a charge for actor cruelty (Kubrick, Cameron, lookin at you). On a bad horror movie ethics scale of 1-10, where 1 is an 8-hour day with fair pay and a union rep on site, and 10 is John Landis killing three people on the Twilight Zone shoot -- a line I will not cross -- I'm putting AI art at about a two. A lot of people will feel differently. I mention it because I think it's better for them to know in advance rather than finding out afterward and having the experience spoiled for them.

Late Night with the Devil builds the tension to a nearly unbearable point and then doesn't quite pay it off, but you know, who ever does? Stephen King was right: once you show the monster, the audience relaxes, because it wasn't as bad as the worst thing they can imagine. I thought it was pretty damn good, though, and it avoided some of the hoariest old demonic tropes after leaning pretty hard into them earlier in the movie (for good reason). 4/5 stars, glad we saw it in the theater.

[dconscreen]

The Powered Pup and Prosthetic Penguin Pecker | News

Unlike Penguin's prosthetic pecker, this news episode is long and kinda hard to do.

Not really, we had a blast, but we talked about a WHOLE lot:

Why It's Taken So Long to Get The Batman Part II

More 'The Batman' Spin-Off Shows in Development

Colin Claims He Wore a Prosthetic Penguin Pecker

Do Joker and Ivy Both Have Squirting Flowers DOWN THERE?

Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan "Had a Giggle" About Their Batman Roles

'Superman & Lois' Was Supposed to be at Least Seven Seasons but Showrunners Promise a Satisfying Conclusion

Elizabeth Hestridge is Playing Lex Luthor's Daughter

'Creature Commandos' EP Tickles its Balls

NYCC Panel Will Tease the Commandos and DCU's Future

Unconfirmed: Alan Tudyk to Play Mystery Role in "Superman"

'Superman" Assembly Cut is Long Done

We Got Our First Look at Krypto The Super Dog

Gunn on Grillo's Turn at Being on Three Different DCU Projects (So Far)

Why It's Taken So Long to Get Peacemaker Season 2

Gunn Teases a Deep-Cut Character on Peacemaker

Dean Lorey Teases More Harley/Kiteman Spin-Offs!

Harley and Ivy Move to Metropolis in Season 5!

Justice for Brown Stain

Matt Reeves Still Planning 'The Batman' Trilogy

'Dynamic Duo" Announced with Momo Animation!

Bane/Deathstroke Movie Rumored to be in the Works

Gunn Calls Batman Casting Rumor Bullshit

Confirmed: We Have Our Hal Jordan and John Stewart in "Lanterns"

Unconfirmed: "Lanterns" Taps "Black Mirror" Director

The Sandman Season 2 Video Reveals First Look at The Endless, Loki | https://youtu.be/a8ML1mAIovM

New Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League Trailer | https://youtu.be/etyTNB5_9Vc

Supergirl Movie Casts The Old Guard’s Matthias Schoenaerts as Villain Krem

"My Adventures With Superman" Season 3 Has Started Recording!

Matt Reeves Expects Season 2 of "Batman: Caped Crusader" in 2025

James Gunn Warns Some Announced DC Projects May Not Get Made (And Explains Why)

Gunn Debunks a Big Casting Rumor

More DC Documentaries Coming?

Arrow’s Stephen Amell Claims Warner Bros. Killed Plans for a Movie

Stephen Amell Doesn’t Understand Green Arrow is a character outside of Arrow?

Yes, Joker: Folie a Deux Flopped (and That's How it Should Be)

No, Joker 2 Is Not a Dark Knight Prequel (Here's Why)

Todd Phillips Says His Time in the DC Universe is Over

Feedback on Joker 2

Joker 2 Digital Release Date Set

Critics & DC Fans Are Both Wrong About Joker 2 (Here’s Why)

Join Our Riotous DC Debauch!

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