#Video Transcription Prices

[itwoodbeprefect]

i love websites that contain text-based information

[solsticedawnfae1]

I would like to let everyone know that as of now I'm no longer reading tarot. Instead, I've been more adamant about becoming a a transcriber.

For those of you who need a little insight as to what that is, it means taking audio and video files and typing out into words being said inside the video/audio files.

For those of you who are interested in my services here are my prices:

For 10 minutes of audio/video file I charge $5, 15 minutes for $10, and 20 minutes for $15. If you have a video/audio file that's longer, no worries! Send me a message and we will discuss prices based on the length of your file and your budget on what you can afford! I'm very reasonable and I'm willing to negotiate that being you do t take advantage of my services. We all need to make a living!

[chronicler-of-narrative]

So, On-Lyne, huh?

Let's be honest here, they're actually an incredibly cool system. If there's one thing I like about DE is how they spice up stale systems. Like how Poe and Fortuna paved the way for Deimos and Duviri, the technocyte Coda seem to be doing the same for the lich system (especially considering how they dont seem to have any weapons).

While lightly disappointing because they have set identities unlike the very oc-friendly randomness of liches and sisters, its still basically the most hype part of the 1999 update for me.

However, praise aside, I also wanted to do some light speculatuon on their story and personalities, and specifically, why I think they weren't always infested.

Now, look, ik they look weird conceptually, being likened to fortnite skins by some, but I think that is mostly just foreshadowing. To me, they look like digital avatars, which considering their name is quite literally On-Lyne and all of the internet imagery in the 1999 promotional videos and ads seems to support this. Now, this is actually really important because if they are digital avatars of real people (as I suspect), then that sets up the main theme of their story: Appearances.

This is why I think they're not some infested psyop but rather started out normally, before being overtaken. Because at the end of the day, Warframe's stories are deep in the most batshit way possible. DE aren't afraid to use the mighty Allegory for their stories, and I think this is what they're doing here. The infestation is On-Lyne's Monkey Paw, being either a wish-come-true or a punishment, or both.

This, imo, is most evident with Zeke. After all, we literally hear him talking about how "if management gives him one more passive aggressive comment, he's gonna snap", which to me tells me that Zeke probably isn't able to endure the price of being famous. This, combined with a transcription of the infested writing on their fanpage I received from a friend, tells us what the Infestation has done for Zeke. "Zeke hungers to unmake himself" and calling him "Fleshskin" to me sound like Zeke seeking to become acceptable to the band at the cost of himself. As in, to literally martyr himself, to become the band's skin and remove the part of himseld that can't stand the pressure, becoming in the proccess an empty shell, a skin-suit, if you will.

For the others, we know a little less, so imma just summarize my theories on them :

-Hardrive's the one who spreads the infestation, the infection mechanism. But by the...unflattering language the hivemind uses to describe him unlike the others, what i get is hes trying to escape the infestation, escape the life of fame, but in doing so is only falling deeper into the very thing he's trying to get away from.

-Packet's the tactician of the group. Different from Drillbit in the fact that hes directly responsible for unity within the group. I mean, "Soothes the dissident voices" doesnt get more explicit than that. Its weird how hes the most "fresh". To me it sounds like he may have had a hand in unleashing the infestation on the group in some attempt to keep them from having a falling out, and is now in charge of keeping the whole hivemind together after being the last one to be consumed.

-Drillbit is the guide of the group. Especially with the brain and larynx lines, sounds to me like he was the second-in-command to Zeke who always wanted to be the face of the band but couldn't with Zeke in the way.

-Dj RoM is a little hard to figure out, but to me he sounds like the group hedonist. He doesn't question whats going on, hes just there to have a good time and might even be the most accepting of the infestation. Especially considering how it directly mentions how his 'palpatations reverberate' while the band is 'digesting' which may imply hes actually enjoying it.

So yea, these basically it. If im wrong, feel more than free to share your ideas. After all, this is just speculation, but to me it seems very fitting from a narrative perspective.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Vice surrenders

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in LA with Adam Conover at Vroman's, then on MONDAY in Seattle with Neal Stephenson, then Portland, Phoenix and more!

Vice died the way it lived: being suckered in by smarter predators, even as it trained its own predatory instincts on those more credulous than its own supremely gullible leadership. RIP, we hardly knew ye.

For those of you who don't know, Vice was a Canadian media success story. It was founded by a motley clique of hipsters, one of whom – founder of the Proud Boys – has since grown to be one of the world's great fascism influencers. Another perfected the art of getting young people to work "for exposure" even as he built a massive, highly lucrative media empire on their free labor:

https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/vice-oral-history/

Eventually, Vice transitioned to a string of progressively worsening corporate owners, each more dishonest, predatory – and gullible – than the last. The company was one of the most enthusiastic marks for Facebook's infamous "pivot to video" – in which Mark Zuckerberg destroyed half the media industry by tricking them into thinking that the public was clamoring for video content, based on fraudulent viewing numbers:

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

Vice went all-in on video, spending hundreds of millions to finance Zuckerberg's doomed attempt to conquer Youtube. But unlike other the rubes who got zucked, Vice found greater fools to scam, convincing giant, slow-moving meidia companies that the best way to get in on the Next Big Thing was to shower them with vast sums of string-free money:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceland_(Canadian_TV_channel)

And yet, at every turn, through a succession of increasingly incompetent owners who bought the stumbling, declining Vice at fire-sale prices and then proceeded to hack away at the wages and tools its journalists depended on while paying executives salaries so high that they beggared the imagination, Vice's reporters continued to turn out stellar material.

This went on literally until the last moment. The memorial posted by 404 Media rounds up a selection of major stories Vice's beleaguered, precarious writers produced even as Vice's vulture capitalist leadership were pulling the rug out from under them:

https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-vices-legacy-and-the-idea-that-the-internet-is-forever/

True to form, those private equity scumbags locked all those workers out of the company's CMS without notice – and then forgot to lock down the podcasting back-end. That allowed a group of Vice veterans – Matthew Gault, Emily Lipstein, Anna Merlan, Tim Marchman and Mack Lamoureux – to gather for a totally unauthorized, tell-all session that they pushed out on an official Vice channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKT4OtDEJRA

It's a hell of a listen. Not only do these Vice veterans have lots of fascinating history to recount, but they also describe the conditions under which those blockbuster stories of Vice's final days were produced. As the "visionary leaders" of the company paid themselves millions, they halted payments to key suppliers, from Lexisnexis to the interview transcription service the writers depended on. Writers paid out of pocket to search PACER court records.

Not only did Vice's reporters do incredible work under terrible and worsening circumstances, but the Vice writers who got out ahead of the total collapse are also doing incredible work. 404 Media is a writer-owned investigative news publisher founded by four Vice escapees – Samantha Cole, Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg and Joseph Cox, which is both producing incredible work and sustaining the writers who founded it:

https://www.404media.co/

All of which leads to an inescapable conclusion: whatever problems Vice had, they didn't include "writers don't do productive work" and also didn't include "that work isn't economically viable*. Whatever problems Vice had, they weren't problems with Vice's workers – it was a problem with Vice's bosses.

Which makes Vice's final, ignominious punishment at the hands of those bosses even more brutal, stupid and inexcusable. According to the leaked memos emanating from the company's investors and their millionaire C-suite toadies, the business's new strategy is abandoning their website in order to publish on social media.

This is…I mean, this,..

This is…

Wow.

I mean, wow.

The thing is, the social media business model is a giant rug-pull. They're not even bothering to hide their playbook anymore. For social media, the game is to encourage media companies to become reliant on third parties to reach their audiences. Once that reliance is established, the companies turn down – or even halt – the ability of those media companies to reach their audience altogether. Then, they charge the media companies to reach their audiences:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-need-end-end-web

Now, this wasn't always quite so obvious. Back when Vice was falling for Facebook's "pivot to video," it wasn't completely obvious that the long con was to take your audience hostage and ransom them back to you. But deliberately organizing your business to be reliant on social media barons today? It's like trusting your money to Sam Bankman-Fried…in 2024.

If there was ever a moment when the obvious, catastrophic, imminent risk of trusting Big Tech intermediaries to sit between you and your customers or audience, it was now. This is not the moment to be "social first." This is the moment for POSSE (Post Own Site, Share Everywhere), a strategy that sees social media as a strategy for bringing readers to channels that you control:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/19/now-we-are-two/#two-much-posse

Predicting that a social media platform will rug the media companies that depend on it today doesn't take a Sun Tzu – as cunning strategies go, the hamfisted tactics of FB, Twitter and Tiktok make gambits like "Lucy and the football" look like von Clausewitz.

The most bonkers part of this strategy is that it's coming from private equity bosses, who laud themselves as the great strategists of the 21st century, whose claim on so much of our global capital and resources is derived from their brilliant insight, which allows them to buy "distressed assets" like Vice, "restructure" them to find "efficiencies" and sell them on.

The reality is that PE goons – like other financiers – are basically herding animals. Everyone's hit on the tactic of buying up beloved media companies – from the 150-year-old Popular Science to modern publications like CNet – and then filling them with spammy garbage in the hopes that Google will fail to notice and continue to award them pride-of-place on search results pages:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

The fact that these billionaire brain-geniuses can't figure out how to "turn around" a site whose workers a) produce brilliant, popular, successful work; and b) depart to found successful firms that commercialize that work tells you everything about their ability to spot "a good business opportunity."

PE – like other mafiosi – only have one business-plan, the "bust out," where you invade a business that produces useful things, force them to pay your chosen suppliers sky-high fees for things they don't need, extract massive fees for your "management" and then walk away from the collapse:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/02/plunderers/#farben

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/2024/02/24/anti-posse/#when-you-absolutely-positively-dont-give-a-solitary-single-fuck

[emberglowfox]

Transcript of Bisan Owda's Audio Messages

Sent to her Instagram broadcast channel at 8:55 PM -- 9:28 PM UTC+2/PSST // 1:55 PM -- 2:28 PM EST, February 14th, 2024

Message 1 (0:59): Hey guys, um, how are you, hope you are doing well, and hope you're safe, not like us. So… I have just heard that the negotiations, everything… did not, [???], achieve anything, actually, the ceasefire, or anything, and I am so scared. I am so fucking scared. I feel that, you know it's not about death, I'm not so scared of death, I'm so scared of being displaced. I want to go back to my home, and-- I d-- I'm so near, by the way Gaza is so small, but I can't go there because Gaza strip is cut into pieces, and vehicles and tanks are the borders between--

Message 2 (0:59): --these pieces. So I just can't go anywhere inside my, my home, land, my-- my place. And-- it's unacceptable. Even unimaginable. You know, I have never imagined before that one day someone would just grab me from my… um, homeland, from my home, from my place, just pull me away and prevent me to come back. By the way, we don't know if we-- if we could go back, [???], if we could go back again, ever, and… I'm so scared, that they could displace us from Gaza strip to the desert. We will die in the desert because of hunger.

Message 3 (0:49): If they displaced us to Egypt, to the north of Egypt, to Sinai desert, we will just die. We will die. I don't know… why… do you guys are watching without doing anything to end this, just end it, just stop it, stop it, stop it in any price, stop it at any cost, stop it, just stop it for anything. Just stop this. It's a nightmare I can't continue. Just thinking about the displacement more and more-- it's nightmare. And I can't-- I can't keep it-- I can't keep it-- I can't keep alive while thinking of being displaced more and more. [Sniffs, exhales]. I just want to go back to my home.

Message 4 (text): Stop this genocide for the sake of God.

Message 5 (text): Stop this genocide for any cost.

For the [???] sections, I believe she is speaking Arabic (she repeats words quietly before continuing), but I don't know the words. If anyone has a more accurate transcript, please reach out and I'll share it instead.

DONATE TO UNRWA | DONATE ESIMS GUIDE | BISAN'S GOFUNDME

If you use Instagram, join Bisan's broadcast channel as well. She shares videos from herself, others, and speaks there frequently.

[astral-cowboy]

Silly little lando norris smau (part 4)

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

In which streamer!reader does an interview and exposes some important news.

Is this an excuse to write a chuckle sandwich interview? Yes. Am i including Slimecicle in this despite his unfortunate departure? Yes. Is this the silliest thing I've ever written? Yes. Is it in script format because i can't be bothered to write an actual fanfic at the moment? Absolutely.

[transcript of the "Chuckle Sandwich" podcast]

JSchlatt: you know, I heard that you managed to turn Charlie into a cat? How…

Charlie: (laughing) how did you… do that?

Y/N: it wasn’t me; it was my boyfriend.

Ted: your boyfriend, hit formula one driver, Lando Norris?

Y/N: mhm.

JSchlatt: wow…

Charlie: you think you know a guy…

Ted: and you just kept Charlie in your house?

Y/N: mhm, fed him three times a day. I mean, surely you remember this, Charlie?

Charlie: (laughing) yeah, multiple toys, got to drive my own race car, truly living the life.

Ted: in Monaco?

Charlie: in Monaco.

JSchlatt: welcome to chuckle sandwich, we have (your user).

[intro]

Ted: we have this segment we do with all our guests. The premise is, we all make up a piece of the sandwich, Charlie is the meat, ted is the bread, and Schlatt is the mayo. The question is, Y/N, is what are you?

Y/N: what am I?

Ted: what are you?

Y/N: hm… id say… maybe the crisps on the side.

JSchlatt: the crisps?

Y/N: chips

JSchlatt: ah.

Charlie: so, Y/N…

Y/N: Charlie…

Charlie: It’s been a very interesting time for you.

Y/N: like, in general or, like, specifically now?

Ted: I’m assuming he means recently

JSchlatt: don’t assume what he means.

Ted: I’m just saying!

Y/N: (laughing) it has been interesting recently, to answer your question.

Ted: moved to Monaco.

Y/N: I did.

Charlie: turned me into a cat.

Y/N: (laughing) that was Lando.

JSchlatt: had a child?

Y/N: oh shit! I forgot about that!

Ted: how… how did that rumour start?

Y/N: I have no idea; I just woke up to that post on twitter and a message from a very urgent Charlie asking what kind of toys the baby likes.

JSchlatt: any other reactions?

Y/N: Lando got a message from his teammate, Oscar Piastri, who was very… angry that he didn’t tell him… oh yeah, there were also a lot of congrats messages from the others on the grid as well. Neither of us knew what was going on.

Ted: I bet, it’s a very..

Charlie: very personal situation

Y/N: definitely. I… I knew what I was getting into, not even when dating Lando but with choosing this career.

JSchlatt: hmm, oh yeah.

Ted: so when people came up with this rumour?

Y/N: it was odd. I wasn’t as pissed as people would think, but I wasn’t exactly happy.

Charlie: and, just to give those who don’t know about your life, can you tell us who your boyfriend is, what he does, how you met-

JSchlatt: what he’s like in bed, everything.

Y/N: (laughing) my boyfriend is Lando Norris, he’s one of two drivers on the McLaren team in Formula One, we met via a mutual friend, Max, who invited me to be in a Quadrant video.

Ted: I’m assuming a different Max to the red bull guy

Y/N: different max, yeah. We hung out more because my friend Will, WillNE, umm, is now a co-owner of Quadrant, so when that stuff was being sorted which took… a while, umm, me and Lando talked for a bit about random stuff.

Charlie: and you then fell in love, or?”

Y/N: we flirted but neither of us really… were serious. We had kind of a friends with benefits thing for a while, but it ended when I got serious with my ex, so our relationship was very… rocky.

JSchlatt: did you know that he was a Formula One driver?

Y/N: Will had to be the one to tell me, I honestly just thought he was a streamer.

Ted: really?

Y/N: I hadn’t watched F1 since I was about ten and even then, I only really paid attention to the drivers when they appeared on Top Gear.

Charlie: Top Gear?

Y/N: British car show,, they had this segment called ‘the star in a reasonably priced car’ where they’d interview a celebrity and then have them drive around a track in something that would be considered a common car like a kia or something. I remember seeing Hamilton get the top score for ages but I’m pretty sure Daniel had it when the show ended.

Ted: are you close with the other drivers?

Y/N: I mean, I’ve talked to Oscar and Carlos a bit because… you know, but I wouldn’t say I’m very… close to them. Lando has his friends, I have my friends, it just so happens that some of those overlap. Would I like to be closer to the other drivers? If I’m being entirely honest, I’m happy where I am now.

Ted: now, you moved to Monaco earlier this year, what was that like?

Y/N: stressful, I couldn’t say ‘I’m moving in with my boyfriend’ but I also couldn’t keep the entire move a secret because then people would be like ‘why aren’t you streaming with James anymore?’ and start stupid rumours like they always do.

JSchlatt: what you did there was make people think you moved to evade taxes.

Y/N: that… (laughing) that is exactly what happened.

JSchlatt: but you weren’t.

Y/N: but I wasn’t.

Ted: you’ve been in the… public eye since you were a child

Y/N: I mean, I’ve been making content since I was… eight? Nine? Around that age

Ted: what would you say is the most stressful part of content creation?

Y/N: (laughing) how many people have you asked that question?

Charlie: too many

JSchlatt: far too many

Y/N: well, umm… I think the most stressful thing, for me at least, is the work life balance. Like many youtubers, I primarily filmed in my bedroom, its where my pc was set up and everything. I used to stream every day; I was… I burnt myself out. I was doing all of that as a full-time student with a part time job. I have since graduated and I’m not exactly employed anymore so I have a lot of time now but even then, I try not to stream every day.

Ted: and I don’t know how much I’m allowed to talk about this, please let me know if this is a breach of any plans or anything, but your newest projects…

Y/N: oh! Um… yes? Yeah. I can talk about it.

Charlie: to what…

JSchlatt: to what extent?

Y/N: I mean, if you upload this on the same day, I can talk about all of it.

Ted: … we can do that

Y/N: great!

Charlie: so, for the people at home, what is the oh so secret project?

Y/N: songs. I’ve been getting into music I suppose.

JSchlatt: good songs?

Y/N: id like to think so. I’ve been working with James Marriott, he helped me with the producing and everything. This, umm, three song EP, I suppose, is a collaborative work. I came up with the basic meanings of all three songs and then we worked on the lyrics and the track together.

Ted: and the music video?

Y/N: (laughing) the music video was done by some guy I know, does silly videos on the barbie cinematic universe, and ate an entire edible nerd’s rope by himself.

Ted: sounds like a handsome man.

JSchlatt: Final question!

Charlie: (laughing) oh god!

JSchlatt: would you rather have unlimited bacon, but no more games, Or, games, unlimited games, and no games?

Y/N: oh.. um… can I phone a friend?

JSchlatt: Lando has already answered this question.

Y/N: ok… bacon makes me feel kind of ill… and if I didn’t have games I wouldn’t have a career.

JSchlatt: great!

[Transcript End]

[piratefalls]

i'm sure everyone's tired of my rambling at the beginning of these, so let's just get to it. new list every wednesday!

list one. list two.

Even If It's Just Pretend by nontoxic

“The queen wants to show that the Prince and the First Son are still deeply in love and committed to their countries.” Ellen swallows. “They want you to go on a tour of the Commonwealth together, to get the public to see those emails not as a sex scandal, but an invasion of privacy of a wholesome, loving relationship.” “It was an invasion of privacy,” Alex says. He swallows. “Did they say what would happen if we say no?” Ellen’s lips pinch tightly at the corners. “Then they will issue a full denial and Henry will tour the commonwealth himself.” Alex doesn't hesitate. “Tell them we’ll do it. I’m not gonna let him do this alone." It would kill him. Henry hates this shit. The public parading, the judgment. Having to do all of that, and deny who he is? Alex at least wants to be there, to hold his hand through it. Even if it's just as a friend. It might kill Alex to pretend, but that’s a small price to pay to ensure Henry—his beautiful, vibrant, funny-as-hell, brilliant ex-not-quite-boyfriend—isn’t killed instead. --- or, the alex-never-goes-to-kensington-after-the-lake-house, exes-to-fake-dating-to-lovers fic.

I've carried this song in my mind by kiwiana

Henry lays eyes on Alex Claremont-Diaz for the first time in Rio, and it sends such a shockwave of longing and terror into the universe that Arthur feels it. Or, five times Arthur tries to get Alex and Henry together from beyond the grave, and one time two times his intervention isn’t needed.

Bear with me by phlebotinxm

The first time it happened, Henry was not having it. “For the last time, I’m not helping you shave your arse.” — In which Alex is very hairy, and Henry sort of has a thing for it. Not that he'd admit it, though.

Taking Control of the Histories by Qwert33

Singer ACD and Prince Henry announce their engagement to each other. The internet reacts. (+ the months after, a new album, resurfacing of old interviews, and public online flirting.)

Lost and Found by milowren

Pez turns to hand him his ticket, raising an eyebrow over one of his unsettling blue eyes. “It’s either too terrifying for you or too juvenile. It can’t be both.” “I’m not terrified,” Henry says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. But as soon as the crowd in front of them clears and he’s able to see the entrance to the maze, he’s forced to recant that statement. Because standing just off to the side in the shadow of a giant inflatable jack-o-lantern, along with two girls that Henry vaguely recognizes through their costumes, is the most terrifying thing Henry has seen so far tonight. Alex Claremont-Diaz. ****** Alex and Henry are coworkers, Henry has a crush, and they end up at a haunted corn maze together a few nights before Halloween. Shenanigans ensue! Plus many horror movie references.

you handle it beautifully by HypnosTheory

“And I may have an idea for the libido problem too.” Henry sighs. “I don’t think this has risen to the level of therapy just because I can’t get hard.” “First off, nothing has to rise to the level of therapy, there’s no threshold for misery,” Alex says, parroting the words his therapist has told him about half a million times. “But no, I wasn’t thinking about therapy.” Henry raises a brow. “I was thinking we try party drugs.” - Alex, discovering Henry is having a hard time getting out of his head enough to enjoy sex, has a clear solution: recreational drug use! While on the road to self-discovery and self-actualization, Henry surprises Alex more than once. (3 times Henry surprised Alex + 1 time Alex shocked him right back)

Thirst Tweets & Mean Tweets [FOR APPROVAL] by loveonpurpose

MEMO: Official Transcript of Alex Claremont-Diaz and HRH Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor for BuzzFeed, Inc. Original video title: "Prince Henry Reads Thirst Tweets / FSOTUS Reads Mean Tweets" (2021). Filmed February 20, 2021. Approval status: PENDING This transcript is strictly confidential and may contain privileged and proprietary information, which is protected under applicable laws and intended solely for the use of The White House and Buckingham Palace.

in the shadow of two gunmen by matherine

There are over four hundred and thirty-three million guns in civilian possession in the United States. Alex isn’t sure where on the campaign trail that fact embedded itself into his brain — he thinks he picked it up from some memo between Minnesota and Missouri — but he’s never been able to forget it. It's one of those things he turns over and over in his head, running the numbers as if he could calculate the possibility of a bullet embedding itself in his brain. In the end, Alex thinks that it evens out. More people want to kill him than the average person (and that number has grown exponentially over the years) but now he also has Secret Service protection and can’t go anywhere without a motorcade. So, really, statistically, he figures that he has just as much of a chance of being shot by one of those 433 million firearms as anyone else, give or take a few decimal points here and there. But doing the math doesn’t make it any less terrifying when it actually happens.

Want you stealing my time by clottedcreamfudge

Henry has no idea what the rules are meant to be when you fall in love with your best friend thirty seconds after befriending them, but he supposes it doesn't matter anyway; he knows that Alex could never feel the same way - has always known that - and he considers himself lucky to have someone this fierce and full of life in his corner. He doesn't need more, no matter how much he may want it. Then Alex goes and ruins everything by daring to press him against the wall at a party and kiss him like his life fucking depends on it.

simply, don't by rizcriz

The first voicemail notification sits in Henry’s inbox when he lands in London. He stares at it for a long while before quietly dismissing it and shoving his phone unceremoniously into his pocket. His phone feels like lead in his pocket the entire ride back to the palace, fingers itching to pull it out and just listen. But he’s stronger than that, isn’t he? He left, he got on the plane, he made it home without once looking back. He had, though, contemplated the many steps it would take to turn around. Wondered if he could make it back with enough time to climb back into Alex’s bed and pretend none of this nightmare—the confession of love—had ever happened. But for every step he envisions himself taking back, three more lead him straight to Kensington Palace, because for whatever it is that he wants, there is only what he can have, and it is not a life with one Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz. -- Or, Henry actually answers one of Alex's calls.

heart & home by railmedaddy

An exploration of life, love, friendship and family – one snippet for each week of Alex & Henry’s first year in their brownstone.

the love of my life, forever by coffeecatsme

“So,” the host of the talk show starts, eyes glimmering with excitement as he gazes at Alex over the desk, “your new single. I think anyone here would agree that it felt like a death by a thousand cuts, listening to those lyrics. If you don’t mind me asking… There’s been a lot of speculation online about who the song is about.” Alex flips his curls to the other side, trying not to smile. “Uh huh.” Or, 5 times the media speculates Alex is dating someone else and 1 time they realize he's been with Henry all this time.

You Can't Deny Me Anything by Dawg1515

“What happened?” Henry frowns deeply and presses his hand to Alex’s forehead. “You’re burning up, love.” Or: That night at the Lake House, Henry is getting ready to leave when Alex wakes up feeling sick. Faced with memories of losing his father, Henry decides to stay and take care of Alex. They have some things to talk out.

sparks fly (whenever you smile) by cxpbuck

When Alex wakes up after a particularly alcohol-filled night, he’s surprised by a blonde stranger in his bed. What’s more surprising, however, are all the messages on his phone congratulating his engagement to said blonde stranger.

how to have (normal) friends without fucking it up by ohgaywarden

Alex y’all are forgetting i started in georgetown when my mom was elected at least it’s not like the white house where they’ll bring the dogs out to sniff for weed cash and the ppos will probably check you for stuff but yeah… just don’t bring anything that would alert the royal protectors of the 4th in line for the throne Abbylol Anthony okay :) what time? -- Alex tries to make friends in law school.

a thousand, a million, billion thoughts, (all under the form of a letter to you) by CrayolaRainbow

Henry has been working on something in his office for the past week. Every time Alex asks him what it is, Henry just brushes him off with a simple “It’s a project, dear, nothing to worry about,” before throwing himself back into his work. He comes back, a week later, with a proposal he wants to show Alex. Or: Henry proposes to Alex with the help of a list, a powerpoint presentation, and some Very Gay Quotes.

buzzing by demigodbeautiies

“I mean, I respect the guts of anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to send a vibrator to the Prince of Wales,” Alex said, staring down at the little egg shaped thing in a box on their counter. “I can’t ever endorse this,” he replied, finally. -- Henry and Alex are sent a remote control vibrator. They find many, many uses for it.

A Tapestry of Intimacy Unfolded by Hqwhna

It's a case of textbook serendipity when Senator Alex Claremont-Diaz and Dr. Henry Fox first meet at a fundraiser in D.C. Now, Alex just has to think of an excuse to see him again...

Going Platinum by cricketnationrise

Email: austincamz@gmail.com Channel Name: AustinBoy Age Restricted?: 18+ Chat enabled?: Yes Subscriptions: Monthly Tiers: 2 Tier 1:> Name: Standard > Description: Access to chat room, 1 weekly video Tier 2:> Name: Bonus > Description: Access to chat room, 1 weekly video, 1 weekly livestream

Or, a Camboy!Alex AU

A Taste of You by everwitch

On a few, select occasions, Henry has indulged Alex’s flirty banter, meeting Alex halfway with his own brand of dry wit. That is hardly advisable, of course, but Henry is only… well, not human exactly, but once upon a time he was, and sometimes he likes to reminisce about that. To recall what that existence had felt like. To watch a pretty young thing with a certain spark in his eyes smile victoriously when Henry admits he’s handsome. When Henry lets Alex take him home, he thinks he’s the only one who’s about to reveal his true nature. He’s wrong.

Hit (My Love) Out of the Park by bleedingballroomfloor

“It’s just — I’ve had such a hard time feeling like I really belonged. I think that’s what got me in the slump in the first place. But coming back here, seeing all the love I still got even though I’m not on the Rangers anymore… that really helped. And being on the Mets, being in New York — you helped with all of that. More than you’ll ever know.” Or, Alex and Henry are dumb, horny disasters. With an added bonus of baseball.

Engagement by SilverRosesAndDragons

Alex and Henry get engaged. They make a show of telling the world.

hear it in the silence (feel it on the way home) by orionseye

“It drives me nuts sometimes that you don’t get to have more say in your life. When I picture you happy, I see you with your own apartment somewhere outside of the palace and a desk where you can write anthologies of queer history. And I’m there, using up your shampoo and making you come to the grocery store with me and waking up in the same damn time zone with you every morning.” - page 296 Henry and Alex get everything they want after the 2020 elections: a beautiful home, fulfilling careers, a life together. But you need to heal first, to be able to love.

Sweetheart Grips by orestespdf

“Is this a good time to say that I haven’t done this before either, and that you should also tell me if it’s terrible?” Henry asks. Alex lets out a quiet laugh. His cheeks are ruddy with pleasure, the way some people get flushed when they’ve been smiling a while. Henry wants to do everything in his power to make Alex laugh again. The sound is intoxicating. “Sure thing, sweetheart,” Alex says with an easy grin. "I’ll log any complaints accordingly.” --- Rewriting a few RWRB sex-scenes with trans!Alex.

Hold the Moonlight In Your Hands by absolute-worst-idea (cxptained)

“Come on.” Henry tells him, tugging him to his feet and suddenly time is repeating itself. They sneak through the long grass, past the same PPO’s that snooze by the front door, before taking off at a run down that very same pier. “What are you doing?” Alex yells out, laughing as they come to the same halt as before, right under the brilliant night sky. The same stars look down on them. The same moon lights up their path, lights up Henry’s face, lights up his eyes and his smile. “I’m doing this right!” Henry says. There’s a lightness to his voice, a sparkle in perfect blue hues and Alex’s chest lifts just as it had done a year ago. ---------- The group find themselves back at the lake house, and Henry wants to make right that disastrous night with a marriage proposal that will change Henry and Alex's lives forever.

my gift is my song/and this one's for you by HestiaForever

It still amazes Henry, sometimes. That Alex loves him back; that the whole world knows and it’s okay. He turns his head and kisses Alex gently. The frizzing anxiety in his veins settles, and it’s like taking a breath of fresh air. Alex breaks away to smile against his lips. “Just like old times, huh? Do I need to let you go flee the country now?” OR Alex and Henry’s relationship, told through five holidays over five years.

The Red Side Goes Up by cmere

Henry brings home a little something new to try in the bedroom. Or: The One Where Alex Gets Jealous of a Butt Plug.

One Wild and Precious Life by SprigsofViolets

In 2015, Arthur Fox was diagnosed with cancer. He went into surgery to have a tumor removed from his brain, and fell into a coma. Nine years later, he wakes up.

Imagine Being Loved By Me by ladybonehollows

“Please tell me you're not so high in your ivory tower that you don't know what fanfiction is and that people write it about you." He can practically hear the sound of Henry rolling his eyes through the phone. “No, I know what it is, and I wish I could be surprised to learn that people have written it about me. None of that has ever inspired me to go looking for it.” Alex looks gleefully at the page in front of him. “Oh baby, I love how we can still surprise each other," he says. "I'm skipping to the good part, though.”

But Then You Found Me (And Everything Changed) by Lily_Padd_23, supernatural_mondler

Henry accidentally asks a question. Alex is more than ready with the answer.

if you want to be tagged in future lists, let me know!

[sepdet]

[9.11.24] Seth Meyers summarizes Trump's presidency and everything he's done since in an incredible 60 second monologue.

Transcript below.

This monologue is from the end of Late Night with Seth Meyers on 9/11, the day after the Hartus-Trump debate. As Seth Meyers speaks at his desk, an inset video slideshow on the left shows images to match his words, either newspaper headlines or photos or short video clips.

Seth begins:

Donald Trump's entire argument, aside from weird lies about eating dogs and windmills and Hannibal Lecter, boils down to one thing. When he left office, things were awesome.

[Screen changes temporarily to clip of the debate with Trump speaking]: I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. We did a phenomenal job with the pandemic. We handed them over a country where the economy and where the stock market was higher than it was before the pandemic came in. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. [End of clip]

Back to Seth:

Ah, yes, I remember the halcyon days of 2020, when the economy was soaring and toilet paper was plentiful, and we weren't all wiping our mail down with Clorox, and filming our TV shows at home without our hair and makeup teams leaving us all looking like ghosts haunting a Dickensian orphanage. [ British accent] "Please help me! I've been trapped here ever since I died from eating spoiled gruel!"

[ Normal voice ] I can't believe I have to remind some people of this, but Donald Trump's presidency did not end well. Just in case you need it, here's a quick refresher. This shouldn't take too long.

Seth: Donald Trump was the first president since Herbert Hoover to oversee a net job loss. Unemployment soared, and the economy shrank by more than 3%. Corporate profits went up while manufacturing jobs declined. Home prices soared by nearly 30%. The national debt rose by nearly $8 trillion. Crime spiked. The number of Americans without health insurance rose by 3 million, and the number of presidents who have humped American flags went from 0 to 1.

He undercut the nation's response to a deadly pandemic that spiraled out of control because he ignored warnings about it, lied about its severity, disbanded agencies that were tasked with preparing for it, promoted sham treatments for it, said we could stop it by injecting disinfectant, and promoted a quack doctor who believes demon sperm is real, insulted servicemembers and feuded with Gold Star families, saluted a North Korean general, got reprimanded by the Army for desecrating Arlington National Cemetery in violation of federal law, and made the Queen of England disappear.

Said he had the best memory in the world, then forgot he said he had the best memory in the world, got laughed at by the United Nations, including the Germans, got impeached for threatening to withhold military aid from Ukraine, and encouraged Russia to interfere in our elections.

He doctored a weather map with a Sharpie to lie about the path of a hurricane, threw paper towels at hurricane victims, called Hannibal Lecter his wonderful man. A chief of staff called him an idiot. His national security adviser called him a dope. A secretary of state called him a moron. He got on a plane with toilet paper stuck to his shoe and didn't know how to close an umbrella.

He took millions from foreign officials, including a possible $10 million bribe from Egypt, brushed dandruff off the shoulder of the president of France. He staged a months-long coup attempt, stoked a violent insurrection, tried to coerce

Republican officials, into overturning the election, claim dead people were voting and Democrats were selling mail ballots, got impeached a second time.

He brought a crazy pillow salesman to the White House, and his lawyer gave a press conference at a landscaping company.

He lost the popular vote twice, got indicted four times, convicted of 34 felony counts, falsified business records to pay hush money to a porn star who said she spanked him in the ass with "Forbes" magazine. He was found guilty of fraud and libel and sexual abuse, possibly farted and definitely fell asleep in court.

Bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, said he was against a Florida abortion ban, then said he was for the Florida abortion bill. Called the CEO of Apple Tim Apple, called Elon Musk "Leon Musk," said Nikki Haley was the Speaker of the House on January 6th, claimed the price of bacon goes up because the windmills blow, shark attacks are caused by electric boat batteries, again said Hannibal Lecter was dead and real, wonderful, even though he's fake and famously a bad guy, insists he's not weird by saying the word "weird" 11 times in 30 seconds, which is, let's admit it, super weird.

Became the first president -- [photo at this point shows Trump staring straight at the sun without eclipse glasses before the 2017 eclipse]

And, guys, we ran out of time, but there were a bunch more things.

[loveforlandonorris]

🎤 Lando at the post-qualifying press conference in Suzuka:

(I'm very sorry for the delay in posting. The video is from F1Fever on YouTube)

Transcript:

Interviewer: Lando, coming to you now. Best of the rest today, just two tenths shy of pole. Did you expect to be that close coming into the session?

Lando: Closer, but probably not as close as we were today. It was close between many people, you know, us, Mercedes, Aston, Ferrari. They didn't seem to have quite the advantage as the last few weekends. So between eight cars, we knew it was going to be tricky. So to come out on top, behind the fastest two, I think is a good job by us, so I'm happy.

It was tricky to put in the good laps, but my two Q3 laps I was the happiest with, which is always a good bonus. And two tenths is not far away. I think if we kind of look back to where we were last year we were even further away, I think five tenths off of pole. And this is the first track we've come back to, which is where we had our upgrades last season. So I think it's our best comparison of how we've improved over the winter and we're quite a bit closer. So I think that's a very good sign.

Interviewer: You're quite a bit closer compared to the opening three races as well. Is that track specific or have you found something on the car this weekend?

Lando: The car's exactly the same.

Interviewer: What about the race then? What can you do about the two guys sat next to you?

Lando: I don't know, there's not a lot to do. You know, first lap, try and get a good start. Obviously last year I was side by side with Max into Turn 1. So hopefully trying to redo that. But it's tricky. They're quick. They complained about their race pace, but I don't think they've had a bad race in the last, four or five years, so I think they're going to be good tomorrow. Of course we've got a lot of pressure from behind so we have to keep an eye on the mirrors. But at the same time I want to go forward and I think we have pace to stay where we are, so that's my goal.

Interviewer: What about going forward though? Do you think this is your best chance in recent memory of at least beating one of them?

Lando: I'll say yes. It's so tricky. Sergio's doing a good job, so that's one much harder car to kind of keep up with. But we proved last year when we were further away from them that we could keep in touch and not be miles behind. So that will be our target for tomorrow.

But I think realistically, we're still too far away to challenge them. They're too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker in quali, but in the race, normally, they always pull away a bit more. So, I think we'll be realistic. I'm always realistic when I say it. So I think our competition's with the guys behind. And at the same time, I'll do my best to push forward.

Journalist Questions:

Q1 (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport): A question to Lando, please. You said that the two laps in Q3 were your happiest of the session, but could you just explain the difference between the two, between Run 1 and Run 2? Thanks.

Lando: Kind of like they both said, Sergio and Max, as soon as you push that little bit more, you pay the price just that little bit. And it's such a fine line between over-pushing and under-pushing. So I was very happy with my first lap that I did, so Q2, Run 1. So I was happy to try a few more things to try and unlock something more. It was still a good lap. It was, what, eight hundredths or something off my first.

But just a couple little bits, mainly Sector 1, where I just try and push that little bit more. But as soon as I pushed that little bit more, I just lost the front tyres a bit. And so easy to go over the limit. So apart from that, I gained in some other corners. Clearly not enough to kind of make a two-tenth jump or something that I really needed. So, yeah, they're just both good laps, both pretty similar. Just one was better than the other.

Q2 (Luke Smith – The Athletic): The slightly cooler conditions compared to when we normally come here in September of each year. How has that changed things for you guys? Is it more favorable? How does that change your approach in the car?

Lando: I don't have much to add. It looks nicer, yes. I think it helps us a bit more, honestly. Our performance is better, so I'll take it. I wouldn't mind a bit of sun on my face. Checo is nice and tanned, and I've lost mine a little bit (smiles). I think it's helped us, so I would say it's better this way.

[108garys]

Randolph Hodgson journal audio transcribed

For hoa's 21st in inuniverse anniversary I have transcribed Hodgson's diary using this video

You can also check out my previous transcriptions of Manny Sherman's tapes and all puritan dialogue in little hope

I will always love this plotline and so wish there was more to it, I love that Randolph is such an unreliable narrator and damn do I wish I had the music in this separate, well at any rate...

September the 24th 1945.

When Lady Bradshaw summons you, you go. Mary and I were bound for our honeymoon, but the chance to dine with one of Britain's finest antiquarians was too great for us to miss. When we met, Bradshaw wore a brooch that caught Mary's eye: a Sumerian relic recovered from a dig site in the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. After dinner, she showed us another find from the same site, a gold cuneiform tablet. She called it the final puzzle piece in her life's work - a map that pinpoints the tomb of Alexander the Great. If she's right, the tomb lies somewhere on the border between Syria and Iraq. Lady Bradshaw wants us to lead her expedition. I realise now that our honeymoon will take place in a dusty dig site in the Zagros Mountains. __

April the 2nd 1946.

We have assembled our team. Top of my list was my old comrade from the wars, Captain Sherman Crow, the bulldog of Omaha Beach. We found him in Cairo, brawling for money in a Levantine drinking club. Crow recommended an experienced dig foreman, Arthur Pulman, and in Haifa we picked up my assistant, the always inquisitive Aline Journeau. Lady Bradshaw insisted on the presence of her own advisor, Ellis van Huyten, an archaeologist I know only from his poor reputation. Our team complete, we shall head to the Lebanon and from there by train to Baghdad. __

October the 21st, 1946.

Crow was the first to break into the tomb: an honour he shared with "Bessie", that damned machinegun of his. It was a beast of a weapon, but it seemed to comfort the fellahin doing the digging. This place has lain undisturbed for centuries. It is not the tomb of Alexander the Great, but a temple of an even older God-King: the Akkadian despot Naram-sin. We have been mistaken, but Lady Bradshaw still declares it a find for the ages. A discovery that will write our names in the annals of history. Looking out at this sceptered hall, I have no reason to doubt her. __

The catacombs beneath the temple are heaped with human bones. Aline has worked sacrificial digs in El Castillo, but even she hasn't seen death on this scale before. The Akkadians killed thousands in the name of their gods: most ritually decapitated, but others crudely slain and dumped in charnel pits, as though the slaughter had spiralled out of control. What plague of cataclysm demanded such a price? So much blood spilled, and for what? Whatever happened here, a millennia ago, is a secret waiting to be discovered. Our work begins in earnest. __

7th of December, 1946.

Our finds have been so spectacular, I couldn't resist breaking out the champagne. As I entered the survey tent to pour a glass for Mary, I realised something was awry; she'd found Bradshaw's crate of dynamite. I tried to calm her, but she worked up a full head of steam, sounding off about the risks of using explosives at a dog site. She was right, of course, and I feel terrible for hiding it from her. Just then Crow arrived and picked up the dynamite. When Mary ordered him to put it down, he looked her boldly in the eye and said they'd found something below. __

The bottom of the chasm stank of death and was littered with corpses, fresh enough to be covered in flies. Crow thinks that local bandits must have tossed their victims down here after robbing them. I pity those hapless wanders; the fear they must have felt as they tumbled to their doom. But this was not what he wanted to show us. An unearthly light pierced the rocks. When Mary asked us what it was, Bradshaw nodded to Crow who broke open the dynamite. She said she intended to find out. __

Blowing a hole through the rock face, we found a gateway to a strange world below. A phosphorescence emanated from beneath, casting its eldritch light over us all. Lady Bradshaw was insistent that we descend further. Perhaps Mary is right, and Bradshaw is becoming reckless and uncontrollable, but I can't stop thinking about what's down there. I am now working with Crow and Pulman to set up a winch and elevator to descend into the shaft. What mysteries lie below, I wonder, undisturbed by the world above? __

13th December.

Crow, Bradshaw and I descended in the elevator. As we left, I was struck by the change in Bradshaw's temperament. She seemed eager, almost manic, in the face of our new discovery. When we reached the bottom, Crow could not prevent himself from letting loose an oath. There before us, set in a dizzying vault, lay a city. It was loathsome, colossal and sleeping, a great carcass built in some ancient age before men. Overcome with awe, I fell to my knees. __

28th December.

God, forgive us. For days we have studied this dead, silent realm and its entombed abominations. Now the horrors have come for my own dear Mary. Crow found her unconscious in the Star Chamber, her notes scattered around her. He carried her back to our supply room and laid her down in one of the cells. When Bradshaw learned what had happened, she was evasive about Mary's work down there. As I cleaned my wife's face, she spoke to me in a fever, sounding distressed and confused. I have resolved to keep a vigil over her. I pray her fever abates so we can escape this cursed place. __

29th December.

Pulman says the radio has been sabotaged; an expert job, with vital wires severed. Someone wants us cut off from the outside world. Aline fought in the Resistance, but while she is undoubtedly capable, I refuse to accept she's responsible. Personally, I still harbour doubts about van Huyten, although without proof, everyone remains a suspect. All I can do now is place sentries on the expedition's equipment. __

30th December.

Mary's condition worsens. This evening, I awoke from an exhausted daze to find Lady Bradshaw asking my wife more of her damned questions. Mary was babbling something about winged demons. At this, Bradshaw's eyes lit up and she asked whether Mary could sense them now. Gripped by delirium, my wife lashed out, clawing at Bradshaw's chest. Lady Bradshaw withdrew, and I was, after a while, able to calm my wife. __

31st December.

Mary is dead. I sat with her in her final moments, telling her how sorry I was. Sorry for accepting Bradshaw's offer. For ever coming to this hell-forsaken place. For placing my vanity above our love. When Mary spoke about "the end of everything." I knew she sensed death coming. With her last words, she made me swear to bury this place. __

9pm.

Something unholy has happened. As I sat with my wife, I noticed something in her hand; Lady Bradshaw's brooch. She must have pulled it from her shirt when she grabbed at her. Turning it over, I noticed that it looked like one of the creatures we exhumed from the cocoons. Were these the demons Mary had spoken about? Had Bradshaw known all along what we'd find down here? Then Mary's corpse moved. It was not my wife - it was something inhuman! It leapt at me, and only the bars of the cell spared me from its fury. __

The camp is in uproar. Workers are missing, and Lady Bradshaw has returned to the city deep below. No-one knows why, but I can guess. She yearns for the same fate that befell Mary. She wants to be one of them. __

1st of January, 1947. 1 am.

The saboteur has struck again, sealing us in here. We are hopelessly trapped with those things. All around us, they shriek from the darkness. Crow has set up his machinegun, pointed towards the catacombs. Mary was right. We cannot fight that which does not live. There is only one option now: bring the whole damned temple down on them, even if it means bringing it down on our own heads. They cannot be allowed out of here. __

When this temple falls, my wife and I will be buried together, side-by-side. I owe her that, at least. The portrait that I carry in my watch case is the Mary that I remember. Not that thing in the cell. __

This is all Lady Bradshaw's doing. She knew all along what was down here. She led us to them. I found her below, hunched over the murdered corpse of Van Huyten. As she turned to face me, I saw that she had changed. My hand fell to the closest weapon I could find - an iron tent peg. I stabbed her with the metal, impaling her in the heart. As she died, unholy screams echoed from below, as if answering The sudden release of blood. __

The are coming. We must end it here, with fire and gunsmoke. If there is time, my last act will be to dictate this diary onto tapes; perhaps if it is found in the rubble, it can serve as a warning to any who follow us. __

The bones of this temple are drenched in blood. We have set foot on an uncharted shore and roused something ancient and wicked; a blasphemy that comes in indescribable shapes and forms. For eons, we lived as children in this world, unaware of the horrors that slumber beneath our feet. Now, we have blindly thrown open the gates to madness. I fear being taken, but I must do what I must. We must seal this place for eternity. For all mankind. Mary, I'm sorry.

___

@kassiekole22 @delurkr @ctrvpani @tatjana-fantasy

@tinynightmarewoman @blubary @oblivious-troll

I always be pouring over these things and then I don't have the remaining space to figure out who to tag 😅

[praisethelamps]

Temporarily waiving the fee for rushed commissions! If you need some art, and soon, I can do up to two characters/subjects in 2 weeks for the base price, no additional fees. Possibly faster if need be, just ask. There will be fees in place for drawings of 3+ characters/subjects, but they will be reduced!

I'm also still accepting cheap video/audio editing work, captioning, and transcription work! Here's my editing reel. I unfortunately don't have many caption or transcription examples I'm allowed to share, but I do all the captioning for my own videos, transcribed professionally for over a year, and as a hobby for 3 years. My rates depend on a few factors, but are about $1 USD per minute. Prices negotiable as always<3 (The economy is a nightmare and I understand that /lighthearted)

Email me if interested! (See Linktree) Reblogs appreciated as always! Thank you!

(Upon further reflection, I realized this was better as an original post than a reblog of another... Sorry if you've been spammed by this by mistake 😭🙏/lighthearted)

[sharkface-daydreams]

can't make heads or tails of whether RVB is going to be available for FREE on the RT site or just available to First subscribers. but here's the tweets those shitheads put out today [LINK] and apparently you can put links on images now too so. try that out and see if it works.

Tweets from @/Roosterteeth:

[First Tweet transcript]

"You spoke, and we listened! Things are changing at Rooster Teeth. Here are all the exciting updates we’re making so we can better reward the people (you) who support us! ❤️ 🚨Spoiler Alert: It’s super cool shit🚨"

[Second Tweet without emojis]

"We can’t wait to share these updates with you all, here’s a run-down of what to expect for all you visual learners out there:

As FIRST changes, the price certainly doesn’t! You still get access to everything for $5.99

We’ll be making more series exclusive to Rooster Teeth, like Red vs. Blue, Camp Camp, and more!

Certain FIRST perks will not change! However, we will be adding:

Monthly Meet and Greets/Q & As

Voting for new and returning shows

Monthly exclusive livestreams

Weekly bonus episodes

More new and upcoming content to look forward to

Stinky Dragon Adventures coming in November

A Simple Walk II premiering this Thursday

@dogbarkshow, a new content group!

@FuckFacePod meets video games in F**kface Off coming soon!

On The Spot is BACK with 4 new episodes starting 9/28

@insidegaming on Twitch, every Mon, Tues, & Thurs 3pm - 7pm CT

So… Alright, a new podcast from @GeoffLRamsey, new episodes drop every Tuesday

Look out for some more FIRST exclusive content such as:

Second Wind: @StinkyDragonPod

BTS podcast

A Simple Walk II companion podcast

And more to come"

[End transcript]

[pikmin-applebloom-art]

First page of my Video game Doujin webomic prologue redone

I decided that starting off with the grimdark stuff was too bold.

So here's some exposition and worldbuilding for Pixel City.

Transcript:

Video game game characters are just like us. They use public transportation.

Sign Language TL: Heyy (Misread as Love-ya!) wanna grab a slice (of pizza) later? Exciting! But Love yourself first! (she's aroace)

They go shopping occasionally.

Mario! Please don't stand in the shopping cart!

Hmm, what fruit to get for the party? Lotta good choices, pthhpth.

They even try out games and sports. Even dangerous ones.

THIS CLUB IS SO OFF THE CHAIN!!!!!

Hey there, Undyne, wanna play Chaosvolley? You know I can't do it alone, Pescita.

Video game Characters aren't perfect, and they will argue.

Shimea, we're late to biology. I'll make the first incision on the dead frog.

By Nayru above! You made the first incision on the sheep's eyeball a few weeks ago. You said I can have a turn next time, didn't ya, Enokiko!

Kirby divider by @alphabeet-s0up

Took a while, but I made this!! info below the cut

The inkling girl in the first panel is Carlotta Marisa Ikaraggi, and she's a prodigal sign interpreter for the Squid sisters. And her surname sounds like Ikarrage, or "fried squid" in Japanese, which is what Calamari is. She's from splatsville and her parents come from Cephaloflorence, Inktaly.

The gal next to her is from the Hoenn region. She's an ace trainer named Kasumi Dominica Hamasaki-Brooks. She's deaf in one ear and wants to be a water type gym leader.

Also in the first panel is the Sniper from Team Fortress 2. After finding out he NEVER buys his own shirts, I figured he'd be the kind of person to only enter a contest or competition if the grand prize is a free T-shirt. So yeah, with the transferable skills, Mr. Mundy became the Bee photography champ of 1964. Also he's wondering how Waddle Doo is listening to music.

Knuckles is autistic in my HC, and while he (much like Eggman) is a feminist, he doesn't like to read long paragraphs. So I decided he would read a book of Alison Bedschel Cartoons.

In the second panel, we see two sims characters, one of which is an oc. Hali'a el-Ghani is Hawaiian/Senegalese, and likes floral hijabs. To her right is Savannah Price, but I decided to give her a better looking hairstyle (namely box braids in a ponytail with some edges).

Also Mario and Luigi and Bob the Cat.

The mannequins are of Princess Dragonfruit (my idea of what Wa-Peach is like, somewhat like Bowsette, and she's cringefail villain with a Dr.Doofenshmirtz level of incompetence and her girlfriend is Princess Chammomile, who's pretty much WaDaisy and she sleeps often and has a mellow but lazy stoner-ish vibe) and some random guy.

The next panel shows a club of some sort. Rouge the bat wants to play a game of Chaosvolley with Undyne.

I decided that rouge the bat WOULD wear the jewelry she steals, and frequently lies about where she got it. Also I can't draw anyone playing pool to save my life. So I made up a dangerous "Party sport" instead.

The shirt Undyne is wearing is based off of a hat from @shirtsthatgohard

Bronto Burt is in the corner dancing.

The sonic character in the BG is an oc named Guava the Fennec. She's a green fox with pink eyes and likes fruit smoothies

The foreground shows a Hylian named Shimea who's family runs a tea house inn oot castle town. The Toad next to her is Enokiko Toad, a reserved and intelligent gal who's also quite blunt and also very autistic.

Chikorita Divider by @ianrkives

Note that none of the characters on this page who wear school uniforms wear the exact same uniform. That's because Principal Isabelle Shizue (yes from animal crossing) forgot to have a uniform made for Lawson High (named after Jerry Lawson, who pretty much invented the video game console) so Isabelle just put (wear a school uniform.

In reality, it's because I have ADHD and I don't want to draw the same uniform multiple times.

zelda divider by @saradika-graphics

Btw the department store in the second panel is fluffmart from the Papa Louie series. Which I HC as a mix of Target and Costco.

[crowstrel]

2024 COMMS

Updating this for the new year. Feel free to message me with any questions, these are all loose guidelines for what you can ask for and I’m happy to hear out other projects.

Transcript of image text below

Crowstrel Commissions: [2024]

Painty art for all of your ttrpg character, video game OC, furry and blorbo needs.

1. Blocks: 

Decoration already included in price! Great for profile pages and establishing OC aesthetics, or including their important items! Waist Up: 80 USD Full Body: 110 USD

2. (I like square frames, but you can ask for other things too!) 3. (If you want a specific style or composition, we’ll workshop the price)

4. Full Body Drawings:

Just a guy! Perfect for showing off your newest character. Base: 75 USD Simplified: 60 USD Ref Sheets: ASK!

5. Icons:

Shoulders and up with minimal decoration! Great for account icons, game tokens, character profiles, and more! 1 Icon: 45 USD 5 Icons: 180 USD Add Decor: 10 USD

6. New: Pencil Scans <3

7. Confusing Price Chart

Digital Portrait: 45 USD simple, 55 USD decorated Pencil Portrait: 30 USD simple, 45 USD decorated Digital Waist-Up: 60 USD simple, 80 USD decorated Pencil Waist-Up: 45 USD simple, 75 USD decorated Digital Full: 75 USD simple, 110 USD decorated Pencil Full: 60 USD simple, 125 USD decorated * Why does the decorated pencil section scale so fast? :( Well, blocking little things in digitally is (relatively) easy, but doing all the little bits with a pencil takes a very long time. 20% discount for the back of the head. - Fun for composition! - Faces are hard!

8. GOOD TO GO:

Complex designs, mechs

Birds and wings! :>

All body types

Short comics (ask!)

Gore

Furries / anthro

Animals

NSFW (18+)

NOT OFFERING:

Real people

Hateful content

Extreme gore or NSFW

Commercial work

NFT or blockchain

Images for AI use

Please DM me with any questions @crowstrel! All payments made VIA Paypal, half is required upfront.

[ukrfeminism]

Submission! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67123893

Victims of violent and sexual crimes are calling for court transcript costs to be cut after they were quoted "unaffordable" sums for them.

They told BBC Newsnight that charging thousands of pounds for copies of court hearings was "exploitative".

One rape survivor said she was quoted £7,500 for the transcript of her trial.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said victims could ask a judge to order a transcript at public expense, but cases were not routinely transcribed.

"If the request is declined, the fee covers the considerable costs that come with writing up the audio recording of potentially weeks' worth of hearings," a MoJ spokesperson said.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing.

Juliana was raped by her former partner in 2020. 

"He drugged me. He recorded the video of himself raping me and he actually played it back to me after waking me up," she said. "He then threatened to send the video to my 88-year-old father. That's when I reported him to the police." 

Juliana's former partner was convicted by a jury at a trial, which lasted ten days.

She later wanted to revisit what had been said in court, but her request for a free copy of the transcript was rejected. 

She was told provisions were only made in exceptional circumstances, such as in murder and manslaughter cases, but those circumstances were "not met in your application".

Instead, she was advised to contact one of the companies outsourced by the government to supply transcripts. 

Acolad UK Limited quoted £7,459 for the transcription, Juliana said. The firm said the price was an estimate based on the length of the audio, which needed to be listened to by a transcriber.

"I just thought 'I can't afford this'. I had to stop working. My mental health was a mess," Juliana said. "Why do I have to pay for a service with data that is pertaining to me?"

The government's website says crown court hearings and those at civil and family courts are always recorded. Anybody can apply for a transcript of the proceedings.

It says victims will usually have to pay for the transcript, unless the court believes there are special circumstances. The final cost will depend on the size of the transcription, whether it's new or a copy, and other factors.

The court transcription service is outsourced to six companies in the UK, in a contract worth more than £17m.

BBC Newsnight found transcription costs at the six government-contracted firms varied from 80p per 72 words, to £1.71, for a 12-working-day transcription.

According to the government's guidance notes, Acolad UK Limited charges 80p per 72 words if the transcription is to be completed in 12 working days, which is listed as the cheapest turnaround option.

The company said pricing is based on the quantity of material to be transcribed, the level of urgency, and other factors.

"The sensitivity of the matter at hand - as in all legal and court proceedings - determines that use of AI-assisted tools is limited, and human expertise prioritised," Acolad said.

Crime victims have told BBC News that absorbing what is said in court can be incredibly difficult and traumatic, meaning they may have to rely on a transcription.

They argue having access to affordable transcripts allows them to go over the evidence and statements properly after cases have concluded.

According to the government, families in murder cases are entitled to free a copy of the judge's sentencing remarks following a conviction. 

'People deserve closure'

But Claire, whose ex-partner tried to kill her in 2020, said she was still quoted hundreds of pounds by Acolad for a transcription. 

"I was asleep and he cut my throat and then repeatedly stabbed me," Claire said. "I woke up to him trying to cut my neck."

Her former partner pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Because she had struggled to take in what had been said in the court hearing, Claire wanted to be able to read the judge's sentencing remarks.

She said she was not told a free copy could be requested from the court. Instead, she was advised to contact a transcription company. 

Claire said the firm quoted her almost £300 to provide a transcript of the judge's sentencing remarks. "I was quite shocked," she said. "I was homeless, I'm not working, I'm disabled, and I really need this for my closure - and I wasn't able to get it." 

She finally managed to get the transcript for free because somebody had already requested it and paid for the transcription work, which is standard procedure with all the companies.

"Some of the costs I've heard are astronomical, and these people deserve closure," Claire added. 

London's Victims' Commissioner, Claire Waxman said the current system must "urgently change". 

"Victims must be able to access accurate and timely transcripts, at no cost to themselves, to support their understanding and recovery, which is an essential part of their justice journey."

The Ministry of Justice said it was "incredibly rare for a victim to request a transcript of an entire trial" and it was more common for people to request the judge's sentencing remarks, which summarise the case against the defendant made at trial. It said that typically costs about £40.

If you've been affected by issues raised in this story, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.

[barricadescon]

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“12% of Paris’ population was classified as destitute [in 1817]”

Why the Restoration Matters by Guest of Honor David Montgomery for Barricades: A Les Mis Convention 2022

Transcription:

There's also, you know, Hugo makes a big deal out of the year 1817, when we have our octet, including Fantine, who have their little idle that then goes poorly. But the thing that Hugo never really mentioned is that the year 1817 was coming after the summer of 1816, which was the Year Without a Summer. There was a volcanic eruption that led to very much cold and rainy temperatures, rainy weather, led to harvest failures, uprisings.

So when Hugo was talking about how enchanting the bright warm summer's day was for the young octet's excursion in the year 1817, remember that the previous year didn't have a bright warm summer. Also, remember that the after-effects of 1816 meant that the price of bread in Paris hit a 20-year high in 1817. Statistics from the time tell us that 12% of Paris’ population was classified as destitute that year, which is something to remember when thinking of the four young girls seeking economic security.

This video is from a series of excerpts shared with the permission of presenters from Barricades 2022. If you have an idea for programming for Barricades 2023, please submit it on our website. Submissions for both academic and fan track programming close February 15.