#but the youtube channel is under his father's real name

[heretherebedork]

One of my students (an autistic 10 year old) has been experimenting with animation on youtube and it's just the greatest journey of watching him figure out what he's doing... he started with rapidfire premade animations and then started making still scenes that flashed quickly and then... and then...

30 seconds of white screen

30 seconds of black screen

30 seconds of rainbow screen

And it's beautiful to watch him discover all the things he can do. Because then it became rainbow flashing animals and then alphabet lore and then, bit by bit, actual stories.

His favorite current story is to have himself swallowed by a giant sea creature and then pooped out because, well, he is a 10 year old boy but he also made this one little animation that was a parody of a slime video getting interrupted by a dinosaur and that was amazing.

He made an alphabet lore video using Korean characters.

This is a 10 year old boy who's taught himself to write in Ukrainian, Korean and Spanish as well as memorizing greetings in around 8 languages and he might not always do school work but that brain is never quiet and I just... I love watching him and how he's figuring things out and there are so many people who don't get it, who don't see the brilliance of what he's figuring out all on his own.

The world might not always see him but I always will.

[yanderecrazysie]

Bad End Night (Yandere Males) PROLOGUE

Since the poll was overwhelmingly for me posting my original story here, I thought I would start now.

Summary: When your car breaks down, you find yourself staying overnight in a mysterious mansion. However, the inhabitants of the manor are clearly hiding dark secrets from you. There’s only so many ways this night can go. Can you find the happy end or are you heading for a bad end night?

This story is based on the song “Bad ∞ End ∞ Night” by Hitoshizuku-P and Yama△, while the characters are based on a cover of the song on 高生紳士 YouTube channel. You don’t have to know anything about the song to enjoy this, but I totally recommend it as a song in general.

This story will contain graphic violence, swearing, bisexual men, and your general yandere themes. If any of those is a deal breaker, please leave instead of hating.

I have finished the entire story (except for the endings) at this point in time, so no real worries about me failing to finish this.

This reader was fun to write. Also, I picked each character’s name for a reason.

Next Part: Chapter One

—----------------------------------------------------

“She’ll be arriving soon,” a handsome man with messy dark blue hair streaked with white laid on a velvet sofa, hands behind his head as he smiled lazily at his husband.

His husband, a shorter man with straight red hair, smiled back at him, “Yes, she will. We should take our places.”

“We still have some time, Shiro,” the man replied, waving his concerns away with a flick of the wrist.

The other man, Shiro, walked to the doorway and peered down the hallway where an old grandfather clock stood against the plain red wallpaper. The long hand ticked forward to mark 7:50 as he studied it, and he smiled again.

“We have six minutes,” he called back to the living room, “We should hurry now.”

“That late, huh?” His husband drawled, “I’m looking forward to seeing her. Gather the others, then.”

Shiro nodded, “I will do so. But, Oni, make sure to not be late this time.”

Oni appeared in the doorway, grinning widely, “I wouldn’t miss her for the world.”

“You said that last time, then fell asleep on the couch,” Shiro laughed.

The man ran his long fingers through his messy blue-and-white hair, “I need to freshen up. I have to look my best for her.”

“Hurry,” Shiro said sternly. He headed towards the spiral staircase and took a step up before calling, “And you look good enough now, you know.”

“Of course I do,” Oni said, flashing a cocky grin before disappearing through the doorway once more.

Rolling his eyes, Shiro traversed the spiral staircase, arriving at the second floor quickly. The wooden floor creaked under the red soles of his shoes as he walked briskly down the hallway. He stopped at the first door to the left, admiring the way the carvings of butterflies flew along the arch of the door. Gazing softly at it, he turned around and knocked on the door across from the carved one. This door was rectangular and devoid of any decorations- plain and ordinary.

It flew open almost immediately, a young man with long wild gray hair revealed through the opening. He white shirt with a black vest and pants to match. His gaze was dull, but a certain excitement gleamed in his eyes.

“Is it time to take our places, Master Shiro?” He asked, voice almost too soft to hear.

“Yes, Tsumi. Please get the dolls ready,” Shiro replied, “I will fetch my son.”

The maid, Tsumi, nodded and hurried past his employer and down the hallway. Shiro followed her, stopped at the next door, a rectangular one with a bird carving in the middle, and knocked on it. Like the maid, the owner of the room opened the door immediately. 

The boy inside had his father’s red hair and eyes, although no one would know looking at him, considering they were covered by pink dye and contact lenses. He looked disdainfully at his father, leaning against the doorway uninterestedly. 

“She’ll be here in a few minutes,” Shiro said simply.

The boy’s eyes lit up and he shoved past his father, racing down the hallway and stomping down the spiral staircase. Shiro shook his head in exasperation, muttering, “He doesn’t act 22 whenever it comes to her.”

Shiro hurried down the spiral staircase. He sighed in relief when she saw the butler was already in place, standing prim and proper in front of the door. His son rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet in the living room, hands held behind his back. 

A moment after Shiro stepped off of the bottom stair, the maid came rushing down the staircase, followed by two boys, both dressed in old fashioned black-and-white clothing. They walked stiffly to their spots in the dining room. 

“Less than one minute!” Shiro yelled. Her husband, Oni, appeared in the doorway and, smiling brightly, took his husband’s hand. They walked back up the staircase and to their bedroom.

The butler stared expectantly at the door, preparing a pleasant smile. The clock’s long hand moved to 56.

Knock knock.

[vixletserenity]

Public & Private Knowledge

Public

Moved to Paldea from the Unova region

Was born and grew up in Castelia City

Student of the Uva Academy

A Champion Ranked Trainer; called The Strategist by some people

Had an idol-like persona called Lantana which she used to perform in public. Still sometimes uses it for things like kids' birthday parties

Owns a YouTube-like channel that has quickly become popular where she posts her performances for class and comment requested song covers.

Went down into Area Zero and survived

Wears a skirt instead of shorts in her uniform as a disability accommodation

Her Meowscarada Cilantro is also an emotional support Pokemon along as her lead

Under Rika's (monterraverde) tutelage to continue her battle training

Tends to avoid battling for sport despite her titles

Has a passion for performing and well skilled in how to incorporate her Pokemon into them

Favorite food is macarons; specifically Pecha Berry flavored

Recently developed a hobby for making needle felt plushes

She has an oddly colored Cyclizar (customized Miraidon) named Asterope

Was the top researcher of Area Zero until announcing stepping down from the role; along with exposing that she had gone down there a multitude of times at the request of the Paldean government.

What was once a recently declassified report is now a published book; Secrets Hidden By Cloud Cover: Mysteries of the Great Paldean Crater Solved. This book details the real cause of the Professor's passing, the AI, the journals he left behind, everything about the known Paradox Pokemon; including their typing and shiny variants, and much more. Parts of the book overlap with the information covered in Briar's The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero

Semi Public

Parents are divorced; Celeste has taken her mother's maiden name as her last name

Her mother Nova is a semi well known seamstress and once had the Nimbasa City Gym Leader Elesa come to her for a commission

Has a twin sister named Charlotte, and she attends Blueberry Academy in Unova

Has Eremophobia and Herpetophobia

Plays the mandolin

Wears a locket underneath her uniform shirt

Has a massive scar on her left shoulder blade that does down to the middle of her back

At times gives a glare to people like that of a Dragon Type Pokemon staring down at you; ready to attack. It strikes fear in some students and even a few adults when seen

Private

Has had three near death experiences

Was the other victim of a Krookodile attack that happened when she was 7, in which said Pokemon had mauled her best friend Audie. And she saw it all before going to get help, ultimately getting there too late to save her friend

Due to the attack, her father had isolated her for years in an attempt to save his reputation. Keeping her to her room aside from meals; though she has snuck out a few times

Her father had beaten her, causing the wounds that becomes her scars to reopen. Nearly died from blood loss, in which some of the blood donated was from her mother

Has met the mythical Victini during one of these days of sneaking out

Is somehow able to attract Dragon Type Pokemon to her and easily tame them

Was given a Flapple by Gene that she's named Gala

Also given a chimera Zorua from an unknown trainer

Went on a mission to stop a machine called the Archeus 100 years in a future version of Area Zero that would have destroyed multiple timelines

[invinciblelikeu]

random dream facts that are ingrained in my head:

dream would’ve been a psychology major if he went to college

he had a collapsed lung

he doesn’t like coffee and chocolate, hates caffeine in general but drinks tea

he loves bubble baths, bath bombs, and candles

he sometimes puts tanning drops in his moisturizer

he loves banana pudding but only if his grandma makes it

he had a bet with his grandma that he would never drink (he lost)

dream was a massive bookworm - he used to read every single day

instead of going to school, dream would fall asleep in the garden

he had a roblox girlfriend

his first kiss was at the nickelodeon resort hot tub

he dyed his hair purple once

he painted his nails and walked around his neighborhood for a date/bet

movies dream has cried to: marley and me, everything everywhere all at once

he almost cried when he almost didn’t get to see spiderman no way home in theaters

he once cut his older sister’s hair as a prank

the most complex dish he’s ever made is eggplant parmesan

he wrote percy jackson self insert

he loves avocado on everything except sushi

he would eat olives straight out of the jar as a snack

he witnessed a fight at a denny’s

he loves broccoli on pizza

dream used to finish whole episodes of shows while working out

he wanted a quail coop at the dream team house

he was originally going to name patches "muffin"

he almost adopted patches' shelter sister

he once ran a red light with drista in the car, causing another driver to yell at him - to which he responded with a thumbs up, and made up for it by getting drista chick fil a

dream used to do contracting summer jobs in high school

he once got mustard on his clothes on a day he was supposed to work, and cleaned it off with sprite

his childhood home had a library

he watched anime’s that are recommended by his brother

he paid off his grandparents’ mortgage

he has a breathalyzer to use on his friends to make sure they’re sober enough to leave the house

he once cooked pancakes shirtless

he and george took the harry potter quiz together and he got slytherin

he prefers country taylor swift

his first album was of the jonas brothers

his mom caught him dancing to selena gomez’s naturally while he was cleaning his room

as a toddler, his dad would bounce him on his lap when they would watch OU games together

he once got a teacher fired because she pushed him off his chair

at one point in his childhood, his favorite color was pink

secrets is one of his all time favorite songs

he used to have bbh on call when he would go on long drives to keep himself from falling asleep

one time dream was speeding so much that bbh yelled at him on the phone

he once told ant and velvet that he thought they were gonna get married one day

he accidentally liked an ig post of a guy who was interested in alyssa

back in 2021, whenever sapnap would go skating, dream would tell him, “see ya later boy”

night changes is dream’s favorite one direction song

dream likes granny smith apples

dream used to collect yugioh cards

when his cat before patches passed, he immediately drove home from work and dropped to the floor by the door crying

that same cat once startled him enough to fall onto the lake while he was on a skype call with his friends

he has seen every single spiderman movie in theaters

his first real gf was his bff at the time and when she broke up with him, he cried under his bed - and kept it a secret from his parents

dream’s parents used to tease him about DNF

he ate cat poop as a toddler

he once had a whole frog in his mouth, and his mom didn’t believe it when his father told her until he took a picture

throwback to when i–

he has “george is gay” engraved on his ipad

he used to use a windows pc for gaming/streaming, and an imac for editing

dream uses film cut pro to edit his main channel videos, but uses adobe premiere to edit his dreamxd videos

the first person he told his youtube plans to was drista at a walmart parking lot

he used to send different publications his novels/manuscripts

he used to make football and skating edits and posted them on youtube

he once immediately cut ties with an online friend after they ddosed sapnap

dream and sapnap once had a falling out and stopped talking for 4 months

he once sharescreened himself editing manhunt in a discord call with corpse, techno, sykkuno, etc

dream was supposed to fly george out to america in early 2020

dream and sapnap almost met up 3 times prior to january 2021 )

dream and george used to be on call when george would go walk his dog

it was dreams idea to be the dsmp villain bc no one else wanted to be

dream would describe his writing style to be plot-driven

his favorite color is forest green but recently it’s been baby blue

he uses exfoliator and tree hut sugar scrubs

dream used to lift weights for more than an hour straight

he was going to get his ear pierced earlier than when he actually did it, but drista convinced him not to

he wants to get a 123 tattoo with sapnap

he used to be so reluctant to consume anime media that sapnap has tried and failed to convince him to read manga

he and george used to watch game of thrones together when it was still airing

he and bad watched prison break together

his favorite merch was the white hoodie with smileys all over

he donates a lot to the oklahoma sooners community

he has homeless kits in his car

he once paid off a cc’s gofundme to save their cat

he sent 5 dream fanartists free drawing pads

dream’s cosmetics in his makeup bag that we currently know of: blue garnier micellar water, charlotte tilbury blush, lip oil

he almost died in quicksand while geocaching

dream’s favorite planet is neptune

dream identifies himself as poseidon, sapnap as ares, and george as hera

dream types on his phone with only one hand

dream watches good mythical morning every day

dream once said “sorry i don’t speak australian” to a local in australia because he didn’t understand his accent

prior to the face reveal, dream has kept the fact that he was dream to several of his relatives

his cover when asked what his job was: advertising

he thought he failed his drivers license test after he accidentally knocked a stop sign - and begged his instructor to let him pass

he once injured his big toe after a football incident and almost refused to wear a cast until the doctors told him his big toe would grow to be smaller than the rest of his toes

dream has a porta potty under his bed

dream once got demoted from skeppy’s server

the longest dream has gone without showering was one week

dream was gifted a guitar when he was young and it was hung up on his bedroom wall but never got to play it

his love language is acts of service

he used to want a white picket fence marriage

he can find hidden minecraft chests using just the sounds

he helped sam build the dsmp prison by collecting a lot of the blackstone and obsidian

his mom accidentally got him and drista to drink alcohol as kids

his ring size is one size smaller than sapnap’s

his shoe size is 13.5-14

he was prescribed vitamin d pills after some of his hair had fell off

his favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla

he had to get carried as he was forced to ride a rollercoaster

he made duct tape wallets and sold them at school

he used to have a guitar hung on his wall but never used it since it was a gift

he once hacked all the computers in his school’s computer lab

[haro-hawayu]

CCS: Clear Card Ch. 68

Chapter 68 is out! The latest chapter is currently available on CLAMP-net’s YouTube Channel. As always, do check out @meimi-haneoka's post on the latest chapter for any EN-JPN translation differences.

Links for previous chapter reactions can be found here.

Reading Reactions

SyaoSaku (Flight ver) cover page ♥ I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS!! ♥♥

Can’t wait for them to hold hands now that the spell thing is over TuT

Wow, this library is gorgeous!

Normally water x books is like a huge no-no but with magic, anything is okay XD

“Was it something important” (referring the what the voice said to “Alice” Sakura that she forgot)--OF COURSE IT IS!! It’s her ultimate spell/motto! (Also noting how Sakura is looking more “Sakura” than “Alice” at this moment of “clarity”)

Lol totally not creepy seeing “Syaoran” with that smile.

I love how Momo is all “I’ll do whatever I want in my own terms/rules” (not like Kaito isn’t kinda also doing the same himself LOL)

Are ALL the books in this scene life records for people?? That’s quite amazing.

Ohh!! I think Akiho is becoming more of herself > Red Queen too!! She remembers parts of herself (with the important person bit)

AND THE PART ABOUT SAKURA’S NAME!

It makes sense that both girls are kinda regaining their sense of self through their continued exchange.

SAKURA!!

SYAORANNN!!

LOL a cat fight between two cat boys XD

Sakura shouting “Syaoran-kun!” ♥

I’m kinda crying. This moment for SyaoSaku ♥ TuT ♥

THAT’S RIGHT! ONLY ONE KINOMOTO SAKURA!!

Now Kaito’s spell has been undone~

Ohhh some interesting clan-related stuff.

WAHHHH ENDING BEFORE THE SHOWDOWN.

Okay but I’m so excited we’re getting Kaito vs Syaoran happening (hope we can get some cool action scenes in). 

SO MUCH IS HAPPENING!

Okay but also no reveal of Akiho’s reactions after Kaito’s disguise got dispelled... I’m a bit concerned...

Also, I just love whenever they give a bit of extra “lore” to the bigger magical world that CCS takes place in. Kaito reveal bits of information about how the European Clan is interested in what’s happening with Li Clan (esp cuz of their connection to Clow). Yeah, I wonder why that deep interest in Clow--is it because of his reputation? Is it Sakura (with how powerful she’s becoming, she can be a threat or target for anyone out there--y’know aside from Kaito and whatever he has planned). OR MAYBE THERE’S A RELATIONAL CONNECTION!!! I had to check old notes, but for chapter 12 I threw in a random theory of maybe Akiho’s family is related to Clow’s father’s side of the family (cuz England, and also we never got info on that other side of the family--and later we had chapters of Eriol calling Syaoran talking about the European Magical Association and I was getting excited for a possible east meets west magical showdown). IS THIS IT THEN?? Cuz if they’re really related to Clow on the other side, that would be wild and kinda cool seeing how things are being connected here. 

To end, I just want to say how fuzzy and warm I feel over SyaoSaku in this chapter. From the cover to the “SAKURA!!” and “SYAORAN-KUN!!” moments to the “You’re the only Sakura Kinomoto” (paraphrased)--ahhh I feel so so soooo (as Sakura would put it) “はにゃあん～“ over everything! Like remember those dreams Sakura would have where she sees Syaoran under the cloak (with that blank look in his eyes), or how people close to her not remembering who she is and all?? But then Syaoran, the real Syaoran who fought his way to stay in this world, just declares how there’s only one of her or just straight up reminds her of who she is (when she very literally couldn’t remember who she was herself)--that’s just so reassuring and affirming. I love that so much. I love them so much.

[smilethroughtherain]

False Story of Father Finding Hidden Treasure Trove in Backyard

The Origins and Deception Behind a Viral Facebook Post

A captivating story about a father named Liam Ward discovering a hidden treasure trove in his backyard has been circulating on social media. However, upon investigation, it has been revealed that the story is entirely fictional. This article aims to uncover the origins of the viral post and shed light on the true events behind the accompanying photo.

In late 2023 and early 2024, Facebook users came across a post with the caption, "Dad Finds Buried Chain After Landscaping Yard, He Instantly Regrets It." The post featured an intriguing photo of a person using a green shovel to unearth a buried chain. Snopes, a fact-checking website, took it upon themselves to investigate the story and the origins of the photo.

The Fictional Tale of "Dad Finds Buried Chain"

On March 31, 2024, the Abandoned Things Facebook page shared a post about a father discovering a buried chain and instantly regretting it. This post quickly gained traction and was shared in numerous other Facebook posts. The same photo and caption were seen across various platforms.

One of the comments under the post included a link to an article on the xnews6.com website. The article, titled "Dad Finds Buried Chain After Landscaping Yard, He Instantly Regrets It," provided a detailed account of Liam Ward's supposed discovery. According to the article, Ward stumbled upon a mysterious buried chain in his backyard and, driven by curiosity, decided to pull on it.

Little did he know that this act would lead to the revelation of a hidden world beneath his property, including underground tunnels and hidden chambers dating back to the prohibition era.

Ward's research into the history of the area uncovered stories of disused mines, rumors of buried pirate treasure, and tales of tunnels used during prohibition to smuggle alcohol. Encouraged by the possibility of unearthing a piece of history, Ward enlisted the help of local historians and treasure hunters. Together, they embarked on an excavation journey that led to the discovery of wooden crates filled with prohibition-era alcohol and hidden chambers containing valuable antiques and documents.

While the story painted a fascinating picture of a father's accidental archaeological find, it turned out to be entirely fabricated. A Google search yielded no record of anyone named Liam Ward making such a discovery, and the article did not even mention the name of the town where these events were said to have taken place. The inclusion of the words "[Town Name]'s history" in the article suggested that the author had forgotten to fill in the brackets before publishing.

The Truth Behind the Photo

Although the story of Liam Ward's treasure trove was a work of fiction, the photo of the person with the green shovel and the buried chain did have a real origin. The image was captured in Alabama in 2019 and was part of a video shared by the Exploring Alabama YouTube channel.

The video revealed that a bulldozer was used to pull a 13-foot chain out of the ground. The chain was found to be attached to an old 6-foot piece of railroad track. Additionally, several decades-old bottles, including Lucky Tiger hair tonic bottles, were discovered during the excavation.

It is important to note that the events depicted in the Alabama videos had no connection to landscaping in someone's backyard or the discovery of a hidden treasure trove. The false story attached to the photo distorted the actual events and added a fictional narrative of regret.

The viral Facebook post about Liam Ward's discovery of a hidden treasure trove in his backyard has been revealed to be a complete fabrication. While the photo of the buried chain originated from a real excavation in Alabama, it had no relation to the fictional story. It serves as a reminder to fact-check and verify stories before sharing them on social media platforms.

The allure of a captivating tale can sometimes overshadow the importance of truth and accuracy.

As consumers of information, it is crucial to remain vigilant and discerning, especially in the age of viral content and clickbait headlines. By questioning the origins and veracity of stories, we can help combat the spread of misinformation and ensure that the truth prevails.

[jongnorp]

WELCOME HOME, LEE HYEON!

You've got the keys, unlock your new world!

NAME. LEE HYEON. DATE OF BIRTH. 20021118. OCCUPATION. MAN RAPPER & VOCALIST OF NEWAVE. NATIONALITY. SOUTH-KOREAN.

FREE FORM.

act 1: mid-2014.

familiarity is defined by ramyeon wrappers strewn across hardwood floors and sticky-notes saying we’ll be home late, so don’t wait up. do the dishes before you go to bed. hyeon thinks he could perfectly forge his mom’s signature if he wanted to, given how she communicates with him more through handwritten notes than she does through speaking. he tests this idea for the first time when his failing math report requires a parental signature; he turns it in a day later and mr. goh doesn’t question it for a second. (“i’ll do better from now on,” hyeon assures time and time again, but the words hold no meaning. he must have some kind of genetic predisposition to falling through on his promises — god knows he isn’t the only member of the lee family who can’t be trusted.)

all in all, it’s fine. life is fine. nothing outright bad happens and the no child left behind policy at his school ensures that even after flunking not one but both semesters, hyeon still moves forward with everyone else and his parents never hear about it. he might tell them, if they asked — just to see if they’d react. if his mom would offer to find a tutor, if his dad would scold him. but he thinks it’s more likely that neither of them would do anything at all and he doesn’t want to watch his words go in one ear and out the other in real-time, so he doesn’t bother.

act 2: late 2016.

there’s a lot to be said about lee hyeon when the most interesting thing in his life is a second-degree burn left by a pot of boiling water. it’s his own fault: he’s standing barefoot in the kitchen, spending another night cooking ramyeon whilst balancing the landline between his ear and shoulder. he’s talking to his friend about some far-fetched idea of becoming rap gods, partners in crime — they’ll call themselves sweendakk and king crab. it isn’t funny in retrospect, but they’re fourteen and stupid, so they’re both laughing until they aren’t. suddenly, hyeon’s cursing under his breath, unsure of what to do as the water scalds half his leg through his jeans and seeps to his feet.

a week later, his mom stands in the dimly illuminated doorframe of his bedroom, looking in at her teenage son who refuses to look back. “i heard about your burn. why didn’t you call me or your father, hyeon? you act like we’re just people you happen to live with instead of your parents,” she says, and hyeon detects some dull concern lurking beneath the surface. a rare display. it pokes at something in his chest and in his throat, makes him feel sentimental and nauseated.

“don’t act like it matters now,” is all he can muster up in response.

he realizes that hostility festers in dim corners and he’s angrier inside than the daylight shows. he asks reddit if making his mom cry means he’s a bad person, and enough people say that his worry is enough to confirm that he isn’t, so he never apologizes.

act 3: late 2018.

he relies on the internet to fill a void. the realization comes too late, when his friends are discussing how fast the channel’s subscriber count is growing and he’s doing everything he can to suppress his grin. truth is, it feels good to be seen by someone other than the same four guys he’s been hanging out with for as long as he can remember; better still when some bullshit rap they put together under the title ‘the minor inconvenience song’ goes viral. their video & recording equipment is subpar at best, and years down the line hyeon will recall his lyrics as lacking tact; but at 17, he’s on top of the world.

confidence gets you far—for hyeon, it gets him through auditions for the third season of high school rapper. it’s the first time he turns his back on his friends, and the first time since the youtube channel’s creation that uploads come to a stand-still.

if you ask him, he has better things to worry about.

act 4: mid-2020.

high school rapper comes & goes; humbled by third place, hyeon has just settled back into the familiarity of skipping class & filming with his friends (now a little different around him, he notices—but they deny any suspicions with such confidence that hyeon ceases his questioning) when he catches wind of some company called canvas labs. a new, innovative label looking for talent; he files them away in the back of his mind as a shit-show waiting to happen.

but it’s funny, the way things work out—still chasing the high he felt when his song went viral & the thrill of being on tv, he’s particularly susceptible to sweet talk. and that’s just what he’s subjected to some summer evening on his way out of a venue in gangnam: the interaction is a blur with hazy remnants of ‘talent like you’, ‘high school rapper performances’, ‘come audition’ and ‘canvas labs’ burning a hole in his subconscious. he doesn’t want to be an idol, really. he’s always talked shit about their insincerity, but now that he’s gotten a taste of the spotlight, it doesn’t seem so bad.

he laughs about the agent with his friends, but he scours the internet for details as soon as he gets home.

within months, he’s a trainee.

act 5: mid-2023.

the practice room bears witness to every ugly moment of hyeon’s journey, so it’s only natural that he’s staring at his sweaty reflection in the mirror when his phone starts dinging. he suspects that it’s his groupmates, but it turns out that it’s an old chatroom he and his high school friends had stopped using years ago. it goes without saying that they’ve only decided to use it again to get his attention, and the messages that roll in confirm his suspicions.

> hey, what’s wrong with lee hyeon??? > but i like you... what a funny song hhaaha > gives me a fucking headache, but i listened for our hyeon > too bad he never reads our texts anymore, right? > ofc he doesn’t, he’s too busy selling his pride for attention > even so, it��s wrong to forget his friends!!!! > hyeon, are you reading? it’s not too late to come back. you don’t really want to be an idol, right?? these songs don’t suit you at all.... think!!! > tbh i didn’t even think he was telling the truth abt training til i read his profile online > i saw that it said he played soccer...... lololol we only played like seven times all throughout high school > ig it’s all he could pull out his ass since he deleted the yt account ^^ maybe he’s embarrassed abt who he really is

is he embarrassed? he figures that he must be by the way each message feels like an ice pick chipping away at his pride. layer by layer, his flaws reveal themselves. he’s hungry for attention, he’s stubborn, he’s shallow, he’s selfish: he detects these hidden call-outs in the messages as they come and he knows that they aren’t trying to hurt him, they’re just trying to get through to him. but he doesn’t want to listen and he doesn’t want to feel guilty, either, so he ignores the bubble at the bottom of the screen telling him multiple people are still typing. he goes to the chatroom settings, clicks leave.

he wonders what kind of conversation will surround the message lee hyeon has left the group.

[healthy-minds30]

Social Media and Its Effects on Life.

Positive Consequence of Democratization

Successful Journey from Street Stand to Famous Chef

Mr. Rizwan Chaudhary

Mr. Rizwan Chaudhary is a middle-aged age, uneducated man who belongs to a poor-status family and sells food on a small stand to manage day-to-day expenses (Khan, 2023) and (Salim, 2023). When in 2018, he moved to another city (Multan to Narowal) with his family, there his selling stand didn’t generate sufficient money that fulfill their expenses (Khan, 2023). Mr. Rizwan with a broken heart closed the hawker stand and started working at the dhaba (small restaurant). However, his son – an intermediate student, also took a brave step and joined a pizza shop to earn money. In 2019, after one year of disappointment, discouragement, and failure situations their moral percentage reached zero, but Ramish Rizwan– son of Mr. Rizwan convinced his father to launch a YouTube channel because as a young youth, he knew it was a digital era and it’s a time to test their fortune (Salim, 2023). He recorded the first video for their channel named ‘BaBa Foods RRC’ on a simple phone, and his successful fame journey started with no proper kitchen, cooking utensils, or high-tech electronic gadgets to record a video.

This channel booms the internet market within four years and earns 4 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.5 million followers on TikTok. They also received the ‘Top Food Creator’ award in 2022 from the TikTok social media platform. Presently, Chef Rizwan's family is living in a mansion, and owns luxurious cars, and his son Ramish moved to New Zealand.

The fame of the YouTube channel ‘BaBa Food RRC’ is largely based on the “democratization of web” concept. Chef Mr. Rizwan's innocent style of explanation and appealing video titles– people like it and vote his appreciation in the form of subscribing (Khan, 2023), honesty (sharing real authentic commercial recipes for everyone) – people thumb up and praise him by subscribing, cooking hacks and tips (how to make your food tastier or store food) – people like it and motivate him by subscribing), beauty tips/creams (women loves it and thank him by subscribing), or herbal remedies – people like it and shows happiness by subscribing). He introduces a variety of topics under one roof that attracts the audience with simplicity and hard work (Salim, 2023) and (Khan, 2023). However, with the same strategy, they succeeded in achieving “online democratization” on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X effectively (Salim, 2023). 

Globally, social media apps or sites promote the ‘democratization of the web’ and allow the audience to vote for the video or post as per their liking or disliking. Internet-positive fame achieved by the YouTube channel ‘BaBa Food RRC’ in a short period is impossible without the “democratization” of social media. They still succeed in engaging the audience through their different topic videos and honest enthusiasm.

References

Khan, N. (February 3, 2023). From street vendor to ‘Top Food Creator’: Pakistani BaBa Jee’s

journey to online stardom. Arab News.

Salim, Y. (January 22, 2023). Baba’s on cam and he is cooking. Tribune Magazine.

BaBa Food RRC. (October 16, 2023). Awards. Facebook [Photograph].

BaBa Food RRC. (January, 2024). Success story of BaBa Food RRC Chef Rizwan with

Online Earning [Photograph].

Ramish Rizwan (December 11, 2022). TikTok Award. Instagram [Photograph].

Ramish Rizwan (May 4, 2023). Four Million Subscribers. Instagram [Photograph].

Ramish Rizwan (December 4, 2022). YouTube Fifth Biggest Creator Award. Instagram

[Photograph].https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18310342894077298/

Negative Consequence of Democratization

Showbiz Person to Religious Person

Rabi Pirzada

Former - Pakistani Singer, Television Host, and Actress

Present - Artist, Social Worker and YouTuber

In 2019, Rabi Pirzada officially announced quitting from showbiz industry in both the singing and acting sectors due to her private videos/pictures going viral on social media (Daily Sun, 2019) and (Afzal, 2019). The flood of negative and positive responses was trolling on X against the leaking materials within a few hours (IANS, 2019). Controversy over who was the culprit roaming aloud all over the country, but helpless to find a suitable exact answer because it’s a mysterious digital world (Zubair, 2019). People utilize social media apps anonymously for revenge, jealousy, or to destroy someone’s career.  

In the same year, Rabi Pirzada also faced criticism internationally and nationally over two videos (terrorist clothing and wild animals [snakes, alligator, and pythons]) she recorded against Indian Prime Minister “Narendra Modi” (Times of India, 2019) and (BolNews,2019). She got deeply disheartened, depressed, disappointed, and ashamed after her private videos leaked.  She just requested mercy from the audience, asked forgiveness from God, and left the showbiz forever.

After leaving showbiz, Rabi Pirzada re-entered the social media world as a calligraphy artist, religious speaker, and founder of NGO (social working). She utterly changed her dress, attitude, and working field.

Last year 2023, Rabi Pirzada exposed in her various interviews that one female living with her leaked private videos and pictures to whom she trusts a lot.  Moreover, she also accepted that her bold (negative or taunted) past remarks for other female actresses and always considered herself a sinless personality – my proudness and fearlessness behavior are the main factors of her career falling (Duniya News, 2023), (Sarkar, 2023) and (Bol News, 2023). In one YouTube interview, she also unfolded that “Negative publicity is the strongest publicity in this world”, and its damages are huge than anything (Sarkar, 2023).

Rabi Pirzada's singing career was affected by the “democratization” of social media, which shows the power of the audience. The most positive stand she took after that misfortune was to come back with more strength to face the world and start a new journey on social media.

References

Sun Online Desk (November 5, 2019). Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada quits showbiz. Daily Sun.

Afzal, A. (November 4, 2019). Rabi Pirzada quits showbiz days after her private videos

 leaked online. Business Recorder. https://www.brecorder.com/news/540667

Web Desk (January 23, 2023). Rabi Pirzada blames ‘her arrogance’ for leakage of scandalous

videos. Duniya News.https://dunyanews.tv/en/Entertainment/692617-Rabi-Pirzada-blames-her-arrogance-for-leakage-of-scandalous-videos

IANS (November 4, 2019). Pakistani Singer Rabi Pirzada quits showbiz over leaked private

 photos. Khaleej Times. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/article/pakistani-singer-rabi-pirzada-quits-showbiz-over-leaked-private-photos

Web Desk (January 22, 2023). Rabi Pirzada explains how her arrogance led her to downfall.

Bol News. https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2023/01/rabi-pirzada-explains-how-her-arrogance-led-her-to-downfall/

NA (October 24, 2019). Watch: Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada threatens PM Modi again, this

time with suicide attack. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/viral-news/watch-pakistan-singer-rabi-pirzada-threatens-pm-modi-again-this-time-with-suicide-attack/articleshow/71718977.cms

Zubair, M. (2019). Private data of Rabi Pirzada leaked. Bol News.

Sarkar, G. (2023). Rabi Pirzada got emotional talking about how her videos got leaked by

    someone she trusts. [Photograph]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_VWIPiEYPg

24 News HD. (2020). Rabi Pirzada emotional video message after leak videos. [photograph].

GNN (2023). Why did leave showbiz world? Rabi Pirzada’s disclosure. [photograph].

Facebook (2023). Rabi Pirzada. [photograph].  

[gazianasrawshan]

All About Gazi Anas Rawshan

Md Anas, popularly known as Gazi Anas Rawshan is a renowned Bangladeshi Entrepreneur, Businessman & Nasheed Artist. He was born on November 30, 1986, in the Cumilla of District Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. He released his first album “Ekdin Tumari Name Masjide Hobe Elan”, an internationally successful album produced by Heaven Tune, in 2018. Gazi Anas is the father of popular Nasheed artists Aqsa Binte Anas and Shabab Bin Anas. He is also a Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, music producer, director, TV show producer and organizer.

From a young age, Gazi Anas Rawshan displayed a strong passion for business and worked diligently to establish himself as a successful business executive. Young entrepreneur Gazi Anas Rawshan. Who is known as Md Anas. comes from a loving and supportive family. His parents, Alhaj Rawshan Ali and Rabeya Khaton provided him with a nurturing environment to nurture his aspirations. As the eldest among his six brothers, Gazi Anas took on the responsibility of being a role model for his siblings, setting a high standard of dedication and hard work. While pursuing his academic studies, Gazi Anas also embarked on his entrepreneurial journey. His time at the university allowed him to develop a strong business acumen, which became instrumental in his future endeavors. In 2009, Gazi Anas made a significant personal commitment by marrying Gazi Fozila. Their union has been a source of unwavering support and encouragement, allowing Gazi Anas to focus on his entrepreneurial pursuits. Gazi Fozila stands by his side, contributing to his achievements and being an integral part of his success. He gained a bachelor's degree from the National University. After university, he entered the music industry in Dhaka-Bangladesh, and in 2005 linked up with the Many Islamic Cultural Organization & TV Production Company born Tv producer & he joined Islamic TV Dhaka. Gazi Anas continued his music industry career in the BD, producing for artists. In 2007, he left Islamic TV and joined Diganta TV as a program producer. In addition to working in TV, in 2009 he founded his own TV production house Gap Media Corporation Ltd.

Gazi Anas's hard work and dedication paid off when he assumed the role of Chairman at Gap Media Corporation Ltd. This Is an Audio Visual Production Company. Under his leadership, the company has experienced remarkable growth and success. Furthermore, Gazi Anas expanded his business In a short period, this company has contributed a lot to social media & TV media. A concern of Gap Media Corporation Ltd. Heaven Tune was established in 2018 by prominent cultural and media personality artist Gazi Anas Raoshan to promote the culture of life of Bengali-speaking people in the real education of ethics and Quran Sunnah by promoting the culture of eternal Islamic values. Gazi Anas's hard work and dedication paid off when he assumed the role of Chairman at Heaven Tune. This Is an Audio Visual Production Company. Under his leadership, the company has experienced remarkable growth and success. Furthermore, Gazi Anas expanded his business In a short period, this company has contributed a lot to social media. Heaven Tune was established in 2018 by prominent cultural and media personality artist Gazi Anas Raoshan promotes the culture of life of Bengali-speaking people in the real education of ethics and Quran Sunnah by promoting the culture of eternal Islamic values. With the continuous advancement of information technology, the value of online internet protocols and social media is increasing. In just 5 years now Heaven Tune's YouTube channel has almost 2 million subscribers and the Facebook page has almost 1 million followers. Moreover, the subscribers, members, and followers of 10 groups, 10 pages, and 10 YouTube channels are about 6 million i.e. more than 60 lakhs. Which is at the highest peak in Bangladesh in terms of success achieved in such a short time, Alhamdulillah. National and international non-political cultural organization Heaven Tune Nasheed Band, run by Haven Tune Foundation. It has two academic branches in Uttara and Paltan in Dhaka and one unit each in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Satkhira, Rajshahi, Barisal, and Rangpur outside Dhaka. Heaven Tune is trying to spread modern Islam among highly educated/educated/semi-educated/uneducated people from all walks of life through Nasheed/ Islamic songs. With an unwavering passion for entrepreneurship since childhood, he is poised to leave an indelible mark on the Islamic landscape, not only in Bangladesh but also on a global scale. Gazi Anas and Heaven Tune successfully used Facebook, YouTube, iTunes, and Worldwide 250 more platforms to promote tracks from all albums. In early 2022 his music very quickly gathered a huge online following in Bengali-speaking and Islamic countries and among young Muslims in Western countries. By the end of 2020, he was the most Googled Islamic celebrity in Bangladesh for that year. Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia have been the countries where he has had the most commercial success. The album “Elan” has been certified multiple platinum by Warner Music Bangladesh and Sony Music Indonesia. It became the highest-viewer Islamic album of 2018 in Bangladesh. Gazi Anas sings mainly in Bangla but has released some of his most famous songs in other languages. The song "Give Thanks To Allah", is now available in Many versions. Another song, "Ya Nafsi" ("Covid Period Song"), is sung in Bangla. Gazi Anas has performed concerts around the world, including in India, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. He has fan clubs in several countries including Malaysia, Egypt, and India. He took part in the judging committee of the Heaven Tune Talent Contest to choose Heaven Tune new Islamic Nasheed Star star in 2023.

[nijjhar]

The Gospel Truth is by the grace of our Supernatural Father of our souls... The Gospel Truth is by the grace of our Supernatural Father of our souls. No man can give you - 10 Virgins. Gospel you receive from the Sons of God only. https://youtu.be/AY5d7j8v0V0 JEWS THEMSELVES ARE ANTISEMITIC. A Jew is spiritual of heart inwardly and not in the flesh outwardly. So a Jew is never born or dies but the tribal people of Judah, Levi, Benjamin, etc. led by their blind guides, the “sinners” died. Such sinners were killed by the tribal English and Germans in the Holocaust. Today, Matt 13v24-30 is getting fulfilled and the sons of Satan Al-Djmar Al-Aksa are being bundled up in Israel for the Final Burning. The Palestinians also cannot build their covenant with Abraham and so, the Tares will burn and kill each other. This planet Earth is for the habitation of 144000 tribal sons and not Jews, Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims. Watch my over 8700 YouTube Videos; channel One God One Faith. Atomic war is very near indeed. END TIME GOSPEL TRUTH – FREE LECTURES AND SEMINARS www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/GistEndGospel.htm Other:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Nobility.htm http://www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/tenlights.htm http://www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/JattIslam.htm PROOFS OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS: - www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bojes.htm Super Hitler tribal Putin will destroy Blasphemer USA and the West as the German Hitler killed the unfaithful Abraham sinner Jews outwardly. https://youtu.be/FQ9TyEEZcDQ There were no WMD in Iraq and these Blasphemer USA and Western nations destroyed his peaceful country. These evil-spirited Blasphemers against the Holy Spirit destroyed many more countries like Libya and they are not forgivable as the sinners are. Super Hitler Putin will punish the Blasphemer USA and the West. The tribal people of Salt are of God whilst Mammon and Media are of Satan. https://youtu.be/NIB8q3YiQZs The Udege tribal Son of Man Super Hitler Putin speaks the truth versus the great blasphemers of the USA and the West. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not forgivable and Putin will punish them very hard. https://youtu.be/WCjpz-_w0y0 Thus, everyone is to give his own account to God and you cannot blame anyone else than yourself for not waking up to the Golden Occasion. Just wean off the Milk, and the Scriptures and go for the refreshing Meat of Jesus for your Daily Bread of Life. Then, put on your own Cross and enjoy the Blood of Christ by Preaching the Gospel from the Rooftops. This is America - Israel in Disguise:- Grim American Jewish Reaper waving sickle to kill more in Venezuela as they did in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, etc. www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/GrimReaper.htm I attended the recent seminar on the Nicene creed that bound the people that Jesus had set FREE but it was rather in the name of the sacked Husbandmen of the Winepress, the Temple Priests, that coined the adultered moral laws to make money. Gen 17 on circumcision is a typical example. This is the tribal mark of Abraham to Isaac and his generation only and was not given to Ishmael or anyone else. But the Temple Priests gave it to the Gentiles and made them the sons of Isaac of the Semitic race. They circumcised the Negro and white Aryans to increase their number of the Disciples for income. Angel Stephen was baptising the repenting sensible Jewish people of the Semitic race in the name of Abraham or disclosing their malpractice. He was summoned to the Synhedrion where he stressed that our forefather Abraham was a Nobleman. Do not make fake sons of Isaac and Abraham through the tribal mark of circumcision. That made them grind their teeth and they took him out and stoned him to death. Also, when these satanic Jews outwardly entered the fold of Hazrat Mohammed Sahib, they introduced all the Temple practices such as Kosher = Halal, circumcision, Elohim has no son, etc. Under Moses, all of them were the real sons of Abraham of the Semitic race and after making them repent for 40 years in the wilderness, they all became the faithful sons of Abraham and Abraham welcomed them back with lush green fields or killed the fattened calves to welcome the lost younger son Isaac, the Parable of the Prodigal son Isaac, elder son Ishmael and Father Abraham. So, when they entered Jericho on the Seventh Judgement Day of Elohim, the Elder Son Ishmael’s people left the Promised Land peacefully and with no killing. Now, greater than the Prophet Moses came to Christ Jesus, they had many fake sons of Isaac. Full description:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/JAntisem.htm Any help:- YouTube removes my Bitter Videos and gives me a strike. My ebook by Kindle. ASIN: B01AVLC9WO Private Bitter Gospel Truth videos:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/nobility.htm www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Rest.htm Any helper to finish my Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.pdf and in Punjabi KAKHH OHLAE LAKHH:-  www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/pdbook.pdf Very informative Channel:- Punjab Siyan. John's baptism:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/johnsig.pdf Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf

[notebooknebula]

Finding Gold In Residential Assisted Living With Isabelle Guarino-Smith & Jay Conner

Key Takeaways:

What is residential assisted living?

Nursing homes vs. residential assisted living

The different levels of services in residential assisted living

The shortage of supply in the face of the growing demand for residential assisted living

The return on investment in residential assisted living

Should you get the money lined up first before the deal?

Successful people make decisions quickly.

Why invest in real estate assisted living now?

How to find properties to convert into homes for assisted living

Doing well for yourself is important, but doing good for your community is more so.

In today’s show of Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner, Isabelle Guarino-Smith joins Jay to share the many benefits of investing in residential assisted living.

Isabelle Guarino-Smith trains and teaches entrepreneurs and investors at the Residential Assisted Living Academy. She has extensive experience in building brands, launching this company, and many more into national recognition while running day-to-day operations.

She is responsible for the creation and success of the RAL National Convention, RAL National Association, Recovery Housing Academy, Pitch Masters Academy, and most of the Impact Housing Group’s companies.

With a background in Business Marketing and Communications, from interning at Walt Disney World to working at two Fortune 500 companies, she is a true leader in business development and operations.

Isabelle has spoken across the country and has been featured in magazines & articles nationally. She was named “Future Leader” in the Senior Housing industry and “Top Senior Housing Influencer” under 30.

She is a sought-after coach and trainer for all things "RAL"! Isabelle’s goal is to carry on her father’s legacy by training investors & entrepreneurs on how to... "Do Good & Do Well”.

Timestamps:

0:01 – Get Ready To Be Plugged Into The Money

0:40 – Today’s guest: Isabelle Guarino-Smith

2:35 – The Journey Towards Residential Assisted Living

4:40 – From Single-Family Home Into Residential Assisted Living

7:13 – What Is Residential Assisted Living?

8:47 – Nursing Home vs. Residential Assisted Living

9:16 – Different Levels of Services In Residential Assisted Living

12:23 – Finding Gold In Residential Assisted Living

17:33 – ROI in Investing In Residential Assisted Living

20:04 – Jay’s Free Private Money Guide: https://www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide

23:00 – Which One Should Come First, The Deal Or the Money?

25:07 – Connect With Isabelle Guarino-Smith: www.ResidentialAssistedLivingAcademy.com

25:35 – Download Isabelle’s Free Book: https://www.RAL101.com

25:58 – Why Start Investing In Residential Assisted Living Now?

30:57 – How To Find Houses To Convert Into Residential Assisted Living

Private Money Academy Conference:

Free Report:

Join the Private Money Academy: 

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now?

It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at

What is Private Money? Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. He maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal without using his own money or credit.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

YouTube Channel

Apple Podcasts:

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Listen to our Podcast:

[caw4brandon]

Caw’s Mythology

For those who are new, Wednesday is labeled as Odin’s Wednesday here. Which is in honor of the Norse god, Odin. The word itself; Wednesday is derived from “Wodan's day" and Wodan means Odin.

While unrelated to Norse Mythology or even Odin himself. I feel like I should talk about where all of this “mythology talk” come from. What started my interest in them, share some of my second-hand findings and open up about my attempts on making my own mythology.

- Riordan and Gaiman -

My first introduction to mythology came like how most of us did back in 2010. Through Uncle Rick Riordan’s <Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief> Though I only read the books or...listened to the audiobooks a little later in life. The works of Uncle Rick has always fascinated me. His method for how he wove the various mythologies into the world of America is really interesting and it got me interested into creating my own world.

This is also followed by his other works, <The Kane Chronicles> and <Magnus Chase> which showcases various cast characters, magic systems and monsters that played significant roles on the mythology it is based from. The Kane’s is based on Egyptian mythology and follows Carter and Sadie Kane, siblings of an archeologist who is also a magician for The House of Life. Meanwhile, Magnus Chase is Annabeth Chase’s homeless cousin. After the tragic loss of his mother, Magnus makes a shocking discovery that his father is a Norse god and became an Einherjar for Odin.

Equally as interesting was Neil Gaiman’s <American Gods> A story about a world where the old ways of pagan belief is long forgotten and the new gods have taken over. The series follows Shadow Moon, learning about the various gods from various backgrounds including his new bosses identity who goes by the name; Mr Wednesday.

I’ve covered in detail a long time ago in my old post, [World-building: The Gods of Mythology] discussing the various ways how authors used mythology to update the myth itself with a more modern spin. In this post however, all you need to know through this long explanation is that this was where my interest started. Or rather, my interest for the actual origin of the gods started.

After reading the books and watching the show, I’ve grown to be fascinated in the other pantheons from other cultures and thanks to YouTube. I was able to find some channels that provides a “quick study” on a particular god/ mythology/ creature and so on.

- Red, Blue and Ireland -

By sheer chance, I came across a channel; [Overly Sarcastic Productions] where the hosts, Red and Blue talk about different subjects. Red talks about mythology and legends with fun illustrations while Blue does some history with maps and silly one liners. OSP is really good with what they do while constantly updating their content with the new material like, deep diving into the earliest origins of certain gods like Loki, Dionysus and attempts to stray away from their intended subjects or extend their subjects with bits of said subject but in a different angle. Red talks about tropes, fables and folktales while Blue covers parts of history and significant figures.

While I was tuning in. I also begun to do my own share of research. Looking into other types of myths and searching for mythologies that is yet to be tapped by writers and that was where I found Ireland. More specifically, about the Tuatha de Danann, the Fomorians and the various monsters and creatures found in their tales. I also check my sources with channels that talked about mythology aside from OSP while understanding some of the real life history for the state they are in today. Channels like, [Tale Foundry] and [Mythology & Fiction Explained] are good channels to start the conversation.

If you must know, Ireland is a place that is often times under attack by various invaders of different countries which houses quite a number of mythologies from other parts of the world. The Christians have a tendency to stomp out all pagan belief the moment they set foot to a “NEW” land so, a lot of the stuff I’ve read about Irish Mythology has a default asterisk in the corner saying: “Take it with a massive bag of salt”

I may have lost it, but I remember how I would spend restless nights searching for answers about a pantheon of sorts about the Irish Gods, creatures and monsters and compile them into a document. I remember, The Dagda who is often considered as the Head of the pantheon, The Morrigan, a war goddesses with three different identities, The Badb (The Crow), Macha, and/or Ernmas/ Anand, Lug the half-god, half-Fomorian, Nuada; the champion and high king, there is of course, Lir. The god of the sea. The three brothers of craft; Goibniu The blacksmith, Credne the silversmith and Luchta the carpenter and finally, mad druid named Dian Cecht.

I remember reading up about the Fomorians, the Nuckelavee, the Selkie, the Changelings, the Aisling and the fearsome Dullahan. I was engrossed in it. Studying every inch I could and trying to find some story to be my starting point. 

Notice that I didn’t mention Leprechaun? 

While it was the most popular of them all in modern times, the Leprechaun is only one of the many interesting fairy folk that lived among the Irish after the gods were forced to be exiled to the otherworld. There was so much material that I started to unconsciously shape my own <Percy Jackson> through Sadie mac Lir. Who at that time, was named; Cindi mac Lir.

Scrapped stories aside. The name stuck onto me, like an earworm name that just refuses to leave. What I’m getting at here is that I had to commit “own world genocide” a million times. I’ve conjured up various ideas in my head and onto paper but it was never brought to public because I had doubts and worry about misrepresenting a certain culture or inspiration it was based on.

Hell, I’m not even from Ireland! I’m from Malaysia/ Malaysian for goodness sake! (yes, this is a confession. I’m a Malaysian.)

- Moving Forward and Caw’s Future -

When I first thought about writing for Sadie (or Cindi at the time) I had this whole idea about fusing the mac Lir namesake with the hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill and his crane-skinned bag of weapons. I pictured Cindi to be blonde and had a general idea of what she’d look like which probably was why I had to scrap off straight away.

I wanted to make something original but at the back of my head, I knew that this is nothing but a cheep rip-off. I knew that it wasn’t ready, I wasn’t ready because I have yet to find my system and a story that I wanted to tell and while I did have a design for it. I kept it off the public eye.

Even as of now, I have yet to find my story but as of late. I have been practicing again. I’ve been keeping track and taking notes as well as reviewing them. Improving it while applying pressure more to myself because I felt that I should make it right, that I need to make it right. That it needs to make sense and that it should be original.

Despite this, I’m often in awe of how some people just...do it. They ignore the imperfections, the lack of originality and fixed them along the way instead. With all this big talk about how I wanted to make my own world, Sadie has been through one hell of a development and she is still far from being original but as my creation, In some way. She has developed a soul.

She’s getting restless, lonely and tired of being by herself within the pages and to be honest, I felt the same. Another character that I had down solid is this Lovecraft inspired chap; Hector James Dagger but he too, never saw the light. There are many others, cringe ones that stare back at me among the scraps. Wondering what will become of them or they’ll be used again? Perhaps my mythology shouldn’t be perfect and it wouldn’t be perfect. As the saying goes.

“Mythology is stories, and stories change with every telling...In mythology, the characters are gods. So the gods end up evolving alongside their society.” 

- Red (Overly Sarcastic Productions)

And maybe, that could be the answer. As people, we change our minds all the time and often times, its reflected in the characters we made, the monsters build, the scenarios we put them in and even the magic systems don’t have to be perfect or completely new. They can be based on somewhere and they can be flawed because real life is flawed. Scholars have often pointed out, that myth is more than just stories. They are stories that has a mix of history in them. Hidden between the lines and in the environments we see today.  

While most kids books about mythology love to have them arranged as a neat chronology of events. The truth is, mythology is more like a scattered collection of stories connected by a thin web. They are not the same species of insects but they are all trapped under the same web.

There is so much to think about and I am excited as I am fearful of getting called out for “you stole this idea from so-n-so” but so is everyone else who made their first characters or their first world and, that’s ok. Myths reflect history and history is about life itself. Life takes time to develop and so long as there are those who still breathe, the pages will continue.

Thanks for reading

- Caw4B -

[vocaloidfactoftheday]

All About Private Vocaloids!

a while ago i made a post about canceled vocaloids. this is a sort of sequel post about some private vocaloids. often these vocaloids are made and given only to exclusive users, eventually expiring or being retired. when it comes to abandoned vocaloids, private vocaloids and vocaloids that were never completed/released tend to be grouped together.

all information and images are from the vocaloid wiki unless stated otherwise.

the vocaloids discussed in this post are:

Kobayashi Matcha and Masaoka Azuki

Akikoloid-chan

Ueki-loid

Anri Rune

hide

Zhang Chuchu and Yuecheng

Kobayashi Matcha and Masaoka Azuki

Engine: VOCALOID2

Language: Japanese

Company: SEGA in collaboration with YAMAHA

Status: Retired; replaced with public VOCALOID4 voicebanks

They were made for use in Project 575, a multimedia franchise including several games and a series of 5 short anime episodes.

Specifically, the games Utayomi 575 and Uta Kumi 575 used the VOCALOID2 engine to synthesize their vocals in real time.

Their private use made them notable targets of piracy. Their voicebanks were cracked by extracting the voicebank data from Utayomi 575 and making them usable for VOCALOID2.

In 2017, they received VOCALOID4 updates and are now commercially available under the names MATCHA and AZUKI. These are the first private vocals to be made public, although their original VOCALOID2 voicebanks are still legally unobtainable.

Akikoloid-chan

Engine: VOCALOID3

Language: Japanese

Company: Lawson, Inc.

Status: Retired

Akikoloid-chan is a VOCALOID derivative of Akiko-chan, the new mascot for Lawson in 2011.

Lawson was the only group with the license to use her. She was used as a mascot on the Lawson Nico Nico Douga channel to help promote Lawson.

Akikoloid-chan is no longer used for music. However, Lawson still owns her character.

The mascot she originated from, Akiko-chan, is now a VTuber on the Lawson YouTube channel.

Ueki-loid

Engine: VOCALOID3

Language: Japanese

Company: Music Airport Inc.

Status: Unknown; possibly abandoned

This is the first use of VOCALOID that is an attempt to "revive" a deceased singer by emulating their vocals. The singer in question is Hitoshi Ueki, who passed away in 2007.

The voicebank was made by first recording the vocals of Hitoshi Ueki's oldest son, Hiro Kouichi. Then, they studied the differences between his and his father's voice, and edited the recordings to match Hitoshi Ueki's tone.

Only a few demos have been made for Ueki-loid. An album of songs was planned, but has never been released and has received no news since 2012.

It's possible that Ueki-loid was simply a test for the technology of reviving deceased singers' voices.

Anri Rune

Engine: VOCALOID3

Language: Japanese

Company: Fuji TV

Status: Retired

Anri Rune was originally a newscaster character on Fuji TV. Her career as a newscaster was short-lived, as she failed to bring in enough ratings to satisfy the network, and so she was retired.

In 2013, Anri Rune was repurposed as a VOCALOID mascot. She was given a new appearance and biographical information. She was also given a demo song by producer Kikuo, titled Hallelujah Super Idol.

After her single demo, there was no news on Rune's status. In response to a fan, Kikuo did not know her current status. YAMAHA also stated that Rune was never intended as a commercial product.

In May 2015, about 2 years after her debut, Fuji TV confirmed that Rune was retired and no products with her were planned.

"hide"

Engine: VOCALOID3

Language: Japanese

Company: Headwax Organization Co., Ltd.

Status: Unknown

Another attempt to "revive" a deceased singer, this time basing the vocal off of Matsumoto Hideto, better known as hide, the lead guitarist of rock band X-Japan who passed away in 1998.

Unlike Ueki-loid, samples were taken directly from recordings of hide's voice, not from any relatives.

The voicebank was used in the album Co Gal, which began production in 1998. hide was unable to complete the album before his death; the VOCALOID voicebank was used to complete the album with his voice.

The album was then released in December 2014. Fans remarked that the voice was unmistakably reminiscent of hide.

Due to using hide's voice, he is credited as the singer of all the songs in the Co Gal album despite the use of VOCALOID. Because of this, the actual name of the software itself is unknown, and is usually simply also referred to as "hide."

The status of this voicebank is unknown; it has not had any known usage since Co Gal.

Zhang Chuchu and Yuecheng (King)

(sorry chuchu for the crop)

Engine: VOCALOID4

Language: Chinese

Company: Shanghai Wangcheng

Status: Possibly abandoned

Chuchu and Yuecheng both originally appeared as characters in manhua. Chuchu was owned by Migu Comics while Yuecheng was owned by NetEase comics.

Shanghai Wangcheng, who had also worked with Gynoid on Xin Hua, wanted to create business-to-business VOCALOID voicebanks for private use, to turn preexisting characters into virtual idols, and approached these companies with the offer to develop VOCALOID4 voicebanks for their characters.

Both VOCALOIDs' voice providers were contest winners. The voicebanks were complete by April 30, 2018 and continued to be used by their authorized users.

In June 2020, an authorized user of these voicebanks reported that their serial codes had ceased distribution. YAMAHA had ended contracts with Shanghai Wangcheng, and Shanghai Wangcheng has since ceased activity.

This is a similar situation to the discontinuation of Utatane Piko. This does not stop authorized users from using these voicebanks, but no new users can gain access, and if switching computers, they can only be used for a 2 week trial period.

i hope you found this interesting! thanks!

[smp-boundaries]

List of Boundaries: CaptainSparklez

Violence in fanworks: In one of his subreddit videos, Jordan reacts positively to a bloody drawing of him being accidentally stabbed by Tubbo, showing that at least in fanart, he is okay with violence and death.

Fanfiction: Jordan has done two videos where he read fanfiction, one of which was an x reader, and reacted positively both times. This shows that he is okay with fanfiction and the x reader did not appear to put him off, as he specifically chose it for a Valentine’s Day video.

Shipping: There is no distinct evidence for Jordan being for or against shipping as a whole. He seems comfortable with being shipped with Tom Cassell (Syndicate) as evidenced by various videos where they joke about kissing and being shipped together. On the other hand, in the third MC Ultimate, when AntVenom made a joking comment about SparkAnt (their ship name) being revived after they both respawned, Jordan replied with distaste, implying that he doesn’t like being shipped with AntVenom. He has also spoken on multiple occasions against being shipped with Lady Ianite (from the Mianite series), and shows discomfort when looking at romantic fanart of them.

AUs where Jordan is Tubbo’s and/or Crumb’s father: Jordan has reacted positively to fanart of Tubbo and Crumb as his children and is accepting of the AU. However, he seems to be unaware that it is an AU and not canon on the Dream SMP, therefore this cannot be used as evidence for his stance on AUs in general.

General PSA: Jordan does not like people prying into his personal life, which includes his IRL friends and relationship status. He doesn’t disclose this information and people should respect this about him.

Evidence: Jordan reacting to violent fanart, CaptainSparklez reads a CaptainSparklez fanfiction, Jordan reads an x reader, Jordan, Tom, and Mini Ladd joking about shipping, Jordan reacting negatively to the idea of SparkAnt (Jordan/Anteler), Jordan reacting negatively to Sparkanite, Jordan talking about Tubbo and Crumb being his children, Jordan talking about how it’s weird when people ask about his IRL relationships

clip transcripts below cut

reacting to violent fanart Jordan: (reading reddit post) uh, “blood. It was a mistake.” (opens post, revealing Among Us fanart) ah, no, dude.. (playing it up for the bit) ah no, back to back! I can’t believe I have to relive this moment again and again! I don’t think I - it’s - it’s - y’know, I don’t think I ever betrayed him, but I got betrayed in return. It was hard.

Jordan, Tom, and Mini Ladd joke about shipping Tom: (hugging Jordan and Mini Ladd) all in - all in, all in, all in - this feels good. hey, no kissing tonight, alright? Jordan: really? Tom: no kiss - (Mini Ladd kisses his cheek) okay. (looks at Jordan, points to cheek expectantly) Jordan: (kisses Tom’s cheek) Tom: (laughs) oh yeah!

reacting negatively to the idea of SparkAnt (Jordan/Anteler) Anteler: this is team Sparkant, being revived Jordan: no, not that - not that word.

reacting negatively to Sparkanite Jordan: alright people do this weird shipping thing with me, and Ianite, and I realize that it kinda stems from season two but let’s just - I feel like we need to keep it as a platonic relationship between a follower and their god, alright? Ianite is m’lady, my god, it doesn’t have to become like a romantic thing. Alright? alright. cool.

about Tubbo and Crumb being his children Jordan: (reading reddit post) “the Tubbo origin story is growing.” (opens post, revealing fanart) Is that Tubbo jumping out of the ____ to catch a bee? and then Crumb saying “there can be only one?” There actually - I’ve seen things on twitter though - Inga(?), who - who does lots of art and stuff and has done some of the MCC thumbnails, like, did a drawing where I was Tubbo’s dad in the Dream SMP server and I was like “is this a thing that’s actually going on?” I know nothing, I’m confused. But I guess I’m like - I’m Tubbo’s dad. on the server. I have no - I geniunely don’t know, but that’s what I’ve heard. And I’m like “oh, okay.” I guess - y’know. I did say I wasn’t having kids but there wasn’t anything about a kid that already has been had. So I guess it works. It doesn’t - yeah - doesn’t mess with my take. But also we have Crumb now. (laughs) “There can be only one.” But it’s been established that I’m his dad I guess, so - so, there has to be two. It’s already been said and done.

talking about it being weird when people ask about his IRL relationships Jordan: (reading reddit post) “Expose yourself, Jardoon. Did you break quarantine for a video?” (opens post, revealing screenshot of Youtube comments under his video) I can’t - I can’t, like, it’s so - it’s so weird.. to me, that every comment is just - who filmed the video - does any other channel get that? It’s bizzare - like I - I feel like other channels just have people film their videos and it’s - the entirety of the comments section isn’t, “who filmed the video,” it’s - it’s about the video content itself. I just - I mean, I don’t know for sure. Maybe that is a thing on other channels. But - also … and also, I do know other people who live in the general LA area. I’m not just completely solo without the ability to reach out to a single person. I know as much as I stay at home and am confined, I do know other people. Weird flex, I know. “Woah, this guy, look at him out here - knows other people? Who exist? Not just on the internet? Oh ho, mister fancy out here dude, okay. He’s got real life acquaintances and all that. Alright, way to flex on us all!” But I - oh my god dude, it’s so weird. And I made this comparison in my stream a couple days ago, that it’s like my mom when she’s asking about plans and what I’m doing, and I’ll be like, “oh, I’m going to such-and-such with friends,” …. she’ll be like “oh, what’s their name?” And I just think - I mean it’s - you’re not gonna meet them. Are you gonna look up their - like are you gonna look their name plus my name online to try to figure out who they are? I’m confused in that regard. It’s just a person who I know. And - and then, anyway, it’s just - you guys are my mom. (laughs) So that’s where we are with this.

[littlemoondarling]

What are the characters available for the ask thing you've got going on?

I wrote the whole answer then the internet flopped and I lost it all :)))) thank you tho non, the character plus a drawing (if available) and a small tldr about them under the cut.

Theodore Malik (he/him) tired goth dad of the vampire kid Fran. A certified collector of antique dolls and abusive partners. He has a small shop where he sells handmade accessories, cosplay costumes, embroidery and styled wigs.

Fran Rouge (he/him) Theodore's adopted vampire son. He's an autistic kid with a hyper fixation on bugs (especially bees) and he struggles with health issues.

Ahmya Yamamoto (she/her) Theodore's oldest and most trusted friend. A runaway kid who grew up to be a social worker with a part time True Crime YouTube channel.

Ayumu Yamamoto (they/he) Ahmya's younger sibling who is the only one left to care for his abusive dad. They became a forensics expert to help find a deranged serial killer that attacked them at 13.

Timothy Marino (he/him) Theodore's second best friend. A self centred alcoholic former gifted kid with a strange obsession with cows that now works as a professional sugar baby.

(Drawing currently unavailable)

Damiano Marino (he/they) Timothy's older brother who was featured on Ahmya's channel. He now owns a small tattoo shop that might or might not cause him to meet his future partner.

?? Rouge (he/him) Theodore's ex and the father of both Fran and Elliot. He's a filthy rich vampire with an equally rich history in art and trauma. Used to be a shit dad and partner but is trying to be better, hope no one fucks that up :)

(Drawing currently unavailable)

Bunny (they/he/she/it) Theodore's housemate from another realm. The don't remember anything from their past, but she has been surviving in the frozen heaven that is the first realm for thousands of years. He stumbled into earth and into the care of Theodore who has to teach it how to human.

Marcel Noir (he/him) the only one that knows Rouge's real name because they were raised together. After being abused then heartbroken, he punished himself with centuries of isolation, working on honing his skills to become a deadly killer in both human and the vampire societies.

Elliot Rouge (he/him) Rouge's biological son and Theodore's ex (it's complicated). After being neglected and emotionally abused by his dad, he developed severe ed and depression. He is now trying to get his life together as a lyricist and violinist after being engaged to Angel.

(It's not a violin but let's pretend we didn't see that)

Angel (they/them) engaged to Elliot. They are an anomaly. They can shape shift into any form but they only use that ability to be always be slightly taller than the tallest person in the room and to change their physical sex characteristics to fit what they feel like for the day. Oh yeah, they're also a very famous rockstar.

(Drawing is unfortunately unavailable)

A (it/its) an unknown entity that is able to control Angel's body if specific triggers occur. It seems to be the only one that knows what Angel actually is and what is their past. Tho it seems to hate the direction Angel took with their lives, it is still incredibly protective of them.

(Drawing unavailable)

Voya (they/them) a genius scientist from the second realm who was banished to earth after creating "The Macabre". They suffer from extreme hallucinations and body dysphoria.

Lavender the Fly (she/her) a small purple fly that accidentally got banished to earth with Voya making her unkillable for ten thousand years. She is sassy and is one of the only things that ground Voya.

(Drawing unavailable)

Silas nolastnamegiven (he/him) Theodore's first ever boyfriend. A sadistic manipulator with a god complex that took advantage of young Theodore's depresson and need for love only to ruin his life. He's dead now.

[a-froger-epic]

About the Interview

Since I posted the interview with J - a woman who has described herself to me as one of Queen’s first “groupies” - there has naturally been a lot of discussion about the veracity of the interview, the source, and my own motivations in posting it. I fully expected that, and I will say once more that nobody (apart from a small handful of anonymous trolls) has behaved inappropriately in these discussions. I have not received any “hate” because of this. There is no “drama”. Nobody is wrong, or a party-pooper, or attacking me by expressing their doubts. I have seen some awful bile spat at people anonymously recently, and that kind of behaviour has got to stop.

Now, if you don't think I am genuine, there is obviously nothing I can do about that. 

However, what I am hoping to do here is add as much transparency as I can in regard to how and why the interview happened, and also share my own full thoughts on it with you. 

First things first. No unverified, anonymous source can be seen as definitive proof of anything, ever. That is my stance. I have myself been criticised for so much as suggesting that other anonymous sources tied in with Freddie’s history are not 100% proof of one thing or another. But for me, an anonymous source can never mean more than at best: this seems very likely, but we can’t be 100% certain.

Perhaps I was naive to think that what I considered to be enough of a disclaimer at the beginning of the interview, was enough. My intention was to express that while I, personally, believe J to be a) the person she says she is and b) genuine about what she remembers, that does not mean I believe everything she has told me is fact or happened in that exact way. I thought this was obvious. Perhaps I was unclear, and I apologise for that. 

So let me be clear. There is nobody in the world who has perfect, factual recollections of what happened to them almost 50 years ago. Not even J herself claims for one moment that this is the case. She mentions several times that these are old memories from when she was very young, that she indulged in recreational drugs at the time, and that her views - of course - carry a personal bias. All this, I thought, would be enough for readers to know not to take everything they read at face value.

All of the above is why I kept my own thoughts and notes to a minimum within the interview, why I didn’t correct or point out obvious mistakes. I simply assumed that everybody would go away and read the interview against all the sources and information they already have, as I have done myself.

But maybe that was somewhat irresponsible of me, and I should have been the first person to dig into how J’s memories fit in (or don’t) with the information which is already out there, and how to put the two together. While I refrained from sharing all my thoughts alongside the interview (although I have fragmentally done so in response to other people since), others like @quirkysubject​ (here), @iwilltrytobereasonable​ (here), @emmaandorlando​ (here), @sarinataylor​ and @talkingismylifewrites​ (here) all had some very good things to say. All of them make excellent points. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SEND THEM NASTY MESSAGES. I frankly can’t believe I have to say this at all.

I found myself in a difficult position, because as the person who had spoken to J and asked her all these questions, I did not feel as though I could dissect her words as freely as anybody else. She has put a lot of trust in me, and I do not want her to think that I question her honesty and intentions. Because I don’t. If I hadn’t felt as sure as I reasonably can be that she is the person she says she is, and that her story is genuine from her perspective, if I had been in any doubt about that, I would not have made it public.

Here's the thing:

Even if you don't believe J knew the boys, her recollections of the time period alone are still valuable and incredibly interesting, giving us a glimpse of early 1970s London. 

But I do believe J. Why?

Before I answer that, let me just say: I fully realise that of course the fact that it was my story J happened across, and me she decided to speak to because of it, makes me more inclined to want to believe her. However, other authors I'm friends with, as well as myself, have received messages from older people several times before. It does trigger nostalgia when a story is very strongly rooted in a time somebody has lived through. There are older people in the fandom. (I recently ran a poll and all age groups were represented even here on Tumblr.) 

Now, on to the reasons why my communication with J has felt nothing but authentic to me.

1. She was never in any rush to get in touch with me or relate information to me. It took her a few days to email me after she first spoke to me in the comment section, where I begged her to please get in touch. She then sent me the same email five times, over two days, because she couldn’t quite work my email address out at first. 

I ended up asking several questions more than once to get an answer because they were overlooked. The conversation went off on tangents, and we chatted about her weekend at her friend’s house (and I was presented with a beautiful snapshot of the beach), the memory box her daughter made for her, her work and other things. There were stretches of days at a time when J simply didn’t find the time to get back to me. And I may have badgered her with a few too many emails asking her to please remember to answer my questions when she has a moment. In short, it was the opposite of somebody rushing to share their story. I was doing all the rushing. (I realise that I am asking you to take my word for this, but this did not all happen in a vacuum. @plainxte​, @quirkysubject​, @fingersfallingupwards​, @onegoldenglance​ and @freddieofhearts​ witnessed the process first-hand, as well as my excitement and some of J’s original emails.)

2. J was very trusting. I know her full name, where she lives and her place of work. She sent me current pictures of herself and her husband unprompted. At no point did she ask me not to reveal her identity, that is a call I made because I did not want to expose her to any possible harassment.

3. There were a few things in her account of what she remembered which were so obviously at odds with what we know to be true - it’s well-known John is a bit taller than Roger, for example, but J remembered him shorter, Queen went to Sydney in ‘85, J remember it as ‘84 - that I couldn’t help but think, if I was somebody who was trying to convince others of a made up story, the first thing I would surely do is make absolutely certain to get the facts which are easily findable right. Instead, J always lead with: this was all a long time ago, I’m sorry, I’m doing my best trying to remember.

I realise that a very clever hoaxer could do all this and convince me. But here the question has to be, to what end? This would be quite an act for someone to arrange, to make it seem quite so naturalistic. Nobody would go through the trouble of doing that for nothing. There’s no monetary gain. Scandal? There is nothing scandalous in the interview. Attention? J is barely an active member of the fandom. She has managed to create a Tumblr though: @since72​. There is one post currently. 

It also took her a couple of days to get back to me after I posted the interview.

In brief, I have no logical explanation for why somebody would go to these lengths and fool me so cleverly, with such attention to detail, when there seems to be nothing in it for them. Why then did J bother to talk to me at all? What was her motivation? Well, after I thanked her profusely for doing this, she simply said that she felt she owed me as reading my story had brought back so many memories for her.

All of the above is why I strongly feel that J is very much real and genuine. But I completely understand that it all hinges on the fact that in order to believe everything I say is true, you would have to trust me. And I know that as I am just another person on the internet, you have no reason to do that. But I’ll get to me in a moment.

Here are a few more doubts which I have seen come up with regard to J.

Why would she be reading fanfiction about people she knew? That’s weird.

To be perfectly honest, exactly that was my first reaction, too. But then I thought about it and talked to friends about it. 

Firstly, J says herself that she was never a close friend. I agree that it would be far weirder to read fanfiction about somebody you knew very well. Having said that, John Deacon’s son has been known to read Queen fanfic about his father (and read it out on his YouTube channel). But I think given that it’s been half a century and J has been watching Queen in the public eye ever since, it isn’t really all that strange to read about fictional versions of them.

Secondly, a friend of mine noticed that it seems as though older people in the fandom find J overall more credible than younger people. I’m 35, and it is true that the older we get, the more we look for the things which remind us of our younger years. There is an urge to remember and re-live. You can trust me on this, or you can ask anyone over the age of 30 or 40. Nostalgia is real, and it only comes to you with age. Why would somebody who had briefly brushed shoulders with people who later became celebrities not take an interest in them later? It seems natural that she would. As J says, she never stopped being a fan of Queen’s music and came across fanfic when she looked up Adam Lambert. Is it really so strange that she would find fanfic about them entertaining? Having given it all this thought, I really don’t think so.

It’s unrealistic that she was so young.

This is something I have to disagree with. Times were different. Pete Townshend entered Ealing Art School at age 16, according to Wikipedia. My mother (currently 62) moved 600km away from home at the age of 15 to study piano at music college. I myself moved out from home at 17 (no tragic reasons whatsoever), but that’s beside the point. I have seen it framed in a way where it was said that “It isn’t realistic that a 16-year-old was hanging out with Queen who were all in their 20s”. I agree, it would be a little strange if the story was that one 16-year-old girl was hanging out with Queen by herself as their good buddy. But that is not the story. (Even though it is well-known that during the 60s and 70s, young teenaged groupies did in fact hang out with rock groups very frequently. Of course, J was not that kind of groupie.) She was simply part of a large circle of friends, by her own admission not a close friend of the band. Personally, I struggle to see how this is unrealistic in any way. 

It seems super suspicious that she lost her photos in a flood.

Yes, it does. I agree. J realises that, too. 

Like @quirkysubject​ said in her post, I don’t blame anyone who is too sceptical at this point. But there actually was a pretty bad flood in Australia in 1988.

There are mistakes in J’s story!

Yes, there are! Let me point them out to you. I already mentioned John’s height and Queen being in Australia in ‘85, not ‘84. I also think that her perception that Freddie was taller than Roger in ‘72, but no longer in the 80s, had everything to do with platform shoes. I have to say that I did ask J some questions which I knew were things which are almost impossible to remember about people you weren’t particularly close to. I knew there was no way she would be able to accurately recall their heights, but I still wanted to know what the impression was which she had come away with. I don’t for one moment think she could possibly know why and if Freddie’s nickname was really ‘Freddie Baby’ at EAS well before she went there. But I still wanted to hear what she thought of that. This is why I stated specifically that this entire interview consists of one woman’s subjective opinions and memories. That alone means you can absolutely not take any of it as definitive fact. That just isn’t how memory works.

Kensington Market and the stall:

J’s answers on this one thoroughly confused me. Not only did she say that while she saw Freddie at the market a lot, Roger was hardly ever there, but there was also some Indian man working at the stall during the week (who I don’t think could have been Freddie’s father). She saw Freddie at multiple stalls, a girl named Jill also worked at the stall… and J was under the impression that Roger and Freddie hadn’t even started the stall. None of this made a whole lot of sense to me, until somebody pointed out that the original stall owned by Roger and Freddie must have closed in the second half of 1971. (Sources: Queen in Cornwall & Queen: As it Began)

It is confirmed (same sources as above) that Freddie worked at the market until as late as 1974. I think it is therefore entirely possible that J would have seen him working at Alan’s stall, or helping out at other stalls, and the likelihood that Roger would have come to hang out with him on a weekend is fairly high, in my opinion. Later, reading about Freddie and Roger running a stall, J would have had no reason to think that this wasn’t the same stall she had seen them at. And yes, this is of course only a theory.

The gay pride march:

@rushingheadlong​, who has recently done a lot of fantastic research about Tim, confirms that there’s no chance (as far as we know) that Tim could have been at the march. Did any of them really go? Is J misremembering entirely? Could it be that one of them or two of them went, and looking back, J remembers it as all of them (minus John, however) because she was used to mostly seeing them all together? Does she remember them from another protest march and got it mixed up with the gay rights march? I can’t say. The march and who exactly went is a big question mark. Even J herself is only “pretty sure” that they were all there, and I have to say, I can’t tell you who was where exactly when I think back to when I was 16. Certainly not when there was a big group of people around. And that was only 20 years ago for me.

Lastly, I’m going to try and use the guide our awesome local historian @emmaandorlando​ provided on how to analyse new sources. Of course, I’m not a historian (and I’m also partly the source by being the interviewer, so I can perhaps only do this impertectly), but let’s give it a go.

1. Who wrote this document? 

‘Written historical records were created by individuals in a specific historical setting for a particular purpose. Until you know who created the document you have read, you cannot know why it was created or what meanings its author intended to impart by creating it’.

In this case, the answer is two-fold because essentially I wrote the interview, in as far as that I asked the questions, I gave it shape and presented it in the form in which it came, but the answers are J’s. I completely understand that this is already a big stumbling block for many, because not only am I presenting her as an anonymous source, but many of you don’t know anything about me. If you follow me on Tumblr, you will know that I have shared more with the internet than is probably wise. But still, I am somebody you know little about, presenting to you a person you know even less about. Whether you trust me or not is entirely down to your own judgement and instinct, and that will be different for everybody.

(I’ve seen it said that I’m plugging my own work through this interview. If that was my plan, I’m afraid it’s failed miserably. I looked, and DoA has gained a whopping 2 or 3 kudos.)

2. Who is the intended audience?

‘The relationship between author and audience is one of the most basic elements of communication and one that will tell you much about the purpose of the document. Think of the difference between the audience for a novel and that for a diary, or for a law and for a secret treaty. Knowing the audience allows you to begin to ask important questions, such as; “Should I believe what I am being told?”’

The intended audience is the Queen fandom on Tumblr and AO3. I have no interest in sharing this anywhere else because I’m not familiar with the other fan communities (Facebook? Instagram?) and wouldn’t know how to go about it. For J, the intended audience was mostly me, an author she likes who was very interested in her memories.

3. Why was this document written?

‘Everything is written for a reason. Understanding the purpose of a historical document is critical to analysing the strategies that the author employs within it. A document intended to convince will employ logic; a document intended to entertain will employ fancy; a document attempting to motivate will employ emotional appeals. In order to find these strategies, you must know what purpose the document was intended to serve.’

I got really, really excited. That is the reason. When J got in touch with me, I had a decision to make. I could ask her all the questions I wanted privately and share her answers only with my "inner circle” of fandom friends, or I could share everything with the fandom spaces where I’ve been very active in the last two years. I wanted to share the excitement and decided to do the latter.

I also wanted to present the interview in a way where it would be an engaging, well-structured read and not simply all of her emails to me dumped here with a quick ‘there you go’. So I tried to wrap it in a beautiful “package”, which is why I asked her for her art, for example.

4. What type of document is this?

‘The form of a document is vital to its purpose. The form or genre in which a document appears is always carefully chosen. Genre contains its own conventions, which fulfil the expectations of author and audience.’

An interview, written by somebody who has never interviewed anyone before.

5. Can I believe this document?

‘To be successful, a document designed to persuade, to recount events, or to motivate people to action must be believable to its audience. For the critical historical reader, it is that very believability that must be examined. Every author has a point of view, and exposing the assumptions of the document is an essential task for the reader. 

You must treat all claims sceptically (even while admiring audacity, rhetorical tricks, and clever comparisons). One question you certainly want to ask is, “is this a likely story?” Testing the credibility of a document means looking at it from the other side.’

This is for all of you to decide for yourselves, and that was always the case. Far be it from me to be upset with anyone who straight up doesn’t believe a word I say, doesn’t believe J is real or any other scepticism. I’ll say it again, DO NOT harass anyone for expressing their opinions on this! It is NOT WRONG to discuss a new source! It’s wonderful that people are doing it!

And so, we come to that last question: Is this a likely story? 

Personally, I can firmly answer that with: Yes. In my personal opinion, it is. I find J’s story very likely and there is close to nothing that makes me question that these are indeed her real memories. But given the nature of human memory, they are just as imperfect as anybody else’s and do not, and should not, supersede any factual, verified information we already have.

With that, I hope to have provided a bit more clarity and transparency, and leave you - as before - to make up your own minds.