#final total for the year will be 120 by the end of the day!

[leftistfeminista]

Anti-Fascist Ilaria Salis's full letter from Budapest prison: "One hour of fresh air a day, cockroaches and mice. I have a lump in my breast and they won't give me the medical report"

But here is everything that Ilaria Salis writes.

The clothing

During the interrogation to validate the arrest, after the seizure of my clothes, "I was forced to wear dirty, battered and smelly clothes that they gave me at the police station and to wear a pair of boots with stiletto heels that were not my size". Afterwards, "until March 20 (that is, for 5 weeks) when the prison finally authorized the Italian Consulate to visit me and deliver the first package, I was left without a change of clothes (including underwear) with only the battered clothes and the boots with ill-fitting heels that they had given me at the police station".

Contacts with the family

Failure to translate procedural documents

“I have not yet received the translation of the GIP order dated August 11!” (with which the pre-trial detention was extended by another three months), nor the translation of the appeal to the second forum (“the appeal to the second forum is a type of re-examination and is done every time the arrest is extended)”

Ban on enrollment in school

After being in a cell for about ten days with a Hungarian woman, I was transferred to a single cell where I remained for the entire month of March. During this period, I was unable to communicate my needs or if I had a problem. In September, I tried to enroll in primary school to learn Hungarian a little better, but my request was rejected because I don't speak Hungarian.'

Interrogation without a lawyer and without an interpreter

"On February 28, they called me from my cell and told me that my lawyer was there. The lawyer wasn't there, and instead two people were waiting for me who said they were from the police but didn't show any badges. They told me that my lawyer wouldn't arrive, nor would the interpreter, and that they wanted to interrogate me in English. I refused and went back to my cell."

No personal hygiene products or cell cleaning products

“Upon my arrival they didn't even give me a package with personal hygiene items (...) I found myself without toilet paper, soap and sanitary towels or cotton wool (because unfortunately I also had my period) until February 18 (...) In the cells where I was for the first 2 months, some cleaning tools were missing that according to the regulations should be in all cells (mop, dustpan, bucket, brush to clean the toilet), I asked for them several times but they didn't provide them to me”.

Space available in the lower cell is 3.5 square meters

“For a month in total, divided into three periods, I was in a cell measuring less than 7 square meters, excluding the bathroom, with 2 people.” While waiting for the anthropologist’s examination, “I was for hours in a cell measuring 120 cm x 180 cm with 4 people and alone in a cell measuring 120 cm x 90 cm.”

Insufficient ventilation in the cell

“For just under a month, between August and September, I was in a cell where in my opinion there was not enough ventilation for 8 people because the 2 windows only open a few centimetres and here you are in a completely closed cell (including the little door at waist height through which they pass you food) for 23 hours a day”.

Contiguity of male and female cells

“On the sixth floor (where I was until the end of June) the section is mixed and the male cells are right next to the female ones”;

One guard for every 90-110 inmates

“From the third to the sixth floor there are 90-100 inmates per floor with only one guard on duty per floor who works 12-hour shifts.”

Lack of fire escapes or stairs

“From the third floor onwards (i.e. where the inmates are located) there are no stairs or fire escapes.”

One hour of fresh air a day

“You spend 23 hours a day in a completely closed cell: there is only one hour of fresh air a day and there is no social interaction (...) Every morning they wake us up around 5:30 (Saturday and Sunday at 6:00) and we have to get up and immediately make the bed and then remain locked in the cell without doing anything all day”;

Walking areas

“There are 5 walking areas in total and they are at the level of the -1 floor in the center of the horseshoe that the building is made of, so the sun practically never hits them. They are completely asphalted, without a bench and with a metal net above your head. Two of them are very small: just over 25 square meters and it can happen that even 15 people have to 'walk' there, so it is almost impossible to move”.

Incompatibility between air time and shower, shopping, change of sheets

“Some days the hour of air coincides with the shower and nothing here has a fixed time, so it happens that you skip the air or the shower. Often the air coincides with the shopping or the changing of the sheets and if you are not in the cell at the right time you skip the shopping or the changing of the sheets”;

Bedbugs

“For the first three months I was tormented by bedbug bites, which caused me an allergic reaction, as both lawyer Lakatos and Attila Trasciatti [an official at the Italian Consulate in Budapest, ed.] could see. Despite my repeated requests and the visible signs that I also had on my face, I did not receive antihistamines or cream for the entire period. The prison does a disinfestation every month for bedbugs: they make us go out into the corridor just long enough to spray the poison and then immediately lock us in the cell, forcing us to poison ourselves every time. Every time I struggle to breathe, my nose burns and my head spins.”

Cockroaches and mice

"In addition to the bedbugs, the cells and corridors are full of cockroaches. Instead, in the external corridor, just outside the building where we have to go to get some fresh air, there are often mice (not pets) roaming around."

Failure to deliver clinical documentation

“I had an appointment in Italy at the end of March for a breast ultrasound: I have a lump that looks benign, but several doctors in Italy recommended that I check it periodically (...) in mid-June they finally took me to a clinic where they did an ultrasound and mammogram (...) I did not receive any written report, which was instead given to the prison doctor, to whom both I and the lawyer Santa have asked several times that the report be sent to the lawyer but at the moment they have not sent him anything yet”.

Malnutrition

“Here the trolley goes through for breakfast and lunch but not for dinner (...) I think the problem of malnutrition here is well known because even the forensic anthropologist thought he could justify the fact that the woman who appears in the images is plumper than I was when I did the assessment in June, saying that the person in the images was well-nourished. The problem of nutrition becomes serious in the long run because here it is forbidden to cook and only food purchased in the prison's online shop can enter the packages. Shopping can be done every two weeks; in the shop there are few types of products or they are about to expire or there are limitations on the purchase of all products”.

Obligation to look at the wall during stops in the corridor

“Whenever we have to stand in the corridor for any reason we have to face the wall.”

Failure to Pay Foreign Prisoners

“The only activity is a workshop of manual activities that I have been participating in since May (...). Hungarian prisoners receive the equivalent of 2 euros and 50 cents for each session of the workshop they participate in, but this compensation is not provided for foreign prisoners”.

Underpaid work obligation

“The final prisoners, who are separated from the pre-trial detainees and wear uniforms, are obliged to work and receive the equivalent of 50 euros a month for full-time work.”

Correspondence check

“They should not check the correspondence with the lawyers and the Consulate. However, it happened to me that a letter I had sent to the lawyer Lakatos and that a mistake in the address was returned to the sender, it was returned to me with the envelope open”.

Interviews through plexiglass

“In-person interviews are held in a meeting room with plexiglass in the middle and we talk on our phones. Interviews with the Consulate and lawyers are also held in a meeting room with glass, although this glass is less thick.”

Budapest, Ilaria Salis in court for the trial: tied hands and feet and kept on a leash

Prisoners on a leash

“Translation of the prisoners. In addition to the handcuffs, here they put a leather belt with a buckle to which they tie the handcuffs. The feet are also tied together: around the ankles they put two leather anklets closed with two padlocks and joined together by a chain about 25 cm long. Then they put another handcuff on just one wrist, to which a leather leash is attached that at the end is held in the hand of the escort agent. All this material weighs a few kilos and the binding on the feet allows you to take very short steps (...) Tied up like this I had to go up and down several flights of stairs. You remain tied like this for the entire duration of the hearing and I also remained tied like this for the entire duration of the examination carried out by the anthropologist”.

Her new book of her time in prison just came out today 2/11/2025

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi, I wanted to ask if you have any tips on how to put together a time schedule for writing a book. I tried to create one several times but always ended up with task paralysis since I didn't know what to do and how to time it. Do you have any advice? One of my goals is to at least write one book next year and without a schedule, I'm afraid I will lose sight of what I should do.

Schedule for Writing a Book

There's no universal timetable for writing a book. There are a million variables that play a role into how fast someone can write a book. Their personal writing speed, their level of experience, what they're writing and how long it will be, how much time they can put toward writing, and what they're aiming for (finished first draft, polished final draft, published book...) That said, there's really no way to come up with a timetable that will be reasonable for everyone.

Plot and structure are more important than a timetable. Even if there was a reasonable timetable for writing a book, that wouldn't really help you if you don't understand how stories work. If you were trying to build a house, I could say it will take a week to lay the foundation, and another month to frame the house and install the roof, and another month to install plumbing and electrical, and another month for insulation and drywall, but if you don't know how to do any of those things, that timetable doesn't help you. You need to learn how to actually lay a foundation, frame a house, install a roof, etc. if you want to actually build the house. Writing a novel is the same way. Before you can worry about a timetable, you have to learn how stories work.

Consider utilizing a book that will teach you plot and story structure while also helping you to plot out and structure your novel. There are all different ideas about how stories work and how to best plot and structure a novel, so there are a lot of really great books and workbooks out there that will help you do this. I'm a big fan of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland is another good one, and it has an accompanying workbook. The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson is another one and it also has a workbook. You can also find printable novel planners on Etsy, often for less than 10 or 20 dollars.

If I had to give you a ballpark, totally arbitrary timetable, and assuming you have at least 3-5 hours a day to spend on writing, I would say you should probably plan to spend about a month plotting and planning, another month or two writing a zero draft or rough draft, another month or two reading through and revising that draft, another month or so with betas, another month or so revising, and another month or so editing and polishing. That gives you some wiggle room if you overshoot any of those estimates.

You can also "Weird Science" a timetable for yourself by taking a week or two to time yourself on various stages of story planning and writing. Start by finding a writing prompt that really inspires you. Then, time how long it takes (how many minutes spent) planning what you're going to write. Then, time how many minutes you spend actually writing. Finally, time how many minutes you spend editing and polishing. Now, math that out in conjunction with the length of your story. So, let's say you wrote a 5k word story and it took you 180 minutes to plot, 240 minutes to write, and 120 minutes to edit. So, for example, you plotted at 28 words per minute, so it would take you roughly 2500 minutes (41 hours) to plot a 70k word story. You wrote 21 words per minute, so it would take you roughly 3,333 minutes (56 hours) to write a 70k word story. And again, this is super rough, super ballpark but it can help give you a general idea of how long it might take you to actually do these things. But, again, it also depends a lot on what you're actually writing, what your level of experience is, etc.

My biggest tip for getting the work done is to use time blocking to help make sure you get the writing done. Essentially, each week you'll look at all your waking hours each day and block out the ones when you know you won't be able to write, such as the hours when you're at work or school. Then, schedule yourself for writing time in the available hours and make sure you stick to it. You may find yourself having to be really honest with yourself and do some serious prioritizing. For example, if you normally spend 2-3 hours a night playing video games, but you only have 3 hours of free time each night, you're not going to be able to spend 2-3 hours playing video games AND an hour or two writing.

Above all else, be gentle with yourself. Probably one of my biggest writing-related takeaways of 2023 was the brain science behind being overwhelmed by writing. So often, we put so much pressure on ourselves to meet goals, and get so frustrated with ourselves when we fail, that we end up making writing time something that fills us with anxiety. So our brains perceive that activity as a threat, which makes us want to avoid it. That said, make reasonable goals and set a reasonable timetable, but be very gentle with yourself if you struggle to stick to the timetable or meet your goals. Focus on the things you did accomplish, no matter how small and celebrate those accomplishments. Know that every little thing you do helps to move the needle forward a bit.

Happy writing and best wishes!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[cheritzteam]

[The Ssum] Ssumone “Harry” Ending Update Complete! Don’t Miss the Celebration Event♡ v2.0.6 App Update

Hello, dear lab participant!

Harry’s Ending for <The Ssum> v2.0.6 update has been completed. 

Don't forget to claim the server maintenance reward of 10 Aurora Batteries, available for 3 days! *Claim your reward by: ~ December 23rd, 2023 (KST)

[Download <The Ssum> and meet Harry] ♥ iOS: https://bit.ly/3oMM81e ♥Android: https://bit.ly/3poKHTJ

♥Harry Ending Update♥

Harry’s Full Story of 271 days has been completely updated!

What awaits our lab participant and Harry in the final chapter?

Access <The Ssum> right now to continue the story between the two of you.

From Season 1 to 11, every call now has a video call feature🎦added in. Enjoy the past stories again in a new way!

TIP 1) When you’re uploading important content, use the hashtag #TheSsum_Spoilers or #더썸_스포 to protect fellow lab participants from spoilers! If you are a lab participant who has reached the end of the story, this is also a way to find others who have finished it as well! TIP 2) This update has made Season 9-11 emoticons available for purchase at the Aurora LAB once you have finished each Season. If you’re interested, please check it out!

♥Celebration Event Guide♥

< ① X(Twitter) Repost Event >

Remember the X(Twitter) Repost Event that was held from D-7 to D-Day of the update?

As an appreciation for our lab participants’ incredible support, we will be holding an Encore Event!

This time, the limited-time prize is your Ssumone’s New Year Photo Memento Towel😍 (Try using it as a fabric poster!)

💌 How to Participate

Login to X(Twitter)🔑

Retweet @ Cheritz_DL’s Event Post(link)🔁

📆 Event Period

~ December 28th, 2023 (Wed) 9 AM KST

🎁Event Reward

Limited Time The Ssum New Year Photo Memento Towel (1 Random) + 100 Aurora Batteries (3 winners for each Ssumone, total 9 winners)

50 Aurora Batteries (10 winners)

📢 Winner Announcement

January 4th, 2024 (Thu) KST

※Please Note※ - You cannot participate with a private account. - If we do not get a DM reply within 10 days of the winner announcement, your prize will be canceled.

Disappointed because the event is only on X?

Keep an eye out for the Surprise News that’s coming out in a week (๑>؂•̀๑) 

< ② New Subscription Promotion >

For your comfortable ride to Harry’s Ending, the Aurora LAB is doing a new subscription promotion for lab participants that have never purchased a subscription!

The 1-month package, even the 3-month package — if it’s your first time subscribing, the Aurora Evolution Package is 20% off💥

Seize the perfect chance to get the benefits of the Aurora Evolution Package at the price of a Rainbow Evolution Package!

Visit the Aurora LAB right now♡

*This event promotion is for users who meet the requirements for the promotion. You can only participate once per account.

📆 Promotion Period

~ January 3rd, 2024 (Wed)

🎉 Promotion Details

Aurora Evolution Package (1 month/3 months) 20% discount

Q. What are the special benefits that only the Aurora Evolution Package has? A. That’s a great question! If you get a subscription for the Aurora Evolution Package, you can get the following exclusive benefits.

More Secondary Batteries! 104 secondary batteries are provided every day! you can also get max. 18 more after each chat thanks to eco-friendly charging!

More Anticipation Chatting and Calling Your Ssumone! During the subscription period, you can use 5 types of ringtones and text tones in your Ssumone’s voice!

A More Pleasant Experience with the Infinite Universe! Not only do you get The Premium AidBot rental, but you can also experience the Emotion Incubator at its greatest potential! PIU-PIU’s Belly storage gets increased and can hold 120 items for extra comfort♪

The Bigger and Better Sunshine Shelter! The Shelter gets an Aurora Renovation which lets you take in more Creatures. Bet you can get more presents from this upgrade!

< ③ Special Lab Support >

We are providing every lab participant with Special Lab Support in celebration of the update!

Make sure to collect the items while they’re available - especially the Aurora Creature Box which can only be acquired through purchase💨

📆 Reward Period

~December 28th, 2023 (Wed) 9 AM KST

🎁 Lab Support Details

5 Aurora Batteries + 1 Aurora Creature Box

Got any questions or concerns while using <The Ssum>? 📨The Ssum Customer Support: https://bit.ly/3cPacLg

We hope you hop onto the hype for our newly released Harry Ending Update of <The Ssum>.

We will do our best to provide you with more heart-racing content in the future.

Thank you.

-Cheritz-

[newmusickarl]

Albums of the Year 2024: Honourable Mentions

2024 – what a year for music hey?!

We had The Last Dinner Party in Spring, a well-documented BRAT Summer, a Fontaines Fall and, finally, The Cure for the Winter. We also had a couple of big reunions: the Gallagher brothers delighting everyone by reuniting Oasis, nu-metal icons Linkin Park returning with a new vocalist and then, just last month, indie darlings The Maccabees announcing some live shows for 2025. Both the Electronic and Country music genres seemed to have a particularly great year, while artists dissecting toxic relationships also seemed to be a thematic favourite over the last 12 months. We also had plenty of memorable moments and some incredible festival performances but, above all else, we had some bloody great new music.

You’ll be pleased to know that while this blog took a backseat to some other hobbies and ventures in 2024, my listening habits certainly didn’t slow down. My Apple Music Replay tells me I’ve listened to 587 albums from 983 different artists, 4,758 songs and a whopping 35,886 minutes of music. Just like previous years, I’ve whittled this mass of new music down to my favourite Albums, EPs and Songs of the Year – starting as always with the albums.

From my own (more accurate) tally that I keep every year, I’ve actually listened to 220 Albums in 2024, with that 220 then broken down into my Top 50 Albums of the Year, my 50 unranked honourable mentions and then sadly 120 albums that didn’t make the final cut. As ever, the top albums come from a multitude of genres: pop, rock, indie, hip-hop, R&B, country, electronica, shoegaze, punk, post-punk - it’s all here! So, although there is a good chance you won’t enjoy everything on this list, hopefully there is at least something for everyone.

For those who are following my annual countdown for the first time, I have a basic criterion that has treated me well over the last decade when collating my final Album of the Year list. Generally, I’ve favoured the records that:

Had the biggest impact on me

Was a landmark culturally or within the wider music world

Showed ambition or had something unique to offer

I played the most during the year

Ultimately produced my favourite front-to-back listening experience

So, before the Top 50 countdown officially begins with the albums that finished 50-41, I wanted to just shout out the albums that I thoroughly enjoyed this year but ultimately just missed out on the Top 50 spots. This includes some fantastic debuts (Been Stellar, Dolores Forever, Fat Dog, Sprints), some surprise returns to form (The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, The Libertines), some late career highlights (Gruff Rhys, Maxïmo Park, James, Los Campesinos!) and plenty of the year’s biggest and most acclaimed projects (Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kamasi Washington, Waxahatchee).

So, officially kicking off year-end season, here are my 50 Honourable Mentions for 2024 in alphabetical order (by artist):

Arab Strap - I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍

Been Stellar - Scream From New York, NY

Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER

Bill Ryder Jones - Iechyd Da

Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn

Caribou – Honey

Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out To, She Reaches Out To She

Daudi Matsiko - The King of Misery

DEADLETTER - Hysterical Strength

Dolores Forever - It's Nothing

Du Blonde - Sniff More Gritty

Fat Dog - WOOF.

Fazerdaze - Soft Power

Four Tet - Three

Geographer - A Mirror Brightly

Goat Girl - Below The Waste

Green Day - Saviors

Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free

Hovvdy – Hovvdy

The Howl & The Hum - Same Mistake Twice

Ibibio Sound Machine - Pull The Rope

IDLES - TANGK

Jack White - No Name

James - Yummy

John Grant - The Art of the Lie

Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement

The Libertines - All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade

Lime Garden - One More Thing

Los Campesinos! - All Hell

Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me

Maxïmo Park - Stream of Life

MGMT - Loss of Life

MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

Mount Eerie - Night Palace

NewDad - MADRA

nothing,nowhere - Dark Magic / Hell or Highwater / Miserymaker

Orlando Weeks - LOJA 

Rahim Redcar - HOPECORE

Remi Wolf - Big Ideas

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips

Sega Bodega - Dennis

Sick Love – Champagne

The Smashing Pumpkins - Aghori Mhori Mei

The Smile – Cutouts

Sprints – Letter to Self

Tycho - Infinite Health

Vince Staples - Dark Times

Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

So that’s what didn’t quite make it!

Now, join me throughout December as I reveal my Top 50 Albums of the Year, My Favourite EPs of the Year, My Favourite Live Shows of 2024 and My Top 100 Songs of 2024 Playlist.

[notasecrettelepath]

Update! Buck got hit by lightning :).

Chapters: 10/21 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) [Slow Burn - Angst with a Happy Ending - Post Season 5] Rating: M | Words: 79k right now.

Summary:

Buck’s heart stops for 3 minutes and 17 seconds before Eddie can kickstart it again. Stuck in a coma, Buck dreams. Eddie steps into a church and tries to pray for the first time in 13 years. He has gone through denial and anger. Now, Eddie enters the third stage of grief: bargaining.

Longer Chapter Snippet:

The rule of 3s.

A human being can survive 3 weeks without food.

A human being can survive 3 days without water.

A human being can survive 3 hours in extreme heat or cold.

A human being can survive 3 minutes without air.

Eddie was an army medic. And then he was an EMT. He knew the rule was not a law. But they were also not a lie: statistics exist for a reason.

Evan Buckley’s heart had stopped at 8:37:16PM. They knew this because his watch had stopped too, the rubbery straps partly melted onto his skin — the lightning went through his hands, across his midline, out his knee. Instantaneous cardiac arrest, a total system failure. The moment he fell from that ladder, he was already without a pulse.

Howard Han and Henrietta Wilson started CPR and intubation at 8:40:35PM, 3 minutes and 17 seconds after Buck’s heart beat last. 17 seconds past the rule. The rule was not a law. But it was not a lie. They were late. Buck’s chest had been marked by the lightning. One of the lines burned the skin right across his heart. Nobody spoke of it. Speaking it would make it real.

They were 3 minutes out from the hospital when Captain Robert Nash told Eddie to drive. Eddie had never been more reckless with his life or the life of his team, no matter the rage of the lightning storm. Buck, you can’t fucking die. Eddie did not look back, not when Hen yelled at Buck, not when Chim tried to speak and his voice cracked. They made it there in 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Please, Buck, fight this, please.

Eddie took 3 seconds to jump from the driver’s seat to the back of the ambulance and take over chest compressions. 120 compressions per minute. 2 compressions per second. At least 2 inches deep. Wake up, Buck, please, wake the fuck up.

10%. One in ten. That was the average chance of reverting a cardiac arrest in-field. Buck, open your eyes, please. 30%. Three in ten. That was the average survival rate if a trained paramedic did everything right with all the tools. They were 3 minutes 17 seconds too late of everything right. Buck, I need you to fight this, to breathe, to have a fucking pulse again.

It took them 20 seconds to load Buck out of the back of the ambulance into the ER and conduct patient handoff. Why the fuck did it take them this long? Please, Buck, fucking breathe. Fight, please.

At 8:43:21PM, 6 minutes and 5 seconds after Buck had died, as Eddie’s hands felt Buck’s ribs crack under his pushes, Buck’s heart finally whispers: I’m still here. The LIFEPAK detects a signal. Irregular. I’m fighting. V-Tach. I don’t want to die. Shockable. You can’t fucking go, Buck, we need you, please.

I need you.

CLEAR. Less than one second, no more hands on his skin. With too strong of a touch, Eddie pushes the button. The shock kicks Buck’s chest, seizures his entire body. They are quiet for less than one second, but time feels extended, slow motion, frozen. Eddie thinks to himself: maybe God is real after all. Maybe this is how I pay for not believing in Him — I’m in hell and he is hurting everyone else I love.

CPR. Intubation. The best team Eddie could think of, a team that had defied death so many times. Shannon had still died. He could not bring her back. Eddie could not bring her back.

She was the other ninety percent. Once her heart stopped, it stood still.

Forever still.

A grave.

Eddie had ordered Shannon’s gravestone. He could barely remember it all now, everything so blurry. Always missed, said the writing.

Eddie wonders what Buck’s gravestone will say.

“We got a pulse!”

...

Read master & a hound on AO3.

[s10127470]

Fant4stic: A Fantastic Failure (Part 1)

As I’m sure many of you are aware, this past Valentines Day, Marvel Studios released a poster promoting their upcoming Fantastic Four film, releasing about a year from now in July of 2025.

This has gotten people cautiously interested.....

Keyword: cautiously.

It's no surprise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a major decline since Avengers: Endgame.

Largely due to ridiculous quantity of projects they've been pumping out a year.

Plus that fact that a lot of these projects quality-wise have been either mid or just straight up dog-shit.

This has led to the ongoing trend known as Marvel Fatigue.

Not helping any of this is some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that was revealed over the last few years.

From having their projects being helm by people who have little to no knowledge or care for the characters and the source material they're working it.

And we all know how well that turns out....

To more infamously, overworking and underpaying their VFX artists.

And given some of the shit they've had to animate, they NEED to start getting better pay....

Yes.....what you just saw was a real scene from a Marvel movie.

And just to add salt to the wound, in addition to the declining interest, is that these recent Marvel films have not been performing well financially.

Hell, The Marvels (their latest film) ended up being a box office bomb, only grossing $206 million worldwide against production budget of $274.8 million. Not only that, but it now holds the record for being the lowest grossing film in the franchise's history.

So yeah.....

Although the casting is pretty decent, the inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E. was quite the surprise, and the 60s aesthetic/vibes are pretty cool, people still have their reservations for this film given the MCU's track record lately.

However, one thing everyone does seem to agree on is that this film can't be any worse than their last cinematic outing.....

The Fantastic Four have had, funnily enough, have had four feature-length adaptations.

The very first film adaptation of Marvel's First Family was the legendary 1994 film from Roger Corman.

Although it was completed and ready to release, it famously never got released (which I'll touch a little more on later).

However, copies of the film have been circulating since May 31st, 1994.

Over a decade later, the Fantastic Four would get their technically second but first true feature-length film in the form of the 2005 film, directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox on July 8th, 2005.

This film would also get a sequel just two years later with Rise of the Silver Surfer, directed again by Story and released by Fox on June 15th, 2007.

And finally, after almost a decade away from the big screen, the FF would return with their fourth and until the MCU film releases, latest film, the 2015 film, or more commonly known as Fant4stic, as that's how it was abbreviated...

A Fantastic Nightmare:

In August 2009, Fox would announce that they would be rebooting the Fantastic Four film franchise.

The reason why is because although Rise of the Silver Surfer did fairly well, grossing $301 million worldwide against a $120-130 million budget, the total gross was notably lesser than the first movie, which grossed $333.5 million worldwide.

And although there were plans for a third movie and a spin-off film focusing on The Silver Surfer, Fox feared those films could possibly be money sinks and opted to reboot the film franchise as a whole.

For the next three years, not a whole lot of progress was done with the planned reboot, apart from the hiring of producers and writers and the consideration of actors.

But the production of the film really started rolling in July 2012 when Fox hired Josh Trank, who was fresh off his directorial debut, Chronicle, to direct film.

And accompanying him was Jeremy Slater, who was hired to the screenwriter for the film, alongside X-Men: First Class writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller.

And this where everything went to shit....

If any of you even know about Fant4stic, you'd probably know that it has one of the most turbulent production histories in the last decade of filmmaking.

Before we start actually looking into the production itself, first we need to look at the reason why it was even made in the first place.

And this point brings me back to the 1994 film.

Both that and this film were created for the exact same reason: copyright hoarding.

In 1983, the other producer of the 1994 film, Bernd Eichinger met with Fantastic Four co-creator and the Marvel legend himself, Stan Lee, in Los Angeles to explore obtaining an option for a movie based on Marvel's First Family. The option was not available until three years later, when Eichinger's production company Constantin Film obtained it for a price the producer called "not enormous" and which has been estimated to be $250,000.

Eichinger's initial plan was to have the movie be a full-on blockbuster directed by Chris Columbus, complete with a cast full of big name celebrities.

But despite some interest from Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures, budget concerns precluded any production, and with the option scheduled to expire on December 31, 1992, Constantin asked Marvel for an extension. With none forthcoming, Eichinger planned to retain his option by producing a low-budget Fantastic Four film. In September 1992, he teamed with B-movie specialist Roger Corman, who agreed to produce the film on a $1 million budget, to be released by his distribution company New Horizons Pictures.

But we all know how that ended....

Essentially, the entire of that movie ended up in a one big legal loop-hole that only benefitted Eichinger, leaving dozen of people's lives played with and their hopes and dreams crushed.

And in the case of Fant4stic, it's essentially a tragic case of history repeating itself.

Fox only produced Fant4stic not because they were genuinely interested in doing another film based on The First Family, they only did it to use it as an excuse to latch onto the film rights.

As when the 2010s rolled out, Fox's time with the Fantastic Four were about to come to an end as eventually, their film rights would've been reverted back to Marvel, and to that extension, The Walt Disney Company.

But if they had made another Fantastic Four project pretty soon, they would be able to extend their time with the film rights.

And from what I've heard, it seems like Fox wanted to get this film rolling as quick possible with the approaching deadline to the rights.

That's probably the reason why they hired Trank out of all people that could've directed this film.

Which for a film like this, you would think that Fox would go with a director that's a bit more experienced since remember: upon his hiring as director for the project, Trank was fresh off his very first directorial film.

Though you're probably wondering what I meant when I said everything went to shit upon Trank's hiring, well....

There have been plenty of cases where the productions of films have been absolute chores for one of two reasons.

The director or producers just being infamously difficult to work with, like David O'Russel or Michael Bay.

The studio constantly meddling in the production, like....basically every film studio to ever exist.

But Fant4stic is one of the rare cases where both the studio and the director made the production a living hell.

Starting off with Fox (as funnily enough, they did the least amount of damage to the production), they were guilty of....

Forcing constant rewrites

Giving Trank a much-lower budget than initially promised

Hiring a prominent special effect expert for the film, then firing him and not telling Trank about it

When production finally wrapped on the film, they were so unhappy with the finished product, that they ordered massive reshoots, including the film climax

Upon finishing the reshoots, they locked Trank out of the editing room and finishing the theatrical cut of film without him

As for Trank.....Hoo boy! Where do I even begin?

He was guilty for......

Constantly butting heads with the studio executives

Treating the cast and crew like absolute shit

Not showing up to the set on time

Usually showing up completely hammered

Frequently hiding himself from everyone on set

Constantly getting into fights (verbal and even physical) with the cast and crew

Letting his dogs loose and causing $100,000 worth of damage on the set

Constantly fighting with the screenwriters about what the tone of the film should be like

And writing a now infamous tweet on Twitter just the day before the film's release, only to be instantly deleted the next day

And remember, this was the second film that Trank directed....

I've heard of Hollywood getting to people, but it usually takes a couple of years. But in the case of Trank, it practically happened overnight.

And funnily enough, a lot of this behind-the-scenes drama was revealed to the public even before the movie had an official trailer.

So expectations for this film were not particularly very high....

But now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the actual movie itself.

The "Story":

Childhood friends Reed Richards and Ben Grimm have worked together on a prototype teleporter since youth, eventually attracting the attention of Professor Franklin Storm, director of the Baxter Foundation, a government-sponsored research institute for young prodigies. Reed is recruited to join them and aid Storm's children, scientist Sue Storm and engineer Johnny Storm, into completing a "Quantum Gate" designed by Storm's protégé Victor Von Doom.

The experiment is successful, and the facility's supervisor, Dr. Allen, plans to send a group from NASA to venture into a parallel dimension known as "Planet Zero". Disappointed at being denied the chance to join the expedition, Reed, Johnny and Victor along with Ben use the Quantum Gate to embark on an unsanctioned voyage to Planet Zero, which they learn is a world filled with otherworldly substances. Victor attempts to touch the green lava-like substance, causing the ground they are standing on to erupt. Reed, Johnny and Ben return to their shuttle just as Sue brings them back to Earth and Victor is seemingly killed after he falls into the collapsing landscape. The Quantum Gate explodes, altering Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben on a genetic level and granting them superhuman abilities beyond their control: Reed can stretch like rubber, Sue can become invisible and generate force fields, Johnny can engulf his entire body in fire and fly, and Ben acquires a rock-like hide which gives him superhuman strength and durability. They are then placed in government custody to be studied and have their abilities tested. Blaming himself for the accident, Reed escapes from the facility and tries to find a cure for their changes.

One year later in 2015, Reed is now a fugitive and has built a suit that helps him control his ability. Hiding in Central America, he is eventually found by the United States military with Sue's help and captured by Ben, who has become a military asset along with Johnny and Sue. Johnny and Sue have been outfitted with specialized suits designed to help them control their abilities. Reed is brought to Area 57, where Dr. Allen conscripts him into rebuilding the Quantum Gate in exchange for giving Reed the resources to find a cure. Arriving in Planet Zero, Dr. Allen's explorers find Victor, who has been fused to his spacesuit and now possesses telekinetic abilities, and bring him back to Earth. Believing that Earth needs to be destroyed to protect his new home world from future invasions, Victor kills the scientists and soldiers in the base, including Dr. Allen and Professor Storm, and returns to Planet Zero using the Quantum Gate, with Ben, Johnny, Reed and Sue in pursuit.

Now dubbing himself "Doom", Victor activates a portal on Planet Zero using the Quantum Gate and begins consuming the landscape of the Earth using a structure he created from the rock formations in Planet Zero. He is confronted by the four and, after a short battle, Ben punches Doom into the portal's energy beam, disintegrating him while Johnny closes the portal. Returning to Earth, the group is rewarded by the US military for their heroics by being given a new base of operations known as "Central City" to study their abilities without government interference. They decide to use their powers to help people and adopt the mantle of the "Fantastic Four".

Yeah, I basically just copied and pasted the premise of this film from Wikipedia.

The reason why is because there really isn't a whole lot to talk about.

The plot is paper thin, and the execution doesn't do it any favors.

In terms of adaptation, this film doesn't really adapt any notable Fantastic Four storylines.

The closest thing to this is that it's a loose adaptation of the first volume/arc of Ultimate Fantastic Four.

You can see this with elements such as.....

The Four themselves being depicted as teenagers/young adults

Reed and Ben being childhood best friends

Franklin Storm actually being a major character whereas in the 616 universe, he's largely irrelevant

The Baxter Building being turned into The Baxter Foundation

The reason for them getting their powers being a teleportation experiment gone wrong

And Doom being involved with the experiment as well and his famous armor being his actual skin instead

However, that's as far as it goes. They don't really bother to adapt the actual story of that arc, which has the team facing off against The Mole Man.

But one of the strangest story choices with this movie is in the case of Planet Zero.

Planet Zero is reportedly suppose to be Fant4stic's version of The Negative Zone.

Why they didn't just call it The Negative Zone, I have no clue.....

But as most of you know, The Negative Zone is famous for being the realm of one of the Fantastic Four's most prominent foes: Annihilus.

And with their version of The Negative Zone, you would think they would probably feature Annihilus in this movie.

But no! He doesn't appear at all nor is he even alluded to. In fact, Planet Zero is depicted as being a lifeless wasteland, with no living organisms in sight.

The Sucky Tone:

In contrast to the previous 3 FF films, this one is far more darker, serious and grounded.

This was because Trank wanted the tone of the movie to be, in his own words, "gritty, serious and as realistic as possible".

And it's safe to that Fox also encouraged this tone as well.

From the early 2000s into the mid-2010s, a good chunk of superhero films relied on taking superheroes and making them darker, gritty and more grounded than they were in their source material and other adaptations.

This can be largely attributed to the X-Men films, which were more serious and grounded than the comics and their other adaptations.

This was done because after the failure of Batman and Robin, comic books movies were briefly seen as cinema poison.

The X-Men films, Daredevil, Elektra, The Dark Knight trilogy, The Amazing Spider-Man duology, and even the first few films of the DC Extended Universe all prided themselves on being more dark, gritter and grounded than their source material and sometimes even predecessors in film.

And while most of these movies are still fondly remembered, I'm gonna have to come out and say this....

I'm not a fan of these films.

Apart from some of these characters just not fitting with a darker and gritty tone, the biggest reason why I don't like these films is because a lot of them reek of this sense of embarrassment and contempt for the source material they're adapting.

Like, some of them are not even being that subtle about it.

I am so glad this was finally made fun of in an actual Marvel project.

And in an age where a lot of producers and directors working on a projects based on long, established properties have been open about either not caring or straight up disliking the properties they're working with, its made many of these films age kinda poorly.

However, there were some superheroes films from the 2000s that didn't fall into this trap.

Undoubtedly the biggest is in the case of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy.

Those films were unabashedly campy, and were obviously made by people who legitimately cared about, understood and loved Spider-Man.

That's why despite of a having a few faults, the films are still talked about in high regards, even after two decades.

And notably more so than the films I just mentioned.

But back to the film itself, to the Fantastic Four having a dark, gritty and grounded tone.

Most people, myself include, would have to say....

Fantastic Four, while having their dark and serious moments here and there, are some of the most light-hearted characters in Marvel.

Trying to make them dark and gritty just feels incredibly tryhard.

And as for being grounded and realistic.

That's completely antithetical to the Fantastic Four.

They're adventurers and explorers. And many of their adventures have taken place in space, other dimensions, and alternate realties. It's one of the core appeals of the team.

And as you would expect, this tone did not do the film any favors.

Fant4stic is so. Fucking. Boring.

It is deathly serious with no sense of levity or humor to be detected.

The music is bland and generic, the color grading is dull as hell, and the performances....

Dear God....the performances.

I think this actually perfectly segways into the biggest and most important part of this post:

The "Characters":

One of the strongest draws of The Fantastic Four is, well, The Fantastic Four themselves.

All of them are very likable, charming, interesting and endearing in their own way.

And does Fant4stic capture anything that made these characters so great?

Let's start off with Reed first.

Reed in the comics and in just about every other medium is a genius, a polymath to exact.

In fact, he's tied with another one of the main characters I'll be talking about soon as being the smartest person in the Marvel Universe.

But besides being intelligent, Reed is also curious, adventurous, charismatic, level-headed, kind, and most importantly of all, passionate.

Reed is passionate about two things:

-His love for his family

-And his love for science and adventure

And while he can be little over-analytical, a little reserved at times, and have a bit of a one-mind track (so much so that he's been headcanon by just about everyone to be autistic), Reed overall is a very kind, caring and compassionate person.

Hell, he (along with the rest of the four) are some of the most morally righteous people in the Marvel Universe alongside Spider-Man and Captain America.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Reed....

Apart from being intelligent, level-headed and maybe curious, has none of the traits I just listed.

He's not adventurous.

He's not shown to be all that kind.

He has all the charisma of a funeral service.

And worst of all, he's not very passionate.

In the comics, Reed loves science and is always down to learn something new.

But the way Reed approaches science in the movie, it feels more like an obligation rather than something he's actually passionate about.

Next we have Sue.

Sue is pretty much the mother figure of the four.

Warm, caring, kind, mindful and responsible.

But she's also incredibly terrifying.

Sue's the most powerful member of the four and has proven to be a force to be reckon with for anyone who cares to hurt her family, especially her children.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Sue....

Well, how do l put this in the kindest way possible?

Yeah. Apart from being introverted, she's also shown to be incredibly sarcastic.

Like, modern animated adult comedy levels of being sarcastic.

And needlessly so.

Apart from still being responsible, Sue shows none of the traits I just listed.

The only character see isn’t needlessly sarcastic to is her and Johnny’s father, Franklin.

This version of the character is the walking definition of a killjoy.

Next we have her brother Johnny.

Johnny is the little brother of the group, since he’s the youngest.

He’s cocky, brash, hotheaded, a bit of a prankster, and kind of a showoff.

But in spite of that, Johnny is also a very kind and loyal individual.

The dude has been show that he’s willing to die for those he deeply cares for.

Now let’s look at Fant4stic Johnny.

Johnny is really the only character who somewhat resembles his original comic counterpart.

But even then, it still feels somewhat subdued.

Plus he has the same issue as Sue with him being needlessly a dick to people.

Like, Johnny had his dickish moments, but wasn't a massive asshole.

And plus, I should probably address the elephant in the room.

As you could probably tell for yourselves, Johnny here is African-American, making him and Sue adopted siblings.

And this would be the very first (and so far only) iterations of the Storm siblings who weren't blood-related.

And in all honesty, I'm not a fan of it.

Having Johnny and Sue not being biologically-related just feels wrong.

That would be like having Mario and Luigi not being related.

Or Goofy and Max.

Or Dante and Vergil.

Sometimes, you can't alter an important familial relationship.

As for why Johnny was made black while Sue wasn't.

Well....

Apparently, the Storm Family were all gonna be black, including Sue. But the higher-ups were not really onboard with Sue being black (I'm not even gonna try to make sense of that). But they were allowed to make Johnny and Franklin black. So thus, Sue ended up being adopted by the Storms.

And I must ask....

Why?

Why did they want to make the entire Storm family black?

I'm guessing it was to give a new fresh take on the characters.

But that's kind of debatable when we get to a point I'll bring up a little later.

And in terms of casting a black Johnny Storm, I don't think Michael B. Jordan was the best choice.

He just doesn't look like how most people would see Johnny as being black.

I think there's two reasons for that.

The hairstyle. Johnny has usually been depicted as having spiky hair. I think if had Michael those upward locs, then I could see him passing for a black Johnny.

The age of the actor. In fact, this applies to all the actors of the four as well. In the film, the four are said to be teenagers, specifically fresh out of high school age. So basically they would be around 17-18 years old. It's hard to see any of them as being around that age range when the actors who played them were, at the time of the film's release, two of them were 28, one of them was 29, and one of them was 32! Did they really just not bother to look for actors who were like college-aged?

Now we come to Ben.

Ben is undoubtedly most people's favorite member of the Fantastic Four.

While gruff, tough and a tad pessimistic and grumpy due to his circumstances, underneath Ben's rocky exterior beats a heart of gold.

He deeply cares for his friends and family and will go out of his way to protect them no matter what.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Ben.

Ben, being only rivaled by the next character we'll be talking about, is the character who barely resembles his original counterpart the most.

First, there's his appearance. Specifically before he became The Thing.

Out of this already not-good cast, Jaime Bell was probably the most miscasted of them all.

For starters, he just doesn't look like Ben Grimm at all.

Like, take a look at this guy and tell me that he looks remotely like the pre-Thing Ben in the comics.

Basically, Jaime suffers from the same problem that Topher Grace had when he played Venom.

He's too short. Ben, even before becoming The Thing, was usually depicted as being pretty tall, 6'0 to be exact. Jaime is 5'7. The dude is literally no taller than me (and I'm 5'8).

He's way too skinny. Once again, even before becoming The Thing, Ben is usually shown to be a pretty muscular-looking guy. He is canonically a skilled brawler (due to him being part of a street gang during his youth) and played on the football team in high school.

Essentially, even before becoming The Thing, Ben looked like a guy who could and can beat your ass.

This Ben looks like the guy who YOU would be beating the ass of!

Then there's his characterization.

This Ben has none of the traits I just mentioned.

Apart from being kind, he's typically portrayed as being soft-spoken and somewhat meek.

Which just don't fit the character of Ben Grimm at all.

But I think the worst part of his characterization is that he doesn't even have a Brooklyn accent!

Yeah! He doesn't have a Brooklyn accent! Despite it being one of the most famous elements of his character.

I'm the guy who think that a character should have their accent intact if they originally had it.

I'm one of the few people who find it kinda annoying that Black Widow doesn't speak with a Russian accent anymore despite speaking with one all-time in her appearances pre-MCU.

And I'm sure that I'm the only guy on the planet who actually wants Magneto to speak with a German accent.

But Ben not speaking with a Brooklyn accent feels both disgraceful and just plain wrong.

But perhaps the worst thing about this version of Ben is with his trademark catchphrase: It's Clobberin' Time!

In this film, they decided to give the catchphrase an origin.

Because we all know that what's the fans were certainly asking for it....

But anyway, in the Fant4stic continuity, It's Clobberin' Time was what Ben's abusive older brother who regularly beat him, would say right before kicking his ass!

Why?

Why was this added?

Who thought this was a good idea?

It adds nothing to this already nothing story.

Having Ben's catchphrase being the result of abuse from his older brother comes off as both incredibly fucked-up and like the rest of this cursed movie, unnecessarily tryhard.

The people who thought that giving this iconic catchphrase a gritty reason for existing need to get repeatedly smacked in the face.

But like I mentioned before, there's only one other character in the movie that rivals Ben in being the biggest spit in the face to their original counterpart.

But I'm gonna save that for next time.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to end this post right here since I'm pretty close to reaching the media post limit.

So this is gonna be a two-parter.

Wasn't the original intent, but hey, you can't win them all.

But tune in next time where I finish looking at this terrible movie.

And beware....I'm not gonna be very kind.

[lordmartiya]

Hot take on the Trojan War: the makers of most modern retellings have little understanding of the sheer scale the conflict had, both the mythological one and the actual historical events that inspired the myth. Even the Ancient Greeks of the Classical Age had forgotten some of it, though they easily remembered enough to compare it to the PERSIAN INVASIONS and could guess it was fought for Troy's fabulous wealth and control of the trading routes. But what kind of scale was it? The literal End of the World:

The myth: Troy wasn't just a city. It was the wealthiest and most powerful city in the world, protected by divine favor manifested in two magical artifacts that made it unconquerable, namely the wooden statue of Athena known as the Palladium and the walls made by Poseidon that could be penetrated only if those inside opened the gates, plus the complicated conditions to even TRY and deal with the artifacts, namely bringing the bow and arrows formerly of Herakles, the bones of Pelops (presumably the Greeks lucked out here in that his grandchildren Agamemnon and Menelaus knew he got the family line cursed and they finally had an excuse to desecrate his grave), and a certain demigodly line (here they DID luck out, as Achilles volunteered even before they knew of it, and when they found out after his death his son Neoptolemus was more than willing to finish the job the moment they asked) - and as much as Paris' stunts pissed off both Athena and Poseidon, they couldn't take their gifts back. Furthermore, Troy wasn't alone but had allies: the Greeks raided Mysia even before reaching Troy, Achilles sacked 29 cities during the war, the Iliad has the Catalogue of Trojans to list the many allied contingents in town, or rather THE SURVIVORS of said contingents (these allies included Aeneas, prince of Dardanus and cousin to the royal house of Troy, whose city was among the ones sacked by the Greeks during the war, but also troops from as far as Lycia and Cycones from the Greek peninsula itself. These ones would get a bad surprise later), and other poems speak of no less than FOUR relief forces that confronted the Greeks after Hector's death, first the AMAZONS, then the Aethiopians (to the Greeks, anyone from south of Anatolia. These particular Aethiopians were from Susa, in modern day Iran), then the mysterious but mighty Kheteioi (whose name sounds suspiciously close to Hatti and Kheta, the names for the Hittites used by the Hittites themselves and the Egyptians), and finally another army of Cycones (that found out Troy had already fallen before they even crossed the Hellespont, and came back to find their capital Ismara sacked by a passing Odysseus that wasn't in the mood to pay for supplies). This is why the Greeks assembled a mighty force of over a thousand warships, each carrying fifty crewmen that doubled as light infantry on the ground and a varying contingent of heavily armed and armored warriors (the Beotians managed to stuff SEVENTY of these on their 50 ships, for a total of 120 men per ship and 6000 men total, of which 3500 were full on warriors). These warriors are especially notable, as each of them was encased in expensive bronze plate armor (Diomedes' was said to be worth nine oxen, and it was noted to be relatively cheap) and had trained and been maintained for at least twenty years by the hard work of multiple people... And the war was so ferocious that both sides murdered said warriors rather than take them for ransom. That being why every warrior in The Iliad is named, each death is the destruction of a young man and all the work done to send him fighting in place of his servants, and every name was guaranteed to elicit horror in the Ancient Greek readers, horror at the sheer waste. But the worst part is that this was part of a plan by Zeus to reduce human population greatly: first there were the War of the Seven Against Thebes and the War of the Epigoni to test the concept (Diomedes being a veteran of the second and one of the Epigoni), then the Trojan War to reduce the numbers of young men in reproductive age from all around the world, then he gleefully took advantage of Ajax the Lesser being a moron to wipe out most of the Greeks as they came home, and finally, when everyone was sure things had calmed down, the Dorians invaded Greece led by the Heraclids, hitting Greece so hard they forgot how to write. It was the end of the world as they knew it.

History: The world of the Late Bronze Age was dominated by three superpowers, Egypt in the south with vassals in Asia up until the modern border of Lebanon, the Hittites and their vassals in Anatolia and West Asia down to the border of Egypt's sphere of influence, and the confederation of Achaian city states, the civilization of Mycenean Greece, right off the Dardanelles Straits. But the known world was larger than that, with the Elamites of Susa and the Accadians fighting for supremacy just east of the Hittites' sphere of influence to mention just two states, and the mysterious Shekel and Sherden coming on ships from the far west, from the large island in the middle of the sea (the Shekel, of Sicily) or beyond the great peninsula of Esperia (the Sherden, from Sardinia. Who made a brief yet memorable appearance in The Odyssey as the Laestrygonians, wiping out most of Odysseus' fleet because it was there), sometimes as mighty mercenaries (wealthy Egypt LOVED to hire them for this), sometimes as fearsome pirates (wealthy Egypt HATED this, as they tended to be the target). This world worked thanks to a complex trading network centered around many goods but especially copper and tin, the components of bronze that were never found close to each other. Thus even the greatest rivalries never going beyond limited wars, as they didn't dare disrupting the trading links they all depended on... Until something happened. Maybe it was an increase in raids from the west, maybe years of poor harvests all around the known world, maybe peasant revolts (Greece shows signs of this around this period), maybe epidemics, maybe a combination of the above, but whatever it was it disrupted the trading network. Goods everyone depended on weren't shipped. And as always when such things happen, they tried to take what they needed with force. Cities were destroyed, empires fell. Chronicles of the time tell us that a king of Lycia had sent his army in western Anatolia only for enemy ships to attack and destroy his defenseless capital. And Troy, or rather Wilusa, was a vassal of the Hittites on the border with the Achaians, wealthy from their control of the Dardanelles and of beaches that ships bound for the Black Sea had to beach at while waiting for favorable tides. The perfect target for the Achaians now that everything is on the line... And in this war, Wilusa was destroyed and the Hittites defeated, defeated so hard that long subjugated foes rose in rebellion and shattered, while raiders from the west, the Aegean Sea, and even refugees from the Hittites formed an alliance that the Phoenicians just paid to go away, and Egypt destroyed his strenght to defeat and partly beat back and partly settle in Canaan as a buffer against the chaos in the north (the Philistines being the settled ones). But neither was safe: with the trade disrupted both remaining powers were too weak, and the Achaians soon fell to revolts and possibly an invasion from the north (the Dorians, if they existed) and lost knowledge of most things, including writing until they copied the script invented by the Phoenicians, while Egypt, strong of the Nile, started to decline and eventually fractured. Even states at the periphery fell, with only a resurgent Assyria prospering and the Phoenicians, conscious of their military weakness, (mostly) falling in line as Canaan was contested between Philistines and Israel. It was the end of the world as they knew it.

[youkaigakkou-tl]

Chapter 100 translator's notes thoughts

Would be pretty bold of me to call this tl notes considering how long and rambly it got lol

First off, some news: JP volume 15 will release on June 27! It’ll likely contain ch 94 to 100 (based on pagecount). Vol 2 of yoseito also releases the same day, probably containing ch 16 to 32 (and i’ll finally be able to tl ch 16)

Also, vol 13 in english comes out July 18

Chapter Name

Honestly I could have translated it as “Hundred Demons’ Night Parade of Hyakki Academy Island” but that’s really long and doesn’t have the double “hyakki”s and also everyone knows what “hyakki yakou” is right? Right?

Anyway, the part I’m pointing out is the way it’s numbered. In Chinese and Japanese, there’s an alternate system for numbering things in a set if there’s only 2 or 3: 上-中-下 or 前-中-完结 (or 后)

上-中-下 means literally “upper - middle - lower”, 前-中-完结 means “start - middle - end” (if there’s only 2, it skips the middle)

So the fact that this is used tells that this is a 2 or 3 part arc, instead of simply “part 1” which tells you nothing about how many parts there are total. Unfortunately, simply “part 1” is also the most natural way to number things in English so it is what it is. Also I don’t know if it’s 2 or 3 parts so it’s not like I can confidently put “part 1 of 2”.

While we’re on the color spread, did you notice Seimei in the back? (With the JP he’s way more covered by the text)

At first I thought it was “gods / teachers etc / class 2-3 / family” but then I realised Principal was on the left so its actually “senior citizens / teachers etc (relative youngsters) / class 2-3 / family” (and then later noticed Seimei and karasutengu troupe behind Ranmaru)

Also Ame on the color page again!! Ame nation (population: me) being fed this year amen

Autumn Festival

The autumn festival, or aki matsuri. As the name sounds, it’s kinda vague, and from what I could find, while a lot of shrines and temples celebrate it, there’s not one nationwide date, and it happens anytime from early October to late November, most commonly around late October to early November.

(Really? Is canada really focusing on dates again? For real? Again?)

Late October/early November is probably right, given the most recent confirmed date we have (ch97, October 18th), and it’s still within 2 weeks of ch95. (And also because time travel stuff hasn’t happened yet, which also has to be within these 2 weeks where he has bandaged arms. its me, ceo of time travel truthing)

What Is Sensei Cooking

First of all, the bandaged arms, Hatanaka time travel etc etc I’ve said this a million times.

The mystery of why Ibara likes Hatanaka in the first place gets brought up again! It’s GOTTA happen it HAS TO.

That aside, this is the second time it’s brought up that the baby may be a shutendouji (the other time is ch 81) and I’m starting to think this is going to be like… real plot or something…? Eyebrow raise?

If we do the maths, ch11 (the first senseis’ sunday chapter, where we learn Ibara is pregnant) happens on May 26th (assuming my timeline is right), and it’s currently October/November, so she’s at least 5 months pregnant. It also mentions she was feeling ill, which was why Hatanaka took her to the hospital, so she may have already been a few months pregnant at that point (assuming the pregnancy is a similar length to humans’)

Well. This doesn’t really mean anything but I like putting things into perspective.

Also, I’m just realising that both senseis’ sunday chapters (11 and 81), besides being “the teachers hang out on a sunday”, are actually caused by Ibara being pregnant. What the hell why is this manga so smart (I may just be stupid)

Random misc TL notes

Late Edo period would be around 1850s/60s. For reference, Takahashi was in school 120 to 130 years ago, and the main story takes place sometime in the 2010s, so that would have been the 1890s, plus minus 10 years.

I’ve mentioned this before and it’s not really an important detail, but “temple” is for Buddhism and “shrine” is for Shinto.

“Shintai”, literally translated, means “god’s body”, is the object of worship at shrines that stands in for the god itself. It could be something small and held in the shrine like this mirror, or like the whole of Mount Fuji. The tree at the shrine Genbu recommends in ch 94 is also a shintai. I could have translated it more but if they’re going to talk about it a whole lot may as well keep it as it is.

Now “shinsen” is evidently such a rare word that sensei had to put that note there, and also my phone couldn’t type the “sen” kanji. If it weren’t for that note I totally would have just gone with “food offering” and been done with it!! (shakes fist)

The stuff on the shelf is probably what clued Principal in that Ranmaru didn’t have prizes other than candy (besides knowing what he’s like ofc). There is no way this guy owns A5 wagyu. Or onsen trip tickets. Also irrelevant but that game console says “sailor” lmao

This thing… well… the screenshots speak for themselves

Marodo Shrine

Marodo shrine has actually been shown before, in chapter 27. It wasn’t even brought up by name in any dialogue but it stuck out to me because I remember finding it weird there’s a shrine on the island and googling it to get no real answers. The name itself is pretty vague, “客人 marodo” just means guest, in this case “guest deity” (so it's not the name of any god).

But looking at it now with the knowledge of, yknow, turtle island, it’s fairly interesting.

There are a few shrines called “Marodo shrine”  but the common trend seems to be an association with Itsukushima island (also known as Miyajima) or the sea. The most famous one probably being the one in Itsukushima shrine (the shrine with the giant torii on the ocean), and the island itself is said to be the god and the object of worship. There’s a pond called “Kagamiike” (mirror pond) in the shrine, and the Marodo shrine itself worships the 5 sons of Amaterasu, which tangentially connects it to the Yata no Kagami mirror of the three sacred treasures of Japan. None of this really means anything it’s probably just happenstance. For one, Itsukushima is in Hiroshima, nowhere near the location off the coast of Tokyo that the manga shows multiple times.

But it’s not like I’m pointing this out because it’s a 1 to 1 comparison, rather it’s an interesting coincidence (probably). By the way, I think this is where the shrine is on the island (since it’s on the mountain and has steps leading up to it)

Turtle Island

Anyway. Speaking of turtle island. Wow turtle island am I right. I still have not recovered from turtle island this page is insane. I’m pretty sure this is also the first time we get a good look at the island from above. You can see the train station they’re at in ch 58 at the bottom there.

Like how principal face reveal recontextualizes every previous time we see him, this is the same thing to me.

It specifically points out that it's from Chinese mythology, which is interesting, and I wonder if there's anything more to that than just being trivia. In Chinese mythology, the spirit turtle, or just turtles in general, are a part of a set of 4 sacred/illuminated/intelligent beasts, being: dragon, phoenix, kirin and turtle. This is distinct from the other set of 4 animals that are Seiryuu (dragon), Suzaku (bird), Byakko (tiger) and Genbu (turtle + snake). But these two share a lot of concepts because they’re the sort of animals that show up everywhere in Chinese mythology anyway.

Mount Penglai (Horai in JP) is said to be an island where immortals reside and is carried on the back of a spirit turtle in the ocean to the east of China. (This will be relevant?)

Turtle Tangent

A commenter on Bilibili (the chinese tl site) pointed out, and I’ve noticed personally, that the spirit turtle of China is typically a land tortoise or freshwater softshell turtle, and almost never depicted as a sea turtle, even in the context of “carrying an island in the ocean”.

This is very irrelevant, but I haven’t seen anyone make the connection, so my hypothesis is that “sea turtles” just weren’t a known thing in ancient China. There are 5 species of sea turtles native to the seas around China, but all known nesting locations are far in the south, whereas most of the population centers throughout history have been in the north, and most importantly, inland. On the other hand, tortoise shells have been used for writing and divination since writing developed, and softshell turtles are used in chinese medicine.

Of course, that wouldn’t be the reason in the modern day, but perhaps that specific image of the “spirit turtle” has become encoded into the mythology and become a fictional creature as much as dragons or kirin.

Honestly I’ve Just Been Chasing Tangents For This Part

Another story that comes to mind when hearing “turtle” and “mythology” is probably Urashima Taro, a fisherman who saves a turtle and is carried on its back to the dragon’s underwater palace, but when he returns to land he finds that hundreds of years have passed. In an older version of the story, instead of the dragon’s palace, he is taken to Horai (aka Mount Penglai).

There’s some kind of connection here with Itsukushima shrine I think, which is said to be built on the ocean in the image of the dragon’s palace, located on and worshipping an island mountain.

None of this means anything, probably. I just want to see what sensei cooks up really

One last thing though, about Ranmaru. We get 2 pieces of somewhat-conflicting info directly from him: “this god owes me a favor so they gave me this island” and “this island IS the god, and they’ve been asleep in a mirror this whole time”. You see how this doesn’t sound good for Ranmaru right. I don’t necessarily think he’s lying about any of it since he looks too serious for that, but he’s definitely leaving out some important details on purpose.

Thing is, if the mirror has to stay in the shrine to keep the god asleep, telling the principal to make offerings to it every 3 years a pretty good way to make sure the shrine is maintained and the mirror isn’t lost to time, as well as sidestepping the problem of curiosity if he outright said “the condition is you keep that mirror in that shrine”. Actually, did the shrine and mirror already exist on the island before Ranmaru gave it to the principal? And if it didn’t, how was Reiki being kept asleep before, and who made the mirror?

In any case. Ranmaru I love you but you are going to have to explain everything. Anyway this has been 1800 words and I need to end it so I can close the 50 wikipedia tabs I have open.

[uncleasad]

TheDarkestHour13 and I are at it again, back this week with the third idea for a “spinoff fic” set in their Such Is Our Fate universe!

**Spoilers for AO3 Chapter 120 of Such Is Our Fate**

This one’s a Hallmark movie-style setup. Like the others, it can be written outside the Such Is Our Fate universe, but it works better inside that universe, or at least with a few of the same plot points. The critical things to know for the setup in-universe are Hope and Hayley have recently learned they’re mother and daughter (the Mikaelsons all having thought that Hayley and Klaus’s baby died after being seized by witches at birth in The Originals S1 finale), Klaus has been terrorizing Europe for the last ±18 years and Elijah has been there “watching over him” and mostly not in contact with Hayley. Now all the Mikaelsons are coming to meet Hope…

Elijah arrives at Hayley’s house in the most Elijah Mikaelson way possible. Yes, I’ll just show up unannounced at my love-of-my-life-I-haven’t-seen-in-years’s house and knock on the door, why wouldn’t I? (Also a completely Hallmark movie way!)

TDH: (I could totally see Elijah and Hayley in a hallmark movie...)

Hope answers the door and before Elijah can actually be the proper and charming Elijah Mikaelson we all know, he accidentally whispers aloud “You look just like her. But your eyes…” Elijah recovers, introduces himself, and, in spite of that first bit, Hope invites him in.

Instead of sitting around waiting for Hayley to come home, Hope and Elijah end up having an amazing bonding day (with a few similarities to Hope and Elijah’s day in Mystic Falls in The Originals S5). Then they come home; when they go inside, Hayley’s there, and the lovers/soulmates see each other for the first time in two decades…and Hope suddenly realizes her mom had this great love, while the adults are still slack-jawed staring at each other….

Then there’s the problem of getting them together, which TheDarkestHour13 helpfully suggests is solved by acts of Hosie…

TDH: Dude, you're making me want a hallmark movie with Elijah and Hayley as the main couple and then you got Hayley's teenage daughter Hope trying to talk sense into them with the help of her girlfriend Josie. (Maybe you should write it... I know I would not be good at writing a hallmark style story. Not enough murder for my liking.)

[forerussake]

Twenty questions for fic writers

I was tagged by the wonderful @elenothar! Thankssss❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

456.761

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written for a bunch of fandoms over the years. Currently I'm most active in Guardian and adjacent fandoms, but I think I could and would still write for pretty much everything I've written for in the past. So the full list would be Guardian, the Silmarillion, QZGS, MDZS/CQL, YYM, the Rebel, DMBJ, and some RPF :D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Counting the promises as yet unbroken (165)

A ballad of burning lungs and bated breath (125)

A hand within a hand (holding light) (120)

Kaleidoscope (114)

Crowded full of parting's feeling (99)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to always respond to comments, bc i myself really like it when an author responds to my comments, so I would be a hypocrite not to do it myself. But also I kind of enjoy that interaction. Especially if ppl have commented on specific lines or on the themes. Sometimes commenters have insights about my fics that even I didn't have myself while writing, and I like to let them know their thoughts were appreciated :)

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Well, I am an angst writer, but I often try to make the endings of my fics at least a bit hopeful :/// I think the angstiest ending to a finished fic would have to go to either Crowded full of parting's feeling, which ends with LXC being (for the first time in his life) truly and utterly alone. Kind of a bummer. Or perhaps the easy part, which ends with ZYL crying himself to sleep on the kitchen floor.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

As I said, I try to make my endings hopeful, if not truly happy, but there are a few true happy endings to my fics! I think my RPF pieces tend to be the happiest bc I am slightly less likely to put these guys through the wringer the way I do with my truly fictional blorbos. I think the happiest however is homecoming, which ends with WJX finally coming out as trans and being her best and truest self.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet??? Hopefully it stays that way! I do write RPF though, so I'm very ready for one of the crazy antis to one day drop into my inbox calling me all sorts of nasty things for *looks at writing scribbled on hand* having the audacity to put characters in fictional situations that don't hurt the real ppl that inspired these characters in any way??? yeah :PPP

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Occasionally, when the muse strikes! But my ace brain finds it quite difficult. My mind tends to trail off and scatter all over the place when I get to the actual smut, and I have a hard time reeling it back in. As a result my smutty fics often get needlessly long xD and they also get a little kinky bc my brain tries to come up with ways to stay engaged in its own writing xD I like testing the limits of how poetic I can be about smut scenes.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Almost never. I rarely enjoy reading them unless they are very well done, so I don't generally think of writing them. The only consistent exception to this rule is all the weilan derivative fics! I love those very much, even if I don't always know the characters. So i've written one of those myself: no shame in having loved, a crossover between the Rebel and Detective L, which takes Luo Fei's perspective at snapshots in the Rebel canon, reflecting on everything that Lin Nansheng learns, loses, and cannot seem to stop giving away. It's a sad one, but with a slightly hopeful ending :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of? I don't think I'm big enough in any fandom for anyone to consider stealing my work.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I have had one podficced :D

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not. On the one hand I think I'd love to try one day, but I'm also very particular about certain things and I fear I might get antsy. I love brainstorming about fic though! Some of my best ideas have come from talking to people.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Uhm Weilan I think? I'm not really in fandom for the shipping.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

ohh hard one. I have three, if I may:

And miles to go (before I sleep): it's a story that's still very dear to me, but it's been so long since I started it that I think I'd need to rewrite the whole thing, bc I've gotten better at writing in the meantime and the style of any new chapter wouldn't match the first ones.

First gradually, and then all at once: I wrote all of this in a single week, and then uni got in the way, and then my hyperfixation on YYM ended and since then the fic's been stuck in unfortunate limbo :(((( I really want to finish it but I need the muse to guide me

Tryptich: not yet posted, but fully planned. It's one of the toughest, angstiest, most cathartic fic plots I have ever come up with, and I really want to write it because it is such a meaningful story about mental health and loss and recovery, but it's also YYM fandom, and as established above I need to regain that hyperfixation for this to move anywhere :(((( or just have a lot of free time on my hands where I can write both the guardian fic stuck in my brain and this.

16. What are your writing strengths?

uuhm, I think atmosphere/scene setting, structure, and character study/reflection.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

dialogue tags (bane of my existence). I also think my work can sometimes drag on, I use too many words sometimes. Also I feel like I can be kind of a one trick pony xD I repeat a lot of similar lines and dramatic build-up between stories.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Can be great when other ppl do it. If it's a language I can read a little bit that's nice , otherwise including a translation at the bottom helps. I'd definitely never write dialogue in a language I'm not fluent in. That being said, I do pay a lot of attention to what language my characters are 'actually' speaking, even if I present their dialogue to my readers in English. For example if would write a phrase like "he pauses to breathe between all three syllables" (which sucks as a line, but bear with me), in an English-language fic where the characters would canonically be speaking Mandarin Chinese, then I would make sure the line that character said would actually contain 3 syllables in both English and Chinese. I do a lot of that kind of reasoning in my head. "If this line, reflecting on dialogue spoken in Y language, was transposed directly into language X that the characters are really supposed to be speaking, would the line still work like this?" if the answer there is no, then I will either change the line, or change the English dialogue until I have something that reflects what I imagine the characters would say in their native language in the way I need!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Tolkien!

20. Favorite fic you've written?

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE??? it's probably either a hand within a hand (holding light) or kaleidoscope.

Thanks again, this was fun!!!

tagging: @pangzi @programmedradly @lunarriviera @lucientelrunya @mjsakurea @lynne-monstr @dual-domination @aredhel-of-doylkien @thedaughterofshadows if you want to :)

[heirloomcolour]

Term

Finality is a strange beast. Perhaps one best left to make its mark. The weight of finality can be crushing. The anticipation of finality can be utterly debilitating. How do we fill the space between that anticipation and its ultimate outcome?

In its wake, I have lived what feels like an entire life. In the pure mellow dramatic delusion I have cocooned myself in, I assume it is more life than most people have lived at this age. Whether or not it actually is, I assume my therapist would kindly nod in agreement. But what has this monumental weight of anticipation impacted in this lifetime?

Over this 10 year period I have lost many unrequited lovers. I have held no fewer than 10 different jobs strung along with lengthy disruptions of unemployment periods. I have claimed healthy Covid-era unemployment benefits. I have been fired from multiple jobs and simply walked out or walked away from multiple others. I have endured the emotional taxation of working in a family business. I have lost the custody of the same cat twice. I have lost my very first cat to a preventable and treatable issue. I have lost both of my childhood, family dogs within 2 years of one another. I have lost a parent before I had time to correct our estrangement. I have lost a great many internal battles and drifted apart from most of my friends. I have smoked no less than 800 packs of Camel Turkish Royals. I have run dry no fewer than 100 disposable vapes. I have tried countless drugs, and repeated use with many. I have tried 5 anti-depressants and 2 anti-anxiety medications. I have gone through 4 therapists. I have gained 120 pounds and developed arthritis in my knee. I have acquired numerous health issues that lead to chronic pain. I have stolen money from family members and I have asked them all for large sums of money- as well as some remaining friends. I have picked up and dropped multiple hobbies and interests. I have killed hundreds of dollars of houseplants. I have never paid a security deposit for any pets at any rental. I have maxed out and charged off multiple credit cards. I have taken on over $50,000 of student loan debt. I have refused to seek the awful but necessary care of a gynecologist due to irrational fear. I have skipped countless dinner parties, birthday parties, outings, girls trips, job interviews, class meetings, and work shifts. I have avoided opportunities in the stifling fear of rejection, failure, and heartbreak. I have burned bridges with the frequency and intensity to light up the entire metropolitan area.

But do you know what else this anticipatory weight has led me to? An intensely deep and committed partner that meets me exactly where I am every day. An opportunity to adopt 6 cats in total. An opportunity to foster 2 dogs. A massive trip to Las Vegas to see Adele live in concert. A trip to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. An opportunity to continue family traditions in taking trips to Disney World. A first plane ride and so many thereafter. A great many couples trips to cities all over the East Coast and Midwest. A variety of concerts and farmers markets. An abundance of circumstances and happenstance to meet a great many individuals that impacted my life in big and small ways. An unwavering support and acceptance from my family to live as my authentic, lesbian self. A space to explore my gender identity with myself and friends and family. A thousand glass bottled Mexican cokes. An extensive educational training on wine, spirits, and beer. A relationship with my sibling that so many would be envious of. An ending of a 12 year friendship that became overburdened with toxicity. A space to heal from that relationship. A space to write my sappy feelings on Tumblr about my life happenings. An abundant garden to provide fresh produce to my family and sweet strawberry snacks to my childhood family dog. A simply infinite collection of cherished memories with my pets, passed on and living. An Associate's Degree. A great deal of movies at the Indie theatre. An in-numerable amount of delicious meals in a variety of cities, genres, and price ranges. A few tattoos and a nose hoop. A brand new car. An abundance of new interests and hobbies that persisted. An abundance of opportunities to make priceless memories with my family and lover. An abundance of life lessons. So was the weight of finality so crippling?

So what if it was crippling? I was not silenced, I was not defeated, and I certainly will never be damned. I have rejected "no" as "final answers" long enough to know there is so often very little permanence in finality. I have beat on with such intensity for so much of the decade that I know there is very little weight I cannot manage. And I know, in this moment, one very certain finality.

This decade has offered nothing short of any of its promises. So many countless hours toiling and yearning for some finality. Some peace of mind in that I was not spinning my wheels. That I was not walking in circles. That I was not paddling upstream for proverbial "nothing". Maybe it is still too early to accept the prize, to count my chickens before they hatch. But, I think, I am nearing the corner to finality and I could not be prouder or any more exhausted.

May 19 is the final point in this particular saga. I am ready, I am done, I am, at long last, the victor.

[darkmaga-returns]

The US State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) has been shut down after Republicans cut its funding.

The agency, described by Elon Musk as a “threat to democracy” was responsible for spreading propaganda abroad and, according to conservatives, censoring dissident thought at home.

RT reports: The GEC announced on Monday that it would cease operations by the end of that day. “The State Department has consulted with Congress regarding next steps,” the statement added.

The organization employed around 120 people and had an annual budget of $61 million. Established in 2016, its stated goal was to “recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts.”

In practice, the GEC spearheaded complex propaganda campaigns of its own. In two campaigns, the agency funded video games aimed at teaching children about the supposed dangers of anti-American narratives, releasing them in the UK, Ukraine, Latvia, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the GEC funneled money to a range of NGOs which then compiled lists of social media accounts supposedly spreading “disinformation” about the virus and its origins, which were then presented to the platforms to be banned or removed. Many of the accounts belonged to what Twitter’s former trust and safety chief, Yoel Roth, called “ordinary Americans,” raising concerns among conservatives that the GEC was violating its prohibition on operating within the US.

In 2023, the GEC was forced to cut ties with George Soros’ ‘Global Disinformation Initiative’, after it emerged that the agency was paying Soros’ organization to compile lists of “high risk” news outlets to use in an advertiser boycott campaign. These news sites were predominantly right-leaning and American-based.

X owner Elon Musk called the GEC a “threat to our democracy” last year, describing the agency as the “worst offender in US government censorship [and] media manipulation.”

Musk was instrumental in finally shutting down the GEC. A mammoth 1,547-page spending bill put before the House of Representatives by Speaker Mike Johnson last week would have preserved funding for the agency, until Musk threatened to fund primary election challenges to any Republican who voted for it.

Musk decried the bill – which also included pay raises for lawmakers – as “criminal,” “outrageous,” “unconscionable,” and ultimately “one of the worst bills ever written.” President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance then released a joint statement against the bill, forcing Johnson to replace it with a trimmed-down piece of legislation totaling less than 120 pages.

[sathizzh]

Unlocking Earnings: Stake UPRO Coins for Maximum Rewards

Staking is an increasingly popular way to earn passive income. If you’re considering staking $50 worth of 4500 UPRO coins, you’re on the verge of an exciting financial opportunity. In this blog, we’ll explore how staking works, the rewards you can expect, and strategies to maximize your earnings while enjoying the flexibility of the UPRO staking program.

What is Staking?

Staking involves locking up your cryptocurrency in a wallet to support the network’s operations, such as transaction validation. In return, you earn rewards, typically in the same cryptocurrency you staked. UPRO coins present a unique staking opportunity, allowing you to earn consistent returns while participating in the crypto ecosystem. 

Your Journey Begins: The First 90 Days

When you stake your 4500 UPRO coins, your earnings start right away. For the first 90 days, you’ll receive a reward of 1% per month. This means you’ll earn approximately 45 UPRO coins each month, equating to about 1.5 UPRO coins daily.

One of the standout features of this staking model is the ability to withdraw your daily rewards at any time. This flexibility allows you to either cash out your earnings or reinvest them to amplify your staking potential.  

After 90 Days: Increased Rewards

The staking rewards become even more enticing after the initial 90-day period. Once you cross this milestone, your reward rate increases to 1.5% per month. This means you can continue to grow your investment significantly.  

Rewards Timeline:

First 90 Days: 1% per month

Days 91-180: 1.5% per month

Days 181-365: 2% per month

Days 366-730: 3% per month

As you can see, the longer you stake, the higher your potential rewards. This tiered reward system incentivizes you to keep your coins staked, maximizing your earnings over time.

The Two-Year Staking Strategy

One of the most appealing aspects of staking UPRO coins is the potential for long-term rewards. Here’s how your staking journey could look over two years:

Days 91 to 180: At a 1.5% monthly reward rate, you’ll earn around 67.5 UPRO coins over these three months.

Days 181 to 365: The rate increases to 2%, resulting in approximately 120 UPRO coins over the next six months.

Days 366 to 730: Finally, the reward rate peaks at 3%, potentially netting you around 180 UPRO coins in the last year.

By the end of the two-year period, your total earnings from staking could reach around 412.5 UPRO coins. This is more than double your initial investment, demonstrating the power of long-term staking.

Flexibility: Unstaking Anytime After 90 Days

One of the key advantages of staking UPRO coins is the ability to unstake your coins after the first 90 days. This feature gives you the flexibility to adapt your strategy based on market trends or personal financial needs. Whether you choose to cash out or reinvest, having this option ensures that you remain in control of your investment.

Tips for Maximizing Your Staking Rewards

To make the most of your UPRO staking experience, here are some strategies to consider:

Stay Informed: Keep track of market developments and UPRO-related news. Being well-informed can help you make better decisions regarding your staking strategy.

Consider Long-Term Holding: The longer you stake, the more you stand to gain. Patience can lead to significantly higher rewards, especially as you reach the 2% and 3% tiers.

Reinvest Your Rewards: If your goal is to maximize earnings, consider reinvesting your daily rewards back into staking. This can compound your rewards over time, significantly increasing your earnings.

Diversify Your Portfolio: While staking UPRO coins is a great opportunity, consider diversifying your investments to spread risk.

Conclusion

Staking UPRO coins presents a unique opportunity to earn passive income while participating in the dynamic world of cryptocurrency. With a structured reward system that incentivizes long-term holding, you can turn a modest investment into a substantial asset over time.

So why wait? Start staking your UPRO coins today and unlock the potential for significant rewards. Whether you choose to withdraw daily rewards or let them accumulate, the decision is yours. Embrace the journey and watch your investment grow!

[steamishot]

late april

last thursday and friday marked the last job interviews that matt will have before we move back. the interviews were thankfully one hour long each, and they gave a specific timeline on when he can expect to hear back. one is by the end of this week, the other is by end of next week, and last is within 20 days. this is such a good contrast to some other interviews that were 4-6 hours long and basically ghosted him afterwards.

i think the timing of everything works out pretty well, where we can make a final decision once any additional offers are received. if no other offers come up, we plan on going with west la by default. this marks 9 interviews total in 2024, 11 interviews total in 2023, to make 20 total interviews before an offer is accepted. i felt like matt was michael jordan, and i was michael jordan's mom/advisor in this job search. this process was very exhausting for the both of us. since the last year or so was dedicated to job searching, it's going to feel (good) weird that his subsequent off weeks are really off now?!

as mentioned before, we have become pretty emotionally disconnected and burnt out. it's been feeling like a lot like all work, no (little) play makes us dull boys. it's been trying to get through the work week, and then prepping for interviews, then debriefing the interview. rinse and repeat. hopefully the sacrifices are worth it and everything will be on the up and up.

matt will be giving his 120 days notice this friday, so that his last work date will be in late aug. shit is feeling real now. although there is still uncertainty, i feel a little relieved that the ball is at least rolling forward and i feel some stress trickling away. in hindsight, i suppose waiting an additional half year to get a job in LA versus accepting the redlands one was a good call.

it also worked out quite perfectly that the job search thing lined up with R&T's time here. if we had accepted an offer earlier on, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to make east coast memories together. they were there for me exactly when things started to get tough emotionally and will stick around until our move back. now that people's schedules are all over the place (matt's week on/off, T's super commuting), it's a little difficult to plan a trip, but we're aiming to go to acadia national park together in the coming months.

other events:

i've been going to a new yoga studio as well as tangerine. this new one is not heated, but the classes are longer and the cost is cheaper! instead of doing the unlimited yoga membership, i upgraded my classpass to pay about $136/mo bc YOLO. it's essential in helping me feel stabilized by doing the practice and also by having a community

we supported I in his new coffee shop opening in the UES!

R&T took us on a friend date: picnic with bagels and bike riding around central park, basketball, thai food and board games

work has been quite busy and all over the place as usual - i'm trying to manage it as best as i can. they have not hired anyone yet for my old position and i'm still doing the work for it.

matt got invited to a former co-resident's wedding in aug. it'll be hosted in boston. i'm a little intimidated because this will be my first (rich) white people wedding lol

watched ramit sethi live with R. although some parts were a little boring as he interviewed the couples (as i usually listen to his podcast while doing some other task), the best part of the show was the end where he interacted with the audience. so many people were grateful for him that he created this open space community and i too was fangirling.

edit: i was out in cobble hill today and a young white guy passing by (if i heard correctly) said "you're beautiful". i was 80% sure because i had my airpods on and was in the middle of a text. compliment by NYC strangers instance #5

[mochipon-vt]

so here's the deal...

i really really really hate coming on anywhere and fussing, ranting or lamenting about things but… i'm extremely stressed, frustrated and upset.

my main pc is fucked, apparently. for the past 3 months, i've been working off of my old, dinosaur aged pc (it's 10+ years old, barely works, has trouble booting etc) ever since my newer pc started having serious issues. over this past weekend, i was finally able to take it the shop and get it looked at. they informed me a day later that one of the ram sticks was bad (as my partner had already suspected) and i was charged 100 bucks for this discovery, that i had to borrow from my parents.

they voicemail that i had received informing me of the issues found, that if i wanted repairs, it would cost 40 bucks alone for install + whatever price i chose to spend for new ram stick(s), however, once i visited the store to actually SPEAK to someone (their phone system is trash and no one would answer/return my call), i was told any parts install would cost SIXTY bucks instead and offered new parts costing from 100-120 in range, which would ultimately make the total cost + the 100 for diagnosis, close to 200 bucks.

my partner says that's a ridiculous price to pay for something that can be popped in and out to replace but unfortunately, i'm not very knowledgeable about hardware and hardware installation so i don't feel confident in going in there myself and replacing it/them even if i got my hands on new parts and we are also long distance so he's not able to do the install for me.

what i thought should be 'thankfully', the shop took out the 'bad' stick and i was told i should be able to bring my pc home and use it RELATIVELY normally without replacing it at this time, it just would not be able to run at the same capacity as it could have if it had both sticks of ram installed. at this time, it's worked for a total of.. a day and a half normally and without issue before having the same major issues again; web browser/tabs crashing, apps fully crashing or not operating (discord is currently a blank/grey window for me right now and i have to use the browser app to even use it), inability to install anything and finally, a full blue screened pc crash; so now i'm assuming BOTH sticks were bad and the brand installed is trash. (i do not know the brand of any parts installed in my pc as my ex purchased them all months before our relationship ended)

so what's the point i'm trying to get to?

i'm in desperate need of some money. i'm a disabled, unemployed person who my parents basically resent for needing their support for survival and i've been trying VERY hard to work towards making ANY kind of income from my creative skills in order to start saving up to attempt to move out of my parents' home and across several states to live my partner as, after being kicked out and left by my ex, has landed me in yet another home that doesn't respect or treat me fairly and takes a toll on my mental health/stress and motivation/focus on a daily basis. the added daily stress of not knowing if my (EXPENSIVE) devices are reliable and functioning has made it extra difficult to stay focused and motivated to keep moving towards my goals.

i currently have no financial nor food security as my parents often (intentionally) leave me out of meals, don't allow me any cash to go shop for myself and tell me to get a job, on the rare occasions i do happen to ask for 5-10 bucks for some dinner, same as they did when i asked for them to help me repair a device that COULD be a job for me if i could just get it back to working condition.

i am VERY new to doing commissions and i understand it does take some time to establish a good work flow + trustworthy reputation as a commission artist but i am determined to work hard and as efficiently as possible to provide clients with the best possible work i can produce. i am NOT, however, new to the art market world as i've had many mutuals and friends who have had commission shops or have gone on to produce their own physical merchandise so i've had many years of observing the processes and progressions.

at this current time, i'm considering setting aside my plans for vtuber development i had for this year which would have included working on small, 'mini' debuts leading up to a larger, legit debut as i progressed to learn to make my own environment overlays and assets + relearning live2d skills to rig my own model, to solely focus on constantly making art to showcase my skills for hire. i am also considering, after polishing up my commissions page more, including smaller, bonus arts with larger piece purchases as a small thank u for people helping me gain work and funds for my needs.

i'm just.. really drained and tired of prolonged issues taking a toll on me, both general life things i've experienced most my life and now these frustrating tech problems that i hope would have been non-existent with a newer pc as i had been experiencing many troubles with my old pc for years (this new pc is only a year old). i'm ready to be able to have peace in my life and to focus on things that are fulfilling to me and bettering skills that bring me joy.

[lucigoo]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you so much for the tag @sunnyrosewritesstuff. This looks so much fun and agreat way for us to share our fics!

1. How many works do you have on A03? i currently have 120 fics

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 443,720 (not bad considering i've not quite been writing fanfic for a year I dont think)

3. What fandoms do you write for? The Hobbit (Mostly Bagginshield) and Harry Potter (Mostly Wolfstar)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Stop me Fading- The Hobbit (it needs serious reediting, just an FYI), Defying Death (or at least the ones in charge) - The Hobbit, Who's is the tie Harry? - Harry Potter, Breeding my B....  - Harry Potter (pure Wolfstar smut) and I'm coming Petite Étoile - Harry Potter

5. Do you respond to comments? I do. I tend to to wait until I have 25+ otherwise I feel a bit overwhelmed doing it every time they come in, or letting them get so many that I can't bring myself to do it. So I will anwer, just bare with me <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ummm .... I have a fair few ....

Bagignshield wise would be The Demented King Under the Mountain Check the tags because thers NO HEA for anyone. Harry Potter wise, again I have a fair few with MCD, but I think the most emotional one for me is It's over, they're all gone , again mind the tags

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my fics have some form of Happy Ending, or it implies they do. As for the happiest, hmmm....

Bagginshield wise id say Changeling Child Harry Potter wise, i'd say this little series (two short fics), it just hiits all my fav tropes lol. - I finally have a family and they are all here

8. Do you get hate on fics? Only ever on the Wolfstar ones. Apparantly Remus shouldnt have been taller then his little Welsh mum, someone was VERY upset about it lol.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I don't usually. I have 2 smut fics and one the was supposed to be smut, but ended up being fade to black (opps lol)

Breeding my B.... (Pure Wolfstar P without P), Are you a werewolf? (Jegulus P with P) and Wait, you're the wolf? (Is implied Wolfstar smutt but the smutt wasn't smutting that day lol)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I actually have one atm as a wip on A03. Its a Hobbit/HArry Potter crossover and im very excited for it. I want you right here, where you belong:Home with us

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I have, its linked on my "Breed my B...." fic. A wonderful person translated it ito Russian

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have not. I would love to though

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? It really is a tie betwee Bagginshield and Wolfstar, I adore both

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? So, i dont tend to not fiish wips, they just stay in my computer for a long time lol. One i am slowly (like snails pace slowly) working on is called King of Azkaban and it's a pretty dark fic.

16. What are your writing strengths? I feel like i can put the characters in any situaiton and try keep thempretty close to their canon characterisations within the sitution

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Editing!! I have a paid editing app and also run things through a TTS and there are still so many bloody typos 😭

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Do it!! If oyu can get someone from that language to help (of it's a real one). I oftne use Romani chib (I'm Roma) inmy Bagigshield focs for the hobbits and have Kuzdhul and Sinderian in there too. I also have a Wolfstar fic where I have English, Welsh, French and Punjabi in it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Were talking over 20 years ago here, but it was Wolfstar then and it's Wolfstar now lol.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? I dont know 😭. Im going to put two Bagignshield ones and two Harry Potter ones as I don't have a favourite but ones I like more then others.

Heather (Wolfstar), You're Floo Was My Emergency Contact (This is my latest HP one and im so proud of it ) A heart of stone and Fire in his soul (Pre Bagginshield but this one felt so powerful to me, Defying Death (or at least the ones in charge) (Bagginshield Afterlife fic, soo pure gold to me)

I'm gonna tag @brandileigh2003, @blueberryrock @fishing4stars, @chaoticfandomtrash And of course anyone and everyone who wants to join and share their fics. Id love a tag if you want so I can admire all the fics!!!