#live today 24th september

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Christopher Brown’s ‘A Natural History of Empty Lots’

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Christopher Brown is an accomplished post-cyberpunk sf writer, a tech lawyer with a sideline in public interest environmental law, the proud owner of one of the most striking homes I have ever seen, and an urban pastoralist who writes about wildlife in ways I've never seen and can't get enough of:

https://fieldnotes.christopherbrown.com/

All of these facets of Brown's identity come together today with the launch of A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys and other Wild Places:

https://christopherbrown.com/a-natural-history-of-empty-lots/

This is a frustratingly hard to summarize book, because it requires a lot of backstory and explanation, and one of the things that makes this book so! fucking! great! is how skillfully Brown weaves all that stuff into his telling. Which makes me feel self-conscious as I try to summarize things, because there's no way I'll do this as well as he did, but whatever, here goes.

Brown is a transplant from rural Iowa to Austin, where he set out to start a family, practice tech law during the dotcom boom, and write science fiction, as part of a circle of writers loosely associated with cyberpunk icon @brucesterling. After both the economy and his marriage collapsed, Brown started his restless perambulations around Austin's abandoned places, sacrifice zones, the bones of failed housing starts and abandoned dot-crash office parks.

When he did, something changed in him. Slowly, his eyes learned to see things that they had just skipped over. Plants, animals, and spoor and carapaces and dens of all description, all around him, a secret world. These were not pockets of "wilderness" in the city, but they were pockets of wildness. Birds' nests woven with plastic fibers scavenged from nearby industrial dumpsters; trees taking root in half-submerged tires rolled into a creekbed, foxes and rodents playing out a real-life version of the classic ecosystem simulation exercise on the edge of an elevated highway that fills the same function as the edge of a woodland where predator and prey meet.

As Brown fell in love again – with the artist and architect Agustina Rodriguez – he conceived of a genuinely weird and amazing plan to build a house. A very weird house, in a very weird place. He bought a plot of wasteland that had once housed the head-end of an oil pipeline (connected to a nearby oil-storage facility that poisoned the people who lived near it, in an act of wanton environmental racism) and had been used as a construction-waste dump for years.

After securing an extremely unlikely loan, Brown remediated the plot, excavating the oil pipeline, then building the most striking home you have ever seen in the resulting trench. Brown is a pal of mine, and this is where I stay when I'm in Austin, and I can promise you, the pictures don't do it justice:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/style/christopher-brown-edgeland-house-austin/

Formally, A Natural History of Empty Lots is a memoir that explains all of this. But not really. Like I say, this is just the back story. What Natural History really is, is a series of loosely connected essays that explains how everything fits together: colonial conquest, Brown's failed marriage, his experience as a lawyer learning property law, what he learned by mobilizing that learning to help his neighbors defend the pockets of wildness that refuse to budge.

It's an erudite book, skipping back through millennia of history, sidewise through the ecology of Texas, all while somehow serving as a kind of spotter's guide to the wild things you can see in Austin – and maybe, in your town – if you know how to look. It's a book about how people change the land, and how the land changes people. It is filled with pastoral writing that summons Kim Stanley Robinson by way of Thoreau, and it sometimes frames its philosophical points the way a cyberpunk writer would – like Neal Stephenson writing a cyberpunk trilogy that is also the story of Leibniz and Newton fighting over credit for inventing calculus:

https://memex.craphound.com/2004/11/20/neal-stephensons-system-of-the-world-concludes-the-baroque-trilogy/

Brown is a stupendous post-cyberpunk writer, and also a post-cyberpunk person, which I've known for sure since I happened upon him one morning, thoughtfully mowing his roof with a scythe:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/46433979075/

You can get a sense of what that means in this lockdown-era joint presentation that Chris, Bruce Sterling and I did on "cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk":

https://archive.org/details/asl-cyberpunk

Brown is a spectacular novelist. His ecofascist civil war trilogy that opens with Tropic of Kansas got so much right about the politics of American demagoguery and was perfectly timed with the Trump presidency:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/07/11/tropic-of-kansas-making-america-great-again-considered-harmful/

The sequel, Rule of Capture, uses the device of courtroom drama in a way that comes uncomfortably close to the Orwell/Kafka mashup that the authorities have created to deal with environmental protesters:

https://memex.craphound.com/2019/08/12/rule-of-capture-inside-the-martial-law-tribunals-that-will-come-when-climate-deniers-become-climate-looters-and-start-rendering-environmentalists-for-offshore-torture/

And the final volume, Failed State, is one of the most complicated complicated utopias you could ask for. This is what people mean by "thrilling conclusion":

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/12/failed-state/#chris-brown

As brilliant as Brown is in fiction mode, his nonfiction is unclassifiably, unforgettably brilliant. A Natural History of Empty Lots is the kind of book that challenges how you feel about the crossroads we're at, the place you live, and the place you want to be.

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/17/cyberpunk-pastoralism/#time-to-mow-the-roof

[metamorphesque]

ASALA: Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (part 1)

In 1915, ottoman turkey committed the Genocide of Armenians: more than 1.5 million Armenians were massacred.

Women were assaulted, raped, sexually mutilated and tortured. Many were killed by bayoneting or died from prolonged sexual abuse. The “lucky ones” managed to kill themselves, while others were sold as slaves, forced to work as prostitutes or into marriage by their perpetrators. An eyewitness testified, "It was a very common thing for them to rape our girls in our presence. Very often they violated eight or ten year old girls, and as a consequence many would be unable to walk, and were shot."

The men were usually separated from the rest of “the deportees” during the first few days and executed, but, of course, not before being tortured and mutilated. Some were crucified, beheaded, others were often drowned by being tied together back-to-back before being thrown in the water. So many bodies floated down the Tigris and Euphrates that they sometimes blocked the rivers and needed to be cleared with explosives. Other rotting corpses became stuck to the riverbanks, and still others traveled as far as the Persian Gulf.

In 1918, the young turk regime took the war into the Caucasus, where approximately 1,800,000 Armenians lived under Russian dominion. Ottoman forces advancing through East Armenia and Azerbaijan here too engaged in systematic massacres. The expulsions and massacres carried by the nationalist turks between 1920 and 1922 added tens of thousands of more victims. By 1923 the entire landmass of Asia Minor and historic West Armenia had been expunged of its Armenian population. The destruction of the Armenian communities in this part of the world was total.

And yet, despite all of this—the unimaginable horrors that plagued the Armenian nation in the early 20th century—what do you think the world did in response? After this descent into hell, after the suffering, the bloodshed, the total annihilation—what followed? Silence. Deafening, shameful silence, as always.

Silence—until it was shattered 58 years later, when, at the age of 78, having exhausted every peaceful avenue to draw the world’s attention to the Armenian Question and faced with nothing but ignorance, Gourgen Yanikyan fired 13 bullets at the Turkish consul and vice-consul. This singular act of defiance wiped 58 years of dust from the forgotten pages of Armenian history, forcing the world to confront the cause once again.By sacrificing his freedom, Yanikyan ignited a movement. His act became the catalyst for a wave of Armenian activism, inspiring the creation of ASALA, who would go on to fight for the recognition of the genocide.

In 1975, a group of Lebanese-Armenians led by Iraqi-Armenian Hakob Hakobyan, all of whose parents and/or grandparents were survivors of the genocide, inspired by Yanikyan’s self-sacrifice, decided to found an underground organization, which through armed actions will again bring the Armenian Question into the international political and legal dimension, present the recognition of the Armenian Genocide carried out by the turks in 1914-1923 by the international community, and create prerequisites for the liberation of Western Armenia. The organization was called ASALA - Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia.

The military operations of the ASALA were mainly aimed at turkish embassies, consulates, diplomats, government officials, military and police institutions, the turkish business environment, especially the offices of "turkish airlines corporation", as well as the state and public structures of other countries, which showed financial or military support to the turkish state.

Now, why am I telling you about this today? Well, today - on September 24th marks the 43rd anniversary of the Van Operation (24/09/1981), carried out by 4 Armenian ASALA soldiers - Vazgen Sislyan, Hakob Julfayan, Gevorg Gyuzelyan and Aram Basmajyan. On this day in 1981, four Armenian youths, aged 20-24, armed with pistols, automatic rifles and explosives, seized the turkish consulate in Paris, holding it under their control for 15 hours.

4 Soldiers of The Van Operation taking off their masks

The trial of “VAN” turned into a trial of the turkish government. The “VAN” operation and the political trial that followed it played a major role in bringing the Armenian issue to the international political arena, globalizing the territorial claim and the violated rights of the Armenian people, creating a new wave of condemnation of the reality of the Armenian genocide, strengthening the pride and spirit of struggle among Armenians.

When all the hope has slipped away, It’s the mad who find a way.

Though violence is condemned, it is the cruel truth that it is the only language to which the world listens.

More about the Van Operation in the second part.

[hivemindscape]

It's @sundial-at-night's (@tiny-cacti-magnet's) birthday today- September 24th

Sun is gone, but her soul lives on in the stories she created with such deep love. Lets appreciate them, dear fandom

Happy borth, Sunshine I miss you

New Deceit's an Old Design and subsequent pieces in the series were of great importance to Sun. She processed her scarring experiences and emotions through them. The adoration for the two brothers, and recognition from the fandom, helped her through unbelievably complicated times.

I would be beyond grateful if you gave any other of Sun's works a read. And if you have in the past, and showed support- thank you. Thank you for being with her on this journey. I know from her own words all of us made those last 3 years happier, easier.

Her chosen name was Rayna. She was a wonderful, strong, absolutely awe-inspiring person.

Keep her in your heart, if you can. And never ever forget about the impact your lives have on others'.

If you want to make a birthday gift of your own, or anything to commemorate her memory unrelated to today, please tag me, I'll cry tears of joy

[milligramspoison]

Updated list of potential FOB 8 ball songs

(An update to this post as the European leg starts tomorrow and some songs on the list made it as 8 ball songs as well as fixing any mistakes the previous post had!)

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

Honorable Mention - last performed on January 22nd, 2007

Switchblades and Infidelity - last performed on August 28th, 2004

Pretty In Punk - has never been performed live (yet)

Growing Up - last performed on November 7th, 2008

The World's Not Waiting (For Five Tired Boys In A Broken Down Van) - has never been performed live (yet)

Short, Fast, and Loud - has never been performed live (yet)

Moving Pictures - last performed on November 23rd, 2005

Parker Lewis Can't Lose (But I'm Gonna Give It My Best Shot) - has never been performed live (yet)

Take This To Your Grave

Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today - last performed on July 24th, 2023

Homesick at Space Camp - last performed on July 16th, 2023

Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash (Wish You Were Here) - had its only live performance ever on March 12th, 2004

The Pros and Cons of Breathing - had its only live performance ever on November 19th, 2007

Grenade Jumper - last performed on February 20th, 2009

Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over - last performed on November 19th, 2007

The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes - last performed on July 5th, 2023

My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue

My Heart is the Worst Kind of Weapon - has never been performed live (yet)

It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Think It Must Be Love - has never been performed live (yet)

Love Will Tear Us Apart (cover) - had its only live performance ever on June 10th, 2004

From Under The Cork Tree

Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued - was the 8 ball on November 4th, 2023- its first performance since March 23rd, 2008!!

Of All the Gin Joints in All the World - last performed on June 23rd, 2023

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner - last performed on July 19th, 2023

I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) - last performed on August 6th, 2023

7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen) - last performed on August 1st, 2023

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year - was the 8 ball on October 25th, 2023 and December 9th, 2023!

Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends - has never been performed live (yet)

I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me - last performed on July 11th, 2023

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows) - last performed on August 4th, 2023

XO - was the 8 ball on November 8th, 2023 and December 12th, 2023!

Snitches and Talkers Get Stitches and Walkers - last performed on January 30th, 2007

The Music or the Misery - last performed on May 30th, 2006

Infinity On High

Thriller - was the 8 ball on November 6th, 2023!

“The Take Over, the Breaks Over” - last performed on August 4th, 2023

Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? - was the 8 ball on October 27th, 2023!

The (After) Life of the Party - was the 8 ball on October 29th, 2023 and on December 1st, 2023!

The Carpal Tunnel of Love - last performed on April 4th, 2008

Bang The Doldrums - was the 8 ball on October 17th, 2023!

Fame < Infamy - was the 8 ball on November 7th, 2023, it’s second performance ever!!!

You're Crashing, but You're No Wave - was the 8 ball on October 31st, 2023, its second performance ever!!

G.I.N.A.S.F.S. - was the 8 ball on October 18th, 2023 and on November 8th, 2023!

It's Hard to Say “I Do”, When I Don't - has never been performed live (yet)

Folie à Deux

I Don’t Care - last performed on September 7th, 2023

She’s My Winona - last performed on July 19th, 2023

America's Suitehearts - last performed on July 2nd, 2023

The (Shipped Gold Standard) - was the 8 ball on November 2nd, 2023, it’s first performance ever and marks the fact they’ve performed every Folie song now!!

(Coffee’s for Closers) - last performed on July 1st, 2023

27 - was the 8 ball on October 24th, 2023!

Tiffany Blews - last performed on September 19th, 2009

w.a.m.s. - had its only live performance ever on August 2nd, 2023

20 Dollar Nose Bleed - last performed on September 29th, 2013

West Coast Smoker - had its only live performance ever on July 30th, 2023

Pavlove - had its only live performance ever on August 6th, 2023

Lullabye - last performed on April 26th, 2009

Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits

Alpha Dog - has never been performed live (yet)

“From Now On, We Are Enemies” - had its only live performance ever on July 26th, 2023

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out - had its first performance since December 18th, 2013 on December 12th, 2023 and it was for medley! Wasn’t even 8 ball!

Save Rock and Roll

Alone Together - last performed on November 17th, 2017

Where Did The Party Go - last performed on July 16th, 2023

Just One Yesterday - last performed on August 1st, 2023

The Mighty Fall - has never been performed live (yet)

Miss Missing You - last performed on July 25th, 2023

Death Valley - last performed on September 12th, 2014

Young Volcanoes - was the 8 ball on October 28th, 2023, its first performance since May 7th, 2018! And it was the 8 ball again on November 2nd, 2023 and December 3rd, 2023!

Rat a Tat - has never been performed live (yet)

PAX•AM Days

We Were Doomed from the Start (The King Is Dead) - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Art of Keeping Up Disappearances - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Hot to the Touch, Cold On the Inside - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Love, Sex, Death - last performed on June 14th, 2014

Eternal Summer - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Demigods - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

American Made - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

Caffeine Cold - had its only live performance ever on November 29th, 2013

New Dreams (cover) - had its only live performance ever on September 13th, 2013

American Beauty/American Psycho

Irresistible - last performed on March 7th, 2023

American Beauty/American Psycho - was the 8 ball on November 3rd, 2023, it’s first performance on Tourdust!!

The Kids Aren’t Alright - was the 8 ball on October 23rd, 2023 and December 6th, 2023!

Jet Pack Blues - last performed on August 6th, 2023

Novocaine - last performed on March 27th, 2017

Fourth Of July - last performed on March 22nd, 2017

Favorite Record - had its only live performance ever on July 15th, 2023

Immortals - last performed on September 7th, 2023

Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel In NYC) - has never been performed live (yet)

Mania

Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea - last performed on August 18th, 2019

The Last Of The Real Ones - last performed on July 29th, 2023

HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T - last performed on May 7th, 2018

Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) - last performed on November 4th, 2018

Church - last performed on April 30th, 2018

Heaven’s Gate - has never been performed live (yet)

Champion - last performed on December 6th, 2019

Sunshine Riptide - has never been performed live (yet)

Young and Menace - last performed on October 10th, 2018

Bishops Knife Trick - has never been performed live (yet)

LLAMANIA

Past Life - has never been performed live (yet)

Footprints in the Snow - has never been performed live (yet)

Wrong Side of Paradise - has never been performed live (yet)

Lake Effect Kid

Lake Effect Kid - last performed on October 10th, 2018

City In A Garden - has never been performed live (yet)

Super Fade - has never been performed live (yet)

Believers Never Die, Volume Two - Greatest Hits

Dear Future Self (Hands Up) - last performed on December 6th, 2019

Bob Dylan - had its only live performance ever on August 5th, 2023

So Much (For) Stardust

Heartbreak Feels So Good - last performed March 16th, 2023

So Good Right Now - has never been performed live (yet)

I Am My Own Muse - was the 8 ball on October 20th, 2023!

Flu Game - has never been performed live (yet)

The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years) - was the 8 ball on October 21st, 2023, it’s second performance ever!!

What a Time To Be Alive - was the 8 ball on November 3rd, 2023- it was played in full for the first time!!

So Much (For) Stardust - performed for the first time ever on November 2nd, 2023- it wasn’t even the 8 ball!

(Disclaimer: I included songs that have already been 8 balls as some have been performed as a 8 ball again and have been performed outside of the 8 ball range)

[useless-catalanfacts]

Today (September 24th), the city of Barcelona celebrates its festa major (Catalan holiday for the local patron saint), dedicated to the Virgin of Mercy (Mare de Déu de la Mercè, in Catalan).

Usually, on this holiday of La Mercè, or at least on the days around it, it rains. The legend says that it's not rain, but the tears of Saint Eulàlia —old patron saint of Barcelona—, who cries because the city forgot her.

In this post I'll explain who was Eulàlia (according to the legend) and what happened that made her lose the position as the city's main patron saint.

1. Saint Eulàlia of Barcelona, martyr

Saint Eulàlia is believed to have lived in the 4th century AD, when the Roman emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians. Eulàlia lived in Sarrià (village near Barcelona, nowadays a neighbourhood of Barcelona). She was only 13 years old, but she knew she was a good speaker so she went to see Dacian —the Roman governor in Barcino (modern-day Barcelona)— to try to convince him to stop the persecution of Christians in his territory.

The Roman governor accused her of going against the emperor's orders and sentenced her to suffer as many tortures as her age: they beat her on the streets, teared her skin off with hooks, marked her body with burning irons, forced her to stand on her feet on top of a burning grill, cut off her breasts, scratched the inside of her tights with rocks, threw boiling oil in her injuries, poured melted lead on her, locked her naked in a prison cell full of fleas, and tried to burn her; but during her whole tortures she had been praying, and by the time they tried to burn her, the flames moved away from her and attacked her torturers instead.

The most famous one out of the tortures was when she was put inside a barrel full of broken glass, knives and nails, and she was thrown down a hill 13 times to roll on them.

In the end, she was crucified naked on a cross shaped like an X to make her die in an dishonourable way. Then, a miracle happened. Some say that her hair grew quickly to cover her breasts and sex; others say that a snow storm suddenly appeared and covered her in snow. The thirteenth torture killed her, but the passerbies saw how her soul turned into a white dove that came out of her mouth and ascended into heaven.

Two scenes from a Medieval altarpiece that explained Saint Eulàlia's story, by Bernat Martorell. Nowadays it's in Museu Episcopal de Vic (Vic, Catalonia).

She became a local hero, was canonized as a saint and declared patron saint of Barcelona.

Centuries later, during the Islamic invasion in the Middle Ages, her body was unburied and hidden to make sure the Muslim armies wouldn't profane it. From then on, the location of her body was lost until the year 877, when Bishop Frodoí found her hidden tomb under the church Santa Maria de les Arenes (nowadays Santa Maria del Mar). Her remains were moved to the Cathedral of Barcelona, where they remained until the Cathedral was sacked during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Saint Eulàlia's tomb in the crypt of Barcelona's Cathedral.

2. Our Lady of Mercy

Our Lady of Mercy is one of the aspects of under which the Virgin Mary is worshipped. She became popular in Catalonia in the 13th century, after a night of August 1218, when she appeared in the dreams of the king James I and two religious men who would later be canonized as saints (Pere Nolasc and Ramon de Penyafort), ordering them to start a new Order destined to rescuing Christian prisoners who had been kidnapped by Saracens.

In the year 1687, a terrible locust plague attacked the city of Barcelona, as well as much of Catalonia. The desperate population of Barcelona asked the Virgin of Mercy for help. The City Council promised that they would nominate the Virgin of Mercy as the city's patron saint if She freed it from the locusts. Soon, the locust plague ended, and the City Council kept their promise, though the change didn't receive official permission from the Pope until 200 years later, in 1868.

3. Protest and change

Barcelona's population didn't forget that for so many centuries there was great devotion for Saint Eulàlia. A group of citizens showed up to the Church of Mercy and threw stones at the city's authorities, asking for Saint Eulàlia to be the patron again. After this event, the City Council decided that Eulàlia should be co-patron.

4. The holiday

Since then, and particularly since the 1900s, the day of the Virgin of Mercy became the most popular festa major (Catalan holiday celebrated with big parties and folk culture on the day of the local patron saint) for the whole city together. Though each neighbourhood (nowadays they're neighbourhoods of Barcelona, but most of them used to be towns that became attached to the city with the industrial expansion) keep their own festa major and Saint Eulàlia is also still celebrated in February, La Mercè is the biggest festa major in Barcelona.

Source: Carla Galisteo for Sàpiens.

[ofmdrecaps]

08/05-06/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Vico Ortiz; Samson Kayo; Kristian Nairn; Ruibo Qian; David Fane; Rachel House; Minnie Driver; Dominic Burgess; Aug 7 WBD Q2 Earnings Call: Fuckery; Articles; National Maritime Museum in Cornwall; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Never Left Podcast; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

Well, best intentions and all that-- another two dayer because that's just how this month has been. Lots and Lots going on with our cast & crew, friends <3

= David Jenkins =

Well David tried to give us all heart attacks yesterday.

And then today he sent some love after Astroglide brought tears to our eyes on twitter.

Source: David Jenkins Twitter

= Rhys Darby =

Lots of Cryptid Factor sightings! Reminder! Cryptid Factor is in London this Friday!

Video of a sighting of Indiana Buttons

Also! Dan and Stede The Nessiehunter gave us some quick live videos of their trip to Lochness!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dan Schreiber (@schreiberland)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dan Schreiber (@schreiberland)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steve Feltham (@steve_the_nessiehunter)

= Taika Waititi =

Another AppleTV spotlight of Time Bandits! Reminder, new episodes out tomorrow, Aug 7!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Apple TV (@appletv)

Then Rita pulled Taika into another Tiktok trend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RitaBot | UK Owen (@ritabotowen)

= Samson Kayo =

Samson out with Yvonne Orji <3

Source: Yvonne Orji's Instagram

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian is reminiscing about Game Of Thrones- his book is coming out on September 24th, 2024-- you can still preorder it online!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico asked what quite a lot of us have wondered about before. IYKYK.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vico Ortiz (@puertoricaninja)

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram

And some more photos of Vico with their loves.

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram

= Ruibo Qian =

Ruibo is inviting everyone to join her on Aug 8, at 12am PST for a meditation. You can access it on Ruibo Qian's Youtube!

Source: Ruibo Qian's Instagram

= David Fane =

Some of you may remember that our dear Fang, David Fane, was awarded the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer's Residency! Now, I'm not 100% sure, but I know that Fulbright partners with the Kennedy Center, and so I'm thinking that's what David's referring to in his most recent instagram story. Good luck David! We are rooting for you!

Source: David Fane's Instagram Stories

= Rachel House =

Rachel's movie, The Mountain (Temaunga) has been officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival! Congrats Rachel and everyone involved in the film! Learn more on TIFF's website!

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

= Minnie Driver =

Minnie was featured in Rose & Ivy!

Source: Rose and Ivy Journal Instagram

= Dominic Burgess =

Everything about this photo makes me smile.

Source: Dominic's Twitter

== #DontStreamOnMax: Fuckery Reminder ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew are calling on everyone to help with the fuckery tomorrow during the Q2 Earnings Call. Remember to flood social media with #DontStreamOnMax and #FireDavidZaslav!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Articles ==

Thank you to Meowzawowza_ on twitter for sharing the contents of this article!

https://if.com.au/allen-marshall-palmer-on-the-benefits-of-shooting-in-new-zealand/

Source: Meowzawowza_ Twitter

= National Maritime Museum Cornwall =

A HUGE thanks to @merryfinches for sharing this absolutely awesome find with us-- and thank you for bringing letting me share it in the recap Kylie! You continue to be one of the sweetest, kindest, most amazing folks on the planet <3 Please visit Kylie's blog here for more info! Here's a quick excerpt! "The exhibit is running until early 2025, so if you’re in Cornwall before it closes then you should go down and stare at a go at floating cardboard cutout of Ed for a bit 🥰💕"

Source: @merryfinches Tumblr

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Thank you so much to @melvisik for keeping these up! It's still so amazing to think of just how many people made our show happen! First up is Bradley Rubin, another one of our Production Designers! Second up is Brigid M. who is apparently unspecified (according to https://ofmd-crew.com/)! Mel thinks she may be an action talent!

And last but not least - Stephen Dudro is one of the art directors for the show!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Never Left Podcast ==

Episode 29 is out, and Never Left is continuing with their discussion on flowers! You may remember last weeks episode sparked the butterfly realization to many of the fans! Always great stuff coming out of our friends over at Never Left Podcast! Check them out on your favorite listening platforms here!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! How's your week going? Are you feeling the buzz? There's been lots of news all over the world, some good, some bad, but it feels like a lot of stuff is starting to upturn, even if it's just a little. I've had a few things on my mind the last couple days and I wanted to get them out and send some love. This is a bit of a long one and it's gonna get a bit heavy, so please skip to below the === if you don't feel up for it.

CW: Intrusive Thoughts Sometimes your brain likes to tell you things that you don't really believe (or shouldn't) when things are hard. Sometimes it tells you, you're not good enough, or capable enough, or smart enough, or skilled enough, or you don't deserve good things. Sometimes it tells you things would be better for other people if you weren't around, if you quit your job, or ran away. Sometimes it tells you you don't belong where you are, for any array of reasons. Sometimes it tells you you're unforgivable, or incapable of change.

It's wrong, dearies. It's so very wrong. Your brain sometimes lies to you because it's been trained to do so. By society, by leaders, by people trying to shape you into their worldview. There's nothing wrong with you if it does, it's actually pretty darn normal to feel those things. We deal with so much anxiety in our day to day lives, and our bodies are still stuck on thousands of years of defence mechanisms, and it doesn't know how to cope with the constant micro-stressors we deal with in modern times.

So it learns and adapts to your environment. Your brain is so damn smart-- that it takes what it hears over and over and it turns that inward because it thinks that's what you need. What it doesn't know is that when life is crazy, and the world continues to be this chaotic black hole of unending bad news, it'll adapt and turn things more and more negative. That's why so many people do daily affirmations-- because you can train your brain to do AMAZING things. It takes a long time, and constant reminders, but eventually it gets easier. Toxic positivity isn't helpful, but when you have unending darkness coming in waves around you, sometimes even just a little candle of hope can keep that at bay, and eventually help break up the darkness itself.

============================= So today, I'm gonna push a couple affirmations... and they kinda show up already in my love notes here and there-- but I'd like you take a moment to say them out loud if you can, and take a deep breath in between them --Give yourself a little support for today.

I found some that speak to me here, but you can find them all over the place on the web if they don't speak to you.

----------------

I am still learning so it’s okay to make mistakes.

I am loved and worthy.

I alone hold the truth of who I am.

I belong here, and I deserve to take up space.

I am allowed to feel good.

---------------- You are all of those things Lovelies. You truly are. Do you know why I call you all "Lovelies" so often? Because that's the word that encompasses so much of the good in the world to me-- and that's what you are.

You are lovely, just the way you are.

You are wonderful just the way you are.

You are worthy, and you are loved, and I know sometimes it's so hard to remember that, but keep telling yourself that, and one day it'll come a lot easier. Sending so much love. You deserve so many good things lovelies, please remember that.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

No theme tonight, just them <3 Gif courtesy of our friend @captain-flint!

[maddieg0531]

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Bakugo x wife!reader

Angst, fluff

Synopsis: Bakugo went on a mission and hasn’t come back

A/N: In light of the Christmas spirit, I wrote angst hehe, but I swear it turns into fluff. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Masterlist

~~~~~~

3 months…It has been 3 months since you have heard anything. 3 months since you lost contact. 3 months since everything went wrong…

-September 17th: 3 months and a week ago- 

“Where are you going daddy?” Your daughter asked as she shoved her little face into your husbands broad shoulder. 

“Daddy has to go on a work trip for a little while, but I’ll be back soon.” Bakugo gently stroked her blonde hair. You smiled as your big strong husband held his small child with all the gentleness in the world. 

“Okay Kai, it’s time for daddy to go.” You pried your daughter away, her little arms reaching towards her father. 

Bakugo kisses her on the forehead and then you on the lips, “I’ll be back before you know it.” Though his eyes were pointed at his daughter, you knew his statement was meant more for you. He could see the anxiety in your eyes, even as you tried to hide it in front of your child. You and Kai waved him off. Kai ran to the window to continue to wave as he drove away. 

“Alright little munchkin, we have to get you ready for school.” 

“Aw, but I don’t wanna go!” 

“Oh and I don’t want to do laundry but we all have to do things we don’t want to do. Now let’s go.” 

I’ll be back before you know it

You couldn’t help but doubt his words.

Bakugo didn’t tell you much about this mission. He wasn’t allowed to. All you knew was that it was very important and he would be gone for an unknown amount of time. 

-September 24th: 3 months ago-

“WHAT?!” Tears streamed down your face as you yelled at your husbands partner and best friend, Kirishima.

“I-i’m sorry but he went off line two days ago and we can’t seem to get him back on.” He tried to calm you down, but you paced around your living room faster.

“TWO DAYS! You haven’t talked to him in TWO DAYS?! And you didn’t tell me!”

“Sometimes things malfunction or go off for a little bit and we didn’t want to trouble you over something small.”

“Well clearly this isn’t small” You cried, exasperated, “Have you tried calling, emailing, going and finding him???”

“We called and messaged but there was no response. We can’t go and get him.” 

“Why the hell not!?”

“Because we can’t blow his cover. We don’t even know where he is” He winced, realizing his mistake.

“Hold on. You’re telling me, you sent my husband on some dangerous mission, without even knowing where it is?!”

“Well, of course the higher ups know but they just give out the orders, we handle everything else.”

“Well tell those higher ups to give his location or I’m going to personally come down there and beat their asses!” You were in his face at this point.

“Y/N, that’s not how this works. We can’t even contact them until it’s been a week.” “A week? He could be hurt or even dead by then!” You collapsed on the floor at the thought of your husband dying, “Please…ple-please. You have to…do something.”

Kirishima kneeled down next to you, a comforting arm wrapped around your shoulder, “Look, I know this is upsetting but stuff like this happens all the time. We lose signal for a day or two and then everything is fine. I was on a mission once and my power went out for two days straight. There was a blizzard so I couldn’t go anywhere to get signal for a while. Man did my supervisor freak. But I was fine, just a simple power outage. See? It might be nothing.”

You looked up at him with puffy eyes, “But it might be something.” 

He sighs, “You’re right, but there is no point in freaking out over something that hasn’t for sure happened. Take a deep breath. I will keep you updated and I’m sure everything will be fine. Do you want Kai to come over and play with my boys today?” 

“No,” You sniffled, “I would like to spend the day with her, but thanks.” You flashed him a watery smile. 

“Alright, I’ll keep in touch,” As he went to leave, he turned back to look at you, “And hey, this is Bakugo we’re talking about. He will be fine.”

You hoped he was right.

A week passed and the signal never came back. Kirishima tried to convince you that everything was okay, but you knew he didn’t believe that. 

“Maybe he got done early and is on his way back”

Then why hasn’t he contacted anyone?

Another week passed, still nothing. According to Kirishima the mission wasn’t supposed to last more than a month. He said that there was still time and everything will be okay. You’re really tired of hearing that. 

“Mommy, when is daddy gonna be home?” Kai looked up at you with tired eyes.

“I don’t know sweetie, but…” You couldn’t bring yourself to lie to her. What if it wasn’t okay? Could you confidently tell your child that her father would be home safe and sound if you didn’t even know when he would be home?

“But what?”

“But it’s time for bed now, so sleep tight.” You kissed her on the forehead and tucked her into bed with a fake smile. Hopefully she didn’t notice.

Two more weeks passed...October 24th, a month since your husband went missing. Kirishima has been awfully quiet with updates. He never gave more than a soft smile and a simple ’nothing yet.’

He didn’t even try to lie about it being okay any more. Kai kept asking about Bakugo and you kept lying. You would tuck her in with a smile and then cry yourself to sleep. 

-October 31st: 2 (ish) months ago-

“Mommy hurry up! People are going to run out of candy!” Kai pouted by the door. 

“Calm down, they aren’t going to run out of candy that quick.” You jumped into the front hall doorway with your makeshift hero costume, “How do I look?”

“Who are you supposed to be?” She turned up her nose at you. 

“I am super mom, the superest of moms in the whole world.” You posed again.

“That’s not a real person.” 

You gasp dramatically, “Fine, we don’t have to go since I’m not the superest mom ever” “No no! I’m sorry! You’re the bestest mom ever!” She hugged your leg and you couldn’t stay ‘mad’ at her.

“Alright, I forgive you, now come on super Kai-“

“No. You have to call me by daddy’s name.” 

You winced at her words. You haven’t uttered his name in almost three weeks, “Okay…Dynamight. Lets go”

You took her picture and sent it to Bakugo, hoping that he would get it…although you knew it was nothing more than a hope. 

As the days passed, Kai slowly stopped asking about Katsuki. Maybe she could see the sadness in your eyes when she asked or maybe she forgot, although you doubt that. Either way, the fake smile got a lot harder to put on everyday. 

-November 15th: A month and a half ago-

You sighed as you dropped Kai off with Kirishima. It was parent teacher conference day. You walked in the school, past all the couples, holding back tears. You hoped that you would open the door to Kai’s teacher’s office and Bakugo would be sitting there, early for the meeting, as he always is. While you knew it was unrealistic, you still felt disappointed when you open the door to only see the teacher. 

She stretched out her hand to you, “Hi, Mrs. Bakugo. Will Mr. Bakugo not be joining us today?”

You sighed, plastering the familiar smile on your face, “No, he is caught up with work.”

“Oh, well I wish he had cleared his schedule for this important meeting but it can’t be helped I guess.” She flashed an equally fake smile back. 

You’ve never liked her. She has been so critical of your family because Bakugo is a hero. She said that he shouldn’t be a hero if he has a kid. That he might get hurt or go missing and how would that affect the child? You hated that you kind of agreed with her. The meeting was boring and painful but you made it without crying, so that’s a plus. However, you asked Kirishima to keep Kai a little longer so that you could go home and cry. 

The next day, Kai came home crying. 

“What happened?” You cradled her in your arms, wiping away her tears.

“The boys at school were being mean!” She said through sobs.

“What happened? Did they say something?” 

“They…they said that daddy is lame and weak and that he’s not a real hero.”

You froze at her words, “Why…why would they say that?”

After catching her breath, she told you what happened. She had worn her dynamight jacket to school and some of the boys came up and said that dynamight is lame. She tried to defend him and said ‘He is the coolest daddy and superhero in the world’, which the boys responded to with ‘oh yeah? Then why hasn’t he been on the tv at all?’ ‘I know. He is weak and can’t actually save anybody.’ ‘Yeah, deku is so much cooler.’ ‘Dynamight isn’t even a good superhero.’

“I just want daddy!” She cried.

You hugged her close, tears pricking at your eyes, “Me too, sweetie. Me too.”

It took her a while to stop crying, but she eventually passed out on the couch. You didn’t know what to do. If you called the school, you would have to talk to her teacher who wouldn’t do a thing, you’re sure of that. If you called the parents, it would be three against one. And Kai has been known to take after he father with her short temper. You put a blanket over her and retreated to your room. You closed the door and collapsed on the floor, “Where are you?!” You sobbed, “Please come back! I need you!” You slammed your fist on the floor, cries of sadness and anger spilling out of you. Why? Why did this have to happen?!

-Thanksgiving-

You and Kai went over to Kirishima’s house for Thanksgiving. Everything was fine until everyone was sitting in the living room and saying what they are grateful for.

“I’m grateful for both of you being able to join us.” Kiri’s wife said.

“I’m grateful for my new haircut!” Kiri’s oldest son said.

“What about you Kai?” You looked at your daughter expecting something silly. 

“I’m glad that mommy didn’t cry this week about daddy being gone.” 

The room went silent. 

Kirishima’s wife cleared her throat, “Maybe we should go play upstairs.” She herded the kids up the stairs. 

You stood up and went outside, trying not to cry. You wouldn’t want Kai to be disappointed after all. As you stepped out onto the front porch, the cold air slapped you in the face. After a minute you felt a warm hand on your shoulder. You immediately turned to cry into your spiked haired friend’s shirt. He simply rubbed your back, while you wetted his clothes. 

After that night, you stopped crying. The hero agency went silent on updates (not that there were any to give) and Kai no longer mentioned Bakugo. With the holiday season, things became bleak. It had been almost three months and there was no sign of him. Nobody knew where he was, let alone if he was alive. You tried your best to go about the holiday season like normal, but you just felt numb. No matter how warm the fire was or how bright the lights were, nothing could make you feel in the Christmas spirit. Kai wrote her letter to Santa and asked you to put it in an envelope to send through the mail. When she wasn’t home, you read the letter, hoping to get some insight into what to get her. However, you froze at her scribbled misspelled words. 

Dear Santa, 

I know that I’m not the mostest perfect child but I think I have been gooder this year. I don’t want a lot. I just want my daddy to come home. Mama said that he is working but I wish he would come home soon. Maybe you could fire him, then he could come home. I really miss him a lot…and mama does too, even though she won’t say it. So please, use your magic and bring him home.

From Kai ‘lil dynamight’ Bakugo

You broke down crying, wetting her letter in the process. You wished you could make it come true. Never more have you wished for magic to be real, because if it was, maybe he would come home. 

Kirishima invited you over for Christmas but you decided to spend it at your house. Maybe it’s because you want this Christmas to feel as normal as possible or maybe you hope that he will come home, but either way, it’s Christmas Eve and you are tucking Kai into bed early, “Alright, remember, you have to stay in bed otherwise Santa won’t come.”

“Okay Mama.” Kai says through a yawn. “I promise to stay right here.”

“Good girl.” You kiss her forehead and get up to leave, but she grabs your arm.

“Mommy…” She looks scared. 

You gently stroke her hair, “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I-I don’t want to make you sad.” Tears start to well up in her eyes.

“Hey, no. You can never make me sad. What’s wrong?”

“Is-is daddy going to miss Christmas too?” She sniffles, trying to hold back her tears, but failing. 

You hug her close to your chest, letting yourself cry with her, “Honey, I-I really don’t know. I wish I could say no, but-but I don’t know.”

You both sit there and cry until she falls asleep. You gently lay her back in bed and tip toe out to the living room. You go to fill her stocking and can’t help staring at the one next to hers. You and Bakugo let her pick the stockings last year and of course she chose a family set of dynamight stockings. The biggest one was supposed to be Bakugo’s but he filled it for you instead last year. You grab it off the hook and hold it tight to your chest. 

“Please,” you whisper, “please come home.” 

You hang it back up, almost laughing at the stupidity of your question. You fill up Kai’s stocking and put in a little something for yourself. You try to take a warm bath to forget everything, to drown your sorrows, but all you can think about is him. His empty stocking tomorrow morning, his empty seat at the table, the sad look on Kai’s face when her father isn’t there. You put on your pajamas and go outside to sweep up the reindeer food Kai threw out on the sidewalk. As you are about to go inside, something catches in the corner of your eye. You turn to look across the street and you gasp, the broom dropping with a loud crash. Are you dreaming? Are you hallucinating? Across the street, under a street lamp, stands a tall, muscular figure with familiar spiked hair, except he is beaten and bruised. Tears pour down your face. Before you can even think, you start running towards him, cold air whipping against your face. He moves, with a slight limp, towards you. You jump into his arms, almost knocking him over. He’s home. Katsuki is home. You can feel the dirt and sweat sticking to him, but you don’t care. He cups your face and kisses you with such passion, yet gentleness. Your tears mixing together as you embrace one another for the first time in 3 months. 

He holds you so tight against his chest, you almost can’t breathe. He whispers in your ear, “I’m home.” 

You kiss him again but with no where near as much gentleness as he did. He picks you up and walks you back inside. He practically falls on the couch from exhaustion, but never lets you go. 

“Where have you been?” You look at him through your tears. 

“I’m sorry. I know I must have caused you so much trouble. But I’m here now and that’s all that matters.” He says, head pressed against your shoulder. 

“Your all beaten and bruised.” You run your hand through his hair, “Is this blood? Oh my gosh what happened? Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine, just a few cuts and bruises. Nothing a simple first aid kit can’t fix. The mission went bad and I had some run ins with the bad guys, but everything is okay now. They are in custody. I came here as soon as I dropped them off at the station.” His voice is barely a raspy whisper.

“I was so scared. I didn’t know if you would come home. God, thank you for coming home!”

You two sit in each others arms for what feels like forever yet not enough time. You eventually force Katsuki to take a shower and then go to bed. Oh how you missed his warm embrace, holding you while you sleep. How you missed the dip on his side of the bed. How you missed kissing him goodnight. 

The next morning, you are so lost in his warmth that you almost forget about Christmas, but of course Kai doesn’t. You had told her to wait in her room until you came to get her in the morning. You wake up to the sound of her screaming your name. You are about to jump out of bed when you realize why she is calling your name. You sigh knowing that nothing is wrong. You gently wake up Bakugo, his tired eyes barely look up at you. “Come on. I think there is someone who wants to see you.” 

You go into Kai’s room with a huge, real smile on your face. “Merry Christmas, munchkin. I have a big surprise for you.”

“Is it extra presents?!” She jumps up and down on her bed, blissfully unaware of who awaits her in the living room.

“The biggest present of them all.” You cover her eyes and lead her out to the living room. “Okay, open!”

As you uncover her eyes, Kai makes the loudest gasping squeal noise you have ever heard, “DADDY!!!!!” 

She runs past all of her stocking stuffers and giant presents and leaps into Bakugo’s arms. He spins her around hugging her so tight he might as well be crushing her. “My princess, gosh I missed you.” You hug both of them, wiping the tears from your husbands eyes. 

“Welcome home, Katsuki.”

----------

What happened to Bakugo -coming soon

[apilgrimpassingby]

Alaska Native Orthodox Saints

St. Jacob Netsvetov, Enlightener of Alaska (1802-1864)

Feast Day: 26th July

The son of a Russian fur trader and an Aleut mother who was the first Alaska Native to become an Orthodox priest and spent the rest of his life preaching the Orthodox faith in Alaska; by the time he died, he had created an alphabet for the Aleut language, exorcised demons and baptised well over a thousand people. The full story is here.

Troparion: Righteous Father Jacob, adornment of Atka and the Yukon delta, offspring of Russian America, flower of brotherly unity, healer of sickness, and terror of demons, you offered yourself as a living sacrifice to bring light to a searching people. Pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved!

St. Olga of Alaska/Olga Michael/Olga of Kwethluk (1916-1979)

Feast Day: 10th November

A Yupik matushka (priest's wife) known in her village as a midwife, charity distributer and firm yet compassionate presence, canonised for the miracles associated with her post-mortem; in particular, a sexually abused woman who experienced a vision of St. Olga that proved particularly healing. The full story is here.

Troparion: By your righteous deeds, you were revealed to the world as an image of the perfect servant of the Lord in Alaska. By your fasting, vigil and prayers, you were inspired in your evangelical life. You fed the hungry, and you cared for the poor. You served as a midwife, and you brought babies into the world. You nurtured children, and you clothed all those in need. Now, O Holy Olga, you stand at the right-hand of Christ the Master, and you intercede for our souls.

St. Peter the Aleut, Protomartyr of North America (unknown - 1815)

Feast Day: 24th September

A young Suqpiaq ("the Aleut" is a misnomer by a monk who wasn't good at distinguishing Native groups) man who was one of the first converts to Orthodoxy in North America. He was captured by the Spanish in a raid, and tortured in an attempt to make him convert to Roman Catholicism; he refused, and the tortures eventually killed him. When St. Herman of Alaska (the chief evangelist of Alaska) heard the story, he cried out "Holy New Martyr Peter, pray to God for us!" The full story is here.

Troparion: Today Alaska rejoices and America celebrates, for the New World has been sanctified by martyrdom. Kodiak echoes with songs of thanksgiving, Iliamna and Kenai observe the Festival of Faith. The apostle and martyr Juvenaly is glorified and Peter the Aleut is exalted by his voluntary sacrifice. In their devotion and love for the Lord they willingly endured persecution and death for the Truth. Now in the Kingdom of Heaven they intercede for our souls.

Troparion for the Synaxis of All Saints:

Adorned in the blood of Your Martyrs throughout all the world, as if clothed in purple and linen, through them Your Church cries out to You, O Christ God: “Bestow Your bounties upon Your people, grant peace to Your habitation, and great mercy to our souls.”

[seenthisepisode]

hi! I saw your post about the why episode title change why 11 scenes cut why lamp etc etc and I know some of it but not all, and I was hoping you could elaborate on spngate— if it’s not too much trouble— or point me in a direction where I can join you in the spn gate?

I feel ashamed for HOW LONG i let this ask just rot in my askbox (it's from january, apparently, now it's april. i thought maybe two weeks passed but NO. it was months. ANON I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY. I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART) but now with the power of this url and the wine i am currently sipping, let me give you the best, most thought-out answer that i possibly can.

I don't know how long you've been following/watching spn, so I won't get into real deep iceberg theories that go back to season 8 and jeremy carver, for the purpose of this essay answer I'll just stick to the year anno domini 2020, and will try to do my best to tell you what happened.

Okay, maybe 2019. So, in june 2019, when the first scripts and drafts for s15 are presented, these things happen: 1. apparently, according to Berens, the confession scene is the first thing that was written for season 15. 2. Jensen Ackles is sat down and asked if he would be okay with this. (question is asked: why would they ask jensen if all he does in this scene is look at cas, he doesn't say anything, he does not confess, it changes nothing about his character, etc.; if you put the real tjlc tinfoil hat on you'd ask hey , maybe they asked him if precisely that is okay, if he is okay with the fact dean is practically silenced here but that's Deep) 3. Jensen apparently is okay with that, because it happens.

also this thing happens around the same time: 1. they write the ending for the brothers, and no matter what version of the finale we're talking about, Dean dies 2. Jensen Ackles is Not Okay with this. he calls Kripke who then, in a call and/or email assures him it's a good ending (Jensen says that) and also very quickly after that Jensen is announced to play Soldier Boy in Kripke's The Boys. make of that what you want

They film, blah blah, march 2020, covid happens, they stop production right after they film the confession. Last episode to air is 15x13, last episode they film is 15x18, they almost have a plane crush when flying to vegas con, and then, a loooong break until august 2020. Now, from what we know, there were two versions of the finale - the pre-covid finale they were supposed to film if the filming schedule wasn't interrupted, and the finale that happened.

What was supposed to be in the Original Finale/Pre-Covid Finale, we still don't know exactly, but from what the cast said, there was supposed to be a big cast reunion, Harvelle's Roadhouse in Heaven, Kansas Band (why are they dead?) playing there after Dean gets there and so on.

Anyway. July 2020. Misha does a livestream with Michael Sheen (the SuperGood campaign) where he says he is going back to filming the last two episodes in a few weeks. he said it LIVE. it's on youtube. people analyze the background from Misha's livestreams and photos and conclude he is in Vacouver, where spn is filmed. He also says that he is going back filming in a few interviews. Also here.

August 2020. They go back to filming in august 2020 to film 15x19 and 15x20.

August 20th, 2020, Misha's birthday.

I wasn't on set TODAY. so casual. of all days i wasn't there today.

August 24th, 2020, day 6/8 of filming 15x19, Angel with a Shotgun is hash tag Song of The Day while filming scenes of 15x19 (scene 28, 31).

September 4th, 2020. ALL THEY FILM, for the whole DAY, is one scene. They usually film a few. They film one. Song of the day? The Night We Met.

Somewhere before the episodes starts to air again, Dabb says only 30% of the audience will like the finale. Anyway, everyone concludes, Misha is filming, destiel is more or less going canon, but everyone including bibros is sure Misha is filming and will be there for the finale.

Originally, "Despair" was called "The Truth".

Finale airs.

It feels shorter (apparently it's not) but it does have an additional ad break. For Walker. But it feels shorter because of the "carry on my wayward son" cover montage that lasts too long and later it's discovered thanks to scripts that dropped that there are ELEVEN scenes that were filmed,, but didn't make it to the episode. The script that drops is also very telling, where scenes are just [OMMITTED]. It was explained that they wanted to have actor there but they didn't want actors to quarantine for two weeks to film one or two scenes BUT then that's exactly what they did with Jim Beaver lmao.

So yeah. I also remember Misha at a con (DarkLight?) where, after asked about the original ending, he answers that the original ending was something that would be better explored in fanfiction anyway. Theory rises he filmed and was cut off the episode without his or Jensen's knowledge because Misha sat down his kids to watch the spn finale (which was the first episode they were supposed to watch ever, why would he do that if he's not there?) and then, CW SPN twitter posts a goodbye video that has everyone from the cast and their mother BUT MISHA AND JENSEN ARE NOT THERE. Jensens sexy silence starts.

THEN THE WILDEST THING HAPPENS.

November 25th, the Spanish Dub. 15x18 drops in Brazil and Dean says "and i you" to Cas, after he confesses. No "don't do this cas" but "and i you". Tumblr stops working for two hours, people on discords are screaming, no one knows whats happening, someone claims Jensen was called in September 2020 to record some adlibs? To record the muffled sobs Dean does while on the floor. Theory is supported by the fact that in the Bazil version? When Dean sits on the floor? The sound that plays are birds. Chirping birds. Sounds don't match, what was Dean saying while crying on the floor, question arises.

Everyone decides there was a Rogue Translator who managed to hide from The CW Sniper (who is the reason actors just dont tell us everything) and translated some kind of Original Script. Voice Actors are invited to a podcast where they debunk this saying that it was added because the translator felt this was the right response or something like that. Anyway they debunk the fact that there existed, at any time, a version of a script, that maybe was send to them, where Dean says I love you too. This was a wild night, no one slept.

And like. I could make this post longer, but I am planning to, one day, make a huge masterpost with real sources about that because honestly you could write a book about it.

But tl;dr spngate is a theory that misha did film for the last 2 episodes and the changes they made were truly last minute (september 2020), they were going for a canon destiel, possibly human!cas engame, dabb was always on our side, and it's based on stuff like jensen actively hating the ending to the point he made his prequel after 2 years of radio silence, 11 scenes just cut from the finale, misha saying he is going back filming, and people like mark pellegrino saying the last scene he filmed was with alex and misha. also the onion field. why lamp is the theory that cas is represented and symbolized by lamps throughout the show and when dean dances with a Lamp in a drug induced dream instead of, say, some kind of a lady he is actually thinking about cas.

also there are little things like when jensen at an online con before the finale says that oh yes i am wearing a grey flannel but tomorrow? who know it could be blue and green. and we all collectively lost our shit. like when he said he is most excited to "tackle" with cas in season 15. or that "dean has no taste, clearly". WHY WAS YOUR PERMISSION NEEDED JENSEN

there are a lot of things i didn't mention here because i simply can't unflod this whole thing just like that but

but if you understand this picture you might be entitled to financial compensation

[drhighhopess]

Cleon Week 2024

A Claire x Leon fanfiction based on the themes for cleon week (24th-30th of September) each chapter represents the day we are going off

theme : The Key to Her Heart

Word count : 705

Chapter : 1 / 7

Type : sfw

a/n : before you start the fanfic I want to address some background info just in case. In this fic there is never a Raccoon City Incident. Meaning Claire and Leon are getting a regular go for their relationship. As well with each chapter may have a different timeperiod of cleon, if so will be stated. They all will be completely different and not related to one another.

The sounds of people laughing could be heard from the whole carnival. People stood with their loved ones, being able to enjoy the moments and memories to be formed. The same ones they could laugh and smile about later on, in a day or two, maybe even a year, or their last moments. It was the best thing about spending time with someone that makes you day, especially doing something that made both or all of you happy.

The December cold flowed throughout Raccoon City. Claire took a soft breath out, seeing the air she breathed out from her mouth. A small but simple reminder on how cold it truly was.

The man that stood next to her took her out on a date. They've had a couple throughout the time they met. It was around the end of September, when Claire went to meet her brother Chris, one of the STARS members in his building. It was just his first day, she made a comment about him. It was snarky, if he was honest it bothered him at the time.

He definitely doesn't mind the comment she made today.

A month after they met he asked her out on a date. Finding out she lived in New York where her college was, which would mean she wouldn't see him often. Even then throughout that month she was conveniently always in Raccoon. A part of him believed it was because of him, or at least he truly wished it was. The opportunity gave him a chance to learn about who she was. Knowing what she liked,

her favorite color,

her favorite food,

or even her favorite number.

Now it's officially been the first month, she was out of college for winter break. Since she was staying at his place instead of her brothers for the first time he wanted to spend some quality time with the redhead.

Claire had her fingers intertwined with his, they walked together throughout the park. Looking and wondering whether they should pick another ride.

“Can we get hot chocolate?”

“Whatever you want, Red” Leon spoke, the smile creeping from up under his face. Before slightly shaking his head to cover up his excitement.

Kennedy took his wallet from his back pocket. Turning over to find some cash inside of its contents, “May we please get two hot chocolates?”

.

The two went over to the carnival games, seeing some plushies available to win at the stands.

“Oh shit that's Mr Raccoon” Claire smiled, the ends of her lips turned up. Seeing the animal that represented the city was pretty cool.

Yeah it was practically Leon's goal to win it now, this was a moment she'd remember for every part of their relationship. It's one of the very few first dates. Considering the fact that it's pretty early on, he wants to make it just as memorable as possible.

Plus, once Claire goes back to her dorm room she'll have the stuffed animal with her, to think of him when she looks at it.

.

“He looks so damn weird I love it..” The redhead examined. It was weird, maybe since the guy who won it for her was Leon. Also the thing was cute. It wasn't your average teddy bear.

And yeah, he definitely won it.

Even if that means it took over five times.. she had a good laugh. In the end the college student ended up with a huge stuffed animal to carry around for the rest of the night.

Or.. being the gentleman he was, he offered to carry it for her. Even with the resistance she clearly displayed, he ended up holding it for the night.

And, maybe he was right.

Just maybe when she went back home to her roommate.

Back to her best friend, the same girl she ranted about the whole two weeks she spent with Leon.

She thought about him each time she saw the stuffed animal, it was like the key to heart. Leon's actions were such a small gesture that stuck. And those actions caused her to have one more reason out of thousands and thousands of all of them that made her crush on him. And maybe even love him now.

[ocean-sailor]

Oasis Live '25 - North America [Official Trailer]

Following the announcement that was felt around the world, the global cultural phenomenon continues with Oasis’ return. Today the band announce the North American dates of their OASIS LIVE ’25 world tour. The North American leg will kick off in Toronto on August 24th, and will see Oasis play stadiums in Chicago, East Rutherford, Los Angeles and Mexico City next summer with Cage The Elephant as the special guest across all dates.

The news comes 16 years since their last performance in North America.

Oasis commented:

“America.  Oasis is coming.  You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along.”

Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium 24th August

Chicago, IL – Soldier Field 28th August

East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium 31st August

Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl Stadium 6th September

Mexico City, MX – Estadio GNP Seguros 12th September

Special Guest:  Cage The Elephant

Registration for the presale is currently open until Tuesday, October 1st at 8am ET.  General ticket onsale will begin Friday, October 4th at 12pm local time and will be available from Ticketmaster.

Plans are underway for Oasis Live ’25 to go to other continents outside of Europe and North America later next year.  🚨🚨🚨

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Matt Bors’s “Justice Warriors: Vote Harder”

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

There's no political satirist working today quite like Matt "Mr Gotcha" Bors, whose 2023 masterpiece Justice Warriors just got a timely – and brutally funny – sequel, Justice Warriors: Vote Harder:

https://www.mattbors.com/store/p/justice-warriors-ffzgn

You've doubtless seen Matt Bors's work, which has repeatedly attained viral liftoff, most notably with his Mr Gotcha strips, easily one of the most useful additions to online political debate in internet history:

https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha/

Last year, Bors, along with Ben Clarkson and Felipe Sobreiro, published Justice Warriors, a postapocalyptic cyberpunk graphic novel in the vein of Warren Ellis's classic Transmetropolitan:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/22/libras-assemble/#the-uz

Justice Warriors is the tale of Bubble City, a domed enclave walled off from the teeming masses of the UZ (which stands for "Uninhabited Zone" – see what they did there?). Bubble City runs on vibes, therapy-speak, social media nonsense, memes and garbage hot-takes. And while there's a lot of broad satire here, the thing that makes Justice Warriors stand out is how its creators do the relatively straightforward futuristic exercise of asking themselves, "What if deeply unserious nonsense was taken seriously?"

Others have done this before – Mike Judge's Idiocracy, say – but Bors, Clarkson and Sobreiro attain a density of sight gags, trenchant wordplay, and outrageous cyberpunk imagery that is just next level. Think Al Jaffee meets William Gibson, with art direction by Vaughn Bode, who's had one too many at the Mos Eisley Cantina. To that, mix in all kinds of MAD Magazine style fake ads and social media postings, layering joke on gag, all of it walking the fine line between "you gotta cry" and "you gotta laugh."

Justice Warriors did big numbers, selling out three printings, and now the gang is back together for the sequel, Vote Harder, which drops just in time for the final, all consuming election-season media apocalypse.

Vote Harder sees Bubble City facing its first election in living memory, as the mayor – who inherited his position from his "powerful, strapping Papa" – loses a confidence vote by the city's trustees. They're upset with his plan to bankrupt the city in order to buy a laser powerful enough to carve his likeness into the sun as a viral stunt for the launch of his comeback album. The trustees are in no way mollified by the fact that he expects to make a lot of money selling special branded sunglasses that allow Bubble City (and the mutant hordes of the Uninhabited Zone) to safely look into the sun and see what their tax dollars bought.

So it's time for an election, and the two candidates are going hard: there's the incumbent Mayor Prince; there's his half-sister and ex-girlfriend, Stufina Vipix XII, and there's a dark-horse candidate Flauf Tanko, a mutant-tank cyborg that went rogue after a militant Home Owners Association disabled it and its owners abandoned it. Flauf-Tanko is determined to give the masses of the Uninhabited Zone the representation they've been denied for so long, despite the structural impediments to this (UZers need to complete a questionnaire, sub-forms, have three forms of ID, and present a rental contract, drivers license, work permit and breeding license. They also need to get their paperwork signed in person at a VERI-VOTE location, then wait 14 days to get their voter IDs by mail. Also, districts of 2 million or more mutants are allocated the equivalent of only 250,000 votes, but only if 51% of eligible voters show up to the polls; otherwise, their votes are parceled out to other candidates per the terms of the Undervoting and Apathy Allotment Act).

Despite the structural advantages afforded to Mayor Prince – like the fact that residents of District 12 on floors 120-145 of the Bubble each get 2048 votes, while District 1 (floors 1-7) only get a single vote – he's not taking any chances. Officer Schitt (a humanoid poop emoji) and the lovelorn Officer Swamp (an anthropomorphic catfish) are each prowling the Uz . Swamp – suffering from a head injury and gripped by a delusion that a TV cowboy has sent him to infiltrate the Flauf Tanko campaign – is playing spy/provocateur, while Schitt hunts dangerous subversives.

What unfolds is a funny, bitter, superb piece of political satire that could not be better timed.

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/11/uninhabited-zone/#eremption-season

[jonnylovers-in-neverland]

Coldplay's Upcoming Moon Music Promo + Appearances

September 24th, 2024 - Secret event with Chris at KROQ radio

September 28th, 2024 - Chris at Global citizen in New York

September 29th, 2024 - interview with Chris and Jon on CBS Sunday Morning, filmed backstage in Dublin on August 30th

October 1st, 2024 - ColdplayRadio at SiriusXM

October 5th, 2024 - SNL performance

October 7th, 2024, 18:30 ET - live in Brooklyn for SiriusXM

October 8th, 2024, 09:30 am ET - live at Today Show

[erinelliotc]

A silly example of what I mean when I say that Ed, Edd and Eddy influenced me so deeply that I'm not even aware of how much and where/how exactly it influenced me.

I moved into the house where I currently live in 2008 (when I was 8). We have these ceiling fans in this house, and I always thought that this shape on the fan blade looked like a hand (with three fingers, and the screws would be the nails). I never questioned why the first thing that came to mind about this weird shape was a hand, I just thought it looked like one.

In fact, I never realized that it actually doesn't look much like a hand until now (16 years later). Today/yesterday (June 15th) during my 24th birthday party, a friend looked at this ceiling fan and the first thing that came to her mind when looking at this shape was a dick (I think that's a bit of a weird way to interpret it too, but I can see how this would look like one). When she said that, I immediately remembered that I had always seen it as a hand, but it was only at that moment that I had the realization that the reason I see it as a hand is because of Ed, Edd n Eddy, because it resembles the way hands are drawn on the show, and I only realized this because I've been intensely hyperfixated on EEnE since September, so the show is now fresher than ever in my mind and it was impossible not to make the connection.

In short, Ed, Edd n Eddy is such an inherent part of me, so strongly and unconsciously, that I would look at that shape and not think "That looks like Ed, Edd n Eddy's hands", but rather "That looks like a hand" and nothing more.

[thorraborinn]

Today is the first of Heyannir, the fourth month of summer on the Icelandic calendar. It normally occurs on whatever Sunday falls from the 23rd and 29th, but this is a rímspillisár, a year where the calendar "breaks" (a regular but infrequent confluence of a leap year and the month starting early the year before). Months for the next year will also start uncommonly late.

The first of Heyannir is sometimes called midsummer (miðsumar), most often just this day itself but sometimes a longer span of time in the beginning of the month or sometimes even the month itself. I seem to remember, but can't find a source now, that it is sometimes called "old midsummer" (gamla miðsumar) to differentiate it from St. John's Mass on June 24th, as the custom of calling this time "midsummer" came to Iceland from Scandinavia but did not fully supplant the later midsummer in July.

Heyannir means 'hay-working' and traditionally signaled the time for farmers in Iceland to start a number of tasks, making hay paramount among them but also including gathering some herbs, dulse (an edible sea plant), and ferns which were used for food preservation.

Old Midsummer falls near or on Ólafsmessa, the Mass of St. Ólafur (Olaf/Olav), on July 29th which is considered the day of his death. St. Ólafur was one of the most celebrated saints in Iceland while the country was Catholic and was prayed to as a protective figure in ways that might resemble how people related to beings like Thor in pre-Christian times. According to Árni Björnsson, toasts were drunk to him at weddings and other major feasts in Norway. He was also a patron of guild members generally. Some modern heathens have incorporated traditions associated with St. Ólafur into their conception of Thor.

Most heathens recognize midsummer at the summer solstice or on St. John's Eve but since I didn't grow up with St. John's Eve, I tend to think of the solstice as the beginning of a countdown to my midsummer. Where I live currently, and also in Iceland, the hottest day of the year usually falls some time in the last week of Sólmánuður (the previous month) to the first week of Heyannir. Today, the heat has broken, and today's projected heat index high is a full 20 degrees lower than two days ago. I am grateful for the relief.

Some upcoming dates on the Icelandic calendar:

Tvímánuður begins: August 28

Haustmánuður begins: September 28

Winternights: October 26th and 27th (imo it makes sense to say it begins on the evening of the 25th and ends evening of the 27th).

Gormánuður begins: October 28

Sources are http://almanak.hi.is/, Saga Daganna by Árni Björnsson, and Icelandic Wikipedia.

[jcmarchi]

Starting reading the AI Snake Oil book online today

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/starting-reading-the-ai-snake-oil-book-online-today/

Starting reading the AI Snake Oil book online today

The first chapter of the AI snake oil book is now available online. It is 30 pages long and summarizes the book’s main arguments. If you start reading now, you won’t have to wait long for the rest of the book — it will be published on the 24th of September. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, we hope that reading the introductory chapter will convince you to get yourself a copy.

We were fortunate to receive positive early reviews by The New Yorker, Publishers’ Weekly (featured in the Top 10 science books for Fall 2024), and many other outlets. We’re hosting virtual book events (City Lights, Princeton Public Library, Princeton alumni events), and have appeared on many podcasts to talk about the book (including Machine Learning Street Talk, 20VC, Scaling Theory).

Our book is about demystifying AI, so right out of the gate we address what we think is the single most confusing thing about it: 

AI is an umbrella term for a set of loosely related technologies

Because AI is an umbrella term, we treat each type of AI differently. We have chapters on predictive AI, generative AI, as well as AI used for social media content moderation. We also have a chapter on whether AI is an existential risk. We conclude with a discussion of why AI snake oil persists and what the future might hold. By AI snake oil we mean AI applications that do not (and perhaps cannot) work. Our book is a guide to identifying AI snake oil and AI hype. We also look at AI that is harmful even if it works well — such as face recognition used for mass surveillance. 

While the book is meant for a broad audience, it does not simply rehash the arguments we have made in our papers or on this newsletter. We make scholarly contributions and we wrote the book to be suitable for adoption in courses. We will soon release exercises and class discussion questions to accompany the book.

Chapter 1: Introduction. We begin with a summary of our main arguments in the book. We discuss the definition of AI (and more importantly, why it is hard to come up with one), how AI is an umbrella term, what we mean by AI Snake Oil, and who the book is for. 

Generative AI has made huge strides in the last decade. On the other hand, predictive AI is used for predicting outcomes to make consequential decisions in hiring, banking, insurance, education, and more. While predictive AI can find broad statistical patterns in data, it is marketed as far more than that, leading to major real-world misfires. Finally, we discuss the benefits and limitations of AI for content moderation on social media.

We also tell the story of what led the two of us to write the book. The entire first chapter is now available online.

Chapter 2: How predictive AI goes wrong. Predictive AI is used to make predictions about people—will a defendant fail to show up for trial? Is a patient at high risk of negative health outcomes? Will a student drop out of college? These predictions are then used to make consequential decisions. Developers claim predictive AI is groundbreaking, but in reality it suffers from a number of shortcomings that are hard to fix. 

We have discussed the failures of predictive AI in this blog. But in the book, we go much deeper through case studies to show how predictive AI fails to live up to the promises made by its developers.

Chapter 3: Can AI predict the future? Are the shortcomings of predictive AI inherent, or can they be resolved? In this chapter, we look at why predicting the future is hard — with or without AI. While we have made consistent progress in some domains such as weather prediction, we argue that this progress cannot translate to other settings, such as individuals’ life outcomes, the success of cultural products like books and movies, or pandemics. 

Since much of our newsletter is focused on topics of current interest, this is a topic that we have never written about here. Yet, it is foundational knowledge that can help you build intuition around when we should expect predictions to be accurate.

Chapter 4: The long road to generative AI. Recent advances in generative AI can seem sudden, but they build on a series of improvements over seven decades. In this chapter, we retrace the history of computing advances that led to generative AI. While we have written a lot about current trends in generative AI, in the book, we look at its past. This is crucial for understanding what to expect in the future. 

Chapter 5: Is advanced AI an existential threat? Claims about AI wiping out humanity are common. Here, we critically evaluate claims about AI’s existential risk and find several shortcomings and fallacies in popular discussion of x-risk. We discuss approaches to defending against AI risks that improve societal resilience regardless of the threat of advanced AI.

Chapter 6: Why can’t AI fix social media? One area where AI is heavily used is content moderation on social media platforms. We discuss the current state of AI use on social media, and highlight seven reasons why improvements in AI alone are unlikely to solve platforms’ content moderation woes. We haven’t written about content moderation in this newsletter.

Chapter 7: Why do myths about AI persist? Companies, researchers, and journalists all contribute to AI hype. We discuss how myths about AI are created and how they persist. In the process, we hope to give you the tools to read AI news with the appropriate skepticism and identify attempts to sell you snake oil.

Chapter 8: Where do we go from here? While the previous chapter focuses on the supply of snake oil, in the last chapter, we look at where the demand for AI snake oil comes from. We also look at the impact of AI on the future of work, the role and limitations of regulation, and conclude with vignettes of the many possible futures ahead of us. We have the agency to determine which path we end up on, and each of us can play a role.

We hope you will find the book useful and look forward to hearing what you think. 

The New Yorker: “In AI Snake Oil, Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor urge skepticism and argue that the blanket term AI can serve as a smokescreen for underperforming technologies.”

Kirkus: “Highly useful advice for those who work with or are affected by AI—i.e., nearly everyone.”

Publishers’ Weekly: Featured in the Fall 2024 list of top science books.

Jean Gazis: “The authors admirably differentiate fact from opinion, draw from personal experience, give sensible reasons for their views (including copious references), and don’t hesitate to call for action. . . . If you’re curious about AI or deciding how to implement it, AI Snake Oil offers clear writing and level-headed thinking.”

Elizabeth Quill: “A worthwhile read whether you make policy decisions, use AI in the workplace or just spend time searching online. It’s a powerful reminder of how AI has already infiltrated our lives — and a convincing plea to take care in how we interact with it.”

We’ve been on many other podcasts that will air around the time of the book’s release, and we will keep this list updated.

The book is available to preorder internationally on Amazon.