Samara Surface

youtube.comthe folklore of Taylor Swift - YouTube

9 Nov 2024

For all my fellow #Swifties, I have a project on Taylor’s life & work. Before the #ErasTour, I began a slide deck for some family & friends who weren’t familiar with all the lore & Easter eggs. It’s evolved into “the folklore of Taylor Swift” 🫶🏻 #TaylorSwift youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Ypsilanti District Library

What a week for #HudCon 😆 Connor: gets photographed with Hannah Waddingham. Hudson: gets photographed with Carrie-Anne Moss. Connor: gets to see Taylor Swift perform. Hudson: gets to see Harry Styles perform. Connor:

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@ypsilibrary.org

Good news, Libby users! You can now filter AI out of your next read. 🚫🤖 Open Menu → Settings → Content Controls → AI Contributions Choose “Human only” for each category Make sure “Deep search only” is OFF Drop a 🙌 once your settings are updated!

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Michael Ostrogorsky Ph.D. 📸

@michaelostrogorsky.bsky.social

The Mountain is Out! Tahoma rising above Drumheller Fountain on the University of Washington campus, viewed from Red Square:

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Pacific Northwest Seismic Network

@pnsn1.bsky.social

PRELIM Earthquake: Magnitude 4.3, 18.9 km SSW from Bremerton, WA at 2026/09/29 14:05 PDT Learn more: pnsn.org/event/714111952 Did You Feel It? Submit a report: zpr.io/UA6upKKXB4C3

@stillgotscars.swifties.social

Whew! The Patient Zero music video was a lot darker than I expected. Stunning and haunting!

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ebony ❤️‍🔥

girl who is going to be okay (listened to the four new taylor swift songs)

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Evermore’s #1 Fan

@evermores-1-fan.swifties.social

Blondie entering the studio after the showgirl criticism

@opalitesky.swifties.social

#romancelandia opinions on the pregnancy trope?

Samara Surface@samaras.bsky.social

My take is that I will maintain an open mind if pregnancy is the inciting action (Out on a Limb, Ready or Not, and Margot’s got Money Troubles being excellent examples). But in the 3rd act?!?!? 😑

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eva✨(#1 Opalite stan)

22 Sept

!!! www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Someone asked for MM romances recs that don’t get as much hype. I thought I’d share here as well: Halo by EM Lindsey Honeymoon for One by Keira Andrews A Series of Rooms by AJ Barlowe Give Me More by Sara Cate (MMF) #booksky #romancelandia

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons A Taste of Gold and Iton by Alexandra Rowland Icebreaker by ALGraziadei Everything for You by Chloe Liese #booksky #romancelandia

*A Taste of Gold and Iron

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Peter

@notalawyer.bsky.social

slate.comA Tennis Star’s Ex-Girlfriend Accused Him of Domestic Abuse. Why Hasn’t the Tour Addressed It?“Every day, I was crying.”

a lot of people act like there's a trade being offered where we give up trans athletes in sports and in exchange fascism is defeated forever

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Cethan Leahy

@cethanleahy.com

15 Sept

Pretty funny that Ed Sheeran seemingly only hired Irish people and yet didn't see this coming.

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Marisa Kabas

@marisakabas.bsky.social

13 Sept

i'm a casual tennis fan, but i passionately want shelton to beat zverev.

So… I finished The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson, but I’m having a hard time rating it. While I really enjoyed it, there were just too many specific instances that reminded me of From Blood and Ash / Flesh and Fire series by Jennifer L Armentrout. #booksky #romancelandia

After learning that their MMCs are a different race that need to drink blood to survive, Poppy/Sera/Harlowe allow Hawke/Nyktos/Henry to drink their blood. Their bite turns out to be an aphrodisiac. *I know this evolved from vampire lore but the dynamics in these books feel so similar!

Essentially, I feel like The Poison Daughter would be a 5⭐️ read…… If you didn’t know about From Blood and Ash / Fire and Flesh. 😕 Thoughts?

And surprise!! Hawke is Atlantian; Henry is Deathless. Who created these races you might ask? Nyktos/Ash (FBAA) and Asher(TPD).

In TPD, Harlowe knows that Henry has the gift of healing by touch. But in addition to being Deathless, she learns he has manipulation magic. In FBAA, Hawke’s magic includes healing (by drinking his blood) and, as our FMC learns, compulsion!

In each book, the FMC stabs the MMC in the heart and runs away. Of course, he doesn’t die and chases after her. This leads to primal play and having rough sex in the woods.

Ok, full spoiler time! Important context for each world… there are the mindless vampires everyone fears (Craven / Drained), but also other blood-drinking creatures who have self control, the Atlantia’s (FBAA) and Deathless (TPD). Those in power conflate the two races to maintain fear and control.

Ok…still holding back some spoilers but let’s just say that neither Hawke or Henry can be killed very easily and they have animal-like instincts. Keen smell, hearing, etc.

Random but in both books, Hawke/Poppy and Henry/Harlowe watch his best friend having sex outside. While it’s at a distance, the friend knows they’re being watched.

Let’s get to know the MMCs with secrets! FBAA: Hawke aka Casteel aka The Dark One FAF: Nyktos aka Ash TPD: Henry (who in their initial meeting goes by Asher) Due to their hidden motives, both Hawke and Henry want to separate the FMC from her body guard. Turns out the distrust is mutual!

In the end, both MMCs are responsible for the death of the body guards and hear their dying plea for forgiveness for not protecting the FMC from their family. RIP Vikter and Gaven.

Poppy and Harlowe each have middle-aged body guards who act as surrogate fathers, wish they could have done more to protect them, and immediately distrust the MMC. These are named Vikter and Gaven, respectively.

Ok, mid-book spoilers. In each book, there is rebellion fomenting in the cities led by a mysterious figure The Dark One (FBAA) and Rochelli (TPD). During a royal party, rebels attack causing death and propelling our characters to make new choices.

Ok, getting into early TPD plot points. In both books, before the characters officially meet, they run into each other in an inn where they slip upstairs and end up kissing. In both the FMC has slipped her guard and gives a false name. The next day or so, the two are formally introduced.

Ok the FMCs FBAA: Poppy FAF: Sera TPD: Harlowe All 3 are essentially royalty, trained to defend and/or assassinate, and are violently abused by those that raise them. Sera and Harlowe both sneak around their cities assassinating people.

More world building that could be chalked up to genre conventions. In both worlds, people live in walled cities to protect from bloodthirsty creatures in the misty forests. Again not unique. FBAA has mindless vampires called the Craven; TPD has the same thing but called the Drained.

Another non plot-related similarity. FBAA: the MMC, Hawke, has a close friend who is a wolf shifter named Kieran who closely guards the FMC. TPD: the MMC, Henry, has an actual wolf who functions similarly and is named… Kyrin. 🤨

So I’m going to share a few similarities that I and others have noticed from least to most spoilery (tagged as such) Caveat that it’s been ~3 years since I read Armentrout’s series and only about 75% of them. But most of the similarities seem to come from Books 1 & 2 of FBAA & Book 1 of FAF.

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)

Starting of with mythology: FBAA has deities called Primals including Nyktos who The Primal of Death, Common Men and ENDINGS, also called The ASHER and goes by ASH. TPD’s deities are called Divine and include ASHER, the “The Divine of ENDINGS.” Ok, death & ashes might not be unique to JLA but hmm

Aside from a few Reddit threads, I couldn’t find anyone discussing this & so I’m curious if others noticed these similar story beats, character dynamics, and even names. I guess I want to externally process these similarities to distinguish genre conventions vs. inspiration vs. something more.

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@doctorow.pluralistic.net

4 Sept

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Amazon achieves enshittification inception; and more! Archived at: pluralistic.net/2026/09/04/c... #Pluralistic 1/

11 Aug

Reading #BrandonSanderson ‘s Mistborn trilogy for the first time, currently on book 2, and I loved this conversation. Young Man: Vin [FMC] isn’t like other women Middle-aged teacher: I think the more women you come to know, the more you’ll find that statement applies to all of them. #booksky

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The Needling

@theneedling.com

6 Aug

Local Woman Just Thinks Flaming Forest Could Find More Peaceful Way to Protest Climate Change: tinyurl.com/k8dmr9d7

24 July

Ok please no spoilers but I started Mistborn and I looked at the map, right? WHY does SJM’s map of the crescent city look suspiciously similar?!?!?? 😠 Has anyone else addressed this? #fantasy #bookstagram

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jamelle

@jamellebouie.net

22 July

a dorito optimized for fiber on the other hand would be a massively important public health intervention

Andrew Lawrence@ndrew.bsky.social

i do not need my doritos to be packed with protein, they are beautiful and perfect the way they are

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Saeed Jones

@theferocity.bsky.social

19 July

WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saeed Jones@theferocity.bsky.social

Argentina is an evil that must be defeated. I also hope its soccer team loses.

19 July

Yeeeeeees! You couldn’t do this without the queen of the World Cup, Shakira!

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Mateusz Fafinski

@calthalas.bsky.social

18 July

Remember, both the Iliad and the Odyssey were originally audiobooks.