#I Quote that podcast DAILY

[ryan-waddell11]

found this plushie, it’s very Joseph Quinn coded 🫢

[jay-wasreblogging]

Dharma (pt 2)

[loganslowdown4]

Dracula: futurebeveragesayswhat

Jonathan: What?

Dracula: heheheeheheheehe

@re-dracula

[miscreantahead]

found a stellar firma reference in one of my one piece fics and im cackling

[librarycards]

Hello! I am trying to read “the right to maim” by jasbir k puar and I am getting almost nothing out of it, bc of the depth + breadth of academic concepts :( I’m particularly frustrated by it bc it seems to talk about subjects I think about, talk about and do daily, like disability, transness, and (anti)colonialism. I’m most of the way through the intro and it’s gone almost entirely over my head except for a couple isolated paragraphs that are meaningful.

Do you have any advice for how I can get the most out of this book? My main limiter is time, bc I got it out from the library and it is highly requested so I can’t have it for very long

Hi anon! First of all, in terms of time, I recommend piracy. I recommend it in general. I'm not going to post links here in order to protect the places I use, but dm me if you want them.

If you're having difficulty with the concepts (which makes sense - right to maim is a challenging book!) I recommend going back to basics with some background reading. You can get some of Puar's rec'd background reading from the bibliography, and from the keywords she uses in the preface of the text. a few that I see (i'm looking at the PDF now) include debility, rhizome/rhizomatic, soverignty, biopolitics, homonationalism, impairment [in the disability studies sense], precarity, and neoliberalism. if i was teaching this preface, i'd have students break down each of these terms (and probably others, this is just from a skim) using outside readings. it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed when jumping into a scholarly text w/o any context, and most people who use and cite this book have past experience reading Puar's interlocutors and existing familiarity with this language.

you can get up-to-date while reading using resources in tandem with this text. For example, you can read Puar's discussion of debility at that link to get a sense of the context. You can read a decent summary of Foucault (the coiner of the term "biopower") and his thought at Brittanica. I recommend using Google Scholar for terms you're not familiar with, and taking quick notes so that you don't have to google them all over again each time. if you think you have enough context with a new word but aren't 100%, keep reading and use other clues. think about academic reading like learning a new language. the strategies are very similar! because it basically is.

I recommend using the annotation strategies i just mentioned in this post (and/or developing your own). i also recommend looking up Puar's talks on youtube - she's a well-known scholar who does a lot of events, and has spoken extensively about this book and its genealogy (especially in relation to praxis / Palestinian liberation). You can also read her talk with the hosts of Death Panel, my absolute favorite podcast.

Below, I'm going to give you an example of how I close-read, annotate, and analyze a paragraph from Right to Maim (and, by extension, other academic texts. This strategy may not work for you 100%, but hopefully it gives you some solid suggestions. Overall, remember that learning to read scholarly work takes time. A long ass time. Even when it's about things you've experienced yourself! Academia has its own conventions, verbiage, knowledge base, etc, and it's a learning curve for everyone. Don't expect yourself to read as fast or get as much as someone more familiar with the conventions of academic writing - anticipate reading all of these works many, many times, and getting more with each reading. Progress is more important than perfection, and improvement, even if slow, *will* happen, as long as you don't give up. <3

Below is a quote from the preface to Right to Maim, where Puar lays out her argument. I recommend everyone highlight/remember paragraphs like these (pretty much every ac text will have something like this in the beginning as a roadmap) to anchor their reading practice and help them get the most from a book (emphasis mine):

In The Right to Maim, I focus less on an impor­tant proj­ect of disability rights and disability studies, which is to refute disability as lack, as inherently undesirable, and as the sign, evidence, or fetish of injustice and victimhood. I am not sidestepping this issue. Rather, I centralize the quest for justice to situate what material conditions of possibility are necessary for such positive reenvisionings of disability to flourish, and what happens when those conditions are not available. My goal ­here is to examine how disability is produced, how certain bodies and populations come into biopoliti­cal being through having greater risk to become disabled than ­others. The difference between disability and debility that I schematize is not derived from expounding upon and contrasting phenomenological experiences of corporeality, but from evaluating the vio­lences of biopo­liti­cal risk and metrics of health, fertility, longevity, education, and geography.

In the bolded part, Puar outlines what she's not doing: she's not taking a mainstream (white, colonial) disability studies approach, which is, in her words, to refute disability as "lack." She's stating that her goal isn't simply to prove disabled people as equal to able-bodied people, or to claim that disability can be good and liberating (though it is/can be!). Her point is to look at the conditions in which people become disabled, and stay disabled. Often, these conditions are violent and unjust. Acknowledging this injustice kinda throws a wrench into western models of disability pride.

So, if she's not interested in just arguing that disability ≠ badness, what is she arguing? she's looking, in the latter half of the paragraph, to how people become disabled in multiple ways. One, using the verbiage in the book, she's interested in how people become debilitated - physically incapacitated in a way that may not line up with the social category of "disability"). She's also interested in how "disability" as a social identity is constructed - that is, why do disability rights groups look at Palestinians maimed by the IOF and see an injured civilian, but not a disabled comrade? words and context matter immensely. she's looking at why, and what are the implications.

that last sentence sums up the distinction she's making: "The difference between disability and debility that I schematize is not derived from expounding upon and contrasting phenomenological experiences of corporeality, but from evaluating the vio­lences of biopo­liti­cal risk and metrics of health, fertility, longevity, education, and geography."

the difference, she argues, between disability as western disability studies sees it and debility as experienced by people under colonial occupation isn't because we experience our bodyminds differently, or because Palestinians (for example) magically aren't as hurt by occupation as their white/western counterparts would be. rather, the reason she's using debility over disability is because the category of disability isn't objective: it's informed by biopolitical forces such as the ones she listed. her meta-argument is that what we call "disability" can't be divorced from its settler colonial context, not because colonized peoples are immune to disabling violence, but because the category of disability (and health, and violence) is itself affected by settler colonialism.

in "right to maim," Puar is offering a major shift in the way we collectively discuss disability, because the category is not applied equally across sociopolitical, geographical context. it means Palestinians and others living under occupation are either left out entirely, or unsuccessfully co-opted into western-/colonizer-centric disability discourse that doesn't acknowledge the different conditions under which they live. ultimately, "right to maim" means to make that difference, and its implications, visible.

Let me know if this makes sense! it's wordy and tedious, but lots of academic texts are. i hope that breakdown helps you make some more sense of Puar's main argument/the architecture of the text, and maybe serves as a model for future engagement. :)

[notmysophie]

Hozier reading list

Literary references in Hozier music

Alighieri, Dante; Inferno

The story of Francesca da Rimini as told in canto V inspired the song Francesca.

The album Unreal Unearth is arranged as a journey through nine circles of hell as they are described in the Inferno part of the Divine Comedy.

The title of the song Through Me (the flood) is a reference to the first lines of canto III.

Hozier read the translation by Robert Pinsky (https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22285692/) 

Beckett, Samuel; Endgame

The song Wasteland, Baby! Takes inspiration from this play. (5 september 2023) (https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/hozier/cover-story-hozier-unreal-unearth) 

O'Brien, Flann; the Third Policeman

The character of de Selby in the Third Policeman inspired the songs de Selby part 1 and 2.

Heaney, Seamus; At the Wellhead

The song To Noise Making (Sing) contains a8n audio fragment of Heaney reading this poem.

Heaney, Seamus; The Cure at Troy

The line "Or honey hope even on this side of the grave again?" In the song "To Noise Making (Sing) " is inspired by the line "History says, Don't hope / On this side of the grave."  in this poem.

Joyce, James; A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The line "Shaking the wings of their terrible youths" in the song Angel of Small Death & the Codeine Scene is derived from a line in this book. As mentioned in the interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music (august 28, 2023) (https://youtu.be/y5JpgNIkOz4?si=Yg1GVewfZlHkdVm1)  

Also mentioned as general inspiration in an interview with the Daily Meal (october 28, 2014) (https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel)

Mack, dr. Katie

Astrophysicist dr. Katie Mack is mentioned by name in the song No Plan. A quote from the song is used in her book The End of Everything (Astrophysically speaking)

Neruda, Pablo, Sonnet XVII

The songs de Selby part 1 and part 2 take some inspiration from this poem. (Mentioned when introducing the song during a concert)

Ovid, Metamorphoses

The story of Icarus is mentioned in the song Sunlight and inspired the song I, Carrion (Icarian).

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is mentioned in the song Talk.

Plato; The Allegory of the Cave

The phrase "Adding shadows to the walls of the cave" in the song Sedated refers to this story.

Swift, Jonathan; A Modest Proposal

Inspiration for the song Eat Your Young.

Wilde, Oscar; Chanson

The line "a rope in hand for your other man to hang from a tree" in the song From Eden" is inspired by the line "And a hempen rope for your own love / To hang upon a tree." in this poem.

Yeats, W. B.; The Second Coming

The line "To Bethlehem it slouched" in the song NFWMB is almost directly copied from this poem.

Yeats, W. B.; Leda and the Swan

Inspiration for the song Swan Upon Leda

Other books recommended/mentioned by Hozier

Amis, Martin; The Zone of Interest

Recommended by Hozier in an 'Ask Me Anything' before the release of the album Wasteland, baby! on reddit in 2019

Beckett, Samuel; Not I

Hozier joked the album Unreal Unearth would contain four tracks, two of them being recordings of him reading this play with his mouth full of marshmallows.

The cover art of Unreal Unearth is said to reference this play.

Bukowski, Charles

Mentioned as a teenage favorite (https://youtu.be/e5pFwDvcIGA)

Ó Cadhain, Máirtín; Graveyard Clay (Cré Na Cille)

Mentioned as his current read in an instagram Q&A on December 1, 2021

Eliot, T. S.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel 

Heaney, Marie; Over Nine Waves, a Book of Irish Legends

(Source? Mentioned on social media?)

Heaney, Seamus

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/hozier-why-seamus-heaney-s-last-words-mean-so-much-to-me-1.3797926

Herbert, Frank; Dune

Mentioned as a current read/audiobook on How Long Gone podcast episode 614. March 6, 2024

Joyce, James; Ulysses

https://youtu.be/s0Ux72N4K10 

Kierkegaard, Søren; The Sickness unto Death

(Source?)

Orwell, George; 1984

https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel/

Rubin, Rick; The Creative Act

Mentioned as his current read in an interview for WNYC Radio, 17 March 2023

https://youtu.be/Cd2uxpD9Hc8?si=cJ8bKrfFeXk_WS2F 

Salinger, J. D.; Catcher in the Rye 

https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel/

Wilde, Oscar

https://youtu.be/s0Ux72N4K10 

https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel/

Williams, Niall; This Is Happiness

Mentioned as his current read at a fan meet & greet (Bristol, 6 August 2023)

Yeats, W. B.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/irish-born-musician-hozier-slithered-here-eden-bring-us-his-gospel/

Poetry/stories read by Hozier in livestreams/videos (and the books he read them from)

3 July 2020 Instagram live

Seamus Heaney; Postscript (the Spirit Level)

Seamus Heaney; A Kite for Michael and Christopher (Station Island)

W. B. Yeats; No Second Troy (W. B. Yeats Poems selected by Seamus Heaney)

W. B. Yeats; To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing (W. B. Yeats Poems selected by Seamus Heaney)

Ovid, Daedalus and Icarus (Metamorphoses, translated by David Raeburn, penguin classics)

Sinéad Morrissey; & Forgive Us Our Trespasses (Being Human edited by Neil Astley)

Also mentioned; Staying Alive edited by Neil Astley

Seen on the table; Fear Not by Stephen James Smith

10 July 2020 Instagram live

Seamus Heaney; HÖFN (District & Circle)

Seamus Heaney; District & Circle (District & Circle)

Stephen Dunn; Sadness

Stephen Dunn; Sweetness

Ovid; Orpheus and Eurydice (Metamorphoses, translated by David Raeburn, penguin classics)

T. S. Eliot; The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (Collected Poems 1909-1962)

Brendan Kennelly; Begin 

17 July 2020 Instagram live

Ezra Pound; And the Days Are Not Full Enough

Wilfred Owen; Futility

James Joyce; A Flower Given to My Daughter

Pablo Neruda; Keeping Quiet

Langston Hughes; I, Too

Imtiaz Dharker; They'll Say She Must Be From Another Country

W. B. Yeats; When You Are Old

Stephen James Smith; On the Bus (Fear Not)

Seamus Heaney; Saint Kevin and the Blackbird

Seamus Heaney; Sweeney Praises the Trees (Sweeney Astray)

Maya Angelou; Touched by an Angel

Garrison Keillor; Supper

Pablo Neruda; Sonnet XCIV (If I Die) (100 Love Sonnets, translated by Stephen Tapscott)

T. S. Eliot; Ash Wednesday (Collected Poems 1909-1962)

Ovid, the Four Ages (Metamorphoses, translated by David Raeburn, penguin classics)

Also mentioned; Ireland, My Ireland by Stephen James Smith

25 July 2020 Instagram live

Anne Stevenson; The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument

Katie Mack; The Slow Fade to Black (the End of Everything, Astrophysically Speaking)

Pablo Neruda; Sonnet XVII (One Hundred Love Sonnets, translated by Mark Eisner)

Kahlil Gibran; On Love (the Prophet)

Sharon Olds; True Love

Rita Ann Higgins; The Did-You-Come-Yets of the Western World

7 August 2020 Instagram live

James Joyce; Araby (Dubliners)

Also mentioned A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

17 march 2021 Tiktok live

Brendan Kennelly; Begin

Derek Mahon; Everything is Going to Be Alright

Sinéad Morrissey; & Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Faisal Mohyuddin; Prayer (The Displaced Children of Displaced Children)

Pádraig Ó Tuama; How to Be Alone

Stephen James Smith; Dublin, You Are

Paula Meehan; Seed

Various reads

Seamus Heaney; At the Wellhead

https://youtu.be/uIBpT_rqUfA

Patrick Kavanagh; Peace

https://youtu.be/Iz1OXOFua4w

W. B. Yeats; He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

https://youtu.be/e5pFwDvcIGA

W. B. Yeats; A Coat

https://youtu.be/e5pFwDvcIGA

Seamus Heaney; Miracle

https://x.com/seamusheaneyest/status/1253626839316279296?s=20 

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/29/2024 - 06/30/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Guz Khan; Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; How To Fuck Off With Con O'Neill: CW; AdoptOurCrew Charity Raffle Update; Gold Derby Voting; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Big Gay Energy Podcast; Teal Oranges & Garlic Soup Week; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

Quick sighting of Rhys with Kirk Thatcher and another commercial for FFXIV!

Source: kirkrthatcher's Instagram

Source: FFXIV's Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Quick shot of Taika and Rita with Andy Hernden!

Source: Andyhernden's Instagram

= Guz Khan =

A shot of Guz with Mark Silcox-- apparently this is a hint at Season 5 of Guz' show Man Like Mobeen!

Source: Guz Khan Official Twitter

== Vico Ortiz ==

Lots more sightings of Vico out and about!

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram

== Rachel House ==

Yet another chat show with Rachel house!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Last Video Store (@lastvideostorebetoota)

Source: The Last Video Store instagram

CW: Con O'Neill in Underwear under the cut.

== How to Fuck Off w/ Con O'Neill ==

Many of our crewmates attended the Momentus class with Con O'Neill on Saturday! When Samba did his cooking class, the video was released to youtube a week or so later so hopefully this one will be too. I did try to transcribe some of the information, if it is quoted it should be word for word minus uhms. Non quoted is paraphrased. This was 3 hours long if you did the meet and greet so I've only added what I was able to get through. If I have time I'll transcribe more.

Con showed up on camera with no pants on

Re Izzy: When David approached him, Izzy was just a thought, a husk yet to be formed

David saw Izzy as a Salieri from Amadeus, or Iago (from Othello)

Con "Agreed with David" but also "saw [Izzy] as a man desperately, painfully in love. So his passion, and his anger, and his fear and his love, all erupted in his expletives, i loved him from the off, I loved his directness, I loved his fearlessness, pain, and of course his fabulous use of profanities"

Con then taught the class how to do various types of "fucks" "shits", "twats" etc.

Some fun quotes:

"A happy shit is one with a smile"

"A sad shit is one you say with a frown"

"Everyone give me an orgasmic twat"

Some Transcribed BTS Info:

"In Season 1 I was terrified of ad-libbing, improv, which I've said many times. We had great writers and everything we needed was on the page-- Except for the day 'Daddy' came to visit."

"I have no idea where that line came from, no idea which part of my dark perverted psyche it erupted from but as soon as it was out, it was out."

"In Season 2, again, everything I needed was on the page, our writers are/were will always be spectacular, they gave Izzy such beautiful stuff, and I will be forever grateful to them, to David Jenkins, to the whole cast and crew, and to you all for your continued support."

"But towards the end of the shoot, we were filming the tavern scene with me and Erroll, aka Ricky and it was the 'belonging to something' which was so beautifully written it took my breath away."

"And we shot many many takes, and I was tired, and emotional, and I knew we had it nearly. There was something missing. There was a beat, a moment to end what was really Izzy's epitaph. And then-- our brilliant director Fernando came up to me and he whispered in my ear 'we'll do one more take, let him go' and we started the take and I could feel myself getting emotional."

"This was Izzy's big moment, it had to be right, it had to be right, and then as we reached this final line, instead of what was written, I heard Izzy say: 'and you are a rancid syphilitic cunt' and to my dying day, I will never ever understand how we got that on the telly, but we did because sometimes in life only a rancid syphillitic cunt will suffice."

== Adopt Our Crew Pride Month Charity Raffle Update ==

Well done everyone! $7041.72 was raised for 148 LGBTQ+ charities around the world! Thank you so much to @adoptourcrew for all the wonderful work they did and all our crewmates for all the donated art, writing, crafts, etc to make this happen!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Gold Derby Voting ==

Rhys, Taika, and Our Flag Means Death are up for some more nominations-- this time the Gold Derby for best Comedy Series / Comedy Actors! It does require you to sign up, but if you'd like to add to the nominations you can follow this handy guide:

Thank you to @adoptourcrew for sharing the goldderby information!

Source: AdoptOurCrew's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

More cast cards from our dear @melvisik!

Simone Grace: "Tonight's is another Emmy submission "for Outstanding Period Costumes in a Series for Impossible Birds" - @adoptourcrew"

Francesco Toby: "Credited as Jean Luc, the beret-wearing French sailor in Pete's story."

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

= OFMD Colouring Pages! =

Once again our kind and wonderful friend @PatchworkPirateBear has more colouring pages for Pride month! Hosted by @adoptourcrew! Wanna following PatchworkPirateBear for more colouring pages? Visit their socials!:  Instagram / Twitter / Tumblr 

Source: AdoptOurCrew's Tumblr

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

There's a new episode by our lovely friends over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction! This time a ranking of the top 10 Rhys Darby moments by members of the Rhys Darby Faction! Visit https://linktr.ee/ofmff to pick out your favourite listening platform!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

== Big Gay Energy Pod ==

Another episode of Big Gay Energy Pod! This time covering Season 2 Episodes 5/6! Check them out on Youtube, or their https://linktr.ee/biggayenergypod!

Source: Big Gay Energy Pod Instagram

== Teal Oranges & Garlic Soup Week ==

As you may remember, our crewmates over at @garlicsoupweek have been hosting a wonderful prompt week for our favorite Polycule! I would love to do a much bigger fan spotlight, but I was only able to get permission from some of the artists to share-- so I'll do more if I can get more permissions from folks! You can also scroll through all the awesome art/writing/edits on @garlicsoupweek!

= OhTangerine=

First up is the absolute stunning work done by @ohtangerines on Instagram and here on tumblr! The faces, and background detail is just so amazing-- please visit them on instagram or here on tumblr to check out more of their awesome work! Check them out on the various socials on their carrd! https://ohtangerines.carrd.co/

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🍊Maria I. (@ohtangerines)

Source: @ohtangerines's Instagram

= Sonorawent =

Next up for Teal Oranges is our dear crewmate @sonorawent! Check out their incredibly gorgeous water colour of our Jim and Oluwande! I adore the colour blending! You can follow them on Twitter / Tumblr!

Source: sonorawent's Twitter

= Blackbeardskneebrace =

Our next artist spotlight is none other than the magnificent @blackbeardskneebrace! You may recognise them from their wide variety of artwork styles (medieval, peanuts, tradition, etc) whatever style they decide to create in -- they've gifted this fandom with such beautiful work! Please visit their tumblr, or their Ko-fi, or their twitter for more brilliant work!

Source: BlackbeardsKneeBrace's Tumblr

= _SilverSheep =

Next up on our fan spotlight for the evening is @_silversheep on twitter! This adorable rendition of Cambell's Soup has such cute details hidden in the label, I'm so glad she was kind enough to allow me to share it with you! You can check them out here on their twitter, or her https://linktr.ee/asisherright !

Source: _Silversheep's Twitter

= LibroseITM =

Back again is our absolutely lovely @libroseitm! They were kind enough to let me share this steamy scene with our Polycule for @garlicsoupweek based off of Sense8! Want to check out more of their work? Visit @libroseitm on Tumblr, or Twitter for more beautiful work from LIb!

Source: LibRoseITM's Twitter

= ipomoea-batatas =

Next in our fan spotlight is the briliiant @ipomoea-batatas! I cannot tell you how much I adore the detail on their work! Look at those faces, it's like looking at our dear Archie, Jim, and Olu in person! Capturing Olu's smile and excitement is no small feat too! Wanna check out more of their awesome OFMD art? Please visit their tumblr here on tumblr!

Source: ipomoea-batatas's Tumblr

= TheseAreTheKids =

Another incredibly talented crewmate - thesearethekids on twitter put together this very sweet cross-stitch pattern for our polycule! She was kind enough to make a downloadable PDF chart and put it up on her Ko-Fi as well so you can work on it yourself. Want to follow them for more cross stitch/embroidery fun? Visit their Twitter!

Source: TheseAreTheKids Twitter

= ErosTheArtist =

Back again with more artwork from the lovely @erostheartist! This time with our Polycule in the Teal Orange outfits! I love it! Love their work? Follow them here on tumblr, or on instagram/check out their https://linktr.ee/eros_the_artist!

Source: Eros The Artist Tumblr

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful weekend-- and an even better pride month! There has been so much queer joy this month-- and everyone's been celebrating being themselves and celebrating all the wonderful people around them-- and I'm so very happy so many of you have gotten to experience that. If you aren't out yet, or pride isn't your thing, or maybe this month is always tough on you, that's okay too. Your safety, and comfort is more important than anything, so please don't feel bad if you aren't experiencing that joy like others are. Just know that no matter what stage of your journey you are in-- your crew loves and cares for you. I wanted to send a gentle reminder, I know that after so much excitement, sometimes our brains can rebound a bit and go the same distance in the other direction. This is perfectly normal lovelies, so if you feel a bit sad tomorrow or the upcoming month, just remember to take it in stride. If you are feeling heavy feelings, remember to embrace them and acknowledge them, and let them go in your own time. No matter what gender, sexuality, or various degree of queer you are, or not queer at all, please know that you are so very loved crew. Truly truly loved. You are beautiful, and unique, and brilliant, and wonderful, and no one gets to say otherwise, okay?

Rest well lovelies, tomorrow is another day.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Tonight's gif just exudes Last Day of Pride Month for me -- as well as running straight into July's Queer Wrath! Tonight's gif courtesy of the wonderful @edsrosetattoo!

[cierraonline]

BILLIE IS DUMB!  WORKING LIKE A SLAVE AND NOT PAID! AND GOOSEBUMPS!

1 

“I have to burp.” 

“So burp, dummy.”

2 

“Are we ordering food?” 

“Didn’t you just have a sandwich?” 

“And?...Your point?”

3 

“Have you ever thought about killing yourself?” 

“Yeah…all the time when I was younger, you remember?” 

“Oh…yeah.”

Rolling…

Whatever the Fuck This Is Podcast 

Season 1 | Episode 1 

BILLIE IS DUMB!  WORKING LIKE A SLAVE AND NOT PAID! AND GOOSEBUMPS!

“Welcome to the first episode of ‘Whatever The Fuck This Is Podcast’ where we have no idea what the fuck we are doing...but it's entertaining so keep watching,” Plotted on the couch in whatever position made them comfortable on their Nickelodeon orange 87.8-inch modern velvet upholstered luxury sofa, presented the host of this new podcast, Siren Vixen and Billie Eilish.

“You already know who we are unless you...know...you’re slow,” Billie laughs. “Not that we have anything against slow people.”

“Yeah, I mean, I am married to a slow person so no discrimination over here,” Siren chimes in, causing Billie to quickly turn her head to the right to face her co-host.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Siren shook her head, turning back to the camera.

“Did you just call me slow!?” Billie’s ocean eyes widen, releasing a scoff from her mouth in disrespect.

“It’s not your fault,” Siren turns to her wife. “You were homeschooled.”

“Bitch! So were you!” The twenty-two-year-old exclaims with a humorous smile on her face. “In fact, you were homeschooled...with me...by my mother!” Billie quickly turns back to the front camera. “Don’t let this whore manipulate you to think she’s smart, because she is as slow as me.”

“So you admit you're slow?”

“No.”

“But you just said, quote on quote, ‘she is as slow as me,’ meaning you admit that you’re slow,” Siren points, using physical evidence against her partner.

“What’s ten times ten, Siren?” Billie raised an eyebrow, bringing up a time that clearly wasn’t her wife’s brightest moment.

“What’s a grape, Billie?” The brown-skinned girl fought back.

“Anyways,” Billie sighs, turning back to the camera, repositioning the microphone in her hand. “If you’re hearing a hyena scream in the background, don’t worry it’s just Finneas and Claudia laughing. For some reason, it was like our whole family wanted to watch us.”

“It’s because without us, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves, bunch of losers,” Siren jokingly rolls her eyes.

“We are not a bunch of losers,” Maggie chimes in from her position behind the camera. “And we just like to be around you guys.”

“All I’m hearing are just excuses,” Billie smiles at her mother.

“Alright let’s start this motherfucker!” Siren yelled out randomly, causing everyone to look at her in confusion.

“Personality #2, sweetie...let’s use our inside voices, okay,” Billie pets her as if she was a cat that needed to be coaxed.

“Eww, don’t do that,” Personality #2 brushed her wife's hand off of her. “Let’s read our horoscopes.”

“Eww,” Billie gives a stank look.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Be nice,” Maggie warns. The girls’ relationship had a love-hate dynamic, meaning they were obsessed with each other (one more than the other, Billie) but they were also each other’s bullies. Everyone who knows them really just shrugs it off, but those aka fake fans and blogs who don’t, just think they are abusive to each other. This leaves Maggie worrying about the girls being portrayed a certain way and trying to censor their dynamic a little.

“Babe, your horoscope says, ‘Some vivid, intense dreams might reveal a lot about you and your motivations, which could increase your self-awareness and make everything easier for you,’” Siren reads off the daily horoscope for Sagittarius.

“I haven’t had any dreams lately,” Billie denies.

“You literally told me you had a dream about eating a burrito before the cameras came on.”

“Yeah but that’s not like a dream, dream.”

Siren had two choices: argue or leave it alone. Because what the fuck is a dream, dream that’s not an actual dream?

“My horoscope,” Siren sighs, rolling her eyes, urging the want to debate to dissolve. “Heightened intuition and ESP could lead to some interesting conversations with others who are blown away by your insights into their thoughts, feelings, and desires. ’”

“Why is yours so much better than mine,” A playful groan comes out of Billie’s mouth.

“Because I’m better than you.”

“Stop talking to me.”

“I literally have to talk to you...we’re doing a podcast.”

“Anyways, today we will be doing a storytime on how Siren started music, which you guys would’ve known but Amazon cut her scenes out of the documentary.”

“They said I was destructive...like what the fuck does that mean?”

“Bro, you literally were cursing every 3 seconds, raged out multiple times, and punched that son of a bitch,” Travis, Siren’s older brother and manager, spoke up from behind the camera.

“And they made the right decision.”

“Absolutely,” Billie nods her head.

“I was a wild child who just needed to sit the fuck down somewhere. But I’ll tell the story...well, what I could remember.....”

~~~

S I R E N.....

I get those goosebumps every time

Yeah, you come around, yeah

"Real 92.3, It's Siren Vixen and her 'Goosebumps' requested to play for the hundredth time today," Big Boy's Neighborhood host Big Boy introduces the song that's been playing all day on every hip hop station.

You ease my mind, you make everything feel fine

"Dude, 'Goosebumps' playing on every station ," Travis, my older brother, turns the dial of the radio in his car in a smooth motion, revealing that in fact, my song was actually currently playing on every hip hop music station.

"I wish something else would play," I groan, slightly banging my head against the passenger side window, watching the scenery warp from a clear image to a blur. "I'm tired of hearing my voice."

"Well, get used to it," Travis tells me from his self-appointed position as my manager.

"Why?" I move my eyes to my phone that vibrates in my hand. "I thought this was a one-time thing. It was supposed to be a joke, releasing that song on SoundCloud."

"Siren, the second you hit top artist on SoundCloud in a week over X and Ski's release is when this stopped being a joke. Your dope-ass song is playing on every radio station a month later."

"What's the difference from when basically everyone had my pictures on their phones and this?" Back when everyone was on Tumblr, I had a page called mydadisapornstar that went viral because of my looks and then my reveal of my diagnosis for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), aka multiple personality disorder, aka like the movie SPLIT...but you know, less...creepy?

"This music shit is going to go somewhere," Travis shakes his head, making a right turn into our neighborhood, Highland Park.

Worried 'bout those comments, I'm way too numb, yeah

"Yeah, and how do you know?" I smirk at the ridiculous thought that doing music was just going to change my life. Like, come on! I only did the song because Billie was complaining that songwriting, recording, and mastering were hard. Now, if it was regular me (Personality #1), I wouldn't have said shit, but Personality #2 is a cocky son of a bitch who just had to open her mouth. And that turned into a challenge where Finneas made a random instrumental, and I had to write and do vocals. The song was done, and it was absolute trash, but everybody in the O'Connell and Vixen households thought otherwise. So, to prove to them it was a trash song, I posted it on my Tumblr page which someone reposted on SoundCloud and tagged me in. And now, a month later, people have taken this a little too far.

"Bro!! Don't make me beat your ass," Travis glares at me, causing me to laugh. "You have a music deal literally sitting on your desk from ACID & Interscope Music that you using as a fucking coaster for your Arizona. We are packing to go on tour with your girlfriend all over the fucking world. Do I also need to mention, that there's literally a fucking cameraman in my backseat recording for y'all two's documentary?!" With furrowed eyebrows, I quickly turn to the back and see a man with a medium-sized camera in his hand recording me and my brother.

"When the fuck did he get in the car?" I turn back to Travis in confusion.

"Personality #3 was here and kept weirdly flirting with him," Travis answers my question nonchalantly. This was a frequent thing in my life with having a fucked-up brain. I live my life being a host for two other personalities, Personality #2, aka Daddy, is this badass cocky son of a bitch vampire anime girl with severe anger issues, aka diagnosed with IED. Personality #3, aka Mommy, is the lesbian hentai addict and hypersexual who craves influential power to make others do what she wants...with consent. And then you have me, Personality #1, aka the daughter, the sixteen-year-old lab experiment who has no sense of reality, aka derealization disorder, born without a mother...I'm a surrogate baby. Permanent ink and piercings all over my body...because I'm a pussy who's too scared to actually bring a blade to my body.

"Sorry," I apologize to the cameraman, who waves me off in understanding? I don't know. All I know is he waved it off.

It's way too dumb, yeah

"Welcome to our crib," Travis pulls his blood rich-red Dodge Charger into the driveway of our home next to our dad's parked dark gray Dodge Charger.

"We don't really live here because we would never tell random people where we live and how to get to our home as if people don't know how to find landmarks," I sarcastically smile into the camera. "Also, did I mention I am not PG-friendly? Like, I swear like a sailor, I smoke weed pens almost everywhere, and I got my fashion sense from this one grunge hentai series character...meaning my clothes aren't appropriate for my age. So, to the editors of this documentary, I'm sorry for all the censoring you are about to be doing."

"Your parts of the documentary are uncensored and unfiltered," the cameraman speaks up for the first time.

"You can talk?" I look at him with wide eyes in shock. "Like deadass, since you've been in the car, you have not spoken. Are you allowed to?"

"No," he shakes his head.

"Jeff Bezos, don't fire him, he's wonderful at his job," I look into the camera until I remember something. "So what? y'all are just taking raw cuts from me...?" A smirk appears on my lips. "I feel so bad for y'all. Y'all are going to regret this."

"Get the fuck out of my car," Travis unprovokingly pushes me, causing me to almost hit my head on the window.

"Only pussies push little girls," I shove him back, turning around to get out of the car.

"Go cry to your mom, bitch."

"Why would you say that to me?" My tone lowers, with a pout on my lip. "You know I don't have a mom. Why are you being momist to me?"

"I don't have a mother either," Travis stops walking to look at me. Just imagine two people standing outside, just staring at each other, making no movement or blinking whatsoever. Then imagine from a distance of five steps is a man in all black recording while he's probably wondering what the fuck is wrong with us.

"Damn, so you never had titty milk?"

"Nah, I have. I got hoes for that," Travis bursts out in laughter, causing me to laugh too until I realize what he said.

"You fucking pregnant bitches?" I tilt my head. Let me tell you, Mr. Cameraman could not keep his composure and choked on his laughter. I should really get his name, but Mr. Cameraman sounds cool, lowkey.

"Yoo, what the fuck are y'all doing outside?!" A loud, belligerent voice enters the air, causing us to look at the source.

"That's my father, he was a pornstar!" I smile at the camera. "He's retired though...sorry ladies or guys if you're a cuckold. I don't discriminate. "Dad, tell them about your couch audition experience!"

"Shut the fuck up, Siren, and get next door!" The Italian ex-pornstar now porn film writer shouts at me, pointing to the next house over, the O'Connells' home. Aka my boo's house.

"He loves me, I promise," I turn back to the camera. "Dad, you have to be nice to me or they're going to think you don't love me." I walk over to my father and give him a hug, like I always do when I see him. I'm a daddy's girl. And a mommy's girl if you know what I mean...wink wink.

"Because I don't," He retorts in a serious tone. In his defense, his joking tone is serious; you just gotta know the vibe to know he's joking. "You're a pain in the ass sometimes," He brushes down my straight hair with his left hand.

"You love it." I smiled. Sometimes I just like being embraced by my Dad. It's comforting, especially after an episode.

"Okay, come on, the reps and management are next door," my dad turns us in the direction of my second family home with Mr. Cameraman following. See, my father and brother would knock and just wait for someone to answer...Me? I just walk in and make my presence known so I don't walk in on Mama Maggie and Papa Patrick doing the "tango" again.

"I'm home!" I take off my outside shoes and slip on my Pokémon slippers. Outside shoes inside the house are just one of my pet peeves, which is weird since outside clothes on the bed aren't, unless you were fucking active outside and now you're dirty, sweaty, and smell like expired milk. Or if you were sitting on a bus or train.

"They're in Finneas's room waiting for you," Maggie walks out of the kitchen, giving me a hug. I might've not had a traditional mom, but I always had a mom and her name is Maggie Baird, or Casting Director #2 if you're nasty...cause you know...she was on F.R.I.E.N.D.S....as casting director #2.

"First, sign the deal," my father holds out a short stack of papers towards me along with a pen. "You're done being difficult. Negotiation is done, and everything you unrealistically wanted you got. All you have to do is sign."

"100% creative control over music?"

"And your image."

"Will I get to be with Billie?"

"We're prepared to work in a duo formation," Maggie chimes in, still having her arms around me. "You guys will do individual and group interviews, performances and tour together.."

"Travis gets to be my manager?" From what I was told, if you don't have a manager then the label will give you one, but like why the fuck would I trust them to get me a manager, aka a stranger I don't even know? Like, do you even love your mama? But this was a separate deal I had with my dad. I wanted my brother so I can have someone I trust and know will look after me. Plus, besides my dad, Travis is the only one who really knows how to deal with my disorders to the full extent, and that means from feeling low to feeling explosive. But just between you and me, it's also because Travis is my smoking buddy ... .Because he buys...Free weed pens just hits better.

"Trial run..." My dad signs from previous conversations. It's just him being paranoid that there will be a time where Travis won't know what to do if Personality #2's IED episodes are to happen. For my dad, I'm guessing it's like raising four kids and having three daughters, so he had to learn how to approach and parent each of my personalities since we all have equal time being at the surface. So with me, Personality #1, my dad is laid back and chill. With Personality #2, he's more militant, which was kind of easy for him since he used to be a brat tamer. Personality #3 brings out more of his protective side. "But you need to know this isn't a baseball game; there's no missing until strike out. This is serious and can turn dangerous quickly."

"We know," me and Travis say in sync.

"Signing bonus?" I went back to my list of demands I was jokingly asking for, but they in fact took it seriously...but they don't need to know that.

"3.5 million."

"I thought I asked for 5?" I pouted.

"You're a flight risk," Travis speaks up, remembering what was talked about at the last negotiation meeting. "They want to know if your existence in the music industry is a wave or if you're a permanent figure. Which means you have to be consistent."

"Ugh, I hate consistency," I rolled my eyes.

~~~

“I wish everyone could have watched your part of the documentary,” Billie comments. “When the documentary came out and everyone watched it as a viewer, it was like this heartfelt ‘get to know Billie Eilish the teenager and singer’ movie. But I just hate how they cut your part out, so it made it seem like I was going through this new stage of my life and depression by myself with no help. And that’s not how it was. With the person who shall not be named, depression, feeling like I have no friends, you were there for it all and did things to make me feel better. I love the film, but I just hate that you don’t get enough credit because during our last years of being teenagers, you were dealing with making your own music even though you didn’t want to make music, touring, and dealing with my problems.”

“Filming and doing the documentary was weird, but I felt like that could’ve been the place where everyone got to know me and my other personalities. But watching the documentary and seeing not even one of my scenes was mind-blowing because it’s like, what the fuck have I been doing for the past two to three years then? Why force me to film some dark shit but not show it or at least tell me when it wasn’t making the final cut and this was now a Billie Eilish film.”

“Yeah, that was weird,” Billie agrees.

“She didn’t even get paid for it,” Travis spoke up.

“Wait! What?” Billie sat up from her position, looking back and forth between Siren and Travis with eyes that read shock. “You didn’t get paid for doing the film?”

“Nope!” She pops the ‘p.’ “They were like, since it didn’t make the final cut, there’s no need to pay me.”

“That’s so not okay.”

“It’s whatever,” Siren shrugged. “But I have the film, so I might upload it one day.”

“You should,” Billie nods her head in strong agreement.

“Well, that’s all we have for today’s video,” Siren turns to the camera.

“Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe,” Billie smiles.

“And we’ll see you next week.”

| welcome to the book I write & edit when high | 

𝓡𝓘𝓟 𝓐𝓝𝓖𝓤𝓢 𝓒𝓛𝓞𝓤𝓓 

July 10, 1998 - July 31, 2023 

𝑒𝓊𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒶: 𝓌𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓎 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓉 𝒶𝓉 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉. 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒹𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝐹𝑒𝓏. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑜 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒿𝓊𝓂𝓅, 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓈𝓉, 𝑜𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃.

[zaurae]

𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔 ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

First off, giving up an old bad habit is difficult, that I know; however, it is not impossible. I've had a lot of difficulties in my life where I repeated the same habit over and over again and I thought for me I would never overcome them. But you know what changed? trying. I tried my best every day and even if I failed, I slowly accepted that I am not perfect and I am only human. That is who we are, and that is why Allah the Almighty is so merciful, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala himself knows we humans will slip up and fall. But listen, it's not impossible and as annoying as it is, as long as you keep trying, keep having that good intentions of becoming better and to do better; trust me those habits will be history.

Whenever we do something for the sake of our lord, everything works out, everything clicks together. These habits you have won't be vanished for one day of course, or a week, it's a process--a journey that we all need to accept. Think of it as a fitness journey, you won't get fit in one day. These things take time and after feeling so negative about myself I realized as long as you try, asking Allah for help, and doing the most you can--it is possible.

I hope these tips do help you, and everyone is different as everyone has different struggles and bad habits. These will either help you or guide you to overcome those habits in your own way. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it easy for us.

⤑ 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑶𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛

I have seen a video of someone asking a scholar why do I still commit these bad deeds/habits if I am performing my five daily prayers? and the answer to this was the quality of your namaz. Do you rush into prayer, are you zoning out, are you not on time for namaz, and etc.

There is of course a lot to this but the quality of your namaz and how much time you spend with our lord does affect our hearts.

One of many ways to re-connect with our lord to become better with our daily prayers are:

Performing your prayers on time (I understand how our laziness could get in the way or how we are so into whatever we were doing before and cannot detach ourselves from this but, a quote I read and did help me at times like this was "Put your time and effort to Allah, and Allah will put his time and effort to you too.")

Recite a dua/surah after your namaz (Ayetel kursi, a repentance dua, La ilaha illallah, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul hamdu, yuhyi wa yumitu, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir, and etc.)

Perform your wudhu 15-10 minutes earlier (Let me tell you when I did this it was so effective. When you perform wudhu earlier, you are in a clear-minded state and are purified. Along with you being on time for namaz, this additionally helps you become more focused during namaz)

Perform Dhikr (Subhanallah, Alhamdullilah, Astaghfirullah, La illaha illallah, Allahu Akbar)

Learn the meaning of what you are reciting (When you learn and understand the meaning of the surah/dua's you are reciting, being focused becomes easier and the connection becomes stronger)

⤑ 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

Create distractions for yourself to not commit those deeds/habits!

Do what you love and enjoy (Go back to those hobbies you used to enjoy! or hang out with your friends and family.)

Educate yourself (Look up interesting things; Learn something new; Watch an islamic podcast)

Get to work (If you have any outstanding work or homework, get straight to it.)

Learn a new surah (Let's say you REALLY have nothing else to do, then what better way to spend that time in something worthy--learning a surah!)

Go outside and enjoy nature!

⤑ 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑯𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔

Along with giving up those bad habits, create new good habits to incorporate in your day-to-day life!

Each day, add something in your routine--even if its small! For instance, get back to that skin care routine you were so lazy to do; or go on that walk you kept saying later to; or even folding your clothes and organizing your closet. Each time you add a good habit to do, you become distracted to those bad habits, have less time do commit them, and on the long run you are creating habits for a better difference!

With this in mind, please do not do everything at once. To prevent a negative on-going cycle, just like that book "Atomic Habits" said, that "If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up with 37 times better by the time you're done."

A habit to always include and progress even more is repentance! Recite and repeat Astaghfirullah; Ya Gaffar and Ya Gafoor; as well as the repentance surah's! Before doing anything, always say Bismillah and whether you're doing chores or scrolling on your phone, always say Astaghfirullah. This helps you be more aware of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala!

And lastly, remember you can do it!

: ̗̀➛ Allahumma musarrifal-qulubi, sarrif qulubana 'ala ta'atika

O Allah! Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience.

[mariacallous]

Who is this speaking with a sneer on their lips and contempt in their voice before news of the Princess of Wales’s cancer broke? A monarchist or a republican?

“Kate's admission that she had doctored the photograph, and her apology for doing so, were the latest self-inflicted wound by the House of Windsor, for which trust and integrity are fundamental commodities.”

Those who do not know the UK might assume it is a revolutionary who wants to undermine trust in the integrity of the monarchy because they want it gone

Republican sentiment in the UK is indeed stronger than tourists like to imagine and the BBC likes to admit.

Irish nationalists and Brits of Irish descent are wary of the crown. Just 45 per cent of Scots want to keep the royals “for the foreseeable future”, with 36 per cent ready to get rid of them ASAP. Meanwhile, the constitutional pressure group Republic reports that for the first time a plurality of people under 45 favour abolishing the monarchy.

But however greatly they have grown in number, British republicans have little vim and less vigour. They (we if I am levelling with you) don’t care enough about the monarchy to abolish it, or most of us don’t. It’s not a political priority or a practical project.

Republicanism last grew in the UK in the 1990s after the marriage of Prince Charles (as he then was) to Princess Diana fell apart. Jack Straw and other Labour politicians of the day were Republicans in theory.

But in practice they imagined cancelling all their other political plans so they could focus on dethroning the Queen and recoiled at the prospect.

Even if a majority of the country favoured a republic (which it never has), an embittered monarchist minority would never forgive the government. And as the government became unpopular, as all governments do, the minority would become a majority and demand a restoration.

No way would serious Labour politicians waste their time. Nor would serious Scottish nationalist politicians who made the same calculations.

British republicanism died for the very British reason that it was too much trouble.

If you want to find creepy obsessions, and bullying, hectoring sadism, turn to the UK’s monarchists.

The quote I began with was not from some obscure Republican website, but from the Daily Mail, Britain's best selling newspaper and most-read news site. It is a monarchist institution, at least it says it is.

And if you think I am being a snotty intellectual sneering at the tabloids, the BBC was just as bad. The line between snob and mob in the UK is always thin and often invisible.

The BBC has a podcast dedicated to PR called “When it hits the fan”! In its latest episode it berates the royal family for making “big mistakes” in not explaining why Prince William missed the memorial service for his godfather, and compounding the sin by allowing his wife to be photographed without a wedding ring.  ( I know, the horror.)

The princess has now been forced by the pressure from those who claim to adore her to admit that she had a cancer diagnosis and now needs chemotherapy. She didn’t want to talk about it at first because, frankly, her health ought to be no one else’s business.

Given what we know, it seems at least possible, don’t you think, that her husband missed engagements because he was concerned about his wife

After leaving the hospital, she put out a picture of herself and her children she had edited to make her kids look good. She is not the first mother to have done this, and in any case her illness may have distracted her,

Now that they have forced her to talk about her chemotherapy, the ferrets are reversing and everyone who had hectored the royal family is sobbing and sighing.

To my mind, and I suspect to the minds of many other​s, they are displaying the sickest side of British monarchism.

Imagine a criminal who beats you up in the street. He kicks you when you are down, humiliates and destroys you. And just when you think he’s finished with you, he bends over and says with a sweet smile “how brave you are and how courageous. We are all so terribly proud of you.”

There is a limit to how much of this treatment modern members of the royal family will take.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have fled to America, and are hated for it. I accept that a part of that hatred is racist. A larger part is a modern version of British anti-Americanism. The self-aggrandising virtue signalling of the progressive American rich grates with many in the UK. It’s too egotistical; too “let’s talk about me” for traditional British people to tolerate​.

But the main reason why conservatives in general and the conservative press in particular hate them is that they have opted out. They don’t share royal duties. Instead of taking abuse, they call their lawyers. They just won’t play the game anymore.

In truth there are not many who will. The old queen stayed on the throne too long. King Charles was too old for the job when he was finally crowned, and now he is ill with cancer, as is the Princess of Wales. Meghan and |Harry have fled, and Prince William is pretty much on his own to do the royal duties of a monarchy whose supporters demand that it conducts itself on a grand scale.

I look at his children and wonder if they will put themselves through it or run like their Uncle Harry. You should not blame them if they do.

It’s people who claim to worship the royals who will drive them away or drive them mad.

Republicans will never kill the monarchy. Royalists just might.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Markos Moulitsas (kos) at Daily Kos:

In the wake of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s exit from his failed independent bid for president, Republicans were giddy at his endorsement, and that (re)endorsement of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard a few days later. In their minds, it was but the beginning of a flood of Democratic defections to Donald Trump. That never happened. But Republicans sure are defecting to the Democratic ticket!  It’s hard to understate just how excited conservatives were. 

"We now have a trio of Power Rangers who can swoop right into the middle of the rival party and convince traditional Democrats that it's OK to leave a party that left them,” a senior Trump adviser told conservative outlet Just the News, founded by former Washington Examiner editor John Solomon, back on Aug. 24. The quote was so ridiculous, that this “senior Trump adviser” was too embarrassed to put his name on it. The third “Power Ranger” is Elon Musk, who is an independent.  "I think that the Trump people should package Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy Jr, together, and they would—as joint former Democrat witnesses about the corruption of the system—be devastating,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast, apparently with a straight face. 

“[I]t shows you that today's Democratic Party is leaving these people behind. Today's Democratic Party is so radical, so dangerous, so progressive, that there are millions of Democrats who are leaving that party every day," said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley to Just the News. "We're seeing thousands of them that are coming our way.”  Yeah, no they’re not. In fact, their endorsements only serve to remind voters of how weird and creepy Republicans are.  Kennedy was funded by right-wing donors in order to take votes from the Democratic ticket, and was so batshit crazy that he repelled weirded-out Democrats and ended up taking votes from the Republican ticket. He would’ve stayed in if any Democrats were actually interested in what he was selling. 

[...] Musk, long lost to the fever swamps of the right, isn’t attracting any Democrats anytime soon. On Sunday, Musk tweeted “interesting observation” at an incel posting that women and “low T men” shouldn’t be allowed to vote. “Only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people (hey autists!) are actually free to parse new information with an objective ‘is this true?’ filter,” the weirdo wrote. “This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making. Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.”  Not really the sort of thing any campaign should be associating with, even if this is the sort of material Sen. JD Vance might embrace. Gabbard hasn’t damaged Trump by association this past week simply because she hasn’t said anything publicly. She’s supposedly helping Trump with debate prep, playing the role of Vice President Kamala Harris. But nothing in her history suggests she’ll attract traditional Democrats. She lost the plot a long time ago. 

Kamala Harris has oodles of GOP endorsements, such as Adam Kinzinger. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has very few Democrats endorsing him.

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Nova’s Notes - Dracula Daily - May 25 + 26

The Suitor Squad speaks!!! Ahhh love them <3

Checking in with my favorite wet cat man, Seward is….not doing too well. Let’s listen to his podcast, shall we?

“Ebb tide in appetite to-day. Cannot eat, cannot rest, so diary instead. Since my rebuff of yesterday I have a sort of empty feeling; nothing in the world seems of sufficient importance to be worth the doing…”

Awwww John :(((( to quote Zuko, “That’s rough, buddy.”

Notice how he speaks here. Of course, beside the obvious abruptness and the fall in his appetite today, he also uses the word “rebuff” to describe Lucy’s rejection. Not to Merriam-Webster you, but I wanted to give a quick definition of rebuff because it actually surprised me when I read it:

“an abrupt or ungracious refusal or rejection of an offer, request, or friendly gesture.”

As expected, John is taking this pretty hard because to call Lucy’s rejection of him “abrupt” or “ungracious” is just…untrue? To be fair, we only had Lucy’s side of the story, but that just doesn’t sound like Lucy. I mean, she literally *cried* at the thought of causing him pain!! I’m not trying to police his words here — obviously, it’s his mental breakdown diary and he gets to choose the language — but it does show that he’s not taking this half so well as Quincey (probably) is, and Lucy totally read the vibes right when she worried about him walking away from this broken-hearted. Bro is in the trenches here.

Soooooo he turns to his work at the asylum for help. He really needs to get some better coping mechanisms, but at least we get to meet Renfield!

“In my manner of doing it there was, I now see, something of cruelty. I seemed to wish to keep him to the point of his madness—a thing which I avoid with the patients as I would the mouth of hell. [paragraph break] (Mem., under what circumstances would I not avoid the pit of hell?) Omnia Romæ venalia sunt. Hell has its price! verb. sap”

One thing I love about Dracula is that all of these characters have their own little quirks when talking. Stoker does a fairly good job of giving each character a unique “voice”, which I appreciate. Jonathan writes in a fairly meticulous way with long paragraphs of describing landscapes (plus, “lizard fashion”, of course). Mina writes in much the same way, but different. She seems to break into a more playful style of writing, as you can see with her “???” and “two-pages-to-the-week-with-Sunday-squeezed-in-a-corner-diaries”. Lucy, of course, probably has the most unique voice so far because her letters seem to be written impulsively. In one sentence, she laments how miserable Seward and Quincey are and in the next she celebrates how perfectly happy she is. It’s an active and emotional stream of consciousness we get to see unfold in her letters and — I’ll bet — in the way she talks.

Seward is a new voice and he already is showing a few quirks here. It’s interesting to see how this voice changes since we know he’s actually *speaking* these words, not just writing them down. Unethical behavior with Renfield aside (stop baiting the patients Seward!!!!), notice how he makes a mem. for a rhetorical question.

I find this fascinating because Jonathan does this mem., or memorandum, when he wants to remember something — such as recipes for Mina. But Seward does it when he wants to self-depreciate his own phrasing. Unless, he’s seriously asking the question to remember for later, which he might honestly be due to his next sentences (and in that case, oooooh buddy you’re going to be regretting asking that in a few months). He hits us with a Latin phrase which translates to (from what I could find), “All Rome is for sale” and then ANOTHER ONE which means “a word to the wise” or “enough said”.

What can we garner from this? Other than liking Latin, John likes self-deprecation and also philosophical thoughts about hell, or at least the metaphor of it — and that’s what he wants to save for later. Very interesting!!!

Describing Renfield (who’s 59, huh), I like how he touches on selfish vs. unselfish influences and how that affects humans. I find it interesting that, contrary to popular belief, being unselfish is what Seward would consider to be more dangerous — though it makes sense from his logic.

A selfish person would keep themselves close and be cautious about putting themselves in too much danger. After all, your life is not worth much if you put it at risk and that’s even more true in an asylum. Using “armor” and a “centripetal force” with self as the “fixed point” as metaphors for this kind of behavior is fascinating.

Meanwhile, someone “unselfish” or to put it a different way, acting under the influence of someone else for some unnamed reason (duty, love, etc.) will likely stop at nothing to achieve that goal once they’re put on it. It’s also dangerous to another person because they might not know what that goal is — and might end up being collateral damage as a result. Seward is keen to find out what Renfield’s reasoning is because he doesn’t want to be that collateral damage (and because he’s a curious, semi-unethical doctor buutttt). I like how he adds that only a series of accidents can balance this kind of centripetal force. Thanks for the metaphorical science lessons, Seward!

On to Quincey, my beloved. <333 His letter is to Arthur!

“We've told yarns by the camp-fire in the prairies; and dressed one another's wounds after trying a landing at the Marquesas; and drunk healths on the shore of Titicaca.”

So from the opening lines, we can gather that Quincey and Arthur (and yes, Seward too) have been globetrotting together! Because Titicaca is in South America and the Marquesas happens to be a collective of islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Quincey later refers to Seward as their “old pal at the Korea” which *could* mean Korea the country, or as this forum comment section speculates, could also mean the Korea Strait.

It’s super sweet that while Quincey and John want to drown their sorrows in wine, Quincey doesn’t hesitate to invite Arthur to celebrate his engagement to the love of his life as well as theirs oof!

It does seem like Quincey didn’t know before that Arthur was the one Lucy was in love with, because he seemed to speak vaguely to Lucy that he “must be a good fellow if you loved him” and “he’ll have to deal with me if he doesn’t know his happiness”. But, to me, it seems a little too much like what you would say to your friend if you didn’t know the other person. I’m getting a generic “he’ll date you if he knows what’s good for him” vibe.

My guess? Arthur probably wrote to Quincey saying “I’m engaged!!! To Lucy!!!” because they do all know each other and are friends, but maybe Arthur hadn’t wanted to share his feelings with the boy group just yet (he seems like a private person, since Lucy couldn’t get a read on his feelings) or wanted to keep it a surprise until he knew for sure his feelings were reciprocated. Of course, once Quincey received this letter, he put together that “ohhhh Art was my rival the whole time” and probably slapped his knee about the whole thing. It doesn’t stop him from inviting him to the next gathering, though!

The other theory I have is that all three of them knew they loved Lucy and each amicably agreed to still be friends, no matter who she chose (if she chose any of them). It would definitely make sense since Quincey talks about him and Seward “mingling their weeps” as if Arthur would know what he means by that. Additionally, it would make sense, since they all know each other pretty well and likely would know if they all were in love with the same woman, right? That could be why Seward and Quincey were so quick to ask if there was someone else — I mean, yes, that’s always the obvious ask when your proposal fails — but this could add another layer of meaning to their asking.

As for Quincey’s generic approach, that could be explained by him not knowing whether it was Seward or Arthur that Lucy loved (or, perhaps, an unknown third person) and he didn’t want to ask Lucy who it was in that moment, figuring he would find out later if it was indeed one of his friends.

No matter the theory, this letter says a lot about Quincey’s character! He’s obviously a good and honest man for not hesitating to invite his friend to the gathering, even when that friend is engaged to the woman he’s in love with as well. There’s not a lot more to be said about this that hasn’t already been said — but yeah, Quincey is definitely in my top 3 favorite Dracula characters and this is part of why.

Finally, Art’s letter to Quincey!

“Count me in every time. I bear messages which will make both your ears tingle.”

As this is a telegram, he has to make this short and sweet. But make your ears tingle??? Art???? Lol, I’m presuming this is about the proposal or about some other hot gossip (if it’s explained later, I genuinely forgot — again, it’s been two years since I’ve read the book and I keep feeling more and more like a first time reader).

Either way, I hope this is the year we stop calling Arthur boring (if we haven’t already), because he already doesn’t sound boring from just this message and it’s in telegram format.

He sounds like a guy you’d like to party with. “Count me in every time”, “make your ears tingle”? Sounds like a party guy to me! And obviously, he had to be fun-loving and resourceful enough to Quincey if they’ve traveled the world together (and, maybe have seen combat? — not quite clear on that one).

I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on Arthur this read around. Since I was among the people that called him boring in 2022, I want to see if there’s more to him than meets the eye!

[realjrwiquotes]

welcome to daily real jrwi quotes!

i've wanted to run a gimmick blog for a while now, and while theres a lot of incorrect quote blogs, i haven't seen one dedicated to the batshit insane things they say on this hit dnd podcast show.

feel free to submit quotes!! - on or off anon - across all of their campaigns/one shots! (including patreon only, and pre-2021 campaigns) - please mention who the quote(s) is/are said by - the campaign name - episode title - if possible, a timestamp would be amazing. an image too, if you're feeling fun (these aren't required) - if you submit off anon, you will be credited unless otherwise specified

-if you are wanting to submit a quote from a rolled episode, please DM me instead.

if i make an error in terms of crediting correctly, or anything really please (kindly) let me know! (also, i won't be hyperlinking patreon only episodes, just ones available on youtube).

i'm using the queue function, and currently posts will go up 7:00am AEST/9:00pm UTC/3:00pm EST (I might adjust this later)

i hope you enjoy! :D

last updated 28/2/24

[jethroq]

I remember years ago on the Rooster Teeth Podcast they talked about their twice daily marketting emails to site members, and sid that yes, fans vomplain about it but that the metrics were that it increased their traffic etc.

but I think that misses the forest for the trees. this kind of practise acts to alienate core fans. art/fiction is not a product like a t-shirt. remember that one Prince single that broke sales records because you got a copy for free if you bought a newspaper? yeah it broke records, now can you name the song? can you hum the melody to it? quote lyrics from it?

[manasseh]

korean resources list (120524 edition)

I've scheduled quite a few Korean langblr vocab and grammar posts up until the end of May! Some are lifted straight from my own resources, most notably my book (서울대 한국어 6A) which I'm using as a study guide. The rest is personal notes, relevant media I found, explanations, examples, and writing/practice prompts.

First, here are some general resources! I'll continue to add on more to this post in the future.

My korean langblr posts: ● I/ 1. 기업에 필요한 인재 // The talent a company needs (vocab and grammar posts for passing a job interview) ● next: I/ 2. 공익과 사생활 // public vs private life

● audio/video: These don't offer translations for the most part, but are good for ~immersion~. x Naver's 오디오클�� [desktop] [playstore] - has daily news, radio, podcasts, some free audiobooks and more. It covers anything from regular news outlets to old womens' wellbeing advice. You may need to dig through a whole lot of world economy and financing though lol x EBS Documentaries [youtube channel] - videos about anything and everything, usually ranging from 10 minutes to half an hour ish. Since it often covers regular people in their home and work, you can find very natural language. Besides that there's a whole bunch of videos on history and important topics from both in Korea and all over the world. x Yeongji!!! [차린건 쥐뿔도 없지만 youtube channel] - this ended a while ago but the girl (a musician herself) gets drunk with famous people in her apartment kitchen. There's a ton of editions; Casual language, mostly fun and goodlooking people, dumb humour. Many are subbed in English too!

● reading: x Humans of Seoul [@'humans-of-seoul on tumblr] - like HONY, photographs with short personal anecdotes from the conversation. Mostly simple, natural language, and a translation to English! One thing I like especially for beginner learners, is that there's a couple posts for most of these people with quotes that can be understood on their own as well as together with the other parts. x A game I play has Korean localisation including voiceacting on a lot of quests. I try my best to actually read/listen and comprehend instead of skipping over. If like games, try downloading the Korean language patch or playing a Korean-made game!

● translation/dictionary: Please use these instead of google translate for Korean if you can!! x Papago [desktop] [playstore] and Naver Dictionary [desktop] [playstore] - (these link to eachother as well.) I'd recommend using Naver's Korean dictionary over the English-Korean one whenever you can for definitions and explanations. The English one besides also just being very good regardless, also has a very useful feature where it includes many examples - usually translated - including weverse (livestream) subtitles. Check it out!

feel free to comment or reblog or message me with recommendations.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, June 24

BUFFY: The meat layer is definitely people! It's people! It's people! Probably not the chickeny part. But who knows? Who! Knows!

~~Doublemeat Palace~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Slaying makes you hungry and horny, but fighting with you just wears me out (Buffy/Faith, G) by stuck_in_squahamish

My Sister's a Freak and Love is a Nightmare: Matinee Showings at the Magic Box Daily (Buffy/Faith, G) by stuck_in_squahamish

The More Things Change (Buffy/Faith, not rated) by killerqueen1985

Tear Us Down (Darla/Tara, T) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

No Good in It (Spike/Riley, E) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

Dust (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Rea

[Chaptered Fiction]

Boyfrenemy Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lady Emma

I Want All of You Tonight Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lady Emma

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

I Do! Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty

Spiked Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, adult only) by Maxine Eden

Bruises Chapter 28 (Buffy/Spike, adult only) by hulettwyo

It's Easy Time, Until It's Not Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, adult only) by hulettwyo

something so lonesome about you Chapter 2 (Jenny/Ethan, M) by silvain

[Images, Audio & Video]

Podcast:Pride, Prejudice and Buffy (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by lisalilly

Podcast:Episode 32 - Stop Child Labor at Sunnydale High! (I Only Have Eyes for You) by thesunnydalediaries

Art:it is pride month and i recently finished watching buffy for the first time by zestoflemon

[Fandom Discussions]

can i get ur lesbian reading on willow's crush on xander by lesbianmarrow

i’m so fascinated by how a main theme of btvs season 2 is the absolute devastating catastrophe of buffy losing her virginity by fiercestpurpose

Buffy Summers is a better person than me by duckwnoeyes

if btvs was a better written show... by buffyspeak

just got blown away by someone interpreting the “never be friends” quote as proof of bangel being A Real Ship by greensaplinggrace

Rewatch thoughts and questions continued by multiple posters

Buffy's intuition by jogaforacont

Was the finale made with the knowledge that the show was cancelled? by macXros

Which Character from the Buffyverse would you loved to have seen on Once more with Feeling? by AegeanAzure

Actor vs character by Guilty-Tie164

Beer Bad by Guilty-Tie164

Only Have Eyes / Lover's Walk Link by Pyrefly79

Harmony in Angel Season 5 vs Andrew in Season 7 by jdpm1991

What's your favorite "payback" Buffyverse moment? by PristineSituation498

They are so unclear about what makes Buffy special by pink-stories

Does Angel and Cordelia tells Connor how exactly when Connor was kidnapped by Commercial-Sink8444

The first vs jasmine by Haunted-space

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