#great american taxi

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: The High Hawks - “Temperature is Rising”

The High Hawks hold a mirror up to contemporary America - and don’t like what they see - on “Temperature is Rising.”

The third advance single from Mother Nature’s Show (Feb. 18) is thus a frustrated, slow-burning rock ‘n’ roll song that owes little to the supergroup’s roots (Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Great American Taxi and Hard Working Americans) as the vocals spill out through gritted teeth and over a tangle of electric guitars.

The temperature is rising/lie’s already spread/echoes all around us/taking what we want to be fed

Following “Diamond Sky” and “Somewhere South,” “Temperature is Rising” succeeds in critiquing modern trends with sincere concern and without sounding stilted or preachy. And the music is a perfect fit.

Grade card: The High Hawks - “Temperature is Rising” - B+

2/2/24

[mariocki]

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

"Miriam? He really... isn't here, is he? Just now, I thought I heard... sometimes at night, when I wake up, it seems as if he really is here. Don't turn on the light. It's not real when it's light. It's only real when it's dark - dark and still."

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"JUDGMENT RESERVED ON PAROLE BREAKER," North Bay Nugget. April 25, 1934. Page 16. --- Joseph Feeney, Awaiting Trial For Kidnapping, Faced New Charge ---- Joseph Feeney, Detroit, who with Nelse Paananen, Sudbury, is waiting trial here on a charge of kidnapping, has a long prison record.

This was revealed when Feeney was arraigned in police court Tues- day morning to answer to a charge of breaking parole. Magistrate Weegar reserved judgement.

Convicted on a charge of false pretenses at Belleville, April 12, 1933, Feeney was sentenced to 12 months definite and 12 months indefenite at the Burwash Industrial Farm. He was paroled March 27, 1934.

Failed To Report E. J. Etherington, Toronto, assistant parole officer for Ontario, told the court Tuesday that Feeney had reported to the board only once and that his parole had been cancelled last Friday. Feeney left a job on a farm in Rayside township, Sudbury district, though the agreement had been that he was not to make a change without first securing permission from the Parole Board.

Mr. Etherington read Feeney's record. It said: January 31, 1929, charged with uttering and publishing at Detroit; January 15, 1930, accused of breaking and entering at the same place. One week later he was sentenced to a term in Marquette Prison for breaking and entering at Highland Park, Michigan.

Habitual Criminal Feeney was received at the State House of Correction, Michigan, as a habitual criminal on April 21, 1930. Convicted of larcency, second degree felony, Feeney was sent to the State Reformatory in Michigan, May 4, 1931, to serve a term of two and a half to seven and half years.

Feeney and Paananen were committed for trial when brought before Magistrate Weegar Saturday morning last on a charge of kidnapping and robbing with violence Emile "Musty" Geroux, North Bay taxi driver, April 13.

[disneyprincemuke]

you’re embarrassing me * ls2

it's never fun feeling like an outsider, so you'd sworn that nobody would ever feel the way you did all those years ago

pairings: logan sargeant x platonic fem!driver

notes: inthaf logan and femdriver live in my mind rent free like i love them and they are absolute best friends, your honour!!!

i might be at work today but you can’t stop me from thinking of logan hunter sargeant

| "wanna hang out?" | driver's parade | american burgers | american football | the thanksgiving incident | another williams adoptee | beating the heat | you’re embarrassing me | santa baby | the favourite driver | the situationship | it's nice to have a friend |

“happy birthday!” logan smiles, extending his arm to you. “sorry i’m late — i had to get benny to wrap your present.”

you look up from your spot at the other end of the table. you smile, putting your phone down. “oh, i was just about to ask you where you were. thanks for even bothering to get me something!”

you hop up from your position and push yourself through the rows of seats that are strewn lazily. “thank you.”

“of course,” logan smiles, wrapping his arms around you. he presses a kiss to your “happy birthday again. thanks for inviting me to dinner.”

“it wouldn’t be complete with you,” you giggle, pulling away.

it wasn’t until you turned back around to the table that you noticed that your friends were staring at you. alex’s jaw is dropped and george looks absolutely gutted. in the corner, lily and carmen are giggling to themselves while lando had his camera up and pointed at you.

“what?” you ask, scoffing slightly at the camera flash that goes off.

alex’s arm comes out to grab george’s shoulder. “she hugged him.”

you raise an eyebrow. “yeah, so?”

“you never let us hug you,” george says slowly, eyebrows furrowed in frustration at you being oblivious. “you damn near killed me the last time i tried to hug you!”

“yeah?” you hum, grabbing logan’s wrist to drag him along with you. “you sit with me.”

“what?” alex scoffs. “i’m sitting next to you.”

“not anymore. i’ve got a new favourite williams driver,” you beam, shaking his seat to get him off the chair. “and anyway, i already told you logan’s sitting next to me. you’d have bullied him all night if i don’t stop you.”

“and i told you first come first serve!”

“who’s the birthday girl? me or you?” you drop logan’s arm and put your hands on your hips. “who?”

alex starts to act flustered, slumping his shoulder and grabbing his cheeks with a smile. “you’re saying i can be birthday girl today? you serious?”

“ah, piss off!” you groan, shaking his seat again. when the thai doesn’t budge, you look over his head. “lily! alex is being an ass again.”

“alex.”

“yeah, okay. fine,” alex sighs in defeat, pushing himself off the seat. he turns to you. “you get a pass today because it’s your birthday. this won’t happen again, bro.”

logan giggles as he takes the seat previously occupied by his teammate. “what dish did you get? do you have a birthday cake?”

“no, we were waiting for you, silly!” you laugh and pick up the menu from the table and lean into him. “we also just arrived not too long ago. because somebody-“

“hey! it’s not my fault the uber cancelled on us!” george screams from your other side, reaching forward to hit you on the shoulder. “it’s not my fault!”

“it is,” alex sighs, shaking his head. he looks at logan. “this idiot forgot to tell us he booked a taxi — i was fresh out of the damn shower!”

“no, it was her fault!” george fights back, pointing at you.

at that point of the argument, you’d already drowned them out while you looked at the menu for something to order. you simply look up and press your lips together. “are we ordering cake?”

“absolutely! it’s a birthday, duh?” alex scoffs. “anyway, let’s take a picture so you can post it on your instagram about how great friends we were to you.”

you stare at alex. “sure. if you say so.”

you turn as lando gets up to ask someone to take a picture. “wait, your hair is messy,” you grumble, instinctively reaching out to fix logan’s hair. “how benny let you leave looking like this, i’ll never know.”

“what?” you hear logan mutter, pulling his head back slightly. “i did my hair. you don’t like it?”

“what?” you go up an octave as you try to laugh it off, retracting your hands. “no, it looks good.”

“but you said-“

“oh, look! lando’s found someone to take a picture,” you point over at the man holding lando’s camera. you dust off logan’s shirt and straighten it slightly. “look good — i’m announcing to the public that i’ve adopted you as my grid kid.”

“he’s turning 23 this year, you know that, right?”

“shut up, alex.”

[woman1festo]

big info post about the Maryland mall shooting and the shooter, Darion Aguilar.

( i have compiled this post in my notes from all different news articles, sources and google searches. it wasn't too easy to find much, but i hope this is enough insight/info.)

Darion Aguilar was a 19 year old, as described by his mother as a as 'a gentle, sweet kid' who has never been interested in guns.

'If you were to go in his room you would see what a gentle sweet kid he was,' she said, adding that he was a vegetarian because he was concerned about animal welfare.

He was also described as a "good kid" who "is quiet, kept to himself. Nice, normal, calm demeanor."

That was until January 25, 2014. He took a taxi around 10:15am, then he had entered the The Mall in Columbia where he was dropped off.

He went downstairs to a food court directly below the store, authorities say surveillance tapes show him sitting and walking around for nearly an hour. this may have been due to the fact that he was obsessed with the Columbine shooting. it's suspected that he waited until the time of the shooting had lined up to the original one in 1999.

(Investigators found thousands of searches on Aguilar's computer related to mass murder, school shootings, guns and explosives.

He also looked up websites for people with mental health problems, and he told a doctor he was hearing voices in the months before the shooting.)

Reports have said that Aguilar took a picture of himself inside the dressing room at Zumiez in the minutes leading up to the shooting and posted the photo to tumblr with a caption reading,

"I had to do this. Today is the day. On previous days I tried this I woke up with anxiety, regret and hope for a better future this day I didn't, I woke up felt no emotions no empathy no sympathy. I will have freedom or maybe not. I could care less."

It was said in mentioned selfie that some of way he is dressed, wearing a white t-shirt, boots and cargo pants with his shotgun in a sling around him, is reminiscent of one of the Columbine killers.

Police say he bought a shotgun last month – a 12-gauge Mossberg – and kept it hidden as a taxi cab dropped him off at the mall. before exiting the dressing room, Aguilar dumped his backpack out, changed his clothes and assembled the gun.

As soon as Aguilar stepped out, he raised his gun, took a few steps, aimed at his first victim, Brainna Belolo (21), and fired, killing her instantly.

He continued on to aim at his next victim, Tyler Johnson (25) , who was said to be near the front of the store, hitting him multiple times. he also died instantly.

Aguilar then stepped out of the store and fired two shots across the mall on the upper railing. One struck a railing while the other struck a woman in the heel. He then turned towards the food court, fired one shot and struck a wall right outside the Great American Cookie store, very narrowly missing more victims.

Next Aguilar turned back to Zumiez and fired through the glass at a mannequin before re-entering Zumiez, sticking the shotgun in his mouth and shooting, killing him instantly.

A total of nine shots were fired by Aguilar, out of the 54 rounds of ammunition he brought with him. The backpack he had with him contained homemade explosives, most likely made with fireworks, but were not powerful enough to cause major structural damage, police said.

"(Aguilar) was just silent. Focused. There was no sort of expression or emotion," an eyewitness recalled.

Despite officers arrived less than two minutes after the first 911 call, they entered to find Aguilar dead.

Desperately searching for a motive, police discovered his journal, which was about 20 handwritten loose-leaf pages in roughly chronological order. In a portion police released, Aguilar makes an angry, expletive-laced statement in which he anticipates the killings in "a couple of hours."

"I'm going to [fucking] kill you all in a couple hours I'm anxious, I hate you all so much you are pathetic pieces of [shit] who deserve to die. Worthless you all are [fucking] worthless. Everything seems fake. I think that I may already be dead," one journal entry read.

He apologized to his family for what he was about to do, that he wrote he was ready to die, that he wanted to die and hated others. He never mentioned to his family that he needed any help for his mental illness. While he talks about killing people, he never gave any specific targets.

Sources say it also shows a hatred of certain groups and a general unhappiness with life. 

[whyeverr]

👀

Frankly shocked we are getting another EP this quarter (and obviously quite worried what that means for present and future bugs 🤦🏼‍♀️) but a Hot Date pack? I’m intrigued…

Wishlist (in no particular order):

Vibrating heart bed (for real this time)

Heart-shaped hot tub

New (and/or refreshed) romantic interactions

Astrology / romantic compatibility

Dating apps

Blind dates

A more robust system for non-romantic hookups than “woohoo partners” — one-night stands without a cheesy first kiss would be a great start

Polyamory support beyond the Player reward trait???

Another non-American / Eurocentric world? 🤞🏻

I would also love for this of all packs to somehow herald the return of cars with a taxi / rideshare system (Hot Date!) and maybe a lover’s lane car makeout / woohoo location but I know that’s a pipe dream. 😆

[itsphoenix0724]

Dancing With Shadows (Azriel x Reader)~Chapter 2

Warnings: SMUT, shower sex, oral (fem receiving)

Word Count: 2.1k

Series Masterlist

A/N: This is entirely self-indulgent, I can't even help myself

Azriel always loved plane rides, the feeling of soaring above the earth was exhilarating. He thinks back to a funny dream he had as a kid, you had cracked up when he told you about his childhood delusions of having bat wings and flying through freezing mountain ranges. The memory of the golden sound of your laughter warms something deep in his soul. As much as he loves planes, Az is more than ready to get off this one because he knows what’s waiting for him at your apartment. You had tried to insist on picking him up from the airport, but his flight was getting in at 4 am your time so he opted to take his time getting his bag and stop for a shitty airport breakfast. After spending a mind-boggling five minutes contemplating the sheer size of an American large fountain drink and collecting his bag he calls a cab at a respectable 6:30. It’s a half an hour's drive from the airport to your apartment and he and the taxi driver chat about why he’s in the city. 

“Ya know, there’s a pretty good bakery about 15 minutes away from your girl’s apartment. I could drop you there instead, and you could walk the rest of the way.” He raises an eyebrow at Azriel who can practically see your face light up at the sight of doughnuts in his mind. 

“That would be great thanks.” Az nods, and the driver lets him out of the cab a few minutes later. He tips him handsomely before shutting the door and walking into the bakery. It’s a quaint shop with a pink sign reading “Alis’s” in cursive letters hanging in the window. Azriel thinks you might’ve mentioned this place a couple of times. He smiles at the old lady who bags his pastries and blushes at his accent. He also does his best to ignore the way she sends a pitying glance at his hands. You know about his hands, obviously, and hadn’t shown him an ounce of pity. Support but never pity. It was just one of the many things he loved about you. 

God–love. 

The word rocks through him like a tidal wave. He’s known for a while, he hasn’t said it to you yet, but with finally having you in person he doesn’t think he can hold back any longer. Plugging your address into the GPS on his phone he starts the walk to your apartment. He thanks whoever may be looking down on him when he passes a flower stand and buys the biggest bouquet of roses the merchant has to offer. 

Eventually, he reaches your front door. 

He wasn’t nervous at all until this moment, hands suddenly sweating around the flower stems and a bag of doughnuts. Dropping his duffle on the ground he gathers all his courage and knocks on your front door. It gets thrown open faster than he can knock a second time and he has you in his arms before he can blink.   

Azriel might think it’s weird that the first thing he notices about you is how good you smell, like clean laundry and chamomile tea, but he’s too focused on the feeling of you in his arms to care. You’re actually real, actually here in front of him. It feels odd to see you in person instead of on his phone screen. He maps each little detail of your face that’s been hidden from him over cameras.  

“You’re beautiful,” it’s the only thing he can seem to get out of his mouth at the moment and he delights in the way pink floods your cheeks. “Hi.” 

“Hi,” comes your sheepish reply, a star-splitting smile stretching across your cheeks. You thank him for the flowers, dashing off somewhere to find a vase. He’s wracked through with an odd sensation looking at the things he knows. He’s seen your apartment multiple times before, he knows almost every intimate detail. He knows the shelves of your bookshelf are organized based on genre, starting with your favorites. He knows which room is your bedroom, your bathroom, your office, and what is in your snack cabinet. Az thinks he could probably navigate this apartment with a blindfold tied around his eyes. 

He’s just never been here before. 

Then he’s wracked with new things. The intimate details that he’s craved so desperately since knowing you. Like what your candles smell like, the rumpled blankets on the couch, and the slippers you haphazardly kicked under the coffee table. This is the first time he’s set foot in your apartment but he feels like he’s home. 

Azriel toes off his shoes gently as you return with a vase full of roses, you stare at each other for another beat. Like distant planets so used to admiring from afar now pulled into each other's orbit. You seem to remember yourself after staring at him a moment longer, still frozen in time in your doorway. 

“You brought me doughnuts,” your stomach growls and Azriel laughs as he hands you the bag for inspection. You seem satisfied with his choices, tongue swiping across your bottom lip as you consider the options. 

“Can I come in?” Azriel asks with a tilt of his head, amusement sparkling in his hazel eyes. You’re knocked out of your stupor once more as heavy red rises to the tips of your ears. 

“Of course,” you mutter shyly and reach down to grab his duffle bag. He bats your hand away without a second thought, hauling the heavy bag over his shoulder. He had to bring some computer equipment with him, unfortunately not quite off the hook from work completely. 

“Where should I put this?” he questions, looking around the apartment. 

“Oh, you can just put it in the bedroom,” You start to direct him there but Azriel is already down the hallway and throwing open your bedroom door. You wander down the hall behind him, adoring the way he appears in your space. “I made us a dinner reservation tonight by the way. Italian.” Azriel lets out a satisfied hum before taking you in his arms again, tucking you safely into the warmth of his chest and resting his chin on your forehead. 

“What else do you have planned for the week?” He mumbles the question into your hair line and you’re so overwhelmed with butterflies that you forget to answer. You’re simply stuck staring at his beauty that he has to jostle you to let the words loose. 

“Well, I figured I’d take you to all the major tourist attractions, and some of my favorite hidden gems, then whatever else you want to do.” You reply with a noncommittal shrug and Azriel locks his gaze onto your eyes and then tracks down to your lips. Heat lights up your spine like a detonating cord trailing its sparking path to dynamite. 

“Can I kiss you now? Please?” He mumbles to you, lips almost brushing as he speaks. Your nod comes almost embarrassingly quickly, but Azriel doesn’t care as he hauls his mouth to yours. His kiss is electric, a drug you’re immediately addicted to and you never want to stop. His hands are roaming your body mapping every inch of you because he knows that this week could never be enough of you. You break apart, laughing giddily into each other's mouths before delving back in, eager for one more taste, before you drag him back out into the kitchen to enjoy your doughnuts. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Yes Rhys, I’m alright. Everything’s more than alright.” Azriel is reclined on your bed relishing in feeling of being in your space. The two of you had spent the afternoon lazing around, finally holding each other as Azriel worked on some things for his job. He watched the sunset through the gauzy curtains as Rhys’s voice droned over the receiver of his phone. “Yeah the flight was alright,” Rhys asks another question but Azriel’s ears are perked when he hears your shower turn on, a quick glance at his alarm clock tells him that you have two hours before your reservation. “Hey Rhys, I’ve got to call you back.” He can distantly hear Rhys’s protests as he disconnects the call, and pads on nearly silent feet to your bathroom. 

Azriel’s never been a religious man, but he thanks every god he can think of when the door handle turns easily under his grip. 

He hopes you don’t kick him to the curb for crashing your shower, but the thought of finally seeing your body, in person and bare for him, is more than Az can bear. Throwing his shirt over his head and kicking off his shorts and boxers in one go he steps into the shower. Naturally, you jump at first, your eyes fly open and you almost launch your shampoo bottle at your perceived assailant. Once you realize it’s Azriel all of your anxiety turns molten in the pit of your stomach. You shamelessly eye him, eyes tracking a burning trail from his face down to his toes, paying particular interest to the area between his legs. 

“See something you like?” Az’s voice rumbles. You nod, eyes drooping into a seductive half-lid. 

“I don’t remember giving you permission to invade my shower.” You tease stepping further into his space, every breath causing your chest to bump his. 

“I can go if you don’t want me here,” Azriel replies, moving to leave, but your hand circles hard around his wrist to prevent him from pulling back the curtain. “That’s what I thought.” His voice is smug, eyes as satisfied as a wolf with fresh prey as he surveys your naked form, watching the water run over your every dip and curve. Azriel gently pushes you against the shower wall, lips moving to bite your fluttering pulse. Your hands find purchase on his shoulders, nails leaving a satisfying bite that sends jolts down his spine. Your tongue laps up the water collecting around his collar bones, and Azriel’s moan of appreciation reverberates off the porcelain. 

You pant his name as every hard part of him makes contact with every soft part of you, and Az cups one hand along your jaw as he finally puts his mouth on yours.

“Let me make you fall apart for me,” He begs, hips canting against yours. Your head tips back against the tile, the combination of Azriel and the heat making you delightfully dizzy. “Let me devour you as I promised.” He slowly kneels on the shower floor, the hot water beating into his side, plastering his ink-dark hair to his forehead. Your hands chase it away, revealing hazel eyes burning with desire. He slowly draws one of your legs over his shoulders, you should be afraid of slipping but Azriel’s hold is sturdy, hands confident as he supports your weight. 

If you know one thing about Azriel it’s that he always keeps his promises. 

He licks a trail up your center, leaving golden fire in his wake. He feasts on you, relishing in the way your moans echo loud enough that your entire apartment is sure to hear. Azriel cannot wait to properly take you apart in bed later, but he’ll allow himself this taste for now. He toys with you, playfully flicking and sucking at the apex of your thighs as your hands find purchase in his hair, tugging and pulling as he has his way with you. His tongue slips down and your vision turns white as it thrusts in and out of you, curling to reach the spot inside of you that makes you see stars. You fall apart soon after that, the heavens and the earth colliding in a vulgar symphony as your thighs shake around his head. Azriel gently eases your leg down before standing and claiming your mouth, you moan at the taste of yourself on his tongue. You try to reach for him but he stops you. You shoot him a confused look his thumb swiping up to soothe the crease between your brows. 

“The first time I come with you will be inside you,” he vows “and sadly I do not have the time to prep you for that.” heat flashes through you at his words, and amusement and lust sparkle back at him in your eyes. “After dinner my love I promise.” You nod, and lather shampoo in your hands to start to wash his hair, Az’s head tipping back with a groan as your fingers scratch at his scalp. You wash, rubbing out the creases of muscles and holding each other under the running water. Azriel finishes first, leaving you frustrated in your shower with a searing kiss and the echoes of promises to come after your reservation

[watchmorecinema]

Yukio Mishima has been trending this week for uh, reasons. He was a world renowned Japanese author and all of his work is overshadowed by his actions on November 25, 1970. You might not want to read more about this guy because he is horrible and disgusting, but he's utterly fascinating and the movie about him is brilliant.

He's a really interesting character, to the point that he sounds fictional. He's gay, obsessed with ritualistic death, a right wing lunatic, led a private militia that was halfway to a cult, and also was a legitimately great author. His life is covered in the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and it's easily the most beautiful film I've seen in my life. Look at the stills I posted above; every frame of this movie looks like that. It's all just a series of beautiful paintings with people living in them.

The way the film is structured is that it tells the story of his life in three ways. His past is told in black and white flashbacks with static cameras. This is closer to how a movie from the 50's would look like (specifically ones directed by Yasujirō Ozu). The events of three of his books are told with this beautifully stylized look, with sets that look like stage plays. The events of November 25, 1970 is told in an almost normal fashion, with regular colors and competent camerawork. The past is nostalgic, the present is mundane and only in fantasy can you truly come alive.

Through this movie we see the ideology of Mishima coming through. His nationalism, his sexual feelings and his thoughts on beauty and death all come together. Death isn't just a violent and tragic end, it is in itself a beautiful act. Beauty is the only true goal of life and creating beauty brings honor. Growing old and ugly is an act of hate; to die at your peak is to give love back to the world. It is therefore treasonous to live long enough to die peacefully. He pities what heaven must look like now; when men died young and beautiful it was paradise, but now it is filled with old men.

This is an objectively insane way to view the world but it is also fascinating. How much of this was what he believed, and how much of it was just begging for attention? In one instance when asked why he moved to the right politically he said "because the left was full". It was a joke answer, but he clearly wanted to be in the spotlight. His shield society was a paramilitary group dedicated to living a virtuous life of beauty, honor and old ideals. It was also a group of good looking, athletic young men led by a (barely) closeted, conservative gay man. So much of his life could have gone differently but also he was pretty much in control the whole time; he was independently wealthy and revered on the world stage. He could do whatever he wanted, and apparently the way his life went *is* what he wanted.

What's special about Mishima, both in the film and in real life, is that he's a smart and eloquent guy. In films the guy with a crazy worldview is someone like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver or D-Fens from Falling Down. Travis couldn't understand the alienation and loneliness he felt and he couldn't find any healthy solutions. D-Fens was smart enough but not emotionally strong enough to confront his problems or deal with them maturely. These are people that could benefit greatly from therapy (other examples include Joker from Joker, Rupert Pupkin from the King of Comedy, Frank Murdoch from God Bless America, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Tyler Durden from Fight Club and so, so many more).

These are either 20 something year olds that are lost in the world, alienated and lonely, or 40 something year olds with a mid life crisis when they realize that everything has fallen apart. People who don't know where to go, or realize it's too late to change things. Travis Bickle had basically no friends, no family, no charisma with women and a lot of rage and anger. D-Fens lost his job, his self respect and was estranged from his ex-wife and daughter. These are people who's lives are shit at best (Patrick Bateman is a bit of a subversion. He is rich and successful, but his life is completely hollow, his relationships are shallow and he personally is very, very pathetic. I need to write about American Psycho later that film is great too.).

Mishima is different. He's smart enough to understand his issues and how to find help. He's got the money and means to do so. He's famous and rich enough that he could basically get away with anything weird or eccentric so long as it was harmless. On the world stage he was a popular author, and at home he led a life of political activism. If he was unhappy he could easily find healthy ways to fix it. His self destruction was the most avoidable of any of them, yet he's the only one that existed in real life. You expect these people to have serious personality flaws and unfixable (or seemingly unfixable) problems, not to be poetic writers that adhere to healthy living and regularly journal about their emotions, while enjoying respect from their peers and fulfillment in their work.

It's a hell of a film. Paul Schrader has not written or directed anything better (he actually wrote Taxi Driver too, so he had some experience with this type of character before) and it stands out as an incredible experience to watch. Like, Mishima's life is public knowledge and you can probably guess how it went, but I've purposefully not said what happened on November 25, 1970 because I don't want to spoil it. It's an event that actually happened but it's better for you to find out via the film than some wikipedia page.

[shitty-fate-merch-daily]

I was talking with my friends about ‘universal dad behaviors’ in how my great-grandfather (late 1930s, Argentina) decided one day to buy an ostrich, and was convinced that he could train it to pull a cart and run a taxi service around town which would make them filthy-rich.

Of course the first time he let it off the rope later that day it immediately ran off and he never caught it again.

Universal Dad Behavior #1.) Buying some stupid shit on impulse, convinced that it will make his family a fortune

My friend then brought up that her great-grandfather (Japanese-American, 1941, Hawaii) decided to climb and sit on top of the roof while Pearl Harbor was being bombed to idk just watch and had to be yelled at by her great-grandmother for minutes to come down and get inside.

Universal Dad Behavior #2.) ‘I need to Watch’ (a situation that is actively risky and can do nothing about)

[mesetacadre]

I honestly think a lot of people, because they meet Americans online, forget this but most Americans are actually reasonably comfortable. That’s why revolution is unlikely, sure sure the security state yada yada, but the truth is most people can put food on the table, can afford a few fun items, and can travel. This year was a record high for air travel for people, and they’re still getting private taxis for their burritos (DoorDash).

You ask why people aren’t willing to get shot to defend their fellow workers or whatever, but it’s because by and large most people are comfortable enough to not want to risk it. If things are fine but not great now, you’re not going to be willing to die for some theoretical imagined utopia being championed by the most annoying guys you know online. There are people for whom it is very very bad but those people are an extreme minority. It’s not that complicated why Americans won’t revolt, it’s because for most people it’s not in our best interest to and the people who say we should are by and large annoying cranks.

First, I want to make it clear that the post you're replying to is more part rant/frustration than anything meant to convince anyone. It is specifically about the usamericans I've seen talking to others and myself about how they can't possibly ever achieve anything because of the secret service or whichever other aspect of the US security apparatus. You are completely right that the main obstacle is the objective interests of the US worker aristocracy to protect their imperialist country, it's just that some of the people who have politically grown past that self-interest seem to expect no pushback for their beliefs or are looking with a varying degree of subconsciousness for excuses. I fully sympathize with this sentiment, and I'm not downplaying how brutal US police can be. It is, still, personally frustrating to me when people have achieved more with less liberties. This is my personal blog, not a propaganda outlet. Repression is an aspect that should be taken into account when it comes to evaluating the specific organization of an action and more general lines of broad organization, it is not a full stop.

But let's think more about the fact that it is in USamerican's inmediate objective interest to remain docile. The only way anyone ever truly gets past that inmediacy is through a combination of voluntary effort, personal experience, and close contact with a communist willing to guide them. I am not that last thing, not for a lack of willingness, but because of a lack of closeness. Contrary to what seems to be some people's expectations, I focus on my own, offline, political work, and while there are a lot of very nice and willing usamericans on this website who get some value out of my blog, I don't and I can't make up that significant a part of their education. If someone is already entrenched in their labor aristocratic-enabled interests, how do you expect anyone to do what they can't do with someone that is willing? This is tumblr, not a workplace, not a party meeting, not an assembly, not a protest. We are quite literally just posting. Sorry you find me annoying, you're free to filter out my url, I do not care. It is my personal blog, not a propaganda outlet, and much less one dedicated to USamericans.

[twisted-turtels]

Crossed Paths (Pt.1)

Farleigh Start x black!fem!oc

Author’s note: this is so random of me. Welcome to my new fixation, Farleigh Start from Saltburn. I wonder how long this story will last lol.

969 words is crazy i dont even write this much for my classes lol. it takes me days to get to 1000 words.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Crossed Paths

“Mama, there is no need to worry about me. You don’t trust me?” Jordan says. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I don't trust the rest of the world. You're my baby, and you’re leaving me. Going all the way across the world!” Monica, Jordan’s mom, exclaims.

“Ma, you know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have never left this country, and I get the chance to study at one of the oldest and most prestigious universities for free! There’s nothing to worry about,” Jordan explains, “Listen, I’m about to pull up to my apartment, or shall I say ‘flat’ as the Englishmen describe it. I’ll talk to you later. Goodnighhhht.”

“Goodnight, baby, I love you. Don’t go crazy over there now!” Monica hangs up.

Jordan gets out of her taxi and takes in her surroundings. University of Oxford, I can’t believe I made it. Jordan clumsily gathers her luggage from the taxi (It’s a lot of stuff) and walks towards the entrance to her accommodation. As she struggles to make sure none of her luggage falls, she accidentally bumps into a tall figure. 

“Fuck.”

“Oh shit, I am so sorry!” Jordan looks up and exclaims. She sees a tall, pretty, light-skinned man staring down at his now-stained shirt. He’s black, she thinks. “Yes, and so is my shirt,” the man says sarcastically. “Oh, I did not realize I said that out loud. I’m sorry again. I’m kind of struggling, and I guess I wasn't paying-” she tries to explain, “You’re American?” the man interrupts. “Um, yeah, I just got in today, if you can’t tell. I’m here for an exchange program,” she continued. “Not many of us here. Listen, don’t worry about the shirt. I hope to see you around, but I gotta be somewhere soon,” the man quickly says and walks off. 

“For sure,” Jordan trails off, saying before she looks at her bags, I guess I will take this up myself. “Ugh!” she groans.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jordan sits in her flat and looks at the now unpacked space. I did a great job. I think I'm gonna put a Texas flag on my wall, too. She slumps down on the couch and looks at the flyer on her coffee table. ‘Undergraduate Social! 5 PM,’ it reads. “I guess I can attempt to socialize,” Jordan looks down at her watch, “One hour to get ready, but I don’t have to be there at exactly 5 pm though,” Jordan thinks aloud. I wonder if I’ll see the man from earlier? 

After freshening up, Jordan gathered her keys and wallet and went to the social. She entered the student union and noticed it bustling with students and professors. While looking around, she subconsciously looks for the man she met earlier.  Not many black students, she notes. She takes the time to go up to different organization tables and gather information. As she moves from table to table, she feels a delicate hand tap her shoulder. Jordan turns around and notices a blonde girl standing in front of her. 

“Hello!” the blonde girl exclaims.

“Hello?” Jordan questions.

“Sorry for the abruptness, but I just wanted to introduce myself. You seemed lost. My name is Venetia, and I wanted to ask, are you American?”

“Uh yeah, I am. I’m from Texas, actually.” Jordan explains.

“That’s really cool. There aren't many Americans here. I do know another one, though, who just happens to be my cousin. Would you like to meet him?”

I do need friends, so it wouldn't hurt.

“I don’t mind that at all. Lead the way. Also, my name is Jordan, by the way.”

“What a lovely name. Follow me!” Venetia instructs. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Boys, I would like you to meet Jordan! She’s American just like you, Farleigh!” Venetia exclaims

Jordan stares at the tall man. “Oh, we’ve met Vee. She’s the one who spilled tea on my shirt.” Farleigh explains with a stoic look on his face.

Jordan stares at her feet sheepishly, “Yeah, really sorry about that.”

Farleigh stared the girl down until he smirked, “I’m just playing; it wasn’t a big deal. It's nice to put a pretty name to a pretty face, though.”

He just called me pretty.

“Ignore Farleigh, he’s a little jokester. Aren’t you cousin?” Venetia teasingly asks as Farleigh rolls his eyes. “Anyway, this is my brother, Felix,” Venetia gestures to another tall, handsome man. Are all British men above 6 feet and handsome?

“Hello. Sorry for my sister practically dragging you over here,” Felix jokes.

“I did not drag her over here!” Venetia exclaims

“Haha, it’s okay. I need to put myself out there more honestly, don’t want to be alone during my time here.” Jordan reassures.

“How about I get your phone number?” Farleigh blurts out, he then corrects himself, “ How about we all get your number so we can continue hanging out more? Obviously, I don’t want to be the only American in the group.”

“I thought you would never ask,” Jordan pulls out her phone to notice it’s dead, “Oops, phone is dead. Let me just write it down.” There is no paper. “Can I see your hand?” Jordan asks Farleigh while taking out a pen. Jordan softly holds Farleigh’s hand and writes down her number, “You can pass this on to the rest of them,” Jordan smiles at Farleigh. 

“It was really nice meeting y'all, but I have to get ready for the first day, so I’ll see y'all later,” Jordan waves and walks off.

Oh my god, when did I get so bold?

The group looks at each other in astonishment as Jordan walks away. “Ooh, Farleigh, she gave you her number,” Venetia teases. “She gave it to all of us,” Farleigh defends himself. 

“She says y’all,” Felix points out. “That’s so Texas of her.” He jokes. 

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: The High Hawks - “Somewhere South”

The High Hawks answer Jimmy Buffett’s boozy beach calls with the baked-by-the-sun-and-the-bud response of “Somewhere South.”

Musically pleasing with a rolling rhythm and joyful fiddle, the track is lyrically simplistic as Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman sings:

Somewhere south/we’ll be laughin’ and a-smokin’/feelin’ like we’ve got it figured out/there ain’t no doubt/I’ve got an intuition/there’s gonna be good fishin’/and we’ll finally get that time to all hang out/somewhere south

The track follows “Diamond Sky” ahead of the Feb. 18 arrival of Mother Nature’s Show, the second LP from the supergroup that also features members of Railroad Earth, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Great American Taxi and Hard Working Americans.

Grade card: The High Hawks - “Somewhere South” - C+

1/12/24

[legallybrunettedotcom]

hi! can I ask you for crime movie recommendations, or just a list of your personal favorites? I've been getting super into crime fiction recently (books and movies), and I'm making a watchlist of movies I want to check out next. heist movies, gangster films, thrillers, anything involving criminals is interesting to me, and I'd really love to hear about your faves! have a nice day <3

hiii, Estelle! oh I love a good crime movie! I grew up on gangster and mob movies tbh so there's some obvious choices like the godfather and goodfellas. continuing with Scorsese, I love casino. I think it's somewhat underrated Scorsese, idk i just don't see it mentioned that often, but it's super fun. the departed as well, people talked shit about it, but it's great. then mean streets, serpico, taxi driver, dog day afternoon, heat, collateral, thief, chinatown. pretty much every Tarantino ever, obviously reservoir dogs and pulp fiction, jackie brown is my favourite and the sort of song of the movie is across 110th street from the movie of the same name, so I'd def recommend that one, it's an underrated flick. heist movie-wise, ocean's eleven kind of the king here. then set it off, bound, inside man, widows, the italian job (the original), topkapi and rififi are underrated ones, the asphalt jungle, the friends of eddie coyle, the taking of pelham 123, the thomas crown affair (the remake), dead presidents, out of sight, point break, the driver, hustlers, a fish called wanda is sooo funny. sexy beast is such a great and intense movie.

if you'd enjoy something criminal and psychosexual, I'd recommend two 60s movies the housemaid and who killed teddy bear? the cook, the thief, the wife and her lover is an insane sexy one. blue velvet fits here as well. Guy Ritchie made the same movie like 4 times tbh, but I love snatch and lock, stock and two smoking barrels, I think the man from uncle is also a fun one. Brian De Palma is good at corny and sleazy and I kinda love his scarface. body double is silly but I love a good voyeuristic movie. along those lines you obviously have rear window and peeping tom, and then to continue with Hitchcock, I love rope, psycho, and think dial m for murder is quite overlooked. natural born killers, true romance and the doom generation for something stupid and bloody. mandatory Fincher recs like se7en and zodiac. I love the usual suspects, it has that twist at the end that for me personally works even upon rewatches. another underrated movie is joy house with beautiful Jane Fonda and Alain Delon in his prime. faster pussycat kill kill is just pure fun and sleaze and gorgeous ladies. I love lady snowblood and scorpion with Meiko Kaji but I know you've seen those. tokyo drifter is a stylish one as well. some obvi french new wave recs like breathless and pierrot le fou. I'd say there's nothing quite like the atmospheric the night of the hunter. I love drive too, it's all style and the only substance is blood. uncut gems and good time are quite good too. out of something extra new, I enjoyed love lies bleeding more than I expected. seven psychopaths and in bruges for something cynical and silly. then fargo, no country for old men, the big lebowski. filth and trainspotting for something utterly dirty and disgusting. not to forget Hannibal Lecter, we can't not mention the silence of the lambs and manhunter. also badlands, dirty harry, carlito's way, eastern promises, the third man, the big sleep, double indemnity, gun crazy, bonnie and clyde, foxy brown, american psycho, the talented mr ripley, prisoners. something more along crime drama strange days, fallen angels, the city of the rising sun and made in hong kong.

[spirits-art-blog]

Redraws of some of my favorite Conan/Shinichi expressions so far! I'll likely be making more posts like this cus this show is filled with really good expressions and poses that I really want to draw. Honestly this show needs more moments like the ones above, its such a good visual gag.

For those who don't know, I'm watching this show completely blind so please keep spoilers out of this post; as of posting this, I have just finished ep 289.

Gonna get into some of my current thoughts and critiques in the read more cus I don't really want to make a separate text post so feel free to avoid all of that if you don't want to see it and I hope you enjoyed the art :)

Disclaimer: These critiques should be taken lightly as they don't really impede my enjoyment as overall the show is great! I just like to share my thoughts and ramble.

286-288 is actually kind of a good summary for some of the things I dislike about the show, like sorry if people like that case but Shinichi and Yukiko being there unfortunately did not make it less meh for me.

I usually try to keep in mind that shows like this weren't intended for an american/english-speaking audience but man, New York is such a bad setting for this show. Even if you ignore the actual voice acting, its jarring how the americans just, stop speaking english. I really wanna know what the bts situation was to make them decide that, like sure 3 episodes is a lot, but its hard to believe these new yorkers, besides 2 cops and a taxi driver, are speaking Japanese.

Other thoughts go to the end with the murderer of the case and the disguised killer. Not sure how to word this exactly but it kind of bothers me how this is, I think, the first time we've gotten a murderer who's backstory isn't about some misfortune that happened to them that was caused by the victim, like nah, she was just evil, and then later Shinichi and Ran stop a serial killer from falling to their death, like what? Especially with these two scenes practically being back to back, I just don't get why they did that. Idk just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyways on a lighter note, loved seeing Ran's thoughts throughout the episode, especially at the end, like I love internal conflict for characters, and it works for Ran as well since falling for that 'you helped cause this' fear is pretty consistent with her.

And lastly I wanna share some thoughts I've had about the show cus I don't know where to put them. That being said, I really wish they had some episodes early on that explored more of the dynamics between characters and Shinichi's transition into Conan. Like the idea of a rich 16-17 year old being stuck as a 6-7 year old who now lives with his not girlfriend and has to go back to first grade is such a dramatic change, no way that situation wasn't hard to get used to. Unfortunately, I'm more than far enough into this show to know they aren't going to do anything like that. And besides very small moments that spawned headcanons for me, there isn't much going on relationship wise either. After episode 3, the dynamics between the characters was set and hasn't really changed too much, which is a little sad imo.

I'll stop rambling for now, apologies with how discoherent this is, translating my thoughts into words has never been my strong suit.

[daddymilker691]

Well my revered readers of Londons most bohemian and relentlessly sought after newspaper The Daily Milker we are back of course a recent bout of Covid has I’m afraid put rather a damper on things and not wanting to pass it on to my wonderful Co Editor Dawn Green we closed our Holborn studios for the week still feeling the after effects somewhat it really has a way of kicking the old proverbial bottom as our American so eloquently put it anyway so we opened up our studios yesterday darlings to our wonderful page five stars there are now so many it’s almost impossible to put them all in one edition but I shall strive to appease both our hungry readers appetites for these wonderful stars⭐️ and their own desires to be a page five ⭐️ , it’s been a dim and rainy day here in Holborn and actually in London as a whole indeed Dawns had to put the heating on I did suggest Dawn put on a fur coat but from the back room came the reply I don’t get paid enough well enough of the sauntering monologue I hear you say get on with it ok so here goes first off as always the wonderful Dawn Green our Co Editor wearing that in winter it’s no wonder you get cold Dawn next we were visited by the very lovely Petra no stranger to the Daily Milker but it’s been a while and as always in fine form and looking fabulous after the delightful photo shoot Petra caught the bus back to Wandsworth with a big smile and a page five ⭐️ badge , next was the one and only Jodie Hot Sauce who has sent me many get well soon messages what a lovely thing to do thanks Jodie your a staple star ⭐️ of the Daily Milker and we here all love you next after I’d had a coffee and a bit of a rest Dawn sipped on a cocktail only to inform me that Happy Little Lucy had just arrived at Heathrow and was in a Taxi on way to our studio all the way from Canada probably one of the only places colder than London what a Canadiandoll a vision in Polka Dots we made Lucy feel very welcome and took great delight in warming her up , we are hoping Lucy becomes a regular here , next the lovely leggy and fun Cindy Lace arrived you could have knocked me down with a feather when I heard Cindy say trick or treat I said get in for heavens sake before you catch a cold Dawn set up a Haloween themed background and Cindy showed me a trick and I got quite a treat ( ouch Dawn ) , next was the lovely Sandra Clapham who was somewhat late and then I noticed Dawn wasn’t about I thought to myself I know what’s happened and sure enough found them in the Queens legs discussing the different deniers of stockings Sandra showing Dawn a new suspenders belt I joined them both for a quick pint before we departed back to the studio as a brand new page five star only Monica , only I thought under my breath I congratulated Monica on the forethought of bringing an umbrella as it was pouring but did somewhat doubt of how much rain it would keep off, next was the lovely sweet Sue all the way from Manchester rather tired but given time to relax of course in our very special green room looking amazing and left with a smile lastly it was lovely to have Madison back . Before I finish the post I’d like to thank all you page five stars and the wonderful Dawn Green and if you haven’t made it on this issue please don’t think you won’t on the next we would have done a double if was feeling more up to it love and peace and thanks to all who follow the Milker ( never be nasty when you can be nice ) xxx

[unreliablenarratorpoll]

and here's the long awaited match-ups! for the sake of readability, here it is in text form:

Left Side:

1: The Narrator (Fight Club) VS Richard Papen (The Secret History)

2: Belgarath the Sorcerer (The Belgariad) VS Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain)

3: Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) VS Greg Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

4: Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) VS Drosselmeyer (Princess Tutu)

5: Kuruto Ryuki (AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative) VS Ishmael (Moby Dick)

6: Amy Elliot-Dunne (Gone Girl) VS Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein)

7: Mary Katherine Blackwood (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) VS Odysseus (The Odysseus)

8: Pi Patel (Life of Pi) VS Alice Liddel (Alice: Madness Returns)

9: Jamie Taylor (The Haunting of Bly Manor) VS Jonny d'Ville (The Mechanisms)

10: Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) VS Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries)

11: Wei Wuxian (Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) VS The Batter (OFF)

12: Charlotte Wiltshire (Hello Charlotte) VS Yuki Takeya (School-Live!)

13: Eleanor Vance (The Haunting of Hill House) VS Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)

14: Louis de Point du Lac (Interview With The Vampire) VS Harrier Du Bois (Disco Elysium)

15: Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) VS Will Navidson (House of Leaves)

16: Maebara Keiichi (Higurashi: When They Cry) VS Emperor Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)

Right Side:

17: Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) VS Ethan Frome (Ethan Frome)

18: Kayleigh (We Had To Remove This Post) VS Attolis Eugenides (Queen's Thief)

19: Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) VS Mapleshade (Warriors)

20: The Narrator (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo) VS Offred (The Handmaid's Tale)

21: Nick Carraway (The Great Gatsby) VS Zampanò (House of Leaves)

22: Steven Crain (The Haunting of Hill House) vs David Wong (John Dies At The End)

23: Renata Ghali (Planetfall) VS Johnny Truant (House of Leaves)

24: Mfer From Telltale Heart (The Tell-Tale Heart) VS Meursault (The Stranger)

25: Ted (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream) VS The Narrator (The Stanley Parable)

26: Genly Ai (The Left Hand of Darkness) VS Hiroshi Odokawa (Odd Taxi)

27: Frankenstein's Monster (Frankenstein) VS Varric Tethras (Dragon Age 2)

28: Cadi My Friend Cadi (Real Life) VS John The Apostle (The Bible)

29: Pelafina Heather Lièvre (House of Leaves) VS Johnny Silverhand (Cyberpunk 2077)

30: Rodion Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment) VS Marco (Animorphs)

31: Flannery Culp (The Basic Eight) VS Daniil Dankovsky (Pathologic)

32: Cecil Palmer (Welcome To Night Vale) VS Mr. Stevens (The Remains of the Day)