#i had the flu for the last week and my inspiration's been nonexistent lately so v little art sorry

[dukeofqueers]

Despair is a siren calling through the night The earth wraps itself in a shroud I curse my fate, I curse my free will

In you, I see the glass towers coming down In you, I see something that died in me fester and ignite Despair Is a Siren - SubRosa

reached the critical point of “i’ve stared at this so long that i hate it now but it’s been hours so i can’t just delete everything”

that was my ref but it went downhill fast huh. stop staring like that oggie ur scaring the hoes <3

[sagamemes]

love and other disasters (2006) sentence starters.   below the cut, you’ll find a total of 140 lines of dialogue from love and other disasters. as per usual, feel free to alter diction, pronouns and anything else your heart desires. i’ve edited slightly to fit roleplay and randomised the order. warnings for sexual themes, aids mention, marihuana use, cheating.

❝  well, actually i was just having lunch across the street and came to tell you the good news in person.  ❞

❝  why is it that as soon as i fall in love with a man, he abandons me?  ❞

❝  we fuck and then you say you don’t want a relationship.  ❞

❝  so despite your fragile beauty, you’re actually built like an ox.  ❞

❝  what other secret are you keeping from me?  ❞

❝  what’s more important, true love or fashion?  ❞

❝  you’re straight? since when?  ❞

❝  why else would someone like you have a coffee with someone like me?  ❞

❝  you make me sound like an exchange student.  ❞

❝  i can’t believe i drove him out of the country.  ❞

❝  what’s the point of shagging someone ad nauseam if you’re never going to love them?  ❞

❝  it’s okay. i forgive you. so you can stop feeling sorry for me or guilty or whatever.  ❞

❝  i think accidental meets are better... that is not to say accidents can’t be planned.  ❞

❝  i had to give his ego cpr.  ❞

❝  it’s just sex. he fills a void. literally.  ❞

❝  news of my crush just travelled across the atlantic ocean!  ❞

❝  you’d know if you were great.  ❞

❝  i suppose i first noticed when i was around 8. i thought it was just a phase, you know, but eventually, i had to accept the truth. i like women. ❞

❝  it’s a romantic comedy! how do you think it ends?  ❞

❝  i’m like, fuck that. i know i’m talented. i don’t need some ____ degree to tell me.  ❞

❝  have you ever thought this whole ‘true love’ thing might be a conspiracy?  ❞

❝  [full name] may be a giant, but you are a giant in waiting.  ❞

❝  three years and you still treat me like a one-night stand!  ❞

❝  the stages of a relationship can be defined by farting.  ❞

❝  no, actually, i’m very out of shape and that nearly killed me.  ❞

❝  i was so caught up in my head i missed out on getting to know you. and i would like to get to know you. i mean, if you’re willing to give me another chance?  ❞

❝  i've never actually been in a relationship except in my own head.  ❞

❝  so how do i get to know you?  ❞

❝  i don’t know that [name] is the love of my life. but i’ve decided to give him the chance to be.  ❞

❝  are you asking if i’ll still love you?  ❞

❝  there’s nothing more important right now than global poverty. i mean in the warming sense.  ❞

❝  that boy---gay as a goose.  ❞

❝  i think you’re exactly the kind of person they would have wanted me to marry.  ❞

❝  we had a row about his car. i told him i don’t generally get into vehicles that cost less than my handbag, he accused me of being a spoiled bitch.  ❞

❝  if you’re going to get any more in touch with your inner child, you’re going to need an inner nanny.  ❞

❝  was i right or was i right?  ❞

❝  he went to [public/private/boarding] school. he probably enjoys being spanked.  ❞

❝  where did you learn to speak [language] like that?  ❞

❝  what’s more important, anything or fashion?  ❞

❝  you /are/ a desperate fantasist.  ❞

❝  do you want to go to bed? you know, have sex.  ❞

❝  it would’ve meant breaking your rule to only to have sex with people you don’t really love and to only love people you don’t have sex with.  ❞

❝  i had no idea that under that shy, sweet exterior was such steely confidence!  ❞

❝  i’m afraid you’re drunk.  ❞

❝  truth is way too complicated. and unsatisfying. and hard to believe.  ❞

❝  i’m going to this black tie thing for my roommate.  ❞

❝  that’s not love, [name], that’s the flu.  ❞

❝  we work in fashion. everyone is an overpampered monster.  ❞

❝  [name] is going through a nasty divorce. she needs positive affirmation.  ❞

❝  i’m sorry, but [full name] stands for everything i absolutely despise.  ❞

❝  i think people shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds them.  ❞

❝  how very ‘all about eve’.  ❞

❝  i’m just nervous. he’s meant to have a ferocious temper.  ❞

❝  i’m probably gonna get fired tomorrow, but it was worth it just to see [name] in action.  ❞

❝  he came over and we shagged. then i asked how he felt about monogamy.  ❞

❝  and this is the person you think you could be in love with? someone you’ve never even spoken to? someone you’ve never even met?  ❞

❝  the only thing that’s changed is what might happen between you two.  ❞

❝  i mean, i had a bad age five. i had a terrible age five, actually.  ❞

❝  maybe love isn't something that happens to you. maybe it's something you have to choose.  ❞

❝  you could’ve worn something nicer.  ❞

❝  you want a brownie? i made them myself.  ❞

❝  i’m not miserable, and i believe in true love.  ❞

❝  well, you know what they say, ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’.  ❞

❝  [name], pick out the sexiest outfit and go home immediately!  ❞

❝  i think my parents would have really liked you.  ❞

❝  i can’t believe you’re cooking dinner for some guy you met yesterday.  ❞

❝  an affair? you’ve only been going out for two weeks!  ❞

❝  nothing like a happy set.  ❞

❝  well, i better be off. my flight’s at 9 and i’ve still got to pack.  ❞

❝  my memoirs, darling. i’ve decided to publish.  ❞

❝  i’m sure you’re far prettier than [name]’s wife.  ❞

❝  everyone’s miserable because they’re looking for this nonexistent ‘thing’, or else they’re miserable because they think they settled for less.  ❞

❝  do you always judge people so quickly?  ❞

❝  you and [name]? you and---you and [name]? oh my god! oh, look, i... i.... i won’t say a word, i promise. cross my heart.  ❞

❝  i’m a superficial assistant at a major fashion magazine. you’ll ruin my reputation.  ❞

❝  stop doing research and would you write your goddamn screenplay!  ❞

❝  when’s the last time you’ve considered falling in love?---i’m not talking about some character in a book or a movie.  ❞

❝  [name] would have loved to come tonight, but thanks to the conspiracy of silence between the catholic church and the tories in the face of aids, he can’t.  ❞

❝  love isn’t always a lightning bolt, you know? maybe sometimes, it’s just a choice.  ❞

❝  there’s quite a bit of hash in them.  ❞

❝  i’m following your advice. i’m breaking my rules.  ❞

❝  i know i should have said something before. but every time i started, it seemed like the wrong time.  ❞

❝  everyone knows you can’t be drunk and tango. so if i can tango, then i’m not drunk.  ❞

❝  would it be alright if i borrowed an outfit just for tonight? i have kind of a date.  ❞

❝  actually, i can’t believe i haven’t tried to fix you up with him years ago. he’s perfect for you!  ❞

❝  can we not talk about my non-existent film career right now?  ❞

❝  well, i suppose i’d never have lived up to your fantasy anyway.  ❞

❝  you’re almost out of shampoo so i had to use soap.  ❞

❝  you broke up with him a month ago!  ❞

❝  i just remembered. i need a pedicure.  ❞

❝  for the last six months, you’ve been saying one thing and doing another.  ❞

❝  there is no need to be nasty to me just because i don’t remember people’s names.  ❞

❝  hello? i’m waiting! [name], when i have to ask for it, it’s too late!  ❞

❝  that’s the problem with life. it’s nothing like the movies.  ❞

❝  apparently, he shags her four times a day and inspires her to write new volumes of poetry! isn’t that great?  ❞

❝  i happen to care about [name]. a lot. and i hate the fact that he feels more than me. and i hate the fact that i'm not in love with him. because i know i should be. because he's smart and sweet and decent and i don't want to hurt him. so i keep hoping that i’ll grow into it.  ❞

❝  you could’ve worn something, full stop.  ❞

❝  we can’t have you all alone in [city] on a friday night!  ❞

❝  so then i had to fuck him.  ❞

❝  he calls me five times per day, begging me to go out with him. apparently, my voice haunts him.  ❞

❝  oh, these are lovely, but [name] hates flowers.  ❞

❝  i promise i won’t make a pass.  ❞

❝  i’m going to enjoy making her feel stupid about this one.  ❞

❝  but you don’t like me in that way.  ❞

❝  oh, so you’re saying i should forget about him for purely geographical reasons?  ❞

❝  why are you reading a cookbook in the nude?  ❞

❝  since when do you say ‘lots of love, big kiss’ to your boss?  ❞

❝  i can’t explain it, but... it was amazing. because it was like i was finally seeing the person i’d been waiting for my entire life.  ❞

❝  we’re related, but only by birth. so don’t hold it against me.  ❞

❝  i mean, thanks to a chance encounter at a beach party, you hook up with one of the world's top fashion photographers. first class travel, exotic locations. you really hit quite the jackpot.  ❞

❝  i just wanted to tell the truth and somewhere along the line it got mixed up with a bunch of lies.  ❞

❝  i thought this whole dead animal thing was ten years ago.  ❞

❝  you don’t talk about monogamy /after/ you shag a guy...  ❞

❝  whoever designed those heels must really hate women.  ❞

❝  you’ve got to go. i’ve got friends coming over for brunch. ❞

❝  he never even showed, which proves my theory: he must think i’m a stalker freak.  ❞

❝  he’s in love with you, [name]. you’re not in love with him. it doesn’t get more simple than that.  ❞

❝  well, unless you want me to feel totally humiliated, say ‘yes’.  ❞

❝  i just don’t see much of a future together.  ❞

❝  you’re an artist, [name]’s an artist.  ❞

❝  he said you really sorted him out on the relationship front. and i could certainly use some help there.  ❞

❝  you’re not stupid, you just saw what you wanted to see.  ❞

❝  i just remembered [name] might have a boy at the house. can i stay at yours?  ❞

❝  we’re having a strictly phone-based relationship.  ❞

❝  i can’t help it, i’m naturally dramatic!  ❞

❝  oh, you know, i said how great he is, how he’s going to make the right [girl/boy/person] happy, how it’s really not him, it’s blah blah blah...  ❞

❝  i’m feeling small enough as it is.  ❞

❝  look, most great artists have to deal with rejection in their lifetime.  ❞

❝  see, this is exactly why i don’t want to be in a relationship with you!  ❞

❝  i’m always like this when i have to see my mother.  ❞

❝  maybe true love is a decision. you know, a decision to take a chance with somebody. to give to somebody without worrying whether they'll give anything back. or if they're gonna hurt you, or if they really are the one.  ❞

❝  the problem with straight men is that no matter how hard they try, they still need to control, to dominate.  ❞

❝  thank god you’re gay!  ❞

❝  you seem to think the only reason anyone would be with him is for this ‘jackpot’.  ❞

❝  i never felt ugly or fat.  ❞

❝  i’m not getting married without a maid of honour.  ❞

❝  he’s just the sweetest, funniest guy i know. if he wasn’t [straight/gay], i’d have married him ages ago.  ❞

❝  i’m a fantasist, not desperate.  ❞

❝  you don’t know me. and if you did, you’d know i’d never take advantage of [name].  ❞

[talltalestogo]

July 16, 2021, 7:40 p.m. ET

NASHVILLE — When Dolly Parton received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at Vanderbilt University, where her million-dollar donation helped to fund the research, she sang an updated version of her iconic song “Jolene.” The tongue-in-cheek lyrics were meant to inspire people to get vaccinated:

Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine

I’m begging of you, please don’t hesitate

Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine

’Cause once you’re dead, then that’s a bit too late

She gave it a good try, a heroic try, but somehow the bonehead politicians running this state managed to overcome even the good will generated by its favorite daughter.

Remember how hopeful we were when the new Covid-19 vaccines arrived so astonishingly quickly, and were so astonishingly effective and safe? As a nation — politically, institutionally, too often personally — we’d botched almost everything about this pandemic, and we did not deserve a miracle. The miracle arrived anyway.

We were giddy about the prospect of those vaccines. We could not stop talking about how happy we would be to sit in a movie theater again, to hear live music again, to go to church and sing out loud again, to sit and talk around a table again, late into the night, with no care for how long we had been breathing the same air. We would reach for new babies and lean down to smell their downy heads. We would weep with the joy of being skin to skin with new life. New life, after such a long, dark year!

The anticipation of happiness seemed truly ecumenical. Liberals, conservatives, politically indifferent people — all the people I knew were watching for their vaccine priority number to come up. We were signing up for leftover doses that might be available at the end of the day. We were heading out of town to get vaccinated in rural counties where health officials were moving more quickly through the vaccine priority rankings. The lack of vaccine lines should have told us something was happening in those counties, something besides the fact that fewer people lived there.

Tennessee’s governor, Bill Lee, understood what was going on. Mr. Lee is vaccinated, but he refused to be photographed getting the shot — the Covid shot, that is: He did post a photo of himself getting a flu shot last November. “Getting a flu shot is more important than ever this year,” his Twitter post read. “I got mine to help protect my granddaughters as we prepare to celebrate their first birthday.” Not a word about protecting children from the deadliest pandemic in a hundred years.

None of this was surprising. Mr. Lee is not a leader who actually leads so much as a politician who reads the room. From the beginning, white people in rural Tennessee have been so skeptical of this vaccine that last month state officials returned an allotment of three million doses to the federal stockpile. “We’re sort of grinding to a halt,” the state’s health commissioner, Dr. Lisa Piercey, told News Channel 5 in Nashville. “The people who want it have gotten it.”

The trouble is that not enough people want it, particularly here in the South, which accounts for eight of the 10 states with the lowest vaccination rates, and infections have begun to climb. “The rate of daily coronavirus infections in Tennessee has more than tripled in the past three weeks — one of the largest increases in the entire nation — as the virus shows signs of renewed spread,” wrote The Tennessean’s indefatigable health reporter Brett Kelman last week. “The state’s average test positivity rate and count of active infections also climbed sharply in the same time period.”

Conservative Tennessee legislators responded, it’s true, but not by working to reduce vaccine hesitancy. Instead, they pressured state health officials to cancel vaccination events aimed at teenagers and retract social media posts urging adolescents to get vaccinated. Worse, these anti-vaccination efforts weren’t limited to the Covid-19 vaccine. Conservative lawmakers also urged the Tennessee Department of Health to halt outreach efforts designed to inform teenagers about all vaccines.

Worse still, they arranged the firing of Dr. Michelle Fiscus. As medical director of the vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization program at the Department of Health, Dr. Fiscus was the state’s top vaccine authority. “It was my job to provide evidence-based education and vaccine access so that Tennesseans could protect themselves against Covid-19,” she wrote in a statement. “I have been terminated for doing my job because some of our politicians have bought into the anti-vaccine misinformation campaign rather than taking the time to speak with the medical experts.”

The politicization of public discourse around immunization is not unique to Tennessee. The question isn’t why Tennessee is so out of step with science. The question is why politics has anything to do with health policy at all.

The planet is growing more crowded, bringing people into closer contact with diverse animal and human populations. At the same time, the health risks associated with climate change are ratcheting upward. But just as protection against communicable diseases becomes increasingly urgent, conservative media outlets are sowing doubt and delusion in the Republican base, and feckless elected officials are following suit. Like Mr. Lee, his licked finger held aloft in the wind of rural white discontent, other Republican leaders in the South take their lifesaving vaccines in private and give lip service to perverse notions of “freedom” in their public statements.

Campaign funding from the national oligarchs is what sets legislative agendas across the red states, so I can understand why these penny-ante politicians are working so hard to limit tax-funded safety nets. I can even understand why they’re so hellbent on killing public education. It clearly benefits the wealthy for taxes to be low or nonexistent and for poor people to be incurious and compliant. But how can it possibly benefit the oligarchs to risk the lives of the very people who keep electing their toadies to statehouses in the first place? I just don’t get it.