#january my literal detested

[enochianribs]

glad to see people recovering from the january haze. we are so brave and strong about it

[keiachi-chan]

Ohhh my fucking god there are NOT people saying Tumblr should be user owned... Right-? RIGHT??????

Summarization for the incoming rant:

-Tumblr asks for money, not for pocket change to run the fucking site. Because the ads aren't working and they aren't fond of selling user data.

-The site is run poorly because the userbase refuses to give them money to run the fucking site.

-Bigots exploit the poorly run site to dogpile on people they don't like and get the automod to drag it into hell

And most importantly

-Sorry I know we hate Capitalism, but we DO live in a capitalist society.

And bonus that I probably didn't actually cover: In case you haven't heard, Tumblr Live is contractual, and as nobody uses it and everybody detests it, the feature will likely be removed come January, when the contract expires

Okay rant underneath.

USERS ASK FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT TUMBLR.

And then when Tumblr make ways to support the site. USERS START BLACKOUTS AND HARRASS SUPPORTERS. (I have been sent death threats over my checkmarks. Also I know you guys remember post+ which was a bad idea but come on.)

And when staff changes the site to accommodate people who will pay them. USERS TELL STAFF TO KILL THEMSELVES.

Users will REFUSE to give Tumblr a cent because "Bigotry and bad moderation" without thinking for a second about why that seems to be the case. I will go over why this seems to be the case now.

Tumblr has bad moderation. This is objective.

Tumblr does not have bigoted moderation. This is a common perception.

The perception is understandable, because it DEFINITELY looks that way, but I also looked more into it, and social media as a whole.

Trans women, Poc, and Palestine posts are regularly buried, right? Rarely entire accounts though, from what I've heard. But; It's mostly popular ones, and ones that "breach containment" as well.

The reason for this IS bigotry, but not from Staff.

Usually, Bigots that are popular in their dumb communities will find a post about those "disgusting leftists" or whatever, and make a post about it, encouraging to "Block and Report this acc"

3 bigots reporting a trans person does NOTHING obviously

300 bigots reporting a trans person, exploits Tumblr's moderation. The Automod.

See, usually, just 1 or 2 reports go to Staff, for human review.

100 or 200 reports register with the automod as "Oh my fucking god this shit is HEINOUS" and is instantly shooed off the face of the earth.

There's nothing Tumblr can really do about this, because that Automod is like Antibiotics. Gets rid of a lot of the bad, yeah, but also some of the good.

Btw Nazis do get banned on Tumblr, they just make more accounts.

And also I hate to say this, but duh there's rancid shit like cp. There SHOULDN'T be, but unfortunately, this is a huge fucking website (especially considering the size of staff) not a small forum safe haven where every post is inspected by a mod for dogwhistles and shit.

You can literally post anything if the automod doesn't catch it, or if people just block you instead of reporting.

Tumblr does not have "probiotics" in this case. Because they can't afford better moderation. Because the userbase refuses to pay them. For

A. no reason

B. They are people with no financial autonomy (sorry veterans, you kinda have to accept that even if it isn't a majority, a large percentage of this site is teenagers)

C. "I won't give them a cent until the site gets better" (which is redundant.)

This isn't subscribing to something to get extra content on Tumblr (again, post+ was a bad idea)

This is subscribing to something to make Tumblr fucking function!!

Because if Tumblr can't function, then no Tumblr bros I don't know what you want. We have 3 options here

A: Support the site u love so much

B: Don't support the site and it eventually shuts down

C, the most likely: Don't support the site and they continue to water it down until they get a different audience who will support them, and then cater to them, possibly alienating and pushing out the current userbase.

So uh. u choose. I guess.

"Tumblr should be user-owned" half you guys can't even stand AO3 having fundraising drives

[at-the-crossroad-of-worlds]

❥started: January 28th 2022

❥ended: February 7th 2022

❥title: The Book of Dust: The secret commonwealth by Philip Pullman, 2019

❥ pages: 633

❥ genre: Fantasy fiction

❥ rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❥ opinion: I’ve heard a lot of feedback about this novel. The majority, I have to say, have been negative — and I will say that I’m apart of the minority, who, actually really ended up liking this book. Of course, save for a few scenes that happened, in which I was not ready to read(talking about Malcolm’s thoughts about Lyra and the scene with Lyra and the soldiers).

There are some things (many things) that I’d like to talk about the secret commonwealth and the first thing is, I’m sure you’re all not surprised if you’ve been a long time fan for “His Dark Materials”: yup, I’m talking about the dæmons — and more specifically, separation.

Now, entering this book with the events of the Amber spyglass still fresh; we are absolutely convinced that human and dæmon separating is a tremendously painful processus, yes, but also very frightening and quite uncommon — well at least, that’s what we thought, having stayed in Lyra’s POV and Oxford in general. However, we haven’t seen the other regions of the world, more specifically, in Europe.

The secret commonwealth explores this phenomenon and shows us that: dæmon separation isn’t as uncommon as we all believed it to be, and not as shameful. We meet many people who have been just like Lyra, and we slowly learn to accept that dæmon separation isn’t as rare as we sought it out to be.

(I’ll be honest. When I was at the very beginning of the book, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes each time someone claims to have experienced dæmon separation. “Oh wow, what happened to it being highly immoral and disgraceful? Practically everyone does it at this point!”)

The second thing I’d like to talk about is Pan and Lyra’s relationship(or rather quarrel) throughout the whole story; it was heartbreaking to read, really. It’s because, from the HDM trilogy, they’ve been together since the very start, grew up together, were each other’s other half — and to see them detesting each other and say all those mean things to each other? (Lyra even used ‘fucking stranger’ to describe him!)

I really hope that we see them reconcile by the end of the third book, they show to really care for one another too, despite every argument. (Though with how things ended in this one, and how Nur Huda seemed to be alone, I think Pan might’ve ran off...)

An honourable mention goes to the fact that Malcolm’s thoughts about Lyra were just,, wrong and uncomfortable to read. I know that they’re both adults but...man’s literally taken care of her since she was a baby. I hope they don’t end up together, Pullman, it’ll just be...so weird... he seems more like an older brother to her...

The last thing I’d like to talk about is, Marcel fucking Delamare, yes I said it! Absolutely loved his character(and perhaps I may be a tinyyyyy bias because he’s Marisa’s baby brother). But he’s just really interesting and calmly calculated at all times! He makes a way better antagonist than Gerard Bonneville for sure and I was in literal hysterics when I read him face-off against Maman Delamare in ch. 16 (btw, I read it at 2AM, imagine my pain.)

He’s like this calm and passive version of his older sister, and I think it’s great how the siblings resemble each other so much without actually having the same intentions — I’d love to see the Delamare family’s reaction to him becoming the boss of the fucking Magisterium of all things, seriously! That was such a godly moment on his part!

I like that the secret commonwealth was more of an adult’s novel than one suitable for children. It really brings a change and highlights the whole “His Darker Materials” aspect into this new trilogy. While the matters(like the sexual assault for example) can be troubling and discomforting for some, there were other great moments in the story, it makes us truly question this one thing: Imagination vs science?

It seems to be the ongoing theme in the story where Lyra slowly begins to lose her imagination and Pan, desperately going out to look for it and bring it back. But as Lyra travels all over the world, she begins to question whether she’ll ever get it back — and it’s just this amazing moment of reflection from the child!Lyra, that we all knew who was stubborn and creative back in the world of His Dark Materials, to now an adult!Lyra who’s burdened with the loss of her dæmon.

❥ quotes:

“I don’t know if pretending’s a good way to live.”

“There was a memory of a night when someone was walking up and down in a moonlit garden, whispering as he held her close, with a great quiet leopard walking alongside.”

“And so did you, for a bit. You just couldn’t keep going. You’re not really interested. What are we going to do? We can’t go on like this. Why do you hate me so much? Why do I hate you? Why can’t we stand being with each other?”

“Truth-tellers needed to know what the truth was, so as to tell it. Liars needed to know what the truth was so they could change it or avoid it. Then there were bullshitters, who didn’t care about the truth at all. They weren’t interested. What they spoke wasn’t the truth now was it lies; it was bullshit. All they were interested in was their own performance.”

“So, we’re gonna see a death bed wedding, are we?”

“As he signed the order, Marcel Delamare thought of the sister he had admired so much. He thought of his mother too, and looked forward to seeing her again.”

“Don’t call me madam. You can call me Miss Silvertongue.”

[leiakenobi]

which (in ur opinion) are the top 5 oscar movies to watch to get started?

oh, Nonny, you’ve come to the right place, my favorite hobby is recommending Oscar movies to people.

absolute first priority in my mind:

1.) Inside Llewyn Davis: A beautiful movie -- probably my top Coen bros film -- and oh does it show off Oscar’s range. You get to hear him sing, he acts his ass off... and I love Llewyn. That snarky sad bi icon. Bless his heart.

2.) Ex Machina: I have a lot of feelings about this movie that would take a whole essay to unpack, though I will say that overall I think it’s superb. The Oscar tl;dr of it all is that he takes a character who could easily be... completely detestable, and he makes him feel nuanced and engaging. He’s electric on screen.

3.) A Most Violent Year: J.C. Chandor really said, “I’m gonna make a period gangster film that doesn’t even really include gangsters,” and A Most Violent Year happened, and it is exquisite. If you’re not a fan of gangster films, I hope that description doesn’t deter you, because I haven’t talked to someone yet who disliked this film. Oscar and Jessica’s chemistry is so wonderful and they really are the movie, in a lot of ways, so watch it for them, if nothing else.

after that, I think it becomes a bit more... choose-your-own adventure, depending on what you’re looking for? so I’m going to cheat a bit and break it down more specifically:

If you are in it pretty much exclusively for the thirst -- literally just want to watch Oscar looking hot on your screen -- I’d maybe say go for Triple Frontier and In Secret as your next steps.

If you want ~great ~cinema, but would like to knock out some of Oscar’s filmography at the same time, I adored both At Eternity’s Gate and Annihilation but neither of them have much Oscar.

If you want a balance of thirst and film quality, maybe go for Operation: Finale and The Two Faces of January. Lots of Oscar in both films, but I think they’re actually at least decent movies on top of that.

Then you have a category that I kind of think of as your mileage may vary movies, which is... tbh a lot of his filmography. Basically stuff that I would only recommend depending on your preferences/mood. Sucker Punch is intense, and its feminism is... a mixed bag, to put it gently, but Oscar is one of its best features. The Promise is really beautiful, but it centers around the Armenian genocide, so you need to go into it prepared for that. 

I also think it’s worth giving a nod to Ticky Tacky, which is just a 15-minute short film that you can find on vimeo, so that should make it pretty easy to see. Oscar is so good at that kind of satirical mania and I wish we got to see that side of him more often.

[adultswim2021]

Home Movies #42: “The Heart Smashers” | January 25, 2004 - 11:00 PM | S04E04

You know what? This one isn’t bad. I remembered it being bad. It’s not one of the best ones of all time, but it’s a perfectly fine episode of Home Movies. This one follows the classic Home Movies tradition of having an episode with thematic subplots. Paula has a fella she can’t shake loose; she tries to break up with him and he moans so loudly that she unbreaks up with him. Brendon wants to fire Fenton from his latest film about a killer Septapus (get it? It’s like an Octapus instead of oct tentacles it has sep). And McGurk overworks out his chest. His plot only sorta fits in, I guess, he is enamored with his new muscular bosom but then works out so hard one day that they deflate, leaving him with detestable womanly breasts. What he goes through is sorta like a break-up, I guess, if you’re willing to buy the cartoon logic being used here. It’s one of the goofier moments of the series. I don’t hate it!

This has some fun bits in it, like bawdy adult comedy play Paula is seeing with her buttfuck buddy. There’s the part where Fenton pronounces a word very weird (I don’t remember which word, but trust me, it’s funny). I don’t know, man. Last time I tried to write this episode up I literally walked away from my Adult Swim review project for A FUCKING YEAR. I found that out by rereading my old write-ups. This fact struck me funny, seeing as how I put off writing this particular write-up for a couple nights after watching the episode. I guess that’s an improvement. Season four of Home Movies is gonna be rough. Sorry, everyone.

[mary-tudor]

~HENRY TUDOR: A SOCIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION.~

Today, I'll be discussing a character who left his mark in History, fathering a dynasty whose most proeminent members were his (second) son Henry VIII and his granddaughter Elizabeth I. Often overshadowed by his descendants, Henry's own deeds as a king and as an individual of his own days have been neglected until recently, when efforts from British historians have been working hard to change that. 

The reason why I decided to bring him here was not only due to personal affections, though they certainly helped it, but because there are aspects overlapped in social structures that shaped him. In other words: what's Henry Tudor as a sociological individual? Can we point him out as a constant foreigner or someone whose socialization process were strongly marked by the addition of two different societies? 

Henry Tudor was born in Pembroke, located in Wales, in January 28th 1457. His mother was Margaret Beaufort, a proeminent lady whose grandfather John Beaufort was the son of John of Gaunt, son in turn of King Edward III of England. The duke of Lancaster fathered four ilegitimated children (who were legitimated in posterity) by his (third marriage to his then) lover Katheryn Swynford, amongst whom John Beaufort was the oldest. Therefore, Henry was  3x grandson. to the duke and, despite what some might argue when Henry IV became king, in great deal to inherite the throne. Well, it's not my intention to deepen the discussion as to Henry's legitimacy or the Beauforts. 

Though his father's ancestry, Henry's blood led him to the royal house of Valois. His paternal grandmother, Katherine de Valois, was the sister of Isabella, who had been the second wife of the ill-fated king Richard II. She was also descended of Louis IX and his spanish wife, Blanche de Castille. Henry was also a royal man from the Welsh lands, as Owain Tudor, his grandfather, was related to several princes of Wales. By all these I said, the first thing one might think (considering 15th century and it’s nobility) Henry would receive a proper education due to his status. However, this would not happen in the strict sense of the word. Let us not forget that England was collapsing by the time of Henry Tudor's birth and his childhood. Why am I using the word 'collapse' to qualify the civil war we know named as wars of the roses?

Émile Durkheim, a french sociologist, would write several centuries later, about how a society is formed: he compared it to the working of a human body. If the head, the brain of our body does not work well, what happens? The body will not work well, certainly. Neither would the head work well if other parts hurt somehow. Although if you did break a leg, you could still make use of your brain, but as a whole how limited wouldn't you be? He'd also say that when the human body, or as he called, the society was sick, it was because of the social structures which imposed the human being to the point where there would be no individuality, no matter of choice. 

Such created social facts that were completely external (althoug well internalized through means of a process we call socialization) but coercitive. If they are not working, what does this mean? That soon another social facts will be replacing the former one. But between one and another, we have a "very sickly" society. Taking this understanding back to England's 15th century, it is not difficult to see what Durkheim was talking about. 

The king was the head of the English body. If we have here two kings fighting over one crown, fighting over the rule of an entire body... Well, then? We have the collapse, a civil war that lasted for the next 30 years. Here, it's less about discussing who started what but why they did what they did, and the explanation for it. Power is power. It's crystal clear, and a statement that, however simple might it sound, points to the obvious. Factions that fought for power intended to dominate others, using the concept very well developed by sociologists as Pierre Bourdieu and Norbert Elias. This domination is a large field, a concept that embrace all sorts of it. Looking back to England's latter half of the century, domination was peril. The head was about to explode. The society was ill... and dominated by it.

What were the values? What was the racionalization proccess of social action led by individuals that were not only individuals but a group? How would all of this affect Henry Tudor? It was not about merely blaming the capitalism, because such coercitive system wasn't present yet. But Henry was, directly or not, linked to the royal house of Plantagenets, whose eagerness for dominating one another and by extension the rest of the country would include him in the game. 

"Game." For Durkheim, this would imply an agitation, like a wave of sea, from which no one could escape from. Let's not forget that Institutions created ideas, renewed them, shaped them to the practice whether to dominate the weaker or to defeat the stronger. Whatever the purpose, we here have the Church, not the religiosity, but the precursor of ideas would subdue individuals to share (or manipulate to their own goals anyways) values in order to keep determined mentality to it. But also, monarchy was too an institution which held control over the lives and deaths of thousands of people. A monarch, as we know, is never alone regardless of how "absolut" they could be in different times and contexts. They were not above the law, either. At least where the socialization process is concerned. For the monarch embodied the content which was the law back then. He was literally the law. 

Furthermore, Henry's education would foresee this fighting, which I'm not merely referring to custody going from his mother to another, before finally staying under his uncle's responsibilities, as well as the civil war itself. (Anyone remembers Warwick executing Herbert before the boy?) 

See, we all know and comprehend today what trauma are capable of doing to someone. Such experience is the main responsible for shaping ideas, values and even costumes. Now, a society which is very much sick by it's own values and moral costumes (a point here must be made: the public consciousness always preached for a warrior, strong king, but has no one thought how this "common sense", validated by a general expectation towards the head of society, was what led it to... well, for the lack of better word, suicide itself? 

For it's widely accepted that weak kings do not last long. But that is when we deal with a good deal of expectations that, when turned to frustrations, bring awful results. If England's society was ill in it's very extreme sense of the word, was because the values they created turned against themselves and that would leave it's mark in a boy as Henry. And until the age of 14, he was still absorbing these concepts, these morals, values, costumes from institutions (let's not forget that a monarch shares such with the nobility that surrounds him, as was the case of House Lancaster,f.e) before he was casted out to Bretagne and, in posteriority, to France. Now, I believe you all know what was done whether in England or with our king during these 14 years spent outside his own country before he became king upon the victory settled on the battle of Bosworth field.

I am not interested in discussing historical facts. At least not now, as we are finally dealing with Henry Tudor as a social actor

----/-HENRY TUDOR: A FOREIGNER? AN EXILED? OR AN OUTCAST?--

These questions mobilized me as I came to read a text written by 19th century sociologist named Georg Simmel. He wrote an essay (pardon by any mistakes in translations done from here on) entitled "The Foreigner", in which he brings a sociological question at why  foreigners are seen as strangers who are never entirely immersed in the society they attempt to be part in. 

Here's an excerpt translated by me in which he explains it:

"Fixed within a determined social space, where it's constancy cross-border could be considered similar to the space, their position [the foreigner's] in it is largely determined by the fact of not belonging entirely to it, and their qualities cannot originate from it or come from it, nor even going in it." (SIMMEL, 2005: 1.)    

Furthermore, he adds:

“The foreigner, however, is also an element of the group, no more different than the others and, at the same time, distincted from what we consider as the 'internal enemy'. They are an element in whose position imanent and of member comprehend, at the same time, one outsider and the other insider." (SIMMEL, 2005: 1).

Here's why Henry, as Earl of Richmond, was not well seen by the Britons and the French, in spite of being "accepted" by them. Never forget that he would still be seen as an outsider by his own fellows. As Richard III would call Henry a bastard, one could understand this accusation with sociological  implications. English back then detested these foreigners and by the concept brought here by me from Simmel we can understand why. But we could also see being called a bastard as a way to point out Henry's localization. Where can the Earl of Richmond & soon-to-be king be located?

I have pointed this far the structures which were raised and caused a collapsed society to live broken in many, many ways and how this affected Henry this far. Seeing how foreigner he was, nonetheless, he did not belong neither to England (at first) nor to the Continent.

On that sense of word, says Simmel (2005: 3): 

"A foreigner is seen and felt, then, from one side, as someone absolutely mobiled, a wanderer. As a subject who comes up every now and then through specific contacts and yet, singularly, does not find vinculated organically to  anything or anyone, nominally, in regards to the established family, locals and profissionals”

Even though we find a dominant group of foreigners in France, as we are talking about of nobles displeased with the Yorkist cause and supporters of the Lancastrian House, they were not majority. Where can we locate Henry, then? We don't, because he was not a French and however well he could speak the language, it was not his birth language. The French culture was not passed nor naturalized by him through the teachings of a family or the church by the institutions: monarchy, church, family, parliament, etc; he would have been defeated a long time. But that he did manage to, using this popular expression, put things together and become the first king to die peacefully since Henry V, it tells us a lot. Not rarely an immigrant is accepted by a society whose demands are forced upon him, most of the times in aggressive ways. But it's not often either that we see a king occupying such place in society. 

Indeed, one might say that kings as Henry II and the conquerors before him were too foreigners, but not in the sociological way I'm explaining. Because the social structures were different. Henry's government were settled in a more centralized ruling, far more just and peaceful, more economic and less concerned with waging wars than his antecessors. The need to migrate was not 'forced', neither 'imposed' and even back to the 11th and 12th centuries were motivated by different reasons. That's to accentuate how English society evolved throughout the centuries. And I used again and again Georg Simmel to prove my point about casting a sociological light towards Henry VII not as a historical character so distant of us and who remains an object of controversial discussions, but a man of his times who was forced to deal with expectations that placed him in social positions nearly opposed to one another to fulfill each role whether as king or as a man. For some reason, the broken society shaped Henry as an immigrant, but as history shows us, it was this immigrant who helped shape medieval society, directing it towards the age of Renaissance and in posteriority to Modern Age.

Finally, to close this thread I leave here another quote (translated to English by me) found in the text written by Simmel: 

"The foreigner, strange to the group [he is in], is considered and seen as a non-belonging being, even if this individual is an organic member of the group whose uniform life comprehends every particular conditioning of this social [mean]. (...) [the foreigner] earns in certain groups of masses a proximity and distance that distinguishes quantities in each relationship, even in smaller portions. Where each marked relationship nduced to a mutual tension in specific relationships, strenghtening more formal relations out of respect to what's considered 'foreigner' of which are resulted." (SIMMEL, p 7). 

Bibliography: 

AMIN, Nathen. https://henrytudorsociety.com/

DURKHEIM, Émile. "The Division of Labor in Society”.

KANTOROWICZ, Ernst H.”The King’s Two Bodies: A Study in Medieavel Political Theology.”

PENN, Thomas. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England.

SIMMEL, Georg. The Foreigner. In: Soziologie. Untersuchungen über die Formen der Vergesellschaftung. Berlin. 1908.

[honeyjaez]

A solo stan who is thinking about checking other groups out?

There is nothing wrong with being a solo stan (as in only liking 1 group) as long as you are kind and courteous to other groups.

Also this post might not be for you.

But if you are a solo stan (usually starting with BTS) or just in need of finding new groups and thinking about spreading your wings here are some suggestions. 🙂

When I first got into kpop way back in the 2010 years I had no clue what I had stumbled on and I only liked 2 groups max for the longest time because I didnt know about any other groups. Since then I’ve come to love so many groups that I wish I knew about sooner.

Now mind you. I am primarily a boy group stan so there are not a lot of girl groups on her so please forgive me. -*edit I’ve decided to do a part 2 of just girl groups so stay tuned

This is also under the impression you already know BTS and their brother group TXT.

also if your fav is not on this list I dearly apologize. I picked groups that might be a good intro to like multiple groups.

Groups down below ˅˅˅˅

SEVENTEEN:

-13 Member group under Pledis Entertainment.

- Debuted May 26, 2015

-Popular in Korea and slowly gaining popularity internationally.

-AMAZING dancers.

-Like the synchronization is unreal for 13 people.

- Divided into 3 sub-units; Performance Unit, Hip-Hop Unit, and Vocal Unit

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Don’t Wanna Cry. Hit, Clap

iKON:

-Currently a 6 Member group under YG Entertainment

-Debuted September 15th, 2015

-Addicting Chorus’s and bad ass rapping

-Their Leader B.I recently left the group early this year, but fans are hopeful for a reunion. But that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate OT7 right now.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Bling Bling, Love Scenario, B-Day

ONEUS:

-6 Member group under RBW Entertainment

-Debuted January 9th, 2019.

-They are a crazy good for a rookie group and have a lot of bangers.

-Their choreography is no joke

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Valkyrie (Debut song), Twilight, Lit

(Seriously they have no bad songs)

NCT 127:

(NCT is actually a massive group divided up into sub-units)

-10 Member group under SM Entertainment.

-Debuted July 10th, 2016

-Crazy Powerful dance moves.

-Look mean, but are actually sweethearts.

-Gaining popularity in the west.

-Some songs to introduce you to them:Cherry Bomb, Touch, Highway to Heaven

NCT Dream:

-Currently a 6 member group under SM Entertainment

-Debuted August 24th, 2016

-Cute Charm and Powerful stage presence. 

-NCT Dream is as this moment not a fixed unit and based on idols age.

-When they get old enough the members “graduate” and join other NCT sub-units

-Mark of NCT 127 was once the leader but he reached the age limit and “Graduated” and thus no longer apart of the group.

-Many fans detest this concept and wish SM to make them a fixed unit but that doens’t mean you can’t love OT6 or OT7 at the moment.

-Some songs to introduce you to them:  Boom, We Go Up, Go

Stray Kids:

-8  member group under JYP Entertainment

-Debuted March 25th, 2018

-Gained a lot of popularity through their survival show of the same name

-Strong and Meaningful songs that deal a lot with self struggle and depression. 

-All songs are produced by members Bang Chan, Changbin and Han who make up the sub-unit 3racha.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Hellavator Levanter, Voices, My Pace, Double Knot, God’s Menu, Back Door (I mean this list can go on and on)

GOT7:

-7 Member group under JYP Entertainment

-Debuted January 16th, 2014

-Another amazing dancing group

-Strong Charisma on stage.

-Variety Kings

-Goofballs

-Some songs to introduce you to them:Hard Carry, Eclipse, You Are 

VAV:

-7 Member group under A Team Entertainment

-Debuted October 31st, 2015.

-Severely underrated 

-Has lost some members and gains some as well.

-They work super hard year round with hardly and rest.

-Please stan VAV.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: She’s Mine, Poison, Spotlight. 

ASTRO:

-6 Member group under Fantagio Entertainment

-Debuted February 23rd, 2016.

-Cute, Charming group.

-The boys are actual angels.

-The group is a breath of fresh air.

-Super Talented.

-Addicting songs that just make you smile

-Can have the same concept as literally any other group but still make it their own.

-Vocals are beyond this world.

-Also just overall very pretty.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: All Night, Blue Flame, Baby, Always You. 

The Boyz:

-11 Member group under Cre.Ker Entertainment

-Debuted December 6th, 2017

-A really fun and charming group.

-Their song’s are very addicting

-Dance like songs

-Sweet sweet boys who deserve love.

-Member Hwall left in October of 2019 due to health reasons 

-Some songs to introduce you to them: D.D.D, No Air, Giddy Up 

Day6:

-5 Member group under JYP Entertainment

-Debuted September 7th, 2015

-An actual band so they don’t dance on stage

-but crazy talented

-Their songs are known to make people feel happier.

-I don’t think it is possible to have a bad Day6 song.

-Jae’s twitter is quite possible my favorite place on this earth.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: I smile. Time of our lives. Colors, I need Somebody. Dance Dance. Literally any of them.

PENTAGON:

-Currently a 9 Member group under Cube Entertainment.

-Debuted October 10th, 2016.

-Also Underrated.

-Such amazing discography.

-UNIQUE VOICES 

-Strong vocals and major crackheads

-Went through their survival show “Pentagon Maker” and debuted as 10 members.

-Former Member E’Dawn was basically kicked out of Cube and Pentagon after revealing he was dating label mate HyunA. Fans are still hopeful for an OT10 reunion.

-But we can support OT9 now.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Sha La La, Shine, Like This, Cosmo (Japanese song).

SF9:

-9 Member group under FNC Entertainment

-Debuted October 5th, 2016

-FNC’s first dance boy group.

-SEVERELY UNDERRATED.

-If you want any songs to put on your workout playlist, or just get you hyped then their are your boys.

-AMAZING Dancers.

-They are almost all actors as well. If you watch K-Drama’s you might recognize Chani (their maknae) from widely popular Sky Castle and Rowoon from new K-Drama “Extraordinary You”

-Stan SF9. Stream RPM

-Some songs to introduce you to them: O Sole Mio, RPM, Now or Never, Easy Love

Monsta X

-A SEVEN Member group under Starship Entertainment

-Literally the definition of hard-working.

-Powerful Choreography, crazy stage presence, intense charisma...must I go on.

-Literally deserve the world.

-Were formed through the survival program No Mercy and have not stopped since.

-Their songs are so addicting and on top of that are actual sweethearts.

-Only want to make people smile and feel loved through their music.

-Would possibly die for their fans.

-Okay I’m talking too much.

-Gaining popularity in the Western regions.

-In October of 2019, member Wonho (the orange hair in the gif) left the group due to rumors and lies being spread about him. He didn’t want to hurt Monsta X’s reputation so he left the group but fans have strongly opposed this, fighting for starship to help clear his name and have him return. The protest continues on even after almost a month.

(Trust me, if you knew this group and Wonho, you would understand why fans are opposing this.)

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Follow, Shoot Out, Beautiful, Dramarama, All In, Alligator.

NU’EST:

-5 Member group under Pledis Entertainment

-Debuted March 15th, 2012

-Very unique style and concept with their albums.  Sticks to their own specific style.

-Addicting chorus.

-Honey Sweet vocals. 

-Had a sub-united called NU’EST W while Minhyun was promoting as a member of Wanna One. (The W stood for ‘Waiting’ which should tell you the type of guys they are).

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Bet Bet, Love Me, Face (Debut  Song), Help Me (Nu’est W song).

BTOB:

-7 Member group under Cube Entertainment

-Debuted March 21st, 2012.

-Ballads anyone?

-Are primarily a vocal focus group

-But understandably because BTOB has one of the strongest vocals in Kpop.

-But can also dance.

-Honest to good crack heads

-Variety Kings #2

-Currently 3 members are serving their military service but you can still support them in their quiet time.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: I’ll be your man, Only one for me, Beautiful Pain, Missing You.

ATEEZ:

-8 Member group under KQ Entertainment

-Debuted October 24th, 2018.

-ROOKIE KINGS.

-In their one year so far since debut they have shown the world that they are not a group to underestimate. 

-Strong Dancers, powerful choreography. 

-Their stage presence is no joke.

-Songs are super addicting and go hard so if you need a workout playlist Ateez is your group.

THE DUALITY OF EACH MEMBER. 

-San is Satan in disguise.

-Prepared for debut for a really REALLY long time. 

-Already signed up with a US record label.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Wonderland, Pirate King, Treasure, Say My name, Wave. literally any of them.

EXO:

-9 Member group under SM Entertainment

-Debuted April 8th, 2012.

-If you know BTS, you probably know about them.

-But EXO are worth all the hype.

-Korea’s chosen representative (Whether you agree with it or not, it’s true) 

-Deadly Stage Presence and Charisma

-Their songs are always iconic.

-Leader Suho just might be god I haven’t figured it out yet.

-As of November 2019, 3 of their members are not promoting with the group. Lay is off promoting solo stuff and stuff in china and america (because SM doesn’t want EXOLS happy) and the other 2 members, Xiumin and D.O are currently serving in the military.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Monster, Love Shot, Lotto, Tempo.

Golden Child

-10 Member group under Woollim Entertainment.

-Debuted August 28th, 2017.

-Underrated group x 10.

-Dancing is on point.

-Stage presence on point

-Hardworking

-cute songs

-They are just charming boys who smile more than the sun i swear.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Wannabe, DamDaDi, Genie, Let Me

A.C.E:

-5 Member group under Beat Interactive

-Debuted May 23rd, 2017

-I literally don’t understand why they are so underrated.

-They have created their own unique style in kpop with a rock vibe that is hardly used in the community. 

-POWERFUL dancers.

-Rude as fuck but thats besides the point.

-Another great group if you need workout songs.

-Some songs to introduce you to them: Undercover, Savage, Callin, Take Me Higher.

Other groups that I did not talk about but I think should be mentioned:

-AB6IX

-CIX

-VICTON

-VIXX

-Great Guys 

-Infinite

-JBJ95

-Kim Donghan(solo)

N.Flying!

-Noir!!!!!

-Spectrum

[migleefulmoments]

Abby, like all the MVP tinhats before her, doesn't get puns but also tinhats can't read subtext and don't understand context. Unfortunately for them, the real-life counterparts of their CC cast of character - certainly Chris and Darren - are very smart, quick witted people who enjoy playing with language and rely on their audience to get that. Tinhats like all dogmatics don't get that. They take things literally. They also don't get situational, non verbal and social cues.

Absolutely.  That is one of their biggest downfalls especially now that Chris and Darren are now longer situationally near one another. They don’t get BTS photos of Chris and Darren at work gazing lovingly near one another. The fandom is required to analyze their individual lives and try to glean out some thing CC.  They are required to analyze much more subtle and nuanced moments and they fail every time. I really miss Chris’s sharp, intelligent wit on social media.  

The cc fandom focus on such ridiculous crap and they fail to understand it. Tonight is the prefect example of this. First the “Gay icon” quote that they mistakenly took as serious. They they discussed an anon’s comment “the Al/an C interview. A says you went on a day in regards to C and it sounds like D starts to say that it was kind of our first date but only gets the firs out before he calls it a man date. It is very subtle but it is there. Do you think his team didn't notice as I'm sure it should've been edited out?” to which Abby replied “His team misses a TON and i think that entire interview was well planned and orchestrated between D and AC”. Um..seriously? You're going to hang your hat on Darren being gay because of an interview done 4 years ago in which you believe he was going to say “first date”? But my favorite is a full discussion on the photo that Darren said he detested. They are literally debating whether that comment was a full on diss of Glee and what that means about him or whether he hates all photos of himself without a shirt- cuz ya know DAPPERMAN is humble and scared of nudity, or whether he detests the photo because it was a testament to his feelings for Ryan Murphy (newsflash Abby, Darren adores Ryan Murphy) or whether detesting the pic is a statement about how he hates TSG. As per the prior anon- their analysis assumes that normal people interpret things the way they do and this is the perfect example. How they got from a dorky, douchy photo taken for the Men of Glee January calendar to it being a statement condemning TSG is insane  

Souly:

“But, you know, him saying that he hates this picture, in which he looks like a stripper, while he is at the stripclub-in-disguise, says a lot in itself. Just think about all those stripping, sorry, “burlesque” going on there, at a place he supposedly owns. Hmm..”

Flowers tried to show all of the photos of Darren without a shirt including one that is quite old -weird that she found them so quickly-and she never mentioned Hedwig. Darren doesn’t hate showing his body- DAPPERMAN does-two very different people. The photo he detests is a horrible photo- I don’t like it either. It’s douchy  and stupid and the plot line was stupid. Go read the discussion-X 

Souly also says 

I don’t think he was too excited to see such a cake topper for various reasons, but those constantly around him love it, which is what he very likely despises even more.

which I found odd.  Who is she talking about?  How would she know? They just make shit up out of thin air to seem relavent. This entire thread reminds me of Ivanka Trump at the G20 talking to the Heads of State.  

Abby adds a bunch of nonsense about “from what I understand”- she wasn’t in the fandom so whatever masterpost of nonsense she read, it steered her wrong.

[dispatchesfromafghanistan]

Requiem for Dr.Sharif Fayez

My colleague, friend, soulmate, and ally Dr.Sharif Fayez passed away unexpectedly and abruptly on Friday February 8, 2019. Three weeks later, I still have a hard time reconciling with his departure. His death has created a huge void at AUAF, the literary and academic world and indeed in the entire country. Our acquaintance goes back to 2002. One day in early January 2002, I received a call from Kabul in my office at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, saying he was the first post -Taliban minister of higher education,  and would/could I go to Kabul and help him. We did not know each other at that point.. I happened to be on sabbatical that semester, and responded affirmatively. I arrived in Kabul in early March of 2002 and was designated  senior adviser to him. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. It is now february 27, 2019, and my life has not been the same since that phone conversation. The task we faced was to rebuild the Afghan higher education system from scratch. And we had very limited human, financial, and physical resources to work with; I think our annual budget then was about $27 million dollars per year. rThe preceding two decades of turmoil had pretty much wrecked everything, including higher education. I could hardly believe the devastation. I remember crying on many occasions. When we started the MoHE building had no in-door plumbing, heating, internet, or running water.There were two old manual typewriters. I remember there were 275 employees , very few of them women working in the dilapidated building. There were seven public universities in the country with a few thousand students. Together, and a handful of others we set out to rebuild the Afghan higher education system. We worked on the curriculum, faculty, infrastructure, learning resources, the entrance exam(the konkor), gender related issues, staffing, libraries, laboratories, the system's isolation from the international intellectual community, and so on. It was a Herculian task reminding me of the sisyphus analogy. Soon after my arrival in Kabul, I became Sharif's alter ego, and do-it-all handy man. I would accompany him wherever he went, from meetings with then president Karzai to seminars at Georgetown U. from crises meetings with other ministers to unannounced visits to student dorms. We literally worked nonstop, only to catch some sleep. And we were making rapid progress. I was amazed at the minister's care, concern, dedication and commitment to his job, or rather his mission. I divided my time between Portland and Kabul spending two terms teaching at Lewis and Clark College, and working with MoHE in Kabul for 5 months each year. At the time, the few expats and the Afghan diaspora who had returned to rebuild their homeland, believed that we could/would rebuild the education system and the country at large; little did we know! Dr.Fayez was excluded from the cabinet in 2005, I continued helping the MoHE for a semester with his replacement Dr.Hassanyar. Observing the dismal condition of higher education in Afghanistan, Dr.Fayez and I used to talk a great deal about the need for a model institution along a liberal arts education philosophy in Afghanistan. So early on in 2003, we began to plan such a univ. He asked me to write a charter, a plan , etc which I did. We discussed the idea with Dr.Zalmai Khalilzad the then US ambassador to Kabul. And we took the proposal to then Pres Karzai. We envisioned a private, independent, nondenominational, nonprofit , secular , liberal arts college. Pres. Karzai, Khalilzad, and other American and some Afghans supported our idea and plan. Minister Fayez was replaced by another Afghan-American Dr.Hassanyar who had Hazara connections and sponsors. I continued to work with the new minister for a semester, and Fayez worked on establishing our dream university. I kept my position as full and tenured professor at LCC in Portland. LCC was very supportive of me and accommodated my desire to help in Afghanistan. In 2006, I was invited by the Univ of Mass to collaborate with them and teach in their USAID-funded  MA in education program at Kabul Education Univ, Fayez managed to start AUAF in 2006, was appointed as its president, and asked me to serve on its Board of Trustees, which I did, thus continuing our cooperation , since we had a shred vision and strong desire to help our  homeland. I continues to serve part time with the U of Mass's graduate programs at KEU and Kabul U until 20115. Throughout this period, Fayez and my paths crossed on numerous occasions under various circumstances, so I got to know the man very well. First of all, Fayez was a scholar reading voraciously and writing  prolifically both in English and in Dari. He knew a great deal about a wide range of subjects and you could have very intelligent and informed conversations with him ranging from Rumi to John Dewey, culture, politics, economics and society. And he loved teaching and imparting his wealth of knowledge to others/students. He taught twice in the MA programs I led at AUAF, taking his work and the students very seriously. His students, respected,  loved and admired him greatly. Fayez was a modest, simple, unassuming, and down-to earth man. His character essentially remained the country boy. He never bragged, pushed, flattered, or threw his weight around.  He lived a modest life. He was calm, steady and level-headed and rarely lost his cool. He approached things logically and methodically, and he was a man of reason. He was a strong believer of  democracy and consensus -building. He believed in justice, fairness, and equity. He was kind, gentle, humane, and caring. He was an environmentalist and an animal rights practitioner. He was a strong believer of academic freedom practicing and encouraging others to speak their mind. And he was an idealist and humanist believing that humans and societies can be perfected to a great extent. He detested official and retail corruption. A few anecdotes will illustrate my portrayal of the man. When former pres Karzai let his high officials confiscate public land and people's homes in Shairpoor, Fayez was one of a handful  NOT to commit the land -grab.I saw him twice sobbing over the police killing of some students way back in 2003 and then when AUAF was attacked by insurgents in 2017. As minister, he appointed a Hazara, a Tagic, A Pashtoon ,and an Ozbek as his team of senior advisers that he respected a great deal. We conducted regular meetings between the ministers of education and higher education and their respective senior advisers.He appointed a woman as the first deputy minister. And he must be credited with  making Kabul Education University into a coed institution in 2003. We convened a major conference on 'Official Corruption 'at Kabul University in 2003. He was the first minister  to send us with the results of the Konkor exam to Tehran so to computerize the results..He allowed the universities and colleges in 2003 to elect their chancellors and deans. He introduced a kind of affirmative action for female applicants to universities. When in 2003, three girls university students of a group that he and I led for a conference at Georgetown U, defected the day we were supposed to meet Laura Bush, he remained calm and controlled. Most recently in April 2018, when I was wrongly and unjustly accused of anti-Pashtoon bias, he took a firm public stance and came to my defense. During his tenure, we ended the isolation of the Afghan higher education system and established affiliations with foreign universities. He really was a pioneer, innovator, visionary leader and a wonderful man. But recently, he too was disillusioned with the political system and political process both here and our country of adoption- the US. He too was dismayed by the cultural decay around us. He too was pained by the deep rot afflicting this society. He too showed fatigue, despair, and hopelessness to recreate our imagined Afghanistan. And so, he left abruptly without saying goodbye, and leaving a huge void. May he rest in peace.

DR.Zaher Wahab

Kabul

[enduringexistentialism]

In highschool, I stopped being friends with Georgia May. I don’t remember why this happened. I came back from school holidays one January, and simply detested her.

I feel like fucking shutting down. I feel so fucking angry and full of hatred.

I’m not here to treat you like a punching bag. I’m here to listen to you, and I’m here to tell you how I feel.

I feel so fucking angry about this. I feel extremely uncomfortable, and I feel as though my hands are tied, and I have no way of relieving this discomfort.

Let’s start with you. What the fuck is going on? Because it seems as though there is no end to what the fuck is actually going on. I feel like I continue to drop through fucking floors, getting to the bottom of this fucking mess. I’m so sick of you refusing to face anything that is going on for you, and finding you sitting on top of a pile of your own shit saying woe is me.

So what the fuck is actually going on?

This is affecting me. This is affecting my relationship with Luci. This is affecting my relationship with Anita and Sam. This is affecting my relationship with my friends who speak about you in one way, and wonder why I have an issue with you. You are literally fucking up my life right now.

How am I supposed to trust you from here? I expect more than this from my friends. I literally feel unsafe around you. I feel as though you will only consider me and my feelings if it is convenient for you. I feel as though on some level you are trying to create in the world the instability you feel inside yourself.

You strike me as being extremely irresponsible. Be better at respecting people’s boundaries, be better as considering others, and if you can’t, leave people the fuck alone.

[deltastorm101]

tuesday, january 18. i am now quarantined. mild symptoms, need to wait for the pcr test result before i can leave the house again; gonna write a little log.

day 1: i had cake in the fridge. had. past tense.

day 2: my neighbour just knocked and said if i needed anything i could ask him and he’d help omg i lov him. i may already be halfway through a series i started watching today. i am developing an unprecedented love for white tea; total teabag count across the entire quarantine so far: 5

day 2.5: i had a huge box of chocolates in the pantry. had. past tense. teabag count: 8

day 3: i am not feeling bad about not keeping up a sleep schedule; for once, i kid you not, for the first time in YEARS i’m not feeling bad about watching netflix all day and not getting shit done because i am literally not allowed to do more. teabag count: 12. love is stored in the scorching hot bowl of fresh risotto. my symptoms have disappeared for some reason?? started playing ghostrunner. it’s pretty DAMN hard, had to rage quit after like 20 minutes lol. i never rage quit. this sucks.

day 3.75: i had another box of chocolates in the pantry... yup you guessed it.

day 4: number 1 thought that kept me up last night: “do people think i’m an asshole because i do the devil’s advocate thing so often”. time has been blurring further. monday could have been on tuesday, or maybe yesterday, or maybe both. test result’s supposed to come in today but if everyone leaves early for the weekend it’s possible i’ll be here until monday. slowly but surely i am in need of some groceries. teabag count: 14

day 4.66: NEGATIVE. ahhh. let me tell you, i absolutely detest running but fuck do i need to go for a run right now brb

conclusion: yes, a 4 day quarantine is in fact enough to acquire a noticeable amount of psychic damage and make you utter an orgasmic sigh at the runny nose the icy -2°C wind gives you while your heart rate goes above 90 bpm for the first time in 75 hours. not that i counted or anything.

[all-his-candy-necklaces]

I can’t help but write out all my worries, thoughts, stress, and creeping anxiety. I have to move out of my complex by January 28th because they raised the prices on the units 🙂🙃 finding a new complex has been difficult to say the least. And the lord knows I don’t do well with pressure, stress, and ambiguity. Many of these complexes either don’t have anything available for January or they are charging ridiculous prices that I cannot afford.

I toured one the other day and it was small but I don’t need much. However, they are on a waitlist. The guy who gave me the tour told me that they have 20 units opening up in January but that he has to go through the whole wait list and go months back and call people who had been waiting for a while. He say that many of them may tell him that they’ve already found a new place or they moved away or whatever. He told me to call back on December 30th and January 2nd to see what the status is on the units and if I should apply, If they have any after he goes through the whole wait list. I can’t tell you how much I hate “wait and see” scenarios. I loathe them. I detest them. I want to take them in my hands and crush them. I think the feeling of not knowing what comes next or not Having any immediate control really rips me apart. And you know what happens in that space of ambiguity? Pure anxiety, depression, panic, terror, fear. I don’t want to spiral into more depression and anxiety and panic and sadness. I want to think something will work out, I really do want to think. But Jesus fucking Christ, god knows I am so fucking scared of even being hopeful. Because I get so shattered and depressed when I am let down. All life within me is immediately extinguished, and I wish I wasn’t affected so easily by literally everything.

I applied to another place the other day. The unit they’re offering is kind of expensive… and yet I had no other choice but to choose it because it was what they were offering and right now, beggars cannot be choosers. I called the office before applying and the lady on the phone told me they wouldn’t have any units opening up until January, but that it was first come, first serve. Which is why I sent in an application the other day. However, this is another wait and see situation. I hate ambiguity. I hate when I think I have something going well, something supposedly planned out, and like clockwork, life throws another fucking wrench in my fucking plans. Just once, JUST ONCE, I’d like for the path in front of me to be smooth and flow well. JUST ONCE. But no. There is always an obstacle, there is always something throwing me off course, there is always something to take into account and have to try to plan around. There is always something to make me crestfallen and cry. I don’t know how people do it… to always figure it out. Always. I’m so tired. Tired of being exhausted, of carrying this fatigued soul and battered heart. Tired of this sick brain of mine causing me so much pain and torment.

Sick and tired of my abusive, narcissistic, stupid father still being alive when he is utterly useless and decrepit. Tired of my coward of a mother always siding with him and living in pure illusions, never admitting that she’s not happy or in love with him . That she only stays with that sadist because she could never imagine herself actually living a life. But she chooses to live a LIE.

I’m sick and tired of my broken, abusive, deranged, inconsiderate, and selfish “family”. Tired of feeling like people don’t want to have my back, even if it’s not always true. Tired of shit being expensive and out of reach. Tired of capitalism and it’s cancerous ills.

Why can’t I just have a stable place ? A stable mind ? A stable heart? I don’t know what’s going to happen. Pray? I don’t know. Hope I find an apartment somewhat soon. That somewhere, somehow, something opens up and I can afford it somehow. Fuck.. please just let something fall into place for once. Please god. Please.

[antaresdreams]

Malaysia has been on lockdown ever since the beginning of the year. Hitherto, it was not a surprise when its most populated state known as the Klang Valley had its residents going out in flocks to parks and waterfalls once the lockdown was lifted. We had been cooped up since the beginning of January 2021. The previous prime minister was a literal tool that gaslighted its people with sentiments of religion and race. I have never in my entire life detested a face that much. The political instability was due to the opposition party taking over after the people voted them out after 60 long excruciating years. The people’s mandate was only allowed to happen for 22 months. It was tragic and depressing over the past 18 months. With the presence of the pandemic, the cracks of the 60 year government was exposed. They had played the game for a very long time. Betrayal and stupidity was an everyday highlight. These are the days that I am thankful for being born a Malaysian. We had amazing individuals that reached out and used their social media presence for good. We had author Hanna Alkaf whom created the hashtag #kitajagakita (translation: the people takes care of each other) due to the government’s disability to help its people. We took care of each other through many different initiatives. This was the moment I knew, the future generation will do what’s right and needed. This gave me hope. Amid the political instability, politicians took care of their own pockets. Reading the news has definitely left a dent on my mental health. 

So the PM that looked like a turtle was overthrown because there were factions in his own party that did not believe in his leadership. He was then quickly replaced by his deputy. The 60 year old party was satisfied because now they were sure to have an iron grip on Malaysia once again. I had barfed in my mouth a couple of times while scrolling through twitter. It is revolting to how politicians turned a blind eye toward the number of daily deaths. Vaccination rollout was aggressive only recently after self-proclaimed internet zaddy botched it up beginning of the year. He was so hell bent on rebottling the vaccines, that I now know friends who have a lost a parent or both to COVID. So many tales of vaccine no show because that person had passed away. How does this not break your heart? The pent-up anger in me has no more boundaries. Now I say it as it is. When you are bullied to a corner, what do you do? Fight back and I will die trying to do so. They have plundered the country’s resources for 60 years and is not stopping anytime soon. The collective vote by the people in the next general election will be the only thing strong enough to break this momentum. I am hoping my generation and the future ones will put out the flames of corruption, feudalism, nepotism, cronyism and racism. This is a fight that one will never forget. 

[nealcassatiel]

My Cognitive Dissonance: The Two Fans Within Me

Sometimes I feel as though I’m two separate people who watch Supernatural. And these two separate people engage with the fandom differently, think of the show differently, and their perspective of the show differs. Of course, these two people interact and overlap, but they seem distinct from one another. I am usually aware of my own cognitive dissonances, which this is another example of. If you read this and feel differently/the same let me know! I’m interested in finding out how other people connect with this.

FAN A.

The first person I am as a Supernatural fan is the one who watched that first episode in January 2006. Supernatural has been a constant in this version of myself’s life for 13 years. Whilst I love the show to pieces, it’s the kind of very very long term relationship love where I don’t spend every week yearning for a new episode because I know it’s always been there. I don’t feel the dire need to engage with the fandom because I only started engaging with the fandom recently (in comparison to how long I’ve been watching the show). And my love for the show is just so constant that only when it’s super interesting do I need to scream to everyone about how amazing it is. Or more precisely, I’ve lived for so long with no irl friends watching SPN and not being in the fandom that I’m used to thinking over episodes alone, by myself, to myself. 

This version of me gets particularly excited at major episodes and season finales, and will feel some sense of waiting all week for the next episode to air, but it’s rarely this all-encompassing need for the next episode. Strangely, this side of me is kind of non-plussed about Destiel. Sure it’d make no narrative sense and would piss me off big time if it didn’t happen, but it wouldn't ruin the show for me and certainly isn’t the major reason I watch it every week. To this side of me, Destiel only became a big irreversible and obvious plot point in S12. Whilst there were hints of it before in the subtext, it was S12 that made it really obvious as a narrative plot point that shouldn't be shied away from. Before S12 I was of course aware of it, but I’ve always watched so many shows with canon LGBTQ characters that I’ve channeled all shipping love and love for representation into those, and never invested in non-canon m/m or w/w characters in case I get hurt. Also, for the first 11 years of my relationship with SPN, Destiel wasn’t a factor in my enjoyment of the show, so it’s still not and has never been the major reason I love and watch the show. Basically, this version of me is ALWAYS so fine with every episode. The ones that are a bit bad I’m fine with - there have always been OKish episodes per season. This version of me is fine with waiting each week - I know nothing else. This version of me seems to just have this calm acceptance of the show, it’s just this constant in my life which I love dearly and very calmly. I wouldn’t detest the show if Destiel doesn’t happen, I certainly don’t watch the show for ships, I don’t really ship characters together, more like see characters (Dean and Cas, Sam and Eileen) and think ‘it’d be cute if they got together.’ 

FAN B.

The second person I am as a Supernatural fan is the person who has really come to life after S12. This version is a massive Destiel shipper. Interestingly,  this version of me has been around long before S12 of Supernatural, it was just confined to other shows with canon couples. Take Torchwood or Shameless US  as examples of shows I used to be invested in with canon gay couples; I would wait with baited breath till the next episode to see what would progress with regards to the relationships. But of those shows would eventually piss me off, and their treatment of the gay couple would determine if I would continue watching the show for a while. Both of those shows messed with my faves and so I stopped watching them for literal years before I wanted to return to them. 

So this version of me who can’t wait to watch my fave w|w / m|m pairings each week seems to see those relationships as the fuel for my passionate love for the show, and also the reason why I might break ties with the show if those pairings don’t work out.  To be quite frank, this version of me can be quite tiring. I’m full of passion and love for a show and in love with their love and screaming with joy about my love of representation, but holy chuck does it wear me out each week waiting for the next episode and screaming over it each week. This version of me is also HIGHLY disappointed if the episode isn’t focusing enough on the couple. And so when S12 of SPN came along suddenly the more chilled, very accepting, and occasionally wildly impassioned long-time SPN fan was being thrust into the same mental space as sofa the Destiel loving exhaustingly passionate version of me. 

FAN A AND FAN B HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER IN MY MIND

Unfortunately, there is no way that I can detach either of these versions from my singular mind. Fan A gets why Destiel-loving Fan B is so invested in that relationship and counts down the days until the next episode. Fan B doesn’t quite understand how Fan A is so chilled and not so invested. And so after a pretty OKish, non-destiel episode this is the conversation in my mind;

FAN A.: That was a good, entertaining episode. Classic mid-series - not great, but meh good enough. Gonna go away and think of the themes a bit. Cool. I’ll continue with my day and maybe come back to this at some point and look for things I might not have seen. But cool. Great.

FAN B.: What the fuck was that?! How the fuck are you so OK with that episode?????? This is absolute bullshit??? I wait all week for this???? BULLSHIT LET ME GO ONLINE AND EXPLAIN WHY.

FAN A.: Chill. It was entertaining. SPN can be like this, ya know.

FAN B.: But I’m disappointed!!!!! I can’t just chill cause you said?

End scene. And this is the conversation after say, the Tombstone episode;

FAN B.: OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING! UNBELIEVABLE! That was awesome. I’m beyond elation right now!

FAN A.: You’re too much. I’m gonna go and take a step back.

FAN B.: BE MORE EXCITED!!!!!!!!

FAN A.: Why? Destiel isn’t all SPN is?

FAN B.: Wtf, dude? But why can’t you be happy for my happiness? Perhaps a queer relationship on a long-running series is... important, perhaps??? YA KNOW? And sure, of course it isn’t ALL SPN is, but it’s evidently an important plot point which has been building for years! And you say that like somehow you’re above people who are invested in shows for shipping? Or like their discussion of a relationship somehow devalues all other reasons they love the show or invalidates their other opinions on why they love the show. Somehow they suddenly become this ‘fangirl’, whereas you apparently see yourself as ‘above’ this, or having a more broad perspective??? wtf dude. 

FAN A.: Good point. Apologies if it came across like that. I dunno how to explain it though... I just don’t care as much as you about Destiel, and sorry mate but you’re exhausting and you’re making me come over to the side where I’m waiting each week and getting invested in Destiel which has never been my relationship with the show. And because you are so much louder in our mind, and vocal, and focused on Destiel, sometimes that doesn’t give me the space to have this perspective on the episode as well. And also when an episode is just OK, instead of me just being happy with it and accepting it was fine yet entertaining (like I used to), suddenly you jump in with all your emotions and get upset by it not being good and not including Destiel or much Cas. Which I get... I just used to have this solid enjoyment of the show, and sure there were many times when I was super happy and super sad about the show, but you experience these heightened emotions EVERY BLOODY WEEK. It’s either GREAT or it’s NOT. Never like... OK? And I miss being able to watch the show and not feel super tied to this one perspective and reading/plot point?

Conclusion

I lied. I don’t have a conclusion. I don’t really know what I wanted to gain from this post... it sort of descended into me having this argument with myself (which has occurred many times in my brain after an episode airs or when my inner Fan B is annoying me by being unable to wait for the next episode).

It’s not like I (whoever the I is here) is on either side more. It’s not like a value Fan A’s point because they’ve been there since episode 1. It’s not like I devalue Fan B’s points because they focus on destiel. I literally love and misunderstand both these fans within me.

So thoughts? Anyone get confused/annoyed by their inner multiplicity? Or is this just me and now I sound weird...

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, January 25

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: COVID patient Larry King’s nasty battle over $50 million will 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Shia LaBeouf shows off his tattooed belly on a walk, Jessica Alba matches her mask to her shoes, Simon Cowell works out as he continues to recover from breaking his back 

Page 3: Amy Schumer on the beach in St. Barts, Peter Weber is a total cue ball, Jenny McCarthy hauls garbage outside her Illinois home 

Page 4: David Bowie’s supermodel widow Iman confesses she gets lonely but will never tie the knot again because the singer was her true love -- she made her revelation in the January issue of a fashion magazine where at age 65 she’s still hot enough to be the cover gal -- David and Iman’s daughter Lexie asked her if she would ever marry again and she said never and that their life together was beautiful and ordinary and that David was a very funny warm gentleman 

* Kindhearted Kelly Ripa is so spooked by her new gruesome true crime series about digging up murder victims’ bodies that she’s having terrifying nightmares that have driven her to a shrink for help -- Kelly and actor husband Mark Consuelos are bigwig producers behind Oxygen channel’s series Exhumed that debuted January 17 featuring unearthed corpses to solve cases -- many nights Kelly will awaken haunted by a case she and Mark reviewed and realizing the horror and heartbreak the victims and their families went through is something you don’t forget once the lights are out -- while Kelly and Mark aren’t on the show as executive producers they have to approve the episodes and become intimately involved with the devastated families who help tell their heartbreaking stories -- her immersion in the grisly material has had a chilling effect on Kelly who is an empath which is a highly sensitive gal who can often feel the pain and suffering others are going through and Kelly’s therapist encourages her to do positive meditations each night before bed and think about at least two things that made her happy that day and Kelly is doing her best to follow doctor’s orders but she is so affected by the plights of other people that somehow the nightmares still manage to find their way into her dreams 

Page 5: Onetime Bond girl Tanya Roberts passed away at age 65 less than 24 hours after her prematurely announced death -- Mike Pingel who was a rep for Tanya says he told the world that she had died at L.A.’s Cedar-Sinai Hospital on January after speaking with her distraught beau Lance O’Brien -- following a goodbye visit with the ailing star mistaken Lance claimed she died in his arms but bizarrely the very next morning sobbing Lance said he was told by the hospital that Tanya was still alive in the ICU while filming a TV interview about her untimely end -- however according to Lance she finally perished hours later on January 4 after being taken off life support -- Tanya reportedly collapsed in her California home after walking her dogs and rushed to the hospital she remained on a ventilator from December 24 until her death which was not COVID related

Page 6: In Denmark a bitter feud between royal wives is tearing the ruling family apart -- Danish Crown Prince Frederik’s Australian wife Mary detests her French-born sister-in-law Marie who is wed to Frederik’s kid brother Joachim and Mary helped banish Marie and Joachim to Paris to get her sophisticated rival out of her hair -- Frederik’s wife who is the future queen desires to be treated with the deference befitting her station even by relatives while Marie is far less stuffy and very outspoken and she’s made it plain she was unhappy when her husband was ordered to become military attache at the Danish Embassy in Paris in 2019 -- shortly after his arrival in France Joachim suffered a blood clot in his brain and when Frederik showed up to visit his ailing brother Mary was nowhere in sight

Page 7: After failing to land plum roles in A-list movie blockbusters Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry inked a $40 million deal to crank out podcasts and the first installment was branded a bomb after airing late last month -- despite superstar Elton John dropping by for Archewell Audio’s first holiday special the highly hyped recording embarrassingly landed at No. 17 on the Spotify podcast list behind entries like Deep Sleep Sounds which features whale sounds -- many in the royal inner circle are gloating and smirking over the arrogant couple’s disastrous debut and even with Elton’s help Meghan is still a second banana to whale noises and no one wants to listen to the couple’s self-absorbed drivel 

* Not only has royal renegade Prince Harry traded London for L.A. he’s ditched posh palace pronunciations and speaks more like an American during his public appearances -- while doing his first Archewell Audio broadcast Harry dropped the refined Received Pronunciation favored by his grandmother Queen Elizabeth and sounded like a regular American 

Page 8: Anti-vaccine crusader Bobby Kennedy Jr. has been kicked in the teeth by his powerful political clan after triggering fears about immunizations and the desperately needed cure for COVID-19 -- brother Joe, sister Kathleen and niece Kerry Kennedy Meltzer who is a doctor battling the virus on the frontlines publicly accuse Bobby of putting Americans’ lives at risk by telling lies about vaccines in general and attacking injections aimed at stamping out the killer virus -- family members were always skeptical about Bobby’s slightly off-kilter anti-vax ideas but they supported him because the Kennedys stick together and hate to show a rift in the family but now they have shifted against him

Page 10: Garth Brooks’ sloppy habits during nine months of lockdown have iron-willed wife Trisha Yearwood in a tizzy and their marriage is dangling by a thread after she clobbered the slob with a strict set of house rules -- after exasperated Trisha spilled her guts to pals a friend advised she put the rules in writing and hang it where he’ll see it and she did but Trish’s demanding ways are pushing Garth to the brink and he’s ready to walk unless they can find middle ground, one that doesn’t include Trisha calling all the shots -- Trisha has given Garth a list of do’s and don’ts that include wearing deodorant at all times and stop leaving the bathroom a mess and to remove his clothes from the dryer once he’s done but on the top of Trisha’s list is a ban on Garth’s constant 24/7 whistling that has her pulling her hair out 

Page 11: Dynamic diva Jennifer Lopez is bored with fat-cat fiance Alex Rodriguez and is struggling to keep their romance alive -- after postponing their marriage and saying there was no real reason to tie the knot Jennifer has kind of hit a wall with where she and Alex can really take things and she is particularly frustrated by ho-hum Alex’s lack of motivation -- those who know J.Lo want her to stick to her wheelhouse by making movies and recording music however those endeavors don’t offer retired baseball player A-Rod any position to play -- they haven’t fallen out of love exactly but they have run out of the joint projects and goals that were the rocket fuel for their relationship and they’re stuck with no obvious places to go next 

* Teresa Giudice and new beau Luis “Louie” Ruelas are already shacking up together and plan to buy a pad of their own and Teresa can see herself marrying Louie and combining his kids and hers under one roof -- he stays over most weekends and some weeknights at her place in New Jersey and they cook Italian together and stay up late watching movies -- her four daughters like Louie too and see how happy he’s made her 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Maitland Ward wearing masks on her breasts (picture), Demi Lovato battled a life-threatening secret eating disorder for years but today she bravely flaunts the stretched skin she’d once considered painfully flawed by wearing glitter paint on her stretch marks to celebrate her body and all of its features whether society views them as good or bad, Paul McCartney still gabs with dead pal George Harrison whose sprightly spirit has planted itself in a tree, Ray Liotta has asked girlfriend Jacy Nittolo to marry him and she screamed yes, legendary country star Ricky Skaggs is lucky to be alive thanks to an emergency quadruple bypass that saved his ticking time bomb of a ticker 

Page 13: Mel Gibson steps out in Malibu with his arm in a sling (picture), Amy Poehler loads up at a Beverly Hills market (picture), brothers and Kinks bandmates Ray Davies and Dave Davies brew up an outing in London (picture), Michael Jackson’s one-time associate billionaire biz-wiz Ron Burkle snagged the late pop star’s beloved Neverland Ranch for the bargain basement price of $22 million 

Page 14: Bryan Dattilo the 47-year-old soap star who’s played Lucas Horton on Days of Our Lives since 1993 now calls himself grandpa to a bouncing baby boy thanks to his 21-year-old son Gabe and his girlfriend and he’s also becoming a granddad on TV too with Alison Sweeney who plays Sami Brady, no more boozy days or nights for Chrissy Teigen and she declares she’s on the wagon and through with imbibing embarrassments

* Fashion Verdict -- Reese Witherspoon 7/10, Greta Gerwig 1/10 

Page 16: Cover -- As 87-year-old Larry King battled for his life against killer COVID in an L.A. hospital his estranged wife Shawn was making a grab for the talk star’s $50 million fortune -- the cheating blonde is raging because in the months before his hospitalization Larry filed for divorce and cut her out of his will, leaving the fortune to their boys Chance and Cannon and Larry Jr. his son from his second marriage -- it’s going to be a fight to the finish literally and Shawn is trying to make sure she’s not left out when it comes to his cash 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Anthony Anderson

* Kim Cattrall swore off motherhood because bedroom sessions with then-husband Mark Levinson didn’t fit into her Sex and the City shooting schedule -- Kim was 41 and newly wed when she decided to slam the door on pregnancy 

* Bill Cosby is refusing to shower with other inmates a Pennsylvania prison to avoid contracting COVID-19 and he says he controls his stink by washing up in his cell’s sink but he doesn’t expect the situation to last forever because he’s hoping a court will toss his 2018 conviction 

Page 21: LeAnn Rimes has admitted she checked into a mental ward after feeling bullied when news leaked she had cheated on her husband with married Eddie Cibrian -- she reveals she did 30 days in therapy in 2012 because she couldn’t handle the public shaming that rained down on her over her affair with future husband Eddie who was still married to Brandi Glanville and she was still wed to Dean Sheremet -- LeAnn calls her therapy the best gift she could have given herself 

Page 22: True Crime -- Survivor villain Jonny Fairplay is living up to his bad boy image after cops busted TV’s evil liar accusing him of ripping off his dementia-stricken granny 

Page 24: Marie Bobette Riales knows where the bodies are buried in actor Danny Masterson’s Scientology rape scandal and terrified church leaders want her silenced at all costs but Marie who dated the indicted actor and slapped the sci-fi faith with a civil suit won’t back down -- Marie’s impending testimony at Masterson’s criminal trial and in her civil case threatens to destroy the controversial church by exposing the intimidation used by ruthless Scientology bigwigs to hide the twisted secrets of its celebrity members 

Page 26: Health Report 

Page 30: Tom Cruise has taken on the mission to shield his movie crew from the rampaging coronavirus by building a disease-proof studio on a former top-secret army base -- Tom who is already taking heat for screaming curses at crew members who ignored virus safety measures is shelling out millions to build a secure shooting facility at the former English tank base in Longcross -- Tom is obsessed with finding ways to beat the fast-spreading virus ever since filming of Mission: Impossible 7 was shut down when the pandemic savaged Italy and when it spread to Britain 

* Alec Baldwin’s yoga guru wife Hillary a.k.a. Hilaria Baldwin has been busted as a fraud after putting on foreign airs and talking with a Spanish accent -- the mom of Alec’s five young kids claimed to be from the Spanish isle of Mallorca where she was called Hilaria but her tale unraveled after a social media video showed her accent mysteriously drifting on and off and pals from Boston’s preppie Cambridge School of Weston began texting that she’s all-American with one saying her name was indeed Hillary Hayward-Thomas and she did not have a Spanish accent -- now Mrs. Baldwin is confessing she was born in Boston but spent a lot of time in Mallorca where her American parents called her Hilaria and she picked up the accent 

Page 36: Angelina Jolie is panicking over her sky-high legal bills but she only has herself and her vengeful divorce war against ex Brad Pitt to blame -- she may be worth $100 million and rake in moolah from producing and directing but her high-maintenance lifestyle and refusal to finally settle her four-year divorce and custody war with Brad have left her cash-strapped and she’s starting to panic over her dwindling cash flow and every time she files a motion like her losing attempt to dismiss the judge it costs her money because these fancy lawyers can charge more than $850 an hour and it adds up -- more and more Angie’s having to dip into her savings but as much as it hurts she’s stubborn and refuses to settle and she blames Brad for everything -- on top of legal bills the luxury lifestyle she shares with her brood including a whopping $17.5 million mortgage on her L.A. mansion are a humongous cash drain and she also supports a household staff plus she’s never learned to say no when one of the kids wants an expensive high-tech toy 

* Pop diva Taylor Swift’s image has been erased from a mural at Nashville’s iconic Legends Corner bar because some die-hard fans believe she turned her back on country music -- artist Tim Davis notes the saloon’s owners told him to replace Taylor with Brad Paisley -- furious Taylor fans cry that she won country’s highest honor the Pinnacle Award in 2013 but painter Davis notes Taylor has turned to pop and some inebriated bar hoppers have spit on her image specifically feeling betrayed by her venture from country 

Page 40: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting unstoppable and savoring his favorite stogies just three months after major heart surgery but a medical expert warns the 73-year-old’s love for cigars could trigger a devastating health catastrophe and he should kick the habit -- however Arnold who had an aortic valve replaced in October has been feeling his oats with galpal Heather Milligan in resort Sun Valley, Idaho 

* In the latest twist in Dr. Dre’s messy billion-dollar divorce the rap mogul admits he spent a night of passion with estranged wife Nicole Young after they split -- in legal documents the music tycoon claims that although Nicole moved out of their family home in mid-March the two continued to speak and socialize and see each other and he also revealed that on the couple’s May wedding anniversary Nicole invited him to dinner at her Malibu home and the two did the horizontal mambo -- Dre vehemently denies Nicole’s claim that he abused her during their 24-year marriage adding she was not and is not afraid of him and insists she’s lying to bolster her divorce claims

Page 45: Robin Williams’ wife Susan Schneider insists she’s haunted by his ghost who shows up when she needs him and she says she recently saw him in the yard 

* Gilligan’s Island’s goody-goody girl Dawn Wells took a shameful regret to the grave that the perky pothead was accused of being a dope dealer -- the 82-year-old actress best known as girl-next-door Mary Ann Summers on the classic sitcom was still humiliated over her secret stoner past when she died of complications from COVID-19 -- her drug scandals dated back to 1998 when her friend and co-star Bob Denver who played Gilligan was arrested after a parcel containing half an ounce of pot was delivered to his house in Princeton in West Virginia and Denver later fingered Dawn as his connection and said she’d been selling him dope since 1995 but Dawn lawyered up and denied everything and was never charged -- she was busted for having marijuana in her car as she drove home from her 69th birthday party in 2007 and she was sentenced to five days in jail and fined and placed on probation -- her years as a pothead continued to haunt her until the end 

Page 47: Bizarre But True 

[thebandcampdiaries]

Saint Thomas X introducing a brand new studio album: INTROVERTIGO.

A hybrid combination of Psychedelic music, Alt-Pop, Soul, and Country Rock.

January 2021: Saint Thomas X is an artist and songwriter whose music is incredibly diverse. In fact, his songs blur the lines between a wide variety of influences and style definitions. From the earthy sounds of country music and alt-rock, down to the lush atmosphere of psychedelic music, anything goes. Recently, Saint Thomas X took to the internet to release a brand new album titled INTROVERTIGO. 

This release is a very ambitious undertaking for the artist, because it really captures his creativity and broad vision, highlighting his way of capturing different sonic aesthetics and merging them all into one type of sound. The sheer scope of the production will immediately capture your imagination. The music has a larger-than-life feel, almost hitting the speaker in a big cinematic way. These sounds are very evocative, and create a strong texture, rather than just focusing on a melodic line to remember. The fact that there are many layers to this release really allow the artist to achieve an extra sense of depth, making for a strong and balanced tone. 

The first song, “Get Money,” reminds me of some amazing 60s bands, including The Kinks or The Byrds, but it also makes me think of some of the best Tom Waits records, especially in the sound of the guitars, which have such a nice retro vibe in the verses. The second song on this release, “Grudges and Graves,” is a really exciting song, which combines an alt-rock flavor with a psychedelic twist. In particular, it makes me think of Humbug-era Arctic Monkeys, as well as some of the most psychedelic Black Keys and Queens Of The Stone Age recordings. The next song, “Supernova,” is a beautifully atmospheric song which starts off with a vintage-sounding synthesizer, perfectly matching the incredible feel of the album, especially as the song gets more of a psych-garage vibe. The fourth song is actually the title track itself, and it is not surprising that the whole album is actually named after it!

The fifth track is known as “Bliss in the Abyss,” and  it is perhaps one of the most haunting and atmospheric songs on the record. It’s ballad-like atmosphere reminds me of The Pixies, or other alt-country bands such as Lucero, Drive-By Truckers or Calexico, only to mention a few. The next track, “Bastards of Babylon” is one of the true highlights on this album. I love how accomplished the arrangement is and how it all comes together in terms of focus and vision. The song beings with a nice vocal melody, and it has a slow, dense groove with a blues feel to it. 

“Source of Light” is another heavy-hitter, with some exciting riffs that actually make me think of early Nirvana, No Means No, Meat Puppets or even The Melvins, only to mention but a few. I really love the reverberated guitar leads in the background, which kind of sound like ghosts of whales to me, I love the spectral and nocturnal edge that this one brings to the table. Interestingly, the concept of the album is actually a mini-opera, which was initially titled “The Bitter Suite.” 

The story is centered around a homeless person, who is finally coming to terms with his struggles with addiction, mental illness, and alienation. He addresses imaginary flocks of disciples, while diving deep into his self-destructive patterns and coming up with some revolutionary existential theories that deal with huge topics, even dating back to the Big Bang and the existence of the universe as a whole. At the end of the day, we are all connected to something deeper and greater, and we are all literally part of the entropic energy of the Universe, Black Holes, and everything within.

Ultimately, this release is highly recommended if you are a fan of artist such as Pink Floyd, Elton John, Merle Haggard, Kurt Vile, Drag The River, Dead Rituals, Lucero, East River Pipe, Tame Impala, Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, only to mention but a few. Due to his anti-social media stance, you will not find the artist on many of today’s ubiquitous social media sites. This is a very brave, yet highly commendable choice in this day and age, especially for an independent artist!However, you can learn more about the artist via Youtube, or better yet, let the songs tell you the rest of the story and check out the artist’s sound right away.Find out more about Saint Thomas X, and do not miss out on INTROVERTIGO, which is currently available on the web.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1KXOLYJiA0z7irKquC0JcZ?si=H9jcF6XLQG2uITGlfd_CNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQVs7zL1nJo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQVs7zL1nJo

http://saintthomasx.com/

We also had the opportunity to catch up with the artist with a few questions: keep reading for more!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the beat the most?

I usually write the melodies (Verses/choruses/bridges) first and then apply lyrics. I always have the tempo in mind when doing this so the short answer would be I do all of it at the same time-ish.

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

"I've been in 5 bands and done 3 different recording and writing projects that span 9 records and 81 songs. In my opinion playing live is overrated. I think it's great if you are in a band with 3-5 people who are like minded and have the same goals and aspirations but what it always boils down to is, the primary writer ends up being the boss, employer and driver to the rest of the band. Writers, artists, producers, are usually innovators and trade musicians are usually adaptors. Writers don't 'practice', they just write. They practice by doing. They don't take lessons, practice theory or chord progressions and rehearse. 

Those things are unimportant to us. The constant state of creation and making is what matters most. Not practicing to do that someday. So managing that dynamic with kindness and patience is difficult. It's necessary to getting things accomplished but it' a bummer most of the time. At the end of the day, I get much better results from writing, producing, singing and playing bass and doing some aux percussion than collaborating with trade musicians. 75% of the time I am beat boxing better drum patterns than drummers write. I sing melodies to wanky overplaying guitar players because they want to shred instead of write good melodies and when I played with other bass players in the past, they would play root notes and almost never write a melody unless I demanded they did and then had to sing them the bass melody to do so. Same with keys players. I much prefer paying people to play what I want as opposed to hearing what they think sounds good. Because it almost never sounds good to me. I would collab but I cannot afford nor do I have access to the musicians I actually want to collaborate with. And writing and producing are not about instrumental proficiency. 

It's about taste and aesthetic. I write all of my songs by writing the vocal melody first because that is what good pop music is, first and foremost, a great vocal melody, then smart lyrics with an appropriate back beat. pop songs don't have to have guitar, organic or machine drums or bass or keys. BUT THEY HAVE TO HAVE A GREAT MELODY. There's no such thing as a great song that doesn't have vocals and good storytelling. But none of those other things are required in whole, or in part for good popular music of any genre.

I've never had any designs on accolades, fortune or fame. It's not why I create. I write to express myself and I record to catalog my songs. All of my favorite artists openly detested touring and playing live. I do too. None of my favorite songwriters and producers were trade musicians. 

They are/were excellent melodists, writers and storytellers with exceptionally gifted ears for soundscapes and production. The art of making music is very different than the trade of playing live music. I hold a far higher value on writing and developing material than I do performing it. I don't enjoy crowds, travel, cat herding, loud spaces, stress, and small sums of money to endure it all. I'm not concerned with show-business. Performance art is for extroverts, entertainers and social trade musicians who crave adoration and human interaction. I enjoy the catharsis of writing alone and recording with as few people as possible. So I do that.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

It would have to be Get Money or Egodeath. Apologies for tying between the two. But both of these tracks exemplify my personal struggles and pains to stay alive and create. Get money is about the things we all do to make ends meet and get by. Egodeath is about keeping your anger in check and not getting too heated about anything in life because that inevitably leads to disaster.

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

What a great question. I’d always side with not being formulaic. SO many people are just doing what others do. 25 years ago I invented Psychedelic Gospel Pop Soul Country. It sounds funny but it’s an amalgamation of those elements and genres. If I were to just focus on ONE of those styles it would probably less interesting and unique. I’ve also injected various forms of Power Pop, Alternative and Trip-Hop.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

I’ve released 6 records in less than 4 years. My next release will be out shortly. It’s called; Mars in Your Eyes. It will be a 9-10 song mini rock opera.

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PGbnGDGUql8JELXNmtvZw?si=I5oM9d7kQWyBbGuzJeE7_w

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF7qDV8040q4CrH96e_X3EQ