#sorehead

[billlaotian]

[thesinglesjukebox]

Steve Albini

The late Steve Albini was many things: musician, engineer, longtime punk, unrepentant gadfly, eventually repentant edgelord, one-time recipe blogger, pretty good poker player, excoriating essayist, late-career Twitter personality, and general opinion-haver–but not, he insisted, a producer. (He’d probably have some specific words to aim at all the obits calling him one.) Producers, he argued, were generally charlatans, in it for the wrong reasons. They could care about music, in theory; they just didn’t have to. And Steve Albini was, perhaps above all, a person who cared.

Albini shaped a tremendous swath of the pantheon of punk and alternative rock – though he’d perhaps say that the pantheon shaped itself by itself, and he was just there to facilitate. The volume and breadth of music he facilitated was so vast we’d never be able to cover it all. So in the spirit of his lifelong egalitarianism, we present songs spanning the many decades of his career by both major artists and cult faves, critical giants and deep cuts, canonical highlights and highlights of our own musical worlds. We like to think it’s what he’d have wanted. If not, we’re sure he’d have something to say.

Read on here for our writers' blurbs on:

TA Inskeep on Big Black, “Jordan, Minnesota”

Jeff Brister on Big Black, Songs About Fucking

Harlan Talib Ockey on Pixies, “Gigantic”

Mark Sinker on Ut, “Griller” and “Griller X”

Taylor Alatorre on Superchunk, “Skip Steps 1 & 3”

Mark Sinker on Cath Carroll, “Train You’re On”

Jonathan Bradley on Jawbreaker, “Ashtray Monument”

Katherine St. Asaph on Souls, “Sonic Sorehead"

Nortey Dowouna on Oxbow, Let Me Be a Woman

Frank Falisi on Veruca Salt, Blow It Out Your Ass, It’s Veruca Salt

Alfred Soto on Bush, “Swallowed”

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann on Pansy Division, “February 17”

Ian Mathers on Low, “Laser Beam”

Rebecca Gowns on Joanna Newsom, Ys

Brad Shoup on Shellac, “Be Prepared"

Claire Biddles on The Breeders, “Bang On”

[mystery-star]

Now you’re Back – John Biebe (Part 1 / 5)

Pairing: John Biebe x fem!reader

Warnings: abusive & toxic ex (being abusive), talks of past noncon/rape

Words: 4’104

All Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Do no repost my work on other sites or platforms

-

You found you had fought enough in your life. Therefore, it was a huge relief and elation to have a loving and caring man by your side. To be able to let go and feel safe in his arms and forget your worries for a moment. And to have found a devoted father for your son who could be an actual role model, compared to his biological father who was a bragging numbskull, prone to get violent when something displeased him.

Of course that didn’t mean that John and you now had a storybook marriage, take the last weeks for example, you had grown apart a little with your husband starting to exclude you from his problems and life. You weren’t sure what exactly the reason was but you supposed it was because he had been kicked out of the local hockey team and then had to take the coaching role when the others had the opportunity to play against the New York Rangers. It had only gotten better when he could pass that role to the judge, who had been coaching more in his life and John was made team captain instead. After that you had confronted John, telling him you felt a little neglected and that he now had no reason to play the sorehead anymore, now that his sorrows were gone. The situation had been resolved on the following day and you finally had your husband back, enabling you to look forward to the game.

Now that the game was over and with the Rangers having departed normality was coming back to your lives. Of course it still was topic number one in town but slowly, all the excitement died down. Still, the Mayor expected growing tourism in the following weeks and you could clearly live without this. But as you were waiting in front of the school on Tuesday at noon, you had to realize that there already was one visitor. Someone you had hoped to never see again – Justin, your ex-boyfriend and father of your son. And you instantly knew he was here because of you. He must have seen you on TV! Gulping, you checked your watch and saw it still were 5 minutes before your son’s lesson ended. Maybe you should go waiting inside so you could intercept him before Justin saw the two of you. Then you only had to consider how to get to John since you had agreed that he’d pick you up at the school and you’d have lunch together. Unfortunately, before you could make up your mind, Justin had seen you and came over.

“Well, well, look who’s here” you turned your head away

“You’re the one who came up here” you reminded him “What do you want?”

“Oh wow, so spiteful. I’m here for you and my son, of course”

“No chance. I’m never coming back to you” you growled “So you might as well leave”

“Oi” he grabbed you by the hip and yanked you around that you faced him “You left me! You took my son away from me! You stole from me!”

“It was my money. I earned it and you bagged it without giving me anything”

“I paid for everything you and the little one needed. That not enough?”

“Let me go” you hissed, trying to push him away but he only pulled you closer. For the first time in more than three years, since you had left that asshole, fear welled in you. He only gave you a grin

“Come on, I know you still want me. You always wanted me” you gave him a push and he just looked like he was about to hit you but stopped when the doors of the school opened and kids ran out. It was your son’s class and you swallowed. Hopefully Simon wouldn’t recognize his father. Maybe, if you just left the two wouldn’t even recognize each other. But you knew Justin well enough that he wouldn’t give up until he had seen his son, at least if that was why he was in Mystery. After he spotted you, Simon hurried over to you. Then his glance fell on Justin and he stopped short a couple of feet in front of you.

“Dad?” he asked and you bit back a groan.

“Hey look at you, all big now huh? How you doing, son?” he squatted down and spread his arms and Simon ran towards him, hugging him tightly “Oh I’ve missed you, little one” yeah, likely story…

“I missed you too, Dad.”

“Well, apparently your Mom thought you don’t deserve to see me and separated us” manipulative ass you thought.

“But you’re here now”

“I am” Simon smiled and it was like a punch to your stomach. Great. He had already managed to win him over. Tousling his hair, Justin got up and turned to you “I’m finally back. And you’ll leave with me”

“No” you muttered that your son wouldn’t hear it. He placed his hand on your face but you removed it. Again, his hands were on your hips and pulled you closer.

“Leave me alone”

“Well, Simon, it seems like your Mom doesn’t want to kiss your Dad. How mean of her”

“I’m not kissing you. In case you somehow didn’t get the message, my leaving is equivalent to us breaking up”

“Are you sending me away? To leave your son without a father?” oh how you hated him.

“He has a new father” you corrected “And I have a husband now, so fuck off” Justin only chuckled and you felt his hand squeeze your buttock. Tears were burning in your eyes and to top it all off, your ex leant closer to kiss you. At that your vital spirits were revived and you had the strength to push him away and tried to remove his hands from your body.

“Why did you hit Dad?” and you had thought this couldn’t get any worse.

“Yeah, (Y/N), why do you hit me?”

“Sweetheart…” you turned to your son. But what did you want to say? What could you say? You heard car door being slammed and all three of you turned your heads. A relieved moan left your lips when you saw John. He came over to you and Justin glanced at him.

“Is there a problem, sheriff?” he asked, not so friendly. Stopping two feet in front of you, John raised an eyebrow and you tried to push your ex away while looking at your husband, silently begging him to help you.

“Let her go” he then said, crossing his arms. Justin just chuckled

“Oh no it’s alright. That’s my girlfriend” again, John came closer and gave the other male a hard glare “Who are you even?”

“Her husband”

“You’re her…” he laughed “Ah right. I remember you”

“Remember me?”

“From the game”

“So that’s how you found me” you muttered although you had already suggested it.

“Yeah. And I’m glad for it. ‘cause now I’m with my family again” he tried to pull you closer but you stepped back and finally managed to break away from him. Instantly, you clung to John’s arm, trying to hide behind him.

“Come, I’m hungry, let’s go” you said, hoping you could finally leave your ex.

“Can’t Dad come with us too?” Simon asked, making you swallow. You glanced to your husband, hoping he wouldn’t agree to it. Oh, how you wanted to say no and send the idiot to hell but you couldn’t do that in front of your son. But John just remained silent.

“Another time, maybe” you said, hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

“Well” Justin said “I’m sorry, Simon. It appears your mother doesn’t want me with you” he let out a deep sigh. “Means I won’t be able to come with you, little one. I’m sorry I know you were really hoping to talk to me after you haven’t seen me in such a long time” you wondered if John would arrest you if you beat the hell out of that asshole right now. Or if maybe he would help instead. “Well, have fun you three” he turned to your son “Don’t worry, we’ll surely see each other again soon. I’ll make sure of it!” you almost felt like vomiting but at least he left.

“You okay?” John asked and you gave a little nod, not wanting him to know how much the meeting had distraught you. At least not while your son was here. ���Who was that?” your husband wanted to know as you were in the car.

“Justin. My ex”

“The little bud’s real father? What… why is he here?”

“To win me back of course, at least that’s what he said” you spat with a dismissive hand movement. John’s mouth fell open and he glanced at you quickly before turning away and nodding. He tried to play it down but you knew that it was bothering him. You sighed “I don’t want him though. Never again” John’s face had a surprised expression on it.

“You don’t like him?” you shook your head in disbelief and let out a bitter laugh

“Just how much do you think I like him if I just grabbed my son, most important belongings and moved up here, into this lonely little town within less than 20 hours? I was hoping to never see that asshole again” again he nodded but you still had a feeling he didn’t believe you. And if you were honest, this was almost worse than Justin being here. John was supposed to be on your side and help you! Once you arrived at the diner, you told the other two to go inside already, you needed to look for something. After they disappeared through the door, you pulled your feet onto the passenger seat, buried your face against your knees and cried in peace. You only shot up when you head the car door open again. Of course it was John and you quickly tried to dry your tears.

“Hey there” he said “What’s wrong?” at first you considered not telling him but he set one foot into the car and took your hands in his. “Is it because of your ex?”

“Of course it’s because of him! I told you I never wanted to see him again and yet here he is, talking about wanting me back!” you didn’t care that you were shouting “And then, to top it all off, you have nothing better to do than to be jealous and imply I still like that ass!”

“I didn’t imply…”

“But you thought it! You doubted my word. That’s bad enough” he was silent for a while

“Did he do anything?” you didn’t know if you liked that he changed the topic. But you also didn’t really feel like fighting. After all, you knew how emotional he was and that he might think like that in the first second. Deep down, however, he knew what he meant to you and also believed you.

“Touched me. And he tried to kiss me. But what bothers me most is how he tries to set Simon against me. To make me look like a bad person in his eyes” you sniffed and wiped your nose. “What if he wins him over?”

“He won’t” John promised

“Can’t you just arrest him, send him away or I don’t know?”

“Not unless he did something illegal. And if he does, I promise, I’ll make him pay” you gave a tiny nod “Come, let’s go inside. He’s not worth the tears. We’ll distract you” after you agreed, he helped you out of the car and led you inside.

-

Luckily, you had heard nothing from Justin the following day. But the day after, as you prepared dinner, there was a knock at the door and of course it was your ex. You wanted to ask what he was doing here but could already guess the answer.

“How the hell did you find me again?” you asked instead.

“It’s a small town. I asked around for you” he made a move to enter the house but you stopped him “What?” he raised his voice a little “You wanna forbid me to see my son?” much to your dismay your son came running at the door from his room. But you were glad that also John came.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Seeing my family of course. Or is that now illegal?” you wanted to retort something but instead Justin turned to your son “Hey there, I was terrible last time we saw each other, I didn’t even think to give you something. Here you go, Simon” he handed him a large present.

“Wow! Can I open it?” Justin nodded and Simon proceeded to rip the package open in the doorframe

“Sweetheart, don’t do it here please” you turned to the man “Thanks for bringing it here but I don’t want the cold to come inside the house… so see you another time” you wanted to close the door in his face but he grabbed the door too to stop you.

“You’re sending me away?”

“Can’t he eat with us?” Simon asked, having looked up from his present. John took it and placed it on the table, calling your son with him

“Oh yeah, that’s a great idea. Then we can try out the present later on!” you glared at your ex.

“I haven’t cooked enough for four”

“What?” Justin chuckled, then turned to John “You letting her starve or can’t even feed her right?” either your ex was oblivious of John’s death glare or didn’t care. “Well, might be better if she’s on a diet. She did put quite a bit of weight since she left”

“That’s enough” you growled, trying to push him away from the doorframe.

“A car!” Simon squealed that moment and Justin just moved past you into the house “Look, Mom! It’s a remote controlled car”

“That’s great” you replied, trying to ignore Justin who helped your son to open the box and you turned to your husband instead “Please tell me that’s trespassing and you can arrest him”

“Arrest me?” your ex protested and also Simon didn’t look too happy

“No, you can’t arrest him!” you clenched your fists

“Get lost” John said

“Or what?” Justin taunted “You gonna arrest me anyways?” he put on a big smile and stepped closer to you “See, the way I see it, we’re like one big family”

“We’re not” you corrected “the only thing that connects you to any of us is the fact that you’re related to Simon”

“Ah come on, I know you still want me”

“I most certainly don’t! The only reason I haven’t thrown you out yet is because I cannot find a reason to forbid you to see Simon” you refrained from adding that you would find one in fear he could say it out aloud that your son heard it

“You know, (Y/N), before my visit’s over I’ll have you begging for me on your knees”

“Get out” you breathed, glad your voice still worked at least.

“Hey Simon, wouldn’t you like to have dinner with me now?”

“Yes!” he jumped up, leaving the half-unpacked car on the table and joined his father “Can I?” you exchanged a glance with John. Hell, you didn’t want that asshole to take your son. What if he never brought him back? But if you said no, Justin surely would find something to make you the bad guy in the eyes of your son again.

“Well, it’s a little late…” you started “If you leave now, eat something and then have to come back you won’t really have time to try out that new car”

“Then Dad can stay and eat with us”

“That’s a really great idea! And I’m sure your Mom will be happy to be able to talk to me as well. And I could get to know your step-father here and we’d become great friends”

“Yes!” your son was thrilled now while you just wanted to cry.

“Okay” you finally said “fine by me, you can stay” you glared at your ex.

“There, I knew you couldn’t resist me” he gave you a charming smile but you only turned away, to your husband

“Unless you want him to leave?”

“You really wanna be the bad guy and send me away? You think Simon here would like that?”

“I never said I’d send you away” judging by his tone, however, you knew there was nothing he’d rather do.

“Well” Justin said and sat down at the table. “How ‘bout a beer before you go back to work, (Y/N)?”

“I’m not your slave. Besides, there’s no beer in the house”

“No?” he turned to John “What do you drink then?”

“I don’t”

“You don’t drink? What kinda man are you?”

“A decent and nice one” you muttered as you retrieved glasses and plates to set the table

“John, could you get that box to the living room and help Simon to get it started? Then I can set the table” two could play the game you thought. Justin may have brought the gift but if it was John who helped to get it working it gave them a reason to bond.

“Wait a moment that’s my present”

“Oh, I’m sorry, you seemed busy sitting in that chair” before he could do or say something, John already grabbed the box.

“Let’s go bud” giving a vigorous nod, Simon followed your husband to the living room. Not looking too happy, your ex did the same.

“Oi, just a second that is my car”

“Technically, it’s Simon’s because you gave it to him” you simply had to smile. “Or you wanna forbid me to help the little bud?”

“No, no ‘course not” Justin muttered and returned to the kitchen. Of course it bugged you but at least you could retort this time because your son wasn’t around.

-

By insulting your cooking skills and then ‘magically’ conjuring up some chocolate to help your son avoid the ‘stinky vegetables’, Justin had almost succeeded in breaking you. For a moment you had to excuse yourself and you started crying in the bathroom. A little later you were joined by your husband who wanted to make sure you were okay and couldn’t stand sitting at the same table as your ex without wanting to beat him up as he admitted. Despite everything, you were glad he was with you and was on your side.

When Justin finally left, of course after having tried out Simon’s new car with the boy, you felt huge relief. You didn’t even care that Simon stayed up longer than usual because he wanted to play with his car. But finally, you managed to get him to bed anyways, after John promised to let him try out the car outside tomorrow where he had more space. Shortly after, you went to bed as well but sleep wouldn’t come. It was like Justin’s visit had ripped something open in you that made you scared and unsure of yourself.

“What’s wrong?” John finally asked “Is it about Justin?” you gave a little nod. “What is it exactly?”

“Don’t know” you replied “Just everything. I’m scared he’ll take Simon with him”

“He won’t. The little bud loves you and he’d never leave you” you swallowed

“But what if Justin’s right and he manipulates me or threatens me so I’ll have to go with him?”

“You think he’d do that?”

“Dunno. It could be. I hope not”

“Hey” he placed a hand on your cheek, moving closer “I’m here to help you. No matter what he does, you tell me, okay?” you only nodded.

“Today he told me he wanted to make me pay. Because I stole from him”

“Stole?” you sighed

“When I said that he was an ass and I left him I… played it down a little. I mean it wasn’t that he hurt me all the time. Just sometimes. It were mostly words. But I couldn’t go anywhere because he made sure that my wages that I earned in the store I worked were directly paid to his own account” you let out a sigh “Maybe I was stupid for having put up with it so long”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?” you looked at him and let out a snort

“I did. Twice actually. The first time after he hit me. I wanted to report it and the officer just asked ‘Are you really sure it’s your boyfriend that hit you?’ Well, in my anger I told him that no, it actually was the president who’d dressed up as my boyfriend. He didn’t seem to like that and I figured it’s better if I left”

“What was the second time?” you were silent because that particular memory was one you were less fond of “It’s okay” John said after a while, “you don’t have to tell me”

“No” you said “I need to get it out” you took a deep breath “Justin’s had a bad mood and we got in a fight over something. I think it was because of Simon and the fact I’ve been taking care of him ‘too much’. He demanded I make it up to him but I told him to go fuck himself and he actually did back off. But then as I was in bed he joined me...” you swallowed “he tried to convince me again but I said no. He didn’t care. I tried to push him away but I had no chance” you rubbed at the tears that were forming in your eyes “First thing I did the following day was going back to the police station to press charges. Just that time, they were even worse. If I was aware of the ‘gravity’ of my claims and what it could do to Justin. Or if I was certain I didn’t want it. Whether or not I had had an orgasm as well and how much I enjoyed it. If I had done anything to turn him on before. Or had agreed to it beforehand and then forgot to tell him. Maybe I should have left already then but I stayed, answered the questions. They asked what I had been wearing. I still stayed and answered the questions. Then this one guy went like ‘Were you aware that your boyfriend had those needs in that moment?’ When I agreed he just asked why I had refused to take care of them in the first place. I told him that I was not his fucking sex doll and didn’t have to listen to his every whim. ‘But you could have agreed to help the both of you’. At that I just got up and asked how they even wanted to investigate murders if they couldn’t even pester the victim with questions like ‘are you sure you don’t want to be dead?’ or ‘And you say you didn’t enjoy being stabbed at all?’” you were really glad that you didn’t break out in tears as you had imagined.

“Was that when you left him?”

“No. I still couldn’t because I had no money. But first thing did after leaving the police department was heading to the bank to open my own account. Then I asked my employer to pay my wages to that account. That went on for about three months. Justin didn’t even notice because he didn’t even check the money regularly. But then I came home after a shift one evening. Simon was having a temper tantrum and Justin just was holding him by the shoulders and shaking him violently, shouting at him to ‘shut the fuck up, you dumb baby’” you shook your head as if to get rid of the image “I got up very early the next morning, took his credit card and after he left to work, I packed mine and Simon’s stuff. At the bank I withdrew the amount that was rightfully mine, destroyed the credit card and quit my job without notice. Three hours later we were on a plane to Fairbanks”

“I don’t think that’s stealing” you chuckled

“Well that’s good or I’d be in trouble for telling you that” again he placed his hand on your cheek, gently stroking it

“I’m sorry you had to go through all this. The moment he tries anything I’ll have him arrested, I promise”

“I know” you said “But thanks” he buried his nose in your hair. “Thanks for being here for me” you added more quietly.

[manwalksintobar]

Look For You Yesterday, Here You Come Today   // LeRoi Jones [Amiri Baraka]

Part of my charm:                            envious blues feeling                            separation of church & state                            grim calls from drunk debutantes

Morning never aids me in my quest. I have to trim my beard in solitude. I try to hum lines from "The Poet In New York".

People saw metal all around the house on Saturdays. The Phone                                                                                             rings.

terrible poems come in the mail. Descriptions of celibate parties                                                   torn trousers: Great Poets dying                                                   with their strophes on. & me                                                   incapable of a simple straightforward                                                   anger. It's so diffuse being alive. Suddenly one is aware                   that nobody really gives a damn.                   My wife is pregnant with her child.                   "It means nothing to me", sez Strindberg.

An avalanche of words could cheer me up. Words from Great Sages.                               Was James Karolis a great sage??                               Why did I let Ora Matthews beat him up                                in the bathroom? Haven't I learned my lesson.

I would take up painting if I cd think of a way to do it better than Leonardo. Than Bosch Than Hogarth. Than Kline.

Frank walked off the stage, singing "My silence is as important as Jack's incessant yatter."

I am a mean hungry sorehead. Do I have the capacity for grace??

To arise one smoking spring & find one's youth has taken off for greener parts.

A sudden blankness in the day as if there were no afternoon. & all my piddling joys retreated to their own dopey mythic worlds.

The hours of the atmosphere grind their teeth like hags.

                                          (When will world war two be over?)

I stood up on a mailbox waving my yellow tee-shirt watching the grey tanks stream up Central Ave.                                     All these thots                                     are Flowers Of Evil                                     cold & lifeless                                     as subway rails

the sun like a huge cobblestone flaking its brown slow rays primititi           once, twice, . My life           seems over & done with.           Each morning I rise           like a sleep walker           & rot a little more.

All the lovely things I've known have disappeared. I have all my pubic hair & am lonely. There is probably no such place as BattleCreek, Michigan!

Tom Mix dead in a Boston Nightclub before I realized what happened.

People laugh when I tell them about Dickie Dare!

What is one to do in an alien planet where the people breath New Ports? Where is my space helmet, I sent for it 3 lives ago ... when there were box tops.

What has happened to box tops??

O, God ... I must have a belt that glows green in the dark. Where is my Captain Midnight decoder?? I can't understand what Superman is saying!

THERE MUST BE A LONE RANGER!!!

                           ****

but this also is part of my charm. A maudlin nostalgia that comes on like terrible thoughts about death.

How dumb to be sentimental about anything To cal it love & cry pathetically into the long black handkerchief of the years.

                 "Look for you yesterday                  Here you come today                   Your mouth wide open                   But what you got to say?"

                                     -part of my charm

                                             old envious    blues feeling                                              ticking like     a big cobblestone clock.

I hear the reel running out . . . the spectators are impatient for popcorn: It was only a selected short subject

F. Scott Charon will soon be glad-handing me like a legionaire

My silver bullets all gone My black mask trampled in the dust

& Tonto way off in the hills moaning like Bessie Smith.

[worldofwardcraft]

Dispatches from the combat zone.

March 4, 2024

The Arizona Theater of Operations in the Republican war on free and fair elections has seen the worst fighting mostly confined to courtrooms, with right-wing attackers lobbing lawsuit after lawsuit against democracy's defenses.

There was, for example, the suit filed by the Mohave County GOP before the November 2022 election, which asked a judge to throw out the state's 31-year-old system of mail-in voting. About which KPNX 12News explains:

Up to 90% of all Arizona voters vote with early ballots. Most mail in their ballot, others drop off the ballot at a polling place. Arizonans have been casting early ballots via mail since 1991 when the Legislature allowed absentee voting that didn't require an excuse. The practice took off in the mid-2000s, with the creation of the permanent early voter list, which automatically sent an election ballot to voters who were on the list.

The county's Superior Court fortunately sided with the state:

There is nothing in the Arizona Constitution which expressly prohibits the legislature from authoring new voting laws, including "no-excuse" mail-in ballots.

Undaunted, Republicans have now launched a frontal assault on Arizona's recently approved Elections Procedures Manual, which lays out the rules for the state's elections, such as voter registration, voting methods and certification of results. Within hours of each other, two lawsuits were filed by Republican organizations challenging an array of policies in the EPM, including those relating to proof of citizenship verification, public access to voter signatures, Arizona's early voting list (which they really hate), and more.

One of the lawsuits specifically singles out a provision of the EPM that protects voters from intimidation. This is especially relevant since masked MAGA vigilantes carrying guns launched an aggressively menacing drop box “monitoring” campaign during the 2022 midterms.

Plus, as Democracy Docket reports, Republican legislators filed yet another lawsuit against the EPM at the end of January. And last week, Stephen Miller’s America First Legal Foundation filed a complaint challenging a slew of election policies in Yavapai County.

All these legal onslaughts are in addition to the barrage launched by Arizona's sorehead election losers Kari Lake (for governor), Mark Finchem (for secretary of state) and Abe Hamadeh (for attorney general). So far, none of these lawsuits has come within a country kilometer of being successful. Lake's doomed complaint failed all the way up to the state Supreme Court, and one judge ordered sanctions against Finchem.

But even though Arizona GOPers have lost every single battle, they continue to believe they will ultimately win the war and defeat their enemy ��� American democracy.

[westeroswisdom]

There's a cult of spite which sprang up after the Game of Thrones series finale. It's made up of soreheads who vehemently disliked the ending or Season 8 as a whole. Many in this group somehow expected an uncharacteristic ending like Dany and Jon flying off to their honeymoon on the back of Drogon. 😅

Those folks still spew venom about the series and infest the comments sections about GoT despite the contradiction of them claiming that nobody is interested in GoT any more.

As the video reminds us, there's still a strong GoT fanbase and the prequel House of the Dragon has done fine with both fans and TV critics.

[jkanelis]

Cops can't be everywhere

Cops can’t be everywhere

New Year’s Eve in Princeton, Texas appeared to be a fairly raucous event … at least it was in my neighborhood. Understand something. I am not going to bitch about the idiots who violate city ordinances banning the shooting of fireworks inside the city limits. Last time I did so I got called a sorehead for my fuddy-duddy views on such nonsense. Hey, I just did complain about it! Whatever. My…

[penig]

On the one hand I know exactly what you mean. On the other hand, perception and memory are subjective and humans tend to perceive and remember negatives more than positives, so perhaps it will help you feel a little better to know that what I remember, alongside all those stupid takes, is a joyous festival of ace response to the adaptation; absolute waves of posts squealing: “Yes! Finally! Something for us!” Certainly aspec A/C fic is not hard to find, along with more genderfuckery than most fandoms attract.

And I think that a great deal of the nasty “queer baiting” nonsense came from the same relatively small group of sore heads making a disproportionate amount of noise, as soreheads always do, especially when they realize that they have already lost the ground they claim to defend. Probably that is a bit too harsh, since some of those heads are sore due to taking repeated blows; but I’ve taken my share of blows, too, and if it ever led me to shove someone else out of the boat we’re all in, I hope I never did it so loudly or rudely, and I am certainly very sorry for it.

I’m allo, myself, and hopelessly cis, but the paucity of aspec representation bothered me long before I knew what an asexual was, or gained enough knowledge of myself and the world to identify myself as queer. I grew up in the sixties, and approached the question from the feminist perspective that making romantic attachments the greatest thing in life, to which everything else was secondary, was prima faci absurd, out of line with feminist goals, and greatly insulting to people who had worthwhile lives on every other front. I had many historical and literary heroes who either never married, or manifestly should not have married, who led rich, rewarding, productive lives; I knew unmarried adults; as I grew older I was surrounded by people making themselves miserable solely because they didn’t have a romantic partner. There’s plenty in this world to make us miserable, without saddling ourselves with a monolithic vision of what we are supposed to want and making all of our other happiness subject to it. I saw enough divorces to know that romantic love is no guarantee of happiness or anything else.

I had no intention of marrying myself. No one was more surprised than me when I found someone I wanted to marry, and I was prepared to walk away from that if we couldn’t get on the same page. Sex is easy to get if you want it, affection takes many forms, and it is far more important to have equal and mutually respectful relationships than romantic ones. (In the event, I like being married a great deal, but I also think that my willingness to walk away from it in the beginning contributed a lot to my ability to find someone I could like it this much with. )

Anyway, once I identified as bi, it became clear that the division of the queer community into subsets that could be ranked in importance and legitimacy was counterproductive and that any group of people who had to spend time defining themselves and convincing others that they exist holds common cause with me. Bi erasure and ace erasure are the same thing at the root, and if allosexual homosexuals would only recognize it, they are both the same thing as the “just a phase” nonsense so many of them have to deal with (and guess what? So do we!).

Queer people of all kinds have had to live on the crumbs of the heterosexual table. We should all rejoice together now that we have a table, and cooperate to enlarge it and enjoy an ever more varied menu. Perhaps this is due to my own curation of the space I occupy (no anonymous contact, block people who anger or hurt me) but I see that far more than I see these dogs in the manger arrogating to themselves the identity of Only True Oppressed and speaking over and further marginalizing their fellow queers. My impression is, that they are primarily financially secure cis white gay men of a type I have met before, who grew up in the ruling class and internalized the notion that they belong among those who make the rules and hold the privilege to the degree that they can’t conceive of themselves in any other way, or of anyone unlike them being legitimately people. Like all such people, they are noisy out of all proportion to their importance in the larger scheme of things, and it gives them too much power to let them spoil your party. Block them and enjoy yourself. It is not their business what makes you feel represented.

And if you look in the fandom spaces that matter, you’ll find that the aces are not afraid to speak up, write the fics, make the art, and claim the space, and good for them.

i remember 2019 and how just ... shocking it was that people were so repulsed by the idea that crowley and aziraphale could be interpretted as asexual. not canonically! just interpretted that way! just violently hateful towards it i could never understand it and it caused me so much grief back then when i was so new to my identity. people i had followed for years were blogging nonstop about how "it's more important that they're gay" and "just watch a different show if you're ace" and g o d

right? i haven't been around the good omens fandom in years and had hoped people had moved on from the silly 'we're gonna call neil gaiman neilman because he doesn't deserve to have gay in his name cos these two men didn't have a kiss which is the only way to be gay' while we're on the sidelines like.. one, they're not two male characters, two what if they're asexual or demisexual or aromantic or aspec in anyway, three he literally confirmed they're in love, four have you seen all his other works that have gay and trans characters in. i don't know how in this later year post-sandman people can think gaiman has a problem with lgbt characters being lgbt on screen

[jacobvanloon]

portrait of an upstanding sorehead

[clarabelleblog]

Why your brain hurts? Take your brain into and information free zone. New blog post over at www.clarabelle.org #brain #brainhealth #neurons #braincells #healthymind #nature #mindbodyspirit #bloggerlifestyle #sorehead #headspace #nophonezone #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #personaldevelopment (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHVmJ-MlmF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[milldjm]

Coming on the 18th Miasma from Tenshun & Bonzo hand stamped and numbered limited cassette #tenshun #bonzo #miasma #throneofblood #sorehead #diy #cassettes #ihadanaccidentrecords #drums #noise #samples #turntablism

[mrjasonsweeney]

School night + Drinking + @scotthannahguitarist = never ever ever ever ever ever ever again!!!!! 😞😞😞😞⁣ ⁣ What a brilliant night at @cafebar1912 followed by a few other establishments 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺⁣ ⁣ #bathgate really has its act together with social distancing measures. It was great to see everywhere with people out supporting the community 👍👍👍⁣ missing live music like crazy. ⁣ I think we have another NO BEER FRIDAY!!!⁣ ❌🍺❌🍺❌🍺❌🍺❌🍺❌🍺❌🍺❌ #beer #goodtimes #sorehead #neveragsin #scotland https://www.instagram.com/p/CEbdtYMJa0J/?igshid=1kx799ycz21lz

[doodleconstruct]

I really love period buildings and grade 2 listed buildings, but god knows why I ever bought one to live in 😂😂 every time I drink I hit my head 🤩😇 #listedbuilding #historic #oldashell #tootall #faversham #kent #sorehead #oldhouse #oldhouse #listedbuildings #ouch #ouchthathurt #toyhouse (at Faversham, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_vcvuhlioQ/?igshid=vv7ghdnqaxol

[evilhorse]

You’re all a bunch of soreheads, that’s what you are!

[adamhenrymagee]

Saturday morning summed up! And i agreed to work tonight for a bit of extra money for my mums modeling reunion next weekend !!! Ahhhh!!!! #hungover #saturday #sorehead #workhardplayhard #alcohol #party #partyboy #debauchery #headonism This is worse than a standard hangover #fuckthenhs https://www.instagram.com/p/BTL1kxQFgPv/?igshid=1rnsbxxdc450z