#uk idiocy

[choppedcowboydinosaur]

Obligatory song for kropotkindersuprirse..

Who had “English government enacts Haito Edict” on their 2024 bingo?

[eye-of-yelough]

oh and on the subject of johanna hezenkoss i think she would’ve been SO MUCH FUN as a campy comic relief villain if the other veilguard villains weren’t also ridiculously shallow and impossible to take seriously

[denmark-street]

Angela being based:

[incandescentflower]

welp, the full story involving poly relationships and the possibility of an abortion took no risks, but I think the stance that they were legitimate and morally neutral life options wasn't undone. It felt like a step, albeit a baby step.

and of course no real apology or remorse from Gyu Hyun toward Hae Yeong for her demotion, despite her being not at all involved in the situation with Ji Uk working at the company. And yet Ji Uk kinda got one regarding how he had been treated by Gyu Hyun.

But Hae Yeong did get his money and is no longer working for him and has her own company so that is definitely a win for her.

My favorite part of the ending was actually the noble idiocy, which I didn't think I would ever say, but in this case Hae Yeong rightly identified how much Ji Uk had lived his life by what other people wanted and had never had the space and opportunity to figure out what *he* wanted.

There was so much emotional weight between them, wrapped up in these complex relationships with parents and parental figures. I think it was really important for the drama to show that Ji Uk was not with Hae Yeong simply due to some sense of obligation or because he was trying to fill a hole his family left.

The time apart felt like a good thing for them to consider what they both needed and to address some of their unfinished business so that they could come back together again.

[theprodigalgenius]

Also, several people who are immigrants won’t be able to tell the difference as daffodils don't grow in their native place. Do they deserve to die for that?

James Wong is one of the most beleagured men on Twitter. Not only did he recently get fired from the Observer for publicly objecting to platforming a TERF, he has a bunch of idiots arguing that daffodils (toxic) bundled like spring onions and placed in the produce section next to other alliums isn't dangerous because people should "know better" somehow.

Marks and Spencer is a UK-based retailer with some stores in a few other countries as well. I haven't seen daffodils sold like this in the U.S., but this is your regular reminder that staff at any given store don't necessarily know how toxic the plant products they're selling are. If you see something like this, bring it to the store's attention and also notify their corporate office.

[heartofhubris]

nah i'm in a bitchy mood

i literally risked being grounded - that is, wake up at 730, walk to school with no breakfast, get lunch if we were deemed good enough to get lunch money, get home, and get a portion of dinner and get sent to bed by 8 pm - to enjoy harry potter. I risked getting in severe trouble, physical abuse, to enjoy Harry potter. And you, random fandom blogger who thinks Snape's hot, do not get to tell me that you're just attached to it. It directly is related to why I even started getting into writing. Ms Nazi over there is why I got interested in creating my own fictional world, why I got attached to so many different characters who simply would whisk me away into a world where my issues could be solved by a flick of a wand and I could enjoy having friends with the same inherent interests s i have. I understand the power and the allure of Harry Potter.

And then I grew up.

And I realized this woman who I had looked up to for getting out of the poverty house and taking care of her children, who i saw as a role model and a fantastic woman, named a black character Kingsley Shacklebolt. I realized that this amazing woman had named an asian woman Cho Chang. The fourth book, where she barely changed the letters of two indian twin girls names from their last names, are you kidding me?

I understand the allure and the escapism. The first movie I ever, and actually the only movie premiere I have ever seen, was Harry Potter 8. It remains so to this day.

She might've won the cases against plagerism, but that makes it even worse that she made such a white hetrocentric story where anyone outside of the norm was treated worse than nothing. Even on a bare basic line, the names itself were boring and contrived.

But what's worse is that the older you get and the more critical thinking you can develop, the more clear it gets what your priorities are outside of whatever values you may claim to espouse. If you dare to have HP and BLM in your bio, the idiocy level matches the movie from 2006 with a plot line that most likely rhymes with your life.

You can enjoy whatever the fuck you want to. I don't care. That is your human right, to do what you want when you want But if you come up to me with Alan Rickman's best role defaulted to Wizard Nazi, you are weak. You are ridiculous, and I'd put down money you're actually a full adult and that's worse. If you dare to say that You ~loved~ Gary Oldman's best role of Sirius Black, you better be able to back your shit up with prison abolitionism and prisoner reform, and you better have fucking contacted whoever is your minister, rep, senator, whatever the name may be in your country (and yes, UK citizens, you are not exempt from prison reform. No, you are not exempt European citizens, from prison reform and rehabilitation) to do better for those incarcerated.

And god rest her recently departed soul, if you dare to tell me Maggie Smith's best role was McGonagal, you are an embarrassment. I swear to god I have met children who could insult you and you'd get mad or embarrassed, because your maturity level is on that same level as that child.

Enjoy what you want. But if a child who risked abuse can get over their escapism, maybe it's a little embarrassing for you to still be here.

[sgiandubh]

Keepers of the Quaich

This time, we're going to look at things a bit differently and this could very well be my most speculative post ever. So be it: it is a risk I am taking and warning you about from the get go.

The only thing Mordor understood about the next October 4 event organized by the US Chapter of The Keepers of the Quaich is something that probably gave them collective relief: S is not going to be with C on her birthday. Not together. Not on the same continent. Shut up, shippers, you are stupid.

As usually, Mordor takes things at a very primitive face value, without bothering for context. But they always focused on the lewd side of the story, not on its deep ramifications, of which there are many. Anything that denies S's halfwit manwhore image upsets them greatly.

The Scottish society of The Keepers of the Quaich is not one of those old, steeped in tradition clubs, but it is damn selective. It only dates back to 1988, which is almost five minutes ago, for Europe (and especially the UK) and is deeply rooted in Highlands' lore, celebrating excellence in whisky trade and promotion worldwide. General facts about it have already been discussed elsewhere, but with a bias and little to no context. Also, really LOL at Mordor's idiocy to think that was a fan promotion event and go ballistic for the members-only and by invitation access to it.

Membership is by co-opting and with a five-year proven performance history only (ten years, if you step up to Master level). You need not one, but two recommendations, which makes it harder to join than a Masonic lodge or the Rotary Club (and I know what I am saying, heh). That S could actively seek to be inducted, rather sooner than later, is pretty much clear, as he could use the network it readily provides, along with the prestige:

(Sourced at: https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/341/people/keepers-of-the-quaich)

I first had a look at the list of its International Chapters and it is interesting to notice Muslim countries as Turkey or the Emirates each having their own chapter, which clearly tells me it's all about luxury and more specifically, luxury hospitality business, in that case. If inducted after the customary five years' wait, S could also make good use of the German chapter's (a market that proved to be very problematic for him) network, along with the Nordics and Netherlands, if he would think about cleverly expanding his trade in the EU. Last but not least, I would keep an eye on Brazil and India (along with the more predictable South Africa and Australia), because he already has a solid fanbase in the first one and well, Asia is always interesting, when it comes to alcohol business.

I did not really bother with the list of the Patrons, which spells a good and prestigious sliver of Debrett's Peerage's Scottish section. But I also looked at the list of the Management Committee, who does all the hands-on dealings and is directly responsible for the induction ceremony of new members. Aside from representatives of Diageo and Pernod Ricard (giants of the alcohol business world), a familiar name popped right at the bottom of the page:

Annabel Meikle, Director of The Keepers of the Quaich and as such, directly involved in the management of its activities (and probably also in all the underground shenanigans leading to the induction of new members, too). A great contact to have in your rolodex, judging by her public CV on LinkedIn:

Glenmorangie (also a member of the Keepers) - keep that reference under your sleeve, we are going to need it soon :).

Could she be related to...

I am leaving this without an answer, because I don't know and I will always refuse to go data mining for anything, but that sure as hell is not a common surname, as Smith or Martin!

At any rate, Mrs. Meikle is also (along with the Duke of Argyll, the current Keepers Grand Master) a member of The Scottish Committee of something very, very prestigious: The Worshipful Company of Distillers (https://www.distillers.org.uk/), based in London and founded in 1638, by Royal Charter (for “Body Politique and corporate” to govern the “Trade Arte and Mystery of Distillers of London” - how I love history, people!) granted by Charles I, a Stuart (of course). I am speculating and having visions of Livery status and Freedom of the City, followed by Knighthood for S (no bong needed, this particular narrative writes itself and believe it or not, it's not entirely without logic). And it is my strict constitutional right to be a poetic coo about it - that guy is smarter than we thought and I would curate that contact to death if I were him (but I am not, I am just a benevolent and intrigued observer, as you all know). Back to Earth from these optimistic conjectures, I will keep a tab on it, as I dutifully took note that one of their current interests is tequila:

Onwards to the US. We can have a fair idea of October 4th event just by looking at one of their few press releases on the occasion of the Chapter's launch gala, on September 25 2019, in New York (https://www.distilledspirits.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/KOTQUSA-Release-10.04.19.pdf - with quotes selected by me):

Moët Hennessy. Another reference to keep under our sleeve, for it will be soon very relevant. So yes, what has been speculated by Miss Marple is partially true: more business than aristocratic. But this is only if we do not consider as American aristocratic the venue of the next event. The Metropolitan Club is a very East Coast, WASP old money and (well, technically yes) Republican (but not MAGA Republican and this, to me, is very important for some reason) organization:

That was the state of play on Friday, folks, and I was already excited to share my optimistic findings with you. And then, C went to Paris and more dots started to speculatively connect. Bare with me for this long passegiata, I think it's worth it.

It was particularly important that C would be seen in a very friendly-casual pose with Delphine Arnault, out of all the other people attending that event. Not because Arnault is currently the big boss of Dior and Loewe (as I already explained here: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/729801825900953600/city-of-lights?source=share). And not only because C suddenly seems very interested to renew and expand her fashion days' old network. But also, because, as I already said, Delphine Arnault is also the daughter of her father and in France, business and family are always closely entwined. Always.

The French luxury market is roughly split between two behemoth players: Bernard Arnault (LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A) and Antoine Pinault (Kering, ex- Pinault-Printemps- Redoute). These people and their businesses are number 1 and 2, respectively, on the global market. And out of these two, the only one very interested in the alcohol business is Arnault (Pinault does not deal in this sector).

So I took a look at his very diverse alcohol and spirits brand portfolio (25 references - https://www.lvmh.com/houses/wines-spirits/): rhum, brandy, champagne, tequila, wines (Argentina and even China). Two Scottish whisky brands: first Ardberg (the graceful peat from Islay). And - oh, hello, Mrs. Meikle - Glenmorangie, acquired by Arnault in 2004, after a bitter battle with Pernod Ricard (https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/21/business/world-business-briefing-europe-france-scotch-maker-acquired.html):

Back at Mrs. Meikle's CV - hers was a pivotal role in the post-acquisition reshuffle, as part of LVMH:

Coincidence? I think not.

And then also a bourbon reference. Woodinville (based in the state of Washington, USA) with a pitch that made me grin again like the Cheshire Cat:

Sounds familiar? Rings a bell? See a pattern? You should: no, it's not S in disguise, but it could be SS in a couple of years, if S decided to sell it for a hefty profit.

But I was also interested in what is missing from this catalogue.

NO GIN.

Who knows? Maybe these French people could be enticed? In that case (and remember: I am SPECULATING), it would have to be a brand with a proven track record. You see, Arnault is famous for always buying only brands with a proven history and proven recognition (Tasting Alliance, anyone? LOL). Up until now and as is, FMN is just a pet project and a virtual endeavor. Nothing more and we shall see. But that little wild Scottish gin which could win hearts and already an award in Frisco is something completely different.

Now, then. You connect the dots. You draw your own conclusions. I see something very intriguing here and, as I already told you, the business underground situation is completely different from the bland façade.

You see, this is not about papers or checking a pulse or awkwardly grabbing a fist on some stairs. This is show me the money time. This is all about finding unexpected connections, at a very high level and on a very narrow niche.

So you think S and C can't stand each other anymore?

Humbug. They have each other's back from Day 1. And more. Ship on, ladies. Whatever clownery these days might bring, I know what I know. And by now, you should start asking yourselves the real questions, not if Waldo is with Carmen Sandiego (we KNOW), nor if they were online at the same time or not. I mean, that's cute: but to be honest, I think we're past that... uh... waypoint?

Next on my list is that Lallybroch trademark thing. This is the most complex one and I will take my time. I may speculate, but never without a logical base. And I always take these things very seriously.

Keepers of the Quaich, indeed. :)

[babytarttdoodoo]

Please (if you want to) expand on what you said about the different ways Roy and Jamie swear because that is extremely fascinating

I mean, I'll start by saying I am in no way a linguistics expert. I also lack the cultural and social background to speak about the swearing habits of Mancunians and Londoners with any authority. (Again, to clarify, I am Scottish.)

However, being familiar with the accents in question, being immersed in British media my entire life, and having had voice training does mean I have an instinctual 'feel' for what sounds right for their characters... or what does for me, at least.

Swearing and rambling under the cut.

Beyond just swear words, the cadence and tones of Roy and Jamie's voices are vastly different.

Jamie talks faster, for one. It is a bit of a trend that the further north you go in the UK, the speedier the speech gets. I slow down a lot, even if I'm just visiting England, in order to be understood by non-Scots.

Therefore, Jamie uses longer words or phrases more casually in conversation (if not always correctly, bless his heart) because the rhythm of his speech allows for it. This also means that if he swears mid-sentence, it's basically just punctuation and comes across as a habit.

Adding adjectives adds emphasis. So when he is intentionally swearing directly at someone, he would call that someone a "big hairy baby twat" rather than just a "twat".

(I will also point out that I think "fucking dickhead" is criminally underused by Jamie in both canon and fanon.)

Roy, on the other hand, has a slower rhythm. He still swears very naturally (obviously) but is more likely to use single syllable words i.e. "fuck", "prick", "shit".

The way that vowels sound in his accent also plays a part here. For example, he says "fah-ck", as opposed to Jamie's softer "foh-ck", which is immediately more tonally aggressive (the different way they draw out the vowels is important too but I can't think of how to describe it).

Roy doesn't need to add on anything extra because the harder tone of his voice gives every swear a weighty impact. However, that's not to say he can't get creative.

Let's take Roy calling the woman harassing Jamie a "nutty arsemonger" in the Protective RoyxJamie fic. I agonised over what Roy was going to say because when he takes a second to think about how he's going to insult someone, things get colourful.

Cultural influence plays a bigger part in these scenarios.

The use of "nutter" is pretty widespread in the UK. "Nutty" as a descriptor, however, is a bit more specific and something I'd personally associate with the South.

That has to be paired with something and, particularly as he's talking to a woman, that makes things complicated.

Now, if I'm being brutally honest, in reality, someone of Roy's background and age would probably have said "cunt". It's very much not as big of a deal over here as I know it can be in the States. Tat said, it still felt a bit harsh to me as something someone in the 'Ted Lasso' universe would say. It's also very gender-charged and if Roy were going to use it, he's more likely to say it to another man.

For similar reasons, I discounted him calling her a "cow" or a "bitch". Less severe, but still not quite right for a man in his (at this point) early 40s who goes out of his way to be respectful to the women he knows. (Moments of idiocy aside, of course.)

That brought me to "arse". Anyone can be one. Great.

But he can't just say "nutty arse" and call it a day. Firstly, because "s" is a soft sound, especially in a deep tone, and the insult sounds incomplete in Roy's voice if he doesn't end on a hard note. Say it to yourself, try out your best Kent impression - it isn't right, is it?

Jamie absolutely could just say "arse" because the "ah" sound is very harsh in his accent and the "s" is more pronounced by his higher voice.

But Roy needs something more to round out the phrase. I landed on "arsemonger" eventually because of the meaning more than anything. (Generally used for someone without class, implies promiscuity.) Introducing that "ger" at the end also sounded a lot better and more natural.

I don't know if I'm making any sense here but hopefully this communicates a bit of what I meant?

If you're looking to delve a bit deeper (without the swearing), a good point of reference might be the Ninth Doctor and Rose's era of 'Doctor Who'. It's not perfect (Christopher is from Salford, Billie from Swindon) but it's another really good example of North/South talking habits.

'Only Fools and Horses' might give you a good idea of the language Roy grew up around, just bear in mind it's more in tune with his parents' generation.

'Coronation Street' is the obvious touchstone for Manchester accents but I haven't watched it in a long time. The kids in 'Waterloo Road' might be a bit more relevant as contemporary examples.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Speaking of IPSO and the Harkles.

When I read that original story on Pop Bitch re: the legal letter sent to them, one of the threats therein was that Harold firmly believed UK media is especially talented at creating tabloid frenzy even when subject is abroad so he warned them off Markle by saying that he would hold them responsible for any tabloid frenzy around her even if said frenzy was abroad and if it happened, he’d throw his royal weight behind those trying to curb press freedom. 

At the time, UK media was still under the cloud of the Levenson enquiry, and during the dating years, parliament was debating whether or not to curb press freedom. Remember, William had kicked the whole thing off and his royal status carried privilege so I guess Harold believed his status would do the same.

I watched both sides carefully, and saw how the media completely backed away from Markle during the dating years. This gave her free reign to spin positive stories pushing herself as the best thing that happened to Harold as well as being a humanitarian etc. The media didn’t tell the public anything about her. Stuff that was easy to find. She had such an easy ride that she got cocktails and thought this would be her future ride.

When she got engaged and everyone came out, the media presented them as attacking her and didn’t follow up on the meat of their revelations. Her own PR did this too. The public was given a one-sided story that made her accusers look like jealous harpies of this self-made millionaire, Hollywood actress who’d snagged our 12yr old Prince grown up to become happy, charming humanitarian and made him happy. Every wrong thing they did was presented as ‘thank goodness she escaped them’.

….but what about the Thomas Markle Snr picture debacle……I think ( personal opinion) this was a scandal that was a gift to Markle for something she’d already done, but perhaps didn’t have an easy way of presenting it to the public until fate intervened. 

Let’s go back to those parliamentary debates ( you can still find them on parliament’s webite). These rumbled on for 2yrs and had UK media spooked. Another of celebs got away with poor behaviour because the UK media took it easy in order to demonstrate to parliament that they could self-regulate via IPSO. 

The debates eventually came down to a vote. This happened 2weeks before the wedding.

Pop bitch later revealed that Harold continued to shower IPSO with threatening complaints even though the media was largely compliant. So the week of the final vote crossed with a letter he sent IPSO complaining about paps harassing Thomas for those pictures. 

The vote took place mid-week. UK media won the vote, cloud lifted.  And the DM’s weekend papers outed Thomas senior - a direct punch / response to Harold. Journalists regardless of their politics or outlet on twitter were collectively celebrating. The sentence that kept popping up that I recall was the idiocy of accusing the media of colluding to harass Thomas when he was actively colluding to release these pictures to the media to be published. 

Meghan responded as she did and came out of it smelling of roses. 

Since their marriage in 2018 through to Summer 2019, Harold showered IPSO with so many complaints that it is alleged the volume exceeded the collective complaints of entire royal family in 10yrs. And each new complaint brought diminishing returns.

By the summer of 2019, when he complained about the story in The Sun about Markle telling the residents of the Windsor Estates to refrain from talking or engaging with entire Sussex family - babies and dogs included, IPSO had enough. While The Sun volunteered to remove the story, IPSO largely ruled in it’s favour and delivered a verdict that was the equivalent of a limp slap on the wrist. 

This must have enraged Harold who was vacationing at Elton’s villa when the verdict came in. Seeing as he already wished to use his royal privilege to punish UK media, that ambulance chasing lawyer whispering in his ear must have seemed like God’s gift. 

By that September 2019, he’d launched the first of many lawsuits. And with the class action ones, it’s become transparently clear that he has thrown his lot in with that pressure group Hacked off/ bylines whose raison d'etre is to curb press freedom. It’s no coincidence that they aren’t signed upto IPSO. 

Harold hasn’t bothered IPSO since then. 

****

Some food for thought: Did Harry use the overturned IPSO request and his mother’s memory to manipulate Elton John into sharing his lawyer? Or did the lawyer use the overturned IPSO request and his mother’s memory to manipulate Harry into these lawsuits for a royal payday?

Re the Thomas Markle paparazzi scandal - I’m Team “Meghan totally set it up for her dad and was sweating bullets her involvement would leak out so Thomas orchestrated a heart attack to get the heat off her because she cried and knew just what to say.” Now, I do think Thomas really did have a health emergency, but I’m skeptical it was actually a heart attack. Maybe it was heart palpitations or bad enough anxiety that he thought it was a heart attack or terrible indigestion. So to get Meghan’s pity, he tells her it was a heart attack and she’s all “new phone, who dis” to him but simultaneously collapsing and sobbing to the palace about how her father is so ill she can’t possibly ask him to travel in case it makes him sicker.

[isekai-crow]

Apothecary Diaries / Kusuriya no Hitorigoto General Impressions

Man, this anime has changed my life. I'm obsessed. Maomao my beloved, Jinshi is ironically but secretly somewhat of a sad little meow meow (badumptss), Gaoshun is my life, and Ace representation? In my anime? More likely than you think.

I somehow missed all of the fanfare about the manga! But even living in Japan, I think it was flying under the radar until the anime got announced, and then it had to compete with advertising for Oshi no Ko and the return of Spy x Family. However I can confirm that it is now sweeping the elementary school students in Japan which is A Big Deal.

I'm going to do a general overall SQUEE here about the show, and then hopefully do individual posts about the first 12 episodes later. Probably once I finish the second half of season 1 with my Capybara, because I WILL force us to go back and do a re-watch (I'm already re-watching it without subtitles to force my Beetle to watch it with me).

I'm also forcing myself to NOT read ahead in either of the mangas nor the light novel, both so that the mystery of what come next remains magical, and so that I don't burn myself out on it and instead milk it for all it's worth.

I am also spoiler avoidant for this unless I go looking for them myself, so this should be safe for anime-only peeps who are caught up on the first half. This is just my general impressions so far!

Going into this, I was expecting another Raven of the Inner Palace, but was worried it wouldn't be as good, and was still missing my lovely little Raven and her friends. I've seen my fair share of Chinese and Korean historical dramas that I enjoyed, but was worried this would be another Shojo, a genre I don't often like.

The PVs didn't do a lot to dispel this worry, but I assume this was simply because I had never read the manga. (I wonder what the initial impact would have changed had I done so.) It's been a while so I can't really pinpoint exactly what made me have doubts outside of simply wanting a second season of Raven Palace.

The first few episodes were a whirlwind of world building and set up, and mystery, and they dragged me fully into the world of high ranking courtesans and harems.

I immediately fell in love with Maomao's deadpan delivery, manical obsession with poisons, complete nonchalance with the sex industry and harem activities, and absolute lack of interest in Jinshi while still being able to appreciate how dangerously beautiful he is.

I fell in love with Jinshi's idiocy, the level of uke vibes he gives off, his knowledge of and use of his beauty as a weapon and tool while still giving off hints of not necessarily enjoying the attention, and felt like I was riding along with him in his fascination with MaoMao.

Gaoshun is a DELIGHT. I always love the exasperated assistant to the rambunctious Male Lead, and the nickname Xiaomao is SO CUTE AHHHHH. This happened in Raven Palace too, where the two eunuch assitants/spies were my favorite (but they were also crow shipping bait). Gaoshun is just a delightful 'old' man who needs a break and deserves one. I want to be Gaoshun.

The Ace/Aro vibes are also STRONG in this show, and I love it, even if it might only be vague representation.

I am aware of the debate over whether or not Maomao can be considered asexual or not, and I'm firmly on team A-spec, as someone who is aegosexual/ace myself and who can still have sex and consider it to be an act of connection with someone.

I agree that the environment she grew up in affected her views on sex and how it's a tool and a product, and women only get to control it in very limited situations, but that doesn't negate the ace label. Both can exist, and if it turns out differently in the future then that's that, but people are allowed to believe what they want.

Even both being on team Ace(Aro)!Maomao, Capybara and I have our disagreements about how this is going to play out, and have our own ideas about what we'd like to see play out too.

Capy hopes they become Bros and stay fully ace/aro, and I hope they end up in some sort of queer-like relationship. But either way I am SUPER happy to have a show that has so much of its world building connected to sex, and yet it doesn't revolve around sex. Even the fan service like moments aren't really all the fan service-y. They serve a purpose apart from fan service, and I am here for this.

(Maomao is absolutely telling her what a boob job is.)

The mysteries are great and twisty, and there are enough clues that if you're paying attention you can figure out what actually happened. Then there are some like the entire last few episodes of the first half that wouldn't be possible without knowing what Maomao learned, and we don't get to learn what happened until the culprit does either.

I admit that only watching the anime sometimes leaves me with questions, and the subtitle translations are sometimes different than what's being said, in a way that implies a cultural difference that's not possibly to translate clearly. Reading the corresponding chapter of both mangas to whatever episode I watched helps a great deal, and helps to fully flesh out the characters, their motivations, and the world as a whole in it's small small corner of the palace.

I'm looking forward to the second half of the season, and I will hopefully be posting reactions to each episode, and then when I go back to re-watch, I plan to write up about those episodes then. Maybe I'll make a master post, and maybe this hyper fixation will dissipate before I make it that far.

I LOVE THIS SHOW.

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Mexico Memories 2021, not 2020 🇲🇽

SH -IGS Posted 7th February 2024

SH becomes more nostalgic as he ages or he’s drinking too much tequila. It doesn’t have many activities.So there is plenty of time for ruminating.

He visited Mexico in 2021 and 2022 in a row and this photo of drinking Batanga was in July 2021 in La Capilla (Jalisco) It was not in 2020

Does MN want to revisit Mexico too? 🇲🇽

@kaatje62 I have written about this trip in previous posts. Sam has visited Mexico 3 years in a row, the first was in February 2020, returning to Mexico 🇲🇽 in July 2021 with MN and AN and in August 2022. SH’s photo is from July 2021 in La Capilla Tequila-Jalisco. The UK government in 2021 told people not to travel to "green list" countries (Mexico) except for essential reasons. His travel was not essential. For him, and his friends all travel is essential. A tourist who believed that travel restrictions did not apply to him in Mexico.

M.N. doesn't remember when he was one of the Three Stooges in Mexico during the pandemic 😷 SH, MN and AN were the figures of irresponsible men with a lack of discipline, reckless and risky behaviour, the perfect COVIDIOTS.

The Mexican government emphasised persuasion for people to follow coronavirus restrictions, with mandatory mask-wearing in public and closed spaces and social distancing.

Tulum 2021

La Fortaleza Distillery

It may have been three years since the pandemic but selfish attitudes are not forgotten. His stupidity was spreading as fast as the coronavirus pandemic, but there will never be a vaccine for his woke stupidity.

Guadalajara 2021

M.Neal

The Three Stooges - SH-MN-AN

@imahalfemptykindofgirl Yeah! SH had his best moment in Mexico before using the country as a back door to enter the United States.

@frenchyses Woke stupidity, in this case it is about stupidity and excesses - it the faculty of thinking in delicate aspects, stupidly, they do not adhere to the rules and refuse to consider them, thinking in their own perspective, and their actions just show that they are just a pretty stupid.

@frenchyses Perhaps you have your definition of "woke", but, this has nothing to do with activist rights or umbrella term for political platforms. Woke stupidity and excesses is a term that extends, more precisely, to define people far more prone to idiocy than is desirable - irrational is always stupid, in the course of action over time, is about human behaviour, nothing else.

@frenchyses The etymology is different. But you still haven't clarified your doubts. —-First was the word woke and then idiocy. All answers were about a whole action. The term idiocy, used is an extremely stupid behavior. It was an explanation but it is also a definition of human stupidity that reveals its own insufficiencies, that’s what it’s about not idiocy. The actions are not beyond the imagination.

@frenchyses As I mentioned earlier and would like to emphasise again, the issue I am discussing has nothing to do with political activism. It is simply about the difference in etymology between the words "stupid" and "idiot".

The word "stupid" originates from the Latin word "stupere" which means "to be amazed or stunned, to be astounded", while the word "idiot" comes from the Greek word "idios" which means "own, private, layman, ignorant person".

This is primarily a discussion about reasoning, human behaviour and different ways of thinking, rather than a matter of social justice, as that is not the focus of my notes.

So, a stupid person is a person, whose thought flow is blocked by some internal or external event, for example by the “wow effect”. This state is usually recoverable.

On the other hand, an idiot is someone whose thought flow is blocked by his Ego / Superiority, flow is not only blocked but cannot change. Due to his behaviour, he cannot change himself due to ignorance. It is very difficult to recover from this state for a given individual. That’s what Dunning–Kruger effect.

@frenchyses None of this is superfluous, in this case, In a literal manner, it is associated with a person in a situation: the pandemic, which exacerbated and accelerated trends, increasing very unintelligent behaviour, and unwillingness to learn. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

[hcfiles]

"There's no clean right choice in real life. There's always a multitude of different choices and they all have their pros and cons" - HC

So, apparently, the immoral, narcissistic strategies used on this latest PR stunt were right to him. I hope he has more pros than cons' choices, for he seems to be entering a period of darkness in Hollywood.

His team did everything wrong. This, if there was really a professional PR team dealing with this circus, because, from what we've seen, it was a totally unprofessional shenanigan, typical from an amateur.

A slight PR embarrassing situation can turn a PR stunt in great damage, destroying an actor's future chances of work. A single slip can destroy years of effort in building an image.

That's what happened to Henry Cavill. He miscalculated risks. For less than this, other actors were banned, rejected by, avoided in Hollywood. They were put in the oven and there they stayed for years.

He should have done his homework before the test, worried and taken this matter with integrity and dignity, avoiding this circus from escalating. He should have taken accountability for the mistakes. Instead, he ran and hid in a shell.

He should have addressed the issue to regain the trust of his fans right after the first negative response to that sh**ty PR stunt, what he didn't do. He should have been transparent and open, instead of being dubious, faking what everyone knew was a staged plot.

He should have apologized for the outrage he caused. It would show seriousness and commitment to honouring the trust of his fandom. Instead, he addressed a FO post to fans on his IG.

The first pap walk was in the middle of COVID restrictions and, while people were locked at home suffering the loss of dear ones, he was rubbing his white privilege of importing a h**ker from the USA and pap walking her on the streets of the UK on people's faces.

He had no respect for the period people were going through nor people's pain and he underestimated fans' intelligence, not honouring their admiration and respect for him. The entire PR and damage control for it was abusive and disrespectful to fans.

He should have done a statement, keeping people informed, instead of gaslighting them with lies. He should have given fans feedback, instead of hiding and blocking them. He should have made changes, instead of working in favor of losing fans' trust. He learnt nothing from his mistakes.

He did the opposite of every single rule on how to deal with a PR crisis. They went the opposite way. That wasn't a mistake. That was intentional and stupid. Why? There are a few reasons: shame, pride, unprofessionalism, disrespect as an attempt to protect the reputation they wrongly think this woman has or simply idiocy.

And it went downhill. Of course! It couldn't go the other way, taking in consideration so many intentional mistakes and stupidies. What does he want? Burn his chances of being Highlander and Bond? He already lost Supes and TW (which gave him the prestige). Losing roles not guaranteed yet, will be a piece of cake. Because, apparently Hollywood is already putting him grounded.

[ladiesandwitches]

@auntiezelda for a non-witchy world

Arriving in the United States, Stella had quickly learned how differently law enforcement worked from their counterparts in the UK--just as she had quickly learned that her English accent was often the first topic questioned by any officer she had worked with since her arrival--but it had also been blatantly obvious from the beginning that the misogyny was equally rife, and that despite her superior rank, the male officers were as likely to ignore her instructions here as they were on the other side of the Atlantic.

Permitting the release of a body to a local mortuary before she had the chance to inspect the victim herself for potential links to her serial case was the most recent display of male-dominated idiocy.

Arriving at the door of the 'Spellman Mortuary' with a breathless urgency, her determined knock was answered by, much to her pleasant surprise, an incredibly attractive woman who, she had to admit, looked vaguely capable of murder herself; if the wrong person just happened to cross her path.

She immediately flashed her Met badge. "Detective Superintendent Gibson. I believe you are in recent receipt of a body care of the Greendale Sherriff's Department."

[bigmouthlass]

A few thoughts on the Potterverse, tentpole franchises, art, and business. Disclaimer-- I'm not an industry insider, my thoughts are that of an interested consumer.

So we're in a weird place.

The Potterverse's creator is a howling and unbalanced bigot, people who read the series as kids are re-reading them as adults and figuring out the books weren't very good as books, and in a fair world Harry Potter would be starting it's long slide into irrelevance.

That's not happening, and it won't for a while. Show business corporate giant Warner Brothers holds the media rights, and the state of their bottom line is such they need the Potterverse to turn a profit.

A big one.

Like, Star Wars/MCU big.

So Warner Brothers will not allow the IP to slip out of the public consciousness, and the fan brain being what it is there will always be an audience. But that audience isn't enough to turn the kind of bucks Warner Brothers wants/needs.

My hypothesis -- and that's all it is, I'm hardly any kind of expert on anything -- is that Warner Brothers is in trouble.

Warner Brothers are treating the Potterverse as a quarter-and-quote "tentpole franchise," the kind of property that can support a variety of media to appeal to a broad, general, and self-perpetuating audience. Think the NFL, or Premier League Football in the UK, or FIFA internationally.

That plan, however, has a very simple and obvious flaw.

Harry Potter isn't strong enough to be a tentpole.

I'm not talking about the quality of the writing. A good adaptation is capable of rising above the limits of the source material. Jaws the novel sucks. I know. I tried reading it.

And it doesn't have anything to do with the popularity of the material. People will be going to Potter moves and buying Potter merch for years to come, regardless of how harmful Rowling gets with her bigoted idiocy. Doubt me? The Cosby Show reruns are back on the TV.

The big tentpole franchises -- Star Wars, Star Trek, the MCU, the DCEU -- are drawing on decades of established history, universally recognized characters, and large and loyal fanbases who were ride or die long before film got in on the act. The source material for those IPs, also, include material created by generational talent working at the top of their games-- Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, etc.

Harry Potter? Sorcerer's Stone was published in 1997. It's a singular work, by a singular writer.

Another crucial difference is the decades of history and backstory tied up in those tentpoles I listed means that their worldbuilding has been seen to by people who specialize in that sort of detail. Somebody sat down and thought about how hyperdrives and warp drives work, that Superman thrives on Earth because Sol is a yellow star, that Courscant's co-ordinates are 0-0-0, that humanity broke the light barrier in a hotrodded nuke, that the loss of his parents turned Batman into a driven man who still has a soft touch with kids-- the worldbuilding allows for further stories to be told that don't contradict the history already established or the characters people already know and recognize.

The Potterverse? It doesn't work.

Like on a functional level. JK Rowling has a nice turn of phrase and the sincere love she has for her characters shines through the pages. However, at no point did anyone take her aside and go over practical aspects of her universe. Like how is it the choices of a magic artifact made when children are eleven years old sets the social destiny of every citizen of the British Wizarding World for life, why does the Wizarding World consider getting sorted into this House or that an achievement or a failure, why do the adults allow the interHouse competitions to turn into proxy class wars (and this is treated as normal and good), why do parents with other options (like Hermoine's parents, blessed with a daughter that was already showing off-the-charts intelligence) send their children to a school with a fucking body count, why are there only other two Wizarding schools in the entirety of Europe (are boys born in western Europe just SOL because Beauxbatons is girls only?)

. . . then we zoom out into the greater world and this -- excuse me -- this dumbass provincialist hack honestly thinks the entirety of North America -- population 579 million, land area 9.5 million square miles, 24 separate countries, hundreds of distinct cultures, plus the histories of the First Nations and the legacy of Colonialism, plus the distinct Black cultures that grew out of the end of slavery, plus the wave of immigrants that came to the US and Canada at the turn of the last century -- can be adequately served by one school. That's an idea so ridiculous it does bad things to my blood pressure.

And that's just North America. Smarter people than me have pointed out the fundamental problems with how Rowling disbursed her institutions. Why did Warner Brothers not send a few editors Rowling's way and explain some of these home truths? They're stuck with a universe it's difficult to tell stories in, because the worldbuilding is cracked at the foundation. It's kind of a shame, because the history of Wizarding in the United States would make a great jumping-off point for spinoffs.

Warner Brothers have bet on a losing horse. Rowling is not a strong enough creative talent to maintain a franchise of the size and complexity of the Potterverse -- witness the lack of equivalent success from the Fantastic Beasts series -- and the Potterverse itself isn't robust enough to support a media empire the way something like Star Wars has. They're in trouble, and like all corporate interests who neither understand nor care about the creative arts beyond their ability to move merch and sell movie tickets, they're going to keep throwing good money after bad until something forces them to stop. I read a rumor that Warner Brothers is considering buying out Rowling's rights to the Harry Potter property, but seeing as how her cultural clout will be gone the moment she lets Potter go, that is never going to happen.

Keep your airsick bags handy, oh my neighbors and friendos. We're stuck with Harry Potter, and we're going to be for a while yet.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Umer Abrar

Published: Nov 2022

A rising number of individuals seem to believe that the earth is, in fact, flat.  But it gets better. They also claim that Australia is a fake.

According to a popular Facebook rant, the whole country (and, by extension, the 24 million people who reside there) is a hoax. The idea was revived during a recent meeting of so-called Flat Earthers in Birmingham when over 200 individuals gathered to certify that the Earth is nothing more than a huge pancake.

The "fake Australia" post first appeared on Reddit in 2017 and was authored by Shelley Floryd. However, it seems to be returning to the minds of the spherically challenged at the minute.

The rant goes: "Australia is not real. It's a hoax, made for us to believe that Britain moved over their criminals to someplace. In reality, all these criminals were loaded off the ships into the waters, drowning before they could see land ever again. It's a coverup [sic] for one of the greatest mass murders in history."

Moreover, the post reckons that all Australians are nothing more than computer-generated personas or paid actors hired by NASA and if you've ever been Down Under yourself: "you're terribly wrong".

Surprisingly, the pilots seem to be all in on it - and have been flying you to areas of South America for years. Flat Earth beliefs have been debunked by almost everyone capable of logical thinking, yet the notion is now experiencing a revival.

Over 200 conspiracy theorists met in Birmingham at a hotel for the UK's first Flat Earth Convention. The three-day conference included nine speakers who took the stage to share their theories about why the Earth is flat.

According to The Telegraph, Dave Marsh, an NHS worker who spoke at the conference, said: “My research destroys big bang cosmology.

“It supports the idea that gravity doesn’t exist and the only true force in nature is electromagnetism.”

While NASA has used GPS, satellites, and photos from space to verify that the Earth is round, Flat Earth enthusiasts claim that they have proof that the space agency is lying. 

==

Aristotle figured out the Earth is round 2300 years ago. Eratosthenes measured it 2200 years ago. Some of the people who scoff at this as anti-science idiocy think sex is "assigned" at birth.

What's it called when you have generally humanist principles, but periodically despair that all human life on the planet should be wiped out?

Asking for a friend.

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "Planes, Trains, and Oddmobiles" Episode Followup, Part 2

We continue on with the second half of our transportation journey. One down, two to go.

Below the break!

"OddRail" is just as silly of a name as "OddAir"! And the name "Ocomotive" is funny too.

Oh man, they aren't even trying, huh?

Awwwww Onom...keep strokin' that ego. You might get the fur off of it eventually.

AHAHAHA THIS GUY'S KNOWN FOR HIS WEIGHTLESS SUITCASES THAT AREN'T TOTALLY WEIGHTLESS????

Look, I don't like eggs either, but these are in what look to be pretty sturdy suitcases. I think you're safe, Conductor.

All right, I'm starting to see what this is now.

It's "Worst First Day Ever" but far more contrived and with a lot more worldbuilding.

No guesses for which episode I prefer more.

I'm also starting to see that this is where Orli and Ozzie play the violins.

And to be honest, I can already see where this is going and I will reiterate that they need to take a tip or two from Or- ohhhhh wait no she played the harp.

...Well, never mind then.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

"You made it look so easy."

OZZIE YOU SCHMUCK. W H Y . MAN GET YOUR ASS BEHIND THE ROCK AND LET ORLI PLAY DAMN IT.

But of course. You can't eat 'em if they're not down on the ground and convulsing in pain a little.

Or dead. That too.

The sheer idiocy of this man to go from "IT'S GONNA EAT YOU?!?!?!" to "oh that's pretty cool actually"...God, I love him.

Had to do a quick Google to find out if conductors were called something else in the UK. Turns out, they're known as "train managers".

So close, but no cigar.

I honestly love how this is the Odd Squad equivalent of when a character talks to their TV and it talks back to them.

...Okay, the name kinda sorta fits. BUT STILL.

THIS IS AGENT OPSTAIRS??????

Behold: the names get even stupider with "Odd Buses".

Because it's bad enough the kid has to be stuck in a little cube all day.

*long deep sigh*

I didn't think I'd have to make up some kind of a "Stupidest Math Lesson" award, but this is cutting it close.

...No. I lied. This is taking the top fucking spot. If you had kept it at 3 pounds it would have been so much better.

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"Thank you."

"Too bad we won't be making any more because we'll be eaten."

"...Oh."

"Yeah, didn't think about that, did you?"

"It doesn't matter that it's not full," he says, as I shake my head because we're nearly at the end of the episode and we don't have time for another contrived shit conflict.

The existence of a second book that should be read when you've been eaten by a Huggle Monster implies that an agent is eaten whole and then sits in the stomach as they are taken through a long and painful digestive process.

And frankly, that would make for a much more interesting episode than what we got. I mean if Catch Teenieping had an episode where most of it took place in the stomach of an animal...

I...WHOT. HEHH???????

I'M SORRY THEY HAVE NEW SHIELDS NOW????? NEW S H I E L D S ?!?!?!?!

AND THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE MADE OUT OF THE WORST FUCKING PLASTIC WHAT THE F U C K GO BACK TO THE METAL ONES.

...WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??????????

BRO HOLD UP. OMAR WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU D O I N G MAN. STOP WITH THE DRUGS. STOP IT. STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHP-

NNNNNNNGH HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH OH FINE FUCK YOU. ONE POINT. THESE ARE COOL HOW CAN I NOT.

I mean...at the very least, Orli and Ozzie can ride back with Onom...but they all have to pay because he used up the free tickets.

My God, we went from cool shields to more contrived shit in less than a few minutes and I hate it.

Ahhhh bless him.

On a side note, how many agents do you guys think try to bypass the weight limit rules by storing suitcases in their hammerspace spines? Betcha it happens more often than you'd think.

Well look, on the plus side, I don't know why he's complaini- ohhhh because he has to take the suitcases back doesn't he.

And your credits for this episode. Nothing really of note, but I did think Ockpit's name was spelled with two T's at first.

------------------------

Overall, despite being an Onom-focused episode, this was a swing and a miss, which is pretty standard for Omar at this point. The weight limits were a solid way to introduce the math lesson, now that I think about it, but the final one with a two-pound weight limit outright killed it for me just for the sheer contrivance. Had some funny moments, and the shield upgrade was a nice touch, but those were not enough to save it, unfortunately. I'm better off watching an episode like "Worst First Day Ever", which handles the lesson well with a callback and some neat backstories, plus focus on a side character.

Anyway, next up will be "Part of the Furniture", where Orli struggles to fit in at her new precinct when we're nearly at the end of the season. I dunno, can we blame PBS for this one? Out-of-order airing or something?

Seren out!