#DEI must die

[womenclature]

I just want to say how absolutely overjoyed I am, and have been, ever since Trump has returned to office. Every day this week has been like Christmas morning when I check the news and the executive orders. Everything I want is being enacted.

Troops are sent to the US-Mexico border.

Birthright citizenship is abolished (except where at least one parent is a permanent resident or citizen – this is generous!).

DEI is dying. So is racist and sexist affirmative action.

ICE is conducting raids & ejecting criminals from our country.

There are only biological women and biological men.

Prisoners are not being given taxpayer-funded hormones.

Historical names like Mount McKinley are reinstated.

The list goes on. We should celebrate!!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Andrew Doyle

Published: Jun 1, 2025

‘I was with some doctors last week who said there is no such thing as biological sex.’ It sounds like the rambling of a madman or a drunk, but these words were uttered last week at the Charleston literary festival in East Sussex by Lady Brenda Hale, former president of the Supreme Court. Personally, I would avoid doctors who lack this rudimentary knowledge of the human body. They might start asking me about the regularity of my menstrual cycle.

The ubiquity of wokeness has meant that we have grown accustomed to hearing these kinds of deranging remarks from figures of authority. This ideology was always imposed from the top down against the wishes of a subdued population. A recent study by More in Common found that progressive activists of the ‘woke’ kind comprise as little as between eight and ten per cent of the population, and yet their power is such that medical professionals will spout their hogwash.

It all sounds frivolous, until we consider the full extent of the havoc that this movement has wreaked over the past decade. Wokeness has destroyed lives. Children who are gender nonconforming have been persuaded that they are ‘born in the wrong body’ and put on a pathway to irreversible harm. Women’s rights to single-sex services have been eroded in order to accommodate men who identify as female. Racial division has been heightened in the name of ‘anti-racism’. The principle of free speech has been all but jettisoned by the ruling class, with the UK police arresting over 12,000 people per year for offensive speech. Society has regressed in the name of ‘progress’.

For all that, woke appears to be dying. Of course, commentators have often made the mistake of declaring the ideology to be on its last legs, only to discover that it is a centipede with an indefinite surplus of limbs. Yet there have been too many seismic events that suggest the jig is very nearly up.

The Supreme Court has ruled that ‘sex’ in the Equality Act means a biological reality that cannot be changed with a certificate. The findings of the Cass Review has led to the banning of puberty blockers for children. Major corporations are stripping away their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. LGB rights groups are rejecting the parasitical TQ+ that has hijacked and undermined their cause. The death rattles of woke are loud and sustained.

Woke activists will doubtless cling to their precious beliefs like barnacles to the keel of sinking ship. Already, we are seeing various companies and charities openly pledging to ignore the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act, groups so captured by ideology that they are willing to break the law.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has pledged to ‘decolonise’ its collections to warn visitors that some aspects might contain ‘language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful’. The NHS is still insisting that toddlers can be transgender.

The title of my new book – The End of Woke – is therefore more aspirational than prophetic. It is possible, of course, that woke will return in a different guise. After all, its practitioners accrued their power largely through shapeshifting and word games. When they called for ‘diversity’, they meant ideological homogeneity. When they called for ‘inclusion’, they meant exclusion of their opponents. When they created their cruel system of retribution known as ‘cancel culture’, they called it ‘accountability’.

Many liberal-minded people were gulled into endorsing these illiberal ideas, but the tricks have mostly been exposed. Debates that would have seemed impossible five years ago are now being held with some frequency. While the BBC has studiously referred to male rapists as ‘she’, and applied a rainbow gloss to the damage being wrought by gender ideology, at last we are hearing the likes of Helen Joyce – Director of Advocacy of campaign group Sex Matters – being platformed on Radio 4. The cries of ‘No Debate!’ from trans activist groups such as Stonewall are now fading.

With the woke in retreat, there is also the possibility that the vacuum may be filled by unsavoury elements on the right. In The End of Woke, I have made the case that the culture war has persisted for so long because it has been widely misapprehended as a conflict between left and right. In truth, there are identity-obsessed authoritarians on both sides of the political spectrum. If my definition of ‘woke’ is accurate – a cultural revolution that seeks equity according to group identity by authoritarian means – there is no reason why this would not apply to white nationalists as much as it does to DEI zealots.

The woke movement was a catastrophe in every respect. We are now staggering through the debris of a culture war that most of us never sought. As we near the end of woke, we need to be vigilant against successive ideologies that will likewise attempt to curb our freedoms. We might not be able to anticipate how exactly the authoritarian instinct will next manifest, but that it will do so is an inevitability.

The End of Woke: How the Culture War Went Too Far and What to Expect from the Counter-Revolution by Andrew Doyle is available now (£25, Constable). You can buy it here

==

I get to use my "decline of religion" tag.

[bymeraki]

Equality vs. Equity

Equality ensures that everyone gets the same starting point and is judged based on their actions and abilities, not their identity. Equity aims to achieve equal outcomes rather than equal opportunities, but often involves providing preferential treatment to certain groups based on factors such as race, gender, or socioeconomic status (Kendi, 2019). While the intention is to correct historical disadvantages, it can sometimes lead to individuals from historically “privileged” groups facing unfair treatment despite having no personal advantage (Sowell, 2004). This can create resentment and further division, as it may favor certain groups over others regardless of individual merit or effort.

When institutions implement equity policies—such as preferential hiring, admissions, or promotions—they send a message that they believe people from disadvantaged backgrounds cannot compete on a level playing field. This can be condescending and reinforce negative stereotypes rather than eliminating them (Sowell, 2004). Research has shown that affirmative action policies can lead to stigma, where beneficiaries of such programs are perceived as less competent, even when they are highly qualified (Leslie et al., 2014). Many individuals from challenging circumstances develop resilience, work ethic, and problem-solving skills that make them highly capable. Equity policies often assume these individuals need external advantages rather than recognizing that overcoming adversity can enhance their competitiveness naturally (Heriot, 2018).

If people receive advantages based on external factors rather than their effort and competence, it can create an expectation of continued assistance. This may discourage self-reliance and personal responsibility, fostering a mindset where success is seen as something given rather than earned. Dependency on preferential treatment can reduce motivation and self-efficacy, leading individuals to underestimate their own abilities and potential (Schmidt, 2008). Furthermore, studies on welfare and affirmative action programs have shown that long-term reliance on external aid can sometimes hinder upward mobility by creating disincentives for personal effort and achievement (Murray, 1984; Sowell, 2004).

Equity frameworks often categorize people into broad groups based on race, gender, or socioeconomic background, assuming that all members of a “privileged” group have an advantage and all members of a “disadvantaged” group need assistance. This overlooks individual circumstances—such as a wealthy minority student or a struggling white student from a low-income family—leading to policies that don’t always help those who truly need it. It is an oversimplification to assume that every white person is privileged, as privilege is influenced by various intersecting factors such as class, geography, and personal circumstances (McIntosh, 1989).

Research has shown that race-based affirmative action can sometimes benefit middle- and upper-class minorities more than low-income individuals of any race, failing to address economic disparities effectively (Carnevale & Strohl, 2010). Additionally, such broad classifications reinforce stereotypes rather than promoting true social mobility based on actual need (Sowell, 2004).

Equity-based policies sometimes prioritize group identity over individual merit. This can result in a more qualified individual being passed over in favor of someone from an “underrepresented” group, not due to their abilities but because of their demographic characteristics. This undermines the principles of meritocracy and individual achievement (Sowell, 2004). For example, when race-based affirmative action policies were rolled back in certain schools, including the University of California system, the number of Asian students admitted significantly increased, suggesting that previous policies had disadvantaged them despite their strong academic qualifications (Arcidiacono et al., 2022).

Equity inadvertently perpetuates a cycle of inequality rather than dismantling it. Such as, despite the intention of DEI policies to uplift marginalized communities, critics suggest that white women have been the primary beneficiaries of these initiatives. This is due to their status as a group that falls into both categories of “privileged” (white) and “disadvantaged” (female). As a result, some studies indicate that white women are more likely to be hired, promoted, or admitted to educational institutions under these policies compared to women of color or men from other marginalized groups (Carbado et al., 2013).

Policies based on equity can also create resentment among those who feel they are being unfairly disadvantaged. This can lead to social divisions, as some may perceive equity-driven policies as punishing certain groups rather than helping others. When individuals perceive policies as unfair or discriminatory, it can lead to feelings of alienation and resentment, which exacerbates social tensions (Feldman, 2013). Such approaches can foster a sense of grievance and competition between groups, rather than promoting unity and collaboration (Sowell, 2004). Additionally, when the focus is on group identity rather than individual achievement, it can undermine social cohesion by reinforcing divisions based on race, gender, or class (Sander, 2012).

Equality is a more effective and just approach than equity because it focuses on ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to succeed, rather than attempting to unfairly equalize outcomes. While equity seeks to equalize the results and level the playing field, this often involves treating people unequally. True fairness should not involve forcing equal outcomes, but rather ensuring that everyone has the same starting point and the freedom to compete based on their own abilities and hard work. By prioritizing equality of opportunity, society can foster an environment where success is determined by individual effort, not external interventions, allowing for genuine personal achievement and progress.

Works Cited

Arcidiacono, P., Kinsler, J., & Ransom, T. (2022). Asian American Discrimination in Elite College Admissions. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w27068/w27068.pdf

Carbado, D. W., Crenshaw, K. W., Mays, V. M., & Tomlinson, B. (2013). Intersectionality: Mapping the Movements of a Theory. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 10(2), 303-312. https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3783&context=faculty_scholarship

Carnevale, A. P., & Strohl, J. (2010). How Increasing College Access Is Increasing Inequality, and What to Do About It. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. https://luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/increasing-inequality.pdf

Feldman, L. (2013). The Political Consequences of Perceptions of Inequality and Injustice: Evidence from the United States. The Journal of Politics, 75(2), 395-411.

Heriot, G. (2018). A Dubious Expediency: How Race Preferences Damage Higher Education. Encounter Books. https://read.amazon.com/sample/B083ZJRSCC?f=1&l=en_US&r=912318b5&rid=JT26T58W6YXD1M8T19ET&sid=135-6007770-7287717&ref_=litb_m

Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to Be an Antiracist. One World. https://read.amazon.com/sample/B07D2364N5?f=2&l=en_US&r=fdc6d894&rid=DTFM8XVEV17CHEEMER9Y&sid=135-6007770-7287717&ref_=litb_m

Sander, R., Taylor Jr. S. (2012). The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/the-painful-truth-about-affirmative-action/263122/

Leslie, L. M., Mayer, D. M., & Kravitz, D. A. (2014). The stigma of affirmative action: A stereotyping-based theory and meta-analytic test of the consequences for performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(4), 964-989. https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~sworthen/leslie/aastigma2014.pdf

McIntosh, P. (1989). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. https://admin.artsci.washington.edu/sites/adming/files/unpacking-invisible-knapsack.pdf

Murray, C. (1984). Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980. Basic Books. https://read.amazon.com/sample/B00CW0PVVO?f=2&l=en_US&r=80140fde&rid=4GS1ER80411Z8C4KCJ5Z&sid=135-6007770-7287717&ref_=litb_m

Schmidt, F. L. (2008). The Role of General Cognitive Ability and Job Performance: Why There Cannot Be a Debate. Human Performance, 21(5), 395-408. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240237107_The_Role_of_General_Cognitive_Ability_and_Job_Performance_Why_There_Cannot_Be_a_Debate

Sowell, T. (2004). Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Yale University Press. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00155ZZPE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

[theboyonthehighcastle]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Sold WORSE Than Expected?! AAA Gaming is Implo...

Lol, well if you wrote a lot of very compelling LGBTQ characters and not shoved their sexuality in everyone’s mouth, like it was a dick, then everyone would’ve love this. 

I’m glad that this game failed.   

[carlocarrasco]

Xbox affected as Microsoft executes new round of layoffs

Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks, and other gamers! It has been more than a week since Microsoft announced its latest round of layoffs affecting not only thousands of employees but also Team Xbox, its game studios and certain game projects as well. To be clear, this is not the first time Microsoft had layoffs this year but it is much more significant because the latest layoff round hit Xbox really…

[dixie-flapper]

Hello! I came across your blog and would like to ask two questions. What do you mean by "The South was right"? This is not a baited question. I'm not from the US so my understanding is limited. I am also curious how you feel about Trump. Considering his obvious collaboration with Putin to the detriment of the US and his praise for Muslim authoritarian leaders who give him expensive gifts, you probably consider him a traitor, right?

When I say "The South was Right" it means that they had every right to seceded from a tyrannical government who was a threat to their way of life, traditions, self-governance, and mostly importantly the vision of what the United States originally intended to be, they had every to fight back against unfair treatment from their own government who were oppressing them with high traffics and taxes, just economically destroying them and the idea that slavery is what caused the Civil War is simply false and, even to this day, many people believe the lies told to them about what the Civil War was about.

Southerners, their ancestors and their state homelands are still vilified for a small percentage of slave owners and for the brave and righteous actions of men who fought in what they believed in what was best for their people and homes, what the Confederate South did was no different than what the Founding Fathers did and I consider the American South as the surviving cultural successor of the Thirteen Colonies , even if they did lost the Civil War, they still have every right to feel proud of their Southern identity, wave the Confederate flag, keeping their Confederate monuments, etc it is still history and I also have huge respect for Southerners and their rebellious nature

As for Trump, I have mixed opinions about him; I will praise him for doing something about illegal immigration and closing our borders, standing up to and not giving Zelensky a dime, bringing attention to the genocide of White farmers in South Africa, getting rid of DEI nonsense etc but overall as a politician, I hate how he gets all wishy washy on other issues, especially when standing up the world leaders, those from the European nations whom I also deeply despise for what they are doing to their countries by importing millions of Muslim migrants and it saddens me but I also believe we are not obligated to help them with their problems and let them deal with it themselves, I was for teaching Europe a lesson but he double down and I also feel he isn't doing enough within the country. As for Muslim leaders, it's unfortune we have many politicians who kisses to them for their oil, I wish we can cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and stop sending money to Muslim and African countries like what is the point in that, even if he is doing so-so I am still skeptical and worry what he might do next in the upcoming three years like he did during his first term I consider anyone works for self-interest of the US government and bending the knee to other countries a traitor, be they be Democrat or Republican

[theboyonthehighcastle]

Thank God that the world is healing. Praise be to God.

It's astounding and unprecedented just how much beneficial change has taken place in less than a hundred hours, now that the grown-ups are back in charge. What has happened in America the past four days desperately needs to happen the world over as soon as possible.

[sashayed]

What He Thought

for Fabbio Doplicher We were supposed to do a job in Italy and, full of our feeling for ourselves (our sense of being Poets from America) we went from Rome to Fano, met the mayor, mulled a couple matters over (what's a cheap date, they asked us; what's flat drink). Among Italian literati we could recognize our counterparts: the academic, the apologist, the arrogant, the amorous, the brazen and the glib—and there was one administrator (the conservative), in suit of regulation gray, who like a good tour guide with measured pace and uninflected tone narrated sights and histories the hired van hauled us past. Of all, he was the most politic and least poetic, so it seemed. Our last few days in Rome (when all but three of the New World Bards had flown) I found a book of poems this unprepossessing one had written: it was there in the pensione room (a room he'd recommended) where it must have been abandoned by the German visitor (was there a bus of them?) to whom he had inscribed and dated it a month before. I couldn't read Italian, either, so I put the book back into the wardrobe's dark. We last Americans were due to leave tomorrow. For our parting evening then our host chose something in a family restaurant, and there we sat and chatted, sat and chewed, till, sensible it was our last big chance to be poetic, make our mark, one of us asked                                              "What's poetry?" Is it the fruits and vegetables and marketplace of Campo dei Fiori, or the statue there?" Because I was the glib one, I identified the answer instantly, I didn't have to think—"The truth is both, it's both," I blurted out. But that was easy. That was easiest to say. What followed taught me something about difficulty, for our underestimated host spoke out, all of a sudden, with a rising passion, and he said: The statue represents Giordano Bruno, brought to be burned in the public square because of his offense against authority, which is to say the Church. His crime was his belief the universe does not revolve around the human being: God is no fixed point or central government, but rather is poured in waves through all things. All things move. "If God is not the soul itself, He is the soul of the soul of the world." Such was his heresy. The day they brought him forth to die, they feared he might incite the crowd (the man was famous for his eloquence). And so his captors placed upon his face an iron mask, in which he could not speak. That's how they burned him. That is how he died: without a word, in front of everyone.                      And poetry—                                         (we'd all put down our forks by now, to listen to the man in gray; he went on softly)—                   poetry is what he thought, but did not say.

Heather McHugh Hinge & Sign: Poems, 1994

[sleepwalk-station]

and ill cherish you until the day i die

(more stuff below cut)

hi this is a very personal headcanon of mine, so theres a few details that will be very close to me, and a bit sensitive to others. but my deimos has a chronic illness. and him being a clone, he doesnt live very long. i hc that clones only live 50 years maximum... maybe even less because they arent really expected to survive. so to deimos, theres that sense of impending doom whenever a day passes. one day, maybe he wont wake up at all.

deimos fears that he's going to be the first one to die out of all of them. normally, hes cocky about his own mortality, but dying in a slow, silent or sudden death with no one around him is devastating. hank and sanf doesnt know, and 2b is the only one whos aware. dei doesnt know if he'll be missed, or even thought of at all. and everyday, his body is progressively getting worse. he stumbles all over, 2b knows that he cant really fix him and can only watch dei crumble under his own body.

i relate to that a lot. living with such a debilitating illness (especially one related to heart disease) makes you spiral. it makes you scared. it makes you feel like you did something wrong, or you made someone mad, and being born this way was a punishment. your body is frail and weaker than an average person, and you cant do anything but suffer.

i dont know how long i will live myself. my mom fears i wont even make it to my 30s. its such a crushing pressure to just.. breathe.

dei copes a lot of that stress with cigarettes. he cant help himself. this is the only way to relief it. its the only solution he knows.

2b comforts him. i know this isnt the solution to all of your problems, but i want to be here for you. when you need me. he will remember dei, no matter what. a promise.

dei clings onto him. i know that its true. because i trust you. despite it all, you just want to live for someone you care. no matter what life throws at you. will you still try to live a fulfilling life? of course. because they care. they want to see you happy. they want you to enjoy what you have, even if its very limited. even if your life is so short and its all so scary.

2b's hands are so gentle on him. its never like this with hank or sanf. normally he would just shout orders at them and they leave. hes so. soft. with dei. it makes him feel like the most special boy in the world. in his worst moments, dei becomes so weak and fragile due to his illness that he cant move like he used to, something like this would be immediately disregarded or thrown out if he was still in the agency. and he doesnt understand why 2b doesnt mind, but he appreciates it. so much.

i must cease my yapping. this is getting embarrassing.

[arizonaconservativegal]

This was the first election I've been able to vote in, and after being raised by my extremely liberal parents, I've realized something. The current state of the left is entirely disconnected from what the average person needs/has/wants. The average person wants to feed and house themselves and their family, they want a stable job, and they want to be left alone/not bothered. The vast majority of people never cared about identity politics and dei, etc, before it started infiltrating their entertainment, jobs and schools. Furthermore, neither of these actually did anything for the average citizen...at best people were hired to fill new positions or to meet quotas, but that number is probably extremely low. So people keep struggling, and instead of getting any help they're being told that they're genetically evil because of their race/sex/sexuality/etc, that they're evil for thinking certain thoughts, and that everything they love and hold dear is problematic and must die. People, of course, reject this. Even some lifelong Democrats, who have been essentially abandoned by their party, reject this notion. So you have a party composed of people who haven't touched grass or actually spoken to anyone outside their echo chamber in the last 8 years, and everyone else... basically it was no surprise to me that Trump won with the margin he did. (Sorry if none of this makes sense, it's been a long day)

I think also there is a not insignificant portion of the electorate for whom voting for progressive social policies is something of a luxury - by which I mean that in relatively safe, peaceful, prosperous times, it makes them feel good to say they voted for equality and fairness and all those nice things the left claims to be for, but when shit hits the fans and they're worried about crime or war or whether or not they'll have a job tomorrow, that has to be their priority and the Dems don't have the trust of the people on those issues. Never did. The Dems have been able to capitalize on the feel-good stuff for a long time (2016 being something of a fluke) and the people leading their party are all still safe in their isolated ivory towers and haven't even noticed that regular people have more important problems than whether there are free tampons available in the men's restroom. And just like no one really likes seeing their friends bragging about their expensive vacations and new cars after they just lost their job, voters are kind of sick of seeing these elitist progressives flaunt their luxury political stances while they're stuck checking the couch cushions for spare change to buy groceries. Add in the fact that those stances are flat out insane and that progressives had the nerve to get mad at people who asked about grocery prices too, and the Dems lost that block of voters soundly. Trump didn't even have to have a solution. All he had to do was say "I hear you."

[larkinna]

Your OC's Archetype

Thank you for the tags @casa-dei-corvei and @rooks-dagger! <3

gonna tag @pinkvbay, @thewardenisonthecase, @cheaploafs, @inquisimer, @rookinthecrownest, @basedonconjecture, @trash-nerd, and @flowersforthemachines

Rules: color all that applies to your OC and their vibes! Whichever section you get the most in is your OC’s archetype, although you can also add in whichever section you get second in to create a subclass of sorts! (Ex: the heroic maiden, the sagely monster, the outcast hero, etc!) Feel free to name it as you see fit, discuss your results, and add some vibe inspiration if you’d like! ✨blank template here for all my fellow mobile users 🫶🏻

Arvane de Riva

The (Outcast) Hero / The (Juvelescent) Monster

They are reckless, they are impulsive, they have the brightest smile, they live in a (metaphorical) cage, they are shifty, they are mysterious, they are doomed by the narrative, they are loyal to a fault.

I do feel like these fit pretty well. I like to think that being a hero makes them a bit isolated, and the monster part is. well. Perhaps more connected to some darker Crow futures. (You can't see it but I have a very nefarious smile on my face)

The Hero (9)

Impulsive action, bravery in the face of fear, unwavering self-sacrifice, resilience, fighting for those who cannot, action before contemplation, revenge over absolution, my strength serves the virtuous, an oaken shield, the thrill of battle, glowing smile and freckled cheeks, glory and remembrance, arrogance, red blooded anger, a journey begins with one step, excitement over safety, rising after every fall, shooting from the hip, a knight in shining armor, a sapling which thrives despite the fierce wind, I will succeed or die trying.

The Juvelescent (7)

Blooming flowers, gentle sighs upon a lover’s chest, freshly gathered wildflowers, assumptions assumptions assumptions, twice bitten, bright eyes which so lovingly cut through you, isolation in a sea of admirers, long hair pulled back with a ribbon, soundless footsteps in the grass, naivety shifting towards corruption, my image is not my own and the distinction it lends is not mine either, the gold that stays, sneers and smiles, white cotton dresses in the rain, negations of culpability, a bird in a jeweled cage, a smile as a sword, flushed cheeks amid longing glances, a feast you must not partake in.

The Guardian (4)

Solid rock withstanding ocean waves, sentinel, a vibrant sun through rain clouds, protecting the threshold of glory, boastful smiles and gentle laughs, reluctantly passing the torch, leading through example, past splendor: never again felt but often remembered, the darkest memory is what could have been, the shine of glory never fades, goodness is worth protecting at any cost, sacrifice begets greatness, stories to legends to myth, delivering the final blow, practice makes perfect, the tallest and oldest tree in the forest.

The Creator (5)

Giving until threadbare, abundance and growth, I made the stars for you, gifts upon meeting, feasting but never satiated, an artist’s eyes lend tender brushstrokes, I will mold you how I see fit, freshly sprouted herbs, idealism and perfectionism, big bright smiles, making for the sake of making, self immolation, never forgive and never forget, a bountiful garden, birds which scatter seeds, these hands heal and hurt in equal measure, ask and you shall receive, necessity is the mother of invention.

The Monster (9)

You must not gaze upon me, bizarre and unexpected, hidden for your own good, driven on by an unstoppable force, rage and fear, earthquakes, carcass under the hot sun, the weathered oak withstands, overworked muscles, fierceness of spirit, the blight that poisons, my inhibitions died with my innocence, screaming into the wind, otherness, a fall from great heights, I don’t even understand myself, power reveals all, the void stared back, existence is a perverse experience, blood runs hot, primal and feral joy.

The Outcast (7)

Always running, life is a series of fleeting joys, I wouldn’t recognize myself, a rushing river obscured by mist, a whispered name, mercurial and capricious, your shadow your sole companion, last bloom of the season, individuality above acceptance, a pallid complexion, isolation and silence, wanting looks, one cannot be lost when they belong nowhere, here and there, hiding between shadows, nonconformity lends insight and perspective, my heart is mine alone, running against the wind, to be irreplaceable one must be different, a gaze which stirs indescribable feelings.

The Sage (3)

Tall green grass, parchment and ink, listen closely for I rarely repeat myself, freshly lit candles, an idol placed on a faraway shelf, knowledge is power, sparkling grey hair, owls, strength of spirit, to receive you must first give, a lonely mountain overlooking the valley, appraising glances, unnoticed subtlety, seldom found and often forgotten, aquiline noses, scrawled notes haphazardly stored away, knowing glances, piles upon piles of books, I am as profound as I am clever, curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back, furrowed brows.

[lotusfueltofire]

Your OC’s Archetype

This time, I was tagged by the lovely and amazing: @casa-dei-corvei @apothe-cary and @curiouswisp ♥ Thank you so much!

Rules: color all that applies to your OC and their vibes! Whichever section you get the most in is your OC’s archetype, although you can also add in whichever section you get second in to create a subclass of sorts! (Ex: the heroic maiden, the sagely monster, the outcast hero, etc!) Feel free to name it as you see fit, discuss your results, and add some vibe inspiration if you’d like! ✨ blank template here for all my fellow mobile users 🫶🏻

Soft tagging: @styxdysnomia @crushedv3lv3t @vixenofcadmea @kindlyfeline @waxlyricalmoon @kai-dimir @starlightchaser @handsignals @beachhotdog @nyx-de-riva

Angel de Riva • The Outcast Hero

Maybe a monster.

I feel like this is a bit all over the place, but Angel is someone who's still figuring out who he is. He is young, a bit naive, also impulsive. He's not a weathered hero, despite knowing severe trauma even as a child. I think he's more reactive than proactive, his feelings are deep and raw in a way youngful reckless people have it. Being a Crow only exacerbated a lot that was already inside of him, and he thrives given the opportunity to do so.

But there's a feeling of inadequacy, of not belonging anywhere, that still haunts him. As if someone extended a hand to him despite everything, not in spite of what he is. He is invested in everything he does, yet there's this sense that people only accept him because he's loud about it. He might seem secure on the outside - he is being eaten alive by insecurities on the inside.

I also feel like Angel's innocence is always taken from him, in every step of his life - Crows included. He spends way too much time trying to take control where it has been taken away from him.

Between a hero, outsider, and maybe a monster - he'll figure out eventually who he is.

The Hero: 14

Impulsive action, Bravery in the face of fear,  unwavering self-sacrifice, resilience, fighting for those who cannot, action before contemplation, revenge over absolution, my strength serves the virtuous, an oaken shield, the thrill of battle, glowing smile and freckled cheeks, glory and remembrance, arrogance, red blooded anger, a journey begins with one step, excitement over safety, rising after every fall, shooting from the hip, a knight in shining armor, a sapling which thrives despite the fierce wind, I will succeed or die trying. 

The Juvelescent: 7

Blooming flowers, gentle sighs upon a lover’s chest, freshly gathered wildflowers, assumptions assumptions assumptions, twice bitten, bright eyes which so lovingly cut through you, isolation in a sea of admirers, long hair pulled back with a ribbon, soundless footsteps in the grass, naivety shifting towards corruption, my image is not my own and the distinction it lends is not mine either, the gold that stays, sneers and smiles, white cotton dresses in the rain, negations of culpability, a bird in a jeweled cage, a smile as a sword, flushed cheeks amid longing glances, a feast you must not partake in. 

The Guardian: 5

Solid rock withstanding ocean waves, sentinel, a vibrant sun through rain clouds, protecting the threshold of glory, boastful smiles and gentle laughs, reluctantly passing the torch, leading through example, past splendor: never again felt but often remembered, the darkest memory is what could have been, the shine of glory never fades, goodness is worth protecting at any cost, sacrifice begets greatness, stories to legends to myth, delivering the final blow, practice makes perfect, the tallest and oldest tree in the forest. 

The Creator: 8

Giving until threadbare, abundance and growth, I made the stars for you, gifts upon meeting, feasting but never satiated, an artist’s eyes lend tender brushstrokes, I will mold you how I see fit, freshly sprouted herbs, idealism and perfectionism, big bright smiles, making for the sake of making, self immolation, never forgive and never forget, a bountiful garden, birds which scatter seeds, these hands heal and hurt in equal measure, ask and you shall receive, necessity is the mother of invention. 

The Monster: 15

You must not gaze upon me, bizarre and unexpected, hidden for your own good, driven on by an unstoppable force, rage and fear, earthquakes, carcass under the hot sun, the weathered oak withstands, overworked muscles, fierceness of spirit, the blight that poisons, my inhibitions died with my innocence, screaming into the wind, otherness, a fall from great heights, I don’t even understand myself, power reveals all, the void stared back, existence is a perverse experience, blood runs hot, primal and feral joy.  

The Outcast: 16

Always running, life is a series of fleeting joys, I wouldn’t recognize myself, a rushing river obscured by mist, a whispered name, mercurial and capricious, your shadow your sole companion, last bloom of the season, individuality above acceptance, a pallid complexion, isolation and silence, wanting looks, one cannot be lost when they belong nowhere, here and there, hiding between shadows, nonconformity lends insight and perspective, my heart is mine alone, running against the wind, to be irreplaceable one must be different, a gaze which stirs indescribable feelings. 

The Sage: 10

Tall green grass, parchment and ink, listen closely for I rarely repeat myself, freshly lit candles, an idol placed on a faraway shelf, knowledge is power, sparkling grey hair, owls, strength of spirit, to receive you must first give, a lonely mountain overlooking the valley, appraising glances, unnoticed subtlety, seldom found and often forgotten, aquiline noses, scrawled notes haphazardly stored away, knowing glances, piles upon piles of books, I am as profound as I am clever, curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back, furrowed brows.

[rhera]

"In life, in order to understand, to really understand the world, you must die at least once. So it's better to die young, when there's still time left to recover and live again."

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Italian: Il giardino dei Finzi Contini) 1970, dir. Vittorio De Sica

[ophanstears]

What is happening in the USA right now is nothing short of terrifying. I remember telling my partner a few years back that it is showing the very first signs of rising nazism, of course I was hoping that I was just exaggerating and that it would never come to this- but look where we are now. Women losing their rights, immigrants being arrested, deported and even killed. The banning of all kinds of books, the dismissal of the DEI and the pure unfiltered hatred towards MINORITIES, especially trans people. Trans kids are now refused treatment and cannot get trans-affirmative care before the age of 19. I doubt it will get any better, and many people will suffer and even die because of what is happening in the USA right now. It's an absolutely scary time to live in after all the progress that had been made toward equality, all undone within no time by some rich fucks that should be Luigi'D along all selfish billionaires out there. Elon Musk did the literal NAZI SALUTE for fucks sake. And fyi, he is actively communicating and supporting Germany's right party which is controversial to say the least and has a bunch of disgusting neonazis in it, and has also been shown to target minorities, including trans people, and wanting to deport immigrants. For fucks sake, I dread the votes over here but even then it cannot even get as bad as for Americans, because at least almost half of the people living here have some sense. (i fucking hope.) I genuinely hope Trump and his lapdog Elon are gunned down, if just to spare the lives of millions. Fucking genuinely. My heart goes out to all of my American friends. Please stay strong, you must survive.

[missholloween]

Although most of you know me for my starcanpulp posting, I also do some other creative stuff- And one of those proyects has been nominated for a short film festival!

Sor Presa is an 8 minute short film about Sister Virginia, a nun who has just awaken her sexual desires in a monastery. She will explore the relationship between passion and faith, finding unlikely allies (and harships!) along the way. It includes themes of self-expression, queerness and religion.

You can find the shortfilm at the festival Y cortén website. At the botton of the page, you can find a form where you can vote for your favorite short film! It would mean a lot for me if you voted for us- It's been such a fun and daring proyect to be in, and everyone involved has poured their whole body (and soul!) into it.

The short in Spanish and the website doesn't support subtitles, so I add a transcription under the cut! Thanks again for the time and I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do :]

Unknown person (whispering fast): Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…

…

Mother Claudia: Jesus, Mary and Joseph! What do you think you are doing, sister?!?

Virginia: Mother, no… It's not what it seems…

Mother Claudia: It's very clear what it is!(to herself, crossing herself) Oh, my lord, some day I will die from all the chagrin… You are coming with me. Let's see what explanation you give Father Daniel.

Virginia: (overwhelmed) But, Mother Claudia...!

… 

FATHER DANIEL: … you'll understand, sister, that you must be disciplined.

VIRGINIA:(ashamed)Yes, Father.

FATHER DANIEL: Good. Today you will read the Gospel at mass...(beat)And don't remove the paint. Let it be a lesson. (pause) Mother, you can go now. I have to talk privately with Sister Virginia.

FATHER DANIEL: Sister Virginia, there's certain things your sisters won't understand, not yet at least...Come here. (beat)That's why you should be more careful, know well where you can do what... But don't let that stop you. If I'm being honest, I think this red suits you.

FATHER DANIEL: This is yours. Don't lose it, but be careful with it.

…

Song - Opio Dei by Rodol XV

I have asked myself many questions

Trying to understand

I have looked for you

Without knowing how to see you

I have gazed at the abyss

I have dared to jump

And fa-a-a-a-a-all

…

And a hurricane will break

The skies through my throat

Yelling at you

“Where are you when I need you?”

Unknown person (whispering fast): Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death...

Virginia: I don't know what is happening to me, Lord, but I am no longer worthy of your love.I will leave behind the habit and take my filthiness away from here... I can't keep dishonoring this place. I don't deserve your Forgiveness.

Virginia: I come here to confess. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Lord, I have ruined it all. I don't know how, nor why, but yesterday at night, I... I...(pause.) I'm at a loss for words.

I have turned my back on God. I have abandoned him. And now... Now I cannot go back into his home. Could this immense guilt fix something? Or is the filthiness of my soul unescapable?

You warned us so, so much about sin, and yet I... I have let it penetrate me. The devil is inside me... and I couldn't help but enjoy his poison. But it was so exquisite... Is there something truly wrong to what I felt? Because Lord, this heat I feel is so, so divine, and it makes me feel so close to you...It's as if I could feel your touch…

Father Daniel: But, sister…

Song - Putón Verbenero by Pupi Poison