#Podcasts are great assignments

[knickynoo]

After having officially finished the BTTF Minute podcast, I'd like to share another piece of conversation that I really liked.

It was during the scene where Marty first shows up to '55 Doc's house and chases him out to the garage, where Marty then goes through the whole "I know how you got the bruise on your head" story where he recounts the invention of the flux capacitor. One of the hosts of the show (can't remember which off the top of my head) mentioned that he was surprised Marty could remember all the details of that story he'd only just been told in the parking lot with Doc. Then Nick said something like, "Maybe that's what makes him such a great assistant for Doc. He's got a good memory."

And I just absolutely love that that ended up being their conclusion, because I feel like it's sort of an unconventional trait to assign to Marty? Especially considering the fact he's labeled a slacker by Strickland, and that Marty just generally appears frazzled and confused a lot. It's easy to label him a scatter-brain, make all the "Marty has a single brain cell" jokes and everything. He's a silly guy.

So them just casually agreeing that Marty's got a really good memory, and that it's part of why he works so well with Doc is super interesting! And you know what? I agree with them and think it's a great headcanon. Marty was told the flux capacitor story once at like 1:30 in the morning after just having witnessed a car travel through time. Yet he committed the entire story to memory in the moment, even remembering the name "flux capacitor" which is impressive considering that's a brand new term he'd just been introduced to. And he's able to re-tell the story for Doc in such a panicked moment after being sent to the past and having suffered recent head trauma.

Marty remembers it because he was interested! Totally invested in everything Doc was saying in that moment, so the whole story stuck, nearly word for word. And being in the "Marty has adhd" camp, I think it's very fitting of his character to be seen as a slacker or lazy by others and then have these moments where we see just how bright he is when the environment is right. And I love thinking about how maybe when they first met, Doc understood this right away. That he looked at Marty and went, "Oh, this kid is smart. He just doesn't know it."

[camficdiner]

[1.1] [2.6] [3.6] [4.2] please 👀🫡

☕ Cam’s Fic Diner – Order 007

To whoever placed this hot, stubborn, enemies-to-lovers head injury special on my counter:

You’re deranged in the best way.

You asked for tension, trauma, a full-on concussion protocol, and enough slow-burn smut to make a medical intern faint — and you’re getting exactly that.

Enjoy your meal

-your favorite server

💬 “Stay with me Tonight (Doctor’s orders)

✨description and prompts

• Character: Jack Hughes

• Prompt: you stitch his injuty he asks you to stay (with a little enemies to lovers add, its like whipped cream on pancakes, always on point)

• WC: ~1.5k

• Type: fluff to smut · slow burn · hurt/comfort · medical setting · soft smut

🛼🧁🍒✨

You’re not surprised when Jack Hughes acts like a dick about being pulled from the game.

What does surprise you is that they assign you to watch him overnight.

You’re not his trainer. You’re part of the team’s medical support staff — the one he always calls bossy, the one who once snapped at him for ignoring a sprain protocol and got eye rolls for three weeks straight.

He doesn’t like you.

You don’t like him.

At least, that’s what everyone says.

But when Jack takes a massive hit at center ice — helmet slams back, body whiplashes, lays still just half a second too long — the protocol kicks in fast.

Headache. Blurred vision. Slow to respond.

Pupils reactive but unfocused.

Complains the lights are too bright.

And then the clincher:

“Feels like the ice is spinning.”

Full concussion protocol.

He’s taken to a private hotel room, gear half off, hoodie thrown on, socks mismatched — and you’re sent in to monitor him.

⸻

They tell you in the hallway.

“He’s in protocol,” the head trainer says. “You’re monitoring him overnight.”

You blink. “Who?”

“Hughes.”

You stare at him. “Seriously?”

The look you get in response says don’t start. So you try not to.

Try.

“Great,” you mutter, snatching the clipboard off the table. “I’ll make sure the golden boy doesn’t accidentally swallow his ego in his sleep.”

Someone on staff snorts. You don’t even feel bad — you’ve been stuck cleaning up after Jack Hughes’ tantrums since day one.

Not that he’s the worst patient, exactly. He listens. He technically follows orders. But he also knows exactly how to get under your skin — and delights in doing it.

The last time you taped his wrist, he called you “Nurse Ratched” for an entire week.

Now you’re supposed to babysit him while his brain short-circuits? Fantastic.

You knock once when you reach the hotel room door. No response. You knock again.

“Open,” comes his muffled voice.

You step in — and you don’t get two feet before you sigh dramatically.

“Wow,” you say. “Look at that. Still alive.”

Jack looks up from where he’s slumped against the headboard, hoodie wrinkled, hair a complete mess. “You sound disappointed.”

“I’m not not disappointed.”

He grunts. “Thought you were gonna send the real medical staff. Not the one who hates me.”

“Trust me, I drew the short straw.”

You drop your bag at the foot of the bed. “Let’s get this over with. I’ve got a podcast and a frozen burrito waiting back in my room.”

“Romantic.”

You flash him a tight smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t touch you more than I absolutely have to.”

“Oh,” Jack smirks faintly, “now you’re just trying to hurt me.”

⸻

“How’s your head?”

“Feels like it’s trying to implode.”

“Blurred vision?”

“Off and on.”

“Light sensitivity?”

He points at you. “You mostly.”

You bite back a smirk. “Still enough of a smartass to answer sarcastically. That’s promising.”

He doesn’t laugh. Just winces as he shifts. “My ribs hurt.”

“I’ll check those last. Lie down first.”

⸻

You work in silence.

Check his pupils. Ask him to follow your finger. Watch as he flinches at the dull glow of the lamp. His responses are slower than usual, and his posture is all wrong — slumped, guarded, like he’s ashamed of how out of control he feels.

He doesn’t say anything until your fingers press lightly against his hairline, right near the bruising.

“You’re good at this,” he mutters.

You freeze. “Did you just compliment me, Hughes?”

He sighs. “Don’t make it a thing.”

You back off slightly. “You don’t have to be so tense. This isn’t your fault.”

Jack leans back against the pillow, eyes shutting briefly. “Everyone looks at me like I broke something on purpose.”

You glance at him, softer now. “I don’t.”

Silence.

His voice is quieter: “You don’t make it worse.”

⸻

You’re sitting in the chair across from the bed, going over his chart when you notice him watching you.

“Can’t sleep?”

He shakes his head. “Every time I close my eyes it feels like the floor moves.”

“Normal,” you murmur. “Concussion does that. It’s like your brain’s still skating.”

“Feels like shit.”

“I know.”

He’s quiet for a second. Then: “You staying all night?”

You nod. “I’m supposed to monitor you every hour.”

Jack hesitates. Then: “Will you… sit here?”

You glance up.

His expression is unreadable. But his voice is soft — uncertain in a way that makes your chest ache.

“I can’t keep my head straight,” he says. “But you make it easier to breathe.”

You rise and move to the bed. Sit beside him.

⸻

His head finds your lap without asking. You freeze — only for a second — before letting your hand move through his hair slowly.

He hums. Eyes still shut.

“I don’t hate you,” he says.

You smile faintly. “That was clear when you didn’t throw a pillow at me earlier.”

“No, I mean…” He cracks an eye open, gaze glassy. “I think I just didn’t know how to talk to you without flirting or fighting.”

You blink. “Was that what you were doing? Flirting?”

Jack closes his eyes again. “Felt safer than admitting I like the way you touch me when I’m hurt.”

Your heart stutters.

“I trust you,” he adds. “Even when I’m like this. Especially when I’m like this.”

You trace his jaw with your fingertips. “You can sleep.”

He doesn’t move. “Can you stay in bed with me? Just… for a bit.”

⸻

You lie down beside him. Careful. Still clothed. Still professional, in theory.

But then he shifts closer. One arm snakes around your waist.

And when he exhales against your collarbone, your fingers curl into the back of his shirt.

“You still dizzy?” you whisper.

“Less.”

“Pain?”

“Only when I think.”

“Then don’t think.”

His lips graze your shoulder.

“Hard to do when you’re this close.”

⸻

The kiss starts quiet — a shared breath, a brush of lips, a pause like he’s waiting for you to tell him to stop.

You don’t.

Your hand slides into his hair, tilting him toward you.

Jack groans softly into your mouth, the kind of noise that’s more need than want.

“Still okay?” you whisper.

“Yes,” he breathes. “I just—don’t rush. I don’t want this to be fast.”

It’s not.

He peels your clothes off like a secret, kissing every inch he exposes. His touch is gentle but confident — the touch of someone who’s thought about this a lot.

You ride the edge of tension for minutes that feel like hours — kisses that linger, breath caught in your throat, his hands guiding yours under the waistband of his boxers.

When he finally presses into you, it’s slow. Deliberate. Like grounding.

His forehead rests against yours. His hands hold your hips like you’re the only thing keeping him tethered.

“You feel…” he exhales. “You feel so fucking good.”

You cup his jaw. “So do you.”

⸻

The room stays quiet. No dirty talk. Just gasps, skin, and soft repetition of your name like he’s using it to stay awake, stay real.

When he comes, it’s with a shaky groan and your name caught in his mouth. He doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t move.

Just holds you.

⸻

You wake hours later to the sun just starting to rise.

Jack’s eyes are open. He’s watching you.

“Better?” you whisper.

He nods. “Head still aches. But I don’t feel as… lost.”

You trace a line across his cheek.

“I’ll still have to report this. The overnight stay.”

“Yeah,” he says. “But leave the part out where you saved my fucking life.”

You raise a brow. “Did I?”

He smiles.

“You stayed, didn’t you?”

💌 If this fic left you dizzy (in the right way), the tip jar’s always open:

[honeytonedhottie]

becoming an academic weapon challenge⋆.ೃ࿔*:･✍🏽

this is a fun little challenge i created that'll hopefully help u to build good academic habits that'll improve ur grades and help inspire you to pursue excellence in ur academic life.

STEP ONE : ROMANTICIZE THE HECK OUT OF SCHOOL

when u learn to enjoy going to school, your going to be motivated to do well in school. because school is so IMPORTANT not only for ur education but also ur future. so take school seriously. and if u wanna become an academic weapon for the long term the best thing u can do is learn to make the best of, and enjoy it.

some ways to romanticize school :

create a school playlist that embodies the school vibes that u wanna have : i have lots of new jeans in my school playlist : i rly like the songs cookie, ditto and hurt for when im at school

ur appearance : if u go to a school where u dont have to wear uniforms, i strongly recommend getting dressed and getting ready meticulously bcuz when u look good, u feel good, and therefore u perform well. if u do wear uniform, wear accessories or hairstyles that make u feel and look pretty. i wear leg warmers with my school uniform and my signature is hair clips and barrettes.

read at school : i always walk around with a book bcuz i like to read a lot but if reading isnt ur thing, listen to a podcast about something that interests u (i rly like true crime)

take pride in ur notes : invest in cute stationary! i swear, sometimes i dont feel like studying but since my stationary is super cute and pink i get motivated to study just by looking at it lol. invest in quality stationary that u love and make ur notes look pleasing to you, and also effective. effective + aesthetically pleasing.

doing homework/studying in the library : or at least changing the scenery and location that u do ur homework from time to time. do yk how boring it is to do work in the same place every single day? give urself a break from the places u see all the time and spend time studying or doing homework outside of ur home. in a cafe or in the library, inside or outside, just change the scenery a bit

start a video diary : i started a little video diary with my friends so that we can remember our school memories. i just think its rly cute and a great way to bond with ur friends, make memories, and romanticize school.

STEP TWO : CREATE A STUDY REGIMEN

every single day study (at least for a little bit) ofc this will vary depending on ur personal schedule but the goal is to do a little bit of studying everyday, and if that isnt possible, designating 3 days a week to a thorough studying session.

the way that i divide my time with a study session is 40 minutes of work time and 20 minutes of downtime. during the 40 minutes of work time u need to LOCK IN. lock in on whatever assignment needs to be complete or lock in on whatever material it is that ur studying. ofc this'll differ between all subjects but dont study all subjects in one night!! thats ambitious, but i find it'll just burn u out so stick to studying for 2-3 subjects max.

STEP THREE : ADVOCATING FOR URSELF

this step is for everyone who feels a bit shy during school but u need to raise ur hand and ask questions!! dont focus on simply learning the material, the goal is to understand the material. understand it enough so that then u can explain it to someone else. thats how you can know when you've studied enough.

dont feel bad for asking a bunch of questions, its literally the teachers job to help you. so advocate for urself, if u need extra classes or a bit of extra help make sure that u get that for urself bcuz at the end of the day the only one responsible for ur grade is you.

STEP FOUR : THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE

complete every assignment as if it was for a grade - dont half ass ur assignments, give every assignment 100%

study a little bit everyday or have thorough study sessions three times a week

romanticize school

ask one or more questions per teacher

FURTHER RESOURCES :

how to study consistently without burning out - by me

studying tips from a straight A student - @universalitgirlsblog2

[punksocks]

Astrology Observations: No.28

*just based on my observations, only take what resonates

(Sorry it’s been a minute, I got my time back then I got sick- like same day! I’m good now, thank god, but it was absolutely insane and everything has been going on in the world, my God)

-If your moon opposes your ascendant you may be known for making the wrong impressions on people (especially first impressions) at some point in your life

-Not the first time I said this but I feel like Libra Asc tend to need to balance out aspects of their life more bc of their houses having the opposite signs over them.

-On the other hand I feel like Aries asc have a very straightforward, sometimes less complicated world view bc of their houses lining up with their traditional rulers.

-Mars in determemt and fall (Libra, cancer, 12th house) really gives you a finite amount of stamina

-I feel like cancer venus/moons tend to wax the most poetically and romantically about the nostalgia they feel. Even stronger for Venus.

-Men with cancer placements be like: I didn’t know I was manipulating you into being nice to me until it was already happening (lmao oof)

-I noticed Aries and Scorpio Sun men/masc folks can get romanticized a lot, I think this is bc their identity is ruled by mars traditionally, so they tend to be assigned more masculine traits/act their traits out in a more “traditionally” (or even just comfortably) masculine way

-Aqua Sun/asc/venus usually have some features that makes their face really stand out I noticed (unique brow/nose/head shape etc) (idk why I haven’t seen this with moons as much)

-Signs in your 8th house may come off as mysterious or hard to understand

-You may find it really easy to vibe with people that have Sun conjunct your Asc

-I’ve noticed that a lot of Virgo mars may eat like really spicy or punishing foods (especially if the mars is in a fire house)

-Saturn aspecting your big 3 can help you age really well- depending on how well you take care of yourself (extreme example: dick van dyke, he’s almost 100 and he’s still jumping around with so much energy)

-Pisces placements can be like incredibly intelligent and yet still come off as a bit spacey (one of my favorite YouTubers used to head extra credits and he is SO SMART, like just a seriously huge capacity for knowledge but he sounds spacey when he does his chill gameplays and pieces things together unscripted lol)

-Jupiter square/opposition Sun can make you come off as overly pessimistic, it can also make you come off as optimistic at the wrong times (laughing at serious moments, etc)

-Taurus placements are so motivated by food, it’s so real (the amount of times I’ve had a Taurus sun/moon/mars not hear a word I was saying bc they were scoping out a restaurant? Countless lol)

-I notice a lot of rappers & musicians (especially the innovative ones) have major Pisces placements

-Aries moons get emotional fulfillment by winning what they chase after (Aries in big 6 tends to make you go after things in general too imo)

-I noticed sometimes Leo moon can make you a bit self centered, like in the most literal sense, you may have trouble understanding perspectives outside of your own

-Virgos and Geminis and 3rd/6th house placements have great memory but they tend to forget certain aspects. They tend to forget or mix up details. (My ex took like 3 years to remember my middle name beyond the first initial lol god; also, I always remember zodiac signs but not birthdays lol)

-I love how Joe Pera has a cancer Mercury and his comedy is like the coziest comedy I’ve ever heard, he even got his following bc his helping people fall asleep and just talking through his chill podcast (did not expect him to have like the most fire in his chart tho?? Wouldn’t have guessed lol)- Pisces Mercury and Mercury with hard aspects to Neptune probably have a cozy affect on others when they communicate with them too

[centrally-unplanned]

Since I was talking about the "cellphones & boredom" topic earlier, here is the kind of "actually making a case" that some people are doing. The plural of anecdote isn't data or anything, but as someone who works in this field the academics quoted are reflecting a pretty consensus opinion across universities in my experience. Students legitimately cannot do longer-form tasks that they could do in the past, even up to students from high-ranking schools. I lean towards this being a true phenomenon, though the scale is TBD.

Is it because schools are "teaching to the test", as the above article outlines? I don't personally think that is the biggest driver, but I see the causal pattern here. I am generally skeptic of "generalizing education" - people learn in school, it is real, but they don't learn that much, and most of the traits people think school is "teaching" come from a grab bag of sources. But schools definitely teach you how to succeed in school! Being a Student is a skill, people are generally motivated by grades and the like, and so you learn "what works", and schools have absolutely been shifting their expectations. I would push back against the "lowering" them understanding, at least naively; a lot of students in those "great books" classes would sparknotes those fuckers and bluff through it, and so modern assignments can be better targeted. But schools are also responding to students, and parents, and there is a lot of pressure to "meet students where they are at" and pass everyone in the class; I can imagine this dynamic playing a role as well.

Of course it could also be the cell phones, I think they play a role too. But I would posit another causal mechanism - why read the long books? I mean I like long books, but even I these days will skip text sometimes that I can tell is filler and stuff. The internet has taught me not to fear long books, but to be efficient in my consumption, I know what I want so to speak. And that does make me read less of them.

And let's be real, 90%+ of the students, after their Great Books intro college seminar, never read books like that again. These classes did inspire some people, but never made a nation of readers out of most who attended. And that failure is positioned alongside a general trend of the "liberal arts" educational value declining to be replaced by college-as-career-advancement. A transition that is occurring because, overwhelmingly, the latter side was correct about the priorities they should have. Reflected back in culture, of course, like now one's peers also don't value reading long books, right? They talk about podcasts instead or w/e. But still, I think that is what makes putting this genie back in the bottle hard - students are probably correct to understand "reading long, dense books" as something with a minimal payoff for them.

If there are society-wide consequences of that, you can make the case - though since so few were ever readers post-college, I am skeptical. Or at least they are going to be more complex than this narrative puts out. But I am open minded on this one still, definitely a development to follow.

[saxifactumterritum]

idek who terry nation is, and I did no research, so this is probably true. I super miss the podcast but! It's all okay. I have fully lost track of who likes who out of the presenters but someone really likes ian (iain?) and barbara so I am conducting research into WHY.

I don't know if you check things anymore but i thought you should know i am watching Doctor One and the opening credits say terry nation and i thought as yes friend of the pod terry nation, famous from reversing polarity.

beloved friend of the podcast terry nation, who always takes our notes on scripts and has never said anything we disagree with!

[struwberrii]

hi lovely !! (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

i saw you also love suga~ and after seeing those oikawa headcannons i would love to know if you would make some sugawara ones (i don’t know if i have to specify but, pre-timeskip:3)!!

koushi needs more loveeeeee 𓂃 ࣪˖

thank youuu!! have a great day!!

suga headcannons ⋆˚🐾˖°

thank you for the request (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

i totally agree w u!! where are all the sugawara fans at!!! but here are some of my cute and silly sugawara headcannons :3

༘⋆🌷🫧💭₊˚ෆ

he loves thrifting, his ideal hangout would be grabbing some fast food or boba then thrifting

loves doing those stupid tiktok trends, like he has a million capcut edits of chickens pooping you out lol

he gives me middle child vibes, i feel like he would totally have an older sister (she’s like a year older and they’re besties)

the best guy to go to for advice, like even if you don’t want advice he still knows exactly what to say to make you feel better

you guys HAVE to have a movie night at least once a month

his bag is covered in those cute hot topic pins

he always smells very fresh, like floral

he has the worlds biggest stanley cup and refills it at least 5 times a day

he’s super good at drawing and is always sketching silly cartoon characters on his assignments

he loves baking with you, even if neither of you are good at it, you always end up laughing and covered in flour and batter

he is a god at imessage word games, he shows no mercy

probably also in art club with yachi (they both just talk drama and paint) (also idk if u can be in multiple clubs let’s just pretend guys)

wears/keeps everything you give him, like if you make him a bracelet he’s never taking it off, if you give him a keychain it’ll be on his bag forever

if you ask him for advice on a situation he isn’t afraid to tell you when you’re at fault, he does NOT sugarcoat it

serial candle lighter, his room always has candles lit

always has medicine on him incase anyone around him isn’t feeling well

he’s the best tutor ever, if you’re confused suga is the guy to talk to

he has a polaroid camera and has like a hundred polaroids of his siblings, friends and you

probably has a plant that he takes the best care of

probably really into conspiracy theories, true crime and creepy pastas, he’s always watching scary stuff like that

his pinterest is updated hourly

always sneaks his phone during class and never gets caught

has the comfiest hoodies ever, if you’re ever cold he’ll let you borrow one

always has hand sanitizer on him

always brings extra snacks just incase

probably really into reality tv and loves talking about the drama with people who are also watching

he plays stardew valley

he has the cleanest and most organized bag ever

old people love him

he probably listens to the most random podcast ever like emergency intercom or very really good podcast

takes notes in different colored pens

probably loves romance anime and has the best recommendations

[respectthepetty]

Nothing to see in episode six of Your Sky. Just a Yellow Yal and a Blue Boy doing a horrible job of being in a fake relationship.

Because they are already color-coded boys IN LOVE!

It's a fact! Rak verified on the appropriately color-coded podcast.

And now they are going on a beach trip with color-coded luggage!

But they aren't the only color-coded boys in love on this trip since Red Rascal Hia and Black Brooder Real are arguing the entire time in front of everyone's salad.

And no matter what it looks like from the outside, both of them are in love with each other.

The emerging 🎶Blinding Light of Love🎶 tells me so.

But back to these crazy color-coded boys in the worst relationship to ever be faked.

In real life, outside of this film project for class, Rak has continuously worn his Blue Boy's color, and here he is in and out of the short film doing the same.

Rak and Fah swinging in a tree. K-I-S---- wait, not yet! First, they have to take a selfie to prove their fake relationship is real. (Jesús Cristo, I could never date in modern times and have to go through the process of validation and verification on social media like the youths!)

But in the school assignment, they also get to have a nice little color-coded beach trip.

And they even get a cute color-coded kite that brings them closer together.

So they end this meta assignment about their love watching the sunset which they normally do all the time in their fake relationship, so it's like the plot of Inception, and just as gay it too.

They get to have a fake beach fire because climate change is real, so Fah is still in his very real Blue Boy mode with the flower emerging from his heart.

And Real is so in love with Hia's redness that he just might combust.

So thank goodness Lee is making all the moves to scare these boys so much that they must snuggle close together at night.

And Joy, always the Pink Person, is quick to verify the facts and unknowingly support her friend in his shenanigans.

Because what are color-coded friends for if not to scheme and plot for their other friends to get laid kissed?

AND IT WORKS! Kinda

There is only a glass wall between Hia and Real now to separate them from what they desire, and only the tiniest barrier still exists between Fah and Rak.

But as Rak casually applies pink (or red?) lip balm while wearing his pink pajamas, we witness the last of Fah's will power dissolve in real time.

So once the lights go out, this Blue Boy can't fake it anymore.

And he crosses the line.

Well, they both do.

So they both get hit with the Light Bulb of Love!

And now they are left with blurred lines between what is real and what is fake. But at least the sunsets are on their side!

Now if only Hia and Real would blur some lines too, that'd be great.

[fathermulcahyofficial]

Listening to an episode of the @antiquesfreaks podcast where they cover the costuming in The Terror and here are some amazing moments:

"But Ken, are you the only one of us that put themselves through reading the book?" "I did. Because John Bridgens was trapped inside and I had to get him out and if I read the book good enough, perhaps I could save him"

"If you don't tell these men what to wear, they're gonna look like straight up hoochies."

"As we see in the later episodes of The Terror and discipline does break down and Dundy just starts showing up to command meetings with his suspenders out! Slattern that he is!!!

"Victorian Navy: one to one analog to working at present day Target."

"I heard they flog you at Target."

"I was press ganged into working at Target."

"It's Victorian times. Everyone's wicked fucking repressed and they're about to get wicked un-repressed whether they like it or not, and they're going to show that through their clothing."

"a blur of muttonchops"

"I pre-gamed the show for 5 years with gifsets on tumblr to makes sure I would be able to tell at least the major speaking roles apart, and I still could not tell Little and Jopson apart until I figured out they had different eye colors."

"And now I'm Pilkington SpottingTM as a hobby"

calling JFJ a "fashionable boy" with his "nippies out" because he doesn't button up his coat all the way like Franklin and Crozier

The two regular hosts repeatedly comparing themselves to a delinquent class that their guest is stuck substitute teaching

"I think my character would be hitting a fat doobie right about now"

Discussing Jared Harris being obsessed with his own costuming details like all the mending on Crozier's clothes

Jopson's first appearance - "he's normal and they're normal and everyone's having a normal time here on this completely routine expedition." "It's so normal. Do you ever fall in love with your boss???" "It couldn't have been more erotic if they had just had gay sex."

Stanley and McDonald's button grouping on their uniforms to denote rank

THEY TALK ABOUT THE ICONIC JFJ GANSEEEYYY

Also Irving's Sanquhar scarf :')

"the red sweater of tenderness" sobbing screaming throwing up

"I think The Terror would have been improved if all of the marines had Boston accents for no reason"

Also marines vs normal sailors

comparing sailor's clothes to fast fashion because it's not very tailored lmaooo

The canvas overcoats being period inaccurate but still neat because they're referencing later polar expeditions like what we see on the guys in the Shackleton expedition etc

They talk about irl Goodsir's letter about clothes and the many many shirts!

Nive having to wear a cooling vest under her costume since it was real caribou fur and her coat being patched with sail cloth later.

They go into Yup'ik masks which is super cool! As well as have a conversation about the ethics of visuals/information/knowledge about indigenous artwork being shared with folks outside of those communities.

Repeated! Dan! Simmons! Roasting! As! They! Should!!!!!

Reapted! Nive! Nielsen! Praising! As! They! Should!!!!!!!!

Sophia's "oceanic color theme"

"They let the dresses have colors. The dresses have colors. The dresses have bright beautiful colors, and it's great."

"They had invented aniline dyes and they were about to make it everybody's problem!"

Lady Jane in more solids vs Sophia in more patterns

"'A woman could never possibly understand polar exploration' meanwhil Silna's up there doing it better than all of them."

Clowning on how other period pieces never use bonnets and always fuck up in the hair and makeup department

"I found Harry Goodsir's fursuit btw"

"On a scale of Calypso's Birthday to Fitzjames's Carnivale, how's your impromptu nautical drag ball going?"

"It's actually exactly like The Purge." "It's like a little Victorian maritime Purge."

"As far as metaphor and literary analysis and whatever, scurvy understood the fucking assignment."

"I punched in Scorbutic Nostalgia so that I could remember to read about it later." "I have some literature for you if you want." "Yeah fantastic! I love disease"

"CGI bear expensive"

"This episode comes with a heavy caveat of 'go to Terror Camp'" amazing.

THE DRESSTM

Tozer's Hotspur costume and Dundy's Henry VI costume and their relevance

"This is the last we see of Party!Dundy"

(About Little) "Every day he gets emails :("

Bridgler and Apollo/Hyacinthus stuff fuuuuuccckk

"Hodgepodge, my boy"

"Oompa loompa doompity dacticals, don't indulge your morals over your practicals"

"Rip Hickey you would've loved Joker"

Not a silly quote but just a really fantastic one: "That is what the best historical designers do, is they find these nuggets of information that allow them to tell a story with authenticity, both in a way that is historical but authentic to the characters as well." EXAAAACCCTTTLLLYYYYYY

"Whomst among us has not Joplarped to get through the workday?"

[sincerelyygigi]

How to become that girl in 2025

happy new year! to kick off 2025, i want to share some ways that y'all can permanently glow up and become the best version of yourself!

health & fitness:

- find a workout that you actually enjoy and stick to it! it doesn't have to be an hour, but at least 10 minutes is good to start with!

- if you need help or inspiration for workouts, i personally love content from the learmann twins, taliyah joelle, savannah pesante, gisselle giron, taylor groulx, luisa giulietta, and monet zamora

- on that note, have a good stretching routine for before and after your exercises to stay flexible and to keep your muscles healthy and to help prevent injuries

- get enough sleep at night! it may seem like something that you hear all of the time, but getting enough sleep really sets the tone for your day. try to get between 6-8 hours at night, and if you have trouble with this, having a set bedtime and a good wind down routine may help!

- walk for at least an hour a day, especially if you have a remote job or attend school online! put on a good playlist or podcast

- eat a healthy, balanced diet that keeps you fueled and energized including fruits, vegetables, fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats

- drink 2l of water daily. you can also drink green tea, kombucha, or any other beverages that support skin/gut/heart health

- get sunlight or fresh air every day

- take your vitamins and supplements daily

mental wellness:

- do grounding exercises and journaling! doing these twice a day, in the morning and at night, can give you a great start and end to your day by reflecting on things going on in your life, your goals, highs and lows, or anything that's in your mind!

- listen to self help podcasts and read books about mental health and wellness to learn more about how to love yourself, set boundaries, and be your best self

- go to therapy if you need to! sometimes, there are things that we can't deal with on our own and it can help to talk to a professional who can guide you and give you the tools you need to face any problems in your life

- take time to take care of yourself and do things you enjoy, like reading, drinking tea, taking naps, or talking to friends

- if you're religious, having a healthy prayer life, going to worship services regularly, and being around people of the same faith as you can greatly help your mental and spiritual health

- listen to positive affirmations

- designate one day a week for a social media detox

self care:

- find a good skincare routine and do it in the morning and at night! if you aren't sure what products to buy or what your skin type is, you can go to your local dermatologist or esthetician. another alternative is looking at health and md websites to find your skin type and research good and effective skincare brands! no matter what your routine is, though, don't forget to use spf!

- have a good body care routine, as well, including a good body wash, exfoliator, lotion/butter, and body oil

- have a good haircare routine, consistent wash days, and try nourishing treatments like hair masks, hair oiling, and scalp massaging/steaming

- take good care of your teeth with brush, flossing, mouthwash, and whitening strips. you can also invest in a tongue scraper for extra fresh breath

- keep your nails and toes either painted/manicured or clean (depending on your preference)

organization:

- keep a google calendar with all important dates and assignments/projects

- have a daily to-do list of everything you need to do every day

- use notion to create a cute daily planner

- budget and track your spending for the week/month

- write down your goals for the week/month/year

- have weekly resets to rejuvenate yourself and your space and clear your mind

i hope this post helped you a little bit in starting to create a better you in 2025! let me know if you like this kind of content and if you want to see more posts like this. until next time, xoxo 🤍

[hiddenhearthwitch]

📚 Small Intro To Polytheism📚

One of the most frequent asks I receive is how and where to get started when it comes to polytheism. This is a fairly broad subject and I’ll try to be as general as I can for advice but I will include specific references for Norse polytheists as that’s my shit. This information can be used to help you find a pantheon or to help you pick deities to work with it. If you’d like to use it to pick a patron deity that’s super, if you want to worship 20 gods and not have a patron deity that’s cool too. You do you dude. Please keep in mind this is all reflective of my research and personal practice. 🌻

Picking A Pantheon/Deity

This really boils down to personal preference. You’ll read a lot of posts and books that tell you many different ways and it’s entirely up to you because it is your practice.  That being said, there’s a couple of different ways to go about it. 

Research! This is one of my favorite ways to delve in. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with reading the stories of multiple pantheons and picking on that calls to you. You can also talk to other devotees and see what they have to say about deities and their religions. It is important to keep in mind that some religions are closed so please do proper research!

For example, I wasn’t originally a Norse pagan. I read some stories and thought the Hellenic pantheon would best suit me. I reached out to Eros for a while but after feeling no real connection to the pantheon I continued my research! After reading up on the Norse pantheon I decided to reach out to them out. Obviously, I fucking loved it because here I am. Point being, you can pick a pantheon based on research and not some divine message or whatever. You are also more than welcome to try out a religion, decide it doesn’t suit you, and move on. 

Divination! You can use runes, a pendulum, tarot, etc.This can go a few different ways. You can write pantheon/deity names on separate pieces of paper, mix them up, and place them face down then ask the pendulum to pick. You can assign a deity/pantheon to each suit of cards or major arcana card or even do the same thing with runes. 

For example, this is how I found a devotion to Frigg and Hel. I asked if there were any deities who were interested in working with me and pulled the runes Hagalaz and Berkana which read as Hel and Frigg to me. I followed up with tarot cards and pulled Death(Hel) plus the Queen of Pentacles(Frigg).

Asking/waiting for a sign. This isn’t something I’ve personally done so I don’t have much to say on the subject. You can go about meditating, praying, doing a ritual, or whatever and essentially wait for a sign after. It can come via a dream, something you experience, symbols you see in your daily life, it’s pretty much up to your intuition to decipher it. If anyone has information they’d like me to add in here please let me know!

If there’s a god you’re curious about and don’t want to do any of the above it’s totally cool to just reach out and ask if they want to work with you. 

Idk How To Research

Same, tbh my keyword search game is weak. Anyways, good portion of us are looking up dead religions with little reliable resources. To give those curious about the Norse an easy head start here’s a compiled list of  books by yours truly(click me!!) . It’s important to take everything with a grain a salt of salt when doing research. In my experience a lot of the retold Norse sagas have been Christianized or written under heavy Wiccan influences. It’s a good idea to do research on the author before reading one of their books.

Other blogs! There are tons of great witches and pagans on tumblr that have information waiting for you. 💗 You can search their blog/tags for good references for books, websites, podcasts, etc. Plus lots of blogs are open to answer asks. If you don’t know where to start for searching it’s best to try things based around your interest like: “norse polytheist”, “hellenic witch”, “gaelic polytheism”, etc.

Media! How lucky are we that we live in the age of technology? Knowledge is right at our fingertips! There are countless documentaries, podcasts, and audiobooks on youtube full of information for different cultures and religions. I’d personally recommend almost anything by BBC, Myths & Legends, and World Mythology!

Books! I love starting on goodreads to find good books and trust worthy authors. They’ve had almost every book I looked up with bunches of different reviews so you can get varying perspectives. Check out your local library as well! A lot of city libraries have online databases now of all of their books so you can “check it out” online and read the PDF(personal fave). 

Feeling Lost Still?

That’s completely reasonable and your feelings are more than valid. It can be overwhelming and lot of information to soak up. Just do your best and take it at your own pace, there’s no rush to find a deity or pantheon. 💞 Below are a few other general concerns I hear a lot that I was hoping to address.

“I’m leaving a monotheistic(Christian, Catholic, Jewish, etc) religion and it’s giving me anxiety.” This is entirely common and almost expected in my opinion. I was raised Roman Catholic and my first year to two looking into polytheism riddled me with anxiety. I was constantly concerned that god would smite me down or I’d face an eternity in hell for worshiping false gods. While I can’t speak for everyone that fear was entirely erased for me when I found my gods. I’ve never felt so safe and strong and hopefully with time you can find the same in your gods!

It’s okay to want to learn more or to seek something more. I can’t tell you how to handle your anxiety but please know you’re not alone in that fear. There’s whole communities out there willing to support you and help you find your safe space(including me)!

“What’s UPG?” You’ll see a lot of posts, mine included, that mention UPG - UPG is Unverified Personal Gnosis. This is essentially someone’s personal thoughts and beliefs about a deity. For example, I associate Sif with hazelnuts. There’s nothing in the lore or any book that says that she likes hazelnuts; that’s just a personal opinion(aka a UPG).

“How do I reach out to the gods?” I have a lot of information on my blog about this topic although a lot of it is Norse specific. You can check out my beginner polytheist tag here and my beginner norse post/ask here.

Altar! This is my go to typically. Altars aren’t limited to the cookie cutter image that comes to mind(no hate though I have a few); one thing you can make a side blog dedicated to your pantheon/deity, make a small one in a tin can, or even make one in a video game like Minecraft or some shit. You can be as creative or as to the book as you want. It’s up to you.

Prayer! You can totally just sit down and be like, “Hey man wanna work on some shit together?”. While I’m not 100% that all gods would be down with you being that casual it’s still something you can try.😂 You can reach out to them by sitting down in a quiet space and meditating into prayer, praying in the car or in the shower, or just pray at the altar you set up if you did. Again, I can not reiterate this enough, it’s your practice, reach out to them as you please.

Do something personal! This is more like devotional work in my opinion. Let’s say you knit and you want to reach out to a creative or domestic deity, you can knit something as a devotional act to them and as a way to reach out. For example I pick up litter in honor of the Vanir and Jörð, or I play Skyrim for Thor and Týr.

Most importantly just be honest and up front with the god that you’re reaching out too. Considering that statement be honest with yourself as well. There’s no point going into a relationship with a god if you can’t be upfront, it’ll end up in nothing but grief.

“Can deities reach out through gods/signs?” They totally can. However, it is up to you and your intuition if a deity has and it’s not likely another witch will decipher that for you. Sounds, experiences, images, all have different meanings to each of us - they may show you something that’s very personal to you but would be mundane to someone else. Trust your instincts. However, please remember that not everything is magical, sometimes a raven is just a raven and not Odin.

✨Take everything you learn with a grain of salt. Including this post.✨

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[burins]

on Torchwood and the temptations of queer tragedy

(originally published in yaoi zine 5, here for ease of reading but also you should check out the fantastic scholarship in the free full PDF!!)

If you were on Tumblr in 2009-2012, you are probably aware of Torchwood. A spin off of Russell T. Davies’ 2005 reboot of Doctor Who, Torchwood stars immortal time traveler Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) as part of a cast of misfits assigned to investigate the assorted supernatural and alien debris that falls through a spacetime rift running through the heart of Cardiff. Jack Harkness, in the tradition of swashbuckling space bisexuals, is great to watch, and his slow burn romance with buttoned-up researcher Ianto is the highlight of the series. Or at least it was to me, watching it as a deeply closeted teen in 2011.

Towards the end of the third series of Torchwood, Ianto is exposed to an alien virus and dies very fetchingly in Jack’s arms. It’s extremely Mimi from La Boheme (not, for once in an essay about queer people, Rent.) Ianto knows Jack is immortal and at no risk from the virus (Jack has already survived being blown up and sealed in concrete just in the previous three episodes); he knows that Jack will have to live the rest of his very, very, very long life watching people he loves die. He asks Jack not to forget him, and Jack promises that he won’t. Ianto’s last words are to deny that Jack is capable of remembering him a thousand years into the future; Jack kisses him, succumbs to the virus, and approximately four minutes of show time later, revives.

Reader, I watched this at approximately 1 AM on my beast of a high school laptop, huddled under the covers and trying not to wake my sister by sobbing too loud. I slammed the laptop shut to have a good cry. Then I opened up the laptop and watched the scene again. It became sort of a talisman for me— any time I needed to cry and couldn’t manage it, out would come my Megavideo rip of Torchwood-ChildrenOfEarth-xVideo-x64-S03E04-HD.mkv, scrolled to 53:14. Three minute death scene, me sobbing like a baby, reliable as clockwork.

I loved it for its utility; I needed those three minutes to unlock grief I couldn’t access in other ways. I loved it despite there being two arguably sadder death scenes at the end of the second series (RIP Owen and Tosh, you deserved better.) And I loved it despite its being perhaps the most textbook example of bury your gays imaginable.

Like a lot of media analysis tools that gained widespread popularity in an era with TVTropes, “bury your gays” is a cudgel and not a scalpel. Of course no one wants to be straight people’s tragedy porn. Of course it’s grating to only ever see yourself onscreen as a cautionary tale. Of course the real life origins of the trope are rooted in homophobic moral panics and censorship. And of course many queer people are plenty tired of tragedy. We die more often than straight people, and sooner, for a variety of reasons; we live lives more affected by the mundane grinding sadnesses of poverty and illness and rejection. Is it then problematic to portray queer grief, real or fictional? What about homophobia? Is it actually inherently more revolutionary to write fantasy stories where everyone’s chill with the gays, but somehow also they still have hereditary monarchies? I don’t actually have the answers here, by the way. Like everyone’s least favorite Republican uncle I’m just asking questions.

The real problem I have with “bury your gays” is that I love to bury my gays. I don’t recommend “but I like it” as a lens of critical analysis, fan studies notwithstanding, but you show me a potential tragedy and I am pulling out the shovel. I love to watch Ianto choke to death in his lover’s arms, and I love to listen to several hundred hours of podcast about gay divorce, and I cherish everything that Interview with the Vampire AMC has going on, and I read and reread Nell driving her car into the tree, and I think stabbing is maybe the pinnacle of romance.

Why do I love a queer tragedy so? Why do I gravitate to fic that features death and despair and ideological divorce? Why, as a child, was I always putting my plastic animals through travails that wouldn’t be out of place in a particularly melodramatic episode of Game of Thrones?

The easy answer would be that I was raised Catholic and haven’t quite escaped the ideological shadow of the redemptive power of suffering, but I have too much experience with chronic pain to still think suffering is redemptive. The other obvious answer would be that I’m chasing catharsis in the classic Aristotelian sense of emotional release, but I don’t think that’s the entirety of it either. There is sometimes a sort of talismanic nature to watching, or reading about, or writing a gay tragedy, a warding off of potential harm. It does feel like a little ritual. Aristotle describes catharsis as a release of pity and fear: look at those poor bastards. And as a queer viewer, the scraped underbelly of that emotion, how easily that could be me. Thank god it isn’t.

But neither pity nor fear nor their uneasy third, disgust, are really the emotions I feel when I press repeat on tragedy. To paraphrase Sontag, I “weep in part because [I] have seen it many times. [I] want to weep. Pathos, in the form of a narrative, does not wear out.”* What I feel is grief, and also pleasure. Pleasure in ritual; pleasure in release; pleasure in a borrowed grief that is both real and unreal, because I can set it aside when the episode finally comes to its end; pleasure because after all, the painful and the erotic are never as far apart as we might pretend.

I watched Ianto’s death scene again for this essay, half-expecting that it wouldn’t really work the same. I tried rewatching Torchwood a few years ago and couldn’t make it past a few episodes. I’m not 17 anymore, and everything from the special effects to the treatment of its female characters has aged not unlike milk. I’ve found new tragedies to visit and revisit. But I did cry, watching Jack try and fail to keep his lover by his side. And it felt good.

*Regarding the Pain of Others, 83. Despite the title and the way it’s used in conversations about media (including by me, here) this is actually an essay on war photojournalism. Worth a read but not for the reasons you might think.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 1.4

Oh, John. It's hard because I'm like “fame was not good for that man” but I'm also like “he would've gone crazy with self-loathing if he didn't have the fame.”

John and Paul start to answer a question at the same time. John: no, go on, you can say it. They're seriously so married. 

John's schoolboy flirting is cute, but what's more noteworthy to me is a) how happy Paul is to be shoved and b) how he instantly leans back into John. It's like they're bungeed together or something. 

John gets me. Look how much he loves Paul bringing out the forced confidence shield to protect him. He's so in love. So turned on. 

Here's my question about the death threats. Did the other Beatles actually receive them and tell Brian about them and keep them from John? Because that would be incredibly sweet and noble of them, but also, in that case, surely John received death threats too. Meaning he just didn't care about his own life and assumed the others were being left out of it because they hadn't actually said they were bigger than Jesus. Or did they have people filtering all their mail by that point? And Brian had been keeping the death threats from all of them? Because that could be interpreted as both protective and selfish of him. Does anyone know?

Again. I just love how Paul goes to bat for John over and over during this tour. Batting his eyes and playing with his hair and shouting down any and all criticism of John speaking his mind.

This moment is so telling to me. An interviewer who was up front at several concerts points out the looks and smiles between John and Paul which you can only see from the front and asks, “is it really that much fun every time?” The easy answer is, “Yeah. We like what we do. It's fun!” But Paul gets cagey. “Oh well the thing is you know with things like that it's probably…” and he makes up a bullshit story about messing up on a song they haven't performed in a year. Why do that if you don't have something to hide? (Even if you're subconsciously hiding) That right there is a tip-off for me that they're not normal about each other. 

Interviewer: are you guys breaking up? John, immediately and emphatically: No. Paul: "Depends what you mean by breaking up, you know . . . Because we can't go on forever like this, so we've got to think now and prepare for, you know, if it did happen. The time has come for us to break up, but we've realized the possibility . . . Of breaking up as a natural progression." Literally shut the fuck up right now, you're going to give John an aneurysm.

I understand. I know. I don't relate to Paul much but I do relate to his hyperactivity and his avoidant attachment. I make sure constantly that I'll be okay when all my relationships end. But you don't talk about that in front of the other person. Especially someone like John whose worst fear is being left. Come on. Think. 

See, now look what you did, Paul. Here's John's answer the next time they're asked about breaking up. 

And yeah, the klan being the ones to “stand up against the Beatles blasphemy” really proves my point from the last post I think. It's just masked racism. 

It actually seems like Paul's more vocally political at this point in time than John is. I wonder what happened to change that? Was it just the influence of their respective wives? Was it just easier for them to play up the roles they'd been assigned for the most part?

Okay on this round of “are you breaking up” they look at each other first before they answer and then Paul goes “all together probably.” I wonder if they talked about their previous answers together and admitted – however cautiously or however veiled – that hearing the other say they might leave hadn't been fun. Who knows, honestly.  

Paul and John often talk about making a radio show together apparently. Gosh if only they could've done that now. I'd make them my token white boy podcast. It'd be great. They'd be so lame and so adorable and they'd talk about recipes and politics and they'd gossip and rank other people's music. But anyway, what really gets me is the often bit. So they really did plan their post-beatle future together. Enough that it was a frequent topic of discussion between them. They planned to be together forever. 

Ugh it always guts me that Paul brought a girlfriend to Paris with him to meet up with John.

Okay my tin hat is glued to my head for this but. But. Hear me out alright? So John starts filming on 09/19/66. He's there for 6 &½ weeks. Putting the end at the beginning of November, right when Paul goes in disguise and alone to Paris. Do we have tabs on John for those dates? John just talked about going around Paris in disguise. What if  they met up by themselves and in secret? What then?

 No fucking wonder John was exhausted with him. Damn. He takes a month and a half to write strawberry fields, shows it to Paul, then...

Interviewer: the songwriting team will keep going whatever happens will it? John: yeah, we'll probably carry on writing music Forever. It's just so ‘Obviously. Might as well ask me if the sun's going to come up tomorrow.’

His friend – try dangerous drugs with and take home to daddy type “friend” – just died brutally and suddenly two days ago, and this is what he looks like and talks like and he's going in to work like it's nothing. I just. Compare that to John talking about Brian's death? Obviously two very different relationships but still… Paul's upbringing really fucked him up so hard. He thinks he's not allowed to be human. What can I say? It's a drag.

AKA the happiest 6 months of John and Paul's lives. 

I find it fascinating that Paul alone is asked to compose and record what would eventually become the carnival of light and that he just went ahead and included everyone in that. Really makes me wonder if he got a vibe off John that him doing the family way alone was hurtful or if they maybe even talked about it? Or maybe he just didn't like doing the family way without John.

Actually quite a lovely, forward-thinking, humble speech. Imagine being John, though. Watching that from home like “why the fuck is he philosophizing to the world without me?” Because you know John shares all those sentiments and might even have got there first. It would be infuriating.

“A lucky man who made the grade” is an interesting way to describe Tara and I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with Tara being cool enough for Paul to associate with him. And Paul is many things but stupid is not one of them. He's going to at the very least wonder if this verse is about John laughing at his friend's death. Right? Like I know Paul's the repression CEO but seriously I don't think even he is that good. 

Maybe that Leopold and Leob quote isn't just about tearing people down verbally. Maybe Wooler genuinely got a vibe of a sense of superiority and therefore lack of empathy with Lennon/McCartney.

I mean he really does sound like he's describing sex though, doesn't he? Emotional, loving, romantic sex. Followed immediately by Paul's “I'd love to turn you on” lyrics and the “down with pants” and “sword swallower” pins. Alrighty then. 

What I would call my Beatles bio after watching this. "They Touched Dicks: The Only Logical Conclusion."

[lesbianrobin]

Em i LOVE the idea of Buck and Eddie making a lil podcast (in my head it’s called someth like best buddies be prepared)

Can u imagine it having a following? Nothing huge or anything, they’re long ass episodes about niche topics it’s not exactly a top 10 listen, but like maybe they’re on a call and it’s someth from one of their episodes (earthquake maybe?) and they’re tryna get to a kid who’s stuck and he’s just spouting lil tidbits and factoids and buck is like “wow buddy you know a lot about this stuff” and the kid goes “it’s from my favourite podcast!” And buck is just SO excited and Eddie pretends to have forgotten that they did that but he’s so tickled for Buck and excited that other people like listening to him as much as Eddie does

Anyway I’m thinking about that

ok first of all that is adorable. and second of all honestly i Can see it having a following if they were able to tell stories from their calls and/or somebody with lots of followers happened to listen and spread it!!

like here's the thing okay. they live in los angeles and meet tons of people every day. they're bound to help out some influencer or b/c/d-list celebrities and all it would take is somebody casually mentioning the podcast in front of an influencer who then tweets like "hey guys some firefighters rescued me from a car accident last week and turns out they have a podcast!! here's their episode on safe driving!" and bam their stupid little podcast that they just started because they were bored and buck wanted to yap suddenly has a few thousand listeners. buck and eddie have a great rapport and people enjoy when they go off on tangents or tell funny work stories and of course if listeners look them up and See how beautiful they are bam that's another point in their favor.

and because it's educational maybe some teachers will assign students episodes for homework and maybe the lafd reaches out and is like heyyyy you guys want to maybe do this in a more official capacity 😳❓ and suddenly they have the opportunity to make a lil bit of money from their podcast not Much but eddie's never gonna say no to extra cash and he Likes having an excuse to just sit down and talk to his favorite guy in the world for like three hours about whatever the topic of the week/month is.

just for funsies i do like to imagine that the podcast becomes popular enough that a small but dedicated rpf shipping community crops up and there's discourse about it 🫶🏻

[dec4podcast]

Our leading contributor, Gary Wells, joins us to explore two tumultuous decades in the lives of the Beach Boys, through the lens of Malcolm Leo’s 1985 BAFTA nominated biographical documentary, The Beach Boys: An American Band.

We learn about some of the key people on both sides of the camera, and of Malcolm Leo’s established method of sourcing a wide variety of music and interview clips (long before the easy accessibility of digital archives) to create an intimate, first-person narrative.

The Beach Boys: An American Band is a fan’s movie; if you already love the Beach Boys, you’ll love them even more after immersing yourself in this documentary. If you’re just starting out on a journey of discovery learning about the Beach Boys and their impact on 20th century music and culture, this is a wholly enjoyable place to begin. But, it’s worth noting that it was far from the complete story even then, and there have been 40 more years of eventful Beach Boys history since.

Image credit: Malcolm Leo's official site

The evolving story is told through a compilation of music and interview clips by the Beach Boys themselves, including Brian, who is candid about his drug and mental health issues.

This aspect of Beach Boys history impacted the final edit, as Malcolm Leo explained in a 2003 interview with Nat Segaloff;

"…I thought I had (right of final cut) in writing…There was something they asked me to take out: Brian Wilson was very open about his personal dilemma with drugs and wanted the whole story to be told straight, without pulling any punches. There was a line when he said, “I was smoking hash in the studio and so were the boys,” and one of the other Beach Boys said, “You gotta take out ‘so were the boys.'” And I did…"

We hear from Brian’s high school music teacher (Fred Morgan), who confesses to giving Surfin’ an F when submitted by Brian as a school assignment, but acknowledges that the commercial release made a million dollars. There was an interesting postscript to this in 2018, when Brian returned to Hawthorne High and the mark was upgraded to an A by school principal, Vanessa Landesfeind.

We follow the Beach Boys’ career from early performances of signature hits and their creative growth well beyond car and surf themed party music. We experience close-up their professional slumps and triumphs, and personal crises, and their redemption and acceptance as ‘America’s Band’, a staple of stadium shows and July Fourth celebration concerts in front of huge audiences.

As we point out in the podcast, The Beach Boys: An American Band is a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening movie, and a great fan experience. If you want to see the best in the Beach Boys, professionally and personally, it’s a perfect way to do it; the evident love and affection between the brothers is endlessly endearing. However, it’s far from the whole story; the true extent of family patriarch Murry Wilson’s behaviour, described by author Timothy White as part of a family (male line) ‘legacy of pain’, is left alone, and there is no mention of Charles Manson and his deeply troubling incursion into the professional and personal lives of the group through Dennis Wilson. Gary argues that some editorial decisions have to be made, and venturing into these highly complex and darker areas would have resulted in a very different movie. Did Malcolm Leo achieve his stated ambition of not creating a ‘puff piece’? I think our conclusion on that was 'yes and no'.

As we come to the end of The Beach Boys: An American Band, and the early 1980s, Gary draws our attention to this comment from a rejuvenated Brian Wilson, speaking at a reception leading up to the Beach Boys headlining what promised to be the biggest ever Fourth of July concert in Washington, with over 500 000 people expected to attend;

“…The family that sings together stays together…we love each other…It’s a time where we need to be strong, and face up to our responsibilities and come through, I mean, we started out as little babies, and we grew up into men, you know, and that’s a dramatic story, it’s the story of the Beach Boys, it’s a very dramatic story…I foresee a good future for us, with a lotta good happy thoughts, and a lotta good times…”

There's a little more at our podcast website, with some links to further reading, viewing and listening;

Special thanks to Gary Wells, and to all our readers and listeners.

[skarsjoy]

New live event!

Apple TV+’s Murderbot: Advance Screening and Alexander Skarsgård in Conversation with MTV’s Josh Horowitz (Happy Sad Confused podcast)

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Streaming tickets are for the Talk only. They do not include the screening. Talk begins at approximately 8:40 pm ET.

Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård joins MTV’s Josh Horowitz for a conversation following a special screening of the first two episodes of his new comedic sci-fi thriller series, Murderbot, premiering May 16 exclusively on Apple TV+.

Based on Martha Wells’ bestselling novels, Murderbot follows a rogue, budget-priced security construct who must hide its free will to complete a dangerous assignment. But all it really wants to do is binge futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe. An action-packed sci-fi series and a shrewd satire of the internet age, Murderbot is anchored by a hilariously deadpan performance by Skarsgård.

Hear Skarsgård discuss the making of the show in a live taping of Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast — how he prepared for the role, why great sci-fi is always a commentary on the present, stories from the set, and more.