#You will have an edifying experience with them

[ecruvian]

I have cracked the code (again)

The secret to having fun on Tumblr isn't just block and move on, it's also to find all the blogs run by people with advanced degrees or long career experience in a field. Literally any field. I don't mean follow blogs about law or medicine or physics or game design or whatever. Just find people who know about those things, and also use Tumblr, then follow them. Your feed quality just straight up gets better.

And I think I know why. You see, this is the Discourse Site. It doesn't matter if you follow it for memes or fandoms or mindless shitposts or cute art or something else; unless you are phenomenally strict about who you follow, you'll end up with stuff that's not what you came here for, and eventually that will mean Discourse.

People who have spent decades getting good at formulating and articulating intelligent, thought-out, evidence-backed opinions are Better at Discourse. They choose more interesting topics to engage with. They say more interesting things. It doesn't even matter if they're right. They'll still make your feed much better.

[nohoperadio]

Some of my coworkers (I work in a bookshop, I'm getting kinda tired of having to add that parenthetical to every work story I tell on here but it's often essential context, I wish there was a better way. Why can't you just fucking pay attention and remember where I work, that would be nice?) are very smug and proud of themselves about the fact that they make a habit of ratting out teenagers to their parents when they're trying to buy books (to be fair I could probably have just let the context do its own work in this particular post, I didn't really need to say anything. I'm sorry I spoke to you like that earlier) which are, according to the bookseller's no doubt eminently wise and edifying judgment, not age-appropriate--not outright refusing sales, but like when a teen and their parent are both at the till, saying something like "oh just so you're aware this book has some controversial stuff in it"--and I hope I continue to successfully hide how much this pisses me off because oh my fucking god.

Mostly this happens with Colleen Hoover books, who if you're unaware is a very tiktok-popular romance author whose books are sometimes accused of glorifying abusive relationship dynamics, I haven't read her and don't have a good sense of to what extent this is a fair accusation vs people misrepresenting the books to score backlash discourse points, neither possibility would surprise me, but also I don't think the answer to that question is very relevant to anything.

And look, I accept that my free speech absolutist radical position of "teenagers are less stupid than you probably think but even the stupid ones probably should be allowed some intellectual liberties maybe, they're going to be adults in like five minutes jesus christ" is not something everyone can embrace, I do. But the sheer glee with which this one guy the other day was telling the story of a mom getting quite angry with her daughter when he told her about what she's trying to buy, like "haha someone's gonna have an awkward conversation when they leave the shop!", is so so ugly to me... like it would be much easier to believe this was a principled moral stance if you weren't actively making fun of the people you're claiming to protect! And holy shit do you not remember this exact experience, of being a teenager and a bunch of adults who are clearly not actually smarter or better than you nonetheless having strong opinions about what kinds of things you ought to be enjoying and spending time on and thinking about? Do you not remember how much that sucked? (I'm like a decade older than most of these booksellers, I should be the cranky old person whose heart has been consumed by cheap cynical moralism, not them!!)

I could add a little bit here about how obviously it's only the books that are girl-coded that receive this higher level of scrutiny and shaming, but sadly it's getting dark and I had intended to make this a short post so I could go for a run after and I should really do that now if I'm gonna do it at all, you'll have to think about that part in your own time. Sorry for ranting everyone I hope we're all having a chill Saturday apart from me. Are we having a chill Saturday?

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/747721307928559616/re-747330342209404928-every-time-a-discussion?source=share

I wouldn't even make this purely about oversensitivity - I've seen fic writers refuse to tag, say, breakup because they think it would be a Good Experience (tm) for fans of the ship in question to read it (because they often think it's Problematic in some brain-wormed way), or they just think their writing is so good or so "socially important" that people who would normally avoid this commonly tagged trope should have to experience it anyway, "it's good for you" etc. and then melt down when people have the predictable reaction that something that seemed to be billed as a fluffy romance was anything but, and of course, these people's social statements are never as deep and sophisticated as they think they are. These people are weirdly, often very outspoken about the need for Content Warnings in basically any other context.

Obviously, I don't want to say that anything other than major archive warnings are a requirement to tag (and I mean, even those aren't required, you can use CNTW), or that you're required to indicate a breakup will happen if it's a big spoiler or something.... but this wasn't just that, it was deliberately false advertising the fic as something it wasn't bc they thought it would be morally edifying or something for people who dislike that trope to read it.

I like fanfiction and I'm not going to say it can never be effectively used to convey Important Ideas (tm) .... but I do think if you are going to take this attitude and especially if you're over the age of 15 or so, and especially if you're then going to have a meltdown and accuse people of "harassment" for disagreeing with you when the readers are predictably not happy, you need to consider that perhaps fanfiction is not the medium for you. Maybe write original fiction instead.

I don't know why it's so hard for some to understand that people tend to be more allowing for a story not being as happy or fluffy as they expected when the story isn't about characters they're already attached to, especially when they're in a space that's often about seeking out specific outcomes that the original work didn't give them. Like I'm sorry there's often a double standard between fanfic and original fic in this way, but it exists for a way.

But also, none of these fanfic writers I've seen do this (and this sounds niche I know but I've seen it several times in different fandom) ever actually have Takes that are remotely original or startling or groundbreaking, lol, such that it's worth misleading people because they "need to hear." It's always like.... cool, I saw this take for the first time on a Tumblr post in 2017/from someone in my women's studies class in 2010, and I thought it was a bad shallow take then and still do.

Interestingly, the people who genuinely have really interesting and unusual and thought-provoking takes that they use fanfic to express feel no need to tag it inaccurately, feel no desire to force it on people who don't want to read it. Wonder why.

--

Hah. I too have seen this silly behavior many times.

[queenlucythevaliant]

hi, young soon-to-be a librarian here, i’ve liked books for a long time but the issue is i exclusively read books below my reading level for no explicable reason, what books do i read so that i don’t just look like a total child managing a library he shouldn’t even have access to. (I’m the co-founder of my high school’s Library committee.)

I really want to be what this library needs, and i know im unqualified but if i don’t do this, nobody will. I am falliable but i’m not gonna let this chance fall by the wayside.

Hi there! Flattered that you think I can opine usefully on this issue.

My general statement to you would be that truths really do coexist here. (1) Just read whatever you want, my dude. Life is short and there are so many more books in the world than you will ever have the chance to read. Don't force yourself to read stuff that doesn't bring you any joy. (2) The books that you read absolutely do shape you as a person, and for that reason it's good to read things that are varied, challenging, and edifying. There are all sorts of ways for those two truths to slot together, and we've got our whole lives to figure it out.

That said, here's some personal experience from my summer at the bookstore that I'll toss up alongside those fairly broad statements:

I became aware very quickly that I am not literary soulmates with any of my coworkers or the vast, vast majority of my customers. I've been told several times now that my personal tastes are "not commercial." Yet every now and then, I'll get to talk with someone who also really loves the same books that I love, and those moments are just magic. In your case, maybe those conversations will be with kids or teens. That's awesome! You and whoever your people are will light up in those moments, and you'll figure out pretty quickly how to be useful to everyone else.

I am interested in reading exactly zero of the Most Popular Books that our store sells. That's fine, and thankfully no one is going to make me. I've found it useful, however, to do a bit of research so that I can make pleasant small talk about those books and recommend them as appropriate. Wikipedia, Goodreads, and YouTube are all your friends here. I've actually really enjoyed that kind of research! Kinda feels like rummaging through the closet of a friend with an entirely different fashion sense.

Another thing that's really useful is making note of where anything you might remotely call a favorite is in the store(/library), especially those that are outside your usual genres. You might be surprised at how varied your own reading is! This is helpful when someone asks for a rec outside your usual wheelhouse. Even if you haven't read 99% of the books in that section, you can point to the one or two you've read and loved and say, "Oh, these are my favorites. Read them," without necessarily having to cop to the fact that you haven't read much else in the genre.

Also worth mentioning: our store manager reads mostly YA and fantasy, and we all respect her and think she's great. Our assistant manager reads mostly YA and romance, and ditto. She's also great. The gal who runs our kids section is the oldest person working at our store, and she reads tons of kids books not just because that's her area, but also because she genuinely loves them. She is super cool and knowledgeable. I really don't think people are likely to look down on you for what you read.

So that's what I've got. Hopefully something in there is helpful. For what it's worth, you sound highly qualified based on what you wrote and I think your earnest desire to serve your community in this way will get you a lot further than having read or not read any specific books :)

[maxarchive]

2023 L'Équipe Interview, "I'm only here to win"

For the Dutchman, on course to win his third world title in a row this weekend, success does not quell his appetite for victories. If anything, the Red Bull driver appears even more determined to not leave anything to others.

He's funny. No, that's the wrong word, because we don't joke with Max Verstappen. At least when you're not one of his close friends, because with his people, he's apparently funny. So it's interesting, not to say edifying, to recall the first interview he gave to L’Équipe. On his debut with Red Bull in 2016, the Dutchman chatted in this same Singapore paddock, just a few months after his first GP success (Spain). The kid was a young wildcat who attacked, bit, and didn't let go. It was a very constructive experience.

Nine years later, he's on the verge of becoming a triple world champion this weekend in Qatar. His arrogance has been transformed into an icy confidence, and his fiery temperament has mellowed with victory and years of taking criticism. Today, Verstappen conducts his interviews like he drives his Formula 1 car. Without trembling or worrying about his opponent. He lives his life and answers straightforwardly, without giving himself away. He's become unflappable behind the wheel, and just as unflappable when it comes to giving of himself. He does the job to perfection, faultlessly and without spark. He responds quickly and efficiently. It's easy to see how the 18 year old has become an - almost - three time world champion, who knows how to thank his team, and rightly so; who knows how essential consistency is; but above all, who knows how to rely solely on himself to win, the only thing that counts for him. In this, he really hasn't changed.

Q. How are you enjoying the season? Are you as bored as we are? Not at all (he smiles). As far as I'm concerned it's quite the opposite. I'm always excited to come to the track and I'm always 100% motivated. I feel like this is the best thing that could've happened to me. I'm a driver at heart and to be able to win at the wheel of an incredible car is a real opportunity.

Q. But what excites you? The hunt for records or the pleasure of winning? I'm only here to win. Finishing in the top five, you know, that doesn't interest me. So I stay motivated because I know I can win and I love winning. The more wins I can get, the more motivation I'll have.

Q. Do you enjoy all your successes, or do you prefer some of them? For example, do you enjoy starting at the front and taking the lead, or battling and climbing back up the field, as you did at Zandvoort? Well, I like to get out in front and focus on a race that I want to be as clean as possible. At times like these, it's the moment when I can concentrate on my lap times, look after my lap times and preserve my tyres. In short, to do the best I can. But sometimes, if you run into problems or an unforeseen event sets you back, moving up in the rankings and fighting your way back into the lead is very enjoyable too. Except that, in those moments, there's inevitably more risk involved, and when you're fighting for a Championship, that kind of risk spoils the fun a bit.

Q. At Monza, we sensed that you were greedy, following Carlos Sainz and watching out for a fault in his tyres or his driving… They were better in qualifying, but we've got a great car for the race, so I just wanted to know what theirs was like, and when I saw that it was ruining their tires, then I knew.

Q. And then, when you're easily leading a race, what do you think about? About the race, or about dinner or anything else? No, definitely not. I never think about anything other than the race when I'm driving. As I told you, I stay very focused on my lap times, on my car; I want to do the best job I can.

Q. In the past, we'd hear you complaining at your engineer when he asked you to preserve your tyres. Today, you tell us that you're careful. Is that maturity? It's just that it depends on the circumstances. When I was complaining about this way of managing the tyres, it's because I wanted to attack. I had a car to win races, not a championship. So if I saw the window open, I wanted to go for it. And I was aggressive.

Q. Speaking of qualifying, it's an area where you weren't the best when you started out, and you seem to have taken a long time to get good at it. Now, it's one of your strengths. Is this an area you've worked particularly hard on? I've always enjoyed it, but in Formula 1 it's even more complicated than in the lower disciplines. There are a huge number of parameters to manage, in addition to your driving, which has to be on the limit. When I arrived in F1, I only had one year in a single-seater, and that's not much compared with the others. So it may have taken me longer because of that, but now I've got the hang of it. And the team has given me a car that can do it. Because a driver alone can't win pole.

Q. Since the summer, we've been hearing you say that you don't see yourself, like Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton, in F1 until you're 40. Are you saying this because you're afraid of boredom or because you don't have enough rivals? First of all, there are the victories. Doing F1 if I don't win anymore… (he sighs). I could get motivated again by coming back to the front and winning again. That would be motivating. Then there's the quality of life. You can't measure the schedule of an F1 driver. And it doesn't get any better as the years go by. So that's what tells me I'll stop one day.

Q. Do you think that with a real opponent next year, you'll have more fun or, as you keep saying, only victory is beautiful? Obviously, for the team, the challenge is always greater when you have an opponent. If that were the case, it would be like 2021, when every weekend we were very close and didn't know who would win in the end. There, to finish as winners, you had to be very close to perfection.

Q. Do you miss that fight? You know, I loved that season. Just as I loved 2022. If things repeat themselves, that’s the trouble!

Q. So how do you see 2024? Or rather, how do you hope to see it? I don't really care. I mean, I'm ready for anything!

Q. Even to bore us like Michael Schumacher or Hamilton did by dominating everything? You know that some people appreciate domination. If you look at other sports, you'll see that domination can be enjoyable. For me, it's fun to watch and follow because the team or the athlete shows the world that he or she is doing a better job than the the others.

Q. So you liked Hamilton's domination? This is different. I don't like being beaten and neither does my team. But you have to appreciate what he did, his consistency and the work he put in.

Q. Was it important to beat Hamilton on the track like Alonso wanted to do with Schumacher? I'm repeating myself, but the most important thing for me is to win. I want to win and win again. It's not a question of people, and I think it would be a mistake to focus on a driver and make it personal. I don't want to beat one driver, I want to beat them all.

Q. Is consistency what you were lacking? Just putting one thing out seems difficult to do. I've grown as a driver by improving everywhere, but it's true that a great champion is measured over a whole season. You never see them with an off day, and that's what I want to achieve. Of course, you can't be perfect, but what I want is to continue to perform consistently.

Q. And how do you go about achieving this? Experience is essential. And of course, the car. Just as much. That helps a lot.

Q. Since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo (at the end of 2018), none of your team-mates has been able to rise to your level. Do you have an explanation for this? First of all, I think I've improved, that I've become a better driver in all areas. After that, it's hard to find an explanation and, you know, I'm pretty focused on myself. I'm not very interested in what's going on elsewhere or in the garage next door. I just want to go faster.

Q. Sometimes looking at your teammate's telemetry can help… It can happen, but not often. But my work is focused on what I do.

Q. Are you interested in taking part in the search for the next Red Bull driver? Like, for example, having your pal Lando Norris with you?These are just rumors. And then, we have fun talking about it. Like a game. Lando is my friend but it's not my decision to make.

Q. And would you like to contribute to this decision? No (instantly). I wouldn't, even if I could.

Q. For your third title, you could be crowned in the sprint race in Qatar, which would be a first… (He interrupts.) Is it? I hadn't thought of that. Well, there won't be much to celebrate because there's a race on Sunday. And I'm still concentrating on that. Winning a GP is what counts for me. But I don't like to think ahead.

Q. Last question: you're about to join the exclusive club of three-time world champions (Brabham, Stewart, Lauda, Piquet, Senna). Which one do you think is closest to you? I have no idea. I'm Max Verstappen and I'm very happy to be.

Translated via DeepL and Google Translator

[olddustorange]

THINKING ABOUT B&R BECAUSE OF THIS EXCELLENT FIC. and what it gets so right that u don’t see in other fics and i think it is that many other newly orphaned dick Grayson characterizations are not calibrated right, specifically when they make him TOO rebellious/spiteful/angry/childish/crybabyish. I also don’t think that he was overwhelmed by the responsibility of robin or by the insane quantity and intensity of training. I think he really respected the whole enterprise and took it sincerely and seriously and viewed, as the others do, it as something sort of sacred. He was used to high stakes and excruciating training with his parents. And in the early years of robin with bruce is so new and bruce has doubts in the back of his mind so dick DEFINITELY does not get frustrated or scream or lose his temper at bruce because he’s tired or overwhelmed when he’s being corrected because that is a sign of not being ready worthy or mature enough for the enterprise. And he’s very conscious of that but i think the whole dick-has-a-temper reactive-to-fanon discourse has diluted the fact that he is also very responsible and steady. So i think he took his knocks and when bruce criticized him and explained what dick did wrong after knocking dick to his back on the training mats, dick nodded silently and got back up and did it again and he didn’t go cry about it. Like he is an angry traumatized kid so you would not expect him to take Bruce’s training—i mean Dick is seriously getting his ass kicked and pushed beyond his already far limits, to approach what Batman is, which is canonically the “[embodiment of] everything Man can ever hope to be,” as in the apex of physiological and mental human achievement and endurance which is obvi a laborrrrrrr—with that maturity and diligence or humility because no other child would. BECAUSE ANY ORHER CHILD WOULD SNAP OR JUST NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT. most adults too. but dick does take it and he runs away it with it too because he is not any other child and he is different and he is I THINK like bruce in some deepdown implicit way as in the soul way or just the fact that they both operate and have operated their whole lives with simply more spiritual moral and mental horsepower than other people but just that DRIVE and MOTIVATION and desire for precision and excellence is something they both & i don’t think he would whine or kvetch he would drink every second of education he could get from bruce and enjoy it and that’s why the whole Batman and Robin experience and relationship is SO EDIFYING for both of them.

And dick’s preternatural ability to humbly learn and push past his limits and actually and sorry to use a 3rd grade teacher lessonplanning word here but SYNTHESIZE what bruce is teaching him is not just unlike what any other person could put forth in Bruce’s training—but it is also the reason for Bruce’s fatal miscalculation with training a young Jason, who is also intelligent discerning and BRILLIANT but who doesnt have That.

[counter-culture-christian]

Firstly, I am a woman, in my late twenties and in a relationship to clarify that. Secondly, listen this blog is not for everybody, not everybody will agree with what I have to say or what I believe in and that's okay; I'm not going to force that on you but don't mistake me answering you from a frame of reference that is biblical, scriptural as me "proselytizing" because I've observed those who want to start debates and can't handle when I use the Scripture against them and reject it as an answer. Well I am believer and follower of Jesus Christ/His teachings, His ways (a Christian) and I'm standing on the Word of God. The Word of God, has and still is considered "controversial", "bigoted", "hateful" etc. because those in disbelief get cut by the Sword of The Spirit, which is God's Word and because it lives, it is useful for many things. The Word of God is considered a weapon in the spiritual armor of God and as a Christian, I recognize my fight isn't against flesh and blood, so I fight in the Spirit when I use the Word of God and the demons in those people get manifested when the truth gets shared. I am a Christian, a Bible reading, believer and strive to be a doer as well. I am going to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit leads, not only that but I will speak on certain things that people won't like me speaking on. I will shed light on that darkness, as I am a light of Christ Jesus. I will not stop sharing the Truth and telling people to repent. I will edify, encourage and let people (who are willing to receive it) know that there is a Way to Heaven as well as I will let them know there's a Way to be freed from the bondages of sin, to be healed, cleansed and forgiven and it's ONLY through Christ Jesus. I will speak to those willing to receive and listen, telling them that there's Life (eternally) and even now on earth because life with Jesus is better than it was without (and that's just from personal experience). Life with Christ Jesus, as a Christian has it's trials because He said if the world hates you, remember it hated me first but He also said be of good cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD. Nevertheless life with Christ Jesus also has its joys, peace, laughter, blessings, love, and much more that outweighs the trials. I am grateful to be with Christ Jesus, there is VICTORY WITH HIM, IN THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT. My ask is open for those who want to ask or tell me something, you're welcome to message me but I reserve the right to respond/when to respond. Lastly, so, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, continue in this marathon, continue standing firm in your faith (in Christ Jesus) and the Word of God. Embody the love and light of His, and share the Gospel (without forcing or in anger/hatred) for those who receive it is because God has drawn them to Christ Jesus and for those who don't, that's their choice and it's on them, shake the dust off your sandals and move on. I love y'all with the love of the Lord and mistake not that love for hatred when I rebuke you or such, for many spirits (who are deep in their darkness) will cry hatred, etc. Be blessed y'all ✝️🤍.

[apenitentialprayer]

I honestly don't know how to deal with saints who claim that Jesus spoke to them and wrote down what he said. A part of me wants to have faith but another part of me tells me that I should have a grain of salt when it comes to visions. Like Bridget of Sweden or Hildegarde of Bingen. Also, please pray for me. I have been having a rough time with prayer and keeping close to God.

I will definitely pray for you, anon!

As far as visions and mystical insights go, if you feel yourself doubting some of them (I meet Bridget of Sweden's claim that Our Lord was wounded 5,840 times over the course of His Passion with some skepticism myself), there is good news; you don't have to believe them to be a Catholic in good standing with the Church. All that is required are those things derived from the deposit of faith handed down from the Apostles for the good of the whole Church - subsequent private revelations are excluded from that.

Further, while it is believed that public Revelation rightly interpreted is inspired and preserved from error, private revelation is mediated through the experience and interpretation of the revelator - that's why these revelations are submitted to ecclesiastical authority before given approval for public veneration. (It also means that the Church will never make a dogmatic statement based solely on information given by private revelation).

If a vision edifies you and increases your piety, great! If not; well, there's many ways to be Catholic, and you don't need to include every last private revelation into your worldview and devotional life.

[edosianorchids901]

Cheerful Comedy

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt - "Comedian's Night"

“Well, that was certainly… edifying,” Aziraphale said uncertainly, still staring at the telly screen with a mostly puzzled look. “Granted, I’m not entirely sure why some of the jokes were funny…”

“Nh, some of them are really specific to the time period. And America.” Awkward, Crowley slid a hand through his hand. “I get pretty much all of ‘em, but that’s because I’ve been watching this since it first aired.”

Still with a slight frown, Aziraphale picked up the complete Golden Girls DVDs and examined them. “I thought it was rather rude of those people at the hot dog place to make, um…”

“Dorothy,” Crowley supplied.

“To make Dorothy participate in birthday rituals that she wasn’t interested in.”

“I mean, that was kinda the point. The people who ran the hot dog place were obnoxious arseholes, and Dorothy wasn’t putting up with it.” Maybe picking this for their date night had been a bad idea. Comedy night sounded great in concept, but it wasn’t working out so well. “Dorothy’s cool. And tough.”

“I see.” Biting his lip, Aziraphale shuffled through the seasons, looking at the front of each case. “She doesn’t seem the sort to appreciate a silly little hot dog restaurant like that, or a surprise birthday celebration. Why did Rose pick something that her friend wouldn’t like?”

“Well, Rose… thought she was doing something great for Dorothy, something they could enjoy together.” Crowley gave a desperate grin and a tempting sway. “She was just wrong, s’ all. Misjudged what Dorothy would think.”

Aziraphale blinked. “And that’s funny?”

“Er.” Gosh, was this what it was like to be Rose? Rose had always reminded Crowley more of Aziraphale than anyone else, in a really endearing way. But maybe he’d misjudged that, too. “Sorry, angel. I guess it’s not that funny. Why don’t we watch something else?”

“Oh, no! I don’t mean that, dear boy.” Gently, Aziraphale took Crowley’s hands and squeezed. “I’m just trying to understand better, that’s all. I know this show is very important to you. I, um… may have misjudged a bit.”

Now Crowley was confused. He tilted his head, frowning. “How so?”

“Well, I thought that asking questions about it would come across as showing an interest in something you care about.” Aziraphale chuckled, expression soft with affection. “Afraid I may have come across a bit too critical. I enjoyed it very much.”

Crowley gave a skeptical look. Golden Girls had always made him feel better, and sharing it left him more vulnerable than he liked. He liked to be cool and tough, not flustered. “You only laughed like… twice in the whole episode. I don’t think it’s really your style of comedy.”

“Why don’t we instead say that it’s not a style of comedy I’ve had all that much experience with?” Still smiling, Aziraphale kissed Crowley’s hands, then let go in favor of snuggling closer to him on the sofa. “And besides, even if I didn’t understand all of the jokes and such, I truly did enjoy it immensely. How could I not?”

“I really am not following right now, angel.” Which also left him feeling much less cool and tough than he liked, although at least the anxiety was easing now. Aziraphale was generally honest with him these days.

“It’s like how you’re perfectly happy to listen to me read Regency romance aloud even though you find it silly, or take me to see Hamlet repeatedly even though you think it’s an awful, dreary play.” Aziraphale brushed a light kiss to his cheek. “You enjoy it because you like to see me enjoying myself. Seeing me happy makes you happy.”

“That’s definitely true.” Relaxing a little, Crowley wrapped his arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders and hugged him close. “And at least you definitely can’t accuse Golden Girls of being dreary. It’s cheerful.”

“It is very cheerful, dear boy. And truly, I love seeing you so cheerful as well.” Raising one hand, Aziraphale skimmed his fingers across Crowley’s cheek, then down to trail along his jaw. “You’re so often stressed and rather grim, even these days. I can’t think of anything better than seeing you so freely laughing, smiling, and making little jokes of your own. You look so innocent when you’re watching this lovely little show.”

“Nnnnnrng.” Cheeks going hot, Crowley buried his face in Aziraphale’s soft curls. “Don’t say that. M’ a demon.”

“Mhm. But still.” Aziraphale hugged him, then gently pushed him back and placed the remote in his hand. “Here. Show me more.”

It was still hard to be vulnerable, even now that they spent almost every waking moment together. But Crowley draped his arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders again and leaned back, then hit play. As long as they were both having fun, that was all that mattered.

[rockingrobin69]

Joy

It was cold in the office. He made himself tea, more to wrap his hands around than for drinking—but it smelled nice, heavy and strong, and Draco was still a little weak willed, when it came to it. A sip, and then another, and soon his hands will be cold again. A tiny smile: not for long. It was ten to, and Harry said he’d be back by four.

Draco rolled his eyes, but the sigh still slipped. From the window he could see the last hint of sunset, a remnant in gold and pink across the edge of a darkening cloud. Could almost feel it, a tingling in his fingertips, not from the cold. From this—the office was quiet, everybody was already on leave. Just the two of them in. And the fish: all four, doing swimmingly, even though Draco had recently learned he’s been overfeeding them.

Never mind. He’s learned—quite a bit, actually. Learned how to change the water cooler (bend with your knees, not your back), how to untangle a paperclip mess (and how to string a daisy-chain of them to crown Harry with after everyone’s gone: ‘king of the workaholics’). How to type without looking at the keyboard (or at the door to Harry’s office, always open); how to politely tell someone over the phone to fuck off, how to prioritise an endless mountain of tasks, how to submit the accounting paperwork in a way that didn’t make him want to cry. How to tilt his head just enough, to say ‘Yes, Mr. Potter’ in that tone that makes Harry’s throat seize. Working in an office sure was an edifying experience. And Draco was all about the learning, now.

He took another sip—the tea’s gone cold. He’ll make another. Perhaps two, and take one to Harry, when he’s back. Watch him slide into his chair, rub his eyes on a sigh, look up at him with that little smile. ‘For me?’, and then, ‘brilliant, thank you, Draco’. Maybe even a fond little ‘oh, you’re perfect. Come have a seat? We have some time’.

They did. Everyone was home, only the two of them in, them and the fish. And the whole evening spread open, and Harry made that soup he kept threatening Draco will simply have to try. The paperwork was all done: files bound and alphabetically organised, photo-copied with colourful post-it notes on all the most important bits, made easy. Draco swallowed the smile, tried not to feel too—it was silly, but still sort of nice. Sort of—good.

The office was getting dark. Draco kept most of the lights off; only the twinkling set of fairy lights some knucklehead hung around their desk dabbed the world around him in colour. Now that the sun had set, he could barely see a thing. A cup of cold tea, a stack of paperwork. The fish tank in the corner, glowing little blue blobs, all four. Draco had been overfeeding them, but they were still swimming strong. Strong. He was weak, when it came to teas and to Harrys and to wisps of sunset still golden, nearly vanished. But he was learning. Different shades of highlighters, misbehaving staplers and never enough pens. From one copier error to the next, being a person, being here, being… Draco.

There was something to it. He didn’t know how to put it into words, sitting in the nearly-dark office, alone with the fish, but not for long. There was some sort of… bubbly, giddy feeling. Funny and a little off and a little warm. Joy, maybe.

A little end-of-the-year present for my dearest @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm. Friend, you are, quite literally, a never ending source of joy: everything you make, share, let us glimpse at, contains multitudes of it. Of life, of love, of you. Thank you. I admire you endlessly, and love you with my whole entire heart.

[hoursofreading]

1. Maintain your privacy.

“My life is for itself and not for a spectacle,” Emerson writes. “I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady.” If Emerson believed this in the 1840s, imagine what he would think today in an era of unrestrained sharing of one’s private life via social media. In fact, researchers studying Iranian adolescents found a strong tendency toward destructive oversharing of personal information on these platforms, which can be associated with anxiety, attention-seeking, and social-media addiction. Keep your private life, well, private.

2. Don’t conform to anyone else’s thinking.

The most important message of “Self-Reliance” comes in this line: “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.” Emerson believed that even if you agree with the prevailing conventional wisdom, you must still exercise skepticism. Think and act independently, because to embrace the wisdom of any party or clique is to don what amounts to a “prison-uniform.” Certainly, you need to be aware that going your own way can have costs. Scientists have shown in experiments that the pain of feeling rejected is processed in the same brain region as physical pain—suggesting that rejection can seem physically painful. As Emerson acknowledges, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.” And that leads to the next lesson.

3. Don’t be afraid to walk alone.

There is a way to deal with the fear of others’ disapproval. Writing in the journal Psychophysiology in 2016, researchers showed that people perceive a threat when they disagree with a group and their goal is to fit in. But when they set a goal of individuality instead, the disagreement from the group is perceived as a challenge, which is positive. Stop trying to fit in and you will no longer feel hurt when you don’t. As Emerson writes, “The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

4. Choose a life of self-discipline.

Walking your own path in life means doing your own work to be happy and successful. But no one will carry you—which leads to Emerson’s fourth lesson. “Instead of the gong for dinner,” he writes, “let us hear a whistle from the Spartan fife.” In other words, instead of expecting to be served with comforts, you should be prepared to deal with some privation—and be better for it. Today, social scientists would say Emerson is talking about having grit, the quality identified by the psychologists Angela L. Duckworth and Lauren Eskreis-Winkler of choosing to pursue long-term goals with passion and perseverance, even when they prove difficult. Gritty people tend to be successful in life; they are also happier. Once again, this isn’t the easy route in life—but that’s the point.

5. Admire virtue; pay no attention to vice.

You might be tempted to think that Emerson advocates abandoning all admiration of others. He does not; he simply argues for hardheaded discrimination between what is good and true, and everything else. “If you are noble, I will love you,” he writes, but “if you are not, I will not hurt you and myself by hypocritical attentions.” In other words, admire noble, good people, and give your attention only to what edifies and uplifts you. Psychologists have found that moral admiration of others may spur more positive qualities in yourself. Anything that is trivial, immoral, or silly is not even worth condemning; you should erase it utterly from your life.

6. Be willing to change your mind.

Most people are loath to appear inconsistent, and hate to admit having changed their minds. They fear that doing so makes them appear weak or unserious—or, worse, hypocritical. Emerson dismisses this fear in “Self-Reliance,” leading to its most famous line: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” He advocates saying what you believe without apology, whether it is consistent with what you believed yesterday or not. Just say, “I changed my mind,” because the research shows this can make you a less anxious person and thus happier.

7. Do not lie, including to yourself, no matter how much it hurts to tell the truth.

This instruction is a hard but important one for self-sufficiency. You can make your own decisions and form your own beliefs only “by speaking the truth,” which Emerson calls “the state of war.” This is not as hyperbolic as it may sound: Research suggests that the path of least resistance in life involves a lot of prevarication toward others and even with ourselves. To be truly self-reliant, we must stand up to this tendency, and be able to say, “I disagree with you” when we do, or “I dislike my life” when, deep down, we know this to be true.

8. Don’t be a “city doll.”

Emerson had a particular aversion to the way modern institutions domesticate us and render us dependent and helpless. “If the finest genius studies at one of our colleges, and is not installed in an office within one year afterwards,” he writes, “it seems to his friends and to himself that he is right in being disheartened.” He goes on to contrast this soft desk jockey with the “sturdy lad” from the countryside who builds his own life as he sees fit, and “always, like a cat, falls on his feet.” To Emerson, the young yeoman is worth “a hundred of these city dolls.”

The metaphorical message he intends is that you should not rely on any external institution for your happiness—and this has long been confirmed by researchers who have shown that seeking happiness from without usually leads to frustration. Instead, seek your happiness within—and build your own best life strictly according to your own specifications.

[liminality-secular-witch]

"What kind of witch are you?"

Every witch has a different approach and practice. Here is mine. ^_^

I consider myself a secular witch, in that, if you put a gun to my head and demand to know whether I "really believe" in spirits and supernatural powers, I would have to say "no." My personal gods and spirits are all extensions of my own consciousness, combined from my own experience and media I've consumed. I also do not follow any organized religions, though I do study Shinto and Zen Buddhism. I find the beliefs of those (open, btw) practices appealing and the resulting behaviors (such as care of one's body, possessions and the environment) edifying.

I consider myself a pop culture witch, and this has only grown stronger in my general practice and in tarot reading. Like Emily Carlin, who is often cited in introductory articles about pop culture magic, I use a living band of musicians to represent particular aspects of my magic (a huge chunk of it, to be honest). Additionally, characters and scenes from favorite movies and books have become the go-to imagery behind some cards. I'm not shy about calling on my pantheon of personal gods/spirits when I need a guide, cheerleader, or servitor in some particular role.

I consider myself an eclectic witch, in that I draw from many sources for my practice and much of it is my own devising and interpretation. I have no study (or major interest) in herbs, but I keep some whose scents and flavors evoke a particular emotion for me. I have no study (and only a mild interest) in crystals, but I have several that I have found myself particularly attracted to. I may research the traditional historical correspondences of these tools, but I always settle on a meaning that's unique to me and my practice.

I consider myself a skeptical witch who follows the psychological model, and I have an education in science and psychology. I love understanding how the brain interprets the world around us, whether that's understanding one's own body, relationships to others or place in the greater universe. The placebo effect—which is far, far more complex once you get into the literature of it—is an easy go-to to explain to people who might be new to SASS witchcraft, but there are even more ways to use what we understand of human thought to work through magic. The power of ritual can reliably call forth a particular mindset (professional athletes do this with their "superstitious" pre-game rituals) or even collapse time (as tea ceremony masters experience). Knowing how (if not why) a feeling of a bad omen comes over me, I know what steps I can take to counter it: Rather than trying to beat my mind into behaving "It's not real. Get over it!" I've instead learned to recognize that my fears are my natural instinct and that I can gently guide my brain back to a calm state when I need to.

What labels do you use for your practice if any, and why do you use them to describe it?

[promptedify]

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[selfieignite]

2023.07.18

12 Quick Questions for John Cho Engaging actor joins Season 2 of Apple TV+’s ‘The Afterparty’

Q: Would you consider yourself a party person?

A: When I was going to parties more when I was young … I would go rolling up in a corner and people watch. I remember when I was in college [The University of California, Berkeley], I used to like to take my lunch on the steps in the big plaza there and just sit on the steps and people watch. It’s my favorite activity, maybe.

Q: What factors persuade you to commit to an acting project, including The Afterparty?

A: It’s a little bit like falling in love. You can have your criteria, but you never know until you meet the script. But top of order are [the] people — cool people that you want to work with. It all just starts with the people, and then the script, and then the character.

Cho, far left, stars in Season 2 of the murder mystery series “The Afterparty” on Apple TV+.

Q: Who are some “cool people” you’d like to work with in the future?

A: The list is quite long. There’s so many people, so little time. I’m running out of years … I admire people from many genres, but one thing that I’m keen to do moving forward is [that] I’d like to work with friends more … One of the best feelings is to return to work with someone that you really love. There’s nothing quite like it.

Q: Your young-adult novel, Troublemaker, narrated by a 12-year-old character, was published this year. Any plans to write another book?

A: I’m working on something else right now, but I’m trying to see when I can set aside time to return to that. The coolest thing about the process of releasing a book has been the new artistic community that's been made available to me — all these authors that I’ve met. Now, authors are [asking] me, “Would you read my book and blurb it?” That community has been really cool. And not incidentally, meeting teachers and librarians through the releases of the book has been really wonderful and edifying.

Q: Why did you choose to write a book for that age group?

A: Twelve is at an age when I was moving around quite a bit, and I felt like I was a new kid in school every six months. The constant in my life was books. I relied on them very heavily to combat loneliness and feel that there was some kind of stability in my life. I never really saw someone that looked like myself on the cover of those books that I was reading. I thought it would be just a little Christmas gift for a 12-year-old me.

Q: What’s the first book you fell in love with?

A: The first book that meant a lot to me personally was Little House on the Prairie. I very, very clearly saw my own family, who are immigrants, in the Ingalls family that were traveling all over America alone. So I drew very conscious parallels between my family and theirs. I think that was the first series of books that meant a lot to me personally.

Q: Do you remember what it felt like to immigrate to the U.S. at age 6?

A: It’s a curious experience to immigrate as a kid, because on the one hand you’re very adaptable, and on the other, you’re not emotionally developed enough to know, to admit, that things are difficult. So certain things seem easy to you because, for instance, you can get the language easier than your parents. But on the other hand … you’re unable to identify things that make you feel unstable, and things that are emotionally difficult can sort of slip right past you until many years later. It’s a mixed bag. In some ways I’m still kind of figuring it out — what that experience was and how it defined my life.

Q: Is there an important life lesson, then, that you want to teach your own kids?

A: I don’t know that I consciously teach my kids [ages 10 and 15] a lot of stuff. The thing that I try to do most with them is to make them feel loved and safe, and then we’ll go from there. But In terms of what immigration has taught me, I think the lesson of immigration for me — and maybe I do teach it to my kids — is probably [that] you have to empathize with all human beings. You don’t know what their lives have been like up until the point you meet them.

Q: Are we ever going to see Harold and Kumar back together again?

A: That would please me. I don’t know. I’m not aware of any solid plans, but we talk about it from time to time, and if there’s an opportunity, perhaps. I think some of the rights issues are a little thorny, but the creators and Kal [Penn] and I are keen. We’d love to do one. It would be real fun to do one after all these years, as we’re almost AARP members ourselves.

Cho and Kal Penn starred in the 2004 comedy, “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.”

Q: You’re actually already eligible for AARP membership. Speaking of, did you have a big celebration last year for your 50th? A: I forget, sometimes [that] I’m 51 this year. In our house, all birthdays are kid birthdays. It’s all cakes for them and whatever they want to eat and handmade cards. It’s my favorite.

Q: Do you think about aging, and does it give you pause?

A: Sure. In some ways, this age is a very strange place to be when you have kids and aging parents. You’re taking care of both sides of your family. Raising the kids, you’re seeing the beginning of one life, and closer to the end on the other end. So, yes, you’re in a position where you’re forced to reflect on your body and other bodies and also spirits and also the longevity of life, of spirit. I have all the thoughts, all the time, because you’re forced to. Being this age, you’re seeing it all and you’re in the nexus of all these lives.

Q: What do you do to relax and feel grounded?

A: If I’m feeling anxious — it almost always does something for me in a good way — is to go outside, feel the wind, look at the trees … It sounds so simple, but it works for me. Everyone, if you have a park near your house, go to the park and spend half an hour there. It’ll do you good.

[x]

[freakingoutthesquares]

PULP: I Spy Summer Festival Programme, 1996

Do you have good childhood memories of summer?

Yes. At the start of the six weeks of holidays from school, you've got the feeling of endless immensity and, for the first couple of weeks, carries on feeling like that. That's brilliant, and it's what everybody wants from a holiday. I'm trying desperately to tie it in with the festival.

The festival is a microcosm for that sort of thing, you’re getting a city condensed. Glastonbury is the archetypal festival, and the first time I went, we went to Stonehenge to watch the sunrise and I was taken in by it all. I had on this all-white outfit, for some reason, and I decided to hitchhike to Glastonbury from there. I felt very incongruous with all these grotty travellers, and I was walking down the road like a ghost and it was brilliant, I really got into it. Glastonbury was a great thing, but by the end of it there all these hippies dragging about in the mud, and it seemed so ugly. This beautiful spring birth thing ended up in mud and decay and disaster.

Do you have any particular summer memories?

Yeah, North Yorkshire, really, which makes you think of the kind of Hi-De-Hi sort of thing, but actually it has a coastline which is incredibly romantic in a kind of Brontës sort of way. You can find little secret coves, and if you're lucky there will be just half a dozen people looking for shellfish. I tend to get quite geological on holidays trying to find fossils and rare stones. On the beach you can occasionally find Amethyst and Amber and Jet. The Jet comes from an undersea petrified forest of monkey puzzle trees. I once found a huge piece of Amber and I like the weird local stones that you don't get anywhere else. Of course, when they dry out, they go dull, which is disappointing.

What would your ideal summer days be?

It would have to involve a picnic and a slight amount of swimming in a natural location. That's why I wouldn't live in London and have to go swimming in Hampstead Heath or whatever. (I did go swimming in London once and it wasn't a very edifying experience.) Family and friends would be there. I know exactly where I would be, but it's a very specific place in Derbyshire and hard to describe.

Summer music.

It depends on the place. One thing I found out about America was that music you couldn't listen to in England, because it would just be a joke, makes sense when you're driving across the desert. And awful Italian music that you wouldn't dream of listening to: when it's hot and you're in Italy you wouldn't listen to anything else.

How about here?

There's a lot of nice classical music Vivaldi, Verde and Beethoven have very good Summery songs.

Do you put your speakers on the windowsill?

What, to inflict it on the neighbours? No, that's very anti-social. But I tell you what I did like the idea of getting. A Peacock. They make a right good noise. It's really melancholy.

It's horrible. Don't you like it? I love it. I think it's great. I haven't had personal experience of them and maybe they're a bit impractical in the city.

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

How is all the touring going?

This particular bit of touring is perfectly comfortable (often with touring all becomes a bit of a grimy drag) but there is not much in the way of excitement. America was very exciting, believe it or not. I have the usual Anglophile disdain of America, but I started really liking it. I was travelling on the bus with the crew, which make all the difference. (Russell was travelling with the crew because of a morbid terror of flying.)

What memories do you have of touring?

The most exciting single thing that happened was when we played this God-awful little festival in the Midwest with all these Hick farmer types and bodysurfers, and it was incredibly still in the audience. Garbage were playing and the place was so dead that me and Candida went down the front to watch them and they were very good. By the end of Garbage we were quite fired up and decided, “Yes, we will get changed and jump about.”

Then our driver, who was an amateur Storm Chaser (he looked a bit like Anthony Perkins) had been watching the weather for the last two days, and he insisted that we leave quite early because he knew there were some storms ahead. We ended up turning all the lights off on the bus to watch this immense black cloud with lightning inside, which illuminated the cloud so you could see its internal organs, and we were listening to the local weather and it was saying ‘people in Springfield get inside the basement now, get out of your car and into a ditch! Being inside the car is no protection against the tornado!’ You could hear the panic in his voice. Then about 40 miles in front of us, you could see it pass by the road, and we followed it on the map.

We were getting near this cloud, which was about 30 miles away, and even though we couldn't see it, we knew we were in the flight path of this tornado. There was this one point where we've got in front of the cloud, but the driver was getting really agitated by the storm and needed to stop the bus to clean loads of bugs off the windscreen and Candida wanted to hire a taxi and drive into the centre of the tornado. I was tempted, but we’d driven past some of the damage that the tornado had caused. You know, I want to see a crocodile, but I don't want to put my head in its mouth!

I was very impressed with Candida. The driver had previously been saying, ‘Oh, I'd stop here, but I don't think the little lady would like it.’ She didn't give a damn. It was quite frightening and great.

Everything that day all seemed to be tied up with this Garbage business because we got to the next town and all over the toilet was all this Pulp and Garbage graffiti signed Ian. It transpired that it had been written by Ian Astbury (of the Cult) the night before. All this stuff like ‘Pulp and Garbage united together in pain and death meet up in the year 2000 and come to my city together’ or something and I was just thinking, ‘how did he know that there was this vibe happening?’ I've never met him, but I really want to meet him now.

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

Do you feel different when it starts getting hot and sunny?

Well, yeah, it's that gland in the top of your head that starts getting over heated.

What happens?

You know what happens? There's a gland at the top of your head that activates sexual interest.

That's not true.

It is. That's true. Sunlight is the best for it. I think just getting a hot head isn't enough. I think it might be the ultraviolet that activates this gland.

Do you start screaming at girls and hanging out of cars?

Not really, but we can't help it, we’re chained to our own biology.

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

[the-consortium]

"Well, you two are actually the first. I've just read a lot of books about them. And I really like them... which I guess includes you two. I haven't had a chance to visit any others yet."

She ate a spoonful of chocolate marshmallow and picked up a remote.

"So what kinds of movies did you say you liked again?"

She clicked through a seemingly endless list of titles, her ice-cream tucked safely between her legs.

Saqqara is still sitting on the thick carpet. He trusts Arrian's vigilance enough to allow himself to close his eyes for a moment and collect himself.

Of course, there's a chance she's not telling the truth. He has spent centuries (millenia? Oh, time!) surrounded by lies as an art form and constant means of expression.

But what if it is true? Another stone in the building of the cosmos. The gods are universal. That is a fact and a truth. Immovable, but expandable. Perhaps with different names. Other faces. Truths that stretch across the abysses between the galaxies like cobwebs.

He sighs and lets his mind expand. He gently touches the ideas and the resulting possibilities. He will have to meditate on them more later. Hope for enlightenment from the gods and the words of his Primarch. But not now. Right now, the experience of the moment takes centre stage. He can feel Arrian's presence behind him. The scientific cold and the hot restraint.

Saqqara opens his eyes again.

"There was a holovid series about the Primarchs during the Great Crusade. Very stylised, very edifying. I'd like to see that again!"

Arrian groans, feigning annoyance.