#i haven't been inspired to care about the quality lately but then i gave one of my themed puzzles to two of my friends

[i-am-literally-deranged]

just been a little bit fucked up about what happened to him

[coquelicoq]

wow i am now attempting to edit the crosswords i wrote a week and a half ago and tested last week and they are. bad. i've already completely refilled one of them, refilled about half of another, and at the top of a third i had just written "too hard + boring" so will likely need to refill much of that one too. and when i'm done refilling i will still have to write new clues...i was not on my game in late february apparently! at least the rewriting process has been going okay. i'm so much more efficient at this than i used to be, which means i can be a lot pickier about quality now. so that's a good feeling, though obviously i would prefer to just...do better from the outset lol.

[soysaucecas]

Chapter 1: Crystal’s Ex-Fiancee Will Be On Busty Asian Beauties

Today, Crystal & Danica discuss why Danica should(n't) be on Busty Asian Beauties. We talk about: misogyny, "Soldier, Poet, King," and "Twist and Shout."

(Inspired by The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls World Tour. Not officially endorsed by @bustyasianbeautiespod.)

Full transcript under cut:

C: Hi, Crystal here. We realized a little too late that this episode doesn’t really make sense and is very unfunny without knowledge of the podcast The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls World Tour, so give that a listen or a look first, I suppose. Also, this was originally going to be released on April Fool’s Day, but we decided not to because it would overshadow the BABPod Season 1 finale, so pretend that it is April 1st right now.

-

[jumbled piano music vaguely resembling the BABPod theme]

C: Hello, my name is Crystal.

D: I'm Danica.

C: And this is Crystal's Ex-Fiancee Will Be on Busty Asian Beauties, the Busty Asian Beauties fan podcast where I, one of the co-hosts of Busty Asian Beauties...

D: And I, someone who has never been on Busty Asian Beauties...

C: Discuss why my ex-fiancee should be the third co-host of the podcast.

D: Yeah. And of course, all of this is speculative fiction. I will never be on the podcast, and I don't wanna be on the podcast, but also, I will be on the podcast and these are all the reasons why.

-

C: So, Danica, tell me about your history with Supernatural and its fandom.

D: [laughs] I started watching it after you got really into it-

C: Mm-hm.

D: And I thought it would be really funny to watch the show for 7 seasons. So I've seen more of it than you have-

C: Yeah.

D: - and just not tell you, and then one day just say like, "I've seen all of Supernatural." But then I kept getting really mad at the show [C laughs] because it sucked so bad. So eventually, like, I felt like I was just making everyone else in my life hate me, so I thought like, okay, well, I have to tell Crystal now. And I got to halfway point in the show!

C: Yeah!

D: So it's perfect. It's like you've never seen it, Grey's seen all of it, and now I'm in the middle.

C: Reason number 1- Danica is a good midway point between me and Grey-

D: Exactly.

C: - in terms of watching Supernatural.

Now, how do you feel about Supernatural and the Supernatural fandom?

D: Um... poorly.

C: Yeah.

D: But if- If I was on BAB and someone gave me money on the Ko-Fi to not feel that way, I would love the Supernatural fandom so much. [C laughs] I could love Dean for $4. [C laughs more]

-

C: What are other reasons? That you just don't give a shit about Supernatural? That's a new perspective.

D: Yeah. I can just sit there, and you can all be like, you know, like, "I think Dean is, like, a total monster who's abusing his authority!" and Grey can be like, "I think Dean like, has reasons behind his actions!" and I can be like, "Who cares? Let's go watch freaking like, Bojack Horseman already!" [C laughs] Like-

C: Yeah. A podcast about -

D: Haven't you heard of Steven [in unison] Universe? Like, hello?

What qualities are people seeing in Supernatural that they're not seeing in Steven Universe?

C: Um... misogyny?

-

C: Okay, what are other reasons that Danica should be on BABPod?

D: ... Please? Is that- does that count as a reason?

C: I mean-

D: If I just said "Pretty- pretty please?"

C: Yeah, no, that's pretty good. I'll take it.

D: Yeah, okay! There's one.

Maybe we should just split it up.

C: Yeah.

D: So if there were three of us, it could be like, one person's Asian, one of us is busty, and like, one of us is the beauty-

C: [overlapping] Beautiful. Oh!

D: So it's like we all represent like, one.

C: Yeah!

D: Like "Soldier, Poet, King."

C: How would you split "Soldier, Poet, King" in Supernatural?

D: Oh, that's so easy!

C: Like Dean is obviously soldier -

D: Yeah! Literally. And then Sam is k- I would say Sam is king and Cas is- yeah.

C: Yeah! I would- I would also say that Sam is king and Cas is poet, but all the ones that I've watched have Sam as poet and Cas as king.

D: Really? Why?

C: Because-

D: Because Cas is the man who would be king?

C: Um, I think mostly it's just because they only view Sam as like, loreboy, so it's just like Sam is only associated with words and they forgot that he's literally like, the boyking of Hell.

D: That's so silly!

-

C: Well, now that the plane has passed, what were we talking about before? Oh, you've watched "Strawberry Blond" video.

D: Yes, I've watched the Destiel "Strawberry Blond" video, yes.

C: And she's read "Twist and Shout."

D: I have skimmed "Twist and Shout," [C laughs] yes.

C: So, really, Danica has learned more from social media about Supernatural than me. [D laughs]

D: I mean, I feel like my Supernatural social media, quote unquote -

C: Uh-huh.

D: - is just, like, talking to you, so...

C: God. Ouch.

D: Yeah. [laughs]

C: We're making a "Twist and Shout" podcast after this one, guys. [D laughs]

D: I will never finish, ever.

C: I am not reading "Twist and Shout."

D: Like I'm- I can't just like, say to myself that like, "I haven't done my readings for my English class, [C laughs] but let me set aside this, like, critical essay by Northrop Fry to like, consume 'Twist and Shout,'" like, honestly, you know?

C: Right.

D: For a gag. Like, not even enjoying it.

The people are gonna love-

C: They are.

D: How we just sit here talking about chapters.

C: They're titled "Chapter 1," "Chapter 2," "Chapter 3"...

D: Okay, let's just sit here and go through every single chapter silently, and then-

C: Okay.

D: Okay.

C: So, "Twist and Shout," we start with chapter 1.

D: Yes.

C: Next, we have chapter 2.

D: Good recap, yeah.

C: Chapter 3...

D: Uh-huh.

C: Chapter 4...

D: Sick.

C: Chapter 5...

D: Yeah.

C: Chapter 6?

D: Uh-huh.

C: Chapter... 7!

D: Okay!

C: Chapter 8.

D: Yeah.

C: Chapter... 9?

D: God, it keeps going!

C: Chapter 10.

D: Yeah.

C: Chapter 11-

D: Of course.

C: And ooh, you're gonna like this one. Epilogue!

D: Oh! That's like kinda a plot twist, though!

C: Yeah! It is!

D: 'Cause I really thought you were gonna say chapter 12!

C: Yeah, no!

D: So, there you go, yeah!

C: Yeah, there we go!

D: That was an emotional journey. I can see why this is the top fic on SPN AO3.

C: To be clear, we don't support "Twist and Shout."

D: Is there like a big anti-"Twist and Shout" movement, or do we just all, like, hate it and then move on, like, in our hearts?

C: I... there's not necessarily a movement, more like a general acknowledgement that it's like, very very embarrassing that someone wrote a Vietnam War fic-

D: It's very funny, yeah.

C: - where Cas also dies of AIDS. [D laughs]

[laughing] We're really off-topic. Why else should you be on -

D: [laughing] What is the topic here?

C: I don't know! Why you should be on BABPod?

D: I mean, there are no really good reasons for that, so I can see why we just went off topic.

C: I've been thinking about what it would be like if you were on the "Hammer of the Gods" episode.

[silence]

D: Oh, they- that can't be heard on the audio medium. I'm shaking my head to show that I disapprove of racism. [both laugh]

But you'll find that out. In episode 4.18 of BABPod.

C: Um, isn't "Hammer of the Gods" in season 5 or something?

D: Seriously?

C: Yeah.

D: Okay, that makes sense, I guess.

C: Yeah, 'cause Lucifer's in it, so he had to have been like, let out of the Cage.

D: Oh, god, yeah. This is something that we need to establish is that I forgot all of the Supernatural that I watched. Like, I don't remember any of it.

C: Right.

D: I watched it like, less than a year ago.

C: That's also another perspective.

-

D: Okay, we can all agree that nobody wants this to happen.

C: Yeah.

D: Like, literally none of us want me to be on the show.

C: Right, including you.

D: But... but. If this episode gets 10 million listens, [C laughs] then, you have to let me on, because it proves this is what the people need.

Let's go watching freaking Steven Universe already. Like- [laughs]

C: Yeah, let's do that. Okay.

This has been the first episode of Crystal's Ex-Fiancee Will Be on Busty Asian Beauties. And we're gonna go watch Steven Universe now.

D: This is a 10-part miniseries. Okay. [C laughs]

C: Bye guys!

[mugoki]

[ 5 March — 14 March, 2021 ]

1K Pages Readathon wrap-up

Here are all the books i read for #1kpagesmarch challenge! 💗

Total pages read: 1104 / 1000 (if my math is correct)

Here are my book reviews:

The Old King in His Exile (2017) by Arno Geiger

Arno Geiger tell in great detail of his father's slow change into dementia, how his strange behavior and mannerism suddenly isn't made to fit in their everyday life, as if he'd been put in exile. But also of his father's childhood, in a way to explain the new ideas and needs the illness put in the old man's head. Beautiful story of a man struggling to chase his memories as the world around turn stranger. 180 pages 🌟 4/5 stars

- - - - -

Diary (1956) by Olof Lagercrantz

Went into this book blind, don't think i've read this author's books before. Idk, i couldn't get into it. The text doesn't feel 100% genuine, feels written specifically for an audience instead of personal journal and even if the language is poetic - is like uninteresting smalltalk. Olof lives near a graveyard, and when he isn't thinking deeply about death and life, he mention cute women he has seen during the day. I dropped this book at 55 pages read (out of 159 pages), giving it 1/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

111 Ways to Save the Planet (2019) by Jonna Karvonen and Marie Schjulström

111 listed ways to save the environment as a single human being! First the book tell of the bigger picture, if each person change their old ways and educate, we are bound to make a difference. If not for everyone else, at least do it for the animals.

I haven't read much environmental books but after some severe signs of our dying earth lately, i felt i wanted to do something but had no idea what. Found myself incredibly inspired by this book! Many of the points speaks to different kind of people: like the regular joe or the broke student or the business owner or a parent. Like the book have something that everyone can do within their own restrictions and boundaries.

I used post-its to remember a few points that spoke to me. 92 pages and 5/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

Aniara (1956) by Harry Martinson

Tried reading this sci-fi novel after watching a super interesting youtube movie review, but the language of the book made me too impatient to continue. The concept sound insanely good though! The spaceship Aniara on its way to Mars suddenly end up off course and hover indefinitely waiting for an asteroid to help turn them back, but as the years go by, the passengers grow more desperate and crazier.

When reached chapter 15 (out of 200) i felt frustrated, like "i can't go on like this". Got myself through only 32 pages out 188 pages before calling it quits. 2/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

Homework (1989) by various authors*

Anthology short stories about childhood school memories from early 1910s up to 1960s. Very interesting how school looked, worked and felt like during those days - more god praising and physical punishment than i far expected. But every story had something i enjoyed reading. 223 pages, 4/5 stars 🌟

*Bengt Anderberg, Mats Arvidsson, Sun Axelsson, Jonas Gardell, Lotten Gustafsson, Staffan Göthe, Cecilia Hagen, P. C. Jersild, Nina Lekander, Bodil Malmsten, Agneta Pleijel, Margareta Strömstedt, Maarja Talgre, Karl Vennberg, Claire Wikholm, Herta Wirén and Pia Zandelin. Editor: Lena Persson.

- - - - -

Desperate Characters (1970) by Paula Fox

Sophie and Otto are a married couple in their 40s. She is a bit naive or at least timid while he is cynical and bad at showing emotions.

Sophie gets bitten pretty severely by a wild cat, and for some reason she doesn't want medical attention. I think it's because the bite is the most exciting thing happening to her life since forever, or maybe she just doesn't want to be a bother? So she let it become infected spreading up her arm, but with the pain, her personality changes from being someone passive - to being able to argue, angry and be loud.

Meanwhile Otto has a problem of his own. His longtime business partner and friend Charlie has decided to start his own lawyer company. Charlie manipulate their customers to turn their back on Otto and join his new company. At first Otto is very cold about this, as if he doesn't care but as the story progresses he slowly open up how betrayed and hurt he feels about the whole ordeal.

Other stuff happen in between, memories of when Sophie had a secret romance with someone else, their house get vandalized, they go to dinner parties.

All the other characters speak in this weird similiar manner btw - they hold monologues about something that leads to another topic that leads to another, then back to the first one. It reminds me of the theater somehow. 182 pages and 3/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

It is Strange Nowadays (2009) by Karin Flygare

Birgitta cares for her mother who slowly succumbing to dementia. It's ugly and tragic and frustrating, but also beautiful. When suddenly becoming a mother for her own mother, Birgitta finds herself struggling to maintain her own identity and life to care for a woman who is rude, reluctant and downright bothersome towards her with constant need for attention. I quote "Even though i'm worried, i'm angry over the fact that she's ruining my day." and i can't help feeling frustrated with her. Every waking moment, always calling, taking care of everything and still get no recognition. But also a child's love for their parent, staying through everything despite getting hurt. I can relate so much with my own life situation.

I know this is fiction but it all sounds so realistic, and even the care-home process feel well researched. At one point, the agent of a low quality home tries to sign themselves as their legal guardian for her mother, but luckily she is quick to notice and makes herself present. Good job! Also, good book! 207 pages and 5/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

The Sea-man (2012) by Carl-John Wallgren

A big sister witness how some guys at school drench a cat in gasoline and sets it on fire, killing it. This leads to the bullies to daily harass her little brother who has slight intellectual disability. One day they get jumped, the brother is forced to eat dirt and the big sister get a branch shoved up her rear (no joke, wtf). Then another classmate shows up and bargain to leave them alone in exchange for something. The bullies want $100. The big sister and classmate start stealing clothes from shops to resell them. I only read to page 106 out of 287, when the sea creature finally gave an appearance. But by then they had already payed the bullies and gotten rid of the conflict. I felt exhausted and unmotivated to continue. 1/5 stars

- - - - -

In the Grip of the Lindworm (2014) by Hans Ohlsson

One of many horror stories from his novel collection called Stranger, Intruder. The story tells of a grandfather taking his granddaughter on a three day hike through mountains and forest, as a pick-me-up after a recent accident took both her parents. She is bitten by a snake during her pee break and start getting really sick. We feel stressed with grandfather as he tries to find help before it's too late. It's based on a Swedish mythological creature called Lindworm, which could bring both luck or misfourtune. Never heard of it causing illness but wish he would have filled in some info instead of relying on the reader to automatically know. I'm definitely going to continue reading this collection though! 4/5 stars and 27 pages 🌟

[mediafocus-blog1]

Cult Beauty Is The UK Beauty Website You Haven't Heard Of Yet, But Need To Know About

New Post has been published on https://mediafocus.biz/cult-beauty-is-the-uk-beauty-website-you-havent-heard-of-yet-but-need-to-know-about/

Cult Beauty Is The UK Beauty Website You Haven't Heard Of Yet, But Need To Know About

While Ulta has been creeping up in the back of Sephora and nipping at its Louboutins, there is a UK retailer that needs to begin touchdown on the radar of beauty obsessives, consistent with Racked.

Cult Beauty may actually trump Sephora and Ulta for product junkies who are seeking out brands earlier than they get huge, manufacturers that aren’t usually easy to nab, or who’re definitely looking for something exclusive. Essentially, Cult Beauty is like having your own private beauty editor when purchasing a product.

Yes, I recognize. “UK-based totally” method that you have to address overseas shipping time frames. However, there are such a lot of matters approximately this digital safe that makes it worth it slow, attempt, and coins.

The business enterprise proudly touts on its internet site that it is purpose is to “demystify the splendor industry, combining purchaser trials with the big information of our expert panel to clear out the bloggers and braggers from the gems that do what they say on the tin. The end result is a beauty corridor of reputation you can shop inside the understanding that something you purchase can be brilliant.”

Now, this is a challenge announcement I absolutely co-signal.

Per Racked’s file, Cult sells sure emblem’s hero products, in place of a brand’s whole range of services.

The merchandise is sourced from all over the world and the Cult crew likes taking probabilities by incubating growing manufacturers and giving them an income platform earlier than they grow to be family names. There is some thing so rewarding about the use of and understanding an emblem before your BFF does, proper?

Here’s a sampling of a number of the brands. Another cool thing about Cult? It operates on the principle that clients don’t care approximately over-arching emblem loyalty. Instead, co-founder Alexia Inge informed Racked, “It all comes down to the product. Each has to stand on their personal and persuade them that it will be a terrific healthy. That’s where beauty is headed now.”

you can keep acquainted manufacturers like beauty blender and Elizabeth Arden or Instagram-famous ones like Morphe. But different, lesser knowns like Smith & Cult, Tata Harper, and Vamp Stamp also are bought right here.

I recognize what I am going to be doing this weekend and that is unearthing new brands in one spot!

Beauty And The Blues – Two Of The Best From Nottingham

Twenty 5 years ago, the beginning of a darker aspect of the track was forming. Straight out of the loins of fast, furious punk, got here the somber technique to existence and death inside the form of Goth. It changed into first of all the delights of North London in such suburbs as Camden Town that became first blamed. Pointed at by using conservative bony hands for the introduction to such macabre approaches of questioning, it changed into simply Nottingham and the encompassing regions, it has been said, first took the giant steps right into a brave new witchcraft -like global. Even although Nottingham failed to obtain superb Goth repute within the eyes of the relaxation of the English speaker international, (no declare on Joy Division, I’m afraid) they did manage to install their penny’s really worth as far as other track changed into to head….

So, we know that every town could have a stab at a claim to repute on the ‘producing genre’ list. It’s not hard for the Liverpudlians to shout Cilla Black or Gerry and the Pacemakers in the front of a passing vacationer. They don’t even have to mention the B phrase an excessive amount of nowadays. Even Leeds can boast the extra current Sisters Of Mercy; likely one of the maximum progressive bands from the Goth motion, however, hold rapid, there are greater obscure locations to head and discover the start of notable names. What approximately Cobham in Surrey who gave us Peter Gabriel and who can overlook Stanmore in Middlesex who gave us Billy Idol? So who’ve we been able to become aware of as greater than only a blotch on the British track industry from this historic metropolis?

Well, delving thru the inner most depths of the back of my thoughts, I came up with bands who’ve graced us with their enigmatic presence. The first of these bands are nearly absolutely going to be figures of the 1960s technology. Back in the midst of the psychedelic decade, lengthy haired, introverted college students have been busily operating away on their own beautiful plants of already at ease music themes. It wasn’t simply The Beatles that we got all useless approximately with the aid of any stretch of the imagination. The teenagers of the day have been transferring right into a sample of generating their own angles of music that their parents had been delivered up on. The British Blues scene took it is turning at peaking across the overdue Sixties with such sounds from John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and Peter Green. Born out of the inspiration of the ever converting social recognition of ‘free thinking,’ a positive band flung themselves onto most of the people from Nottingham and that they eventually are known as themselves, Ten Years After. Appearing as though they’d all failed the audition for ‘Easy Rider,’ and with Leo Lyons, their bass guitarist searching extra like Frank Zappa, those 3 individuals got here together and created a number of the best British born Blues around.

Although they may not light up any seasonal fire crackers for your minds, they’ll have made their presences felt for the duration of the modern British Blues scene. Solidifying actual Southern U.S blues with a predominately white guitar feel, they embarked on a historic profession that has in no way without a doubt ended. Even although British Blues artists have been smoldering away inside the privacy in their very own bedrooms for the reason that late 1950s, it became, surprisingly and literally, ten years after that this sound from the now, heavenly appeared, artists of that time, honestly came to the fore. It becomes high-quality musicians like Alvin Lee, of Ten Years After, that gave us the spine of quite a few the rock song we nevertheless pay attention to these days.