#since well david is a arse

[review-anon]

Kaede plays Winter Wrap Up!

Ah that was a lovely song and now to play this!

*Kaede then starts playing another song*

Oooh Winter Wrap Up, I like this song, very fitting for this!

Erm Xander are you admitting that you like-

Nope Nope NOPE! Don't want to hear it David!

[anxiousthoughts365]

Dress Up

Very NSFW, minors DNI. Halloween is mentioned but this is very definitely a no Voldy AU

Halloween is a night that they all enjoy. It gives them the chance to relax, to get a little loose and a little drunk without feeling like they have to behave themselves, like they might at the annual Potter family Christmas parties that they've all attended for the past three years since leaving Hogwarts.

The Marauders like to dress up for Halloween, and of course, James and Sirius usually take things to the next level with extravagant and obscure designs. Peter likes a nice, straight-forward costume that he doesn't have to explain to anyone. And since moving in with James two years ago, Regulus has been dragged into the tradition, and has mostly willingly played along.

Remus often just does something half-arsed. Even though he enjoys seeing everyone else's costumes, he already feels like a monster all year round, so he can't see the point of donning one himself to let everyone else see him that way, too.

In past years, he's made do with as little as possible: a crooked purple wizard's hat and small round spectacles (Dumbledore); a headband with fuzzy ears and eyeliner stripes that he'd had Sirius draw across his cheeks (the cat that sometimes lingered around the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts); a black jumper with white lines painted on it (a skeleton).

This year, however, Remus has gained enough courage to properly dress up. Well, perhaps it's not entirely courage alone that has led to his choice of costume this evening. Sirius' daily tantrums in the lead up to the Potter-Black Halloween party also went quite a long way to him deciding that he'd actually make an effort this year, if only to stop the man's insistent whining.

But he's already incredibly uncomfortable, and he hasn't even left his and Sirius' flat yet. The four of them had gotten together to get ready, like old times, before they were to head over to the Potter mansion in time for the party. But at this point, Remus doesn't know if he'll actually be able to step outside his own front door.

He grimaces at his reflection in the floor-length mirror in their hallway, self-consciously tugging at the zip on the front of his ridiculously tight, iridescent green body suit. He doesn't dare to let it open any lower than his collar bones - it would reveal too much of his scarring.

But he'd wanted to be Bowie - specifically, Oh You Pretty Things on The Old Grey Whistle Test Bowie. And this is what he'll have to suffer tonight to achieve that look. He's just debating whether it will be worth the suffering when James bounds into the hall from the living room, where the others had been dressing. He takes one look at Remus, and quite comically stops dead mid-bound.

'Fuck me, Lupin,' James whistles appreciatively. Remus blushes, but before he can grumble at his friend, Peter wanders out behind James, fiddling with the front of his own outfit.

'Why is Moony fucking you?' he asks, then looks up from fixing his last button and catches sight of Remus. His eyes pop wide, and a salacious grin spreads over his plump cheeks as he purrs, 'Forget James, Remus, fuck me!'

'Why are we all fucking my boyfriend?' comes a third voice, heavy enough with petulance that Remus doesn't even need to see Sirius to know that he's pouting. His possessiveness of Remus is, at times, endearing. At other times, it's downright distracting.

But then Sirius is in the hallway with them, and Remus forgets all about how distracting Sirius' passions can be. Because Sirius is distraction himself tonight.

He's dressed as Mark Bolan, because of fucking course he is. One mild suggestion he'd found in an old, obscure Muggle magazine that Mark and David were 'close', and Sirius had been instantly convinced that the stars had carried out a secret gay affair. He'd gone so far as to beg Remus to be Bowie this year, just so they could do a couples' costume. He'd even said that Remus could choose his Bowie era, which had definitely swung his case. It also didn't hurt that he'd always found Mark Bolan rather attractive.

But in Remus' opinion, Mark Bolan has absolutely nothing on the man before him. Sirius' black hair has been teased into loose curls that hang around his face and shoulders. He's managed to dig a sequinned purple blazer out from Gods-only-know-where, and his tight black leather pants are leaving very little to Remus' imagination.

The smear of khoal around the man's eyes holds Remus' attention for a few minutes, but then he meets Sirius' gaze, and everything in him goes tight. Because while he's been looking at Sirius, Sirius has been looking at him, and Remus wonders just how much of the lust and need that he can see on his boyfriend's face is currently reflected in his own expression.

'Lads,' Sirius croaks, breaking the thick silence that had suddenly descended on the flat. He doesn't look away from Remus as he murmurs, 'You both go on ahead. Moony and I are going to need a minute.' His eyes, burning pools of molten silver, rake down Remus' body, and his voice is unbearably tight when he adds, 'Make that twenty minutes.'

James retches, but Peter is chuckling and coo'ing at them to stay safe, kids as he pulls the other boy down the hall, squeezing past where Remus stands, immobilised. The front door slams shut behind them, and Sirius is instantly moving. Between one blink and the next, he's down the hall, and all at once he's practically climbing Remus' lanky form, winding slender fingers into his thick brown curls and pulling him down into a bruising kiss.

'Bloody hell, Moons,' Sirius breathes, nipping non-too-gently at Remus' lower lip. 'You look incredible.'

'Me?' Remus huffs, reaching down to grab a handful of Sirius' arse. The leather is moulded so closely to his skin that it almost feels like he's wearing nothing, and Remus whines, burying his face against Sirius' neck. 'These should be illegal, Padfoot. I don't think I can let you wear them outside of this flat.'

'That's alright,' Sirius gasps, his hips canting when Remus' teeth graze his throat. 'I only wore them - ah - f-for you anywayyyooooh, fuck!'

'Is that so?' Remus smirks, continuing to move the hand that he's somehow managed to squeeze into the front of Sirius' very tight trousers. The man's black-rimmed eyelids flutter, and Remus is grinning as he goes on, 'Well, that must mean I can do whatever I like with them, right?'

'You can do whatever you like to any part of me,' Sirius pants, but then he pauses, his eyes clearing slightly as he adds, 'Except for my hair. It took me ages.'

'There he is,' Remus chuckles, extracting himself from Sirius' trousers and instead hoisting the shorter man up into his arms. 'Thought I'd lost you for a minute, there.'

'I'm always with you, Moony,' Sirius breathes, his eyes going hazy again as he wraps his legs around Remus' narrow waist. The contact and friction spur Remus on through their flat to their bedroom, and it's a vague, distant thought when he wonders if they'll actually make it to the party this year.

[leaswhum]

"Julian!" a familiar Ashwinder calls you over when he sees you enter the camp. "Good timing, are you busy? We have a feast tonight but the boys might need some help with the, err, fried chicken..? Charles is a dumbass, he cast a dancing jinx on it in the kitchen, fresh out of the oven. It hasn't stopped dancing since, and they have trouble catching it…"

The moment Julian had set foot into camp, something felt off. There was a ruckus, but nothing of a seemingly dangerous nature. Laughter. A shout or two. A call from the left pulled his attention closer to the heart of it all.

A familiar face bound toward him, a bit dishevelled. And a bit…greasy. Evidently there had been a chicken fiasco, and…Hells, what was his name again? David? Devon? It did start with a ‘D,’ yeah…?  

“Dancing chicken. Okay,” Julian mused wrestling to keep his face neutral. He glanced behind the man, taking in the growing concern on a few of his compatriots’ faces. He gestured toward the top of his head. “Charles—that’s the ah…the knobbish one with the terrible comb-over, yeah?” 

‘D’ nodded, wiping an extra bit of grease from his hands onto his trousers. “That’d be the one.” Julian fought back a grimace and stepped around toward the growing crowd.

It took a bit of work to squeeze through to the main attraction. Once he finally did break through, however, he realized he hadn’t truly been prepared. Not in the slightest. His barking laugh startled the scout beside him, and he bit down on his lip to stifle another. He simply watched, bewildered by the scene unfolding before him. 

Charles and a bigger man rounded opposite sides of the table slowly, eyeing the chicken as it sashayed about. It was almost difficult to process what Julian was actually seeing. Because if he wasn’t mistaken—No, it had to be—

Was that bird gyrating?

For a moment, he almost felt he should look away. He’d seen his fair share of promiscuity amongst his peers, but this? Dancing was certainly one word for it, he supposed. It waltzed along the table top, wiggling its little arse to and fro. A flip of the wing here, a spin there. Every time one of the lads thought they might grab hold, it would only shimmy away from their grasp.

“Walker! I asked for you to help, not gawk.”

“Well, I—” Julian choked down another laugh. “I’m assessing the situation, yeah? How long has it been at…that?” He snorted, nodding toward another failed attempt to grab for the chicken’s tapping toes.

“Twenty minutes now, give or take, I suppose,” ‘D’ huffed. “At this rate, damn thing’ll be cold before we get to eat.”

“Huh. And has anyone, ah—” A giggle bubbled out of him. “Has anyone offered to take it back to their tent? See if that gives it pause enough to snatch it?” 

“Julian.” 

“Alright. Hells, okay,” he chuckled. “Well, has anyone attempted a levitation charm?”

‘D’ blinked owlishly. “What?”

“You—A levitation charm? A slowing charm?” Julian stared in disbelief. “Anything of the sort?”

“Well, no. I don’t think…so.” ‘D’ sighed and glanced back at the bird sheepishly. “That would’ve made more sense, I suppose. It still won’t stop…dancing, though.”

Julian hummed thoughtfully, watching the flouncing fowl a moment longer before a sly grin crept across his face. He clapped a hand on ‘D’s shoulder and leaned in a bit closer.

“Mate, I think you’re eating dancing chicken tonight,” Julian snickered. “Just slap a quick Wingardium Leviosa on it, and pass it around the table.”

“What?” ‘D’ gawped. “You’re taking a piss, right? You want us to just carve up a chicken while it’s still dancing?”

“It’s not alive. It's already plucked and roasted. Don’t start personifying—” Julian eyed the bird again, and was thrown into a fit of giggles when it gave another wiggle his direction. “Look—I’ve got a better idea. Let it be Charles’ punishment for being a twit. You lot enjoy your meal—Charles can wander around maintaining the night’s entertainment and get everyone fed.”

Others in their vicinity muttered their agreement, and ‘D’ nodded slowly. “Yeah. Okay.” 

“Good man,” Julian laughed giddily. “Well, with that sorted, I’m off.” He stepped back from the thinning group, ready to make for his tent.

“Wait, you’re not joining us?” ‘D’ asked, confused.

“Oh, no. No, no,” Julian clicked his tongue, gesturing toward the—now contained—chicken. “That thing gave me bedroom eyes. I’m leaving before it gets any cheeky ideas.”

[eddieisashifter]

˖‧ 𓆗 ࣪‧ ˖ 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐋𝐃-𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘 — ​🇲​​🇦​​🇷​​🇦​​🇺​​🇩​​🇪​​🇷​​🇸​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇱​​🇮​​🇹​​🇾​

❝ Being apart of the Noble House of Crowley comes with a different responsibility to other pureblood wizarding families. There is more than the petty squabbles of blood purity that mean so much to those fools. As a Crowley, you are above such things. Don't forget that.❞

❝ We are the keepers of balance in the wizarding world. There is no Ministry of Magic that could survive without our influence. The rumors say that every cursed object, every enchanted place, can be drawn back to a witch from our line. They are correct. Therefore, we are also in charge of managing these things. It is both a privilege and a responsibility. Use it well.❞

EDMUND "EDDIE" CROWLEY — THE PRINCE OF SLYTHERIN he/they transmasc 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳��󠁴󠁿 pureblood 16 years queer wand type: black walnut, dragon heartstring, 12"

❝ have you heard about the prince of slytherin? he's the talk of hogwarts. he's the second youngest child of the mysterious pureblood crowley family. he's friends with all the heirs of the major wizarding families. he's somehow got all of slytherin wrapped around his little finger, begging for his attention. he always seems to know what to say to keep people off his back, but no one really knows anything about him at all. besides he's got the looks, voice, and influence to make sirens eat their hearts out.❞

I'll let you in on a secret, this was all according to plan.

I watched, as the second youngest of six, my siblings begin their academic journeys at hogwarts. each of them focused heavily on their academic studies, keeping to my families reputation by influencing things from the shadows. however, I had other plans.

the easiest way to influence someone, is to make them think they're solving the puzzle. getting a look into the real you, behind a mask. however, if you can control this, you can easily influence the masses.

and thus was the birth of the prince of slytherin.

I didn't create the nickname, though I won't say it's not fitting. influence and control are synonymous with me and my slytherin friendgroup—the royals. we turn heads, attract rumors, and start trends.

everything would be so much easier if it was just that. however, of course nothing can be easy.

three words— sirius. goddamn. black.

there never was a more annoying person in all of the wizarding world. he can't ever learn when to shut his mouth, no matter how many times I tell him off. we've known each other since we were barely out of the cradle and he's been annoying me since then. barty has to hold me back from going at him in the muggle way—with my own two hands. one of these days I'm going to curse his smug, irritating, gorgeous, arse.

however, I have bigger problems than sirius black, and his intriguing yet handsome boyfriend, remus lupin. can you imagine how angry he'd be if I stole his boyfriend?

oh, well that's an idea, isn't it?

now playing....

good old-fashioned loverboy — queen 1:03 ──⚬──── 3:34 ⇆ ◃◃ ıı ▹▹ ↻

next in the slytherin royals queue;

everybody wants to rule the world — tears for fears paint it, black — the rolling stones the prettiest star — david bowie angel of small death and the codeine scene — hozier i love rock 'n roll — joan jett sympathy for the devil — the rolling stones boys don't cry — the cure killer queen — queen there is a light that never goes out — the smiths casual — chappell roan

[mariacallous]

Earlier this week, I started a 3,000km, two-day journey back from the other end of Europe, where I witnessed Ukrainian resilience against Russian terror in the besieged city of Kharkiv. A university lecturer told me that from a 12th storey balcony in a north-eastern suburb she had actually seen the flashes of missiles taking off from launchpads just across the frontier, in the Russian city of Belgorod. An S-300 missile can reach Kharkiv from Belgorod in about 30 seconds, so you have no time to hide. If it’s not a missile, it’s a glide bomb launched from a Russian warplane – and so, day after day, death rains indifferently down.

After more than 900 days of the largest war in Europe since 1945, Ukraine is approaching a perilous moment of truth. The Ukrainian David has courage and innovation, but the Russian Goliath has ruthlessness and mass. In an underground location in Kharkiv, I was shown highly sophisticated, novel military uses of IT and drones. With its Cossack-style innovation, the country has developed more than 200 different kinds of drone.

A joke has it that two Ukrainian activists meet for a drink:

“How’s your drone company doing?”

“Great, thanks, but how did you know I have one?”

“Of course you do!”

I find the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers constantly humbling, but they are being ground down by the sheer scale of Russia’s assault and the Kremlin’s willingness to use its own citizens as cannon fodder. Vladimir Putin has just ordered an increase of the Russian military on active service to a target figure of 1.5 million. “It’s all about the numbers,” a senior Ukrainian military intelligence officer told me. Ukraine’s daring incursion into the Kursk region of Russia has given a psychological boost, but opinions are sharply divided about its strategic wisdom.

In the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, there’s a real danger of a Russian breakthrough if Putin’s forces take the logistical hub of Pokrovsk. Ukrainians are exhausted. Trauma lurks just beneath the surface. Several times I saw the eyes of tough soldiers grow damp when they mentioned their fallen comrades. About half the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed. This winter will be cruel. Meanwhile, the west continues to hesitate and hold back, fearful of escalation – led (if that’s the word) in this regard by the US president, Joe Biden.

Seeing all this, Ukrainian leaders are making a new pitch. Having for two years talked only of total victory, defined as recovering all the country’s territory in the frontiers of 1991, including Crimea and Donbas, they now speak of reaching a position where Ukraine can negotiate from strength. Unlike many in the west, however, they understand that the only way to get there is to turn the tide on the battlefield: to knock Goliath sharply back on his heels, if not his arse. The insight is crucial. A central Asian leader who knows Putin well was asked by a western interlocutor whether the Russian president will negotiate. Yes, came the prompt reply, “when his generals tell him he’s losing”.

That’s what the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had in mind when he told the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference in Kyiv last week that we need “a gamechanger to make Russia make peace”. As the UN general assembly meets in New York next week, Zelenskyy will personally present his plan to Biden. Top of the list is getting American permission to use western missiles – including British Storm Shadow missiles, which have US targeting technology – to strike more of the sites in Russia from which attacks originate. Many lives could have been saved if this had been given sooner. The head of the Kharkiv regional administration told me that in the few months since Biden – faced with a new Russian offensive towards Kharkiv this May – finally allowed limited strikes on targets across the nearby frontier, the number of S-300 missile attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city has declined. (The air-launched glide bombs, however, have not yet been impeded.)

We don’t know all the details of the Zelenskyy plan, but besides those deep strikes it will probably include a request for sustained funding, after this year’s long delayed US congressional vote of $61bn runs out; tightened sanctions on Russia and its Chinese and Indian enablers, plus the use of frozen Russian assets held in the west for Ukrainian reconstruction; and a bold bid for the shield of Nato membership to cover the roughly four-fifths of Ukraine’s sovereign territory that Kyiv actually controls.

There are two problems with this plan. First, Biden’s entire track record suggests he is likely to give only a fraction of what Zelenskyy asks. There’s a fierce argument inside his administration about the deep strikes. Future funding would depend on Congress. He has certainly not committed to Nato membership for any part of Ukraine. Incrementalism for fear of escalation has been a hallmark of the entire handling of the war by this president and his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. As a Ukrainian friend nicely put it, “Ukrainians are triggered by Sullivan’s ‘escalation management’.” What odds that the old man’s approach will change dramatically now, in the twilight of his presidency?

Second, even if the US and its allies did all of this, would it produce such an effect that Putin’s generals would “tell him he’s losing”? How exactly would that be achieved? Perhaps by targeting Russia’s own energy infrastructure? Understandably, top Ukrainian officials are keeping stumm on the military details of their plans, but well-informed defence analysts wonder how much they can realistically do in the next months. At the YES conference, Col Pavlo Palisa, the commander of Ukraine’s elite 93rd brigade, spoke of the “tyranny of time”. At the frontline you need to move super fast to hit five key enemy targets as they appear, but by the time the necessary weapons and permissions come through, it’s too late and “there are now 50 targets”. At the pace the US-led west is moving, time is on Russia’s side. And, needless to say, Putin is waiting for Donald Trump to be reelected US president on 5 November.

All the more reason for the vice-president, Kamala Harris, who will inherit this major geopolitical challenge if she becomes president, and all those European allies who understand what is at stake, to urge Biden to leap over his own shadow and make the potentially gamechanging moves now. This may be the last chance to enable Ukraine to achieve something that can plausibly be called victory, which is the precondition for a lasting peace. Otherwise, Kyiv will probably be forced to sue for a cessation of hostilities sometime next year, negotiating from a position of weakness. That would not be peace, just a pause before another round of war. In Ukraine, there would be despair and fury; in the Kremlin, rejoicing; and in the rest of the world, most consequentially of all, swirling contempt for the weakness of the west.

[scotianostra]

Happy 76th Birthday the excellent Scottish actor David Hayman.

Hayman, one of Scotland’s most acclaimed actors of stage and screen was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow on February 9th 1948.

David Hayman grew up as one of three children in a working class family in Drumchapel, Glasgow. Leaving school without any academic qualifications he started work as a would-be engineer at 16. One day, wearing his grease stained boiler suit, he marched into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and announced his intention to become an actor. He still has no idea where this came from, he is basically a shy person and there was no family history of acting. He took advice and joined an amateur dramatics group and a year later was accepted to study drama and has never been out of work since.

His film and television credits are, frankly, much too numerous to list but include his superb portrayal of hard man Jimmy Boyle in “Sense of Freedom” and, of course, he is recognisable everywhere as Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Walker in Linda La Plante’s long running Trial and Retribution series.He has also starred in the hit Scottish cop drama Shetland as well as Scottish comedy shows Scotch & Wry, Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game.

Hayman has also directed numerous films and TV shows as well as regularly treading the boards in the Theatres.

Away from acting, David established his Glasgow-based charity Spirit Aid in 2001. It has gone on to become one of Scotland’s most successful small scale humanitarian organisations. He started Spirit Aid because he wanted to do a Scottish Live Aid at Hampden, but his rock stars let him down. “They were all, ‘Oh, man, I’m burned out,’ and I was thinking, ‘You’re sitting on your fat arse on your sofa with £40 million in the bank. Go and sit in a refugee camp in Afghanistan and tell me you’re burned out’. But I thought, I believe in this, I’ve got to keep going.”

He spends several months every year visiting his charity’s relief projects where he employs indigenous workers wherever possible. His fundraising operations include Operation Loo Roll, a project selling toilet paper that raised £100,000 in 2007. The charity undertakes humanitarian relief projects from Kosovo to Guinea-Bissau, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Malawi and South Africa.

Hayman is a big campaigner for a Scottish film studio, which is looking like happening soon, he says “It takes the Americans to come in and build a shed where they shoot Outlander and that’s the nearest thing we have to a film studio, think of all the movies that we’ve lost, all the money that we’ve lost all the way back to Braveheart.”

David was recently in the fab comedy from Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones, Our Ladies, “set mainly in Edinburgh a group of Catholic school girls get an opportunity to go to the capital for a choir competition, but they’re more interested in drinking, partying and hooking up than winning the competition” it is an adaptation of Scottish author, Alan Warner, of Morvern Callar fame’s third novel Sopranos, I read the book in the late 90’s it is a laugh out loud book, and the film is also very good.

Hayman was in an interesting film, My Neighbor Adolf, last year, which I haven’t got round to watching yet, set in 1960;s Brazil he plays a “lonely and grumpy” Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbour is none other than Adolf Hitler. We also saw him in the sequel Fisherman's Friends: One and All, both films get ratings of 6.2, and 6.4 on IMDB . I have just started a binge watch of Chemistry of Death, a Brit crime thriller series which is on Paramount plus. Last year David played a Chieftain in the Disney Star Wars prequal series Andor.

David won a top theatre award for his portrayal of northern Irishman, Eric, in the acclaimed play Cyprus Avenue last year, he has a couple of projects lined up, Jailbroken, an action crime thriller described as "the day before a violent criminal is due to be released from prison he receives a threatening call. Armed only with a mobile phone he must somehow save his family - and himself."And at the other end of the spectrumis a fantasy called Assassins Guild, "After the Mermaid Wars, Iliad's city is attacked by dark forces. With the city full of rancor and corruption, Death herself forms an alliance and offers Atticus, an elite fighter, the chance to return to life. This gift comes at a price."

[alicecoopersbush]

No but your audacity is as sick as your brains! I'd love to know if you'd bring this "everybody complaining about Damien Leone should shut the fuck up and get a life outside being weirdos on the internet..." at a con on David's face, because I'm telling you you fucking wouldn't.

I mean... HAHAHAHAHAHA, TRY YOUR LUCK AND GET BLOCKED AND ROASTED IN REAL LIFE TOO ON THE SPOT, YOU BUNCH OF BIGOTS SIDE WITH BIGOTS JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT'S CONTROVERSIAL OR ANYTHING TO LICK SOMEBODY ELSE'S ARSE CLEAN RIGHT AFTER SIDING WITH NAZIS SPEECH AND DOG-WHISTLING SHIT ON PURPOSE FOR DAVID, LAUREN, ETC AND FANS THAT CERTAINLY DON'T SEE THE POINT OF SIDING WITH NAZIS TO FEEL THREATENED FOR SPEAKING OUT? GET WELL SOON OR GET TRASHED SOONER OR LATER. You already are trashed any way, since you're your own kind of moronic and a hypocrite.

where did you get the nazi bullshit. are you seriously calling me a nazi because i think its strange that people are hopping on damiens ass for saying what he said??? where was there anything nazi related?? genuinely give me the proof and maybe i’d care a little bit more about what a stranger on the internet says

[seriously-mike]

Someone posted this screenshot from Twitter on Threads, and Jesus fucking Christ, I am terrified.

Anjney Midha is an AI investor and executive (who, entirely by the way, called out the alarmist bullshit guiding the current AI policy making in California), and what he said explains a lot. The fact that AI data models are full of useless shit is one thing. Another thing is, 90% of AI users can't write a coherent prompt for shit. Artificial Intelligence or what the fuckwits from marketing hopped on Horse K are pushing under that label is not going to work for people who lack their own actual one.

I've seen image generator data models with input image descriptions that used imageboard tags instead of natural language, because those lazy fucks compiling them couldn't be arsed to sit down and actually describe every one, instead just ripping the list of tags off the board along with the image itself. Meaning that chuds with all the eloquence of a rotten turnip could use those models efficiently, to generate stuff that is typically posted on imageboards (hint: it's porn.), and at the same time everyone actually able to communicate was being put at a disadvantage.

I wrote a couple of posts about prompts for image generators and how they're not rocket science or anything copyrightable. I also quoted Midjourney lead engineer David Holtz debunking the raindances and prayers bullshit so ingrained into the minds of AI users that some of them still insist it works despite all evidence to the contrary.

And here comes Anjney Midha, saying that not only the overly verbose purple prose I've seen in some prompts is an actual rarity, most of the users just fucking copy whatever they've seen used by other people before, because they can't even fucking formulate one coherent sentence. They aren't just illiterate, they're also unimaginative and actively ignorant, refusing to just sit on their stupid asses and read up on anything. Even if they don't use AI at all, the best they can do is aping trends pitched by about ten different people per language.

Imagine that when I asked some people in AI image generation groups on Facebook whether they mentioned the names of particular artists in their prompts (after I played with the concept myself), they had no idea who I was talking about. As in, they didn't want an early 19th century painting, it just came out like that because of other keywords. But since I've also seen people posting questions that sound like prompts in those very groups instead of running them through an actual generator, it just confirmed my opinion that the majority of AI users has no fucking clue what they're doing, and how.

I'm also noticing that the trend of "AI-generated music" lost its momentum as well. Why? Well, how about requiring even more actual intelligence and skill at using language in certain ways than image generators? AI-generated songs that worked had obviously human-written lyrics. People were making sure that the stuff rhymed and maintained some kind of meter, something that the current Large Language Models can't do. AI-generated instrumentals are even more of a hit-or-miss than songs with synthesized vocals, because at least with the vocals the poetic meter influences the musical meter. Unless the generator shits itself in a spectacularly disastrous way, lyrics with a specific rhythm will result in a viable song - for example, majority of the Tears for Fears parody needed only one run per 30-second fragment, which is quite a feat considering that I started it from the chorus, generating the rest in both directions.

The whole situation is, to be entirely honest, Ray Bradbury's nightmare come to life. Not that Bradbury's take on "people not interested in reading books" wasn't idiotically overengineered to the point of being misunderstood as something completely different and shockingly more obvious going backwards from the description, but we're seeing technology that requires literacy being peddled to a generation that is, by and large, fucking illiterate. No, they're not "visual". They're fucking illiterate and we have the previous generations to thank for that. The literary circle-jerk promotes belligerent imbecilic hacks who can't even use Google properly, required reading curricula for school are being jerked around by out-of-touch groups of book-burners, pearl-clutchers and stodgy antiquarians, genre fiction is still looked down upon despite being the most likely thing young people are going to read, writers gleefully shit all over their legacy in order to regain long-lost relevance, and the publishers push any flashy garbage in hopes that movie studios buy the rights to make an adaptation. How can anyone be motivated to read in this kind of landscape? Much less, how can anyone be motivated to write when PR, marketing and sales of books are more important than actually writing them? We have unscrupulous people stitch together passages generated by LLMs without any proofreading or editing and selling them as e-books or print-on-demand publications for that exact fucking reason. Nobody gives a shit what's inside (not even if it's a guide on mushrooms and wild plants that's supposed to tell you which ones are poisonous), the marketing tactics are more crooked than a New York Republican (or any metropolitan conservative, if you will), and the main goal is to flog it to as many suckers as possible before enough people call bullshit on the whole enterprise.

[forensicated]

The Bill - Series 1

This should have been a 12-episode series, however it was cut short to 11 by the industrial dispute between Thames and a technicians' union meaning only 11 were completed by the time it went to air. The final 12th episode was rewritten to become the final episode of series 2 instead (The Chief Supers Party)

The strike led to an alteration in the order of the series airing for everywhere in the UK that wasn't London. In the London 'Thames' offices, members of the management aired episodes 2 and 3 (A Friend In Need and Clutching At Straws) in their usual timeslot themselves after the technicians had walked out. However at the other ITV companies (Tyne Tees/Yorkshire etc), the technicians refused to play any Thames Television programmes so episodes 2 and 3 aired at the end of the series after The Sweet Smell Of Failure.

The 'station' was a former cigarette packing warehouse in Wapping on the corner of Pennington St (the cobbles in the credits) and Artichoke Hill. It was so small that the offices doubled as production offices. Using an actual building to film in; although rare in the 80s; rather than a set allowed a feel of realism because the cameras could follow actors out of the station and onto the street.

Karen England and Paul Page Hansen are the credits 'walking feet'. They appear as extras in the first series.

Jon Iles (Dashwood) and Tony Scannell (Roach) were only supposed to be in 2 episodes. The actors were so well-liked on set that they remained.

Larry Dann was only given the job as Peters the day before filming of series 1 began because the original actor kept forgetting his lines.

Robert Pugh refused to commit to a series so Galloway was recast and John Salthouse joined the cast.

Peter Ellis originally auditioned to be in CID but it was thought that he was too old. However, TPTB wanted to keep him on board so they cast him as Superintendent Brownlow.

Peter Dean's character, Sgt Wilding, was changed to Eric Richard's character, Sgt Cryer. In the time between the pilot and the series, Dean had joined EastEnders and couldn't commit to The Bill.

Taffy undergoes a complete name change from Dai Morgan to Francis Edwards. In Woodentop he gives his first name as 'Dai' which is Dafydd or David.

I know it's the 80's but it's jarring just how many are smoking and the amount of moustaches - and that's just the women!

They're still known as Uniform Oscar as they were in Woodentop.

Chris Ellison appears in 3 episodes (one this series and two the next) as 'Tommy Burnside' rather than his identical twin brother (!!) Frank as he becomes. Tommy is nothing like Frank, he's more a weedy pain in the arse.

Funny Old Business: Cops And Robbers

Sgt Bob Cryer arrives at work at 6.25am to find a prisoner being loaded into an ambulance after an epileptic fit. Right from the off Bob is shown as warm and well respected. He greets everyone the same, be it CID officers or the cleaner or a secretary (both of whom he says hello to by name). Sgt Alec Peters explains that the station doctor passed the man off as drunk only when he was brought in by Reg and 'PC Burton'. The doctor could be in quite some hot water...

Jim is clearly more at ease now, however, it's not stated in canon how long has passed since Woodentop. Best guesstimates are approximately 1 to 2 months given Woodentop mentioned school holidays would start soon in the briefing and Bob says that the kids are about to return to school. Both Dave and June bring up the youth that Jim clipped round the ear, Viv calls him 'The New Boy', Jim still refers to Hendon exercises as his experience of riots and rough arrests and he is classed as a new face at a cafe uniform frequent when on the beat. Having said all this, Jim makes his first arrest in this episode so it may be even less time!

Jim and June sort of flirt over how much sugar Jim has in his tea. He's a thoroughbred don't you know 😉. Taffy tells JimJim that he reckons June rather fancies him. Jim is not impressed and tells Taffy off for being crude. He insists he doesn't fancy June, that she's still getting over being messed around by Dave and he'd never get involved with anyone from the job. (*cough*)

The series starts to set Taffy up as a bit of a grump from episode 1, a far cry from the "Cheeky Leeky" he was in Woodentop. He has good reason here though as the National Front has been given the go-ahead to march through Sun Hill which means all leave has now been cancelled until further notice. It was due to be June's first weekend off in months so she's doubly unimpressed at JimJim's reasoning that it's the price of democracy. Things have not improved at all between Dave and June. There is however another female PC (not just the unnamed extra Alec 'coorrrrr'ed' at) as Viv has arrived!

Roy has learned from his mistakes from Woodentop and is attending a uniform briefing. He finds it absolutely riveting.

Roy tells uniform to keep an eye out for properties with new double glazing as CID believes they're being targeted in burglaries. He warns them not to touch anything but to remain on scene until CID arrives if they come across one. Bob and Roy have more of a jovial frenemy relationship than Jack and the old Roy did.

"Sometimes Roy, only sometimes, you can be almost human!" Bob is amused when he takes a burglary to Roy that matches the MO that he'd asked uniform to look out for. Roy actually thanks him - now there's a first! Reg takes a man through to see Roy. Later Reg complains to June that Bob is a nosy old git - oh the irony! 😂 "A good Sgt knows everything that goes on in his nick."

Three months of work are paying off for Roy - a team of the same lads from the same company carried out work replacing the windows and doors of a large number of recently burgled properties. The firms managing director tells Roy that the keys are taped to the new doors to avoid getting mixed up - they could easily be taken and made copies of and it would explain why there are no other signs of entry. They wait 4-6 months and then return to the property, letting themselves in by the front door.

Uncle Bob is not too happy to find Jim Jim and Taffy having a water fight in the men's loos after a messy arrest. "Bleedin' Woodentops." he sighs as he watches them go.

June claims Bob won't let her and Viv patrol when the National Front are marching through Sun Hill, claiming that he's such an old mother hen sometimes (again - the irony!). Viv asks her what she thinks of Jim. She reckons he's a bit tasty but they're interrupted by a man reporting that he'd had his pockets picked before June can reply.

Dave is guarding the door of the burgled house, waiting for Roy to arrive. There's a kid who keeps asking them what they're doing. At first they ignore him but Dave tells him in such a quiet and indirect way that he's 'looking for fingerprints' it does make you wonder whether he's just a local kid they allowed to watch 😂 Especially when Roy literally lifts the kid up and moves him aside and they all ignore him for the rest of the scene.

DS Tommy Burnside appears for the first of his three appearances before he becomes DI Frank Burnside in series 4. There's no love lost at all between Tommy and Bob. Tommy insists he'll wait for Roy to return. Unfortunately, Jim's first arrest is a snout of Tommy's and he wants Roy to let him off. Bob tells him it's too late - he's already been nicked and charged. "That's what I like to see, Bob. Co-operation." "Bloody Superstars!"

Roy tells Tommy it's too late as his snout is already in the system. Tommy bluffs that his governor - an old acquaintance of Roy's - won't be happy. Roy pulls him up on it immediately and throws him out of the office. Tommy begs him for a favour and even says please. He explains he's due a result from the snout and the arrest compromises it. He promises they can have him back within a few days. Roy allows him to be released as long as he remains Sun Hill's body. He talks Bob into bailing him for a couple of days because 'he owes him one as does Jim. (In Woodentop this was Jack Wilding rather than Bob who wasn't in the episode). He tells him to bail him whilst 'inquiries are made about the property found in his possession'. "You've got all the answers."

Uniform have been trying to catch a group of pickpocketers for quite some time and so far remain unlucky. Bob and Tom are shocked when a well-to-do man arrives having made a citizens arrest of another man who has badly bleeding fingers. The doctor is called for and it transpires that the prisoner from that morning has passed. The well-to-do man accuses the other of picking his pocket and shows the officers some fish hooks sewn into the lining of his jacket that the man had snagged his fingers on, making them bleed profusely.

Charles and the doctor are old friends and he tries to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. He tells the doctor that a few years ago a woman died because of his actions - or rather his inaction. He reminds him that they are human and that everyone makes mistakes and they just have to find a way to live with it. From what he understands 99% of doctors would have made the same diagnosis with the evidence at hand. The doctor blames himself, claiming it's unforgivable as he classifies it as outright neglect.

Outside in the car, Tommy shows more of a Frank reaction to his snout after he'd had to grovel and eat humble pie to get him bailed. The snout snivels that it won't happen again and is scared of him. What makes it worse for Tommy is that his snout was caught by "A bleedin' Woodentop who's still on probation!", telling him that it'd make him about as useful to him as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest." As they drive by Jim and Taffy, the snout sticks his fingers up at Jim, little knowing he'll be returned to Sun Hill by Tommy to be charged in a couple of days.

[hrtsmom]

4/16 Wednesday 63°

I made a bookmark and three pairs of earrings on Monday. I don’t know why I didn’t mention that on Monday, but there you go. The bookmark was upcycled from an old pair of earrings. One of the new pairs of earrings was for me; I just punched holes in two of my smashed pennies and put them on hooks. I wasn’t going to put those pennies on anything to sell anyhow. The other two pairs of earrings were based on ideas I found on Pinterest. I’m happy with them; if they don’t sell I’ll be happy to keep them.

I kind of want to start putting new stuff in the shop now, but on the other hand I kind of don’t. I want to do it just for the sake of having new stuff. But on the other hand I have a lot of expired stuff I need to renew, and I don’t want to do that all at once. Trying to keep my costs down as much as possible. Maybe I’ll start with the new stuff when the buffer box is full. I still have room in there for a few more things, depending on how big they are.

I’ve about made up my mind that I have to reread A Summoned Spark and Chains (and possibly Captive) before I can do any more serious work on the sequels. I particularly need to work out the timelines in TDR, so I can figure out how long Thel and her group spend searching for Jann. I want to cover at least part of that search in the new book before moving on past the ending of Captive. Kind of a pain in the arse to have to spend more time not actually writing, but I can’t even begin to trust my memory on that. I kind of need to find Sharrec’s voice too.

I baked bread today, for the first time in quite a while. The brown sugar is hard as a rock, so rather than mess with the “quick” method of softening it (which is anything but when I’m just trying to get the machine going), I used half white sugar and half molasses. It seems to have worked. I read that brown sugar is basically white sugar with molasses added, so I thought I might as well try it.

Listening to: Shada, Radiolab

Well it turns out Miami Vice and Nash Bridges aren’t available without paying extra, so fuck Amazon for that. However, they do have Stingray, which I don’t think I’ve seen since the 80s. So, cool. And so very 80s.

Finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 5 stars. Next up will be the Niel Hancock series I don’t think I’ve read for decades. I’ve been looking forward to them for months. I hope they hold up.

Listening to: “China Girl” by David Bowie

[occultstarr]

𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕖 - ℕ𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣

CHAPTER 1

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Standing in front of the apartment building you let out a dramatic sigh. Carrying all of your stuff up the stairs all morning because the elevator was broken had proved to be quite stressful.

Your friend David had asked you to move in his apartment with him and two of his band mates since they were all quite broke and splitting the rent four ways would be cheaper on everyone. David had been a good friend of yours for years now, and you really needed a cheap place to live. You hadn’t met David’s band mates so all you knew about them were that their names were Roger, Nick and Rick but Rick wouldn’t be living with you.

“Roger’s a bit of an arse.” David explained.  “But Nick is easy to get along with so you don’t have to worry about him.”

You sighed again and picked up the heavy box you had been carrying through the parking lot. It had a variety of things that you thought would be necessary to bring.

“Ugh!” The box tumbled from your hands and fell to the asphalt.

“Let me help you with that!” A man with dark brown hair and a mustache to match ran over to where you had dropped your box.

“That’s quite a heavy box for just one person to be carrying.” He flashed you a cute smile and helped you pick up the box.

“I’m Nick by the way, Nick Mason.”

“Oh are you David’s band mate by any chance?” You remembered David saying that one of the guys you would be living with was named Nick.

“That’s right, you must be Y/N.” David was right, Nick was very friendly. The two of you carefully hauled the big box up the stairs to your apartment.

“It’s sort of a suite if you know what I mean. A living room and kitchen that connects with two bedrooms that have their own bathroom and two beds.” Nick tried his best to explain. “Well I guess I could just show you.” He took out a key and unlocked the door.

The apartment was exactly like what Nick had described. It was a bit sad looking but at least it came with a microwave and a small fridge. David and Roger had already arrived and started to unpack their stuff. They had chosen the room on the left side of the living room.

“Guess we’re sharing a room then.” Nick laughed awkwardly.

“That’s alright, David said Roger wasn’t all that friendly.” You said under your breath only loud enough for Nick to hear. Nick grinned and slid the box into your new room. It too was just as empty as the living room. There were two beds on either side of the room and a small bathroom.

“I call the bed near the window!” Nick said and flopped down on the bare mattress. You rolled your eyes and scooted the box near your bed. Opening it up you pulled out some blankets and sheets to put on the bed.

“Hey Y/N.” David said. He leaned in the doorway and watched you struggle to find the edges of the sheets.

“Hey David.” You turned to look at him. Behind him was a tall man with a rather interesting face.

“This is Roger, and I’m assuming you’ve already met Nick.”

“Yeah, he helped me carry some stuff in.” Nick smiled proudly to himself.

“Well I’m going to go get the rest of my stuff. I guess you can introduce yourself to these two.” You looked between Roger and Nick. They seemed alright, although Roger was a bit scary looking.

“So you guys are in a band.” You tried to make conversation.

“That’s right, it’s called Pink Floyd.” Roger informed you.

“David hadn’t told me a whole lot about you guys if I’m being honest.”

“Well he sort of uh…replaced our former lead singer, Syd.” Nick said.

“He was having a lot of issues with drug abuse and we were having a hard time working with him.”

“No hard feelings though.” Nick quickly added.

“Anyway, like David said I’m Roger the bassist. I also sing sometimes.” Roger struck you as a bit arrogant but you had expected that.

“I play the drums.” Nick said but he didn’t seem all that full of himself.

“Do you play any instruments Y/N?” Nick asked you. Roger had wandered off back to his room to unpack.

“I play piano but not much else.”

“Maybe I could teach you how to play the drums sometime.” You thought about it a moment.

“Maybe.” You giggled.

Nick had brought a suitcase but not much else. He had also packed a small box that he shoved under the bed.

“What’s that? If you don’t mind me asking.” Nick blushed a little and pulled the box out from under the bed.

“It’s um…..my hot wheels collection.” He opened the box to reveal a large collection of hot wheels.

“That’s so cool!” You plopped down on the floor next to him and looked at all of the cars.

“I use to love hot wheels cars.” You said excitedly.

“Really!?” Nick had the biggest smile on his face.

“Yeah, but I lost them all. You know moving around and all.”

“Well Ive been collecting them for years. It’s just embarrassing to have toys at my age don’t you think?”

“No not at all.” You gave him a reassuring smile.

“I think we’re going to be very good friends Y/N.”

After you and Nick had put all of the toy cars back, David burst in.

“Let’s go out and do something!” He exclaimed.

“Like what?” Nick asked.

“Let’s go see the new Monty Python movie!” Roger yelled from across the living room.

You all excitedly climbed into David’s car and drove to the theater. David and Roger were in the front and you and Nick sat in the back.

“Should we pick up Rick?” Nick asked.

“Nahhh.” Roger said.

So poor Rick didn’t get to go.

Meanwhile Nick admired the night sky through the car window. And you found yourself admiring Nick. He had the cutest nose and his hair looked so soft in the moonlight.

Wait! Why were you looking at Nick like that!? You had just met him. But…he was really cute you had to admit. Not to mention that he had been so sweet to you today. You thought back to what he had said earlier, “I think we’re going to be very good friends Y/N.” Right, just friends.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (883): Sun 18th Aug 2024

I tuned into the finals of the New Japan G1 Climax and while I was gutted that Yota Tsuji didn't win I'm still happy for Zack Sabre Jr, he's been working his arse off for years in New Japan and hopefully this will be the beginning of his road to the IWGP Championship. I was hoping that New Japan would do a Brock Lesnar with Tsuji and have him plow through the roster and win the title in a short amount of time. Out of all theYoung Lions from the class that were around when I first started watching New Japan Tsuji has definitely benefited the most as his new look is amazing and he's lready got a New Japan Cup win under his belt. I think Boltin Oleg and Gabe Kidd are really good but as for the other former Young Lions I think there's a massive amount of work to be done. When Ren Narita returned from excursion I could tell he'd improved a lot and although his gimmick was essentially Shibata 2.0 that could've been fixed with a little tweaking but then for some reason they stuck him in House of Torture and now he wrestles in emo tights and a sleeveless shirt and I have lost all interest in him, well done New Japan. Shota Umino apparently has a dedicated following since his return who are trying to push him up the card with their support but I personally don't see it in terms of his look / presense. Much like Seth Rollins he's a great worker but I don't get what the fuck this gimmick is supposed to be. Yuya Umera really benefited from his run in TNA and his charisma and in ring has improved a lot but I think there's still a bit of work to be done. I think with Boltin Oleg they should do something similar to what AEW did with Darby Allin and Sting i.e have Tanahashi accompany to the ring to endorse him and then occasionally tag with him to give him the rub. However of all the former Young Lions my favourite to watch is undoubtedly Gabe Kidd. He has a great look and has such a superstar aura about him. If they were going to make anyone the new leader of Bullet Club I think Gabe Kidd would have been a much better choice than David Finlay. If you look at the history of Bullet Club leaders you've got Prince Devitt, AJ Styles, Kenny Omega, Jay White…David Finlay…one of these is not like the others. Evidentally someone in New Japan thinks that Finlay is the best thing going in wrestling at the moment which is adorable but he just screams midcard talent to me.

[texshire-books]

Sadistic Liaisons by Sadie Stern

When life gets too much. You become disillusioned with life. You go to work to exist, life and especially love and emotion is sucked out of the very marrow of your bones. This was me. My name is Teresa, I prefer to be called Teri, although to be honest I don’t give a shit anymore. 

At work I just kept my head down. I know I was the office joke. My sexy life was like an arid desert, and I heard more than one person remark that my vagina had healed up through lack of use. Not totally of course, they didn’t know what I got up to at night did they!

Then, when I was having dinner, alone as usual, just as I had done since I divorced ten years ago, I was leafing through this magazine. Most of it was the usual crap. Enhanced images of women with seemingly more exciting lives than mine. Then I saw an advert which caught my attention, mainly because of the nature of its outrageous content. A bit risqué too for the magazine in question. It was offering Spanking Therapy. I didn’t know such a thing existed. I ignored it and ate my dinner.

After watching a soap, I headed to bed and there I kept thinking about this advert and more so it’s remedial qualities. First of all, and the biggest surprise, was he was only interested in engaging with women of 45 and over! Wow, I’d just scraped in. Little old dried up me, on the scrap heap at 45! Its location was reasonably close too. But reading down it had got even more interesting. He was in his 60s, no spring chicken, but I doubted he was on a zimmer frame. He made a remark which resonated – “Remember - you won't always be motivated, but you can learn to be disciplined.”

He offered “Disciplinary Spanking - A type of spanking suited to those who needed to account for their behaviour, when their deeds fell short of expectation. Issues of guilt which could be and purged so your life could proceed, be put back on the rails. There was spanking for bad behaviour too. I recognised those big time. I’d become a nasty spiteful bitch who drove everyone away. That needed fixing. Therapy Spanking too.  I know I lacked confidence and had low self esteem. It promised I’d be left with a relaxed and peaceful state of mind which would enable me to tackle life with renewed energy and vigour. That all sounded too good to be true. There was an email address as promised. I smiled and dismissed it – something to consider perhaps.

I’m a terrible procrastinator. This time was no exception. In the end, I sent a reply for no other reason than I’d maybe think about it less. Even then I hoped for a reply, saying the email address I’d used was invalid. But it wasn’t, I had a reply of sorts. An automatic reply. I guess I’d hear more later, assuming the words I’d used fitted the profile of whom he sought to “improve.”  The thing is, I did hear back, and we met over lunch. An older man who played me like a trout he’d hooked in a fast-flowing stream.

I’m writing this in hindsight. I’ve visited David Scott and I’ve got a striped arse and a sore anus to show for the near five hours I spent there. But here is the thing, afterwards, after I’d been spanked and caned and I’d howled louder than a wolf in winter, I was shown around a sinister room. A stout bench was placed centre stage. It had one single purpose, that to restrain a victim. Her torso and front half sloping down. Wrists and upper arms secured with straps. Another around her waist. A HER, never a HIM. More straps securing ankles, calfs and upper thighs. Bared buttocks ready to be flayed with a cane.

It seemed there were three women who came regularly for a severe judicial caning. 50 strokes minimum it seemed. I realised as he described their respective fates, I was no longer going to walk around with dry vaginal lips running and equally dried skin cells leaving a dusty trail as I walked, I was now well lubricated. I was fucking aroused as hell! My fate was then decided when I asked if I could sit in and watch the next flogging. I even suggested participation. That is when everything that happened since started. What that was and all so frighteningly closer than comfort dictated you’ll have to read in

Sadistic Liaisons by the mistress of BDSM – Sadie Stern.

Available on Amazon        https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D85FXT4L

and

D2D                 https://books2read.com/u/4A1ZyK

Or visit our new Website                        Texshirebooks.com

[madaims]

Thanks for the tag as per @hawt-pants-exe, my beauty! 💛

Yep I love a good tag game, so here we go!

All time favourite song: That one is easy, it’s Life on Mars by David Bowie. Anyone who knows me well, knows I’m a total Bowie enjoyer. I also equally love Queen, so I’m going to also put Misfire by Queen because it’s a short, sweet and catchy little song, about premature ejaculation (yes really! 🤣) that always makes me smile.

Childhood pet: A Dutch rabbit named Pippin, who I used to think was black in colour. It’s only now I’ve done my research, his colouration was actually called steel. I had him for 7 years or so. He was my best friend. Here’s an old picture of us both that I found:

Hobby: My hobby is drawing. I’ve loved creating art since I was small. My favourite things to draw are people; romantic couples specifically. Usually fanart of romantic couples. At the moment since I have Good Omens brainrot, everything I draw is Ineffable Husbands! My current muse is Crowley. I love drawing him. I’m obsessed! So Ineffables or Crowley on his own. There’s no inbetween. Except when I shake it up a bit and decide to draw Aziraphale instead! 🤣

Comfort show/movie/book:

Show: That would be Good Omens and Doctor Who. Specifically the Tenth Doctor’s run, he’s so dreamy! 😍

Anime: Death Note is my GOAT anime and Trigun is my favourite one to rewatch. Ouran High School Host Club is my overall favourite comfort anime though. It always makes me giggle.

Movie: I have a lot of these. The Princess Bride, Labyrinth, Warm Bodies, The Decoy Bride, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, She’s All That, The Last Unicorn, Megamind, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (live action), Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Guardians of the Galaxy and Pokemon 2000 to name a few. 🤣

Book: That would be Good Omens. The one book I can read over and over again, and it’s still funny every time I read it! 🤣

On Tumblr: I think I came on here in 2022? Or 2023? Just checked my archive, yep it was April last year; 2023. I joined because I was experiencing Trigun Stampede and Trigun 98 brainrot, and all the good Trigun artists were on here. Fast forward to August that same year, I finally watched Good Omens season 2, and my heart was shattered and destroyed by Neil Gaiman and the Good Omens brainrot started again tenfold! 🤣

I was already a fan of Good Omens from watching season 1 the previous year, I was just slow starting it because I’m a lazy arse who didn’t realise it was available on Amazon Prime. I think I remember planning to watch it when it first aired on the BBC, and then just forgot. I do have one braincell. It decided not to function that day.

Fun fact about myself: I’m very good at music trivia. Seriously I’ve won like so many pub quizzes by answering the questions about music. I grew up with my dad listening to songs from the 50s and 60s, my mum listening to stuff from the 70s, my big sister listening to 80s music and my elder brother listening to 90s indie bands. The only music I’m not too sure about is that really modern stuff right now. I mean I love Hozier, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco and some others, but my Spotify is mostly the classics.

I do love some classical music too, but yeah, my knowledge is mostly for the stuff with lyrics.

But yes, ask me anything about music from up to about 70 years ago, I’ll probably know the answer. 👍

Whoa I wrote a lot! Haha sorry!

No pressure tags: @eybefioro @eviebane @bildads-shoes @seventhoflitha @serpent-and-seraph @sabotage-on-mercury @ilivefordarcy @weasleywrinkles @zeldamacgregor and anyone else who wants to join! 💛

tag game!

i love these things so I want to make my own

All time favorite song: it changes constantly, but rn I think "The Devil doesn't bargain" by Alec Benjamin

Childhood pet: a black cat, her name was Schnurri

Hobby: writing and unicycling

Comfort show/movie/book: six of crows

On tumblr since: this year... february I think?

Fun fact about yourself: i doodle on all my books and papers for school

Some tags:

@thisusedtobeafanpage @iamthejam @nailpolishdrinker @emo-mohawk-boy @elegantvoidss @flowers-jn-her-hair @inthecornerstone

[gay-dorito-dust]

hiii I saw you were taking requests for derry girls and if not then disregard this.

I was wondering if you could maybe do hcs for James, Claire and David with reader who's Erin's older adopted sibling. they probs dont take hang out with the full group a lot and tend to just walk around derry listening to music and eating sweets. if you do decide to write this I'd be mighty grateful, you stay safe love ~💜

Oooh! Some are short while some (James) are longer cuz idk how to portray some characters compared to others.

James Maguire:

Since you didn’t partake in Erin’s or her friends chaotic outgoings as much as one would assume and due to the fact you weren’t present when James comes to town; the only way you were made aware of his existence was through Orla and Erin as you were getting ready for bed considering it was a school night had it have been any other night you’d surely be dragged out of the house against your will. “Who’s James?” You asked, spitting out the toothpaste into the sink, wiping your mouth of residue. “Michelle’s cousin who has a really weird accent.” Orla said from her bed while you looked over at Erin for answers, “weird how?” “He’s British.” Erin clarified, brushing her hair out of her face.

“Oh…wait why is he attending our school then? Why not send him elsewhere?” Erin put down the hairbrush to address you with a raised brow, “you sure are asking a lot of questions about James, are you forming a crush on the lad? Without having properly met him at that?” Orla peaked her head up like an excited dog as she stared between you and Erin. “A crush? Y/n has a crush on James already? Wow you really are desperate for love aren’t ya.” This was bound to come up, you saw this coming ahead of time but that doesn’t meant it didn’t get annoying every time you shown the smallest amount of interest in someone. You huffed, shoving past the blonde to sit upon your bed, “forget I even asked.”

“Oh come off it you mardy arse, to answer your question the only reason James is attending our school is because the others would’ve killed him for being British and so on.” Erin said as she joined you on your bed, nudging your shoulder playfully with a smile before retreating to her bed for the night where you spent trying to visualise a face to the name James. All that came up was a blurry silhouette and no voice to accompany it.

How you met was purely coincidental as you were doing your routine of walking through the streets of Derry, hands shoved in the pockets of your jacket, a lollipop hanging from your lips and music blaring in your ears to immerse yourself until you found a boy with brunette hair, sad green eyes that almost looked dark brown from hiding beneath his furrowed brows as his hands clasped together in front of him as he looked up the street whenever someone past expectedly; only to look back down glumly when he didn’t see who he was expecting. He was obviously ditched and wasn’t known prior that you couldn’t help but feel a tad sympathetic towards the poor guy as no one deserves to be ditched…well unless they were an absolute dickhead then their the exception.

Sighing you put away your earphones as you went to sit next to the lad who only looked at you weirdly as you did so, as though he wasn’t expecting anyone to actually acknowledge him. James has heard about you through the girls but those words didn’t compare to the actual person. He knew you the moment he saw the hand drawn music notes on the lapels of your Jean jacket and the legs of your trousers crawling upwards to your mid calf. Erin had told him about your little walks through Derry but didn’t really expect your paths to ever cross from how she went about you.

You were much prettier/handsome in person, James noted as he couldn’t take his eyes away from your face. “Hi.” He said meekly, “I’m James. James Maguire.” “Yeah I’ve heard a lot about your James.” James visibly brightens at this. “You have?” “Yeah, Michelle’s cousin right?” You asked, hoping you weren’t talking to a wrong fella called James but from how he practically beamed that wasn’t going to be the case. “Yeah, you must be y/n, Erin’s adopted sibling.” He mentioned casually, wanting to start a conversation. “Older adopted sibling but yeah that’s me, where’s the girls?” He sighs, shrugging his shoulders, “we were supposed to meet up here but I’m the only one to arrive.”

“Looks like you got ditched my dear James.” You commentated as he huffs again, “thanks captain obvious as if I hadn’t already piece that together myself.” He’s got sass, you liked him already. You stood up and dusted yourself down before reaching into the pocket of your jacket to pull out a blueberry flavoured lollipop you gotten from the shop earlier and presented it to James who only looked at it in confusion. “Why don’t you come walk through Derry with me James, I know it won’t be as much as fun but it’s better to be in another’s company then sulking at the side of the street don’t you think?” James’ face beams once more as he accepted your sweet, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth before joining your side as you both ventured down the street together and becoming acquainted.

Soon after that it would become a tradition for you and James to take always through Derry together whilst chowing down on sweets as you learnt more about one another or used the time to vent and offer advice to one another especially whenever James found it difficult to withstand Michele’s constant jabs at his entire existence. “Michele does that when she’s scared that certain aspects of her life are being replaced by something foreign to her. She doesn��t hate you James she just doesn’t like change all that much especially when it’s her on the receiving end of such; Though I don’t condone her actions but just think of them as her coping mechanism because deep down even though she might not want to admit it, she cares about you James.”

James would even comfort you whenever you felt as though you were missing out on life by perfecting your own company to that of a group of friends but can’t seem to rid yourself of the envious feeling whenever you see friends laugh and joke together with the largest smiles you’ve seen on a persons face whilst you were listening to music and eating sweets like a loner. You even though that Orla and Erin were having more fun then you were or thought that you were boring and prudish because you didn’t like the things that they found interesting and vice versa. “There’s nothing wrong with being alone y/n. We’re bound to be alone at some points in life but just acknowledging the fact that you might be missing out proves to me that you believe that having friends, hanging out way past late are things your missing out on when in reality that’s further from the truth.” James exclaims as he grasps your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze, “besides I’m here now and your not alone. We can be loners together after all two heads are better then one as the saying goes.” You chuckled lightly as you beamed at him, “yeah, that sounds like fun. Let’s be loners together.”

Now when you’ve began feeling things for him and him for you needless to say you began spending even more time together that you’d willingly leave you house way past late to join James in watching his favourite shows or movies as you sat in the blanket fort you both made together by the power of teamwork that it naturally made Orla, Erin and Michelle a little more then curious. So one day the girls would be following you on your walks when they hide behind a wall as you stopped to greet James with a hug and offering him a sweetie before linking arms and beginning to walk down the street, too emerced in one another to notice that you were being followed.

“James and y/n?! Y/n and James?!” Michelle hissed as she watched her friend and her cousin staring at one another when the other wasn’t looking like two dumbasses with puppy crushes whilst trying not to be sick at the mere thought of you two actually one day getting together. Clare thought you both were cute for one another and wanted nothing more then to see her friends be happy with one another while Erin had a sneaky suspicion that you’ve liked James for a while now but were too stubborn to admit it. Orla was indifferent because she wasn’t one to notice such things unless distinctly pointed out to her and even when she did notice she didn’t have much of an issue with the potential reality of you and James becoming an item. In fact she thought that you and James were perfect for each other.

James would be very awkward to when it comes to asking you out seeing as you were the only person to treat him with an ounce of respect and actually didn’t mind the fact that he was British and instead found him to be quite endearing and sweet on most occasions. He didn’t want to throw away your trust and friendship just because he wanted something more out of it, he valued you too much to even fathom such a thing that when you were the one to tell him that you fancied him since the day you saw the boy with the sad green eyes he was practically glowing with happiness that he didn’t know what to say so he just brought you into a tight embrace as he admired to liking you for just as long through laughter.

Most of your relationship didn’t change beside from the fact that you could now kiss each other and such but other then that you both primarily saw each other as the best friend you fell in love with and eventually got into a beautiful relationship with. Your walks through Derry were now considered dates and you’d be pressed up against James’s side as he kept an arm over your shoulder, pressing a timid kiss to your head as you pressed a kiss to his jaw causing him to stammer and smile shyly. He just loved you so much that some days he couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to have met you on his worst day.

He’s a little lost without you so whenever you had to separate for different lessons James almost refused to let go of your hand but when he was forced to the only thing he could think about for the entirety of the period was you, missing you until you were reunited at lunch or a free period where he could have you all to himself selfishly.

Needless to say Michelle would soon come to accept that you and James were going to become a longtime thing and would even warm up to it after seeing how you both made each other so incredibly happy that words couldn’t describe how brightly you’d stare at one another, whether that’d be from across the room of literally in front of each others face.

Clare Devlin:

Your next door neighbours so I’d think it’s needless to say that you spend a lot of time in your room together being cute and as adorable much to your friends chagrin. They found you both so sickeningly cute that they swore they’d get rotten teeth from how overbearingly sweet you are to one another.

Clare would consider your walks through Derry dates as it was only the two of you and the copious amount of sweets you had in your pockets that made it all the more obvious. She would try to sneak a sweet out from your pocket but you’d always manage to catch her in the act before tugging her into your arms as she squealed as you prepped kisses against her face and hair before letting her go to catch her breath as she stared at you starry eyed and all.

She holds your hand very tightly and doesn’t give a shit if they start getting clammy, Clare isn’t letting go anytime soon she’s too busy lost in her little fantasy with you and wouldn’t want it any other way. She’s very passionate and you both wanna take the relationship slow as to not rush into things nor make mistakes that you were inevitably going to regret in the long run.

I feel like Erin knew of Clare’s crush on you when now and then she’d catch her gazing at you from afar or even up close and being incredibly obvious as well that she would at least try and play matchmaker by putting you both in situations where you’d both have to interact with each other. Well it’s more or less you talking to her and her stammering her way through a sentence while her brow starts sweating up a lot.

The girls and James find it endearing watching Clare muster up the courage to ask you out while you muster up your courage to ask her out which would lead to a really cute situation where you’d both as the other out simultaneously that is responded by fits of laughter and reciprocated feelings. It’s cute, dorky and a tad awkward but it was all worth it in the end as you could be seen practically side by side, holding hands, sharing sweets and such with the biggest grins on your faces.

Clare makes you feel warm and giddy and you made her feel the same way. Your both cute together, too cute. Way too fucking cute for anyone but all that anyone cares about is that your both happy and we’re willing to put in the work to stay together for the long run of your relationship because no matter what you were friends first and significant others second.

David Donnelly:

This would be a little awkward considering that Erin had a crush on him so your relationship would be kept a secret from her for the time being until you could firmly believe that she was over David. It also didn’t help the fact that every time she saw David it would be nothing but disaster after disaster with how Erin tried to come across as cool but only to look like an absolute nonce in the process that you almost felt bad for laughing. Almost.

So really your relationship would be kept secrete for a good while and thankfully your walks through Derry go undisturbed though however if you ever did catch a glimpse of Erin or the girls (+ James) nearby you would grab David’s hand and take a detour somewhere else; only to probably get lost and navigate your way back without calling Erin for help otherwise you wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Keeping a relationship secret wasn’t easy for either of you but the time you did spend together was worth it but if you were being honest it’s the thrill of one day knowing that you’ll get caught by Erin or someone else that made things in your relationship exciting.

Though even if Erin did know about you and David, needless to say there would be tension but you wouldn’t really give it that much thought considering he was never her to begin with but you’d ultimately feel extreme guilt and would try to make it up to her even if it meant engaging in enraged shouting matches at home until someone has to separate you both. It’s not pretty but then again neither is life really. Besides all David cares about was being able to spend time with you no matter how that may come.

[scotianostra]

Happy 75th Birthday the excellent Scottish actor David Hayman.

Hayman, one of Scotland’s most acclaimed actors of stage and screen was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow on February 9th 1948.

David Hayman grew up as one of three children in a working class family in Drumchapel, Glasgow. Leaving school without any academic qualifications he started work as a would-be engineer at 16. One day, wearing his grease stained boiler suit, he marched into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and announced his intention to become an actor. He still has no idea where this came from, he is basically a shy person and there was no family history of acting. He took advice and joined an amateur dramatics group and a year later was accepted to study drama and has never been out of work since.

His film and television credits are, frankly, much too numerous to list but include his superb portrayal of hard man Jimmy Boyle in “Sense of Freedom” and, of course, he is recognisable everywhere as Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Walker in Linda La Plante’s long running Trial and Retribution series.He has also starred in the hit Scottish cop drama Shetland as well as Scottish comedy shows Scotch & Wry, Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game.

Hayman has also directed numerous films and TV shows as well as regularly treading the boards in the Theatres.

Away from acting, David established his Glasgow-based charity Spirit Aid in 2001. It has gone on to become one of Scotland’s most successful small scale humanitarian organisations. He started Spirit Aid because he wanted to do a Scottish Live Aid at Hampden, but his rock stars let him down. “They were all, ‘Oh, man, I’m burned out,’ and I was thinking, ‘You’re sitting on your fat arse on your sofa with £40 million in the bank. Go and sit in a refugee camp in Afghanistan and tell me you’re burned out’. But I thought, I believe in this, I’ve got to keep going.”

He spends several months every year visiting his charity’s relief projects where he employs indigenous workers wherever possible. His fundraising operations include Operation Loo Roll, a project selling toilet paper that raised £100,000 in 2007. The charity undertakes humanitarian relief projects from Kosovo to Guinea-Bissau, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Malawi and South Africa.

Hayman is a big campaigner for a Scottish film studio, which is looking like happening soon, he says “It takes the Americans to come in and build a shed where they shoot Outlander and that’s the nearest thing we have to a film studio, think of all the movies that we’ve lost, all the money that we’ve lost all the way back to Braveheart.”

David was recently in the fab comedy from Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones, Our Ladies, “set mainly in Edinburgh a group of Catholic school girls get an opportunity to go to the capital for a choir competition, but they’re more interested in drinking, partying and hooking up than winning the competition” it is an adaptation of Scottish author, Alan Warner, of Morvern Callar fame’s third novel Sopranos, I read the book in the late 90’s it is a laugh out loud book, and the film is also very good.

Hayman was in an interesting film,  My Neighbor Adolf, last year, which I haven’t got round to watching yet, set in 1960;s Brazil he plays   a “lonely and grumpy” Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbour is none other than Adolf Hitler. We also saw him in the sequel   Fisherman's Friends: One and All, both films get ratings of 6.2, and 6.4 on IMDB . I have just started a binge watch of Chemistry of Death, a Brit crime thriller series which is on Paramount plus. Last year David played a Chieftain in the Disney Star Wars prequal series Andor.