Why do these people pretend that Harris hadn’t literally been VP to a President who actively supported and armed the genocide and pledged to do the same thing? The reality distortion field of modern liberals would be funny if it didn’t lead to so much death.

My money is on Burnham basically having the same polling arc as Starmer should he become leader. The Labour Party lacks the political, intellectual and institutional capacity to meet the current moment.

Hair movement is a sign of weakness.

Boooooooo

Judith Butler - Precarious Life. Politically and academically, I moved away from Butler over the last few years, but I would be lying if I said they weren’t a huge influence on me. Their analysis of grief has haunted me for a decade now and is more relevant than ever in the current political climate

Virginia Woolf - The Waves

I feel like every queer sadboi spends their teenage years reading Plath or Woolf. The Waves is Woolf’s most lyrical novel. Sections of it still moves me to tears, plus it has a sneaky gay sex scene in it, so that’s fun.

Harry Braverman - Labour and Monopoly Capital. A central text in my thesis. If you’re looking for a good introduction to Marxism and have struggled with Marx himself, this is a great place to start. In my opinion, this text is far richer than its academic reception suggests.

(Gonna alternate between non-fiction and fiction) Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things. I read this during my undergrad, and every now and then, when I need to be reminded that one must seek beauty even in the darkest of places, I pick it out again.

Gilles Deleuze - Cinema 2: The Time-Image.

This was the book that got me into critical theory. I spent months working my way through it; my original copy is so heavily annotated it’s unreadable, but it gave me the tools to express ideas I couldn’t before. I am an academic thanks to this book.

Like I get that people have noise sensitivities - me too! - but I also think we have a culture have a real issue with kids being loud and in public, but kids have a right to play and be loud and silly. I’d rather they did that without firing fireworks at my window, but this is not a solution.

Fuck this. This is mostly aimed at stopping teenagers, but it’s already illegal for them to purchase fireworks but they clearly have ways. Just open some fucking youth centres and put some money into making their lives less shit.

Yeah alright go on

Probably one of the top 5 resurrections of all time

VOLITION - In honour of your will, lieutenant-yefreitor. That you kept from falling apart, in the face of sheer terror. Day after day. Second by second.

INLAND EMPIRE - DETECTIVE

ESPRIT DE CORPS - ARRIVING

AUTHORITY - ON THE SCENE

I really wish modern TVs weren't riddled with smart TV bullshit. I lean slightly on the remote and suddenly it's trying to install an update or open disney plus.

Lord Tosslepott.

Obviously, you gotta be careful if you do embrace the bit that the rest of the party isn’t gonna get fucked as a result…

Hm yeah. I see what you mean. I think you can probably argue that with new information, you should be able to realise they were lying, and maybe ask the DM to roll for it if they want. Or, embrace the bit and make it the only piece of info you trust haha

... and just see where you end up. A good DM will turn failure into a fun opportunity, even if it does mechanically or narratively disadvantage you.

Honestly, I would embrace it. I like to roleplay my characters in response to dice rolls, even if it means having my PC do something stupid or reckless (as long as the rest of the party is ok with it). It creates good drama and opportunities for character growth, and it's a lot of fun to let go...

There's no unifying theme or conflict beyond a vague gesture towards "the fallout from the war". This in itself is not a bad thing, but I think a structural change would have made the transition easier and eased the shift in tone and focus. It is, quite literally, half a novel, and you can feel that

Nearing the end of A Feast For Crows. My hot take is that this novel would have been better served as a series of short stories that grouped chapters based on location and theme. The chapters themselves are solid, but I keep asking myself "why am I reading these stories together?"

Yeah, I think Moffat also just is more comfortable writing characters who are driven by contradictory impulses and emotions. His scenes tend to move (mostly fluidly) through a lot of emotional beats in a way that I find quite engaging.

I think it also helps that he's willing to let his main characters be quite unlikeable and cruel in ways that other New Who writers are shy away from. The Doctor is a huge asshole for most of this episode.

Yeah, Moffat is perhaps overexcited in his set-ups but he does always pay off his stories emotionally, and he does so in ways that unify the character arc, themes, and sci fi elements. The Hybrid is a perfect example of this.

For all that RTD tried to ape Buffy's style, I think Moffat was far better at using genre fiction to tell deeply human stories. (One day I will write that thing about how every series finale in RTD1 is trying to recreate, and imo, failing to recreate, Buffy's season 2 finale).

Hell Bent is still my favourite Doctor Who finale. I know some people were disappointed by the Gallifrey bait and switch but honestly, don't care. The Doctor/Clara dynamic is New Who at its best.

PAYPHONE - You're not a revolutionary, Harry... You're drunk.

Ah ok. Herbal tea is a different kettle of fish.