Here Fam, Hacking The Simulation To Give You A New Brain And A Hug🥺💖

I know for a fact Crowley absolutely ABSOLUTELY loves Hamilton the musical. He watched it everytime it was staged and always cries when he knows the ending is near.

I just know

Dark Academia Teas

hot, motivated, angry 

+ earl grey 

+ english breakfast 

+ nepal black 

+ masala chai 

+ english toffee 

melancholic, lost, cold 

+ ice wine

+ peppermint 

+ eucalyptus 

+ jasmine 

+ blueberry 

+ pomegranite

+ valerian 

contemplative, warm, sophisticated   

+ chai 

+ cinnimon 

+ english afternoon 

+ pumpkin chai

+ ginger 

+ orange pekoe 

bright, content, amiable 

+ lavendar 

+ chamomile 

+ peach 

+ rose 

+ lemon ginger 

+ dandellion 

+ roobios 

if u hate me then kiss me or shut the fuck up

if u hate me then kill me or shut the fuck up

Essays

Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of essays I like/find interesting/are food for thought; I’ve tried to sort them as much as possible. The starred (*) ones are those I especially love

also quick note: some of these links, especially the ones that are from books/anthologies redirect you to libgen or scihub, and if that doesn’t work for you, do message me; I’d be happy to send them across!

Literature + Writing

Godot Comes to Sarajevo - Susan Sontag

The Strangeness of Grief - V. S. Naipaul*

Memories of V. S. Naipaul - Paul Theroux*

A Rainy Day with Ruskin Bond - Mayank Austen Soofi

How Albert Camus Faced History - Adam Gopnik

Listen, Bro - Jo Livingstone

Rachel Cusk Gut-Renovates the Novel - Judith Thurman

Lost in Translation: What the First Line of “The Stranger” Should Be - Ryan Bloom

The Duke in His Domain - Truman Capote*

The Cult of Donna Tartt: Themes and Strategies in The Secret History - Ana Rita Catalão Guedes

Never Do That to a Book - Anne Fadiman*

Affecting Anger: Ideologies of Community Mobilisation in Early Hindi Novel - Rohan Chauhan*

Why I Write - George Orwell*

Rimbaud and Patti Smith: Style as Social Deviance - Carrie Jaurès Noland*

Art + Photography (+ Aesthetics)

Looking at War - Susan Sontag*

Love, sex, art, and death - Nan Goldin, David Wojnarowicz

Lyons, Szarkowski, and the Perception of Photography - Anne Wilkes Tucker

The Feminist Critique of Art History - Thalia Gouma-Peterson, Patricia Mathews

In Plato’s Cave - Susan Sontag*

On reproduction of art (Chapter 1, Ways of Seeing) - John Berger*

On nudity and women in art (Chapter 3, Ways of Seeing) - John Berger*

Kalighat Paintings  - Sharmishtha Chaudhuri

Daydreams and Fragments: On How We Retrieve Images From the Past -  Maël Renouard

Arthur Rimbaud: the Aesthetics of Intoxication - Enid Rhodes Peschel

Cities

Tragic Fable of Mumbai Mills - Gyan Prakash

Whose Bandra is it? - Dustin Silgardo*

Timur’s Registan: noblest public square in the world? - Srinath Perur

The first Starbucks coffee shop, Seattle - Colin Marshall*

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai’s iconic railway station - Srinath Perur

From London to Mumbai and Back Again: Gentrification and Public Policy in Comparative Perspective -  Andrew Harris

The Limits of “White Town” in Colonial Calcutta - Swati Chattopadhyay

The Metropolis and Mental Life - Georg Simmel

Colonial Policy and the Culture of Immigration: Citing the Social History of Varanasi - Vinod Kumar, Shiv Narayan

A Caribbean Creole Capital: Kingston, Jamaica - Coln G. Clarke (from Colonial Cities by Robert Ross, Gerard J. Telkamp

The Colonial City and the Post-Colonial World - G. A. de Bruijne

The Nowhere City - Amos Elon*

The Vertical Flâneur: Narratorial Tradecraft in the Colonial Metropolis - Paul K. Saint-Amour

Philosophy

The trolley problem problem - James Wilson

A Brief History of Death - Nir Baram

Justice as Fairness: Political not Metaphysical - John Rawls*

Should Marxists be Interested in Exploitation? - John E. Roemer

The Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief - Scott Berinato*

The Pandemic and the Crisis of Faith - Makarand Paranjape

If God Is Dead, Your Time is Everything - James Wood

Giving Up on God - Ronald Inglehart

The Limits of Consensual Decision - Douglas Rae*

The Science of “Muddling Through” - Charles Lindblom*

History

The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine - Maria Dolan

The History of Loneliness - Jill Lepore*

From Tuskegee to Togo: the Problem of Freedom in the Empire of Cotton - Sven Beckert*

Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism - E. P. Thompson*

All By Myself - Martha Bailey*

The Geographical Pivot of History - H. J. Mackinder

The sea/ocean

Rim of Life - Manu Pillai

Exploring the Indian Ocean as a rich archive of history – above and below the water line - Isabel Hofmeyr, Charne Lavery

‘Piracy’, connectivity and seaborne power in the Middle Ages - Nikolas Jaspert (from The Sea in History)*

The Vikings and their age - Nils Blomkvist (from The Sea in History)*

Mercantile Networks, Port Cities, and “Pirate” States - Roxani Eleni Margariti

Phantom Peril in the Arctic - Robert David English, Morgan Grant Gardner*

Assorted ones on India

A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001 - Alexander Evans *

Writing Post-Orientalist Histories of the Third World - Gyan Prakash

Empire: How Colonial India Made Modern Britain - Aditya Mukherjee

Feminism and Nationalism in India, 1917-1947 - Aparna Basu

The Epic Riddle of Dating Ramayana, Mahabharata - Sunaina Kumar*

Caste and Politics: Identity Over System - Dipankar Gupta

Our worldview is Delhi based*

Sports (you’ll have to excuse the fact that it’s only cricket but what can i say, i’m indian)

‘Massa Day Done:’ Cricket as a Catalyst for West Indian Independence: 1950-1962 - John Newman*

Playing for power? rugby, Afrikaner nationalism and masculinity in South Africa, c.1900–70 - Albert Grundlingh

When Cricket Was a Symbol, Not Just a Sport - Baz Dreisinger

Cricket, caste, community, colonialism: the politics of a great game - Ramachandra Guha*

Cricket and Politics in Colonial India - Ramchandra Guha

MS Dhoni: A quiet radical who did it his way*

Music

Brega: Music and Conflict in Urban Brazil - Samuel M. Araújo

Color, Music and Conflict: A Study of Aggression in Trinidad with Reference to the Role of Traditional Music - J. D. Elder

The 1975 - ‘Notes On a Conditional Form’ review - Dan Stubbs*

Life Without Live - Rob Sheffield*

How Britney Spears Changed Pop - Rob Sheffield

Concert for Bangladesh

From “Help!” to “Helping out a Friend”: Imagining South Asia through the Beatles and the Concert for Bangladesh - Samantha Christiansen 

Gender

Clothing Behaviour as Non-verbal Resistance - Diana Crane

The Normalisation of Queer Theory - David M. Halperin

Menstruation and the Holocaust - Jo-Ann Owusu*

Women’s Suffrage the Democratic Peace - Allan Dafoe

Pink and Blue: Coloring Inside the Lines of Gender - Catherine Zuckerman*

Women’s health concerns are dismissed more, studied less - Zoanne Clack

Food

How Food-Obsessed Millennials Shape the Future of Food - Rachel A. Becker (as a non-food obsessed somewhat-millennial, this was interesting)

Colonialism’s effect on how and what we eat - Coral Lee

Tracing Europe’s influence on India’s culinary heritage - Ruth Dsouza Prabhu

Chicken Kiev: the world’s most contested ready-meal*

From Russia with mayo: the story of a Soviet super-salad*

The Politics of Pancakes - Taylor Aucoin*

How Doughnuts Fuelled the American Dream*

Pav from the Nau

A Short History of the Vada Pav - Saira Menezes

Fantasy (mostly just harry potter and lord of the rings)

Purebloods and Mudbloods: Race, Species, and Power (from The Politics of Harry Potter)

Azkaban: Discipline, Punishment, and Human Rights (from The Politics of Harry Potter)*

Good and Evil in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lengendarium - Jyrki Korpua

The Fairy Story: J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis - Colin Duriez (from Tree of Tales)*

Tolkien’s Augustinian Understanding of Good and Evil: Why The Lord of the Rings Is Not Manichean - Ralph Wood (from Tree of Tales)*

Travel

The Hidden Cost of Wildlife Tourism

Chronicles of a Writer’s 1950s Road Trip Across France - Kathleen Phelan

On the Early Women Pioneers of Trail Hiking - Gwenyth Loose

On the Mythologies of the Himalaya Mountains - Ed Douglas*

More random assorted ones

The cosmos from the wheelchair (The Economist obituaries)*

In El Salvador - Joan Didion

Scientists are unravelling the mystery of pain - Yudhijit Banerjee

Notes on Nationalism - George Orwell

Politics and the English Language - George Orwell*

What Do the Humanities Do in a Crisis? - Agnes Callard*

The Politics of Joker - Kyle Smith

Sushant Singh Rajput: The outsider - Uday Bhatia*

Credibility and Mystery - John Berger

happy reading :)

I started last week  😭😭

welp, time to carry an entire fandom :’)

Now someone tell me why the fuck I didn’t discover Good Omens in 2019 because now there isn’t much content coming from the fanbase and it’s killing me

we are the universe experiencing itself

The mechanisms iceberg

I am humbly asking the fandom and older fans for entries on this iceberg because it really bugs me that there is so so much lore and even easter eggs thrown around the internet yet to be brought together to light

Free places to learn astronomy from

Making this for my fellow broke passionate people

https://www.coursera.org/learn/astro

https://www.teachastronomy.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/astropedia/videos

(these first 3 are basically the same shit but different platforms)

I will keep reblogging each time I find something new

the folklore studies students

telling stories on long winter nights

a reverence for information passed down from generation to generation

the original grimm’s fairytales on your bookshelf

being fascinated by oral forms of storytelling

fighting to have the importance of folklore traditions recognized, rather than dismissed

the warmth of human conversation

comparing various communities and cultures

a love for the art of storytelling

understanding the importance, through context, of seemingly trivial traditions

studying anthropology and literature to supplement your work

the gentle flickering of a candle flame

appreciating the whimsical details of life

folklore as a vehicle for reflecting on the world

analyzing the messages behind myths and fables

the power of cultural heritage to counteract oppression

a stack of folklore anthologies with your favorite pages marked

finding deep significance in a simple legend or story

wanting to make folk culture and traditions more widely recognized and understood

examining the many different versions of a single tale

a fascination with all forms of communication and expression

small talk in french 💬

⭐️ (for beginners) ⭐️

When talking to french people, focus on innocuous topics like the weather, current events (“avez-vous lu à propos de..?” Have you read about…?), and cultural topics like food, movies, art, music, and so on. And remember to use vous instead of tu!

I only speak a little French. Je ne parle qu'un peu le français.

I am learning French, but I am only a beginner. J'apprends le français mais je ne suis qu'un débutant.

I have been learning french for 2 days / 2 weeks / 2 months / 1 year / 2 years. J'apprends le français depuis deux jours / deux semaines / deux mois / un an / deux ans.

Will you please correct me? Peux-tu me corriger, s'il te plaît?

What does ___ mean? Que veut dire ___?

What does that mean? Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire?

Can you explain in French/English to me? Peux-tu m'expliquer en français / anglais?

What does that mean in this context? Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire dans ce contexte?

What is the French word for ___? Quel est le mot français pour ___?

Is this/that correct? C'est juste?

Am I wrong? Je me trompe?/Est-ce que j'ai tort?

Am I correct? Est-ce que j'ai raison?

Do you understand? Est-ce que tu me comprends?

I do not understand. Je ne comprends pas.

I want to improve my level in French. Je veux améliorer mon niveau de français.

I need to practice French. J'ai besoin de pratiquer le français.

Do you have time to speak with me? As-tu le temps de parler avec moi ?

Can you help me to learn French? Peux-tu m'aider à apprendre le français?

Do you mind if we speak in French? Ça te dérange si nous parlons en français?

Can you please speak in French? it helps me to learn. Peux-tu me parler en français s'il te plaît? Ça m'aide à apprendre.

How do you say ’___’ in French? Comment dit-on ’___’ en français ?

I struggle with spelling / reading / writing / listening / pronunciation. J'ai du mal avec l'orthographe / la lecture / l'écriture / la compréhension orale / la prononciation.

Can you please repeat? I did not understand. Pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît ? Je n'ai pas compris.

I don’t speak French fluently. Je ne parle pas couramment le français.

I am confused. Je suis perdu(e).

I don’t know how to say it in French. Je ne sais pas comment le dire en Français,

Sorry (or ‘pardon’), what did you say? Pardon, qu'est-ce que tu as dit?

I’ve never heard of that. Je n'ai jamais entendu ça.

That makes sense. Ça se tient.

That does not make sense. Ça n'a aucun sens.

What’s happening? / What’s going on? Qu'est-ce qui se passe?

What do you mean by ’___’ ? Qu'est-ce que tu entends par ’___’? / Qu'est-ce que tu veux dire par ’___’?

⭐️ Personal Stuff ⭐️

Here is a list of phrases you can use and practice when giving and asking for personal information. Take note that the list makes use of the formal “vous”.

Comment vous appelez-vous? What is your name?

Je m'appelle Christine. My name is Christine.

Quel est votre nom? What is your name?

Comment allez-vous? How are you?

Je vais bien, merci. I am doing well, thank you.

Très bien, merci. Very well, thank you.

Quel âge avez-vous? How old are you?

J'ai # ans. I am # years old.

J'ai trente ans. I am thirty years old.

J'ai quarante-deux ans. I am forty two old.

Quelle est votre nationalité? What is your Nationality?

Je suis canadien(ne). I am Canadian.

Je suis américain(e). I am American.

Je suis chinois(e). I am Chinese.

Je suis coréen(ne). I am Korean.

Où habitez-vous? Where do you live?

J'habite en Californie. I live in California.

Quel est votre numéro de téléphone? What is your phone number?

Mon numéro de téléphone est le … My phone number is …

Où êtes-vous né(e)? Where were you born?

Je suis né(e) à… I was born in…

Êtes-vous marié(e)? Are you married?

Oui, je suis marié. Yes, I am married

Non, je ne suis pas marié. No, I am not married

Je suis célibataire. I am single

Est-ce que vous avez des frères et soeurs? Do you have any brothers and sisters?

Je suis fille unique. I am an only child/daughter

Je suis fils unique. I am an only child/son

J'ai - frère(s). I have - brother(s).

J'ai - soeur(s).  I have - sisters(s).

Je n'ai pas de frères. I don’t have any brothers.

Je n'ai pas de soeurs. I don’t have any sisters.

Quel est votre métier? What is your job?

Quelle est votre profession? What is your profession?

Que faites-vous dans la vie? What do you do for a living?

Je suis ingénieur. I am an engineer.

Je suis boulanger/boulangère. I am a baker.

Je suis médecin. I am a doctor.

Je suis infirmier/infirmière. I am a nurse.

⭐️ Interests ⭐️

Quel est votre sport préféré? What is your favorite sport? (formal)

Quel est ton sport préféré? 

What is your favorite sport? (informal)

Mon sport préféré est… My favorite sport is….

J'aime faire du sport et garder la forme. I like to do sports to keep fit.

Quelle saison préférez-vous? What season do you prefer? (formal

Quelle saison préfères-tu? What season do you prefer? (What season is your favorite?) (informal)

Quels sont vos passe-temps préférés? What are your favorite pastimes? (formal)

Quels sont tes passe-temps préférés? What are your favorite pastimes? (informal)

Mes passe-temps préférés sont… My favorite pastimes are…

Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans votre temps libre? What do you do in your free time? (formal)

Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans ton temps libre? What do you do in your free time? (informal)

Est-ce que vous avez un animal de compagnie? Do you have a pet?(formal)

Est-ce que tu as un animal de compagnie? Do you have a pet? (informal)

Non, Je n'ai pas un animal de compagnie. No, I don’t have a pet.

Oui, J'ai un chat. Yes, I have a cat.

Oui, J'ai un chien.Yes, I have a dog.

Qu'est-ce que vous aimez? What do you like?

J'aime le jazz. I like jazz.

J'aime le rock. I like rock.

J'aime le hip-hop. I like hip-hop.

Je n'aime pas le rap. I don’t like rap.

Je n'écoute pas de la musique très souvent. I don’t listen to music very often.

J'aime les films d'amour. I like romance films.

J'aime les films d'aventures. I like adventure films.

Je n’aime pas faire du ski. I don’t like skiing.

Qu'est-ce que vous aimeriez faire dans la vie? What would you like to do in life ?

J'aimerais être chef. I would like to be a chef.

J'aimerais être un bibliothécaire. I would like to be a librarian.