Nick 🐙

Nick 🐙

@nickoctopus.bsky.social

He/him, in the UK. NB & ND. I occasionally make EBM/industrial music as Trellick. I hate fascists & bigots. Trans rights are human rights. I will never log off.

1.2K followers854 following11K posts

Nick 🐙 reposted

Stellbound: Stellraiser II
@antlervel.vet

This is what Love Lies Bleeding got right about the 80s: everything in the 80s wasn’t neon and bright colors and crazy prints. Everything was fucking Brown

Darryl Mott@gamerstavernshow.com

That's the bit everyone gets wrong. They try to look like the 80s/90s and they pick whatever was in fashion or what was on TV show sets at that time. Most people lag about a decade behind whatever the furniture and decor trends are because they only buy stuff when they need to replace them.

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

you are buying a large bookshelf to store your books I am buying a large bookshelf on the faint chance that I will be crushed beneath it one day, gasping my last laboured breath while trapped under expensive coffee table books about brutalist architecture and soviet design we are not the same

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

huh it sure is hard to find CD racks/towers these days that aren't really shitty ones where all the reviews say "lmao this is so badly made" curse the death of physical media

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

It's #crispsandwichday! Left, the classic. Heavily buttered, ready salted crisps, morning roll. Beautiful in its simplicity. Right, the experimental. Corner shop bombay mix, green chili pickle & mango chutney. Bold, for the unafraid (inspired by someone else's CSD post). And tea, of course.

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

I now need to remember that I have bought a soft furnishing for my flat that will arrive in approximately 16-18 weeks, and not in the meantime buy anything that would go in its place or arrange things such that there isn't room for it

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

"insulate your windows with bubble wrap"; "eat warm meals"; "leave your oven door open after using it"; the bit about dancing around the kitchen to keep warm do you hear yourself, bbc? do you hear what you're saying here? do you see how things are in the UK? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.ukHow to heat your home without turning on the heatingWith storms hitting parts of the UK and the clocks going back, here are some practical ways to cope with falling temperatures.
Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

obviously any advice may help people but WHY DO THEY NEED THIS ADVICE? HAVE YOU WONDERED THAT? oh well back to demonising anyone who dares to protest about why things are like this, eh lads?

Nick 🐙 reposted

Nikola
@greasyboiler.bsky.social

Decades of hard-won progress erased in a few short years by a handful of politicians & newspaper editors who figured that non-stop screeching about asylum seekers and trans people was the only way to maintain electoral consent for perma-austerity while every part of the state visibly rots.

Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social

"This hatred, it’s like a cancer. It spreads because people will always say, ‘Oh, it’s just the illegals.’ It’s not. “From what I experienced, it was anyone who was remotely different, different creed, different colour, different sexuality.” www.theargus.co.uk/news/2665180...

theargus.co.ukActor describes 'abysmal racism and homophobia' he faced in ChichesterAn assault on a cast member of a play in Chichester was "just the tip of the iceberg" of the "racism, xenophobia and homophobia" the cast faced in the town, an actor has claimed.
Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

side-eyeing all the people who insist that funding the BBC is Good Actually because even if they admit the news promotes far right ideology, they claim the BBC's entertainment programming is still ok the thin end of the wedge was a long time ago, we're well past that

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

ah, the delicious anticipation of Crispmas Eve! Thinking back to the Crispmas Eves of my childhood, lying awake at night listening for rustling, wondering if St Crispin had been. Then when I was older, pretending not to know that it was my Dad wearing a potato sack leaving packets in the kitchen

VOLE.wtf 🐹⁉️@vole.wtf

🥪 Only 2 days to go vole.wtf/crisp-sandwi...

vole.wtfCrisp Sandwich Day 🥪🎉 25th OctoberAn annual celebration of the magic that happens when crisps (potato chips) are placed between two slices of bread.
Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

Food. (specifically in the UK, idk about other places) Go look at popular cookbooks from the 80s, or look at what kind of food regular people could buy in the supermarket or eat in restaurants, or get easily from a takeaway

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

fun nick lore: my v middle class Mum was in the 80s what you'd now call a foodie, buying things that she'd heard about to make interesting recipes, sometimes ingredients only sold from health food shops etc People from school didn't like to come round, because the food she made was Too Weird

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

whereas if my brother or I went round to someone else's house, it would be chicken & chips, sausage & mash etc etc (sometimes my mum would phone up to complain to their mum if she felt it was something that food magazines were now saying was unhealthy) I didn't have many friends anyway, thankfully

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

a co-worker is in the process of selling their flat and anyway I looked at the property listing and dear god where is all their -stuff-? I am so weirded out and sometimes jealous of people who manage a fairly minimalist lifestyle (I have way too much stuff)

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

in the long term I would like to redecorate my flat so it has grey walls but not so it looks like a boring generic rental but because I like the cold grey of concrete and industrial spaces also I'm considering using metal garage shelving for all my shelves long-term

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

it is astonishing that even the theoretically progressive/left-leaning/least shitty journalists toe the "tech firms can never be held responsible for anything their products do" line and has just given up, accepting that the world is not ours now

Nick 🐙 reposted

Small Robots
@smolrobots.bsky.social

Reminder that when establishment figures complain about "elites" supporting progressive causes, they're - knowingly or otherwise - using that term in the same way they might also use "rootless cosmopolitans" or "cultural Marxists".

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

"Provocative new show explores whether members of the public will spot Nazi ideology today if it’s ‘repackaged and made to appear acceptable’" yeah we don't need a TV show for this, I think we know people either won't spot it, will defend it loudly, or notice it and love it

Nick 🐙 reposted

Marie Le Conte
@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com

reminds me of the time I flew from NYC to Charleston, SC and next to me was a woman flying with her pet goldfish in a plastic pouch full of water, who eventually made me pose with said fish-in-a-bag for a picture so she could have some memories of the fish making friends on the flight

samuel mehr@mehr.nz

i am on a plane sitting next to a lady who looks 40ish and has informed me that this is her first time flying she is visibly excited. she asked the flight attendant how much a soda costs and was happy to learn that drinks are free on airplanes. she's taking lots of pictures. i love this for her

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

Seeing both Test Dept and Cabaret Voltaire at the weekend after catching Laibach the other week was good BUT right now I'm about to see Melanie C so

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

politicians, clearly making shit up on the spot: uh well actually it was ultra-leftist groups that- me, interrupting: m8 if you were facing ultra-leftists groups like in the 60s and 70s then you would b- [a giant vaudeville hook drags me away from the keyboard before I get myself banned or worse]

Nick 🐙
@nickoctopus.bsky.social

the privilege of the car owner being able to treat upcoming gig setlists as spoilers to be avoided at all cost, while the public transport enjoyer checks them carefully in advance to determine whether they can leave the gig before the end to have an easier/safer journey home