John Borland

@klaxonator.bsky.social

1748 Followers 5598 Following

Writer, translator, Berlin, books. Very loud music, very quiet music. The way the ocean glows at midnight. Butterflies. Birds. TTPRGs. Trans rights, migrant rights, human rights. He/him.

A stripe of green aurora over a canal in Berlin
A photo of a mailbox in Berlin on which someone has written "SEND ♥️-LETTERS"
Two carnival-esque performers in vaguely steampunk garb perform for a crowd. The woman's top hat is on fire.
Photo of "popcorn flavor" Oatly oat milk. Please don't go there. I'm not even sure it's real.
Pink passionflower blooming on a Berlin balcony. Looks like it has had a few pornstar martinis.
Cover of Alasdair Gray's "Poor Things" (the book that the movie was based on). Depicts a large, misshapen, balding man with Victorian sideburns on a couch, with two smaller figures (adult, but child-sized) cuddled up next to him.
Tickets for an Iron Maiden show in Berlin.
An Iron Maiden-branded beer can, held up in toast
A Canada goose barring the way, looking disturbingly directly into the camera.
A building in Berlin with massive graffiti letters reading: "DROB RENTS NOT BOMBS"
Red-tinged contrails over a Berlin rooftop at sunset, spelling out the Roman numeral XI.
Cover of Anne Carson's "The Beauty of The Husband" -- "a fictional essay in 29 tangos". Painting of a delicate face, gender unclear, nose to chin, neck and torso, staring to right.
Noise/(post)punk band Ditz from Brighton playing in Berlin. Singer Cal Francis standing on the shoulders of startled audience members. Not giants.
A picture of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate lit up against the twilight sky. Below it a crowd of protesters and a sign: "OMAS GEGEN RECHTS" (Grandmas against the far right)
A green swizzle stick in the shape of a well-sculped male figure. Abs and genitals. Used as an Xmas tree decoration.
A box of Brach's candy canes nestled in a Christmas tree
A screen capture of a convo with ChatGTP (some months ago): Q: Why do you have problems analyzing how many R's are in "strawberry"? A: I don't have any problems analyzing the number of "R's" in "strawberry". The word "strawberry" has two "R's". If there's anything specific you're wondering about, feel free to ask.
Photo of Sonar Quartett musicians playing their instruments unconventionally, bowing above fingerings, for George Crumb's Black Angels.
A picture across a Berlin canal. Trees have a few yellow leaves on the far side, and the slender stacks of a coal-burning power plant are visible behind them.
Julie Christmas on stage in Berlin, bathed in blue light, wearing a mask of pink LEDs
Three books in German found as giveaways on a Berlin sidewalk: a history of Tarot cards, Goethe's collected works, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
A wall covered with red leaves
A photo of a sign from a climate demo: "We'll be less activist if you be less shit."
A box of colorful moon cakes from Beijing
ChatGPT explains that no, it knows very well how to spell
Wild hops hanging on a gate. Off now to find the beer they inspire...