Aboubakr Daqīq
@abbkrdqq
Writer. Editor of Australia’s First Muslim Literary Journal. Afghan, Australian. [Offline-ish]
Spider-man BND was good fun and my favourite of the Tom Holland series. I can’t help but notice that the villain (!!!) will have had more screen time going into their next MCU film than Doctor Doom will have had by the time he features in Doomsday. This does not spark joy. #SpidermanBrandNewDay
Loved it. Classic fantasy, beautiful prose, and a badass magic system. The last 100 pages had me staying up late, reading the night away like I used to when I was a kid. Currently looking to buy books 2 and 3, but want the lovely original covers. Thank you @garthnix.bsky.social!
Fascinating. Meanwhile I've taught at a Muslim school in Sydney, where they've had an old, retired soldier come in to speak about WW1 and Australia's military engagements (already a contentious topic for these kids), on behalf of the ADF, with this sticker on his laptop, to a group of CALD students:
'Rat Daniels' by Alex Sawyer is a solid debut, raw and sincere like the characters it brings to life. A tender exploration of the beautiful beast that is male friendship, it navigates the currents of brotherhood – light and dark – with confronting vulnerability. Great work @alexsawyer.bsky.social
The River Has Roots is just beautiful. Amal’s writing is sharp and wonderfully lyrical, her voice wistful and witty. The world and characters are delightful, with a poetic, fairytale charm. On my first night of reading, I stopped three pages in, suddenly realising I wanted to savour the story [1/3]
The director of that Stranger Things doco never answers the question of whether she witnessed the Duffers using ChatGPT / AI. After avoiding the question, she only admits that she didn’t witness “an unethical use” of AI. But did she witness an ‘ethical’ use of it in the writers room?
Re Frankenstein (2025) – while the visuals and costuming were beautiful, the plot changes completely undermined the monster’s motivations, life experiences and overall arc, resulting in a lacklustre third act that leaves you wanting. Even the ‘touching’ conclusion felt unearned and jarring.
Alien: Earth was brilliant. It’s such a treat to watch Noah Hawley tell a story and with his new series he hits it out of the park. Very much my cup of tea. One of my favourites pieces of sci-fi tv since Raised by Wolves. If you’re a fan of Alien or Hawley, it’s a must watch.
Predator Badlands was great fun. Exactly what I wanted: great action, cool monsters, and a story with heart. Has you cheering and whooping at certain points. If it looks like it’s your cup of tea, then rest assured that it is. Enjoy! ⚔️
Seven years late to the party (on the dot), but I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Apostle’ by Gareth Evans. Did for me what Midsommar couldn’t. Liked the religious commentary too.
As a teacher, watching this unfold is terrifying. In Australia, at the primary and secondary school level, it’s already rolled out for kids in South Australia and in NSW from next term. Kids who can’t discern between real people and LLMs, a massive red flag already demonstrated in the trial:
Aussie biscuit lovers: tried Raspberry Jammie Dodgers on the weekend and they’re the closest thing I’ve had to Jam Fancies in years. Really good! A worthy replacement.
NSW Dept of Education is officially rolling out their Al tool for students and teachers in Term 4 2025. This will be absolute chaos. Students already have an over reliance on LLMs. They are hamstringing an entire generation's capacity to develop high order thinking skills. Utter Idiocy #auspol
While the world laments the four year anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, it’s important to remember that it was the US who made a deal with them in the first place. And it was the US who, in the 80s, funded the people who later became the Taliban. It all goes back to them.
This is what comes to mind when I hear Julie Bishop’s name. I remember watching this live on tv. Years later and it’s just as bizarre. A truly “venomous glare” #auspol
With the context of your personal struggles in mind (which you’ve courageously shared both in story and outside it), this chapter felt particularly personal and surprisingly heartfelt. It’s lovely that Ava is healing and glowing in real time, and it’s beautiful to witness that come through 🌻
Blasphemy! Back in my day we also had Plasmo and it was glorious. Blinky Bill and Spot both deserve honourable mentions too
Looks beautiful Mindy! And do my eyes deceive me or is that woman character wearing a hijab? 👀
I see we’ve returned to blatantly describing everyday Afghan men – fathers, brothers, husbands – as the “unpaid foot soldiers of the Taliban’s oppressive regime” and “enforcers of a system of gender apartheid”. Nature is healing #afghanistan
John Morrissey’s stories are raw. Painted on a canvas, melancholic and blue, his stories are coloured by existential despair. He doesn’t offer characters much in the way of grace or gentleness, for their world, like ours, is largely devoid of that - especially for communities like his. (1/3) #auslit
...his approach even more intriguing. As a Bosnian, his people have first hand experience with genocide through the Bosnian War. To date, no journalist has asked him about how his cultural context colours his approach to Palestine or informs his conscience. Such a missed opportunity | 2/2 #auspol
Ed Husic clearly believes that working within the frameworks of power is the best way to effect change. Yet, even then, he's played the role of public agitator (commentary on Palestine, Labor's shortcomings) to help guide that change. However, his cultural background, makes... | 1/2 #auspol
Those well-written stories where characters, forced by circumstance, come to see the dark brokenness within strangers – ugly and full bodied – but instead of rejection, they recognise themselves in it and choose acceptance, creating a platonic bond of unconditional love? Love them. So good. So human
Star Wars has always been about the struggles of the colonised. They just had to make the main characters white so most westerners could relate. The characters you love are actually based on the people you’ve been hating, murdering and enslaving for decades. Centuries. You are the Empire. #starwars
Process video. Digital art, Procreate on iPad, 2025. #art #procreateartist #digitalart #illustration